Join us in a drive to get Youngstown native and historic Civil Rights journalist Simeon Booker awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

We need you to spend a few minutes signing an online White House petition. We need 100,000 signatures in 30 days.

Click/copy-paste this link for the petition: http://1.usa.gov/1O3xFPk

Please share this with your social reach.!! Here’s the quick “Why” on Simeon:

The Civil Rights Movement launched in large part because white America was forced to finally see the hate, violence and killings in the South. That was due to brave journalism from guys like Simeon — starting with the 1955 killing of Emmett Till.

Simeon was the journalist who first put Emmett Till’s death into print. His dangerous reporting continued for years — surviving violence and death threats. Booker's stories ignited a fire of conscience and challenged many to be better and stronger — including a young Georgia minister named Rev. Martin Luther King.

Simeon was raised on the great streets of Youngstown, Ohio. His first work was published in The Vindicator daily newspaper. His first steps in higher education were on the grounds of Youngstown State University before heading to Virginia Union University.

Simeon turned 97 in August. He lives quietly in D.C. with his wife, Carol and son, Teddy.

God has blessed him with a long life — long enough for his hometown, his peers and admirers, and his country to do something to sustain his legacy while he’s alive to see it. Help us honor him and his bravery that was such a catalyst for unprecedented change in our racial divide.

Sign with us today. We’re on Facebook @ http://goo.gl/EMaqzl. We’re on Twitter @sbookermedal.

Share with your friends!!

Thank you,

The Vindicator and The Simeon Booker Group Youngstown, Ohio