I on Memphis: AAPA 50th Anniversary Dedicated to co-Founder Clift Dates 

By Tony Jones MEMPHIS, TN — The African American Police Association (AAPA) was hit with the hard news that it’s co-founder Clifton Dates, Jr. died on Friday, Dec. 9, 2023. It was especially painful because the organization was planning for its milestone 50th Anniversary Christmas Party, which occurred on Saturday, Dec. 16 at Perignon’s Restaurant and Event Center. The news was quite a blow because the event had been structured to honor Dates and fellow co-founder James Bolden, now the last surviving founder of the original seven that established the AAPA in June, 1973. They are the aforementioned Bolden, Dates, Curtis Mull, Clyde Buford, Charles Logan, Fred Roberson and Van Fields. Bolden was appointed, then removed as director of the Memphis Police Department under Mayor Dr. W. W. Herenton following a communication controversy, which Bolden wryly termed to media an “insignificant part of history,” adding that “this too shall pass.”& Their insight to form AAPA has not. AAPA fought racism’s cultural entrenchment through several lawsuits in municipal, state and federal courts that finally led to fair promotional opportunities for Blacks in blue. According to Executive Director Tyrone Currie, the organization currently has more than 700 members.& “They felt that the...