November 2014
n a i l l i v e z n o r B e th
nt Suppleme A newsletter from the An electronic newsletter from the Department of African African American American and and African African Studies Studies Community Extension Extension Center Center Community
The Black Veterans Day Salute: The GI Bill 70 years later By: Judson L. Jeffries, Ph.D.
Features Pages 1,3: The Black Veterans Day Salute: The GI Bill 70 years later – Judson L. Jeffries, Ph.D. Page 5: Community Members meet OSU’s 15th President – Judson L. Jeffries, Ph.D. Pages 6-7: A Conversation with Ajamu Baraka – Gerardo Del Guercio Page 10: Ending This Fee for All – Devin Fergus, Ph.D. Upcoming Events Page 8: Girls Go Techbridge Page 9: The Math and Science Program Ads Page 4: Urbana– Urban Affairs & Public Policy
The Ninth Annual Black Veterans Day Salute was a smashing success, as usual. This year, due to budget constraints, we were forced to charge a nominal fee of five dollars to help defray the cost of the program. This, however, did not deter people from attending this much-anticipated affair, as more than sixty people braved a brisk morning to pay tribute to those who have served our nation with honor and distinction. This year’s salute commemorated the 70th anniversary of the GI Bill. The Servicemen’s Readjustment Act of 1944, known informally as the GI Bill, was signed into law by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. It offered a range of benefits to returning World War II veterans, including low-cost mortgages, low-interest loans to start a business, tuition payments and living expenses to attend college, high school, or to receive vocational education, as well as one year of unemployment compensation. It was available to every veteran who had been on active duty during the war years for at least ninety days and had not been dishonorably discharged. While the GI Bill was a major factor in the rise of the American middle class, some argue that it also increased economic disparity, as many of the benefits of the GI Bill were not granted to African American veterans and other military personnel of color. Decorated Vietnam War veteran and Columbus City Attorney Rick Pfeiffer opened the program with insightful remarks that set the tone for the remainder of the afternoon. Retired Air Force General Joseph McNeil was our keynote speaker. His address incorporated both personal and historical anecdotes. General McNeil has the distinction of having served on two front lines— in the United States military and as a member of the modern civil rights movement. One of the four young men who sat down at a lunch counter in a Woolworth’s Department store in Greensboro, North Carolina, in February 1960, their actions sparked a sit-in movement that spread nationwide, resulting in the desegregation of lunch counters and other facilities throughout the country. General McNeil’s presentation linked the struggles of the civil rights movement to those he later continued on page 3
Department of African American and African Studies Community Extension Center 905 Mount Vernon Avenue Columbus, Ohio 43203-1413
Phone: (614) 292-3922 Fax: (614) 292-3892 http://aaascec.osu.edu aaascec@osu.edu
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of the CEC 12Core Programs 6 T he Ohio State University’s AAAS Community Extension Center is the outreach component of the Department of African American and African Studies. The CEC is one of the few off-campus facilities of its kind in the nation. Originally housed at two different locations on Ohio Avenue, the CEC moved to its current location in 1986. The CEC plays an integral role in enhancing the life chances of those who live in and around the Mount Vernon Avenue Area. Toward that end, the CEC offers an array of programs at no or nominal cost to the public. Programs include, but are not limited to, the following: conferences, symposia, computer classes, credit and noncredit courses, summer programs, lecture series, and film series. People from all walks of life have participated in these programs. Based on evaluations of our programs and personal testimonies, the CEC is having an impact on residents living in and around the Bronzeville Neighborhood.
1 Black Veterans Day Salute During the salute, Black men and women from Ohio who have served in the U.S. Armed Forces are publicly recognized. Since the salute’s inception in 2006, the CEC has honored Vietnam War veterans (2007), Korean War veterans (2008), African-American servicewomen (2009), World War II veterans (2010), Gulf War Era veterans (2011) ,Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom Veterans (2012) and Black Civil War Veterans (2013)
2 Ray Miller Institute for Change & Leadership This 10-week long leadership course trains young Black professionals from the Columbus community in various areas of leadership. The Institute was founded in 2006 by former State Senator and Minority Whip Ray Miller. Miller has built a reputation as a strong advocate for those who have historically not had access to power. Admission to the Institute is highly competitive. The Institute is offered during OSU’s autumn and spring semesters with the support of OSU’s Office of Continuing Education. Participants who complete the course receive three CEU credits.
3 Senior Citizens Movie Matinee The movie matinee is a chance for senior citizens to watch a film that otherwise might be cost prohibitive in an accommodating environment. A discussion, usually led by an OSU professor or administrator, is held at the end of the film.
4 Computer Literacy Program Throughout the academic year, the CEC offers free and reduced-cost computer technology courses. The program is geared toward seniors but open to everyone. Courses include the following: Senior Computer Orientation, Internet, Email, Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Publisher.
5 Lecture Series Presentations given by OSU faculty, students and/or community members about topics pertinent to the Black community.
Math and Science Program
The Math and Science Program was established in partnership with the OSU Medical Center in 2003. The Math and Science Program exposes students in grades 4 through 12 to the wonders of math and science using hands-on activities. The purpose of the program is three-fold: 1) To increase competency in math and science among students of color; 2) To expose students of color to math and science related careers; and 3) To encourage students of color to major in math or science. The program meets on the fourth Monday of each month from October to May.
7 Summer Residential Program The Summer Residential Program (SRP) was established in 1999 and is designed to provide students with both an appreciation for and an understanding of African-American and African culture and history. The SRP also helps students strengthen their computer literacy skills. Past themes include: “Entrepreneurship in the Black Community and Economic Freedom” (2013), “The Underground Railroad” (2012), “All Eyez On Me: Deconstructing Images of African-American Women in Hip Hop” (2011), “letz b down: Social Justice Advocacy for Blacks During the American Revolutionary War Era” (2010), “The Low Country: Black Culture, Literacy and History in Charleston, South Carolina” (2009). The program is held every June and is for rising 11th and 12th graders. Students live on OSU’s campus.
8 African Affairs Symposium This one-day symposium brings members of the African American and African communities together to discuss issues of particular interest to Africa. The inaugural symposium in 2007 examined the life of South African civil rights activist Steve Biko. “Africa in the Age of Globalization” was the theme of the 2008 symposium. The 2009 symposium examined the life of Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, the first president of Ghana, West Africa. In 2010, the focus was on Pan-Africanism and the Diaspora. The Democratic Republic of the Congo was the theme of the 2011 symposium.
9 Summer Enrichment Program This week-long, non-residential day program is designed to help rising 9th and 10th graders improve their reading and writing skills. The program, which was founded in 2009, is hosted annually in June and accepts approximately 15 students.
10 History of Black Columbus Conference This one-day conference celebrates the rich history of African Americans in Columbus and increases awareness of the significant contributions African Americans have made in all areas of city life. This annual conference is held in the spring.
11 Black History Month Forum The forum is in its fourth year and is focused on celebrating African descended peoples from all over the world. This year, documentaries about the following influential Black historical figures were shown: John Henrik Clarke, Kwame Nkrumah, Fannie Lou Hamer, James Baldwin, Minister Elijah Muhummad.
12 Enemies of the State The annual event features activists from America’s most notorious radical organizations, people who pressured America to live up to its highest ideals. In past years, activists from The Revolutionary Action Movement (2013), The Us Organization (2012), and the Black Panther Party (2011) were invited to speak.
About Bronzeville During the 1930s, African-American leaders in Columbus named the predominately African-American neighborhood between the boundaries of Woodland Avenue (East), Cleveland Avenue (West), Broad Street (South) and the railroad tracks (North) “Bronzeville.” The population was approximately 40,000 residents. In 1937, the same African-American leaders elected a mayor of Bronzeville and created an eight member Cabinet to address social, political and economic issues in the neighborhood. Now, as a result of the establishment of several Neighborhood Civic Associations such as the Woodland Civic Association (East) and the Discovery District (West), Bronzeville was reduced to its current boundaries: Taylor Avenue (East), Jefferson Avenue (West), Broad Street (South), and I-670 (North). The Bronzevillian is inspired by this rich history.
CEC Advisory Board Paul Cook Wanda Dillard Francisca Figueroa-Jackson Mark S. Froehlich Ray Miller, former State Senator Lupenga Mphande, Ph.D. William E. Nelson, Jr., Ph.D. (Deceased) *Ike Newsum, Ph.D. and Chair Rick Pfeiffer, City Attorney Thomas Simpson, Ph.D. Reita Smith Charleta Tavares, State Senator Nana Watson
CEC Director *Judson L. Jeffries, Ph.D.
CEC Staff Sarah Twitty Senior Program Coordinator & Fiscal Officer Kevin L. Brooks, Ph.D. Program Coordinator Alecia Shipe Technology Program Coordinator
Address Department of African American and African Studies Community Extension Center 905 Mount Vernon Avenue Columbus, Ohio 43203-1413 *Ex officio members.
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Keynote Speaker General Joseph McNeil
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Attendees State Senator Charleta Tavares and Ted Williams
experienced as a member of the American military. The annual Black Veterans Day Salute has brought to the Community Extension Center many distinguished guests, but none more so than General Joseph McNeil. At the conclusion of the program, attendees took advantage of the opportunity to snap photos of General McNeil as keep-sakes. One of the honorees was overheard saying, “It is such an honor to be in your presence General McNeil.” Another said, “I don’t think I ever met an African American General before so I want to be sure to get a photo with you.” The Black Veterans Day Salute is arguably the most unique veterans program in the area and it has given birth to more recent programs that honor African American veterans.
Council Member Herschel Craig poses with panelists (L-R) MSG Linda Berry, MSG Anthony Stone, SSG Roshelle Pate, SGT Tommie Berry
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Urbana– Urban Affairs & Public Policy
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Community Members meet OSU’s 15th President By: Judson L. Jeffries, Ph.D. On Tuesday, October 28, 2014, the Department of African American and African Studies hosted a reception for Dr. Michael V. Drake, The Ohio State University’s 15th president, and his wife, Mrs. Brenda Jackson Drake. The affair offered a unique opportunity to introduce members of the Near East Side community to the president and him to them. Despite a persistent drizzle, sixty-five people attended the event. A dozen or so other individuals showed up, but were unable to gain entry either because they were not invited or had not RSVP’d. We sincerely regret that we were unable to accommodate those people, but given the stature of our guest, it was incumbent upon us to take certain precautionary measures in light of our location, limited seating capacity, and a temperamental heating and cooling system. The limitations of our current facility highlight the need to build a new African American and African Studies Community Extension Center. A range of residents were in attendance, from those who take our Senior Citizen Computer Literacy Courses to such political stalwarts as former Senator Ray Miller and award-winning teacher Carole Moyer. Rhythmic drumming filled the air as did the aroma from the catering of Delightful Delights. So that everyone had a chance to introduce themselves to President Drake, a receiving line was set-up. This also provided individuals with the photo op so many crave on an occasion such as this. The mood was festive and relaxed. Dr. Drake provided the evening’s highlight with his remarks and he took special care to note the historical significance of being named Ohio State’s 15th president. He also talked about the role of a land-grant institution in the lives of the city’s residents. Since October 28, we have heard from a number of people who either expressed appreciation for the invitation or wanted us to know how much they enjoyed the event. Al Edmondson, President of the Mount Vernon District Improvement Association, wrote: “Thank you for the invite to meet President Drake! You and your team did an outstanding job at hosting a 1st class reception.” Said Dr. Thomas Simpson, a retired high-level and longtime administrator with the Columbus Public School District, “I had a great time.” Jamia Shepherd, a volunteer at the CEC, remarked, “I thought it was a lovely affair.” A reception for an incoming OSU president at the Community Extension Center was unprecedented. My staff and I worked very hard to make that event the success that it was. That period was especially harrowing as there were three events on the docket within a two-week timeframe—the reception, a visit by Law Professor and former Weather Underground leader Bernardine Dohrn and the Black Veterans Day Salute. Suffice to say, my staff and I were looking forward to this week as a much needed reprieve. Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves. Dr. Kevin L. Brooks, one of the CEC’s Program Coordinators, appropriately summed up the evening: “we got to meet the president and his wife, listen to some good music, and indulge in some good food… everything went according to plan.”
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A Conversation with Ajamu Baraka By: Gerardo Del Guercio Ajamu Baraka is a grassroots human rights advocate and Former Executive Director at the US Human Rights Network. This interview was conducted between May and June 2013 to gather information on Baraka for a biography that will appear in African American National Biography (Oxford University Press). Gerardo Del Guercio: How would you characterize the Syrian command’s position today? Ajamu Baraka: A position I will characterize as weakened equilibrium. The government has lost control over parts of its national territory, its ability to function as a coherent State has been severely weakened even in those areas of the country that it does control. But with its military and security apparatus still functioning, while weakened, and with continued support from a majority of the population, a fact that does not penetrate US coverage of the conflict, the government is still very viable. Of course some may challenge the notion of Assad’s legitimacy in light of the chaos and death that has happened in the country. Yet, one of the interesting and contradictory consequences of the attempt to dislodge the Assad government is that it has resulted in increased popular support. Not necessarily because the population has suddenly decided to embrace Assad and all of the policies of that government, but because with the armed conflict that many feel was imposed on the country, the introduction of foreign jihadists and the widespread reports of brutality and generalized repression in areas that these forces held, Syrians from all of the communities have been convinced that, with all their reservations and even opposition to Assad, he is a much preferred alternative to the Salafi-Wahhabi jihadist forces. GDG: Could you illustrate the development of Israeli policy on Syria since 2011? AB: Israeli policy has had an amazingly consistent focus on two broad goals: 1) support the US’s strategy of full spectrum dominance in the region as part of its broader strategy for global dominance and 2) increase its own power in the region in extension of its work and support to the US. With the enhancement of Iranian power in the region as a result of the defeat of the US attempt to capture and occupy Iraq, Israeli policy has been focused on undermining the power of Syria. The coordinated focus on Syria is reflected in decisions that were made in the latter years of the Bush administration and dutifully carried out by the Obama administration. Known as the “redirection,” Seymour Hersh revealed the strategic decision to counter Iranian influence focused on Syria and the use of Sunni extremist groups as the boots on the ground. It did not matter very much if those groups espoused a militant vision of Islam and were sympathetic to Al Qaeda. Israeli and US policy saw these groups as vital for realizing their geostrategic objectives in the Middle East. As a result, Israel was not an innocent bystander to the eruption of a militarized conflict in Syria. There is an abundance of evidence that suggests full collaborative, while “covert,” participation of Israel providing logistical, training, and even financial support to various elements of the armed opposition in Syria. As Israel’s ambassador to the United States, Michael Oren, said, “the greatest danger to Israel is by the strategic arc that extends from Tehran, to Damascus, to Beirut. And we saw the Assad regime as the keystone in that arc.” Therefore, Israeli policy is to remove regional rivals. It sees the dismemberment of Syria into districts of ethnic and religious minorities following the example of Lebanon as a viable objective and has been working with that objective in mind throughout the Syrian crisis. GDG: Do you believe there is a possibility of Israel being pulled into war in Lebanon or with Syria? AB: Israel is already a willing partner in the war in Syria. As the southern border of NATO member Turkey was transformed into a staging area for the war on Syria with training facilities, corridors for arms shipments to the thousands of armed opposition elements, including known non-Syrian Islamic fundamentalists, Israel worked alongside the intelligence services of Saudi Arabia to provide political, logistical, and intelligence support for these efforts. Moreover, its cross-border air attacks, ostensibly to prevent arms shipments to Hezbollah, dramatically demonstrated where it stood on the issue in Syria. Therefore, I completely reject the innocence narrative pushed by Israeli and US propagandists as though both nations were neutral bystanders watching as armed insurgents appeared out of nowhere to launch a devastatingly destructive war in Syria. So if the real question is, would Israel become even more directly involved? The answer is yes. Reports that Hezbollah units equipped with heavy arms and missiles are maneuvering along the Syrian-Israeli border and manning positions opposite to Israel’s Golan
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Photo of Ajamu Baraka courtesy of www.ushrnetwork.org
outposts and villages could very well at some point pull the Israelis directly into the conflict. GDG: In what ways will the Iran-United States nuclear deal influence Israel and the Syrian calamity? AB: I am not confident that a viable deal will be reached that will satisfy all of the parties involved and even if it did, its impact on the strategic objectives of the US and Israel as it relates to Syria would be negligible. Both chambers of the US legislature in a bipartisan coalition are on record opposing any agreement that would leave intact Iran’s ability to enrich uranium, even at low levels for peaceful civilian purposes. And with the consistent ranting from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who opposes American negotiations with Iran, the political environment for an agreement still appears slim. Insisting that Iran cease all enrichment of uranium is equivalent to obliterating any chance of a peaceful settlement with Iran and making war more likely. GDG: In spring 2013, Major General Yair Golan proposed a safeguard sector in the Golan Heights. Is this possible? AB: Yes. Because since Israel has absolutely no intention to surrender the Golan Heights any more than it does to construct and support a contiguous viable Palestinian state as part of a two state solution to the occupation of Palestinian territory. The potential dismemberment of the Syrian state provides a perfect opportunity for Israel to effectively annex the Golan Heights. The opportunities created by the war in Syria to create “safe-zones” around the occupied Golan Heights is a first step toward that inevitability if the Syrian state is unable to reassert its territorial sovereignty and control. Gerry Del Guercio is a Continuing Education student at York College, The City University of New York, and a language instructor in Montreal.
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Girls Go Techbridge
. For more information visit http://aaascec.osu.edu or call 614-292-4144
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The Math and Science Program
The Math and Science Club Session is Monday, November 24, 2014. For more information visit http://aaascec.osu.edu or call 614-292-3922 or 293-8357
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Ending This Fee for All By: Devin Fergus, Ph.D. LAST week, AT&T agreed to pay $80 million to customers who had been overbilled for charges they had not authorized. This was an all-too-rare case of a perpetrator brought to book: In recent decades, Americans have increasingly been hit with fees they know nothing about, which have contributed to a crisis of consumer debt. We must hope we are entering a new era of regulatory activism that will shine a light on hidden fees. Besides mystery cellphone charges, consumers regularly complain about surprise bank charges for using tellers, for overdraft protection or for not maintaining minimum balances. Not to mention fees for “maintenance” of individual retirement accounts or 401(k)’s, airport taxes, charges on credit-card cash advances or balance transfers, costs for the activation or early termination of cable and Internet services, and fees on 529 college savings accounts and mortgage origination. A 2010 Consumer Reports survey found that unexpected or hidden fees were consumers’ biggest bugbear. In the AT&T case, the company typically charged customers $9.99 per month for unrequested, third-party subscriptions for ringtones and text messages providing horoscopes, flirting tips, celebrity gossip and “fun facts.” AT&T pocketed at least 35 percent of these fees; the company earned $108 million in 2012 and $161 million in 2013 from the scheme. The structure of billing made it “very difficult for customers to know that third-party charges were being placed on their bills,” according to the Federal Trade Commission. Even when customers complained, refunds were often denied. This isn’t the first time the industry has run afoul of regulators. In June, the F.T.C. issued a similar lawsuit against T-Mobile for “cramming,” as the practice of adding hidden fees is known; there have been seven such fee-cramming investigations since 2013. “Hidden” does not necessarily mean a charge is missing from the consumer agreement; rather, costs and terms are often buried in fine print or impenetrable legal language that even contract lawyers have difficulty discovering. The onus is on the customer to be informed of whatever costs are associated with the goods or services. But with these charges buried in tightly guarded pricing structures, customers are often trapped into paying exorbitant fees for years and years. Perniciously, these “trick-and-trap” fees are not just lurking in your cellphone plan; they have invaded areas of consumer credit like mortgages, student and auto loans — financial services that have traditionally provided a path of upward mobility for low-income and working -class families. A glaring example is higher education, where colleges and universities bury students under a mountain of fees, including registration fees just to attend class, quite apart from the fees they already face on student loans. Airlines, in particular, have become notorious for levying hidden charges. “A customer can buy a ticket for $200 and find themselves with a hidden $100 baggage fee, and they might have turned down a $250 ticket with no baggage fee,” Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx said recently, “but the customer was never able to make that choice.” Fees are often baked into the price of a good or service, making it nearly impossible for consumers to know its itemized cost. Auto insurers, for example, typically charge customers a hidden cost based on where they live, but rarely disclose the premium differential. Abolishing excessive fees and predatory charges could help save lower-income Americans more than $6.5 billion a year, according to a 2006 report from the Brookings Institution. Imagine the boost to the spending power of the squeezed middle class if just a percentage of those fees went back in people’s pockets. As consumers, we certainly bear some responsibility. Many of us fail to read contracts and we’ve grown accustomed to mindlessly agreeing to terms with just a couple of clicks. Even when we take time for due diligence, contracts have grown thick with indecipherable legalese. But many industries, like auto insurance, protect their pricing systems as a trade secret. The regulatory agencies should proactively set out rules for best practices on disclosing fees, rather than prosecuting a few egregious cases. That also means enforcement of those practices, in the form of financial audits conducted by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the F.T.C., the Federal Reserve or other agencies. These regulators should apply tougher scrutiny to industries like financial services and higher education to examine whether fees are reasonable and proportional to actual administrative and processing costs. They should be capped or pegged to operational costs, rather than serving as streams of revenue. AT&T customers can rejoice over the coming payback, but the problem of hidden fees doesn’t stop there. Corporations, now defined as legal persons, must act with greater integrity. Companies may argue that they have to hide fees to make prices appear low. But without reforms, it is impossible to judge whether extra charges are about businesses staying competitive or just price gouging and profit taking. A market is neither fair nor free unless consumers can make informed choices.