CAANJ January 2018 Edition by Columbus African American News Journal

Columbus & Dayton

FREE January 2018

8 15

Fired Up and Ready To Go! By Rev. Tim Ahrens, D. Min

Healthcare Justice: African American Women Leading the Efforts

By Charleta B. Tavares

The Importance of Self-Respect By Jaquelin Lewis-Lyons, Psy.D.

DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. Drum Major for Justice

OUR VOLUNTEERS ARE MAKING A DIFFERENCE IN OHIO.

To find out more about what weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re doing in the community and how you can get involved visit aarp.org/oh.

PUBLISHER’S PAGE Founder & Publisher Ray Miller

Layout & Design Ray Miller, III

Assistant Editor Ray Miller, III

Associate Editor Edward Bell Media Consultant Rod Harris Distribution Manager Ronald Burke OSU Student Intern Kabrina Thompson

Lead Photographer Steve Harrison

Contributing Editors

Tim Ahrens, D.Min Edward Bell, MBA Lisa Benton, MD, MPH Rodney Q. Blount, Jr. MA Alethea E. Gaddis, MBA Robin A. Jones, PhD Cecil Jones, MBA Josh Katz, MS Jaqueline Lewis-Lyons, PsyD William McCoy, MPA Senator Charleta B. Tavares

The Columbus African American news journal was founded by Ray Miller on January 10, 2011

Happy New Year! We hope that 2018 will be the best year of your life! In fact, just claim it. Great things will not simply occur with the wave of a wand; you’ve got to make them happen. Set clear goals, operate within your God given purpose, and resolve that you will achieve those things which you have put forth. This is our 7th Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. edition of The Columbus African American news journal. As we all know, Dr. King was an unusually gifted individual. He was an intellectual, a theologian, an author, a freedom fighter, a father and husband, and one of the greatest orators in the history of the world. Dr. King didn’t just talk about injustice and inequality, he risked his life and fought for equal opportunity for all Americans--African Americans in particular. Each of our contributing authors have taken a slice of his life and presented facts and perspectives on Dr. King that I am sure you will find educational and inspiring. This giant of a man will always be held in the highest esteem for me as an example of excellence in leadership and humanitarian service. 2017 had its high points and one challenging loss for me and my family. My son, Ray III, finally got married. Marty and I now have a beautiful and brilliant Daughter-In-Love...Maria and great in-laws. Maybe we will have grandchildren, yet! On December 18th, Marty and I celebrated our 46th Wedding Anniversary (She’s such a lucky girl)! No, I’m the one who is truly blessed! In one of the most devastating losses that my family has ever experienced, we lost our sister, Patricia, to cancer. Please keep my Brother-In-Law, Ron, and my nieces and their families in your prayers. We began publishing The Dayton African American news journal in August 2017 and we just published our 82nd monthly edition of The Columbus African American. We have been in business now for seven years and nine months. The work is gratifying but it is not easy. That legislative gig that I had for 24 years was a piece of cake compared to this! If you have the requisite skills, interest, and work ethic--come join us. We have big plans for 2018! As many of you know, I am a voracious reader. I love different perspectives, opinions, writing styles, storytelling, graphic art, and layout and design. I study the media, trends in the industry, mergers, acquisitions and closures. Even after digesting all of this information, I am still awed by the large number of people who approach me daily and boast of being a regular reader of The Columbus and Dayton African American. In fact, many people, old and young, Black and White, male and female, high-income and low-income, proudly profess to having read every edition of the news journal that we have published. I often ask myself, what is it that we have that the other print media does not? Here’s the answer. Our value proposition emanates from the heart. It is felt by our readers. It is clearly discernible in the quality of the paper stock, artwork, distribution, pricing and, most importantly, the excellent articles written by our Contributing Authors. They are content experts, caring community partners, people of high standards, and they have an unalterable sense of morality, ethics, and equal justice. We are truly blessed to have so many excellent contributors writing for us.....and to you. It is clear that we have a well-established trust relationship with our readers. They can feel assured in knowing that we are not going to present them with harmful, intentionally inaccurate or deceptive information. 2018 is our break-out year! If you know someone who is extremely talented in the print media or marketing and communications, please send them my way. We want only the best! We need creative, innovative, risk-taking individuals. Trust me, the successful team-member will be inspired, gratified, and financially rewarded---commensurate with their skills, qualifications, and work effort. High School and College Interns are also encouraged to apply. We have a very strong foundation with the news journals. Now is not the time to sit on our laurels. We have serious issues that need our attention. Issues such as homicide, violence, unemployment, academic achievement, infant mortality, health disparities, public transportation, eldercare, wealth building, environmental health, and political leadership. If you are tired of the rhetoric. If you are turned off by the canned commentary. If you want to make a meaningful difference in the lives of our citizens. Then, The Columbus & Dayton African American news journals are very viable vehicles with which to affiliate and utilize for your personal engagement and desires for community transformation. Now is the time!

The Columbus & Dayton African American 503 S. High Street - Suite 102

With Appreciation and Respect,

Columbus, Ohio 43215 Office: 614.826.2254 editor@columbusafricanamerican.com www.CAANJ.com

Ray Miller Founder & Publisher 3

The Columbus & Dayton African American • January 2018

In This Issue

Boyce Elected President of The Board of Commissioners for 2018

COTA’s New CMAX Rapid Transit Busline Starts January 2018

In Memoriam: Dr. Wilburn Harold Weddington, Sr.

25 Legislative Update

The Opioid Crisis is Getting Worse, Particularly for Black Americans

Lingering Impact: Report on 2016 Foreclosure Trends

5 6

By: Josh Katz

By: Policy Matters Ohio

Marie Selika Williams: “Queen of Staccato,” Concert Vocalist and Educator By: Rodney Q. Blount, MA

While Martin Luther King Taught Us To Dream, Don’t Neglect The Fierce Urgency of Now

Healthcare Justice: African American Women Leading The Efforts

16 Reclaiming Our Way Back to First

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. What’s In A Name?

Fired Up and Ready to Go!

Alpha Kappa Alpha

Sorority, Inc. - Addresses

Community Needs

Through Targeted

Programs

Cover Story – Page 20

Lingering Impact: Report

on 2016 Foreclosure Trends

Book Bags & E-Readers

Congress Is Choosing To

Hurt Ohio’s Children

Rejeana Haynes Receives

Distinguished Career Award

Men’s Ministry of Second

Baptist Church Invites You to

Valentine’s Program

Some Technology Trends

for 2018

The Opioid Crisis is Getting Worse, Particularly for Black Americans

Marie Selika Williams:

“Queen of Staccato,”

Concert Vocalist and

The Importance of Self Respect

Educator

Dr. King Jr. Spoke About Healthcare Too

The Making of A Man

COVER STORY

Things You May Not Know About MLK and Coretta Scott King

Hon. Randolph Baxter Appointed as AARP State President in Ohio

The Columbus & Dayton African American • January 2018

All contents of this news journal are copyrighted © 2015; all rights reserved. Title registration with the U.S. Patent Office pending. Reproduction or use, without written permission, of editorial or graphic content in any manner is prohibited. Unsolicited manuscripts, photographs, and illustrations will not be returned unless accompanied by a properly addresses envelope bearing sufficient postage. Publisher assumes no responsibility for return of unsolicited materials.

LEGACY OF DR. KING

WHILE MARTIN LUTHER KING TAUGHT US TO DREAM, DON’T NEGLECT THE FIERCE URGENCY OF NOW

By Edward Bell, MBA You know, sometimes I think we’re so focused on “the dream” that we ignore the mandate. The Rev. Martin Luther King’s “I Have A Dream” speech is iconic, unquestionably one of the greatest ever given in modern history. Although I’ve heard it countless times - and recited it about a dozen times back in high school - there’s another King speech that truly resonates with me. On April 4, 1967, at a meeting of clergy at Riverside Church in New York City, Dr. King spoke on the war in Vietnam with fiery passion. One year before his assassination, he delivered these words: “We are now faced with the fact that tomorrow is today. We are confronted with the fierce urgency of now. In this unfolding conundrum of life and history there is such a thing as being too late. Procrastination is still the thief of time.” In those few sentences, Dr. King gave us our marching orders - to not delay in changing our society. A little over 50 years later, it’s a lesson we still have yet to fully embrace. On Monday January 29, 2015, the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex (BCJJ) hosted the 29th annual MLK Unity Breakfast, which was highlighted by a keynote address from author Tanner Colby. His book, “Some of My Best Friends are Black” looks at integration from the white side of the aisle and he used the BJCC stage to further that conversation. “The problem’s not the people who engage in bad acts,” he said. “It’s the people who say nothing. There are angry white liberals yelling at angry white conservatives ... while white moderates stay silent.” It’s that silence that continues to cripple progress and slow that “fierce urgency” Dr. King demanded. Make no mistake, the fight for equality is not over. Plenty of critics - many in this very space - have constantly complained about Birmingham’s focus on civil rights. But look deeper and you’ll see that quest for unity goes far beyond race.” Our lawmakers have never been more partisan, content to hide behind divisive “liberal” and “conservative” labels to pander to voters instead of meeting each other halfway. Some parents would rather pull their children from ailing school systems instead of addressing the inherent problems within them. Those and many other problems continue to drive wedges in our society. Dr. King said “there is such a this as being too late.” And he’s right. We saw that in Ferguson, Mo., on August 14, 2014. As Colby mentioned in his address, and I’ve said in the past, the explosion of rage we saw in St. Louis wasn’t just about an unarmed black boy being shot by a white officer. At its core, it was the result of a community burdened by poverty and divided by unequal representation in law enforcement and local government. Those problems didn’t spring up overnight. The signs were ignored procrastination is still the thief of time, after all. The societal walls that were constructed there resulted in a fractured community.

And as Colby said, “The walls can’t just be porous, they need to come down.” Tear them down with fierce urgency. I am convinced that if we are to get on the right side of the world revolution, we as a nation must undergo a radical revolution of values. We must rapidly begin the shift from a “thingoriented” society to a “person-oriented” society. When machines and computers, profit motives and property rights are considered more important than people, the giant triplets of racism, materialism, and militarism are incapable of being conquered. A true revolution of values will soon cause us to question the fairness and justice of many of our past and present policies. On the one hand we are called to play the good Samaritan on life’s roadside; but that will be only an initial act. One day we must come to see that the whole Jericho road must be transformed so that men and women will not be constantly beaten and robbed as they make their journey on life’s highway. True compassion is more than flinging a coin to a beggar; it is not haphazard and superficial. It comes to see that an edifice which produces beggars needs restructuring. A true revolution of values will soon look uneasily on the glaring contrast of poverty and wealth. With righteous indignation, it will look across the seas and see individual capitalists of the West investing huge sums of money in Asia, Africa and South America, only to take the profits out with no concern for the social betterment of the countries, and say: “This is not just.” It will look at our alliance with the landed gentry of Latin America and say: “This is not just.” The Western arrogance of feeling that it has everything to teach others and nothing to learn from them is not just. A true revolution of values will lay hands on the world order and say of war: “This way of settling differences is not just.” This business of burning human beings with napalm, of filling our nation’s homes with orphans and widows, of injecting poisonous drugs of hate into veins of people normally humane, of sending men home from dark and bloody battlefields physically handicapped and psychologically deranged, cannot be reconciled with wisdom, justice and love. A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than 5

on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual death. America, the richest and most powerful nation in the world, can well lead the way in this revolution of values. There is nothing, except a tragic death wish, to prevent us from reordering our priorities, so that the pursuit of peace will take precedence over the pursuit of war. There is nothing to keep us from molding a recalcitrant status quo with bruised hands until we have fashioned it into a brotherhood. These are revolutionary times. All over the globe men are revolting against old systems of exploitation and oppression and out of the wombs of a frail world new systems of justice and equality are being born. The shirtless and barefoot people of the land are rising up as never before. “The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light.” The discussions at Birmingham must break from the status quo and venture from beyond the comfort of our neighborhoods to find common ground on issues that still divide us. From #FreeUAB to #BlackLivesMatter, we’ve seen hundreds of young people embrace the art of the protest in recent months - lessons learned from the great agitator, Dr. King himself. Imagine the progress we could make with a united front on public education. Consider the reduction of crime if outside organizations invested in ignored, impoverished neighborhoods, providing positive outlets for youth there. It’s not an unreasonable dream to achieve. Plenty of people thought Dr. King’s dream was absurd, too. The difference is he was led by urgency. Fierce urgency. Tomorrow is today - don’t let procrastination and apathy undo years of progress. Edward Bell, MBA, AAMS, CMFC, CSS was born and raised in Columbus, Ohio and graduated with honors in a course, “Writing for Children,” from the Institute of Children’s Literature. He has served as Contributing Editor of the Autograph Times. He earned a Master’s degree, as well as designations as: Accredited Asset Management Specialist (AAMS); Chartered Mutual Fund Counselor (CMFC), and Certified Customer Service Specialist (CSS).

The Columbus & Dayton African January 2018 The Columbus African American NewsAmerican Journal • •February 2015

LEGACY OF DR. KING

RECLAIMING OUR WAY BACK TO FIRST office to lead, and not just in a single area, but holistically. He challenged us to lead in business, in education, in medicine, in science, and in the arts. President Obama was an avid book reader. Libraries remain in the urban communities with access to books, movies, and computers with Internet access. When was the last time a library was on your radar? This is known as a form of collaborative learning with opportunities (Obama, as cited by Bullard, 2015).

By Robin A. Jones, PhD In the last century our nation moved from oppression and segregation to freedom of the people to vote, and move without fear of bondage in the United States of America. Many possibilities were presented to Blacks in America such as leadership positions in business and politics. There was a breakthrough in education with Brown v. Board of Education for a more equitable, and exemplary education system for all. No longer were Blacks forced to learn in the darkness of the night or attend PIT schools. No longer were we required to teach each other the fundamentals of the ABC’s, or English language on a Barge ship in the bunkers. We were able to lead by educating ourselves and our children at some of the more prominent schools, colleges and universities. Not only did we start college, we finished college. We were the dream. The dream that we heard from our Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, when he spoke his very words, “The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically” (MLK, as cited by Halsema, 2015). Dr. King went on to say,

character, which will carry them for the rest of their life.

If you are not comprehending the intelligence versus character philosophy of the article, let me share an example(s). Some of our most intelligent and smartest students are school dropouts, yet they are the some of the most successful in life. For example, Bill Gates, a household name, dropped out of college, yet he founded Microsoft. We also have Aretha Franklin who dropped out of high Intelligence plus character – that is the goal of school at 15, yet she is known as the Queen true education. The complete education gives of Soul – “RESPECT” (Gillett, 2016). These one not only power of concentration, but are individuals who have a gift and their gift worthy objectives upon which to concentrate. catapulted them into a multi-million dollar The broad education will, therefore, transmit industry and lifestyle. to one not only the accumulated knowledge of the race but also the accumulated experience Reclaiming our way back to first brings the of social living (MLK, as cited by Strauss, Black community back to our roots. While there is a cycle in life, we must create 2014). conditions that will catapult us over those This is where we as Blacks need to ask conditions or any hurdles that stand in our ourselves whether Dr. King’s words still ring way. We need to promote practices that will true today. According to King, education has evolve cycles of challenges and solutions that a two-fold function which is to aid human will aid in our efforts to promote advocacy. mankind in society through the following: When we place disconnect between families 1) which is utility, and 2) which is culture. and schools, we disconnect our children, the Meaning that we must become more efficient next generation. Where there are gaps, let us close them. Where there are deficiencies, to achieve the meaningful goals of life. let us step in and connect the dots with In our world, the world of mankind we community agencies, religious institutions, need to engage with education to enable businesses and schools. Where we believe us and allow us to become more efficient, there is a lack of education policies and and achieve and legitimately synthesize the principles, let us begin by going to school legitimate goals of our lives. We need to board meetings (they are open to the public); focus on the presence of education and absorb or Parent Teacher Meetings. Advocate for all that is around us. Where we go and how models that will provide services to all. We, we use it, will always bring us to a point in too, have the ability to affect change. our lives that is meaningful and forthright. By seeking an education that will justify For those of us who remember the time of who we are, emphasizes that as we educate Dr. King; we shared communities, families, we become a label and no longer a person. and children. Also, during the time of Dr. Intelligence is never enough, as I personally King, we did not have foster families raising teach to my students. Intelligence is a pattern our children – we stepped up and accepted that directs each of us and guides us to the our family members as our own. Why are art which builds our character. As students, we becoming disenfranchised and losing many times in the early years of elementary, our way? We educated ourselves and those children are provided an assessment that will around us. We reached out, and we gave determine their intelligence. It is at that time, back. In support of Dr. King’s message, the school system should be determining their President Obama challenged us while in The Columbus & Dayton African American • January 2018

Today, let us take the lead from these two leaders and take control. Let us take back and reclaim our way back to first. Let us return to the days of helping, lending, and spending while sharing in our communities. During the era of Dr. King we broke through the blockage of schoolhouses and housing discrimination. During the era of President Obama, we broke through politics to vote into office a Black man and one of the best, if not the best President we had in office. As we close, let each of us mark our spot in history and pledge to take back and lead in our own way to bring a victory into the lives of others. Let us be an advocate for change and the vessel to lead the way. Affecting change is bound in all of us. References Bullard, G., 2015. Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). Retrieved on December 28, 2017 at https://www.imls.gov/ news-events/news-releases/president-obamaannounces-open-ebooks-and-connectedlibrary-challenge Gillett, R., 2016. Retrieved on December 28, 2017 at http://www.businessinsider. com/highly-successful-high-schooldropouts-2016-6 Halsema, V., 2015. SirsiDynix. Retrieved on December 28, 2017 at http://www.sirsidynix. com/blog/2015/01/19/martin-luther-king-jron-education Strauss, V., 2014. Washington Post. Retrieved on December 28, 2017 at https:// www.washingtonpost.com/news/answersheet/wp/2014/01/20/mlk-intelligenceplus-character-that-is-the-goal-of-trueeducation/?utm_term=.ee464cb9ae90 Dr. Jones has a commitment to a strong work ethic, education and a passion for entrepreneurship. In her 40+ years of employment, Robin spent 30 of those years gainfully employed with fortune 50 companies such as GE, IBM, Ashland Oil, and the U.S. Department of Energy, and Department of Defense. Robin started her career path as a database developer building her first database for the F14 Aircraft Fighter planes and from there she catapulted her way to the position of Interim CIO. In her most recent employment capacity, Robin is a retired Senior Manager PMO Director of the Computer Center at University of California, Berkeley - Haas School of Business.

LEGACY OF DR. KING

DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.: WHAT'S IN A NAME? By William McCoy, MPA

What’s in a name? Ask Michael King, Sr., who changed his name and that of his fiveyear old son to Martin Luther King, Sr. and Jr. respectively. Yes, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was named Michael King, Jr. at birth. During his early life, the younger King was known as “Little Mike,” but the name would not stick. According to Taylor Branch (author of Parting the Waters: America in the King Years, 1954-63) Michael King, Sr. went on a 1934 trip that included stops at historical religious sites in the Holy Land and other European cities that culminated in a weeklong Baptist World Alliance conference in Berlin, Germany. While in Berlin, the elder King learned about Martin Luther- the seminal leader of the Protestant Reformation. King, Sr. was so taken by the life and legacy of Martin Luther that he later changed his name and his son’s name from Michael to Martin Luther (Blumberg, 2015). The rest, as they say, is history. Martin Luther and Martin Luther King, Jr. both left their mark on humanity. There are some similarities in their lives. First, both challenged the status quo in the face of daunting opposition. Martin Luther was a Catholic priest and theologian who lived in the 16th Century (1483- 1546) and challenged the Catholic Church and its leadership. He rejected the Catholic view on “indulgences,” which held that freedom from God’s punishment could be purchased with money. This was a big deal, because the Catholic Church accumulated lots of money from people that sought to buy their salvation. Martin Luther taught that salvation and, by extension, eternal life are not earned by good deeds. He preached that salvation is free. Eternal life, he taught, came from God’s grace through the believer’s faith in Jesus Christ as mankind’s savior. He also challenged the authority and office of the Pope by teaching that the Bible is the only source of divine revelation and promoted the idea that all baptized Christians are part of a holy priesthood. His teachings and writings were a catalyst for the Protestant Reformation and today’s Lutheran Church. In 1521, Martin Luther was excommunicated from the Catholic Church and branded as an outlaw by the Emperor (Wikipedia, 2016). Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. also challenged the religious and political power structure and leadership of his time. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was a Baptist minister who sought to end racial discrimination, racial inequality, and other societal ills. He later became a high-profile advocate for ending the Vietnam War, which many say cost him his life. Historians point to the 1955

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. preaching in front of his father, Rev. Martin Luther King, Sr.

Montgomery (AL) bus boycott as Dr. King’s initiation into the national civil rights spot light. The story of Rosa Parks’ refusal to give up her seat on a public bus to a White man and the subsequent Black bus boycott are part of civil rights lore. Dr. King fought for desegregation, voting rights, economic and social justice, and ending the Vietnam War. Like Martin Luther, Dr. King drew the attention and anger of local, state, and federal governments and political leaders. Dr. King was pursued and persecuted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and other powerful interests. Like Martin Luther, Dr. King also faced opposition from some of his peers and people he tried to help. Second, both Martin Luther introduced new philosophies and practices to the people of their day. Martin Luther taught Catholics a new way of looking at their relationship with God, the church, and one another. Martin Luther rejected selected teachings of the Catholic Church, as well as the infallibility and power of the Pope, papacy, and church leadership. He upset the status quo, engaged and empowered the common man, and changed how people viewed and sought salvation. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. pioneered the use of nonviolent resistance in the quest for civil rights and societal change in America. He used nonviolent dissent to force the White power structure to acknowledge the hypocrisy of the nation’s institutional and individual mistreatment of African-Americans. Like Martin Luther, Dr. King upset the status quo, engaged and empowered the common man, and demonstrated that social and political change were possible. Third, both Martin Luther and Dr. King lived lives that produced lasting legacies. Each of 7

these men were catalysts for institutional and individual change. They created movementsone religious and the other focused on social justice- that continue to this day. Martin Luther and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s names still inspire people to do better for themselves, one another, and society. They were truly transformational change agents, whose words and deeds continue to impact people everywhere. This article began by asking, “what’s in a name?” The answer: it depends on what you do with it. Everyone has the potential to contribute to their personal betterment, those around them, and the world at large. In considering your personal path, remember the words of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., “Cowardice asks the question- is it safe? Expediency asks the question- is it politic? Vanity asks the question- is it popular? But conscious asks the question- is it right? And there comes a time when on must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular; but one must take it because it is right.” William McCoy is founder and president of The McCoy Company- a world-class, personal services consulting firm specializing in strategic planning, economic development, and training that helps its clients articulate and achieve their visions, solve problems, and capitalize on their opportunities. He has worked with national think tanks, held two White House appointments, and consulted with every level of government, foundations, and the private sector. Mr. McCoy holds a BA in economics and a MPA in finance, and is profiled in Who’s Who in the World and elsewhere. You can reach William McCoy at (614) 785-8497 or via e-mail wmccoy2@ themccoycompany.com. His website can be found at www.themccoycompany.com.

The Columbus & Dayton African January 2018 The Columbus African American NewsAmerican Journal • •February 2015

LEGACY OF DR. KING

FIRED UP AND READY TO GO! By Rev. Dr. Tim Ahrens “I refuse to accept the view that mankind is so tragically bound to the starless midnight of racism and war that the bright daybreak of peace and brotherhood can never become a reality... I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word.” – The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.”. -The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. What matters to you? Have you become “silent about things that matter?” What matters to me is stand up and be counted for justice. As we enter 2018, I cannot be silent. I feel like we are a ship that has been hijacked by pirates of democracy and freedom. A once beautiful vessel has become a rundown ship of despair. It is time to turn around the ship of despair pirated and steered off course by a greedy, lying, narcissist and reclaim and redirect it back to a journey of truth and hope. It is time for a mutiny on the Bounty of Despair– so to speak. ALL of us working together must grab the ship’s wheel and steer it back on course. We have to hold elected officials responsible for has happened. We have to elect good people to office, change laws and overturn presidential edicts and policies which have been established for two reasons: first, to simply overturn all the good which was accomplished during the Obama Administration and to pad the bank accounts of the super-rich. It will take all of us to do this. We cannot be silent. Unarmed truth and unconditional love must have the final word. We must become like Edith S. Childs. Do you remember Edith? During Senator Barack Obama’s historic 2008 run for the White House, he talked about Edith at many rallies. He told the story of Edith S. Childs of Greenwood, South Carolina. The story goes something like this… At a Democratic Dinner Party in Columbia, South Carolina he had agreed to go and speak in Greenwood. What he didn’t know was that Greenwood, SC (in his words) “is an hour and half from anywhere.” So, at 6am, on a cold rainy February morning, he dragged himself out of bed and headed to Greenwood. He was not in the best of spirits. When they arrived in Greenwood in the pouring rain after an hour and half drive, there were about 20 people in a town hall. Soaking wet, less than happy, bone tired and wondering why he said “yes” to coming to Greenwood, Senator Obama stepped into the room with his aides and campaign staff members. It was still early. Then, a tiny woman in a church hat, (maybe 5’ in heels) started a chant from the behind the Senator. Edith said, “Fired Up” and the other 19

responded, “Fired Up!” She said, “Ready to Go!” And they chanted “Ready to Go!” Apparently, Edith was famous in Greenwood for her chant. She kept going for about 5 minutes. About 2 minutes in Obama started smiling. He started responding. From what was feeling like a low point on his campaign, he found his voice in this one woman’s voice in one small town - an hour and half from anywhere. As Senator Obama said, “One voice can change a room, and that room can change a city, and that city can change a state, and that state can change a nation.” I want you to be that one voice. I want the place where you are to become that one room. I want Columbus to be that one city. I want Ohio to be that one state. I want America to show the world again, that we are the land of opportunity, the place of extravagant welcome, peacemakers in this world, the nation that cares for the health and wellbeing of all our citizens – from the child in embryo to the oldest, poorest man and woman in wheelchair and nursing home bed. We are great. America needs to be great. No one woman or man will make us great again. Let’s not lose the fire that God has put in our bones! We are the people of God. We are the prophets that God is calling this time, for this moment. Are you ready to live into our calling- your calling? Do if for your children, for your grandchildren and those yet to be born in the USA. No matter who you are or what you do in life,

The Columbus African & Dayton American African American News Journal • January • February 2018 2015

you need to claim your space and do your thing for justice. If you are a preacher, preach it. Lead your congregations to unify with others and change this mess we are in. All teachers must teach the truth and not lose sight of all the lies being generated daily by our President and others around him. If you are a doctor, stand up for medical/ethical justice in the health care system. If you are a student, study what is happening and be a difference-maker for your generation! In the memory of Dr. King and all the men, women and children who paved the pathway of peace and justice through other seas of despair, let us grab the ship’s wheel and turn this ship around. In the words of Dr. King “I refuse to accept the view that mankind is so tragically bound to the starless midnight of racism and war that the bright daybreak of peace and brotherhood can never become a reality... I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word.” Let us have the final word. Let us be God’s prophets and God’s witnesses in this time. Rev. Dr. Tim Ahrens is the Senior Minister of First Congregational Church, United Church of Christ in downtown Columbus. A church known for its witness to social justice since its birth as an abolitionist congregation in 1852. Rev. Ahrens is the fifth consecutive senior minister from Yale Divinity School and is a lifelong member of the United Church of Christ.

LEGACY OF DR. KING

THE MAKING OF A MAN By Alethea E. Gaddis, MBA Every January we celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King’s legacy. I want to discuss a few contributing factors I believe served as the foundation for building the character of a little black boy from the segregated south who became a game changer on the international stage. One of my favorite quotes by Abolitionist Frederick Douglass said, “It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men.” Michael King, the infant “increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man” (Luke 2:52, KJV). Dr. King evolved from boy to man exhibiting a definite sense of self. Clearly, along the way, he learned to practice self-control and the ability to make effective decisions. He internalized a value system that served as his moral compass and, he demonstrated prosocial behavior which motivated his sense of responsibility to advocate for the civil rights of others. His Family Family roots provide children the tools need to thrive, succeed as productive members of society. The influence on a child first and foremost comes from parents. Children arrive in the world with a clean slate. Our impact on their lives begins the moment they open their eyes and take their first breath outside of the womb; it’s when a child’s primary relationships start to form with their parents and family. The family provides the most basic physical necessities and essential emotional care for their children. Traditional family values are important because they are the glue that holds a family together. Dr. King was undeniably the beneficiary of deep family roots, essential family relationships, and influencers in his family and community. His Church Dr. King grew up in church, and he comes from a long line of preachers. His father, grandfather, great-grandfather, his only brother, and an uncle (his father’s brother) were all preachers. Some would argue that he didn’t have much say in the matter of becoming a preacher. No doubt he attended Sunday school and participated in BTU (Baptist Training Union). Dr. King often referenced Mahatma Gandhi and his nonviolent civil disobedience approach. Since his father, and mother Alberta Williams King provided him a solid foundation, and it prepared him for the calling on his life both as a preacher and leader of people. He embraced nonviolence and relied on the Spirit of God to guide and direct his purpose. The ministry was a training ground for what was to come. Dr. King honed his prolific and passionate and speaking skills while fulfilling his ministerial assignments. His Education

Young Martin King received most of his education in the Atlanta Public School system. He roamed the halls of David T. Howard Elementary and later attended Booker T. Washington High School. After his graduation in 1944, he entered Morehouse College in Atlanta in 1945 at the age of 15. Afterward, he attended Crozer Theological Seminary in Chester, Pennsylvania and Boston University, where he earned his Ph.D. As I considered his early years in school, I was familiar with Booker Taliaferro Washington who said, one’s position doesn’t measure success; instead, it is measured by the obstacles he or she has overcome, was himself an educator, author, orator, and advisor to presidents of the United States. Out of curiosity, I discovered that his elementary school named for David T. Howard was also a notable man. Howard, took the name of his slave master after the Civil War, was once employed as a railroad porter. He was a founder of Atlanta’s first black-owned bank, the Atlanta Savings Bank. He eventually became an undertaker, “with his mortuary business eventually making him one of the city’s first black millionaires, according to a story by historian Nasir Muhammad in The Atlanta JournalConstitution.”(February 3, 2014). I believe the essence of David T. Howard and Booker T. Washington somehow transcended through time and influenced young Martin. His Name Dr. King, named after his father, was as known as Michael until the age of six. In 1935 his father changed their names to Martin Luther to honor the German Protestant Reformer. I mention this because a name identifies us to others and perhaps reveals to us our purpose and destiny. A name can be instrumental in building a child’s selfesteem. Most names symbolize particular qualities or attributes that may help shape a

The Columbus African American News Journal • February 2015

child’s identity. Growing up my mother often reminded me Alethea is a Greek word for truth. This meaning and other virtues associated with the name were ones she hoped would manifest in my life. Mom understood that character was indeed more critical than my name and also recognized a name could play a significant role in contributing to who I would become. When I was misbehaving, she’d scold me with: “you have to live up to your name,” and the tone of her voice was sufficient punishment! The elder Michael King was strategic in selecting a new name for him and his son. History tells us that Martin Luther was a German monk living in the 16th century who questioned some of the principles practiced by the Roman Catholic Church. He composed what he identified as “The 95 Theses.” It was a list of questions and propositions for debate presented to the establishment. Legend has it that Luther defiantly nailed a copy of his 95 Theses to the door of the University of Wittenberg’s chapel. He adamantly refused the mandate to recant the Theses and was excommunicated from the Catholic Church. To me, the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. certainly rivaled the life of Martin Luther, the Reformer. I see Dr. King delivering his “I Have A Dream” speech during on Lincoln Memorial steps in 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. Marin Luther, the civil rights activist, pressured the establishment by challenging Washington, D.C. to champion the cause of civil rights and enact legal steps to outlaw segregation. He skillfully articulated his vision of racial unity between descendants of slaves and slaveowners. Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens the other. The making, of a man. Alethea E. Gaddis is the Executive Director of The Gaddis Foundation for K.I.D.S. and The Jump Start U4 College program. Both programs are subsidiaries of The Willie and Vivian Gaddis Foundation for K.I.D.S. (Kids Inspired and Destined for Success).

The Columbus & Dayton African American • January 2018

LEGACY OF DR. KING

THINGS YOU MAY NOT KNOW ABOUT MLK AND CORETTA SCOTT KING By Cecil Jones, MBA Martin Luther King Junior was very familiar with Ohio! Martin Luther King spoke in the Dayton, Wilberforce, Springfield, Yellow Springs and Columbus, Ohio area regularly. MLK was requested to work with the Columbus NAACP Letter from Barbee William Durham of the Columbus NAACP to MLK Correspondence (http://www.thekingcenter. org/archive/list?page=1&field_term_ topic_tid=%22Martin%20Luther%20 King%2C%20Jr.%20-%20Radio%20 Public%20Speaking%22) Barbee Durham informs Dr. King of the upcoming annual membership drive for the Columbus, Ohio chapter of the NAACP. In an effort to publicize their efforts they ask that Dr. King record spot announcements on three area radio stations. Friday, May 3, 1963 MLK spoke at the University of Dayton in 1964 To hear one of his speeches that many of us have not heard, go to https://www.udayton. edu/news/images/components/mlk_speech_ dayton_11291964/full_version.mp3 . There is an mp3 voice file with his speech to Dayton at that time. MLK spoke at Central State University in 1958, University of Dayton in 1964, and Wilberforce University in 1965 and Antioch College in 1965. An old article provides a chronology of MLK’s speeches in the Dayton, Wilberforce and Yellow Springs area: http://www.mydaytondailynews.com/ news/local/looking-back-mlk-visits-dayton/ liZc0jdbotzQXh8R5glLGN/ Looking back at MLK’s visits to Dayton: “It’s a great time to be alive,” Dr. King told the 172 graduates gathered at Central State

Dr. King in an interview at Ohio University (1959)

Dr. King speaks at the 113th commencement at Antioch College in Yellow Springs, Ohio (1965)

University’s commencement in 1958. “You are graduating at the time of the dying of an old world and the birth of a new one.” Just weeks after being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize and months after Congress passed the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Dr. King made a speech at the University of Dayton fieldhouse. The following year Dr. King made two visits to the area. In an address to graduates at Wilberforce University’s 107th commencement on June 9, 1965, Dr. King “called on the graduates to battle three evils — racial injustice, poverty and war,” according to a story in the next morning’s Dayton Daily News. “Racial injustice is still the Negroes’ burden and America’s shame.” Less than two weeks later Dr. King addressed 296 graduates at the 113th commencement at Antioch College in Yellow Springs. He was accompanied by his wife, Coretta Scott King, a former Antioch student. Reverend Phale Hale, Pastor of Union Grove Baptist in Columbus and MLK had a close relationship. http://www.das.ohio.gov/Portals/0/ DASDivisions/EqualOpportunity/ pdf/MLK_2010Calendar. pdf?ver=2010-06-25-151646-120 November 22, 1959 - Dr. King delivers the sermon at Union Grove Baptist Church in Columbus, Ohio, as part of the church’s 71st anniversary celebration. Dr. King often visited Columbus, where he participated in worship and fellowship activities at Union Grove Baptist Church. During his visits, he stayed at the home of Union Grove’s pastor, Rev. Phale D. Hale, and his wife, Cleo Hale Coretta Scott King had deep ties to Ohio https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/ lifestyle/1978/01/15/the-new-coretta-scott-

The Columbus African & Dayton African American • January 2018 2015 American News Journal • February

king-emerging-from-the-legacy/4af105287ba3-45cb-b91f-f8bbdad317c6/?utm_term=. d092ed24e4a2 In 1943 Coretta’s older sister, Edythe, became the first black student at Antioch College, Yellow Springs, Ohio. Coretta followed shortly after. But, although the color barrier had been broken, the college did not back her officially when she was denied a practice teaching post in the town’s elementary school. She channeled her outrage into campus groups like the NAACP, and is remembered by classmates as a sensitive, outspoken person. Coretta Scott King sang with the Second Baptist Church Choir in Springfield, Ohio. She performed a concert there. (Coretta Scott King, A Biography, Laura McCarty, page 11). MLK Loved Star Trek At the end of this section, I have to share something of a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) nature (https://www.crosswalk.com/blogs/debbiemcdaniel/20-things-you-may-not-know-aboutmartin-luther-king-jr.html). He and new wife Coretta Scott King married in 1953 and spent their first wedding night in a funeral parlor owned by a friend, because honeymoon suites were not available for African Americans at that time in history. He was a huge Star Trek fan. MLK was a friend and fraternity brother of Lionel Newsome, President of Central State University. Lionel Newsome, also President of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated, wrote a letter and a check supporting MLK’s work. MLK was a devoted member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity (http://www.thekingcenter.org/ archive/document/letter-lionel-h-newsom-mlkregarding-alpha-phi-alpha-fraternity-inc#).

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Who’s Who Publishing is Proud to Announce Alex Shumate as the 2017 LifetimeAchievement Award Recipient Columbus – In recognition of his leadership in the law, business and community, Who’s Who Publishing has selected Alex Shumate, Managing Partner, North America, Squire Patton Boggs, as the 2017 Lifetime Achievement Award recipient. Mr. Shumate has had a remarkable career. He is selected consistently by his peers for inclusion in the annual Best Lawyers in America and as an Ohio Super Lawyer. He recently was selected the Best Lawyers’ 2018 Government Relations Practice “Lawyer of the Year” for Columbus, Ohio. Listed annually as one of Columbus’ 10 Most Influential Leaders, he was named one of the 2016 “Most Influential Black Corporate Directors” by Savoy Magazine. “We are honored to recognize Mr. Shumate for his phenomenal contributions to Columbus and we will recognize him in our upcoming 15th Edition as the Lifetime Achievement Award Recipient of Who’s Who In Black Columbus,” says Carter Womack, Chief Operating Officer of Who’s Who Publishing. Mr. Shumate provides strategic business counsel to numerous large U.S. corporations and serves as a corporate board member for The J.M. Smucker Company and CyrusOne Inc. He is Chairman and Lead Independent Director of CyrusOne and Chair of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee of J.M. Smucker. Previously, he served as director of Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company, The Limited, Inc., Nationwide Financial Services, Inc., Bank One Corporation and Cincinnati Bell. His community activities include serving an unprecedented third term on The Ohio State University Board of Trustees, where he currently serves as Chairman. He is also the Secretary of The Columbus Partnership, Vice Chair of the L Brands Foundation Board, Secretary of the Columbus Downtown Development Corporation, and a member of the Ohio Business Roundtable. He previously served as the Chair of the Greater Columbus Chamber of Commerce and the Columbus Urban League Board. “Mr. Shumate is a leadership, service excellent choice for Sullivan, Executive

pillar in the Columbus community and his and commitment are what make him an the Lifetime Achievement Award,” says Ernie Vice President of Who’s Who Publishing.

He received his B.A. from Ohio Wesleyan University and his J.D. from the University of Akron. Before joining Squire Patton Boggs, he served as chief counsel and deputy chief of staff to the Governor of the State of Ohio and as assistant attorney general, State of Ohio. He resides in Gahanna, Ohio with his wife Renee and has two sons, John Alexander and Aaron Michael.

The Columbus & Dayton African American • January 2018

The Columbus African American News Journal • February 2015

HEALTH HEALTHCARE JUSTICE: AFRICAN AMERICAN WOMEN LEADING THE EFFORTS devoted her life to improving the health of newly freed slaves and other Blacks through By Charleta B. Tavares her research and clinic work. She left her “Of all the forms of inequality, home and medical practice in Boston after the injustice in health care is the Civil War and moved to Richmond, Virginia. most shocking and inhuman (e).” Dr. Rebecca Crumpler’s ‘Book of Medical Discourses’ is one of the very first medical publications by an African American. - Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The quote by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. has been repeated and misquoted in thousands of speeches and publications. According to Huffington Post blogger, Amanda Moore in her blog dated January 18, 2013, titled “Tracking Down Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Words on Health Care”, Dr. Quentin Young indicated that the actual quote was “… injustice in health care the most shocking and inhuman”.1 Dr. Young was the chair of the Medical Committee for Human Rights in 1966 when Dr. King shared this quote in his speech in Chicago on March 25th, to the second convention of the Medical Committee for Human Rights. Although Dr. King, Jr. has been recognized and honored for his civil rights, voting rights and human rights advocacy, this quote highlights his strong and powerful voice in promoting health care justice in America. He along with many in the Civil Rights Movement equated health care to a basic human right. As we celebrate Dr. King’s birthday and his mark on our history it is fitting to highlight the contributions of others particularly women, who have defended health care justice for African Americans. Unlike Dr. King, many of the health care sheroes have been omitted, forgotten or ignored in America’s history annals.

Dr. Rebecca Lee Crumpler (1831 – 1895) First African-American Woman to Earn a Medical Degree Dr. Rebecca Lee Crumpler, born in Delaware in 1831, was the first African-American woman to earn a medical degree. She received her degree from what is now known as Boston University in 1864. Dr. Crumpler

the Gray children contributed to the family’s income. While in high school, Rollins worked as a seamstress and dressmaker and in the dental office of Jonathan and William Taft. Ida Gray graduated from Gaines Public High School in 1887 when she was 20 years old.

The part-time job in the dental office was instrumental in her desire to become a Mary Eliza Mahoney dentist. Jonathan Taft was the dean of the (1845 – 1926) Ohio College of Dentistry. In 1875, he First African became the first dean of the Dental College American Woman at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Nurse Michigan. As dean, he was a staunch supporter of admitting women to dental Mary Eliza Mahoney school and subsequently five years later, in was the first Black 1875, the first woman was enrolled. professional nurse in the United States The mentorship provided by William Taft set (1879). Ms. Mahoney was born on April the foundation for Rollins to become the first 16, 1845 in Boston. Black children were not African American woman to graduate from a permitted to attend schools with Whites until dental school. Her ability to pass the entrance 1855 in addition, domestic service was the exam into the University of Michigan was only way for a Black woman to make a living. aided by the experience she gained working Ms. Mahoney was interested in nursing from in his dental office. Gray enrolled in October the age of eighteen and provided nursing 1887 and, three years later, she became the services for several prominent white families first African American woman to graduate prior to entering formal nurse training. On with a Doctorate of Dental Surgery in the March 23, 1878, she was the “first coloured United States. girl admitted” (Medical and Nursing Record Book, 1878) to the nurse training program at After graduation in 1890, Gray returned to the New England Hospital for Women and Cincinnati, Ohio and opened a private dental Children; she graduated sixteen months later practice. She remained in this practice until at the age of thirty-four. 1895 when she married Sanford Nelson, a Spanish-American War veteran. The couple Ida Gray Nelson moved to Chicago, Illinois where Rollins Rollins where she set up a practice serving a clientele (1867 – 1953) of men and women of all races. She soon First African became the first African American, male American or female, to practice dentistry in Chicago. Woman Dentist – Her husband died on March 11, 1926 and Ohio Connection three years later at the age of 62, she married William Rollins, a waiter. Ida Gray Nelson R o l l i n s , b o r n Ida Gray Nelson Rollins participated in a i n C l a r k s v i l l e , number of women’s organizations and served T e n n e s s e e o n as president of the Professional Women’s March 4, 1867 was the first African American Club of Chicago. She retired from her female dentist. She became an orphan when dentistry practice sometime in the mid-1930s. her mother, Jennie Gray, died in her early On June 20, 1944, her second husband died teens. Rollins’ mother died during her early from injuries sustained in a motor vehicle teens and her father played no role in her life. accident. She did not have any children from She was raised by her aunt, Caroline Gray, either marriage and remained a widow until who had three other children, one boy and her death. two daughters. Rollins died on May 3, 1953 in Chicago, Caroline Gray was 35, uneducated, and Illinois. She was 86 years old.2 unable to read or write when she moved from Clarksville, Tennessee to Cincinnati, Ohio in 1867, with her four children. In Ohio, Gray supported the family by working as a Continued on Page 16 seamstress and housing foster children. All

The Columbus African American News Journal • February 2015

The Columbus & Dayton African American • January 2018

HEALTH Continued from Page 15

Alice A. Ball (1892 – 1916) Chemist, Developed Cure for Leprosy, first Woman and African American Master’s graduate from the University of Hawaii

properties of chaulmoogra oil. The oil had previously been used in leprosy treatment to mixed results, but she managed to isolate the effective ingredients. This led to a new regimen of injection-based medicine that became the de-facto treatment for over two decades.

She died tragically early, at the age of 24, which unfortunately led to her life being overshadowed by some shady business. The main suspect for her death is chlorine poisoning that occurred during teaching (she was also a professor), but even that is subject Ball was a promising chemist who broke new to debate – for unknown reasons, her original ground in the field before her untimely death. death certificate was altered, stating she died In 1915, she was the first Black woman to of tuberculosis. graduate from the University of Hawaii. Ball earned a master’s in chemistry. As a student, But the main disgrace that was to dog her she developed a cure for Hansen’s disease or legacy was that she was not given credit for leprosy using chaulmoogra oil. A diagnosis her work. The “Ball Method” of treatment of leprosy would make you a pariah at best, only proved popular for about a year, until and kill you at worst. Lepers in Manila, for it was re-coined the “Dean Method” by example, were made to carry around bells University of Hawaii president Arthur Dean, who completed the work after her death. announcing their presence, so people could Despite one of her collaborators protesting avoid them. Many of the afflicted, quarantined that Dean had done virtually no work on the into ramshackle treatment centers, spent their cure, she was all but forgotten until the late days wishing for a cure. Fortunately, to their 1970s, when University of Hawaii professor aid came an unordinary helper: chemist Alice Kathryn Takara began investigating her life Ball (1892-1916), the first woman and first and reestablishing her legacy. African American master’s graduate from the University of Hawaii. She has since been honored by her alma mater with a plaque on the school’s only Having graduated top of her class from both chaulmoogra tree and the school’s highest high school and University of Washington honor, the Regents Medal of Distinction. (where she earned bachelors in both Moreover, Hawaii’s Lieutenant Governor Ball Day” pharmaceutical chemistry and pharmacy), in designated February 29th “Alice 3 – a rare day for a rare woman. Hawaii she began investigating the chemical

Footnotes: HuffPost Blog 01/18/13, Amanda Moore https://www.huffingtonpost.com/ amanda-moore/martin-luther-king-healthcare_b_2506393.html 1

BlackPast.org

R e j e c t e d P r i n c e s s e s h t t p : / / w w w. rejectedprincesses.com/blog/modernworthies/alice-ball 3

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THE OPIOID CRISIS IS GETTING WORSE, PARTICULARLY FOR BLACK AMERICANS

By Josh Katz The epidemic of drug overdoses, often perceived as a largely white rural problem, made striking inroads among black Americans last year — particularly in urban counties where fentanyl has become widespread. Although the steep rise in 2016 drug deaths has been noted previously, these are the first numbers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to break down 2016 mortality along geographic and racial lines. They reveal that the drug death rate is rising most steeply almost entirely white problem rooted in among blacks, with those between the ages of overprescription of painkillers is no longer 45 and 64 among the hardest hit. accurate, as fentanyl, often stealthily, invades broader swaths of the country and Drug deaths among blacks in urban counties its population. rose by 41 percent in 2016, far outpacing any other racial or ethnic group. In those Driven by the continued surge in drug deaths, same counties, the drug death rate among life expectancy in the United States dropped whites rose by 19 percent. The data, for the second year in a row last year. It’s released on Thursday, suggests that the the first consecutive decline in national life common perception of the epidemic as an expectancy since 1963. Drug overdoses have The Columbus African & Dayton African American • January 2018 2015 American News Journal • February

now surpassed heart disease as the leading cause of death for Americans under the age of 55. In Washington, D.C., the emergence of fentanyls caused the rate of drug deaths to double in a single year. The rate of drug deaths there is now on par with those in Ohio and New Hampshire. It’s an unsurprising consequence of an epidemic that is both widespread and extremely localized. If

HEALTH

dealers mixing fentanyl with cocaine. In Cuyahoga County (the home of Cleveland), fentanyl contributed to the deaths of five African-Americans in 2014, 25 in 2015 and 58 in 2016. But both opioids and cocaine still kill far more whites than blacks there. Brandon Marshall, an associate professor of epidemiology at the Brown University School of Public Health, said it was hard to sort out how many deaths involved people taking cocaine cut with fentanyl versus people who died of an opioid overdose but also happened to have cocaine in their blood at the time. Dr. Kolodny said he believes the latter is more common. “Many people who are overdosing because of an extremely dangerous heroin supply also use other drugs,” he said, “so I think the cocaine is sort of an incidental finding.” fentanyls enter the drug supply in one area, some of the cocaine-attributed deaths in the deaths can accumulate rapidly. Drug deaths study involved fentanyl, although he had are also up sharply in cities like St. Louis, heard anecdotally of such mixing. Baltimore, Philadelphia and Jacksonville, Fla. The study, by researchers at the National Dr. Andrew Kolodny, the co-director Cancer Institute and the National Institute on of opioid policy research at Brandeis Drug Abuse, also found that the recent rise University’s Heller School for Social Policy in overdose death rates was sharpest among and Management, said it appeared that older blacks. The same held true last year in many of the African-Americans who died New York City. were older men who had become addicted to heroin during a previous epidemic in the “What’s really interesting is you’re not seeing 1970s. “Despite beating the odds for the younger blacks getting involved in heroin as past 40 to 50 years,” he said, “they’re dying much,” said Denise Paone, senior director of because the heroin supply has never been so research and surveillance in the city’s Bureau dangerous — increasingly it’s got fentanyl in of Alcohol and Drug Use Prevention. it or it’s just fentanyl sold as heroin.” Across the board, though, fentanyl has caused Fentanyl-laced cocaine, too, may be playing a huge spike in overdose deaths in New a role. A study published this month in the York in just the last year. Fentanyl played a journal Annals of Internal Medicine found role in about 16 percent of overdose deaths that cocaine-related overdose deaths were in 2015 and 44 percent in 2016, Dr. Paone nearly as common among black men between said, compared with 3 percent in prior years. 2012 and 2015 as deaths due to prescription A growing number of the deaths involve opioids in white men over the same period. cocaine cut with fentanyl, she added — which Cocaine-related deaths were slightly more is probably particularly deadly for someone common in black women during that period who has not used opioids before. than deaths due to heroin among white women, according to the study. But it also In Ohio, which had the nation’s secondfound that the largest recent increases highest overdose rate last year, the medical in overdose deaths among blacks were examiner in Cuyahoga County told a United attributed to heroin. One of the researchers, States Senate subcommittee in May that a David Thomas of the National Institute on fast-rising rate of fentanyl-related deaths Drug Abuse, said he did not know whether among blacks was probably a result of drug

Health experts say the evolving nature of the crisis suggests that progress against it will be slow, despite stepped-up efforts to address it with medication-assisted treatment and naloxone, which can save people who have overdosed. As overdose deaths keep climbing, there is a good chance that life expectancy will be found to have declined again this year, said Robert Anderson, chief of the mortality statistics branch of the National Center for Health Statistics. If so, it would be the first three-year period of consecutive life expectancy declines since World War I and the Spanish flu pandemic in 1918. Dr. Kolodny pointed to the rising drug death rate among older black men, many of whom he said have probably used heroin on and off since the 1970s, as evidence that progress against the new epidemic could take decades. “Forty, 50 years later we’re still paying a price,” he said. “What this means is for our current epidemic, we’re going to be paying a very heavy human and economic price for the rest of our lives.” Josh Katz is a graphics editor for The New York Times, where he covers politics, sports and culture for The Upshot. Mr. Katz studied political science and philosophy at Drew University and earned his master’s degree in statistics from N.C. State University.

To Advertise in The Columbus - Dayton African American contact us at: editor@columbusafricanamerican.com Ray Miller, 503 S. High StreetPublisher - Suite 102 750 East Long Street, Suite Columbus, OH 43215 3000 614-571-9340 Columbus, Ohio 43203

The Columbus African American News Journal • February 2015

The Columbus & Dayton African American • January 2018

HEALTH

THE IMPORTANCE OF SELF RESPECT By Jacqueline Lewis-Lyons, Psy.D. One of the qualities that I admired most about Dr. Martin Luther King was his ability to never allow anyone to make him behave in a manner which was not consistent with his view of himself. That requires a strong personal sense of who you really are and the determination to live an authentic life, where you are you, regardless of situations or other people. I recall Michelle Obama’s words “When they go low, you go high.” Unfortunately, that is often a challenge for us, especially when we have experienced one too many belowthe-belt blows from life. But Dr. King never allowed anything to take him low. Yes, there were probably times when he felt fear and anger, but he did not let that deter him from what he had to do. Knowing who you are and that you have a specific purpose help to ground you, even when everything around you seems to be falling apart. The quote by Dr. King that I have been impacted by is this one: “Number one in your life’s blueprint should be a deep belief in your own dignity, your worth and your own somebodiness. Don’t allow anybody to make you feel that you’re nobody. Always feel that you count. Always feel that you have worth, and always feel that your life has ultimate significance.” Let’s look at what these words actually mean. Dignity is defined as “the state or quality of being worthy of honor or respect; a sense of pride in oneself; self-respect.” Self-respect means “having pride and confidence in oneself.” It is also explained as a feeling that one is behaving with honor and dignity. Honor refers to high respect and esteem. As we can see, these terms reflect off each other, with emphasis on having self-respect. It is important that I point out here that having a healthy attitude about oneself (good selfesteem and self-respect) is quite different

from being overly impressed with oneself or conceited. In fact, many of us were brought up with the notion to always put others ahead of yourself, to be careful not to brag or boast, and to avoid letting others give you a “big head’. As a result, some people have held on to the idea that to think positively of their selves was wrong and have never been able to grasp the mindset to step into their own light so they could shine in the world. And, many of their dreams and ideas never got the chance to grow and flourish into actions that could have benefitted others. Each one of us has a special purpose for our lives, and that purpose is how we help or serve others; it is not meant for ourselves. So, why is self-respect important? Look back at Dr. King’s quote – in order for us to be able to impact our world, we must know, believe, and understand the power that each of us has. Self-respect allows us to work within that power. It is not about being stuck on yourself or being conceited – self-respect is a major factor in how you are made up, your character. Self-respect shows that you are willing to accept responsibility for your actions and beliefs, and that you value yourself enough not to let anyone make you feel ‘less than’. When a person lacks a healthy sense of self or self-respect, there are some clear signs. Persons with low self-respect often exhibit negativity about themselves and their lives. They doubt that they can be as successful as desired, often a result of comparing their lives to others. Similar persons allow others to take advantage of them or mistreat them, having convinced themselves that they can’t leave the relationship. When a person is caught up in these situations, they are not seeing themselves as worthy of respect and honor, and as a result, never understand their purpose in life. Additional signs of a lack of selfrespect include being a doormat, forgetting your values, engaging in behaviors you would not normally do, and overindulging in bad habits. Respecting yourself means that you believe you are a worthy person, who

deserves love and respect. When you believe this, others will appreciate you more and take you seriously. I truly believe that ‘you teach others how to treat you’ and that we are responsible for what we tolerate. When we appreciate ourselves, we are no longer dependent on getting the praise from others or caught up in the need to compare ourselves. When we are aware of our own strengths and purpose in life, we have no need to be jealous of others who are working in their own purpose. As we look at this new year, are you ready to up your own self-worth and step into your purpose? Here are a few suggestions to help you get started on respecting yourself more: 1. Respect your beliefs and values. Know what you stand for. Don’t let others convince you to behave out of character. 2. Respect your body. In order to do what you need to do, become as healthy as you can. 3. Respect your environment. Remember, we are borrowing this earth from our greatgrandchildren. 4. Respect your interests. If you have hobbies, make time to enjoy them. 5. Respect your word. Be honest. Have your own opinions. Say how you really feel. 6. Have boundaries. It is really okay to say “No”, without feeling guilty. 7. Respect your fears, but don’t hide them. That gives them more power over you. 8. Respect your failures. Sometimes you win, sometimes you learn. 9. Respect your time. 10. Respect your goals and dreams. Choose one and get started making it come true. Dr. Jacqueline Lewis-Lyons’s office is located in north Columbus. Her practice centers on helping clients with depression and anxiety related disorders. In recent years, after discovering a love of running, she expanded her practice to include servces related to Sports Psychology for athletes of all ages and levels. To reach her, call 614-443-7040 or email her at Jacqui@DrLewisLyons.com

DR KING, JR. SPOKE ABOUT HEALTHCARE TOO By Lisa D. Benton, MD, MPH “Of all the forms of inequality, injustice in health care is the most shocking and inhuman.” — Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Amanda Moore, a staff attorney-legal editor, Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law tracked down Dr. Quentin Young, an eyewitness to Dr. King Jr.’s extemporaneous remarks at the Medical Committee for Human Rights meeting in Cook County, Illinois in 1966. Dr. Young was a founder of the organization in 1964 and advocated for single-payer healthcare. He volunteered his medical expertise for the Freedom Summer of voter registration in Mississippi in 1964 to increase

the registered Black voters from 6.7% which travelled well. She taught me the network of was the lowest in the nation at the time. families and churches throughout the South were the infrastructure safety net and lifeline Dr. Young was Dr. King Jr.’s personal of the civil rights struggle. physician and also a physician who regularly provided emergency treatment to civil rights When Martin Luther King, Jr. decided to workers, community organizers and activists go to Memphis in 1968 to support the 1,300 and protesters. He went on to become a sanitation workers striking for better pay and president of the American Public Health benefits, I’d like to think that he had thoughts Association and chairman of the department of public and environmental health inequities. of medicine at Cook County Hospital. His In 2017 we again learned that where you live partner in practice was a physician for Barak can determine how long you live and the Obama during his community organizing quality of your healthcare. days. While the latest Centers for Disease Control The civil rights movement was a time of a lot and Prevention (CDC) data shows that Black of walking, standing and sitting. Just when Americans are living longer than before, it is you thought you had stood, sat or kneeled not as long as long as white Americans. (Be enough, you found you had it in yourself to sure to check your health status prediction preserve and go on. at http://www.cnn.com/2016/12/27/health/ map-causes-of-death-by-county/index.html ) My Mom shared how people lived off of Continued on Page 33 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches since they

The Columbus African & Dayton African American • December 2017 American News Journal • February 2015

COVER STORY

.: DRUM MAJOR FOR JUSTICE DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING,, JR.: Martin Luther King, Jr., made history, but he was also transformed by his deep family roots in the African-American Baptist church, his formative experiences in his hometown of Atlanta, his theological studies, his varied models of religious and political leadership, and his extensive network of contacts in the peace and social justice movements of his time. Although King was only thirty-nine at the time of his death, his life was remarkable for the ways it reflected and inspired so many of the twentieth century’s major intellectual, cultural, and political developments.

texts to express his views with force and precision. His ability to infuse his oratory with borrowed theological insights became evident in his expanding preaching activities in Boston-area-churches and at Ebenezer, where he assisted his father during school vacations. During his stay in Boston, King also met and courted Coretta Scott, an Alabama-born Antioch College graduate who was then a student at the New England Conservatory of Music. On 18 June 1953 the two students were married in Marion, Alabama, where Scott’s family lived.

The son, grandson, and great-grandson of Baptist ministers, Martin Luther King Jr., named Michael King at birth, was born in Atlanta and spent his first twelve years in the Auburn Avenue home that his parents, the Reverend Michael King and Alberta Williams King, shared with his maternal grandparents, the Reverend Adam Daniel (A. D.) Williams and Jeannie Celeste Williams. After Rev. Williams’ death in 1931, his sonin-law became Ebenezer Baptist Church’s new pastor and gradually established himself as a major figure in state and national Baptist groups. The elder King began referring to himself (and later to his son) as Martin Luther King.

his final semester at Morehouse, and by this time King had also taken his first steps toward political activism. He had responded to the postwar wave of anti-black violence by proclaiming in a letter to the editor of the Atlanta Constitution that African Americans were “entitled to the basic rights and opportunities of American citizens” (Papers 1:121). During his senior year King joined the Intercollegiate Council, an interracial King’s formative experiences not only student discussion group that met monthly at immersed him in the affairs of Ebenezer but Atlanta’s Emory University. also introduced him to the African-American social gospel tradition exemplified by his After leaving Morehouse, King increased father and grandfather, both of whom were his understanding of liberal Christian leaders of the Atlanta branch of the National thought while attending Crozer Theological Association for the Advancement of Colored Seminary in Pennsylvania from 1948 to People (NAACP). Depression-era breadlines 1951. Initially uncritical of liberal theology, heightened King’s awareness of economic he gradually moved toward Reinhold inequities, and his father’s leadership of Niebuhr’s neoorthodoxy, which emphasized campaigns against racial discrimination the intractability of social evil. Mentored by in voting and teachers’ salaries provided a local minister, J. Pius Barbour, he reacted model for the younger King’s own politically skeptically to a presentation on pacifism by engaged ministry. He resisted religious Fellowship of Reconciliation leader A. J. emotionalism and as a teenager questioned Muste. Moreover, by the end of his seminary some facets of Baptist doctrine, such as the studies King had become increasingly dissatisfied with the abstract conceptions of bodily resurrection of Jesus. God held by some modern theologians and During his undergraduate years at Atlanta’s identified himself instead with the theologians Morehouse College from 1944 to 1948, King who affirmed personalism, or a belief in the gradually overcame his initial reluctance personality of God. Even as he continued to accept his inherited calling. Morehouse to question and modify his own religious president Benjamin E. Mays influenced beliefs, he complied an outstanding academic King’s spiritual development, encouraging record and graduated at the top of his class. him to view Christianity as a potential force for progressive social change. Religion In 1951 King began doctoral studies in professor George Kelsey exposed him to systematic theology at Boston University’s biblical criticism and, according to King’s School of Theology, which was dominated autobiographical sketch, taught him “that by personalist theologians such as Edgar behind the legends and myths of the Book Brightman and L. Harold DeWolf. The papers were many profound truths which one could (including his dissertation) that King wrote not escape” (Papers 1:43). King admired during his years at Boston displayed little both educators as deeply religious yet also originality, and some contained extensive learned men and by the end of his junior year, plagiarism; but his readings enabled him to such academic role models and the example formulate an eclectic yet coherent theological of his father led King to enter the ministry. perspective. By the time he completed his He described his decision as a response to an doctoral studies in 1955, King had refined “inner urge” calling him to “serve humanity” his exceptional ability to draw upon a wide (Papers 1:363). He was ordained during range of theological and philosophical

Although he considered pursuing an academic career, King decided in 1954 to accept an offer to become the pastor of Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama. In December 1955, when Montgomery black leaders, such as Jo Ann Robinson, E. D. Nixon, and Ralph Abernathy formed the Montgomery Improvement Association (MIA) to protest the arrest of NAACP official Rosa Parks for refusing to give up her bus seat to a white man, they selected King to head the new group. In his role as the primary spokesman of the year-long Montgomery bus boycott, King utilized the leadership abilities he had gained from his religious background and academic training to forge a distinctive protest strategy that involved the mobilization of black churches and skillful appeals for white support. With the encouragement of Bayard Rustin, Glenn Smiley, William Stuart Nelson and other veteran pacifists, King also became a firm advocate of Mohandas Gandhi’s precepts of nonviolence, which he combined with Christian social gospel ideas. After the United States Supreme Court outlawed Alabama bus segregation laws in Browder v. Gayle in late 1956, King sought to expand the nonviolent civil rights movement throughout the South. In 1957 he joined with C. K. Steele, Fred Shuttlesworth and T .J. Jemison in founding the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) with King as president to coordinate civil rights activities throughout the region. Publication of Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story (1958) further contributed to King’s rapid emergence as a national civil rights leader. Even as he expanded his influence, however, King acted cautiously. Rather than immediately seeking to stimulate mass desegregation protests in the South, King stressed the goal of achieving black voting rights when he addressed an audience at the 1957 Prayer Pilgrimage for Freedom. King’s rise to fame was not without personal consequences. In 1958 King was the victim of his first assassination attempt. Although his house had been bombed several times during the Montgomery bus boycott, it was while signing copies of Stride Toward Freedom that Continued on Page 20

Columbus & Dayton African American 2017 TheThe Columbus African American News Journal• •December February 2015

COVER STORY Continued from Page 19

Izola Ware Curry stabbed him with a letter opener. Surgery to remove it was successful, but King had to recuperate for several months, giving up all protest activity. One of the key aspects of King’s leadership was his ability to establish support from many types of organizations including labor unions, peace organizations, southern reform organizations, and religious groups. As early as 1956, labor unions, such as the United Packinghouse Workers and the United Auto Workers contributed to the MIA and peace activists such as Homer Jack alerted their associates to the activities of the MIA. Activists from southern organizations such as Myles Horton’s Highlander Folk School and Anne Braden’s Southern Conference Education Fund were in frequent contact with King. In addition, his extensive ties to the National Baptist Convention provided support from churches all over the nation; and his advisor, Stanley Levison insured broad support from Jewish groups. King’s recognition of the link between segregation and colonialism resulted in alliances with groups fighting oppression outside the U.S., especially in Africa. In March 1957, King traveled to Ghana at the invitation of Kwame Nkrumah to attend the nation’s independence ceremony. Shortly after returning from Ghana King joined the American Committee on Africa agreeing to serve as vice chairman of an International Sponsoring Committee for a day of protest against South Africa’s apartheid government. Later at a SCLC sponsored event honoring Kenyan labor leader Tom Mboya, King further articulated the connections between the African-American freedom struggle and those abroad: “We are all caught in an inescapable network of mutuality” (Papers 5:204). During 1959 he increased his understanding of Gandhian ideas during a month-long visit to India sponsored by the American Friends Service Committee. With Coretta and MIA historian Lawrence D. Reddick in tow, King meet with many Indian leaders, including Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru. Writing after his return, King stated, “I left India more convinced than ever before that nonviolent resistance is the most potent weapon available to oppressed people in their struggle for freedom” (Papers 5:233). Early the following year he moved his family, which now included two children,Yolanda and Martin Luther King, III, to Atlanta in order to be nearer SCLC headquarters in that city and to become co-pastor, with his father, of Ebenezer Baptist Church. (The Kings’ third child, Dexter, was born in 1961; their fourth, Bernice, was born in 1963.) Soon after King’s arrival in Atlanta, the southern civil rights movement gained new impetus from the student-led lunch counter sit-in movement that spread throughout the region during 1960. The sit-ins brought into existence a new protest group, the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), which would often push King toward greater militancy. King came in contact with students, especially those from Nashville such as John

Lewis, James Bevel and Diane Nash who had been trained in nonviolent tactics by James Lawson. In October 1960 King’s arrest during a student-initiated protest in Atlanta became an issue in the national presidential campaign when Democratic candidate John F. Kennedy called Coretta King to express his concern. The successful efforts of Kennedy supporters to secure King’s release contributed to the Democratic candidate’s narrow victory over Republican candidate Richard Nixon. King’s decision to move to Atlanta was partly caused by SCLC’s lack of success during the late 1950s. Associate director Ella Baker had complained that the SCLC’s Crusade for Citizenship suffered from lack of attention from King. SCLC leaders hoped that with King now in Atlanta, programming would be improved. The hiring of Wyatt T. Walker as executive director in 1960 was also seen as a step toward bringing efficiency to the organization, while the addition of Dorothy Cotton and Andrew Young to the staff infused new leadership after SCLC took over the administration of the Citizenship Education program pioneered by Septima Clark. Attorney Clarence Jones also began to assist King and SCLC with legal matters and to act as King’s advisor. As the southern protest movement expanded during the early 1960s, King was often torn between the increasingly militant student activists, such as those who participated in the Freedom Rides and more cautious national civil rights leaders. During 1961 and 1962 his tactical differences with SNCC activists surfaced during a sustained protest movement in Albany, Georgia. King was arrested twice during demonstrations organized by the Albany Movement, but when he left jail and ultimately left Albany without achieving a victory, some movement activists began to question his militancy and his dominant role within the southern protest movement. As King encountered increasingly fierce white opposition, he continued his movement away from theological abstractions toward more reassuring conceptions, rooted in African-American religious culture, of God as a constant source of support. He later wrote in his book of sermons, Strength to Love (1963), that the travails of movement leadership caused him to abandon the notion of God as “theological and philosophically satisfying” and caused him to view God as “a living reality that has been validated in the experiences of everyday life” (Papers 5:424).

widely quoted “Letter from Birmingham Jail” displayed his distinctive ability to influence public opinion by appropriating ideas from the Bible, the Constitution, and other canonical texts. During May, televised pictures of police using dogs and fire hoses against young demonstrators generated a national outcry against white segregationist officials in Birmingham. The brutality of Birmingham officials and the refusal of Alabama governor George C. Wallace to allow the admission of black students at the University of Alabama prompted President Kennedy to introduce major civil rights legislation. King’s speech at the 28 August 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom attended by more than 200,000 people, was the culmination of a wave of civil rights protest activity that extended even to northern cities. In his prepared remarks King announced that African Americans wished to cash the “promissory note” signified in the egalitarian rhetoric of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence. Closing his address with extemporaneous remarks, he insisted that he had not lost hope: “I say to you today, my friends, so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream . . . that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed:‘we hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.’” He appropriated the familiar words of “My Country ‘Tis of Thee” before concluding, “when we allow freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God’s children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, ‘Free at last, free at last, thank God Almighty, we are free at last’” (King, Call, 82, 85, 87).

Although there was much elation after the March on Washington, less than a month later, the movement was shocked by another act of senseless violence. On 15 September 1963 a dynamite blast killed four young school girls at Birmingham’s Sixteenth Street Baptist Church. King delivered the eulogy for three of the four girls, reflecting, “They say to us that we must be concerned not merely about who murdered them, but about the system, the way of life, and the philosophy which produced the murders” (King, Call, During 1963, however, King reasserted his 96). preeminence within the African-American freedom struggle through his leadership St. Augustine, Florida became the site of the of the Birmingham campaign. Initiated next major confrontation of the civil rights by SCLC and its affiliate, the Alabama movement. Beginning in 1963 Robert B. Christian Movement for Human Rights, Hayling, of the local NAACP had led sit-ins the Birmingham demonstrations were the against segregated businesses. SCLC was most massive civil rights protest that had called in to help in May 1964, suffering the yet occurred. With the assistance of Fred arrest of King and Abernathy. After a few Shuttlesworth and other local black leaders court victories, SCLC left when a bi-racial and with little competition from SNCC and committee was formed; however, local other civil rights groups, SCLC officials were residents continued to suffer violence. able to orchestrate the Birmingham protests to achieve maximum national impact. King’s King’s ability to focus national attention decision to intentionally allow himself to be on orchestrated confrontations with racist arrested for leading a demonstration on 12 authorities, combined with his oration at April prodded the Kennedy administration the 1963 March on Washington, made him to intervene in the escalating protests. A the most influential African-American

The & Dayton African American • January 2018 2015 The Columbus Columbus African American News Journal • February

COVER STORY

spokesperson of the first half of the 1960s. Named Time magazine’s “Man of the Year” at the end of 1963, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in December 1964. The acclaim King received strengthened his stature among civil rights leaders but also prompted Federal Bureau of Investigation director J. Edgar Hoover to step up his effort to damage King’s reputation. Hoover, with the approval of President Kennedy and Attorney General Robert Kennedy, established phone taps and bugs. Hoover and many other observers of the southern struggle saw King as controlling events, but he was actually a moderating force within an increasingly diverse black militancy of the mid-1960s. Although he was not personally involved in Freedom Summer (1964), he was called upon to attempt to persuade the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party delegates to accept a compromise at the Democratic Party National Convention.

After the successful voting rights march in Alabama, King was unable to garner similar support for his effort to confront the problems of northern urban blacks. Early in 1966 he, together with local activist Al Raby, launched a major campaign against poverty and other urban problems and moved his family into an apartment in Chicago’s black ghetto. As King shifted the focus of his activities to the North, however, he discovered that the tactics used in the South were not as effective elsewhere. He encountered formidable opposition from Mayor Richard Daley and was unable to mobilize Chicago’s economically and ideologically diverse black community. King was stoned by angry whites in the Chicago suburb of Cicero when he led a march against racial discrimination in housing. Despite numerous mass protests, the Chicago Campaign resulted in no significant gains and undermined King’s reputation as an effective civil rights leader. King’s influence was damaged further by the increasingly caustic tone of black militancy of the period after 1965. Black radicals increasingly turned away from the Gandhian precepts of King toward the Black Nationalism of Malcolm X, whose posthumously published autobiography and speeches reached large audiences after his assassination in February 1965. Unable to influence the black insurgencies that occurred in many urban areas, King refused to abandon his firmly rooted beliefs about racial integration and nonviolence. He was nevertheless unpersuaded by black nationalist calls for racial uplift and institutional development in black communities.

As the African-American struggle expanded from desegregation protests to mass movements seeking economic and political gains in the North as well as the South, King’s active involvement was limited to a few highly publicized civil rights campaigns, such as Birmingham and St. Augustine, which secured popular support for the passage of national civil rights legislation, particularly the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

In June 1966, James Meredith was shot while attempting a “March against Fear” in Mississippi. King, Floyd McKissick of the Congress of Racial Equality and Stokely Carmichael of SNCC decided to continue his march. During the march, the activists from SNCC decided to test a new slogan that they had been using, Black Power. King objected to the use of the term, but the media took the opportunity to expose the disagreements The Alabama protests reached a turning among protestors and publicized the term. point on 7 March when state police attacked a group of demonstrators at the start of In his last book, Where Do We Go from a march from Selma to the state capitol Here: Chaos or Community? (1967), King in Montgomery. Carrying out Governor dismissed the claim of Black Power advocates Wallace’s orders, the police used tear gas “to be the most revolutionary wing of the and clubs to turn back the marchers after social revolution taking place in the United they crossed the Edmund Pettus Bridge on States,” but he acknowledged that they the outskirts of Selma. Unprepared for the responded to a psychological need among violent confrontation, King alienated some African Americans he had not previously activists when he decided to postpone the addressed (King, Where Do We Go, 45-46). continuation of the Selma to Montgomery “Psychological freedom, a firm sense of selfMarch until he had received court approval, esteem, is the most powerful weapon against but the march, which finally secured federal the long night of physical slavery,” King court approval, attracted several thousand wrote. “The Negro will only be free when civil rights sympathizers, black and white, he reaches down to the inner depths of his from all regions of the nation. On 25 March own being and signs with the pen and ink King addressed the arriving marchers from of assertive manhood his own emancipation the steps of the capitol in Montgomery. proclamation” (King, Call, 184). The march and the subsequent killing of a white participant, Viola Liuzzo, as well as Indeed, even as his popularity declined, the earlier murder of James Reeb dramatized King spoke out strongly against American the denial of black voting rights and spurred involvement in the Vietnam War, making passage during the following summer of the his position public in an address, “Beyond Vietnam,” on 4 April 1967 at New York’s Voting Rights Act of 1965.

Riverside Church. King’s involvement in the anti-war movement reduced his ability to influence national racial policies and made him a target of further FBI investigations. Nevertheless, he became ever more insistent that his version of Gandhian nonviolence and social gospel Christianity was the most appropriate response to the problems of black Americans. In December 1967 King announced the formation of the Poor People’s Campaign, designed to prod the federal government to strengthen its antipoverty efforts. King and other SCLC workers began to recruit poor people and antipoverty activists to come to Washington, D.C., to lobby on behalf of improved antipoverty programs. This effort was in its early stages when King became involved in the Memphis sanitation workers’ strike in Tennessee. On 28 March 1968, as King led thousands of sanitation workers and sympathizers on a march through downtown Memphis, black youngsters began throwing rocks and looting stores. This outbreak of violence led to extensive press criticisms of King’s entire antipoverty strategy. King returned to Memphis for the last time in early April. Addressing an audience at Bishop Charles J. Mason Temple on 3 April, King affirmed his optimism despite the “difficult days” that lay ahead. “But it really doesn’t matter with me now,” he declared, “because I’ve been to the mountaintop [and] I’ve seen the Promised Land.” He continued, “I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the Promised Land.” (King, Call, 222-223). The following evening the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. took place as he stood on a balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis. A white segregationist, James Earl Ray, was later convicted of the crime. The Poor People’s Campaign continued for a few months after his death under the direction of Ralph Abernathy, the new SCLC president, but it did not achieve its objectives. Until his death King remained steadfast in his commitment to the radical transformation of American society through nonviolent activism. In his posthumously published essay, “A Testament of Hope” (1969), he urged African Americans to refrain from violence but also warned, “White America must recognize that justice for black people cannot be achieved without radical changes in the structure of our society.” The “black revolution” was more than a civil rights movement, he insisted. “It is forcing America to face all its interrelated flaws-racism, poverty, militarism and materialism” (King, “Testament,” 194). After her husband’s death, Coretta Scott King established the Atlanta-based Martin Luther King, Jr., Center for Nonviolent Social Change (also known as the King Center) to promote Gandhian-Kingian concepts of nonviolent struggle. She also led the successful effort to honor her husband with a federally mandated King national holiday, which was first celebrated in 1986. Story from the King Encyclopedia at Stanford University. www.KingEncyclopedia.Stanford. edu/encyclopedia/enc_martin_luther_king_ jr_biography/index.html

The Columbus & Dayton African American • January 2018

COMMUNITY HON. RANDOPLH BAXTER APPOINTED AS AARP STATE PRESIDENT IN OHIO Former Chief Judge for Federal Bankruptcy Court to Serve in Lead Volunteer Role COLUMBUS, OH ─ AARP has appointed the Honorable Randolph Baxter (ret.), past Chief Judge for the United States Bankruptcy Court of Northern District of Ohio, to the top volunteer position in Ohio. As the new State President for Ohio, Baxter will serve as a spokesperson for AARP Ohio with the media, opinion leaders, legislators and the public. He will also chair the AARP Ohio Executive Council, a volunteer leadership committee that helps set AARP’s state agenda and programs for its 1.5 million members and volunteers. Baxter said, “While it’s true that all of us are aging, not all of us are evolving to meet the new realities of aging. AARP is committed to removing barriers and creating real possibilities that empower people to choose how they live as they age. I am excited and honored to accept this appointment and to serve with an organization that is working to help Ohioans of all ages fulfill their goals and dreams.” Baxter was the first African American appointed to the bench of the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Ohio, where he spent 26 years, the last four as Chief Judge. Prior to his historical appointment, Baxter was an assistant United States Attorney in the Northern District of Ohio. He was an adjunct professor at Kent State University’s College of Business and the University of Akron College Of Law, where he also served as the Board President of the University of Akron’s National Alumni Association. “Judge Baxter is the epitome of taking on tough problems and creating new opportunities. Whether we are making an impact in financial security, fighting for the rights of family caregivers or making our communities livable for all ages, his accomplishments and background make him

an invaluable asset to AARP Ohio members,” said Barbara A. Sykes, AARP Ohio State Director. A former military officer in the U.S. Army, achieving the rank of Captain, Judge Baxter was awarded the Bronze Star for Valor, among other unit citations while serving as a tank platoon leader in the Republic of Vietnam and the Republic of Cambodia with the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment. Judge Baxter is a native of Columbia, Tennessee. He is a graduate of Tuskegee University and The University of Akron School of Law. His numerous awards include The Governor’s (Ohio) Judicial Leadership Citation, the Special Achievement Award from the U. S. Department of Justice and The Randolph Baxter Professor of Law named professorship created by the University of Akron in his honor. Judge Baxter is active in his community and finds time to play his trumpet with the

The Columbus African & Dayton African American • January 2018 2015 American News Journal • February

Cleveland Clinic Orchestra. He and his wife Yvonne have four children and six grandchildren. “I’m delighted that Judge Baxter is joining the Mega Region Team. His life experiences will serve him well as the lead volunteer in Ohio. Team Ohio has accomplished so many wonderful things and Judge Baxter can certainly continue the volunteer leadership needed to help all Ohioans 50+ live their best lives,” said Ken Thomas, Regional Volunteer Director, AARP Mega Region. “I’m truly looking forward to Volunteering with Judge Baxter.” ### AARP is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization, with a membership of nearly 38 million, that helps people turn their goals and dreams into real possibilities, strengthens communities and fights for the issues that matter most to families such as healthcare, employment and income security, retirement planning, affordable utilities and protection from financial abuse. We advocate for individuals in the marketplace by selecting products and services of high quality and value to carry the AARP name as well as help our members obtain discounts on a wide range of products, travel, and services. A trusted source for lifestyle tips, news and educational information, AARP produces AARP: The Magazine, the world’s largest circulation magazine; AARP Bulletin; www.aarp.org; AARP TV & Radio; AARP Books; and AARP en Español, a Spanishlanguage website addressing the interests and needs of Hispanics. AARP does not endorse candidates for public office or make contributions to political campaigns or candidates. The AARP Foundation is an affiliated charity that provides security, protection, and empowerment to older persons in need with support from thousands of volunteers, donors, and sponsors. AARP has staffed offices in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Learn more at www.aarp.org.

COMMUNITY

BOYCE ELECTED PRESIDENT OF THE BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS FOR 2018 On Tuesday, January 2, 2018, Franklin County Commissioner Kevin L. Boyce was selected by a unanimous vote of the threemember Board of Commissioners to serve as board president for 2018. Boyce begins the second year of his first term on the board this week. He previously served as a state representative, Ohio Treasurer, and Columbus City Councilmember.

commissioner, and the opportunity to serve as board president in 2018,” said Boyce. “I am looking forward to working more closely with all of the commissioners, directors and staff to look for ways to be accessible to and to engage the public.” The Franklin County Board of Commissioners meets in General Session each Tuesday at 9:00 am and Thursday at 9:00 am on the 26th floor of the Franklin County Courthouse, 373 S. High Street. All meetings are open to the public.

Each year, the commissioners select one of their own to serve as president of the board, overseeing the board’s weekly General Session and Briefing meetings. The board president also serves as spokesperson for the Board of Commissioners at community events, meetings, and during media For more information on the Franklin County interviews. Board of Commissioners, call the Office of “I want to thank my colleagues for a Public Affairs at (614) 525-3322 or visit great 2017 in my first year as a county commissioners.franklincountyohio.gov.

COTA LAUNCHES NEW CMAX SERVICE ALONG CLEVELAND AVE CMAX, the Central Ohio Transit Authority’s (COTA) new high-frequency, limited-stop service along Cleveland Avenue, launched on Jan. 1. The 15.6-mile CMAX route runs along Cleveland Avenue between downtown Columbus and the Ohio Health Westerville Medical Campus at Polaris Parkway and Africa Road. The new service is the first bus rapid transit (BRT) line in central Ohio, and links more than 211,000 residents and 170,000 employees to jobs, healthcare and educational resources. CMAX combines convenience, reliability and technology to get customers where they need to go quickly. Customers will experience up to a 20% travel time savings over previous service along Cleveland Avenue. Between Downtown and SR-161, CMAX runs every 10 minutes during rush hour on weekdays, and every 15 minutes midday, evenings and weekends. Service runs every 30 minutes north of SR-161 to Polaris Parkway and Africa Road. “CMAX is a brand new way for COTA to provide public transportation in our growing region,” said Emille Williams, COTA’s Interim President/CEO. “CMAX is a significant investment in public transportation and in our neighborhoods. The service will improve mobility and connect the communities along Cleveland Avenue with employment opportunities, education and healthcare services.” CMAX provides an advanced transit option in one of COTA’s busiest corridors. The service utilizes Traffic Signal Priority (TSP), which allows CMAX to sync with traffic signals to keep buses running on time. CMAX features several enhanced passenger amenities, including: specially-branded buses; upgraded passenger stations with realtime information screens; and free on-board Wi-Fi and USB charging ports. The service

Photo By: Emma Parker Photography

connects with 10 other COTA lines, providing COTA also built a new transit center on a link to destinations throughout central Ohio. Cleveland Avenue at SR-161 that opened Jan. 1. The Northland Transit Center, located at “CMAX is fast and reliable, and embraces 5495 Cleveland Ave., features: six bus bays; the technology and user-friendly features a ticket vending machine; bike racks; free that COTA is focused on delivering to our Wi-Fi; real-time information screens; and customers,” Williams said. “We’re excited to 63 parking spots for customers who would welcome passengers aboard our new service like to park their car and ride the bus to their and show the community the potential for destination. The Northland Transit Center future transit development in central Ohio.” is served by CMAX, Line 6, Line 43, and COTA’s new Line 35. CMAX represents a $48.6 million investment in central Ohio. COTA leveraged $11.2 The new Line 35 Dublin Granville also began million in local funds to attract $37.45 million operation on Jan. 1. It serves as a crosstown from the Federal Transit Administration to connection in north Columbus, primarily fund CMAX. COTA purchased 15 specially- along Dublin Granville Road between Busch branded BRT coaches that are powered by Boulevard and COTA’s Easton Transit Center. Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) for the Line 35 connects with 16 COTA lines. service. COTA is also building a new Park & Ride at The project included the construction of Northern Lights opening later in 2018 that more than 60 enhanced passenger stations. will serve CMAX. More than 30 of the stations feature artwork produced by local artists that celebrates the For more information about CMAX, visit culture and history of the neighborhoods COTA.com/CMAX. along the corridor. 23

The Columbus & Dayton African January 2018 The Columbus African American NewsAmerican Journal • •February 2015

COMMUNITY

IN MEMORIAM: DR. WILBURN HAROLD WEDDINGTON, SR.

Wilburn Harold Weddington, Sr. 1924 - 2017 Wilburn Harold Weddington, Sr., 93, was called to heavenly service on Tuesday, December 26, 2017. Born September 21, 1924 to Earl and Anna Mae Weddington in Hiram, Georgia, he was the oldest of two boys. He was a 1944 graduate of Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia, and attended Howard University Medical School in Washington, D.C., where he received his M.D. in 1948. Wilburn became the first African-American physician to belong to the Cobb County Medical Society in Marietta, GA. While serving in the U.S. Air Force, he was commissioned to Lockborne Air Base from which he was discharged in 1957 as a Captain. Dr. Weddington’s most significant accomplishments came during his tenure as a local family physician in Columbus, Ohio,

with his practice on Mt. Vernon Avenue and his community with integrity and honor and as a faculty member of The Ohio State for over 60 years. He will be remembered by University Medical Center beginning in 1970. his friends and family for his gracious giving, medical care, energy, leadership, passion, Dr. Wilburn Weddington was a distinguished teaching, vision and love of family. teacher, practitioner, and the administrator most directly responsible for increasing Dr. Weddington is preceded in death by wives minority recruitment for OSUMC. He became Patricia and Carline, son Wilburn Harold the first black physician to be promoted to Weddington, Jr., and brother Eddie Hugh. He full professor in the Medical School and is survived by son, W. Carlton Weddington; eventually became associate Dean. He daughters, Cynthia (Alvin) Taylor of received countless awards and accolades for Riverdale, GA, Kimberly Weddington, and his work and service; the Ohio Academy of Marisia (David) Mills of Philadelphia, PA; Family Physicians elected him as the first grandchildren, Bianca Cunningham, Patrick African-American president (1984) and Weddington, David and Daniel Mills; great Educator of the Year (1991); OSU honored granddaughters, Cheyenne Cunningham Wilburn with the Distinguished Service and Daiani Weddington; and a host of other Award (1999) and the Faculty Teaching loving family members and friends. Rest Award (2005). comfortably, dear Wilburn. You will be missed. In 2014, Dr. Wilburn H. Weddington was memorialized at the Long Street Cultural Homegoing Service 10 a.m. Saturday, Wall which celebrates the history and leaders January 6, 2018 at Christ Memorial Baptist of the King-Lincoln District and Near East Church, 3330 E. Livingston Ave., with Side neighborhoods. Outside of his large family receiving friends and special tributes private practice and teaching responsibilities, on Friday, January 5 from 6-8 p.m. Pastor he cherished his family. He was a worldwide Shedrick L. Fowler, officiating. traveler, enjoyed his countryside cabin home Interment Union Cemetery. Arrangements in Georgia, loved to cook breakfast and bbq e n t r u s t e d t o D I E H L - W H I T T A K E R ribs, Sunday school class and church was a FUNERAL SERVICE, 720 E. Long St. priority, and visits with his grandchildren made him smile and laugh. In lieu of flowers, please consider a memorial contribution to: The Deacon C.E. Weddington He was a member of numerous service and Scholarship Fund c/o Sweet Home Baptist volunteer organizations including Omega Psi Church, 280 Oak Street, Hiram, GA 30141. Phi Fraternity, Inc. (initiated at Psi Chapter) Condolences for the Weddington Family may and Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity, Inc. (Lambda be expressed online at www.diehl-whittaker. Boule). Wilburn served the city of Columbus com/obits.

BRADLEY NAMED 2018 ODRC WARDEN OF THE YEAR Please join me in Congratulating Columbus Affiliate NABCJ member Warden Charles “Chuck” Bradley of Pickaway Correctional Institution has been named the 2018 Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections’ Warden of the Year! Warden Bradley is a Columbus Affiliate member of the National Association of Blacks In Criminal Justice. Charles “Chuck” V. Bradley began his correctional career with DRC in February 1990 as a Correction Officer (90’-91’). Since that time, he has held numerous positions within the rank and file of prison operations to include Sergeant (91’93’), Lieutenant (93’-94’), Captain (94’98’), Major (98’-10’), Deputy Warden (10’-14’), and Warden (14’-present).

for people from various institutions to stop by his office to say hello and thank him. Chuck has also served the United States of America in the armed forces branch of the Army. While serving this country, he had the honor of being selected as the Task Force Leader for the Presidential Security Team, during which he successfully accomplished over 12 missions. Chuck retired from the military with the rank of First Lieutenant.

Chuck’s transformational leadership style has been visible during his time as warden. He is invested in the development and growth of the staff through effective communication with constructive feedback and setting clear expectations. He motivates staff and empowers them to be part of the big picture and conveys to the staff that their Chuck has mentored and assisted commitment is instrumental to achieving the employees at every level, and has had the goals of the institution and agency. Chuck pleasure of seeing those he has mentored is dedicated to the success of staff and promoted to supervisors and achieve creates a positive learning environment that executive level positions. It is not unusual contributes to their professional progression.

The Columbus & Dayton African American • January 2018

The Columbus African American News Journal • February 2015

POLITICS LEGISLATIVE UPDATE

132ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY RECONVENES JANUARY 17, 2018 By Senator Charleta B. Tavares The Ohio General Assembly will reconvene on January 17, 2018. The committee schedules can be accessed on the House and Senate websites listed below. Members of the Ohio House of Representatives and Senate will have another year (December 31, 2018) to get their bills passed through both chambers of the General Assembly. The proposed Session Dates for the first half of 2018 for each chamber is found below: Ohio House of Representatives January 17, 2018 @ 1:30pm January 24, 2018 @ 1:30pm January 25, 2018 @ 1:00pm January 31, 2018 @ 1:30pm Ohio Senate January 17, 2018 @ 1:30pm January 24, 2018 @ 1:30pm (if needed) January 30, 2018 @ 1:30pm (if needed) January 31, 2018 @ 1:30pm February: Ohio House of Representatives February 01, 2018 @ 1:00pm (if needed) February 14, 2018 @ 1:30pm February 15, 2018 @ 1:00pm February 21, 2018 @ 1:30pm February 22, 2018 @ 1:00pm (if needed) February 28, 2018 @ 1:30pm Ohio Senate February 06, 2018 @ 1:30pm (if needed) February 07, 2018 @ 1:30pm February 21, 2018 @ 1:30pm February 21, 2018 @ 1:30pm February 28, 2018 @ 1:30pm (if needed) March: Ohio House of Representatives March 01, 2018 @ 1:00pm (if needed) March 07, 2018 @ 1:30pm March 08, 2018 @ 1:00pm (if needed) March 14, 2018 @ 1:30pm March 21, 2018 @ 1:30pm March 22, 2018 @ 1:30pm (if needed)

contact the committee chair or your member of leaders” says Carter D. Womack, Chief of the Ohio House or Senate. Operating Officer of Who’s Who Publishing. Additional Contacts UPDATE: The Ohio General Assembly sessions and the House and Senate Finance Committees are televised live on WOSU/ WPBO and replays can be viewed at www. ohiochannel.org (specific House and Senate sessions and committee hearings can be searched in the video archives). If you would like to receive updated information on the Ohio General Assembly and policy initiatives introduced, call or email my office at 614.466.5131 or tavares@ ohiosenate.com to receive the Tavares Times News monthly legislative newsletter. The committee schedules, full membership rosters and contact information for the Ohio House and Senate can be found at: www.ohiohouse. gov and www.ohiosenate.gov respectively.

Tavares was the first African American woman in Ohio’s history to serve in a leadership position (1996) and has the distinction of being the first Democrat woman to serve in leadership in both the Ohio House of Representatives (Minority Whip) and Ohio Senate (Assistant Minority Leader). She is the first Democrat and African American woman to serve in both the House of Representatives (1993) and the Ohio Senate (2011) from Franklin County.

“Senator Tavares is a positive force in the Columbus community and her leadership, service and commitment are what make her an excellent choice to pen the Foreword for the 15th edition of Who’s Who in Black Sen. Charleta B. Tavares, D-Columbus, Columbus,” says Ernie Sullivan, Executive is proud to serve and represent the 15th Vice President of Who’s Who Publishing. District, including the historic neighborhoods of Columbus and the cities of Bexley and Grandview Heights in the Ohio Senate. She Sen. Tavares is a local, state and nationally serves as the Ohio Senate Assistant Minority recognized cultural competence, housing, Leader and the vice-chair of the Finance – health and human services advocate, speaker Health and Medicaid Subcommittee; Ranking and policymaker. In addition, she was a Member of the Senate Transportation, Labor founding member and chair Emeritus of the & Workforce and Health, Human Services Ohio Suicide Prevention Foundation and and Medicaid Committees. serves on the boards of Lifeline of Ohio, Ohio Quality Improvement Network, National Black Caucus of State Legislators and member and previous chair of the National WAND Charleta B. Tavares to Pen Foreword for the 15th Edition of Education Fund (2009-17). She served on the board of the National League of Cities and Who’s Who In Black Columbus the National Black Caucus of Local Elected Columbus – Who’s Who publishing is proud Officials where she served as president. to announce Ohio State Senator and Assistant Democratic Leader, Charleta B. Tavares as the Foreword writer for the fifteenth edition of Who’s Who In Black Columbus. Ms. Tavares, has left an extensive legacy as a member of the Ohio House (1993-98), Columbus City Council (1999-2014) and the Ohio Senate (2015-present). Her lists of accomplishments include: the establishment of the Minority Bonding Program & Distribution Center Tax Incentive; and enacted a nationally recognized legislative package of five bills addressing Infant Mortality and Health disparities in Ohio.

Members of the public are welcome to attend “Senator Tavares is a proven leader. She is a the committee hearings and sessions of each trailblazer and has set the standard of excellence chamber. If you have a bill of which you and continues to inspire future generations would like to provide testimony, please

The Columbus African American News Journal • February 2015

The event is being sponsored by Real Times Media, Who’s Who Publishing Company was founded in 1989. The publication highlights and celebrates diversity and inclusion achievements while providing a valuable resource and networking guide for the entire community. Real Times Media is a leading source of African American related news, entertainment and lifestyle information. Real Times Media 1452 Randolph St. Suite 400. Detroit, MI 48226 (313).961.8100 www.realtimesmedia.com

The Columbus & Dayton African American • January 2018

POLITICS

LINGERING IMPACT: REPORT ON 2016 FORECLOSURE TRENDS Report by Policy Matters Ohio Introduction Homes provide shelter, but they are often a long-term investment and source of financial security, as well. Similarly, housing and foreclosure trends tell us a lot about local and regional stability and vitality. 2016 statewide trends indicate that while foreclosure filings continue to decrease, the areas hit hardest by the financial and housing crisis still need attention and services. This report reviews the 2016 data and includes policy recommendations to reduce Ohio’s foreclosure rates to early 1990s levels. FORECLOSURE FILING RATE FELL BY 3.75 PERCENT IN 2016 There were 38,963 new foreclosure case filings across Ohio in 2016, according to data collected by the Supreme Court of Ohio. [1] This equates to one foreclosure filing for every 132.5 housing units in the state.[2] It is 1,516 fewer filings than in 2015, and less than half of the 89,000 foreclosure filings in 2009. In 54 of 88 Ohio counties, the number of new foreclosure filings decreased between 2015 and 2016. Still, the number of annual foreclosures remains well above levels seen in the 1990s, prior to rapid growth of subprime lending and the onset of the housing crisis. Figure 1, below, shows that while current foreclosure rates are down significantly from the 2009 high, they remain almost 2.5 times above the 1995 level, when 15,975 foreclosure cases were filed. Frank Ford, a senior policy analyst at the Western Reserve Land Conservancy’s Thriving Communities Institute, says that in Cuyahoga County, this trend indicates that the big decreases are tapering off. Ford argues that many of the hardest hit areas have not seen the recovery expected and will require more intensive intervention. Ford also notes that while this slowed decrease is not currently a major concern, the trend bears close watching to ensure that the rates do not go back up over the next few years.[3] The need for additional resources is especially evident in cities such as Dayton (Montgomery County), where hardest hit areas remain vacant and blighted due to a lack of demolition funding.[4] The federal Hardest Hit Fund, administered through the state’s Neighborhood Initiative/ Stabilization Program, provides homeowners with mortgage assistance to allow them to stay in their homes. A significant share of the funding has gone to tearing down vacant blighted housing.[5] Despite Dayton residents’ concern, the city has run out of dollars from the Hardest Hit Fund and cannot apply for more funding to demolish many of the blighted and foreclosed homes, thus making housing and land use rehab less likely.

populated counties. Most of these counties saw a rise in foreclosure rates from 2015. As the number of filings increased by 8 percent in Stark County, more than 9 percent in Lucas County, and nearly 10 percent in Mahoning County. Notably, the number of filings Franklin County, the state’s most populous, rose over 5 percent. However, this number (4,031) is still almost half as many as the 7,702 filings in 2012. Cuyahoga, Montgomery and Butler counties saw a decrease in filings. Summit County had the largest decrease, with a 22 percent drop following a large increase in 2015. Yet, as the number of filings remains well above levels 20 years ago. Lou Tisler, director of the Housing Counseling Network at the National Community Reinvestment Coalition in Washington, D.C., suggests that areas that serve the most vulnerable and immobile populations – families and senior citizens with limited assets and incomes – are the most likely to see persistent or increasing rates of foreclosure.[6] Indeed, in their most recent report on foreclosures in Cuyahoga County, Kathryn Hexter and Molly Schnoke of Cleveland State University write, “[Cuyahoga] County’s eastern communities with high percentages of African American homeowners were among the first to experience the devastating effects of the wave of unsustainable mortgage financing and refinancing and are still among the last to see an end to the crisis...”[7] The authors noted that while there was a decline of foreclosures in the suburbs, there was a large increase in rates in the poorer, central urban areas (Cleveland and East Cleveland).[8]

In Lucas County (Toledo), suburban areas have also seen stronger regrowth while the hardest hit urban areas have the most complicated “intractable properties”— homes and buildings with complicated legal or financial status, such as liens or multiple mortgage lenders.[9] Lucas County saw an increase in the total number of foreclosure filings in 2016, following a large decrease in 2015. This is likely because the city of Sixty-one percent (23,826) of the state’s Toledo constitutes a larger share of the 38,963 filings occurred in Ohio’s 10 most population and housing in Lucas County than

The Columbus & Dayton African American • January 2018

other central cities in Ohio counties. When Toledo trends fluctuate, the number more significantly impacts countywide statistics. Summit County saw the largest decline in foreclosure filings of any of the biggest counties. In some areas in Akron, home values are higher than they were prerecession.[10] However, this significant decline in filings followed a big increase in 2015 and might reflect a stronger and more targeted investment in foreclosure resources in the area. Regional efforts to stabilize and grow the central urban area, such as the Akron 2050 plan, might have played a significant role in foreclosure and blight reduction in the Summit County region. The foreclosure density rate is an important measure of stability, especially in shrinking counties/states. For every 1,000 people in Ohio, there were more than three (3.35) foreclosure filings in 2016. Several counties maintain higher levels of foreclosure density, well above the mean. As Table 2 highlights, Mahoning County had 5.6 foreclosure filings for every 1,000 residents in 2016, the highest such rate in the state. Richland County, the hardest hit county in 2014 and 2015, comes in at a close second, lagging by only .03 percent (5.57). Nine of 10 of the counties with the worst foreclosure density rates in 2016 rates were on the 2015 list, as well. Table 3, below, notes that the largest increase was Mahoning County (up from No. 7 in 2015 to No. 1 in 2016) and the largest decrease was Summit County (down from No. 4 in 2015 to No. 10 in 2016). These counties vary significantly in population, from under 40,000 (Coshocton and Jackson) to over 1.2 million (Cuyahoga) and range in median income from over $50,461 in Ashtabula to $69,216 in Summit. [11] This income and population variation reinforces the notion that suburban growth can mask urban, central city decline. The income difference also emphasizes the fact that foreclosure rates are impacted by several factors and can be the result of larger systemic issues.[12] Continued on Page 30

The Columbus African American News Journal • February 2015

COMMUNITY

ALPHA KAPPA ALPHA SORORITY, INCORPORATED CHAPTER ADDRESSES COMMUNITY NEEDS THROUGH TARGETED PROGRAMS COLUMBUS, Ohio – As the first Greeklettered sorority for African- American women, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Incorporated has at the core of its foundation “service to all mankind”. It serves as the organization’s mission and ambition as a premier international service organization with nearly 300,000 members in over 1,000 chapters around the globe. For central Ohio communities in 2017, Alpha Sigma Omega chapter, a trusted leader in the African-American community, expanded that mission through targeted programs that met the needs of the community in which our members live, work and play. Our programs reflected the key areas that are important to a thriving community: education, health, families, environment and global impact. Celebrating 87 years and under the leadership of its 32nd President Shannon Teague, Alpha Sigma Omega has 245 servant leaders committed to sustaining and growing community service programs through our international initiative – Launching New Dimensions of Service – that focuses on five targeted areas. During 2017, the chapter implemented impactful service programs in those areas: Educational Enrichment – Alpha Sigma Omega promoted the learning process by providing substantial support through: • Collecting and distributing backpacks to students in need as part of our international One Million BackpacksSM initiative. The chapter won first place in the Great Lakes region for collecting the most backpacks. • Mentoring and engaging high school students through the sorority’s signature youth enrichment program, ASCEND℠ (Achievement, Self-Awareness, Communication, Engagement, Networking and Developmental Skills). Students receive academic enrichment and life skills training

Members of Alpha Sigma Omega Chapter showing support at the breast cancer walk.

President Shannon Teague and the members of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, Alpha Sigma Omega Chapter

to support their journey to college or vocational employment. • Honoring 507 eighth grade students representing 25 Columbus City middle schools at the 35th Annual Scholars’ Tea hosted in partnership with the chapter’s Achieving Standards of Excellence Foundation (ASOEF). • Awarding 10 central Ohio high school seniors nearly $20,000 in scholarships. Based on academic merit, leadership skills, community service and a written essay, the awards range from $1,000 to $3,000 per student. Since its inception, the Alpha Sigma Omega/ASOEF scholarship program has awarded more than $250,000 to central Ohio high school students. Health Promotion – Alpha Sigma Omega chapter participated and financially supported community health awareness initiatives: • Pink Goes Red in February as part of a partnership with the American Heart Association and Go Red Day. • Susan G. Komen 25th annual Race for the Cure celebrating survivors, honoring those who have lost their battle and serving those in need. • Alzheimer’s Association and its signature programs - Longest Day for Alzheimer’s Awareness and Walk to End Alzheimer’s – that help spread awareness of the escalating number of individuals affected by this disease. • The National African American Male Wellness Walk to raise awareness of preventable health diseases among the male population. It is the largest health initiative for African Americans and other minorities in the state of Ohio.

financial means: • Collected coats, scarves, gloves and mittens for the families at the Community Shelter Board. • Hosted a Financial Fitness Summit for individuals and families to learn how to better manage their money and strengthen their financial fitness. • Supported Faith Ministries Church food pantry through food distribution and community outreach. • Partnered with Temple Israel to collect nearly 1000 pairs of socks for the families at the Community Shelter Board-Van Buren location and the youth at the Ohio State University Star House. Environmental Ownership – Alpha Sigma Omega implemented high impact programs to provide healthy environments and improve the quality of life in the underserved communities by adopting and maintaining a community garden at St. Dominic Church. With a little TLC from chapter members and community residents, the garden provided over 100 pounds of produce to the neighbors who visit the church for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The community has embraced the garden so much that volunteers have taken over the maintenance of the trees and shrubs. Global Impact: Alpha Kappa Alpha’s reach and impact extends globally in this complex society. Assessing and affecting global needs compels Alpha Sigma Omega to expand our outreach internationally. Through our program initiatives, Alpha Sigma Omega chapter: • Celebrated United Nations Day in collaboration with the United Nations Association USA at Otterbein University.

Family Strengthening – Community service programs targeted critical issues facing many families, including lack of food, shelter and

Continued on Page 32

The Columbus African American News Journal • February 2015

The Columbus & Dayton African American • January 2018

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The Columbus & Dayton African American • January 2018

The Columbus African American News Journal • February 2015

By Ray Miller Breaking White Supremacy Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Black Social Gospel By Gary Dorrien The civil rights movement was on the of the most searing developments in modern American history. It abounded with noble visions, resounded with magnificent rhetoric, and ended in nightmarish despair. It won a few legislative victories and had a profound impact on U.S. society, but failed to break white supremacy. The symbol of the movement, Martin Luther King Jr., soared so high that he tends to overwhelm anything associated with him. Yet the traditioin that best describes him and other leaders of the civil rights movement has been strangely overlooked. In this book, Gary Dorrien continues to unearth the heyday and legacy of the black social gospel, a tradition with a shimmering history, a martyred central figure, and enduring relevance today.

Coretta Scott King - My Life, My Love, My Legacy By Rev. Dr. Barbara Reynolds The life story of Coretta Scott King - wife of Martin Luther King, Jr., founder of the Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change (The King Center), and singular twentieth-century American civil and human rights activist - as told fully for the first time, toward the end of her life, to Rev. Dr. Barbara Reynolds. Coretta’s is a love story, a family saga, and the memoir of an extraordinary black woman in twentieth-century America, a brave leader who, in the face of terrorism and violent hatred, stood committed, proud, forgiving, nonviolent, and hopeful every day of her life. Long Way Down By Jason Reynolds

How to Slowly Kill Yourself and Others in America By Kiese Laymon

An ode to Put the Damn Guns Down, this National Book Award finalist and New York Times bestseller Jason Reynolds’s fiercely stunning novel that takes place in sixty potent seconds the time it takes a kid to decide whether or not he’s going to murder the guy who killed his brother. And so it goes, the whole long way down, as the elevator stops on each floor, and at each stop someone connected to his brother gets on to give Will a piece to a bigger story that the one he thinks he knows. A story that might never know an End...if Will gets off that elevator. Told in short, fierce staccato narrative verse, Long Way Down is a fast and furious, dazzingly brilliant look at teenage gun violence, as could only be told by Jason Reynolds.

Author and essayist Kiese Laymon is one of the most unique, stirring, and powerful new voices in American writing. How to Slowly Kill Yourself and Others in America is a collection of his essays, touching on subjects ranging from family, race, violence, and celebrity music, writing, and coming of age in Mississippi. In his collection, Laymon deals in depth with his own personal story, which is filled with trials and reflections that illuminate under-appreciated aspects of contemporary American life. New and unexpected in contemporary writing, Laymon’s voice mixes the colloquial with the acerbic, while sharp insights and blast-furnace heat calls to mind a black 21st-century Mark Twain. Much like Twain, Laymon’s writing is steeped in controversial issues both private and public. The Blood of Emmett Till By Timothy B. Tyson

I Can’t Breathe - A Killing on Bay Street By Matt Taibbi

In 1955, white men in the Mississippi Delta lynched a fourteen-year-old from Chicago named Emmet Till. His murder was part of a wave of white terrorism in the wake of the 1954 Supreme Court decision that declared public school segregation unconstitutional. Only weeks later, Rosa Parks thought about young Emmett as she refused to move to the back of a city bus in Montgomery, Alabama. Five years later, Black students who called themselves “the Emmett Till generation” launched sit-in campaigns that turned the struggle for civil rights into a mass movement. Till’s lynching became the most notorious hate crim in American history. But what actually happened to Emmett Till - not the icon of injustice, but the flesh-and-blood boy? Part detective story, part political history, The Blood of Emmett Till unfolds like a movie, drawing on a wealth of new edvidence and new insight into the way race has informed and deformed our country.

On July 17, 2014, a forty-threeyear-old black man named Eric Garner died on a Staten Island sidewalk after a police officer put him in what has been described as an illegal chokehold during an arrest for selling bootleg cigarettes. The final moments of Garner’s life were captured on video and seen by millions. His agonized lasat words, “I can’t breathe,” became the rallying cry for the nascent Black Lives Matter protest movement. A grand jury ultimately declined to indict the officer who wrestled Garner to the pavement. Matt Taibbi’s deeply reported retelling of these events liberates Eric Garner from the abstractions of newspaper accounts and lets us see the man in full - with all his flaws and contradictions intact. A husband and father with a complicated personal history, Garner was neither villain nor victim, but a fiercely proud individual determined to do the best he could for his family, bedeviled by bad luck, and ultimately subdued by forces beyond his control. 29

The Columbus & Dayton African January 2018 The Columbus African American NewsAmerican Journal • •February 2015

POLITICS Continued from Page 26

AN ALTERNATIVE VIEW: THE FORECLOSURE PROCESS AS A LANDBANKING TOOL Often, foreclosure filings tell the story of a property that has seen a significant disinvestment – foreclosures usually occur because the building owner can no longer afford to pay the mortgage. However, sometimes unpaid taxes cause a foreclosure filing. That can have the same unfortunate result as a mortgage foreclosure. But such tax foreclosure filings can also represent a county-wide attempt to funnel already vacant and delinquent homes through the land bank and revitalization process. Ford noted that, “land banks can use the foreclosure process to gain title to abandoned homes that need to be demolished.”[13] Western Reserve Land Conservancy has played a key role in supporting the creation of land banks across the state. There are currently 46 county land banks in Ohio and dozens more at the city level. At the recent Ohio Land Bank Conference in September 2017, several panelists and presenters noted that, if land banks leverage their relationships and resources, vacant properties can be expedited through foreclosure and then used as a tool for economic regrowth. Ford also suggests that using the tax foreclosure process to rehabilitate homes and neighborhoods encourages counties to find more creative and sustainable methods to ensure housing stability. For example, in neighborhoods where small numbers of remaining homeowners feel stuck amongst dense clusters of abandoned properties, land banks can work with the city to repossess, demolish and reuse the space in a way that is more responsive to community needs. Additional state investments could enable existing land banks and housing development entities to expand on the good work being done to restore neighborhoods. Recommendations We recommend additional steps to reduce Ohio’s foreclosure rates and battle the blight and economic distress foreclosures can cause. Increase federal and state support for foreclosure prevention and housing stability: a) Reduce or eliminate proposed federal budget cuts to vital programs. Three such programs are threatened in the federal budget for the year that began October 1. The HOME Investment Partnerships Program, Community Development Block Grants and Section 4 program provide states and localities with flexible funding to tackle housing insecurity. The state needs an increase in these federal dollars, already reduced from years past, to tackle the problem of housing insecurity head-on.[14]

Foreclosures in Cleveland, Photo by Louisa Thomson, via Flikr

affordable housing and assists homeless people.[15] In the 2017 fiscal year the fund allocated $42 million to support homeowners, renters, families and senior citizens – slightly more than the year before, but down from $73 million in the pre-recession year of 2004-05 and $53 million in 2013. Local funds, such as the Affordable Housing Trust for Columbus and Franklin County, are tackling these issues in specific, hard-hit neighborhoods, and these local trust funds should be replicated in other communities to supplement and leverage state trust fund dollars. Increased state and local resources would assist lowincome homebuyers, defray counseling costs for families facing foreclosure and expand permanent housing for homeless people, emergency home repair, accessibility modifications and other affordable housing investments. They would also enable housing rehabilitation and home weatherization to reduce utility costs. A statewide coalition sought additional funding for the fund in the FY 2018-2019 State Budget, first through general revenue and then through an increase in the county recorder fee that supports the fund. However, the Ohio legislature ignored this request in the final budget.[16] The Home Matters to Ohio coalition continues to encourage the legislature to reconsider the way it funds housing resources. Restore local government funding: Prolonged vacancy results in property deterioration and increased risk of fire. Local governments in hard-hit communities often face serious fiscal stress. Municipalities must spend more on policing and fire suppression, temporary assistance for displaced residents, and maintenance.[17] These increased demands on local governments come at a time when revenues are constrained. Local governments are working with $1 billion less in 2017 than they had in 2010 (adjusted for inflation) due to cuts in state aid and elimination of local tax sources.[18] To enable communities to address increased needs and restore the physical blight created in the past two decades, the state should:

b) Increase funding for the Ohio Housing Trust Fund, and replicate local funds to target dollars. The statewide trust fund was established in the 1990s, when Ohio voters approved a constitutional amendment designating housing as a public purpose, a) Restore revenue sharing through the Local and is the primary way the state invests in Government Fund, which has been cut in

The Columbus African & Dayton African American • January 2018 2015 American News Journal • February

half (hurting cities, villages, townships and counties). b) Reinstate an Estate Tax on Ohio’s wealthiest estates – those over $1 million in value – and direct the revenues to local government. In the past, this money was often used for capital costs such as police fleets and fire trucks, taking pressure off a community’s general fund. Provide flexible state support for efforts to provide mortgage assistance and foreclosure counseling and to address neighborhood blight: a) Increase federal and state foreclosure counseling and prevention programs. A quick online search for Ohio prevention resources finds several agencies and programs dedicated to foreclosure prevention, but most of the results drive consumers to the same limited and shallow pool of resources. Housing counseling programs, such as the federally funded NeighborWorks program, are not available everywhere in Ohio. Existing housing counseling infrastructure should be strengthened and expanded. b) Federal dollars from the U.S. Treasury’s Hardest Hit Fund are used by the Ohio Housing Finance Agency (OHFA) in two ways: to stabilize property values by removing and greening vacant and blighted properties to help prevent future foreclosures, and for assistance to homeowners. More than 5,000 blighted homes have been demolished, with thousands more in process. OHFA’s Save the Dream Ohio (SDO), which helped more than 24,000 Ohioans keep their homes before money ran out in 2014, was re-introduced in September 2016 and since then, over 469 homeowners have received assistance.[19] With just $20.2 million remaining out of the $433.7 million in federal dollars allocated, [20] the SDO program will need additional resources to better serve the neediest populations. Additional resources, flexible in nature, could be used not only for mortgage assistance and targeted demolition but also housing rehabilitation, depending on which is more appropriate for a property and a neighborhood. Continued on Page 31

POLITICS Continued from Page 30

Increase support for consumer protection and resource navigation services

[4] Frolik, Cornelius, “Vacant houses will likely be sticking around longer in Dayton, and here’s why,” The Dayton Daily News, Aug. 11, 2017. Retrieved from: http:// www.mydaytondailynews.com/news/ local/vacant-houses-will-likely-stickingaround-longer-dayton-and-here-why/ ZVGbIjXL7o9qlbmzMcqsaL/

Those without financial resources may need help navigating the foreclosure process, beyond the programs stated above. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) and Ohio Legal Aid provide [5] Ibid. important resources to those at risk of losing [6] Comments made during phone interview their homes. between author and Mr. Tisler, June 14, 2017 a) Between December 2011 and April 2017, over 20 percent of Ohio complaints to the [7] Hexter, Kathryn W., Schnoke, Molly, CFPB were mortgage-related.[21] The CFPB “Responding to Foreclosures in Cuyahoga has several initiatives to help consumers stay County 2016 Update : Te nth Annual away from loans they can’t afford, set rules Report January 1 - December 31, 2016”, for mortgage servicers and protect borrowers U r b a n P u b l i c a t i o n s , M a y 2 5 , 2 0 1 7 . facing foreclosure.[22] Yet, the CFPB has Retrieved from: http://engagedscholarship. been under attack from all three branches of c s u o h i o . e d u / c g i / v i e w c o n t e n t . the federal government.[23] Richard Cordray cgi?article=2494&context=urban_facpub recently stepped down as the director of the CFPB, but the agency must continue to be a [8] Ibid. The authors found an increase in the strong, independent defender of consumer overall number of foreclosures in the county rights- not one that caters to the interests of because their data, unlike the Ohio Supreme Court data used in this report, include tax the financial services industry. foreclosures handled through the county b) Legal Aid services are extremely useful to Board of Revision. These can be used only homeowners facing foreclosure, helping keep for vacant properties and allow for them to families in their homes. During and after the be transferred to the county land bank, a Great Recession, Ohio’s Legal Aid services positive result. Most of these foreclosures lost a significant share of their funding and were in the city of Cleveland, contributing to despite more recent improvement, staffing the higher rate there. remains well below previous levels. Legal Aid services broadly need greater continuous [9] Chavez, Jon, “Area foreclosures up from financial support from the state to provide a year ago, bucking trend” The Toledo Blade, May 16, 2017. Retrieved from: http://www. foreclosure assistance. toledoblade.com/Real-Estate/2017/05/16/ Though foreclosure levels are down from Toledo-area-foreclosures-up-from-a-yeartheir peak, Ohio is still coping with the ago-bucking-trend.html damage from the foreclosure crisis. Tens of thousands of homeowners still face [10] Armon, Rick, “Home property values foreclosure each year, far more than in the are up for first time since 2005 in Summit not-so-distant past. Foreclosed homes too County,” Akron Beacon Journal, July 26, often become vacant and abandoned, sapping 2017. Retrieved from: https://www.ohio. vitality from communities. They don’t bring com/akron/news/local/home-property-valuesin property taxes, so communities and are-up-for-first-time-since-2005-in-summitschool districts have far fewer resources to county support struggling families while troubled and sometimes lead-filled properties are [11] American Fact Finder, U.S. Census left behind.[24] Much important work has Bureau, Table DP03. Retrieved by: Hannah been done to cope with 15 years of elevated Lebovits; Retrieved on: 10/17/2017. foreclosures. We need an assertive policy Table can be found at: https://factfinder. approach that restores our neighborhoods census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/ to ensure that the next generation can build productview.xhtml?pid=ACS_15_5YR_ wealth and thrive with the stability that safe DP03&prodType=table housing provides. [12] Kingsley, G. Thomas, Smith, Robin, [1] Ohio Supreme Court, Policy Matters Price, David, “The Impacts of Foreclosures Ohio review of filings in U.S. district courts. On Families and Communities” The Urban Numbers include both tax and mortgage Institute, May 2009, Retrieved from: foreclosures, but not tax foreclosure filings https://www.urban.org/sites/default/files/ at county boards of revision for vacant publication/30426/411909-The-Impacts-ofabandoned properties. Data received by Zach Foreclosures-on-Families-and-Communities. Schiller, May 4, 2017 in response to records PDF request. [13] Tax foreclosures can be handled [2] American Fact Finder, U.S. Census through the regular judicial process, and Bureau, Table B25001. Retrieved by: Hannah those are included in the data reported by Lebovits; Retrieved on: 10/17/2017. Table the Ohio Supreme Court used in this report. can be found at: https://factfinder.census.gov/ However, as noted above, they also can be faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview. handled by county boards of revision. Those cases are not included in the Supreme Court xhtml?src=CF data. This trend was discussed in an earlier [3] Comments made during phone interviews Policy Matters Ohio report, which can be between author and Mr. Ford, June 12, 2017 accessed at: https://www.policymattersohio. org/research-policy/pathways-out-of-poverty/ and November 21,2017. consumer-protection-asset-building/housingThe Columbus African American News Journal • February 2015

foreclosures/home-insecurity-2015 [14] Information from phone interview between author and Emily Lundgard, state and local policy director at Enterprise Community Partners, August 28, 2017; additional information gleaned from the Organize! Ohio Brown Bag event on the “State’s Role in Rebuilding Ohio Cities,” September 13, 2017 [15] Patton, Wendy, “Budget Bite: The Housing Trust Fund,” Policy Matters Ohio, April 7, 2017. https://www.policymattersohio. org/research-policy/quality-ohio/revenuebudget/budget-bite-the-housing-trust-fund [16] Home Matters to Ohio Coalition letter, “Ohio Legislature Releases Final Budget, State Trust Fund Remains AsIs,” July 5, 2017. Retrieved from: https:// www.housingonline.com/2017/07/05/ohiolegislature-releases-final-budget-state-trustfund-remains/ [17] GAO Report, “Vacant Properties: Growing Number Increases Communities’ Costs and Challenges” November 2011. Retrieved from: http://www.gao.gov/new. items/d1234.pdf [18] Patton, Wendy, Shakesprere, Jessica, “Budget Bites: Local Government” Policy Matters Ohio, March 2017. Retrieved from: https://www.policymattersohio.org/files/ research/local-gov-budget-bite-final.pdf [19] Moses, Molly, “Hardest Hit Funds Allows OHFA To Continue the Fight Against Foreclosure and Blight,” OHFA Press Release, April 25, 2017. Retrieved from: http://ohiohome.org/research/documents/ OHTF_EconomicImpactFinal.pdf [20] Presentation by Holly Swisher, Ohio Housing Finance Agency, Organize! Ohio Brown Bag event on the “State’s Role in Rebuilding Ohio Cities,” September 13, 2017 [21] See https://s3.amazonaws.com/files. consumerfinance.gov/f/documents/201706_ cfpb-Monthly-Complaint-Report-50-State.pdf [22] See https://www.consumerfinance.gov/ know-before-you-owe/ and https://www. consumerfinance.gov/about-us/newsroom/ consumer-financial-protection-bureauexpands-foreclosure-protections/ and https:// www.consumerfinance.gov/about-us/blog/ weve-updated-our-mortgage-servicingrules-provide-greater-protections-mortgageborrowers-and-other-homeowners/ [23] Kaplinsky, Alan and Michael Guerrero, opinion contributors, “The CFPB is under siege by all three branches of government,” The Hill, Feb. 17, 2017. Retrieved from: http://thehill.com/blogs/pundits-blog/ finance/320141-the-cfpb-is-under-siege-byall-three-branches-of-government [24] Ibid. Policy Matters Ohio is a non-profit policy research institute. They create a more vibrant, equitable, sustainable and inclusive Ohio through research, strategic communications, coalition building and policy advocacy.

The Columbus & Dayton African American • January 2018

POLITICS

CONGRESS IS CHOOSING TO HURT OHIO’S CHILDREN Columbus, Ohio – It’s been more than three months since Congress let funding for the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) expire. States have given Congress the benefit of the doubt, assuming they would get CHIP done. But time is up and the consequences for families are real. CHIP covers nearly 9 million children nationwide, and nearly 224,000 in Ohio. Voices for Ohio’s Children expressed its deep disappointment that a five year extension of CHIP, along with other critical health care legislation, is being delayed. “While we have been assured that Ohio will continue to cover its CHIP children through the Medicaid program, we know there are other states living day to day and they are sending notices to CHIP families of possible benefit loss and freezing enrollment,” stated Brandi Slaughter, CEO of Voices for Ohio’s Children. “It is nice to see Congress giving states some relief by providing funding for CHIP for a few months in the latest Continuing Resolution, however, this is no way to treat children,” Slaughter stated, “There is too much at stake to play politics with the future of Ohio’s children.” CHIP has long seen bipartisan support since its creation in 1997, and continues to see support from both sides of the aisle. However, Congress has still failed to pass long-term legislation that will keep kids covered with lifesaving health insurance. “This is something we would have hoped Congress

would have made a priority, right along with funding the government,” she added. State health and child advocates caution elected officials that inaction on longterm CHIP funding could have serious consequences for Ohio’s children and families. Ninety-Six percent of Ohio children, a record high, currently have health insurance “One of the great success stories of the past few decades has been the increase in the number of American children who have health care coverage,” said Slaughter, “Our elected leaders in Washington should not risk kid’s health by failing to pass long-term bipartisan funding for CHIP.” The delay in extending funding for CHIP could significantly impact the state budget.

According to Georgetown University’s Center for Children and Families, in 2016 alone, Ohio drew down CHIP matching funds totaling $371.5 million. Loss of this funding could force the Governor to propose other budgetary cuts in 2018. Voices also expressed concern about the impact of the tax bill on children’s programs. The bill, which was approved by both the House and the Senate, will add over $1 trillion to the deficit over ten years, thus triggering automatic budget cuts, unless special legislation is passed. “We call on our Senators and Congressional delegation to propose and support legislation that will protect benefits on which children and their families depend, such as SNAP, WIC, Head Start, and child care benefits.”

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ASCEND students met other students from across the state and engaged in real-world discussions. • Supported the Columbus International Festival as escorts for the Naturalization Ceremony for the newest US citizens and the Parade of Nations. • Donated to the UNICEF K.I.N.D program (Kids in Need of Desks) to provide eight desks that seat 16 Malawi students who will have a better opportunity to focus on learning. The desks are made locally in

Africa so community workers are employed. In addition, the chapter donated funds to provide five one-year scholarships for girls to continue their intermediate secondary education. In addition to our targeted areas, Alpha Sigma Omega hosted Community Service Days to highlight our collective impact in program areas: Martin Luther King Day of Service – In remembrance of the selfless acts of Dr. Martin Luther King, Alpha Sigma Omega members spent the MLK holiday:

The Columbus & Dayton African American • January 2018

• Volunteering at programs held at the King Arts Complex during the MLK Celebration; • Donating and assembling 177 hygiene kits for the men and women of Faith Mission. Kits included full size soap, lotion deodorant, toothbrush, toothpaste, shampoo/conditioner (women) and razors (men). • Delivered travel size items to St. Philips Church: 117 travel size soaps, 86 conditioners, 82 shampoo, 64 lotion, 20 mouth wash, 12 make up removers, 6 shower caps, 5 hand sanitizers, and 4 tubes of toothpaste. Public Policy Advocacy – Using our voice to speak out for justice and equality for all, Alpha Sigma Omega: • Hosted Ohio AKA Day at the Capital – More than 80 Alpha Kappa Alpha members from across the state spent the day at the Capitol to engage Ohio state representatives through panel discussions focusing on health disparities and voting rights. • Partnered with community organizations to host two Meet the Candidates forums for area wide May and November elections. There is no slowing down in 2018. Alpha Sigma Omega is poised to continue to build upon our legacy both locally and internationally.

The Columbus African American News Journal • February 2015

departments provided free inhalers, masks and other asthma medications to people suffering from smoke. They made sure It is particularly disturbing that younger food, water and air were safe to eat, drink Black people are dying from diseases and and breathe. They oversaw clean-ups and conditions such as diabetes, stroke, heart investigated poisonings across state lines and disease and cancer at ages that are expected at the borders making sure imported products to be seen in people much older. Obesity is are not contaminated. also at a dangerously high level. Health departments and medical agencies Again it comes down to the lack of access to helped protect the first responders who fresh fruits and vegetables, lack of safe places protect us. to walk, play and exercise, and proximity to safe neighborhoods away from landfills, Don’t forget the opiate abuse crisis too. chemical plants, poor air quality and too In fighting the flood of opiate and other many liquor stores. Your zip code, for better dangerous drugs, federal funding from your tax dollars comes back into our or worse, can predict your health status. neighborhoods to help pay for substance G i v e n t h a t t h e w o r d s “ d i v e r s i t y ” , abuse services and provide training to “vulnerable” and “entitlement” are among everyone from emergency responders the words you’re advised to avoid when to community residents to use overdose applying for government funding and aid for antidotes to save lives. healthcare and public health projects by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention Doctors, nurses, therapists, hospitals, trauma (CDC), or other health agencies, it is now centers and health departments jump into more important to be aware of the life-saving action for the immediate and long-term needs and life-sustaining work our federal, state and of patients and survivors of disasters and emergencies. local health and medical agencies do. Consider the current events of 2017. We had wildfires, hurricanes, flooding, Your tax dollars lay the framework for the earthquakes, mass shootings, terror attacks, “social safety net” that allows them to be able train derailments, chemical spills, structure to care for everyone at their point of crisis collapses, infectious disease outbreaks on who needs help regardless of a person’s cruise ships, lead, arsenic and other trace income. metal poisoning in the water, algae and Your generosity in supporting non-profit predator fish overgrowth and contaminated organizations also helps hold up the social food. safety net too. Although time has moved forward, public donations are still needed The list goes on and on. Whatever, wherever the same as they were during the civil rights and whenever the emergency situation, we struggle and other times of crisis in America’s needed a response from the medical and history. public health community to restore or rebuild our infrastructure. Your tax dollars at work run these health care agencies and you want to hold your elected For example, in the case of wildfires, health officials accountable for directing their Continued from Page 18

actions and prioritizing their agendas. You need to learn, speak up and get involved in the process. Even if it is only to figure out what different adjectives, nouns and verbs to use to describe the inequity and inequality that still exists and to assure it gets attention and support. Much to my delight, I discovered that Martin Luther King Jr. was even more visionary than we realized. Almost 52 years ago when it came to connecting the dots on why African Americans and all people need decent healthcare Dr. King Jr. reminds us that access to good healthcare is foundational for a safe, advanced and civil society. The wisdom and direction of his words then should still direct us toward our best policies for health and well-being now. Learn a little More Map: Find the most common cause of death in your county, CNN, December 26, 2017 http://www.cnn.com/2016/12/27/health/mapcauses-of-death-by-county/index.html US County-Level Trends in Mortality Rates for Major Causes of Death, 1980-2014. JAMA. 2016 Dec 13;316(22):2385-2401. doi: 10.1001/jama.2016.13645. Tracking Down Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Words on Health Care, Amanda Moore, Huffington Post The Blog 01/18/2013 04:00 pm ET Updated Mar 20, 2013 Dr. Quentin Young in Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quentin_Young Lisa D. Benton, MD, MPH (The Doctor is In) breastsurgeonlb@gmail.com, Twitter:@ DctrLisa (415) 746-0627

REJEANA HAYNES RECEIVES DISTINGUISHED CAREER AWARD “She taught me many things about being a social worker…but one thing she said and the conviction in which she said it, I will never forget- ‘Your clients always deserve your respect.’” When asked why Rejeana Haynes was deserving of the Alumni Distinguished Career Award presented by The Ohio State University’s College of Social Work, former colleague and longtime mentee Lisa Castagnola shared those very words. Rejeana Haynes has served as Vice President of Clinical Operations at St. Vincent Family Center for seven years, a Columbus nonprofit organization providing pediatric behavioral health care to children and families throughout central Ohio. Rejeana has played a critical role in developing unique, unmatched behavioral health services for thousands of youth at risk and in need. In October 2017, Rejeana was inducted into The Ohio State University’s College of Social Work Alumni Hall of Fame, honored with the Alumni Distinguished Career Award for her longtime service and specialized work in the social work field. Beginning her career as a licensed social worker, Rejeana spent

years serving youth on the near east side of Columbus who were struggling to cope with life’s difficulties that challenged their ability to succeed in school, at home, and in their communities. She continues to positively influence the lives of each family through her leadership in providing expert care and intervention. 33

Calling on her strong foundation of knowledge and experience, Rejeana soon amplified the scope of her work as she advanced to Program Director of several behavioral health programs at St. Vincent Family Center. As her role grew, so did her Continued on Page 34

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impact. Rejeana began facilitating supportive trainings for colleagues, teachers, and families, offering clinical best practices and quality standards for those around her. She also directly influenced the lives of many young children as she implemented her expertise within St. Vincent Family Center’s Preschool and Outpatient Programs. “I truly believe that our purpose as social workers is to provide hope to children and families that find themselves in hopeless circumstances,” shared Haynes. Now years later as Vice President of Clinical Operations, Rejeana is responsible for monitoring and expanding the distinct continuum of behavioral health care services as it applies to the changing needs of our community’s families. St. Vincent Family Center is one of few organizations in the state of Ohio providing concentrated care to preschool students in a therapeutic setting and specialized Residential care to children as young as five years old. The need for early intervention is great and growing, and the “preschool to prison pipeline” only continues to grow. The preschool to prison pipeline refers to the practice of pushing students at a young age, often our most at-risk children, out of the classroom and into our juvenile and criminal justice systems. It is an alarming issue afflicting many preschool students today. When children are suspended and expelled from early childhood care settings, they face a variety of negative consequences, including a lack of early learning experiences and limited access to appropriate supportive

services, furthering the gap as they move through life. This is even truer for children of low-income. The team at St. Vincent Family Center works to address the challenges faced by these young children and prevent potential adverse outcomes by intervening early and developing a strong foundation for learning, regardless of economic background. St. Vincent Family Center’s Early Childhood Mental Health (ECMH) program offers early intervention social-emotional skill building groups for over 2,000 preschool and daycare children in nearly 70 lowincome centers throughout Franklin County, thanks to funding from the ADAMH Board of Franklin County. Facilitating evidencebased curriculum, ECMH consultants lead therapeutic, child-centered activities teaching the necessary skills to be successful in a childcare environment: following directions, solving problems, social interactions, and more. Additionally, ECMH consultants provide direct expertise to childcare teachers and staff to ensure understanding of knowledge and instructional strategies are established. These tools empower childcare teachers to improve classroom management and equip preschoolers with the skills to participate successfully in their childcare setting, ultimately increasing their opportunity for future success. Alternatively, students attending St. Vincent’s Preschool Prep Academy or residing at St. Vincent Family Center’s Residential Program in need of greater support receive highly specialized behavioral health treatment in both a group and individual setting led by licensed social workers, with a greater focus

on Trauma Informed Care. Most of the young students and residents at St. Vincent Family Center have experienced at least one significant trauma in their lives that has impacted their ability to cope and succeed in life. In fact, over half of the child residents have been affected by the current societal opiate epidemic, many having lost parents and family members. Rejeana strongly influenced the reinforcement of clinical services through the implementation of Trauma Informed Care, an approach to treatment that brings focus to how one’s development is affected by adverse experiences and how to provide appropriate care accordingly. Trauma Informed Care is woven throughout the range of programs offered to children and families at St. Vincent Family Center- Prevention, Community Family Intervention, Outpatient Services, Intensive Family Stabilization, St. Vincent Prep Academy, Foster Care, and Residential. Each level of care is met with the appropriate trauma-focused approach, identifying the individual needs of each child and family and applying a treatment strategy that works for them. As a result of Rejeana’ s commitment to high clinical standards and a strength-based perspective, St. Vincent Family Center’s behavioral health services continue to grow. Rejeana’s dedication to advocacy and service to those who need it most is not just admirable, it is essential in her field of community mental health. As our community faces a future of challenges and consequences, Rejeana and the team at St. Vincent Family Center are equipped with the strength and expertise to serve the children and families of central Ohio and beyond.

MEN’S MINISTRY OF SECOND BAPTIST CHURCH INVITES YOU TO VALENTINE’S PROGRAM Columbus, Ohio – Trust is a key ingredient for building and maintaining positive, healthy, and honest relationships among individuals. Throughout life, we are confronted and at times grapple with whether to trust someone or not. Often driven by past experiences, each relational situation involving trust is unique and carefully evaluated on a wide range of factors that are unique to each person and the circumstance. In a relationship, trusting your spouse brings about security and generates attributes of reliability, confidence, and physically and emotionally safety. Trust in a relationship, whether married or single, is foundational and over time may be the sustaining characteristic for a long and healthy life together. If you are in need of hearing open and honest conversation about the importance of trust in a relationship and how it can positively or negatively impact your life, you are invited to attend the Men’s Ministry of Second Baptist Church 4th Annual Valentine’s Event scheduled for Saturday, February 10, 2018 beginning at 9:00 am. The church is located at 186 N.17th Street, Columbus, Ohio 43203. Dr. Howard Washington, Pastor of Second Baptist Church stated, “Trust is an important

and relevant topic to address in these challenging times. Healthy relationships require a significant level of trust in order for these relationships to be productive, fruitful and beneficial for each individual involved.” The event topic is, “Building and Maintaining Trust: Keys to Sustainable Relationships.” The event program is designed to provide married and single attendees with biblical understanding, strategies, and tools that will improve trust between each other. The panel,

The Columbus & Dayton African American • January 2018

comprised of married and single persons, will comprehensively address this topic and share personal experiences (inclusive of techniques) that have worked in building trust. The session will be engaging and interactive. For additional information about the event schedule, logistics, and updates, visit the church’s website at www. secondbaptistcolumbus.com You may also contact Troy Glover via phone at 614-2534313 or email, Troyg1906@wowway.com.

The Columbus African American News Journal • February 2015

BUSINESS

BUSINESS SOME TECHNOLOGY TRENDS FOR 2018 By Cecil Jones, MBA Electronic Speaker Assistants Speech recognition capabilities has progressed to the point where when you make a phone call to some companies to get your balance, something new occurs. Instead of entering your account number, personal identification number or password, the company voice recognition system recognizes your voice and give you the information you request. Of course, you need to set that feature up, if you desire. Related, the Smart Speaker Assistants (Amazon Echo, Google Home, Apple HomePod and less expensive models) use speech recognition to understand and execute your voice commands. They can also provide verbal answers to questions that you ask these devices. These products will become more popular in homes, according to (https://www.fool. com/ext-content/dont-invest-in-amazonsalexa-until-you-read-this/883/?psource= esaaol7410000074&utm_campaign=aigoodbyealexa&campaign=sa-ai&utm_source =aol&wsource=esaaolwdg0000079&utm_me dium=contentmarketing&paid=8976&waid= 8976&cellId=0&testId=goodbye-alexa). Some leaders are saying: • Bill Gates said the technology is worth 10 Microsofts. • Jeff Bezos (Amazon CEO) said he thinks this new technology is the key to Amazon’s future. • Sun CEO Greg Papadopoulos is calling it “a real revolution.” • Billionaire investor Warren Buffett says that it will have a “hugely beneficial social effect.”

and regulations have a challenge keeping up with technology. Drones are being used for delivery in Europe. Will similar uses become available in our area soon? We will see. Facial Recognition As you walk into a store, you receive coupons that are visible on your phone. When you get to the airport, rather than showing a paper boarding pass or a code on your phone, you board quickly because your face was viewed by a camera. The software is available today. “At Boston Logan, a recent trial conducted at the boarding gate by JetBlue in conjunction with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) allowed passengers to board their flight to Aruba hands-free. JetBlue is now testing the same process on flights from Boston to Santiago, Dominican Republic.”(http://www. travelweekly.com/Travel-News/AirlineNews/Biometrics-Facial-recognition-techcoming-airport-near-you).

available for a long time. (https://www.wired.com/2001/02/call-itsuper-bowl-face-scan-i/) In Super Bowl XXXV (35) in Tampa Florida in 2001, people entering the stadium were facially scanned with cameras. There were some felons and others identified. https://us.norton.com/internetsecurity-iotconnected-toys-and-what-you-need-to-knowabout-them.html Online Education for Non-Traditional Courses

We see many courses and degrees for Business, Computer Science, History and many other traditional courses. As we march through 2018, look out for more online webbased educational courses that one might think difficult to take. Video and the speed of networks are allowing more ways to think about learning and for students and teachers to interact. For example, one can take music courses via the web (see https://study.com/ There is also another international route articles/10_Sources_for_Free_Online_ from, where the process is being taken Music_Courses.html). further, where face recognition via a camera is available at check-in used for verification Be Careful Out There! of identities automatically as travelers pass camera stations at bag check, security and Norton Security warns that toys (some we the boarding gate. Facial recognition software may have given for Christmas) that connect handles the identification portion of security to the internet must be monitored. These toys at airports on this route. provide yet another connection into your home via the internet. Be sure to read the The Federal Department of Homeland instructions and follow the security settings. Security is working with airlines, like Use the toy yourself to see what information Delta Airlines and Jet Blue to pilot facial your child might sharing with others on the recognition software at New York’s web (https://us.norton.com/internetsecurityJFK International Airport, Washington iot-connected-toys-and-what-you-need-toD.C.’s Dulles International Airport, know-about-them.html). and other airports (Atlanta, Boston, and Houston, among others (https://www. Understand the technologies that you technologyreview.com/s/608255/if-you-get- know that will help you! your-face-scanned-the-next-time-you-flyHelp Us to Help You heres-what-you-should-know/). More airlines will be added to the list. This initiative began with the thought of identifying non-United State citizens. This was part of an effort and attempt to identify people from other countries that entered the country and that left the country. This was thought to be the airline portion of tracking non-United States citizens. Thought has been given to doing this for other modes of entry and exit to the United States; for example, via boat.

The purpose of this column is to provide useful information and knowledge that you can use, today. If you have a technology question (how to get something done, what business, process or software solution might be available for your situation, how to secure that technology position, etc.), please email the question or comment to the email address Admin@Accelerationservices.net for a quick response.

Facebook and other companies offer facematching software (The Aisles Have Eyes, Joseph Turow, page 227). Your picture is likely on the web (class picture, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc.) This face-matching software The major difference in cars, from year to can scan the web, locate and match your year, is the set of electronics available for picture. Retailers use facial recognition drivers. In addition, electric powered cars are software also. You can imagine how retailers may use the face matching software. They projected to increase reapidly. can identify customers that spend a lot, spend a little, even identify previous shoplifters and Drones respond to each group. Drone are in use today by the law enforcement community, businesses and Facial identification software has been individuals. Often, our laws, legal system

Are you looking for a technology networking group to help you get smarter? What new technology or process have you learned this month? Need advice on how to look for that technology position? Are you considering technology education (courses, certificates or degrees) and need information? Do you have a business, process, project management, personnel or technology question? Please let me know.

These tools will change how we operate your homes, get work done around our houses and even assist in learning new knowledge, quickly. Electronics and Cars Car electronic automation and electric cars are here and will dominate the market in the next two years or so. Many cities allow driverless cars, buses and trucks in certain areas of their cities. After another year or so of these pilots, researchers say that we will see the driverless cars across the country (http://fortune.com/2017/01/24/driverlesscar-cities/).

People, Process and Technology

Cecil Jones MBA, ABD, PMP, CCP, SCPM, FLMI, Lean Professional admin@accelerationservices.net www.accelerationservices.net

The Columbus & Dayton African January 2018 The Columbus African American NewsAmerican Journal • •February 2015

HISTORY

MARIE SELIKA WILLIAMS: “QUEEN OF STACCATO,” CONCERT VOCALIST AND EDUCATOR status as the leading black prima donna of her time, she struggled to obtain good professional management, even managing her own concerts on occasion. The racism of the era prevented black artists from being easily accepted in anything other than Minstrel shows, and blacks would not be welcomed to the American operatic stage until the 1930s. As Williams approached mid-life in the 1890s, she continued to tour but began to spend more and more time at her home in Cleveland, Ohio where she opened a music studio and taught.

By Rodney Q. Blount, M.A. On January 15, Americans will celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. Through the efforts of Coretta Scott King and other Civil Rights activist, President Ronald Reagan signed the holiday into law in 1983, and it was first observed three years later. Initially, not all states observed this special day, giving it alternative names or combining it with other holidays. It has been officially observed in all 50 states since 2000. Martin Luther King, Jr. (aka MLK) Day commemorates the great contributions of the late extraordinary civil rights activist, but it also allows us to reflect on the dedication, strength and tenacity of all of the Civil Rights activists and the Civil Rights Movement. A milestone achievement was the 1963 March on Washington where Martin L. King, Jr. gave his famous I Have a Dream speech. I can vividly remember watching the video and being moved by Mahalia Jackson, a pioneer in gospel music, singing previously in the program on the steps of the Lincoln memorial. This event also reminded me of the occasion when the trailblazing contralto Marian Anderson triumphantly sang on the steps of the Lincoln memorial in 1939 after being denied to sing at Constitutional Hall because of her race. However, Mahalia Jackson and Marian Anderson were preceded by another groundbreaking vocalist that most may not have heard of before, Marie Selika Williams. A Coloratura Soprano, Williams was known as the Queen of Staccato and performed before thousands all over the world. Marie Smith was born in Natchez, Mississippi, on July 23, 1849. As a young performer, she borrowed the pseudonym from the lead character Selika in L’Africaine. Shortly after her birth, Selika’s family moved to Cincinnati, Ohio. Through the support of a wealthy local benefactor, Selika began to study music at a very young age. The benefactor arranged for her lessons with a professional teacher. Between 1873 and 1876, while still in her early 20s, she moved to San Francisco, California to study with Italian singer Signora G. Bianchi under whose guidance she made her debut as a concert soprano. Soon afterwards, she matriculated to Chicago to study with another coach, Antonio Farini. In Chicago, Selika met and married a fellow African American operatic artist, baritone Sampson Williams, also known as Signor Velosko, the Hawaiian tenor. Farini taught both Marie and Sampson Williams the Italian method.

After her husband’s death in 1911, Williams retired from the stage, and in 1916, at age 67, she accepted a teaching position at New York’s Martin-Smith School of Music. A testimonial concert in her honor was given in 1919, at which she performed. She was active as a private teacher until her death on May 19, 1937, in New York City at the age of 87.

loath Hungarian soprano Etelka Gerster at a concert one evening, to critical acclaim. In 1878 the black press announced the engagement of the young singer to perform the title role in L’Africaine at the Philadelphia Academy of Music. On November 17, 1878, with the influence of Frederick Douglass, Marie Selika Williams made history when she became the first African American artist to perform in the White House for an audience in the Green Room that included President Rutherford Hayes and his wife. Her performance included Verdi’s “Ernani, involami,” Thomas Moore’s “The Last Rose of Summer,” Harrison Millard’s “Ave Maria,” and Richard Mulder’s “Staccato Polka.” Her husband, Sampson Williams, also sang, by popular request, the well-known ballad “Far Away” by Bliss.

Madame Marie Selika reigned for almost three decades as a queen of song in the United States and Europe. This is remarkable considering in the current age that includes programs like American Idol and The Voice, one can see how hard it is to become a successful performing artist even with a national platform. One can only imagine the struggles she went through to succeed over so many years. Madame Selika was the first concert coloratura in AfricanAmerican music culture. As a tribute to her vocal excellence, Frederick G. Carnes wrote Selika, A Grand Vocal Waltz of Magic, which included staccato passages, trills, and vocal cadenzas. I encourage each of you to learn more about Marie Selika Williams and other African American artists from her time. I also urge each of you to support current African American operatic and concert artists including Janai Brugger, Eric Owens and Russell Thomas and you will be rewarded in return. Works Cited http://www.ipernity.com/ doc/285591/40441532

http://ohiosyesterdays.blogspot.com/2009/01/ In the years following her White House madame-marie-selika-first-african.html performance, she continued to tour nationally www.wikipedia.org performing for all-black audiences. She http://www.blackpast.org/aah/williamscombined her national performances with two marie-selika-c-1849-1937 tours of Europe, one from 1882-1885, where http://www.aaregistry.org/historic_events/ she gave a command performance in October of view/vocalist-marie-selika-williams-born 1883 at St. James Hall for Queen Victoria, and another from 1887-1892. She also toured the Rodney Blount is an Educator and Historian. West Indies. Selika performed at the Chicago He received two Bachelor of Arts degrees World’s Fair in 1893 and soon after the Williams from Ball State University and a Masters settled in Cleveland, Ohio. On October 12, 1896, of Arts degree from The Ohio State Selika, Sissieretta Jones, and Flora Batson—the University. His work has been featured in three leading black singers of the period sang several publications. Rodney is a native of Columbus, Ohio and is a member of several Madame Marie Selika Williams settled together at New York City’s Carnegie Hall. in Boston was said to have replaced the Despite Williams’ successful career and her organizations. The Columbus African & Dayton African American • January 2018 2015 American News Journal • February

COMMUNITYEVENTS Columbus, Ohio January 12, 2018 COSI Presents: Amazon Adventure 3D Participate in this special screening of the Amazon Adventure 3D in The National Geographic Giant Screen at COSI. This film tells the epic, true story of explorer Henry Bates 11year journey through the Amazon rainforest. RSVP today by calling 614-629-3114 or visit the link below.

January 15, 2018 Capital University’s 27th Annual MLK Day of Learning Join Capital University as they celebrate the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. with a full day of workshops and community service projects. Participants will also be able to enjoy a special luncheon featuring live jazz music. This event is free and open to the public.

Location: COSI Address: 333 W Broad Street, 43215 Time: 7:30 PM - 9:30 PM Admission: Free Web: https://reservations.cosi.org/info.aspx?eventID=55

Location: Capital Univesity Address: 1 College and Main, 43209 Time: 8:00 AM - 4:00 PM Admission: Free (Speech/Workshops), Lunch $16 Web: www.Capital.edu/mlk-day

January 14, 2018 Justice Sunday - St. John A.M.E. Church Join the National Association of Blacks in Criminal Justice (NABCJ) as they host Justice Sunday. This year’s speaker will be Honorable Charleta B. Tavares, State Senator for the 15th District. This special worship service is open to the public.

January 18, 2018 Central Ohio African American Chamber of Commerce Launch Celebrate the launch of the Central Ohio African American Chamber of Commerce. Learn more about what the Chamber can do for your business, membership benefits, upcoming events and more.

Location: St. John A.M.E. Church Address: 7700 Crosswoods Rd., 43235 Time: 10:00 AM Admission: Free Web: www.OhioNABCJ.org January 14, 2018 33rd Annual MLK Worship Service Ohio Wesleyan University celebrates the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., with a special worship service at the Zion African Methodist Episcopal Church where Bishop Lawrence Reddick, III will serve as the keynote speaker. This service is free and open to the public. For more information call 740368-3084. Location: Zion A.M.E. Church Address: 140 S. Washington St., 43015 Time: 3:00 PM Admission: Free Web: www.OWU.edu/MLK2018 January 15, 2018 33rd Annual MLK Breakfast The Martin Luther King Jr Breakfast Committe will celebrate its 33rd Annual Breakfast at the Columbus Convention Center. This year’s keynote speaker will be former court show judge, Glenda Hatchettt. For more information or for tickets, call 614-863-6442. Location: Columbus Convention Center Address: 400 N High Street, 43215 Time: 7:00 AM - 10:00 AM Admission: $40 per person Web: www.MLKjrBreakfast.com

The Columbus African American News Journal • February 2015

Location: The Destiny Center Address: 1561 Old Leonard Ave, 43219 Time: 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM Admission: Free Web: www.COAACC.org January 29, 2018 CSCC - MLK Celebration Join Columbus State Community College for their annual MLK Celebration. This year’s keynote speaker will be award-winning author/poet Nikki Giovanni. This event is free and open to the public. For more information, call 614-287-2426. Location: CSCC - Workforce Development Building Address: 315 Cleveland Ave, 43215 Time: 10:00 AM Admission: Free Web: www.CSCC.edu February 17, 2018 A Night of Symphonic Hip Hop Feat. Wyclef Jean Join the Columbus Symphony Orchestra for a special concert featuring multi-Grammy Award-winning producer/actor/musician Wyclef Jean. He will perform such hits as “Killing Me Softly with His Song” and “Gone till November” with the full symphony orchestra. For tickets, call 614-469-0939 or visit the website below. Location: The Ohio Theatre Address: 39 E State Street, 43215 Time: 8:00 PM Admission: Call for prices. Web: www.ColumbusSymphony.com

The Columbus & Dayton African American • December 2017

COMMUNITYEVENTS Dayton, Ohio January 10, 2018 Free Showing - Hidden Figures Join the Sinclair Community College Diversity Office for this special viewing of the movie Hidden Figures. This award winning movie tells the story of three brilliant African American women who worked at the NASA during the United States’ race into space. This event is free and open to the community.

Location: Lincoln Theatre Address: 769 E Long St, Columbus, OH 43203 Time: 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM Admission: Call for prices. Web: www.lincolntheatrecolumbus.com January 15, 2018 MLK Breakfast and Walk In the spirit of unity, the community will come together on Monday, January 15, to further Dr. King’s dream and vision. Participants will march to downtown to celebrate harmony, nonviolence, justice and equality. For more information, call 927-512-3061.

Location: Sinclair Conference Center, SCC Address: 444 W 3rd St. 45402 Time: 3:00 PM Admission: Free Web: www.Workforce.Sinclair.edu

Location: Sinclair Conference Center, SCC Address: 444 W 3rd St. 45402 Time: 9:00 AM - 11: AM Admission: Call for prices. Web: www.Workforce.Sinclair.edu

January 12, 2018 LIVING THE DREAM -Martin Luther King, Jr. Annual Luncheon Join speaker Rev. Darryl Simmons for a luncheon and awards ceremony to recognize students who have shown outstanding ability to resolve conflict in a positive way, and assist in bridging cultural and social differences within their schools.

January 17, 2018 Martin’s Dream Who was Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., really? This one-man show answers this question and more as it brings this historical figure to life through speech and song. Available for youth in grades 3-9. Call 937-228-360 for more information.

Location: Hollenbeck Bayley Creative Arts & Conference Center Address: 570 E Leffel Ln, Springfield, OH 45505 Time: 11:30 AM to 1:30 PM Admission: $25 (Call in advance for tickets) Web: www.clarkstate.edu

Location: Victoria Theatre Address: 138 N Main Street, 45402 Time: 9:30 AM & 11:30 AM Admission: Call for prices. Web: www.VictoriaTheatre.com

January 13, 2018 MLK Gala 2018: An All-Black Attire Affair Feed the Hungry Project is hosting its 5th Annual Gala in honor of the Late Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Get ready for another exciting event with great speakers, honorees, and fine dining! All ticket proceeds from this experience will benefit our upcoming programs for at-risk youth and our soup kitchen operations.

February 24th, 2018 2nd Annual Mahogany Medical Gala The second annual Mahogany Medical Gala will be a space to learn and share thoughts on culture and history, while enjoying the comforts of an open wine & beer bar. Come prepared to enjoy live musical performances, poetry, storytellers, with ample desserts and savory dishes.

Location: Receptions Event Center Address: 5975 Boymel Drive, Fairfield, OH 45014 Time: 6:00 PM - 11:00 PM Admission: Call for prices. Web: receptionsinc.com/locations/fairfield

Your ticket purchase also comes with a raffle ticket for gifts and prizes to be awarded throughout the night. We ask that in the event you cannot attend, that you make a contribution that will go toward the scholarship fund. We will greatly appreciate all your kind contributions.

January 13, 2018 PBJ & Jazz Family Concert - Ohio Jaztet The Ohio Jaztet consists of the teaching faculty of the Ohio State University Jazz Studies program. Collectively, the group carries a virtual who’s-who of performing accolades, including Dr. John, Ray Charles, Maynard Ferguson, Woody Herman and many more. Come and hear them share some jazz for all ages!

Location: Crowne Plaza Dayton Address: 33 East 5th Street, Dayton, OH 45402 Time: 7:00 PM - 11:00 PM Admission: Donation Web: medicine.wright.edu

Please note: Information for this section is gathered from multiple commnuity sources. The Columbus & Dayton African American is not responsible for the accuracy and content of information. Times, dates and locations are subject to change. If you have an event that you would like to feature in this section, please call 614-826-2254 or email us at editor@columbusafricanamerican.com. Submissions are due the last Friday of each month.

The Columbus African & Dayton African American • January 2018 2015 American News Journal • February

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