March 2019 Edition by Columbus African American News Journal

Columbus & Dayton

March 2019

Calling All Sisters

Community Land Trust: Housing to Improve Health

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By Alethea E. Gaddis, MBA

By Charleta B. Tavares

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PUBLISHER’S PAGE Founder & Publisher Ray Miller

Layout & Design Ray Miller, III

Assistant Editor Ray Miller, III

Media Consultant Rod Harris Distribution Manager Ronald Burke Student Interns Jada Respress Olivia Deslandes

Lead Photographer Steve Harrison

Contributing Writers

Lisa Benton, MD, MPH Rodney Q. Blount, Jr., MA Benette DeCoux Billi Ewing Alethea E. Gaddis, MBA Lori Lakin Hutcherson Eric Johnson, PhD Robin A. Jones, PhD Cecil Jones, MBA Darren Lundy, MBA Jaqueline Lewis-Lyons, Psy.D William McCoy, MPA Erica Stewart Charleta B. Tavares

Welcome to the 97th monthly edition of The Columbus African American and the 19th monthly edition of The Columbus & Dayton African American news journal. Our success lies in genuine love for our people and an overwhelming commitment to provide information which will strengthen their resolve to improve the quality of their lives and that of the broader community. Our editorial focus for the month of January was centered on the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Our February edition of the news journal presented us with the opportunity to shed new light on the substantial contributions of the African American population within the United States. And, this edition, “The Power of Women” engages our readers in a conscious process of self-examination and discovery relative to their body, mind, and spirit. In future years, we, as a people, must use this time when the nation is basking in a sea of reflection, to assess our collective strength and focus our resources on substantially improving the lifechances of people of African descent. Again, this must be done consciously, with intention, and measurable outcomes. So, as not to be confused with engaging in rhetoric and pontification--allow me to provide an example of meaningful collective action. In the City of Columbus and Dayton, Ohio, we have a representative share of elected leaders. They clearly do not know how to fully utilize the awesome power that they possess. No one is afraid of them. They tend not to act, on any major issues, in a unified, collective, manner. Moreover, they are not partners in private sector development. But rather, they more closely reflect pawns in a board game in which they are at best placed in a check-off category. Here is an example of what could be done. Mercy Manor provides a safe, spiritual residential program for women with histories of homelessness, abuse, mental health, incarceration, alcohol, and drug addiction, while they re-establish themselves into the local community. Since opening its doors in 1992, Mercy Manor has served more than 150 women in its residential program and an additional 175 have received supportive services through the Mercy Manor staff, community agencies, the religious community, and volunteers throughout the Miami Valley. Let’s create a virtual Family Circle and surround and support organizations of this nature in a more strategic and comprehensive manner. We do not need to structure a new organization. We need only to respond to the call, once it has been made. Governmental leaders, African American business persons, major non-profit heads, Pastors and civic leaders coming together to build an sustain our own organizations, rather than to ignore the need and continue to look inwardly through a myopic lens which encourages selfishness and inertia. I have always maintained a well-researched list of bona fide African American multimillionairres in every City which I have resided or established a business. Oftentimes, those who are well-endowed financially are detached from the community and unaware of where they should donate their funds in the most impactful manner. Many of the rich and super-rich have never heard of Mercy Manor, as an example. Despite all of the organization’s good work. I, for one, believe that talk is cheap! The best way to determine if an idea has promise or validity is to test it--put it into practice. On Saturday, March 16, 2019, Mercy Manor will hold its 27th Annual Founder’s Day Luncheon at the Presidential Banquet Center, 4572 Presidential Way, Kettering, Ohio at 12:00 Noon. Their theme is “Mercy Manor: Journey to Recovery: Body, Mind, and Spirit.” The organization, headed by Barbara Hudson-Banner, CEO will be honoring the Sisters of the Precious Blood with the Sis. Jean Foppe Visionary Award; The Rev. Fr. Benjamin Speare-Hardy and Mrs. Stacy Thompson Speare-Hardy with the Special Leadership/Community Award; and the Reverend Dr. Marva Mitchell with the Special Leadership/Community Award. I am honored to have been selected to deliver the keynote address for this auspicious occasion. It is past time for us to be so heavily dependent on others to support our community. We have demonstrated the capacity over the years to build cities, organizations, and movements. Let’s reclaim that focused determination and magnanimous resolve to serve our community and lift others as we climb. With Appreciation and Respect,

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

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

Ray Miller Founder & Publisher

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

The Columbus & Dayton African American • March 2019

In This Issue

Cover Story – Page 19

Ethel Payne: First Black Lady of the Press

Political Realism, Economic Stability, and Spiritual Foundations...The Legacies of Black Women

36 5 6

By: Lori Lakin Hutcherson

By: Eric Johnson, PhD

Women, Money and Power By: Darren Lundy, MBA

Calling All Sisters

You’ve Come Along Way Baby

Community Land Trust - Housing to Improve Health

Ethel Payne: First Black

Lady of the Press

Girl, Do You Know

Political Realism,

Your Superpower?

Economic Stability, and

Bone Cancer Marrow Hits

Spiritual Foundations...

African Americans Twice

The Legacies of

As Much As Others

Black Women

COVER STORY

Black Women Inventors

Who Blazed The Trail

Parity Inc. Dayton’s Top 10 African American Honorees

The Columbus & Dayton African American • March 2019

Managing Hot Flashes

Columbus Inter-Alumni

Council to Hold Annual

Award’s Program

Google Brings Economic

Opportunity Initiative

to Ohio

Legislative Update

Book Bags & E-Readers

Black Women Make

History in Chicago

Mayoral Election

“I Have The Gavel” Maxine

Waters Lays Out

An Aggressive Agenda at

the House Financial

Services Committee

Women, Money and Power

Using Your Technologies

That You Have

Sybil Edwards-McNabb:

Columbus and

Ohio Conference

NAACP President

Community Events

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.

WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH

CALLING ALL SISTERS By Alethea E. Gaddis, MBA Cleveland, Ohio native Ruby Dee was a most prolific and influential woman. She broke the mold and raised the bar as a performer, poet, wife, and as an American Civil Rights activist. As a woman, she was in tune with the very essence of her role as a woman, as well as mine and every woman for that matter. Recently I was perusing the pages of one of my books penned by Ruby Dee titled, My One Good Nerve. It is a collection of her work including one of my favorites, Calling All Women. Consider her words, for all women to come forth. Calling All Women Calling all sisters. Calling all Righteous sisters. Calling all women. To steal away To our secret place. Have a meeting Face to face. Look at the facts And determine our pace. Calling all women. We want to reach – first, second and Third world women Come together! Women in and outside the power structure – Working women, welfare women, Women who feel alienated and isolated Women who are all frustrated Women who have given up – women – women Questioning women – women Tired of being penalized Come help us start to bridge the gaps Racial, cultural, or generation We want some action and veneration. These men, these men they Just ain’t doing it. They’ve had hundreds of years Now they ’bout to ruin it. Kitchen, office, ex-prison women Old and young and middle-aged women Make this scene Oh yes, and bring your lunch! Problems, problems common problems That we make and cause each other Sister, daughter, old grandmother Female child you can bring your little brother Take the subway, grad a cab Saddle your mule, bike it, limo Take a choo-choo, fly Or pick ‘em up and lay ‘em down. Socialism, capitalism, communism Feminism, womanism, lesbianism Here-and-now or futurism We just can’t afford a schism We got to get together or die. Now is the time for an evolution Let’s all search and find a solution For how we’ll make it to the next revolution Or die. Oh yes. And don’t forget your lunch! When I think about the tremendous impact of women in the world, coming from all walks of life, I think of this poem, and “the call.” Since the beginning, they have come, from all walks of life. Women finding

I have a quilt that belonged to my mother, and I wrap myself with it every night. It is one of the ways I remember her, keep her close and feel her spirit urging me one. Women all over the world are like my quilt, pieces of fabric, in varying lengths, and hues; women whose collective accomplishments, like the patches of my quilt, are carefully stitched together by a thread to create a blanket. Little girls can “wrap themselves” in the accomplishments of these and countless more and be inspired to forge a path for others to follow.

Hillary Clinton Osceola MaCarthy Adams Sadie T. M. Alexander Tina Allen Zora Neale Hurston Cicely Tyson Marva Collins Dorothy Vaughan Nancy Patricia Pelosi Kimberly Cocroft Gloria Steinem Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Margaret Thatcher Rosa Parks Harriett Tubman Amelia Boynton Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Mother Teresa Yuri Kochiyama Ilhan Omar

Dorothy I. Height Coretta Scott King Charleta Tavares Joyce Beatty Addie Wyatt Terri Jamison Marcia Fudge Mae Jamison Priscilla Tyson W. Shawna Gibbs Mae Jamison Mysheika W. Roberts Hazel Johnson Brown Myrlie Evers-Williams Frankie M. Freeman Patricia Roberts Harris Mary Church Terrell Stephanie Tubbs-Jones Selma Burke Mary Glascor Alexa Canady Joy Bivens Kimberly Spears-McNatt Ayanna Pressley Michelle Obama Marty Miller

Infinity represents a value greater than any assignable quantity or countable number. Infinity also describes the countless women, including all the women in our circle who may not have earned a space in the history books, but who in their way, also deserve recognition, especially during Women’s History Month. They, we, own a designated position on the quilt. Alethea is passionate about creating opportunities to help others thrive. As former Executive Director of New Beginnings Christian Revitalization Corporation for First Church of God, she developed youth leadership development and educational programs for youth and created clean, safe, affordable housing for low-to-moderate income families. She and her brother Randal are co-founders of the Willie and Vivian Gaddis Foundation for KIDS, offering the Jump Start U4 College Tour and scholarships. As a licensed, independent insurance broker, she works with individuals, families, and churches to protect their assets.

solutions and providing leadership. Sisters. Grandmothers. Daughters. They have been in the fight. In the struggle, sometimes side by side. Sometimes alone. But with a purpose. Everyday women who broke the mold. Women standing on level ground while also soaring great heights.

The Columbus Dayton African American • March 2019 The Columbus African &American News Journal • February 2015

WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH

YOU’VE COME ALONG WAY, BABY

By William McCoy, MPA “You’ve come a long way, baby.” In 1968, this iconic advertising slogan (promoting Virginia Slims cigarettes) announced the arrival of the “new woman” and a new day for women in America. “You’ve come a long way, baby! was instantly embraced by the “Women’s Lib” movement, because it “perfectly tapped into the female consumer’s mindset. . . of a colorful, vibrant ‘New Woman’ free of oppression. . . (it) was freedom, it was liberation!” (see article in Flashbak! online magazine by Yeoman Lowbrow, October 3, 2016). In 1987, Congress officially designated March as “Women’s History Month,” after being petitioned by the National Women’s History Month Project. During March, the Columbus African-American News Journal and much of America will celebrate women’s journey, contributions, and contributors. Looking back, women have truly “come a long way.” Today, the United States of America’s population includes more females (50.6%) than males (49.4%). Closer to home, Columbus also has more females (51.2%) than males (48.8%), according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Despite their numerical advantage, women have had to overcome a myriad of historical and contemporary obstacles in their quest for equal rights, fair treatment, and full participation in American life. Why? America’s Judeo-Christian heritage has shaped our attitudes and views toward- and treatment of- women. This tradition is the foundation of our social, legal, political, and economic structures and systems. In order to understand the roots of the impediments women have had to overcome, let us begin at the beginning. The Holy Bible says woman was created shortly after man was created. Genesis 2:2123 describes this event, thusly: “So, the Lord God causes the man to fall into a deep sleep;

and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man’s ribs and then closed up the place with flesh. Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man and brought her to the man. The man said, “This is now one of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called ‘woman,’ for she was taken out of man.” This Biblical event is at the root of why American women have faced an uphill battle in securing equal rights and equal treatment. This creation scenario, coupled with numerous scriptures, is the basis for the belief that men are superior to women. 1 Corinthians 11:8-9 says, “For man was not made from woman, but woman from man, neither was man created for woman, but woman for man” (Holy Bible). The Holy Bible contains many scriptures that explicitly command women to be submissive, obedient, and subservient to their husbands (men). For example, women are told to “understand that the head of every man is Christ, the head of a wife is her husband. . .” (2 Corinthians 11:3, NKJV); and “wives should be subject to your own husbands. . . even if some do not obey the word” (1 Peter 3:1). Moreover, 1 Timothy 2-11:14 says “Let a woman learn quietly with all submissiveness. I do not permit a woman to teach or exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet. For Adam was formed first, then Eve; and Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor.” The last sentence, which references Eve eating of the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden and “seducing” Adam into doing the same, also has been used to marginalize, demonize, and criminalize women for centuries. Did you ever wonder where the notion that a woman should be seen not heard originated? How about the idea that women should follow not lead? What about the concept of women seducing men into making immoral or bad decisions? Now, you know. Exit polls revealed eighty percent (80%)

The Columbus & Dayton African American • March 2019

of White evangelical Christians voted for Donald Trump in 2016. These same exit polls also revealed 53% of White women voted for Donald Trump; thereby, forsaking an opportunity to elect Hillary Clinton as the first female president of the United States. Many of the aforementioned voters, consciously or unconsciously, based their decisions (in whole or part) on these and related biblical texts. The beliefs spawned or supported by these and similar scriptures are at the core of the opposition some female politicians, like Kamala Harris and Elizabeth Warren (among others), must overcome if they are to get elected to the nation’s highest office. Women’s History Month will celebrate many of the events, milestones, personalities, and people that had a hand in dismantling institutional and individual sexism. Make no mistake about it: many of the laws, institutional practices, and social conventions that discriminate against women have been confronted and eliminated. Nevertheless, there is much that remains to be done. In conclusion, (women) you have “come a long way, baby.” Do not despair if men do not always seem to “get it,” when it comes to the oppression and day-to-day struggles women face. Remember: God put Adam to sleep when he created woman (Genesis 2:21); but, no scripture says he woke him up. 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.

WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH

ETHEL PAYNE: FIRST BLACK LADY OF THE PRESS By Lori Lakin Hutcherson Now that the government shutdown is over and national museums are open again (unless that mess happens again), during Black History Month it is an especially poignant time to visit the National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) if you are in the D.C. area. I had the good fortune to visit NMAAHC two years ago, and still remember acutely its “Making a Way out of No Way” exhibit, which focusses on the six avenues AfricanAmericans pursued post-slavery to gain equity and agency in the United States – Activism, Enterprise, Organization, Education, Faith, and… the Press. Because of my lifelong interest in journalism, I am personally drawn to stories about the Black Press, which has existed in some form since antebellum times (the first black publication of record is the Freedom Journal in 1827), and exists to this day. Yet so many don’t know about its rich history and how its presence and its reporters not only served often unrecognized communities, but also were (and still are) deeply involved in activism and social justice at every turn in every era on local, state and national levels. Enter Ethel Lois Payne. Long before former White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer attempted to call out American Urban Radio Networks’ correspondent April Ryan for giving him what he thought was a disrespectful headshake while simply trying to do her job, Ethel Payne was agitating White House officials in the press room on a daily. Payne set the standard in the 1950s when she became one of only three black journalists to be credentialed as a member of the White House Press Corps. Known as the “First Lady of the Black Press,” Payne was a columnist, lecturer, and freelance writer. She combined advocacy with journalism as she reported on the Civil Rights Movement during the 1950s and 1960s, and was known for asking questions others dared not ask. Payne became the first female AfricanAmerican commentator employed by a national network when CBS hired her in 1972. In addition to her reporting of American domestic politics, she also covered international stories, and questioned every president from Eisenhower to Reagan. As Payne’s biographer, James McGrath Morris, who wrote Eye on the Struggle: Ethel Payne, the First Lady of the Black Press says, “Her not being known today is really a legacy of segregation, in that she was iconic to a large segment of the U.S. population, but like most black institutions, the Chicago Defender was entirely invisible to white Americans. So the notion of

Ethel Payne, one of the first black women to accredited to the White House press corps. (Bettman Archive via Getty Images)

discussing civil rights with the President of the United States, in that case Eisenhower, she felt she was part of ‘the problem’ and couldn’t pursue typical objective reporting. Instead she adopted a measure of being fair. It may seem like a small distinction but it wasn’t. Her questions were laden with an agenda.” Born in Chicago, Illinois, the granddaughter of slaves, Payne’s father worked as a Pullman Porter, one of the best jobs open to African Americans in those times. He died at age forty-six after contracting an deadly infection from handling soiled linens and clothes on the train, when Ethel was fourteen years old. Her mother then took various domestic jobs to support the family, which made it difficult to educate all of her children. Ethel spent her childhood in the predominantly black neighborhood of West Englewood bit attended Chicago public schools, notably the mostly white Lindblom Technical High School. Payne longed to be a writer and pushed to continue her education at Crane Junior College and the Chicago Training School for City, Home, and Foreign Missions. After graduating from the Chicago Training School in 1934 with a two-year vocational degree, Ethel Payne worked as a matron in the State Training School for Girls in Geneva, Illinois, and as a nursery school teacher in settlement houses and public schools in Chicago. She completed a library training program with the Chicago Public Library and was employed as a junior librarian. Her telling of this time in her life, in her own

words, is fascinating, lively and astute. There is a series of interview transcripts of her online in the Women in Journalism collected oral histories and they are priceless: http://beta. wpcf.org/oralhistory/payn.html From 1941 to 1943 Payne worked closely with the labor and civil rights leader A. Phillip Randolph on the March on Washington Movement, which aimed to end discrimination in the military and in war industries. In 1943, in recognition of her prominence as an activist, the Illinois governor Dwight Green appointed Payne to the Illinois Interracial Commission, which was created to reduce tensions between whites and blacks and ward off race riots. Payne still yearned to be a writer even when few such opportunities existed for AfricanAmerican women. Although she was untrained as a journalist, Payne was an accomplished and knowledgeable writer. In 1930, while only nineteen, she published several short stories in Abbott’s Monthly, a literary magazine, and a decade later she took evening writing courses at Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism. She unexpectedly began her official journalism career while working as a hostess at an U.S. Army Special Services recreation club in Japan, a position she took in 1948. Payne was engaged but really wanted to travel and figured she’d get married when she came back from Japan after a year. (She remained there for three. Her fiancé moved on.) White and black soldiers remained segregated at the club because of General Douglas MacArthur’s disregard of President Harry Truman‘s executive order ending racial

The Columbus Dayton African American • March 2019 The Columbus African &American News Journal • February 2015

WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH

Payne and President Lyndon B. Johnson. (Ethel Lois Payne Collection, Anacostia Community Archives, Smithsonia

segregation in the military. During her threeyear tour, Payne observed the interaction between black soldiers and Japanese women– romances that produced interracial babies who were shunned by Japanese society. When the Korean War began in 1950 Payne met two journalists working for black American newspapers who stopped in Japan on their way to report on black troops in combat. She shared with them what she had chronicled about the fraternization of black soldiers with Japanese women and gave the diary accounts she had written to L. Alex Wilson, the correspondent for the Chicago Defender, a weekly that was the flagship of the nation’s century-old black press and every issue carried its blazing motto: “American Race Prejudice Must Be Destroyed.” (FYI: while the circulation of The Defender, a weekly, was about 130,000 in 1920, its reach was vastly wider. Copies were filtered across the country, passed from hand to hand. Few black Americans, especially in the South, dared get it via mail as the paper was banned in some towns. So its editors worked out arrangements with Pullman porters, and each week the men would get bundles of The Defender, store them in their personal lockers on the trains, and drop them off at barbershops and churches along their Southern routes.) The Defender published a front-page article based on Payne’s diary entries with Payne’s byline under the headline “Japanese Girls Playing GIs for Suckers, ‘Chocolate Joe’ Used, Amused, Confused.” The article, as well as a second one, placed Payne in bad stead with the military command in Japan but garnered her a job offer from The Defender editors in Chicago. In the early 1950s, Payne moved back to Chicago to work full-time for The Defender. She wrote articles about adoption by Black families and about voter registration drives, among many other topics. After working there for two years, she took over the paper’s one-person bureau in Washington D.C. In addition to national assignments, Payne

was afforded the opportunity to cover stories overseas, becoming the first AfricanAmerican woman to focus on international news coverage (the Defender played up her trips in its pages, calling her its “globetrotting reporter”), and only one of three accredited African-Americans on the White House Press Corps. Ethel quickly built a reputation for herself, with her “larger-than-life” personality. She was fun to be around; in Washington, invitations to her dinner parties were prized. She was a sought-after guest as well. At one white-tie diplomatic dinner, she described herself this way: “All gussied up in a high style wig, floating chiffon and a stand-up girdle with sittin’ down shoes.” Mentored by Clarence M. Mitchell, Jr., the chief lobbyist for the NAACP, Payne grew into an assertive member of the White House Press Corps. Unlike the majority of journalists, Payne hammered away at President Dwight Eisenhower with questions about civil rights, a topic of importance to her black readers but ignored by representatives of the mainstream media. Beginning in 1954 with a question about why the Howard University Choir had been excluded at the last minute from performing at a Republican event that the president had attended, Payne developed a reputation as a fearless questioner. Later she pressed Eisenhower on why the administration was not supporting a ban on segregation on interstate bus travel. He reacted with fury at what he regarded as an impertinent question and offered a tart reply suggesting that civil rights matters were a kind of special interest. The exchange landed Payne on the front pages of newspapers and made her a sensation. The President’s angry response that he refused to support “special interests” made headlines and helped push civil rights issues to the forefront of national debate. It also brought down the wrath of the White House press office, which threatened to take away Payne’s credentials.

The Columbus African & Dayton American African American News Journal • March • February 2019 2015

During Payne’s twenty-five year career with the Defender, she covered several key events in the Civil Rights Movement, including the Montgomery Bus Boycott and desegregation at the University of Alabama in 1956, the 1957 Central High School crisis in Little Rock, AK, as well as the 1963 March on Washington. Payne and author Richard Wright attended the 1955 Bandung Conference, and Wright showcased some of his exchanges with her in his 1956 book The Color Curtain: A Report on the Bandung Conference. In 1966, she traveled to Vietnam to cover African-American troops, and subsequently covered the Nigerian civil war and the International Women’s Year Conference in Mexico City. She was among the earliest American journalists to tour China, following President Nixon’s historic visit. In 1972, Payne became the first AfricanAmerican woman radio and television commentator on a national network, working on CBS’s program Spectrum from 1972 to 1978, and after that with Matters of Opinion until 1982. During this time, Ethel became nearly as newsworthy as the stories she covered. When Secretary of State Henry Kissinger’s staff was putting together a press pool for his trip to several African countries in 1976, Kissinger said to an aide: “You know that woman who gives me hell on CBS? Let’s ask her.” Ethel accompanied Kissinger on a sixnation tour of Africa. In 1978, she resigned permanently from the Defender and ended her relationship with CBS, eventually resettling in Washington, D.C. and self-syndicating a column. In the 1980s Payne supported the anti-apartheid movement and was arrested protesting at the South African embassy in Washington, D.C. In 1990 she traveled to South Africa to meet with Nelson Mandela shortly after his release from prison. Payne died of a heart attack in her D.C. apartment when she was 79. She remained single to the end of her life, saying, “I was married to my work.” She is buried in her hometown Chicago. In 2002, the U.S. Postal Service issued a commemorative stamp with her likeness. In an interview a few years prior to her death, Payne said, “I stick to my firm, unshakeable belief that the black press is an advocacy press, and that I, as a part of that press, can’t afford the luxury of being unbiased . . . when it come to issues that really affect my people, and I plead guilty, because I think that I am an instrument of change.” To read and learn more about the incredible Ethel Payne, pick up her biography, check out wikipedia.org, timeline.com, or Women in Journalism’s interviews with her from 1987. Lori Lakin Hutcherson is the Founder and Editor-In-Chief of GoodBlackNews.com. She is also a film and television writer/producer, blogger and podcaster. Lori has a B.A. in History & Literature and Afro-American Studies from Harvard University. Article from www.GoodBlackNews.com

WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH

POLITICAL REALISM, ECONOMIC STABILITY, AND SPIRITUAL FOUNDATIONS...THE LEGACIES OF BLACK WOMEN By Eric Johnson, PhD The impact of women on the development of civilization is undeniable and oddly enough well documented, all that is necessary is for one to look for it with purpose and intent. However, any account of women’s contribution to all areas of human development is fraught with all the burdens of race, inequality, and misrepresentation. There is much to be learned from the role of women in Islam or the impact of women in the workforce both globally and within the continental U.S. In fact, examining the contribution of women as whole in an area or context can be and should be overwhelming by the sheer volume of the information available. There is an African parable that states “ How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.” This piece highlights the political, economic and spiritual legacies of Black women. There is no single achievement or development in the Black community over the last four hundred years that was not only impacted by Black women but more than often it was they who led the charge. While the involvement of Black women has often been either understated, misrepresented or omitted they continue to brawl with sexism and exploitation within the black community while serving as warrior and protector to and from external dangers to their families. The ability of Black women as a group to both heal and fight simultaneously is nothing short of incredibly wonderous. The ability of Black women to build practical political coalitions that serve to meet the objectives of multiple communities and remain clear on the goals of their families and communities warrants admiration and respect. In addition, the economic burdens Black women have had to bear at every socio-economic level are often difficult to imagine let alone calculate and assess. The spiritual legacy of Black women is often unconventional given the long history of exploitation within many religious traditions. Despite that very real and complex challenge Black women have sought change both within many religious traditions as well as forging progress in many non-western and non-traditional spiritual frameworks. Black women’s use of political realism to speak truth to power, build coalitions, and advance the struggle of their families and the general Black community is unmatched. Women like Sojourner Truth and Maria Stewart both born slaves learned to connect issues of freedom and abolition to broader political movements and thus gain political allies outside the Black community. Later

women like Ida B. Wells-Barnett and Mary McCloud-Bethune used similar approaches to build coalitions for education and antilynching campaigns. In 1968 Shirley Chisolm being the first Black woman elected to Congress was unapologetic in her animus for both race and sex discrimination built a coalition that sent her to the United States House of Representatives. While the Honorable Shirley Chisolm will be remembered as the first Black woman to campaign for a major party’s nomination for President of the United States, it is important to give a context to the legacy that informed her and the one she left behind. In 1973 Barbara Jordan joined her in the United States House of Representatives as the first Black woman from a southern state to be elected to Congress. The legacy of coalition building, and family protection continues to this very day with the recent election Lucy McBath in Georgia’s 6th district. Her son was killed for playing his music too loud and she developed an alliance centered on gun violence. While certainly Black women putting their names on the ballots are significant contributions, that should not overshadow the millions of Black women who continue to observe political inequality but continuously show up at the polls to represent the interest of their families and communities. The political legacy of Black women using the electoral process to achieve progress is often overlooked, misrepresented, or sometime omitted all together. The economic stability Black women have provided to the Black community is both historical and comprehensive. It has been said “educate women and their community will prosper.” No where is this more apparent than in the Black community. While it is true that men make more than women for doing the same job, it is also true that women dominated fields tend to pay less on average than fields dominated by men. While White women make about 87 cents for every dollar a man makes, for Black women that number is significantly less about 68 cents for every dollar. Consider that nearly 63% of Black children live-in single-family homes head by the mom. When you combine that most black children live-in single-family homes with their moms, Black women make less on the dollar than both White and Asian women, the economic legacy begins to take shape on those facts alone. Certainly, it must be acknowledged that there are systemic forces that have significantly contributed to this reality. Factors such as the criminal justice system, educational inequality, social pressures related to racism, and underemployment/unemployment of Black men are not insignificant as we try to understand the economic legacy of Black

The Columbus African American News Journal • February 2015

women. They spread less resources around for more people. Despite the economic challenges faced by Black women they find ways to make a way out of no way. While there have always been economic moguls like Madam CJ Walker, Clara Brown, Annie Malone, Maggie Lean Walker; but it is the Black women who have had the least who have made the most significant contribution to the economic stability of the Black community. Those Black women whose names history did not record but their lives paved the way for everyone who followed. In almost every way possible Black women have helped lay the foundation for a spiritual legacy in the Black community. While Black women have often been prohibited both by custom and regulation from leadership positions in church hierarchy that has not prevented them from filling the pews every week. The number of Black women who attend a weekly faith based gathering significantly out numbers the number of Black men who claim similar habits. This is further evidenced by the studies that indicate that Black women are the most religious demographic in the United States. Black women report daily prayer habits at rates that out numbers Black men nearly 2 to 1. The fact that Black women have been from the very beginning the cornerstone of the Black family’s spiritual foundation is not at question. This piece simply serves as evidence for what Black women have been doing for their families and communities and by extension the nation for the better part of 400 years. This article represents a moment to acknowledge some hidden heroes. The legacy of Black women is in many ways broader than what has been identified in this examination, they have contributed significantly to every field of study, area of activity, and method of progress not just for the Black community but for the whole nation. The legacy they have developed and continue to build upon often represents the epitome of progress, and the greatest exemplar of advancing the struggle that can ever be identified. So, this Women’s History Month we highlight the donations and influences of Black women because in very measurable ways the nation is better because they are here. While Black women have made monumental contributions as individuals, it is their collective legacy that is the subject of this analysis. They continue to live the 19th century mantra “Lift as you climb” and we are all better because of it. Dr. Eric L. Johnson currently serves as the Chief Consultant with Strategies to Succeed and he is on the faculty at Virginia International University. He is the former Chief of Research Publications for the United States Air Force Academy.

The Columbus & Dayton African American • March 2019

WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH

BLACK WOMEN INVENTORS WHO BLAZED THE TRAIL By Robin A. Jones, PhD Did you ever ask yourself the age-old question: “Who designed this patent?” or “Who owns the rights to this product?” Well, let’s look below at “Her-Story” and find some of these ground-breaking advances that we continue to use to this day. March is known as Women’s History Month (WHM). If we engage ourselves in knowing more about her-story and not just his-story, we will/ might be surprised at the women of whom brought us this far. WHM brings fortitude, deliverance, and recognition from those making advances for all mankind. Our lives today have been changed for the betterment due to women and their patented products. It is without noting, the perseverance and tenacity of our gender, as a woman, lives beyond comprehension. Dr. Patricia Bath: 1942- X (Patent US47444360, US5843071, US5919186, US6083192, US6544254) Bath revolutionized the field of ophthalmology with a device that refined laser cataract surgery, called the Laserphaco Probe. She was the first African American to receive a medical patent, and Bath co-founded the American Institute for the Prevention of Blindness. Bath was formidable in noting “community ophthalmology,” in which volunteer eye workers offer primary care and treatment to underserved populations. Bath’s work in the field of eye care has yielded multiple patents (Fawcett, 2019). Madam C. J. Walker: 1867-1919 (Patent US1716173) Walker was an entrepreneur, a Civil Rights Activist, and a Philanthropist. Born Sarah Breedlove, she was raised from her roots as the daughter of a Louisiana sharecropper. She created specialized hair products for African American hair. Madam Walker is oft referred to as America’s first self-made female millionaire. With her fame of various hair products, Ms. Walker was able to open over 200 beauty salon shops across the United States. She died a famous millionaire and is today considered to be one of the founders of the African American hair care and cosmetics industry (Fawcett, 2019). Marjorie Stewart Joyner: 1896 – 1994 (Patent US1716173A) Joyner gave-way to the product of the straightening comb. After Madame Walker’s death in 1919, Marjorie was hired to oversee the Madame C.J. Walker Beauty Colleges as national supervisor. A dilemma existed for Black women in the 1920’s. In order to straighten tightly-curled hair, they could do so only by using a stove-heated curling iron, calling it the “Permanent Waving Machine.” This was very time-consuming

and frustrating as only one iron could be used at a time. In 1926, Joyner set out to make this process faster, easier and more efficient. She imagined that if a number of curling irons could be arranged above a women’s head, they could work at the same time to straighten her hair all at once. Judy Reed: 1826 - unknown (Patent US305474) Reed is considered the first African American woman to receive a US patent for a “Dough Kneader and Roller”, which was granted in September 23, 1884. Her work detailed an improved design of existing rollers which included a more even process of dough mixing while being kept under cover. History does not disclose whether she was able to read or write or as much as sign her name. The patent signature was indicated with an “X”. It is also of significance that during the time period, it was illegal for any slaves to be literate, and those found reading, writing or teaching others could be punished severely or killed (Schons, 2011). Sarah Boone: 1832-1904 (Patent US473653) Boone was an African-American inventor who was awarded a design improvement patent for the ironing board, which aided the user with the pressing of sleeves. In her patent application, she wrote that the purpose of her invention was “to produce a cheap, simple, convenient and highly effective device, particularly adapted to be used in ironing the sleeves and bodies of ladies’ garments.” Prior to that time, most people ironed using a board of wood rested across a pair of chairs or tables (McNeil, 2017). 1855 – 1905: Sarah Goode (Patent US322177) Goode, became the first African American woman to sign her patent for her invention, the cabinet bed, with her own signature (as opposed to making her mark). Today we have the Murphy bed and the hide-away bed/couch as a result as improvements or extensions of her work. (McNeil, 2017). Marie VanBrittan-Brown: 1922-1999 (Patent US3482037) Brown was an African-American inventor, becoming the originator of the home security system in 1966, along with her husband Albert Brown, a patent was granted in 1969. Brown cited the inspiration for her invention as the length of time it would take for police to arrive at a house after being called by residents. They devised a set of four peepholes and a camera. Anything and everything the camera picked up would appear on a monitor which also included a remote control latching system to the television. For her invention she received an award from the National Science Committee (Fawcett, 2019).

The Columbus African & Dayton African American • March 2019 2015 American News Journal • February

Mary Beatrice Davidson Kenner: 1912 – 2006 (Patent US2745406A, US4354643) Kenner probably gave way to the best invention of all time for women; the sanitary belt. She invented the sanitary belt with moisture-proof napkin pocket. The sanitary napkin wasn’t used until 1956, thirty years after she had first invented it. The company that first showed interest in her invention rejected it after they discovered that she was an African American woman. Between 1956 and 1987 she received five multiple patents for her household and personal item creations such as the bathroom tissue holder. For more information go to www.smithsonianmag. com. Bessie Blount Griffin: 1914 – 2009 (Patent US2550554) The device hung around a person’s neck with an attachment that supported a cup or a bowl. In April 1951, Blount was granted a patent. During her career, Blount applied for three patents. This invention—and one which she patented in the U.S.—was called a “portable receptacle support.” It involved a device that could hang around a person’s neck with an attachment that supported a cup or a bowl. (Her patent is held under her married name, Bessie Blount Griffin.) The first two patents were sold to foreign entities. References: K. Fawcett, (2019). Mental Floss, 10 African Americans who changed the world. Retrieved on February 20, 2019 from http:// mentalfloss.com/article/86923/11-africanamerican-inventors-who-changed-world M. Schons, (2011). African American Inventors. Retrieved on February 21, 2019 from https://www.nationalgeographic.org/ news/african-american-inventors-18thcentury L. McNeil, (2017). Black Women Inventors, retrieved on February 21, 2019 from www. smithsonian.org Content has been abbreviated for inclusion into the African American Journal. For additional details, please contact the references noted in the article. Thank you for reading my article. 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.

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The Columbus Dayton African American • March 2019 The Columbus African &American News Journal • February 2015

RICHARD OCTOBER ‘80 – MAY ‘ 12

Life didn’t end for Marla. It got better. At ADAMH – and the 30+ not-for-profit agencies we partner with – our mission is to change lives in our community for the better. By helping people recovering from addiction and mental illness get the help they need to start living happier, healthier, fuller lives. So, they can get better. ADAMH – Where better begins. adamhf ranklin.org

The Columbus & Dayton African American • March 2019

The Columbus African American News Journal • February 2015

HEALTH COMMUNITY LAND TRUST: HOUSING TO IMPROVE HEALTH

By Charleta B. Tavares Housing has been established in the Ohio Constitution as a “public purpose “. As healthcare advocates, we know that housing is a social determinant that can affect the health and well-being of individuals, children and families if not met appropriately. Columbus not unlike Dayton, Toledo and cities and towns across Ohio and America are facing a crisis in the number of affordable or what has become known as “workforce housing” to meet the needs of our residents. Columbus City Council’s Housing Committee chair, recently announced a pilot at a committee hearing to address the “workforce housing” needs in Columbus and Franklin County. As CEO of PrimaryOne Health, I provided the following testimony to share with the Council on the influence of housing on the health outcomes of our residents: Councilwoman Favor and Members of Columbus City Council, I am Charleta B. Tavares, CEO of PrimaryOne Health and former Housing chair of this esteemed body. I am here today speaking on behalf of the patients we serve at nine community health centers in Columbus/Franklin County on one of the social determinants of health – housing that is negatively impacting their health outcomes. Housing as you are well aware is a basic need. It stabilizes individuals and families and helps us to address other needs such as food and rest, elimination of stress and protection from the elements. PrimaryOne Health is a comprehensive healthcare system providing primary and behavioral healthcare, as well as enabling services such as transportation, interpretation and social work to connect our patients to services and programs to address the social determinants. One of the major issues, which negatively affects the health, and well-being of our patients is quality, safe, decent and affordable housing. I am a former state Senator who sounded the alarm in 2013 at the state level to initiate our efforts to address infant deaths generally and our abhorrent disparities among African American babies specifically. My joint sponsor of S.B. 332, Senator Shannon Jones and I worked in developing this nationally recognized comprehensive legislation, which included addressing the housing needs of pregnant women, who may also be homeless, as a strategy to reduce infant deaths. PrimaryOne Health worked with the City and County to insure that pregnant women were prioritized and served beyond the then 7-day limit in our shelters. I share this as an example of why we need a continuum of housing if we are going resolve

the affordable housing crisis in Columbus/ Franklin County and throughout the state and nation. We cannot look at this in a piecemeal or scattershot way. We have to look at developing and maintaining safe, decent, quality and affordable housing throughout the continuum – from homeless shelters, multifamily housing, apartments, rentals and homeownership and from no income to workforce housing to meet the needs of our community residents. As the former Columbus City Council Housing Committee chair, I have a unique perspective and am proud of some of the work I was able to accomplish with my colleagues during my tenure. • Established and funded the Senior Housing Study with the Central Ohio Area Agency on Aging; • Worked with Barbara Poppe and the Community Shelter Board to establish and implement the Rebuilding Lives Housing Plan, • Worked with the former mayor to create the Affordable Housing Trust of Columbus/ Franklin County; and • Created with Auditor Dorrian the Housing Preservation Fund, using our bonding authority to create funds to support repairs in homes with housing code violations. One of the ideas I was unable to complete before I left was creating a Community Land Trust (CLT). We initiated meetings with stakeholders and interested parties to identify promising practices and challenges with the Ohio-based Community Land Trusts in Yellow Springs and Cleveland, Ohio however, we were not able to complete our work. I applaud Councilwoman Favor and Columbus City Council for recommending this strategy and working with Franklin County and the Central Ohio Community Improvement Corporation in creating the Central Ohio Community Land Trust. I believe that this is a logical next step in building our housing

The Columbus African American News Journal • February 2015

continuum especially, in neighborhoods where housing prices are rising significantly. I have several additional recommendations that I would like to suggest: 1. Review the Ohio Housing Codes with an affordability lens – bedroom requirements, size, number of bathrooms etc., which are driving up prices; 2. Revisit Boarding, shared and congregate living housing to determine if this is a strategy to address homelessness, housing preferences, isolation of seniors and those without family, temporary living etc. 3. Develop tiny home communities (Cargo containers) etc. for those who do not want or need larger spaces. 4. Review our housing affordability continuum with other stakeholders i.e., CMHA, Community Housing Network, ADAMH, DD Board etc. to work on an income scale to move residents along the continuum when their salaries reach a certain level to open the unit up for someone who is homeless or without the means to afford that unit. 5. Require all developers receiving any public funding or incentives to set-aside a minimum of 20% of their housing units for those below a certain income level. 6. Wo r k with H U D o n F H A a n d V A mortgages and financial institutions on private mortgages that have been foreclosed upon to determine if they can be purchased by the CLT with first right of refusal or before they are vandalized or go into disrepair. 7. Develop a regional mixed-income and housing plan with our suburban neighbors to address inclusiveness of age, ability, income etc. Our Community Health Centers/FQHCs are working together to address social determinants that are negatively affecting the health of our patients. We need our residents and patients to work with us to advocate for better housing policies, funding and programs to increase the supply of affordable housing, improve the quality of our housing stock and ensure that we have a continuum of housing to meet the needs of individuals and families. I look forward to working with our housing and health policy advocates on this important health issue. Charleta B. Tavares is the Chief Executive Officer at PrimaryOne Health, a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) system providing comprehensive primary care, OB-GYN, pediatric, vision, dental, behavioral health and specialty care at 10 locations in Central Ohio. The mission is to provide access to services that improve the health status of families including people experiencing financial, social, or cultural barriers to health care. www. primaryonehealth.org.

The Columbus & Dayton African American • March 2019

HEALTH

MANAGING HOT FLASHES By Lisa Benton, MD, MPH As sisters, mothers, daughter, aunts we need to be celebrated any and every day. We are busy doing everything from running the world while getting everything else done to keep ourselves and the ones we love together. Wouldn’t it would be nicer to do it feeling good and in our best shape? Whether it’s the C suite, operating suite, owner’s suite or hotel suite we want be at the top of our game with a sharp mind and healthy body. I’m sure you, like me, want to play to win and age with grace and style. For this reason, I’d like to share some of my experiences in my quest to cool down and manage hot flashes. If you’re of a certain age, have a hormone imbalance, are taking certain medications, and/or have had a hysterectomy with removal of your ovaries, you know what I’m talking about. By the way, men who experience a sudden drop in testosterone can have hot flashes too. This may happen in men being treated for prostate cancer, thyroid or pituitary gland problems. As the elders say, just keep on living and you’ll know when it hits you. You might hear a woman describe it as “your own private summer.” Your skin will be warm to the touch, flushed or redden, and even moist or damp because you perspire. It’s often associated with sweating and a fast heart rate. For the men, brothers, fathers, husbands and sons in our lives, I’d describe it as a sudden feeling of warmth or heat that runs over your body. It may run up from your belly, chest or neck, up you face out the tips of your ears and up the top your head. If you’re watching, you may even notice that flushing, sweating and hot skin may pass after 3-6 minutes and be followed by a chill. Sometimes you’ll notice a woman sweats so much that she “sweats her hairstyle out”. You’ll often notice a woman quickly grab a piece of paper or something to fan herself with. Some women carry around a little battery-operated personal fan. You may also notice that she may stand in front of an air conditioner blowing at full speed. She may tell you she’s ready to stick her head in the freezer. Please be sympathetic since she is often feeling miserable. When you see a woman in the middle of winter, while you are freezing, asking you to open a door or window or turn the heat

off, try to remember that more is going on and preservatives can trigger hot flashes. For physiologically in a woman’s body than just example, MSG, monosodium glutamate, a the temperature rising. preservative in used for flavoring in some Asian foods may be a trigger. Hence, you’ll Hot flashes are one of the many signs that a hear the recommendations to eat more natural woman’s body is going through menopause. and more organic-based diets. Menopause happens as a woman’s reproductive hormones and cycle is slowing The bad news is there is no real cure for hot down. One theory is that as the estrogen and flashes. The goal is to moderate them by estradiol hormone levels in a woman’s body doing better by your body and your health. start to decrease, there is less regulation on That’s right, you know I’m advocating going the hypothalamus in the brain which controls with natural remedies here, and finding the your body’s temperature. right combination of foods, supplements, exercises prescription medications and other As a woman’s periods start to approach their interventions that work for you. end as you age, the hot flashes may be more frequent and intense and then start to taper Prescription medications used to treat off. The process can go on for only a couple depression such as Effexor, Prozac and Paxil, months, few years or even over a decade. and seizures medications such as gabapentin, or the blood pressure medication, clonidine Studies show that African American women seem to give symptomatic relief. However, report hot flashes more frequently than Asian, they all have side effects which you may or Latina or Caucasian women. Unfortunately, may not want to deal with, so consider your why we’re more prone to hot flashes is not decision to start these medications carefully. really known. A very recent study indicated that hot flashes were a factor cited by us for For example, black cohosh used to be having a poorer quality of life as we age and considered a wonder supplement, but it being associated with social problems like doesn’t work for everyone. Dong Qui was interpersonal violence. another natural supplement that has showed only mixed results in relieving hot flashes and Women who are overweight and have higher its related symptoms, and it can increase your than normal body mass indexes, (BMI), or risk of bleeding. who smoke are more prone to hot flashes. Same is true for trying to increase the plant Related complaints and real health concerns estrogen and soy in your diet or getting that affect women going through menopause prescription estrogen and progesterone to are being awakened from sleep, feeling tired reduce the hot flashes or other symptoms. and forgetful. Some women get dizzy, have However, the small, but real, increased risk headaches and feel faint with the hot flashes. of some types of breast or gynecological Waking up constantly due to hot flashes can cancers from too much soy or prescription cause insomnia which may ultimately place a hormone replacements may not be one you woman at risk for heart disease and bone loss want to take. know as osteopenia or osteoporosis. With that consideration in mind, I continually Foods you eat or drink such as alcohol, Continued on Page 17 commonly red wine, coffee, spicy foods and foods with excessive processed sugars, fats

The Columbus African & Dayton African American • March 2019 2015 American News Journal • February

HEALTH

Continued from Page 16

work my way down the health supplement aisle and read up constantly on what may or may not work.

I take in more calcium in the form of Tums and have started drinking goat milk. Remember, our risk for osteopenia and osteoporosis increases through menopause so you want your body to have plenty building blocks to keep your bones healthy now. I’ve started drinking more fruit and vegetable smoothies. I’ve cut back on coffee and have increased green tea and foods with ginseng, acai, turmeric-- all popular antioxidants.

One of my favorite discoveries for cooling a hot flash is popping on a BeKool fever patch used on kids that you can buy at a drugstore. You can also use a bag of frozen peas or the cooling packs that athletes use on sprains. Substituting brown sugar and honey for Drinking a glass of ice water right during the white sugar helps me. Yams and sweet hot flash seems to help. potatoes are foods that have a benefit too. I Ladies have told me that acupuncture helps. imagine our ancestors with their more natural It’s also easier to live through a hot flash in and unprocessed food diets may not have a swimming pool or shower. Wearing cotton struggled with menopause symptoms the and natural fiber clothing makes a difference same ways we do today. too. I also make time for regular exercise and Some simple things that have helped me look for ways to reduce stress. Download include staying hydrated by drinking more one of those fitness apps that will remind you water, Pedialyte and Gatorade. I also make to exercise, stand and stretch or even deep sure I take in extra vitamin B, C and D in breathe. Deep breathing, yoga and meditation form of increased green leafy vegetables all seem to help many women. Keeping your including spinach, kale and broccoli. blood pressure under control seems to help too. Losing weight has helped me. Increasing vitamin D intake is very important since as African Americans we usually don’t Overall, it will take some work and require get enough in our daily diets and vitamin D you to prioritize your health and wellness has been shown to play a role in reducing above other demands in your busy life. I’ve cancer and neurologic and autoimmune included some links to medical fact sheets problems that women may be more prone to from reputable sources with this article, but as we get older. these are only a starting place.

As you progress through menopause your body’s needs and responses to the different therapies you try will change too. Thinking of getting through menopause as a right of passage and journey to a more enlightened you with help make it more bearable. References Neighborhood disorder, exposure to violence, and perceived discrimination in relation to symptoms in midlife women. By Gerber, LM and Sievert LL; Womens Midlife Health. 2018 Oct 19;4:14. doi: 10.1186/s40695-018-00430. eCollection 2018. Retrieved from: https:// www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30766724 Hot Flashes Retrieved from: https://www.drugs.com/health-guide/hotflashes.html Hot Flashes Mayo Clinic Monograph Retrieved from: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseasesconditions/hot-flashes/symptoms-causes/syc20352790 Hot Flashes Guide WebMD Retrieved from: https://www.webmd.com/menopause/guide/ menopause-hot-flashes#1 Lisa D. Benton, MD, MPH (The Doctor is In) breastsurgeonlb@gmail.com, Twitter:@ DctrLisa (415) 746-0627

GIRL, DO YOU KNOW YOUR SUPER POWER? By Jacqueline Lewis-Lyons, Psy.d As women, we wear many hats for the multiple roles we experience throughout our lives. It is clear that we must be flexible as well as determined in identifying and setting goals because it is quite rare that our actions only impact our own lives. We are constantly aware of the others we are in community with – in childhood, this includes parents and siblings; as teenagers it is the social group as well as the first job. As we approach adulthood, we continue to develop friendships as we establish our own intimate relationships. Later on, we are typically juggling career, our own children, and our own aging parents. For many of us, we may feel that we never had the chance to live life on our own terms. We can daydream about how life would/ could/should have been “better” if different choices had been made. As a psychologist, I have worked with many women over the years whom experienced doubt or regret about their life choices. Some gave up career goals to marry and have children, thinking they could not do it all. Others discover a passion for a vocation that is far from their education or training but they fear giving up a certain level of income. There are still others that dream of doing something that they fear

would take them far from their comfort zone because “it is silly” or “it’s too late.” I was 33 years old when I entered my doctoral program. My father was very critical – first expressing concern that my going back to school would put my marriage in danger, then suggesting that it would not be good for the children to see me studying so much. I am so glad that I did not buy into his fatherly advice – and, for the record, so are my husband and children. Yes, it was hard and scary at times. But, I had a goal that would benefit everyone in my household and my husband was willing to support me in it. It can be frightening but so rewarding when we accomplish something that is important to us. At the time, I wore many hats. I was a daughter trying to understand my father’s battle with cancer several states away, I was the older sister to two brothers who were each going through divorces, and I was a wife and mother. Looking back, I have to acknowledge that I was probably not a very good friend at times – I could only stretch so far. And those who were true friends understood. And, it was all worth it in the end. So as women, our super power is the ability to see what’s needed, identify what we can do about it, and then make the necessary changes to meet the challenge. Yes, there may be moments when we can’t even take time to take a deep breath…but we keep on moving.

The Columbus African American News Journal • February 2015

We often put ourselves on the back burner because there is so much else to do but I want to suggest that you take a moment to just stop. Stop and think about what dreams you have had, what brings a smile to your face, or what gets your heart racing. Is it climbing a mountain, starting a charity, volunteering at a shelter, or getting involved in politics. Nothing is off limits. Life is fluid, and we have the ability to “go with the flow” so to speak. Women are more able to look at situations from various angles. While we may not really have eyes in the backs of our heads, we do have long memories. Women are able to put these skills together to help make the world a better place, every single morning. So, decide what your part of the world needs and prepare yourself to take it on, doing whatever you can do at this moment. No action is too small. And, always remember that you get another chance tomorrow. Shake out your cape, stand tall and smile. YOU GOT THIS! 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

The Columbus & Dayton African American • March 2019

HEALTH

BONE MARROW CANCER HITS AFRICAN AMERICANS TWICE AS MUCH AS OTHERS SYMPOSIUM BRINGS FOCUS TO MULTIPLE MYELOMA TREATMENT AND SUPPORT

Columbus, OH – It’s called cancer of the bone marrow and Blacks are more than twice as likely as Caucasians to be diagnosed with the disease. On March 2, 2019, a symposium featuring nationally known experts, current patients living with multiple myeloma and treatment and support options will be held in Columbus to draw attention to this disease and its impact to the community. The Hicks, Harris, Ferguson Multiple Myeloma Symposium will be held at the Third Episcopal District Headquarters (Gateway Wellness Center), 112 Jefferson Avenue, Columbus, Ohio. Registration begins at 8:30 a.m.; the symposium begins at 9:00 a.m. “When I was diagnosed with this disease, I was comforted by a group of families who had the same experiences and could offer me support and encouragement,” says Cheryl Boyce, a co-founder of the event. “I encourage African American families to attend the symposium to learn about this cancer and learn more about how it impacts our community.” This marks the ninth year for the symposium, which is centered on helping families impacted by multiple myeloma and educating the community about the disease. The symposium is designed to: • Educate the community about access to scientifically accurate information about treatment protocols and research updates; • Help families living with the disease to connect with others in the community affected by this disease; • Link general practitioners who may be primary health practitioners with multiple myeloma experts and treatment facilities; • Prepare those affected with the disease to be informed advocates for themselves, their families and communities; • Provide cross training for providers who serve minority communities; • Increase knowledge about and involvement

in clinical trials; and • Increase involvement in and contributions to increasing research. “Having a forum that informs the community about this disease is important to the overall health of the black community,” says retired oncologist/internist William Hicks, MD. “Understanding the disease is critical to helping patients and families who are dealing with multiple myeloma.” Hicks’ late mother was diagnosed with the disease and he has remained an advocate for education, outreach, and research. Speakers for this year’s symposium include: • Melody Smith, MD, Medical Oncologist, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York • Shari Hicks Graham, MD, Dermatologist, Downtown Dermatology, Columbus • Deborah Kemokai-Wright, RD, LD, Wadsworth, Ohio • Jenny Ahlstrom, Myeloma Crowd, Lehigh, Utah • David Oluwadara, Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts For more information on how to support the symposium and/or register for the symposium, contact Hicks Harris Ferguson Symposium office at (614) 754-6798 About Multiple Myeloma Multiple myeloma is a cancer that forms in plasma cells (a form of white blood cell). Plasma cells help fight infections by making antibodies that recognize and attack germs. Multiple myeloma causes cancer cells to accumulate in the bone marrow, where they crowd out healthy blood cells. Rather than produce helpful antibodies, the cancer cells produce abnormal proteins that can cause kidney problems. The disease generally occurs in adults older than 50 years old. Multiple myeloma is not curable, but it is treatable.

The Columbus African & Dayton African American • March 2019 2015 American News Journal • February

About Hicks, Harris, Ferguson Symposium The Multiple Myeloma Symposium focuses on bringing awareness of bone marrow cancer to minority communities and offer support and treatment information to families impacted by the disease. Symposium founders are Cheryl Boyce, retired Founding Director of the Ohio Commission on Minority Health and William Hicks, MD, retired oncologist/internist. The symposium is named in honor of the following: The late Eleanor Hicks, an educator and the first lady of Mt. Olivet Baptist Church, and was well known and respected in the community. Her late husband Dr. H. Beecher Hicks was a nationally-regarded pastor. The late Rev. Richard Harris was an Itinerant Elder in the African American Episcopal Church in Zanesville and Columbus. The late Lugenia Ferguson was a missionary and extraordinary singer who sang with Count Basie and Dizzy Gillespie. The lives of these three individuals intersected at multiple myeloma lending real faces and sharing the profound impact of the disease on the African American community. Today members of the Hicks, Harris and Ferguson families continue to serve on the symposium planning committee and conduct outreach and education awareness efforts throughout the community. Funders include: African Methodist Episcopal Church CareSource Foundation Columbus Jewish Foundation Dr. and Mrs. William J. Hicks Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) Ohio Federation for Health and Social Justice The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center

COVER STORY FINALLY, ITS OUR TURN: LET’S MAKE IT LAST

By Marty Miller African Americans had a good reason to watch the Oscars this year and if you missed it, you missed history being made. Despite literally decades of outstanding acting performances, directors, set and costume designs, musical scores, scripts and countless Academy nominations, only 39 African American actors and actresses have received the coveted Oscar in the academy’s 89-year history. Hattie McDaniel was the first African American to win an Oscar in 1939 for her role as Mammy in Gone With The Wind. We would not see another Black person accept the Oscar until 1963 when Sidney Poitier won for his portrayal of Homer Smith in Lilies of the Field. Eight years later, in 1971, Isaac Hayes would take home the Oscar for Theme From Shaft. On February 24, 2019, seven (the Biblical number of completeness and perfection) African Americans walked on stage at the

Academy Awards and claimed their place in history. Among them were notable firsts: Ruth Carter became the first African American woman to win an Oscar for best costume design for Black Panther and Hannah Beachler became the first African American woman to win best production design for Black Panther. Peter Ramsey is the first African American to take home an Oscar for Best Animated Feature, Spiderman. Regina King became the seventh African American woman to receive an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Sharon Rivers in If Beale Street Could Talk. (Lupita Nyong’o was the first Black African (Kenyan) to win in this category for her role as Patsey in Twelve Years A Slave). Mahershala Ali stepped on stage to claim an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for his role as Black pianist, Don Shirley, in the movie Green Book. This was the second time Ali has taken home an Oscar; his first was two years ago for his role in Moonlight. He ties Oscar wins with Denzel Washington who won for Best Actor in Training Day and Best Supporting Actor in Glory. Veteran filmmaker Spike Lee, who has

brought us scores of social justice movies, finally was recognized by the Academy and took home the 2018 Oscar for Best Screen Adaptation for BlackkKlansman. Sharing in the award with Lee is African American University of Kansas Professor Kevin Willmott. With all the gains this time, the Academy still has a long way to go. Green Book was selected as Best Picture of the Year and has been heavily criticized. Justin Chang, a film critic for the Los Angeles Times, said that the film, “reduces the long, barbaric and ongoing history of American racism to a problem, a formula, a dramatic equation that can be balanced and solved.” The Academy could have broken barriers and stereotypes if they had selected BlackkKlansman (which was nominated) or Black Panther. Spike Lee reportedly threw up his hands and was ready to walk out of the theater with the Best Picture announcement. Lee in his Oscar acceptance speech admonished all of us to “Do The Right Thing” when it comes to the 2020 election. Perhaps the same can be said of the Academy Awards.

The Columbus Dayton African American • March 2019 The Columbus African &American News Journal • February 2015

COMMUNITY PARITY INC. DAYTON’S TOP 10 AFRICAN AMERICAN HONOREES By Ray Miller Wow! What an event! Count me in for being in attendance every year! The Great Room at Sinclair Community College was totally packed. There wasn’t an empty seat in the facility. Everyone walked with their heads held high. Past award recipients wore Kente Cloth shawls and Kufi’s. My longtime friend, City Commissioner Jeff Mims, was in control as the event’s Master of Ceremonies. I was simply overjoyed to be in the house. All good and lasting things traditionally grow out of some degree of tension and struggle. Such is also the case with Parity, Inc. The organization grew out of Parity 2000, a program of citizen participation

designed to address issues and problems of fairness and equity in the Black community. The stated mission of the organization is to improve the economic, educational and social conditions of African Americans in order to reach parity with the majority community by the year 2000 and beyond.

Dr. Major K. Lee, III

Mr. Steven Alston Mr. Steven Alston was born in Dayton, Ohio to James and Melissa Alston. He graduated from John H. Patterson High School. Steven graduated from two Dayton, Ohio schools, Sinclair Community College with an Associate of Science degree and the University of Dayton (UD) with a Bachelor of Science degree. He double majored in Finance and Management Information S ystem s (MIS) a t UD. Ste ve n regularly attends education related conferences and is a voracious reader in the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) arena—he regularly pursues training and professional development. Steven is a well-respected IT professional and a key member of the Enterprise Information Management team at CareSource. Prior to this position he spent many years with General Electric working in various positions within their Financial Services division. Steven is incredibly smart, personable, warm, supportive, humble, perceptive, sensitive to others, and shows genuine care in his dealings with others. He continues to be a great role model in his field by encouraging young people to pursue academic preparation in the STEM area. Mr. Alston married, “the love of his life”, Kortni and they have five children. Sadly, they lost their daughter, Shiloh, in 2016. With Steven and Kortni being college graduates and children of educators, they institute the value of achieving educational success in their children. This happy family of seven is well adjusted with children who perform at the top of their classes and live very full lives with sports, karate, swim lessons, and vacations. The family attends Sunday morning church services at Corinthian Baptist Church. Steven receives sheer joy hearing his children call him ‘Pops.’

The & Dayton African American • March 2019 2015 The Columbus Columbus African American News Journal • February

Brian L. Sanders, Luncheon Chairman, stated, “Today we celebrate and honor ten distinguished African American men who make the Dayton and surrounding vicinity a better community. These men have beaten the odds and exemplify a spirit of excellence by their outstanding achievements as doctors, lawyers, businessmen, pastors, political leaders, and educators, he added.” Sanders went on to say, “In addition to their magnificent careers, these honorable men have stepped up to the higher calling--which is to help others and give back. They have given back to our community, Sanders said, by volunteering and actively participating as mentors, coaches, role models, counselors, community leaders, and board members of various organizations. For this, we honor you!”

Dr. Major K. Lee, III was born in Palatka, Florida and attended Volusia County Community College, Daytona Beach, Florida where he earned his Associate in Arts degree. After graduation, he set his sights on Washington, DC’s Howard University where he earned his Bachelor of Science degree, majoring in Zoology and then attended the Howard University College of Dentistry. Dr. Lee has served the greater Dayton, Ohio community as a pediatric dentist for nearly 45 years. He began attending to the needs of children and adolescents at Drew Health Center before starting a private practice on West Third Street. In later years, he used skills acquired from an uncle and converted a barn into a dental office in Trotwood, Ohio. In addition to practicing dentistry, he was one in a group of medical professionals who worked to create Horizons in Medicine, an introduction into medical specialties for junior and senior level high school students. Dr. Major K. Lee, III values education and commitment, having instilled those character traits into his family. He has been married for more than 40 years to his wife, Valerie. His daughter now serves as legal counsel for University of Michigan Health Services, having obtained her law degree at Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois. As a health counsel to a senior Member of the U.S. House of Representatives, she advised on health policy issues that resulted in the enactment of the Affordable Care Act. His son was part of the dual degree program at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania earning his MD and PhD degrees. Dr. Lee is a member of Wayman Chapel AME Church and the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Unincorporated.

COMMUNITY

Min. Derrick L. Malone, Sr.

Mr. James L. Martin

Minister Derrick L. Malone, Sr. was born in LaGrange, Georgia to Lavone and Leonard Haynes, II. He graduated from the Col. White High School, Dayton, Ohio. Mr. Malone, Sr. served in the U.S. Navy. Afterwards, he received an Associate’s degree in Correctional Science from Sinclair Community College, Dayton, Ohio. Derrick received his Bachelors in Sociology from Wright State University, Fairborn, Ohio. He worked on his Master’s in Education from 1996-97 at the University of Dayton (Ohio). Derrick worked as a teacher at Col. White High School for eight-years (1997-2005) and was the head golf, cross country, and track coach. Mr. Malone, Sr. is the owner and operator of Roofcrete since 1998. He is currently the Teen Pastor at the Omega Baptist Church. That Ministry provides Teens and young adults the spiritual and life-skill tools to become contributing adults in our society. Minister Derrick L. Malone, Sr. is the father of three children: Dernae, Zoey and Derrick, Jr. He has provided them with consistent love, discipline, support and encouragement. Mr. Malone, Sr. raised his children to believe in, trust in, and depend on God. The children have grown up to become honorable young adults that are responsible, respectful and who fear God. He serves as a leader to extended family by looking after his cousins, brothers, sisters and parents; he also constantly mentors and encourages his nieces and nephews as well. One of his own favorite quotes, is, “He or she who rejects education embraces poverty.”

Mr. James L. Martin was born in Troy, Alabama and raised in Dayton, Ohio. James graduated from Dunbar High School in Dayton, Ohio. He received his Associate in Electrical Engineering from Sinclair Community College, Dayton, Ohio and a Bachelor of Science from Wilberforce University, Xenia, Ohio. Mr. Martin received additional technical certifications in Engineering Technology, Information Technology and Embedded Software. Mr. Martin is employed by Dell EMC as an Account Executive. He manages Dell partners and Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) in Ohio, Michigan and Pennsylvania. His team helps their customers to architect a hardware and software computer solution for their OEM products or for internal use. African Americans are underrepresented in this field and Mr. Martin uses his influence to seek recruits from Historically Black Colleges and Universities. James encourages African American students to consider a high tech career. He mentors minorities in business and technical sales via the Dell Black Network Alliance. Deacon Martin is a stage IV cancer survivor and mentors others with cancer. James was informed that he had non-Hodgins Lymphoma several years ago. He went through chemo and radiation for a time, and as part of God’s plan, the Federal Drug Administration approved a half match bone marrow transplant program while he was going through the chemo and radiation treatment. The chemo and radiation treatment did not get rid of all of the cancer; however the half match bone marrow transplant was 100% successful. Mr. James L. Martin has been married to Sonya for over 30 years. They have two successful adult daughters (Ashley and Vanessa) and a grandson, “Little Preston James Martin.” His favorite saying from the Bible is, “We must die daily, so that He may increase.”

Mr. Ronnie Moreland

Mr. Brandon C. McClain Mr. Brandon C. McClain was born and raised in North Carolina, but considers Dayton, Ohio to be his home now. He graduated cum laude from the University of North Carolina at Pembroke, North Carolina with a Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice; the University of Cincinnati (Ohio) with a Master of Science in Criminal Justice; and the University of Dayton College of Law (Ohio) with a Juris Doctor. Mr. McClain is also a veteran, having served as a non-commissioned officer in the Army National Guard, achieving the rank of Sergeant prior to his honorable discharge. During his school days, he was active in the Student Bar Association, Black Law Students Association, and Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. A snapshot of his notable 2017 and 2018 Speaking Engagements include: Central State University Spring Convocation; Dayton Bar Association Diversity Day; Parity Inc. Mentoring Legal Interest Group Day; Black Elected Officials GALA; Men of Color Symposium; Ohio Conference National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) Inauguration Ceremony. In early 2018, the Parity Inc. Mentoring Legal Interest Group visited then Magistrate McClain’s courtroom to experience the daily courtroom docket, which included trials. He spoke to them about how their decision-making ultimately affects them now and in the future, and how the legal profession needs more diversity to ensure that our community is served. Furthermore, Mr. McClain spoke to the youth at the STEM Academy, Central State Upper Bound (Dayton Campus), and the Parity Career Fair about accountability, the legal profession and the history of Thurgood Marshall. Mr. McClain is an active member at St. Luke Missionary Baptist Church.

Mr. Ronnie Moreland was born and raised in Dayton, Ohio. Ronnie graduated from Paul Laurence Dunbar High School, Dayton, Ohio. He received his Associate of Arts Degree in Communication Studies from Sinclair Community College (SCC), Dayton, Ohio, his Bachelor of Arts Degree in Communication Studies with a Minor in Marketing Management from Wright State University (WSU), Fairborn, Ohio, and will complete his Masters of Arts Degree in Public Administration from WSU in May of 2019. Mr. Ronnie Moreland is an eight-year veteran of the U.S. Air Force, where he received an honorable discharge and was awarded The Air Force Achievement Medal, and an Outstanding Unit Medal. After serving his country, Ronnie returned home and was employed by the City of Dayton where he served for 10 years. While serving the City of Dayton, he represented his fellow laborers as union steward with the American Federation of County, State, and Municipal Employees (AFCSME) Ohio Council 8. Mr. Ronnie Moreland has consistently been nothing short of a loving and supportive husband, an outstanding positive role model as a father to his children and grandchildren, and a faithful, committed servant leader at his local church for over two decades. For more than 30 years, he has been a dedicated volunteer advocate in the Dayton, Ohio region and across the State of Ohio. His wife, Theresa, and he have continued to work together as one in doing their very best to serve others.

The Columbus & Dayton African American • March 2019

COMMUNITY

Mr. Weston Louis Philpot, II

Mr. Amaha Sellassie

Mr. Weston Louis Philpot II was born to the parents of Weston Louis Philpot I and Freddie M. (Morgan) Philpot I. He attended and graduated from Roosevelt High School, Dayton, Ohio. Weston was a gifted athlete in football and track and received a full National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) scholarship to the University of Dayton, Dayton, Ohio. There, he received his formal education in Education and Counseling. Mr. Philpot II continued his educational pursuits in the field of Computer Science at Wright State University, Fairborn, Ohio. From the State of Ohio, Weston received a master level counseling license titled the Supervising License Professional Counselor. Mr. Philpot II is a successful business owner and a genuine professional that shares his talents and knowledge gained through many years of community mental health counseling services. Mr. Philpot II provides Start Up assistance to help individuals start their own business. He develops policies for new agencies to meet governmental guidelines (local, state and federal). Weston shared his business and community service knowledge as an Economic Development panelist for the 2018/19 Parity Inc. Black Leadership Program. Mr. Weston L. Philpot II is an exceptional husband and father. He is married to Mrs. Judith (Pryor) Philpot II. He has four adult children, Weston Louis Philpot III, Stephanie Y. (Philpot) Drake, Russell A. Pryor and Toyua A. Hummons. They are all successful in their chosen careers. Weston loves and adores his family, and takes pride in the fact that he has instilled Christian values in them. Mr. Philpot II values relationships and is a man of his word. He has been a member of St. Paul African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church since 1958. Weston believes that, “We must relearn how to own our lives through owning our Businesses.”

Mr. Amaha Sellassie was born and raised in Dayton, Ohio. He received his Associates of Applied Science Degree in Applied Science and Supply Chain Management Certification in Geographical Information Systems from Sinclair Community College (SCC), Dayton, Ohio. Amaha received his Bachelor of Arts Degree from Wright State University, Fairborn, Ohio with a Sociology Minor in Youth and Community Engagement. Later, he earned a Masters of Arts Degree in Sociology from the University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio and is currently working on his PhD there. Additional training included: Crossroads AntiRacism Training, Chicago, Illinois; Initiatives of Change Community Trustbuilding Fellowship, Richmond, Virginia; International Caux Scholars Program, Caux Switzerland; Neighborhood Leadership Institute, Dayton, Ohio; Shalom Zone Facilitator training, Scranton, New Jersey; Participatory Action Research at Highlander Institute, Knoxville, Tennessee; Dayton Dialog on Race Relations Facilitator Training, Dayton, Ohio. Mr. Sellassie is an Assistant Professor at SCC. He is also the Director of Center of Applied Social Issues at SCC. Mr. Amaha Sellassie is the proud father of an amazing nationally recognized photographer and artist, Hone Sellassie. Amaha received a few select honors since 2015 that include: Antioch College, Coretta Scott King Justice Award; the HRC Civil Rights Award; the Dayton Daily News, Daytonian of the Week; Ohio Magazine Excellence In Education Honoree and Southern Christian Leadership Conference Community Service Award. He facilitated several workshops over the last couple of years that enhance dialogue, help heal communities, and resolve conflict from Columbus, Ohio to Kalamazoo, Michigan.

Mr. David R. Webb, Sr.

Mr. RoShawn Winburn

Mr. David R. Webb, Sr. grew up in Dayton, Ohio and attended Dayton’s Fairview High School. He later attended Sinclair Community College, Dayton, Ohio and received an Associate of Applied Arts in Music degree. David is pursuing a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Administration from Indiana Wesleyan University, Marion, Indiana. Mr. Webb, Sr. experience spans a 40 year career in the music and entertainment industry. He has executive produced award-winning television programming and served as a radio host to make sure this genre is not forgotten. David received the Roxie L. Cole Leadership Award in 2016 for his guidance of the Funk Center. He received the highest honor awarded by Dayton Access Television (DATV) for programming and leadership execution. Mr. Webb, Sr. honored work in the media includes “The Funk Chronicles”, “On the 1 with Gee,” and “Talk Back with Rhine McLin.” David gave a rousing talk entitled, “How the Arts and Funk Music Influenced My Life” at the 2016 TEDx Dayton Event. His many musical credits include “The Gospel Sounds” 1996-1998 (drummer) and “Africa to American.” His 2000-2010 band was called the Joint Venture. Mr. David R. Webb, Sr. has a son and one grandson. He is the Historian of the Webb-Thomas Family, having created and maintained the family website and Facebook page since 2002. David is a founding board member of the Webb family foundation. David’s church affiliations include the Mt. Olivet Church of God in Christ, Phillips Temple CME, and Deliverance Temple Ministries in Christ. He serves as an adult Sunday school teacher.

The Columbus African & Dayton African American • March 2019 2015 American News Journal • February

Mr. RoShawn Winburn is a graduate of Wright State University, Fairborn, Ohio. He earned a Bachelor’s in Financial Services and Master of Business Administration (MBA) in Management, Innovation, and Change. He has 25 years of experience delivering financial, wealth management and business development services to small business owners and high net-worth individuals. As an entrepreneur, he both invests in businesses and provides consulting services to companies in the areas of business strategy, development, and financial management. In 2009, he was recognized by the Dayton Business Journal as a 40 and Under Forty Honoree. RoShawn has been with the City of Dayton Human Relations Council since 2012 and manages the Greater Dayton Minority Business Assistance Center as its Program Director. In this capacity, he provides free consulting services to disadvantaged business owners, and negotiates community benefit agreements with major financial institutions to bring access to capital and business consulting services to minorities in low to moderate income communities. As a Miami Valley Community Action Partnership instructor, he teaches microenterprise and entrepreneurship as a tool for wealth creation. Mr. RoShawn Winburn is a father to a blended family. He recently married Lisa Baker and they have four children. In his downtime, he enjoys traveling with his family, and is passionate about good food, great bourbon, and strong coffee.

COMMUNITY

WELCOME TO THE BRIDGES BOOK CLUB The Bridges Book Club (L to R) Ellis Jennings, Jr., Whitney L. Barkley, Janet M. Smith, Stephanie R. Bridges, Colette R. Harrell, and Danielle D. Smith

By Stephanie Bridges I am so excited to not only be leading, but to just be a part of a book club. I’ve never been good in group settings – fear of not getting along, not feeling comfortable, and quite frankly, not measuring up to others has kept me from moving forward with friendships, relationships and groupships. But today is a new day and 2019 is a new year. So, I get a group and you get a group; we all get a group, if we are willing to step out on faith. Most book clubs are reader lead ensembles, but the Bridges Book Club in contrast, is author lead. The Bridges Book Club didn’t just stem from my ego’s desire for leadership, respect and popularity. Yes, I know you see me, but the book club manifested organically, and there were three main reasons. Despite what many believe, not all authors read a lot; and out of the ones that do, half aren’t doing so out of enjoyment but more so out of studying the craft and honing their skill. The first reason: I wanted to read more, and I wanted to be able to discuss my thoughts on the content. I have had the following discourse on multiple occasions. A person will present an opportunity to utilize their platform, space, standing, investment to bring in authors for speaking engagements, interviews, festivals and other fanfare. I lean in closer because I like what I’m hearing, and my wheels are turning for all the authors I know that could directly benefit from this opportunity. Then said person with the clout will start throwing out names of famous authors. Hence, the second reason; an author lead book club can lend support to other indie-authors who do not have large publishing houses to push their books, build their brands and put them on the tips of tongues of gate keepers. In 2018, I attended the “Act Like an Author, Think Like a Business” Writing Conference, hosted by Joylynn M. Ross, in Las Vegas, NV, on a Greater Columbus Arts Council (GCAC) Grant. At the conference, I was given the opportunity to speak about

grants; the attendees were excited about the presentation and out of that I published the grant writing guide, “Seeking and Securing Individual Artist Grants” and then a group was fostered to share ideas and information with like-minded professionals. All was well, but I knew more had to come out of this great group of accomplished literary artists, so I suggested we support one another by purchasing, reading and reviewing one another’s manuscripts. Again, the enthusiasm propelled me to open the platform to the public. The 3rd reason: opportunity knocked. I did mention, the Bridges Book Club is not all about me. So, I would be remiss if I did not introduce to some and present to others a small contingent, those shown in the photograph, of the nationwide and growing Bridges Book Club Author Group. (In Alphabetical Order)

state and nationwide. Writing with humor and compassion to engage and minister to the human heart, she is the author of “The Devil Made Me Do It” and three other publications. Colette’s motto is: Whatever you do, do it for love alone. Ellis Jennings Jr. is the Founder and Head Instructor of Warriors Karate Academy, Inc., a 501c3 Nonprofit. The organization is dedicated to educating the community, including working with youth, through martial arts, fitness, and training in Bushido (Ways of the Warrior). Sensei EJ is also a teacher, speaker, consultant and now author of two books, “Sensei Says No to Domestic Violence” and “Sensei Says No to Human Trafficking” both to be released in 2019. Danielle D. Smith is the Founder of Don’t Be Quiet, an organization created to help victims of child abuse and neglect, domestic violence, sexual assault, and suicide. She produced a Short Film that gives a visual account of her book, “Yesterday’s Tomorrow” and walks you through the challenge of going from victim to victor. Danielle is a passionate speaker that brings people together, alleviating the struggle of beginning the healing process alone.

Whitney L. Barkley is the Creator of the Pink Lemonade Podcast; the Founder of Speakerrazi, where she partners with authors, coaches, professional speakers, and organizations to create a buzz-worthy presence through distinctive graphic design, videography, website design, and real-time social media content; and the Author of “The Skinny Black Girls Guide to Freedom”, which discusses how she conquered colorism, sexual assault, toxic relationships, abortion, Janet M. Smith is an author, communicator, and depression to live a confident and and devoted advocate for both Black youth development and the African American abundant life. community’s mental health. In 2018 Smith Stephanie R. Bridges is the Founder of the launched her memoir, “The Fire Within” to Bridges Book Club and In Spirit Power and free herself, speak her truth and live life on Truth Publishing, LLC, whose mission is to purpose! Among her greatest achievements, publish and promote positive media created Janet created three of the most recognized by and reflective of the Diaspora. Stephanie and respected media in the Central Ohio has published children’s books, poetry, community: The Blue Chip Profile, Blue Chip short stories, a grant guide and a publication Awards Gala and the Blue Chip Foundation. on publishing. She is very passionate about collective economics in the Black The Bridges Book Club will be hosting its Community and loves sharing her knowledge first in-person event in April. To learn more and platform with other entrepreneurs and about upcoming events, the authors, purchase books, find literary and entrepreneurial authors. services and resources, and find out how you Colette R. Harrell is an author and can join as a published or aspiring author, playwright. Holding a master’s degree, she please go to bridgesbookclub.com. Also join is the Director of a Social Services program our Bridges Book Club Facebook Group to and a motivational speaker, facilitating support our Featured Author of the Month customer and human service workshops and join in fun! 23

The Columbus Dayton African American • March 2019 The Columbus African &American News Journal • February 2015

COMMUNITY

COLUMBUS INTER-ALUMNI COUNCIL HOLD ANNUAL AWARDS PROGRAM By Troy A. Glover The Columbus Inter-Alumni Council (IAC), an affiliate of the National Alumni Council of the United Negro Fund (UNCF), will hold its annual Volunteer Service Award Program on March 16, 2019 at Grange Insurance Company, 671 South High Street, Columbus, Ohio 43206. The program will begin at 3:00 pm and conclude at 5:00 pm. Tickets for the Awards Program are $20 each and may be purchased by contacting Elaine Davis of the local UNCF office at 614221-5309. The Volunteer Service Award is an annual recognition designed to honor an individual for exemplary contributions to organizations, communities, or individuals. An award recipient is a graduate of a historically black college or university. This year’s Columbus IAC Volunteer Service Award recipients are Mrs. Beverly Elder, a retired Columbus City School District Music Teacher and Mr. Charles Hill II, Vice-President of Strategic Development at Experience Columbus. Mrs. Beverly Elder is an unsung hero that has and continues to impact the lives of students throughout the Columbus City School District. Having taught for more than 30 years, Mrs. Elder has instilled an appreciation for various genres of music to countless students. She often went beyond the call of duty to meet with students before and after school as well as on weekends to solidify their academic success. Her altruism also consisted of providing donations of clothing and other necessities to students as they matriculated to institutions of higher education. It was not uncommon for her to call colleges and universities to explore the possibility of scholarships for students with whom she mentored. Mrs. Elder is a graduate of Bluefield State College where she majored in music education. Mrs. Elder, although retired, continues to volunteer at schools by mentoring new music teachers and working one on one with students.

Charles Hill, II Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, “A chief event of life is the day in which we have encountered a mind that startled us.” For Mrs. Elder, the mission has always been students’ success. Her selfless acts of devotion are worthy of emulation. One colleague stated, “Beverly has a golden touch” and another friend noted her ‘graceful style.’ Mrs. Elder represents one of Columbus’s finest citizens and her leadership is exemplified through her example. Mrs. Elder is a member of Faith Ministries Church and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated.

Beverly Elder to meet fundraising targets. Mr. Hill is a graduate of Kentucky State University where he majored in business administration.

In addition to his professional career, Mr. Hill has actively engaged in the community serving as a mentor for City Year’s Affinity Group. He also volunteered with the New American Advisory Council, United Way’s Resource Development Committee, and Mid-Ohio Food Bank. Mr. Hill is a Certified Tourism Ambassador and a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated, African American Leadership Academy, and the Mr. Charles Hill II is Vice-President of Columbus Black Professionals. Strategic Development at Experience Columbus. In his role, Mr. Hill oversees all The Columbus Inter-Alumni Council mission aspects of the development, membership, and is “to create and maintain in the alumni of events departments for Experience Columbus. historically Black colleges, an abiding sense Prior to joining Experience Columbus, of personal commitment to, and individual Mr. Hill served as Director of Community responsibility for the health and welfare of Outreach for Rev1 Ventures where he Black colleges and increased effectiveness developed new and existing partnerships, of the IAC in assuring the viability of engaged entrepreneurs and led diversity and historically Black higher educational inclusion initiatives. Prior to his position with Rev1 Ventures, Mr. Hill was a senior institutions.” The Columbus IAC meets on relationship manager with United Way of the 3rd Tuesday of each month at 7:00 pm Central Ohio and responsible for fostering at the Karl Road Library, 5590 Karl Road, Columbus, Ohio 43229. relationships with donors and volunteers

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 & Dayton African American • March 2019

The Columbus African American News Journal • February 2015

COMMUNITY

GOOGLE BRINGS ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY INITIATIVE TO OHIO

OHIO -- Google announced that it is coming to cities and towns throughout Ohio as part of the tech company’s Grow with Google initiative to help create economic opportunity in communities across the United States. Google will kickstart this work locally by hosting free, one-day events in three libraries to help job seekers, small business owners, students, educators and entrepreneurs improve their digital skills. Ohio tour dates, cities and locations include: Monday, March 18 in Columbus at the Columbus Metropolitan Main Library, 9:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m., 96 S. Grant Avenue, Columbus, Ohio 43215 Wednesday, March 20 in Akron at the AkronSummit County Library, 10:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m., 60 S. High Street, Akron, Ohio 44326 Friday, March 22 in Lima at the Lima Public Library, 9:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m., 650 W. Market Street, Lima, Ohio 45801 “Ohio is a center for innovation, entrepreneurship and manufacturing. By bringing the ‘Grow with Google’ tour to the state, we are making a commitment to help develop a skilled workforce that can meet the needs of Ohio’s growing economy,” said Erica Swanson, Google’s Head of Community Engagement. In recognition that libraries are increasingly centers for digital skills learning, Grow with Google plans to visit libraries in every state, partnering with them to deliver digital skills trainings directly to jobseekers and small businesses in their community. We will also train library staff and nonprofit leaders on a range of Grow with Google’s free tools and curriculum they can use on a daily basis. Google staff will lead hands-on workshops about online marketing for small businesses, search engine optimization, email basics and coding. Attendees can also sign up for one-on-one training with Google staff,

and tour demo booths to learn more about Google’s free products for learners and small businesses. Attendees are welcome to drop in for a few sessions or stay all day. Google launched Grow with Google in October of 2017. The American initiative draws on Google’s 20-year history of building products, platforms, and services that help people and businesses grow. Through this initiative, Google aims to help everyone across America – those who make up the workforce of today and the those who will drive the workforce of tomorrow – access the best of Google’s training and tools to grow their skills, careers, and businesses. “For businesses to be successful today, digital knowledge is critical,” said Columbus Metropolitan Library CEO Patrick Losinski. “Our partnership with Grow with Google enables us to continue our investment in central Ohio business owners, entrepreneurs and job seekers and helps us reach ever closer to achieving our vision of a thriving community where wisdom prevails.” “The Akron-Summit County Public Library is excited to welcome Grow with Google to Main Library in downtown Akron,” said Library Director Pam Hickson-Stevenson. “The training that Google will provide is a natural complement to services and training already in place, such as the Microbusiness Center; TechZone@Main, a maker space; and computer classes on a variety of topics. Possessing strong digital skills are a vital part of personal development, workforce development and economic development. The Library plays an important role in all three and is looking forward to our partnership with Google, which will provide free training and consultation. Akron and Summit County are moving into the future with confidence; the Library and Grow with Google are here to support that work.”

The Columbus African American News Journal • February 2015

“Every day at Lima Public Library we work with community members who wish to enhance their digital skills. Whether its learning to e-mail for the first time, job searching or kick starting a new business, the Lima/ Allen County community turns to the library for help,” says Dani Hollar, Head of Reference Services at Lima Public Library. “We are excited to partner with a powerhouse of the digital world to offer Grow with Google workshops to reach even more community members who want to improve their computer skills.” Specifically, Grow with Google aims to help address the skills gap by preparing Americans for middle-skill jobs, positions that require some skills but not four year degrees. According to the National Middle Skills Initiative, middle skills jobs account to 55% of Ohio’s labor force. A recent study by Burning Glass and Capital One found that more than 8 in 10 middle-skill jobs (82%) require digital skills. Overall, middle-skill jobs average $20 per hour. In their 2017 Economic Impact Report, Google announced that 35,000 businesses in Ohio generated $4.9 billion in economic activity by using Google’s search and advertising tools. The full report details Google’s economic impact state-by-state, and features the stories of businesses fueling that growth, creating job opportunities, and transforming their communities. According to the American Library Association, nearly three-quarters of public libraries assist their patrons with job applications and interviewing skills, 90% help their patrons learn basic digital skills, and just under half provide access and assistance to entrepreneurs looking to start a business of their own. To learn more about the free event and to register, visit g.co/GrowOhio. Space will be limited; so please register in advance.

The Columbus & Dayton African American • March 2019

POLITICS LEGISLATIVE UPDATE By Senator Charleta B. Tavares (Ret.) Transportation Budget Announced Governor DeWine released his 2020/21 Transportation Budget, which was heard in the Ohio House of Representatives’ Finance Committee on Wednesday, February 20, 2019. Jack Marchbanks, Ohio Department of Transportation director, introduced the governor’s $7.43 billion transportation budget proposal and said the increased tax of 18 cents per/gallon included in the two-year budget would be adjusted annually with the consumer price index to ensure that sufficient funding continues. He said the revenue raised the first year with increasing the current 28-cent tax to 46 cents, equates to roughly $1.2 billion and will be split between ODOT and local governments. House Minority Leader Emilia S. Sykes shared in a statement that the proposed increase “is a tremendous amount of money to working people, families and seniors.” She further stated, “We’ll be evaluating the governor’s proposed tax increase and working with our Republican colleagues to determine a path forward that doesn’t overburden people living paycheck to paycheck.” Ohio Legislative Black Caucus: Members Priorities In an effort to bring the Ohio Legislative Black Caucus’ priorities and legislative agenda to the Columbus/Dayton African American news journals’ readers, we are highlighting each of the members* over the next several months. We will keep you informed on the progress of these and other bills sponsored and passed by the members of OLBC over the next two years of the 133rd General Assembly that specifically speak to the needs, opportunities and challenges facing Ohio’s African American and communities of color. Rep. Juanita Brent (D-Cleve.) 614.466.1408 1. Mandate lead testing for all schools within the Cleveland Metropolitan School District (Cleveland has the highest cases of lead poisoning in children in the country.) 2. Increase the amount of eligible candidates for fire and police especially when it comes to minorities. 3. Increase the amount of state funding for educational wrap-around services

Rep. Erica Crawley (D-Cols.) 614.466.8010 1. Opportunities for small businesses to gain access to capital and create opportunities within their communities a. Workforce Development—Job Training & Apprenticeships 2. Education a. All-day kindergarten b. Universal Pre-K c. Fixing our state’s educational funding formula 3. Maternal Mortality & Infant Health a. Improve health outcomes for African American women b. Provide better pre and post labor healthcare 4. Veterans a. Homelessness—Dedicated Housing b. Provide better access to mental health and addiction services 5. Criminal Justice Reform a. Bail system b. Sentencing Reform

bring issues, concerns, and needs to the attention of the Ohio General Assembly 2. SB 14- Disclose Pharmacy Drug Costs and ban gag clauses for pharmacists 3. SB 20 – Safe disposal of unused prescription drugs to address the opioid epidemic Sen. Vernon Sykes (D-Akron) 614.466.7041 1. Adopting Health Education Standards 2. Increasing Early Childhood Education 3.Expanding voting access by modifying early vote schedules and providing absentee postage 4. Holding online charter schools accountable * There are currently nineteen (19) members including one Asian American member participating in OLBC. For additional information on the Ohio Legislative Black Caucus, contact Chris Scott, Executive Director OLBC at cscott.olbc@gmail.com

Rep. Tavia Galonski (D-Akron) 614.644.6037

If you are interested in testifying on any of the bills introduced in either the House 1. Removing the statute of or Senate, please contact the chair of the committee who can be found at www. limitations for rape ohiosenate.gov or www.ohr.gov. 2. Bail reform 3. Modify Good Samaritan law so that police will stop If you would like to receive updated charging people for paraphernalia when information on the Ohio General Assembly and policy initiatives introduced, call or they call 911 to report an overdose 4. STD testing of pregnant women to combat email your state Representative or Senator. The committee schedules, full membership infant mortality rosters and contact information for the Rep. Catherine Ohio House and Senate can be found at: Ingram (D-Cinc.) www.ohiohouse.gov and www.ohiosenate. 614.466.1645 gov respectively. Former Senator Charleta B. Tavares will continue to host Quarterly 1. Fair school/school district Leadership Forums and send out the Tavares evaluations concerning Times News monthly newsletter. To receive the report card and district information on the Quarterly Leadership funding and other resources. Forums and/or to receive the Tavares Time 2. Equitable inclusion in infrastructure News, email tavarescrossfire2015@gmail. and economic development projects. More com. inclusion in Jobs Ohio strategies. 3. Eliminate ability of “accident chasers” to Former Sen. Charleta B. Tavares, contact victims by phone for 30 days. D-Columbus, is the 1st Democrat and African American woman to serve in the Sen. Tina Maharath Ohio House of Representatives and the Ohio (D-Cols/Gahanna) Senate from Franklin County. She is also 614.466.8064 the first African American woman to serve in (Non-African American leadership in the history of Ohio and the 1st OLBC member) Democrat woman to serve in leadership in both the Ohio House of Representatives and 1. Establishing the Asian the Ohio Senate (House Minority Whip and American and Pacific Senate Assistant Minority Leader). Islander Commission to help the community

The Columbus & Dayton African American • March 2019

The Columbus African American News Journal • February 2015

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By Ray Miller The Politics of Petulance America In An Age of Immaturity

Magical Negro By Morgan Parker

By Alan Wolfe

Magical Negro is an archive of black everydayness, a catalog of contemporary folk heroes, an ethnography of ancestral grief, and an inventory of figureheads, idioms, and customs. These American poems are both edgy and jive, joke and declaration, songs of congregation and self-conception. They connect themes of loneliness, displacement, grief, ancestral trauma, and objectification, while exploring and troubling tropes and stereotypes of Black Americans. In Magical Negro, Parker creates a space of witness, of airing grievances, of pointing out patterns. In these poems are living documents, pleas, latent traumas, inside jokes, and unspoken anxieties situated as firmly in the past as in the present - timeless black melancholies and triumphs.

How did we get into this mess? Every morning, many Americans ask this as, with a cringe, they pick up their phones and look to see what terrible thing President Trump has just said or done. Regardless of what he’s complaining about or whom he’s attacking, a second question comes hard on the heels of the first: How on earth do we get out of this? In The Politics of Petulance, Alan Wolfe argues that the core of our problem isn’t Trump himself - its that we are mired in an age of political immaturity. The good news is that we’ve been here before and that we know how to grow up and face down Trump and other demagogues. And we can find the intellectual maturity to fight back.

When - The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing By Daniel H. Pink

Atrocity Exhibition - Life in the Age of Total Violence By Brad Evans

Everyone knows that timing is everything. But we don’t know much about timing itself. Our lives are a never-ending stream of “when” decisions: when to start a business, schedule a class, get serious about a person. Yet we make those decisions based on intuition and guesswork. Timing, it’s often assumed, is an art. In When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing, Pink shows that timing is really a science. He distills cutting-edge research and data on timing and synthesizes them into a fascinating, readable narrative packed with irresistable stories and practical takeaways that give readers compelling insights into how we can live richer, more engaged lives.

A collection of writings, reflections, and interviews from political philosopher and critical theorist Brad Evans, written between 2019 and 2017. Evans collaborates with and interviews Simon Critchley, Julian Reid, Adrian Parr, Henry Giroux, Grace Pollock, Tyler Pollard, and Victoria Harper in his considerations of our era of violence and confusion. Brad Evans has studied and written about the history of violence for years and has been collaborating with and interviewing the world’s greatest artists, humanists and philosophers about the human propensity for violence.

Heavy - An American Memoir By Kiese Laymon

The One Thing - The Suprisingly Simple Truth Behind Extraordinary Results By Gary Keller

In Heavy, Kiese Laymon writes eloquently and honestly about growing up a hard-headed black son to a complicated and brilliant black mother in Jackson, Mississippi. From his early experiences of sexual violence, to his suspension from college, to his trek to New York as a young college professor, Laymon charts his complex relationship with his mother, grandmother, anorexia, sex, writing, and ultimately gambling. By attempting to name secrets and lies he and his mother spent a lifetime avoiding, Laymon asks himself, his mother, his nation, and us to confront the terrifying possibility that few in this nation actually know how to responsibly love, and even fewer want to live under the weight of actually becoming free.

You want less. You want fewer distractions and less on your plate. The daily barrage of e-mails, texts, tweets, messages, and meetings distract you and stress you out. The simultaneous demands of work and family are taking a toll. And what’s the cost? Secondrate work, missed deadlines, smaller paychecks, fewer promotions -- and lots of stress. And you want more. You want more productivity from your work. More income for a better lifestyle. You want more satisfaction from life, and more time for yourself and your family, and your friends. Now you can have both -- less and more. In The One Thing, you’ll learn to, cut through the clutter, achieve better results in less time, build momentum toward your goal, dial down the stress, stay on track and master the one thing that delivers results. What is your one thing?

The Columbus Dayton African American • March 2019 The Columbus African &American News Journal • February 2015

The Columbus African & Dayton African American • March 2019 2015 American News Journal • February

POLITICS

BLACK WOMEN MAKE HISTORY IN CHICAGO MAYORAL ELECTION

Photos by Chicago Tribune

By Steven Shepard Chicago voters will elect the city’s first African American woman mayor later this spring, and they won’t be returning a Daley to City Hall. None of the 14 candidates on the ballot came remotely close to winning a majority of the vote in the nonpartisan election on Tuesday, but the results set up a historic matchup in the April 2 runoff between first-time candidate Lori Lightfoot and Toni Preckwinkle, the president of the Cook County Board. Bill Daley — the former Obama White House chief of staff and Clinton-era Commerce secretary whose family had won 12 of the past 17 mayoral elections in Chicago — finished a disappointing third, just behind Preckwinkle for the second spot in the runoff. “Chicago is a part of me,” Daley tweeted. “It always will be. While I may not be its next mayor, I won’t stop fighting to move our city forward.“ Illinois state Comptroller Susana Mendoza, seen as an early contender, flamed out and finished fifth, just behind businessman Willie Wilson, who followed up a losing campaign for mayor in 2015 with a fruitless bid for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2016. Tuesday’s vote came after a nearly six-month campaign that began in earnest when Mayor Rahm Emanuel, who was first elected in 2011, announced in September he would not seek a third term leading the nation’s thirdlargest city. That led to the most wide-open mayor’s race in the city’s modern political history. The next occupant of the “fifth floor,” a nickname for the mayor’s office based on its placement in City Hall, will confront a declining-but-stillhigh murder rate, recent instances of police misconduct, political corruption and unequal economic growth across the city.

Daley, Preckwinkle and Mendoza were the biggest names to enter the race. Daley, the son and brother of former mayors, raised a staggering $8.3 million for the campaign, more than twice the haul of any other individual candidate. Preckwinkle brought in $4.6 million, with $2 million coming from Service Employees International Union, the labor union. She was also backed by the city’s teachers’ union. Lightfoot, by contrast, raised only $1.5 million, including $267,000 of self-funding. A late attack from Preckwinkle’s campaign — her then-campaign manager, Scott Cisek, used a photo of Nazis on trial at Nuremberg to attack Lightfoot — may have boosted Lightfoot. Preckwinkle fired Cisek, saying the post “was unconscionable and showed insensitivity to the issue of anti-Semitism.” Lightfoot positioned herself as a political outsider in her first-ever campaign, having spent her early years as a federal prosecutor and City Hall aide. But after a decade in private practice, she returned to government after being appointed by Emanuel as a police watchdog, including leading a task force after the murder of Laquan McDonald, who was shot and killed by Jason Van Dyke, a white Chicago police officer. She leaned into her outsider credentials, saying in her campaign’s TV ad that her opponents were “all tied to the same broken Chicago machine.” She was endorsed by the Chicago Sun-Times, with the paper’s traditionally liberal editorial board calling her “beholden to pretty much nobody — except you.” Preckwinkle will enter the runoff hobbled by a bruising campaign, but not defeated. She was dogged by charges that she mishandled sexual harassment allegations against her then-chief of staff in 2018. Then she fired her campaign manager in the race’s final week following the Nuremberg post.

The Columbus African American News Journal • February 2015

But Preckwinkle remains a powerful political force. In addition to her post as county board chair, she also leads the Cook County Democratic Party. Her union support bolsters a ground game that could be an asset in the April runoff. Daley’s third-place finish, meanwhile, marked a stunning rejection of the scion of Chicago’s preeminent political dynasty. While polls showed Daley could struggle to amass an electoral majority in the April runoff, he was widely expected to finish in the top two on Tuesday, thanks for overwhelming name ID and a massive war chest. Daley’s father, Richard J. Daley, was elected six times as mayor before dying in office in 1976. Richard M. Daley, the 2019 candidate’s brother, then served six terms, starting in 1989 before leaving office in 2011. Voters splintered beyond the top five candidates, who combined for roughly twothirds of the votes cast. In sixth place was Amara Enyia, an activist who had the support of two notable Chicago musicians: Kanye West and Chance the Rapper. Two former Chicago Public Schools chiefs, Gery Chico and Paul Vallas, finished eighth and ninth, respectively. Garry McCarthy, the former city police superintendent fired by Emanuel during the Laquan McDonald scandal, finished tenth. A Lightfoot-Preckwinkle runoff will produce the city’s first black woman mayor. The city has had one woman mayor: Jane Byrne, who served one term from 1979 to 1983. Byrne was ousted by Harold Washington, who became Chicago’s first black mayor in 1983. Eugene Sawyer became the city’s second African-American mayor, serving as acting mayor after Washington’s death in 1987. Steven Shepard is editor for The POLITICO Caucus and chief polling analyst for POLITICO. Article from Politico.com

The Columbus & Dayton African American • March 2019

POLITICS

“I HAVE THE GAVEL”: MAXINE WATERS LAYS OUT AN AGGRESSIVE AGENDA AT THE HOUSE FINANCIAL SERVICES COMMITTEE By Emily Stewart The California Congress member is about to make a lot of powerful people — from the White House to the banking industry — uncomfortable. The way Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA) sees it, the banking industry has gotten a free ride for far too long. As the new chair of the House Financial Services Committee, she’s ready to bring in Wells Fargo executives for questioning, scrutinize what Mick Mulvaney did as leader of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and create a subcommittee on discrimination to make sure the lending industry playing field is level. She is going to make a lot of powerful people uncomfortable. “This was known as the juice committee. There is no more juice in this committee,” Waters said in a speech at the Center for American Progress Action Fund on Wednesday, her first policy address as committee chair. So-called “juice committees” are generally ones that oversee lucrative industries and are seen as desirable to members because they’re a good platform for fundraising from those industries. But Waters made it clear the committee is now about oversight. “The time for accountability for his actions is about to begin,” Waters said at CAP on Wednesday, referring to Mulvaney, now Trump’s acting chief of staff and Office of Management and Budget director. Consumer protection isn’t the sexiest of issues, but it’s one that affects literally everyone’s life — from credit cards to mortgages to student loans. And this administration has demonstrated a clear industry bent, watering down rules that would curtail predatory payday lenders, dismantling financial protections for the military, and taking an overall more pro-Wall Street stance. Waters may be able to use the spotlight on her to draw attention to that. Waters said on Wednesday she wasn’t relying on the Trump administration “for much of anything.” She said she was open to working with Republicans — to a point. “I will work with those on the opposite side of the aisle who want to work on issues that we are alluding to,” she said, “but, of course, if they don’t, I have the gavel.” The Trump administration has done a lot of damage at the CFPB. Waters will try to stop some of the bleeding. Waters is a 15-term House member who represents California’s 43rd Congressional District, which covers part of Los Angeles. She’s been on the Financial Services Committee since 1991, serving as ranking member or chair of every subcommittee under its jurisdiction since 1995, and will now be the first woman and first African American to lead the committee. In a letter to colleagues after the 2018 midterms, Waters laid out her plans if chosen to chair the Financial Services Committee.

“I will prioritize protecting consumers and investors from abusive financial practices,” she wrote. One main area of focus: the CFPB, the agency created under the Dodd-Frank financial reform and brainchild of Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) to focus on protecting consumers from financial fraud and abuse. Under its first director, Richard Cordray, the bureau by its own tally handled more than 1.2 million consumer complaints and brought about nearly $12 billion in relief for harmed consumers. Under Mulvaney, who took over as acting director of the bureau in November 2017 until the permanent director, Kathy Kraninger, was confirmed last month, the bureau’s activities have been curbed significantly. Mulvaney relaxed restrictions on often predatory payday lenders, disbanded advisory groups to the bureau, stripped the enforcement powers of an office meant to look out for discrimination, and weakened financial protections for the military. Mulvaney may no longer be in charge of the CFPB, but Waters intends to continue to dig into his activities. In December, Waters sent a letter to Mulvaney informing him she may ask him to testify on the CFPB’s activities under his watch. She has also put Kraninger on notice, upon her confirmation calling on her to roll back “the anti-consumer actions taken by her predecessor.” “We will be doing all of the work that needs to be done,” Waters told me in an interview last December. In her interactions with the CFPB, Waters could take a page out of the playbook of her Republican predecessor on the Financial Services Committee, retiring Rep. Jeb Hensarling (R-TX), who had an adversarial relationship with Cordray. Hensarling criticized the CFPB as a “rogue agency” and accused Cordray of abusing his authority — a critique often issued by Republicans against the CFPB. “He certainly set a precedent for requiring a lot of information from the bureau and scrutiny of what is going on,” Lauren

The Columbus & Dayton African American • March 2019

Saunders, the associate director of the National Consumer Law Center, told me. “The key difference is that Congresswoman Waters is not fundamentally hostile to the mission of the agency.” Waters told me that she didn’t plan to call Kraninger to Congress “just to beat up on her,” but she plans to stay in contact. “We’re going to act in a very responsible way,” she said. “We’re not going to just retaliate, but we’re going to be extremely responsible.” Waters plans to dig in on some of the bad actors Wells Fargo has been the subject of a series of scandals in recent years, including employees creating millions of fake accounts for unknowing consumers and charging people for car insurance they didn’t need. It is now under special restrictions by the Federal Reserve, and in April, the CFPB hit it with a $1 billion fine. Waters, who in 2017 issued a 38-page report on Wells Fargo and called for it to be shut down entirely, still isn’t satisfied with the troubled megabank’s progress. “It seems as if they can’t get their act together,” she said. Waters plans to meet with Wells Fargo CEO Timothy Sloan to “see what he has to say about the abuses that have been documented,” assuming he “knows where the bodies are buried.” In her letter to colleagues, she also called out Equifax, the credit reporting firm that compromised the personal data of some 150 million people in 2017. In her policy address at CAP, she said that it was “absolutely critical for Congress to reform the nation’s credit reporting system” in the wake of the data leak. Waters has proposed legislation related to both — she introduced the Comprehensive Consumer Credit Reporting Reform Act and the Megabank Accountability and Consequences Act last Congress. The ability to generate headlines matters Waters’s power over companies and regulators may not be so much in legislation as it will be in calling attention to them and getting them into the headlines. While she will be able to pass legislation out of

The Columbus African American News Journal • February 2015

POLITICS

the House Financial Services Committee and, potentially, the House, a Republicancontrolled Senate isn’t likely to take up many Democratic-led bills. That doesn’t mean her activities won’t matter. “People overestimate hard power and underestimate soft power,” Aaron Klein, a fellow in economic studies at the Brookings Institution and former Treasury Department aide, said. “Is there a hard power thing they can do? Not directly. Is there pressure they can put on a regulator? Absolutely.” One regulator Waters could target: Comptroller of the Currency Joseph Otting, who supervises and regulates national banks. He is currently involved in an overhaul of the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA), a 1977 law meant to encourage banks to meet the credit needs of all communities, including low- and middle-income areas. Democrats have expressed concerns that efforts to modernize the CRA will make it easier for lenders to use discriminatory practices, especially after Otting said in June during a House Financial Services Committee hearing that he had “never personally observed” discrimination. Waters has said she supports efforts to “reform” the CRA’s regulatory framework but expressed “great concern” about what she sees as the OCC’s decision to “relax its enforcement” of the CRA. She will have the opportunity to press Otting for more details on his plans. “We would expect there to be some questions in terms of are the proposed changes to the CRA consistent with the purpose of the CRA, and, if not, why are we going in these directions?” Yana Miles, who was then senior legislative counsel at the Center for Responsible Lending, said in a December interview. On Thursday, she started as senior counsel for the House Financial Services Committee. And the more time regulators have to spend preparing for hearings or documentation to send to Congress, the less time they have for their other work — in other words, in just asking for information, Waters will be able to slow down the Trump administration’s deregulatory agenda. She will also be able to signal values and push oversight in other ways, like with the subcommittees she creates. On that front, she plans to put together a subcommittee on diversity and inclusion, which will be

formally established when committee rules are established in the new Congress. “We believe that not only are we going to be able to define very clearly for everybody where there is discrimination but also have recommendations and try to work with all of the entities that are involved to eliminate it,” Waters said. Waters has a reputation for being able to work across the aisle While Waters has in recent months come into the spotlight over her fierce opposition to Trump, on Capitol Hill, she also has a reputation as someone who can work across the aisle to push legislative priorities. “I have dealt with her enough on issues to understand that she can see the whole picture,” Rep. Frank Lucas (R-OK) told Politico in October. “It is possible to negotiate with her and she’ll keep her word.” During the last Congress, for example, Waters and Hensarling put together the JOBS Act 3.0, a package of 32 financial regulatory proposals including changes to credit access, investment disclosures, and capital raising. (The bill went nowhere in the Senate.) As the Wall Street Journal notes, she also compromised with Hensarling on extending “business-friendly programs” like the National Flood Insurance Program and the Export-Import Bank. “If you go on a scale of pragmatic to ideological, Hensarling would have been very high on the ideological scale, Waters less so,” Ian Katz, an analyst at the Washington research firm Capital Alpha Partners, told me. “She’s not as ideological on legislation as Hensarling was.” Waters says she wants to “work at” finding areas of legislative compromise with Republicans. She plans to reintroduce the Promoting Transparent Standards for Corporate Insiders Act with House Financial Services Committee ranking member Patrick McHenry (R-NC). The bill would require the Securities and Exchange Commission to study proposals to change industry rules governing how insiders of publicly traded companies buy and sell company shares. Still, she is critical of some members of the party for expressing outward skepticism of the government’s decision to bail out the banks during the financial crisis while simultaneously supporting some of the

deregulation that led to the crisis in the first place. “It surprises you to see how much they support them and some of the attempts to allow the banks to do things that are not in the best interests of the very people that they should be serving,” she said in December. Waters could also potentially tee up legislation that, while perhaps not viable in the current Congress, could be ready to go if and when Democrats control the Senate and/ or White House. That’s what happened with the Credit CARD Act of 2009, which enacted reforms on the credit industry. President Barack Obama signed it into law soon after he was inaugurated, even though the original work on it was undertaken while President George W. Bush was still in office. Waters is also not, by definition, adversarial to the financial services industry. “Folks on the industry side that are feeling angsty might be pleasantly surprised,” Miles said. The wild card: Waters versus Trump While Waters may be able to find some areas of overlap with Republicans in Congress, Democrats’ adversarial relationship with Trump may make things more difficult. “The corrosiveness of Trump is a deep challenge,” Klein, from the Brookings Institution, said. And there is no sign that Waters plans to back down. Waters has downplayed speculation that she will push for investigations into Trump’s finances or issue the Deutsche Bank subpoenas she called on Hensarling to send out in 2017. But when it comes to the president, she does not mince words — the above tweet is pinned to the top of her Twitter profile, and she and the president often exchange barbs. She also has no problem criticizing Trump when it comes to his approach to consumer protections. “I believe that the president of the United States not only does not provide any leadership [in this area], but this is not something that he cares about. It appears his past business practices as such are that he will take advantage of anything and anybody that he possibly can,” Waters said. She pointed to the example of the now-defunct Trump University, which earlier this year reached a $25 million settlement after thousands of students claimed they were defrauded. Waters is in a bit of a predicament in terms of Trump: His attacks on her — and her rebuttals — have led to a lot of speculation on what she might do in terms of getting information about his finances as House Financial Services Committee chair. It might overshadow the rest of her agenda, but it also gives her a bigger platform to draw attention to other issues, including consumer ones. Waters also reflected on why she thinks she’s been able to get under Trump’s skin in ways others have not. “The audacity of this African-American woman to challenge the president of the United States certainly did not sit well with him,” she said. Emily Stewart is a staff writer with Vox.com. A graduate of Columbia University in New York, she covers politics and business news. Story from www.Vox.com

The Columbus Dayton African American • March 2019 The Columbus African &American News Journal • February 2015

BUSINESS WOMEN, MONEY AND POWER By Darren Lundy, MBA Whether single, married, widowed or divorced, women seek ways to empower themselves and each other. This is especially true for finances and retirement planning. Women are taking ownership of money matter by asking tough questions and making informed choices that are best for their situation. They are also navigating an industry that just a few decades ago was almost exclusively run by – and dealt primarily with – men. This shift leaves a lot to be explored as women and men approach, experience, and manage money differently. The insurance and financial services industry must embrace this new reality and get to know women as the financial powerhouses, decision-makers, business owners, executives and empowered consumers they are. Women are financial powerhouses In two-parent households, 63 percent of mothers work outside the home – with a majority of that group working full time. According to a 2015 study, 42 percent of mothers are the primary breadwinner – continuing an upward trend over previous years.

Bone up on the basics.

Start investing in stocks.

Two excellent books are Carrie SchwabPomerantz’s The Charles Schwab Guide to Finances After Fifty and Jonathan Clements Money Guide. Online, visit The National Endowment for Financial Education’s SmartAboutMoney.org, whose free guides explain stocks, bonds and mutual funds. Two good money sites oriented toward women: DailyWorth.com and LearnVest.com. Also, check out WiserWomen.org from the nonprofit Women’s Institute for a Secure Retirement, especially its Investment 101 tutorial.

The best way is through a diversified portfolio. Sitting down with a financial advisor to discuss your options for participating in the stock market. You might want to join the National Association of Investors Corp. to learn more about the stock market through online classes, webinars and research reports. Contribute to an Individual Retirement Account (IRA).

This is a retirement plan, sold by banks, brokers and mutual funds, whose earnings Get a snapshot of your spending. grow tax-deferred. In 2019, the maximum contribution for traditional or Roth IRAs is Sites like Mint.com and YouNeedABudget. $7,000 if you’re age 50 or older. com help you track your personal finances and discover ways to save. If you’re self-employed, set up a selfemployment retirement plan. Build you a living fund. The self-employed can contribute to SEPMost advisers suggest you set aside six IRAs, putting in up to $56,000 in 2019. Two months of living expenses; if you can other alternatives are the Solo 401(k), which gradually build up to a year’s worth, do so. also has a $56,000 maximum this year, and A money market account or a bank savings the SIMPLE IRA, with a $16,000 limit for account are smart, safe places to begin people 50 and older. stockpiling this money. Estimate how much money you’ll need in Focus on paying down debts. retirement.

Whittle down high-interest credit card debts, This is one of the most important things you college loans, and car loans. You might begin can do to effectively plan for retirement. It is by paying off the smallest balance first, for a extremely difficult to hit an unknown target. Women are the majority in the U.S. and sense of accomplishment. already control approximately 51 percent of Start a money book club or a money-circle Give yourself an insurance checkup. the country’s wealth. discussion group. Women are financial decision-makers

In fact, in a 2014 study of women between the age of 25 and 70, only 4 percent of women indicated they were not involved in financial decisions.

If you still have dependent children, consider buying a term life insurance policy. In your 50’s, you may also want to research long-term care insurance policies. Also, review your needs for disability and liability insurance.

Vast majority of women likely to manage Take advantage of your employer’s 401(k) all household finances or similar retirement plan. Between women’s growing influence in the U.S. workforce and living longer on average Invest enough to qualify for the full match than their male counterparts, 90 percent of (what your employer kicks in). Why refuse all women will be solely responsible for their free money? household’s financial well-being; in addition Set an annual target savings amount. to singleness, divorce, widowhood, or simply by choice. Ideally, you should save at least 15 percent of your salary every year, which includes any We all have a responsibility employer match. Statistics paint a clear picture and now more than ever it is important for women to embrace financial responsibility and be empowered consumers. Women play an undeniably important role in the financial health of the household and economy. Any effort to better understand and serve women would obviously be time very well spent. In that context, the following checklist has been recommended to assist women in how to get started investing and managing finances.

A club can motivate you to read useful books you might never have picked up on your own. A money-circle group lets you and your friends hold regular conversations about finances and help keep you accountable. As times continue to change, more and more women are becoming financial powerhouses, decision-makers, business owners, executives and empowered consumers. The insurance and financial services industry are changing to better accommodate this new reality. Women must continue to take advantage of the many tools and resources available to assist with these changing times. Give us a call for a complimentary consultation.

Start learning about investing in the stock Darren is a Columbus, Ohio native who has market. earned degrees in Business, Accounting, and an MBA. He has over twenty-five (25) Over the long haul, stocks have outperformed years’ experience in financial services. The bonds, bank savings accounts and CDs. A Ohio Company, First Union Securities, and general guideline: for retirement savings, take Merrill Lynch were instrumental in his career 100 and subtract your age for the percentage prior to starting his own Wealth Management of your portfolio to hold in stocks. If you’re Firm, Money Consciousness LLC, (614) He holds his Series 65 and Life 55, you’d want 45 percent in stocks. As you 776-4311. and Health licenses. Investment advisory get older, gradually shift toward a higher services are offered through Foundations concentration in safer bonds. Advisors, LLC an SEC registered investment advisor.

The Columbus & Dayton African American • March 2019

The Columbus African American News Journal • February 2015

BUSINESS

USING YOUR TECHNOLOGIES THAT YOU HAVE By Cecil Jones, MBA Do you have a cell phone? Do you have a laptop, PC or tablet? Are you a student? Are you in the work place? Do you have a business? Are you retired and want to take advantage of the technology that you have for discounted purchases? If you answered yes to at least two of those, please take advantage of the technology that you have. Additionally, there is free (or very inexpensive) software which you should consider. Let’s start with protecting yourself (and others) and move forward to projecting yourself and others. individuals, of course. Business want their First Steps – Basic Defense – Protect names and products and services in front of Yourself all potential customers. However, few small business utilize social media effectively. Before you connect to any website from your Basic tips for small businesses include: PC or make a call on your phone, protect yourself and others with whom you are in - Use the social media audience that is right touch with, electronically for your business. That is, use the social media which your customers are using. - Download the latest security patches from Windows, Apple, your cell phone provider, - Include pictures of happy customer situation and any other technology that you use. These (just finished paving the customer’s driveway, patches are free. cutting their lawn, whatever your business is). - Install security software on your PC/ laptop/tablet. There are packages for less than $50 and many for free. The good, free ones include Avast, AVG Antivirus, Avira Antivirus and others. See https://www.avg. com/en/signal/best-free-antivirus-software for additional free recommendations.

place of employment? Most organizations have a policy. Know your organization’s posting policy for their employees. - Some employers’ policy include that you do not include a lot about what you do, other than your title. Competitors can pick up on what your company is planning to market. Competitors can quickly understand your key procedures if you post them. - Use a planned approach to using social media. For example, if you have received a lot of awards, those may be key items to include in LinkedIn.

- Include Hashtags when you post online, so that posting is searchable by whatever words - Enter your name and city into a browser, from time to time. See what is out there that you included after the hashtag. the public is seeing. - Ensure you have a decent website. You can build one yourself for less than $100 per year. Good Luck!

- Include words that describe all of your products, on your website or social media. This helps your website appear more often when customers are searching online. If you are a flower shop, don’t just include “flowers’ in your product list on your website. What types of flowers? What situations would I purchase your product (holidays, birthdays, - Again, avoid websites that are not celebrations, office gatherings, etc.). Include appropriate for you. Appropriateness includes those words and images on your website. age appropriate, values appropriate (would you proudly tell your parents and friends - Look at the major, inexpensive platforms that you frequent that website?), positive for selling online. Some small businesses appropriate (why even investigate ‘dark’ may say “I want customers to come to my websites?) location to buy my products and services.” That is fine. Your website and social media - Think twice before you click ‘Send’ or presence can be a visual online referral to get ‘Submit’. Once a message (or even an order customers to visit your location. for a product that you are not proud of) leaves your device, if you are hacked or the person/ - How are you tracking and contacting company that you sent the communication customers? Constant Contant? Excel? Your to is hacked, your information may go email address book? Google Analytics? anywhere, included being posted on any social media site. Individuals Next Step – Project Yourself - Think about the social media and apps that you currently use. Is it only Facebook? Businesses Consider other platforms: Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, etc. Keep posting positive with It is amazing that many small businesses information from which others can benefit. do not utilize the primary social media that is available. Businesses are different than - What is the social media policy at your - Avoid strange and unusual websites. This includes website that go against your values and websites that want to give you something for free. Free software is not always free of viruses and malware. Some of them target your device as soon as you connect to them.

Get started! If you have any questions, just email admin@accelerationservices.net. What new technology, processes and devices are you using? Help Us to Help You 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. People, Process and Technology 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. admin@accelerationservices.net Cecil Jones MBA, ABD, PMP, CCP, SCPM, FLMI, Lean Professional, 614-726-1925.

The Columbus Dayton African American • March 2019 The Columbus African &American News Journal • February 2015

HISTORY SYBIL EDWARDS-MCNABB: COLUMBUS AND OHIO CONFERENCE NAACP PRESIDENT By Rodney Blount, Jr., MA The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is an organization that is synonymous with civil rights and its fight against oppression. The organization is often seen at the forefront of movements of change and has played a key role in several landmark judicial, legislative and executive decisions. The NAACP has had hundreds of thousands of members over the years and there are NAACP units in virtually every state. However, several people do not know the history of the organization or about its leadership. This article will discuss the history and purpose of the NAACP and highlight Sybil Edwards-McNabb, a dynamic leader in the NAACP. In 1908, a lethal race riot transformed the city of Springfield, the capital of Illinois and resting place of President Abraham Lincoln. Unfortunately, the anti-black violence exhibited in Springfield, especially lynching, were commonplace, but the Springfield riot was the final tipping point that led to the creation of the NAACP. In response to the Springfield and other riots, a group of white men and women the Mary White Ovington and Oswald Garrison Villard (both the descendants of famous abolitionists), William English Walling and Dr. Henry Moscowitz issued a call for a meeting to discuss racial justice. Some 60 people, seven of whom were African American (including W. E. B. Du Bois, Ida B. Wells-Barnett, and Mary Church Terrell), signed the call, which was released on the centennial of Lincoln’s birth. “Echoing the focus of Du Bois’ Niagara Movement for civil rights, which began in 1905, the NAACP’s aimed to secure for all people the rights guaranteed in the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments to the United States Constitution, which promised an end to slavery, the equal protection of the law, and universal adult male suffrage, respectively. Accordingly, the NAACP’s mission was and is to ensure the political, educational, social and economic equality of minority group citizens of United States and eliminate race prejudice. The NAACP seeks to remove all barriers of racial discrimination through democratic processes.” The NAACP was founded on Feb. 12, 1909. W.E.B. DuBois was made director of publications and research and in 1910 established the official journal of the NAACP, The Crisis. The first Ohio unit of the NAACP was formed in Cleveland in 1912. In 1915, units of the NAACP were formed in Cincinnati, Columbus, Dayton, Springfield, and Toledo. During the next few years, 1916-1919, NAACP branches were established at Akron, Lorain, Oberlin, Wellsville, and Youngstown in northern Ohio. The Columbus, Ohio branch of the NAACP (Unit 3177) was organized on February 18, 1915 in the Spring Street Branch of the YMCA. One of the organization’s first actions was to lobby in support of the Beatty Civil Rights Bill. Later the organization revised its mission to maintain a vital and permanent presence

in the Columbus Community. The motto of the Columbus, Ohio branch of the NAACP, under the current administration is, “Agitate, Communicate, Educate, Organize, and Mobilize”. The Ohio Conference of Units of the NAACP has been a vital programmatic component of the NAACP for more than a century. The Ohio Conference has played a pivotal role in moving the agenda for freedom and equality forward under the leadership of dynamic State Conference Presidents, each of whom addressed critical issues during their tenure. Sybil Edwards-McNabb’s light shined brightly among the leaders of the Ohio Conference. Sybil T. Edwards-McNabb was born on August 10, 1942, to James and Margaret Edwards. She was one of ten siblings. Her family was among the first residents of Poindexter Village, the first public government housing complex in the United States. Ms. McNabb was one of seven original members of the Northside Church of God, founded by her mother, Rev. Margaret Edwards and later pastored by her sister Rev. E. L’Tanya Lemon. McNabb mentioned that her mother was “a stickler for correct speech. It was mandated that everyone in the family would stand and present their opinions on various issues.” She excelled as a student in the Columbus public school system, won a national debate award and graduated from East High School. McNabb attended Central State University a nd gr a dua te d f r om The Ohio Sta te University with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Social and Behavioral Science. Continuing her educational pursuit at the master’s level at Central Michigan University. Mrs. McNabb had a career in public service, culminating with over 25 years of service at the U.S. Department of Defense. Among her many community involvements, Mrs. McNabb served on the Executive Board of the Ohio Sickle Cell and Health Association; and past President of the Long Street Business Association. Sybil married Ronald B. McNabb, owner of the McNabb Funeral Home. The McNabb family ran the former McNabb Funeral Home on Long Street for several years and Sybil took an active interest in its affairs. Annie Womack, former CEO of the Long Street Business Association, said the McNabbs were among the state’s first African-American morticians. Edwards-McNabb, however, was best known for her passion for equal rights.

The Columbus African & Dayton African American - March 2019 2015 American News Journal • February

“She was very, very cognizant of people’s freedoms,” Womack said — especially voting. “She was at the forefront of making sure that rights were protected.” She was a lifelong activist and champion for the black community in Columbus and throughout the state. Edwards-McNabb led the local NAACP branch for many years and went on to become president of the Ohio conference NAACP, serving in that capacity for more than 14 years. She was very active in promoting the youth units, the ACT-SO program, voter outreach efforts, and fighting discrimination. When discussing the Ohio Conference, Edwards-McNabb commented, “The Ohio Conference NAACP has a rich history of empowering the disadvantaged in our community to enter the economic and social mainstream of our society. Our legacy includes the dedicated efforts of many supporters to help solve the problems we have faced along the way.” Edwards-McNabb received several awards including the Youth Empowerment Award from the Dayton Unit of the NAACP. Sybil T. Edwards-McNabb passed away on August 12, 2018. Her husband, daughter, grandsons, and other siblings survive her and cherish her memory. Two days prior, Edwards-McNabb had been with 22 family members at the McCormick & Schmick’s restaurant at Easton to celebrate her birthday, which was Aug. 10. “Everything on that day could not have been more perfect,” said Nadine Williams, her sister. In addition to her love of her family, her love for equal rights will be remembered. “She wanted to make sure that black people were always included in this city,” said Nana Watson, president of the NAACP Columbus branch. “It was not always an easy thing, but she handled it very gracefully. She was a soft-spoken person, but she could raise her voice when needed. “I would call Sybil Edwards-McNabb the civilrights warrior for Columbus and for the state of Ohio.” I encourage each reader to not only read more about Sybil Edwards-McNabb and the NAACP, but to use their stories as a motivator to become more active in civic engagement. It devolves upon each of us to go beyond our own comforts for the good of our communities. Works Cited https://www.naacp.org/ http://www.naacpcolumbus.org/history.html https://www.naacp-ohio.net/history-of-thenaacp-in-ohio/ https://naacpdayton.org/awards-%26-honors http://www.leadershipcolumbus.org/ graduates-2-2/ www.legacy.com https://issuu.com/urbantrendsetters/docs/ september_16thru31_2014_edition Columbus Dispatch Rodney Blount is an Educator and Historian. He received two Bachelor of Arts degrees from Ball State University and a Masters of Arts degree from The Ohio State University. His work has been featured in several publications. Rodney is a native of Columbus, Ohio and is a member of several organizations.

COMMUNITYEVENTS Columbus, Ohio March 7, 2019 Minority Health Month Kick-off April is Minority Health Month and the Ohio Commission on Minority Health would like for you to join them for their annual kick-off event. Hosted by Tracey Townsend from 10TV News, the event features free health screenings, line dancing, healthy foods and more. The kick-off is free and open to the public. Location: Verne Riffe Building - 3rd & 5th Floor Lobby Address: 77 S. High Street, 43215 Time: 9:00 AM - 2:00 PM Admission: Free Contact: www.MIH.Ohio.gov

March 14-16, 2019 Columbus Auto Show Are you looking for a new car? Attend the Columbus Auto Show to see the all of the new model year vehicles and future concept cars. For a list of participating vendors or for show times and discount tickets, visit the website below. Location: Columbus Convention Center Address: 400 N. High Street, 43215 Time: Times Vary Admission: $12 (at door), $10 (online), $6 (seniors) Contact: www.columbusautoshow.com

March 9, 2019 Columbus Urban League Networking Event Join the Columbus Urban League as the partner with the National Sales Network, a non-profit organization helps professionals with their sales skills. This networking event features live jazz, hor d’oeuvres, and more. Please bring new or slightly used men’s interview attire for donations to My Brother’s Closet.

March 16, 2019 Scholarship Brunch The speaker for the 21st Annual Kenneth L. Howard Endowed Scholarship Fund Brunch is Columbus native Brian Custer. The KLHESF Scholarship brunch is a twofold annual celebration of African American male achievement. First, we conduct a College Signing Program for seniors who have been in our Kappa League Program. Second, we offer scholarships to area students from the greater Columbus Area high schools. See the contact below for more an application and more information.

Location: CUL Huntington Empowerment Center Address: 780 Mt. Vernon Ave., 43203 Time: 4:00 PM - 7:00 PM Admission: Free Contact: www.CUL.org

Location: Columbus Africentric Early College Auditorium Address: 3223 Allegheny Ave, Columbus, OH 43209 Time: TBA Admission: Contact for more information Contact: 1chair@sbcglobal.net

March 10, 2019 Women of Color Reading Series Join us for a special reading session between Zora’s House and Scripted in Black. This event explores powerful, transparent, and raw words that depict the many layers of Black and Brown womanhood. Let the Women of the Wise take you on an exploration through curated performative reading followed by a Sisterchat! This event is exclusively for self-identified women of color. Please respect this request.

March 28, 2019 3rd Annual Natural Hair Workshop The 3rd Annual Natural Hair Workshop will be held at Columbus State Community College. This informative program will explore not just hair textures, but the history of the natural hair revolution and dive into the chemistry of hair & body care products. Participants will recieve free products and free food. For more information, send an email to bwelsh7@cscc.edu.

Location: Zora’s House Address: 1311 Summit St., 43201 Time: 5:00 PM - 7:30 PM Admission: $15 (Zora House Member), $20 (Non-Member) Contact: www.zorashouse.com March 13, 2019 HBCU College Tour Informational Meeting The Willie & Vivian Gaddis Foundation for KIDS will offer its Jump Start 4U College Tour this summer. The tour will take place June 9 - 14, 2019. The proposed itinerary includes the following universities: Dillard, Xavier, Southern, Tennesse State, Fisk, Alabama State and Tuskegee. This is an information session to learn more about the costs and details of the tour. Location: Shepard Library Address: 850 Nelson Rd., 43209 Time: 6:30 PM Admission: Free Contact: www.gaddis4kids.org

The Columbus African American News Journal • February 2015

Location: Columbus State Community College - Columbus Hall 111 Address: 291 Jefferson Ave, 43215 Time: 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM Admission: Free Contact: www.CSCC.edu/event/3094508 March 29, 2019 Congressman Elijah E. Cummings to Speak The Gloria S. Friend Christian Academy will host its 25th Annual Gala featuring Congressman Elijah E. Cummings as the keynote speaker. The academy prepares children academically, spiritually and culturally to be tomorrow’s leaders. For tickets or for more information, call 614-221-1518 or visit the website below. Location: First Church of God - Good Life Center Address: 3480 Refugee Rd, 43232 Time: 6:30 PM Admission: $60 or $750 per table of 10 Contact: www.gsfchristianacademy.org

The Columbus & Dayton African American - March 2019

COMMUNITYEVENTS Dayton, Ohio March 5, 2019 Charter Day Convocation - Central State University Central State University will celebrate its 132nd Charter Day with a special keynote presentation from Dr. Pamela Hodge ‘90, Epidemiologist with the State of Connecticut State Health Department. The university will also honor six alumni for the Achievement Hall of Fame. For more information, call 1-800388-2871 or visit the website below. Location: Central State University - Paul Robeson Cultural Center Address: 1400 Brush Row Rd., 45384 Time: 10:00 AM Admission: Free Web: www.CentralState.edu March 6, 2019 Ted Talks at Lunch The Dayton Metropolitan Library - Main Branch, would like to invite you to Ted Talks at Lunch. Participants will watch three curated Ted talks about poverty, racial injustice and other topics. Bring your own lunch. This event is free and open to the public. Location: Main Library - The Eichelberger Forum, 1st Floor Address: 215 E Third Street, 45402 Time: Noon - 1:00 PM Admission: Free Web: www.daytonmetrolibrary.org March 12, 2019 Women’s History Month - Wright State University Join the Office of Diversity at Wright State University as they celebrate Women’s History Month with a special viewing of The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks. As an African American woman, she becomes an unwitting pioneer for medical breakthroughs when her cells create the first immortal cell in the 1950s. This event is free and open to the public. Location: WSU - Millett Hall Atrium Address: 3640 Colonel Glenn Hwy., 45435 Time: Noon - 1:30 PM Admission: Free Web: www.wrightstate.edu/events

March 17, 2019 2019 STEM Hoopla Challenge Ready to shoot some hoops? Ready to learn something new? Is tinkering, building and creating something awesome your thing? Then this is the event for you. Bring your family to participate in an exciting and FREE basketball and educational event for boys and girls grades K-8. So play some B-ball while learning at the same time. Also enjoy free food, t-shirts, gift prizes and more. Please RSVP your attendance to 937-454-2010. Location: Chaminade Julienne High School Address: 505 S Ludlow St., 45402 Time: 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM Admission: Free Web: www.daytonhoopla.com March 22-23, 2019 Comedian John Witherspoon One of the most iconic comedians of our time, John Witherspoon will be in Dayton for two nights. He has appeared in over 30 movies including Friday, Next Friday and Friday After Next and on various sitcoms including The Wayans Brothers and Boondocks. For tickets or for more information, call 937-4295233. Location:The Funny Bone Address: 88 Plum Street, 45440 Time:Call for showtimes. Admission: Call for prices. Web: www.daytonfunnybone.com March 30, 2019 Black Unity Conference - Sinclair Community College The Sinclair Office of Diversity presents the Black Unity Conference featuring Dr. Julianna Malveaux, President of Bennett College (An HBCU in North Carolina). The topic is Racial and Cultural Economics. This event is free and open to the public. Location: Sinclair Community College - Great Hall Bdg. 12 Address: 444 W Third Street, 45402 Time: 8:00 AM Admission: Free Web: www.sinclair.edu/student-life/diversity-on-campus

March 12, 2019 Boys & Girls Club - Great Futures Breakfast Join the Boys & Girls Club of Dayton for their Great Futures Breakfast. During the event, the club will introduce the newly appointed Board Chair, Vice Chair and CEO, and share their three year strategic focus. For more information, visit the website below.

March 30, 2019 Wilberforce University Alumni Basketball Challenge Come out for the annual Basketball and Spirit Challenge during Wilberforce University’s Dawn Dance Weekend. Alumni (men & women) basketball players, cheerleaders, and Jazzers dust off their gear to show everyone they “Still Got Game!” For more information, visit the website below.

Location: PNC Arts Annex Address: 46 West 2nd Street, 45402 Time: 8:30 AM - 10:00 AM Admission: $45 Web: www.bgcdayton.org

Location: Wilberforce University Address: 1055 N Bickett Rd., 45385 Time: 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM Admission: Free Web: www.wilberforce.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 email us at editor@columbusafricanamerican.com. Submissions are due the last Friday of each month.

The Columbus African & Dayton African American • March 2019 2015 American News Journal • February

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