The Courier Eco Latino Newspaper 08-20-2020

The

Courier www.couriernews.org

S ERVING C OLUMBUS , F T. B ENNING , P HENIX C ITY & S URROUNDING A REAS

Inspirational-Informative-Empowering...Your Source For The Truth Vol. 15 Edition 26 Free Thursday August 20, 2020

A View From A Pew

Two Messages For Such A Time As This “They are counting on your cynicism” - President Barack Obama

“There is no vaccine for racism” - Vice Presidential Nominee Kamala Harris

“All Cried Out. Remembering My Friend Dr. BJ McBride

Page 3 Brother Love Continued

Understanding A Citizen’s Review Board With Subpeona Power Page 7 Columbus Cares

$34 Million Deadline To Apply Monday August 24, 2020 5PM Page 9

PAGE 5

AUGUST 20, 2020 Congratulations Davian According to the street committee arising cartoonist making a splash on the internet and on social media will now be a regular contributor to the pages of The Miami Times.

Davian Chester is a 27-year-old digital artist from Columbus, Georgia. He is the owner of Real Toons and is best known for illustrating the Black experience. He was labeled the "Juneteenth Guy" last year when his ìGoogle Doodleî commemorating June 19 went viral after the search engine behemoth failed to post one. His artwork has been featured in many shows as well as shared by celebrities and

news outlets.

Chester started drawing in elementary school but fell in love with digital art in high school. ìI had a 3.7 grade point average in school, but I always loved art,î he said. ìI didn’t play sports or go outside; I just stayed indoors and did my art.î He makes a living working with youth in an elementary school computer lab while freelancing as an artist. He’s working toward turning his talent into a full-time job. ìI definitely want to turn my passion for illustration, graphic design and animation into my day job,î said Chester. ìI want to own my own art gallery and studio someday as well.î Chester studied graphic design at Chattahoochee Valley Community College in Alabama and is otherwise self-taught. He is excited to bring his unique style and humor to South Florida readers.

The Courier Eco Latino Newspaper *Any editorial content are the views of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the views of this newspaper, publisher or staff” The Courier Eco Latino Newspaper 1300 Wynnton Rd Suite 104 Columbus, Georgia 3190 Phone: 706.225.0106 Mailing Address: P.O. Box 5747 Columbus, Ga 31906

Email: couriereconews@gmail.com Visit Us Online At: www.couriernews.org

Request for Proposals RFB No. 21-0009 COVID-19 Facility Decontamination Services/METRA (Annual Contract) Due: September 9, 2020 – 2:30 PM Heather Biddle, Buyer RFB No. 21-0005 Pest Control Services (Annual Contract) Due: September 2, 2020 – 2:30 PM Patti Postorino, Buyer Electronic responses must be submitted via DemandStar by the due date shown above. Specifications may be obtained by visiting the webpage of the Purchasing Division at , notifying the Buyer via email, faxing 706-225-3033, or telephoning 706-225-4087.

Andrea J. McCorvey Purchasing Division Manager

COURIER THURSDAY AUGUST 20, 2020

A VIEW FROM A PEW

3

All Cried Out..Remembering My Friend Dr. BJ McBride Every now and then someone comes along who makes everyone feel they are special. Every now and then we are reminded that it is ordinary people not just politicians, not just community leaders but ordinary people who make our community better. Dr. BJ McBride was one of them.

She was about her family, her church and be it as a teacher, Director of Guidance Services, assisting with the Key Club, Jack & Jill or the Beautillion Ball, BJ was always caring about the kids.

I met Bj McBride 29 years, 10 months and 20 days ago. It was Wednesday October 5, 1990, a day I will always remember and one we reminisced on often. You see that was the day I came to Columbus, Georgia as the Director of the A.J. McClung YMCA. As I pulled into the YMCA parking lot in a U-Haul with my Hyundai hitched to a trailer the first persons, I met were BJ Thomas, her future husband Andrew McBride and Debra Aldridge, They were sitting in the parking lot grilling and selling BBQ plates. From that day we remained close friends. It also didn’t hurt that we were both Capricorns, she born on December 24th and me December 27th.

I am one who firmly believes that God places people in your life for a Season, a Reason, or a Lifetime.

There is no doubt in my mind that He placed BJ McBride in my life for a reason. For those who truly know me, they know that I am an idea guy. Armed with only a deep belief and faith that “I know it will work”; I’ll wake up with an idea and run with it, without a plan, without a budget and regardless whether I have the expertise or know how to do it.

Early on BJ became my sounding board. She was that individual, that

one person who was able to bring my ideas to fruition by providing the details, ensuring always that whatever I put out to the community it was professionally orchestrated and classy.

Whether it was the YMCA’s 50 Most Influential African Americans of Columbus, Phenix City and Ft Benning, Awards, the Courier Eco Latino Newspaper ’s Community Service awards, the Who’s Who of African Americans and Hispanics in Columbus, Ft. Benning and Phenix City Awards or our most recent recognition, that was close to her heart The Courier Kids awards, she was always by my side taking charge at every event making sure everything went off without a hitch.

As I close I’m reminded of an excerpt from a poem written by Linda Ellis called “The Dash”.

“I read of a man who stood to speak at the funeral of a friend. He referred to the dates on the tombstone from the beginning to the end.

He noted that first came the date of birth and spoke of the following date with tears, but he said what mattered most of all was the dash between those years.

For that dash represents all the time they spent alive on earth and now only those who loved them know what that little line is worth.

For it matters not, how much we own, the cars, the house, the cash.

What matters is how we live and love and how we spend our dash.”

I will remember my friend BJ by how she spent her dash. Rest well my friend, until we meet again.

Wane A. Hailes

August 20, 2020

PAGE 4

F RIENDSHIP B APTIST C HURCH

831 6 TH AVE C OLUMBUS , G A

Early Worship 8am Breakfast 9am Sunday School 9:30 am Morning Worship 11am Wednesday Prayer Meeting/Bible Study 7pm Thursday Noon Bible Study 12 noon Sunday Child Day Care Services Available For Those Attending Our Worship WEBSITE : friendshipbchurch.org (O FFICE )706.323-6996 (FAX ) 706.322.7596 (PASTOR ’ S HOME )706.561.6733 friendshipbaptistcolumbus@gmail.com or friendshipbc@juno.com Transportation available, must contact church office by Friday at 12:00 noon.

R EV. D R . E MMETT S. A NITON , J R PASTOR

P ROGRESSIVE F UNERAL H OME Evergreen Covington, CEO

4236 St. Mary’s Road Columbus, Georgia

706.685.8023 evergreenfc@mediacombb.net

Metropolitan Baptist Church 1635 5th Avenue . Columbus, Georgia

706.322.1488 Service Sunday School 9:30 A.M Monday Night Tuesday Bible Study Pastor Curtis Crocker, Jr.

Schedule Sunday Worship 11:00 A.M Prayer 6:00 P.M 12:00 P.M & 5:30 P.M

Mission Statement A growing church for growing Christians attempting to grow the Kingdom, one soul at a time.

Fourth Street Missionary Baptist Church Corner of 3rd Avenue and 5th Street Rev. Dr. J.H. Flakes Jr. Way Columbus, Georgia 31901 706.324.2055 Rev. J.H. Flakes, III -Pastor Rev. Dr. J.H. Flakes, Jr. - Pastor Emeritus

COVER STORY

Page 5

President Barack Obama

“Good evening, everybody. As you've seen by now, this isn't a normal convention. It's not a normal time. So tonight, I want to talk as plainly as I can about the stakes in this election. Because what we do these next 76 days will echo through generations to come.

I'm in Philadelphia, where our Constitution was drafted and signed.

It wasn't a perfect document. It allowed for the inhumanity of slavery and failed to guarantee women -- and even men who didn't own property -- the right to participate in the political process.

But embedded in this document was a North Star that would guide future generations; a system of representative government -- a democracy -through which we could better realize our highest ideals. Through civil war and bitter struggles, we improved this Constitution to include the voices of those who'd once been left out.

And gradually, we made this country more just, more equal, and more free.

The one Constitutional office elected by all of the people is the presidency. So at minimum, we should expect a president to feel a sense of responsibility for the safety and welfare of all 330 million of us -- regardless of what we look like, how we worship, who we love, how much money we have -- or who we voted for.

But we should also expect a president to be the custodian of this democracy. We should expect that regardless of ego, ambition, or political beliefs, the president will preserve, protect, and defend the freedoms and ideals that so many Americans marched for and went to jail for; fought for and died for.

I have sat in the Oval Office with both of the men who are running for

president. I never expected that my successor would embrace my vision or continue my policies. I did hope, for the sake of our country, that Donald Trump might show some interest in taking the job seriously; that he might come to feel the weight of the office and discover some reverence for the democracy that had been placed in his care.

But he never did. For close to four years now, he's shown no interest in putting in the work; no interest in finding common ground; no interest in using the awesome power of his office to help anyone but himself and his friends; no interest in treating the presidency as anything but one more reality show that he can use to get the attention he craves.

Donald Trump hasn't grown into the job because he can't. And the consequences of that failure are severe.

170,000 Americans dead. Millions of jobs gone while those at the top take in more than ever. Our worst impulses unleashed, our proud reputation around the world badly diminished, and our democratic institutions threatened like never before.

Now, I know that in times as polarized as these, most of you have already made up your mind. But maybe you're still not sure which candidate you'll vote for -- or whether you'll vote at all. Maybe you're tired of the direction we're headed, but you can't see a better path yet, or you just don't know enough about the person who wants to lead us there.

So let me tell you about my friend Joe Biden.

Twelve years ago, when I began my search for a vice president, I didn't know I'd end up finding a brother.

Joe and I came from different places and different generations. But what I quickly came to admire about him is his resilience, born of too much struggle; his empathy, born of too much grief. Joe's a man who learned -- early on -- to treat every person he meets with respect and dignity, living by the words his parents taught him: "No one's better than you, Joe, but you're better than nobody."

That empathy, that decency, the belief that everybody counts -that's who Joe is.

See OBAMA Page 6

Thursday August 13, 2020

Vice Presidential Nominee Kamala Harris

“Greetings America.

It is truly an honor to be speaking with you.

That I am here tonight is a testament to the dedication of generations before me. Women and men who believed so fiercely in the promise of equality, liberty, and justice for all.

This week marks the 100th anniversary of the passage of the 19th Amendment. And we celebrate the women who fought for that right.

Yet so many of the Black women who helped secure that victory were still prohibited from voting, long after its ratification.

But they were undeterred.

Without fanfare or recognition, they organized, testified, rallied, marched and fought — not just for their vote, but for a seat at the table. These women and the generations that followed worked to make democracy and opportunity real in the lives of all of us who followed.

They paved the way for the trailblazing leadership of Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton.

And these women inspired us to pick up the torch — and fight on.

Women like Mary Church Terrell and Mary McCleod Bethune. Fannie Lou Hamer and Diane Nash. Constance Baker Motley and Shirley Chisholm.

She taught us to put family first — the family you’re born into and the family you choose.

Family is my husband Doug, who I met on a blind date set up by my best friend. Family is our beautiful children, Cole and Ella, who as you just heard, call me Momala. Family is my sister. Family is my best friend, my nieces and my godchildren. Family is my uncles, my aunts and my chithis.

Family is Mrs. Shelton — my second

mother who lived two doors down and helped raise me. Family is my beloved Alpha Kappa Alpha … our Divine 9 … and my H.B.C.U. brothers and sisters. Family is the friends I turned to when my mother — the most important person in my life — passed away from cancer.

And even as she taught us to keep our family at the center of our world, she also pushed us to see a world beyond ourselves.

She taught us to be conscious and compassionate about the struggles of all people. To believe public service is a noble cause and the fight for justice is a shared responsibility.

That led me to become a lawyer, a district attorney, attorney general and a United States Senator.

And at every step of the way, I’ve been guided by the words I spoke from the first time I stood in a courtroom: Kamala Harris, for the people.

I’ve fought for children and survivors of sexual assault. I’ve fought against transnational gangs. I took on the biggest banks and helped take down one of the biggest for-profit colleges.

I know a predator when I see one.

My mother taught me that service to others gives life purpose and meaning. And oh, how I wish she were here tonight but I know she’s looking down on me from above. I keep thinking about that 25-year-old Indian woman — all of five feet tall — who gave birth to me at Kaiser Hospital in Oakland, California.

On that day, she probably could have never imagined that I would be standing before you now speaking these words: I accept your nomination for vice president of the United States of America.

I do so, committed to the values she taught me. To the word that teaches me to walk by faith, and not by sight. And to a vision passed on through generations of Americans — one that Joe Biden shares. A vision of our nation as a beloved community — where all are welcome, no matter what we look like, where we come from or who we love.

A country where we may not agree on every detail, but we are united by the fundamental belief that every See Harris Page 6

COVER STORY CONTINUED...

Page 6

President Barack Obama When he talks with someone who's lost her job, Joe remembers the night his father sat him down to say that he'd lost his.

When Joe listens to a parent who's trying to hold it all together right now, he does it as the single dad who took the train back to Wilmington each and every night so he could tuck his kids into bed.

When he meets with military families who've lost their hero, he does it as a kindred spirit; the parent of an American soldier; somebody whose faith has endured the hardest loss there is.

For eight years, Joe was the last one in the room whenever I faced a big decision. He made me a better president -- and he's got the character and the experience to make us a better country.

And in my friend Kamala Harris, he's chosen an ideal partner who's more than prepared for the job; someone who knows what it's like to overcome barriers and who's made a career fighting to help others live out their own American dream.

Along with the experience needed to get things done, Joe and Kamala have concrete policies that will turn their vision of a better, fairer, stronger country into reality.

They'll get this pandemic under control, like Joe did when he helped me manage H1N1 and prevent an Ebola outbreak from reaching our shores.

They'll expand health care to more Americans, like Joe and I did ten years ago when he helped craft the Affordable Care Act and nail down the votes to make it the law.

They'll rescue the economy, like Joe helped me do after the Great Recession. I asked him to manage the Recovery Act, which jumpstarted the longest stretch of job growth in history. And he sees this moment now not as a chance to get back to where we were, but to make long-overdue changes so that our economy actually makes life a little easier for everybody -- whether it's the waitress trying to raise a kid on her own, or the shift worker always on the edge of getting laid off, or the student figuring out how to pay for next semester's classes.

Joe and Kamala will restore our

standing in the world -- and as we've learned from this pandemic, that matters. Joe knows the world, and the world knows him. He knows that our true strength comes from setting an example the world wants to follow. A nation that stands with democracy, not dictators. A nation that can inspire and mobilize others to overcome threats like climate change, terrorism, poverty, and disease.

But more than anything, what I know about Joe and Kamala is that they actually care about every American.

And they care deeply about this democracy.

They believe that in a democracy, the right to vote is sacred, and we should be making it easier for people to cast their ballot, not harder.

They believe that no one -- including the president -- is above the law, and that no public official -- including the president -- should use their office to enrich themselves or their supporters.

They understand that in this democracy, the Commander-in-Chief doesn't use the men and women of our military, who are willing to risk everything to protect our nation, as political props to deploy against peaceful protesters on our own soil. They understand that political opponents aren't "un-American" just because they disagree with you; that a free press isn't the "enemy" but the way we hold officials accountable; that our ability to work together to solve big problems like a pandemic depends on a fidelity to facts and science and logic and not just making stuff up.

None of this should be controversial. These shouldn't be Republican principles or Democratic principles.

They're American principles. But at this moment, this president and those who enable him, have shown they don't believe in these things.

Tonight, I am asking you to believe in Joe and Kamala's ability to lead this country out of these dark times and build it back better. But here's the thing: no single American can fix this country alone. Not even a president. Democracy was never meant to be transactional -- you give me your vote; I make everything better. It requires an active and informed citizenry. So I am also asking See OBAMA Page 8

Thursday August 20, 2020

Vice Presidential Nominee Kamala Harris Today … that country feels distant.

Donald Trump’s failure of leadership has cost lives and livelihoods.

If you’re a parent struggling with your child’s remote learning, or you’re a teacher struggling on the other side of that screen, you know that what we’re doing right now isn’t working.

And we are a nation that’s grieving.

Grieving the loss of life, the loss of jobs, the loss of opportunities, the loss of normalcy and, yes, the loss of certainty.

And while this virus touches us all, let’s be honest, it is not an equal opportunity offender. Black, Latino and Indigenous people are suffering and dying disproportionately.

This is not a coincidence. It is the effect of structural racism.

Of inequities in education and technology, health care and housing, job security and transportation.

The injustice in reproductive and maternal health care. In the excessive use of force by police. And in our broader criminal justice system.

This virus has no eyes, and yet it knows exactly how we see each other — and how we treat each other.

And let’s be clear — there is no vaccine for racism. We’ve gotta do the work.

For George Floyd. For Breonna Taylor.

For the lives of too many others to name. For our children. For all of us.

We’ve gotta do the work to fulfill that promise of equal justice under law. Because none of us are free … until all of us are free …

We’re at an inflection point.

The constant chaos leaves us adrift.

The incompetence makes us feel afraid. The callousness makes us feel alone.

It’s a lot.

And here’s the thing: We can do better and deserve so much more.

We must elect a president who will bring something different, something better and do the important work. A president who will bring all of us together — Black, White, Latino, Asian, Indigenous — to achieve the future we collectively want.

We must elect Joe Biden.

I knew Joe as vice president. I knew Joe on the campaign trail. But I first got to know Joe as the father of my friend.

Joe’s son, Beau, and I served as attorneys general of our states — Delaware and California. During the Great Recession, we spoke on the phone nearly every day, working together to win back billions of dollars for homeowners from the big banks that foreclosed on people’s homes.

And Beau and I would talk about his family.

How, as a single father, Joe would spend four hours every day riding the train back and forth from Wilmington to Washington. Beau and Hunter got to have breakfast every morning with their dad. They went to sleep every night with the sound of his voice reading bedtime stories. And while they endured an unspeakable loss, these two little boys always knew that they were deeply, unconditionally loved.

And what also moved me about Joe is the work he did, as he went back and forth. This is the leader who wrote the Violence Against Women Act — and enacted the Assault Weapons Ban; who, as vice president, implemented the Recovery Act, which brought our country back from the Great Recession. He championed the Affordable Care Act, protecting millions of Americans with pre-existing conditions. Who spent decades promoting American values and interests around the world, standing up with our allies and standing up to our adversaries.

Right now, we have a president who turns our tragedies into political weapons.

Joe will be a president who turns our challenges into purpose.

Joe will bring us together to build an economy that doesn’t leave anyone behind. Where a good-paying job is the floor, not the ceiling.

Joe will bring us together to end this pandemic and make sure that we are prepared for the next one.

Joe will bring us together to squarely face and dismantle racial injustice, furthering the work of generations.

Joe and I believe that we can build that Beloved Community, one that is strong and decent, just and kind. One in which we all can see ourselves.

That’s the vision that our parents and grandparents fought for. The vision See Harris Page 8

OPINION

Page 7

Thursday August 20, 2020

An Inspiring Straight No Chaser Message By Brother Love...Part II SPECIAL NOTE: Hector Rodrigo Arreola (August 2014-January 2017) was the son of Rodrigo of Concepcion Arreola. He cried out 16 times telling police officers that he could not breathe while a 300 pound officer sat on his back. He died while in the custody of the Columbus Police Department. Hector Arreola is our Eric Garner and our George Floyd. His death has now been ruled a homicide. He must not be the forgotten one. His name and all the others should be the battle cry of every local activist seeking police reform and civilian oversight in Columbus, Georgia. Please keep the Arreola family lifted up in your Please also remember our brother Hector Rodrigo Arreola.

Let the call ring loud and the message be clear...

JUSTICE FOR HECTOR!!!

Pay no heed to the myriad falsehoods, the misinformation or the disinformation regarding the formation of a citizens review board with subpoena power. There is no professional invest i g a t i v e training or even police training necessary for the appointed members of a citizens review board, especially one that is as mild and moderate as the review board being considered at this time. When you hear talk like that it really all amounts to the opponents of citizen review suggesting to the listeners that the citizens are idiots and morons too dumb to read and comprehend a report and a policy and determined if that policy has been properly obeyed or totally violated. The more the closed-minded opponents of a citizens review board with subpoena power blatantly exaggerate, the more all the good and decent citizens of Columbus should come together and press forward without compromise until there is without further an up or down vote on a Citizens Review Board with Subpoena Power. Stop the stalling! Stop the subterfuge!

This stroke of sudden crystal clear

understanding followed up by a call for immediate delay is designed to take the steam out of your momentum and eat time off the clock, which it did and will serve to do. Just what has the opposition demonstrated of substance for you to have hope that their minds would ever be changed about subpoena power? You can't even get a simply vote out of them now on a Columbus City Council Resolution that reflects what is already in the CPD policy manual.

That should tell you that the plan is to get what they want and not to give the people exactly what the people are asking for, especially the subpoena power with the power to review.

The committee is going to just buy more time with more and more talk and confusion. The Black and Brown citizens of Columbus, Georgia are being disrespected to be sure, and there should be a heavy political price to pay for all elected officials that feel they can get away with that sort of thing in this day and in this climate.

If we fail sending a very clear and very direct messages at the polls, then we do so to our own detriment. We must vigorously refuse to accept treatment as if we are supposed to be marginalized citizens of Columbus for generation yet to come.

The subpoena power is the one thing the five White Council members and Mayor Henderson are committed not to give you straight up and straight out. There has to be a hitch on their end as far as an agreeable solution, and a compromise on your end for them to walk away totally satisfied.

They are worried about the citizens they genuinely value in Columbus, and that is not the Black and Brown citizens. These are simply White conservatives who think like most White Southern conservatives when it comes to protecting law enforcement from anything that Black people might suggest when it comes to how police do business in Black and Brown neighborhoods. The core of what dominates them right now is the

intense fear flowing from a deep-seated belief that even well-educated, accomplished Black citizens want to weaken the police and help Black criminals to unleash an avalanche of crimes against White people.

Don't mistake what you are witnessing before your eyes at Council for a friendly game of checkers. They are not playing checkers at all.

Their objective with that appointed committee is either stalemate of compromise on the part of Councilor Barnes and Sisters United.

Thomas, Allen, Davis, Crabb, Garrett along with John House and Mayor Skip Henderson are all playing chess, and it is a game their side is used to winning when it comes to this particular issue. After seventeen (17) years since Columbus NAACP President Edward O. Dubose first called for a citizens review board with subpoena power, the Black community would be less than a pack of fools if we came this far and then turned around and agreed to a compromise that omits or in any way diminishes subpoena power or transparency on the question of effective citizens police review. Do we fight on with dignity in tact and heads held high, or do we yield and compromise pretending we are the victors? That is the decision those who have taken on the responsibility as the leaders of this fight will be faced with making.

To all those who have taken up this good fight, and I do mean all, I applaud you. Know not only who you are but whose you are and who you serve as you go forth. Remember why you were moved to action and what moved you.

Was it the Spirit or the flesh? You need to be introspective and honest with yourselves at this point.

This is where the rubber meets the road. You are in the championship rounds now of a spiritual battle.

Either you stepped out on faith trust-

ing in the LORD at the beginning of the fight or you didn't. Either you presented that which was straightforward, fair and equitable or you didn't. Either the objective is transparency and accountability or isn't. All eyes are on you and what you do, and you will have to look at yourselves in the mirror when all is said and done.

The opponents of citizen police review have blown this all out of proportion and made it a real royal rumble. So don't turn around now. It is the right time for us to confront the lies we have been afraid to admit have been with us all along. It may not have been your objective, but it is clear that this is the time for us to confront the ugly truth of racial division and the indifference toward Black and Brown citizens that defines the racial division and indifference in the city.

Don't grow weary and gladly succumb to the pressures and are drawn into c o m p r o m i s e . Yo u a r e standing on the other side of the fight now. This is not debating political points of view. This is the challenge of speaking truth to power in the way of Evers, Hamer, King Jr., Lowery, Vivian, and Lewis. It might look the same, but there is a difference, a not so subtle difference. You have to bring your triple "A" game to this type of fight, and be ready to leave everything you have got in you right out there on the floor because that is what is required of you to get the job done. You don't back up, you don't back down, You don't turn around.

You look the opposition dead in the eye and speak the inconvenient, unadulterated truth straight to the power structure for the good of all the people. If it puts their racial bigotry and racial indifference on front street, then it is better that we all know the truth than to go around believing an absolute lie about the status of race relations in Columbus, Georgia post the December 2003 shooting death of Kenneth Brian Walker at the hands of Muscogee County Sheriff's Office Deputy David Glisson.

(Message Concluded in Part III)

COVER STORY CONTINUED...

Page 8

President Barack Obama you to believe in your own ability -to embrace your own responsibility as citizens -- to make sure that the basic tenets of our democracy endure.

Because that's what at stake right now. Our democracy.

Look, I understand why many Americans are down on government.

The way the rules have been set up and abused in Congress make it easy for special interests to stop progress.

Believe me, I know. I understand why a white factory worker who's seen his wages cut or his job shipped overseas might feel like the government no longer looks out for him, and why a Black mother might feel like it never looked out for her at all. I understand why a new immigrant might look around this country and wonder whether there's still a place for him here; why a young person might look at politics right now, the circus of it all, the meanness and the lies and crazy conspiracy theories and think, what's the point?

Well, here's the point: this president and those in power -- those who benefit from keeping things the way they are -- they are counting on your cynicism. They know they can't win you over with their policies. So they're hoping to make it as hard as possible for you to vote, and to convince you that your vote doesn't matter.

That's how they win. That's how they get to keep making decisions that affect your life, and the lives of the people you love. That's how the economy will keep getting skewed to the wealthy and well-connected, how our health systems will let more people fall through the cracks. That's how a democracy withers, until it's no democracy at all.

We can't let that happen. Do not let them take away your power. Don't let them take away your democracy. Make a plan right now for how you're going to get involved and vote. Do it as early as you can and tell your family and friends how they can vote too.

Do what Americans have done for over two centuries when faced with even tougher times than this -- all those quiet heroes who found the courage to keep marching, keep pushing in the face of hardship and injustice.

Last month, we lost a giant of

American democracy in John Lewis.

Some years ago, I sat down with John and the few remaining leaders of the early Civil Rights Movement.

One of them told me he never imagined he'd walk into the White House and see a president who looked like his grandson. Then he told me that he'd looked it up, and it turned out that on the very day that I was born, he was marching into a jail cell, trying to end Jim Crow segregation in the South.

What we do echoes through the generations.

Whatever our backgrounds, we're all the children of Americans who fought the good fight. Great grandparents working in firetraps and sweatshops without rights or representation.

Farmers losing their dreams to dust.

Irish and Italians and Asians and Latinos told to go back where they came from. Jews and Catholics, Muslims and Sikhs, made to feel suspect for the way they worshipped.

Black Americans chained and whipped and hanged. Spit on for trying to sit at lunch counters. Beaten for trying to vote.

If anyone had a right to believe that this democracy did not work, and could not work, it was those Americans. Our ancestors. They were on the receiving end of a democracy that had fallen short all their lives. They knew how far the daily reality of America strayed from the myth. And yet, instead of giving up, they joined together and said somehow, some way, we are going to make this work. We are going to bring those words, in our founding documents, to life.

I've seen that same spirit rising these past few years. Folks of every age and background who packed city centers and airports and rural roads so that families wouldn't be separated.

So that another classroom wouldn't get shot up. So that our kids won't grow up on an uninhabitable planet.

Americans of all races joining together to declare, in the face of injustice and brutality at the hands of the state, that Black Lives Matter, no more, but no less, so that no child in this country feels the continuing sting of racism.

To the young people who led us this summer, telling us we need to See OBAMA Page 10

Thursday August 20, 2020

Vice Presidential Nominee Kamala Harris that made my own life possible. The vision that makes the American promise — for all its complexities and imperfections — a promise worth fighting for.

Make no mistake, the road ahead will not be not easy. We will stumble. We may fall short. But I pledge to you that we will act boldly and deal with our challenges honestly. We will speak truths. And we will act with the same faith in you that we ask you to place in us.

We believe that our country — all of us, will stand together for a better future. We already are.

We see it in the doctors, the nurses, the home health care workers and the frontline workers who are risking their lives to save people they’ve never met.

We see it in the teachers and truck drivers, the factory workers and farmers, the postal workers and the Poll workers, all putting their own safety on the line to help us get through this pandemic.

And we see it in so many of you who are working, not just to get us through our current crises, but to somewhere better.

There’s something happening, all across the country.

It’s not about Joe or me.

It’s about you.

It’s about us. People of all ages and colors and creeds who are, yes, taking to the streets, and also persuading our family members, rallying our

friends, organizing our neighbors, and getting out the vote.

And we’ve shown that, when we vote, we expand access to health care, expand access to the ballot box, and ensure that more working families can make a decent living.

I’m so inspired by a new generation of leadership. You are pushing us to realize the ideals of our nation, pushing us to live the values we share: decency and fairness, justice and love.

You are the patriots who remind us that to love our country is to fight for the ideals of our country.

In this election, we have a chance to change the course of history. We’re all in this fight.

You, me and Joe — together.

What an awesome responsibility. What an awesome privilege.

So, let’s fight with conviction. Let’s fight with hope. Let’s fight with confidence in ourselves, and a commitment to each other. To the America we know is possible. The America, we love.

Years from now, this moment will have passed. And our children and our grandchildren will look in our eyes and ask us: Where were you when the stakes were so high?

They will ask us, what was it like?

And we will tell them. We will tell them, not just how we felt.

We will tell them what we did.

Thank you. God bless you. And God bless the United States of America.”

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Thursday August 20, 2020

Columbus Cares Covid Relief Fund...$34 Mil Available to Local Small Businesses

By Wane A. Hailes The Courier The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES) provides vital resources to local organizations for recovery of COVID-19 necessary related expenses that are

not reimbursed by any other source.

The federal funds for CARES has been sent to the state of Georgia, and those monies will be distributed through the Columbus, GA Consolidated Government. (CCG) CCG will awards funds available

through CARES to non-profit agencies, small businesses; arts organizations; community assistance organizations and medical/health organizations. The requirement that expenditures be incurred ‘due to’ the public health emergency means that expenditures must be used for actions taken to respond

to the public health emergency. Eligible expenses must be: - COVID-19 necessary related expenses - Expenses NOT reimbursed by any other source

Page 10 OBAMA FROM Page 8 -- in so many ways, you are this country's dreams fulfilled. Earlier generations had to be persuaded that everyone has equal worth. For you, it's a given -- a conviction. And what I want you to know is that for all its messiness and frustrations, your system of self-government can be harnessed to help you realize those convictions.

You can give our democracy new meaning. You can take it to a better place.

You're the missing ingredient -- the ones who will decide whether or not America becomes the country that fully lives up to its creed.

That work will continue long after this election. But any chance of success depends entirely on the outcome of this election. This administration has shown it will tear our democracy down if that's what it takes to win. So we have to get busy building it up -- by

Thursday August 20, 2020 pouring all our effort into these 76 days, and by voting like never before -- for Joe and Kamala, and candi-

dates up and down the ticket, so that we leave no doubt about what this country we love stands for -- today

and for all our days to come.

Stay safe. God bless.�

20 de agosto 2020

Pagina 4 COVID Pagina 4 de la familia. Puede plantearse en un patio o en el porche al aire libre, o en una habitación en el interior donde el aire no se recircule por toda la casa y donde nadie más entrará durante 1-2 horas, que es un tiempo lo suficientemente largo como para que las gotas ya no estén en el aire.

• Limpie y desinfecte su nebulizador.

Su proveedor de atención médica tra-

bajará con usted cuando pueda suspender el aislamiento en el hogar y reanudar el uso normal del nebulizador.

Póngase en contacto con su medico a la primera señal de síntomas respiratorios nuevos, graves o preocupantes para que le haga un plan de tratamiento en el hogar. Aunque la mayoría de las personas se recuperan del COVID-19 en casa, tener EPOC eleva el riesgo de sufrir síntomas

Circulate Yo Your Dollars with Black-Owned Businesses A product of The Courier Eco Latino Newspaper

The Black & Brown Business Directory is Now Available and Wa Waiting For Yo You! Visit Our We Website To Today at

wwww.bbd-cel.com And Add Yo Your Business A Free Online Business Directoryy,, Our Goal Is To List Every Black & Brown-Owned Business, Church, Restaurant, Etc. In Columbus And Phenix Cityy..

graves. Obtenga atención de emergencia para los siguientes síntomas: dificultad para respirar, dolor o presión en el pecho, desarrollo de un tinte azulado en los labios o la cara, y nueva confusión o incapacidad para despertar o permanecer despierto.

P: ¿Dónde puedo encontrar información fiable?

Puede confiar en la Asociación Estadounidense del Pulmón para que

le proporcione información y recursos basados en la ciencia. Visite Lung.org o llame al 1-800-LUNGUSA para obtener más información sobre la EPOC, el COVID-19, la terapia nebulizada o cualquier otro tema respiratorio.

El desarrollo de este recurso educativo está respaldado por Theravance Biopharma.

Pagina 2

COVER STORY

20 de agosto 2020

Lo que debe saber sobre las consultas detales para el regreso a la escuela (StatePoint) El manejo de la enfermedad pulmonar obstructiva crónica (EPOC) siempre es importante, especialmente en este momento, ya que las personas que viven con una afección pulmonar crónica tienen un mayor riesgo de sufrir una enfermedad grave y complicaciones por el COVID19. Sin embargo, la desinformación sobre el COVID-19 ha hecho difícil que las personas con enfermedades crónicas determinen cómo mantenerse sano.

El Dr. Albert Rizzo, director médico de la Asociación Estadounidense del Pulmón, ofrece respuestas a preguntas comunes que pueden tener los millones de estadounidenses afectados por la EPOC. P: ¿Qué medidas adicionales debo tomar para evitar enfermarme del COVID-19?

Debido a que el COVID-19 es una nueva enfermedad en los seres humanos, nuestros sistemas inmunitarios aún no han desarrollado defensas contra ella y actualmente no hay

vacuna. La mejor manera de evitar enfermedades, independientemente de su edad o estado de salud, es evitar la exposición al virus.

Para las personas que viven con EPOC, es fundamental la estricta adhesión a las precauciones de seguridad.

Quédese en casa lo más posible.

Cuando esté en público, mantenga una distancia social de al menos seis pies, use un cubrebocas de tela y anime a otros a hacer lo mismo. También lávese las manos con frecuencia y limpie, para luego desinfectar, las superficies que se tocan con frecuencia.

P: ¿Cómo puedo mantener el control de mi EPOC durante la pandemia del COVID-19?

El control de la EPOC es especialmente importante en este momento en caso de exposición al virus que causa el COVID-19. Continúe con los medicamentos de control de la EPOC para mantener la salud pulmonar. Para limitar la exposición potencial a el COVID-19, averigüe si tiene a su dis-

posición opciones de farmacia por correo y si su seguro lo permite, obtenga un suministro de medicamentos recetados para 90 días. No retrase las visitas importantes ni ignore los brotes o los nuevos síntomas. Las complicaciones de la EPOC pueden hacerse graves si no se tratan. Si la telemedicina no es una opción, tenga en cuenta que los consultorios médicos han adoptado nuevas prácticas de seguridad durante las visitas en persona.

P: ¿Debo seguir usando mi nebulizador en casa?

Tomar los medicamentos correctamente es un componente esencial en el control correcto de las enfermedades pulmonares crónicas. En ciertas áreas, se ha informado de escasez de inhaladores de dosis medidas (MDI) debido al aumento de la demanda en entornos sanitarios. La terapia nebulizada sigue siendo una forma segura y eficaz de tomar medicamentos inhalados en casa durante la pandemia, aunque se deben tomar medidas especiales si usted sospecha o ha confirmado que tiene

COVID-19.

Algunos pacientes encuentran que la terapia nebulizada esta mas economico. Hable con su médico si tiene inquietudes acerca de permitirse sus medicamentos recetados u opciones de administración. También, visite Lung.org/nebulizers para acceder a tutoriales en video sobre el uso y mantenimiento adecuados de nebulizadores.

P: ¿Qué precauciones adicionales debo tomar si sospecho o he confirmado que tengo COVID-19?

Si sospecha o ha confirmado que tiene COVID-19, mantenga el aislamiento en el hogar para proteger a otros miembros de la familia. Esto incluye las siguientes precauciones de seguridad adicionales al emplear su nebulizador: • Lávese las manos antes y después del tratamiento • Utilice su nebulizador en una área que minimice la exposición potencial a gotas aerosolizadas a otros miembros See COVID Pagina 4

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Eco Latino

S ERVING C OLUMBUS , F T. B ENNING , P HENIX C ITY & S URROUNDING A REAS

La voz de la comunidad hispana Vol. 15

Edición 26 Gratis

20 de agosto 2020

El Mantenimiento de la EPOC Durante la Pandemia del COVID-19

Médico forense Reglas La muerte de Héctor Arreola es un homicidio.

Courier Page 5

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