CrossRoadsNews, February 17, 2018 by CrossRoadsNews, Inc.

COMMUNITY

BLACK HISTORY

DeKalb County has set up eight collection sites to accept donations of toilet paper to be delivered to homeless people. 2

As the eagerly anticipated release of “Black Panther” arrives, the Marvel film’s cast and crew reflect on its cultural and historic impact. 4

Filling a need

Let’s Keep DeKalb Peachy Clean

Significance in action

Please Don’t Litter Our Streets and Highways

EAST ATLANTA • DECATUR • STONE MOUNTAIN • LITHONIA • AVONDALE ESTATES • CLARKSTON • ELLENWOOD • PINE LAKE • REDAN • SCOTTDALE • TUCKER • STONECREST

February 17, 2018

Volume 23, Number 42

www.crossroadsnews.com

Sports City CEO: Timeline changes not due to financing By Lyle V. Harris

A little-known development authority could provide a big boost in financing for the massive sports-and-entertainment complex planned for Stonecrest Mall. Despite relative secrecy surrounding Atlanta Sports City, CrossRoadsNews has recently acquired documents that provide fresh details into how most of the $200 million project could be funded. On Feb. 9, 2017, the Joint Development Authority (JDA) of DeKalb, Newton and Gwinnett counties approved a resolution pledging to issue up to $160 million in bonds that would be repaid by future revenues gen-

“We have put together a robust financial plan for the project and things are coming along. This is a private project and we’re bringing private capital into it. The resolution [from the JDA] tells the investor that the county is behind us and lets them know we’re not coming out here as a rogue organization doing something without anybody’s blessing.” Patrick Henderson, ASC CEO

erated by the project. The 10-page, non-binding resolution was drafted by the JDA in support of Atlanta Sports Connection Inc., which is developing the project. ASC is a private company founded and run by partners Zeric Foster

two possible financing scenarios:

n Acquiring the project and leasing it back to

the developers to pay off the bonds, or

n Lending the proceeds from the bond

sale to the developers in the form of a loan that would be repaid over the term of the bonds. William “Tommy” Craig, the JDA’s lawyer, explained that before any bonds are issued, the developers must first identify their own sources of revenues and funds needed to finance the entire project – or separate phases of it – as the project progresses. Craig explained that under no circum-

and Patrick Henderson. Vaughn Irons of APD Solutions is also a key project partner. Citing the potential for the 200-acre project to spark much-needed economic development and create new job opportunities in South DeKalb, the JDA resolution laid out Please see SPORTS CITY, page 2

Volunteers needed to deliver meals in S. DeKalb Shortage affects homebound senior residents

Lou Walker Senior Center volunteers Louise Hamilton and Vernell Kennedy delivered meals to homebound seniors in South DeKalb on Feb. 14 in a pilot program to assist Senior Connections in its Meals on Wheels program.

By Tekia L. Parks

Lucette England, who has been homebound for four years, lit up with joy on Valentine’s Day when three volunteers from the Lou Walker Senior Center stopped by with a hot meal. Inside the bright-yellow bag they carried were chicken pot pie, cauliflower, kale and blueberry cobbler. In honor of the day, often celebrated with the gifts of chocolate, the volunteers had a pack of M&Ms for England. “Hallelujah,” said England, breaking into a big smile. “This is my first Valentine.” Charlene Daise, one of the volunteers making the delivery, squeezed England in a tight hug. Before she left England’s Lithonia apartment, Daise prayed with her asking God “to continue blessing the sweet and thankful lady.” England, 55, was one of nine seniors who got Meals on Wheels deliveries on Valentine’s Day from 10 Lou Walker volunteers. She has been a Meals on Wheels recipient since 2014 when multiple medical crises related to diabetes left her unable to prepare her own meals. “I can’t stand up long enough to cook,” she said. The Valentine’s Day mission was a trial run for the Lou Walker Senior Center on Panola Road in Lithonia. It plans to become a regular site for the nonprofit Meals on Wheels on March 1, serving homebound seniors in the Lithonia area. Betty Davis, Lou Walker Center director, said they recently learned that Senior Connections, which runs Meals on Wheels in DeKalb, does not have enough volunteers to serve clients in South DeKalb. Davis has also reached out to local fraternity and sorority chapters and others in the community in search of volunteers to help

Tekia L. Parks / CrossRoadsNews

Lucette England (left) embraces Charlene Daise, one of three volunteers from the Lou Walker Senior Center who delivered food to her on Valentine’s Day.

Tekia L. Parks / CrossRoadsNews

them make Meals on Wheels deliveries. The nonprofit, which operates primarily with volunteers, used to operate a program out of the Bruce Street Senior Center, but it closed because of a lack of volunteers. Debra Furtado, Senior Connections CEO, says one in six seniors go hungry na-

tionwide. She said Meals on Wheels is about much more than delivering a meal. “It’s about the human connection,” Furtado said, “Most people don’t get to see men, women or children. The key thing is, you will make their day.” Volunteers with the program pick up and

deliver meals to assigned routes for lunch and with friendly interaction. England obviously loved the interaction with the volunteers who delivered her meal, She reached for hugs from Daise, Vernell Kennedy and Louise Hamilton. Daise, 65, said she signed up to make deliveries because she could easily have been a Meals on Wheels client. “It’s not out of duty or obligation but more out of understanding and compassion,” she said. In 2002, a rare disease diagnosis left Daise paralyzed from the neck down for four years, and she was unable to cook for herself. “The only reason I didn’t have to do Meals on Wheels is because I had parents, sisters, children, friends, neighbors who would feed me,” she said. “They would prepare my meals and when I was paralyzed they had to feed me.” To run the program, Davis said Lou Walker Senior Center needs at least eight volunteers a day or 32 a month. To become a Meals on Wheels volunteer at Lou Walker Senior Center, call Betty Davis at 770-322-2900.

CrossRoadsNews

Community

February 17, 2018

“I was looking for more space, more comfort and freedom to know I have my own space.”

Families moving into Granite Crossing Info about JDA hard to come by The 75-unit Granite Crossing apartment complex is a public-private partnership between the city of Lithonia and Wendover Housing Partners LLC. Tekia L. Parks / CrossRoadsNews

By Tekia L. Parks

More than two dozen families have already moved into Granite Crossing, the new apartment complex now dominating the skyline in the city of Lithonia. The 25 families, who began moving in on Feb. 1, are the first to take up residence in the 75-unit apartment complex while managers continue to comb through more than 600 other applications. Melody L. Rose, Granite Crossing’s community manager, said Feb. 13 that the eager residents began moving in just as they were wrapping up finishing touches at the beginning of the month. Granite Crossing, built at a cost of $10 million on city-owned property, is the first new construction in the city since the 80-unit Terraces at Parkview apartments were built in 2009. It is a public-private partnership between the city of Lithonia and Wendover Housing Partners LLC, which broke ground on Nov. 9, 2016. The complex, which faces Max Cleland Boulevard, sits on the former site of the 80,000-square-foot Lithonia City Hall building that once adjoined the Lithonia Plaza. Rose said Feb. 12 that they are busy pro-

cessing other potential tenants and they are awaiting pay stubs or any other documents needed to fill the other 50 units. While the apartments, build with federal housing tax credits, are rent controlled, Rose said they are not Section 8 and are not eligible for rental assistance. “A lot of people thought it was based on income,” she said, “but there is set rent.” New resident Elsa Wilson said her apartment has become her dream home. “I was looking for more space, more comfort and freedom to know I have my own space,” said Wilson, 66, who has lived in the city for four years. She praised those who brought the apartments to the city’s downtown. “For those who had a part and the brains in putting this complex in this city, the mayor, council members, and for people like me and others, I’m so grateful,” she said. The family-oriented Granite Crossing will offer homework assistance and other after-school activities for kids who live in the complex, and will offer adult residents financial classes focusing on budgeting. For more information, visit www.granitecrossingapts.com.

SPORTS CITY,

from page

stances would taxpayers in DeKalb, Newton or Gwinnett be responsible for the bond payments, even if the project failed. “The project depends entirely on the ability of the developers to secure private funding. The JDA is not investing one penny in this project and there are no public funds at risk,” Craig said during a Feb. 12 interview in his Covington law office. “At this point, we’re waiting for the developers to come back to the Authority to show that they have put their project financing together.” The JDA Board, which has three members from each county it represents, first met with ASC representatives in January 2017. It received an update on the project last November. Although ASC’s developers had initially claimed the groundbreaking and construction would have been underway by now, Craig said he’s not surprised the project’s timeline has shifted. “I thought it would take a lot longer than [the developers] were saying and that this would be at least a two-year undertaking because it has so many moving parts,” Craig said. Henderson, ASC’s CEO, said Feb. 14 that the timeline for the project has “changed for the better” because the development partners have been successful in attracting an increasingly diverse blend of new shops, restaurants and other amenities that were not envisioned when ASC was originally conceived. “In March we’ll be making announcements about when we’re going to break ground and new items we’re bringing to the project,” he said. Irons, ASC’s master developer, hinted that a major sports retailer is planning to move into the lower level of the 145,000-squarefoot former Kohl’s building at the mall that they acquired last October for $2.5 million. Once completed, the ASC project is ex-

pected to include two dozen multipurpose playing fields, six baseball diamonds, eight basketball courts, a sports medicine facility, a 15,000-seat covered stadium, entertainment venues such as Top Golf and an aquarium, along with office, retail and meeting spaces. The Atlanta Sports City project represents an unusual venture for the Joint Development Authority, an obscure public bonding authority that was chartered in 2007 to help finance the expansion of public colleges and technical schools that are part of the University System of Georgia. Most of the projects that JDA has financed in the past were campus buildings, dormitories, parking lots and athletic fields in the three counties it covers. The JDA has no website, lists a post office box for its address and hasn’t posted a schedule of when and where it holds meetings that, by law, must be open to the public. It is currently registered with the Georgia Department of Community Affairs, as development authorities are required to do to retain their active status. But over the last three years, the JDA has not filed any paperwork about its finances or required “debt issuance reports” that must be reported when bonds are floated for projects it is financing. The Rev. Ulysses Ponder, who represents DeKalb County and is chairman of the JDA Board, said he was first appointed by former CEO Vernon Jones. The longtime pastor at Poplar Spring Baptist Church in Ellenwood admitted he’s not always well-informed about the JDA’s activities. “I think I’m a black token on the board but I don’t have a problem with it,” Ponder said when asked about the JDA’s role in the ASC project. “I don’t know exactly what Ulysses Ponder it’s all about but I’m learning as I go. I think it will be a blessing to all of us.”

DeKalb collecting toilet paper for homeless By Tekia Parks

DeKalb residents can donate rolls of toilet paper at eight county locations through Feb. 23 for the countywide Let Love Roll toilet paper drive. DeKalb CEO Michael Thurmond, who is working in partnership with the nonprofit group LoveRoll Inc., is hoping to collect 3,000 packs of toilet paper that will be distributed to agencies serving the homeless in the county. Thurmond said that when people think about serving the homeless, needy and those who have gone through a natural disaster, they immediately think about food and shelter. “The reality is toilet paper is one of our most basic needs,” he said. “Love Rolls helps to address this need so that recipients are able to maintain both health safety and their dignity.” LoveRoll Inc. was founded in April 2016 by 16-year-old Kendall Robinson after she met a homeless man struggling to make one roll of toilet paper last him a month. “It made me think about the things we take for granted,” said Kendall, who met the man while distributing food at the Atlanta Community Food Bank in the summer of 2015. Since its launch in spring 2016, the Suwanee-based nonprofit has collected more than 225,000 rolls of toilet paper for the homeless and for people impacted by natural disasters. Thurmond’s office approached the teen when they heard of her organization. “Since February is the month of love, they wanted to do a service project for the community,” said Kendall, a senior at Greater Atlanta Christian School. In Georgia, there are about 14,000 people

Jennifer Ffrench Parker / CrossRoadsNews

DeKalb County has collection stations at eight locations through the county for the “Let Love Roll” toilet paper drive.

without homes. More than 6,000 of them are in Atlanta.

Toilet paper can be donated at: n The Maloof Building, 1300 Commerce Drive in Decatur. n DeKalb County Fire Rescue Headquarters, 1950 West Exchange Place, Tucker. n DeKalb Police Headquarters, 1960 West Exchange Place, Tucker. n Watershed Department, Memorial Drive, 4572 Memorial Drive, Decatur. n DeKalb Police South Precinct, 2842 H. F. Shepherd Drive, Decatur. n DeKalb Solicitor-General, 556 N. McDonough St. # 500, Decatur. n District Attorney’s Office, 556 N McDonough St. #700, Decatur. For more information, visit www.loverolls.org.

CrossRoadsNews

February 17, 2018

Meet Renard. Studio owner. Community builder. Join us at a special event. We’re celebrating community builders. You know one. Everybody does. They’re the people who go above and beyond to build better neighborhoods. They give their time, and reinvest in their communities. They’re people like Master Renard Beaty. Join us and Majic ��.� – ��.� as we celebrate Renard and his contributions to Atlanta. Location:

Kick Start Martial Arts �� Moreland Ave.

Date:

Saturday, February ��

Time:

��:�� p.m. – �:�� p.m.

Master Renard Beaty Renard’s Kick Start Martial Arts studio was founded on the belief that all young people can develop leadership skills, given the opportunity. He gives them the opportunity every day. In addition to disciplined training, his students take part in activities like backpack drives and fundraisers. The results are obvious when his kids develop into respectful, selﬂess leaders who are making positive contributions to society.

CrossRoadsNews

BlaCkk History

February 17, 2018

“You see the power and potential of where you’re from, but you see how skewed it’s viewed by the world.”

‘Black Panther’ stars, creators reflect on movie’s impact

2346 Candler Rd. Decatur, GA 30032 404-284-1888 Fax: 404-284-5007 www.crossroadsnews.com editor@crossroadsnews.com

Editor / Publisher Jennifer Parker Staff Writers Jennifer Ffrench Parker Tekia L. Parks Editorial Intern Rosie Manins Front Office Manager Catherine Guy Multimedia Editor Sharif Williams

Matt Kennedy / ©Marvel Studios 2018

Okoye (Danai Gurira), Nakia (Lupita Nyong’o) and Ayo (Florence Kasumba) of the Dora Milaje.

CrossRoadsNews is published every Saturday by CrossRoadsNews, Inc. We welcome articles on neighborhood issues and news of local happenings. The opinions expressed by writers and contributors are not necessarily those of the publisher, nor those of any advertisers. The concept, design and content of CrossRoadsNews are copyrighted and may not be copied or reproduced in whole or in part in any manner without the written permission of the publisher.

Advertisements are published upon the representation that the advertiser is authorized to publish the submitted material. The advertiser agrees to indemnify and hold harmless from and against any loss or expenses resulting from any disputes or legal claims based upon the contents or subject matter of such advertisements, including claims of suits for libel, violation of privacy, plagiarism and copyright infringement. We reserve the right to refuse any advertisement.

Circulation Audited By

By Ronda Racha Penrice Urban News Service

Fans who bought a record-setting number of advance tickets were not the only ones anticipating the Feb. 16 opening of “Black Panther,” Marvel’s historic first black superhero film. The movie’s stars and actors were also filled with great expectations. Oscar winner Lupita Nyong’o, who plays Nakia, T’Challa/Black Panther’s love interest, said she has been waiting a long time for such a film. “I was just so, so excited because this was a movie [where] we all felt a lot of ownership, that we thoroughly enjoyed making,” she said during the film’s Jan. 30 press conference at the Montage Beverly Hills, the morning after its glitzy purple carpet premiere. T’Challa/Black Panther, played by Chadwick Boseman, and his superpowers of speed, strength, night vision, claws and more, were first introduced in the 1966 “Fantastic Four” comic book series, months before the founding of the iconic freedom-fighting Black Panther Party. His powers are aided by his country’s powerful metal, Vibranium. Fifty-two years later, “Black Panther” is the character’s first-ever live-action film, and Marvel’s first predominantly black film, both in front of and behind the camera. Reportedly Jack Kirby, who created T’Challa/Black Panther with Stan Lee, took the superhero’s name from the U.S. Army’s all-black 761st Tank Battalion of World War II, dubbed “the Black Panthers.” Boseman, well-known for his roles as such real-life heroes such as Jackie Robinson, James Brown and Thurgood Marshall, is the first to play Black Panther on film. He appeared in 2016’s “Captain America: Civil War” to great enthusiasm, and will return May 4 in “Avengers: Infinity War.” “Black Panther,” the movie, follows T’Challa/ Black Panther’s journey, in the aftermath of his father’s death, to lead his technologically advanced nation, Wakanda. The world believes the fictitious nation is impoverished. The film features black actors from the United States, England and various parts of Africa, and is the first Marvel film set in a black-ruled nation. As such, Black Panther challenges the negative stereotypes typically ascribed to African nations. It also raises larger questions about what a successful, never colonialized African country might look like, and what role it would play in today’s global landscape. The film’s larger significance was clearly important to Nyong’o and her fellow cast members – who include Michael B. Jordan (Erik Killmonger), Forest Whitaker (Zuri), Angela Bassett (T’Challa/Black Panther’s stepmother Ramonda), and “Get Out” Oscar nominee Daniel Kaluuya (W’Kabi). Jordan, who plays the movie’s main villain who challenges T’Challa/Black Panther’s ascen-

Matt Kennedy / ©Marvel Studios 2018

T’Challa/Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman) and Erik Killmonger (Michael B. Jordan) fight as the Dora Milaje look on.

sion to Wakanda’s throne, said he only truly grasped the film’s importance after seeing it for the first time at the premiere. “I couldn’t describe that feeling before actually sitting down and watching that film and seeing yourself on screen, not just me personally, but people that look like me in power and having

T’Challa/ Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman) Matt Kennedy / ©MarvelStudios2018

those socially relevant themes but in a movie that you want to sit down and watch and enjoy,” he said. Danai Gurira, whose parents are from Zimbabwe, was born in Grinnell, Iowa, and grew up both in Zimbabwe and the United States. She plays Okoye, leader of the female warriors Dora Milaje who protect the king. She has an even more positive response to the fictional Wakanda and its very real continent and said she appreciated the departure from the usual depictions of African countries as impoverished. “You see the power and potential of where you’re from, but you see how skewed it’s viewed by the world and how misrepresented it is, and how distorted it is, or besieged by the world so often,” said Guirira, who calls herself Zimerican. “[Black Panther is] kind of a salve to those wounds to see this world brought to life this way and to see all the potential and power of all the different African culturalisms and aspects of our being that’s actually celebrated.” The film is also noteworthy for its elevation of black women in the superhero genre, be they strong like Gurira’s Okoye, humanitarian like

Nyong’o’s Nakia, royal like Angela Bassett’s Ramonda, or STEM geniuses like Letitia Wright’s Shuri, who is T’Challa/Black Panther’s sister. Behind the camera, the movie’s smart black women include production designer Hannah Beachler, Oscar-nominated costume designer Ruth E. Carter, and hair department head Camille Friend. Wright, who plays Black Panther’s sister, said the film also took care not to undermine any gender group. “The men are not like, ‘you shouldn’t be in technology, you shouldn’t be in math,’ ” she said. “T’Challa is like ‘go ahead sis, this is your department, this is your domain,’ like kill it.” Boseman attributes that gender balance to the vision that is Wakanda. “The idea of the next generation being smarter, being better than you, is a concept that they would have evolved to,” Boseman said. “So even though she’s reared in the same generation, she’s my younger sister, she benefits from whatever I have. So you want your sons and daughters to be better than you were. So that concept is a Wakandan concept.” Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige and Ryan Coogler, the film’s co-writer and director, who attended the press conference, also weighed in on the topic. Coogler – known for his independent social justice film “Fruitvale Station” and “Creed,” the latest install installment in the “Rocky” franchise, which both star Jordan – said that in the script he wrote with Joe Robert Cole, he was cautious not to tamper too much with the “Black Panther” spirit that is so wellestablished by the comic books. “You can go through our film and see something in there probably from every writer that has touched T’Challa’s character and the ‘Black Panther’ comics, from Stan Lee and Jack Kirby’s initial runs to Don McGregor to Christopher Priest, Reginald Hudlin, Jonathan Hickman and Ta-Nehisi Coates,” he said. “The character has got a long history and such rich stuff to mine and each writer left their own mark.” When the film’s radicalism was singled out, Feige reminded his audience that “Black Panther” was born a radical. “Stan Lee and Jack Kirby and the whole Marvel bullpen created Wakanda and created T’Challa and created Black Panther and made him a smarter, more accomplished character than any of the other white characters in the mid-1960s,” he said. Feige said this Marvel team was guided by that same integrity. “If they had the guts to do that in the mid1960s,” he said, “the least we [could] do is live up to that and allow this story to be told the way it needed to be told and not shy away from things that the Marvel founders didn’t shy away from in the height of the Civil Rights era.”

CrossRoadsNews

February 17, 2018

Floyd Norman Award winning animator

Phil lamarr veteran voice over artist

Ruth E. Carter costume designer

Behind the Mask

This month, XŜnity introduces you to some of the elite men and women making our heroes super. From illustrators and studio execs, to costume designers and more. Just say, “Black History Month” into your X1 Voice Remote to hear their stories and see their work at Black Film & TV on XŜnity On Demand, where Black History is always on.

To go behind the mask, visit xŜnity.com/discovermore

CrossRoadsNews

BlaCkk History

February 17, 2018

The United Nations proclaimed the International Decade for People of African Descent in 2013.

Johnson seeks designation for ‘International Decade’ Forever stamp By Jennifer Ffrench Parker

The United Nation’s “International Decade for People of African Descent” is already three years old, and U.S. Rep. Hank Johnson is still seeking to have Congressional designation for the decade being observed from Jan. 1, 2015, to Dec. 31, 2024. The decade, proclaimed by the U.N. General Assembly in 2013, “is seeking to promote the history and heritage of people of African descent, including through research and education, the full and accurate inclusion of their history and contributions in educational curricula, and by recognizing the victims and descendants of the transatlantic slave trade and colonialism, as a means of upholding their human dignity and equality and promoting societal reconciliation and healing.” On Feb. 15, Johnson, whose 4th District includes portions of DeKalb, Rockdale, Newton and Gwinnett counties, hosted a briefing and panel discussion in Washington, D.C., on House Resolution 713 which he is sponsoring to support the goals and ideals of the U.N. decade and the establishment of a global affairs strategy and assistance for people of African descent. Johnson, who lives in Lithonia, is spon-

“It is fitting that during Black History Month, Americans continue to set aside time to venerate Africans and Afro Descendants and their contributions throughout the Diaspora and all over the world,” Hank Johnson

soring the resolution with fellow Georgia Reps. John Lewis and David Scott and 19 other members of Congress. He was joined at the briefing by actor and activist Danny Glover, Helsinki Commission policy advisor Dr. Mischa Thompson; International Institute on Race, Equality and Human Rights founder and executive director Carlos Quesada; and Coalition of Black Trade Unionists executive vice president Willie Baker. Johnson said in a statement that hosting the discussions in February made sense. “It is fitting that during Black History Month, Americans continue to set aside time to venerate Africans and Afro Descendants and their contributions throughout

the Diaspora and all over the world,” he said. The United Nations proclaimed the International Decade for People of African Descent in 2013 with the theme is “People of African descent: recognition, justice and development.” Over the decade-long observation, the United Nations is seeking to strengthen national, regional and international cooperation so people of African descent worldwide can achieve full enjoyment of economic, social, cultural, civil and political rights and by getting full and equal participation in all aspects of society. The resolution is also seeking to support the expansion of the U.N.’s current efforts to address the human rights situation of people of African descent. It calls on the United States – in cooperation with African-descent communities, academics, activists, businesses, and philanthropic organizations – to develop and implement domestic and global strategies to execute the decade’s goals and ideals and combat racism, discrimination, and intolerance in the United States and around the globe. HR 713 is currently before the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.

Georgia Power Celebrates Black History Month

We �re proud to reco�n�ze Lew�s L�t�mer, �nventor �nd dr�ftsm�n, whose p�tented product�on for c�rbon f�l�ments revolut�on�zed the l��htbulb� We celebr�te �ll Afr�c�n Amer�c�ns �nd the contr�but�ons the� h�ve m�de th�t cont�nue to move us forw�rd� �eor��power�com

honors singer Lena Horne By Jennifer Ffrench Parker

Trailblazer and legendary singer, performer, and civil rights activist Lena Horne has been immortalized on the 41st Black Heritage Forever Stamp from the United States Postal Service. Horne, an AfricanAmerican jazz and pop singer, dancer, actress, and civil rights activist, had a film, television, and theater career that spanned more than 70 years. Horne, born June 30, 1917, in Bedford-Stuyvesant in Brooklyn, N.Y., was a Broadway performer, Hollywood star and three-time Grammy winner. She broke new ground for black performers when she signed a long-term contract with MGM in the early 1940s with the stipulation that she would never be asked to take stereotypical roles then available to black actors. The stamp, unveiled on Jan. 30, features a Horne photograph taken by Christian Steiner in the 1980s. Kristen Monthei colorized the original black-and-white photo using a royal blue for the dress, a color the stunning starlet frequently wore. At the unveiling, Deputy Postmaster General Ronald Stroman said the stamp honored the 70-year career of a true American legend. Horne began her career as a dancer at the famed Cotton Club and later became a featured vocalist with touring orchestras before moving to the West Coast. She starred in numerous movies, including “Cabin in the Sky” and “Stormy Weather,” both released in 1943. During World War II, Horne entertained at camps for black servicemen. After the war, she worked on behalf of Japanese Americans who were facing discriminatory housing policies. She worked with Eleanor Roosevelt in pressing for anti-lynching legislation and in the 1960s, Horne continued her high-profile work for civil rights, performing at rallies in the South, supporting the work of the National Council for Negro Women, and participating in the 1963 March on Washington. For her 1981 solo show, “Lena Horne: The Lady and Her Music,” she received a Special Tony Award and a Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Leading Actress in a Musical. She died at age 92 on May 9, 2010. Horne’s daughter, author Gail Lumet Buckley, was present for the unveiling of the stamp at the Peter Norton Symphony Space in New York. Lena Horne Forever stamps are available at U.S. Post Offices and at usps.com/shop.

Black History College Fair seeks participants As part of its Black History Month observations, Greenforest Baptist Church is seeking HBCUs, black Greek-letter organizations and community- or civic-based organizations to participate in its Feb. 25 college fair. The church is asking potential participants to sign up by Feb. 22 at www.123formbuilder. com/form-3366542/2018-Black-HistoryMonth-Signup. Setup for the 2018 Black History Month Student College Fair begins 11:45 a.m. Participants will be able to distribute samples, conduct demonstrations, and sign up students for their mailing lists. Greenforest is at 3250 Rainbow Drive in Decatur.

CrossRoadsNews

February 17, 2018

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The district says it is sharing flu-fighting tips and information through its communications sites.

DeKalb Schools shares flu-fighting tips following death of student

By Jennifer Ffrench Parker

In the wake of the death of Cross Keys High School student Miguel Jaimes Martinez from the flu, DeKalb School District of officials have provided flu-fighting tips and have asked sick students to stay home to help curtail the spread of the deadly virus, Miguel, 15, a Cross Keys sophomore, died on Feb. 11 from complications Miguel Martinez from the flu. He is the first DeKalb student to succumb to the virus and second metro Atlanta teen to die from it.

Statewide, more than 60 adults and children have died and more than 700 have been hospitalized since the flu season got under way in October. DeKalb Schools Superintendent Dr. Stephen Green said Monday that the entire district is saddened by the news that one of their own has passed away due to illness. “Our thoughts and prayers are with the student’s family, loved ones and peers in this unfortunate and trying time,” he said. The district says it is sharing flu-fighting tips and information through its communications sites. Spokesman Andre Riley said Feb. 14 that they are also closely monitoring students who are ill. He said it is important for students, teachers and everyone to clean and disinfect surfaces and objects that are touched often

“Our thoughts and prayers are with the student’s family, loved ones and peers in this unfortunate and trying time.” Stephen Green

and that they are encouraging students who are ill to stay home. Among the tips being shared by the district from Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta at www.dekalbschoolsga.org/students/stayhealthy-and-ready-to-learn/: n Try to avoid close contact with sick people.

from: Kasin Osman Sheikh to Kasin Osman Shaale. Any interested party has the right to appear in this case and file objections within 30 days after the Petition was filed. Dated: Jan. 09, 2018

legal notices 02/03, 02/10, 02/17, 02/24

appear in this case and file objections within the time prescribed in OCGA 19-12-1(f)(2) and (3). Dated: Jan. 24, 2018

notice oF Petition to cHange naMe(s) oF MinoR cHilD(Ren) in the superior court of DeKalb county state of georgia

02/10, 02/17, 02/24, 03/03

Civil Action Case Number: 18FM1587-9 Janica Drayton filed a petition in the DeKalb County Superior Court on Jan. 24., 2018 to change the name(s) of the following child(ren) from: Kerri Janet Austin-Drayton to Kerri Janet Drayton. Any interested party has the right to

notice oF Petition in tHe suPeRioR couRt of DeKalb county state of georgia

Civil Action Case Number: 18FM1674-2 Mary Bassey Asuquo PLAINTIFF VS Michael James Anthony

DEFENDANT NOTICE OF PUBLICATION TO: 2532 Tolliver Drive Ellenwood, GA 30294 By ORDER of the Court service for service by publication dated Feb. 02, 2018. You are hereby notified that Jan. 12, 2018, the above-named Plaintiff filed suit against you for divorce. You are required to file with the Clerk of Superior Court, and to serve upon the Plaintiff’s attorney whose name and address is: Mary Bassey Asuquo, 2532 Tolliver Driive, Ellenwood, GA 30294. Answer in writing within sixty (60) days of Feb. 02, 2018. Witness the Honorable Asha F. Jack-

n While sick, limit contact with others as much as possible to keep from infecting them. n If you are sick with flu-like illness, the CDC recommends that you stay home for at least 24 hours after your fever is gone without the use of a fever-reducing medicine. The only exception is to get medical care or for other necessities. n Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it. n Wash your hands often with soap and water. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand rub. n Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth. Germs spread this way. n Clean and disinfect surfaces and objects that may be contaminated with germs like the flu.

02/17, 02/24, 03/03, 03/10

notice oF Petition to cHange naMe oF aDult

son, Judge of the DeKalb Superior Court. This the 2nd day of Feb., 2018 02/17, 02/24, 03/03, 03/10

notice oF Petition to cHange naMe oF aDult in the superior court of DeKalb county state of georgia

Civil Action Case Number: 18FM1313-1 Kasin Osman Sheikh filed a petition in the DeKalb County Superior Court on Jan. 12., 2018 to change the name

in the superior court of DeKalb county state of georgia

Civil Action Case Number: 18FM2179-7 Phylicia Johnson filed a petition in the DeKalb County Superior Court on Feb. 14, 2018 to change the name from: Phylicia Johnson to Sunny Deon Johnson. Any interested party has the right to appear in this case and file objections within 30 days after the Petition was filed. Dated: Feb. 09, 2018 02/17, 02/24, 03/03

notice oF Petition

in tHe suPeRioR couRt of DeKalb county state of georgia

Civil Action Case Number: 18FM1533-6 Saudi Wells PLAINTIFF VS Tamika Wells DEFENDANT NOTICE OF PUBLICATION TO: Tamika Wells 6427 Wellington Chase Crt. Lithonia, GA 30058 By ORDER of the Court service for service by publication dated Feb. 14, 2018. You are hereby notified that Jan. 24, 2018, the above-named Plaintiff filed suit against you for divorce. You are required to file with the Clerk of Superior Court, and to serve upon the Plaintiff’s attorney whose name and address is: Saudi Wells, 1993 Marco Dr., Decatur, GA 30032. Answer in writing within sixty (60) days of Feb. 02, 2018. Witness the Honorable J.P. Boulee, Judge of the DeKalb Superior Court. This the 14th day of Feb., 2018

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Intent To Close – Notice is given that Articles of Dissolution of the Southeast Lending Group has been delivered to the Secretary of State for filing in accordance with the Georgia Business Corporation Code. The registered office the corporation is located at P.O. Box 1029, Ellenwood, GA 30294 and its initial registered agent; Attorney Jeffrey Gartzman at such address. Intent To Close – Notice is given that Articles of Dissolution of the American Blueline Association Corporation has been delivered to the Secretary of State for filing in accordance with the Georgia Business Corporation Code. The registered office the corporation is located at P.O. Box 1029, Ellenwood, GA 30294 and its initial registered agent; Attorney Jeffrey Gartzman at such address.

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