DUS September 2012 by Denver Urban Spectrum

Volume 26, Number 6 September 2012

The Right Not To Be Left Out...4

MESSAGE FROM THE EDITOR Volume 26, Number 6

September 2012

PUBLISHER Rosalind J. Harris

GENERAL MANAGER Lawrence A. James MANAGING EDITOR Sheila Smith

FILM and BOOK CRITIC Kam Williams

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Tabatha Deans Hugh Johnson Chris Meehan Sheila Smith ART DIRECTOR Bee Harris

GRAPHIC DESIGNER Gillian Conte, The Creative Spirit Jody Gilbert, Kolor Graphix

PRODUCTION AND OFFICE ASSISTANT Cecile Perrin CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER Cecile Perrin Lens of Ansar A’ Star’s Photography

ADVERTISING SALES CONSULTANTS Rodney Sturgeon WEB SITE ADMINISTRATOR Tanya Ishikawa DISTRIBUTION Glen Barnes Lawrence A. James Ed Lynch

The Denver Urban Spectrum is a monthly publication dedicated to spreading the news about people of color. Contents of the Denver Urban Spectrum are copyright 2012 by Bizzy Bee Enterprise, LLC. No portion may be reproduced without written permission of the publisher. The Denver Urban Spectrum circulates 25,000 copies throughout Colorado. The Denver Urban Spectrum welcomes all letters, but reserves the right to edit for space, libelous material, grammar, and length. All letters must include name, address, and phone number. We will withhold author’s name on request. Unsolicited articles are accepted without guarantee of publication or payment. Write to the Denver Urban Spectrum at P.O. Box 31001, Aurora, CO 80041. Office address is 2727 Welton St., Denver, CO 80205. For advertising, subscriptions, or other information, call 303-292-6446 or fax 303-292-6543 or visit the Web site at www.denverurbanspectrum.com.

It’s Almost Time...VOTE!

I am fired up – and excited! Are You? You should be because over the next 65 days, we have the power to keep getting this country on track and on the road to recovery and prosperity once again. Many things are swaying and discouraging voter participation in the communities of color, with hopes there will be a low turnout at the polls. Let’s not let that happen. This month, the Denver Urban Spectrum looks at what is happening in Denver and across the country on this issue and what is really going on. Check out what’s happening with voter suppression in this month’s cover story “Voting Rights Obstacles Continue to Increase,” by DUS contributor Hugh Johnson. Secretary of State Scott Gessler has put into action initiatives including making sure Colorado citizens can’t institute their constitutional rights to vote if they didn’t vote in the 2010 mid-term elections. Read about two of young men, Sean Dale and Will Dickerson, Democracy Fellows with Together Colorado’s Let My People Vote, a nonpartisan campaign, and why they are driven to go to churches, high schools and local events to educate voters and talk about voter awareness. Another story takes a peak at a few of the elected delegates who will represent Colorado at the Democratic National Convention this month in Charlotte, N.C.; and work hard to make sure our state turns “Blue” on Election Day. With school back in session and in full gear, childhood obesity is still a major issue. Find out how you can take baby steps to help your child develop a happy and healthy lifestyle of eating for a lifetime. Colorado has been in the national limelight lately, from suffering from the tragic Aurora Theater shootings to celebrating one of our own, Missy Franklin, for winning a gold medal at the Olympics in London. But big props go to the dynamic Gabby “Flying Squirrel” Douglas for her gold win at the Olympics. Guest contributor Taki S. Raton takes us up close and personal with the Douglas family and their journey to the gold. So be prideful, supportive and prayerful for what others have accomplished and continue to do – to make change happen. Last and certainly not least, don’t forget to make sure you’re registered to vote – and then VOTE! God bless...

OPEDS, OPINIONS, LETTERS...

A Blind Eye To White Violence

one is talking about the resurgence of “Black on Black Crime!” However, with public shooting sprees seemingly on the rise, this ethnic reporting standard is obviously not applied to the racial trend in the shooters. Instead, the conversation shifts to the ol’ “gun control” diatribe. With this shift, White American culture avoids the same critical scrutiny applied to other ethnic violence. Similarly, if it were a Muslim or ethnically Arabic person who committed the atrocity, coverage would go from this event being a “national tragedy” to a matter of “National Security.” We would automatically link them to an Al-Qaeda sleeper cell with no proof at all! Let’s face this question together. Why is it that the ethnicity of the shooting-spree assailants is the last thing on the lips of the media? With the exception of the Virginia Tech massacre, all of the shooting spree assailants were White males. My hypothesis: White male violence is too big a can of worms to open! You see, if you look at the scope of White male violence, then you are talking about a history too bloody to be discussed in “polite company.” You’d be drawing some highly unsavory connections, because no Black man to date has unleashed an atomic bomb, emptied a continent of its original inhabitants, and incinerated 6 million Jews. A social scientist could even say that the pathos of White male violence is to operate under the disguise of an “Act

By Theo Wilson

I’ve got a joke for ya’. A white guy walks into a movie theatre armed to the teeth, massacres a bunch of his own people, and then willfully turns himself in to the police to face as many legal charges as possible. Absolutely nothing, and I mean nothing is funny about this, not even the punch line; the conspicuous absence of the media term “White on White Crime.” You ever heard that term before? Neither have I, at least not broadcasted or printed. As a young Black male who is the better part of 6 feet tall, and 200 pounds, the propaganda concerning people of my description has daily consequences in my existence. This double-standard in media reporting has set forth a precedent that affects everything from my shopping experience to my dating life. Notice, when a Black youth shoots up a jazz festival, his entire community takes the blame for dropping the ball in raising mentally healthy children and breeding violent Black males. Historians come in and analyze where Black people went so wrong post-Civil Rights era. Social scientists draw connections between Gangsta Rap, single mothers, and crack sales. Elected officials talk more about getting “tough on crime” and uprooting gang violence. The media circus ensues, and soon every-

Denver Urban Spectrum — www.denverurbanspectrum.com – September 2012

Sheila Smith Managing Editor

of War.” In that case, World War 1 was nothing but White on White violence, and in epic proportions at that. From this lens, every drone attack, every bombing of a less powerful nation, and every military base constructed on foreign soil would be under scrutiny, wouldn’t it? In contrast with this history, although every life is valuable, these public shootings are just “small potatoes,” as it were. So, who is keeping this term “White on White Crime” out of the mouth of the corporate media? Well, who owns the corporate media? You guessed it; ethnically European men. Big shocker, right? Perhaps it’s time to ask an even more pertinent question: How many Continued on page 31 Denver Urban Spectrum Department E-mail Addresses Denver Urban Spectrum

DenverUrbanSpectrum@urbanspectrum.net

Publisher Publisher@urbanspectrum.net Editor Editor@urbanspectrum.net News & Information News@urbanspectrum.net

Advertising & Marketing Advertising@urbanspectrum.net Graphics & Design Graphics@urbanspectrum.net

Distribution & Circulation Distribution@urbanspectrum.net

Voting Rights

Obstacles Continue By Hugh Johnson

In spite of personal beliefs and

political affiliations, Election Day is, at its very core, a day to celebrate being an American. This time as with other times, the debate over what is voter fraud and what is voter suppression endlessly rages on with higher stakes and more complications. What some call safeguarding the integrity of the electoral process others deem the prejudiced suffocation of votes and voices across the country for political gain. Despite the rhetoric, Denver communities are teaming up with others around the country to ensure that every voice is heard. Forget the issues surrounding this year’s election; the real trial may just be getting to the polls. Gaining strength since last year, a surge of new initiatives and would-be laws has shown up all seeking to “eliminate voter fraud” or “suppress certain demographics of voters” depending on which side is speaking. On August 15th, Pennsylvania state judge, Robert Simpson, upheld a new law requiring all voters to produce a valid government-issued photo ID. Opponents of the bill claim that this would disproportionately affect Democratic and minority voters who make up an estimated 186,000 voters in Pennsylvania who are registered voters but do not have a valid driver’s license. Though statistics proving instances of voter fraud are miniscule, - thevotingnews.com reports some 11 arrests have been made in Florida out of 178 cases since 2000 – some government officials persist in the fight against voter fraud and requiring ID is only one way in which the war is being waged. Other laws, which place restrictions on early voting, mail-in ballots and voter registration operations, are cropping up across the country. Denver is no stranger to these new laws and initiatives. Last year, Secretary of State Scott Gessler, told the Denver county clerk to refrain from mailing ballots to inactive voters, or those who did not vote in

Sean Dale

To Increase

Tawana Davis who are eligible. As far as a partisan advantage, it’s just the right thing to do.” Regardless of the intent of those making laws and the interpretation of those who must obey the laws, these new rules are creating a movement, a wake-up call to Americans who may have been complacent about one of their most basic and sometimes underappreciated rights. Together Colorado, a group founded in 1979 that seeks to empower working-class and lower income families through community events and organization, is spearheading a project designed to increase voter awareness and turnout in Colorado. Partnered with Shorter African Methodist Episcopal (A.M.E) Church, Together Colorado founded Let My People Vote. Let My People Vote is a nonpartisan campaign that endeavors to register all eligible African American and Latino Americans so they can vote come Election Day. Two young members of Together Colorado and Let My People Vote, Sean Dale and his cousin, Will Dickerson, have been going to high schools, churches and local events to encourage people to get out and vote. They are working to ensure that their communities in Denver and the state of Colorado are educated and aware of some of the challenges they will face at the polls. “We’ve already seen groups that are vowing to go out and challenge voters at the polls,” said Dickerson. Educating communities on voter challenges becomes all the more necessary considering that many of the voters are new. “Can you imagine just becoming a citizen, just understanding and learning the process and

2010. Critics argued that this would affect many voters including a large number of minority voters and even men and women of the United States armed forces. This year, his office is involved in a campaign to erase noncitizens who are registered to vote. Gessler’s office obtained a list of people from the DMV who presented noncitizen documents. The members of Gessler’s office then cross-examined the list with those on voter rolls and found non-citizens who were registered to vote. Since then, Gessler and his team have been trying to reach an agreement with the Department of Homeland Security in order to gain access to a current list of the citizenship status of those on the voter rolls. The plan is to identify non-citizens on voter rolls and send them a letter informing them that they are not eligible to vote. The specifics, such as how long recipients of these letters will have to respond before they are forcibly removed from the rolls, if they are removed, are still being negotiated. Those against Gessler’s actions argue that there could be a tremendous amount of error in the secretary’s findings, leading to eligible Americans being denied the basic right to vote for no reason. Andrew Cole, the spokesperson Secretary of State Gessler’s office believes that ensuring electoral integrity takes precedent over any political edge to be gained from removing these voters. “The process itself is blind to demographics. This is about the secretary’s job to ensure the integrity of each vote,” said Cole. “We are aware that there could be errors but the truth is non-citizens shouldn’t be registered to vote. They shouldn’t be voting because it cancels out those

Denver Urban Spectrum — www.denverurbanspectrum.com – September 2012

William Dickerson someone comes up and says ‘I don’t think you are a citizen, I don’t think you’re eligible to vote,” Dickerson asked. “What kind of feeling would you have? We want to keep those things from happening.” Dickerson and Dale are working on ways to get poll monitors and election judges at the booths to protect voters. The response to Dale and Dickerson’s work has been overwhelming. A few weeks ago, members of Together Colorado went to churches in Denver, seeking an opportunity to get more people registered to vote. They registered eight congregations totaling 425 voters in a single Sunday. Despite such a great feat, Dale and Dickerson are not just excited about numbers but also the passion shown by those who are new to voting or rediscovering their political voice. “The most rewarding piece of this experience is seeing the genuine excitement on people’s faces that someone is standing up for their community and their right to vote,” said Dale. “I enjoy seeing something grow from the bottom up and seeing the fire and drive in their eyes to protect their fellow persons.” For Dickerson, his work gives him the chance to experience a small measure of the courage of those who came before him. “People don’t want to vote until someone tries to take it away from them. That’s when they wake up,” Dickerson said. “The exciting thing for me is watching people come together in a strong way...Seeing that solidarity, and the names of people who have joined this movement, has awakened something in me. I think about the civil rights movement and wonder Continued on page 6

AFRICAN-AMERICAN MEN:

Caught In The Middle Of Prostate Cancer Screening Controversy Op-Ed by Chiledum A. Ahaghotu, M.D., F.A.C.S.

rostate cancer is the leading type of cancer in men in the United States, with over 240,000 men diagnosed and 30,000 thousand dying from it each year. Also, for reasons that are not completely understood, African-American men have the highest rates of prostate cancer in the U.S, as 1 in 5 will get prostate cancer in their lifetime. African-Americans are also 60 percent more likely to be diagnosed with prostate cancer and 2.5 times likely to die of the disease. When caught early, prostate cancer can be treated, usually successfully. But, because many men experience no symptoms, it is often identified only by an abnormal result on a basic prostate cancer screening called the PSA test. The PSA test is a blood test that measures prostate-specific antigen (PSA), a protein produced by the prostate gland. An increase in the PSA level is often the only sign of early prostate cancer. The PSA test is also valuable in monitoring patients after treatment. In May 2012, despite tremendous opposition from prostate cancer experts, legislators, healthcare advocates and cancer survivors across the country, a US Preventative Services Task Force (USPSTF) Committee announced a recommendation that PSA testing should no longer be performed routinely on men in the United States. The task force came to this decision based on studies performed in the United States and Europe suggesting that prostate cancer screening does not appear to improve survival in patients with this disease. One of the major concerns raised by opponents of the recommendation is the fact that the studies that were sited lacked representation by AfricanAmerican participants. Thus, their results may not be applicable to that group of men. The USPSTF committee also failed to acknowledge the impact of screening on declining cancer death rates. Opponents of this recommendation felt that the bottom line is that fewer men are dying of prostate cancer and it is very likely that early detection has played a role in this out-

come. Despite the decrease in death rates, African-American men continue to carry a disproportionately higher death rate and, among men under the age of 60, are 4 times more likely to have metastatic disease at diagnosis. There is currently ongoing research to find better screening strategies than the PSA test. However, until these tests have been confirmed, the PSA test continues to be important part of early detection and should not be blatantly discarded, especially as it applies to high risk populations such as African-American men. It is comparable to “throwing the baby out with the bathwater,” and in this case,

African-American men are being thrown out with the bathwater. Any man that is over 40 years of age should have meaningful dialogue with his healthcare provider to understand the details of the PSA test, its value, and possible shortcomings. Prostate cancer screenings are not provided under the Affordable Care Act, so make sure you choose a health insurance policy that covers PSA screenings. However, regular prostate cancer screenings are provided by Medicare, so if you are retired, take advantage of this benefit. If you are diagnosed with prostate cancer, also consider all options for treatment

before making a decision or, if the cancer is not aggressive, talk to your doctor about active surveillance. As with any illness, make sure you get a second opinion before proceeding with any post-diagnosis path. Editor’s note: Prostate Cancer Awareness Week will be celebrated Sept. 16-22. The Prostate Conditions Education Council (PCEC) will offer free prostate health assessments at over 500 locations across the country. To find a location near you visit www.prostate-conditions.org/screeningsite. Or call 303-313-4685/Toll free: 1-8664-PROST-8. Learn more about prostate cancer and other prostate health issues at www.prostate-healthguide.com.

At home with good grades. At home with affordable Internet. INTERNET ESSENTIALS

FROM COMCAST

When You’re at Home with the Internet, You’re at Home with Opportunity.

AFFORDABLE INTERNET

95 t

a month + tax

t t

A LOW-COST

COMPUTER Available $ at initial enrollment

149

+ tax

price increases activation fees equipment rental fees

FREE INTERNET TRAINING Available online, in print and in person

If you have children at home receiving free or reduced price lunches through the National School Lunch Program, your family may qualify for Internet Essentials from Comcast. This program was created to help families get affordable Internet at home, so more children and more families have the opportunity to succeed – in school and in life.

Find out if you’re eligible today: visit InternetEssentials.com or call

1-855-8-INTERNET

Restrictions apply. Not available in all areas. Limited to XFINITY® Internet Economy Plus service for new residential customers meeting certain eligibility criteria. Advertised price applies to a single outlet. Actual speeds vary and are not guaranteed. After initial participation, if a customer is determined to be no longer eligible for the program but continues to receive Comcast service, regular rates will apply. Subject to Internet Essentials program terms and conditions. Call 1-855-846-8376 for restrictions and complete details, or visit InternetEssentials.com. ©2012 Comcast. All rights reserved. Denver Urban Spectrum — www.denverurbanspectrum.com – September 2012

Pastor Jamal Bryant

Voting Rights Obstacles

Continued from page 4 what people were thinking. Did they know what they were doing? Did they know they would change the course of history? Now I’m sitting here with those who I would call Civil Rights giants.” It seems that many of these giants are members of a church. There is a heavy church involvement and influence in movements like Let My People Vote. Pastor Jamal Bryant of the Empowerment Temple A.M.E church in Baltimore, Maryland launched a “Code Red Initiative” that aims to deputize members of his congregation so that they may replicate voter regis-

tration processes in their homes. Members of the congregation will also be trained in evangelism and witnessing so that they can help others grow as citizens and as Christians. Locally, Reverend Tawana Davis who is in charge of the Young Empowered Servants Ministry at Shorter A.M.E Church, has been encouraging youth to exercise their right to vote. For her, the intertwining of churches and voter rights stems from a desire to emulate Jesus rather than expanding their church. “Jesus was all about social justice. So realistically, this is not even about church growth but following the model of Jesus,” the reverend said. “We are addressing folks who are marginalized because of racism, sexism and classism and letting them know that they are people too.” The backlash spurred on by laws that seek to tighten voting policies is in full force but how long will it last? It might be easier to convince people to vote now given the gravity surrounding this particular election but is there a plan to keep people coming to the polls beyond November? Reverend Davis believes any problem with voter turnout should be handled by leaders in each community and not by those outside of it. “Let us work on the issue of people not vot-

Photo taken at a recent rally outside of Colorado Secretary of State Scott Gessler’s office.

ing, don’t take that away from us because it’s our right as Americans,” said Reverend Davis. “We will go into a community of people who look like us and speak like us and we will help them understand that voting is a Godgiven right and if they don’t vote, they take their voice away. Let’s dispel the rumors of who can and cannot vote. It doesn’t end here, this is an effort that will move forward so that when a

judge is up for election our people will go out and vote.” Dickerson said that sometimes he feels he could thank Secretary of State Gessler for giving cause for communities in Colorado to rally. Workingclass and low-income families are standing up to regain their voice in American politics. The question now is not whether they will speak up but how loud they will be.

Nationally Ranked. Locally Trusted.

A big, private ER just for small fry When fever strikes or accidents happen, the Pediatric Emergency Room at Denver Health is just around the corner. Our highly trained pediatric staff knows how to ease the worries and pains of your little ones. It’s the award-winning care of Denver Health in a friendly environment designed exclusively for kids.

7th & Bannock | DenverHealth.org For a life-threatening emergency, dial 911.

Denver Urban Spectrum — www.denverurbanspectrum.com – September 2012

Jarrad Jackson

Colorado Delegates Ready To Represent At The DNC By Sheila Smith

on at the Congressional District convention in past April and Jarrad Jackson was in the thick of it all. The competition was fierce, he said, as people passed out literature, held signs up announcing their candidacy and even passed out pens engraved with their names. Everyone was vying to be a delegate at the Democratic National Convention to be held Sept. 4 to 7 in Charlotte, N.C. “I didn’t know how much people campaigned for this,” stated Jackson who had to rethink his strategy on how to get votes. He only had bookmarks with his picture on them that he passed out. He then attended the state convention to try his luck again. This time he was more focused and had a new strategy in play. “I know I didn’t have name recognition. So I spent the day before the state convention and on the day of the convention just talking to anyone and everyone and letting them get to know me,” he admitted and laughed. “I even talked to people about their dogs, educational vouchers and other stuff that I didn’t even know much about.” But it paid off for Jackson who ended up winning one of the slots to be a delegate and represent the state of Colorado at the DNC in Charlotte. He is also one of the two youngest delegates from the state to attend the DNC, he said. The intense rivalry to become a Colorado delegate proved how many people are fired up to help President Barack Obama remain in office another four years – and considering Colorado would be that crucial swing state to seal the president’s re-election. Jackson, 27, who is bi-racial with a Black father and white mother, can relate to President Obama and shares the same vision for this country. Winding back four years ago, Jackson was helping out with voter registration drives, knocking on doors and talking to people about why

because, “At the end of the day, it’s going to be a tight race and we can’t take anything for granted. All we can do is keep talking about what is the best vision for our country.” He sees a repeat of young voter turnout like in 2008 and looks at the Hispanic population explosion in Colorado over the past four years who will turn out at the polls in favor of President Obama. A few Colorado State representatives were determined to become delegates and make sure their state was solidly represented when the votes are cast to nominate Obama on the Democratic ticket in Charlotte. State Rep. Crisanta Duran is part of that caravan of Colorado delegates and was appointed to serve as vicechair on the national platform committee at the DNC “I think some of the same issues

State Rep. Crisanta Duran

we worked on here in Colorado is the same shared vision for the country as a whole,” she said excited about being chosen as national vice-chair in determining the president’s platform agenda for the next four years. Duran got involved in the Obama campaign in 2008. She met him during the primary in 2007 when he came to the University of Denver, where she introduced Caroline Kennedy who introduced everyone to then U.S. Sen. Barack Obama. Duran has a lot of minority constituents that live in District 5 that she represents – downtown Denver and surrounding neighborhoods. Continued on page 8

PPresenting resenting Sponsor

natalie

A frenzy of campaigning went

Barack Obama is the right president for this country. “In 2008, we ran on the ‘Hope’ slogan,” Jackson said. “We are fortunate to live in a country where our hopes and dreams can manifest themselves – dreams of owning a home and getting a high paying job.” Jackson added how the Democrat Party was great in helping to raise funds for all the delegates to attend the DNC. Other organizations like Aging Voters Matters and the Colorado Black Caucus also had fundraisers to contribute to Jackson’s trip to the DNC. Being a delegate is a big sacrifice, according to Matt Inzio, communications director for the Colorado Democrats. “You have to be especially committed and give up a lot of weekends and personal time to get to that point of being elected as a delegate. As part of the Democrat staff, we are really impressed by the commitment each person has made to become a delegate,” he further stated. It’s a drawn out agenda and very competitive when trying to become a delegate. The process starts at the precinct caucuses in March as individuals express their interest in becoming a delegate. At the caucuses, they check voter eligibility and discuss platform issues. These individuals move on to gain support and votes at the Congressional District Assembly. Only eight people are selected from each district – more than 3,000 districts. Requirements to be a delegate include being 18 years of age, a registered Democrat and resident of their precinct for 30 days prior to March 6, 2012. You also have to be a naturalized citizen two months prior to March 6, 2012. By mid-April, the state convention convenes where delegates are officially elected. A total of 86 delegates will represent Colorado at the DNC in Charlotte. Only a few states like Colorado and Iowa go through such a rigorous selection process and have multiple meetings in selecting delegates, said Inzio. But Colorado has to make a strong showing at the DNC in support of President Obama, Inzio added,

COLE

Oct. 12, 2012 8pm A BENEFIT FOR

PARAMOUNT THEATRE ADDITIONAL ADD ITIONAL SP SPONSORS ONSORS Transplant T ransplant Surgeryy UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO ANSCHUTZ MEDICAL CAMPUS

Denver Urban Spectrum — www.denverurbanspectrum.com – September 2012

State Rep. Rhonda Fields

Katherine “Khadjia” Haynes State Rep. Dan Pabon

Colorado Delegates

Continued from page 7 So far this year, besides orchestrating several fundraisers for the president, Duran has been heavily involved in outreach to the Latino community and making sure they are registered to vote. State Rep. Rhonda Fields attended the DNC in Denver in 2008 and wasn’t even an elected official at the time. Now Fields has name recognition and she was able to persuade those at the state convention to make her a delegate. “I am really looking forward to getting President Obama re-elected. He is doing the right things for women in this country, his health care plan and equal pay for equal work bill that he

State Rep. Angela Williams

of refugees, explained Fields. And Fields admits it has been a tough summer for Aurora. “We had the shootings at the Aurora 16 theater where politics have taken a side step. People have a certain fear; they want security for their families and are concerned about their kids being in a safe environment.” State Rep. Dan Pabon jumped at the opportunity to become a delegate at the state convention. He represents District 4 that consists of northwest neighborhoods on West Colfax, Sun Valley, Chaffee Park, Harkness Heights and others. Pabon said his job is to represent Colorado at the DNC and get the president nominated and re-elected. However, he has a much larger job at home in rallying the masses in Denver in remaining hopeful of having that American dream. “Still to this day, the president has this call to public service and takes it to heart,” Pabon declared. “He says not to worry about what goes on in Washington but in our own backyards and communities, that’s where the real work is to be done.” Pabon has been all over the state knocking on doors talking to people and drumming up support for the president. Jobs and the economy still remains the number one thing on people’s mind, he stated. “The most important things to folks are being able to work hard at a job, save money to send their kids to college and retire with security. Most folks are unemployed or underemployed. So when I am out talking to people, they recognize it isn’t the president’s fault and he is doing the best he can, and that’s not coming just from Democrats but those unaffiliated and Republicans.” It’s an honor to be a delegate, according to State Rep. Angela Williams, who also was elected at the state convention to represent Colorado at the DNC. She co-chaired the platform committee and helped write the platform for Colorado that will be taken to the

passed, increasing the Pell grant (for college students) and investing in our schools,” Fields said. She adds how she plans to listen to all the speeches at the DNC, get further fired up and bring back that enthusiasm to her constituents in District 42 in Aurora, which are those areas between Yosemite and Colfax, East Colfax to Chambers and south of Iliff. “As an African American middle class person, it’s crucial to re-elect Barrack Obama. He has the best interest for all middle class,” she said. District 42 already has a 61 percent Democrat presence with mostly working middle class citizens – 42 percent Latino, 26 percent African American and remaining percentage consisting

Forest Street Compassionate Care Center

Nestled in the Park Hill Community for the Community

³:H GRQ¶W OHDYH WKH FRPSDVVLRQ RXW´ Short term Rehabilitation, Long term Skilled Nursing, Respite Stays Physical, Occupational and Speech Therapies Secured ¶ QG Q Q Recreational therapies including Spiritual Services Southern style meals and in house dietician Medicare, Medicaid, Medicaid Pending & Private Insurance Accepted

Forest Street Compassionate Care Center 3345 Forest Street Denver, CO 80207 (303) 393-7600 www.forestst.org

Denver Urban Spectrum — www.denverurbanspectrum.com – September 2012

national convention. Williams’ District 7 comprises of Montbello and other northeast Denver neighborhoods. She too has been working hard to get people registered to vote, working with phone banks and Organizing for America to ReElect Obama campaign that has been opening offices. “I think the energy we had in 2008 was with having a new president. We were running on hope and change. Now fast forward and you don’t see that same ‘yes we can’ push or as much hyped up energy. But people realize we can’t go backwards and must continue to support our president in moving the country forward,” said Williams on the atmosphere luring in her district and making Colorado a blue state again. Some could call it an easy sweep for Katherine “Khadija” Haynes who received votes to be a delegate at the DNC. After all, she has the right political credentials and know-how. “It will be an exciting opportunity to be able to give affirmation for a guy who has done a great job as president,” Haynes said about going to Charlotte. “I wanted to be a delegate because it was important to support the president who we put our faith and trust in. He has been beat up considering the hand he was dealt when he first entered the doors (at the White House) four years ago and given a mess to clean up.” Haynes was adamant to say that the Colorado delegation was not just going to the DNC just to cast their vote for the president, but, “we’re making a commitment to work hard up until Election Day,” she said. As a political consultant and lobbyist at the state capitol in Denver, Haynes knows the game of politics too well. She was chief of staff for the president of the Colorado Senate, Peter Groff, during the 2008 DNC. For Haynes, this election is crucial.“Mitt Romney wants to negate the progress that has been made – obliterate it. And we can’t let that happen,” she said.

1229_KSURB

Get Your Flu Shot Today! • Certified Pharmacists • No appointment necessary • 7 days a week • Most insurance plans accepted

See Pharmacy for details or visit kingsoopers.com/pharmacy

Editor’s note: The following article is reprinted with permission from the Milwaukee Courier Newspaper.

he took the lead on Thursday, Aug. 2 in London that would claim notable writings in national, global and most significantly in African American sports and historical text, news print accounts and in featured popular culture tabloids. She is young, she is gifted, and she is Black. Gabrielle (Gabby) Christina Victoria Douglas effortlessly outpointed her competition to become the first African American to win the Olympic women’s individual all-around gymnastics event and became the fourth U.S. gymnast to capture this coveted allaround title following Mary Retton in 1984, Carly Patterson in 2004, and Nastia Liukin in 2008. This would be the 16-year-old’s second gold medal of the London Games coming two days after her and her “Fierce Five” teammates – Aly Raisman, Jordyn Wieber, Kyla Ross, and McKayla Maroney – gave the United States its first Olympic victory since 1996. President Barack Obama made a telephone call to London on Wednesday, August 1 with a note of congratulations to the team on their accomplishment. In anticipation of her scheduled competition the following day, he is quoted as saying

GabbyDouglas

Our Champion and Pioneer of Women’s Gymnastics By Taki S. Raton

to Douglas: “You just tore it up. I know how hard you worked to get there. Keep at it. Stay cool.” Published accounts of her magnificent Thursday achievement reveals that she finished with a score of 62.232, just 0.259 ahead of Russian competitor Victoria Komova who took the silver. Russia’s Aliya Mustafina won the bronze. In the first of her four routines, Douglas acquired the overall lead on the vault landing a meet-best of 15.966. She easily managed to maintain the gap on the uneven bars with a

15.733, followed by a brilliant performance on the balance beam where she scored a 15.500 to earn a 0.326 lead going into the floor exercise. To a flowing stream of melodic background rhythms, Douglas in her final floor exercise rotation delivered a 15.033. Traditionally in such sporting engagements, it is held in gymnastics that scores would increase as the competition continues. Our Virginia Beach, Va. native nervously waited for her competitors Raisman and Komova to complete their routines. However, in this case, sound traditions met its match as

Denver Urban Spectrum — www.denverurbanspectrum.com – September 2012

this 4 foot, 11 inch “Flying Squirrel” held her lead to win the gold. U.S. women’s team coordinator Martha Karolyi gave her the descriptive “Flying Squirrel” nickname reflective of her awesome gymnastically artistic grace. “The moment was both overwhelming and unbelievable,” writes Kelly Whiteside in his August 3 USA Today article “With gold, Douglas reigns as champ, pioneer.” He adds that her “stunning rise over the last months, went from a bundle of nerves to a confident star. “The joy of winning the most coveted title in her sport…The rocket-ship ride from relative unknown to being recognized by the President, Oprah and the rest of the Olympic-watching world… just 16, she is now a pioneer.” Writing for Fox Sports, Bill Reiter on August 2 says that “This is history in the making, a 16-year-old taking her own shot at Olympic immortality, and it would culminate a remarkable journey for a gymnast who has been ascending to the top of the sport since the spring.” In a second USA Today commentary, writer Christine Brennan asked Douglas how she would handle the pressure moving forward. “Pressure?” replies Gabby with a radiant smile. “I love it. I love to stick the landing like there is no tomorrow.

Gabrielle Douglas and team coordinator Martha Karolyi

You stick the landing, and it’s like ‘Game on.’ I’m ready for this. My mom says I’m a fighter, a fierce competitor, and I think I am too.” Prior to this past week’s gold-winning performance by the U.S. women’s team, only one African American female had ever earned an Olympic gold medal in gymnastics. Dominique Dawes was watching Douglas compete from the Olympic stadium press box, “trying to keep her hands from shaking,” writes Brennan. Dawes earned this most coveted medal by being a part of the 1996 “Magnificent Seven” U.S. Women’s Gymnastics team along with the bronze for her performance in the individual floor competition that same year. Now 16 years later, Dawes serves as an analyst for FoxSports.com. In an August 3 Huff Post Black Voices article, Dawes is quoted: “I am so thrilled for Gabby. I’m so thrilled to change my website and take down the fact that I was the only African American woman with a gold medal in gymnastics.” But the 35-year-old Dawes, on the other hand, reveals Brennan in her remarks on Gabby “couldn’t begin to control her emotions. The tears rolling down her cheeks were a long time coming.” But understandably, the road to London was riddled with both challenges and sporadic growth benchmarks. According to her official biography, when she was three, her older sister, Arielle, also a former gymnast, taught her how to do a perfect cartwheel with straight legs. By the age of four, Gabby had taught herself how to do a cartwheel with one hand. In October of 2002 at the age of 6, she started formal gymnastics training at Gymstrada and just two years later at 8years-old, Gabby went on to become 2004’s Virginia State Champion. As cited in the Huff Post “Parents” edition, after five years of training at home in Virginia Beach, Gabby had a life changing moment, according to this August 2 post, “Gabby Douglas’ Mom, Natalie Hawkins: ‘I’ve Raised An Olympian…Wow.’” After watching Shawn Johnson compete in the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, Gabby knew that she needed a new coach, Liang Chow. She realized that her coaches at home had nothing more to teach her. The predictable

issue became that Coach Chow trained thousands of miles away in West Des Moines, Iowa. “No way, it’s not going to happen,” Natalie told her daughter. But after constant prodding from Arielle and her other siblings Jovelle and Johnathan, two years later, Natalie, agreed to let Gabby move to Iowa and pursue her dreams despite the understandable struggle with her decision. “I know I need to do it, but how do I send my youngest child away to a family that I don’t know?” she reveals in the Huff Post writing. At age 14, Douglas left Virginia Beach and her family to train with elite coach, Liang Chow in Iowa. She lived with a host family, the Partons, where she played big sister to their four girls. The Partons also have a daughter who trains with Chow. Her mother was getting more comfortable with her youngest being more than 3,000 miles away noting that she was “getting closer to representing her country and winning the gold.” But in 2011, as reported in Huff Post, Gabby felt homesick and wanted to move back to Virginia. But this time the tables were turned and her mom would not let her. “She told me, life is not easy,” said Gabby. “You have to fight and just refuse to quit,” she remembers her mom saying. Under Coach Chow’s tutelage, Gabby competed in her fist elite meet in the 2010 Covergirl Classic in Chicago, Ill. That same year, she also competed in the Nastia Liukin Supergirl Cup, where she placed fourth in all-around. The then emerging medal gymnast made her senior debut in 2011 where she qualified for her first Senior National Championship in St. Paul, Minn. Gabby, at the nationals, became the 2011 Bronze Medalist on the uneven bars and earned a spot on the 20112012 Senior National Team. That November, Gabby competed as a member of the 2011 World Championship Team that traveled to Tokyo and won team gold. In 2012, she competed in the AT&T American Cup in Madison Square Garden, and competed with the U.S. team at the Pacific Rim Championships where she won the gold on the uneven bars in the event finals. She then continued on to Chicago in May 2012 where at the Secrets Classics she tied for third place

on the floor exercise and won gold for the uneven bars. This past June, Gabby competed in the VISA Championships and finished second in all-around, just two tenths of a point behind the leader. She also won a bronze medal for her floor routine and gold for her uneven bars segment. She would go on to compete at the Olympic Trials in San Jose, Cali. where she came away with the only guaranteed spot on the Olympic Team by winning the competition. And now what are the thoughts of mother Natalie Hawkins on her decision two years ago? “I had to ask myself, was I going to be selfish? The only reason I had to keep her home was to keep her with me,” as recorded in Maggie Hendricks July 11 post “Gabrielle Douglas’ mother made a ‘gut-wrenching decision’ to get her daughter to the Olympics.” “I made the right decision. I got it right, and you don’t know. It’s a gamble. I am so incredibly proud of her. I am in awe of what she can do.” Gabby’s father, Staff Sgt. Timothy Douglas of the Air National Guard, is currently serving in the 203rd Red Horse civil engineering squadron in Afghanistan. He did manage to make it to the Olympic trials in June, waving an American flag in the air for his daughter, Gabby, and also as reported, he contributed financially towards her training. In seeing Gabby perform, Douglas is quoted as saying: “There’s an exuberance. There’s a feeling that you can’t describe. I just missed her so much. Sometimes, when she had a rough time, I’d tell her to hang in there. You know what it takes to be a winner; you know what your goals are. You just keep on your goals.” When Dominique Dawes won gold in the team all-around in 1996 as one of Team USA’s Magnificent Seven, little Douglas had not yet turned one having been born December 31, 1995. And when asked what touched her the most regarding Gabby’s win, Dawes responded: “It was the generation of young kids looking up to Douglas in the same way they did with me. That’s what’s so touching. As I was able to help Gabby, now she’s going to help a whole other generation of young girls and boys – African Americans, Hispanics, other minorities – to see the sport of gymnastics as an opportunity for them to excel.”

Denver Urban Spectrum — www.denverurbanspectrum.com – September 2012

C olorado’s great for so many reasons, but one of them, voting by

mail, got a little less great this year. Actions by Secretary of State Scott Gessler are making it harder for Coloradoans to vote, in general, and particularly by mail, even if a citizen signed up to vote by mail for life. Gessler, a Republican, instated rules this year widely criticized by groups on the left and right -- from the American Constitution Party (Tom Tancredo’s party after losing the Republican gubernatorial nomination in the 2010 elections) to the American Civil Liberties Union and the NAACP. His rules changed the status of many people registered to receive ballots via mail, even if they registered to receive ballots by mail on a permanent basis. “This is definitely a new level (of interference),” contends Hillary Jorgensen, director of Colorado Progressive Action. “This Secretary of State is the most polarizing secretary of state that I have ever seen and he is making it really difficult for voters to vote,” she says. “Secretary of State Scott Gessler is one of the most partisan Secretaries of State in the country and in recent Colorado history,” contends Alvina Vasquez, communications director at Strong Colorado. Gessler also took the unprecedented action of requesting Homeland Security files to cull immigrants from the polls, according to Vasquez. “Gessler was following a national trend of partisan Republican Secretaries of State using any means possible to reduce the voter rolls. The database he sought to use was not designed for that purpose and cannot protect rightfully eligible voters from being purged. To have the chief elections officer putting out a message that he thinks that some people shouldn’t be on the rolls creates this atmosphere that’s unwelcoming and could have a chilling effect, especially among minorities.” Vasquez sees Gessler’s efforts as part of a very severe trend. “We are

Don’t Let Gessler’s Voter Rules Quiet Your Voice!

By Chris Meehan seeing a trend across the country that is creating obstacles to the fundamental American right to vote. This is a time when our leaders should be encouraging voter participation – instead we are seeing an attack on voter rights.” Under the new rules, “Permanent vote by mail does not mean permanent,” explains Vasquez. “Those voters who registered for permanent vote by mail and did not vote in 2010 have been removed from the permanent vote by mail list even if they have voted since then,” she asserts. The last election was a mid-term election wherein far fewer voters voted, as in most mid-term elections. The rules change is likely to have a bigger impact on Democrats and liberals, who voted in fewer numbers than Republicans and conservatives in the last election. Moreover, it overwhelmingly disenfranchises overseas military, lower income, minority, elderly, and disabled voters who may not be able access poles for a variety of reasons. For instance, “If you’re paid hourly and you have to take time out of your day that could end up costing you,” Jorgensen explains. “If you’ve made

arrangements prior to Election Day, you can certainly take care of it. But it’s certainly one more thing you have to do if you’re not expecting to vote in person.” When I don’t get to vote, I’m not happy about it. I’ve been disenfranchised twice. First time was the first time I tried to vote in Colorado. I’d moved about two blocks a month before the 1996 elections and hadn’t updated my registration. I went to what I thought was my polling station to vote. I explained I had just moved, and they told me I couldn’t vote there even though my name was on their list. At the polling station in my new neighborhood, my name wasn’t on the list. Frustrated, I went back to the first station and was refused again and was told I had to go to the courthouse to vote. Unfortunately, I worked an hourly job at the time (Big City Burritos) and wouldn’t be able to leave until after polls had closed. Last election I was hired to serve as an assistant campaign director in Oregon in late September. I called the Denver County Clerk’s office to request an early ballot – no go. I could request a temporary address change, but I wouldn’t know what my address

"When you leave your job... don't leave your money behind!" Myra Donovan, CLU, ChFC, CFP Financial Adviser

3200 Cherry Creek Drive South, #700 Denver, CO 80209

303-871-7249 - www.myradonovan.com

"Call Today for a FREE Consultation!" Denver Urban Spectrum — www.denverurbanspectrum.com – September 2012

would be at the time. When I learned where I would be a few weeks later, I made the request, but a week prior to the election I still hadn’t received my ballot. I reached out to the clerk’s office again who promised to send a ballot – and they did. It arrived a day after elections. Jorgensen doesn’t think that should be an issue this year. “Because we are moving more and more to mail ballots, the counties are getting better and better at elections by mail,” she says. Despite Gessler’s attempts to make it more difficult to vote this year, it’s pretty easy to make sure your voter registration is up to date. “Everyone needs to check their registration. And make sure that they are an active voter and make sure they are actually registered to vote,” Jorgensen says. “People can do that in a couple of ways; they can do it online by going to the Secretary of State’s Web site, you can put in your name and other information and it will tell you if you are registered and whether you’re inactive or active. If people don’t have access to the Internet, they can also call their County Clerk and verify the information by phone,” she explains. To find your status or register, go to www.sos.state.co.us and click on My Voter Information, the rest is pretty self-explanatory. Make sure you’re registered by Oct. 9. Any changes for registered voters must be made online by Oct. 30 and in your county’s election office after that. It’s also important this year to spread the word. Many might not have heard about the rules change, but by talking with friends, family, neighbors and co-workers, you can help make sure that others aren’t disenfranchised. If you plan on going to a polling station on Election Day bring a valid form of identification, which, among more common forms, can include a bill with your current address or student ID from a higher education institution. You can learn more on the My Voter Information site.

Mile High United Way Contributes To Success

outer beauty through color matching, makeup, and jewelry. RhodaDesignGroup.com features its own makeup line with unique statement gemstone jewelry designed by Johnson with gemstones from all over the globe.

Rhoda Design Group

Brothers Redevelopment, Inc. Housing

Home Maintenance & Repair

Housing Counseling

#!% #$ ' !" % $ "% # % "" % ! $ !# % ! !( $& $ ) "#!" #% $ Rhoda Johnson

Mile High United Way has the life of Rhoda Johnson in more ways than one. Johnson felt the warmth of the helping hand of Mile High United Way for the first time when she was in high school and received counseling from Council/Comitis Crisis Center which Mile High United Way supports. Then twice more, later on in her life by Mile High United Way programs and partners when she moved into the Gateway Battered Womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Shelter, which Mile High United Way helps fund, and finally when she joined Mile High United Wayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Individual Developments Accounts (IDA) program. Johnson has been an entrepreneur in the fashion industry since college, but always struggled maintaining a healthy business until she began the IDA program with Mile High United Way. The IDA program helps income qualifying participants save money to buy a house, pay for school, or start their own business. As a part of the program participants must complete financial classes and classes pertaining to their savings goals. Johnson said the classes made a world of difference for her, â&#x20AC;&#x153;I always wanted to become a homeowner, and with everything that Mile High United Way did through that program I was able to purchase a home and get my business running which was an added bonus.â&#x20AC;? Through the IDA program, Johnson learned how to better budget and save money, and was able to purchase all her supplies for the business, make her marketing and branding tools including her website, learn how use a computer, and make networking connections that have helped further the businessâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; progress. Johnsonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s business, Rhoda Design Group is a multifaceted business that helps women from all cultures and age groups bring out their inner and

Johnson started her own makeup line in Los Angeles, California after being laid off as a single mother of a six month old, daughter. Shortly after that time she moved to Denver to raise her daughter, got married and had a son. When her marriage ended in domestic violence, Johnson moved into the Gateway Battered Womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Shelter with her children. While she was living at the shelter Johnson did make up for the other women there. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Sometimes a lipstick or being pampered could give the women the confidence to shift and face what they needed to face,â&#x20AC;? Johnson said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It helps if the person you are looking at in the mirror looks better than how you feel â&#x20AC;&#x201C; at some point the two catch up with each other.â&#x20AC;? While Johnson was in the IDA program, she quit working to focus on her business and be there for her daughter. â&#x20AC;&#x153;My motivation was to show my daughter that no matter what life gives you, you can get up and be the best that you can be and not let it defeat you,â&#x20AC;? Johnson said. Her daughter, inspired by her example, became Miss Black Colorado 2011, graduated from College and is now a positive role model on her job and with friends and family. A successful business woman, Johnson now donates her time and services with Volunteers of Americaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Brandon Center, Warren Village, several other non-profit organizations, and is a mentor for three young women on their journeys. Johnson is incredibly grateful to Mile High United Way for all that they do and how they have impacted her life, and hopes to give back through more of the programs they support. Editorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s note: To find out more about Mile High United Way, the IDA program, or how you can give, advocate and volunteer visit www.UnitedWayDenver.org.

& $ "! &" " " "! "# " " ! % "!

"! % " ' "!

! "! "! ! ! "! "!

!" & "

* ((( #!% #$# ' !" % !# %! %# % ( % #

Denver Urban Spectrum â&#x20AC;&#x201D; www.denverurbanspectrum.com â&#x20AC;&#x201C; September 2012

HOH Enters Second Decade of Making a Difference

D Dine i n e iin no orr T Take ake o out ut

S o u t h e r n sstt y l e ffood, o o d , de s s e r t s, Southern yle desserts, AND v e g e ttarian ar ian p l a t tters e rs vege plat

V V

A Beneficiary of a CWS Program in East Africa shows the crops that are helping her achieve economic empowerment.

This is the Ba Barr B Q Que ue y youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve o uâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve been b e e n looking for. There is a dif ference. Come taste for yourself!

: 9

2 E E 2

2012 marks the 11th year for the Church World Service (CWS) Harvest of Hope. The Harvest is an annual benefit dinner supporting the work of the Church World Service in East Africa and It Takes a Village in Aurora and has a long history of fostering connections between the Denver community and African citizens. The event was founded in 2002 by MaryAnn McGeady, Pauline Miles and Kathryn Roy when in the face of the great pain of 9/11 they came to believe that working to build a global community was the best way toward healing. This year, the Harvest of Hope welcomes master of ceremonies Brother Jeff to the stage at Temple Emanuel for a night of celebration and education. African-inspired cuisine, a performance by the Cleo Parker Robinson Trainingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Group, and African drumming will bring a bit of the African

Photo courtesy of Church World Service East Africa office

continent to attendees. Guests can browse the African marketplace and the silent auction for opportunities to by one of a kind African art, handmade jewelry, and other imports alongside an array of items provided by some of Denverâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s finest businesses. Keynote speaker Sammy Mutua, humanitarian and emergency advisor

with Church World Service, will share his insights on enhancing resilience and adapting to changing climates to improve food security in the Horn of Africa. As countries in East Africa are experiencing some of the worst droughts on record, the work of CWS, which increases self-sufficiency through teaching and assisting with the implementation of food production methods that can provide for families even in the driest years, is especially important. The 2012 Harvest of Hope will be held at Temple Emanuel, 51 Grape Street, on Sept. 13. Cocktails and hors dâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;oeuvres at 5:30 p.m. will be followed with a 7 p.m. program. Tickets are $100; sponsorships are available from $250 for individuals and $1000 for businesses. Editorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s note: For more information, call 303-455-5765 or visit www.harvestofhopecolorado.org

the 11th annual

Harvest of Hope

Church World Service presented by

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Now we will have enough to feed everyone in my village.â&#x20AC;?

Thursday, September 13, 2012 Festivities begin at 5:30 pm Temple Emanuel 51 Grape Street Denver Tickets ~ $100 Business sponsorships available ~ $1,000 plus

Come celebrate the beauty and culture of Africa with a delicious Africa-inspired buffet, African art at the marketplace and silent auction, and African entertainment.

Benefitting the Food Security Programs of Church World Service in East Africa and the Phenomenal Women Program of It Takes A Village in Aurora.

It Takes A Village

Visit www.harvestofhopecolorado.org or call 303-455-5765 for sponsorship, reservations, or volunteer opportunities.

Denver Urban Spectrum â&#x20AC;&#x201D; www.denverurbanspectrum.com â&#x20AC;&#x201C; September 2012

Who’s To Blame?

By Tabatha Deans

aking advantage of fall-like temperatures, a group of parents lounge on park benches, sipping lattes and catching up on neighborhood gossip as their young children chase each other around the playground. Quickly tiring of the slides and swinging, the youngsters leave the safety of the sandbox and wander across the lawn toward the busy road. The parents watch carefully as their children begin the dangerous journey. “The kids are heading toward the road,” one parent observes. “Yeah, one of us should stop them,” says another. “I’m too tired, I’ve had a busy week,” adds another. “Maybe one of the parents over there will stop them.” “There’s not really a lot of traffic anyway, they’ll be okay.” “The drivers should have to watch out for them and stop.” “It probably won’t hurt very badly if they get hit anyway, kids are resilient...”

Of course this conversation would never happen in reality. Teaching a young child to stay out of the street, stay away from the hot stove, or avoid any kind of physical danger is a natural instinct within every parent, and waiting for someone else to save their child would never be an option. But when it comes to taking responsibility for the children’s growing girth, Americans are quick to point fingers at everyone but the parents. Childhood obesity is the fastestgrowing threat to America’s children. According to the White House Task Force on Childhood Obesity: “One out of every three children is now overweight or obese...and one third of all children born in the year 2000 are expected to develop diabetes during their lifetime. The current generation may even be on track to have a shorter lifespan than their parents.” While the threat of diabetes is not as immediate as being hit by a car, the disease can lead to a lifetime of health issues, including blindness, organ failure, amputation and death. The task force report, published in 2010, revealed that childhood obesity

is more common among certain racial risk of childhood obesity, although and ethnic groups than others, with historically public school lunch proobesity rates being highest among grams have always adhered to strict (non-Hispanic) Black girls and nutritional guidelines. Hispanic boys. Socioeconomic dispari“It’s not that we’re starting to serve ties also exist, based on the study, healthy lunches, we’ve always although studies between adults and adhered to nutritional standards,” children are conflicting. says Theresa Hafner, Executive The report also stated, “Women Director of Enterprise Management of with higher incomes tend to have Denver Public Schools. School meals are lower BMI (body mass index)...A prepared using fresh ingredients, porstudy in the early tion sizes are con2000s found that trolled and students about 38 percent of are offered a variety of (non-Hispanic) foods that have been White women who taste-tested by their qualified for the peers. Supplemental Hafner, who has Nutrition Assistance been feeding children Program (known in public schools for 17 then as food stamps) years, says getting were obese... kids involved is a “The relationship great way to get them between income and to eat healthier. obesity in children is Through the district’s less consistent than “Learning Dr. Robert Stewart, M.D. among adult women, Landscapes” program, and sometimes even students get to eat points in the opposite direcfood they grow in gardens themselves. tion...Among African-American girls What can parents do? the prevalence of obesity actually First Lady Michelle Obama’s “Let’s increased with higher socioeconomic Move!” campaign addresses the danstatus, suggesting that efforts to gerous epidemic on a national level, reduce ethnic disparities in obesity with the goals of empowering parents must target factors other than income and caregivers, providing healthy and education, such as environmental, food in schools, improving access to social, and cultural factors.” healthy, affordable foods and increasThe report states that although much ing physical activity. of the evidence is “...not conclusive,” Studies continue to be done, and factors such as mother’s behavior and campaigns instituted, but the ultimate health during pregnancy, “screen time,” tool in preventing childhood obesity genetics, social influences and environcomes down to the parent. Healthy mental toxins may be to blame for the eating is not only beneficial to the chilincrease in childhood obesity. No where dren, but for the family as a whole. in the report does it declare a parent’s Andrew Nowak, Project Director responsibility to make healthy choices for Seed to Table program for for their children. Slowfood Denver, wants to bring famLocal physician Robert Stewart, MD ilies back to the dinner table. believes parents are ultimately responsi“Take the television out of dinner. Sit ble for choices regarding their children’s down around the table and have a conhealth, and need to start making hard versation about the day,” Nowak recchoices to keep their kids safe. ommends. Spending time around the “We need to stop telling our childinner table not only promotes healthier dren they’re all right, when they’re not eating, it also promotes emotional and all right. Parents are too worried about mental well-being within the family. hurting their kids’ feelings and more Hafner recommends involving chilconcerned about being their friends. dren in what they eat, using a trick she This is a serious problem that requires learned from a pediatrician. adult intervention,” Stuart said. “Try a new fruit or vegetable once While parents may fall prey to a month,” she says. A trip to the prounhealthy lifestyles promoted by mass duce section of the grocery store can marketing, media influence and lack of turn into an adventure, while trying accountability, passing their own bad something new can be fun for the habits down to their children can have entire family. deadly consequences. Adults have the The same diligence a young parent freedom to choose to drink 64 ounces of has in watching what their toddler puts sugared soda every day, but are also in their mouth needs to continue obligated to prevent their children from throughout that child’s life. While food doing the same thing. may not appear to have the immediate Public school lunch programs have toxic effect of poison, the long term been a favorite target for national and effects can be just as dangerous, if not local campaigns to help reduce the deadly.

“We need to stop telling our children they’re all right when they’re not all right.”

Denver Urban Spectrum — www.denverurbanspectrum.com – September 2012

Baby Steps

Say No to Soda – Period. Soda, fruit drinks, and energy drinks have zero nutritional value, add unwanted calories, create unnecessary stress on the pancreas and kidneys, and can add hundreds of dollars a year to the household food budget. Stick to water. Skip the sides – We‘ve been trained to believe that a hamburger or sandwich is not a meal, unless accompanied by a side of french fries or potato chips. Consuming sides, especially fried or greasy sides, can double the cost of a meal, without the benefits of nutritional value, but with the added burden of hundreds of unwanted calories and unnecessary sodium. Order for two – Increased portion sizes are partly to blame for the obesity epidemic. When dining out, consider ordering one entree and sharing it with a spouse/mate or child. Or order two or three entrees for the family to share. Your bill will be cut in half and you’ll all be eating portions closer to the proper size. Better For Your Budget Routine trips to the convenience store can not only add unhealthy pounds to your hips, but can also take a heavy toll on your pocketbook. A daily snack of one soda and one candy bar, with an average of $1.50 for each item, adds up to $21 every week. The calories are empty and fat-filled, and often leave you feeling fatigued and bloated afterward. A weekly trip to the grocery store can turn that same $21 into an abundance of quality food that will provide you with good calories, energy and less fat. That same $21 purchased: 1 lb of strawberries 1 lb of grapes 1 lb of watermelon 4 apples 4 oranges 6 servings of raisins 4 servings of sugar-free pudding 11 servings of Nilla Wafers 9 servings of baked wheat crackers 4 servings of sharp cheddar cheese 4 servings of fruit yogurt Helpful Websites www.slowfooddenver.org www.livestrong.com www.calorieking.com

Polling Places Set For November 6 General Election

Voters who choose to cast their vote in person on Election Day, Tuesday, November 6, will be able to do so at an assigned polling place. Information cards containing the voter’s polling place location will be mailed to all registered electors in early October. 149 polling places will be used for the General Election and will be located strategically throughout the City and County of Denver. All polling places will have paper ballots and privacy voting booths available, and at least one electronic voting machine for anyone who chooses to use it. To see a map of Denver’s polling places, visit DenverVotes.org.

Photos by Lens of Ansar

A Tall Tale Edward “Too Tall” Walker: Big Man On The Fastpitch Campus A 6-foot-4 giant of a man, Edward

“Too Tall” Walker is the most recognizable presence – and laugh – in Colorado fastpitch. “It came from the military,” Walker says of his signature chuckle that resounds across softball diamonds from Pueblo to Five Points. Walker is a dominating presence in the pitching circles of men’s fastpitch softball but just as well-known for his gregarious nature and larger-than-life personality. A cement finisher by trade, he’s also a driving force in the 47-year tradition of Black ballplayers from Denver and Omaha, Nebraska, duking it out at Sonny Lawson Field in the Five Points Neighborhood. “Our game of fastpitch is like real baseball for all of us guys who got a little too old to be running 90 feet between the bases,” Walker said after a recent league game in Boulder, where he pitched this summer for The 28th Street Tavern team. “In baseball the field is large and the diamond is large, but in men’s fastpitch, everything is up close and personal. You can sit right behind the dugout or home plate and it’s so close, it’s like you’re on the field. We have bunting and stealing. You can feel the energy and intensity of real baseball, but its softball, and it’s a beautiful game.”

By Don Cameron Last season, Walker pitched for the Colorado Dragons team that won the North American Fastpitch Association national championship. Walker earned Most Valuable Pitcher honors at the 2009 NAFA Wood Bat World Series for leading the Dawgs to a second-place finish. He also was a member of the 2007 NAFA Wood Bat World Series champion Dragons. This summer, he was the driving force in steering Bohica to the NAFA Colorado state title. “I put the team on my back and said, ‘Trust me. Let’s go,’ ” Walker said. “The main thing I can say about Too Tall is that he always does what he says he is going to do,” said Dave Parker, who runs the Rocky Mountain Rebels fastpitch club. “He was one of our big supporters at the very start in building up wood bat. He’s been such a strong supporter for anything that has to do with fastpitch, from developing the game to helping bring it back to where it used it be.” A Shreveport, La., native, Walker was an accomplished sprinter and

football player at Booker T. Washington High School. After an uninspiring semester playing junior college basketball, he headed west in 1979, taking up the game of fastpitch at age 33. Walker was a top-notch centerfielder before learning the craft of windmill pitching when he was 40. He recalls how he got his start in the game, which is very popular in New Zealand, Australia, Canada, the American Midwest and other select pockets of the country, including the Front Range. “I was bored with my life. I was an athlete all my life, and there I was at age 33 and I had nothing to do with myself,” Walker said. “Tall” was sitting at the bar at his favorite watering hole, the Ebony Rose on York Street, when Robert Moss and Henry Redwine popped into the bar in search of a sponsor. Walker wanted in. He bought a glove, showed up for the team’s next practice and began a humbling but rewarding journey. Denver high school basketball legend Donald Ray Edwards (“D-Ray”) mentored Walker in his early years. “I started him out in centerfield but he was determined to be a pitcher. He worked hard at it,” Edwards said. “Nobody had the patience to teach me how to play the game,” Walker recalled. “D-Ray took it upon himself, and I stressed him out many days as he was trying to teach me how to hit and track the ball in centerfield.” The bond of fastpitch is vividly evident in the annual summer showdown between Black fastpitch players from Denver and Omaha. Twice a summer – once in each city – the players gather for Saturday afternoon doubleheader and plenty of eat, drink and be merry moments. Denver holds bragging rights after winning the most recent games in July at Sonny Lawson Field, with Too Tall pitching the opening game. “It’s just tradition, people coming out and having fun at the ballpark,” Walker said. “It’s the last stronghold stemming from the old Negro leagues, something proud for the Black community.” As proud as he is for his fastpitch reputation, Walker loves to talk about his other craft — cement masonry. After moving from the Bayou to Colorado in 1979, he learned the cement finishing trade at Big O Cement. He worked for industry leaders such as James Jones, John Nelson

Denver Urban Spectrum — www.denverurbanspectrum.com – September 2012

and James Pizeno, on commercial projects including the Glenarm Recreation Center, Denver Convention Center and the Drury Inn. He toiled under Henry Redwine on projects from custom homes to Denver International Airport facilities. Now a respected cement foreman, he has helped introduce cement masonry skills to Blacks, Hispanics, and Caucasians, both men and women. “If Too Tall is on the job, the job will get done right,” he affirmed. “I know how to teach the trade. I will take charge at the beginning of the day and at the end of the day, it’s a beautiful job.” Walker attributes his work ethic to his upbringing. His dad was a truck driver in Louisiana, but Walker knew he wanted a different life. “I was the type who liked home cooking. I like sleeping in my own bed, and the life of a truck driver was just the opposite,” said Walker, who loves going by his middle name, Anthony, though few, besides his mom, ever call him that. Walker’s mom, Miss Eula Mae Wilson Wright, was a nurse’s aide and a motherly figure to their entire neighborhood. “I learned how to drive by her having me take all the elders to the grocery store,” he recalled. “A lot of older women – they made me slow down and always be polite, open doors, take the groceries in. It made me a nice person, and I thank them for that.” In the heated game of fastpitch, Walker, despite his size and Too Tall moniker, is recognized as a voice of reason, a diplomat, a gentleman. Over Memorial Day weekend in 2011, Walker was competing for the Dilligaf team in a Pueblo tournament when he learned that his father had passed away. “I did not share it with my team,” he said, “because I did not want to put a damper on the tournament for them.” With a heavy heart, Walker, true to form, stayed until the end of the tournament, then quietly drove back to Denver, rented two vans and led a caravan of 15 family members from Denver to Louisiana for the funeral. In the summer of 2012, as he has for the past two decades, Too Tall savored the good times at the ballpark. With his signature white cowboy hat, ear-to-ear grin and fitting intonations of a former Army drill corporal, Walker is always a welcoming presence. “Softball is a beautiful life,” Walker said. “We live and play in a beautiful world of softball where we can’t wait to see each other every summer and compete against each other. It’s closer than family, because we guarantee we’ll be with each other all summer, in different cities, in different settings. We stay in the same hotel, eat and drink together. We share everything.”

From Goals to Greatness:

Achieving Aspirations By Heather Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Mara and Ruth MĂĄrquez West

â&#x20AC;&#x153;I

will do this,â&#x20AC;? is the mindset that Pastor Tamara Quansah, Learning Center Director of HOPE at Love Educational Center, aspires to instill in her students. â&#x20AC;&#x153;All students can achieve,â&#x20AC;? Pastor Quansah explains, distinguishing between Pastor Tamara Quansah the capability to learn and the decision to Mark Lopez

reach for academic achievement. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I am here to help them decide that they will achieve.â&#x20AC;? Pastor Quansah also knows the difference between the activities, habits and thoughts that boost student learning and those that distract students from that goal. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Everything they do in the educational process helps formulate their thinking, habits and the adults they will become,â&#x20AC;? Loveâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s leader asserts. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It is not enough to aspire to earn straight Aâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s. Students need more substance.â&#x20AC;? As HOPE students pursue meaningful accomplishments, they have HOPEâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s pillars â&#x20AC;&#x201C; attendance, affiliation, achievement and aspiration â&#x20AC;&#x201C; to guide them. HOPE Learning Center Directors appreciate that aspirations often begin by attaining seemingly simple milestones. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I challenge my students to, first, master perfect school attendance,â&#x20AC;? points out HOPE at Westside Learning Center Director Mark Lopez, adding, â&#x20AC;&#x153;If they can master what they may consider the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;littleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; things, then they learn that they have it within their power to also master the skills to achieve even their highest aspirations.â&#x20AC;? Malia Ellis, Learning Center Manager at HOPEâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Victory Academy, confirms the schoolâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s prioritization of the essential basics and emphasizes that, even before any goals are met, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Students need to know, fundamental-

ly, that they are noticed, that their needs are seen and accepted.â&#x20AC;? Throughout her school years, Ellis switched schools almost annually and, as a young African-American girl, she worried that factors beyond her control would work against her. Yet, she was determined to be â&#x20AC;&#x153;in the gameâ&#x20AC;? at school rather than relegated to the sidelines of academic achievement. This, she knows, required firm resolve to achieve in a way that forced teachers to notice her. â&#x20AC;&#x153;My experiences affected my own aspirations in the field of education. As I welcome each child into our classroom, my thought is, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;I am going to notice you. No matter what your hair looks like, what your clothes look like, you are going to fit in. I cannot change your home life but while you are here your needs will be noticed.â&#x20AC;&#x2122;â&#x20AC;? Pastor Quansah, too, believes that the aspirations of students and the development of an â&#x20AC;&#x153;I WILLâ&#x20AC;? attitude are strongly tied to being known, seen and heard. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The sense of security prevents students from â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;trying to fill up on other things,â&#x20AC;&#x2122; and

TONY WINNING DRAMA NOW ON SALE!

instead, they naturally naviMalia Ellis gate toward their aspirations.â&#x20AC;? Ultimately, Quansah, Ellis and Lopezâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s successful Learning Centers are guided by HOPEâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s four foundational pillars, which build upon and support one another â&#x20AC;&#x201C; a complementary relationship that HOPE Learning Center leaders understand and leverage to launch their studentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; aspirations toward achievement.

FENCES By AUGUST WILSON

Flava!

A star baseball player, his career blunted by racism, supports his family as a sanitation worker. Aware that strength of body and purpose are not enough, he struggles to keep the delicate fabric of his intricate value system from tearing apart. Winner of the Pulitzer Prize and two Tony Awards, Fences is a muscular yet lyrical portrait of a powerful man robbed of his dreams.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Simply Good Foodâ&#x20AC;? Featuring:

4&15 o 0$5 t SPACE THEATRE

$8 Soul Food Plate

Monday Special!

Buy 1 Burger Get 1 Free

Producing Partner:

New Extended Hours

0DU t QN

303.893.4100 t denvercenter.org

Mon-Sat. 11 AM to 9PM, Sundays 10AM to 6PM

GROUPS (10+): 303.446.4829 TTY: 303.893.9582

15343 E. 6th Ave.(6th & Chambers)

www.flava.biz â&#x20AC;˘ 303-856-3590 â&#x20AC;˘1flavaful1@gmail.com Denver Urban Spectrum â&#x20AC;&#x201D; www.denverurbanspectrum.com â&#x20AC;&#x201C; September 2012

Teal will be the most powerful color this September if the Colorado

Ovarian Cancer Alliance (COCA) has its way. Teal is the color of ovarian cancer awareness and September has been designated National Ovarian Cancer Month. COCA is asking all Coloradans to help raise awareness of ovarian cancer during September by participating in events and programs, including Wear Teal Day, scheduled for Friday, Sept. 7. “We hope everyone will wear teal on September 7,” says Guadalupe (Pep) Torres, COCA executive director. “We encourage all Coloradans to join us in honoring those lost to and living with ovarian cancer, and help us work to develop effective screening methods, improving treatments and ultimately defeating this disease.” To spotlight National Ovarian Cancer Month, COCA is asking Coloradans to display yard signs promoting ovarian cancer awareness in residential areas, and to decorate doors, windows, trees, fences, mailboxes, even automobiles and bicycles, with teal ribbons. Participating residents will also be provided with symptom awareness cards to share with their families and friends. Business owners can also help educate the public about ovarian cancer by

September 2012 Designated National Ovarian Cancer Month Wear Teal Day Scheduled for September 7

to recognize the symptoms is critical to saving lives. If found in an early stage more than 90 percent of women diagnosed with ovarian cancer will survive for more than five years. Unfortunately, about 80 percent of cases are diagnosed in stage III/IV, when the disease has already spread beyond the ovaries.” Assisting COCA during this special month-long campaign are many volunteers, who include ovarian cancer survivors, family members, friends and coworkers as well as others who are taking part in remembrance of a loved one. “Our goal is to get symptom cards in the hands of as many women as we can.” Torres says. Another highlight of the month’s activities will be the Ovarian Cancer Summit on Saturday, Sept. 15 at the University of Denver’s Knoebel School of Hospitality. The event is being presented by COCA in conjunction with the Ovarian Cancer Task Force (OCTF), which is comprised of the Cheryl Shackelford Foundation for

displaying small posters and distributing symptom awareness cards. Ovarian cancer is the fifth most common cancer in females in the United States but the most common cause of death among women who develop a gynecologic cancer. Each year, more than 20,000 women in the United States are diagnosed with ovarian cancer; of those nearly 15,000 will die of the disease. Every 40 hours one woman in Colorado dies from ovarian cancer. Symptoms of ovarian cancer include bloating, pelvic or abdominal pain, difficulty eating or feeling full quickly, and urinary urgency or frequency. However, the symptoms of early-stage ovarian cancer are often vague and may not be specific or severe, so too often a woman may not seek medical attention or may be misdiagnosed. “Deaths can be prevented by greater awareness of symptoms and earlier diagnosis,” says Torres. “Since there is no screening test for ovarian cancer – and the Pap test does not check for ovarian cancer – being able

Ovarian Cancer Awareness, the HERA Women’s Cancer Foundation and the Sue DiNapoli Foundation in Colorado Springs, and is part of the Colorado Cancer Coalition (CCC). Dr. Laura Shawver of The Clearity Foundation, and an ovarian cancer survivor, will be the summit’s keynote speaker. Dr. Shawver’s groundbreaking work helps determine the molecular blueprint of ovarian cancer tumors which allows for a better match between the patient and an appropriate clinical trial or other treatment. Other presenters will include Dr. Rachael Ware Miller of the University of Kentucky, spotlighting advances in early detection of ovarian cancer; naturopathic medicine practitioner and ovarian cancer survivor Nasha Winters, who will discuss methods used in her Durango, Colo. clinic; and Dr. Nimesh Nagarsheth, renowned Mt. Sinai Hospital gynecologic oncologist and member of the rock band N.E.D., who will speak about his work and new book “Music and Cancer.” Sessions on clinical trials, the BRCA gene mutation, nutrition, exercise and the mind/body connection will also be presented. Editor’s note: Registration is available at www.colo-ovariancancer.org. For more information call Jeanene Smith at 720-971-9436 or email Jeanene@colo-ovariancancer.org.

WHEN BREAST CANCER WAS MY ENEMY, Komen Denver was there for me. WALK WITH ME so every person in Colorado will receive services when no one else can help them. 20th annual Komen Denver Race for the Cure® Sunday, October 7th, 2012, Pepsi Center Register online at www.komendenver.org for questions call 303.242.3100 Latonia Hicks, Aurora CO Breast Cancer Survivor

LOCAL PRESENTING SPONSOR

FOUNDING SPONSOR

PRESENTING MEDIA SPONSORS

WHEN BREAST CANCER WAS MY ENEMY, Komen Denver was there for me.

PREMIER SPONSORS

DIAMOND SPONSORS

PLATINUM SPONSORS

GOLD SPONSORS Pepsi Cola Beverages

http://www.facebook.com/KomenDenver

SILVER SPONSORS Cigna CoBank, ACB Denver Broncos Football Club Great Plains Moving and Storage RUBY SPONSORS

http://www.twitter.com/komendenver

Anadarko Petroleum Corporation DENVER NEWS Kaiser Permanente KNRV-1150AM Macy's Mile High Pedicabs

NextCare Urgent Care Norris Design Out Front Colorado PCL Construction Services, Inc. Prologis SmileGeneration.com TeleTech

Locally supported by The Running Ribbon is a registered trademark of Susan G. Komen for the Cure®

Photography courtesy of donsearlephoto.com

Denver Metropolitan Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure, 1835 Franklin Street, Denver CO 80218 Denver Urban Spectrum — www.denverurbanspectrum.com – September 2012

You’ve Waited Long Enough... Joy and Pain Finally Comes To Denver

Many have felt the pain but

now Colorado can feel the joy as Cedric Pride and A Funk Above The Rest Radio Network, presents “The White Party” with MAZE Featuring Frankie Beverly! Maze featuring Frankie Beverly has established a trust fund with music lovers worldwide. Fans know when they attend a Maze concert they will be treated to an evening of honest, raw soul music. And that’s how it has been for more than 40 years. Nothing has changed. The band has stayed in its lane, continuing to do its thing, bringing quality music from the heart night after night. It is the band members’ honesty and brilliant artistry that has allowed them to continue to headline at top concert venue across the globe. There are no gimmicks, no stage tricks in their shows – just Beverly with his smooth, soulful vocals supported by the tight Maze band. “They know what they are going to get with us,” says Beverly of the group’s audiences. “They trust us as musicians. You’ve got to be a good live act. You’ve got to know how to entertain. It goes beyond having hit records. You have to know how to present the music on stage.” Beverly notes, “Our honesty comes through. We don’t compromise on being honest with our music and being honest with our approach to our music. We are honest with our fans and I hate to use that word ‘fans’, because they are more than that to us. They are our family. They believe in us night after night year after year. And you can’t ever lose with your family’s support and love. And we

recognize that and love them for loving us.” Maze featuring Frankie Beverly arrived on the scene in 1977 with a string of hits including Happy Feelings, Lady of Magic, While I’m Alone and Workin’ Together. And the soul classics continued with Golden Time Of Day, Southern Girl, Joy and Pain, We Are One, Running Away, Back In Stride, Can’t Get Over You, Silky Soul and The Morning After. The essential must-have Maze albums include Joy and Pain (1980), Live In New Orleans (1981), We Are One (1983), Can’t Stop The love (1985) and Live in Los Angeles (1986). Maze was saluted by Mary J. Blige, Avant, Ledisi and other acts on the 2009 hit CD, Silky Soul Music: An All-Star Tribute To Maze Featuring Frankie Beverly. Beverly reveals that while he loves singing all of the favorites in concert, he particularly enjoys performing We Are One and Joy and Pain. “They have a special place in my heart. We Are One jumps out at me every night. People react the same way. They recognize the song’s truth. I see them look at each other and say, ‘Wow, we are one, you are right.’ I just love what that song does to people, how it unites us all. That song moves me and turns into a spiritual thing.” Referring to Joy and Pain, the music master says “You can’t have a mountain without a valley – they are one in the same. If you’ve got flowers, you’ve got to have rain. Pretty flowers don’t grow without some rain.” He was inspired to write the tune after reading philosopher-poet Kahlil Gibran’s masterpiece, “The Prophet,” that includes the chapter, “On Joy And Sorrow.” Maze’s fans are familiar with the

band’s rise to fame. A native of Philadelphia, Beverly grew up singing in church and later formed a group called The Butlers when he was a teenager. He later changed the name to Frankie Beverly’s Raw Soul. The band’s star began to rise in the mid 70s when Marvin Gaye caught their show in the San Francisco/Oakland area. He took them on the road as his opening act and urged them to change their name from Raw Soul. Original member Roame came up with the name Maze and the rest, as they say, is musical history. The other original Maze member was the late McKinley “Bug” Williams who played percussions and sang background. Williams died in 2011. “Bug was my brother,” recalls Beverly. “He was with me for 50 years. We were 15 and 16 when we met. He was an excellent, schooled musician, top of the line. He knew music. He was the father of the band, very much like the guardian of the band. He was very strong-willed and very well respected. He was a good person; he kept the band in line. Someone asked me if I was going to replace him. I said, ‘That’s impossible, there is no replacing Bug.’ We started out as seven back in Philly and we are now back to seven. And I really feel that’s the way it should be. I love my brother, Bug and miss him so much.

But thankfully he is still very much in our music night after night.” Beverly loves to talk about two of his biggest inspirations – Frankie Lymon and Sam Cooke. “I was Frankie Lymon crazy when he came on the scene. People would call me ‘Little Frankie.’ My name is Howard, but I took the name Frankie from Frankie Lymon. I used to sing Frankie Lymon songs on street corners. People use to throw me money,” he recalls. Beverly says he will never forget meeting Sam Cooke at Philly’s Uptown Theater. “We were trying to get his autograph. We said, “Mr. Cooke, Mr. Cooke, can you sign mine?’ He said, ‘Have you guys ever been back stage?’ Well, come on.” Cooke treated Beverly and his friends “like we were his kids.” That chance meeting had a tremendous impact on Beverly. To this day, he always makes time for his fans. “I don’t turn people down. I always think of Sam Cooke and how kind and patient he was. He didn’t have to do that for us.” Editor’s note: Maze featuring Frankie Beverly will appear on Sept. 8 at the Ritchie Center’s Magness Arena, 2240 East Buchtel Blvd. in Denver. Special guests include The James Douglas Show and Julius & The Funky Groove Band. For tickets or more information, visit www.

Cleo Parker Robinson Dance 42 4 2nd Anniversary Season Celebration!

Dancing with the

Denver Stars Renaissance Hotel &KDLU /OR\G /HZLV +RQRUDU\ &R &KDLUV *HWD DQG -DQLFH $VIDZ

Save the Date

Saturday, October 6, 2012 6:30 pm - 10:30 pm

,QGLYLGXDO WLFNHWV 9,3 SDWURQ WLFNHWV ,QGLYLGXDO WLFNHWV 9,3 SDWURQ WLFNHWV Table sponsorship s sta rt at $ 2,500 sponsorships start $2,500 7R 5693 FDOO ZZZ FOHRSDUNHUGDQFH RUJ 7R 5693 FDOO ZZZ FOHRSDUNHUGDQFH RUJ

Denver Urban Spectrum — www.denverurbanspectrum.com – September 2012

VP Ryan: A Nightmare For The Poor And Minorities By Earl Ofari Hutchinson

n an apparent off the cuff remark, Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan gushed that he thought it was a “cool thing” that an African-American was president. But Ryan’s rapture with President Obama didn’t last past the first sentence. In the next breath he quickly added that he didn’t like much else about Obama. The much else was how Obama has spent on health, education and job development programs that would help the poor and minorities. That spending has been fiscal heresy for Ryan. His savage cost cutting plan is wellknown. He’d cut tens of billions from Medicaid and Medicare, and more than a trillion from everything from food stamps to welfare over the next decade. The Ryan slash and burn plan merciful-

ly hasn’t happened during his tenure as House Budget Committee Chair. But as Vice President Ryan, he would be in a commanding position to make his cost cutting plan a nightmare come true for the poor and minorities. The key to that is winning the vicepresidency. In distant times past, the vice-presidency was little more than a ceremonial, title-leaden position that carried little authority, and almost no power to make, shape or change public policy. Presidential candidates picked vice-presidents mostly to shore up their perceived political or ideological weakness, be it sectionalism, inexperience, image, or on domestic or foreign policy expertise. The VP was there to balance a ticket, and help a presidential contender win, and nothing more. But that was in the distant past. The vice presidential pick has morphed into a high stakes game in the evolution of presidential politics. The VP is now much more than just a standard dressing up of the presidential ticket. He or she must be able to actually help a presidential candidate win first and foremost, or at worse not help him lose. There were times in past elections when VPs have made a difference. Lyndon Johnson in 1960 is the textbook example of that. He brought legislative savvy, he was a Southern then still in good stead, and he could deliver two or three Deep South states. He did his job. Bush Sr.

also helped Reagan in 1980. He brought experience, insider connections, and as a transplanted Southerner, the regional balance that Reagan needed. And he was moderate enough to give Reagan a little edge with moderate Republicans. But the vice-president has become much more than that. A vice president is now directly involved in discussing, implementing and even helping to formulate domestic and foreign policy. Vice-Presidents chair presidential committees and commissions. They are consulted and make recommendations on major policy decisions and changes. They are often the hit men on controversial policy issues and during elections they are on the campaign trail to say what the president often can’t say. Clinton’s VP Al Gore and Bush’s VP Dick Cheney played the role of advisor and point man on key issues. Obama VP Joe Biden plays the same role. In any case, the VP is now often right in the center of presidential politics and the national political debate. Ryan would be even more at the center of that debate and decision making. He was picked in large part not to balance the Romney ticket, but because of his budget hammering big stick. A Romney White House will not only listen to him, but rely heavily on him on policy decisions involving spending slashes, almost all of it involving crucial domestic programs. This would come at the worst possible time for the poor and minorities.

Denver Urban Spectrum — www.denverurbanspectrum.com – September 2012

The poor are not only getting poorer, they are also more numerous than any time in the last half-century and have slipped even further behind in wealth and income disparities. Other reports repeatedly confirm that a disproportionate number of the poor are blacks and Hispanics. The single biggest reason for their plunge downward is the relentless pecking away at federal spending on enhancement programs in health care, education, job and skills training, and the massive cutbacks and downsizing in the public employment sector. This has been coupled with a colossal leap in the fortunes of the rich and major corporations. Their wealth bounty has soared through a benign and porous tax and regulatory system that has given the taxpayer company store away to them. The Ryan plan would be a dream come true for them. It would shove out even more of the tax cut bounty to the wealthiest, and do absolutely nothing to insure that any of the tax cut giveaway go toward investment in new job creation. The cuts would leave the tattered safety net for the poor in even greater tatters. It doesn’t take a soothsayer to predict that the number of poor will skyrocket even more under the Ryan plan. Ryan knows he’s in a commanding position. He told an interviewer during the Republican presidential candidate’s debates that all the Republican candidates believed his plan was the best plan for the country. Tea Party Express leader Amy Kremer was in delirium in stating that selecting Ryan “proved” Romney was committed to their draconian economic hatchet plan. Unfortunately for the poor, in a Romney White House VP Ryan could make that nightmare happen. Editor’s note: Earl Ofari Hutchinson is an author and political analyst. He is a political commentator on MSNBC and co-host of the Al Sharpton Show . He is an associate editor of New America Media. He is the host of the weekly Hutchinson Report Follow Earl Ofari Hutchinson on Twitter: http://twitter.com/earlhutchinson

OCTOBER 9–21 | BUELL THEATRE DENVERCENTER.ORG | 303.893.4100 | GROUPS (10+) 303.446.4829 | TTY: 303.893.9582 Sponsored by

Join US for these Special Engagement Shows!

Corey Holcomb Aug. 30-Sept. 3

Brandon T. Jackson Sept. 12

Sick

Guy Torry Sept. 20-23

Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Revives Controversial 1951 Katherine Dunham Ballet

Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble launches its 42nd season with Southland featuring the United States premiere of Katherine Dunham’s controversial 1951 ballet of the same name. Also featured will be the Denver premiere of Haitian master choreographer, Jeanguy Saintus’ newest work Fusion. The Katherine Dunham Dance Company first presented the hourlong work Southland about the Deep Gooch’s South – including scenes of racial prejTransmission udice – in 1951 in Santiago, Chile, but Specialist it was too controversial for its time. American Embassy officials in Chile decided that it reflected badly on the U.S., ordered that the production be shut down immediately, and allowed no reviews of it to be published. After Myron Gooch, Manager a short run 760 in Paris in 1953 to mixed Dayton Street reviews, it was neverCO seen80010 again – Aurora, until now. CPRDE received 303-363-9783a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts in part to fund this historicwell re-creMaking transmissions ation of Katherine Dunham’s masterfor 22 years. piece, and the project has seen Cleo Parker Robinson assemble an artistic advisory team of such dance luminaries as Julie Belafonte, Ricardo Avalos,

Transmission? Paul Mooney Sept. 27-30

We have Tommy Davidson your Oct. 11-14 medicine! Coming in October

8246 East 49th Avenue Denver, CO 80238 (303) 307-1777 www.improv.com

Sick

Transmission? We have your

medicine! Gooch’s Transmission Specialist

Myron Gooch, Manager 760 Dayton Street Aurora, CO 80010 303-363-9783 Making transmissions well for 22 years.

and Theo Jamison – all of whom were, at various times, members of the Dunham company – to advise on every aspect of the production, including choreography, staging, costumes, music, lights, etc. in order to produce as faithful a recreation as possible. Due to a brief historic reenactment of a violent act, this concert is not recommended for children under the age of 12.

The season-opening concert will also present the Denver premiere of Fusion by Haitian master choreographer Jeanguy Saintus. The dance explores the concept of fusion – of bodies, souls, communities and cultures – and its potential to create solidarity, openness, and hope. Choreographed to the music of Ti Coca, Eddy François, Markus Schwartz & Erol Josué, Toto Bissainthe, and Manuel Césaire, the work blends elements of folk performance, free improvisation, voodoo religion, African, French and indigenous Indian influences. Performances will be Friday, Sept. 14 at 7:30 p.m.; Saturday, Sept. 15 from 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, Sept. at 16 at 2 p.m. at the Robert and Judi Newman Center for the Performing Arts, University of Denver, 2344 East Iliff Ave. in Denver. Denver, CO 80208 Seating is general admission and tickets are available through the Newman Center for the Performing Arts Box office at 2344 East Iliff or online at www.newmantix.com or by calling 303-871-7720.

Delta Eta Boule Hosts Denim & Dazzle Gala Spectacular

Delta Eta Boule of Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity, Inc. hosted their Denim & Dazzle Gala in June at the Infinity Park Event Center in Glendale. The Denim & Dazzle Gala is Delta Eta Boule Foundation scholarship program’s signature fundraising event. “Delta Eta Boule has been dedicated to mentoring and supporting the academic efforts of young men who we believe are destined to become the next generation of leaders,” said Scott Mitchell, Delta Eta Boule President. “Delta Eta Boule Foundation has awarded 52 scholarships in the last 10 years totaling $200,000 to deserving young men to continue their education.” During this year’s event, Delta Eta Boule Foundation announced and recognized the three 2012 scholarship recipients: Terrance Bishop from the Denver School of Science and Technology who will attend Colorado State University; Ealey As-Sabuur, an East High School student who will

attend North Carolina A&T; and Marquis Smith from Montbello High School who will attend University of

Colorado Boulder. Scholarship recipients are selected based on academic achievement, leadership and community involvement. The event brought out Denver’s elite, prominent business leaders and politicians who gladly traded in their suits to dazzle in their jeans. Special for that evening, the Infinity Park Event Center was transformed into a

Denver Urban Spectrum — www.denverurbanspectrum.com – September 2012

chic-lounge atmosphere, where guests enjoyed a delectable dinner by Catering by Design and the sounds of DJ Dozen and Jakarta. In addition, there was a live auction hosted by Chuck Miller. “It was important for the organization to create a funengaging event where we can come together with the community to celebrate the accomplishments of this year’s scholarship recipients, and continue the legacy of investing in our future,” explained Boule board member Albert Cooper. Editor’s note: Sigma Pi Phi is the first African-American Greek-lettered organization founded in 1904 and has over 5,000 members. The Fraternity has established itself as one of the most influential organizations among African-American men. The organization known as “the Boule,” was founded as a group for college graduates and established professionals. The Denver chapter, Delta Eta Boule was founded in 1991 and is one of 126 Boule chapters in the United States, the Bahamas and London, England.

For the second consecutive year, the Denver community enthusiastical-

ly came out in support of the Center for African American Health (CAAH) and its programs by taking part in the 2012 Destination Health: Walk/Run/Learn. “It is gratifying that so many families took advantage of the opportunities at Destination Health,” says CAAH Executive Director Grant Jones. “In addition to the personal benefits of participating, their patronage helps us to provide important health programs and services on an ongoing basis. We are thankful to be part of such a caring community.” Following an animated warm-up session that included both Zumba and line dancing, more than 500 people walked or ran the 5K, Senior Shortcut or Mocha Mile in Denver’s City Park. Everyone who registered to participate in Destination Health and the volunteers received a free admission to the Denver Museum of Nature & Science. The half-day, multi-generational event also included an expo area with over 40 exhibitors providing facts about healthy lifestyles and vital health matters, a special children’s health and safety zone with activities and information for youngsters, and

Destination Health Welcomed Hundreds Of Walkers And Runners In Support Of The Center For African American Health

Denver’s own Mary Louise Lee Band providing musical entertainment for the race attendees. Denver School Board member Allegra “Happy” Haynes and former

Denver Bronco and Center for African American Health board member Haven Moses served as event cochairs and were joined by an outstanding group of volunteers who

served on the Destination Health Steering Committee. This year’s major sponsors included Lilly USA, DaVita, KeyBank, University of Phoenix, Piton Foundation, Denver Health, Wells Fargo, Denver Museum of Nature & Science, COPIC, University of Colorado Cancer Center, Colorado Trust, Colorado Access, Colorado Health Foundation, AARP, LiveWell Colorado, Caring for Colorado Foundation, Denver Water, CBS4, Denver Urban Spectrum, 5 Points News, Jammin’ 101.5 and Walgreens – and dozens of volunteers. The Center for African-American Health is dedicated to improving the health and well-being of African Americans living in the metro Denver area. The Center partners with a wide variety of health-education and health-delivery organizations to develop and provide culturally-appropriate disease prevention and disease management programs to thousands of African Americans each year. Destination Health raised more than $35,000 which will help support the Center’s efforts to ensure people in the community continue to be advocates for their own health and Live Well.

Editor’s note: For more information about The Center visit www.caahealth.org or call 303-355-3423.

Nationally Ranked. Locally Trusted.

We never second-guess a heart attack. Neither should you. At Denver Health, our paramedics respond to thousands of 911 calls for heart attack symptoms each year. So we know that most heart attacks start slowly with mild pain or discomfort. Often people aren’t sure what’s wrong and wait too long before getting help. If you’re experiencing chest pain or other symptoms like shortness of breath, pains in the upper body, nausea and dizziness, one thing is certain: Call 911 immediately, even if you’re not sure. It could be the best call you ever make. For more information about heart attacks and cardiac care, visit

www.denverhealth.org/heart

Denver Urban Spectrum — www.denverurbanspectrum.com – September 2012

delicious, naturally Open Nature™ is 100% natural food made with ingredients we’re proud to put on our labels. There’s nothing artificial added, so your family can enjoy the true taste of every delicious bite.

Proudly offered only at:

Dante J. James is an Emmy Awardwinning independent filmmaker who has produced and directed criticallyacclaimed documentary and dramatic films. He is also the assistant director of the African Cultural Center at North Carolina State University (NCSU). Prior to joining the faculty at NCSU, he was an Artist in Residence and Instructor at Duke University. In 2006, he won a National Emmy for his work as series producer of the wellreceived PBS series, “Slavery and the Making of America.” James’ most recent offering, “Harlem in Montmartre: A Paris Jazz Story,” was awarded Best Documentary at the 2010 Pan African International Film Festival in Cannes, France. In 2008 he wrote, produced and directed “The Doll,” an adaptation of a classic short story by Charles W. Chesnutt. That picture received the Best Dramatic Short Film Award at that year’s Hollywood Black Film Festival. Earlier in his career, Dante executive produced the PBS series, “This Far by Faith” for Blackside Films in Boston, Massachusetts. He was also honored with the DuPont Columbia Silver Baton for his work at Blackside. James has a Bachelor of Arts Degree from Grand Valley State University and a Master of Arts in Liberal Studies from Duke University. In 2008 he was awarded an honorary Ph.D., a Doctorate of Humane Letters by Grand Valley State University. During the summer of 2010 he served as a guest lecturer at the University of Cape Town in South Africa. A member of the Directors Guild of America and the Writers Guild of America, James is currently developing an independent feature-length documentary about Huey P. Newton and the Black Panther Party. Kam Williams: Hi, Dante thanks for the interview. How ya been, bro? Dante James: Hi Kam, thank you for your continued interest in my work. The last few months have been really busy. I’m enjoying my responsibilities as assistant director of NCSU’s African-American Cultural Center and all of my film projects. The independent feature and, of course, the feature documentary on Huey P. Newton and the Black Panther Party are moving forward. KW: What interested you in doing a documentary about Huey Newton? DJ: As a young person, I was interested in the Black Panther Party and their efforts to serve the needs of the community while also having the courage to confront oppressive exploitative forces in the community. That interest grew as I got older and, as you are aware, all of my films explore some aspect of the African American experience. So, a film on Huey P. Newton and the Black Panther Party is an opportunity to grow intellectually while also exploring an often misrepresented movement. KW: Do you think that the Panthers have been slighted by history because J. Edgar Hoover was so successful at destroying the Party?

Emmy-Winning Director Invites Investors In Black Panther Biopic The “Huey P. Newton Documentary” Interview with Kam Williams

DJ: That is a very interesting question. I think the misrepresentations of the Black Panther Party are certainly connected to J. Edgar Hoover and his unrelenting efforts to destroy the Party. For about 10 years, Hoover illegally used the power of the federal government along with black informants to create dissention within the Party and to present a negative image of the Party to the general public. Additionally, in concert with local police officials, Hoover used brutal force in his effort to destroy the Black Panther Party. The images and accounts of these efforts have misrepresented the Black Panther Party movement. Historically, and even today, external forces including the government, the mainstream corporate media and academics have defined the Black Panther Party. This film will be the first to tell the story of the Black Panthers from inside the Party. Black Panther Party members will define themselves and their movement. KW: How did you get David Hilliard to participate in the project? DJ: Actually David who was Huey P. Newton’s childhood friend, a founding member of the Party and its Chief of Staff, approached me. David also led the Party during the time that Huey and Bobby Seale were incarcerated. David and I spent several months talking about the film in terms of a conceptual framework at the same time that I conducted my own research. During these conversations David would tell me these incredible stories about Huey’s vision for the party, the inner workings of the party, the mistakes they made, the successful maneuvers, and the pain and agony of the murder of Party members. One of the main misconceptions of the party is grounded in the concept of armed struggle. While there were factions of the party who pushed an armed struggle agenda, that was not Huey’s vision. This was a leading source of tension within the Party and it will be a major story focus of the film. KW: What about Bobby Seale, who I think of as the only other surviving founder of the Black Panthers?

DJ: I haven’t had a chance to speak to Bobby Seale yet. I have been working very closely with David Hilliard and I’m thrilled to have the support of Fredrika Newton, Huey’s widow and the president of The Dr. Huey P. Newton Foundation. Of course, we want to and will speak to Bobby Seale but the story of the Black Panther Party, in essence, is the story of Huey Newton. Huey had his own personal issues. He was complex, he was brilliant, and he was a student of history, politics and economic theory. Clearly, Huey P. Newton was the leader and standard bearer of the Black Panther Party. KW: What sort of archival footage will you have access to? DJ: David was very forward thinking in terms of the legacy of the Black Panther Party. He has every issue of the newspaper, hours of unseen film footage and unheard audio recordings, documents and correspondence. It’s these materials that will facilitate our efforts to tell the story of Huey Newton and the Black Panthers from inside the Party. To that end, we need support from the public to raise the development funds to catalogue these materials and to have film footage cleaned and transferred to a digital format. KW: Will you also be looking at documents made available by the Freedom of Information Act proving the U.S. government’s infiltration of and war on the Panthers via the FBI’s Cointelpro program? DJ: Another major story line is the violence and oppression of the Black Panther Party under the auspices of the Cointelpro program. David Hilliard actually led the party during the most violent assaults by the FBI because both Huey Newton and Bobby Seale were incarcerated. David obviously has first had knowledge of this time period and his knowledge will be supplemented with Freedom of Information Act documents.

Denver Urban Spectrum — www.denverurbanspectrum.com – September 2012

KW: How many original Panthers are still around to interview? DJ: I’m not certain how many original Panthers are still around but David’s brother, June Hilliard, and Huey’s older brother, Melvin Newton, will be essential to the storytelling. Additional contributors include, but are not limited to, Elaine Brown, who led the BPP during Huey Newton’s exile, and Fredrika Newton. Other key people are Che Billy Brooks, Minister of Education of the Chicago Chapter, Larry Little, the leader of the Wilmington, North Carolina chapter, and Kumasi Simmons the foremost authority on George Jackson and the prison movement. KW: Do you know yet what, besides Huey, will be the primary focus of the film? DJ: Another major theme will be the efforts of the Black Panther Party to serve the needs of the community. The philosophy of the Black Panther Party, as defined in the 10-Point Program, addressed the basic needs and desires of the community. It was bold and decades ahead of its time. The 10-Point Program demanded that America serve the needs of the people. If you look at the status of black and poor Americans, it is obvious that the demands of the party are still unfilled. Therefore, this history and the story of the Black Panther Party remain very relevant to contemporary society. KW: What do you want people to take away from the movie? DJ: We want young people to know that Huey P. Newton and the Black Panthers were very young. They were in their 20’s but they had the courage to confront oppressive forces and struggle to make America live up to its promise of equality and justice for all its citizens. We want young people to know that it is now their responsibility to carry the struggle forward. And, of course, I think it is paramount that the Black Panther Party be afforded an opportunity to define themselves and their movement outside of the mainstream, corporate-controlled media. KW: How long will it take you to complete the project? DJ: Once we secure production financing, it will take 12-14 months to make the film. But the most pressing challenge is to secure the development funds for the project. KW: How much more money are you looking to raise? DJ: The production budget is $700,000 dollars, which is not a big budget for a feature documentary film. We are exploring possibilities with private investors because this film and this story cannot be conformed to the artistic, editorial and content standards of broadcast outlets, corporations, and foundations. In the context of a business venture, our research indicates that the film will have strong domestic and international market appeal. So, I want it to be clear that we are seeking investors not funders. Investors can fully expect a return on their investment. Editor’s note: For more information or to invest in the Huey Newton documentary, contact Dante James at djames2015@nc.rr.com or 919475-9879 or David Hilliard at davidhilliard66@gmail.com or 510-507-3853.

Movie Reviews

By Kam Williams Excellent55555. Very Good5555.. Good555555... Fair5555555.. Poor5555555. Sparkle

No stars

Sparkle 1/2

Singing Siblings Seek Fame and Fortune in Remake of Musical Morality Play

Emma Anderson (Whitney

Houston) didn’t want her daughters to follow in her footsteps by having babies as teenagers while squandering

REEL ACTION

their future in the futile pursuit of celebrity and bad boys who wouldn’t treat them like ladies. That’s why the overprotective single-mom feels fortunate to be able to raise them in a middle-class suburb of Detroit where she keeps them on the straight and narrow path via a steady diet of Christianity and high expectations. All three siblings have inherited the ability to sing from their mother, a blessing they put to good use for the Lord in the church choir every Sunday. However, each girl also has her own distinctive personality yearning to express itself. Brainy Dolores (Tika Sumpter) has her mind set on attending Meharry School of Medicine. Self-effacing Sparkle (Jordin Sparks) is a gifted composer who’s too shy to perform any of her heartfelt ballads in public. But seductive Sister (Carmen Ejogo) is just the opposite, being a confident extrovert who craves the limelight and the attention of men. Consequently, it’s no surprise that Sister might rebel and run away from home, rather than abide by her mother’s restrictive house rules. She’s only been back in town for two months, but already has a couple of suitors competing for her hand, Levi (Omari Hardwick), a penniless, perfect gentle-

ENTER TO WIN AN ADMIT TWO PASS TO SEE

Red Hook Summer

man, and Satin (Mike Epps), a flashy, silky smooth operator. Given Sister’s materialistic nature, it’s easy to guess that that she would opt to entertain the overtures of the latter, a misogynist with a dark side yet to reveal itself. Meanwhile, Sparkle starts dating Stix (Derek Luke) who encourages the talented sisters to form a trio and take a shot at superstardom. So unfolds Sparkle, a modern morality play with a sobering message made all the more telling by serving as Whitney Houston’s cinematic farewell. Several of the late pop diva’s lines in the movie induce goose bumps, such as when she matter of factly asks, “Was my life not enough of a cautionary tale for you?” The film features standout performances by Whitney and Carmen Ejogo, with Derek Luke and Mike Epps appearing at their best as well. Jordin Sparks certainly holds her own when called upon to sing, but she comes across in this big screen debut as not quite ready to handle a title role, at least acting-wise. Written and directed by the husband-wife team of Mara Brock Akil and Salim Akil, respectively, Sparkle is very loosely based on the 1976 musical of the same name, with the point of departure, the timeline, plot developments, and the score being tweaked Sparkle

TEXT THE WORD GHOST AND YOUR ZIP CODE TO 43549! Example Text: GHOST 80202 Entry Deadline: Friday, September 7

THIS FILM IS RATED PG-13. PARENTS STRONGLY CAUTIONED. Some Material May Be Inappropriate For Children Under 13. There is no charge to text 43KIX. Message and data rates from your wireless carrier may apply. Text HELP for info, STOP to opt-out. Please note: All federal, state and local regulations apply. A recipient of tickets assumes any and all risks related to use of ticket, and accepts any restrictions required by ticket provider. Warner Bros., Urban Spectrum and their affiliates accept no responsibility or liability in connection with any loss or accident incurred in connection with use of a prize. RESTRICTIONS: A. Certificates are valid at participating theatres for any exhibition of THE APPARITION including those designated as “no certificates, no passes” in local listing guides. B. If lost, cannot be replaces. Void if resold. C. No reproductions will be accepted. D. Cash value 1/100th of one cent. E. No change will be provided to consumer. All federal and local taxes are the responsibility of the winner. Void where prohibited by law. No purchase necessary. Participating sponsors, their employees and family members and their agencies are not eligible. NO PHONE CALLS!

NOW PLAYING! theapparitionmovie.com Denver Urban Spectrum — www.denverurbanspectrum.com – September 2012

Urban Spectrum

4 COLOR

for the overhaul, and all for the better. A must-see, between Whitney’s sentimental Swan Song and Carmen’s coming out party.

Rated: PG-13 for violence, profanity, drug use, smoking, mature themes and domestic abuse Running Time: 116 minutes Distributor: Sony Pictures To see a trailer for Sparkle, visit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JBXGh bpMMrw Red Hook Summer

Spike Lee Directs Disappointing Fish-Out-ofWater Drama

lik Royale (Jules Brown) is 13 by the time his mother’s (De’Adre Aziza) finally ready to introduce him to his grandfather (Clarke Peters). Trouble is the bourgie mamma’s boy was brought up in suburban Atlanta where he’s been raised vegetarian and been attending private school. So, when his single-mom decides the two should get acquainted over the summer, it means the boy will have to live in the projects in Red Hook, an area of New York City teeming with dangers and temptations he hasn’t been exposed to before. Still, she figures he’ll be okay, since her dad, Enoch (Clarke Peters), happens to be the pastor of the Lil’ Peace of Heaven Baptist Church. Flik grudgingly agrees to stay with the Bible-thumping bishop, and their strained relationship supplies the raison d’etre of Red Hook Summer. Directed by Spike Lee, the movie might superficially resemble some of his classic films like Do the Right Thing and She’s Gotta Have It, being a character-driven drama set in a sweltering Brooklyn. Unfortunately, that’s where any similarities start and end. This is a movie that might earn high marks were it the work of a first time director. However, coming from a two-time Oscar-nominee (for 4 Little Girls and Do the Right Thing), it can only be described as a bitter disappointment. The primary problem is that the acting is mediocre. Secondly, the screen is littered with the sort of buf-

foonish stereotypes Spike has been criticizing Tyler Perry for, one-dimensional caricatures running the gamut from ghetto gangstas to church ladies. Third the film fails to generate any palpable tension. The director makes a cameo appearance as pizza deliveryman Mookie, reprising the role he played as the protagonist of Do the Right Thing. Sadly, that distraction merely serves as a sad reminder of how much Spikeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s skills have eroded since his glory days. Picture a two-hour episode of Amos â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;nâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Andy on crack. Holy mackerel, Sapphire! Unrated Running Time: 120 minutes Distributor: Variance Films To see a trailer for Red Hook Summer, visit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9CX9xKczh4w Why Stop Now

Why Stop Now

Piano Prodigyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Aspiration Frustrated by Drug-Addicted Momâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Dealer in Irreverent Abduction Dramedy

li Bloom (Jesse Eisenberg) is a classical music prodigy who dreams of attending a prestigious conservatory in Boston. The only thing standing in the way of his promising future is the constant distraction of having to care for his 9 year-old sister, Nicole (Emma Rayne Lyle), and his mother (Melissa Leo), a 45 year-old cocaine addict who just canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t seem to get her act together. She finally agrees to enter rehab on the very same day of his big audition. And a complication arises when sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s rejected by the clinic for passing the drug test they administer. Since this program only admits people who flunk, Penny pressures her son to purchase $50 worth of blow from her dealer (Tracy Morgan) so she can get good and high to satisfy the centerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s bythe-book bureaucrats. Although Eliâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d prefer to be practicing piano, he grudgingly agrees to approach the pusher, unaware that his mom happens to be deeply indebted to him.

REEL ACTION

Then, once Sprinkles learns that Eli is Pennyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s son, he and his henchman, Black (Isiah Whitlock, Jr.), proceed to carjack the whole blooming Bloom family in order to recoup their losses come Hell or high water. Meanwhile, timeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a wasting and the odds that Eli will even be able to attend his audition worsen by the minute. So unfolds Why Stop Now, a raucous road dramedy featuring the unlikely casting of Oscar-winner Melissa Leo (for The Fighter) and Oscar-nominee Jesse Eisenberg (for The Social Network) opposite SNL alumnus Tracy Morgan. The oil-andwater is a classic case study of squandered talent, with the serious thespians looking lost when asked to react to the motor-mouthed comicâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ostensibly improvised jokes like â&#x20AC;&#x153;somebody needs tough-actinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Tinactinâ&#x20AC;? about smelly feet. Whitlock isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t any funnier as Morganâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s partner-in-crime, coming off as mean-spirited when he tosses Nicoleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s beloved puppet out the window of the moving auto. Nonetheless, the movie delivers just enough laughs to remain recommended, despite the fact that this hard to pigeonhole headscratcher would have benefitted from making a total commitment to either comedy or a drama. Unrated In English and Spanish with subtitles. Running Time: 88 minutes Distributor: IFC Films To see a trailer for Why Stop Now, visit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e1mqGQ6M69E

The Odd Life of Timothy Green

welcome their miraculous blessing with open arms, they are still hardpressed to explain the sudden addition to the family to skeptical relatives and friends. For sensitive Timothy, the adjustment is rather rocky, too, between being teased by bullies at school for wearing long socks, and being rejected at home for not being manly enough by his macho grandfather, Jim, Sr. (David Morse). He even frustrates his mom when sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fired by her boss (Dianne Wiest) on account of his compulsive frankness. At least the little lost soul does find a kindred spirit in Joni (Odeya Rush), a shy classmate hiding a painful secret of her own. The harder a time Timothy has trying to measure up to the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s expectations, the more he retreats to a magical oasis of solitude he shares with this newfound friend.

Directed by Peter Hedges (Pieces of April), The Odd Life of Timothy Green is an enchanting fairytale designed for young and old alike. Credit a combination of seamless special effects and a talented cast for making it easy for the audience to suspend disbelief in the face of a supernatural storyline with an implausible premise. Once that hurdle is scaled, a mostsatisfying payoff which tugs on the heartstrings awaits anyone willing to invest in this instant Disney classic. Buy an extra ticket for the box of Kleenex youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll need to have sitting on the seat beside you. Rated: PG for mature themes and mild epithets Running Time: 125 minutes Distributor: Walt Disney Pictures To see a trailer for The Odd Life of Timothy Green, visit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mMSkbH0LuTc

The Odd Life of Timothy Green

Childless Coupleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Prayers Answered in Enchanting Fairytale

im (Joel Edgerton) and Cindy Green (Jennifer Garner) are very happily-married except for not having any kids. After being informed by Cindyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s gynecologist (Rhoda Griffis), that she canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t conceive, they scribble down all the qualities theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d hoped to pass on to the child theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll never have, starting with her good heart and his honesty to a fault. Then, they bury the wish list in a box in the backyard right before a torrential rainfall arrives. To their astonishment a real live boy sprouts up in their garden overnight who, other than having leaves growing out of his legs, seems to be perfectly normal. Whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s more, 10 year-old Timothy (CJ Adams) not only exhibits the positive traits desired by Cindy and Jim, but he refers to them as â&#x20AC;&#x153;Momâ&#x20AC;? and â&#x20AC;&#x153;Dadâ&#x20AC;? without any prompting. While the Greens are certainly inclined to

Â´) U RJPRU H &U RV V L QJÂľ E\ RQDW KDQ *U HHQ

7 KH :DW HU %U RXJKW 8V 3DV V SRU W W R $I U L FD L Q $PHU L FD $ 'L V W L QFW L YH ([ KL EL W L RQ RI *XO O DK *HHFKHH $U W +L V W RU \ DQG &XO W XU H 6HSW HPEHU RL Q 8V ) RU $ 6SHFL DO &HO HEU DW L RQ 0RU U L V 3U L FHÂˇ V W K %L U W KGD\ 6HSW HPEHU SP SP $U W 0XV L F ) RRG 'U L QN 6SRNHQ :RU G / L YH 3HU I RU PDQFH / HJR %XL O G $ I XQGU DL V HU W R EHQHI L W W KH DU W V HGXFDW L RQ DQG FRPPXQL W \ SU RJU DPV DW 5HG/ L QH 7 L FNHW V DU H DQG FDQ EH SXU FKDV HG DW ZZZ U HGO L QHDU W RU J

Denver Urban Spectrum â&#x20AC;&#x201D; www.denverurbanspectrum.com â&#x20AC;&#x201C; September 2012

Urban League Honors Six Recipients With The Sebastian Owens Award

HAT’S OFF TO...

Urban League of Metropolitan Denver announced this year’s recipients of the Sebastian Owens Community Service Award. Dr’s. Joseph and Alice Langley, Larry and Betty Borom, Dr. Faye Rison and Dr. Claudette Sweet were honored for their extraordinary service in Denver’s African American community at the 2nd annual Summer White Party on Aug. 24. The Urban League of Metropolitan Denver began in 1946 with Sebastian Owens as its first president and chief operating officer. Dr’s. Joseph and Alice Langley are being recognized for their endless contributions in education and countless hours of volunteerism to the Urban League. The Boroms are known as renowned educators and national civil rights champions. Joining these recipients will be Dr. Faye Rison and Dr. Claudette Sweet, who have made outstanding contributions of humanitarianism in Denver’s community.

Denver’s Own Wins Top Honor As Miss Plus Top Model

African-American model Sabrina Coleman competed in the Miss Plus Top Model pageant in Los Angeles, CA on July 29 and brought the crown back to CO. She completed her first photo shoot as Miss Plus Top Model, the next day. As one of her prizes, Coleman will travel to the Grand Cayman Islands and the Caribbean on a cruise for photo shoots and to judge modeling competitions and crown Miss Plus Top Model International. Coleman will also participate in LA Fashion Week in Oct. This was the eighth year for the Miss Plus Top Model Awards pageant, which celebrates the different sizes, shapes and curves of all women. Women of all nationalities participate and the focus is on curvy women size 12 and above.

President For Community College Of Aurora Selected

Alton D. Scales, campus chief executive officer for Colorado Mountain College’s Breckenridge and Dillon campuses, has been appointed president of the Community College of Aurora (CCA) by Dr. Nancy

Denver Urban Spectrum — www.denverurbanspectrum.com – September 2012

McCallin, president of the Colorado Community College System (CCCS), in consultation with the State Board for Community Colleges and Occupational Education. Scales assumed the presidency on July 23. He was one of two finalists sent to Dr. McCallin after numerous community forums, interviews, and tours at the Aurora and Lowry campuses. In his capacity as chief executive officer at the Breckenridge and Dillon campuses for Colorado Mountain College, he is responsible for overseeing academic programs, student services, continuing education, facilities, and business services. Prior to this position, he was assistant vice president for student services at Edinboro University of Pennsylvania. He also served as assistant vice president for multicultural programs at the university. Prior to that position, he was dean of student services and enrollment management in Chanute and Ottawa, Kansas. Scales received his master’s of science in engineering technology manufacturing and his bachelor’s of science in industrial technology from the University of North Texas, in Denton..

Denver Receives Hunger Champion Award From USDA

Denver Human Services (DHS), Family and Adult Assistance program was awarded the national USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) 2011 Bronze Hunger Champion Award by Sue McGinn, Colorado Department of Human Services Food Assistance Director, and Kathy Underhill, Executive Director of Hunger Free Colorado. The annual award is bestowed upon organizations that help bring the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP), previously known as Food Stamps, to low-income people in creative ways. DHS Family and Adult Assistance underwent a major recovery effort in 2011 to address a backlog in applications. The department was commended specifically for the improvements made in completing SNAP applications on time. In 2011, Denver completed 64 percent of expedited applications within the federal guideline of seven days, and 68 percent of regular applications within the federal guideline of 30 days. One year later, in 2012 that increased to 87 percent of expedited applications being completed timely, and 90 percent of regular applications being completed timely. Additionally, 97 percent of expedited food assistance interviews currently end with benefits being issued the same day. The department completed over 35,000 new applications throughout 2011.

August Wilson’s Fences Opens At The Space Theatre In September

The Denver Center Theatre Company (DCTC) presents Fences by August Wilson, playing The Space Theatre Sept. 14 to Oct. 14. Troy Maxson, a star baseball player whose career was blunted by the racism prevalent in pre-Jackie Robinson America, now supports his family as a sanitation worker. Feeling his world rapidly changing, Troy builds a fence to protect what is familiar and hold off what threatens. Both muscular and lyrical, this August Wilson blockbuster, winner of the Pulitzer Prize and two Tony Awards, shows what can happen when a strong man is robbed of his dreams. The cast of Fences includes several debuting actors: David Alan Anderson as Troy Maxson, Marcus Naylor as Jim Bono, James T. Alfred as Lyons, Jerome Preston Bates as Gabriel and Calvin Dutton as Cory. DCTC favorite Kim Staunton returns in the role of Rose. Debuting director is Lou Bellamy. For tickets or more information, call 303-893-4100 or visit www.denvercenter.org.

Cole Community Coalition Block Party 2012

Cole Community Coalition, Epworth United Methodist Church, Odom Memorial Church of God in Christ and .Lifeline of America presents the Cole Community Block Party. The public is welcome. There will be live music, food, fun, prizes and more. Booths will be available. The block party will be held at 33rd and Williams to Bruce Randolph Ave and High St. on Sept. 15 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. For more information, call Elder Michael Harris at 303-296-6287 or 720325-0491.

CBWPA 33rd Annual Tribute To Black Women Luncheon And 35th Anniversary Celebration

Colorado Black Women for Political Action (CBWPA) will host the 33rd annual Tribute to Black Women and 35th anniversary celebration,” luncheon, honoring Black Women who have a long history and commitment to excellence and service to the community and state. Keynote speaker is the Honorable Shirley Franklin, former Mayor of Atlanta, Georgia. The luncheon will be held Oct. 6 at the Marriott City Center, 1701 California St. in Denver. For more information, E-mail ceewind1@aol.com or call 303-758-5278.

ECCC Holds First Meeting In September

COMMUNITY NOTES

Ethnic College Counseling Center (ECCC) will hold its first meeting of the 2012-13 school year at Park Hill United Methodist Church on Saturday, Sept. 15 at 9 a.m. located at 5209 Montview Boulevard, Denver, CO. The Ethnic College Counseling Center prepares 6th through 12th grade students for education beyond high school through educational workshops, college tours, retreats, college fairs and enrichment programs at Historical Black Colleges and Universities. The program meets the 1st and 3rd Saturday of each month from 9 a.m. to noon at Park Hill United Methodist church. For more information, call Pensal McCray at 303-751-9731.

Put Your Hats On To Take Your Hats Off To DCH 11th Annual Gala

Denver Children’s Home (DCH), Colorado’s oldest charity is celebrating 136 years of serving the state’s abused, neglected, and traumatized youth and their families. The public is invited to “Put Your Hats On to Take Your Hats Off to DCH”, 11th annual gala at 6 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 21, at the Sherman Event Center. There will be wine, hors d’oeuvres, dinner and entertainment. Tickets are $150, sponsorships are available. To purchase tickets, become a sponsor, or donate items for the auction, visit www.denverchildrenshome.org or call Lindsay Leuthold at 720-881-3366.

EarthLinks Celebrates 16th Anniversary At Imagine Fundraiser

EarthLinks, a nonprofit founded in 1996, looks forward to celebrating 16 years of building community and empowering homeless adults at their annual fundraising event, Imagine, from 6 to 9 p.m. on Sept. 13 at the Church of the Risen Christ, located at 3060 S. Monaco in Denver. The event will feature live music, hors d’oeuvres, testimonies from formerly homeless individuals. Tickets are $25. For more information and Tickets, visit www.earthlinks-colorado.org or call 303-389-0085.

Sankofa Lecture Series & HipHop Cultural Literacy Conference

The Department of African and African American Studies at Metropolitan State University of Denver will host the fall installment of the Sankofa Lecture Series and inaugural Hip-Hop Cultural Literacy Conference on the Auraria Campus from Oct. 3 through Oct. 5 with Hip-Hop artist,

multifaceted entertainer, entrepreneur, and Grammy nominated Hip-Hop icon, MC Lyte as keynote speaker. She will discuss the transformation of women’s roles in Hip-Hop culture, and how this shift equates to current struggles over gender equality on Thursday, Oct. 4 at 7:30 p.m. at Auraria campus in the Tivoli Student Center. For more information and a complete schedule, visit http://www.sankofalectureseries.com

Nelson Rangell and Mary Louise Lee Join JAZZED Concert

Nelson Rangell and The Mary Louise Lee Band have been added to the roster of artists for the JAZZED musical event, Oct. 18 to benefit the Inner City Health Center, joining jazz and blues artist Hazel Miller and Band and contemporary jazz group Dotsero. JAZZED is a musical event presented by Hazel Miller.The concert will be Thursday, Oct. 18 at 6:30 p.m. at the Seawell Grand Ballroom, Denver Center For The Performing Arts. The master of ceremony is Gloria Neal. For more information and tickets, visit www.innercityhealth.com or ww w.blacktie-colorado.com.

The Water Brought Us Exhibition Presents The Gullah Geeche Culture

The first three weekends in September, Johnson Legacy and Redline will bring a lively and colorful exhibit representing the Gullah Geeche culture of America. The exhibition will run Sept. 7 to 22 at Redline, 2350 Arapahoe in Denver. For more information and a complete schedule, email Johnson Legacy at johnsonlegacy@msn.com.

Linking People To Support At Project Homeless Connect 12

Project Homeless Connect (PHC) 12 is a free resource fair for families and people of all ages who are homeless or are at risk of losing their home. The event will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sept. 26 at the Colorado Convention Center. PHC will pair volunteers with people who need help connecting to support services. Free child care and lunch will be provided. For more information and to volunteer, visit www.DenversRoadHome.org.

The Aurora Fox Announces Auditions For The Color Purple

The Aurora Fox will be holding auditions for The Color Purple – The Musical About Love (directed by donnie l. betts) on Monday, Sept. 17 from 6 to 9 p.m. Available roles include: five

Denver Urban Spectrum — www.denverurbanspectrum.com – September 2012

women (ages 18 to 45), two girls (ages 12 to 17), one man (age 18 to 40), three men (age 30 to 60), one girl (age 8 to 14) and one boy (age 8 to 16). All auditions are by appointment only. All actors should prepare a 1-minute dramatic monologue and a song. Bring headshot and resume, stapled together. Rehearsals start March 11, 2013. Performances are April 12 through May 12, 2013. For more information, and to schedule an audition appointment, call 303-739-1970.

Recovery Rally And Celebration

September marks the 23rd year of National Recovery Month, highlighting individuals who have reclaimed their lives and are living hin long-term recovery and also honors the prevention, treatment, and recovery service providers who make recovery possible. Advocates for Recovery-Colorado will hold its 11th Recovery Celebration and Rally in Civic Center Park on Sept. 8, from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. The recovery celebration begins with a walk from Union Station to Civic Center Park. Invited celebrities, notables, and recovery advocates will speak. There will be voter registry, music, food, and more. For more information, visit www.advocatesforrecovery.org.

WFCO To Host Academy Award Winner Geena Davis As Speaker For Luncheon

The Women’s Foundation of Colorado (WFCO) will host Geena Davis, one of Hollywood’s most respected actors, as the keynote speaker for the Foundation’s 25th Silver Anniversary Luncheon on Sept. 21 in Denver. The luncheon will be Sept. 21 from 11:30 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver. Tickets, tables and additional sponsorship opportunities are available. For more information, visit www.wfco.org or call 303-285-2960.

Nonprofits Collaborate To Document Poverty Relief In Guatemala

Efforts to empower women in Guatemala conducted by a Denverbased nonprofit are the subject of a photography exhibition entitled “Exposure 2012: Friendship Bridge in Guatemala” at Vertigo Art Space in Denver’s Art District on Santa Fe, running Sept. 14 through 28. The gallery at Vertigo Art Space, located at 960 Santa Fe Drive in Denver, is being donated for the exhibition. For more information, call Project Exposure at 393-279-1243 or visit www.ProjectExposure.org.

92 Year Old Tuskegee Airman Shares Diverse Game of Life By Laura Cordes

ighting in World War II, Korea, and Vietnam, and holding the record for the highest three-war total of fighter combat missions of any pilot in the history of the United States Air force, Colonel Charles E. McGee, is a celebrated pilot and an esteemed member of the Tuskegee Airmen. At age 92, Colonel McGee’s life is like a wild combat board game. Let us commence with our board game piece on start, and journey through the astonishing life of such an incredible person. Col. McGee was born Dec. 7, 1919 in Cleveland, Ohio. Roll the dice and advance a few years landing on the Boy Scouts of America, of which he was a member. He received his Eagle Scout award on Aug. 9 in 1940 and in 2010 Col. McGee was presented with the Distinguished Eagle Scout Award at the 2010 National Scout Jamboree.

Rolling the dice again, the board game piece will be taken to Col. McGee’s sophomore year at the University of Illinois, where engineering was the focus of study. The year was 1942 and Col. McGee enlisted in the United States Army in October. A wild card is drawn, beginning his Tuskegee Airmen adventure. After earning his pilot’s wings and graduating from Class 43-F in June 1943, the Tuskegee Airmen welcomed him with excitement and confidence. Slowly continuing around the board to 1944, Col. McGee is stationed in Italy with the 302 Fighter Squadron of the 332d Fighter Group, where he flew his first mission on Valentines Day. Now the pawn hopscotch’s over a few spaces as Col. McGee flew the Bell P-39Q Airacobra, Republic P-47D Thunderbolt, and North American P51 Mustang, Consolidated B-24 Liberator and Boeing B-17 Flying

Fortress over Germany, Austria, and the Balkans. Next a Chance card is drawn and Col. McGee is promoted to captain. At this point, he has flown a total of 137 combat missions. Col. McGee then takes a position of instructing on the North American B-25 Mitchell bombers at the Tuskegee base until 1946. Let it not be forgotten that during his service, Col. McGee also fought racial prejudices to fly and fight for his country. He took part in achieving the unequaled record of not losing a single bomber under the Tuskegee Airmen’s escort. The dice is rolled one last time, as the pawn is now placed in the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. For his outstanding military career, Col. McGee received the Distinguished Flying Cross with two Oak Leaf Clusters, a Bronze Star, a Presidential Unit Citation, and a Hellenic Republic World War II Commemorative Medal along with many other commendations and service ribbons. In 2007, President George Bush awarded him and the surviving Airmen the Congressional Gold Medal of Honor, the nation‘s highest civilian award. Then in 2011, he was inducted into the National Aviation Hall of Fame in Dayton, Ohio. He also served as a consultant to the 2012 George Lucas film, Red Tails.

Saying Colonel George E. McGee has lived a life worthy of history textbooks would be an understatement. Coloradans will have the opportunity to hear firsthand about the life and accomplishments of Col. McGee at the Warbirds Over the Rockies Banquet on Saturday, Sept. 29 at Colorado State University’s Lory Student Center. He will be the guest speaker at the event and will also be on hand to sign autographs at the three-day Warbirds Over the Rockies event held Friday, Sept. 28 to Sunday, Sept. 30. Warbirds Over the Rockies is a family-friendly event that celebrates aviation history and the accomplishments of Veterans such as Col. McGee. More than 100 pilots from around the nation and the world will be on hand at Drake Field in Ft. Collins to show off their more than 300 warbird planes and compete for prizes. Children and families are welcome. Tickets are $8 for adults and free for children 15 and under. All sponsorships and a portion of the tickets sales benefit Mental Health America of Colorado (MHAC), a nonprofit organization that is the catalyst and voice for the Colorado mental health movement. For more information, visit www.warbirdsovertherockies.com.

Nationally Ranked. Locally Trusted.

Of course, she gets her own room. Your new bundle of joy deserves all the best, and so do you. That’s why the Labor & Delivery Unit at Denver Health is designed with all the comforts you need – spacious, private rooms, room service and private baths with whirlpool tubs. Better yet, our doctors and midwives expertly deliver more than 3,000 babies each year and still have one of the lowest C-section rates in Colorado and the nation. Take a virtual tour on our web site to learn more.

www.denverhealth.org/pregnancy

Denver Urban Spectrum — www.denverurbanspectrum.com – September 2012

Seven Easy Ways To Maintain Your Home And Avoid Costly Repairs By Fred Yeazel, Denver Urban

Renewal Authority We feel the effects of a down economy everyday. The rising prices of gas, food and energy make balancing our budgets a tough task, and those are just the expenses we can actually forecast. What are you supposed to do when your roof starts to leak, or your water heater stops working, or your drain gets clogged? These unexpected, pricey home repairs can set us back weeks or even months, and the rest of our budget becomes significantly altered. In the most extreme cases, these instances can even leave some homeowners without a home. Fortunately, the Denver Urban Renewal Authority (DURA) has funding available for low- and moderateincome Denver residents to help make these significant home repairs. We provide very low-interest loans to qualified Denver homeowners for essential repair projects like water heater or furnace replacement, plumbing or electrical issues, or sidewalks and roofing, to name a few. Better yet, you can try to avoid these unforeseen expenses all together by implementing a home maintenance plan. After all, these repairs will cost less today than they will next year. Here are seven easy ways to maintain your home, keep your house safe and avoid those costly, inconvenient repair bills. 1.) Replace your furnace filter — Schedule: Monthly This is a very easy and inexpensive task that will definitely save you money. A dirty filter makes your furnace inefficient, forcing the furnace to work harder while producing subpar results. A filter usually costs under $5, and it’s very easy to replace. 2.) Flush drains — Schedule: Monthly Drains eventually clog, and when they do, you can expect at least $100 in repairs from the plumber. An easy way to avoid that is to run an inexpensive draining solution (Drano, LiquidPlumr, etc.) down your most important drains on a monthly basis. 3.) Check weather stripping — Schedule: Every six months Heat makes things expand. In the summer, the materials in your weather stripping will also expand, which actually can help in weatherproofing your house. But once the materials compress in the colder months, you’ll likely be left with holes in the weather stripping. Checking the stripping and pressing it

back in place is completely free and can be done in just a few minutes. 4.) Clean range hood filters — Schedule: Every six months Similar to your furnace filter, the range hood filter can become very dirty, very quickly. Fortunately, you can clean the range hood filter by removing the metal filter and washing it in the sink. This is a free solution to a problem that has many unseen, long-term health and home maintenance implications. 5.) Replace batteries — Schedule: Every six months It goes without saying that you should replace the batteries in your smoke and carbon monoxide alarms regularly. But did you know that a faulty battery in a thermostat can also alter the way your furnace/air conditioning system works? For a few dollars, replace these batteries, improve safety and also maintain your heating and cooling systems. 6.) Drain water heater — Schedule: Every year Ever feel like you’re running out of hot water too quickly? You may not be using all the water your tank can hold. Over time, water heaters collect sediments and deposits, and not only does this gunk occupy space in your tank, it can also eventually break down your heating system. Simply drain your water heater yearly, and you’ll see a big improvement in its performance. 7.) Caulk window trims — Schedule: Every two years It’s been said that if you added up all the places where caulking has dried and cracked around your house, you’d have about a 4-foot hole. That gap makes your heating/air conditioning systems inefficient. For a few dollars, check and fix these cracks every few years to better energy efficiency. Editor’s note: If you are facing a major home repair and are a Denver, low- and moderate-income homeowner, contact DURA for emergency home repair assistance at 303-534-3872 or visit www.renewdenver.org.

Blind Eye To White Violence

Continued from page 3 more people have to die before we have the courage to address this trend? Could the remnants of the culture of violence in White America that butchered the Indigenous and made the lynching of Black men a community affair still be lurking under a polished post-racial façade? Film maker, Michael Moore of “Bowling for Columbine” fame tends to think so. After the 1999 shootings in Littleton, he put together such a compelling case for this argument that it won him an academy award! But what if this rabbit-hole goes even deeper? Conspiracy theories are flying around the internet and water-cooler conversations about James Holmes being a mind-controlled shooter sent to further a governmental gun-control agenda. The C.I.A.’s MK-Ultra mindcontrol program is well documented, and you can search their Wikipedia page for detailed information on this real-life government program. There rumors are also being fed by the fact that James Holmes appears to be very absent-minded or even drugged at his court appearances. It is a fact that 18 year old Holmes’ research was cracking into the realm of “Temporal Illusions,” where time is warped or

Denver Urban Spectrum — www.denverurbanspectrum.com – September 2012

even erased in the mind of a subject in order to give the illusion of time travel. One can only imagine how far into your research you can progress in six years. Also, multiple witnesses report more than one person acting in the shootings, claiming gas canisters came from different directions before the attacks, yet the Aurora police chief claims that all evidence points to Holmes being a lone wolf, ignoring this valuable eye-witness testimony. It is still unexplained how a poor student on a $22,000 per year living stipend could purchase all of that ammo without being flagged, and rig his apartment with explosives so exotic, it took the bomb squad experts roughly 48 hours to disarm them. Either way, conspiracy or not, something is being ignored here by the mainstream media. The price of that ignoring could mean that the root causes of this violence are not faced, examined, and up-rooted by American culture. That is a very high price to pay, and it may leave us all standing in the crosshairs until the truth is uncovered. In the meantime, a critically thinking public must awaken, examine this double standard, and draw their own conclusions about race, bias, and the media…before it’s too late!

COLORADO

Enrolling Now!

ROCKIN’N’RHYTHM

JAZZ

BLUES MAHOGANY SOUL CHILD

GOSPEL TRAIN

R&B JUKE BOX

DENVER A FUNK ABOVE THE REST ALL BLUES

ORIGINS: ORGY IN RHYTHM

NEWS

SO WHAT:

THE RADIO SHOW

.892 25* .9-= 25*

Learn. Achieve. Graduate.

( -YLL 7\ISPJ :JOVVS 7YV]LU [V /LSW :[\KLU[Z :\JJLLK /67, 6USPUL 3LHYUPUN (JHKLT` *V 6W WYV]PKLZ R Z[\KLU[Z ^P[O! • Individualized Curricula that meets or exceeds state content standards • Instruction from highly-qualified teachers and face-toface Mentor support at authorized community based Learning Centers • Learning Centers located throughout Colorado

Call 720-402-3000 or visit www.HOPEonline.org. Denver Urban Spectrum — www.denverurbanspectrum.com – September 2012

Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peac, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest IinNYATA Peace, Rest in Peace, JRest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peaec, Rest in THOMAS ORDAN Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in in Peace, ~ January 23, 1985 to AugustPeace, 10,Rest 2012 ~ Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peac, Rest in Peace, Rest in Thomas lifeinwas Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest inInyata Peace, Rest in Peace, Jordan’s Rest in Peace,beginning Rest in Peace,ofRest Peace,celebrated Rest in Peace, on RestJanuary in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, 1985 Denver, sprinted world. wasin born Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in23, Peaec, Rest in in Peace, Rest inColorado Peace, Restwhen in Peace,heRest in Peace, into Rest inthis Peace, Rest inInyata Peace, Rest Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest Peace, in Peace, in Peace, Rest in Peace, RestRiddle in Peace,ofRestFlint, in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest departin Peace, Rest in the inson of Rest Claudia J. Rest Jordan of Denver andRest Sam Michigan. Inyata Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest inedPeace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peac, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in his earthly life in the early morning hours on Friday, August 10, 2012 in Dublin, California Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peaec, Rest in he had Julyin 2010. Inyata attended the Rest Children’s Center at Park Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, where Rest in Peace, Rest made in Peace,his Resthome in Peace,inRest Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Hill Peace,United Rest in Methodist Church, elementary and middle school in Denver Public Schools, graduating from Manual Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peac, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Restinin 2003. Peace, Rest Peace,on Resttoin attend Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest inJunior Peace, Rest in Peace,inRest in Peace,Colorado. Rest in Peace,Though Rest in Peace, High School Heinwent Northeastern College Sterling, an Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, in Peace, Restwas in Peace, Rest alone. in Peace, Rest Peace, Rest in Peaec,his Restbrothers in Peace, Rest Peace, RestHis in Peace, Restbecame in Peace, Rest in Peace, onlyRest child, Inyata never His infriends became andin sisters. family even closRest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in With Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest inside, Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest Rest in Peace,memoRest in er as brother-cousins and sister-cousins. byintheir family Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Inyata Peace, Rest Peace, Rest infriends Peac, Restand in Peace, Resthelped in Peace,toRestcreate in Peace, Rest in rable Denver North NewRest Jersey. avid outdoorsman, campPeace, Rest in Peace, Rest moments in Peace, Restfrom in Peace, Rest in to Peace, Rest Carolina in Peace, ResttoinNew Peace,York Rest intoPeace, in Peace,AnRest in Peace, Rest in Peace, he Restenjoyed in Peace, Rest in ing,Restflyinfishing, and was Rest always theRest onein Peace, to beRest by inyour newRest andin fun Inyata Peace, Rest in Peace, Peaec, Restskiing in Peace, Restbasketball. in Peace, RestHe in Peace, in Peace, Peace,side Restfor in Peace, Peace,experiences. Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Restlife in leaves to cherish his beautiful memory, his daughter Chloe A. Jordan, who made his life complete, her mother and his Peace, Rest incompanion, Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peac, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, in Peace,G.Rest in Peace, Alicia Coryell both of Dublin, California; Claudia J. Jordan and Robert Johnson, his parents, Denver, Colorado;Rest Maxine Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peaec, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest grandmother, Inyata behind a host of family in Peace, RestThomas, in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest inRaleigh, Peace, RestNorth in Peace,Carolina. Rest in Peace, Rest inleaves Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest Rest in Peace,inRestDenver in Peace,and Rest North in Peace,Carolina. Rest in Peace,Inyata Rest in also Peace,leaves Rest in Peace, Rest behind a “village” of his Claudia’s friends andinloved him,in grooming son, Rest man, father, in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Restmother in Peac, Rest in Peace, closest Rest in Peace, Rest inand Peace,colleagues Rest in Peace,who Rest reared in Peace, Rest Peace, Rest Peace, Rest inhim Peace,into Restthe in Peace, in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest inand Peace,companion Rest in Peaec,he Restbecame. in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peac, Rest in Peace, RestJERRY in Peace,LRest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in EE inAPeace, LLENRest STEVENS Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peaec, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in JulyRest 30,in 2012 ~ in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest~ inDecember Peace, Rest in 24, Peace,1946 Rest intoPeace, Peace, Rest Jerry LeeRest Allen Stevens was Rest bornin Peace, on December in Denver, to Rest Doris and David Stevens. was second Rest in Peace, in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace,24, Rest1946 in Peace, Rest in Peac,Colorado Rest in Peace, in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in He Peace, Restthe in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in child born to this union. He shared his life with his brothers, David Bruce and Keith Douglas. At an early age, Jerry accepted Peaec, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Christ at New Hope Baptist Church in Denver, Colorado. Jerry received his formal education in Denver and graduated from East Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Highin School. attended the University Iowa on aRest track scholarship, to study dentistry. in dentistry gave Rest Peace, RestHe in Peac, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace,ofRest in Peace, in Peace, Rest in Peace,planning Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest inHis Peace,interest Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, wayintoPeace, psychology in Denver and Rest he became a Judges in Aurora, Colorado. He pursued a Masters’ Rest Rest in Peace,and Restlaw in Peace, Rest in Peace, in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peaec, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, RestDegree in Peace, inRestpsycholoin Peace, Rest Peace, Rest in Peace, Graduate Rest in Peace,Institute Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest inCalifornia. Peace, Rest inInPeace, Resthe in Peace, Rest in Peace, in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest Rest in gy inthrough Pacifica in Santa Barbara, 1993, co-founded theRest James P. Beckwourth Mountain Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peac, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, in Club. This was the culmination of a life time interest in the outdoors that took him climbing all over Colorado and even in Rest Africa. Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Jerry to climb because enjoyed andinthe challenge. seeker of knowlPeace, Restwanted in Peace, Rest in Peace,theResthighest in Peaec,peaks Rest in Peace, Rest inhePeace, Rest in the Peace,quest, Rest in the Peace,experience, Rest in Peace, Rest Peace, Rest in Peace,A Rest in Peace, Rest in edge, was on ain novel about self-awareness asinwell how to combine psychology studies lawin Peace, experiPeace, RestJerry in Peace, Restworking in Peace, Rest Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest Peace,asRest in Rest in Peace, Resthisin Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest inwith Peace,hisRest Rest inences. Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in numerous Peace, Rest in honors Peace, Restand in Peac, Rest infor Peace, in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest inhis Peace, Rest inincluding Peace, Rest the in Peace, RestCary in Peace, Jerry received awards hisRest accomplishments during career Sam Bar Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peaec, Rest in Peace, Association’s Distinguished Jurist Award. Jerry Lee Allen Stevens departed this life on July 30, 2012 in Denver, Colorado. HeRest is in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in preceded his Rest father, David his Rest brother, whoin Peace, will cherish his memory include his mother, Doris a Peace, Rest in Peace, inRestdeath Rest inbyPeace, in Peace, Restand in Peace, in Peace,Keith. Rest inThose Peace, Rest Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peac, RestStevens; in Peace, Rest brother, David Bruce Stevens; and a host of nieces, nephews, aunts, cousins and many friends. in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peaec, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Rest in Peace, Rest in G Peace, Rest inW Peace, Rest in Peace,GRest EORGE ASHINGTON RAYin, Peace, JR. Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peac, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest ~in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in ~ October 5, 1911 to August 2, 2012 Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peaec, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Washington Jr. was in Rest Hattiesburg, Gray andRest Annie JuliaRest (Thomas) Gray. His Rest sisters were Peace,George Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Gray, Rest in Peace, Restborn in Peace, Rest in Peace,Mississippi Rest in Peace,toRestGeorge in Peace, Washington Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, in Peace, in Peace, Rest in Peace, in Peace, Rest in Mattee and Julia, and his brothers were Clyde and John. At age six, George moved with his mother and one sister to Birmingham, Alabama. Peac, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest Rest in Peace, Rest in Peaec, Rest inMorehouse Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest inGeorge Peace, Resthad in Peace, Peace, Rest in Peace, RestMan in Peace, Rest in Peace,While Rest in attending Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest Afterin Peace, high school, George attended College. beenRest thein oldest Morehouse in Colorado. in Peace, Morehouse, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, met Rest inJuanita Peace, Rest in Peace, in Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest inThey Peace, were Rest in married Peace, Restonin Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest ininPeace, RestAfter in Peace, Rest in inPeace, George Ross, whoRest was attending Clark College. Christmas morning 1938. serving Rest in Peac, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest thein Peace, US Army, Juanita to inDenver, in 1944. 1945, they theirRest only biological George in Peace, Rest Rest in George Peace, Restand in Peace, Rest inmoved Peaec, Rest Peace, RestColorado in Peace, Rest in Peace,InRest in Peace, Resthad in Peace, in Peace, Rest in child, Peace, Rest in Peace,Washington Rest in Peace, Rest in “Skipper” III. Over 25 years, George andinJuanita children family adopted daughter, four foster Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Gray Peace, Rest in Peace,theRestnext in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest Rest Peace, Restadded in Peace,23Rest in Peace, to Resttheir in Peace, Rest–in an Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peac, Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in George Peace, Rest worked in Peace, Rest Restand in Peace, Rest from in Peace,theRestUnited in Peace,States Rest in Post Peace, Office, Rest in Peace, daughters, andRest 18infoster sons. Although for in35Peace, years retired he Rest in Peace, Restmade in Peace, Rest inmany Peace, Rest Rest in Peace,to Rest Peace, Rest in as Peace, RestGeorge in Peaec, Rest Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest many, morein Peace, contributions his incommunity well. wasin active in the Cosmopolitan Club; the Five in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Rest in Peace, Points Business Association; the Wallace Simpson Post 29 of the American Legion; Scott United Methodist Church Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peac, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, (his Rest home church moreRestthan 65 years); the Rest Owl’s ClubRest Debutante Ball; and Rest Boys State.RestHein Peace, was well-known Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, in Peace, Rest for in Peace, in Peace, Rest in Peace, in Peace, in Peace, Rest in Peace, in Peace, Rest in Peace, of Soul Christmas; attending – or Rest leading – the Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace,for Restserving in Peaec, atRestEthel’s in Peace,House Rest in Peace, Restevery in Peace,Thanksgiving Rest in Peace, Restand in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, in Peace, Rest Martin in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest inLuther Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest inserving Peace, Rest Peace, Rest RestOrder in Peace,ofRest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest Number in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in King Marade; in inthe Masonic Rocky Mountain Lodge One (PHA), Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Mountain Rest in Peace,and Rest Plains in Peac, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Consistory Number 33, and Syrian Temple Number 49 A.E.O.N.M.S.; founding Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peaec, Rest in Peace, Rest in and attending Father SonRest Breakfast; andin Peace, dancing about Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in the Peace,annual Rest in Peace, Restand in Peace, in Peace, Rest Rest just in Peace, Rest every in Peace,night. Rest in George, Peace, Rest in leaves wonderful memories to be (Jan) Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Restcherished in Peace, Restbyin his Peace,son, RestSkip in Peace, Rest Gray; in Peace,two Restgrandsons, in Peace, Rest in Peac, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, in Peace, in Peace, Restthree in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest Ella in Peace, in Peace, Rest in Peace, SeanRest Gray and Rest Aaron Gray; great-grandchildren, Miles, andRestMaxine Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace,June; Rest indevoted Peace, Restniece in Peaec, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest Greta Master; six other nieces and nephews; eight in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in sons Rest andindaughters, grandchildren, Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace,foster Rest in Peace, Peac, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, and Rest ingreat Peace, grandRest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest children; as well as 100 years’ worth of friends in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peaec, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, in Peace,partners. Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Rest in Peace, Rest andRestdance in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peac, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace, Rest in Denver Urban Spectrum — www.denverurbanspectrum.com – September 2012

FIREFIGHTER/EMT EXAM

Take one written exam on Nov. 5 that will place you on an eligibility list for hiring with 13 fire departments/ districts in the Denver metro area. Sign up for the test online at www.drcog.org then click on FIRE. For more information call 303.480.6730.

Are you registered to

vote?

Check Your Status at

www.govotecolorado.com The United Church of Montbello welcomes the community to the

Fall

Festival

Sat., September 22, 2011 11 am - 6 pm

ÂŠ2012 Feld Entertainment

Food & beverages * Inflatable rides * Community clothes trade * Jewelry * Quilted gifts * Cakewalk * Raffle for free computer * Free massages * Face painting * Snow cones * Mary Kay * Karaoke contest * Gardening tips *Dance performances * Cash Prizes and gifts every hour * Jazz band * Karaoke * Health screenings & much much more Proceeds benefit the Montbello Cooperative Food Bank Ministries

4879 Crown Blvd. (at Crown & Andrews) Denver, Colorado

For more information, call 303-373-0070 or visit

http://ucm.ctsmemberconnect.net

Rev. Dr. James E. Fouther, Jr., Pastor

SO MUCH NEWS

â&#x20AC;&#x153;MAGICAL â&#x20AC;&#x153;MAGICALâ&#x20AC;? G CALLâ&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;â&#x20AC;&#x153;WONDROUSâ&#x20AC;? WONDR RO OUSâ&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;â&#x20AC;&#x153;AMAZINGâ&#x20AC;? AMA AMAZINGâ&#x20AC;? M

that if we put it all in the paper

it wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t fit in your mailbox Get local and national business news updated throughout the day, top business stories form the print edition and industry-specific blogs from more than 40 industries. No time to surf? Sign up for email alerts and get the dayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s top headlines delivered right to your inbox.

And thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s A t atâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s just tha just the ticket ticket price. pri rice.

Kidsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Tickets $10!^

denverbusinessjournal.com

303.355.4979

Get 4 weeks of the print edition FREE! Call 303.803.9200 today!

P.O. Box 39163 H Denver CO 80239

SEPT. 27 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; OCT. 7 DENVER COLISEUM Thu. SEPT. 27 7:00 PM

OPENING NIGHT TICKETS $12!*^

Fri. SEPT. 28 7:00 PM^

Sat. SEPT. 29 11:00 AM^ 3:00 PM^ 7:00 PM^

Sun. SEPT. 30 1:00 PM^ 5:00 PM^

Thu. OCT. 4

Fri. OCT. 5 11:00 AM^+

7:00 PM^

7:00 PM

Sat. OCT. 6 11:00 AM 3:00 PM 7:00 PM

Available for all Holiday Events, Special Occasions and...

Breaking business news. Every business day.

September is National Prostate Cancer Awareness Month

Sun. OCT. 7 11:00 AM 3:00 PM 7:00 PM

The Center for African American Health invites you to a

^Kids ages 2-12. Limit four (4) kidsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; tickets per one (1) adult ticket purchased. Only valid on the SEPT. 27 - OCT. 4 performances. *^Offer excludes VIP, Front Row and #IRCUS #ELEBRITYSM seats. No double discounts. Additional fees may apply. +Educational performance. No Pre-show activities.

FREE Prostate Cancer Screening The prostate cancer screening will consist of the DRE and PSA blood test.

WHY?

Buy tickets at Tickmaster.com/DRAGONS, Walmart Electronics Departments, Denver Coliseum Box Office (Opens SEPT. 10) or call 1-800-745-3000

Because: African American men have the highest rate of prostate cancer in the world! Because: African American men are more than twice as likely to die from the disease as Caucasian men. Because: The Center for African American Health is committed to improving the health and well being of the African American community. Ladies, please encourage the men to come to this event!

Regular Ticket Prices: s s s 6)0 &RONT 2OW s #IRCUS #ELEBRITY

Men, donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t die of embarrassment, get checked!

Saturday, September 22, 2012 ~ 8:00 am -1:00 pm Inner City Health Center To reserve your slot for a 3800 York Street, Denver FREE prostate cancer screening,

1201259

Additional fees may apply.

Walk-ins welcome!

Ringling.com

please call the Center for African American Health at

303-355-3423 Denver Urban Spectrum â&#x20AC;&#x201D; www.denverurbanspectrum.com â&#x20AC;&#x201C; September 2012

Grand Opening Day Events