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January 2012 ● urbancny.com
The Hall Monitor
A need for
Great
Blue Lights
Expectations By Walt Shepperd
Dr. Boyce Watkins
New school superintendent reports findings after 100 days on the job
Herman Cain and Eddie Long, The Black Male Prides of Atlanta
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Serving Upstate urban communities since 1989.
Class Warfare: It’s On!
The Life of Harriet Tubman: A Spiritual Journey Through Music
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City Scuffle
By Walt Shepperd
A need for Great Expectations By Walt Shepperd
Samadee became a school teacher quite by accident. With the opportunity that attracted him to town eliminated the day before he arrived from New York City, he took the advice of a friend and walked unannounced into the office at Madison, a junior high school on the periphery of the SU campus serving the then geographically contiguous local community of color. Word on the street, the friend told him, was that the school was having a hard time keeping its teachers, and indeed an obviously harried teacher was taking an abrupt leave from the building as he entered the office to enquire about employment.
Help Mr. Walt
The school was the focus of a Ford Foundation project intended to prepare its students for racial integration of the city schools anticipated three years hence. The project coordinator, a turtlenecked jazz musician who wore sunglasses and lounged for the interview with his feet on his desk, sensed a Big Apple bond with Samadee, and suggested he hang for the day in the classroom abandoned by the harried departee. “See how it slides,” he drawled in hipstereese.
Where do you want it?
Samadee survived that first day at Madison, moving with a streetwalk rhythm from across 110th Street, dropping frequent r&b cultural references and sharing slightly exaggerated stories from a checkered D I basketball career.
He learned instantly that continued survival in that classroom would depend on performance combining both prepared and spontaneous one-liners competitive with current late night television talk show hosts, never sitting down and never turning his back on the audience. That first day a preacher’s daughter propositioned Samadee, and Ray, who could easily have passed for an SU linebacker, asked if he wanted his butt kicked there in the classroom, out in the hall or after school in the street. The second day’s curious calm gave Samadee indication that he had passed the first in a series of tests toward establishing trust with the students.
Living in the neighborhood
Provisionally hired, Samadee took an apartment two doors up the street from
the school. The district’s supervisor of English, who had blue hair and wore white gloves when she came to Madison to observe his classroom demeanor, said that while she admired his idealism, he should really be aspiring to teach in a “good” school. But Samadee knew he was where he was needed. Living in the neighborhood he didn’t need to make home visits. He encountered students’ parents for more relaxed consultations at the laundromat, in the supermarket on East Adams Street or sitting of an evening on his front porch. As participant in a Ford Foundation project, Samadee was apprised, through a series of in-service training workshops, of the latest in research relevant to “compensatory education” for students defined as “culturally deprived.” The great-
See City Scuffle, p. 6
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Class warfare: it’s on!
Blue lights
Ken Jackson
It’s Christmas time again, and I, like many people, hold on to that old concept of decorating the house with lights for the holidays. There are traditional lights that are clipped to the gutters or strung around the frame of the house or a lonely tree giving the neighborhood a light show and National Grid additional profits. I’ve wrapped my shrubs in green lights with red lit berries one year and followed with a multicolored mess the following Christmas. It looked like Snoopy’s dog house from a Charlie Brown Christmas. When we were young we’d drive around and look at the houses in different neighborhoods. This was well before the “Lights on the Lake” drive-thru Christmas light display. It was fun to see how imaginative people were with their designs. There was something quite personal in the attention paid to detail. And then there are those displays that prompt me to say out loud, “what the — what?” I now have a game I play called what’s the gaudiest Christmas display I can find on a home. To heck with Lights on the Lake for a moment and look at the fun you’ll have. My favorite displays have to be the ones that can’t decide between “the reason for the season” — the birth of Jesus or let’s be off the hook fabulous. The off-the-hook-fabulous displays make me smile and laugh out loud. Imagine, brightly illuminated images of the Virgin Mary, Jesus, Joseph, Santa Claus, Frosty the Snow Man and assorted Elves all in the same fenced in yard. For the second year in a row I’ve decked the house and shrubs in blue energy saving lights. These are accented with twinkling blue and white stars. I hear children say “Ohhh” as they walk by at night. The other day a woman who rides a bike stopped and commented on my lights and how she would like some blue lights, but she had no National Grid. But just in case she said, “Take this change. It’s all I have. Can you buy the lights?” I took the change and combined it with my own money and bought her blue Christmas lights. And then I took time to thank God for what I have, and vowed to stop complaining about what I don’t have. So, this Christmas season remember that no matter how bad you may feel sometimes, a simple blue light can make all the difference in the world.
The Hall Monitor
As we watch this new presidential election cycle take shape, it is clear that class warfare, is on! Many Congressional and Senate Republicans have signed a pledge that overrides the United States Constitution committing those signatory to the agreement to follow the lead of those who want to shrink government. Even the suggestion that the well-to-do pay their fair share is demonized by Republicans as “Class Warfare.” Before president Obama was elected, had we ever seen Republicans so animated and caring about Americans getting jobs? And don’t forget Newt Gingrich’s plan to address what he called a work ethic problem in the inner city — put poor children to work as janitors in public schools! What about putting your efforts behind giving the mother and father an opportunity to obtain a well-paying job? This is the same man who suggested creating orphanages to place poor children so that they can be better cared for, yikes! Has Mr. Gingrich seen a production of Oliver? Or was the book that inspired the musical required reading? Class warfare has become the catch phrase used by those who don’t appreciate healthcare reform, which is responsible for adding millions of people to the rolls of the insured. These powdered-wigged activists drunk on bad tea leaves need to get down on their knees and thank the despised unions for having a weekend! Tax cuts that were in place for the middle class are scheduled to expire at the end of 2011, leaving millions of Americans with a tax increase while simultaneously protecting the interests of the wealthy as “the creator of jobs.” Gee, what about that pledge not to increase taxes? Those famed “Bush Tax cuts” that account for a “chunk” of our deficit are still in place. The wars that cost billions per month continue to drain our coffers. And now the fast-food worker, postal employee, working mom, and retiree has to bear the burden of the wealthy getting what they’ve paid for in our representative government. Follow the money. As we gear up for the Martin Luther King, Jr. birthday and requisite celebrations, remember that prior to his assassination Dr. King had broadened his campaign to include the poor and the disenfranchised. Don’t allow his memory to be reduced to a day off and mattress sale by believing in a 1963 “I Have a Dream” speech. The gap has now widened even further between the rich and poor, and in this “new economy,” many who once saw themselves as middle-class have joined the ranks of the newly impoverished. The Occupy Wall Street movement and subsequent protests from the public are not just a simple Republican branded act called class warfare, It’s a battle for survival.
Herman Cain and Eddie Long, The Black Male Prides of Atlanta Bishop Eddie Long and former Republican Presidential Candidate Herman Cain were once considered to be pillars of their community. Long was the lead pastor at one of the largest churches in the south(the New Birth Missionary Baptist Church, where he remarkably maintained power), and Cain was on his way to becoming the frontrunner for the Republican nomination for President of the United States. Since then, both Long and Cain have been found to be nothing more than self-proclaimed men of God who spent their spare time doing the work of demons. Eventually earning nicknames like “Eddie Long Stroke” and “Pee Wee Herman Cain,” these men would be the center of one sex scandal after another, often accused of waving their powerful penises at every man, woman (and child) who happened to want a job, some financial support or a little extra By Dr. Boyce Watkins “mentorship.”
See Boyce Watkings, p. 7
Your Black World
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January 2012
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Community News
Detroit Mayor Dave Bing to keynote SU’s 27th Annual Martin Luther King Jr. celebration By Kelly Homan Rodoski
Syracuse University will hold its 27th Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration on Saturday, Jan. 21, 2012, in the Carrier Dome. This year’s theme is “A Living Legacy: The Fierce Urgency of Now.” Dave Bing ’66, H’06, mayor of Detroit, will be the keynote speaker. “It is an honor to celebrate the life and contributions of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.,” says Bing. “Syracuse University helped give me the knowledge and value system to pursue a career in public service. It is important that we pass that legacy on to the next generation.” SU’s annual celebration is among the largest university-sponsored events in the country to commemorate King. Last year, more than 2,000 people attended the event. The evening program, which will include the presentation of the 2012 Unsung Hero Awards and entertainment, begins at 6:30 p.m. and is free and open to the public. Tickets for the dinner, which precedes the program at 5 p.m., are $25 for the general public and $15 for students without meal plans. Students with meal plans will be charged for one dinner. For ticket information, call Hendricks Chapel at (315) 443-5044. A community festival celebrating arts, cul-
ture and education in the Syracuse community will be held from noon to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 21, at Dr. Weeks at Shea Middle School, located at 1607 S. Geddes St. “We are proud to once again host our annual Martin Luther King Jr. Dinner Celebration, a communitywide tradition lasting more than a quarter of a century,” says Tiffany Steinwert, dean of Hendricks Chapel. “One of the nation’s largest celebrations of Dr. King’s legacy on a university campus, it provides campus and community alike the opportunity to gather together and to celebrate Dr. King’s living legacy. His message of equality, dignity, peace and justice still speaks to us today, urging us to press on until his dream becomes reality for all people in this country and around the world.” “The Dr. King Celebration Committee is delighted to welcome Mayor David Bing as the keynote speaker for the 27th Annual Dr. King Celebration at Syracuse University,” says Marissa L. Willingham, program associate in the Office of Multicultural Affairs and chair of the 2012 Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Committee. “In his social and political life, Mayor Bing embodies the virtues espoused by Dr. King and challenges all around him to live a life of honesty and high moral integrity. In the
spirit of Dr. King and consistent with the theme of our celebration, Mayor Bing will challenge us to contribute to world peace through freedom and social justice.” Bing was elected the 62nd mayor of the City of Detroit in May 2009. A native of Washington, D.C., Bing earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from Syracuse University in 1966 and was bestowed an honorary doctorate of laws degree in 2006. He was a standout basketball player and an All American in both high school and during his college career. Bing was drafted by the Detroit Pistons as their No.1 pick in 1966. He was voted one of the Top 50 basketball players of all time, and was inducted into the Michigan Hall of Fame in 1984 and into the Naismith Hall of Fame in 1990. Bing turned his winning strategies from the basketball court to the boardroom as the founder of an automotive supply corporation, the Bing Group, in 1980, where he served as president and chairman until April 2009. Within a decade, The Bing Group was recognized as one of the nation’s top minority-owned companies by Black Enterprise. Answering yet another call to serve, Bing decided to run for mayor to help rebuild a city
Detroit Mayor Dave Bing that he has loved and been a part of for more than 40 years. Proving that the basics of good performance, integrity and business can be applied to any area or industry, Bing has brought a renewed sense of trust and hope to the City of Detroit.
Entertainment
The Life of Harriet Tubman: A Spiritual Journey Through Music On Feb. 12, 2012, the Syracuse Chapter of the Gospel Music Workshop of America (SGMWA), under the direction of Dr. Joan R. Hillsman, will present an afternoon concert of inspired African music and negro spirituals to honor and celebrate the Life of Harriet Tubman. This concert will take place Joan Hillsman, PhD from 3 to 4 p.m. at the historic Willard Memorial Chapel in Auburn, Music Educator N.Y., with admission of $10 per person. The concert will result in a DVD and CD, produced by TV America and Joe Debottis. Co-sponsored by the Harriet Tubman Boosters Club of Auburn, this event will feature music composed and directed by Dr. Hillsman, and performed by members of the Syracuse Chapter of the Gospel Music Workshop of America. Their presentation will follow a narrative timeline of Harriet Tubman’s
life from slavery in the south to freedom in the north. “It is an honor to have been chosen to spearhead such an event. I had the invitation and full tour of the Harriet Tubman’s home in Auburn, visited historical sites, spending most of the day walking where she walked, and getting a visual concept of the legacy that she left for humankind. It will also afford a great opportunity to those participants in the choir as they sing spirituals, some arranged and composed, telling the story of such a great lady that we all have read about throughout history,” says Hillsman, who is also an African American Historian. Join SGMWA in observing Black History Month with a rich collaboration of voices brought together in song to celebrate the life, struggles, and glorious triumph of American hero Harriet Tubman.
Dr. Joan R. Hillsman and Syracuse Chapter of the Gospel Workshop of America are dedicated to reaching out to the Upstate New York Community and enhancing the quality of life via the arts. Dr. Hillsman has over 45 years of experience as a music educator holding a Bachelor and Master of Music Education and a Ph.D. in Musicology. Her association with the Gospel Music Workshop of America (GMWA), and her travels have allowed her to establish an international gospel connection that includes Africa, the Bahamas, Japan and Sweden, to name a few. The Harriet Tubman Boosters Club of Auburn has existed for nearly 60 years with a mission to keep the life’s work of American hero Harriet Tubman alive.
Harriet Tubman
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Businesses sponsor Southwest Cut-A-Thon, Christmas Party Christmas season is upon us and one of the best gifts people have chosen to give is their time and money to help children enjoy this festive season. We tend to forget that many of our areas children live in poverty. The poverty rates in Syracuse are amongst the highest for urban children. During this Great Recession a parent paying rent
or mortgage and other ancillary costs of survival are pitted against the desire of all parents to give their children a memorable Christmas. There are dozens of organizations that deliver hope during the holiday season some have sponsored toy and clothing programs, Kettles or scannable coupons at the
grocery store and highly visible campaigns for their cause. Other efforts fly below radar and aren’t noticed but I wanted to shed light on a program that brings a little holiday joy to children at Southwest Community Center’s annual Cut-A-Thon and Christmas Party. Al Lyda of Ebony Paving, Ken Kinsey of Kinsey Car Company, Inc., Southwest Community Center’s Pride Program and friends teamed-up for this annual event that was held Dec. 21 at Southwest Community Center from. This the 17th year where area barbers donated their time to give free haircuts to
boys between the ages of 5 to 12 and girls attending received gift certificates donated by local beauty salons. The Syracuse Golf Association donated 30 bicycles that were given away by a drawing held at the event. John John’s Country Cooking provided food; Warren Davis coordinated barbers and DJ Flip Side was spinning for this event that broguht joy to children during what should be to them “The most wonderful time of the year”. This is an annual event so if you’d like to donate or get involved for 2012 call Al Lyda at 807-3031.
Entertainment
‘My Life’ documentary project starting in January Starting in January 2012, The Redhouse Arts Center will begin two, year-long learning programs that offer students the opportunity to participate in the creative process of film-making.
“My Life” Documentary Project (Youth: ages 10+)
The “My Life” Documentary Project allows students, ages 10 and up, to create a short documentary film that chronicles their life stories. Students will use hand held Flip cameras to create a cinema verite documentary about a year in their lives. Mark Mocahbee, a film professor at
University of Miami, will lead students through four intensive workshops that teach the film-making and editing process. In addition, students will be given professional mentorship throughout their experience as they collect documentary footage over the coming months. At the completion of the course, their films will be screened for the community at The Redhouse. Sundays: Jan. 22, March 11, May 20, June 10, 10am-6pm $250/$200 Members
The Short-Short Narrative Film Project (Teens and Adults 16+)
The Short-Short Narrative Film Project allows local filmmakers to develop their own 5 to 10 minute narrative film to submit to film festivals and screenings. The program will be curated by Mark Mocahbee, a professional documentary and narrative filmmaker. Guest instructors with professional film credits will help to lead the intensive workshops, and will be available to assist film-makers throughout the process as they create an original film. Some topics that will be covered during the
workshops include screenwriting, cinematography, editing, and other post-production processes. After the films are completed, they will be part of an official screening at The Redhouse. Saturdays: Jan. 21, March 10, May 19, June 9; 10am-6pm; $350/300 Members. Contact: Marguerite Mitchell-Sundberg, education@theredhouse.org, 210 S. West Street, Syracuse, NY 13202; Ph: 315-4250405.
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January 2012
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Church News Seven ways to help the unemployed in your church By Daniel, Christian Ministry Articles Sharefaithblog.com
We can’t ignore the problem of unemployment. Although you may be secure and satisfied within your pastoral position or job, there are those around you who are living without a regular paycheck. Is there any way that the church can help them?
1. Don’t just say, “I’m praying for you.”
Instead, truly pray for them. Then, proactively seek to help them. There is nothing quite as cliché, dishonest, and even potentially hurtful than a flippant, “Oh, I’ll pray for you.” Unless, of course, you mean it. The problem is, many people who say it, don’t mean it. Maybe this is pessimistic view of things. We should pray. We should also try to encourage people by telling them that we’re praying. If you say it, mean it. If you say it, do it. Prayer is important. It is not to be underestimated, dismissed, or ignored. To the ears of a disappointed, penny-saving, job-hunting unemployed person, prayer needs to be real.
2. Be normal.
Don’t try to treat unemployed people as some special group that needs to be handled gingerly. For the most part, a jobless person is not looking for pity parties, soupy sentimentality, or twenty dollar bills discreetly stuffed into jacket pockets. Be kind. Be loving, but don’t demean someone with condescension. Go easy on the advice. Avoid asking questions such as “Are you looking?” or “Have you sent out any more resumes?” or “Are you willing to do anything?”
3. Form a church job network.
One of the best places to find jobs is from people within the church. Forming a church job network is as easy as putting up a bulletin board with a “Jobs” sign at the top. Job
seekers can look for opportunities or even post a resume or phone number. Job hunters can post their needs. You may even try a sophisticated online system for a job network. At the very least, support an atmosphere where people can be open about needs and opportunities for employment.
4. Provide free workshops.
If you know of someone in your church who is in HR or recruiting, an entrepreneur, or a hiring manager of some sort, approach them and see if they have the skills or willingness to speak for a workshop. Workshop topics can be job-hunting skills, resume readiness, interview advice, using online job boards, entrepreneurship, etc. In addition to helping people within your own church, free job workshops or even hosting a job fair can be a great way to help the community as well.
5. Get involved in government.
Some of the systemic problems of unemployment can be traced back to local government. Don’t back down from getting involved in community petitions, town hall meetings, or even governmental positions. Do you want to be a positive influence in your area? Then do what you can
to create a business-friendly community with more job opportunities.
6. Start a relief fund.
Sometimes, when a person is unable to get a job, unable to gain unemployment checks, and unable to feed their family, the church should step in. Use this money for especially needy people.
7. Hire.
With many churches in the lurch financially, it is impossible (not to mention unadvisable) for the church to hire every jobless person. Think creatively, though. Could you use a part-time secretary or janitor, or groundskeeper? Alternately, there may be people in the church who could hire someone in the church for their own needs. Joblessness is a problem. When the church stands idly by, she is neglecting her mandate to help those in need (e.g., Galatians 6:2; 6:10). Although your church may not be able to singlehandedly reverse unemployment in your community, you can do something to help.
City Scuffle est lesson to be learned, he found, was that students behave in direct proportion to the expectations they perceive. One case study reported individualized instruction for a class based on each student’s IQ score. A semester’s monitoring showed, with only slight variance,
...from p. 2 the premise to be correct. At the beginning of the next semester, however, it was discovered the list was not of IQ scores, but rather of the students’ locker numbers.
Beyond the first 100 days
Last week the city school district’s
new Superintendent Sharon Contreras made public the findings of her first 100 days in office. Without reservation she noted significant problems with curriculum, training, planning, organizational structure and teacher recruitment. She prefaced her assessment with a personal
goal of becoming the most improved school district in American. She knows well the first step toward that goal is the development of expectations that city school students can achieve at that level.
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Boyce Watkins
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...from p. 3 worse, none of us can say for certain what the results of those tests happened to be. Mrs. Vanessa Long seems to be the most confused, given that she filed for divorce, reversed her filing hours later, and then changed her mind once again. Mrs. Cain has at least been consistent, seemingly convinced that her husband is righteous, while all those other women are lying gold diggers. It’s hard to figure out whether these women are victims, heroes or dummies; but then again, loving the wrong person can make us into all three. Love is complicated, and I speculate that it gets more complex as you get older. Most of us have grandparents who stayed married through thick and thin, even as grand daddy’s male instincts drove him to find physical companionship outside the marriage. I have no doubt that the fairytale delusion was shattered for these women decades ago, and at this point, it may be a matter of sticking by the screwed up man you know, rather than taking a chance on other screwed up men you meet after the divorce. Their experience may also serve as a cautionary tale for women who are fascinated by men with money and power, for they should realize that wealth, influence and an infinite number of options can corrupt the souls of even the most righteous men. Herman Cain and Eddie Long, the two black male prides of Atlanta, are actually just the tip of the iceberg. Most of the
Eddie Longs operate in stealthy silence, condemning others on Sunday because of an internal self-hatred for the part of themselves that they don’t want to accept. The Herman Cains of the world enjoy being tools of racial oppression, claiming that black people have no personal responsibility, yet refusing to take responsibility for the long string of women falling out of the closet. I am disgusted by both men, not because they are sexually undisciplined, but because of their hypocrisy. You shouldn’t spend so much time making others feel bad when you yourself are up to no good. Both Herman Cain and Eddie Long are birds of a feather. Their narcissistic disregard for the pain they’ve caused so many others is a sad reminder of how we can be influenced by Christian leaders who’ve abandoned the spirit of Jesus. Perhaps we need to ask ourselves why we gave these men so much power. Dr. Boyce Watkins is a Professor at Syracuse University and founder of the Your Black World Coalition.
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Mind you, Herman Cain was not quite as bad as Eddie, given that Cain at least harassed grown women. While Cain simply ruined careers of women under his authority, Long appears to have gone even further by taking advantage of young boys who once considered him to be a father figure. In spite of their differences, both Cain and Long can be accused of embarrassing themselves and their families for living lives that were nothing less than entirely hypocritical. We can also note that in addition to being powerful, wealthy, “men of God” from Atlanta, both of these men also happen to be conservatives (remember that picture of Eddie Long hugging George W. Bush?). Now, this doesn’t mean that liberals don’t cheat on their wives or live life on the downlow, but it does remind us of the risks of engaging in bible thumping condemnation of those who are different from ourselves. Cain spent years telling black people that we are brainwashed and undisciplined, while Long spent his time attacking the same gay community where his boyfriends reside. Only the blindness caused by wealth and power could make either man think that their secrets would never get out. This kind of hypocrisy appears to have been over the head, out of the view or stuffed into the subconscious of Mrs. Cain and Mrs. Long, who ended up looking as silly as their husbands, standing next to these men as they confessed to an undisciplined, unhealthy, and unethical lifestyle that would put Tiger Woods to shame. One can only wonder what it’s like to have to get tested for STDs every six months, even though you’ve been married to a preacher for decades. Even
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