Bay State Banner 02/28/2013

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

Louis Gossett Jr. on post-Oscar heartbreak pg. 11 FREE

Biography dispels myths about legend of Rosa Parks .........pg. 2

Thursday • February 28, 2013 • www.baystatebanner.com

FREE

Charles Street’s cash transfers subject of bankruptcy hearing Howard Manly

Mary Truong, director of external relations at the Dorchester House, offers free nail polish to a patient during the health center’s annual “Flowers For Your Valentine” event. To encourage patients to schedule mammograms, the Dorchester House, the American Cancer Society and Walgreens provided long-stemmed roses, heart-shaped boxes of chocolates and nail polish services to all mammography patients that day. The organizations are partnering to highlight the availability of cancer screening services in Fields Corner. (Photo courtesy of Dorchester House)

Battle over Voting Rights Act before U.S. Supreme Court Earl Ofari Hutchinson One of the GOP’s fondest wishes has been to kill the landmark 1965 Voting Rights Act. Twice it floated several trial balloons in Congress. The first one was in 1981, when the Act came up for renewal. The deal in the initial passage of the Act was that it be renewed every 25 years.

A few hardline ultraconservatives in the administration of then President Reagan made some loud threats to push Reagan to oppose its renewal.

They were just that: idle threats.

Reagan, with no fanfare, signed the renewal legislation.

However, the threats were a portent of things to come.

When the Act came up for renewal again in 2006, the threats to thwart the law turned into a mini-movement in Congress to delay or even block passage.

A pack of House Republicans stalled the legislation for more

A N A LY S I S than a week and demanded that hearings be held.

They used the same old argument that it punishes the South for past voting-discrimination sins, and they didn’t like the idea of bilingual ballots. Bush signed the renewal order. But the GOP had served notice that the early

saber rattle against the act was a just a warm-up for a full throttle frontal assault.

The GOP pecked at the Act with the rash of photo identification laws that the GOP governors and GOP-controlled state legislatures enacted in recent years.

The aim was to discourage and reduce the number of minority and poor voters that overwhelmingly vote Democratic.

It backfired. Black and Hispanic voters thumbed their noses at the GOP’s voter suppression ploys and packed voting booths again in mass numbers in 2012.

The 2012 presidential election result was the final tipping point for the GOP. Though it Voting, continued to page 10

the Lilly Foundation were but he did say that he knew “whatever A s i d e f r o m t h e o n g o i n g money was raised we have placed bankruptcy proceedings and his back, if not paid more into the abrupt resignation as Boston Lilly Endowment.”

School Committee chairman, The recent depositions of Rev. Gregory Groover, pastor of Groover and Adams came to the Charles Street AME church, light this week in a hearing has recently added another prob- before U.S. bankruptcy Judge lem to his list of ever-growing Frank Bailey to determine if the financial mismanagement prac- church’s latest amended financial tices — “special activities.” statements should be used as a Two years ago, the Lilly basis to repay its debts, including Foundation awarded Charles a $5.2 million in outstanding debt four-year grant of $875,000 to to OneUnited, the church’s main train young pastors. Its pastor in creditor and the nation’s largest residency program was expected black-owned bank. to be the sole Characterbeneficiary of izing the recent the Lilly grant. “In the last year, church finanIt wasn’t, accial statements cording to both we’ve had to, at as “inadequate Rev. Groover times, shift funds and incompreand Rev. Opal hensible,” bank A d a m s , t h e temporarily to meet attorneys said w o m a n w h o an immediate need, they demonkept the fistrate “a false nancial books and … we would portrayal of its and authored cirthen put the money financial G r o o v e r ’s cumstances and annual reports. back in time.” purposefully Of the overlooks its — Rev. Groover obligations.” $875,00 grant m o n e y, o n l y “In light of $90,000 ret h e d e b t o r ’s mains, according to the church’s duplicity, and given the true state latest financial disclosures, and of the debtor’s financial affairs with two years remaining on the — that is so far as discovery has program, Adams estimated that uncovered it — there is plainly no the church would need to raise credible prospect that it can presan additional $340,000 to fulfill ent a plan or reorganization which its program obligations. Based is fair and equitable, offered in on her own records, Adams testi- good faith and feasible,” bank atfied that the church owed at least torneys wrote in a recent brief. $100,000 to the Lilly fund.

Judge Bailey delayed making a “In the last year, we’ve had to, ruling on Monday. at times, shift funds temporarily The latest version of finanto meet an immediate need, and cial statements by Charles Street … we would then put the money comes on the heels of its discloback in time,” Groover testified. sures last summer that showed Groover then said that he discrepancies of more than Bankruptcy, continued to page 17 didn’t know what the policies of

Capt. Paul Cuffe made waves in business Ted Langston Chase It was not an easy start for Paul Cuffe.

He was born in 1759 on Cuttyhunk Island, the son of Coffe Slocum, an African slave, and Ruth Moses, a Wampanoag Native American woman.

The family lived as conspicuous property-owning minorities on land that was difficult to farm. Their lives had all of the predictable obstacles and setbacks of a racial group thought not to be a part of the new nation that would emerge from the

Whatʼs INSIDE

American Revolution.

In 1775, at the age of 16, Cuffe took his first job as a common seaman aboard a ship bound for the Gulf of Mexico. During his travels, Cuffe used every opportunity to advance himself with skills and education, but he also faced dangers made worse by the Revolution. In fact, on one trip the British seized Cuffe’s ship and he was imprisoned in New York along with other crew members.

After being released, he returned to his family’s farm in Westport. Life at sea made Cuffe realize that the Cuffe, continued to page 9

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT . . 11-15

The Harvard University Foundation selected former Pussycat Doll and current X Factor judge Nicole Scherzinger as Artist of the Year for her work in show business and her humanitarian efforts. Above, she is pictured with Dr. S. Allen Counter, director of the Harvard Foundation, at the Sanders Theatre at Harvard on Feb. 23. (George Weinstein photo)

LISTINGS

PERSPECTIVE

CLASSIFIEDS

BUSINESS DIRECTORY . . . . 19

EDITORIAL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

HELP WANTED . . . . . . . . . . 23

CALENDAR . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

OPINION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

LEGALS . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21-22

CHURCH GUIDE. . . . . . . . . 20

ROVING CAMERA . . . . . . . . 5

REAL ESTATE . . . . . . . . . 22-23

2 • Thursday, February 28, 2013 • BAY STATE BANNER

Biography dispels myths about legend of Rosa Parks

A new biography penned by Jeanne Theoharis sheds light on the life and struggle of civil rights activist Rosa Parks, above, pictured with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in the background. (Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons) Caitlin Yoshiko Kandil Rosa Parks, who would have turned 100 this month, is certainly one of the most celebrated figures in black history.

While everyone knows the story of how she stood up to segregation by refusing to give up her seat on a bus to a white passenger, Jeanne Theoharis, a political science pro-

fessor at Brooklyn College, says that few appreciate — or even know about — the fullness of Parks’ activism throughout her 92-year life.

Theoharis argues that the legend of Parks as a quiet and apolitical seamstress has eclipsed the reality of Parks’ relentless dedication to the Civil Rights Movement, and the tremendous suffering she endured as a result. So to correct decades of my-

thologizing, Theoharis has authored the first-ever comprehensive biography of Parks, The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks.

Parks was born in Tuskegee, Ala. in 1913, into an environment of acute racial violence. Her grandfather, born into slavery, was a supporter of the pan-Africanist Marcus Garvey, and frequently sat outside the house at night with his rifle to ward off the KKK. Parks often joined him.

Parks’ first real encounter with activism, however, occurred as a teenager when she met Raymond Parks, the man who would become her husband. When the two met, Raymond, a longtime member of the NAACP, was organizing on behalf of the Scottsboro Boys, the famous case of nine black youth who were wrongfully convicted and sentenced to death for the rape of two white women.

It took several years for Parks herself to join the NAACP — she had thought it was only open to men — but during her first meeting, she was elected secretary of the Montgomery branch.

In the early 1940s, she organized to get black people registered to vote, and managed to get herself registered despite numerous poll tests and taxes. She cast her first ballot in the 1945 Alabama gubernatorial race, making her one of the few African Americans at the time to have done so.

As Parks’ prominence grew, she

took on leadership roles with the NAACP at the state level — where she pushed for anti-lynching legislation and documented violence against black people in the South — and co-founded the NAACP Youth Council.

In the years leading up to Parks’ 1955 arrest, Montgomery buses were the scene of a number of altercations between black passengers and white drivers. Parks herself had been kicked off several buses for refusing to re-board in the back after paying in the front. But tensions heated up early in 1955, when 15year-old Claudette Colvin refused to give up her seat for a white woman, and was arrested and dragged off the bus by police.

Nine months later, Parks took the same stand. These acts of resistance were dangerous, Theoharis points out. “Even though we always say that Parks is so courageous, sometimes we don’t pay attention to how courageous it was,” she says.

Bus drivers carried guns, and

the broader Civil Rights Movement across the South — for Parks, it led to enormous suffering. She received constant death threats, she and her husband immediately lost their jobs and neither one of them ever found work in Montgomery again.

Even black organizations such as the NAACP refused to hire her. These stresses led to Parks’ deteriorating health, and without money, she was unable to get medical treatment.

By 1957, the Parks saw no other option but to leave Alabama and seek better fortunes in the North.

The couple moved to Detroit, but was still plagued by death threats and unemployment.

“That’s one of the other myths about Parks,” says Theoharis. “It’s not like white Northerners embraced her either.”

Parks called Detroit “the northern promised land that wasn’t.”

It wasn’t until 1965 — a full decade after her bus arrest — that Parks found a full-time job, working in the office of the newly elected

The legend of Parks as a quiet and apolitical seamstress has eclipsed the reality of Parks’ relentless dedication to the Civil Rights Movement, and the tremendous suffering she endured as a result. armed police officers weren’t afraid to shoot black passengers. Parks’ neighbor — a World War II veteran — had been killed for refusing to board in the back, and as Parks later said about her own resistance: “I didn’t even know if I would get off the bus alive.”

Parks, of course, did survive, and her arrest — which Theoharis calls “the final straw” for the black community — launched the Montgomery bus boycott. It was then that the myth of Parks as the “quiet seamstress” first took shape. As white segregationists accused Parks of being a Communist and an NAACP plant as a way to de-legitimize her activism, leaders of the boycott, including Martin Luther King, Jr. and Ralph Abernathy, tried to ‘background her political history’ to ‘keep the movement safe,’” says Theoharis.

By casting her as an old woman without politics, Montgomery leaders made Parks the sympathetic figure they needed to galvanize a movement. But this wasn’t the entire reason — Theoharis also notes that her gender led people to overlook her past organizing and leadership skills.

While the boycott was a success — it led to the dismantling of segregation on Montgomery buses and

black congressman, John Conyers.

Parks continued her activism, which included pushing for a federal holiday to honor Martin Luther King, Jr. and protesting South African apartheid, until her death in 2005.

By the 1990s, she had become a national hero, and the myth of Parks as the quiet seamstress who inadvertently launched the Civil Rights Movement had “taken on a life of its own,” says Theoharis, who compares this image with the “fuzzy, dreamy version” of King after his death.

While this caricature of Parks started with the Movement itself, Theoharis says that today, “it’s about putting all this history in the past.”

And by putting the entirety of Parks’ story in the past, her lifetime of progressive politics, the country’s dismissal of her and the racial injustice that still exists today are ignored, Theoharis points out.

“Certain interests benefit from a vision of the Civil Rights Movement that says, ‘Look at how great America is, we had this problem, but we [fixed it] ourselves,’” she says. “The myth of Parks and King strips them of the fullness of what they believed, what they did and what it takes — and makes us miss what we can do today.”

Relatives, Family, Friends of 18th, 19th & 20th Century African American Sailors, Boat Builders, & Maritime Industry Workers Boston Family Boat Building invites you to join our oral history project.

Every Spring we have several community members, with a personal or family connection to the maritime industry, spend time with our students to share their stories. We have had WWII merchant marines, relatves of Matthew Henson, and folks who have worked in the maritime industry at the Charlestown Navy Yard and General Dynamics.

The response from our students has been amazing.

Join us this Spring to share your stories!

Contact: John Rowse 617-428-0155 johnrowse@bostonfamilyboatbuilding.org

www.bostonfamilyboatbuilding.org

Thursday, February 28, 2013 • BAY STATE BANNER • 3

Touré weighs portrayal of blacks in ‘Django,’ ‘Lincoln’

TV host and novelist Touré explored the portrayal of blacks in “Django Unchained” and “Lincoln” during a lecture at the African Meeting House last weekend. (Photo courtesy of the Museum of African American History) Bridgit Brown Touré, host of MSNBC’s “The Cycle,” gave a candid lecture at the African Meeting House last Saturday about the portrayal of blacks in two Oscar-winning films, Quentin Tarantino’s “Django Unchained” and Steven Spielberg’s “Lincoln.”

Both stories take place around the same time period, but Touré

had little good to say of “Lincoln.”

In fact, he said he fell asleep at the first screening of the film and when he did watch it in its entirety, he was deplored.

“I did not appreciate that it was yet another movie about black history in which black people are not part of the story at all,” Touré said on Beacon Hill. “There is no agency; they are sidelined throughout the

Patrick Chung, New England Patriot and founder of Chung Changing Lives, Inc., and his wife Cecelia Chung met with the executives and board members of the Boston Chinatown Neighborhood Center to tour the community center. He spent time with the Red Oak After School program and the Youth Center. He also donated a signed jersey and football for the Chinese New Year Banquet to be held on March 1. (Photo courtesy of Boston Chinatown Neighborhood Center)

Boston Preparatory Charter Public School Extending Excellence Currently accepting applications for the 2013-2014 6th Grade, and limited opportunities in the 7th, 8th and 9th Grades.

Learn more online at www.bostonprep.org, by calling (617) 333-6688, ext. 116, or at the following information session, held at 1286 Hyde Park Avenue in Hyde Park.

Info session: Thursday, March 7, 6:00PM Consistently recognized as one of the top-performing charter schools in the state and in the nation.

whole piece. It’s a film more honest to the past as opposed to ‘Django,’ which is the past constructed through a modernized lens.”

Touré is the author of four books, including Who’s Afraid of Post-Blackness? and the recently published I Would Die 4 U: Why Prince Became an Icon. His lecture, “Lincoln, Django and the Portrayal of Blacks in Period Films,” was a presentation of the

Museum of African American History’s Lowell Lecture Series.

Through a modern lens, Toure explains, the historical visionist is able to lay contemporary dreams on top of past history.

“It was tremendously cathartic to watch this freed slave whip slave masters, kill slave masters and destroy a plantation,” said Touré, who also asked the question, “What is wrong with righteous violence in the service of moral justice?”

“Django” stars Jamie Foxx as the title character, an ex-slave and bounty hunter on a mission to rescue his damsel in distress from a Mississippi slaveholding plantation known as Candie Land. The rescue of Broomhilda, played by Kerry Washington, takes Django and his partner Dr. Schultz, played by Christoph Waltz, on a bloody and triumphant quest through the slaveholding South.

But lots of people took issue with this idea of Django, especially director Spike Lee, who refused to see the movie and called it an insult to his ancestors.

In a tweet to his Twitter followers in December 2012, Lee said, “American Slavery Was Not A Sergio Leone Spaghetti Western. It Was A Holocaust. My Ancestors Are Slaves. Stolen From Africa. I Will Honor Them.”

But Touré said he thought it was silly to suggest that a filmmaker be bound by history outside of the documentary context. In jest, he said, “I think that if we were to wake up the ancestors and take them to a movie theater and show them ‘Django,’ they’d probably be pleased. And if we showed them ‘Do The Right Thing’ and asked them which one would they would rather see again, they might say ‘Django.’”

In Touré’s analysis, Django was a film that explored three forms of

love: for one, a romantic love between Django and Broomhilda.

“This is a magnet sort of love that leads Django to his freedom and his life,” he explained. “We never see this type of love between black people in Hollywood films.”

Toure expounded on the friendly form of love illustrated in the loyalty between Django and Dr. Schultz.

“This love contributes to one of the most controversial moments in the film,” Touré added.

“I did not appreciate that it was yet another movie about black history in which black people are not part of the story at all. There is no agency; they are sidelined throughout the whole piece.”

— Touré A third form of love conveyed in the movie and discussed by Touré at length was the self-love that radiated from Django from the moment he is free from the cloak of slavery.

“In the first scene, [Django] throws off his cape and it might have brought to mind James Brown,” joked Touré. “He takes on this body language from that moment forth. He walks around looking proud and strong and tall.

He loves himself in a self-confident way and it is really this important gesture, that self-love that is so important to me in terms of understanding the depth of this great character that Tarantino created.”

4 • Thursday, February 28, 2013 • BAY STATE BANNER

Established 1965

Savings – A source of wealth The American economy is still struggling to become robust after the most severe recession in history. According to the National Bureau of Economic Research, the Great Recession began in December 2007, hit bottom in June 2009 and completed its cycle in September 2010. However, for many African Americans, the recession continues.

There is an old adage that when the economy has sniffles, blacks come down with pneumonia.

High unemployment was a major problem of the recession. In January, black unemployment was 14.3 percent compared with only 7.6 percent for whites.

Even more devastating than the loss of jobs was the loss of black household wealth during the recession. The net worth of black households in 2004 was $1 for every $11 of net worth for white households. In 2009, the net worth of white households had become almost 20 times higher — $92,000 to $4,900 for blacks.

Black wealth is now primarily a function of home ownership. When the real estate bubble burst, precipitating the Great Recession, the value of black homes across the country declined. With much of their wealth in investment securities, the net worth of white households was better able to retain their value.

Affluent individuals with cash have the flexibility to invest in a number of promising projects to build their wealth, but the first challenge is to acquire the cash. The current 3.0 percent drop in mortgage rates enables the urban homeowner to begin that process by refinancing.

For example, a reduction of 3.0 percent on a 30-year mortgage for $200,000 will save about $356 per month.

Black and Latino homeowners are not taking advantage of this opportunity as aggressively as they should. Understandably, there is some apprehension about mortgage lenders after their friends

and relatives were induced to sign up for subprime loans. Often the sad consequence of such a decision was default and loss of their homes.

OneUnited Bank, the nation’s largest blackowned bank with offices in Boston, Miami and Los Angeles, refused to make unqualified mortgages even as the real estate market heated up. As a result, there have been few foreclosures. The bank’s mission statement requires OneUnited to offer only “affordable financial services.” A high-risk mortgage that could lead to financial disaster does not meet that criterion.

Those determined to take control of their financial futures might be discouraged by the magnitude of the loss in value of their homes.

For some, the outstanding balance of the mortgage might even exceed the appraised value of the property. In the past, that would have been an absolute deal killer, but now there is a program to save the day.

There is a special federal program called “HARP” (Home Affordable Refinance Program) administered by the Federal Home Finance Agency, that will provide relief for qualified homeowners. OneUnited Bank has access to the program, and so should you.

African Americans have succeeded in the battle for civil rights, and their turnout at the polls has demonstrated considerable political strength. Now they face the greatest challenge of all — to develop economic power. When you think about it, the major purpose of the other conflicts was to prevent blacks from acquiring real wealth.

Every homeowner owes it to his or her family to refinance and use the savings to invest for the future.

“We better refinance our mortgage before it’s too late.”

USPS 045-780

Melvin B. Miller John E. Miller Howard Manly

Publisher/Editor Assoc. Publisher/Treasurer Executive Editor ADVERTISING Marketing-Sales Director Advertising Coordinator

Sandra L. Casagrand Rachel Reardon

NEWS REPORTING Karen Miller Lauren Carter

Health Editor Managing Editor

G. Valentino Ball

Deputy Editor

Gloria J. Browne-Marshall

Contributing Writers

Kenneth J. Cooper Colette Greenstein Caitlin Yoshiko Kandil Sandra Larson

EDITOR’S NOTE: Bay State Banner Publisher and Editor Melvin B. Miller is a director of OneUnited Bank.

Shanice Maxwell Anthony W. Neal Brian Wright O’Connor Tiffany Probasco Ernesto Arroyo John Brewer Eric Esteves Tony Irving Don West

Staff Photographers

LETTERSto the Editor Harlem Renaissance key to culture today Much can be said and more should be written about the creative explosion of the 1920s called the Harlem Renaissance. It was a time when social barriers were everywhere and opportunities for blacks were limited. But that did not stop them from seeking ways to elevate themselves, planting seeds for later greatness.

We have often noted names like Jean Toomer, Claude McKay, Zora Neale Hurston, Josephine Baker, Aaron Douglas, Dorothy West, Allan Rohan Crite, Duke Ellington, Bessie Smith, Fats Waller, W.E.B. Du Bois, Jacob Lawrence, Weldon Johnson, Florence Mills, Paul Robeson, Marcus Garvey, William “Bojangles” Robinson and Hubert Harrison.

Today, these ancestors are remembered with their writings and paintings celebrated all over the world.

The history of this wave of greatness cannot and should not be masked in the smallest month on the calendar, February.

Now is the time for us to look and relearn this historic social and educational phenomenon and free ourselves from the pursuits of “creature comforts.” Rise and claim that which

is a part of us. Let us build from our rich history and expand by having more cultural enrichment programs.

The Harlem Renaissance of the ‘20s was a challenging time, just as it is today. The seeds of our greatness were sown then. Let us find ways to reseed and build the hope and fulfill our destiny.

Haywood Fennell Via email

Black history is American history I enjoyed reading the Banner’s black history stories. It creates a framework for thinking about Black History Month, and the role of all races and ethnicities in an increasingly diverse country.

I was born in the post-Civil Rights era, but it would be dismissive to support the end of Black History Month.

However, I agree that maintaining Black History Month would not address the entire issue. Contributions from black culture should not be viewed as a separate entity but one that is intertwined in America’s history. Educational standards should include raising a collective consciousness so that students can say “Black history is our history, along with stories from other racial minorities.”

History should not simply reference contributions from racial minorities as blips of isolated achievements, but rather as results of living in a collective society.

Priya Sehgal Via emai

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT Contributing Writers

Robin Hamilton Susan Saccoccia Lloyd Kam Williams

PRODUCTION Marissa Giambrone Heather Austin

Production Manager Production Assistant ADMINISTRATION Business Manager

Karen Miller

The Boston Banner is published every Thursday.

Offices are located at 23 Drydock Ave., Boston, MA 02210.

Telephone: 617-261-4600, Fax 617-261-2346 Subscriptions: $48 for one year ($55 out-of-state) Web site: www.baystatebanner.com Periodicals postage paid at Boston, MA. All rights reserved. Copyright 2010.

Quotes from Swami Muktananda reprinted with permission from SYDA Foundation. © SYDA Foundation

The Banner is certified by the NMSDC, 2009.

Circulation of The Bay State and Boston Banner 33,740.

Audited by CAC, March 2009.

Send letters to the editor:

By Fax:

617-261-2346

From Web site: www.baystatebanner.com click “contact us,” then click “letters”

By Mail:

The Boston Banner 23 Drydock Avenue Boston, MA 02210.

Letters must be signed. Names may be withheld upon request.

The Banner is printed by: Gannett Offset Boston, 565 University Ave., Norwood, MA 02062

Thursday, Thursday, February January 28, 3, 2013 2008 • BAY • BOSTON STATE BANNER • 5

ROVINGCamera

OPINION President Obama slays GOP myth of ‘evil’ big government Earl Ofari Hutchinson The GOP’s inviolate article of faith is that big government is inherently evil.

The GOP has been stupendously successful through much of the last century in tagging any Democrat that champions increased regulatory powers; higher taxes on corporations and the rich; greater public spending on health, education and job programs; and bolstering entitlement programs as a reckless, tax-andspend enemy of private enterprise.

Franklin Roosevelt was no exception to the maligning. Often forgotten in the historic lionizing of FDR was that the GOP — with some help from a small but pesky clique of Democratic congressional conservatives, big industrialists and conservative newspaper moguls — fought FDR tooth and nail on every one of his reform proposals, from Social Security to tighter industry regulation.

Also forgotten is that FDR had to tweak, compromise and water down his proposals, even the successful ones, to get passage. His more far-reaching proposal for a national health care plan never got off the ground.

No president, and that includes FDR, has been a harder target of the GOP attack line on government than President Obama. The vast storehouse of political slurs, snide innuendos, verbal broadsides and name-calling has been heaped on his head. The aim is to permanently tag him as the penultimate example of a Democratic president that would make big government the all-embracing, allencompassing arbiter of American life at the expense of the private sector.

During his first term, this withering assault by the GOP forced Obama to bend over backward to conciliate, compromise and even shelf many proposals to expand government protections and benefits to poor and working persons.

The November presidential elections partially changed this. Obama got just enough of a popular mandate to be more daring on his financial proposals, from dumping the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy to spending billions on public and private job growth. This has brought back the howls of a big government over reach and dire warnings that this will gut big business. The Roosevelt comparison is in order here.

Following his landslide reelection victory in 1936, he ignored the administration baiters and lurched left. He increased spending on job programs, continued to pound the “economic royalists” for subverting the economy and attacked auto and steel giants and the superrich “Sixty Families” for doing everything to stymie the recovery.

FDR upped the ante even higher when he appointed Robert Jackson as the aggressive new director of the antitrust division of the Justice Department with a clear mandate to hit hard at the trusts. FDR railed that they were blocking his program and micromanaging the GOP rightwing attacks and takeover. In a fireside chat, FDR talked bluntly with the American people immediately after the 1938 election and made it clear he would not reverse course and that he’d do everything he could to “create an economic upturn” by keeping the government firmly in the business of creating jobs and economic security for the millions still suffering from the Depression.

2013 is pretty much the same. The GOP retained the House, and its party line is that millions of Americans still clamor for a return to fiscal conservatism and a sprint backward on expanding government programs in education, housing and highway and urban infrastructure construction and reconstruction. Polls, of course, show the exact opposite. The majority of voters want Congress to work with the president on solving the nation’s problems, most importantly the economy. The big sticking point, though, is the looming sequester. This mandates draconian budget cuts in defense and non-defense programs and services.

Polls show that the majority of Americans want to avoid the cuts, and the way to do that is to put even more of the tax squeeze on the wealthy. This does not fit into the GOP attack line against big government and Obama.

But there’s too much political risk now in the GOP mounting an all-out frontal attack on Obama and his plan for more government spending in vital areas.

So the new code word for that is simply to continue to pound on the need for deficit reduction and fiscal restraint. This has just enough public and administration resonance to appear sensible, moderate and reasonable.

Obama and Democrats have given no sign they’ll bow to the GOP’s end around against government. They have come up with proposals to stave off the hardest and most devastating cuts to everything from Head Start to Food Nutrition programs and hundreds of other programs for the poor and working class the GOP demands.

FDR didn’t panic in the face of the GOP’s painting of him as an architect of evil government. He stayed the course, remained true to his populist faith, turned the tables back on his foes and dared them to move the country forward, not backward. Obama appears willing to do the same. And that means slaying the GOP myth of “evil” big government.

No president, and that includes FDR, has been a harder target of the GOP attack line on government than President Obama.

Earl Ofari Hutchinson is an author and political analyst.

The Banner welcomes your opinion. Email Op-Ed submissions to:

hmanly@bannerpub.com Letters must be signed. Names may be withheld upon request.

What public health issue is most important to communities of color?

Cardiovascular disease and persistent stress, better known as “the weathering effect.”

Black men and their health. Getting proper medical attention and routine check-ups and screenings are important.

Hypertension and diabetes are just rampant.

Bridgit Brown

Aisha Johnson

Carmelo Ayuso

Writer Dorchester

Criminal Justice Mattapan

President of the Mass. Minority State Police Officers’ Association Boston

Access to fresh food and safe places to exercise.

Obesity, because it causes so many illnesses.

Obesity, mental awareness and stress.

Steve Jackson

Cheryl Crawford

Jhovon Williams

Engineer Jamaica Plain

Executive Director of MassVOTE Boston

Supervisor Dorchester

INthe news MSL’s Trial Advocacy Team For the second year in a row, Massachusetts School of Law’s (MSL) Trial Advocacy Team won the Thurgood Marshall Mock Trial Competition for the Northeast Region of the National Black Law Students Association (BLSA).

The Northeast region is comprised of the 33 law schools in New England, New York and northern New Jersey. MSL defeated Syracuse University Law School to capture the championship while St. John’s University Law School took third place.

MSL now advances to the National Finals, to be held March 6-10 in Atlanta, Ga. MSL’s Advocacy Team will attend BLSA’s national convention to compete for the National Championship against the winners from the other five regions in the country.

Law schools from Harvard, New York Law School, St. John’s and Syracuse were among the schools MSL’s teams defeated en route to the Northeast Champi-

onship for the 33-school region.

Team members are Cathrine Okoh, Simran Gill, Andrew Boulanger, Jason Herron, Sam Gould, Ali Shuaib, Rachel Hollingsworth, Jessica Edwards, Calvin Carrasco, Caryl Garcia, Hadler Charles, Poonam Choythani, Kellie Tiller,

Anthony McDuffie, Patrick Brown and Katisha Brown. Associate Dean Michael L. Coyne, Professor Daniel Harayda, Professor Darius Greene, and Essex County Assistant District Attorney Kimberly Gillespie coach MSL’s Advocacy team.

6 • Thursday, February 28, 2013 • BAY STATE BANNER

Onion’s tweet about young star no laughing matter Lauren Carter At the Oscars on Sunday, 9year-old Best Actress nominee Quvenzhané Wallis took in her first Academy Awards sporting a fancy blue dress, sparkly headband and puppy purse. Though she didn’t nab the Oscar that night, she was seen pumping her arms in triumph when she was announced as a nomi-

COM M ENTARY

“Beasts of the Southern Wild” star and Oscar nominee Quvenzhané Wallis.

(Colette Greenstein Photo)

nee, signifying that in one sense, she had already won.

And then, during the award show broadcast, news satire outfit The Onion saw fit to tweet the following message to its Twitter audience of 4 million: “Everyone else seems afraid to say it, but that Quvenzhané Wallis is kind of a c---, right?”

With the worst of all gender slurs attached to the young “Beasts of the Southern Wild” star, the Twitterverse naturally exploded in outrage.

There were mass calls to unfollow The Onion’s Twitter account and directives to contact Onion editors with complaints; phone numbers and addresses for The Onion’s offices were blasted out in succession. Celebrities and ordinary folks alike expressed their disgust. Many said they were so enraged they couldn’t breathe.

An hour later, The Onion’s offending tweet was deleted. Monday morning, Onion CEO Steve Hannah

issued a rare apology via the publication’s website and Facebook page, calling the tweet “crude and offensive” and declaring that “no person should be subjected to such a senseless, humorless comment masquerading as satire.” He promised better Twitter judgment and discipline for the parties involved, and affirmed that Wallis is “young and talented and deserve[s] better.”

The apology seemed genuine enough. But one has to wonder why the statement that so clearly warranted an apology was made in the first place.

Many felt that this sort of violation would never happen to a young, white actress such as Dakota Fanning. Many surmised that if Quvenzhané Wallis had blue eyes and white skin and her name was Madison and not Quvenzhané, the “joke” would have been far more benign, a quip about her puppy purse, perhaps, or maybe a commentary on the fact that — in a room full of supposedly intelligent and talented people — no one could figure out how to pronounce her name.

Instead, we got the c-word. To describe a young black prodigy in a blue dress.

Some have dismissed the offending tweet as no big deal. Just a joke. Get over it already. Stop overreacting and being so sensitive. The Onion didn’t mean anything by it.

It was just a criticism of our celebrity-gossip culture.

Some even claim that the real problem is the outrage about the tweet — and not the tweet itself — because that outrage has drawn more attention to a message they say would have gone largely unnoticed.

These excuses and deflections are not surprising. It is easy for those who have never been marginalized, targeted and oppressed in society to

ignore and invalidate the feelings of those who have.

But this was not just a joke or a failed attempt at satire. This was a glimpse at how some in this society see young, successful, selfpossessed black girls who carry puppy purses to the Oscars and tell reporters who want to call them Annie that their name is not Annie — it is Quvenzhané. This was an indication that some of us are not as comfortable with black achievement as we’d like to believe.

Nine-year-old Quvenzhané Wallis has accomplished something that most of us will never accomplish in our entire lives. She has risen to the top of a fiercely competitive profession at an age when many of us are still struggling to learn our multiplication tables. She is extraordinary, and she deserves praise, respect and admiration. Anything less is laughable.

Share

what

YOU think!

Contact the Bay State Banner on Twitter @BayStateBanner and writer Lauren Carter @ByLaurenCarter

Deadline Approaching Sign Up For the Lottery Round Trip Transportation from Central Square Smith Leadership Academy Charter School Enrolling 6th & 7th Grade Students for the 2013 – 2014 school year

We Provide: • High School Placement Program • Small and Safe Environment • 1 teacher to every 10 students • Extended day, hours & calendar yr.

• College Prep Curriculum • Culturally Enriched Classes • Strong MCAS Growth • Annual Visit to Africa • Extra Curricular Activities • Character Development and “Strong Sense of Self” Programming

Gov. Deval Patrick honored Smith Leadership Academy as a 2012 Level 1 Commendation School for Closing the Achievement Gap. Sign Your Child Up For the Lottery Now Text SLA to the Number 41513 Message & data rates may apply.

“Learning Today... Leading Tomorrow” Smith Leadership Academy, CPS 23 Leonard Street Dorchester, MA 02122 www.SmithLeadership.org 617.474.7950 x10

Thursday, February 28, 2013 • BAY STATE BANNER • 7

COMMUNITYVoices

Teachers union opposes student assignment plans BEAM At a recent meeting of the External Advisory Committee (EAC), the Black Educators’ Alliance of Massachusetts (BEAM) joined a number of other community organizations in a joint statement stressing the importance of quality schools for all students and raising serious concerns about the four student assignment models presented to the EAC. The concerns included: 1) the study population of students used in the models; 2) the impact of walkzone priority on the student assignment models; 3) the broken promises of past academic interventions in low performing schools; and 4) changing the student assignment process before substantially improving the quality of schools serving majority low income, black and Latino students.

BEAM believes that the reports and testimony received since the Feb. 4 meeting by the EAC have not satisfied the concerns raised in the joint statement, and therefore, we do not endorse any of the proposed assignment models.

BEAM continues to question the appropriateness of the study population used to evaluate the impact of student assignment models. The Feb. 20, 2013 report to the EAC

confirms these concerns.

The report states in part: “The sample used does not fully reflect the makeup of BPS student population.”

More specifically, the report admits that the sample “underrepresents Black students and students eligible for free and reduced lunch compared to the overall BPS enrollment.”

S e c o n d l y, t h e p r o p o s e d models and the walk-zone preference will negatively impact students who live in neighborhoods with a preponderance of low-performing schools. They will be adversely impacted in successfully accessing quality schools that are disproportionately located in neighborhoods outside of their walk zones. Additional information on the true impact of walk-zone preference and other assignment algorithms are required to inform parents of the realistic likelihood of being assigned to quality schools, all with limited seat capacity.

Thirdly, we cannot disregard the long history of Boston Public Schools (BPS) of not sustaining academic interventions in low-performing schools or replicating interventions that have proven successful. The EAC’s working draft memo dated Feb. 22, 2013 states: “These improvements have yet to significantly reduce historical

achievement gaps across all groups and a number of schools have yet to see notable improvement.”

BPS has committed some additional funding to Turnaround Schools that lose their federal funding this year, but the amount does not fully cover the cost of minimally sustaining all of the academic interventions that allowed some Turnaround Schools

to achieve improvement.

BPS has committed additional funding to the high support schools, but not enough funding to allow these schools to launch meaningful academic interventions. This limited support is not available to all low performing schools.

Finally, EAC must put quality schools first and not recommend the implementation of a new student assignment plan until BPS establishes significantly more highperforming schools across the city.

BEAM believes that the Boston Public Schools has too few high-performing schools and too many low-performing schools. Any proposal to improve student assignments and equita-

ble access to quality schools must be based on the existence of substantially more high-performing schools across Boston, not just plans and promises for improving low-performing schools.

The Boston Public Schools, as a good faith effort, should present a detailed systemic plan to the EAC that includes specific strategies, the identification of financial and other resources and an implementation timeline to respond to the public outcry for quality schools heard consistently by this committee over the past year.

BEAM urges members of the EAC to vote “none of the above” or “present” on the four student assignment models.

Former New England Patriot and current Boston Red Sox staff member Ron Burton Jr. visits the Melnea Cass Recreation Center to talk to CHAMPS participants as part of a three-day youth symposium on health, safety and athleticism. The CHAMPS initiative is part of The Boston Foundation. The event was held from Feb. 20 to Feb. 22. (Tony Irving photo)

8 • Thursday, February 28, 2013 • BAY STATE BANNER

HEALTHNews

Be smart about your heart with these four tips Shanice Maxwell According to the American Heart Association, cardiovascular disease is the No. 1 cause of death for both men and women.

But this doesn’t have to continue.

Many factors contribute to increased risk of heart problems such as “high blood pressure, high LDL cholesterol, smoking, diabetes, obesity, poor diet, physical

inactivity and excessive alcohol use,” reports the Centers for Disease Control.

The good news is that heart disease, heart attacks and hypertension are all preventable.

Work your heart into tip-top shape with these four fit tips:

1. Fork up the fiber Fig Newtons may come to mind when hearing the word

fiber, but don’t go stocking your pantry with them.

The best sources of dietary fiber are found in fruits, vegetables and whole grains, says Maggie Dylewski, Ph.D., owner of MD Nutrition Consultants and clinical assistant professor at the University of New Hampshire.

“When it comes to your heart, one of the best things you can focus on is fiber.” she says.

It makes you full faster, can help with weight control, cut cholesterol, lower blood sugar and lots more. Take your pick when choosing high-fiber foods; the choices are endless. Some fulfilling places to start are corn, broccoli, pears, avocado, beans (kidney, black, garbanzo), raspberries, oatmeal and whole wheat pasta and/or bread.

2. Cut back on salt Salt is your kryptonite if you want to achieve heart health and prevent its demise.

“Maintaining a good blood pressure is one of the primary things to do,” Dylewski says.

“Limiting your sodium intake” will work wonders for that ticker of yours regardless of age. Stay away from sodium-rich foods like

canned soups and frozen meals, she says.

Just as you might count calories or check sugar grams, the same must be done with salt. Its effects can be poisonous if not ingested with care.

“Sodium is all throughout the average food supply, unfortunately, but where you can, cut back on the salt,” Dylewski says.

3. Work up a sweat Apply some good stress to your heart every day for improved cardiovascular performance. Get a little sweaty with or without going to the gym — your heart will thank you for it.

“Cardiovascular activities could be anything that got your heart rate up, such as the elliptical, running, walking fast, riding your bike,” Dylewski says. “If you can do 30 minutes a day that would be preferable, but [workouts] can be in increments of 10 minutes if that’s all you can provide yourself with.”

Exercise is an example of good stress the heart needs; it’s also a key preventative tool when it comes to its strength.

“The heavier someone is, the harder the heart has to work in order to pump blood throughout the body, and that’s putting extra stress on the

Fried and fast foods can be hard to ignore when you’re bombarded with tantalizing commercials, ads and restaurants, but fighting the temptation is worth it. heart,” Dylewski notes.

People who are overweight tend to have higher levels of cholesterol, meaning more plaque buildup in the heart’s arteries and an increased blood pressure, which contribute to added bad stress.

4. Forsake fried foods Put the McRib down, avoid ordering from your favorite neighborhood sub or pizza shop and skip Chinese altogether.

Fried and fast foods can be hard to ignore when you’re bombarded with tantalizing commercials, ads and restaurants, but fighting the temptation is worth it.

“Foods high in trans and saturated fat are the main things you want to avoid,” Dylewski says. “You’re going to find this in fried foods, margarine, packaged snacks and red meat. I recommend people eat it in moderation and opt for leaner meats.”

Complete your healthy heart regimen by giving up the cigarettes if you’re a smoker. Dylewski encourages taking measures to kick the habit because “[it] has huge links to heart disease.”

He eliminates obstacles, and grants everlasting peace.

If you wish to uplift yourself, knock on His door.

Your foremost duty is to love Him. — Swami Muktananda

Thursday, February 28, 2013 • BAY STATE BANNER • 9

BlackHistory

Paul Cuffe was born in 1759 and passed away in 1817, but his family tree extends to this very day. Pictured here are Cuffe descendents Charles “Burt” Walker (center) and his children, Alison Walker and Leighton Walker. (Yawu Miller photo)

Cuffe continued from page 1

trees on the family property could be used as lumber to build a boat large enough to haul cargo. The chance of making a living at sea was good, but so was the chance of running into pirates and thieves.

Cuffe and his brother encountered numerous robberies while sailing between Westport, New Bedford and Nantucket. Some of these “hold-ups” were worse than others, costing Cuffe cargo, money and occasionally even the shirt off his back.

Cuffe bounced back from these life-threatening experiences by building an even larger boat. This time, he was in the right place at the right time. The booming codfish industry in southern New England both provided Cuffe with a good living and enabled him to expand his cargo business.

Between 1780 and 1806, Cuffe owned and built ships ranging from 12 to 268 tons, ships that could easily compete in the cargo business along America’s East Coast. Cuffe never lost his interest in whaling, but in typical Cuffe fashion, he sailed beyond his early expeditions off Nantucket to better whaling prospects off the coast of Newfoundland.

American such as Cuffe.

Both men had visions that enabled them to succeed in whaling, shipbuilding and cargo. Considering their mutual interests, their relationship was not out of the ordinary.

What was exceptional, however, was for Rotch to introduce Cuffe to fellow Quakers who happened to be successful businessmen. Rarely were the most enterprising African Americans invited into the inner circles of finance and commerce. These contacts expanded Cuffe’s business and made him more financially successful than he had ever anticipated.

By 1806, Cuffe’s fleet included 10 vessels and a variety of small boats.

Cuffe was doing business in the ports of Philadelphia, Boston, New York City, Wilmington, Baltimore, Norfolk, Va., Savannah, Ga., and the West Indies.

Outside of his business pursuits, Cuffe’s memoirs and letters offer an insight into who he was and how he coped with everyday circumstances.

In order to survive, let alone prosper, Cuffe had to maneuver around the racial barriers of postcolonial Massachusetts. Incidents when the Cuffes entertained Rotch and British friends in their Westport home, but declined to mix the races at their dinner tables, were examples of the difficulties that blacks and whites sometimes had in relating to one an-

Cuffe was more than a businessman seeking new markets and publicity.

He had a soul; a soul that ached for other blacks still caught in slavery.

Maritime records suggest that Cuffe did well as a whaler, returning home with large inventories of sperm oil, whalebone and whale teeth.

With this success, Cuffe was ready to take a wife and start a family.

He married Alice Pequit, a local woman of the same Wampanoag heritage as his mother. In 1799, 63 years before the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution abolished slavery in America, the Cuffes purchased 140 acres of waterfront property for $3,500. Their Westport homestead included a well-appointed farm, a wharf and a storehouse; it was, in fact, a complex that accommodated a cargo business, shipbuilding and a place to bring up a family of eight.

Cuffe was a competitor who was open to the challenges of new experiences and relationships. One lasting relationship he established was with William Rotch, perhaps the most powerful and wealthiest resident of the New Bedford area. In addition to being an astute businessman, Rotch was a devout Quaker whose abolitionist views probably encouraged him to befriend a successful African

other. In this case, the races sat separately to eliminate even the slightest chance of offending anyone.

By today’s politically correct standards, this odd concession, made in one’s own home, would be considered hopelessly accommodating.

Why would a financially successful man such as Cuffe resort to such concessions? After all, Cuffe had the will to maintain a fleet of ships that was almost exclusively crewed and captained by blacks and Native Americans.

The fact is, there were countless incidents where Cuffe had to diplomatically deal with race. He was rarely confrontational, though he was candid about his natural and civil rights. Remembering that Cuffe was first and foremost an ambitious merchant and sea captain who would think twice before putting a financial opportunity at risk, it is easier to understand his diplomacy.

But diplomacy is one thing; fairness is another. As one of Westport’s wealthiest men, it was quite natural for the state to levy taxes against him. It was also natural for the state

at the time to prohibit blacks — even taxpaying blacks — from voting. As Cuffe and his brother saw it, the issue for blacks was reminiscent of the “no taxation without representation” mantra used by colonists during the American Revolution.

In 1780, the Cuffes and five other freed black men filed a petition with the Massachusetts Legislature, arguing in part that they were “not allowed the Privilege of freemen of the State having no vote or Influence in the Election of those that Tax us yet many of our Colour (as is well known) have cheerfully Entered the field of battle in the defence of the Common Cause.”

The Cuffes lost that battle and were forced to pay their back taxes.

But three years later, a state court ruled that male taxpayers, both black and white, had the right to vote.

But Cuffe was more than a businessman seeking new markets and publicity. He had a soul; a soul that ached for other blacks still caught

in slavery.

On more than one occasion, Cuffe expresses his frustration when his ship docked in ports where slavery was considered part of the natural order. He also had misgivings about taking on cargo that was obviously the product of slave labor.

And his rage is almost tearful when he encounters renegade slave ships waiting for their human cargo off the coast of Africa.

Nevertheless, Cuffe channeled these emotions and experiences into something tangible. Probably out of exasperation, he endorsed a back-toAfrica movement as one way to resolve America’s problems with race and slavery. Cuffe became the most significant African American in the movement. His role was controversial and thought to be too close to pro-slavery supporters, who also endorsed the movement to rid America of troublemaking free blacks, like Cuffe himself.

In spite of opposition and controversy, Cuffe used his ships to sail blacks to Sierra Leone. He helped with supplies for resettlement, and he negotiated proposals for self-governance.

Two of Cuffe’s ships, the Traveller and the Alpha, were 90 to 91 feet in length, and ranged from 109 to 268 tons. Cuffe’s fleet carried no slaves; nor was his fleet in search of cheap foodstuffs such as “breadfruits” to be shipped and fed to slaves in Jamaica.

In fact, in addition to helping free blacks resettle in Africa, Cuffe envisioned the possibilities of building a whaling company that would bring trade and commerce to African countries. His vision was to bring these countries into the maritime marketplace, and make them competitive.

That is not to say that Cuffe didn’t have stern opinions regarding appropriate behavior. Using no uncertain terms, he warned his crew about gambling, womanizing and liquor, which he referred to as the “pernicious spirit.” In spite of how notoriously immoral maritime life was rumored to be, such behavior was intolerable on a Cuffe ship and was probably grounds for being punished or even sent ashore.

Cuffe’s life is also a window to what was going on in black America during the late 1780s.

His correspondence provides a rare glance into the social circles of late 18th-century black America, a glance that confirms that living as a black American was not always limited to destitution and despair.

Cuffe frequently corresponded with James Forten, a well-to-do Philadelphian who owned one of the most successful sail making companies in the city and, like Cuffe, was an African American, an abolitionist and a Quaker. Cuffe’s friendship with people like the Fortens sheds light on the inner circles of an elite entrepreneurial class that was anxious to help their own.

Cuffe died at his Westport residence in 1817, the end of a battle with a prolonged illness that gave his family false hopes for recovery.

As his condition worsened, family members wrote revealing letters to relatives and friends detailing Cuffe’s remarkable reconciliation and peace of mind. In his last hours, he refused nourishment and medicine, and quietly slipped away. His immediate family and scores of close friends attended Cuffe’s funeral. He was buried on the grounds of Westport’s Quaker Meetinghouse Home.

10 • Thursday, February 28, 2013 • BAY STATE BANNER

Voting

continued from page 1

maintained its tight grip on the five Deep South states and other Old Confederacy states, almost exclusively with the majority votes of white conservatives, the increasing number of blacks and Hispanics poses a threat to continued GOP dominance in those states — that is, if there are no barriers to their registering and voting.

The GOP’s hoped-for trump card is the Supreme Court. The conservatives on the court read

the election tea leaves and, three days after President Obama’s reelection, announced that they would take up a challenge to the Act. They dropped strong hints that they may well vote to gut the Act. Justice Anthony Kennedy said he was troubled by the provisions.

Chief Justice John Roberts bluntly said that things have changed in the South and that blacks supposedly vote everywhere in the South without any barriers or prohibitions. Clarence Thomas, to no surprise, went even further and flatly called Section 5 of the Act unconstitutional

and left no doubt that if and when he had the chance, he’d knock the Act out completely.

The hook is the federal lawsuit by Shelby County, Ala., that claims the Act is outdated, discriminatory and a blatant federal intrusion into state’s rights.

The lawsuit explicitly wants the centerpiece of the Act, Section 5, dumped. This is the provision that mandates that states get “preclearance” from the Justice Department before making any changes in voting procedures.

State attorney generals in several states have endorsed the Alabama county’s challenge.

The claims that the Act is a waste since blacks and Hispanics vote whenever and wherever they please is nonsense.

Even though black and Hispanic voters did vote in big numbers in the 2012 election, in many districts they still had to stand in endless lines, have their IDs thoroughly scrutinized, had no bilingual ballots, found voting hours shortened and had to file

complaints and challenges filed by the Justice Department and voting rights groups to discriminatory changes that county registrars have made to eliminate or narrow down the number of voters in predominantly minority districts.

There was never any real threat that Congress would have dared do away with the Act, despite the GOP’s harsh warnings

[In] the five Deep South states and other Old Confederacy states … the increasing number of blacks and Hispanics poses a threat to continued GOP dominance in those states — that is, if there are no barriers to their registering and voting. legal challenges in state and federal courts to get injunctions to stop the more onerous of the voter suppression laws from being enforced.

This was only part of the story of the roadblocks the GOP has devised. A study by the Alliance for Justice, a Washington, D.C.-based public interest group, documented legions of

and wishes. But the actions of many state officials, attorney generals and now the Supreme Court that threaten the Act are a grave warning that the GOP may finally get its wish. And that’s to gut, if not outright end, the Voting Rights Act. Earl Ofari Hutchinson is an author and political analyst.

BOSTON COLLEGIATE CHARTER SCHOOL IS NOW ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS! APPLICATION DEADLINE: Friday March 1, 2012 at 5:00PM Visit us at www.bostoncollegiate.org to learn more about our school.

We are: The Brighton High boys basketball team are city league champs after defeating New Mission 71-62 on Thursday, Feb. 21 at Madison Park. (Patrick O’Connor photo)

• Recruiting students entering grades 5 through 8 for the 2013-14 school year!

• A tuition-free, city-wide public charter school in Dorchester serving over 600 students in grades 5 through 12.

• A college preparatory school with 100% college acceptance for all if its graduating students.

• The only public, non-exam school in the state in which 100% if students have passed the 10th grade Match MCAS for the past ten years.

We provide: • Extra support for our students through after-school tutoring and our Saturday Learning Center.

• A safe, supportive, and academically rigorous environment with high academic and behavioral expectations.

Attend the last Information Session at our school on February 5, 2013 from 6:00PM–7:00PM Boston Collegiate Charter School ■ 215 Sydney Street ■ Dorchester, MA 02125 ■ 617-282-6710

Thursday, February 28, 2013 • BAY STATE BANNER • 11

Louis Gossett Jr. on post-Oscar heartbreak

Aisha I. Jefferson Louis Gossett Jr. has been in the acting game for a long time.

In 1953, a 17-year-old Gossett made his Broadway debut in “Take a Giant Step.” His first turn on the silver screen came as Beneatha Younger’s bourgeois suitor, George Murchison, in the 1961 classic film “A Raisin in the Sun.” The Brooklyn, N.Y., native — who passed on an athletic scholarship while at New York University to focus on theater — has since starred in more than 150 theatrical releases and television productions, including his role as Gunnery Sgt. Emil Foley in the 1982 film “An Officer and a Gentleman,” for which he won an Academy Award for best supporting actor. But it was his Emmy-winning role as the older slave Fiddler in the 1977 groundbreaking TV miniseries “Roots” and its follow-up, “Roots: The Gift,” that introduced Gossett

to many households.

At the time of his Oscar win, Gossett, now 76, was just the second black man to take home a gold statue for acting — the first was Sidney Poitier, who won the 1964 best actor prize for Lilies of the Field. With that accolade, it would have seemed a no-brainer that Gossett’s career would take off. But things didn’t pan out as he expected, ultimately leading him to be ensnared by self-pity and substance abuse.

Gossett talks here about how his life changed after his Oscar win, his battle with alcoholism and why he walked out of “Django Unchained.”

How did your life change after you won the Oscar for best supporting actor 30 years ago?

It’s been a whirlpool; it’s been a roller coaster. But it took a minute

for people to find things for me to do. It was the same thing with Roots; there wasn’t much employment. I did a lot of television, thank God. I did something with Chuck Norris. And I starred in the “Iron Eagle” movies. I got a chance to play [Anwar] Sadat. It was mostly all television.

I never got a million dollars for any movie I did in 60 years.

Nobody paid me any money. So I figured my role was to keep the door open, to help break the door down. And I have a nice track record. So my role was to break the door down. I stand on Sidney Poitier’s shoulders.

There’s been a lot of talk and controversy over the years about the lack of black Oscar nominees.

There’s got to be a comprehensive inclusion of our stories.

When we do something relevant,

we get nominated right away.

Denzel, Forest, Morgan or Jamie probably get nominated once a year because they’re that great.

Let’s not worry about the small [number] of blacks getting nominated at the Oscars. Let’s look at the product. And worship those guys with relevant stories.

It’s my prayer that Spike Lee gets his money so he can do more relevant stuff, and Antoine Fuqua, too. There are so many stories that Halle Berry could do, Forest Whitaker. And we can’t measure it with our inclusion in the Oscars and the Emmys. We just have to do it.

You started drinking shortly after “An Officer and a Gentleman” came out?

I started drinking when nothing happened. I got the Oscar, but I didn’t get the work. And I got my heart broke. I was hurt. I said, “What else is there to do?

I got the Oscar, but they’re not beating my door down.”

It’s a very lonely position — very lonely ... And sometimes black people help pull black people down by sending drugs and alcohol and pretty women to them to pull them down and to make money. We have to be careful. I’ve devoted myself to staying focused by saying to young people there’s a better way to go, and you’re needed.

How long did you deal with alcoholism?

I struggled with alcoholism on and off for 10 to 15 years. And I worked at the same time, until I couldn’t work. And I stopped.

Thank God I stopped. I was doing to me what was done to me.

I was being isolated, I was being second-classed, I was being underpaid, I was being ripped off.

Gossett, continued to page 14

12 • Thursday, February 28, 2013 • BAY STATE BANNER

Thursday, February 28, 2013 • BAY STATE BANNER • 13

14 • Thursday, February 28, 2013 • BAY STATE BANNER

Gossett

continued from page 11

I didn’t think I was being respected as somebody who had

won an Oscar or Emmy. I didn’t think I was getting the money or the [proper] treatment on sets.

And it builds up, and what it does is it becomes poison in my own system. So it’s nothing they have to

do to me; I’m doing it to myself. I’ve been sober for about 15 years now.

Did you see “Django Unchained”? What were your thoughts?

Great movie. Great performances. Too many n-words. I’m not against Django. The first time I saw it, I was the only black man in the screening room ...

I’m sitting in the back, and every

time the n-word happened, every white person sitting in that room turned around and looked at me.

I said, “You all can kiss my butt,” and I left. I had to go somewhere else to see the movie. I just got uncomfortable watching the movie and people turning around and looking at me.

I’m getting ready to be 77, and I was around when the n-word was used to inflict pain ... I figure

there’s a better way to tell that story with not so many [slurs].

You can use them. But you have to know that it still touches me.

Do you think a black director could have done that movie?

I think so. But they would’ve done it in a different way. Jamie did a brilliant job. Django is a great character. My secret wish — because of my 60 years in this business — I wish that he would do [the black cowboy] Deadwood Dick, who was Nat Love, and put those dolls out for our kids to idolize and know that that’s a real character, a man of history. Nat Love was the greatest cowboy ever.

Then there was Bass Reeves, who was the number one marshal, not Wyatt Earp. We should know that on our fingertips; we should know that information. Nat Love’s the greatest cowboy ever in the West. How come there’s never been a movie about that man?

In what ways do you help younger people?

I’m mentoring young actors ... I have a foundation I started in 2006 called the Eracism Foundation because of some of the experiences I’ve had on set because I was black and not treated as well as white actors. Also, this year I want to put in place the Shamba Center, which offers a full educational system where children can learn about who they are and upon whose shoulders they stand.

Louis Gosset Jr. has starred in over 150 productions, including “Roots,” and seeks to educate children about their history.

This article originally appeared in The Root.

Thursday, February 28, 2013 • BAY STATE BANNER • 15

Trivia night builds community for local hip hop scene

Coming to Art is Life itself!

Thurs Feb 28th Celebrating Black Our-Story Month Extended Open Mic Celebrity guest judges (L to R) Akrobatik, DJ Moe Dee and Edo G engage in friendly debate about a contestant’s lacing skills at the HipHopTriv event in January. (Photos courtesy of HipHopTriv)

Bring your Poems, Songs, Stories Sharing Our Story

Thurs March 7th Kassmin Willams Hip hop heads and amateurs, veteran members of the Boston Hip Hop scene and newcomers fill the basement level of Good Life in Boston.

In teams, they deliberate over questions like “How much money did Jay-Z invest to become part owner of the Brooklyn Nets?” and “What was the biggest rap radio hit of the 2000s?”

DJ On and On plays a corresponding song in the background as teams scribble their responses on dry erase boards and wave for the scorekeeper, hoping for the correct answer and a chance at being named the night’s winner.

While participants aim to prove their knowledge of hip hop, organizers of HipHopTriv have another goal in mind.

To educate.

“We’re trying to bring the fun back into hip hop and entertainment. We’re trying to bring diversity and at the same time educate people with fun,” said HipHopTriv

organizer Dana “Daneja” Bradley.

The idea for a trivia event based on hip hop came out of friends randomly battling each other on hip hop facts.

Organizers Bradley, David “DJ On and On” Cohen and Hector “Big Hek” Solano decided to take the trivia-type game out of the typical living room setting and into the public.

Originally called Hiphoperdy after the game show “Jeopardy” when it was launched in 2004

by DJ On and On, HipHopTriv changed names last year when Solano and Bradley joined to host the event.

The questions cover a mix of topics on underground and commercial hip hop, and touch upon all elements of the genre, including music, graffiti, dance moves, DJs, the local scene and major label artists.

Even the most ardent hip hop enthusiasts get stumped at some point.

The game also includes a number of physical challenges where teams choose a representative to see who

One of HipHopTriv’s contestants goes to work during a physical challenge at the January event.

can lace a pair of Adidas with fat laces or do the best rendition of old school dances like the Kid ‘n Play and the Tootsie Roll.

Winners of the physical challenge are chosen by celebrity guest judges that have included Boston rap behemoths Esoteric, Edo G and Akrobatik. The next event on Wednesday, March 6, will feature celeb judges Jeff Two Times and Twice Thou from the Boston group Almighty RSO and rapper/actor Slaine, a solo artist, member of Special Teamz and La Coka Nostra and actor in films including “The Town.”

The event, held every two months, attracts music managers, DJs, rappers, beat boxers, graffiti artists, writers, business owners and music lovers and allows them to collaborate for one night.

“Hip hop trivia contributes in a way that the traditional hip hop showcase doesn’t by creating both a more intellectually and physically stimulating environment,” said DJ Next, CEO of Amalgam Digital. “They ask you questions, it brings a lot of people together and you take part in the event. It’s an interactive experience, which is fascinating for me.”

DJ Next, who attended the contest for the first time in January, called the event the most fun he has had in hip hop in a long time.

Nerissa “Netta Mo’Betta” Williams, CEO and founder of TCGT Entertainment, agrees.

Although rap — especially of the commercial variety — is often associated with aggression and negativity, Williams says that HipHopTriv brings some of the lightheartedness and camaraderie back to hip hop.

“It’s like people are laughing and talking, and it’s just a lot of fun,” Williams said.

The next trivia event takes place at Good Life on Wednesday, March 6 at 8:30 p.m. Admission is free, and signup begins at 7:30 p.m. For more information, visit www.hiphoptriv.com or follow @HipHopTriv on Twitter.

“Roxbury: Creatively Changing: A Chat with Doumafis Lafontan, a

member of Gallery Musika Vanhu, an Art Collective formed to promote Art equity, founded in 2012, formerly Gallery Basquiat

Thurs March 7th “A Tribute to Women Jazz Icons for Womens’ Herstory Month” The Fulani Haynes Jazz Collaborative + Open Mic

Thurs March 14th “Sistas In Song” A collective of three musical women, fruits of three continents and a deep well of music within them, Sistas in Song is comprised of GaBrilla Ballard (vocals, guitar, cajon), Sarvenaz Asiedu (cello) and Nisha Purushotham (vocals and world percussion). + Open Mic

Thurs March 21th “Drum Song” by SydSonic Yedidyah Syd Smart uses an electronic hand drum and Cajon (box drum) to explore to world of percussion. Rhythm & Song combine to tell the story of how the drum talks and calls us together.

Audience participation is encouraged.

Donations accepted — Program starts at 7pm Come early for dinner!

And don’t miss…

Dinner and a Movie Friday March 8th The First Grader is based on the true story of Kimani Maruge, a Kenyan man who enrolled in elementary education at the age of 84 after the Kenyan government announced universal and free elementary education in 2003. Enjoy a delicious dinner, movie and discussion of this stimulating film!

For ticket information: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/335469 12 Dade Street, Roxbury, MA 02119 617-445-0900 www.haleyhouse.org/cafe

16 • Thursday, February 28, 2013 • BAY STATE BANNER

COMMUNITY Calendar Friday

Thursday

March 1

March 7

Windows to West Africa Art Exhibit On Friday, February 15, the W i n d o w s t o We s t A f r i c a a r t exhibit opened at the Brookline Senior Center. The West African Research Association in collaboration with the City of Brookline and the Daughters of Yemaya Collective has organized the exhibit as part of Black History Month. The exhibit, curated by Helen Banach of Boston University, includes works from Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Cote d’Ivoire, Mali, Niger, & Senegal. A closing reception will take place on March 1, 6:30-8:30pm. It will feature a lecture by Professor Bolaji Campbell on West African Art and its relevance to Black History Month. Professor Campbell is on the faculty of the Rhode Island School of Design. For more information on the Windows to West Africa exhibit, please contact west.african.research.associa tion@gmail.com. These events are free and open to the public.

Author Talk with Eve LaPlante This March, in honor of Women’s History Month, The Mary Baker Eddy Library is hosting a free program about Eve LaPlante’s latest work, Marmee and Louisa: The Untold Story of Louisa May Alcott and Her Mother. Many of the tribulations and successes in the Alcotts’ lives paralleled those of Mary Baker Eddy; these pioneering women from the nineteenth century, decades ahead of their time, engaged with great moral, spiritual, and political questions of the day. Author Talk with Eve LaPlante at 5:30pm.

Acclaimed author and descendent from Louisa May Alcott’s maternal side, Eve LaPlante, discusses her latest work and the importance of women’s archives with Emmanuel College Professor and noted Alcott scholar, Lisa Stepanski. Visit mbelibrary. org/programs and evelaplante. com for further information. 200 Massachusetts Ave., Boston, 617-450-7000.

Saturday March 2 .

The Mothers of Freedom: A Historic Walk through 19th Century Beacon Hill Saturdays, March 2, 9, 16, 23 and 30 at 12 noon. Celebrate Women’s History Month by joining rangers from Boston African American National Historic Site on this free Beacon Hill walking tour that highlights the vital role of African American women and their allies in the struggle for social justice and equality in the years preceding the Civil War. The tour will examine the critical role that these women played on the Underground Railroad and in the Abolition Movement, and highlight their contributions to education and community aid and uplift.

Tours begin and end in front of the Museum of African American History’s African Meeting House on Smith Court on Beacon Hill.

Tours last 60 minutes. The tours are free and open to the public on a first-come, first-served basis.

Please call 617-742-5415 for more information or visit www. nps.gov/boaf. For more information on The Museum of African American History, please visit www.maah.org.

Wednesday March 6 The 13th Annual Robert Creeley Award Arab-American poet Naomi Shihab Nye, winner of the 13th Annual Robert Creeley Award, reads at 7:30pm, at Acton-Boxborough Regional High School auditorium, 36 Charter Rd, Acton, Massachusetts. Open to the public, free admission, ample parking available. Contact Bob Clawson, 978-263-4658 or robertjclawson@gmail.com.

Upcoming Spring Planting 2013 The Green Neighbors Education Committee, Inc. and the Foundation for a Green Future, Inc. present: Spring Planting 2013. Saturday, March 9, 1:305:30pm at First Parish Church, 10 Parish St., Meeting House Hill, Dorchester. Learn to grow food at your own home, in your yard, on your porch, inside your house.

This is a free event to help people lear n how to grow your own fresh, healthy nutritious foods.

Information tables, displays and demonstrations. Contact: 617427-6293, otoney@comcast.net.

FREE. Bach Around the Clock On Saturday, M a rc h 1 6 , come celebrate the music of J.S. Bach on occasion of his 328th Birthday at First Lutheran Church. Concerts begin at 6am and end at 6pm, all concerts beginning on the hour. FREE admission throughout the day.

C o - s p o n s o re d b y w i t h F i r s t Lutheran Church of Boston, the Boston American Guild of Organists and WGBH Classical New England and held at The First Lutheran Church of Boston, 299 Berkeley St. (at Marlborough St.).

Free childcare is available from 10am-2pm for children 6 months to 6 years. Contact: bach@flcboston.org or by phone: 617536-8851 (First Lutheran). T stop: Arlington (green line) or Back Bay (orange line).

Walking in their Shoes: Historic Women of Uphams Corner S a t u r d a y, M a r c h 2 3 , 10:30am, Rain or Shine. In the 19th Century, Uphams Corner was home to influential national civil and health reformers. Walk

with Boston Women’s Heritage Trail members to six sites on the Dorchester Women’s History Trail. The trail is on the BWHT website at bwht.org/Dorchester/.

Meet at the branch at 10:30am.

If the weather is bad, a PowerPoint of the trail sites inside the branch will be shown. www. bpl. org, Uphams Corner Branch of the Boston Public Library 500 Columbia Rd., 617-265-0139.

Ongoing Black by Popular Demand 2013 Black by Popular Demand, an exhibit by six local artists, Percy Davis, Laura Palmer Edwards, Rufus Faulk, Ekua Holmes, Derek Lumpkins, and Destiny Palmer.

Co-sponsored by Northeastern University and Discover Roxbury’s ArtROX! Series through March 6 in Gallery 360, Ell Hall, Northeastern University, 360 Huntington Ave., Boston. Free.

Monday-Saturday, 10am-7pm.

Handicapped accessible.

Simmons College presents Body Coverings An exhibition of design, costume and sculpture by Ruby Chishti, Sally Eyring and Mariann S. Verheyen through March 7 at the Trustman Art Gallery, located on the fourth floor, Main College Building, 300 the Fenway in Boston. The exhibit and reception are free and open to the public.

Body Coverings is a show that intersects at the corners of social commentary, sculptural invention and theatrical fantasy. The three artists are beyond fashion — energetically investigating the ways wearables or objects that reference body decoration have subtext and fire our imaginations. The human desire to adorn, escape ourselves or intimidate others has been with us for all of our history. These artists offer us the opportunity to look at that process more clearly as their objects and designs are not made to be worn in any commonplace way.

“Impressions of the Voyageur” The Multicultural Arts Center will be hosting an exhibition of photography by artist Lucy Cobos titled “Impressions of the Voyageur” running through April 5.

“Impressions of the Voyageur” is a collection of photographs taken by the artist over a period of two years. During this time she travelled all over Massachusetts photographing hulls of boats guided by the desire to experiment with the abstract images she saw within them. Her odyssey resulted in documentation of a series of distinctive imprints of the hulls.

Lucy Cobos graduated from the New England School of Photography. She went on to establish the first photography department at the NBC affiliate station in Boston. For 10 years she created imagery for billboards, media publications, exhibits and animation and received awards from the broadcast design industry for her photography work. She currently lives in Cambridge and works primarily as a commercial portrait photographer. Her interest in fine art portraiture led her to a commission by the Berklee College of Music to photograph faculty jazz musicians. Gallery website: http:// www.multiculturalartscenter.org/ galleries/, Artist website: http:// www.lucycobos.com/. FREE and open to the public.

Hans Tutschku: Unreal Memories The Carpenter Center for the Visual Arts at Harvard University presents Hans Tutschku: Unreal Memories, a sound installation conceived for the rooftop of the building, occurring from through May 29. Specially conceived for the rooftop of the Carpenter Center of the Visual Arts in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the building, Unreal Memories is composed of transformed voices from many different cultures. Original recordings serve as models for computer transformations that create an imaginary intercultural journey, where voices from elsewhere come together. They call us, they celebrate, they open a short sonic window into our busy everyday lives. Carpenter Center for the Visual Arts, Harvard University, 24 Quincy St., Cambridge.

Handreach Beatbrigade Drum Circle First Tuesday every month.

Handreach Beatbrigade Drum Circle starts up for the fall from 7-9pm. No Charge! Bring a drum!

Director Cornell Coley facilitates improvisational drumming, draw-

ing from African and Latin traditions as well as certified drum circle facilitation techniques and healing drum strategies. Spontaneous Celebrations, 45 Danforth St., JP. Contact: Cornell Coley www.afrolatin.net. 617-298-1790 cc@afrolatin.net.

Families Creating Together A free art class for children and parents. Come create art with your child every Tuesday morning from 10:30-12 at the Family Resource center at 1542 Columbus Ave, Jamaica Plain / Roxbury. Please call 617-5221018 if you have any questions.

Wheelchair accessible.

West African Drum class Master Senegalese drummer Mamadou Lynx Ndjaye teaches all level of Djembe drumming. Thursdays from 7:30-9pm. English High School, 144 McBride St., Jamaica Plain. Contact: 617-359-1552 for further information. $10.

Toddler Drum Circle Toddler Drum Circle series with Cornell Coley will run every Saturday during the school year.

9:30-10:30am. Songs, stories, puppets, drumming and cultural info! Ages 1 – 4 yrs old! Spontaneous Celebrations, 45 Danforth St., Jamaica Plain. Contact: Cornell Coley www.afrola tin.net 617-298-1790 cc@afrola tin.net. Cost: $8, $5 for sibling.

Community Cafes A hot lunch and good company for mature adults over 60. Ethos invites mature adults aged 60 and older to come dine with friends, both old and new at any of our 14 locations. Meals are prepared fresh daily and contain one third of the required daily allowance (RDA) for adults. Along with hot, well-balanced meals, the Café sponsors its own program of social and educational activities. Ethos operates 14 Community Cafés in eight neighborhoods throughout Boston: Back Bay, Brighton, Hyde Park, Jamaica Plain, Mattapan, Roslindale, Roxbury, and West Roxbury.

Reservations are required and can be made by calling the meal site you wish to attend one day in advance. To make a reservation and obtain more information on locations, call Ethos at 617-5226700. A donation of $2 per meal is suggested, but not required.

BANNER BILLBOARD LISTINGS

baystatebanner.com/billboard

The Community Calendar has been established to list community events at no cost. The admission cost of events must not exceed $10. Church services and recruitment requests will not be published. THERE IS NO GUARANTEE OF PUBLICATION. To guarantee publication with a paid advertisement please call advertising at (617) 261-4600 ext. 111 or email sandra@bannerpub.com. NO LISTINGS ARE ACCEPTED BY TELEPHONE, FAX OR MAIL. NO PHONE CALLS PLEASE. Deadline for all listings is Friday at noon for publication the following week. E-MAIL your information to: calendar@bannerpub.com. To list your event online please go to www.baystatebanner.com/events and list your event directly. Events listed in print are not added to the online events page by Banner staff members.

There are no ticket cost restrictions for the online postings.

B B

Thursday, February 28, 2013 • BAY STATE BANNER • 17

Bankruptcy continued from page 1

$500,000 in its own books. In one version, the Church claimed to have a surplus of $385,826 in 2011. But in another version, the one compiled by James A. Williams, a certified public accountant, the church shows a deficit of nearly $124,991.

Church attorneys tried to explain away the discrepancy by saying it was an administrative error.

There was no such defense in explaining the transfer of funds.

Church attorneys claim they did not know about the transfer of Lilly endowment funds, but when they learned about it, they

he should tell Lilly. “I intend to think about it and I intend to do the right — as always, the right thing,” Groover testified. When asked what was the right thing, Groover testified, “I’ll need to think about it.”

The relationship between OneUnited and Charles Street started on Oct. 3, 2006 when Groover agreed to borrow $3.6 million to build a 22,000-squarefoot community center on churchowned land near Grove Hall.

Called the Roxbury Renaissance Center, the building would feature a grand ballroom, multipurpose meeting space, conference rooms, prayer and meditation space and sound proof musical practice rooms. To pay for the construction, Groover said that

Both Rev. Groover and Rev. Adams testified that they knew the Lilly money was restricted to pay only expenses for the program, but they still transferred money from that account to pay for day-to-day operations. urged Church officials to stop the practice.

Both Rev. Groover and Rev. Adams testified that they knew the Lilly money was restricted to pay only expenses for the program, but they still transferred money from that account to pay for day-to-day operations.

Making matters worse, they listed the transferred money as income under the headings “special activity” or “general offering” on Groover’s annual pastor reports.

Adams testified that the transfers were Groover’s idea and that he authorized them. In explaining why a transfer of funds would be considered income, Rev. Adams had the following exchange with OneUnited bank attorney Lawrence Edelman.

“As far as I’m concerned,” Adams explained, “income is the way I reported it on my reports.

I use whatever funds are used to take care of expenses.”

Groover and Adams further testified that they did not tell Lilly Foundation that they were transferring money. In fact, Groover appeared confused on whether

Stay current with the Banner Follow us on facebook

baystatebanner

he would raise money by renting space for wedding receptions and community meetings.

The OneUnited construction loan became due on June 1, 2008, and despite a total of five extensions, the church was unable to satisfy its debt by Sept. 1, 2009.

A year later, on Aug. 17, 2010, OneUnited then sued in Suffolk Superior Court for breach of contract.

Also named in the suit was Charles Street AME’s co-signer,

the First Episcopal District of the African Methodist Episcopal Church based in Philadelphia. At the time, the First District, based in Philadelphia, claimed it had $65 million in cash and nearly $500 million in assets.

Charles Street had also borrowed another $1.1 million, separate from the $3.6 million construction loan. That loan is also in default.

As part of its initial defense, Charles Street attorneys argued in legal documents that the bank made “a reckless” loan and that they knew — or should have known — that the church would be unable to repay as originally agreed.

“The loan was improperly underwritten from the start,” a church lawyer argued in court papers, “and was offered by OneUnited for the ulterior motive of expanding its retail business and gaining publicity, rather than [a] loan made [according] to prudent lending standards.”

To forestall the pending foreclosure of its property by OneUnited Bank, Charles Street filed for bankruptcy in March in a move to keep the church operating as it has for nearly the last two centuries.

In addition to OneUnited, Charles Street owes about $630,000 to Thomas Construction Company, the Dorchester firm hired to build its proposed Roxbury Renaissance Center; another $450,000 is owed to Tremont Credit Union for a loan to repair the church’s roof.

Under oath during bankruptcy proceedings, Groover has admitted that “mistakes were made.”

WARD 9 DEMOCRATIC COMMITTEE

CAUCUS MEETING Ward 9 Democratic Committee will hold a caucus meeting, Saturday, March 9, 2013 at 10:00AM at Langham Court Community Room, 26 Worcester Street, Boston, MA 02118, to elect delegates to the state convention scheduled for July 13.

All democrats registered to vote before December 31, 2012 in Ward 9 eligible to run for delegate and be seated as such at the state convention.

No rsvp is required attend the Ward 9 meeting or run for delegate.

For information contact Ward 9 Secretary, Jeff Ross at 617-504-0732.

For subscriptions call 617•261•4600 or visit

www.baystatebanner.com

18 • Thursday, February 28, 2013 • BAY STATE BANNER

Gala celebrates role of men in ending domestic violence Tiffany Probasco

UMass Amherst’s theatrical group The Phallacies performed skits exploring ideas about masculinity at Love Life Now’s annual White Ribbon Night Gala on Feb. 15.

(Tiffany Probasco photos)

One in three women in the world will be a victim of violence in her lifetime. This startling statistic is the basis for the Love Life Now Foundation, which works to combat domestic violence against women. On Feb. 15, the organization held its annual White Ribbon Night Gala fundraiser at Lombardo’s in Randolph. The gala is a part of The White Ribbon Campaign founded in 1991 in Canada that is the largest effort in the world of men working with men to end violence against women. Love Life Now created the event to celebrate the sometimes silent partners in the struggle — the fathers, partners, brothers, boyfriends and husbands who stand alongside women as comrades, comforters and friends by making a commitment to be active participants in the cause.

The theme of the evening was

changing the paradigm of what it means to be a man and what it means to be masculine. Speaker Craig Norberg-Bohm of the Men’s Initiative for Jane Doe Inc. said, “If we can accept men who are soft, then we can stop the violence … We have to learn to stop saying phrases like ‘You hit like a girl.’ Instead say, ‘Hit like an athlete’ to both boys and girls. Make the emphasis on striving for excellence and not on gender identity.”

UMass Amherst’s The Phallacies theatrical group performed three short skits further exploring the idea of masculinity in a humorous yet thought-provoking way. One skit was a pseudo training course on male hugging. The models demonstrated hugs like “A Frame Hug,” “The Back Slap” and “The Confused Handshake.” To drive the point home, they ended on “The Embrace” where two men held one another in a long hold, finding comfort in the physical manifestation of friendship without shame or uneasiness.

The program continued to stretch the comfort level of the audience with a real-time conversation to challenge people’s convictions. Antonio Arrendel — health educator at the Sexual Assault Response and Prevention Center at Boston University — invited all the men to the front of the room to participate in a dialogue on the question, “Is it ok to have consensual sex with a woman after the both of you had consumed alcohol?” The men had to move to separate areas based on whether they agreed, disagreed or were undecided. As the dialogue ensued, some changed their points of view, while others stayed the same, but all raised questions, which Antonio said was the purpose.

“It’s purposefully vague, so that you’re forced to ask questions and continue the conversation,” he said.

Bob Ward, investigative reporter for Fox 25 News, was the recipient of the White Ribbon Night Ambassador award. The focus of his speech was on three women he had interviewed during the week who varied in ethnicity, age, and education level, yet all found themselves in violent and even fatal domestic violence situations. He said that he does his work for women like them.

Though the focus was on men, women were also lauded. Deborah Collins-Gousby, executive director of Casa Myrna, a non-profit dedicated to ending violence, was honored for her work, and expressed her gratitude for Love Life Now’s support of the shelter. “We serve 60 women and children. Our beds are full and there is a waiting list. Thank you,” she said.

Keynote speaker and actor Chad Coleman, best known for his work in HBO’s “The Wire” and now in AMC’s “The Walking Dead,” spoke of how domestic violence had affected those he loved, as both his mother and his stepmother (a Boston resident) were victims of domestic violence.

“The least of what we are is to hit a woman,” Coleman said “[We need to build] bridges of forgiveness, not of judgment, but of redemption — to listen to her hurt and ask, ‘How can I be a part of your healing?’’’

Love Life Now President Lovern Gordon reminded those in attendance to continue the conversation, to continue to reach out to young men and boys to challenge the ideas that cause them to become violent towards women.

“This is a fight that we will win together,” Gordon said.

Actor Chad Coleman and Love Life Now President Lovern Gordon pose for the cameras at the annual White Ribbon Night Gala on Feb. 15.

Thursday, February 28, 2013 • BAY STATE BANNER • 19

COMMUNITYVoices

Learning lessons from the Black Panther Party Chris Morrill As we appreciate and celebrate Black History Month in February, there’s one story we should pay close and careful attention to: The Black Panther Party. The legacies of the Panthers and the Black Power Movement still echo nearly 50 years later.

When people talk about Black History Month today, the real history often gets neglected. Martin Luther King Jr.’s opposition to the Vietnam War is ignored by politicians who invoke his legacy — right before they order bombings of other countries. Affirmative action, the war on poverty and other Great Society programs are removed from the history of regular people. These reforms weren’t the result of “benevolent” politicians. They were the products of the millions of black, brown and white people who protested and even revolted in cities across the country as part of the Black Power movement and other social movements in the 1960s.

The Black Panther Party was instrumental in helping to build a movement to challenge oppression and inequality directly. Continued racism in the North and victories against Jim Crow in the South initially spurred northern Blacks into action. However, the Black Panther

Party developed a layer of black revolutionary activists who were vital in leading many of these struggles to victory. For example, Panthers and other black revolutionaries led a successful four-month student strike at San Francisco State College for a Black Studies program that united large numbers of black and white students alike.

Aaron Dixon is one person with a close understanding of this history.

mative, showing how poor and oppressed people can organize to fight back. Community members will have a unique opportunity to hear this firsthand account at an upcoming forum on March 7.

As a Black Panther captain from the age of 19, Dixon led his chapter in challenging police brutality, stopping evictions of poor and working-class Black people, and operating a number of community aid

The Black Panthers were formed at the height of the Black Power movement, rather than in the years leading up to it. As a result, many members were new to revolutionary politics and struggling to apply them in practice for the first time.

His honest assessment gives us the chance to learn and build off these lessons for today’s world.

Today’s society is still plagued by racism. Just as slavery gave way to Jim Crow in the South and racism in the North, overt racism has given way to the color-blind rhetoric that masks continued racial inequality today.

For the Panthers, racism was not limited to people’s ideas but was a structure that held down black and brown people. While politicians

today (as they did then) blame the oppressed and dispossessed, the Black Panthers saw poverty, violence and racism as a result of an inherently unequal system.

Those who are interested in applying the lessons of the Panthers for challenging racism today should seize this upcoming opportunity to hear Dixon speak. Far from just history, the stories of Aaron Dixon and the Black Panther Party are all the more relevant today.

Aaron Dixon will speak on Thursday, March 7 at 3:30 p.m. at UMass Boston and 7 p.m. at Codman Square Health Center (637 Washington St., Dorchester). Chris Morrill is a student at UMass Boston majoring in American Studies.

Today’s society is still plagued by racism. Just as slavery gave way to Jim Crow in the South and racism in the North, overt racism has given way to the color-blind rhetoric that masks continued racial inequality today.

Dixon, the founder of the Seattle chapter of the Black Panther Party, has spent years of his life fighting for Black liberation and social justice.

In his recent memoir, My People Are Rising, Dixon charts his experience building and leading the first Panther chapter outside of Oakland.

Beyond just a hidden history, Aaron Dixon’s story provides a wealth of lessons for people seeking to challenge racism and inequality today. It is inspiring as it is infor-

ARCHITECTS D/R/E/A/M COLLABORATIVE, LLC • Customized Residential and Commercial Designs – Free Initial consultations Homeowners | Small Business | Developers • New Construction • Renovations • Code Compliance • Development Concepts & Feasibility • Energy Upgrades Email: gminott@dreamcollaborative.com Web: www.dreamcollaborative.com Free in-house consultations every Saturday by appointment Tel. (617) 606-7029

AUTO BODY HICKS AUTO BODY, INC 10 Talbot Ave, Dorchester, MA 02124 Repair, refinish damaged vehicles. Complete interior and exterior recondition/detail 24 Hour Towing • (617) 825-1545, fax: (617) 825-8495 www.hicksautobodyinc.com

CAR WASH OJ CAR WASH, INC. 273 Columbia Rd, Dorchester, MA 02121 Proudly Providing Auto Wash Services For Over 20 Years!

Contact Person: Tucker Owens Tel/Fax: (617) 265-0117 • EMAIL: ojcarwash@verizon.net WEB: http://www.wmtn.biz/ojcarwash.html (8) Self-Service Bays — (1) Super Bay — (2) Truck Bays.

A total of 10 bays. 100% brush-less & soft touch wash.

JOIN OJ’s AUTO CLUB NOW! — 50 hour guarantee FREE VIP CARD FOR TUNNEL WASH MONTHLY PASS • ANNUAL PASS WE CAN CUSTOMIZE WASH PLANS TO YOUR SATISFACTION.

CATERING HALEY HOUSE BAKERY CAFÉ Breakfast Specials, Signature Muffins and Scones, A la Carte Breakfast, Lunch Package Deals, Wrap and Sandwich Platters, Steamin’ Hot Entrees, Soup and Salads, Pizza, Side Dishes, Appetizers, Desserts, Beverages and more.

To place an order call catering line Monday through Friday 8am-4pm at (617) 939-6837

CONSTRUCTION KERRY CONSTRUCTION, INC 22 Sylvester Rd, Dorchester Interior & Exterior Painting Replacement Windows & Doors • Carpentry • Roofing • Gutters • Masonry • Kitchens • Bathrooms • Vinyl Siding Free Estimates • Licensed & Insured Call James O’Sullivan (617) 825-0592

programs. Through their work, the Black Panthers and Dixon were seen as respected leaders in Seattle’s black community during the late 1960s.

Along with Panthers across the country, they served as an inspiration to millions of people seeking an end to war, oppression and inequality.

However, far from just glorifying his experiences, Dixon also takes an honest look at the challenges the Black Panthers faced inside and outside the Party.

TANKO CONTRACTING LLC Asbestos and lead Abatement, Roofing, Masonry, Kitchens, bathroom general capentry complete rehab free estimate. license and insured call AMID ALASA 508-269-7073.

CONSULTING CAROLE COPELAND THOMAS, MBA, CDMP High Energy Programs Conventions • Training Workshops • Retreats Speaker • Trainer • Author Global Diversity • Leadership • Multiculturalism • Empowerment (508) 947-5755 • carole@mssconnect.com www.tellcarole.com • www.mssconnect.com

DENTISTS RICHARD D. CARR AND ASSOCIATES Richard D. Carr - D.D.S. Bahram Ghassemi - D.M.D., Badrieh Edalatpour - D.M.D. Gail Fernando - D.M.D. Diba Dastjerdi - D.M.D 68 New Edgerly Rd, Boston, MA 02115 • (617) 262-5880 • Fax: (617) 859-8804

ELECTRICIAN JAMES M. BUTLER ELECTRICIAN Great with old wiring • No Job too small Ceiling Fans, Knob and Tube Rewiring, Electrical Service Upgrades and Much More Free Estimates • Fully Insured License # 12077-B • 24 Hour Emergency Service (617) 593-0573

EYE DOCTORS & GLASSES URBAN EYE MD ASSOCIATES. P.C. 183 Massachusetts Avenue, Boston, MA 02115 720 Harrison Avenue, Boston, MA 02118 (617) 262-6300 • (617) 638-8119 Web: www.urbaneyemd.com Benjamin Andre` Quamina, M.D. • Lawrence I. Rand, M.D. Clifford Michaelson, M.D. • Sergey Urman, M.D. Lessa Denis Mahamed, O.D. Treating: Glaucoma, Cataracts, Diabetes, Ocular Plastic/ Cosmetic Surgery and other vision threatening conditions and diseases. Offering: Routine Eye and Contact Lens Exams

EVENT PLANNING

LAWYERS

ONE LIFE EVENTS

BOSTON ATTORNEY CYNTHIA E. MACCAUSLAND

A full service event management team 83 Everdean St, Suite 1R Boston, MA 02122 (617) 435-9339 or (617) 970-8794 onelifeevents@gmail.com Banquets & Dinners, Corporate Events & Functions, Fundraisers, Private Parties, Stage Performances, Themed Events, Weddings and more. www.onelifeevents.com

FIRE EXTINGUISHERS FIRECODE DESIGN LLC. 195 Dudley Street, Roxbury, MA 02119 (617) 442-CODE (2633) Roxbury's #1 Full Service Fire Extinguisher Company Inspections • Maintenance • Sales • Installation FREE Workplace Fire Extinguisher Training (some restrictions apply)

FITNESS UNIFIED FITNESS, INC. Personal Fitness Studio • One-on-one personal fitness training • Nutritional Consultation • Group Sessions • Party and Fitness Fun • Massage Therapy 1 Westinghouse Plaza, Bldg. D, Hyde Park, MA 02136 (857) 345-9252 office (617) 803.8904 mobile unifiedfitness1@gmail.com http://www.facebook.com/UnifedFitness

INSURANCE MUTUAL OF OMAHA • Life Insurance • Disability Insurance • Long-Term Care Insurance • Annuities • IRA • 401(k) • Mutual Funds • 529 College Savings Plans • Buy-Sell Funding • Key Person Protection • Executive Bonus Contact: Trevor Farrington Telephone: (617) 407-2684 Email: trevor.farrington@mutualofomaha.com Website: http://www.TrevorFarrington.com Boston Division Office, 400 Crown Colony Drive, Suite 201, Quincy, MA 02169

EMPIRE INSURANCE AGENCY AND REAL ESTATE SERVICES Home • Car • Life • Business Insurance also Real Estate Services helping Buyers and Sellers 1065 Tremont St, Boston, MA 02120 Call Now 617-445-5555

BUSINESS DIRECTORY $250/six months for a 30 word listing in print and online. Email: ads@bannerpub.com

provides compassionate, high quality legal services in Divorce, Custody, Support and Guardianship.

Sliding-Scale and Income-Based Fees.

Call 617-284-3804 or visit www.maccauslandlaw.com.

PHYSICIANS MARIAN H. PUTNAM, M.D. Pediatrician, Newborn to age 22 • Mass Health Plan patients welcome • Children's and BIDMC Hospitals • 36 Maple St, Hyde Park. (617) 364-6784 • home.earthlink.net/ ~mputnam3

PLUMBING SEAN’S PLUMBING & DRAINS Since 1970, A1 References, no job too small. Drains cleaned, disposals, water heaters, washers/dryers, damaged bathroom & kitchen, floors repaired. Quotes over phone.

Shower Diverters Expertly Rebuilt 24 hours Cell: 617-610-0492 Boston area only.

License B18081. Fully Insured

REMOVAL SERVICES ROOF ICE & ROOF SNOW REMOVAL Call Akee Roofing (781) 483-8291

ROOFING AKEE ROOF LEAK REPAIRS Roof Leaks repaired, Gutters repaired, cleaned, and replaced, Flatroofs replaced. Call Richard (781) 483-8291

SKILLED NURSING FACILITY SKILLED NURSING & REHAB CENTER Proudly serving the Community since 1927

BENJAMIN HEALTHCARE CENTER 120 Fisher Ave, Boston, MA 02120 www.benjaminhealthcare.com Tel: (617) 738-1500 Fax: (617) 738-6560 Short-term, Long-term, Respite, Hospice & Rehabilitation Myrna E. Wynn, President & CEO, Notary Public

TELEPHONE & INTERNET MASSACHUSETTS LOCALTELEPHONE COMPANY Pay-As-You-Go! Fast, Friendly, Guaranteed!

We'll install a new number, or re-use your existing number.

Visit us at 1953 Dorchester Ave., corner of Fuller St. 1-888-248-6582 (Free month with a year sign-up!)

INSURANCE

20 • Thursday, February 28, 2013 • BAY STATE BANNER

NEWSNotes

Menino, Warren highlight dangers of research cuts Banner Staff U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Boston Mayor Thomas Menino recently joined leaders of area hospitals and research universities to highlight the dangers of cuts to National Institutes of Health (NIH) research funding.

“The research these scientists

do is mind-blowing, and the idea that Congress could slash their funding next month is mind-boggling,” Mayor Menino said. “The doctors who have joined us here today have made it their life’s work to improve people’s lives. I hope in the coming days we can say the same about Congress.”

The across-the-board federal spending cuts scheduled to be im-

plemented March 1 would eliminate $2.4 billion in NIH funding. This would have a significant impact on Massachusetts, which last year received 11.3 percent of NIH funding.

Boston receives more NIH funding than any other city in the country.

“NIH funding plays a key role in supporting life-saving medical research at Boston’s worldclass hospitals and universities,” said Warren. “Across-the-board spending cuts are bad for Massachusetts and bad for the country.

I will fight to stop these significant cuts to NIH funding, which would put critical research programs here in Boston and across the Commonwealth at risk and hurt our economy.”

In 2011, Boston led all cities in NIH funding, extending its streak to 17 consecutive years.

This accomplishment is attribut-

able to Boston’s world-renowned hospitals, universities, public, private and non-profit agencies, which received more than 3,600 grants for a total combined award of $1.7 billion in 2011.

Cherish good conduct.

Become established on the path of morality.

Earn virtue; shun defects.

One who is anchored in the Self attains bravery and courage.

If you meditate daily on That, you will never depart from it.

— Swami Muktananda

Religious Worship Guide

The First Church of Christ, Scientist Sunday Church Services & Sunday School

10 am and 5 pm (no evening service July & Aug.)

Wednesday Testimony Meetings 12 noon and 7:30 pm (2 pm online)

Sunday & Wednesday Live Services Online ChristianScience.com/OnAir

Near the corner of Huntington & Mass. Ave. Free Parking at all services.

T Hynes, Prudential, Symphony, or Mass. Ave.

For further information, call 617.450.3790 or visit www.ChristianScience.com

The Perkins Community Center recently held its First Annual Black History Brunch presented by the Big Business Network, Inc. With his mother, Carol Price, at his side, Kendric Price, BBN’s founder (left), is shown here receiving an Honorable Citation from Boston City Councilor Charles Yancey. (Tony Irving photo)

Thursday, February 28, 2013 • BAY STATE BANNER • 21

Join the

Follow us on

Like us on

Banner

TWITTER @baystatebanner

FACEBOOK BAY STATE BANNER

www.baystatebanner.com

LEGALS

LEGALS

NOTICE TO TRADE CONTRACTORS REQUEST FOR TRADE CONTRACTOR QUALIFICATIONS The MASSACHUSETTS PORT AUTHORITY is soliciting Statements of Qualifications from TRADE CONTRACTORS interested in performing work for MPA CONTRACT NO. L1129-C3-4, RENOVATIONS & IMPROVEMENTS TO TERMINAL B ACOUSTIC CEILING TILE PACKAGE, LOGAN INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, EAST BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS. The Authority is seeking Qualification Statements from Trade Contractors who have a demonstrated experience in the construction and implementation of similar work in terms of scale and complexity.

The project includes acoustic ceiling systems in support of a new secure concourse between Terminal B, Pier A and Pier B. The new concourse consists of 8 new holdrooms, 24 ticket counter positions, a renovated security checkpoint with additional passenger queuing and 4 additional lanes, concessions space, toilet rooms, airline operations space and vertical circulation.

In accordance with Massachusetts Construction Manager at-Risk requirements, MGL Chapter 149 Section 44F, Qualification Statements are being requested from trade contractors capable of performing the following classes of work: (a) acoustical tile.

1.

2.

LEGALS

NOTICE TO ALL INTERESTED PARTIES Hearing Date/Time: A hearing on a Petition for Appointment of Guardian of a Minor filed on 02/05/2013 by Joanne Lewis of Mattapan, MA will be held 03/13/2013 09:00 AM Motion Located at Brooke Court House, 24 New Chardon Street, Boston, MA - Family Service Office.

Response to Petition: You may respond by filing a written response to the Petition or by appearing in person at the hearing. If you choose to file a written response, you need to:

In the interests of Martin I Cooper of Roxbury, MA Minor NOTICE AND ORDER: Petition for Resignation or Petition for Removal of Guardianship of a Minor

1.

File the original with the Court; and Mail a copy to all interested parties at least five (5) business days before the hearing.

2.

3.

Counsel for the Minor: The minor (or an adult on behalf of the minor) has the right to request that counsel be appointed for the minor.

4.

Presence of the Minor at Hearing: A minor over age 14 has the right to be present at any hearing, unless the Court finds that it is not in the minor’s best interests.

3.

ORDER TO PETITIONER(S)

The estimated cost of the Contract is $134,000 and the estimated construction duration is twelve (12) months. The estimated value of work to be performed by trade contractors is as follows: •

Acoustic Ceiling Tile- $134,000

The Authority is implementing this project in accordance with MGL Chapter 149A, Sections 1 thru 13. This selection of trade contractors conforms to MGL Chapter 149A, Section 8, subsections (b) to (k) inclusive. This Request for Qualifications (RFQ) will be utilized to prequalify trade contractors capable and experienced in the renovation and construction of airline passenger terminals. The Authority shall utilize a two-step process including the prequalification of trade contractors based on an evaluation of the Statement of Qualifications received in response to this solicitation, followed by an Invitation to Bidders that will only be issued to the prequalified trade contractors. A Prequalification Committee consisting of four representatives, one each from the Designer and the CM at Risk and two Massport staff.

This Prequalification Committee will be conducting a qualifications-based evaluation of submittals received from interested trade contractors in order to identify prequalified trade contractors who will be invited to respond to a written Invitation to Bidders. Please note that the Authority is not utilizing this process to prequalify subcontractors who are not trade contractors which shall be done separately in accordance with MGL C149A, Section 8, subsection (j).

Qualification Statements shall be evaluated in accordance with the following criteria: (1) Management Experience: (2) Project References including a Public Project Record and (3) Capacity to Complete including a demonstration that the contractor has the financial stability and long-term viability to successfully implement the Project. A Supplemental Information Package that discusses these Evaluation Criteria and the Prequalification Process in more detail as well as any other requirements for the Qualification Statements will be available to interested parties beginning Wednesday, March 6, 2013, by contacting Cindy Monahan at 617-568-5978 or via email at cmonahan@massport.com A Project Briefing will be held on Wednesday, March 6, 2013, at 11:00 AM in the Capital Programs Department, Logan Office Center, 2nd floor, 1 Harborside Drive, East Boston, MA. Attendance at the briefing is not mandatory, however, it is strongly encouraged in order to best familiarize your firm with the project details and the prequalification process.

The qualification statement document, as detailed in the supplemental information package shall be addressed to Mr. Houssam H. Sleiman, P.E., CCM, Director of Capital Programs and Environmental Affairs, and received no later than 12:00 Noon on Thursday, March 14, 2013 at the Massachusetts Port Authority, Logan Office Center, One Harborside Drive, Suite 209S, Logan International Airport, East Boston, MA 02128-2909.

If Service in hand cannot be accomplished on any interested party, IT IS ORDERED that copies of this Notice and the Petition for Appointment of Guardian of a Minor be served on the interested party by leaving at and mailing by regular first class mail to last and usual place of residence of the interested party at least fourteen (14) days prior to the date of the hearing listed above.

IT IS ORDERED THAT copies of this Notice and the Petition for Resignation or Petition for Removal of a Guardian of a Minor be served in hand on the minor; (if 14 or more years of age and not the petitioner), the guardian, the parents of the minor, and any other person if ordered by the Court, at least fourteen (14) days prior to the hearing date listed above.

If the identity or whereabouts of an interested party is not known, IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that copies of this Notice and the Petition for Appointment of a Guardian of a Minor be served on all interested persons at least fourteen (14) days prior to the hearing date by publishing a copy of the Order and Notice once in Bay State Banner, Boston publication to be at least Seven (7) days prior to the hearing date.

If Service in hand cannot be accomplished on any interested party, IT IS ORDERED that copies of this Notice and Petition for Resignation or Petition for Removal of Guardian of a Minor be served on the interested party by leaving at and mailing by regular first class mail to last and usual place of residence of the interested party at least fourteen (14) days prior to the date of the hearing listed above.

If required, service on the United States Veteran Administration and the Department of Children and Families may be accomplished by regular first class mail at least Seven (7) days prior to the hearing.

If the identity or whereabouts of an interested party is not known, IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that copies of this Notice and the Petition for Resignation or Petition for Removal of Guardian of Minor be served on all interested persons at least fourteen (14) days prior to the hearing date by publishing a copy of the Order and Notice once in Bay State Banner, Boston publication to be at least Seven (7) days prior to the hearing date.

THIS IS A LEGAL NOTICE: An important court proceeding that may affect your rights has been scheduled. If you do not understand this notice or other court papers, please contact an attorney for legal advice.

Date: February 5, 2013

Patricia M. Campatelli Register of Probate

Commonwealth of Massachusetts The Trial Court Probate and Family Court Department SUFFOLK Division

NOTICE AND ORDER: Petition for Resignation or Petition for Removal of Guardianship of a Minor

1.

NOTICE TO ALL INTERESTED PARTIES Hearing Date/Time: A hearing on a Petition to Resign as Guardian of a Minor or Petition for Removal of Guardian of a minor filed by Catherine A. Ellis on February 5, 2013 will be held 03/15/2013 09:00 AM Guardianship of Minor Hearing Located at Brooke Court House, 24 New Chardon Street, Boston, MA - Family Service Office.

Response to Petition: You may respond by filing a written response to the Petition or by appearing in person at the hearing. If you choose to file a written response, you need to:

MASSACHUSETTS BAY TRANSPORTATION AUTHORITY 10 PARK PLAZA BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS 02116

3.

Counsel for the Minor: The minor (or an adult on behalf of the minor) has the right to request that counsel be appointed for the minor.

Public Announcement of Request for Qualifications for

4.

Presence of the Minor at Hearing: A minor over age 14 has the right to be present at any hearing, unless the Court finds that it is not in the minor’s best interests.

On behalf of the MBTA, thank you for your time and interest in responding to this Request for Letters of Interest.

Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority Dr. Beverly Scott, PhD MBTA General Manager and Rail & Transit Administrator

Commonwealth of Massachusetts The Trial Court Probate and Family Court Department

Patricia M. Campatelli Register of Probate

Commonwealth of Massachusetts The Trial Court Probate and Family Court Department SUFFOLK Division

Docket No. SU11P2001GD In the interests of Breanna N Dillard of Roxbury, MA Minor

NOTICE AND ORDER: Petition for Resignation or Petition for Removal of Guardianship of a Minor

1.

2.

NOTICE TO ALL INTERESTED PARTIES Hearing Date/Time: A hearing on a Petition to Resign as Guardian of a Minor or Petition for Removal of Guardian of a minor filed by Catherine A. Ellis on February 5, 2013 will be held 03/15/2013 09:00 AM Guardianship of Minor Hearing Located at Brooke Court House, 24 New Chardon Street, Boston, MA - Family Service Office.

Response to Petition: You may respond by filing a written response to the Petition or by appearing in person at the hearing. If you choose to file a written response, you need to: File the original with the Court; and Mail a copy to all interested parties at least five (5) business days before the hearing.

4.

Presence of the Minor at Hearing: A minor over age 14 has the right to be present at any hearing, unless the Court finds that it is not in the minor’s best interests.

If Service in hand cannot be accomplished on any interested party, IT IS ORDERED that copies of this Notice and the Petition for Resignation or Petition for Removal of Guardian of a Minor be served on the interested party by leaving at and mailing by regular first class mail to last and usual place of residence of the interested party at least fourteen (14) days prior to the date of the hearing listed above.

IT IS ORDERED THAT copies of this Notice and the Petition for Resignation or Petition for Removal of a Guardian of a Minor be served in hand on the minor; (if 14 or more years of age and not the petitioner), the guardian, the parents of the minor, and any other person if ordered by the Court, at least fourteen (14) days prior to the hearing date listed above.

If the identity or whereabouts of an interested party is not known, IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that copies of this Notice and Petition for Resignation or Petition for Removal of Guardian of Minor be served on all interested persons at least fourteen (14) days prior to the hearing date by publishing a copy of the Order and Notice once in Bay State Banner, Boston publication to be at least Seven (7) days prior to the hearing date.

THIS IS A LEGAL NOTICE: An important court proceeding that may affect your rights has been scheduled. If you do not understand this notice or other court papers, please contact an attorney for legal advice.

Docket No. SU13P0261GD In the interests of Destynie R Lewis of Mattapan, MA Minor

NOTICE AND ORDER: Petition for Appointment of Guardian of a Minor

Date: February 6, 2013

IT IS ORDERED THAT copies of this Notice and the Petition for Resignation or Petition for Removal of a Guardian of a Minor be served in hand on the minor; (if 14 or more years of age and not the petitioner), the guardian, the parents of the minor, and any other person if ordered by the Court, at least fourteen (14) days prior to the hearing date listed above.

Date: February 6, 2013 SUFFOLK Division

THIS IS A LEGAL NOTICE: An important court proceeding that may affect your rights has been scheduled. If you do not understand this notice or other court papers, please contact an attorney for legal advice.

Counsel for the Minor: The minor (or an adult on behalf of the minor) has the right to request that counsel be appointed for the minor.

If required, service on the United States Veteran Administration and the Department of Children and Families may be accomplished by regular first class mail at least Seven (7) days prior to the hearing.

Richard A. Davey MassDOT Secretary and CEO

If required, service on the United States Veteran Administration and the Department of Children and Families may be accomplished by regular first class mail at least Seven (7) days prior to the hearing.

3.

ORDER TO PETITIONER(S)

http://www.mbta.com/business_center/bidding_solicitations/current_solicitations/

ORDER TO PETITIONER(S)

Docket No. SU11P2003GD

File the original with the Court; and Mail a copy to all interested parties at least five (5) business days before the hearing.

Additional information and instructions on how to submit a Letter of Interest is available at

Presence of the Minor at Hearing: A minor over age 14 has the right to be present at any hearing, unless the Court finds that it is not in the minor’s best interests.

In the interests of Jazmyn A Reyes of Roxbury, MA Minor

LEGAL NOTICE

The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority ("MBTA") hereby solicits Letters of Interest ("LOI") & Statements of Qualifications from firms or teams interested in providing Independent Cost Estimating (“ICE”) Services for the MBTA Green Line Extension Project (MBTA Program No. - E22PS05).

The ICE services will be performed during the pre-construction and design development phases, as well as other tasks as required.

File the original with the Court; and Mail a copy to all interested parties at least five (5) business days before the hearing.

Counsel for the Minor: The minor (or an adult on behalf of the minor) has the right to request that counsel be appointed for the minor.

4.

2.

Independent Cost Estimating (ICE) Services on the Green Line Extension Project

Response to Petition: You may respond by filing a written response to the Petition or by appearing in person at the hearing. If you choose to file a written response, you need to:

IT IS ORDERED THAT copies of this Notice and the Petition for Appointment of Guardian of a Minor be served in hand on the minor; (if 14 or more years of age and not the petitioner), the guardian, the parents of the minor, and any other person if ordered by the Court, at least fourteen (14) days prior to the hearing date listed above.

Questions regarding this RFQ shall be directed to CPBidQuestions@massport.com with the MPA project number referenced in the subject line.

MASSACHUSETTS PORT AUTHORITY Thomas P. Glynn CEO and Executive Director

NOTICE TO ALL INTERESTED PARTIES Hearing Date/Time: A hearing on a Petition to Resign as Guardian of a Minor or Petition for Removal of Guardian of a minor filed by Catherine A. Ellis on February 5, 2013 will be held 03/15/2013 09:00 AM Guardianship of Minor Hearing Located at Brooke Court House, 24 New Chardon Street, Boston, MA - Family Service Office.

Patricia M. Campatelli Register of Probate

Commonwealth of Massachusetts The Trial Court Probate and Family Court Department SUFFOLK Division

Docket No. SU11P2000GD

ORDER TO PETITIONER(S)

If Service in hand cannot be accomplished on any interested party, IT IS ORDERED that copies of this Notice and the Petition for Resignation or Petition for Removal of Guardian of a Minor be served on the interested party by leaving at and mailing by regular first class mail to last and usual place of residence of the interested party at least fourteen (14) days prior to the date of the hearing listed above.

If the identity or whereabouts of an interested party is not known, IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that copies of this Notice and Petition for Resignation or Petition for Removal of Guardian of Minor be served on all interested persons at least fourteen (14) days prior to the hearing date by publishing a copy of the Order and Notice once in Bay State Banner, Boston publication to be at least Seven (7) days prior to the hearing date.

If required, service on the United States Veteran Administration and the Department of Children and Families may be accomplished by regular first class mail at least Seven (7) days prior to the hearing.

THIS IS A LEGAL NOTICE: An important court proceeding that may affect your rights has been scheduled. If you do not understand this notice or other court papers, please contact an attorney for legal advice.

Date: February 6, 2013

Patricia M. Campatelli Register of Probate

22 • Thursday, February 28, 2013 • BAY STATE BANNER

LEGALS

LEGALS

Commonwealth of Massachusetts The Trial Court Probate and Family Court Department SUFFOLK Division

2.

Docket No. SU11P1999GD

Response to Petition: You may respond by filing a written response to the Petition or by appearing in person at the hearing. If you choose to file a written response, you need to:

minor; (if 14 or more years of age and not the petitioner), the guardian, the parents of the minor, and any other person if ordered by the Court, at least fourteen (14) days prior to the hearing date listed above.

File the original with the Court; and Mail a copy to all interested parties at least five (5) business days before the hearing.

If Service in hand cannot be accomplished on any interested party, IT IS ORDERED that copies of this Notice and the Petition for Resignation or Petition for Removal of Guardian of a Minor be served on the interested party by leaving at and mailing by regular first class mail to last and usual place of residence of the interested party at least fourteen (14) days prior to the date of the hearing listed above.

In the interests of Jayla A Cooper of Roxbury, MA Minor

3.

Counsel for the Minor: The minor (or an adult on behalf of the minor) has the right to request that counsel be appointed for the minor.

NOTICE AND ORDER: Petition for Resignation or Petition for Removal of Guardianship of a Minor

4.

Presence of the Minor at Hearing: A minor over age 14 has the right to be present at any hearing, unless the Court finds that it is not in the minor’s best interests.

1.

NOTICE TO ALL INTERESTED PARTIES Hearing Date/Time: A hearing on a Petition to Resign as Guardian of a Minor or Petition for Removal of Guardian of a minor filed by Catherine A. Ellis on February 5, 2013 will be held 03/15/2013 09:00 AM Guardianship of Minor Hearing Located at Brooke Court House, 24 New Chardon Street, Boston, MA - Family Service Office.

LEGALS

ORDER TO PETITIONER(S) IT IS ORDERED THAT copies of this Notice and the Petition for Resignation or Petition for Removal of a Guardian of a Minor be served in hand on the

If the identity or whereabouts of an interested party is not known, IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that copies of this Notice and Petition for Resignation or Petition for Removal of Guardian of Minor be served on all interested persons at least fourteen (14) days prior to the hearing date by publishing a copy of the Order and Notice once in Bay State Banner, Boston publication to be at least Seven (7) days prior to the hearing date.

If required, service on the United States Veteran Administration and the Department of Children and Families may be accomplished by regular first class mail at least Seven (7) days prior to the hearing.

THIS IS A LEGAL NOTICE: An important court proceeding that may affect your rights has been scheduled. If you do not understand this notice or other court papers, please contact an attorney for legal advice.

Date: February 6, 2013

Parker Hill Apartments The Style, Comfort and Convenience you Deserve!

Heat and Hot Water Always Included Modern Laundry Facilities Private Balconies / Some with City Views Plush wall to wall carpet Adjacent to New England Baptist Hospital Secured Entry, Elevator Convenience Private Parking Near Public Transportation and much more ...

2 bedrooms $1264-$1850 1 bedroom $1058-$1450 Studio $993-$1350 Call Today for more details and to schedule a visit...

888-842-7945

Patricia M. Campatelli Register of Probate

WOLLASTON MANOR 91 Clay Street Quincy, MA 02170

Senior Living At It’s Best

A senior/disabled/ handicapped community 0 BR units = $1,027/mo 1 BR units = $1,101/mo All utilities included.

Call Sandy Miller, Property Manager

#888-691-4301 Program Restrictions Apply.

SUBSCRIBE TO

THE BANNER call (617) 261-4600 • baystatebanner.com

Thursday, February 28, 2013 • BAY STATE BANNER • 23

Greater Media Boston currently has the following open positions:

E

L ATTENTION TRADESPEOP Northeast Interiors, Inc. and our subcontractors are seeking local tradespeople for construction at:

RTH Community Center 50 Vining St Boston, MA 02115 We encourage females and local Boston residents to apply!

Please submit your resume and cover letter to resume@neigc.com or visit our on-site application station at: 1 New Whitney Street Boston, MA 02115

LIKE US ON FACEBOOK

BAY STATE BANNER

ASSISTANT PROPERTY MANAGER Boston, Ma Must be computer literate and proficient in all aspects of property management; COS certification and Tax Credit experience are required; must have the ability to establish and maintain effective communication both oral and written with employees and clients — bilingual English/Spanish is a plus. Transportation is a must.

Forward resumes, no later than March 8, 2013, to United Housing Management LLC, 530 Warren Street, Dorchester, Ma 02121 — Fax: 617-442-7231.

No phone calls please!

United Housing Management LLC is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer

Community Advocate On The Rise, Inc. is a Cambridge, MA-based non-profit that supports the initiative and strength of women living in crisis or homelessness. In a physically and psychologically safe environment, we build the relationships and provide the tools that each woman needs to rise to her potential.

We are looking for a Community Advocate to complete the 6-member team that operates our Safe Haven program. Community Advocates work directly with women who use the programs, helping provide for basic human needs and giving long-term, broad-based support, such as assistance accessing other programs, accompaniment and advocacy.

Candidates will share a commitment to On The Rise’s mission, and will have three years’ experience with homelessness, trauma, substance abuse, mental illness, or related issues. Relevant life experience will also be strongly considered for the position.

FOLLOW US ON

TWITTER @baystatebanner

How to Apply: www.ontherise.org contains more complete job descriptions and instructions for applying. Please refer to our site and submit a resume and cover letter as described.

Send your application materials: your résumé and cover letter as attachments to: becky.mcdowell@ontherise.org with “Community Advocate” in the subject line.

› Director of Sales › Director of Digital Sales › Account Executives (all stations) › Marketing Director—Radio 92.9 WBOS-FM › Executive Producer, Morning Show—HOT 96.9 WTKK-FM › Producer, Morning Show—HOT 96.9 WTKK-FM

If you’re interested in working for one of the premiere broadcasting companies in the country, please check out the detailed job descriptions for each position by going to: www.greatermedia.com (Employment—Boston) –or– send an email to hr@greatermediaboston.com and request a full job description be sent to you.

Greater Media is an Equal Opportunity Employer WMJX106.7 ß WROR 105.7 ß WKLB 102.5 ß WBOS 92.9 ß WTKK 96.9

ADVERTISE

YOUR CLASSIFIEDS WITH THE BAY STATE BANNER (617) 261-4600 x 119

ads@bannerpub.com

Rate information at www.baystatebanner.com /advertising