ACPhoenix May 2013 Edition

In Our 29th Year Issue No. 2018 May 2013 Associate Consultant Serving the Triad Free

Super Aloe Vera Health and Wellness Rally Coming To Winston-Salem One of the nation’s largest Super Aloe Vera health and wellness rallies will be held on Saturday, May 25, 2013, 10: am, at the Enterprise Center, 1922 MLK Drive in WinstonSalem, it was announced today by John Raye, Senior Manager, Forever Living Company.

Chantel Wesley

The rally, which features a series of product demonstrations, video presentations, personal testimonials, product taste testing, and Aloe Vera historical information, will feature the largest combined turnout of African and Hispanicby John Raye Americans in the 35 year history of the Forever Living Company, the world’s largest producer of stabilized, If those high gas prices have caused you to certified, Aloe Vera products. experience some, “ pain at the pump”, you might want to consider an option to---drive [Continued on page 7] less and ride more, that is, to secure other means of transportation besides moving about alone in your favorite automobile.

Do Your Part With the People at PART

John Raye

Should Memorial Day Be Suspended?

Dwight Jones

From the point of view of an infantry combat veteran, the following critique is a difficult subject to address. It is however done at the insistence of my boss and publisher.

As for inspiration I leaned on a scriptural text which Jesus used to rebuke the desire of a disciple to bury his father after hearing the commandment to depart from Capernaum: “Follow me; and let the dead bury their dead.”

The operative word in that passage is “their.” My use of that particular reference stems from the reality that on too many occasions I have heard countless number of bereaved parents say ”upon receiving the news of his/her death, a part of me died as well,” truly personalizing their lost!

[Continued on page 5]

The Top Winners & Losers In Healthcare Today

By Dr. Ed James, BDO Healthy Living Expert Jimmy is a hypertensive, pre-diabetic, obese, middle-aged man whose brother, Bob, just died from a massive heart attack.

Jimmy is now eating fried chicken at the funeral ceremony because he wanted some comfort food during a time of great sadness and stress.

Unfortunately for Jimmy and many other Americans, there is an entrenched system in our country that reinforces Jimmy’s unhealthful behaviors.

[Continued on page 10]

The 7th annual Triad Commute Challenge is approaching the half-way mark, and organizers want you to do your part by embracing and supporting the concept to, “share the ride and help clean the air”.

And if Chantale Wesley had a magic wand, air quality around the Triad would be a lot cleaner with fewer people riding alone in the their automobiles, long known as one of the major sources of air pollution.

Instead, more of us would be peddling a bike, enjoying a daily, brisk walk or a smooth bus ride, free of traffic congestion and the hassles of finding available parking. {Continue on page 3}

Inside This Issue American Hero or Racial Healer

pg 4

Eastern Music Festival pg 6 Announces 2013 Season Black Leaders Have Sold Out

pg 11

State of Equality In America And Justice In America

pg 13

Pocket Prayer

pg 14

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Straight, proud and unapologetic with no excuses Dr. Ada M. Fisher Okay now I’m confessing to a poorly kept secret -- I am a heterosexual black female who loves men and has achieved some modicum of success. So, now will President Obama, Bill Clinton and others give me a call for coming out and openly expressing my sexual preference?

Though I haven’t been asked and no sensible inquiring minds particularly wants to know, suddenly everyone wants to tell that they are gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender or of some other sexual preference. Who truly cares?

My scientific brain has always appreciated there are some who may come into the world with much sexual ambiguity such as the more than 10,000 hermaphrodites born annually. Whether homosexuality is genetic, a choice or a trend is still debated in some scientific circles.

The thing which is most unsettling is the desire to overturn social policy based on so little outcome data but instituted simply because these are things people may want to do from gay marriage to their adoption of children or making babies through often inconceivable measures with unclear legal ramifications. Is this not what is also being done on the legalization move for marijuana? This attitude follows the no harm no foul logic.

There have been few reliable longitudinal studies to determine the negatives for others such as children who are brought into these situations.

Appreciating that gays who adopt usually get older kids, hard to place infants and those usually last picked, their willingness to engage in parenthood is often applauded. None the less are we looking at the evolution of childhood thinking and future choices which will be impacted by this move?

My psychological side of this brain is disturbed by the further negative impact of changing gender roles in undermining already fragile black families. With Lyndon Johnson’s push for a “Great Society” came the requirement that families not live as a unit with a man in the house if they were to receive public assistance. This has had a disproportionately negative effective on black families. With prison populations hitting black males hard another segment of consorts is thereby again removed. The infiltration of drugs and that alternative misogynist “gangsta” culture which evolves, too often degrades women and uses them as pawns further distancing black men from black women. And now, the secret as well as black men in the closet are coming out or remaining on the down low which may be perceived as another blow to viable relationships with these men at the expense of black women. So where are the companions to be found for black women looking for a good straight man?

I have learned to accept that there are people in the world who don’t share my values, including some in my own family; but on this issue, I’m still sticking with the Torah and commandments handed down by G-d.

Dr. Ada M. Fisher is a physician, licensed teacher in secondary education— Mathematics and Science, former School Board Member and as well as the NC Republican National Committee Woman. Her book, Common Sense Conservative Prescriptions Solutions for What Ails Us, Book I may be ordered through any bookstore or purchased on line through Amazon.com orthecreatespaceStore. com or on Kindle. Contact her at P. O. Box 777 ; Salisbury , NC 28145 ; DrFisher@ GETADOCTORINTHEHOUSE.com

Do Your Part With the People at PART {Continue from frontpage} Instead, more of us would be peddling a bike, enjoying a daily, brisk walk or a smooth bus ride, free of traffic congestion and the hassles of finding available parking.

Wesley, the TDM manger at PART or the Piedmont Authority for Regional Transportation, is coordinating the 90 day, Triad Commute challenge, an annual event designed to save money, clean the air and protect the environment.

“We all know that automobiles are the major causes of so much air pollution.

Our aim is to educate and give people choices about doing something for the environment in which we all live and work in. With the 90 day, challenge, we are taking a pro-active approach by getting people to participate in a win-win effort”, Wesley said.

The 90-day Triad Commute Challenge, which started April 6 and ends July 6, is a voluntary effort that asks participants to sign a pledge form to be part of the solution to stop riding alone, and car pool, van pool, bike, walk, telecommute or ride the bus at least one time, before the July 6 end date.

Participants are asked to sign a pledge form (www.triadcommutechillange. com) to try an alternate form of transportation during the 90 day event which ends on July 6th?

Also, every person who completes the pledge form will automatically be entered into weekly drawings, where prizes will be awarded by random drawing, compliments of the event’s sponsors. Prizes range from gift certificates to free bus rides. Last year, more than 4,000 people participated in the three month Challenge, which resulted in an estimated savings of nearly a million gallons of gasoline. Now is the time, organizers say, to “save money, clean the air and be part of the clean air solution.”

PARTS just want Triad area resident to join the challenge to, “share the ride and clean the air.”

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Charles Ramsey: American Hero or Racial Healer

By Michael H. Cottman, BlackAmericaWeb.com

Charles Ramsey is a legitimate American hero. He doesn’t want fame. He doesn’t want money. He’s an unassuming, raspy-voiced dishwasher with a refreshing desire to help people in crisis.

He’s a brave black man who deserves recognition for his unselfish efforts and I hope police acknowledge his courage.

Ramsey was responsible for freeing Amanda Berry and two other women who had been held captive at his neighbor’s home in Cleveland for 10 years, and today, the women are free from terror and Ramsey is being praised, correctly, as a hero.

What if Ramsey hadn’t shown the guts to help these women? Would they still be captives?

Even though the police have downplayed Ramsey’s role in freeing the women, the 911 tapes tell the true story of a man who stepped up to save Berry, 27, Michelle Knight, 32, and Georgina DeJesus, who is about 23.

All three women vanished when they were teenagers between 2002 and 2004. Police said they were raped and forced into multiple pregnancies over a horrific span of a decade.

Police also said the 6-year-old girl is Berry’s daughter.

“I knew something was wrong when a little, pretty white girl ran into a black man’s arms,” Ramsey told CNN. “Something is wrong here.

Dead giveaway.”

What a revealing statement about race. And here’s another noteworthy comment: Ramsey said the little girl had to be “homeless” or “got problems” to rely on a black man for her safety.

He’s probably right. I can’t recall a situation where a black man has shared his feelings about race so candidly after being involved in a dramatic rescue.

So it Ramsey also an unsuspecting racial healer?

A CNN anchorwoman suggested that Ramsey may have helped improve race relations in America. That may be a stretch, but it’s uplifting to see a black man on television associated with a positive news event; a black man being hailed as a hero instead of being vilified as a defendant.

Perhaps some who only see black men as thugs and gangsters may view black men differently after hearing Ramsey’s story.

“Bro, I’m a Christian, an American, and just like you,” Ramsey told CNN. “We bleed same blood, put our pants on the same way. It’s just that you got to put that — being a coward, and I don’t want to get in nobody’s business. You got to put that away for a minute.”

Ramsey wasn’t trying to make race a central issue in the rescue of the three women. He’s not a college-trained expert on race relations. He was simply speaking from his heart, but in speaking openly, and without a political agenda, Ramsey indirectly shined a bright light on race in America – a topic most folks tend to sidestep.

Indeed, Ramsey’s poignant remark about a pretty little white girl running into a black man’s arms has gone viral and is perhaps a more powerful summation about race than any professional pundit could ever articulate.

It’s a shame that when some folks initially heard Ramsey’s story, they dismissed him as a scam artist who was trying to grab the spotlight. But now that we all know the facts, it appears that America could use more folks like Ramsey.

“I’m eating my McDonald’s, I come outside, and I see this girl going nuts, trying to get out of the house,” Ramsey told CNN. “I got on the porch and she said, ‘Help me get out. I’ve been here a long time.” I figured it was a domestic violence dispute.

So I open the door. And we can’t get in that way ’cause of how the door is, it’s so much that a body can’t fit through; only your hand.”

Ramsey and another man broke down the door.

“We kicked the bottom,” Ramsey said. “And she comes out with a little girl and she says ‘Call 911. My name is Amanda Berry.” He immediately called 911 — and only then realized that Berry was the woman who had been missing for 10 years.

“I thought this girl was dead,” Ramsey said. “She’s like, ‘This (expletive) kidnapped me and my daughter,’” Ramsey told the 911 operator.

Police have arrested three brothers, Ariel Castro, 52, the owner of the house and a former Cleveland school bus driver; Pedro Castro, 54; and Onil Castro, 50, in connection with the alleged abductions. Police said the women suffered years of horrible abuse, including rape, beatings and being kept in chains.

One former inmate who was serving time in the same jail as the Castro brothers told reporters that prisoners were taunting the Castros for hours. “They were screaming at him all night,” the 20-year-old ex-prisoner told The New York Daily News after his release. “He was just laying there, taking it. They were saying, ‘Don’t feed that rapist! He doesn’t deserve any respect!’”

Ramsey said he had no idea that Ariel Castro was a kidnapper, an abuser of women, and a social deviant.

“I’ve been here a year,” Ramsey said. “You see where I’m coming from? I barbecue with this dude. We eat ribs and whatnot and listen to salsa music.”

Meanwhile, Ramsey said he doesn’t want any of the potential reward money. He said the money should be given to the three women who have lost so many years of their lives.

“I tell you what you do, give it to them,” Ramsey said. “You know I got a job anyway.”

Spoken like a true American hero.

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Should Memorial Day Be Suspended? [continued from front page] Clearly I realize that Memorial Day is a national holiday that has been set aside to honor veterans from all branches of military service.

It is a day proclaimed to give reverence to those whom, Abraham Lincoln said “gave the last full measure of devotion” to preserve their nation during his deliverance of the Gettysburg Address.

Yet with 250,000 wounded veterans from the recent wars of Iraq/Afghanistan having their names trapped in a maze of Veterans’ Administration bureaucracy for 16-29 months before getting processed; a meaningful direct action plan should be expedited to diminish the suffering of these veterans. Simultaneously the families that have lost a love one should be granted ample time to mourn or celebrate the demise of the individual according to “their” own persuasion.

With regards to a meaningful direct action plan, I propose that normal traditions of celebrating Memorial Day be suspended. Whereas all essential federal employees should be required to work on Memorial Day – and – throughout Veterans’ Day, to finish processing all Veterans’

Administration claims in order to truly honor these wounded veterans in a substantive manner. Additionally the general public given a day off from work should volunteer in some capacity to assist the federal workers at various satellite locations. Whatever it takes get the job DONE! During World War II the government ran ammunition factories in multiple shifts seven days a week in order to support the war effort so that a final victory could be achieved.

Today’s returning veterans are in a continuous mental war and they need the same level of commitment to their personal welfare in peace time that is expended in time of war.

Last week the USA Today reported that Congress approved a bill to send $700 million dollars to Syria despite the fact that America cannot determine the loyalties of the combatants. This is an example of the kind of misplaced priorities that have short changed the needs of veterans.

Instead of throwing away resources on an adventure that will probably produce a dubious outcome, the nation should channel those resources into projects that are guaranteed to reap benefits to the countless number of suffering veterans that have been wounded while engaging in multiple deployments over the past twelve years.

It is estimated that 18 veterans commit suicide every day. Whether or not these suicides can be laid at the door step of the Veteran Administration Office, I do not know, but surely a backlog of roughly 900,000 unanswered claims does not help the matter. Waiting until 2015 to get caught up does little to solve the problems of today.

It is in the spirit of humility and good will that I suggest this proposal hoping that there is still time to let the living – heal – the living. Otherwise I truly believe that it is time to consider a moratorium on wars so that the nation can slow the pace of creating more wounded veterans until the VA can resolve the difficult task at hand.

Act now! Let the House Education Committee know our kids need an opportunity!

Democratic and Republican lawmakers joined clergy, school leaders and parents from across the state today to stand in support of House Bill 944 (Opportunity Scholarship Act), which would allow poor families to better afford schools that could meet their children’s educational needs.

But now we need you more than ever to be “on the record” as a supporter of more quality educational options for poor children. House Bill 944 will be heard tomorrow by the House Education Committee, so we need you to send an e-mail to your legislator voicing your support for the Opportunity Scholarship Act. Let them know that you want every child, regardless of their income or zip code, to access a school that could meet their academic needs!

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No Second Class Families

By Benjamin Todd Jealous African Americans have spent much of our history fighting for equal treatment.Just two generations ago, our parents and our grandparents were banned from eating at certain restaurants, attending certain schools, and working in certain professions.

So it is not difficult to empathize with the struggle of immigrants in our country. Like our ancestors who migrated from the former slave states of the Deep South, millions of undocumented immigrants move to the United States each year to find work and a decent education for their children. But when they arrive, they are confronted with blatant discrimination and racial profiling - with hardly any legal recourse and little public outrage.

As people of color, we have a responsibility to stand up for social justice whenever it is violated. That is why the NAACP has joined other civil rights and human rights organizations, including the Rights Working Group and the Leadership Conference of Civil and Human Rights, to support comprehensive immigration reform.

Across the country, an estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants live in a permanent second-class status. Many immigrants come to the U.S. to find a better life, but find themselves living in the shadows, in constant fear of arrest and deportation. This segregation has a cost.

Undocumented workers are exploited on a regular basis. Many business owners pay low wages and provide dangerous working

conditions for their undocumented workers, with little fear of retaliation. They know that their employees have too much at stake to risk contacting the proper authorities.

Undocumented immigrants are also targeted by police. Racial profiling has been legalized in states like Alabama and Arizona under the guise of immigration enforcement. Our national immigration laws, in conjunction with these state laws, encourage local police to stop people of color, whether they are undocumented or not.

Right now Congress is debating a comprehensive immigration bill that will offer a roadmap to citizenship and also deal directly with workplace discrimination and racial profiling. One proposed provision allows undocumented immigrants to have the full protection of American labor laws. Another one explicitly prohibits racial profiling by Homeland Security agents - which would make it the first federal law to do so.

The bill in its draft form is not perfect. The racial profiling provision needs adjustments that are being debated at the time of this writing. The draft bill also contains provisions that would eliminate the diversity visa program - which helps many African and Caribbean immigrants come to America - and dramatically expand the guest worker program. The NAACP and our allies will continue to make our voice heard as Congress debates the bill.

In August 1963 a sea of diverse activists stormed the National Mall to demand social

justice and an end to segregation. In April 2013 a similarly diverse wave of legal immigrants, undocumented immigrants, and activists of all backgrounds gathered at the United States Capitol to call an end to second-class citizenship.

The March on Washington pressured Congress to pass the Civil Rights Acts. This year, we need to show Congress again that American of all stripes care about progressive reform.

As Dr. King said, injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. African Americans have spent much of our history fighting for fair treatment and equal opportunity. We must also offer support to our immigrant brothers and sisters. If we want to escape the sins of our past, we must ensure there are no second classfamilies today.

Ben Jealous is president/CEO of the NAACP. Contact: Ben Wrobel 917-846-0658 bwrobel@ naacpnet.org @NAACPPress

begin with an American work, and we combine the greatest standards of the repertoire such as the Mendelssohn Violin Concerto and the Grieg Piano Concerto with lesser known works, such as the Hovhaness Concerto for Soprano Saxophone and Strings. Our chamber concerts on Mondays and Tuesdays combine the forces of our distinguished faculty and guest artists playing a wide range of chamber music, and our special events include performances of Bach’s Magnificat and a concert of concertos by Vivaldi, which brings our festival out into the entire community.”

Eastern Music Festival Announces 2013 Season Celebrate 52 Years of Beautiful Music with the Eastern Music Festival!

Join EMF and Music Director Gerard Schwarz for five weeks filled with more than 100 music-related events. Enjoy great music every night of the week during June 22 – July 27, 2013! Approximately 200 young artists and 80 faculty musicians return to Eastern Music Festival (EMF) to study, enjoy and share classical music with the community.

“Our 52nd season continues with the broad focus of our festival: great music from the 18th Century to the present, a superb faculty orchestra, and some of the world’s greatest guest artists,” states Music Director Gerard Schwarz. “Many of our Festival Orchestra concerts

Exceptional guest artists joining EMF this season include violinists Joshua Bell and Augustin Hadelich, pianists André Watts. William Wolfram, and Ignat Solzhenitsyn, and cellist Lynn Harrell. Other season highlights will include the Fourth Annual Piano Competition and performance at the Kennedy Center for Performing Arts, the EMFamily Concert and collaboration with the Greensboro Ballet on Prokofiev’s classic “Peter & the Wolf” and the new EMFkids Discover campfor children with high-functioning Autism/Asperger’s Syndrome.

To purchase tickets to any EMF event, contact the Eastern Music Festival Box Office at Triad Stage by calling 866.579.TIXX or336.274.0160.

Contact Kenneth Bradshaw, Director of Marketing, at Kenneth@ EasternMusicFestival.org to request artist bios and photographs.

May 2013 The AC Phoenix 7

Super Aloe Vera Health and Wellness Rally Coming To Winston-Salem… [continued from front page]

“This is an absolute historical event, a grand opportunity to help reduce the great Black-Hispanic health disparity that continues to weakened and destroy far too many in our community, said Raye, one of the key organizers of the event.

Now doing business in 163 countries with 10 million distributors, and $3 billion in annual sales, Forever Living products including its famed, super Aloe Vera gel, is world famous for its amazing healing properties. The Forever Living brand, in 35 years, has never been sold in stores. It can only be purchased through authorized distributors.

It is the world’s most potent, and only natural brand of stabilized, certified Aloe Vera Gel that is certified Kosher and Halal. It is never sold in stores or any retail outlets.

“This particular Aloe Vera gel is so powerful and so effective that some distributors have become millionaires because of its effectiveness. It must be working because

ten million people are using it, and that many people would not be buying or promoting such a product, if it was not producing good results”, Raye said. Forever Living does not advertise or display any of its Aloe Vera products in retail outlets..

The Super Aloe Vera gel rally has two primary goals: (1) to help people regain or maintain optimum physical health and (2) to help people regain or maintain optimum financial health.

“If you want to feel better, physically as well as financially, then this is the place to be. This aloe Vera is the gold standard, the Rolls Royce of all herbal products, which is why some people call it, liquid gold in a yellow bottle”, said Raye.

“Whatever your main desire, be it better health or greater wealth, you can have it all.

Health and wealth is a great combination, in fact, it is the greatest combination and with our stabilized kosher-halal Aloe Vera gel, you can have both”, said Raye, who recently rejoined the Forever Living Company after a 25 year absence. now and prevent the above scenario rather than deal with it when we get there.”

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The Top Winners & Losers In Healthcare Today [continued from front page] Here are a few of the winners and losers:

WINNERS Doctors & Hospitals: There is no shortage of chronically sick patients.

Drug Companies: There are plenty of patients (like Jimmy) on meds for life, who are never cured.

Meat/Dairy Industry: These two industries receive government subsidies for Jimmy’s cheeseburgers, which clog his arteries and promote cancer cell growth Big Agriculture: Government subsidies are also readily made available for Jimmy’s high fructose corn syrup laden “food-like substances” which keep him quite hefty and addicted.

LOSERS Doctors: Many doctors die from the same preventable diseases as Jimmy. They are not immune to being just as obese, sick, food addicted, and on the very same path to early death Bob: He died of a preventable disease (heart attack)

Bob’s Wife & Children: The family has lost a husband and a father Small, Local Organic Farms: These types of farms tend to receive minimal government subsidies.

And unfortunately, fruits and veggies aren’t really part of Jimmy’s diet, even though they should be.

U.S. Federal Government & Employers: Health care costs are continually on the rise, contributing to federal budget deficits and greater company expenses The Earth: The continued over-consumption of animals contributes greatly to global warming and creates many environmental pollutants, continually destroying our environment.

Sadly, in the aftermath of Bob’s funeral, Jimmy will probably continue to eat fried chicken, cheeseburgers, pepperoni pizza, and other unhealthful foods during his life…at his church, sporting events, work and elsewhere. He will almost certainly continue to take prescription medications for the rest of his life. His doctor probably does not have the time or resources to offer to him a comprehensive dietary and lifestyle education and support program, which would give him the best possible chance for disease reversal or cure.

Unfortunately, this approach has not yet become a part of most medical education

programs, which instead focus on prescription drugs, surgery, and and other forms of technology that are only really useful after the damage has been done.

However, if Jimmy is lucky, he may stumble into a lifestyle medicine practice such as that of Jennifer Rooke, MD, in Atlanta, GA, or learn about a cutting edge coaching and telemonitoring system such as MyOwnCare. These “root cause” approaches were discussed in detail during my recent Funerals and Fried Chicken® Radio Show.

Practical advice for Jimmy was also specifically discussed during the show by both Dr. Rooke and by Chris Corbett of MyOwnCare, LLC: ccorbett@myowncare.com.

I am certain that the day will eventually come when our U.S. health care system will help people like Jimmy by mandating a plant-based whole foods approach to disease prevention and cure, but in the meantime, how many more Americans will suffer greatly and die early? It seems we are too proud as a medical profession to admit that the solution to our nation’s health woes is as simple as eating a lot more fruits and veggies and eating a lot less animal based and processed foods.

Any movement in the direction of eating more plant-based whole foods and less animal based foods will benefit your health and also help to preserve our planet.

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Black Leaders Have Sold Out

By Raynard Jackson NNPA COLUMNIST Once again the Black community has been shown how irrelevant they have become in the U.S. Most of the blame can be laid at the feet of the media appointed Black leadership for selling out their people. And we’ve gotten nothing in return.

At least Judas Iscariot had sense enough to get 30 pieces of silver when he sold out Jesus Christ.

Isn’t it amazing that with all the debate swirling around the issue of amnesty for the illegals in the U.S., no one on either side of the debate has engaged with the Black community? Blacks will be hurt the most by giving amnesty to these 11 million illegals and yet there has not been one town hall meeting with the Black community to discuss how this issue will negatively impact the Black community’s high unemployment rate.

The official Black unemployment rate was 13.3 percent in March, approximately double the White rate of 6.7 percent. If the White community had the same unemployment number as Blacks, it would be declared a national emergency and Congress would be having hearings all over the country to solve this problem.

So, why do liberal Black groups – the NAACP, the National Urban League, and the Congressional Black Caucus – put so much energy in support of homosexual marriage and amnesty for illegals? These groups acknowledge the unemployment rate in the Black community is at an epidemic level, but their solution is to increase competition for the few low and unskilled jobs, in which Blacks are disproportionately represented.

So the media trots out Ben Jealous, Marc Morial, Marcia Fudge, and Al Sharpton to provide political cover for a policy that will further devastate the Black community. These folks do not represent the Black community, they represent the Democratic Party. In most cases, the Black community’s interest is not the same as the Democratic Party’s interests. Jealous, Morial, Fudge, and Sharpton are more concerned with getting invited to a party so they can take a picture with Obama or Valerie Jarrett.

Why is it that these media appointed Blacks always take up other groups’ causes to the detriment of the people they claim to represent?

Where was the illegal Hispanic community on Trayvon Martin? Where was the homosexual community on apartheid in South Africa or the genocide in Rwanda? Where are the White women on repealing the “wet foot, dry foot policy” in Miami?

None of these groups have stood with Blacks on any of these issues, yet Blacks lose their minds to support them on the issues they care about— homosexual marriage, amnesty for illegals, and including women in affirmative action.

The rank-and-file in the Black community is totally against amnesty for illegals, marriage for homosexuals, etc. In fact, in a poll commissioned for BET Founder Robert L. Johnson, respondents were asked: “Do you believe Hispanic Americans will achieve greater economic growth than African Americans over the next 5 years?” More than half – 51 percent – replied yes, with only 19 percent saying no and 30 percent not sure.

Can somebody please explain to me how the media touts polls that say 65 percent of Americans support homosexual marriage, yet 30 states have laws on the books that define marriage as between a man and a woman? The math doesn’t add up. Even in the Bob Johnson poll, the Black community was split, with 42 percent saying marriage should be

restricted to a man and a woman. When asked if equal rights for gays are the same as equal rights for Blacks, 55 percent said no, 28 percent said yes and 17 percent were unsure.

So, to my many readers, don’t believe all the bogus polls about how America supports amnesty for these illegals—because they don’t.

Remember, these are the same polls that said the criminal background check bill would past the Senate last week.

So, as it was with the defeat of the criminal background check bill before the Senate last week, the amnesty bill submitted in the Senate will similarly be defeated. The liberal media and their appointed Black mouthpieces will be totally discredited upon the defeat of this amnesty bill.

These are some of the issues that the Republican Party can engage with the Black community on and win new allies in the fight to bring them into the party. I challenge GOP leaders to do a series of town hall meetings within the Black community on these issues of illegal immigration, homosexual marriage, and values in general.

Even within the Republican Party, there are varying positions on these issues, but the point of the town halls is to show that there are many opinions within the Black community on these issues. As I have often said, Republicans never engage the Black community even when they agree with the party on certain issues. As Reagan once told me, “my 80 percent friend is not my 20 percent enemy.”

If the Republican Party deals with some of these issues, then we might be able to say, “My 93 percent enemy can become my 20 percent friend.”

Raynard Jackson is president & CEO of Raynard Jackson & Associates, LLC., a Washington, D.C.-based public relations/government affairs firm.

He can be reached through his Web site, www.raynardjackson.com. You can also follow him on Twitter @raynard1223

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The Best Ab Exercise…EVER What is the best ab exercise? What’s the best way to tone every angle of your stomach, including your obliques?

It’s called…a plank. What is a plank? Quite simply, it’s an isometric exercise for the abs (where you perform one action, holding still for the entire duration of the move). You may be learning the plank exercise for the first time or you may already use it regularly in your workouts. But guess what? Most trainers consider the plank to be one of the most effective abs exercises.

Not only does it strengthen and firm your abs, but also works all the core muscles — the back, hips, etc.

Body Parts: Core E

quipment: Mat Reps: 1 Minute

HOW TO PERFORM THE MOVE Place hands on the floor, wrists or elbows aligned under shoulders, and extend legs back so your body is straight from head to heels.

Another version of this is a side plank (shown in photo), where the right hand is on the floor, aligned under shoulders, while the left arm rests on the thigh, the body is lifted off the floor, and the legs are stacked one on top of the other. Hold your position for 30 seconds to 1 minute. If performing the side plank, hold the position for 30 seconds, then switch to the other side (with the left hand on the floor, and the right arm resting on the thigh).

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State of Equality and Justice in America: It’s Time to Step it Up, We Have Not Arrived!

By Melanie L. Campbell Reflecting upon the past 50 years since the 1963 March on Washington we must pay homage to our civil rights leaders for their hard work, strength and endurance in the fight for equality and justice in America. Their unwavering commitment to The Movement made it possible for a Black man named Barack Hussein Obama to become President of the United States of America.

As I look at the state of equality and justice today, we are at a very critical moment in time.

Our elders have taken us this far. Some have transitioned on, others are continuing on the battle field for justice. Also, with all the progress over the past 50 years, some of us are under the misguided impression that we have arrived.

I feel compelled to appeal to my generation and today’s young leaders to make sure they understand: There is no more time, we must take the torch or the fire will die. It’s time to step it up and get busy.

The task before Black leaders today begins with making sure that those coming behind us understand that even though the Civil Rights Movement forced laws to change, it did not change the hearts and minds of all Americans. Some of those who want to retain their power and money are threatened by inclusion.

Our young people must understand that a small group of people are continuously plotting to create new ways to exclude entire communities. In 2013, new school activists must make sure our young people understand that racism and inequality may not always manifest itself in a white sheet or barking dog but the dogs are still biting. Inequality comes in many packages.

Back in the day people in power relied on slick tactics like Jim Crow Laws and Poll Taxes to hold us back. Today, it’s voter IDs and the “War on Drugs.” For example, a person with a non-violent drug conviction on their record is restricted in

educational opportunities as well as democratic participation. Broadband access will also help to lower health care costs and make quality medical care more accessible to the Black community.

Diversity strengthens our democracy. We must make sure employers don’t just talk about “diversity” and “women’s equality”, but also back up the talk through their hiring practices.

From the federal government to Wall Street to the corner store, we want to see Black women represented in top positions.

their ability to secure housing, financial aid for education, public assistance, jobs, and the right to vote.

What does the fight for equality and justice look like in 2013 and beyond?

In 2013 and beyond our fight is not just for access to education. We must make sure our schools are teaching critical thinking, promoting innovation, and preparing our youth for jobs in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). The U.S. Census Bureau’s 2009 American Community Survey reports that STEM workers earn more than other workers. Non-Hispanic Whites hold 72 percent of STEM jobs while only 6 percent of STEM jobs are held by NonHispanic Blacks.

In 1963 March organizers called for “Dignified Jobs.” In 2013 “Dignified Jobs” must provide good jobs with a livable wage. We must also unite to support our unions and workers’ rights.

Modern-day equality struggles include closing the digital divide. Access to high-speed broadband Internet will increase job and

The elimination of racial disparities in our criminal justice system is paramount. The U.S. has the highest incarceration rate in the world. Pew Charitable Trusts reports that the incarceration rate for Blacks is more than six times as high as the national average and over 60 percent of those incarcerated are racial and ethnic minorities.

In 2013 and beyond we will continue to lead the fight to eliminate barriers to civic participation fighting against restrictive voter ID laws, felon disenfranchisement and any other tactics created to block Black people from voting.

Finally, I must address our responsibility as a people to work harder to prepare our youth in this ongoing fight for justice and equality. We must encourage them to pursue STEM careers, teach them to be environmentally conscious, and help them understand the dire need to stop the violence in our neighborhoods. We must take the time to instill good moral values so they turn to each other and not on each other and our journey will not be in vain.

As we celebrate 50 years of progress, let’s thank our elders for their great fight by stepping it up because we have not arrived.

Melanie Campbell is president/CEO of the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation and convener of the Black Women’s Roundtable.

Eat This One Food & Live Forever?

Which food can help you live longer?

A Harvard School of Public Health study found that older people with high levels of omega-3 fatty acids in their blood lived about 2.2 years longer than people without the high levels of omega-3s. They also had 35% percent lower rates of heart disease.

“Our findings support the importance of adequate blood omega-3 levels for cardiovascular health,” says lead researcher Dariush Mozaffarian, associate professor in the Department of Epidemiology at Harvard.

Which types of seafood are the best for you? Experts say to focus on the types that are rich in protein and heart-healthy fatty acids, such as salmon, tuna, mackerel and trout.

An extra benefit? Seafood also helps reduce inflammation. Translation?

Potentially lower levels of depression and protection against Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.

“Eat the TRUTH and live forever.”

14 The AC Phoenix May 2013

A Pocket Prayer

By Sharon Tanner Writing is one of my Ministries and my passion. I have been blessed with this gift

by God since I was a child. I give him all the glory and praise! Whether it is a sad or a happy occasion or just life experiences; I try to reach out to people because everyone needs someone, sometimes. This is my belief and what I live by; “A Powerful Weapon against the Enemy is PRAYER, it changes things”.

I pray that these words will be a blessing to someone

May 2013 The AC Phoenix 15