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EGACY Yesterday. Today. Tomorrow.

WEDNESDAYS • Feb. 17, 2016

INSIDE

BHM video controversy in Henrico - 3 Talking about diversity in Hollywood - 11 Myth vs fact: the dollar’s lifespan - 12 Taking sides: Bernie vs Clinton - 14

Richmond & Hampton Roads

Death of a SCOTUS justice

LEGACYNEWSPAPER.COM • FREE

Ramona Brant’s story as told to HONY

Ramona Brant, right, hugs her niece Ebony Brant, 28, as she walked out of Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn this month.

A life impacted Mandatory prison sentence examined

After 21 years behind bars, Ramona Brant was one of 94 federal inmates granted clemency by President Obama back in December. This month, she officially walked out of the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, New York. Met by a group of family and friends, Brant admitted she had a bit of trouble taking it all in.

“It’s surreal. I was wondering if it was real. I was waiting for somebody to say, ‘Come back, where are you going?’ I’m used to being touched and held as I walk through those very doors. So to be able to walk out the gate and be free and not be handcuffed, it’s a great moment,” she told Fusion.

Brant was convicted of conspiracy to sell cocaine in and identified as a part of a Charlotte, North

‘

Carolina drug ring operation. She was sentenced to life without parole after attempting to tell authorities that she was acting under the influence of an abusive drug dealer boyfriend. Upon his announcement of his pardons, Obama declared that Brant and the other inmates whose sentences were commuted had “had served their debt to society,” noting that clemency for them was “another step forward in upholding our fundamental ideals of justice and fairness,” according to The New York Times. Asked where she wanted her first stop out of jail to be, Brant wanted a meal with her family.

“I want to go to IHOP. A lot of my nieces and nephews that are here right now, I’ve never held them. So today I will be able to sit down and

(continued on page 4)

I met Donald when I was twenty-six. He pursued me relentlessly. He’d call me every day. He’d invite me to come to the Bahamas with him. He’d buy me all kinds of things. He would even loan me his vintage corvette for the weekend. I was just starting out in life. I wasn’t used to all that attention. He had his own landscaping company-- with his own building and everything. He wooed my whole family. Even my mother liked him, and she isn’t easily persuaded. So I fell for him. The abuse didn’t start until I was pregnant with our first child. We were lying in bed one night and he asked me to get him a glass of water. When I told him ‘no,’ he punched me in the face. He said: ‘When I ask you to do something, I expect you to do it.’

I tried to leave right away. I ran back to my family in New York. But he followed me and begged me to forgive him. He said he didn’t want our child to grow up without a father.

One day I walked into Donald’s office and saw him handing off a package of cocaine. I turned around and left immediately. He came out later and told me that he was just doing it to get his business off the ground. He said he needed to raise $25,000 to cover expenses. I was naive at that point.

I even called my mother and asked her to help arrange a small business loan. But Donald started dealing more and more. He kept it from me. He started running a lot of errands. He started taking trips twice a month.

The day I went into labor with our first child, he dropped me off at the hospital and went to park the car. He didn’t come back until the next day.

The abuse got worse and worse. He’d throw water on me. He’d burn me with a lighter. When I was pregnant with our second child, Donald hit me in the head with a telephone. After I got to prison, we watched a movie one night about Tina Turner, called ‘What’s Love Got To Do With It?’ There’s this one scene where Ike is dragging Tina down the hallway by her hair, and her sons are watching the whole thing and crying. I couldn’t believe it.

I felt like I was watching a movie about my life.

One night it got so bad that I got a gun and pointed it at him. I didn’t know how to use it. I didn’t even know if the safety was on. My son walked into the room at the time and tried to stand between us. Donald jumped over him, grabbed the gun, and pistol-whipped me. After that I tried to run away again. While Donald was taking flying lessons, I packed everything into a U-Haul and drove away so fast that the trailer came apart on the highway. When Donald discovered I was gone, he sent some goons to my brother’s house and beat him up in front of his entire family. When they finished beating him, they told him that my mother was next. So I went back. After that Donald didn’t trust me anymore. He made me start traveling with him. He didn’t give me a choice. He’d say: ‘Pack your bags.

We’ve got business.’ He involved me with everything. He made me stand there while he dealt the drugs. He made me call people and relay messages for him. He had me make deliveries. I did everything he told me to.

When Donald finally got caught, they offered him a plea deal so I wouldn’t have to go to jail. But he refused it. He told my cousin: ‘If I can’t have her, nobody will.’ They arrested me at the courthouse on the same day Donald refused his deal. The public defender told me to sign a plea bargain.

He told me no jail time. But at the sentencing, I heard the judge mention jail and I panicked. When the judge asked me if I’d been promised anything in exchange for the deal, I said: ‘Yes!’ The prosecutor was so mad. She thought I made her look bad. She pushed for a life sentence at trial. The jury never heard about the abuse. They only heard about the drugs. They didn’t realize that the true victims were me, my children, and my brother.

I’ve been in prison for twenty years now. But this has a happy ending. And I swear, when I agreed to this interview, I didn’t even know this yet. But President Obama just granted me clemency. And I’m going home.

2 • Feb. 17, 2016

The LEGACY

News

“Senator McConnell’s pre-emptive statement that he will try to block any nominee of President Obama to the Supreme Court - no matter how qualified is a perversion of the very notion of justice. Surely the American public is entitled to a Senate that will

examine a nominee on his or her own merits. I urge the President to nominate a successor to Justice Scalia of stellar qualification and integrity. And I urge the Senate to consider any such nominee fairly.” - U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va.

Death in the SCOTUS causes upheaval The U.S. Senate should not act to fill the sudden Supreme Court vacancy opened up by the death of Justice Antonin Scalia until after President Barack Obama departs office, Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said in a statement Saturday.

“The American people should have a voice in the selection of the next Supreme Court justice. Therefore, this vacancy should not be filled until we have a new president,” McConnell said.

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, as well as current Republican presidential candidates and Sens.

Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz, also came out of the gate opposing confirmation of a final Obama Supreme Court nominee.

The Republican majority in the Senate gives the party leverage for a battle with Obama over a new Supreme Court nomination, but would not be without risks. Any nominee would need 60 affirmative votes on cloture to proceed to final confirmation, meaning that Obama would be under pressure to choose a more moderate versus liberal justice in order to win the at least 14 Republicans he would need to support his nominee.

That pressure would vanish if Republicans cannot retake the White House in 2016 or hold their majority in the Senate. Many Republicans in D.C. are skeptical that the party will be able to do either, especially if Donald J. Trump or Ted Cruz win the GOP presidential nomination.

These establishment Republicans have seen evidence that Trump or Cruz would create a drag on races

lower down the ballot, such as the Senate races in November, and are worried Republicans could lose the Senate.

Republicans currently hold the Senate majority with 54 members, but 24 of those seats are being contested this year — including seven in states where Obama won twice.

If Republicans wait and Democrats win the White House and regain the Senate majority, a hypothetical President Hillary Clinton, for example, would have greater leeway to select a more liberal justice than Obama might have submitted.

But the politics could also work in Republicans’ favor, as mobilization for a Supreme Court nomination by a Republican president could cause conservative voter turnout to spike in 2016, helping candidates across the board. Democrats, of course, would similarly seek to boost turnout and support based on the nomination fight (or lack thereof).

There is precedent for the Senate to act in a presidential year on

a confirmation. Justice Anthony Kennedy was chosen by Republican President Ronald Reagan and confirmed by a Democratic Senate on February 3, 1988 — also the last year of a lame-duck presidency.

But SCOTUSBlog’s Tom Goldstein does not see a scenario in which Senate Republicans will change their minds.

“Theoretically, that process could conclude before the November election. But realistically, it cannot absent essentially a consensus nominee — and probably not even then, given the stakes,” he wrote. “A Democratic president would replace a leading conservative vote on a closely divided court. The Republican Senate will not permit such a consequential nomination — which would radically shift the balance of ideological power on the court — to go forward.”

Democrats, of course, do not see it that way, but without the Senate majority, there’s little they can do but highlight what they believe is political negligence and then campaign on that. Senate Minority

Leader Harry Reid called on Obama to send a nominee to the Senate, and Obama said Saturday night he would, indeed, nominate someone.

The top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, Patrick Leahy, released a statement mourning Scalia and calling on Republicans to work with Democrats to replace him swiftly because failing to do so would weaken democracy “for partisan reasons.”

“I hope that no one will use this sad news to suggest that the president or the Senate should not perform its constitutional duty,” Leahy said.

“The American people deserve to have a fully functioning Supreme Court. The Supreme Court of the United States is too important to our democracy for it to be understaffed for partisan reasons. It is only February. The president and the Senate should get to work without delay to nominate, consider and confirm the next justice to serve on the Supreme Court.”

(continued on page 17)

www.LEGACYnewspaper.com

Feb. 17, 2016 • 3

BHM controversy over ‘racist’ video hits HCPS The showing of a video for Black History Month has sparked a big debate in the community at one Henrico County high school.

The animated video, which was presented by a VCU graduate to the entire student body of Glen Allen High School, showed men and women -- both black and white -- running a race through American history.

The black students get a late start and face numerousobstacles throughout the race. Meanwhile, the white male gets older and passes his riches from generation to generation.

At the end, the white male easily wins the race with the while female placing second. The black competitors finish last.

One mother, whose child attends Glen Allen High, told 8News she is outraged, claiming the clip is divisive and racist. Another mom told us she felt the video was age appropriate and could spark a meaningful discussion about race.

Kenny Manning, a student at Glen Allen High, said the video was an eyeful.

“A lot of people thought it was

A screenshot from the video. offensive to white people and made them feel bad about being privileged,” Manning said in televised interviews. “Others thought that it was good to get the information out there. There is oppression going on in the world, and it that needs to be looked at with a magnifying glass, I guess.”

Manning said he was offended by the video, but doesn’t think it was harmful to the student body.

“I feel like our student body gets

along pretty well; there are virtually no fight at Glen Allen High School, and that’s something we should all be proud of,” he said. “There’s definitely no racially-motivated things that happen.”

Henrico County Public Schools issued a statement last week saying the matter continues to be under review internally after first coming to the attention of school division leadership on the evening of Feb. 4.

“While we as educators do not

object to difficult and constructive conversations about American history and racial discourse past and present, we understand why many people feel this video in particular was not the best way to deliver such an important lesson,” said Superintendent Pat Kinlaw.

A portion of the video, titled, “Structural Discrimination: The Unequal Opportunity Race” was one part of a larger presentation that included topics such as racism, equality and honoring diversity.

School division leaders have received numerous emails and phone calls objecting to the video.

“The school division has heard the feedback from our community loud and clear, and we will take additional measures as needed to review instructional material on an ongoing basis,” said Kinlaw.

“In our community, while we do encourage open and frank discussions, perpetuating a racial divide, stereotypes or exclusion of any kind is not acceptable,” said School Board Chair Micky Ogburn.

4 • Feb. 17, 2016

The LEGACY

Va. begins testing long-ignored sex assault evidence kits

The wheels of justice often turn of sexual assault,” said Attorney slowly — for some sexual assault General Mark Herring, “It’s really victims in Virginia, the wheels important that all of these kits get ain St. #4 (mailing) • 105 1/2 E. Clay St. (office) stopped completely. tested.”

Richmond, VA 23219 Now, however, Virginia is finally In September, Herring secured a -644-1550 (fax) beginning to(office) process•a1-800-783-8062 backlog of $1.4 million grant to have a private ads@legacynewspaper.com more than 2,000 physical evidence lab, Lorton-based Bode Cellmark — or PERKs —X which drecovery Size: 7.15kits inches (1 column(s) 7.15 inches)Forensics, process the backlogged have remained on the shelves of local kits. The lab will work in conjunction 1 Issueagencies.

- $100.10Some law enforcement with Virginia’s Department of per column inch untested Rate: kits $17 across the state date Forensic Services, which has for Discounted rate: $14 per column inch back to 1988. years struggled to keep up with its “TheseNext kits run contain evidence workload. date: Feb. 17

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What is a rape kit?

You may have heard the term “rape kit” to refer to a sexual assault forensic exam. The term rape kit actually refers to the kit itself—a container that includes a checklist, materials, and instructions, along with envelopes and containers to package any specimens collected during the exam. A rape kit may also be referred to as a Sexual Assault Evidence Kit (SAEK).

The contents of the kit vary by state and jurisdiction and may include: Bags and paper sheets for evidence collection Comb Documentation forms Envelopes Instructions Materials for blood samples Swabs Courtesy: RAINN

“The results will be entered into a DNA database, and it can really help us identify additional crimes that might have been committed by known perpetrators,” and can also link cases in which police don’t have a suspect’s name to pair with recovered DNA evidence, said Herring.

Fairfax County and Virginia Beach are the first two jurisdictions to provide their untested kits to Bode Cellmark, since the larger jurisdictions have the most untested kits. Eventually, kits from 65 law enforcement agencies will be tested.

Herring said agencies would be notified of any matches within sixeight weeks.

“No victim of sexual assault should have to feel like their attacker is still out there, who could attack them again, or attack someone else,” said Herring. “Testing these kits is so important to help identify predators and to make connections between unsolved crimes, but it’s also really important to show survivors that the commonwealth stands with them.”

(from page 1) life in prison without parole — for have a meal with them for the first time in their life and my life of 21 years.”

Brant has been ordered to live in a halfway house in Charlotte for two months, and plans to become an advocate for other imprisoned women once she is back into society.

“There’s so many women, so many women that are locked up inside that I think society is not aware of.

They need to be given the attention, given the stage, and let their stories be told,” she said. “Most of us were incarcerated because of a man… I’m not saying that all men are horrible, it’s just a mere fact.”

Her sons, Dwight, 25, and DaJon, 24, live in Charlotte. They were 4 and 3 years old, respectively, when she went to prison. Now each has a grandchild of hers she couldn’t wait to spoil.

In 1995, she and her thenboyfriend Donald Ray Barber, whom authorities labeled a drug kingpin, received the maximum penalty —

conspiring to move at least $37 million worth of crack and cocaine powder into Charlotte between 1988 and 1993, The Charlotte Observer reported.

More than 20 years later, Brant would tell the California proclemency group CAN-DO: “I never thought that by traveling with my children’s father during his drug buys or answering the phone and conveying a message would land me in prison for the rest of my life.”

Her attorney, Jason D. Cassel, of Longview, Texas, said in December that Brant had no prior criminal history and was in an abusive relationship. He said the judge who sentenced her was “frustrated that he had to impose a life sentence because of the sentencing guideline.”

Those guidelines are no longer mandatory, with federal judges having more discretion, Cassel said.

Last June, the lawyer filed a clemency petition at the request of the National Clearinghouse for the Defense of Battered Women.

www.LEGACYnewspaper.com

Feb. 17, 2016 • 5

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6 • Feb. 17, 2016

Op/Ed & Letters

The LEGACY

In it to win it - head Hilary, heart Bernie JULIANNE MALVEAUX I am looking forward to Nov. 8, 2016, and to voting for Hilary Rodham Clinton to lead these United States. I am so extremely excited that a woman of character, experience, and discernment can lead our nation. Even as I look forward to the November vote, I am fully enjoying the path to November.

Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders has provided tone and texture to this race. He has forced Clinton to hone her positions on health care, Wall Street and income inequality. He came so amazingly close to toppling her in Iowa and toppled her in New Hampshire that it gave me Post Dramatic Stress Syndrome. She didn’t make my drama hers, though.

She has managed, with stoic dignity, to stake her claim for this presidency.

My head is with Clinton, but my heart is with Sanders. I realize that he has promised everything and hasn’t shared how he might pay for much of it -- free tuition, universal health care, or Wall Street reform.

Still, his energetic bluster has been a galvanizing factor in a race that might otherwise have been seen as a cakewalk or a coronation. Hilary needs to be pushed as hard as Senator Sanders can push her. And even though Sanders says he does not care about her “damn emails”, the email conversation has to remind Clinton that she has to figure out ways to restore trust among those who support her positions but look askance at the ways she has been too frequently presented.

There is an element of sexism in The LEGACY NEWSPAPER Vol. 2 No. 7 Mailing Address 409 E. Main Street 4 Office Address 105 1/2 E. Clay St. Richmond, VA 23219 Call 804-644-1550 Online www.legacynewspaper.com

this. Hilary Clinton has been on the national stage for several decades, from the time when her husband, was elected governor of Arkansas in the 1980s. As first lady, she had to juggle her smarts and her secondary role, blundering as she tried to offer clarity around health care, soaring as she provided rhetorical leadership on women and children’s issues.

And since the Clintons left the White House, she has been nimble and focused as a senator, managing to make friends in both political parties, and managing to provide solid international leadership as secretary of state. Were she a man, would she be judged as harshly because some find her “unlikeable”?

Would her every facial expression be parsed? Would opponents feel free to comment on her marital business?

Thrice-married Donald Trump has spoken of Bill Clinton’s fidelity, but it is documented that he was a big time philanderer. Carly Fiorina says The LEGACY welcomes all signed letters and all respectful opinions.

Letter writers and columnists opinions are their own and endorsements of their views by The LEGACY should be inferred. The LEGACY assumes no responsibility for unsolicited material.

Annual Subscription Rates Virginia - $50 U.S. states - $75 Outside U.S.- $100 The Virginia Legacy © 2015

she would have left her husband if he’d cheated like Bill, but we don’t know that, do we? What we know is that Hilary’s gender is a doubleedged sword. I cringe whenever she says, “I am woman”, or “the only woman”, or some reference to her clear self-evident gender. But I also cringe when the gender-bashers seem incapable of interpreting her words and her work fairly.

That’s not why I’ll vote for Hilary, though. I’ll vote for her because she is a center-left moderate (Sanders is not in charge of who gets to be a progressive, and I really don’t care as much about labels as about outcomes) who will pragmatically work toward social and economic justice. She isn’t perfect and may, indeed, be fundamentally flawed (as most politicians are), but she has been a consistent advocate for the least and the left out – for children and for elders. Is she weak on Wall Street reform? Absolutely. But as Bernie Sanders pushes her, she gets stronger.

A year ago, many predicted this race as a dynastic smack down, with Jeb Bush and Hilary Clinton winning primaries toe-to-toe. Who would have thought that an unhinged demagogue, Trump, would suck much of the air out of the Republican space, leaving babbling bumblers to confuse adhominum ignorance with issues? The collective performance of the Republican team could not equal that of either Sanders or Clinton, but those R’s keep slogging on. To what end? Do we really want a

president who will trash talk Putin, Mexico and the United Nations? Do we want sons of immigrants who do vilely disrespect their ancestors that they’d offer punitive possibilities for citizenship?

I’m not really torn between my head and my heart. I’m simply enjoying the excitement of Sanders, and the way he has galvanized young people, especially, to become politically engaged. I am hoping that his commitment to the process is such that he will encourage his supporters to remain involved, even after Hilary wins the Democratic Party nomination. And I’m sad that a woman who might knock it out of the park can also be kicked to the curb if this campaign becomes corrosive.

Congressman Stephanie Tubbs Jones was a sorority sister (Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, of course), and a fierce legislator. She stuck

by Clinton in 2008 even after thenSen. Barack Obama entered the presidential race and earned the endorsement and support of many “mainstream” African Americans.

Tubbs Jones and Clinton had “heart” with each other. As a woman, Clinton can’t out shout Sanders without appearing shrill. She can’t out-snide him without appearing *itchy. But she can out heart him if she channels Tubbs Jones’s energy.

Tubbs Jones was in it to win it.

Malveaux is an author, economist and founder of Economic Education.

Her latest book is “Are We Better Off? Race, Obama and Public Policy”.

www.LEGACYnewspaper.com

Feb. 17, 2016 • 7

P.T. Hoffsteader, Esq.

Significant debate

In recent days, actress Stacey Dash, a FOX News personality, and several other “celebrity” types have been in the news for saying there is no need to have a Black History Month anymore. All of this reminds me of the Morgan Freeman, “60 Minutes” interview, Dec. 18, 2005, where he expressed the same sentiment, calling for an end to Black History Month celebrations, saying it was too divisive and no longer needed.

I respectfully disagree with both of them and others who express this opinion. While things have greatly improved over my lifetime (75 years) quite substantively and mostly for the betterment of all Americans, I would caution that “we” have not yet fully arrived socially, economically and politically, and there is still work to be done.

Furthermore, Black History Month is not just a month of history. Its “lessons” can reverberate throughout the year – and beyond. For me, its lessons have lasted a lifetime.

Through reading, writing, lecturing and researching, I have discovered how much black people have done and accomplished, not only in the U.S. and Africa, but around the world.

Black History Month is a lifelong journey for me. It empowers me to find the strength to reach out again and again – not just in February, but throughout the year.

Therefore, please allow me to explain and expand upon my reasons for saying that Black History Month is still necessary. It showcases and highlights certain significant and profound aspects of African Americans. It helps to instill pride, dignity, awareness and understanding among AfricanAmerican people and other people

whom African Americans must relate to and interact with in everyday life.

Black History Month dramatizes and tells the story of where African Americans have been, of where they are now, and hopefully, of where they will be in the future. It affords us an opportunity to reflect back over our pre-American existence and learn about the great African empires of Mali, Songhay, Old Ghana, KanemBornu, Benin, Kush and others. It informs us of the early Africans who accompanied the European discovers and explorers to the New World in the 15th and 16th centuries. It tells us of the 20 Africans who landed in Virginia in August 1619.

During Black History Month, we learn about the many accomplishments and contributions of Crispus Attucks, Phillis Wheatley, Richard Allen, Prince Hall, Peter Salem, Harriet Tubman, Frederick Douglass, Sojourner Truth, James Derham, John S. Rock, Henry Highland Garnet, and others, during the 18th and 19th centuries.

Black History Month teaches us about the 5,000 slaves and free blacks who served in the Continental Army and Navy between 1776 and 1781, enabling America to gain her independence. Further, we learn about the black cowboys, frontiersmen and “Buffalo Soldiers” who helped to pioneer and settle the Old West during the 1800s.

Black History Month allows us to revisit and experience the times, trials and triumphs of Booker T. Washington, W.E.B. Dubois, Marcus Garvey, Walter F. White, Mary McLeod Bethune, Paul Robeson, Ralph Bunche, A. Philip Randolph, Rosa Parks, Malcolm X, Martin Luther King, Jr., Whitney Young, Jr., Roy Wilkins, Shirley Chisholm,

Coretta Scott King, and other names forever enshrined in history.

Moreover, Black History Month introduces us to the hundreds and thousands of African-American athletes, musicians, dancers, writers, composers, architects, inventors, lawyers, educators, politicians, civil rights activists, preachers, entrepreneurs, actors, media personalities, government officials, and important others, who have made significant and lasting contributions to all mankind.

Although it is generally understood that Black History Month encompasses only a general outline or brief overview of African Americans and their history, it is felt, nonetheless, that Black History Month is the mudsill and foundation upon which a more profound, lasting and meaningful relationship and experience can be built.

Black History Month is the grassroots level; it is the candle which refuses to curse the darkness; it is the flickering spark which will help to light the eternal flame of brotherhood and human understanding.

Accordingly, Black History Month serves a good and honest and just purpose. It is one of the most effective and significant means by which a beautiful and noble people have to express and share themselves with others. It is a vehicle of heritage, culture and pride on a journey of love, understanding and acceptance. As such, there will always be a time, a place and a need for Black History Month.

Yes, Black History Month is (still) necessary.

John Horton

Not for Communism Slavery is denounced in no

uncertain terms and rightly so. But, many who condemn the version of slavery that was in effect prior to the 13th Amendment wholeheartedly support slavery in the present-day version.

Communism is slavery in its most virulent form. It affects people of all races, ages and socio economic levels.

It has been imposed at the cost of the lives of 100 million people who have been worked, starved and tortured to death. Once imposed it is a binding situation with little hope of relief.

What about, “Communism is dead now.” Really? What about the millions under its control in China and elsewhere? Or “There is no communism in America.” The official we page of the Communist Party USA exists if you look for it.

The 10 ‘planks’ stated in the ‘Communist Manifesto,’ their blueprint for the takeover of a country: 1. Abolition of private property.

2. A heavy graduated income tax.

3. Abolition of all rights of inheritance.

4. Confiscation of the property of all emigrants and rebels.

5. Centralization of credit in the hands of the state, by means of a national bank 6. Centralization of the means of communications and transportation in the hands of the state.

7.Factories and all means of production owned by the state.

8. Equal liability of all to labor.

9. Abolition of the distinction between town and country, by a more equitable distribution of population over the country.

10. Free education for all children in public schools.

Sue Long

The LEGACY

8 • Feb. 17 , 2016

Faith & Religion

Religious freedom or license to discriminate?

A Virginia House panel last week advanced a bill that — because of a last-minute addition — would allow any person or organization to discriminate against someone for having extramarital sex.

The bill would also prohibit state agencies from punishing discrimination against people who are transgender or who are in samesex marriages. The provision about sex outside of marriage was added minutes before lawmakers voted.

The legislation advanced 13 to 7 in

the GOP-controlled committee, with members voting along party lines, except Del. Joseph R. Yost (R-Giles), who voted no. It is headed for likely passage by the full House next week.

Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D) has said he would veto the bill if it reaches his desk.

Supporters — including the bill’s sponsor, Del. C. Todd Gilbert (R-Shenandoah) — say the measure anticipates that people with religious convictions could be punished for those beliefs as acceptance of lesbian,

gay, bisexual and transgender individuals becomes the norm across the United States. Donors to nonprofit organizations such as Catholic Charities worry that their contributions may no longer be taxdeductible or that a religious charity could lose a government grant, Gilbert said.

The provision protecting those who believe “sexual relations are properly reserved to” a marriage between one man and one woman was added at the request of the Family Foundation

of Virginia, which helped draft the bill.

Opponents call the bill a “dangerously broad” license to discriminate that goes beyond high-profile cases of bakers who don’t want to make cakes for gay weddings. For example, the bill could block the state from pulling funding from religious schools that deny admission to children of gay parents or prevent a city from revoking a license from a hotel that won’t accept unmarried guests, they say.

W&M religion professor’s slave trade photos on exhibit Union Presbyterian Seminary is hosting a free exhibit and gallery talk exploring the history of the transatlantic slave trade, its resounding effects on Africans in the Americas, and its representation in literature and the humanities. The exhibit, “African Odyssey”, features photographs taken by Dr. Joanne M. Braxton, director of the College of William & Mary's Middle Passage Project and its 1619 Initiative, during a visit to Ghana, Ivory Coast, and Senegal.

“I took the photos to support my written notes when I would later sit down to write a play about the survival of African people in the New World,” said Braxton. “And when I saw the pictures, I realized that they tell a story, a very personal story that explores the problem of memory in a way that I had neither anticipated nor expected. I want to share that story through the collection of photographs and handlettered captions that I now call African Odyssey.”

The exhibit, open through April 12, is displayed at the seminary’s William Smith Morton Library and open to the public for viewing.

Meanwhile, Braxton will present a free gallery talk about the exhibit in the library’s reserve reading room

March 29 at 3 p.m.

“This exhibit raises timely ethical and theological questions related to conversations about race and justice in today’s America,” said library director Christopher Richardson.

“Union welcomes the opportunity to engage in those important conversations.”

Braxton, an ordained minister with full standing in the Southern Conference of the United Church of Christ, is also 2016-17 David M. Larson Fellow in Spirituality and Health at the John W. Kluge Center at the United States Library of Congress, appointed by the Librarian of Congress. She is one of the authors of the United Church of Christ online “Honoring the Body” curriculum.

A recognized scholarly authority on Black Atlantic literature and culture, Dr. Braxton holds a Ph.D. in American Studies from Yale University, the M.T.S. from Pacific School of Religion and the M.Div. from Samuel DeWitt Proctor School of Theology at Virginia Union University. She is the author or editor of several books, including “The Collected Poetry of Paul Laurence Dunbar” (1993), “Black Female Sexualities" (2015), “Black Women Writing Autobiography: A Tradition Within a Tradition” (1989),

Sample photo from the exhibit.

“Wild Women in the Whirlwind: the Contemporary Renaissance in AfraAmerican Literature and Culture” (1989) and “Monuments of the Black Atlantic: Slavery and Memory” (2004). She is also the author of “On Making and Keeping Rituals of Remembrance,” which offers further insight on the creation of the African Odyssey exhibit.

Braxton has been a visiting lecturer at Starr King School for the Ministry, Brite Divinity School and Eastern Virginia Medical School, among

others. Her awards include the State Council of Higher Education in Virginia's Outstanding Educator Award and a 2002 Oni Award from the International Black Women's Congress “for uncompromising commitment to uplifting the lives of African people.” She is an elected member of the Society for the Study of Black Religion and serves as president of the Braxton Institute for Human Sustainability, Resiliency and Joy, a non-profit ministry of teaching and healing.

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Feb. 17, 2016 • 9

LEADERSHIP can happen anywhere From all across Virginia and all walks of life, these AfricanAmerican leaders made a difference wherever they found themselves. Wherever their lives took them — into law offices, schools, the halls of government, football stadiums, even

the mailrooms of the U.S. Postal Service — each honoree has helped make the world a better place for the next generation. Dominion and the Library of Virginia are proud to honor the 2016 Strong Men & Women in Virginia History.

Hampton, 2000

Norfolk, 2009

Richmond, 2010

Richmond, 2009

MAMIE E VELYN LOCKE

LEROY ROUNTREE HA SSELL , SR.*

MICHAEL ROBINSON

MELODY C. BARNE S

L EGISL ATOR

CHIEF JUS T ICE

FOOT B AL L PL AY ER, MEN TOR

The first African-American woman elected mayor of her adopted hometown and the third elected to the Senate of Virginia, she works to improve the lives of her constituents.

He mentors future lawyers at Regent University after serving as the Virginia Supreme Court’s first African-American chief justice and advocating for greater access to legal services for all Virginians.

He establishes the Excel to Excellence Foundation in his hometown to help disadvantaged children, after excelling himself in professional sports and media.

AT TORNE Y

She is tapped by President Barack Obama to direct national domestic policy, overseeing reforms in education and healthcare that benefit all Americans.

Richmond, 2009

Roanoke, 1942

Richmond, 1972

Lynchburg, 1913

CL AUDE GR ANDFORD PERKINS

CL ARENCE M. DUNNAVILLE, JR.

THOMA S C ANNON, SR.*

ANNE BE THEL SPENCER *

EDUC ATOR

AT TORNE Y

PHIL AN T HROPIS T

The first African-American superintendent of schools in Clark County, Nevada, Perkins is a longtime educator in Virginia. As president of Virginia Union University, he oversaw $30 million in campus improvements and a nearly 50 percent increase in the school’s endowment.

He dedicates himself to the fight for civil rights after the Ku Klux Klan burns a cross at his family’s home when he’s only 9; he goes on to help oppressed populations throughout the South.

Living simply on a postal worker’s salary, he sets an amazing example during his lifetime by giving away more than $156,000 to fellow Virginians experiencing hardship or who demonstrated heroism or generosity.

The Strong Men & Women in Virginia History program is sponsored by Dominion and the Library of Virginia to honor the contributions of influential African-American leaders. The program also helps prepare future leaders by providing student scholarships and grants, as well as resource materials for schools. To learn more about the program, its honorees, and available resource materials, visit lva.virginia.gov/smw. * honored posthumously

POE T

She helps establish the local branch of the NAACP in Lynchburg and as a poet of the Harlem Renaissance assists fellow artists in finding their voices.

10 • Feb. 17, 2016

The LEGACY

‘Deadpool’ crushes rated R record with $135 m DWIGHT BROWN NNPA - “I’m super, but I’m not a superhero,” clarifies Deadpool, a petulant mutate.

Yes, he has mighty powers, but no pretense about being a nice guy.

If there is ever an Avengers Hall of Fame, he’ll never get there; they wouldn’t even let him clean the latrines.

If an Avenger ever makes it on to the front of a Wheaties box, it won’t be him. But he’s OK with that. He’s

OK with being in his own skin, even though it’s a disfigured mess. If you’re looking for an unconventional protagonist, with a potty mouth and devilish mind, fly to the theaters to see ‘Deadpool’, which opened in theaters on Feb. 12 and promptly crushed the rated R record with a $135 million opening weekend.

Marvel Comics originated the snarky character, concocted by writer Fabian Nicieza and artist/writer Rob Liefeld, in 1991. He appeared in the series The New Mutants. Back then

Ask Alma

Dear Alma, I was married for 12 years.

I raised our son and his twin daughters from his first marriage.

When we separated and divorced I was heartbroken. But all the children remained with me. They are adults now, all finished college, married with children and living wonderful lives of their own.

I’ve never remarried. Recently after all these years my ex-husband married a very young woman. It works well for the local political life in which he lives. He has a highranking position with the city and is constantly busy and on the go.

Because of his career, I’ve always remained close to his mother, who is in her late 80s, a widow, who raised her only son and everyone else on the block. She’s the nicest woman you could ever meet and has helped single mothers in our area with childcare for years. I lost my mother when I was young, so I’ve really enjoyed the bond that we share. She recently told me that, “I’ll always be her daughter-in-law (DIL) no matter what.” I’ve always shopped, cooked her meals and taken her to her doctor appointments, but I understand this has to stop. My ex and his new wife should take care of her now, although I don’t see that happening. My problem is, now that my ex is remarried, I want to step out of the way when it comes to my mother-in-law (MIL).

How do I get them to recognize their responsibility to step up and

Deadpool, the petulant mutate.

start taking care of his mother?

Robin Dear Robin, I hear you Robin, but I don’t believe you. You don’t wanna let go, nor should you. You love your MIL like you would your birth mother, and that’s fantastic. What a blessing you two are for one another. Sadly, your marriage didn’t last but your obligation to family remains unmovable. Maintaining your role as a stepmother and DIL was not an easy task, I’m sure. There’s a reason you did and it’s bigger than you and your ex-husband.

Listen, the truth of the matter is the new DIL is not interested in caring for her MIL or she would have stepped up or paid someone to do it by now. In the same breathe, your ex couldn’t find his mother in the forest for the trees and that ain’t gonna change any time soon. ***** Want advice? E-mail questions to alwaysaskalma@yahoo.com.Follow her on Facebook at “Ask Alma” and twitter @almaaskalma *****

he was a mean, villainous bastard.

He’s come a long way. Now he’s an unstable mercenary with no direction in life.

Screenwriters Rhett Reese & Paul Wernick, who made a name for themselves with their first feature collaboration Zombieland, can take a big bow. Few scribes could write the edgy, sour, filthy, graphic, rapid-fire dialogue that so consistently spews out of Deadpool’s mouth like sewage into a drain. Their words carry this movie along for 108 minutes.

Ryan Reynolds can take credit for turning their writing into biting satire that he hurls like a dagger. And director Tim Miller, an animator, creative director and visual effects artist, who marks his feature film debut, orchestrates the madness like a wizard on hallucinogens and crystal meth.

The film opens with a still motion, multidimensional scene that appears to be a car crash in progress. Bullets are flying, men are being thrown out of windows, and someone is biting another man’s underwear. It’s a visually stunning and ingenious sight. You watch aghast and know at some point this stagnant moment will go into high gear. It does.

There’s a backstory, which is told in bits, pieces and flashbacks, never intrusively or in an indiscernible way: Wade Wilson (Reynolds) is a

former Special Forces operative.

He becomes a mercenary content to do small, petty acts of revenge, like intimidating a pizza delivery boy who demeaned a high school girl. He is a complete loner until he meets a sexy, cynical stripper named Vanessa (Morena Baccarin).

Lust fuels their sarcastic barbs.

He has met his match. They go home and have mad, freaky sex, like Kanye West and Amber Rose; only Vanessa doesn’t tattle. All is well until Wade comes down with a major illness and seeks the help of unorthodox scientists for a cure.

One such character, Ajax, promises Wade immortality, through a risky experiment, but nearly tortures him to death in the process. Wade survives, endowed with an incredible power to accelerate his healing process. The downside is he is scarred severely, head to toe, making him look like a chiseled, muscled mass of walking vomit. So why is Wade in the middle of a car crash at the beginning of the film? He’s on the road to revenge and this is merely a way station. A key device in the Deadpool comic book series has Wade breaking the fourth wall and talking to the reader. It’s a technique that is responsibly carried through to this film; it never becomes an annoying sideshow distraction like in the Oscar-nominated film The Big Short.

www.LEGACYnewspaper.com

Feb. 17, 2016 • 11

Celebrities talk diversity at Image Awards AMEN OYIBOKE The 47th annual NAACP Image Awards was a hit at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium in Pasadena, Calif., as entertainers, most of them black, showed their support for one another and the show, while some expressed concerns over the lack of diversity in other major award shows like the Academy Awards.

“I think it’s very unfortunate that we are not included more often in the Oscars. Whether to boycott it or not that’s up to each individual’s discretion,” said Andra Fuller, star of TV One’s “Here We Go Again.” “The boycott will bring awareness. If you want us to be at your award shows, then recognize us.”

The Image Awards honor the achievements of African Americans in television, music, literature and film. ABC’s “black-ish” star Anthony Anderson hosted the show, opening with a “Straight Outta Compton” rap performance spoof that talked about the lack of diversity in this year’s award season.

“Hollywood needs to know that this is what diversity is supposed to look like,” Anderson said after his performance.

Since 1967, the Image Awards has celebrated “outstanding achievements and performances of people of color in the arts, as well as those individuals or groups who promote social justice through their creative endeavors,” according to the NAACP website.

Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith attended the Image Awards after publicly announcing that they would not attend the Academy Awards due to the lack of diversity. After the Smiths and director Spike Lee announced their plans to skip the Oscars this year, several actors of color have been more vocal about their views on diversity in Hollywood.

“We don’t need to ask for acceptance from anyone,” said

Nichelle Turner interviews the cast and producer of ABC’S “black-ish.” Cast members (l-r) Laurence Fishburne, Marcus Scribner, Tracee Ellis Ross, Yara Shahidi, Marsai Martin and Miles Brown. PHOTO; Mesiyah McGinnis/Los Angeles Sentinel “Empire” star Taraji P. Henson when she received her award for outstanding actress in a drama series.

“We are enough, we’ve been enough and we always will be enough.”

Creed actor Michael B. Jordan went home with two awards for outstanding actor in a motion picture and entertainer of the year. “Straight Outta Compton” received an award for outstanding motion picture.

Both films were snubbed during the nomination process for the Academy Awards.

“I’m excited to have the NAACP Image Awards to recognize African American artist and talent. But, it doesn’t say to me that we don’t have a role or place at the Oscars. We’re not mutually exclusive. We can be here tonight celebrating each other and we can be there on the [Feb.] 28th,” said attorney Areva Martin.

Actress Sheryl Lee Ralph noted the importance of viewing African American-branded award shows in the same light of shows like the Academy Awards.

“We shouldn’t look to others to validate how wonderful and beautiful we are,” Ralph said. “I am a great actress and I’ve been in the game for a long time. Remember, we weren’t always celebrated by others that’s why we created shows like this.”

The show paid great attention to those in entertainment and public service. Sanaa Lathan received the award for best actress in a motion picture for her role in “The Perfect Guy.” Pastor Jamal Bryant, Jussie Smollett of the hit show “Empire,” activist group Concerned Student Collective 1950 at the University of Missouri at Columbia, and five

other recipients received the NAACP Chairman’s Award, which honors those with distinguished public service.

Singer John Legend was honored with the NAACP President’s Award for his work and philanthropy.

Singer John Legend was honored with the NAACP President’s Award for his work and philanthropy.

(Mesiyah McGinnis/Los Angeles Sentinel) The ceremony also featured performances by Smollett, singer Alice Smith and Grammy Awardwinning artist John Legend, who received the NAACP President’s Award for his philanthropy.

John Legend said that, “Despite the daunting problems, I am hopeful that our generation will demand and achieve radical change in our lifetime.”

12 • Feb. 17, 2016

The LEGACY

Does $1 spent in the black community really stay for only six hours?

Fact-finding site sets out to debunk apparent myth often stated as fact Editor’s Note: The following article by Truthbetold.news reveals how an unfounded, unproven and apparently false statistic pertaining to spending by black consumers with black-owned businesses has been circulating in the black community for years.

Cited recently by several news agencies, including Roland Martin’s NewsOne Now and the Trice Edney News Wire, the statistic is often used to compare spending in the black community with other ethnicities by stating that the dollar stays in the black community only about six hours.

BROOKIE MADISON TEWire - The statistic has long been used by authorities on black economic justice. Here, this article details the exhaustive fact-finding and research methods that concluded that the statistic is baseless: Two weeks ago, journalist Roland Martin, host of NewsOne Now, cited a figure that has often been used to show how little blacks spend in their neighborhoods compared to other racial and ethnic groups.

The lifespan of a dollar in the Asian community is 28 days, in the Jewish community the lifespan of a dollar is 19 days and the lifespan in the African-American community is

approximately six hours, Martin said during his news talk show on the black-owned cable network TV One. Maggie Anderson, a guest on the show and author of “Our Black Year: One Family’s Quest to Buy Black in America’s Racially Divided Economy,” which was published in 2012, nodded in agreement.

Anderson, a proponent of blacks spending more with black-owned business, has often used the “six hours” figure. In a series of talks around the country and in her book, she uses the figure to argue that

AfricanAmericans need to do more to support black-owned businesses.

Anderson isn’t alone. The “six hours” circulation statistic is an often-cited figure by a wide variety of individuals, organizations and news outlets.

The figures have been attributed to various sources including the NAACP and the Selig Center for Economic Growth at the University of Georgia.

But does a dollar spent by black people really stay in the community for only six hours?

The Facts To fact-check the statistic, TruthBeTold.news tried to track down the source of this widely cited figure. Several federal government agencies produce data on black spending patterns. The Federal Reserve Bank publishes a survey of consumer finance that contains information on consumer spending

Art collectors attend an opening at the Overdue Recognition Art Gallery in Bowie, Md., which represents about 100 African-American artists and was co-founded in 2004 by Jackie and Derrick Thompson.

The gallery is one of 2.6 million Black or African American-owned companies, which have increased nationally 34.5 percent, up from 1.9 million between 2007 and 2012. Photo: Joe Bellard. patterns, but it does not contain the level of detail that would show how often a dollar would circulate in a given community. The Bureau of Labor Statistics also produces reports on black spending patterns. But this data also does not show how often money circulates within a neighborhood.

Other agencies like the Small Business Administration keep track of black businesses. But the SBA also does not compile figures that would allow a comparison of how often money circulates within a community.

Private research organizations such as Nielsen and the Chicago-based Target Market News also track black spending patterns.

The available data shows that 43 million blacks in the United States have about $1.1 trillion in spending power. Additionally, the most recent government data shows there were 2.6 million black or AfricanAmerican-owned firms nationally in 2012, up from 1.9 million or 34.5 percent in 2007.

But TruthBeTold.news was unable to locate any agencies or private research firms with data that show how long money circulates within a community.

TruthBeTold.news also asked for

the source of the six-hour timeframe mentioned on the NAACP website in an article posted on Sept. 24, 2012.

In an email, Nicole Kenney, the writer of the NAACP article, said she used several sources, including Maggie Anderson’s 2012 book and data from Nielsen and the Minority Business and Development Agency.

TruthBeTold.news also contacted the Selig Center about the figures attributed to the economic research unit: “Money circulates zero to one time within the black community, compared to the more than six times it circulates in the Latino community, nine times in the Asian community and unlimited amount of times within the white community.”

In an email, Jeffrey M. Humphreys, director of the center, said: “I’ve never heard that. It’s not from our center, and it does not sound accurate, but I’ve got no idea what the actual numbers are.”

The data appears to have first been used in a book by author Brooke Stephens, a financial planner. The book, “Talking Dollars and Making Sense: A Wealth Building Guide for African-Americans,” was written in 1996 and cites the six-hour figure on page 18 of the book.

(continued on page 13)

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Feb. 17, 2016 • 13

(from page 12) There is no reference to the original source of the data or the study.

Stephens attributes the data to a “John Wray,” who is described as an “economic development specialist” in Washington. There is no other mention of Wray or the study in the book.

TruthBeTold.news reached out to Stephens, who lives in Brooklyn, N.Y., for more information about Wray and the study.

In an interview, Stephens said Wray and a co-author, Lee Green, did the study over a six-month period in 1992, possibly through a nonprofit organization that might no longer exist. She did not remember the name of the report and could not provide any information about Wray or Green, beyond saying that Wray might have taught at Howard University in 1993. The human resource office at Howard said it could not find a reference to a Jim or John Wray. In addition, TruthBeTold.news was unable to locate Lee Green or any studies coauthored by him.

There was no media coverage of the study that can be found in the LexisNexis research database, and the only reference to the study appears to be in Stephens’ book.

TruthBeTold also reached out to Maggie Anderson to see if she remembered the name of the study or could provide any information about Wray.

“I know Brooke Stephens. I know about the statistic,” Anderson said.

“I did run into her phenomenal research and the study about the economic lifespan of a dollar in different ethnic groups.”

Anderson attributes the six-hour figure in “Our Black Year” to Brooke Stephens’ book. “I published her findings in my book, ‘Our Black Year,’ and I refer to it whenever I speak and interview. I have been promoting that six-hour statistic quite heavily over the past six years.”

She continues to say how it is the foundation of her work and research commissioned for her year-long Empowerment Experiment through Steven Rogers, a professor at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.

“Our Kellogg study proved that less

Maggie Anderson than 3 percent of our $1 trillion in buying power makes it back to our community via our spending with our businesses and the companies that engage our businesses,” she said.

Anderson said the study also found “that if the middle-class black consumers were to spend a little more — 7 percent more, just 10 percent of their spending — with black firms and the mainstream firms that engage them, we can create almost one million jobs.” She also includes the six-hour figure and the Kellogg findings in an essay in the National Urban League’s 2014 State of Black America report.

“Brooke Stephens’ statistic about the six hours shows why we need to do more to support our businesses and reverse the exploitation of our consumers and the socio-economic crises our neighborhoods endure,” Anderson said.

TruthBeTold.news also reached out to other black economic development advocates who have cited the figure and while many of them had heard of the numbers, not one had actually seen the study that produced them.

“I’ve been trying to kill this thing for years,” said Ken Smikle, president of Target Market News, a Chicago-based research firm that tracks black spending patterns. “It’s just not true.”

Smikle, who has produced an annual report called The Buying Power of black America for nearly two decades, disputes the notion that the circulation of money can be tracked in a community.

“There is no scientific way to do that,” Smikle said. “I mean, how would you do it?”

Economists agree.

“It’s what I consider an urban myth,” said William Spriggs, a former labor department official in the Obama administration, who is now chief economist at the AFLCIO union. Spriggs also teaches economics at Howard University.

Spriggs said a red flag for him was the mention of dollars circulating in the Jewish community for 19 days.

“What makes me suspicious is that it has economic data based on religion when the federal government doesn’t collect any information by religion,” Spriggs said. “Where would you get that from?

“When you say Asian communities you’re talking about a very diverse population that includes Indians, Chinese, Japanese, Koreans and they are all different and not a monolithic community. It would be a mistake to try to include all of these different people under one umbrella to talk about spending in communities.”

He added: “And even if you

surveyed customers about their spending with business, how would you know the religion of the person who owned the business? If I shop at Macy’s, I don’t know the religion of the person who owns it.”

Justin Wolfers, an economics professor at the University of Michigan, cited other problems with the figures used by Stephens and others.

First, there is no clear definition of community. “Are we talking about specific neighborhoods or as a whole?” Wolfers asked.

Secondly, he points out, like Spriggs, that the federal government does not collect economic information by religion nor does it collect hourly economic activity.

“It seems highly improbable that you could get this data the way it’s described,” Wolfers said. “The inclusion of religion data alone makes me question the figures.”

The claim that a dollar circulates in the black community for only six hours cannot be substantiated.

The federal government does not produce data that would allow such a comparison.

In addition, economists contacted

by TruthBeTold.news said some of the data cited, such as information about dollars circulating in the Jewish community, is questionable because the federal government does not collect information by religion.

And researchers would be unable to get the information accurately from a survey of consumers.

The earliest source of the statistic appears to be a book that is nearly 20 years old. The book also never mentions the name of the study nor provides any information about the author.

Economic experts agree that blacks may spend little of their estimated $1.1 trillion in buying power with black business. And they agree that efforts like Anderson’s to patronize those businesses are laudable goals. But they add that proponents should stop using the six-hour figure because, while it is shocking, it cannot be verified.

“I understand where people who use this figure are coming from and I don’t want to downplay the issue, but you don’t solve the problem by using questionable data,” said Spriggs.

14 • Feb. 17, 2016

The LEGACY

Predicting a ‘real fight for the black vote’ former NAACP leader endorses Sanders for president TEWire - Former NAACP President Benjamin Todd Jealous has endorsed Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders (IVt.) in the latter’s quest for the Democratic nomination for president.

The endorsement from Jealous, a civil rights activist with a record of strong political activism, could continue to fuel the surprise shake up in the Democratic contest, largely because of Jealous’ influence with the black vote. At one time, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was thought to be a shoe-in for the nomination. But, after her razor-thin win in Iowa, largely with the help of the black vote, there is rising belief that Sanders could actually become the nominee.

“You’ll see a real fight for the black vote and quite frankly, that’s the best thing for our community. The best thing for our community is for voters to really look at the records of each of these folks and to ask tough questions of the surrogates and of the candidates,” Jealous said in an interview. “There’s a lot of folks who’ve been suggesting that the Clintons should take our vote for granted. But our candidate will have the final word on whether or not they’re able to take it for granted or whether they will be forced to compete. I think you’re going to see people across the country force them to have to compete for our vote.

No black voter in the 21st Century wants to feel like their vote is taken for granted.”

Jealous applauded Sanders’ 100 percent NAACP Legislative Report card record while describing the record of Clinton, also a former U. S. senator, as “complex”. Though Clinton also received straight A’s on the NAACP Legislative Report Card as a member of the U. S. Senate, Jealous said she fell short in key areas of importance to AfricanAmericans.

“Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. gave us a matrix for judging the agenda

of leaders. Racism, militarism and greed. Bernie Sanders record on each of those is clear. His opposition to them, his history of fighting against them is clear. Hillary Clinton’s record on each of those is complex and also contradictory,” Jealous said in an interview with the Trice Edney News Wire.

Jealous detailed how Clinton, on one hand, built the Children’s Defense Fund; but on the other hand, “championed the super predator theory which said that a child at age six months could be a sociopath beyond redemption. And it’s only used to explain the actions of young black men.”

On militarism, he said Clinton “opposed the war in Vietnam, but voted for the war in Iraq,” a vote that Clinton recently conceded was a “mistake” only based on information President Bush had given at the time.

As for greed, Jealous concluded, “I don’t think anybody can say beyond a shadow of a doubt that they believe Hillary Clinton did everything she possibly can to reign in our banks and to make sure that they do not send us whirling into another recession down the road.”

Jealous said Sanders has a stellar civil rights and economic justice record.

“From his days of going to jail with the Congress of Racial Equality to speed up the integration of housing in Chicago to supporting Jesse Jackson’s campaign for president in 1988, he is the only candidate that has a comprehensive racial justice platform today. He’s been extremely consistent. Militarism, he opposed the war in Vietnam, he voted against the war in Iraq. And on greed, well, quite frankly there is no one that the greediest leaders of the greediest banks fear becoming president more than Bernie Sanders,” Jealous said.

“So I think at the end of the day I think the key difference is him being consistent and having the courage of his convictions.”

The Clinton campaign did not respond when asked by email for comment on the Jealous endorsement.

U. S. Sen. Bernie Sanders and former NAACP President Ben Jealous However, Clinton maintains a large share of Black support. They include former Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter.

“She is the most qualified candidate, ready from day one to lead this nation, but also make sure that we’re save internationally and on the streets of America,” Nutter told a church congregation, according to media reports. He also told News Channel 6 in Philadelphia, “Lawyer out of Yale. Didn’t go to the big law firm…She went to the Children’s Defense Fund. She’s been focused

on children and families all of her career. Excellent service as First Lady in Arkansas. Excellent service as First Lady to President Bill Clinton and then a United States Senator in her own right.”

Jealous, who is a venture partner with the Oakland, Calif.-based Kapor Center for Social Impact, is also co-leader of a Political Action Committee called the Southern Elections Fund. However, he said money from that PAC is on reserve for the general election – not for the primaries.

Feb. 17, 2016 • 15

www.LEGACYnewspaper.com

Woman recounts ‘devastating’ debtors’ prison experience to congressional staffers TEWire - An Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) client who served time in a modern-day debtors’ prison in Alabama when she couldn’t pay fines for minor traffic tickets told her story to congressional staffers on Capitol Hill and called for action to prevent others from going to jail simply for being poor.

Harriet Cleveland spoke at a briefing that examined the practice of cities and counties hiring forprofit private “probation” companies to collect minor fines and fees. The grandmother from Montgomery was joined by Sam Brooke, SPLC deputy legal director, to highlight how these companies, which operate across the country, often use the justice system to extort payments from the poor – including fees for their own profit – under the threat of jail.

It’s apparent to Cleveland that Congress must act. “It has to be addressed nationwide so [people] don’t have to worry about going to jail because they can’t afford to pay,” she said after speaking to 50 staff members gathered in a packed meeting room in the Rayburn House Office Building. The briefing was held last month, the same week that U.S. Rep. Mark Takano, D-Calif., introduced legislation – the “End of Debtors’ Prison Act of 2016” – that would cut federal funds from municipalities that hire for-profit private probation companies.

“This is not a problem that is unique to Alabama,” Brooke said.

“These same companies are working in many different states, particularly in the Southeast.”

When Cleveland couldn’t immediately pay her traffic tickets in the city of Montgomery, she was placed on pay-only probation. She made her payments to Judicial Corrections Services (JCS), a private probation company that collected fines for the city. She paid a $140 monthly payment – $40 of which went to the company.She was desperate to come up with the money for JCS. “I lost my car to a title loan in order to come up with the amount

they told me I had to come up with to keep from going to jail again, so I had to do that,” Cleveland said as she wiped away tears during the briefing.

When she could no longer make the payments, a police officer arrested her in 2013 at her home while she was babysitting her grandson. A judge sentenced her to 31 days in jail even though debtors’ prisons were abolished in the United States almost 200 years ago. She spent two weeks in jail before SPLC lawyers secured her release.

An SPLC lawsuit ended after a settlement was reached to change the city’s practices. JCS left Alabama last year after the SPLC filed a separate lawsuit against the company for violating federal racketeering laws with its business practices. JCS once had contracts with more than 100 local governments in the state.

Despite this victory, people across the country are finding themselves in Cleveland’s situation. Governments hoping to generate more revenue are turning to these companies which typically don’t charge them for their services but rely on fees they charge probationers.

Hundreds of thousands of people fined in more than 1,000 courts are paying such fees. Private probation companies in Georgia collected almost $40 million in fees in 2012 alone, according to a Human Rights Watch report.

“Plain and simple, it’s a racketeering scheme where people are being extorted,” Brooke said.

“The company is using the threat of jail. They are telling people if you don’t pay, you are going to go to jail.

It’s clearly extortion because you can’t jail someone for not being able to pay.”

He also noted that private probation companies create a twotiered justice system – one where people of means pay and go and one where low-income people ultimately pay more. The “End of Debtors’ Prison Act of 2016” would withhold Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grants from governments contracting with these companies.

Harriet Cleveland PHOTO: SPLC

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Calendar

2.18, 4:30 p.m.

The University of Richmond Downtown will host its annual TAKE 30 event, a series of free 30-minute discussions that focus on questions that are important for the Richmond area. The theme for the spring 2016 series is “Leadership in Education.”

University faculty and community leaders lead the discussions.

“Educational Leadership: Understanding How Education Impacts Poverty” with Dana Bedden, superintendent, Richmond Public Schools, takes place at 4:30 p.m. at UR Downtown, 626 E. Broad St.

2.18, 6 p.m.

University of Richmond will host a panel discussion on hip-hop, titled “Politics, Art and Parody in Obamatime.” The event is in Tyler Haynes Commons, room 305.

Community members are invited to attend.

The panel will feature five professors who have authored books on the political and social implications of hip-hop. Andrea Simpson, associate professor of political science at the University of Richmond, will moderate the event.

Professors on the panel include: Lakeyta Bonnette, assistant professor of political science at Georgia State University; Travis Gosa, assistant professor, Africana Studies and Research Center at Cornell University; Michael Jeffries, associate professor of American studies at Wellesley College; Anthony Kwame Harrison, associate professor of sociology at Virginia Tech; and Erik Nielson, assistant professor, liberal arts at University of Richmond Nielson’s book, “The Hip Hop & Obama Reader,” co-edited by Gosa, was released last year.

This event is part of a series of University of Richmond Black History Month events.

The LEGACY

COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES & EVENTS

It’s happening...

Ripley’s Believe It or Not! will pay tribute to the ancient art of sword swallowing by holding free sword swallowing performances as part of World Sword Swallower’s Day on Saturday, Feb. 27 at 2 p.m.., with an official swallow at 2:27 pm to coincide with the 2/27 date. Two things to remember - that’s solid steel and yes, it’s all real.

Ripley's will showcase the greatest group of sword swallowers ever assembled and offer free performances for the public at several of its Odditoriums around the world.

In Williamsburg, Cyrus “The Sword” Pynn will show off his amazing sword swallowing and sideshow skills. Ripley’s Williamsburg Odditorium is located at 1735 Richmond Rd. The sword swallowing performances will be free, but admission is required to tour the Odditorium.

Accounting students offer tax assistance

Virginia State University (VSU) accounting majors are working in cooperation with the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to provide income tax preparation and filing assistance for 2015 tax returns to individual or joint filers in the Tri-Cities area with income below $54,000.

This is the 28th year VSU accounting majors have provided this service, which is coordinated by Lester Reynolds, assistant professor of accounting at VSU and a former IRS employee; and Dr. John Moore, chairman of the Accounting and Finance Department in the Reginald F. Lewis College of Business. The students’ participation is among the requirements of the federal income tax course.

The Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) site has been established in Room 333 Singleton Hall, on the VSU campus and is being staffed two days a week: on Fridays from noon to 4 p.m. and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The VITA site will be open through April 9. The service will be closed during VSU Spring Break, March 6 – 13. For more information, call 804-524-5842.

National Megan’s Law Helpline & Sex Offender Registration Tips Program Call (888) ASK-PFML (275-7365) Submit your calendar events to calendar@legacynewspaper.com.

Include contact infomation that can be published.

2.21, 6 p.m.

RLP Productions will present the first private screening of the short documentary “Black Wall Street: The Money, The Music, And The People”.

Join the cast and crew at Unity of Bon Air Church, 923 Buford Road, in North Chesterfield County. Guests are invited to wear flapper and jelly bean attire. This event is free and open to the public, but generous donations are accepted.

For more information, contact LaTika Lee at 804-873-7363 or visit blackwallstreetthemovie.yolasite.com.

2.22

The 2016 Strong Men & Women in Virginia History Exhibition takes place on the Second Floor Lobby at the Library of Virginia in Richmond.

In observance of Black History Month, the Library of Virginia and Dominion Virginia Power honor eight distinguished Virginians in this traveling exhibition as the 2016 Strong Men & Women in Virginia History for their contributions to the commonwealth and the nation.

Through education and advocacy, they demonstrate how African Americans have actively campaigned for better lives for themselves and their people.

The library is located at 800 East Broad St., Richmond. 804-692-3592.

2.27, noon

Join other volunteers to transcribe handwritten pages by reading written text and typing it into digital form during ‘Transcribe-a-thon’ at the Network Training Center in Richmond.

Participate in enhancing access to collections of more than 400 years of Virginia history and culture.

Twelve computer stations will be available. If you have your own laptop, please bring it! Transcribea-thons are facilitated by the volunteer organization HandsOn Greater Richmond. Minimum age is 16 (12 with an adult). Registration required: http://bit.ly/LVAvolunteer.

Feb. 17, 2016 • 17

www.LEGACYnewspaper.com

(from page 2) Results in key cases could change with Scalia’s death This Supreme Court term was already set to be a blockbuster and consequential. Justices are considering a major challenge to public sector unions, a raceconscious admissions plan at the University of Texas, the first big abortion case since 2007, challenges to voting rights, the Affordable Care Act’s contraceptive mandate and a challenge to President Barack Obama’s immigration actions.

Although in some of the cases, the late Justice Antonin Scalia probably indicated to his colleagues in conference which way he was going to vote, those preliminary votes aren’t binding and are now void.

Scalia’s sudden death over the weekend at a Texas desert resort means the court is facing a new challenge: the loss of its main conservative voice.

“The entire tenor of this term has now changed,” said Stephen Vladeck, a law professor at American University Washington College of Law. “The court can try to go ahead, but on cases where they are split 4-4 , their only options are to leave the lower court decision intact or to hold the case over until Justice Scalia’s replacement is confirmed.”

If the court is equally divided in a case, ruling 4-4, it means the lower court opinion stands and there is no precedent set by the Supreme Court.

That could have a major impact this term, for example, in the labor union case the court is deciding. At issue there is whether non members of a public sector union can be compelled to pay fees for collective bargaining.

If the court were to rule with the challengers it could severely weaken labor coffers at a time when unions in general are in decline.

A lower court ruled in favor of the unions. After oral arguments, court watchers believed that the Court might be poised to reverse that decision. It was expected that Justice Anthony Kennedy might join the conservatives in a 5-4 vote.

With Scalia’s death, that case might well now turn out to be 4-4.

That means the lower court decision

Flags flew at half-staff at the Supreme Court on Saturday night after the death of Justice Antonin Scalia. that ruled in favor of the unions would stand.

Abortion On abortion, next month, justices will hear a case challenging parts of a Texas abortion law that requires that doctors who perform abortions have admitting privileges at a nearby hospital and mandates that clinics upgrade their facilities to hospitallike standards.

Abortion rights supporters say the law is one of the strictest in the nation and that if the Supreme Court agrees with a lower court’s decision and allows two provisions of the law to go into effect, the number of available clinics in the state is expected to fall to about 10.

The lower court allowed the Texas law to remain. Kennedy will be key here. If he votes with the liberals, it’s likely a 5-3 decision to overturn. If he votes with the conservatives it could be 4-4 which would mean the Texas law could stand.

One person, one vote Scalia’s death might also impact a voting redistricting case challenging the “one person, one vote” doctrine in a dispute that could change the way that states draw their legislative lines. In that case the challengers prevailed in the lower court.

The principle dating back to 1960s is that state legislative districts must be drawn so they are equal in population. But justices never explicitly answered whether the doctrine applies to the general population or the voting population.

Civil rights groups are watching

the case carefully, fearful that if the court rules with the plaintiffs, it could potentially shift power from urban areas -- districts that tend to include a higher percentage of individuals not eligible to vote such as non-citizens, released felons and children -- to rural areas that are more likely to favor Republicans.

Immigration and Obamacare On immigration, the court will consider whether President Obama’s executive actions on immigration should survive.

Texas and 25 other states are challenging the programs that would allow millions of undocumented immigrants to apply for programs that could make them eligible for work authorization and some associated benefits. Lower courts have so far sided with Texas and temporarily frozen the programs from going into effect. The 8-person court means the administration would need to turn Kennedy or Chief Justice John Roberts to win.

The most complicated case could be the lawsuit challenging the Obamacare contraception mandate.

This case is a challenge from religious nonprofit groups, including the Little Sisters of the Poor, to requirement that demands group health plans provide a full range of contraceptive coverage to women at no cost. The issue here is that unlike the other cases, this case came out of multiple circuits that didn’t all rule the same way.

A 4-4 decision wouldn’t be decisive at all, making this a likely candidate

for the court to hold over.

In the coming weeks, the court could signal that it was going to “hold over” some cases that might be 4-4 but it would be more likely the justices would do that if they thought there would be a new justice confirmed in the short term.

Scalia, 79, was found dead Saturday morning at private residence in the Big Bend area of West Texas, after he’d gone to his room the night before and did not appear for breakfast, said Donna Sellers, speaking for the U.S. Marshals Service in Washington.

The cause of death was listed as natural causes or a heart attack.

President Barack Obama made clear Saturday night he would nominate a successor to Scalia, despite calls from Republicans to leave that choice — and the certain political struggle over it — to the next president.

“I plan to fulfill my constitutional responsibilities to nominate a successor in — due time,” Obama said. “There will be plenty of time for me to do so, and for the Senate to fulfill its responsibility to give that person a fair hearing and a timely vote.”

Obama, who spoke for just a few minutes, praised Scalia and said it was a day to remember Scalia’s “remarkable” life. But make no mistake, Obama’s comments about naming a replacement were aimed squarely at Senate Republicans who have already said a replacement should not come until a new president is elected.

18 • Feb. 17, 2016

EMPLOYMENT, ANNOUNCEMENTS, FOR SALE, SERVICES, FOR LET

156-212 HAMPTON SOLICITATION The Director of Finance or his designated representative will accept written responses in the Procurement Office 1 Franklin Street, 3rd floor, suite 345 Hampton, VA on behalf of the Entity (ies) listed below until the date(s) and local time(s) specified.

HAMPTON CITY Monday, February 29, 2016 2:00 p.m. ET – ITB 16-57/CGA (Re-Bid) Yamaha Outboard Motors Hull Repair/Paint, and Equipment for Two Safe Boats Wednesday, March 2, 2016 2:30 p.m. ET – ITB 16-63/E Annual needs for Elevators and Escalators Inspections at designated City Facilities.

Friday, March 11, 2016 4:00 p.m. ET – RFP 16-64/E Seeking qualified offerors for Athletic Field Design and Construction Services.

Wednesday, March 16, 2016 1:30 p.m. ET – ITB 16-65/CLP Buckroe Beach/Salt Ponds Beach Timber Groins Removal Project Mandatory Pre-bid Meeting TBD. Tuesday, April 5, 2016 2:00 p.m. ET – ITB 16-62/CGA Newmarket Creek Trail Central Park Segment 3. VDOT Project UPC: 102965; State Project No U000-114-236; City Project No. 12-028. A Mandatory pre-bid conference will be held on Friday, February 26, 2016 at 1:00 p.m. local time in the Public Works Conference Room, 22 Lincoln Street, 4th Floor Hampton, VA 23669. Newmarket Creek Trail multi-use timber trail extending from North Armistead Avenue to Air Power Park. This is a state funded project.

There is a MBE goal of 4.34%, WBE goal 3.82%. All forms relating to this solicitation may be obtained from the above listed address or for further information call: (757)727-2200.

The City of Hampton ensures non-discrimination and equal employment in all programs and activities in accordance with Title VI and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

HAMPTON CITY SCHOOLS Wednesday, March 9, 2016 2:00 p.m. ET – RFP 16-350957/CGA Annual Need Auditing Services, A Mandatory PreProposal conference will be held on Monday, February 29, 2016 at 10:00 a.m., Procurement Office, 1 Franklin Street, 3rd Floor, Hampton, VA 23669.

Thursday, March 10, 2016 2:00 p.m. ET – RFP 16-357767/CGA Annual Needs for Science Supplies and Equipment.

For additional information, see our web page at http://www.hampton.gov/bids-contracts

A withdrawal of bid due to error shall be in accordance with Section 2.2-4330 of the Code of Virginia. All forms relating to these solicitations may be obtained from the above listed address or for further information call; (757) 727-2200. The right is reserved to reject any and all responses, to make awards in whole or in part, and to waive any informality in submittals.

Minority and Woman-Owned Businesses are encouraged to participate.

Karl Daughtrey, Director of Finance

PRINT & DIGITAL AD SALES EXECUTIVE

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The LEGACY is looking for a reliable, highly-motivated, goal-driven sales professional to join our team selling print and digital advertising in the Richmond and Hampton Roads areas.

Serving Richmond & Hampton Roads 409 E. Main St. #4 (mailing) • 105 1/2 E. Clay St. (office) Duties include: Richmond, VA 23219 Building and maintaining relationships with 804-644-1550 (office) • 800-783-8062 (fax) new/existing clients ads@legacynewspaper.com

Ad Size: 20.6 inches (2 columns X 10.3 inches) 1 Issue (Feb. 17) - $226.60 Rate: $11 per column inch

Meeting and exceeding monthly sales goals Cold calling new prospects over the phone to promote print and online advertising space Qualifications:

Proven experience with print (newspaper) Includes Internet placement and/or digital (website) advertising sales Phone and one-on-one sales experience Please review the proof, make any needed changes and return by fax or e-mail.verbal and written communication skills Effective If your response is not received by deadline, your ad may not be inserted.

Familiarity with the Richmond and/or Hampton Roads REMINDER: Deadline is Fridays @ 5 p.m. Professional image Compensation depends on experience and includes a base pay as well as commission.

The LEGACY is an African-American-oriented weekly print newspaper, circulation 25,000, with a website featuring local and national news and advertising.

E-mail resume and letter of interest to ads@ legacynewspaper.com detailing your past sales experience. No phone calls please.

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Feb. 17, 2016 • 19

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Shoulder Pain? Get a painrelieving brace at little or NO cost to you. Medicare Patients Call Health Hotline The City of Richmond is seeking to 409 Now! fill the following positions: 1- 800-514-2189 Maintenance Worker I 35M00000817 Public Utilities Apply by 2/28/16

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AdisSize: 12 inches columns 409 Main St.X 6#4 (mailin The Library of Virginia seeking a E. Web(2 Developer to inches) work both Richmo independently and as part of a team on the ever-expanding online 2 Issues, Feb.archival 17 & 24and - ($132 per heritage run) $264home. total presence of the commonwealth’s cultural 804-644-1550 (offic th This is a full-time position with benefits including health coverage.

Rate: $11 per column inchads@legac Will hold a Public Hearing in the 5 Floor Conference Rm., City Hall, Serving Hampton 900 East Broad St.,Richmond Richmond, VA on&March 2, 2016, to Roads consider the For full information, and to apply, please visit https://virginiajobs. peopleadmin.com and search for position following under Chapter 30 of the Zoning Code: E. Main St. #4 (mailing) • 105 1/2 E. Clay St. (office) Includes Internet #00159. placement An EEO/AA/ADA Employer.

Richmond, VA 23219 BEGINNING AT 1:00 P.M. (office) • 800-783-8062 (fax) 804-644-1550 NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN THAT THE CITY OF RICHMOND BOARD OF ZONING APPEALS

ads@legacynewspaper.com

06-16: An application of Dennis K. Johnson for a building permit to construct a detached garage accessory to a single-family dwelling at 3650 HERMITAGE ROAD. Ad Size: 6.3 inches (2 column(s) X 6.3 inches)

07-16: An application of Georgi Georgiev, LLC for a building permit to construct a new single-family detached dwelling at 1427 NORTH 22ND 1 Issue (Feb. 17) - $69.3 STREET.

Opening Date: March 3, 2016 at 2:30 P.M. If your response is not received by deadline, your ad may not be inserted.

Pre-bid Date/Time/Location: February 17, 2016 at 1:00 P.M. located 09-16: An application of Joseph Ogburn for a building permit to split an at City Hall, 900 East Broad Street, 11th floor, Room 1104, Richmond, existing lot which previously contained a 4-unit multi-family dwelling and Ok X_________________________________________ VA 23219

construct new single-family (attached) dwellings on each proposed lot at 613 NORTH 28TH STREET.

Serving Richmond & Hampton Roads

or copies of the above solicitations are available by 409 E.Information Main St. #4 (mailing) • 105 1/2 E. Clay St. (of Ok with changes X _____________________________ contacting Procurement Services, at the City of Richmond website Richmond, 10-16: An application of Richmond Economic Development Authority (www.RichmondGov.com), or at 11thVA Floor23219 of City Hall, 900 E. Broad 804-644-1550 (office) • 800-783-8062 (fax) for a building permit to establish a restaurant with outdoor dining at 6 Street, Richmond, Virginia 23219. Phone (804) 646-5716 or faxed REMINDER: Deadline Fridays @ 5 p.m.

NORTH LAUREL STREET (800 WEST MAINisSTREET).

(804) 646-5989.

The City of Richmond encourages all contractors to ads@legacynewspaper.com participate in the procurement process.

Copies of all cases are available for inspection between 8 AM and 5 PM in Room 511, City Hall, 900 East Broad Street, Richmond, VA 23219.

Support or opposition may be offered at or before the hearing.

Roy W. Benbow, Secretary Phone: (804) 240-2124 Fax: (804) 646-5789 E-mail: Roy.Benbow@richmondgov.com

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IFB -K160005919 – Capital Improvements Projects Annual Sewer 08-16: An application of Myungwha Koo for a building permit to demolish Includes Internet placement Deadline is Fridays @ 5 p.m.

RepairREMINDER: and Replacement Contract an existing one-story frame addition and construct a two-story brick Receipt Date: March 2, 2016 at 2:30 P.M. addition to a single-family detached dwelling at 2400 FLOYD AVENUE. Please review the proof, make any needed changes and return by fax or e-mail.

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For reference purposes, documents may be examined at the above location.

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL– 153195-CMW This solicitation is to establish a non-professional services Contract(s) through competitive negotiation for the purchase of Business Management and Financial Advisory Staff Augmentation Services for Virginia’s Office of Public-Private Partnership’s (VAP3) to support the Commonwealth’s Public-Private Partnerships (P3) program. for (Virginia Office of Public-Private Partnerships (VAP3) Staff Augmentation) – 153195-CMW. OPTIONAL Pre-Proposal conference will be held in conjunction with this RFP on February 18, 2016 at 10:30am Conference Room #2 at 1221 E. Broad Street, Richmond, Virginia 23219

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Please note that we do not carry controlled substances and a valid prescription is required for all prescription medication orders.

Prescription price comparison above is valid as of November 16, 2015. All trade-mark (TM) rights associated with the brand name products in this ad belong to their respective owners. *Generic drugs are carefully regulated medications that have the same active ingredients as the original brand name drug, but are generally cheaper in price.