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EGACY Yesterday. Today. Tomorrow.

WEDNESDAYS • May 17, 2017

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INSIDE

Mental health among blacks - 2 Depression, PTSD, et all - 3 How prayer can help heal - 8 The legacy of Justice Thurgood Marshall - 12

Richmond & Hampton Roads

LEGACYNEWSPAPER.COM • FREE

Mental Illness: No longer taboo in the black community

Mental Health Awareness Month has been observed in the U.S. during the month of May since 1949. Its purpose is to raise awareness about mental illness and related issues.

Mental illness doesn’t discriminate. It sees no color, yet it’s been an avoided topic of discussion for years in the black community. In recent times, attitudes towards mental health have shifted causing awareness to increase.

Negative stigmas associated with the condition have drastically reduced and more people are now becoming more accepting of those who suffer from mental illness.

BeBe Moore Campbell, author of “72 Hour Hold” can be credited with opening dialogue about mental illness within the black community. Her book shared the story of a mother facing the fact that her daughter suffered from bipolar disorder. The story was close to home because, in fact, Campbell was writing her truth. Her daughter, Maia Campbell suffered with bipolar disorder.

Her revelation sparked many conversations and revealed that blacks tend to rely on family and religion for emotional support rather than turning to health care professionals.

Mental illness is frequently misunderstood—not only in the black community but also in general. Data shows, however, blacks are impacted differently than their counterparts.

For example, social circumstances often serve as an indicator for the likelihood of developing a mental illness and health officials maintain that blacks are disproportionately more likely to experience social circumstance that increase the chance of developing mental

illness.

From a youth standpoint, when considering the foster care system, children in foster care or the child welfare system are more likely to develop mental illnesses. African American children comprise 45 percent of the public foster care population.

For adults, it can stem from youth or everyday dealings of life can cause a type of mental illness. Campbell once compared bipolar disease to slavery.

“You can’t get out of either one of them alone. You absolutely need help. In the same way that slavery had absolute control over human beings, mental illness has absolute control over human beings, and in fact, turns many people into completely different people,” she said.

The purpose of this special edition is to continue to bring awareness to a community and population that suffered for years because of the inability to utilize mental health care services that have been at their disposal. The topic is no longer taboo. This allows knowledge to become widespread and increase the chances of recognizing certain conditions and obtaining treatment.

While it’s a sensitive topic, mental illness has become widely discussed because it’s more common than many guess. It ranges from bipolar disorder to clinical depression.

It includes PTSD, anxiety, mood disorders and suicide.

Signs of mental illness shouldn’t be ignored. Treatment is available in various forms and fashions and should be sought. We hope this edition assists with helping someone or a loved one.

The LEGACY

2 • May 17, 2017

Mental health is a serious issue for blacks The American Psychiatric Association (APA) reports that as many as one in four adults in the U.S. will suffer from some kind of mental disorder each year. AfricanAmericans are at least as likely to suffer from a mental health issue as their white counterparts. That's why the myth that black people shouldn’t worry about seeking professional mental health services are so damaging.

These beliefs aren’t just tied to religion or cultural attitudes. It’s one that's also been perpetuated by some within fields of psychiatry.

Black Americans are as likely to suffer from mental illness as whites.

Poverty disproportionately affects the black community, due in part to the legacy of slavery, segregation and racial discrimination in America. Poverty also affects mental health.

African-Americans are 20 percent more likely to report having serious psychological distress than nonHispanic whites, according to the Department of Health and Human Services. Within the black community those who live below poverty level are three times more likely to experience psychological distress than those who are comfortably above the poverty line.

The resulting challenges, including hunger, difficulty in finding jobs, homelessness and lack of other vital needs can be destabilizing.

Ridiculous living conditions can create a vicious cycle: Poverty increases the risk for mental health issues, which may then render an

Did you know….

individual unable to work and afford basic needs, including treatment.

Some may worry that mental health care practitioners are not culturally competent enough to treat their specific issues. Studies have shown that African-Americans view the typical psychologist as an "older, white male, who would be insensitive to the social and economic realities of their lives."

Many of those fears are based in truth, as some black patients, as well as other patients of color, have reported experiencing racism and micro-aggressions from therapists, such as dismissing complaints of racial insensitivity in work settings.

Anticipation of encountering racism coupled with the challenges of paying for care may make the prospect of getting help daunting for black Americans.

Racial disparities persist in health care access. In 2012, for example, 40.6 percent of African-Americans relied on Medicaid or public health insurance, in comparison to 29.3 percent of non-Hispanic whites, according to the Office of Minority Health. That same year, 17.2 percent of African-Americans were uninsured, in comparison to 10.4 percent of non-Hispanic whites.

Even if African-Americans can afford a basic checkup, the APA notes many primary care specialists lack training in the diagnosis and treatment of mental and behavioral health issues. Thus those suffering need access to specialized care.

When there is a dual diagnosis of both a mental health disorder and a substance abuse issue, it is important that the patient enroll in a treatment program that addresses both problems at the same time. The untreated symptoms of a mental health disorder can cause the patient to be unable to remain clean and sober, and untreated substance abuse issues can make mental health treatment ineffective.

Six things anyone who doesn’t understand depression should know SYLVIA KIM I had a conversation with a friend recently that upset me quite a lot.

I was trying to open up about my experience with depression and she made remarks like “Wow, you are so weak,” and “How could you get depressed over something like that?”

At first, these insults infuriated me, but then they helped me realize something. Most people have no idea what depression really is. My friend had no basic knowledge about depression, and that’s because society doesn’t make an effort to understand it.

People need to understand what depression is because it affects more than 350 million people worldwide.

That means your friend, co-worker or family member, someone you see every day could have depression. And yet so many people are kept silenced about it because of a simple lack of knowledge, so here are some things I feel every person should know about depression.

1. You’re not you when you’re depressed.

Depression is a disorder that robs you of your identity. Your innate personality completely disappears when you are depressed. I am a naturally cheerful person. I love to laugh and talk for hours on end. Most people would describe me as hyper and animated, but when depression entered my life and my body that old me was gone. That is how powerful and detrimental depression truly is.

It can erase all of your characteristics and leave you feeling like there is just an emptiness inside of you.

One thing I really hate is when people believe who I was when I was depressed is who I am now afterwards. People may say things like, “Oh you can’t handle being on your own.” or “You’ll just cry about it.” But that’s not me. That was depression. Who I was when I was depressed is not who I really am.

2. Depression can be more than your situation.

I suffered from depression during college. It was after freshmen year when I had transferred to a much bigger university. I left all of my friends to enter a new environment completely alone, with people who already seemed to have made their friends and weren’t looking for new ones. I felt so alone during that time, which I believe contributed a lot to me becoming depressed.

But I’d like to add a pivotal fact.

Depression can be bigger than your situation. Yes, how you feel after a certain trauma, shock or change in your life can be contributing factors to developing depression. But depression is more than how you feel at a certain moment or season in your life. It can come out of nowhere, for no particular reason. It can occur from something big or small or it could happen with no relation to how your life is going at all.

I like to compare it to getting a cold. Do you ever blame someone for getting a cold? No. Sure they could have worn more layers or washed their hands more but we never say, “You got a cold. That’s your fault.”

It’s the same with depression. So why do we show compassion for people who get illnesses like a cold or even cancer and yet blame people for getting depression — another illness?

Getting depression is out of your control.

3. You can’t force yourself to be happy when you’re depressed.

Forcing yourself to “just be happy” when you are depressed is mentally and emotionally impossible. That’s like asking someone to get out of a cage without a key and then blaming them when they inevitably fail.

Your brain actually changes when you are clinically depressed. It’s as if happiness and joy gets locked up in your brain as it steadily becomes

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FYI...

Symptoms of clinical depression While there isn’t a specific test that can be used to diagnosis depression there are patterns of behavior that many health professionals use to determine if a person is clinically depressed. Symptoms include: • Irritability • Sadness • Lethargy • Difficulty concentrating • Difficulty making decisions • Restlessness • Overeating • Loss of appetite • Loss of interest in activities and people • Loss of interest in sex • Hopelessness • Low self-esteem • Feelings of worthlessness and pessimism • Sleep patterns changes • Insomnia • Waking early • Excessive sleeping • Diffused anxiety • Feeling “empty” •Thoughts of suicide Depression is highly treatable with antidepressant medications and psychotherapy proven effective for up to 80 percent of those affected. Holistic treatments include changes in diet and level of exercise, exposure to sunlight and social changes.

May 17, 2017 • 3

PTSD and schizophrenia listed as causes of mental health issues among blacks Experts maintain that everyone at risk for mental illnesses and related disorders should receive early and effective interventions. Historically, communities of color experience unique and considerable challenges in accessing mental health services.

Because less than two percent of American Psychological Association members are black, some may worry that mental health care practitioners are not culturally competent enough to treat their specific issues. This is compounded by the fact that some black patients have reported experiencing racism and microaggression from therapists.

Stigma and judgment prevents blacks from seeking treatment for their mental illnesses. Research indicates that blacks believe that mild depression or anxiety would be considered “crazy” in their social circles and further believe that discussions about mental illness would not be appropriate even among family.

The following is documented data and reasons the black population may

suffer from mental health issues: • Historical adversity, which includes slavery, sharecropping and race-based exclusion from health, educational, social and economic resources, translates into socioeconomic disparities experienced by African Americans today. Socioeconomic status, in turn, is linked to mental health: People who are impoverished, homeless, incarcerated or have substance abuse problems are at higher risk for poor mental health.

• Despite progress made over the years, racism continues to have an impact on the mental health of African Americans. Negative stereotypes and attitudes of rejection have decreased, but continue to occur with measurable, adverse consequences. Historical and contemporary instances of negative treatment have led to a mistrust of authorities, many of who are not seen as having the best interests of blacks in mind.

• Adult African Americans are 20

percent more likely to report serious psychological distress than adult whites.

• Adult African Americans living below poverty are three times more likely to report serious psychological distress than those living above poverty.

• Adult African Americans are more likely to have feelings of sadness, hopelessness, and worthlessness than are adult whites.

• African Americans are less likely than whites to die from suicide as teenagers but black teens are more likely to attempt suicide than white teens (8.3 percent v. 6.2 percent).

• African Americans of all ages are more likely to be victims of serious violent crime than are non-Hispanic whites, making them more likely to meet the diagnostic criteria for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

• African Americans are also twice as likely as non-Hispanic whites to be diagnosed with schizophrenia.

Courtesy Mental Health America

The LEGACY

4 • May 17, 2017

Depression diagnosis may qualify you for disability benefits To qualify for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) or an affective disorder for depression, medical records must meet at one of the following two sets of criteria: •The condition must result in marked restrictions or difficulty in at least two of the following areas 1- Activities of daily living 2- Social functioning 3- Ability to maintain concentration, persistence or pace 4- Repeated or extended occurrences of deterioration •Your depression must also result

either occasionally or consistently in at least four of the following: •The inability to experience pleasure or there is a pervasive loss of interest in nearly all activities •Significant changes in eating habits and weight •Sleep disturbances •Agitation or retardation of psychomotor function •Decreased energy levels •Feelings of guilt or worthlessness •Suicidal thoughts •Difficulty thinking or concentrating •Hallucinatory episodes, delusions

Depression in the black community looks different causing mental health workers to overlook symptoms such as anger and agitation. or paranoia If meeting the first set of criteria is difficult benefits may be acquired by meeting each element of a second set of criteria.

• A medically documented history of depression that has lasted at least two years •Medical records showing that the depression has limited the ability to work •Medical records show repeated, extended periods of time when symptoms worsen •Medical records show that the aftereffects of depression causes symptoms to worsen with even a minimal increase in mental demands or changes to the environment •Medical records reflect that the depression is so severe that there is the inability to live at least one year outside a supported living

arrangement and that the particular arrangement but be continued.

It’s possible to be awarded either complete disability benefits or to be awarded a medical vocational allowance if requirements are met.

Most people have been found to receive disability benefits under the form of a medical vocational allowance.

If depression becomes so severe that it prevents the ability to work social security disability (SSDI) benefits may be attained. Although strict requirements must be met in order to receive total disability, working closely with medical professionals and a qualified social security disability attorney or advocate to collect and present the appropriate documentation ensure that a depression disability claim will have the best chance of approval.

May 17, 2017 • 5

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Stigmas placed on black men with PTSD Michael McCoy (left, inset) was born and raised in Baltimore, MD. He is a U.S Army veteran who served almost five years, including two tours of duty to Iraq.

He was medically discharged from the Army in 2008, and has been receiving treatment for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). While hospitalized at Walter Reed, he discovered documentary photography (like the picture on left) and says it has been instrumental in helping him deal with his PTSD.

They’re crying out for help.

They are black men, struggling with mental illness and posttraumatic stress disorder—many are veterans, but many more are civilians struggling in secret and are ashamed.

There are many issues surrounding PTSD, the criminalization of mental health as it relates to black communities and disparities in treatment.

For example, PTSD severely affects people’s chances of gaining and maintaining steady employment.

According to the National Coalition of Homeless Veterans on any given account, nearly 50,000 veterans are homeless and roughly 40 percent of those homeless veterans are African American or Hispanic.

Members with the Black Caucus Veterans Brain Trust, an organization that works to level disparities for black veterans, shared that it wasn’t until 1979 when PTSD became a legitimate mental health diagnosis. The organization asserts that while there isn’t a silver bullet treatment for PTSD there are a variety of treatment modalities that

people can use.

Health experts maintain that the issues surrounding PTSD and diagnosis are compounded by health disparities in black communities.

Many black men are reluctant to go to the doctor because of misdiagnosis or mistreatment. There is also the perceived weakness surrounding asking for help for men.

According to Dr. Annelle Primm, who has worked in the area of health disparities as it relates to African Americans for decades, co-founding a treatment program which provided in-home mental health treatment to patients, a PTSD diagnosis is more common in women than men, and that disparity holds true in Black communities. Black men are less likely to receive a diagnosis of PTSD. The idea that coming forward for help is seen as a weakness, Primm says, is directly related to stereotypes that people hold of individuals with mental illness—that mental illness is laziness or a character flaw rather than a disease.

“Some black men, because of how they are socialized, think that people with mental health problems should

snap out of it and literally pull themselves up by their bootstraps,” says Primm. “This attitude is particularly pronounced in military cultures.”

Dr. William Lawson, chair of the department of Howard University’s Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, says that black veterans are more likely to experience PTSD because they are often on the front lines of battle and more likely to have experienced previous traumatic experiences.

Lawson remembers a patient who kept seeing body parts floating in the air. The patient had been in a foxhole during Vietnam and a grenade fell down the hole and blew up everyone in it. He kept seeing visions of that happening.

Lawson says in many cases, like this patient, he found that doctors were misdiagnosing them as schizophrenic.

PTSD, an anxiety disorder characterized by symptoms of flashbacks, nightmares, hypervigilance, being hyperreactive, and withdrawal, among other symptoms, is a diagnosis where

veterans are given financial relief, whereas schizophrenia isn’t a diagnosis eligible for financial aid.

“We did testing and many people didn’t see PTSD as a black person’s disease because of racist notions,” Lawson said. “PTSD assumes that a person has insight and sensitivity.

People assume that black people are invulnerable, that we do not have a functional apparatus to experience any kind of mood complexity.”

Outside the veterans’ system of support, there isn’t a lot of support for black men and PTSD. A professor of psychiatry and director of the Center for Clinical and Translational Research and Stress/ Sleep Studies Program at Howard’s College of Medicine, has been working on studies on black veterans and sleep disorders, but also of 18to 35-year-olds and sleep disorders in inner-city areas in Washington, D.C., where violence and trauma have occurred. It was found that talk therapy can be a healthy form of treatment and that having people write about their traumatic experiences went a long way toward relieving distress.

Dr. Tanya Alim, a Washington, D.C.-based psychiatrist, found during her studies that 50 percent of patients who had been exposed to trauma developed PTSD, but only 17 percent had been recognized and entered into treatment.

Advocates and professionals alike agree it’s important for black men to seek treatment and ignore the stigma associated with getting help.

6 • May 17, 2017

Op/Ed & Letters

The LEGACY

A letter From a husband who loves his wife...

To my wife and my best friend, When we first met five years ago, I never thought I would be writing this. As we stood on stage in front of all of those strangers, acting our hearts out, I never once believed we would find ourselves here. We’ve come a long way.

When we first met, I’d never been truly close to a person who suffered from long-term anxiety and severe depression. They’d been merely buzzwords thrown around too many times by people who couldn’t think of another way to describe their daily frustrations.

“I think I’m going to have a panic attack.” or “Oh my gosh, I’m so depressed” became a monotonous phrase that strangers were all too happy to proclaim when the coffee shop ran out of their favorite muffin or they were forced to stay in the library a little later than normal to finish a paper instead of going to the bars with their friends. It was a signal to others they had problems and they wanted people to recognize and sympathize with their petty difficulties.

But you were different.

I never saw this monotony in you.

To the contrary, you were always so bright and full of life and energy. But then, slowly, I started to see the side of you that you were so apt to hide The LEGACY NEWSPAPER Vol. 3 No. 20 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

from me and the rest of the world for fear of being found out. The multiple days where you would stay in bed, or not shower, or the days where eating a meal seemed like too much work.

The times I would catch you crying and you would try to hide it in a (poor) attempt to smooth everything over.

We have now been together five years and married for nearly two of them. The time we’ve spent together has been amazing but truly defines an “emotional roller coaster.”

Writing from the perspective of a husband who always likes to consider himself truly honest and, for lack of a better term, “manly,” it seemed inconceivable for me at first that there were days I couldn’t make you feel better. That I was powerless to change how you felt.

When you reached your lowest low, it was difficult for me to not take personally your statements asking me to simply let you be and that you needed to work through it on your own. That there was nothing I could do to be a better husband or companion and help your sadness and anxiety go away and that, yes, you were crying, but it was nothing I had done. At that time, I’m sad to say, your assurances fell on deaf ears.

When you reached your lowest low, you said something to me I will 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.

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never be fully equipped to handle.

“The only reason I’m still alive is because I couldn’t do that to you. I couldn’t kill myself only because I know how much it would hurt you.”

That’s what you said. It broke my heart. In one sweeping statement, you managed to communicate exactly how much you value me and at the same time how much value you have placed on yourself. The frustration that comes with not being able to tell your depressed wife how much you love her, how each day is brighter with her in it, and instead knowing she will simply smile and not fully believe you or not realize what you’re trying to communicate is truly one of the hardest feelings I’ve ever had to overcome. In a word, I felt helpless.

Leading up to our wedding and even a few months past it, I felt absolutely immobilized. I firmly believed there was nothing I could do. I felt trapped in a cycle of trying to understand your depression, to getting frustrated when it got too bad, and finally returning to wanting nothing more but to help you feel better. A truly unenviable position for any new husband.

But today is a brighter day. It is more than a one year since that day and, after numerous phone calls and quite a few tears, you have been meeting with a psychologist who has helped you (well… helped both of us) learn to deal with your depression and anxiety in a healthy, controlled

way. I have learned that there will always be days when you are down. Days when you are not quite yourself. And, while some days are a struggle, I am still trying to learn that when you are unhappy, there may not be a root cause.

I know it still scares you. While your suicidal thoughts have dissipated, I know you constantly think about a day when they might reenter our lives and the home we have made. But know that this time… this time I will be ready.

When we first met, I was a foolish college boy with a tremendous crush.

I was not properly equipped to handle the effects of mental illness, nor was I ready to deal with the perceived backlash I thought could only be my fault. I was ready to give in to whatever you wanted, even if those tendencies were reckless or self-destructive.

Today, I am a man. Today I am your husband.

When we first met, I thought you were different. I was right. Because despite the internal battle you fight on a daily basis, you still manage to be truly the best wife I could have ever hoped for. Despite the challenges mental illness will no doubt bring to our future, I welcome them head on. So long as we can do it together.

Your vigilant defender, Your husband.

Courtesy: The Mighty

www.LEGACYnewspaper.com

May 17, 2017 • 7

P.T. Hoffsteader, Esq.

Do not overlook high functioning depression I first saw a psychiatrist for my anxiety and depression as a junior in high school. During her evaluation, she asked about my classes and grades. I told her that I had a 4.0 GPA and had filled my schedule with pre-AP and AP classes.

A puzzled look crossed her face.

She asked about my involvement in extracurricular activities. As I rattled off the long list of groups and organizations I was a part of, her frown creased further.

Finally, she set down her pen and looked at me, saying something along the lines of, “You seem to be pretty high-functioning, but your anxiety and depression seem pretty severe.

Actually, it’s teens like you who scare me a lot.”

Now I was confused. What was scary about my condition? From the outside, I was functioning like a perfectly “normal” teenager. In fact, I was somewhat of an overachiever.

I was working through my mental illnesses and succeeding, so what was the problem?

I left that appointment with a prescription for Lexapro and a question that I would continue to think about for years. The answer didn’t hit me all at once; rather, it came to me every time I heard a suicide story on the news saying, “by all accounts, they were living the perfect life.” It came to me as I crumbled under pressure over and over again, doing the bare minimum I could to still meet my definition of success. It came to me as I began to share my story and my illness with others, and I was met with reactions of “I had no idea” and “I never would

have known.”

It’s easy to put depression into a box of symptoms, and though we as a society are constantly told mental illness comes in all shapes and sizes, we are stuck with a mental health stock image in our heads that many people don’t match. When we see depression and anxiety in adolescents, we see teens struggling to get by in their day-to-day lives.

We see grades dropping. We see involvement replaced by isolation.

People slip through the cracks.

We don’t see the student with the 4.0 GPA. We don’t see the student who’s active in choir and theater or a member of the National Honor Society. We don’t see the student who takes on leadership roles in a religious youth group. No matter how many times we are reminded that mental illness doesn’t discriminate, we revert back to a narrow idea of how it should manifest, and that is dangerous.

Recognizing that danger is what helped me find the answer to my question. Watching person after person, myself included, slip under the radar of the “depression detector” made me realize where that fear comes from. My psychiatrist knew the list of symptoms, and she knew I didn’t necessarily fit them.

She understood it was the reason that, though my struggles with mental illness began at age 12, I didn’t come to see her until I was 16.

Four years is a long time to deal with mental illness alone, and secondary school is a dangerous time to deal with it.

If we keep allowing our perception of what mental illness looks like to dictate how we go about recognizing and treating it, we will continue to overlook those who don’t fit the mold.

We cannot keep forgetting that there are people out there who, though they may not be able to check off every symptom on the list, are heavily and negatively affected by their mental illness. If we forget, we allow their struggle to continue unnoticed, and that is pretty scary.

Amanda Leventhal

Healing and resistance

We have a president who seems not to believe in checks and balances.

As I write, Trump’s firing of the FBI director and the real reasons behind it are raising what many are calling a “constitutional crisis.”

When a president fires the nation’s chief law enforcement officer who is investigating that president’s administration, and then lies about the reasons why, a moral crisis is also being created. A poll just out says that 61 percent of the American people think the president is dishonest — and that was before the Comey firing.

In the meantime, the vulnerability of those Jesus called the least of these is presenting deep challenges every day to those who say they follow Jesus.

Both truth and justice are at stake in the United States of America, and I can testify how deeply many who know they supposed to be moral leaders in this country are struggling with how to fulfill that vocation — including church leaders, those responsible for faith-based organizations, many pastors, and faith-rooted activists working for social justice.

So many leaders have confided in me how overwhelmed they feel. Many are asking me: How do I respond, how do I choose which things to respond to, where do I put my focus and leadership, what things do I

choose to prioritize? Maybe the most common thing I am told my so many leaders is, “How do I sustain myself and discern what I should be doing?

I am feeling overwhelmed.”

Jim Wallis

Be a co-sponsor

LGBT Americans still face employment discrimination, housing discrimination and harassment in school because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. This is both horrifying and heartbreaking.

The Equality Act, which was reintroduced in Congress this month, will help ensure that no one is discriminated against because of who they love. Will you join me in speaking out to support the Equality Act and demanding protections for LGBT Americans?

Add your name online at http:// bit.ly/2pFwdgS to become a Citizen Co-Sponsor of the Equality Act and demand protections for LGBT Americans!

I’m proud that here in Virginia, we’ve taken big steps forward in the fight for LGBT rights these past few years. I’ve heard from so many people whose lives were changed when the courts overturned Virginia’s ban on same-sex marriage, or when we instituted early protections for our LGBT college students – but we still have much, much more work to do to ensure equal rights.

That’s why I need your help right now: The Equality Act would protect LGBT Americans from being denied their rights simply because of who they are, and we need to do everything in our power to make sure it passes through Congress: Demand protections for LGBT Americans!

Mark Herring

8 • May 17, 2017

Faith & Religion

The LEGACY

Prayer can relieve the stresses of everyday life All relationships require good communication to maintain and enhance them. It should be frequent, honest and personal. A relationship with God is no different. Prayer is the spiritual exercise that allows people to communicate directly with God. It is an intensely personal endeavor that can be performed alone or with a group and can provide a great source of stress relief.

The requirements are simple: all we need is belief in a power greater than ourselves, and faith that this power is looking out for us.

Prayer provides stress relief in a variety of ways. A prayer for help is a great source of comfort and relief because a person does not feel they have to bear their burden alone.

Often when people are hurting or confused, they can feel as if there is no one to talk to or depend on.

A prayer during these tense times relieves that feeling of loneliness.

The belief that God is listening to their prayers and will help them is a source of hope to many individuals.

With hope comes the strength to carry on.

Trusting in God is also a way of practicing optimism. Researchers have long credited optimism with numerous benefits, including reduced stress and better overall emotional health. By trusting in God, people feel like other outcomes are possible and this boosts a positive outlook.

A prayer of thanks acknowledges and reinforces one’s belief in God and belief in the benevolence of God. When these beliefs are strengthened, an individual is more likely to turn to God during time of strife. Again, a positive cycle is created. Expressing gratitude and giving thanks through prayer reminds people of the positive aspects of their existence and can help ward off feelings of sadness.

Prayer should be a regular part of a spiritual person’s life. Often prayer is incorporated at the beginning

and end of each day. Prayer at the beginning of the day sets the tone for a spiritual day, and fills a reservoir of strength to face the coming challenges. Prayer at the end of the day acknowledges God’s help throughout the day, allows people to give thanks for the aid God provided during the day, and provides an opportunity for people to ask for help with any ongoing situations. To reap the greatest benefits of prayer, it is suggested that people pray often.

Most people will pray by and for themselves at one point or another, but there are three additional ways to pray that contribute to a wellrounded communication with God. They are to pray alone or for oneself, to pray with others and to pray for others.

Prayer by, and for, oneself has straightforward benefits. Solo prayer is an opportunity to ask for help or

guidance. Importantly, it is a chance to address any fears or stresses and release their burden to God. People should also remember that communication goes both ways, and take the time to listen to God as well.

With the faith that God will listen and help, people find that their stress is alleviated.

Prayer with others capitalizes on the communal benefits of faith.

People can pray with others in a structured setting, like a church or scheduled prayer group, or it can be spontaneous. An example of spontaneous group prayer is when tragedy strikes. During these dark times, people are often compelled to join with other victims or sympathizers and pray. Group prayer is not limited to hard times though, as many people appreciate being able to rejoice and give thanks with others. In both cases engaging

in prayer with similar minded people strengthens the feeling of belonging, reinforces feelings of support and understanding, and alleviates stress.

To pray for others is an important concept. Some people may be surprised that remembering others in their prayers or dedicating prayers entirely to others can have a positive effect on their own mood and feelings of well-being. Praying for others is an exercise in empathy. It also allows people to focus on something other than their own concerns for a while.

Praying for others, and considering what someone else is dealing with, can also allow people to gain a better perspective on their own issues.

Prayer enables people to find the lessons inherent in everyday life and occurrences. A sincere, frequent and frank dialogue with God provides numerous opportunities for

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May 17, 2017 • 9

Addiction and mental illness can go hand-in-hand Many have questioned whether drug addiction is a mental illness. Health experts maintain that addiction changes the brain in fundamental ways, disturbing a person's normal hierarchy of needs and desires and substituting new priorities connected with procuring and using the drug according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

The resulting compulsive behaviors that override the ability to control impulses despite the consequences are similar to hallmarks of other mental illnesses.

Many people who regularly abuse drugs are also diagnosed with mental disorders and vice versa. The high prevalence of this comorbidity has been documented in multiple national population surveys for over 30 years.

Data shows that people diagnosed with mood or anxiety disorders are about twice as likely to suffer also from a drug use disorder compared with respondents in general. The same is true for those diagnosed with an antisocial syndrome, such as antisocial personality or conduct disorder.

Similarly, persons diagnosed with drug disorders are roughly twice as likely to suffer also from mood and anxiety disorders.

Gender is also a factor in the specific patterns of observed comorbidities. For example, the overall rates of abuse and dependence for most drugs tend to be higher among males than females. Further, males are more likely to suffer from antisocial personality disorder, while women have higher rates of mood and anxiety disorders, all of which are risk factors for substance abuse.

When two disorders or illnesses occur in the same person, simultaneously or sequentially, they are described as comorbid. Comorbidity also implies interactions between the illnesses that affect the course and prognosis of both.

The high prevalence of comorbidity between drug use disorders and other mental illnesses does not mean that one caused the other, even if one appeared first. Establishing causality or directionality is difficult for several reasons. Diagnosis of a mental disorder may not occur until symptoms have progressed to a specified level but subclinical symptoms may also prompt drug use, and imperfect recollections of when drug use or abuse started can create confusion as to which came first.

(from page 8) introspection. When praying for help, believers are forced to examine what it is they truly need help with, and what they are requesting from God. Praying to give thanks requires the same introspection. Believers can start out being thankful for a

superficial occurrence, and then come to see the deeper significance.

Recognizing the lessons in everyday life can help people avoid repeating past mistakes and gain confidence in their ability to make sound future decisions.

Courtesy: The Adrenal Fatigue

There are three scenarios professionals say must be taken into consideration: •Drugs of abuse can cause abusers to experience one or more symptoms of another mental illness. The increased risk of psychosis in some marijuana abusers has been offered as evidence for this possibility.

•Mental illnesses can lead to drug abuse.

Individuals with overt, mild, or even subclinical mental disorders may abuse drugs as a form of self-medication. For example, the use of tobacco products by patients with schizophrenia is believed to lessen the symptoms of the disease and improve cognition.

•Both drug use disorders and other mental illnesses are caused by overlapping factors such as underlying brain deficits, genetic vulnerabilities, and/or early exposure to stress or trauma.

All three of these scenarios most likely contribute to how and whether specific comorbidities manifest themselves.

Sex Offender Helpline The helpline provides support to communities on issues related to accessing sex offender registration information; responsible use of information; sexual abuse prevention resources; and accessing crime victim support services.

The tips program provides the public an opportunity to report registrants who are failing to comply with registration requirements.

Tips can also be provided at www.parentsformeganslaw.org.

This program is not intended to be used to report police emergencies.

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10 • May 17, 2017

The LEGACY

(from page 2) harder to access. Telling a depressed individual to just try and be happier is not only impossible, it is painful and hurtful. When you’re depressed and you try to make yourself feel happiness again you most likely fail since there is a biological reason for feeling that way. This could have you end up feeling only more depressed and dejected afterwards.

4. Depression is more than just sadness.

I feel like people use the word depression so recklessly now. Saying you are depressed because the weather is bad or you did poorly on a test is insulting to me. It minimizes the pain I endured when I was going through actual depression.

So what is the difference between sadness and depression? Sadness I’d say is still on the same spectrum with happiness. In a given day you could range from happy to normal to sad. But depression is a world away from that spectrum.

When people ask me what depression feels like the only way I can describe it is through an image.

Picture yourself lying at the bottom of an entire ocean. But there is no sunlight, just pitch black dark. The weight of the ocean is on top of you but you don’t have the strength to move, breathe or even to swim to the surface. It’s too far away and the weight is so life crushing you are just stuck. You can’t even tell where the surface is anymore.

5. Depression is an actual medical disorder.

Depression is biological. It affects the neurons, cells and chemicals in your brain. Depression is classified as a disorder and is an actual medical illness. It can wipe away how you think. It can take away your ability to feel. It can make you feel like all the light in you withered away. It can break your spirit as well. It can make you forget your reason for living. It takes all of the power and strength out of you. It can take away your ability to fight, to laugh, to smile.

6. Depression affects all of you.

Although depression stems from your mind, it can impact so much

more. When I was going through depression I had terrible digestion problems. Indigestion and nausea happened on a weekly basis. It went so far as having blood in my stool and having to get a colonoscopy. The way you feel emotionally and mentally has a proven impact on your physical body. You can get migraines and even throw up or faint from it. Depression can tarnish your mind and your body.

Aside from the physical aspect, depression can affect your social relationships. During my depression I knew I had to seek out new friendships and social relationships, but that depression kept me from making an effort. Depression made it too hard and too terrifying, the thought of socializing filled me with anxiety and stress. I’ve also seen relationships end because one person is affected by depression and the other just can’t handle it.

If you feel like you identify with any of the symptoms I’ve described about depression please seek out help. I know that is a very hard thing to do, especially with the stigma surrounding mental illness, but you are worth it. You are worth the effort of getting out of this terrible disorder.

There are many different ways you can seek out professional help.

If you are currently a student, there are student health services with counseling that can really make a difference. Sometimes you just need to let all the emotions out by talking to someone, and that someone should be a licensed professional who knows what you are going through. Whether it is a public grade school or at the university level, this counseling could

be free or at very low cost to you.

They can also refer you to people

who can help you even better if your school doesn’t have the proper resources.

Support systems are very important. Whether these come from family, religion or friends, it is important to have those human connections helping you recover.

Now I’m not saying that with faith, hope, support and therapy you will be instantly healed. You won’t. It is important to know that depression and healing is a long journey.

It took me three to four years to really feel unaffected by depression any longer. But you must keep up the fight. Life is worth living even in the darkest times. You can get through it.

www.LEGACYnewspaper.com

ADHD and whether it’s really a mental illness Editor’s note: ADHD is documented as one of the most researched and prevalent childhood brain disorders and the symptoms often continue through adolescence into adulthood. Conditions, such as learning disabilities, anxiety disorder, conduct disorder, depression, and substance abuse, are common in people with ADHD. When considering the question whether , Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a learning disability or mental illness experts maintain that many factors

must be considered. When a child begins to display the inability to focus, restlessness, and hyperactivity ADHD is usually suspected. Parents

May 17, 2017 • 11 begin to wonder, is ADHD a learning disability? Is it a mental illness?

If a person has a condition that inhibits mental functioning or causes significant mental impairment to the point that it interferes with basic executive functioning skills, the condition is classified as a psychiatric disorder. Therefore, ADHD is classified as a psychiatric disorder.

There are three subtypes when identifying the symptoms of ADHD. They are predominately hyperactiveimpulsive, predominately inattentive, and combined hyperactive-impulsive and inattentive.

Studies have shown that most children have the combined type of ADHD. Symptoms are as diversified as the children who have the disorder, but most children with ADHD display symptoms consistently for 6 months or more with greater frequency than their peers of the same age.

Studies have indicated that many people with ADHD have higher than average IQ’s. Researchers have strived to figure out exactly how the ADHD brain works. Most of us are generally able to determine what tasks are most important in our daily schedules, and we motivate ourselves to get those important tasks done in the order of priority. A person with ADHD has difficulty prioritizing, and finds it even harder to complete a task. People with ADHD want to get the task done, but they usually can’t seem to get started until the situation becomes overly challenging or urgent.

Children with ADHD are procrastinators by nature of the disorder. That’s why you find yourself running out to get poster board for your child at 10 o’clock on Sunday night, before the science project due date on Monday morning.

Children with ADHD have four or five things going on in their minds at once. Too often they can’t determine which is the most important at the proper time.

Scientists are not sure exactly what causes ADHD, but some studies indicate that there may be a genetic link to the disorder. As research continues, learning about a genetic predisposition to the disease can lead to better treatment and maybe even prevention of the disorder before it

occurs.

Brain injuries are also being studied to determine whether the occurrence of ADHD might be the result of such an injury. Good nutrition is important to good health.

Scientists are studying the diets of pregnant women and young children to see if there might be a link between what we eat and ADHD. The social environment is also being considered as the quest for answers continues.

Environmental factors, such as alcohol use, drug use and smoking during pregnancy may indicate a potential link to the development of ADHD. According to the National Institute on Health, ADHD occurs four times more in boys than in girls, and the number of children being diagnosed with ADHD is increasing steadily but no one is sure why. The average age of onset is 7 years old. Subtle symptoms can begin to surface as early as age 3, but are usually dismissed as normal childhood behavior.

Living with ADHD is a challenge for those with the disorder as well as their parents and families because the child’s ADHD disrupts lives and schedules of all in the household, parental time and energy are required to help the child manage their symptoms, and there is added tension in parent-child interactions.

Symptoms of ADHD include: • Inability to focus; • Easily distracted; • Struggles to follow instructions; • Difficulty completing tasks; • Daydreaming and “tuning out” what he doesn’t want to hear; • Fidgeting and squirming in seat; • Non-stop talking; • Must be constantly moving, touching things and disturbing classmates; • Unable to sit still for longer than a few minutes; • Verbal outbursts when frustrated; • Constantly losing personal items; • Difficulty processing information; • Impatience; • Unable to wait for a desired ;outcome or for his turn when playing • Interrupts conversations; • Displays often inappropriate emotions • No apparent regard for consequences of actions; • Makes careless mistakes; and • No regard for consequences.

12 • May 17, 2017

The LEGACY

Thurgood Marshall’s widow keeps his legacy alive

Cecilia Marshall STACY M. BROWN Cecilia Marshall never imagined that the battle for equal rights in schools and elsewhere would still be as vital today as it was six decades ago when her husband, United States Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall, fought to end legal segregation as a civil rights lawyer with the NAACP Legal Defense Fund.

“We haven’t made too much progress,” said Cecilia Marshall, 88. “Sixty-three years later, we’re still fighting in the courts for equal treatment and that’s not what my husband, nor I would have imagined would be going on today.”

There’s little argument that one of the greatest achievements in the long and illustrious career of the late-Justice Thurgood Marshall, who died in 1993 at the age of 84, was the landmark decision in the 1954 Supreme Court case Brown v. Board of Education.

According to the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, in 1940, “Marshall became the key strategist in the effort to end racial segregation, in particular, meticulously challenging Plessy v. Ferguson, the Courtsanctioned legal doctrine that called for ‘separate but equal’ structures for whites and blacks.”

The Brown v. Board of Education lawsuit began as five separate cases filed in South Carolina, Delaware, Virginia, Washington, D.C. and Kansas. The plaintiffs in all of the cases alleged that the civil rights of their children under the 14th

Amendment had been violated.

A biography about Justice Marshall that appears on The Legal Defense Fund’s website said that, “Marshall won a series of court decisions that gradually struck down [‘separate, but equal’], ultimately leading to Brown v. Board of Education, which he argued before the Supreme Court in 1952 and 1953,” finally overturning the doctrine and acknowledging that segregation greatly diminished students’ self-esteem.”

On May 17, 1954, the Supreme Court unanimously ruled that separate educational facilities were “inherently unequal” and that racial segregation of public schools violated the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

The Brown v. Board of Education decision came more than a decade before Marshall’s appointment to the Supreme Court. The decision has been credited with inspiring the Civil Rights Movement that unfolded over the next decade and it also led to Marshall being recognized as one of the most successful lawyers in America.

“He accomplished so much and worked so hard, but I thought by now we would have come so much further.

He would have thought that, too,” said Marshall, whom loved ones and others affectionately call “Cissy.”

Her work continues in her husband’s memory.

The event will be held at the Thurgood Marshall Center for Service and Heritage in Northwest, Washington, D.C.

Cecilia Marshall (2nd from right) and Justice Thurgood Marshall (right) in an undated photo with their children.

PHOTO: Thurgood Marshall Center for Service and Heritage “The problems remain and this event, this anniversary, comes against the backdrop of a significantly troubling retrenchment of access to education for AfricanAmericans, Latinos and other children,” Marshall said.

She cited a Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights report that said there are numerous factors that appear to have combined to cause the rapid re-segregation of schools since 1991, the year her husband retired from the bench.

The courts began turning against desegregation plans in the 1980s— denying new petitions to desegregate schools, ending previous court imposed plans and even striking down voluntary plans created by local school districts, according to the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, a diverse collective of more than 200 national civil and human rights groups.

Further, executive branch agencies topped the aggressive campaign to enforce the Brown decision and the Civil Rights Act that proved successful in the 1960s and 1970s, the Leadership Conference reported.

In a statement about the report, the Leadership Conference said that the rapid growth of the Hispanic and African-American populations and growing income disparities have increased the concentration of minorities living in high poverty districts.

Leaders from the National Newspaper Publishers Association

(NNPA) and others plan to join Marshall at the historic event to celebrate the life and legacy of Justice Thurgood Marshall.

“The NNPA reaffirms the living legacy of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall,” said Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr., the president and CEO of the NNPA. “We note this month the 63rd anniversary of the landmark 1954 Supreme Court decision. Marshall utilized his legal genius and courage to win that case.

“Today, it’s important to reassert the critical importance of continuing to demand equal, high-quality education for black American students and all students across the nation.”

Marshall, she said that, she still gathers with the wives of former and current Supreme Court Justices.

“We’re a big family, we call ourselves ‘sisters,’” she said.

Those get-togethers, as well as the success of her two sons—Thurgood, Jr., and John W. —serve to further validate her husband’s legacy.

“Seeing his sons grow up to become adults—Thurgood, Jr. a lawyer; and John serving in civil service—has been a great joy,” said Marshall.

“My husband gave me and all of us a great life and his favorite slogan was something we’ve always lived by and I still live by today, especially when I think of the state of things in this country.”

She said that slogan is, “Never give up.”

www.LEGACYnewspaper.com

May 17, 2017 • 13

14 • May 17, 2017

The LEGACY

‘Progress is not victory’ U.S teen pregnancy rates still highest in industrialized world Despite historic declines in teen pregnancy rates over that last two decades, eight in 10 people in the United States still consider teen pregnancy to be an important issue as compared to other social and economic challenges in their community. New polling released today by The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy also finds that 80 percent African-American adults believe that more efforts should be made to prevent teen pregnancy in their communities.

“Despite extraordinary declines in teen pregnancy and childbearing, nearly one in four teens still get pregnant by age 20 and the progress we have made remains

Ginny Ehrlich uneven. Teens living in poverty are disproportionately more likely to experience an unplanned pregnancy, as are African-American and Latina teens,” said Ginny Ehrlich, CEO of The National Campaign. “The

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National Campaign stands ready to take on the challenges and is committed to ensuring that young people have the support they need to determine if, when, and under what circumstances to get pregnant.”

May is National Teen Pregnancy Prevention Month, a time for teens and adults alike to focus their attention on topics like birth control, healthy relationships, and sex. notes Ehrlich. Throughout the month of May teens and their parents are encouraged to visit the website StayTeen.org to play a brand new interactive game and take the Teen Pregnancy Prevention Quiz, both released on May 1.

The National Campaign is a private, non-partisan, non-profit

organization that seeks to improve the lives and future prospects of children and families by preventing teen and unplanned pregnancy. Visit the website TheNationalCampaign. org for more information.

Data presented are drawn from a national web survey, written by The National Campaign and conducted using Google Surveys, April 2017.

Interviews were conducted among 2,314 respondents who volunteered to participate in Google online surveys and polls, and data are subsequently weighted to reflect the demographic composition of men and women ages 18 and older who are internet users. Google’s reports state a margin of error of +/- 2.1 percent at the 95 percent confidence level.

PSA As a person who is passionate about Alzheimer’s disease, and, as an Alzheimer’s Association volunteer, I have started a campaign for an revenue sharing ALZHEIMER’S LICENSE PLATE through DMV. According to the Alzheimer’s Association, anyone with a brain should be concerned about Alzheimer’s and, the license plate is a great way to raise funding for awareness and support.

Since 2000, deaths from Alzheimer’s disease have increased by 89 percent. Alzheimer’s is the only cause of death in the top 10 that cannot be prevented or treated and has no cure. This must change.

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May 17, 2017 • 15

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Eugene Mitchell and New York Life are creating $50 billion in black wealth STACY M. BROWN If black lives matter, then black wealth should certainly matter, too.

That’s the motto that Eugene Mitchell, a corporate vice president and market manager in the AfricanAmerican Market Unit for the New York Life Insurance Company, often shares.

Since 2011, Mitchell has been on a mission to create wealth—$50 billion to be exact—in the black community through an innovative and wellthought out insurance program backed by his employers and the 1,200 African-American insurance agents the company employs.

“We are on mission to create $50 billion of tax-free future income in the black community,” Mitchell said.

“I believe the issues in the black community are not crime [or] drugs; those are symptoms of a greater and deeper rooted issue, which is about economics.

“Without economics, without college saving plans in place, without down payments for new homes, folks struggle to move to the next level. What we’ve put together is a community empowerment plan that’s about financial literacy.”

Mitchell said that leveraging financial tools to really make a difference is what’s important.

The equation is quite simple: multiply 200,000 families by $250,000 in life insurance and that creates $50 billion of tax-free income.

Instead of thinking of life insurance as just a means to cover funeral expenses, Mitchell urges black families to consider life insurance as protection and an investment for future generations.

Mitchell based his plan on four principles: Protect what you own and those you love; prioritize financial goals; plan for major life events; and pass on assets to individuals and institutions you care about.

“We’re not only trying to create wealth, but to spend it in the right

place; to build upon it and protect it and leverage it for the future and pass it on, so that money is never an issue,” said Mitchell. “Knowing collectively that we’ve created $50 billion and changed the financial future of our community shows that black wealth matters.”

Each generation of AfricanAmericans stands proudly on the legacy of everyday heroes and civil rights leaders, just as Mitchell said he happily stands on the legacy of Cirilo A. McSween, an African-American trailblazer in the insurance business who dedicated his life to strengthening the black community.

McSween, who served as the treasurer of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and was a close confidant of Martin Luther King, Jr., was adamant about helping his clients create estates and leave legacies to financially empower the next generation, using life insurance as the foundation, Mitchell said.

“I tell my agents that we have the responsibility to live up to the legacy of those who came before us by doing all that we can to help those who will come after us,” said Mitchell, who holds a degree in finance from Florida International University and an MBA in finance from New York University.

Helping to create economic opportunity and building multigenerational wealth can ensure the stability and the future of the black community, he said.

A revelation struck Mitchell when his employers explained that his value to the company was $2.5 million. Mitchell said that was the current value of his future earnings at the company, just his salary alone, without bonuses.

“So, it made me think about valuing my life. If someone got on the bus and was acting up, it taught me to move to the other side, for example,” he said. “You tend to take better care

Eugene Mitchell of yourself, your children and your family and make better decisions, when you know you’re worth a million dollars or more.”

Other races, particularly whites, inherit their wealth, most through life insurance payouts, he said.

“You really can’t work your way to wealth, you have to invest your earnings somewhere,” said Mitchell.

“It’s time to consider tools like life insurance, as well as, looking at places where we can find money to invest.

“We could empower ourselves, and send more kids to school, create endowments, lessen crime and create more home ownership, collectively.”

Buying life insurance isn’t a government handout, or someone else doing for the community, Mitchell said.

“It’s us, getting ourselves together with what we have,” he said. “To teach our children better, to act better ourselves, and to use these tools that are readily available that have been underleveraged in our community, so that we can raise expectations and create a new legacy for generations to come.”

Quite simply, life insurance isn’t a lottery ticket, Mitchell stressed.

“We can insure our parents, ourselves and our children to build this within our own families. By getting our mindset and spending habits right, we can start setting

up college savings plans and down payments for homes like others,” he said.

Mitchell explained: “If you had inherited $250,000 from big momma, would it have helped you put aside your nest egg, put a down payment on a home or have startup capital for a business?”

Already, after just six years, the plan is nearing its goal.

In 2016 alone, New York Life paid out $5 billion in death claims, Mitchell said.

African-American agents at the company handled more than $100 million in claims from Black Americans.

“The National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) forthrightly salutes New York Life and Eugene Mitchell for this transformative initiative to undergird the building of wealth for black families and communities,” said Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr., the president and CEO of the NNPA. Mitchell and others, including New York Life agents, plan to celebrate reaching the $50 billion milestone by taking a portrait on the steps of the U.S. Capitol in August.

“The $50 billion is just a starting point,” said Mitchell. “It could be used on top of the trillion dollars of earned income that black people already have.”

16 • May 17, 2017

Calendar

The LEGACY

COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES & EVENTS

5.23, 6:30 p.m.

5.19, 1 p.m.

The Capital Region Workforce Partnership and the Capital Region Workforce Development Board will celebrate the new location of its workforce center in Chesterfield County with a grand opening and open house Friday, May 19.

The Chesterfield Resource Workforce Center has relocated to 304 Turner Road, off Midlothian Turnpike, west of Chippenham Parkway.

The grand-opening ceremony will be held from 1 to 2 p.m. Gov. Terry McAuliffe is expected to attend along with state and local officials and business leaders on the board. The open house will follow from 2 to 3:30 p.m. The grand-opening ceremony and open house are open to the news media and public.

The partnership operates three Resource Workforce Centers to assist individuals with jobskills development, educational advancement and credential attainment. The centers are open to employers and individuals 18 and older who are unemployed or underemployed.

The other workforce centers are at 203 E. Cary St. in downtown Richmond and 121 Cedar Fork Road in eastern Henrico County. The partnership and board promote job development and economic strength in an area that encompasses the city of Richmond and the counties of Charles City, Chesterfield, Goochland, Hanover, Henrico, New Kent and Powhatan. Henrico serves as the grant recipient and fiscal agent for the board.

The Chesterfield Workforce Center previously operated at 7333 Whitepine Road. The new facility, which is near a GRTC Transit System bus line, is easily accessible to residents of Chesterfield and Richmond. For more information, go to resourceva.com or send email to turnerrdopening@henrico.us.

How to get the best price for your home in the shortest amount of time will be among the subjects of a free seminar for home sellers offered by Virginia Credit Union. Participants will learn about the home selling process, practical tips, and common pitfalls to avoid.

The Home Sellers Seminar will be offered at Virginia Credit Union, 7500 Boulder View Drive in the Boulders Office Park, Richmond. To register to attend, call 804-323-6800.

5.30, 5 p.m.

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Submit your calendar events by email to: editor@legacynewspaper.com.

Include who, what, where, when & contact information that can be printed.

Submission deadline is Friday.

You can help make sure that no child goes hungry this summer by being part of Petersburg’s Summer Food Service Program.

Petersburg City Public Schools is seeking community groups and sites to serve as summer locations where children can come for free breakfasts and lunches. Camps, classes, day cares and other programs could serve as sites where Petersburg children who are 18 years old or younger can eat free breakfasts and lunches this summer.

The nutritious meals will be provided to the sites at no cost so that they can be provided to children at no cost. More than a dozen sites served 44,000 meals in Petersburg last summer, and the school system hopes to reach more children in more locations this summer.

May 31 is the deadline to apply to be part of the Summer Food Service Program. Community members and groups who believe that no child should be hungry are urged to contact Donna Johnson, supervisor of school nutrition, at dojohnson@ petersburg.k12.va.us or 804-8614806.

During the school year, Petersburg schools provide free breakfasts and lunches for all students and will continue to do that in summer school programs.

May 17, 2017 • 17

www.LEGACYnewspaper.com

NOTICE TO THE PUBLIC OF AN APPLICATION BY VIRGINIA ELECTRIC AND POWER COMPANY FOR THE DETERMINATION OF THE FAIR RATE OF RETURN ON COMMON EQUITY TO BE APPLIED TO ITS RATE ADJUSTMENT CLAUSES CASE NO. PUR-2017-00038 On March 31, 2017, Virginia Electric and Power Company d/b/a Dominion Virginia Power (“Dominion” or “Company”) filed with the State Corporation Commission (“Commission”) an application (“Application”) for the determination of the fair rate of return on common equity (“ROE”) to be applied to its rate adjustment clauses pursuant to § 56-585.1:1 of the Code of Virginia (“Code”). Enacted in 2015, this provision of the Code requires that: Commencing in 2017 and concluding in 2019, the State Corporation Commission, after notice and opportunity for a hearing, shall conduct a proceeding every two years to determine the fair rate of return on common equity to be used by a Phase II Utility as the general rate of return applicable to rate adjustment clauses under subdivisions A 5 or A 6 of § 56-585.1. A Phase II Utility’s filing in such proceedings shall be made on or before March 31 of 2017 and 2019.

The Company requests that the Commission approve an ROE of 10.50% for Dominion’s rate adjustment clauses approved under Subdivisions A 5 and A 6 of § 56-585.1 of the Code, to be applied prospectively, effective with the date of the Commission’s final order in this proceeding. Dominion currently has a total of nine such rate adjustment clauses.

The Commission entered an Order for Notice and Hearing that, among other things, scheduled a public hearing on September 6, 2017, at 10 a.m., in the Commission’s second floor courtroom located in the Tyler Building, 1300 East Main Street, Richmond, Virginia 23219, to receive testimony from members of the public and evidence related to the Application from the Company, any respondents, and the Commission’s Staff. Any person desiring to testify as a public witness at this hearing should appear fifteen (15) minutes prior to the starting time of the hearing and contact the Commission’s Bailiff.

The Company’s Application and the Commission’s Order for Notice and Hearing are available for public inspection during regular business hours at each of the Company’s business offices in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Copies also may be obtained by submitting a written request to counsel for the Company: Dominion, Lisa S. Booth, Esquire, Dominion Resources Services, Inc., 120 Tredegar Street, Richmond, Virginia 23219. If acceptable to the requesting party, the Company may provide the documents by electronic means.

Copies of the public version of all documents filed in this case also are available for interested persons to review in the Commission’s Document Control Center, located on the first floor of the Tyler Building, 1300 East Main Street, Richmond, Virginia 23219, between the hours of 8:15 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding holidays. Interested persons also may download unofficial copies from the Commission’s website: http://www.scc.virginia.gov/case.

Any person or entity may participate as a respondent in this proceeding by filing, on or before June 30, 2017, a notice of participation. If not filed electronically, an original and fifteen (15) copies of the notice of participation shall be submitted to Joel H. Peck, Clerk, State Corporation Commission, c/o Document Control Center, P.O. Box 2118, Richmond, Virginia 23218-2118.

A copy of the notice of participation as a respondent also must be sent to counsel for the Company at the address set forth above. Pursuant to Rule 5 VAC 5-20-80 B, Participation as a respondent, of the Commission’s Rules of Practice and Procedure (“Rules of Practice”), any notice of participation shall set forth: (i) a precise statement of the interest of the respondent; (ii) a statement of the specific action sought to the extent then known; and (iii) the factual and legal basis for the action. All filings shall refer to Case No. PUR-2017-00038. For additional information about participation as a respondent, any person or entity should obtain a copy of the Commission’s Order for Notice and Hearing.

On or before July 26, 2017, each respondent may file with the Clerk of the Commission, and serve on the Commission’s Staff, the Company, and all other respondents, any testimony and exhibits by which the respondent expects to establish its case, and each witness’s testimony shall include a summary not to exceed one page. If not filed electronically, an original and fifteen (15) copies of such testimony and exhibits shall be submitted to the Clerk of the Commission at the address set forth above.

Respondents also shall comply with the Commission’s Rules of Practice, including: 5 VAC 5-20-140, Filing and service; 5 VAC 5-20-150, Copies and format; and 5 VAC 5-20-240, Prepared testimony and exhibits. All filings shall refer to Case No. PUR-2017-00038.

On or before August 31, 2017, any interested person wishing to comment on the Company’s Application shall file with Joel H. Peck, Clerk, State Corporation Commission, c/o Document Control Center, P.O. Box 2118, Richmond, Virginia 23218-2118, written comments on the Application. Any interested person desiring to file comments electronically may do so on or before August 31, 2017, by following the instructions on the Commission’s website: http://www.scc.virginia.gov/case. Compact disks or any other form of electronic storage medium may not be filed with the comments. All such comments shall refer to Case No. PUR-2017-00038.

The Commission’s Rules of Practice may be viewed at: http://www.scc.virginia.gov/case. A printed copy of the Commission’s Rules of Practice and an official copy of the Commission’s Order for Notice and Hearing in this proceeding may be obtained from Joel H. Peck, Clerk, State Corporation Commission, c/o Document Control Center, P.O. Box 2118, Richmond, Virginia 23218-2118.

VIRGINIA ELECTRIC AND POWER COMPANY

NOTICE OF ELECTION CITY OF RICHMOND THE PRIMARY ELECTIONS LISTED BELOW WILL BE HELD ON:

TUESDAY, JUNE 13, 2017

The purpose of these elections is to nominate political party candidates to be on the ballot in the November general election for the offices shown.

Democratic Republican Party Party Primary Primary Governor Lieutenant Governor Member, House of Delegates, 68th District Member, House of Delegates, 70th District Sheriff Treasurer

Governor Lieutenant Governor

VOTERS MAY PARTICIPATE IN EITHER THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY PRIMARY OR THE REPUBLICAN PARTY PRIMARY, BUT MAY NOT PARTICIPATE IN BOTH PRIMARIES. Visit www.richmondgov.com to view sample ballots for these elections.

THE DEADLINE TO REGISTER TO VOTE IS

MONDAY, MAY 22, 2017

Persons with DMV issued ID can register to vote, update their registration or apply for an absentee ballot online and paperlessly at www.elections.virginia.gov.

Register in person in room 105, City Hall, 900 East Broad Street between 8:00 AM and 5:00 PM, Monday through Friday, except holidays.

Applications are also in all city post offices, libraries, and DMV. The Office of the General Registrar will mail applications upon request. Voter registration applications must either be postmarked or in the Office of the General Registrar by 5 PM on the deadline date.

The deadline to apply for an absentee ballot through the mail for this election is Tuesday June 6, 2017. The deadline to apply for and vote an absentee ballot in person is 5:00 PM, Saturday, June 10, 2017, except in the case of certain emergencies. The Office of the General Registrar will be open for absentee voting during regular business hours, and from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM on Saturday, June 10, 2017.

Call (804) 646-5950 for more information.

18 • May 17, 2017

409 E. Main St. #4 (mailing) • 105 1/2 E. Clay St. (office) Richmond, VA 23219 804-644-1550 (office) • 800-783-8062 (fax) ads@legacynewspaper.com

Classifieds

The LEGACY

LEGAL, EMPLOYMENT, ANNOUNCEMENTS, FOR SALE, SERVICES

Ad Size 6.37 inches 2 column(s) X 6.37 inches)

The City of Richmond is seeking to fill the following position(s): Capital Project Manager 29M00000174 Department of Public Works Apply by 05/28/17 Engineer IV – City Bridge 29M00000603 Department of Public Works Continuous Maintenance Technician II – Water Utility 35M00000210 Department of Public Utilities Apply by 05/28/17 Maintenance Worker I - Stormwater 35M00000836 Department of Public Utilities Apply by 05/28/17 Materials Technician, Warehouse and Inventory Control (Wastewater) 35M00000124 Department of Public Utilities Apply by 05/28/17 ********************************* For an exciting career with the City of Richmond, visit our website for additional information and apply today!

www.richmondgov.com

Driver: Mr. Bult’s is hiring 17) - $70.07 Local1 Issue Class(May A CDL One of the Drivers.

Rate: $11 per column inch strong benefits Home Every Night, $1100+/week, Includes Internet placement of newspaper Amazing Benefits!

WORK to 55000 advertising Please is that review the Text proof, make any needed changes and return by fax or e-mail.

your response is not received by deadline, your ad may not be inserted. newspapers Ifoffer a FOR RENT variety of ways toOk X_________________________________________ target a particular Affordable 2 Bedroom X _____________________________ audience. Ok with changes Apartments Available in Newport News for Immediate Whether it’s Occupancy Deadline is Fridays @ 5 p.m. zoning inserts by REMINDER: $250 Security Deposit Special! zip code or using a On-Site Laundry and Parking.

For more information, please niche publication to target a certain call Admiral Pointe Apartments at 757.244.4414 ethnic group or behaviorally targeting a certain group on a newspaper website, newspaper products offer Funerals can be very expensive. a wide range of Can your loved ones afford it? products to target Protect them with Final Expense Insurance.

Call today to learn more: 855-385-6742 any audience an advertiser is Thinking of buying a new or used car? looking to reach.

EOE M/F/D/V

Retrieve knowledge by reading newspapers!

Thank you for picking up your copy of The Legacy

CHTravels.com One-stop for travel planning and booking.

We’ll do the work so you don’t have to.

Call to get current promotional pricing and local dealer incentives for free.

No hassle. No obligation.

Call: 866-974-4339

DENTAL INSURANCE Call Physicians Mutual Insurance Company for details. NOT just a discount plan, REAL coverage for 350 procedures.

844-709-6890 or http://www. dental50plus. com/28 Ad# 6118

HEALTH/PERSONALS/MISCELLANEOUS IF YOU HAD HIP OR KNEE REPLACEMENT SURGERY AND SUFFERED AN INFECTION between 2010 and the present time, you may be entitled to compensation.

Call Attorney Charles H. Johnson 1-800-535-5727

EQUAL HOUSING OPPORTUNITY NOTICE

We are pledged to the letter and spirit of Virginia's policy for achieving equal housing opportunity throughout the commonwealth.

We encourage and support advertising and marketing programs in which there are no barriers to obtaining housing because of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, elderliness, familial status or handicap.

For more information or to file a housing complaint, call the Virginia Housing Office at (804) 367-8530; tollfree call (888) 551-3247.

For the hearing-impaired, call (804) 367-9753 or e-mail fairhousing@dpor.virginia.gov.

Are you in a suicide crisis?

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline

1-800-273-8255

May 17, 2017 • 19

www.LEGACYnewspaper.com

BIG ANTIQUES & Collectibles Show/Sale, May 19, 20, 21. 60th Shenandoah Antiques Expo.

Augusta Expoland, Fishersville, VA (I-64, Exit 91), 300+ dealers, five buildings plus outside. Fri. 9-5, Sat. 9-5, Sun. 11-4. www. heritagepromotions.net, 434-8467452.

AUCTION Construction Equipment & Trucks 6/13 @ 9 AM, Richmond, VA Excavators, Dozers, Road Tractors, Loaders, Dump Trucks, Trailers, & More!

Accepting Consignments Daily 3600 Deepwater Terminal Rd. Motleys.com 804-232-3300 VAAL#16 ACCELERATED SALE Beautiful 3 bdrm, 2 bath, water-access home. Lake Anna, Virginia.

Offered at Auction June 2, 2017. Information/details www.colonelbill.com. Col. Bill Billingsley, (540) 894-8315 Va. Auction Firm #414 CATTLE/LIVESTOCK Woodside Angus Cow Herd Dispersal May 27, 2017, 10 a.m.

New Market, VA Over 650 Head sell: Bred Heifers, Spring & Fall Calvers, Open Heifers Contact Jason Arehart 540-290-4251 or Cotton & Associates 517-5466374 for information.

CAREER TRAINING AIRLINE MECHANIC TRAINING - Get FAA certification to fix planes. Approved for military benefits. Financial Aid if qualified.

Job placement assistance. Call Aviation Institute of Maintenance 877-204-4130 HELP WANTED/ TRUCK DRIVERS CDL TRAINING FOR LOCAL/ OTR DRIVERS! $40,000-$50,000 1ST Year! 4-wks or 10 Weekends for CDL. Veterans in Demand!

Richmond/Fredericksburg 800243-1600; Lynchburg/Roanoke 800-614-6500; Front Royal/ Winchester 800-454-1400 LOTS & ACREAGE LOOK DOWN ON EAGLES from this 16 acre, heavily forested, HIGH MOUNTAIN homesite. Seclusion beyond the end of the road. $99,900 and I finance. 434-534-1681

156-512 HAMPTON SOLICITATION

MISC LAKEFRONT CAMPSITE – let’s go camping! Acre of woods fronting small lake. Nottoway County in central Virginia. Cheap at $17,900. I finance – nothing down 540-480-0902

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 Wednesday, June 7, 2017 3:00 p.m. ET – RFP 17-101/CLP Provide Anger Management and Conflict Resolution Group Services for the Hampton Juvenile Court Services Unit.

32 ACRES – high forested ridge overlooking James River in Bedford County. No covenants. $99,900 I will finance with low down payment. 540-294-3826

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

PEST CONTROL KILL BED BUGS! Buy Harris Bed Bug Killers/KIT Complete Treatment System. Available: Hardware Stores, The Home Depot, homedepot.com. Try Harris Roach Killers Too! SERVICES/HOME IMPROVEMENT REPLACEMENT WINDOWS $199 INSTALLED Included in the prices window, install and FREE EXTERIOR TRIM WRAP Lifetime warranty, free estimates Facelift construction 804-986-5649 SERVICES DIVORCE – Uncontested, $395 + $86 court cost. No court appearance. Estimated completion time twenty-one days.

Telephone inquiries welcome - no obligation. Hilton Oliver, Attorney.

757-490-0126. Se Habla Español.

SWIMMING POOLS HOMEOWNERS WANTED! Kayak Pools looking for Demo Homesites to display new maintenance free Kayak Pools.

Save thousands of $$. Unique opportunity! 100% financing available. 1-888-788-5464

Getting Home is Easier. Nice Pay Package.

BCBS + Other Benefits. Monthly Bonuses. NoTouch. Chromed out Trucks w/ APU'S. CDL-A. 855-200-4631

A withdrawal of bid due to error shall be in accordance with Section 2.24330 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-Owned, Woman-Owned and Veteran Businesses are encouraged to participate.

PRINT & DIGITAL AD SALES EXECUTIVE

AUCTION/SALES

Karl Daughtrey, Director of Finance

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.

Duties include: Building and maintaining relationships with new/existing clients Meeting and exceeding monthly sales goals Cold calling new prospects over the phone to promote print and online advertising space

REAL PEOPLE, REAL DESIRE, REAL FUN.

Try FREE: 800-619-6380 Ahora español/18+

Qualifications: Proven experience with print (newspaper) and/or digital (website) advertising sales; Phone and one-on-one sales experience; Effective verbal and written communication skills, professional image and; Familiarity with Richmond and/or Hampton Roads areas.

Compensation depends on experience and includes a base pay as well as commission.

The LEGACY is an African-American-oriented weekly 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.

Meet sexy friends who really get your vibe...

Try FREE: 800-914-0978 18+