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EGACY
INSIDE
Laying the groundwork for MeToo - 2 Local newspapers face dire tariffs - 6 Mother mourns child declared dead 2x - 8 Girl shot in back fights for life - 12
Yesterday. Today. Tomorrow.
WEDNESDAYS • July 11, 2018
Richmond & Hampton Roads
LEGACYNEWSPAPER.COM • FREE
New Virginia law mandates mental health education in public schools STAFF & WIRE
Virginia is now one of only two states that will require mental health education in public schools, after the Virginia General Assembly passed legislation this year. The legislation, sponsored on the Senate side by Sen. Creigh Deeds (pictured), calls for the Virginia Board of Education to build mental health education into the 9th and 10th grade health and physical education curriculum for Virginia public school students. Deeds hopes the integration of the mental health education can happen in time for the start of school this fall. Deeds, D-Bath, lost his son, Gus, in 2013 to suicide after a battle with mental illness. The senator told NPR that high school students need to recognize the warning signs of mental illness for themselves and for their peers. The senator said 10th grade is exactly the right time to give a person the tools to understand the illnesses. Deeds sponsored his mental health bill after he listened to a presentation from high schoolers in Albemarle County in 2017. The students had proposals for addressing mental health issues in schools, including increased counseling staff. They worked with Deeds to create the legislation, passed in April. “I was impressed by their thoughtfulness, because a lot of these young people had seen bullying. They had seen depression. They had seen classmates that had died by suicide,” Deeds said. “It’s part of tearing down the stigma and providing some equality with those that struggle with mental health.” New York also enacted a law requiring mental health education in schools. New York’s law updates the
health curriculum in elementary, middle and high schools to include material on mental health. Virginia’s law mandates that mental health education be incorporated into physical education and health curricula for ninth- and 10thgraders. The New York law says that mental health “is an integral part of our overall health and should be an integral part of health education in New York schools.” This might be why depression is rising among teen girls This might be why depression is rising among teen girls Both laws come into effect amid
an increased focus on mental health and suicide. In June, two prominent figures -- Kate Spade, a fashion designer, and Anthony Bourdain, a chef and CNN host -- died by suicide within the same week. Suicide is the second leading cause of death among people ages 15 to 24 and the 10th leading cause of death overall in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The suicide rate in the country has also dramatically increased in recent years, up 30 percent since 1999, according to the CDC. According to the New York law, which was written in 2015, “90
percent of youth who die by suicide suffer from depression or another diagnosable and treatable mental illness at the time of their death.” Previously, area school districts have gotten some measurement about students contemplating risky behaviors, including suicide, through risk-behavior surveys given to students. The surveys were developed by the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control. The CDC reports that suicide rates in the United States over the past two decades have risen 30 percent.
More coverage available online at LEGACYNEWSPAPER.com
The LEGACY
2 • July 4, 2018
MeToo’s Tarana Burke: Laying groundwork JOCELYN NOVECK NEW YORK — Not long ago, Tarana Burke took the podium in a hotel ballroom full of admirers — a scenario that’s become somewhat familiar this past year — and told a favorite childhood tale about the time she was forced to run a threelegged race with a cousin who wasn’t, like her, competitive or athletic. She wanted a different partner, because she didn’t want to lose. But her grandfather told her sternly: “We don’t leave anybody behind.” And so she ran the race with that cousin, and lost, but learned a memorable lesson about taking care of those less powerful. Burke took that lesson into her career as an activist and organizer, especially her work with survivors of sexual violence — work that led her to coin the phrase “Me Too,” more than a decade before it exploded as a global hashtag and a slogan for a sweeping social movement. Now, with more visibility than she ever dreamed possible, Burke finds herself in another race — to get the next phase of her own #MeToo work up and running before the spotlight dims. And an important part of that, she says, is to put the focus back where it started — before Harvey Weinstein and the movie stars and red carpets — on survivors, especially women and girls of color, who she says have always been disproportionately impacted by sexual violence.
Tarana Burke “The #MeToo movement is a survivor’s movement,” Burke says. “And it’s for everybody. I just want to make that point extra clear.” In other words, the movement doesn’t leave anybody behind, just like her grandfather told her. But beyond that, how do you take a cultural moment with a powerful mantra, and turn it into a sustainable, working movement? That’s what Burke, 44, is concentrating on now, nine months into the #MeToo era. She’s spending the summer working on final plans for programming at “me too.,” her organization that’s housed at the Brooklyn-based Girls for Gender Equity, the nonprofit where she’s a senior director. The immediate goal: Launching a new online community in the fall, full of resources for survivors across the country.
In a recent interview, Burke decried what she called a persistent false narrative about #MeToo. “After all this time, I still run into people every day who say, ‘You’re anti-men,” Burke said from France, where she was speaking at the Cannes Lions Festival. “They say, ‘All you want to do is make people lose their jobs.’ And it just takes the focus away from what we’re doing.” “These misconceptions are out there, no matter how much visibility I have, and they’re super harmful, because people believe them,” she added. “So the work I am doing with the visibility I have is to try to give people a broader perspective.” Burke has been on a head-spinning ride since the day last October, shortly after the Weinstein story erupted, when actress Alyssa Milano encouraged survivors of sexual assault or harassment to tweet #MeToo. The hashtag spread like wildfire, and it was quickly pointed out that the phrase had originated with Burke. Since then, she’s been balancing her work at Girls For Gender Equity with countless high-profile appearances, where she’s been hailed as a standard-bearer for the movement: the Golden Globes, the Oscars, the Time 100 gala where she was honored as one of the year’s most influential people, and many others. “Part of the challenge is trying to balance all these things,” she says, “managing this level of visibility and also knowing that we have to do a lot
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July 11, 2018 • 3 NOTICE TO THE PUBLIC OF AN APPLICATION BY VIRGINIA ELECTRIC AND POWER COMPANY, FOR REVISION OF RATE ADJUSTMENT CLAUSE: RIDER S, VIRGINIA CITY HYBRID ENERGY CENTER CASE NO. PUR-2018-00086
•Virginia Electric and Power Company d/b/a Dominion Energy Virginia (“Dominion”) has applied for approval to revise its rate adjustment clause, Rider S. •Dominion requests a total revenue requirement of $219.966 million for its 2019 Rider S. •A Hearing Examiner appointed by the Commission will hear the case on December 5, 2018, at 10 a.m. •Further information about this case is available on the State Corporation Commission’s website at: http://www.scc.virginia.gov/case. On June 1, 2018, Virginia Electric and Power Company d/b/a Dominion Energy Virginia (“Dominion” or “Company”), pursuant to § 56-585.1 A 6 of the Code of Virginia (“Code”), filed with the State Corporation Commission (“Commission”) an annual update of the Company’s rate adjustment clause, Rider S (“Application”). Through its Application, the Company seeks to recover costs associated with the Virginia City Hybrid Energy Center (“VCHEC” or “Project”), a 600 megawatt nominal coal fueled generating plant and associated transmission interconnection facilities located in Wise County, Virginia. In Case No. PUE-2007-00066, the Commission approved Dominion’s construction and operation of VCHEC and also approved a rate adjustment clause, designated Rider S, for Dominion to recover costs associated with the development of the Project. VCHEC became fully operational in 2012. In this proceeding, Dominion has asked the Commission to approve Rider S for the rate year beginning April 1, 2019, and ending March 31, 2020 (“2019 Rate Year”). The two components of the proposed total revenue requirement for the 2019 Rate Year are the Projected Cost Recovery Factor and the Actual Cost True-Up Factor. The Company is requesting a Projected Cost Recovery Factor revenue requirement of $208,664,000 and an Actual Cost True-Up Factor revenue requirement of $11,302,000. Thus, the Company is requesting a total revenue requirement of $219,966,000 for service rendered during the 2019 Rate Year. For purposes of calculating the Projected Cost Recovery Factor in this case, Dominion utilized a rate of return on common equity (“ROE”) of 10.2%, which comprises a general ROE of 9.2% approved by the Commission in its Final Order in Case No. PUR 2017-00038, plus a 100 basis point enhanced return applicable to a conventional coal generating station as described in Code § 56-585.1 A 6. For purposes of calculating the Actual Cost True-Up Factor, the Company utilized an ROE of 10.6% for the months of January 2017 through March 2017, which comprises the general ROE of 9.6% approved by the Commission in its Final Order in Case No. PUE-2015-00060, plus the 100 basis point enhanced return; an ROE of 10.4% for the period of April 1, 2017, through November 28, 2017, which comprises the general ROE of 9.4% approved by the Commission in its Order in Case No. PUE 2016-00062, plus the 100 basis point enhanced return; and an ROE of 10.2% for the period of November 29, 2017, through December 31, 2017, which comprises the general ROE of 9.2% approved by the Commission in its 2017 ROE Order, plus the 100 basis point enhanced return. If the proposed Rider S for the 2019 Rate Year is approved, the impact on customer bills would depend on the customer’s rate schedule and usage. According to Dominion, implementation of its proposed Rider S on April 1, 2019, would increase the bill of a residential customer using 1,000 kilowatt hours per month by approximately $0.18. The Company proposes a change in the methodology for the calculation of a certain allocation factor beginning in 2018 to recognize the output of certain non-utility generators to be used to allocate cost responsibility to the Virginia jurisdiction. In addition, with the exception of the removal of certain Federal and retail choice customers from the Virginia Jurisdiction, the Company indicates it has calculated the proposed Rider S rates in accordance with the same methodology as used for rates approved by the Commission in the most recent Rider S proceeding, Case No. PUR-2017-00073. Interested persons are encouraged to review the Application and supporting documents for the details of these and other proposals. TAKE NOTICE that the Commission may apportion revenues among customer classes and/or design rates in a manner differing from that shown in the Application and supporting documents and thus may adopt rates that differ from those appearing in the Company’s Application and supporting documents. The Commission entered an Order for Notice and Hearing that, among other things, scheduled a public hearing on December 5, 2018, 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 public version of the Company’s Application, as well as 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, Lisa S. Booth, Esquire, Dominion Energy 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 the Application and other 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. On or before November 28, 2018, any interested person wishing to comment on the Company’s Application shall file written comments on the Application with Joel H. Peck, Clerk, State Corporation Commission, c/o Document Control Center, P.O. Box 2118, Richmond, Virginia 23218-2118. Any interested person desiring to file comments electronically may do so on or before November 28, 2018, by following the instructions on the Commission’s website: http://www.scc.virginia.gov/case. Compact discs or any other form of electronic storage medium may not be filed with the comments. All such comments shall refer to Case No. PUR-2018-00086. On or before September 14, 2018, any person or entity wishing to participate as a respondent in this proceeding may do so by filing a notice of participation. If not filed electronically, an original and fifteen (15) copies of the notice of participation shall be submitted to the Clerk of the Commission at the address above. 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. Any organization, corporation, or government body participating as a respondent must be represented by counsel as required by Rule 5 VAC 5-20-30, Counsel, of the Rules of Practice. All filings shall refer to Case No. PUR-2018-00086. On or before October 19, 2018, 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 above. In all filings, respondents shall comply with the Commission’s Rules of Practice, including 5 VAC 5-20-140, Filing and service, and 5 VAC 5-20-240, Prepared testimony and exhibits. All filings shall refer to Case No. PUR 2018-00086. All documents filed with the Office of the Clerk of the Commission in this docket may use both sides of the paper. In all other respects, all filings shall comply fully with the requirements of 5 VAC 5-20-150, Copies and format, of the Commission’s Rules of Practice. 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 the Clerk of the Commission at the address above. VIRGINIA ELECTRIC AND POWER COMPANY
The LEGACY
4 • July 11, 2018
Chesterfield Police are confident they will solve ‘tragic and graphic’ murder Nine years after a security guard was found beaten to death near his crashed patrol vehicle, investigators say they have new leads and are confident they will solve the case. “I absolutely believe it will get solved, but only with the help of the community,” said Chesterfield Police Corporal Detective Johnny Cappocelli. Cappocelli, is part of the Chesterfield County Police Department’s Unsolved Major Investigations Group that has been assigned to the case. Damion West was 28 years old when he was killed on July 9, 2009 while working as a security guard at the Ivy Walk Apartment complex in Chesterfield County. “Our victim, Mr. West worked
as a security guard, civilian security guard in this community,” said Cappocelli. “His day to day responsibilities were to document confrontations or contact if you will with residents and those not part of this community.” As he did on the evening of July 8, 2009 after responding multiple times to disruptive teens smoking marijuana in a hallway of the complex, according to police. “He knew one individual by the name of Chris,” said Cappocelli. “He had documented that in his reports and mentioned that the other individuals were people he knew by name or face. He knew at least a couple of the people he encountered.” “He had left a voicemail to the management of this community
The late Damion West letting them know there was contact with some individuals,” Cappocelli
Skiffes Creek Connector Location Study James City County Location Public Hearing
Wednesday, July 18, 2018, 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. James River Elementary School 8901 Pocahontas Trail, Williamsburg, VA 23185 Come see the alternatives retained for analysis and the results of the Environmental Assessment for the Skiffes Creek Connector Location Study. The study is positioned south of Interstate 64 from Exits 243 to 247, between Route 60 (Pocahontas Trail) and Route 143 (Merrimac Trail). The meeting will be held in an open-house style format with no formal presentation given. VDOT representatives will be present to discuss the potential options and answer questions. Review information about the proposed location and the environmental documentation at the public hearing, at the VDOT Hampton Roads District Office located at 1700 N. Main Street, Suffolk, VA, 23434, 757-925-2500 or 1-888-723-8400, TTY/TDD 711, the VDOT Williamsburg Residency Office, 4451 Ironbound Road, Williamsburg, VA 23188, 757-253-5138, or online at www.virginiadot.org/projects/hamptonroads/skiffes_creek.asp. Please call ahead to ensure the availability of appropriate personnel to answer your questions. Property impact information, relocation assistance policies and tentative construction schedules are available for your review at the above address and will be available at the public hearing. Give your written or oral comments at the meeting or submit them by July 28, 2018, to Mr. Scott Smizik, VDOT Project Manager, 1401 E. Broad Street, Richmond, VA 23219. You may also e-mail your comments to Scott.Smizik@VDOT.Virginia. gov. Please reference “Skiffes Creek Connector Study” in the subject heading. In compliance with the National Historic Preservation Act, Section 106 and 36 CFR Part 800, information concerning the potential effects of the proposed project on properties listed in or eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places is provided in the environmental documentation. VDOT ensures nondiscrimination and equal employment in all programs and activities in accordance with Title VI and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. For more information or special assistance for persons with disabilities or limited English proficiency, contact VDOT’s Civil Rights Division at 757925-2500 or TTY/TDD 711. State Project: 0060-047-627, P101 UPC: 100200
explained. “I remember him saying one of the guys he had words with and I guess he felt like it was over,” said West’s mother Patricia Blowe. That was the last time Blowe heard her son’s voice, and at 4:00 a.m., July 9, 2009, West would clock out at Ivy Walk apartments and never be heard from again. “When did you know something was wrong?” asked reporter Laura French. Through tears, Blowe responded, “I can remember that day right now.” The 911 communications from that morning captures confused residents leaving for work and noticing West’s crashed patrol car into a tree. “Chesterfield 911 what is your emergency?” said the dispatcher. “In Iron Bridge Ivy Walk there’s a security car look like it ran off the road ran into a tree,” said a caller. “Looks like it was leaving the complex and ran off the road and ran off the curb,” he added. “Is the person still inside?” asked the dispatcher. “I didn’t look to see if anyone was in there because I am on my way to work.” “That don’t look normal to me,” explained another caller. Police responded and found West’s bludgeoned body 100 feet from his vehicle near a retention pond fence. His son Damion Junior was just three years old when his father was murdered. “His job called back and said ‘Ms. West, we are calling you back to let
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www.LEGACYnewspaper.com
July 11, 2018 • 5 interactions within his community of some type,” said Cappocelli. “What would bring you closure?” French asked Blowe. “If the people stepped up,” Blowe responded. “I want to know, I am a mother, I have the right to know what happened to my child and why. I think they need to come forward because if you can do the crime you can do the time.” “We know that there are members of our community that have information out there that have chosen not to come forward,” said
Cappocelli. “Put yourself in the shoes of the victim’s family. Realize, that you could be living next door to those people or persons responsible.” “I miss him so much, I really do miss him so much,” said Blowe. “She, [Blowe] is the reason why we will not stop,” added Cappocelli. The Chesterfield Police Department produced a video on the unsolved homicide around the 8th anniversary in hopes of getting new information on the case. - WTVR
Patricia Blowe
(from page 4) you know your son is dead,’” said Blowe. “The manner in which he was beat is about as tragic and graphic a scene as I have seen in my 27 years of doing this job,” said Cappocelli. Investigators feel they are closer to solving the case. “There have been many people interviewed some of which could potentially be persons of interest,” said Cappocelli. “Members of this police department are not going to stop investigating. We are going to continue to knock on doors, we will continue to approach people we hope will come forward with information.” Police say evidence found at the scene is continually being processed. “Some of the pieces left at the scene indicated that one of the weapons used was a wooden object of some type,” said Cappocelli. “We’re going to continue to follow
up on them until we can put that item in our suspect’s hand.” Blowe requested the medical examiner's report and through tears described what she saw of her son’s injuries. “It wasn’t just his head. It was all over his body, his fingers, his legs, his arms, his shoulders, his mouth, even to his chest… All the bruises that was on him… That hurt,” she explained. “What kind of person would do that to your son?” asked French. “To me, that’s the work of the devil,” Blowe responded. “The work of the devil, the devil does mean things to people,” she added. Blowe, along with investigators believe West knew the person(s) who killed him. “It is the opinion of the prior investigators, that there was a possibility that they at least knew each other, either through direct contact from his employment or
Broad Street Rd. (Rt. 250) and Cross County Rd. (Rt. 522) Roundabout Project Goochland County Design Public Hearing
Tuesday, July 24, 2018*, 5 – 7 p.m. Holly Grove Volunteer Fire Department 143 Factory Mill Road Bumpass, VA 23024 Find out about the proposed improvements in Goochland County at the intersection of Broad Street Road (Route 250) and Cross County Road (Route 522). The project will install a new roundabout at this intersection, which will enhance safety and traffic operations. Trucks will be detoured during construction. The meeting will be held in an open forum style from 5 – 7 p.m. This format will provide the flexibility to allow participants to meet and discuss the proposed project directly with project staff members. Review the project information and National Environmental Policy Act documentation at VDOT’s Richmond District Office located at 2430 Pine Forest Drive in South Chesterfield, 23834-9002, 804-524-6000, 1-800-3677623 or TTY/TDD 711. Please call ahead to ensure the availability of appropriate personnel to answer your questions. Property impact information, relocation assistance policies and tentative construction schedules are available for your review at the above addresses and will be available at the public hearing. Give your written or oral comments at the meeting or submit them no later than August 3, 2018 to Winston D. Phillips, PMP, project manager, Virginia Department of Transportation, 2430 Pine Forest Drive, South Chesterfield, VA 23834-9002. You may also email your comments to Winston.Phillips@VDOT.Virginia.gov. Please reference “Route 250 Roundabout” in the subject line. VDOT ensures nondiscrimination and equal employment in all programs and activities in accordance with Title VI and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. If you need special assistance for persons with disabilities or limited English proficiency, contact the project manager listed above. *In the event of inclement weather on July 24, this meeting will be held on Thursday, July 26 at the same time and location above. State Project: 0250-037-S63, P101, R201, C501 Federal Project: HSIP-5A27(460), HSIP-037-4(016), HSIP-037-4(017) UPC: 107081
6 • July 11, 2018
Op/Ed & Letters
The LEGACY
America’s press is facing another deadly assault from Trump’s tariffs on Canadian newsprint Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr. Amid the rush to comprehend the ramifications of a full-scale international trade war initiated by the errant and backward tariff policies of the Trump administration, there are results of the tariffs that need to be challenged by black America. The financial sustainability of the Black Press of America is now facing a catastrophic and a possible deadly impact, because of these new tariffs. The current dispute over the rising costs of the paper product termed “newsprint,” because of tariffs on Canadian newsprint threatens the future of member publishers of the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) and could further isolate and disenfranchise African American businesses and communities in cities and towns across the United States. Import duties the U.S. Commerce Department is now applying to Canadian-made newsprint is already increasing costs enough to prompt layoffs and scaled-back news coverage by some of the nation’s major dailies and weekly publications. If these tariffs remain in place, scores of newspapers with smaller circulations, notably those that serve African American communities, could be forced to cease publishing a print edition or close altogether. The LEGACY NEWSPAPER Vol. 4 No. 28 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
During the past 191 years, the Black Press has survived, endured and overcome past firebombing and improvised explosive attacks, as well as other deadly manifestations of racial violence. The newsprint tariffs appear to have been put in place by the Trump Administration after being encouraged by the interests of a single paper mill in Washington State called NORPAC. NORPAC argues that Canadian government policies give Canadian paper producers an unfair advantage in the U.S. market. NORPAC says the added duties, or tariffs, at the border are protecting it. NORPAC can fight for its self-interest but the U.S. government has an obligation to consider the impact the tariffs are having on the nation as a whole, and in particular the impact on African American owned newspapers and businesses. We forthrightly oppose the Trump tariffs on newsprint and demand an end to the disastrous trade policies that are hurting our businesses and communities. Given that newsprint and labor account for most of the cost of running a newspaper, it is easy to see how jacking up the price of newsprint by more than 30 percent could spell the difference between these publications eking out a modest profit or going out of business. Around 2,000 newspapers have closed or morphed into something else in the 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 © 2016
last 15 years. The NNPA is proud that its 215 member-publications are moving forward even in the face of these new contrived dangers and obstacles in the marketplace. Our newspapers enliven and inform the debate within African American and other communities that we serve and help to empower with news, information, and the reaffirmation of the vitality of black cultural genius and excellence in all fields of endeavor. Our printed editions are especially important in communities where people are less likely to be able to afford or take full advantage of broadband Internet access. However useful today’s technological innovations are in sharing information, for many people, there is no substitute or affordable alternative to the local weekly newspaper of, by, and for the African-American community. Our newspapers are the lifeblood for our communities. The tariffs threaten more than local newspapers. Newsprint is used for promotional materials by retailers and civic groups. It is used by book publishers and printers. Often these are small businesses serving local communities. If newsprint goes up in price, printers will get fewer contracts and have fewer customers. Ironically, the tariffs NORPAC wants in place will actually threaten paper producers and a range of related business. A coalition of these businesses, the STOPP Alliance, estimates some 650,000 jobs could be at risk—all to help one company that has no allies or supporters within the
U.S. paper industry. The NNPA opposes the Trump tariffs on newsprint and demands an end to the disastrous trade policies that are hurting our businesses and communities. (NNPA) The U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) is reviewing the facts in this case and is expected to announce its recommendations on what to do with the tariffs later the summer. In the meantime, members of Congress from both parties have introduced legislation to suspend the tariffs immediately. The STOPP Alliance has also created an online petition to urge the ITC to end the tariffs. Consider adding your voice to this effort by clicking on this link. After all, the threat the duties on newsprint pose to daily and weekly print publications serving communities in urban and rural areas is especially acute. If there was ever a time when the country needed a range of authentic and “trusted” outlets to share news and perspectives, it is today. In today’s world, the newspapers that serve African American communities will continue to play a crucial role. Errant trade policies and duties championed by a single company must not be allowed to diminish the meaningful role of the Black Press. Chavis is the president and CEO of the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) based in Washington, D.C. Dr. Chavis can be contacted at dr.bchavis@nnpa. org. Follow Dr. Chavis on Twitter @ DrBenChavis.
www.LEGACYnewspaper.com
July 11, 2018 • 7
P.T. Hoffsteader, Esq.
Reforming school discipline for kids’ sake
I’m sure President Obama’s heart was in the right place. A few years ago, his Department of Education, in conjunction with the Department of Justice, studied school discipline data and came to a troubling conclusion: African American students in the 2011-12 school year had been suspended or expelled at a rate three times higher than white students. This news sent shock waves throughout the community and government. here were already concerns of a “school-toprison pipeline” that funneled disadvantaged children to jail. Now, there was renewed agreement that things had to change. And so, in 2014, the Departments of Education and Justice put public schools on notice. If they suspended or expelled students of any racial group more than any other, they could face a federal investigation. In place of discipline to punish bad behavior, they were urged to use positive reinforcement instead. As the grandmother of five schoolage kids, I watched this closely. And as one of the black students who integrated an all-white Richmond school in 1961, I was hopeful. I hoped this policy would lead to safer schools. I prayed it would help students get a better education. And I felt confident it would open the door to a brighter future for our kids. But like so many other parents and grandparents, I was wrong. The federal government’s warning
had an immediate impact. Schools across America quickly changed their discipline policies and reduced their suspension and expulsion rates. In doing so, they avoided the investigation threatened by the President. But at the same time, they put our children at risk. Today, kids who bully and assault their classmates too often do so without fear of punishment. They know teachers have lost control. And they realize they can get away with behavior that never used to be tolerated. As a result, when this summer is over, many students will once again face the fear of going back to school. That’s a tragedy! Schools should be joyous places where learning takes place. That’s what my classmates and I fought for in 1961. And it’s what should be the reality today. Instead, danger lurks behind schoolhouse doors. Joevon Smith is a heartbreaking example. A 17-year-old student with special needs who attended Ballou High School in Washington, D.C., Joevon was beaten up in his classroom and sprayed with a chemical. He was rushed to a nearby hospital, but never recovered. A few weeks after his brutal assault, Joevon died. According to media reports, Joevon’s assailants wanted to steal his cell phone. That may be so. But because they were repeat offenders, loosened school discipline policies are also at fault. That’s the case up the road in Baltimore, too. There, Jared Haga (age 10) and his 12-year-old sister Tamar have been bullied and threatened with violence. Tamar has even been sexually harassed and assaulted. In school! As chronicled by “The Daily Signal,” Jared and Tamar’s mother tried to get this to stop. But when she complained to the principal, she was told nothing would – or could – be done. Joevon, Jared, and Tamar aren’t
alone. According to numerous reports, public schools are now less orderly and more dangerous. As Walter E. Williams has observed, the policy President Obama put into place has allowed “miscreants and thugs to sabotage the education process.” Teachers apparently agree. In anonymous surveys, they describe how badly school safety has deteriorated. As one stated, “We have fights here almost every day. The kids walk around and say ‘We can’t get suspended – we don’t care what you say.’” That sentiment was echoed by another teacher: “Students are yelling, cursing, hitting and screaming at teachers and nothing is being done but teachers are being told to teach and ignore the behaviors. These students know there is nothing a teacher can do.” This is crazy. Every child deserves to get the tools they need to make their dreams come true. But if they are too scared to focus, they won’t get them. Many will drop out, limiting their chance to get a job, raise a family, and pursue their life goals. All because directives from Washington have made school districts fear they’ll be investigated for keeping their classrooms safe. We can’t bring Joevon back, and Jared and Tamar may never forget the trauma they’ve experienced. But we can take action to fix the mistake that has been made. For starters, the Education and Justice Departments’ school discipline policy should be rescinded. And if any threats remain, every family should be empowered with school choice so they can choose safer learning options for their children. I know President Obama meant well, but his administration’s action was wrong. So it’s now time to make things right. Our children should be at risk no more. Kay Coles James
Climate & mental health
The tension has not let up since the passing of Marcus David Peters, a 24-year-old honors graduate from VCU and biology teacher from Richmond Public Schools who was shot by a Richmond city police officer on May 14 while he was suffering from a mental health break down. Clearly Marcus needed to be met with mental health professionals not police that day. He didn’t need to be met with another stressful situation while already faced with one of his own. As summers get hotter and winters warmer it is necessary to mention that climate change can be the cause of many mental health onsets and this is another reason why Virginia legislators need to do all they can to free us from our dependence on fossil fuels for energy and push renewable energy at all cost. As we have witnessed here with this situation and apparently several others who have been met with police instead for mental health professionals during mental health crisis, our communities are not ready to deal with all the effects that will come with elevated earth temperatures. Extreme weather has been linked to increased domestic violence occurrences, anxiety, suicide and other mood disorders. According to an article in the U.S. National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health “Mental Health Effects of Climate Change” it is noted saying that “Increasing ambient temperatures is likely to increase rates of aggression and violent suicides” and “Increased frequency of disasters with climate change can lead to posttraumatic stress disorder, adjustment disorder, and depression.” It is worth giving thought to the notion that climate change is being met by police force and that is something that we must take seriously. BeKura W. Shabazz
8 • July 11, 2018
Faith & Religion
The LEGACY
Mother of girl declared dead twice slams doctors at funeral PAUL ELIAS OAKLAND, Calif. — After battling for more than four years to keep a comatose daughter declared brain dead from being issued a California death certificate, Nailah Winkfield forcefully told mourners at her daughter’s funeral service Friday to stop letting doctors “pull the plug on your people.” The San Francisco Bay Area congregation gave Winkfield a standing ovation for fighting to keep her daughter on life support and taking on the medical establishment in the brain death debate between science and religion.
Nailah Winkfiel cries as she leaves funeral services for her daughter. A California coroner issued a death certificate in January 2014 for the then-13-year-old Jahi McMath after doctors say she died of irreversible brain damage during a routine
surgery to remove her tonsils in December 2013. Winkfield refused to accept the California doctors’ conclusions and took her daughter to New Jersey, a state that accommodates religions that don’t recognize brain death The girl was kept on life support and received nursing care until New Jersey doctors declared her dead recently, saying the 17-year-old died of excessive bleeding after an abdominal operation. “My daughter should not have died in New Jersey,” Winkfield said. “She should have died in California.” New Jersey authorities issued McMath another death certificate,
Route 13 (Lankford Highway) Improvements at Stone Road Northampton County Design Public Hearing Tuesday, July 24, 2018, 4-6 p.m. Cape Charles Civic Center 500 Tazewell Avenue Cape Charles, VA 23310 Come see plans to improve safety and operations at the intersection of Route 13 (Lankford Highway) and Stone Road (Route 184) in Northampton County. The proposed plans include lengthening turn lanes, installing lighting, widening paved shoulders and improving signage. Review the proposed project plans and the National Environmental Policy Act document in the form of a Programmatic Categorical Exclusion (PCE) at the public hearing or a VDOT’s Accomac Residency Office located at 23096 Courthouse Avenue, Accomac, Virginia 23301, 757-787-5856 TTY/TDD 711, or at VDOT’s Hampton Roads District Office located at 1700 North Main Street, Suffolk, VA 23434, 757-925-2500/800-367-7632, TTY/TDD 711. Please call ahead to ensure the availability of appropriate personnel to answer your questions. Property impact information, relocation assistance policies and tentative construction schedules are available for your review at the above addresses and will be available at the public hearing. Give your written or oral comments at the hearing or submit them by no later than August 3, 2018 to Mr. John Harman, Transportation Engineer, Virginia Department of Transportation, 1700 North Main Street, Suffolk, VA 23434. You may also e-mail your comments to JohnG.Harman@VDOT.Virginia.gov. Please reference “Route 13 Improvements at Stone Road” in the subject line. VDOT ensures nondiscrimination and equal employment in all programs and activities in accordance with Title VI and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. If you need special assistance for persons with disabilities or limited English proficiency, contact John Harman at the phone numbers or e-mail listed above.
State Project: 0013-065-591,P101,R201,C501 Federal Project: NHPP-065-5(033) UPC: 111708
dated June 22. Winkfield has filed two lawsuits in California, both of which seek to invalidate the state’s death certificate. Winkfield’s attorney, Chris Dolan, said the New Jersey death certificate should strengthen Winkfield’s legal position. She is suing the doctors and Oakland’s Children’s Hospital for medical malpractice, alleging surgeons botched what should have been a routine tonsillectomy. Damages in California for so-called non-economic harm in medical malpractice cases for pain and suffering and the like are capped at $250,000 when the patient dies. The hospital and Winkfield were wrangling over that in court when New Jersey issued its death certificate. Dolan said it’s unclear how the new death certificate will affect the medical malpractice case. Dolan has also filed a federal civil rights lawsuit, which seeks to invalidate California’s death certificate. Winkfield said at the funeral service that she kept up her fight because of her deep Christian belief that her daughter was alive and could respond to her name being called and simple commands to wiggle a finger or toe. She criticized the doctors who insisted her daughter was dead and said she was fighting to eliminate “brain death” as a diagnosis. “Stop letting them pull the plug on your people,” Winkfield said of doctors. “They are not God.” New Jersey’s Medicaid program, donations and family members paid for the girl’s care. Winkfield said she sold her California home and drained her savings to keep her daughter on life support. During the service, Winkfield was lauded for her determination and strength to disagree with California doctors. “This is a celebration of a miracle,” Bishop Bob Jackson said at Oakland’s Acts Full Gospel Church. “And it started with her mother not accepting the doctors’ conclusions.”
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July 11, 2018 • 9
AME Church and black banks launch new partnership for Black Wealth initiative
AME Church Bishops pose with Black bankers and business leaders after announcing historic partnership. PHOTO: Klarque Garrison/Trice Edney News Wire TEWIRE - The black church, among the most prosperous institutions in America, has long led movements for the spiritual, social and civic uplift of black people. When the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated on April 4, 1968, he had just launched the Poor People's Movement, which quickly fizzled after his death. With this historic backdrop, the African Methodist Episcopal Church - with a legacy of leadership in its own right - has announced an innovative economic partnership with black-owned banks across the country. The partnership aims to be a catalyst to spur business development, homeownership and wealth in the black community. “We are now pleased to announce a partnership with the presidents of the nineteen (19) black banks in the United States, with the goal of increasing black wealth,” said Bishop Reginald T. Jackson, president of the Council of AME Bishops. "This initiative will strengthen black banks across the United States and increase their capacity to lend to small businesses, to secure
mortgages, to provide personal lines of credit, and to offer oth Bishop Jackson made the announcement during a press conference held during the 2018 Council of Bishops and General Board Meeting in Atlanta. The specific details of a memorandum of understanding are being formulated and will be announced this summer. But the goals are as follows: · Increase deposits and loans with black banks; · Increase black homeownership to over 50 percent nationwide. This means 2,000,000 more black homeowners than now exist; and · Grow the number of black businesses from 2.6 million to 4 million and total gross receipts from an average of $72,500.00 to $150,000.00. “The spirit in which you all have shared the commitment to the community, to the banks and to what we can do together is outstanding,” responded Preston Pinkett, III, chairman and CEO of the City National Bank of New Jersey and chairman of the National Bankers Association. “Thank you for your
willingness to step outside of the norm to do something that I would say is extraordinary here in America and extraordinary in the world.” Pinkett says the church-bank partnerships are already beginning around the nation. “It is safe to say that this kind of commitment; this kind of demonstration will go a long way in supporting our banks and the banks to be able to support the community...With God’s blessings, we will accomplish great things.” Amidst an atmosphere of excitement, the bankers, bishops and supporters of the movement packed into a meeting room in a downtown Atlanta hotel. Jackson was surrounded by all 20 Bishops of the 231-year-old denomination as well as supporters of the movement. They included principals of the growing economic movement, Black Wealth 2020, which Jackson credited as inspiration for the idea. “This partnership grows out of an initiative formed in Washington, DC in 2015, called Black Wealth 2020 which is providing an economic blueprint for Black America,” Jackson said.
Michael Grant, one of the founders of Black Wealth 2020, presided at the press conference. He connected the new partnership directly with the movement begun by Dr. King. “The great civil rights movement led by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and others has now morphed into a full-fledged movement for economic empowerment,” Grant said. “The offspring of African slaves and their unrewarded labor have catapulted a small Colonial outpost into the greatest industrial giant the world has ever known. Now, as a people, we are turning our efforts toward our own enrichment. We must now create those economic opportunities for ourselves.” Opening the press conference, Grant underscored the historicity of the moment. “For those of you who are students of history, you would not be surprised that the Church of Richard Allen would be leading an effort to close the wealth gap across the United States of America.” Allen, among America's most influential black leaders, founded the AME
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10 • July 11, 2018
The LEGACY
Fellowship-winning installation provides perspective on the black experience FAISSAL AMIN Johannes James Barfield believes it can be hard to understand certain things unless you see them from another person’s perspective. That idea of perspective is what Barfield, a recent graduate of the Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts, intended to create with his thesis project “My Eyes Due See,” a mixture of videos, music and site-specific sculptures that provides a glimpse of the black experience in America. Johannes Barfield (Photo courtesy VCU School of the Arts) Johannes Barfield (Photo courtesy VCU School of the Arts) “I guess the surface-level part of it is thinking about success, which can mean different things to different people,” Barfield said. “We’re talking about being able to feed yourself and
the basic necessities.” Barfield’s installation has earned him a spot in elite company as a 2018 Toby Devan Lewis Fellowship recipient. The fellowship is awarded annually to one student from each of the 10 best art schools in the country and includes a $10,000 stipend, which can be used at the recipient’s discretion. The fellowship was created in 2006 by philanthropist Toby Devan Lewis to foster creativity in the arts. “My Eyes Due See” focuses on internal and external factors that Barfield has experienced as a black man. He grew up in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, acutely aware of the realities facing African-Americans, such as prejudices, racial profiling and police brutality. Those realities, and the nuanced racial tensions that feed them, were woven throughout “My Eyes Due See” as Barfield
navigated the differences between the perception of who America thought he was and his own selfimage. “‘My Eyes Due See’ is about clear peripheral vision and looking backward on American history and personal history while simultaneously looking into a potential future. The layering of past, present, and future are intermixed with an overlapping of personal history, American history, and future history,” Barfield wrote in his thesis for the project. During the video’s second act, Barfield chose to flash the term “objective reasonableness” onscreen to coincide with Lead Belly’s “Pick a Bale of Cotton,” a blues song tied to indentured servitude. Barfield said he wanted to show the connection between past and present. The phrase “objective reasonableness”
was coined by a U.S. Supreme court case, Tennessee v. Garner (1985), in which the court ruled that police use of force must be “objectively reasonable.” The juxtaposition “creates a meeting place for the past and present to interlock and create conflated meanings of victimhood, victory, and vindication. When I say ‘present’ I mean that Tennessee v. Garner (1985) is relevant because of today's ongoing police brutality cases,” Barfield said in his thesis. “It’s about bringing the street life into the home, splashing those together,” Barfield said of the installation, explaining that “street” can connote anything from gun violence and police brutality to hip-hop culture and nostalgia. “Intermixing ideas of street code with
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July 11, 2018 • 11
(from page 2) of groundwork.” Essential to that groundwork is fundraising. Whereas the legal defense fund of Time’s Up, the Hollywood-based group advocating for gender equity in the workplace, has raised upward of $20 million, Burke’s own group has nowhere near that kind of money. Tennis legend Billie Jean King and TV host Robin Roberts each gave $100,000, and Google has given a $250,000 “Google Rising” grant. But the biggest boost came in May, when Burke received a $1 million commitment — and plans to raise twice that, annually — from the New York Women’s Foundation. “I think a lot about what would have happened if we had been fully funded 12 years ago,” she told a cheering crowd at the foundation’s breakfast, where the grant was announced. With its new funding, “me too.” is not only launching the membershipbased online community — with a planned October start date — but also developing programming, for later in the year, that will include elements like survivor healing circles. The group also plans to spend about half its resources supporting community-based groups across the country fighting sexual violence.
Burke herself is constantly traveling and speaking, working to put the focus back on survivors, especially in marginalized communities, and away from figures like Weinstein, whose accusers have largely been white, famous actresses. “That’s what her work has been out in the world right now,” says Joanne Smith, Burke’s colleague and founder of Girls for Gender Equity. “To remind people — or tell people who never knew — why it is that we have to be so specific about girls of color and black girls in particular being impacted by sexual violence. Because those stories don’t get told.” Burke is aware that the celebrity component of the Weinstein story has in some ways fed a perception that #MeToo — the broader cultural movement — has left some communities out. “There’s a lot of black women who don’t feel like they have a place in this #MeToo movement that ironically was started by a black woman,” says Nupol Kiazolu, a student activist in New York City,
who took the stage at the Women in the World conference this spring and called on white women to stand with their black counterparts. “I don’t feel like this movement is inclusive enough as it should be. We have a long way to go.” Similar sentiments were explored at Brooklyn’s Billie Holiday Theatre in March, where actresses including Pauletta Washington and Simone Missick performed from the writings of 50 women and girls of color for a theatrical piece entitled “Our Place in the Movement.” “In so many (past) social movements, the voices of black women are almost non-existent,” said Indira Etwaroo, the theater’s executive director. “And so with the #MeToo movement it begs the question, where do we belong, what place do we have?” She noted that when three actresses — and Weinstein accusers — took the Oscars stage to present a segment on MeToo and Time’s Up, a black woman was not among them. Burke says it’s logical that #MeToo exploded into view when highprofile celebrities became involved. “That’s what the media does, cover celebrities,” she says. “That attention has caused people to make this connection that #MeToo is about white women in Hollywood.” But she
also points out that when hundreds of thousands of women began using the #MeToo hashtag, “it went viral because of people — everyday people.” Ana Oliveira, president of the New York Women’s Foundation, says she’s been heartened both by Burke’s extensive experience with survivors of sexual violence, and her clearheaded plans. “Tarana is very clear that this is not about demonizing men,” Oliveira says. “And she’s not interested in building an empire, or a big national organization. She is interested in the sustainability of efforts that happen locally.” Burke says she tries to impress on people that this is an opportunity not to be squandered. “I suspect that in a year or two, it won’t be as newsworthy,” she says. “The thing that WILL be newsworthy will be the ways that we’re moving the needle to end sexual violence.” And for that to happen, the focus needs to shift back to where it started, she says — away from the accused, and onto the survivors. “Millions and millions of people literally raised their hands nine months ago to say #MeToo … and their hands are still raised,” she says. “Because nobody is responding to them.”
12 • July 11, 2018
The LEGACY
Taylor Hayes fighting for life after being shot in back
No one saves us but ourselves. No one can and no one may. We ourselves must walk the path.
- Buddha
BALTIMORE — A 7-year-old Baltimore girl was fighting for her life a day after being shot in the back amid a spray of gunfire, police said. Acting Police Commissioner Gary Tuggle said the youngster remains in critical and unstable condition at a city hospital. The girl, identified as second-grader Taylor Hayes, was shot while in the back seat of a Honda Accord. Another child seated beside her was uninjured. “Just take the time to think about Taylor and the fact that prior to this happening she was just a normal 7-year-old kid who likes to dance and loves music,” Tuggle told reporters at police headquarters. “Now she’s fighting for her life. It’s truly a tragedy.” The interim police commissioner said investigators are still trying to piece together what happened. They suspect the Thursday violence on a Southwest Baltimore roadway was targeted. Numerous shots were fired from at least two different guns. A woman behind the wheel of
C.L. Belle’s
E Z Car Rental the Honda Accord where the child was critically wounded has been charged with possession of drugs and a .40-caliber pistol. The handgun had an extended magazine, according to police. The woman, identified as 33-yearold Darnell Holmes, has not been charged in the shooting of Taylor. She’s not cooperating with investigators, police say. “We do not know if she was the target,” Tuggle said of the arrested woman, who is related to the uninjured child. Police are asking the public for assistance solving the case and finding the shooter or shooters. They are looking for a white car that apparently fled the scene. A GoFundMe set up on behalf of Hayes was established July 5 at www.gofundme.com/hopes-for-taylor
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July 11, 2018 • 13
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14 • July 11, 2018
The LEGACY
VCU receives $2.7m to study use of anti-inflammatory medicine for treatment of heart failure The National Institutes of Health recently awarded a $2.7 million grant to Virginia Commonwealth University’s Schools of Pharmacy and Medicine to evaluate the use of anti-inflammatory therapy to treat heart failure. The grant will fund a clinical trial with 102 heart-disease patients. Researchers will investigate if reducing inflammation in the heart muscle can improve the patients’ health and reduce the need for hospitalization. Researchers expect to begin enrolling patients later this year. It is the fourth NIH grant for the research team that is co-led by Benjamin Van Tassell, Pharm.D., vice chair for clinical research and associate professor in the VCU School of Pharmacy Department of Pharmacotherapy and Outcomes
Science, and Antonio Abbate, M.D., Ph.D., vice chair of the Division of Cardiology in the VCU School of Medicine. The current study will build on encouraging results from a smaller 2016 study also funded by the NIH. The researchers are investigating the possibility that inflammation could be a major cause of heart failure, rather than simply a symptom of the condition. "The heart is a muscle," Van Tassell said. Like other muscles, when inflamed it becomes swollen and difficult to move. Swelling could have major effects on the heart’s ability to pump blood and could result in heart failure and death. Heart disease remains the leading cause of death in the United States, according to the Kaiser Family
Foundation. The condition is difficult to treat and expensive to manage. Nearly 1 in 4 people hospitalized for heart failure return to the hospital within 30 days of leaving, according to a 2017 study published in the journal Risk Management and Healthcare Policy. Earlier efforts by scientists to connect heart problems to inflammation have shown inconsistent results, possibly from focusing on the wrong types of inflammation, Van Tassell said. In the past few years, however, Abbate and Van Tassell have led multiple clinical trials using a drug originally developed to treat rheumatoid arthritis to target a specific type of inflammation that is driven by a protein called Interleukin-1. In the VCU researchers’ 2016 study
of 60 heart-failure patients with a recent hospitalization, those who received treatment achieved lower levels of inflammation and were able to exercise longer than patients who did not receive treatment. In the course of six months, only one patient receiving long-term antiinflammatory treatment went back to the hospital. Nearly one-third of the patients who did not receive the anti-inflammatory treatment were hospitalized in the same period. Last year, a large-scale study from the pharmaceutical company Novartis used a similar drug to reduce inflammation. The Novartis research found the number of heart attacks was cut by about 15 percent. The VCU study will examine if a similar approach can help people with heart failure.
VCU: ‘No malicious intent’ in improper access of patient info VCU Health System is notifying about 4,700 individuals that their or their minor child’s electronic health information was inappropriately accessed. There is no indication that the private health information has been or will be used for any malicious purposes. The matter came to light on May 9, 2018, when an unusual pattern of accessing electronic health information was detected. Following an investigation and review of access audit logs, the health system confirmed that an employee accessed, without legitimate business reasons, information about patients and services they received at the VCU Health System. As a result of this incident, the employee has been terminated. The inappropriate access happened generally during the employee’s employment between Jan. 3, 2003 and May 10, 2018. The investigation indicated the electronic health information was viewed without
malicious intent. However, it is the VCU Health System’s responsibility to notify affected patients that the incidents happened. Information that may have been viewed includes the patients’ full names, home addresses, dates of birth, medical record numbers, health care providers, visit dates, health insurance information and other medical information. In some instances, Social Security numbers also could have been viewed. VCU Health System is staffing a toll-free line for patient questions at 877-846-9080, Mondays through Fridays, from 9 a.m. until 9 p.m. The health system also said it is providing one year of free credit monitoring and identity theft protection services to assist patients whose Social Security numbers were accessed. Instructions have been provided to all affected patients for placing a fraud alert, freezing a credit file, obtaining a free credit report and protecting health information.
Episcopalians gather in witness outside immigrant detention center A thousand Episcopalians, at least two for every one female incarcerated at the Hutto Detention Center in rural Texas, stood under the blistering sun July 8 in public witness to the actions of the U.S. government in its enforcement of immigration policies that have separated families over the last couple of months and have led to roundups of migrants and deportations. “We do not come in hatred, we do not come in bigotry, we do not come to put anybody down, we come to lift everybody up. We come in love, we come in love because we follow Jesus and Jesus taught us love,” said Presiding Bishop Michael Curry, in his sermon during the noontime Prayer of Vision, Witness and Justice held in sight of the Hutto Detention Facility here. “Love the lord your god and love your neighbor,” Curry said, and his list of neighbors included liberal, conservative, Democrat, Republican, Independent, the neighbor one likes and the neighbor one doesn’t like, Christian, Muslim, Jewish, Palestinian, Israeli, refugee, immigrant and prison guard. “Love your neighbor,” Curry shouted, to the crowd responding, “yes.” “We come in love,” he said.
July 11, 2018 • 15
www.LEGACYnewspaper.com
(from page 9) church in 1794. It was the first independent black denomination in the U. S. “And we do this with malice towards none,” stressed Grant. Bishop James L. Davis, of the Second Episcopal District, likened the partnership to a marriage - a marriage between a church and its community. “It is a marriage that says a church that is concerned about its people, concerned about the good and the bad, all of the things our people have had to go through.” The prophetic voices of black church leaders not only articulate ideas, but strategies. “In the next decade in the global church and in the AME church and in Black banking, we will see both evolution and revolution. Banks must reinvent themselves, not just to respond to the pressures of the day, but to be flexible enough to adapt to the world of tomorrow. The ecclesia, the church, must also evolve its business knowledge, educational platform, and its missional thrust without losing its stance in the Word of God,” said General Board Chair Bishop Vashti Murphy Mckenzie. “Both of our institutions are dealing with increasing assertive governmental intrusion, higher membership and customer demands along with increasing change in the wider world.” The announcement of the new partnership was met with applause from national civil rights leaders. “Thank you and your fellow bishops for making economic development a priority of your denomination," wrote civil rights icon Georgia Congressman John Lewis in a letter to Bishop Jackson. “Hopefully, your visionary leadership will inspire other denominations to replicate your efforts nationwide.” National Urban League President/ CEO Marc Morial also weighed in with a letter: “I want to express the support of the National Urban League for your leadership and initiative in addressing the challenges of black homeownership and the need to increase the support, viability and profitability of our African-American businesses,” he wrote. Morial is among economic leaders who have determined that among the reasons homeownership among African-Americans is disparately low is, in part, because of discriminatory lending practices.
Bishop Vashti Murphy Mckenzie, General Board Chair, AME Church Mortgage Banker Lois Johnson, president/CEO of Salt Lake Citybased United Security Financial, said she takes “great pride in our HUD designation as a fair practice lender. We provide loans to all who meet the minimum criteria, especially people of color who have been denied the opportunity to have their own homes.” Johnson, who is licensed to operate in 49 states, says she intends to travel to each of the AME church’s episcopal districts to “create hope and opportunities.” The principals agreed that the key to the success of the partnership must be mutual respect for black spending power and mutual support of black businesses. “We hear about black folks have a trillion dollars in spending power," said Ron Busby, president/CEO of the U. S. Black Chamber, Inc. and co-founder of Black Wealth 2020. “But that’s usually white folk talking about our dollar sand how can they get their share of it. We came together to say how can we deal with the black wealth, the gap of it and really to move our agenda forward inside our own community." Busby pointed to the USBC's new AP called the USBC Mobile Directory
with 109,000 black-owned businesses in order to help consumers make targeted purchases inside the Black business community. Robert James, CEO of the Carver State Bank in Savannah discussed how the movement will be sustained. “There was a time that no church got financed in Savannah Georgia unless we financed them at Carver State Bank,” James said to applause. “This program will get us back on the path.” James says he knows the relationship can be sustained because the bishops have authority to oversee and encourage AME church leaders to do business with black-owned banks. “We can talk to the Bishops about those local churches. And you can talk to your elders and your preachers," he said. Bishop Jackson underscored the fact that the U. S. partnership is only the beginning. He indicated that the movement will also expand abroad. "The possibilities extend throughout the Diaspora. The African Methodist Episcopal Church has over 4,000 churches in Africa, the Caribbean,
(from page 10 domestic living. It’s a very complex conversation. It has multiple layers.” “‘My Eyes Due See’ aptly explored the relationship between policing, the judicial system and its relationship to black bodies, specifically black bodies on the road, in ways that were original and poetic yet absolutely timely,” said Amber Esseiva, assistant curator at the Institute for Contemporary Art, who selected Barfield’s work for the fellowship. “In this exhibition, language was key,” Esseiva said. “Words such as ‘reasonableness’ and ‘nullification’ and ‘amplification’ are readily seen in Barfield’s installation and packed with nuanced tensions. Johannes’ work is contending with the extreme abuses of power that the judicial system and police force has had on black individuals in the United States.” “Autonomy is the overarching theme throughout the work as it pertains to race, identity, urban and rural environments, and the relationship between generational trauma and nostalgia,” according to Barfield’s thesis. The installation brings together
West Indies and Europe. These churches and members can also benefit from this partnership," he said. To augment this expansion, Her Excellency Dr. Arikana ChihomboriQuao, ambassador for the African Union, spoke to the Bishops the day before the press conference, promising to encourage Africans in America to also put their deposits in black banks. She stressed the need for black-owned institutions to unify, cooperate and not turn on one another. “I hope we will all come together and support the idea of putting all of our money in black banks. I have already taken the initiative and listed all of the black banks in the country on our website,” Chihombori-Quao said. “I’m already encouraging all black people when I do presentations to say we’ve been stupid for too long. We drive past black banks to give our money to people who don’t give a hoot about us. And they take our money so they can get rich; not only here, but in Africa. We’ve got to change this.”
a mixture of jarring concert-style music, video and sculptures made from old car parts and broomsedge grass, which is native to Virginia. “I also tried to tie in nostalgia, past things that make you feel good,” Barfield said. One of the objects used in the video is a screen fence, which reminds Barfield of the screen porch on his grandmother’s house where he played as a child. “It was always very warm, it had a presence,” he said. The music is mixed and mastered from a collection that has become a staple in the black community and culture, Barfield said. For example, he incorporated “Joy and Pain” by the band Maze because it “directly ties to me going to family cookouts. I tried to mix everything that I have experienced.” “My Eyes Due See,” he said, is a subtle plea to Americans to recognize that all realities are not equal. The project emphasizes the need to control one’s own destiny. “There is an urgency,” Barfield said. “It’s very difficult to communicate these things. However, it is good to know people are listening. It is a good feeling to be able to reinforce the ideas that I have.”
16 • July 11, 2018
Calendar July 16
Henrico County’s Westham Station Road between Old Bridge Lane and Panorama Drive will be closed to through traffic beginning Monday, July 16 for sewer main repairs. The Department of Public Utilities expects the closure to last about six weeks, weather permitting. Traffic will be detoured around the work zone by way of Highland Road, Panorama and River Road. Water and sewer service is not expected to be affected
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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.
The LEGACY
COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES & EVENTS
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. Today, 130,000 Virginians are living with Alzheimer’s, and 400,000 are caregiving for someone who has it. We must effectively prevent and treat Alzheimer’s disease soon and support those impacted by it until researchers achieve this goal. We need your help! Together all Virginians can help us get the required 450 prepaid applications needed to be able to get DMV to produce the ALZHEIMER'S LICENSE PLATE. Amanda Chase, Senator, has agreed to present this license plate bill to General Assembly in January 2018 once 450 applications are collected. Once 1000 license plates are in circulation in the state of Virginia, $15 of the annual $25 cost for the ALZHEIMER’S LICENSE PLATE will be donated to the Alzheimer's Association. *REGISTER TODAY* Online registration available at www.vaendalz.com! Email: vaendalz@gmail.com for information about the license plate. Katy Reed, Louisa, VA - 540-967-7098
Town Hall: Mass Incarceration of Women & Girls Richmond Urban Ministry Institute (RUMI) 3000 Chamberlayne Ave., Richmond For more information: Lillie Estes, Esteslilliea@gmail.com
Ongoing
Virginia Department of Social Services (VDSS) is continuing its effort to help provide qualifying households with cooling assistance during the summer months. The application period is open and runs through Aug. 15. In order to qualify for cooling assistance, a household must have either a child under six years of age, an individual living with a disability, or an adult age 60 or older living in the home. There is also an income requirement for cooling assistance. This year, the maximum gross monthly income, before taxes, for a one-person household is $1,316 and $2,720 for a household of four. Types of assistance include: · Payment of electric bills to operate cooling equipment · Payment of security deposits for electricity to operate cooling equipment · Repair of a central air conditioning system or heat pump · Purchase of a whole-house fan, including ceiling or attic fans · Purchase and installation of a window unit air conditioner Local departments of social services determine eligibility based on submitted applications. Families and individuals may submit an application through their local department of social services or by calling the Enterprise Customer Service Center at 1-855-635-4370.
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18 • July 11, 2018
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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
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Does your auto club offer no hassle service and rewards? Call Auto Club of America (ACA) Get Bonus $25 Gift Card & $200 in ACA Rewards! (New members only) (800) 493-5913
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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
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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 (804) 367-8530 or (888) 551-3247. For the hearing-impaired, call (804) 367-9753 or e-mail fairhousing@ dpor.virginia.gov.
July 11, 2018 • 19
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EDUCATION/CAREER TRAINING AIRLINES ARE HIRING – Get FAA approved hands on Aviation training. Financial aid for qualified students – Career placement assistance. CALL Aviation Institute of Maintenance SCHEV certified 877-204-4130 HELP WANTED / EDUCATION Vacancies 2018-2019 - Special Education (K-12); Elementary Education (K-4); Reading Intervention Teacher (K-4); English (5th grade); Middle Education Science; Middle Education Mathematics; Business and Information Technology (9-12); History and Social Sciences (9-12); School Counselor (9-12); Mathematics (9-12). APPLICATION PROCEDURE: To apply, please visit our website at www.pecps.k12.va.us and complete the online application. Prince Edward County Public Schools, Farmville, Virginia (434) 315-2100 EOE HELP WANTED / SALES EARN $500 A DAY: Lincoln Heritage Life Insurance Wants Insurance Agents * Leads, No Cold Calls * Commissions Paid Daily * Agency Training * Life License Required. Call 1-888-713-6020. HELP WANTED / TRUCK DRIVERS CDL TRAINING FOR LOCAL/OTR DRIVERS! $700-$1200 a week! 4-wks or 10 Weekends. Grants available. Veterans in Demand! Richmond/Fredericksburg 877-CDS-4CDL; Lynchburg/Roanoke 855-CDS-4CDL; Front Royal/Winchester 844-CDS-4CDL SERVICES DIVORCE–Uncontested, $395+$86 court cost. No court appearance. Estimated completion time twenty-one days. Telephone inquiries welcome-no obligation. Hilton Oliver, Attorney. 757-490-0126. Se Habla Español. BBB Member. WANTED TO BUY OR TRADE FREON R12 WANTED: CERTIFED BUYER will PAY CA$H for R12 cylinders or cases of cans. (312) 291-9169; www.refrigerantfinders.com
CITY OF HAMPTON Tuesday, August 21, 2018 4:00 p.m. EST RFP 18-46/LDW (RE-BID) Jail Study Holding mandatory pre-proposal conference on July 26, 2018 at 10:30 AM at 1928 W. Pembroke Ave, Hampton, VA 23661
For additional information, see our web page at http://www.hampton.gov/bids-contracts
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
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-Owned, Woman-Owned and Veteran Businesses are encouraged to participate. Karl Daughtrey, Director of Finance
1-800-535-5727 Drivers Mr. Bult’s is hiring Local Class A CDL Drivers. Home Every Night, $1100+/week, Amazing Benefits! Text WORK to 55000
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