AFRICA US TODAY MAGAZINE
Poliosocionomics of World Peace
Issue III,XV www.africaustoday.dotcom.wordpress.com 312/880-7016 September-October 2014 U.S.- $4.99 Canada- $5.99 London- 3 Pounds
African Festival of the Arts 2014
AFRICA US TODAY MAGAZINE
Africa-US Today Polisocionomics
Polisoconomics of World Peace
Issue III.X www.africaustoday.dotcom.wordpress.com 312/ 880-7016 January– February 2013 U.S. $4.99 Canada- $5.99 London- 3 Pounds
The Year In Review 2012
Chicago’s Mayoral Race
U.S. President Barack H. Obama re-elected 100 years ANC South Africa The Future of Nigeria Community Enterprise Achievement Gala Writer’s Club Chicago Music Awards A Conversation with The Honorable Dorothy Brown
Invitation to Media Awards An Elegant Evening you don’t want to miss
Please don’t forget our event ceremony. An elegant night to remember!
Event: Media Award of Honor Date: Friday, October 10, 2014 Venue: One Stop Productions Studio 340 N. Ogden Ave./ Carroll St., Chicago, IL 60607 Ticket: $30.00 ( includes Live entertainment, Free Food Buffet, Poetry, Awards ceremony, Raffles, Business Networking, Elegant attires (mixed English & Afrocentric) for photo ops, Fun and more fun!) You don’t want to miss it! Imcentives for our Sponsors and Vendors include: A. $1,500 Sponsorship Package: 6 months ads in our hard and online prints of Africa-US Today Magazine, with local and international viewers/ subscribers, Award of Honor plaque presentation, surprise gift bag, and a chance to network with our business associates.
B. $750.00 Sponsorship Package: 3 months ads, Award of Honor plaque presentation, surprise gift bag, and an opportunity to meet and network with our business associates. C. $250.00 Sponsorship Package and Vendors: 1 month ad in our publication, Award of Honor presentation, surprise gift bag, and opportunity to meet and network with our business associates. Thank you for supporting the businesses that caters to our communities.There’s greater strength in unity! Please support the magazine that connects local businesses with international markets, Africa-US Today Magazine, (www.issuu.com/jesmithphoto) Olawale Idreez, 312/880-7016 Olawale Idreez- Publisher John E. Smith Jr., Editor-in-chief Email: africatoday14@gmail.com
Publisher’s Editorial There was a filthy rich man in my neighborhood when I was growing up in Nigeria. He told his family to put all his money in his casket when he died. As we know, if wishes were horses, even beggars would ride freely. His family respected his wish, and put all his money in the coffin, and buried him. The same night, the thieves came there and broke into his coffin. They stole all the Olawale Idreez, money, and were kind enough to leave a note that said, "This was a good man, and he will go Publisher to heaven." The cemetery gatekeeper, having witnessed when the rich man was buried, came to work earlier than usual for his morning shift. He went straight to the grave site of the rich man (with extra large bag) in attempt to steal the money. He found out someone had trespassed. He saw a note that the thieves left. He screamed, "Oh, noooooooo! This man will surely go to hell." The dead man heard, and soliloquized in his broken casket, and said, "Oh, be quiet, I'm trying to get some sleep!" The gatekeeper heard the soft but clear voice of the supposedly dead man. He fell down, had heart attack, and the man died! Ladies and Gentleman, which of these two men, do you think would go to heaven, or hell? The point is, the people in the high places of authority of affairs of lives: The global actors, the politicians, the theologians, and the well-to-do's, should help to do more by spreading the wealth of nations, especially to the most needed neighborhoods. After all, the wealth we inherit in this life is only good for this temporary world. I often wondered what the philosophers, artists, and writers before me, were thinking or have seen when they wrote or sang. People like Bob Marley, who sang, "So much trouble in the world; "Africa Unite!" or Marvin Gaye, "Why me black brother, why?" or Fela Kuti, "Suffering and Smiling!" or Peter Tosh, "Equal Right and Justice, everybody wants to go to up to heaven, but nobody wants to die!" I dare say what these late artists saw back then, was nothing in comparison to what our planet earth is experiencing temporarily now. The easiest comfort human beings seem to have to blame the president (B.H.O) of this great nation, USA; or find other people to blame. As if he (President Obama) is the creator of 7.5 billions inhabitants of this planet earth, instead of turning to God, the Creator, to continue to shower His non-stop mercy upon us, the sinners saved by grace. And give glory to Him always. More importantly, if you read your Biblical and Political etymological history very well, you will find good reason to continue to pray for peace in Middle East, because it appears that wars, and rumors of wars are usually escalating from that region of world. So, I choose to pray for the peace of Israel (according to the book of Psalm 122:6-8); rather than insulting the president of the Numero Uno super-power nation, on public television, my president! I pray they will refrain from doing that. God bless America! God Nigeria!! Now, I think I need extra cup of Dunkin Donut coffee, with Big & Toast. And I humbly say Happy 54th birthday anniversary to my beautiful and charming lady, Nigeria on October 1st, 2014. Please enjoy this special issue of your/our publication, Africa-US Today Magazine, as we will be celebrating our Gala Awards of Honor to thank our supporters, vendors, sponsors, the crew, and advertisers on Friday October 10th, 2014, at One Stop Productions studio. Thank you for your support! *REMEMBER TO VOTE ON TUESDAY NOVEMBER 4th, 2014, IT'S YOUR RIGHT, USE IT! Respectfully, Olawale Idreez, Ph.D. africatoday10@yahoo.com
AFRICA US TODAY 3
HOME ABOUT US MISSION
Welcome to Chicago Pre-College Science and Engineering Program
PARTNERSHIPS SPECIAL EVENTS PHOTO GALLERY
Our Method
VIDEO GALLERY
Engage
NEWSROOM ALUMNI BOARD OF DIRECTORS CONTACT US CALENDAR Sitemap
The Chicago Pre-College Science and Engineering Program (ChiS&E) provides highly-engaging, age-appropriate hands-on science and engineering activities for Chicago Public School (CPS) K-12 students and their parents. The program develops student and parent knowledge as well as a love of learning in areas of science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Our special teaming approach – providing teaching tools and learning experiences to teams of teachers and parents - is unique to ChiS&E and an integral part of its ability to generate a shared vision of the possible among students and parents alike.
Build Capacity For the first four years of the program, ChiS&E’s focus will be on grades K – 3 through its inaugural program in order to build capacity. The long-term goal of ChiS&E is to expand to K – 12.
Model Real Careers From kindergarten through third grade, young scientists participate in eight sessions of three hours each at the Museum of Science and Industry each year. There is also an additional parent orientation session. Kindergarten - Little Civil Engineer Grade One - Little Chemical Engineer Grade Two - Little Electrical Engineer Grade Three - Little Mechanical Engineer Grade Four - Little Structural Engineer After third grade, students will participate in a five-week Summer Math & Science Enrichment Program at the University of Chicago. The K – 3 Program includes curriculum development; teacher professional development; activities for students, parents, and teachers; family support; volunteer opportunities for engineers; and evaluation. The most recent evaluation determined that after 3.5 years there has been a 90 per cent retention rate among students.
HOME ABOUT US MISSION
Welcome to Chicago Pre-College Science and Engineering Program
PARTNERSHIPS SPECIAL EVENTS CHICAGO PRE-COLLEGE SCIENCE & ENGINEERING PROGRAM HELD ITS FIRST Our THURS, Method SEPT 11 AT UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS FUNDRAISER PHOTO GALLERY
Engage Science & Engineering Program (ChiS&E), an innovative STEM CHICAGO --GALLERY The Chicago Pre-College VIDEO program serving grades K-5The held its first fundraiser onand Thursday, September 11, 2014. Chicago Pre-College Science Engineering Program (ChiS&E) providesThe theme of NEWSROOM the event was “Developing highly-engaging, Tomorrow’s Engineers.” It was held at the University of Illinois@ Chicago, age-appropriate hands-on science and engineering activities for 750 S. Halsted Street fromChicago 5:30 –Public 7:30School p.m. (CPS) K-12 students and their parents. The program ALUMNI
develops student and parent knowledge as well as
a loveKenneth of learningHill, in areas science, technology, FoundedBOARD in 2008 by Chicagoan theofnon-profit ChiS&E program is modeled on the awardOF engineering and mathematics. Our special teaming winningDIRECTORS Detroit Area Pre-College Engineering Program (DAPCEP) Hill established there in 1976. Hill teaching toolswhen and learning approach –director providinguntil served as the program’s executive 2004 he retired and relocated to Chicago. The experiences to “cyber teams of learning” teachers and parents - is where students and parents use ChicagoCONTACT program by a component USis distinguished unique to ChiS&E and an integral part of its ability to computers, cameras, hand-held devices, a website and blogs to document their activities and share generate a shared vision of the possible among CALENDAR them with their classrooms and their families students and parents alike.
Beginning with seven schools in 2008, the program now serves twice as many schools in low-income Sitemap communities of color on theBuild SouthCapacity and West sides of Chicago. Among many activities, in 2012 3rd grade students attended a For Summer Program the University of Chicago Lab School the first Lab four years of the at program, ChiS&E’s focus will be on grades K – 3 where they engaged in hands-on activities that reinforced challenged math The skills. In 2013, through its inaugural program inor order to build capacity. long-term goal ofa bridge construction competition among grade to K – 12. in the structural engineering track was held at the ChiS&E4isth to expandstudents Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT). In 2014 5th grade students spent an entire month studying math RealofCareers with math professors at theModel University Illinois @ Urbana-Champaign and U of I-Chicago. Fromby kindergarten through third grade,CPS young scientists participate in eightBarbara sessions The program has been lauded many including former Chief Education Officer of three hours each at the Museum of Science and Industry each year. There also 30 Eason-Watkins who encouraged its development in Chicago. Recently ChiS&E was one ofis only an additional parent orientation session. organizations out of a pool of 1130 applicants, nation-wide, to be awarded a 3-year $450,000 grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation (WKKF) work in “developing and implementing transformative Kindergarten - Little for Civilits Engineer family engagement programs in the field of early childhood education.” To make a contribution, visit Grade One - Little Chemical Engineer the website at www.chiprep.org. Grade Two - Little Electrical Engineer
About The Chicago Pre-College Science and Engineering Program Grade Three - Little Mechanical Engineer The Chicago Pre-College Science and Engineering Program (ChiS&E) provides highly-engaging, ageappropriate hands-on science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) activities for Chicago Public Engineer Grade Four - Little Structural School (CPS) students in grades K–5 and their parents. For more information please visit www.chiprep. org or the bi-lingual website at www.mylittleengineers.com. After third grade, students will participate in a five-week Summer Math & Science Enrichment Program at the University of Chicago. The K – 3 Program includes curriculum development; teacher professional development; activities for students, parents, and teachers; family support; volunteer opportunities for engineers; and evaluation. The most recent evaluation determined that after 3.5 years there has been a 90 per cent retention rate among students.
DARLENE HUMPHREY
CONTRIBUTING EDITOR BARBARA KENSEY
MEDIA CONSULTANT TORNU PRYNCE
Robert L. Scott Sr. Photography
Contents
AFRICA US TODAY MAGAZINE
Poliosocionomics of World Peace
Issue III,XV www.africaustoday.dotcom.wordpress.com 312/880-7016 September-October 2014 U.S.- $4.99 Canada- $5.99 London- 3 Pounds
African Festival of the Arts 2014
JOHN E. SMITH JR. EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
African Festival of the Arts Showcasing African American Cultural Diversity
Photography by John E. Smith Jr.
9 Congressman Danny K. Davis Back-to-school Annual Parade
10
African Festival of the Arts 2014
16
In this issue we take a look at the diversity of African American culture as showcased in the African Festival of the Arts. We also look at some of the MacArthur Fellows of 2014 celebrating creativity. Hope you enjoy this issue.
Chief Olabode George
AFRICA US TODAY 7
8 Africa US Today
Congressman Danny K. Davis Annual Back-to-School Parade in Chicago, IL
Congressman Danny K. Davis Free Dental checkups were given to children
Congressman Danny K. Davis float
(L-R) Joy Binion-Mahogany Foundation Youth Representative, Mary L. Swopes- Mahogany Foundation C.E.O. , Dr. Phalese BinionWestside Ministry Director, Congressman Danny K. Davis
Supporters included several politicians posing withCongressman Davis.
AFRICA US TODAY 9
African Festival of the Arts 2014 Washington Park, Chicago, IL
10 Africa US Today
John E. Smith Jr. Photography
African Festival of the Arts 2014
John E. Smith Jr. Photography
AFRICA US TODAY 11
African Festival of the Arts 2014 Washington Park, Chicago, IL
12 Africa US Today
John E. Smith Jr. Photography
African Festival of the Arts 2014 Washington Park, Chicago, IL
John E. Smith Jr. Photography
AFRICA US TODAY 13
14 Africa US Today
Chicago Urban League Encourages “Fearless” Action to Strengthen African American Workforce Eliminating the skills and employment gap in the African American workforce through bold public, private and non-profit partnerships was the focus of the 2014 Chicago Urban League SUMMIT Luncheon. In addition to issuing a call to action to event attendees, the Urban League acknowledged cross-sector collaborations that are creating jobs and encouraged support for more innovative efforts that will lead to more African Americans securing jobs in STEM and STEM-related fields. Held at the Hyatt Regency Chicago, the SUMMIT Luncheon, themed Fearless Collaboration: Where Preparation Meets Opportunity, convened more than 600 of Chicago’s civic, business, community and elected leaders. “Two of the greatest issues that impact Chicago’s African American community are access to a quality education that prepares one for a career and access to job opportunities and career options,” said Joseph A. Gregoire, chairman of the Chicago Urban League board of directors. “In partnership with a broad community of supporters and allies, the Chicago Urban League works hard to ensure that the individuals and families we serve are prepared to seize and successfully execute every opportunity available to them.” Andrea L. Zopp, president and CEO of the Chicago Urban League, shared that persistent double-digit unemployment rates in the African American community, combined with countless STEM and STEM-related jobs in Cook County going unfilled by African Americans will have troubling consequences for the region. “The skills and opportunity gap is so significant that, if it continues, it will have a devastating impact on the African American workforce and the economic stability of metropolitan Chicago,” said Zopp. “We must find ways to work together, across boundaries, to build programs that help individuals overcome barriers to gainful employment.” In the keynote address, Ilene S. Gordon, Ingredion Incorporated chairman, president and CEO, related her experiences forging a career in the manufacturing industry. “In business a STEM education is a promising road to success,” Gordon said. “But it’s also essential to continually learn new skills, embrace change, be proactive and takes risks,” she added. In addition to discussing solutions to the crisis of the African American skills gap, the Chicago Urban League also highlighted six local innovators who are blazing new trails in their chosen career paths. Receiving special recognition for their outstanding achievements were: Joy Bivins, curator at the Chicago History Museum, who is behind diverse exhibits including Without Sanctuary: Lynching Photography in America and Inspiring Beauty: 50 Years of Ebony Fashion Fair; Elizabeth Dozier, principal of Fenger Academy High School, who helped develop an instructional strategy and framework to change failing schools and Dr. Melissa Gilliam, professor of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Pediatrics at the University of Chicago. Gilliam’s Game Changer Chicago Design Lab at the University of Chicago helps youth hone their critical thinking skills and adopt a value system around health and social justice issues to guide them as they transition into adulthood. The Chicago Urban League also recognized: Emile Cambry, Jr. who,in 2012, founded BLUE1647, a business incubator that supports all forms of entrepreneurship from filmmakers and artist to engineers; Jimmy Odom, founder and CEO of WeDeliver who leveraged a logistics-driven career, customer-service training and culinary skills to create an online-based delivery service that uses crowdsourcing to provide same-day delivery to high-end retailers and Torrey Barrett, director of the K.L.E.O. movement which is dedicated to strengthening families and providing youth a safe haven. Lead sponsors for the event include: Boeing, Clear Channel Media and Entertainment Chicago, Grosvenor Capital
Africa News
CHIEF OLABODE IBIYINKA GEORGE (CON) THE INDISPUTABLE MAN.
By LAWAL ADEMOLA
Chief Olabode Ibiyinka George is a man that cannot be ignored in the Nigeria political space most especially in the Lagos state People Democratic Party (PDP). He was appointed Military Governor of Ondo State between 1988 and 1990. As a Governor of Ondo State, Chief Bode George had an outstanding record. He established the Rufus Giwa Polytechnic Owo in 1990. Chief Bode George was the Principal Staff Officer to General Oladipo Diya, between 1993 and 1997 when the latter was Chief of General Staff of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Chief Bode George was also a director at the Nigerian National War College (NWC).
which was caused by the slow in clearing goods by the importer due to fear of seizure. Chief George directed the removal of all empty containers out of Lagos sea ports to free up space. Among his achievements was the call for increased security, and also tackles the problem of delays in payment of large sums of money owed to the Port authority by some organizations. In July 2002, he appealed to striking truck owners over clearance of goods at Lagos ports to go back to work.
From L-R: Late Umar Musa Yaradua, Chief Bode George and Dr. Bukola Saraki Chief Olabode Ibiyinka George was made the PDP’s national vice-chairman in the southwest zone in 2001. In July 2005, he was promoted to PDP Deputy National Chairman, South, and then the National Deputy Chairman of the PDP. Chief Olabode Ibiyinka George.
In 1999, George was appointed Chairman of the Nigerian Ports Authority where he recorded lots of achievements which includes the called for construction of new dry ports and warehouses to tackle congestion in the port 16 AFRICA US TODAY
In October 2003, the senior management and the board of the Nigerian Ports Authority were dismissed. The new managing director, Chief Adebayo Sarumi, hired auditors to review major existing contracts. Their review found irregularities. It was passed to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission under Nuhu Ribadu, which
Africa News
Chief Olabode George, the Indisputable Man started investigations in 2005. In April 2005, Chief Olabode George threatened court action over a newspaper allegation that an N85 billion scam was uncovered in the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) while he was chairman of the NPA board. He described the allegation as senseless, baseless and thoughtless. Chief Olabode George was later indicted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) when it was headed by Nuhu Ribadu on charges of fraud at the NPA. However, he was widely rumoured to have been shielded from prosecution by President Olusegun Obasanjo. The EFCC report issued on 1 April 2005 stated that NPA board members, including Chairman Bode George, and the management of the NPA should be held responsible for deliberate and flagrant violations of government rules and regulations governing the award of contracts, and should be sanctioned for contract splitting and inflation of contract price in utter disregard to laid-down government rules and regulations. President Obasanjo dismissed the findings as inconclusive, and ordered another investigation. The second EFCC report cleared Chief Bode George as not guilty of the allegation.
Chief Olusegun Obasanjo and Chief Bode George.
In March 2006, the Alliance for Democracy (AD) called on President Olusegun Obasanjo to prosecute Chief Olabode George, and the board and management of the NPA over allegations of frivolous award of contracts worth N60 million. And in August 2008, the EFCC under its new head Hajia Farida Waziri arrested Chief Olabode George in Lagos and arraigned him and four others on a 163
count-charges of conspiracy, disobedience to lawful order, abuse of office and alleged illegal award of contracts worth N84 billion while he was chairman of the NPA. After the trial had started, the EFCC reduced the charge to 63 counts. Justice Olubunmi Oyewole of the Lagos High Court on October 26, 2009, found the defendants guilty on 47 out of the 63 counts and sentenced Chief Bode George with the five other accused persons to six months’ imprisonment for each of the offences related to disobedience to lawful order, while each of them received two years’ imprisonment for each of the offences related to abuse of office. His lawyers filed an appeal and requested bail pending resolution of the appeal. The appeal was however refused as the judge gave no option of a fine and the jail terms ran concurrently. This indictment was believed to be politically motivated. Despite this, Chief Bode George being a believer in God and with a very strong faith never got shaken he was very optimistic that the truth will definitely prevail and God will vindicate him.Throughout his period in the Kirikiri maximum prison in Lagos state, the whole place was turned to Mecca as hundreds of people visit him on daily basis. Not just the elite visit Chief Bode George while in prison, but also some other people went on shanks’ pony from the registration point to the front gate whose heart he had won due to his generosity and his accommodating nature. Throughout his 18 months in the prison, the well fare of the inmates and Nigerians is what he always talked about he never sees his incarceration as an issue. Out of his kindness, he made sure some inmates were freed. On 26th February 2001, Chief Olabode Ibiyinka George, was released to rapturous welcome by his family and political associates. He exited the prison amidst fanfare and jubilations. About half a mile to the prison were men and women wearing uniform clothing (Aso ebi) waiting to receive him.
AFRICA US TODAY 17
Africa News
Chief Olabode George, the Indisputable Man
The Supreme Court in Abuja on Friday 13th December 2013 reversed the conviction of Chief Olabode George. the judges of the apex court, headed by Afolabi Fabiyi quashed all charges against Chief Bode George and his co- defendants and said he was wrongfully tried under an unknown law of the land.
Chief Olabode George with wife Mrs Roli George.
Chief Olabode Ibiyinka George was born on November 21, 1945 in Lagos State. He earned a B.Sc. and MBA in the University of Lagos. Chief Olabode Ibiyinka George’s wife Mrs Roli George is the Director General of National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).
Chief Bode George after the pronouncement by the Supreme Court.
Chief Olabode George the “Atona of Yoruba land” (the pathfinder of Yoruba land) is a man of humility, credibility, accountability and he is ever ready to serve humanity. BG as he is fondly called never looks back before he helps regardless of tribe and religion. His generosity extends to hundreds of students he has given scholarship. He is also father to lots of youths as he empowers also taken up the responsibility over some who has no parents or family to take care of them. Most people have had the opportunity to visit the holy lands (Mecca and Jerusalem) as Chief Olabode George sponsors people annually to the holy lands with no discrimination of religion.
On the 28th August, 2014 the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) conferred on Chief Olabode George MANDELA ICON AWARD at the National Art Theatre Lagos State.
Africa News
The White House Office of the Press Secretary For Immediate Release President Obama renews commitment to Power Africa Initiative: August 05, 2014 an innovative private sector led commitments under Power Africa
bringing the total to date to more than $20 billion
FACT SHEET: Powering Africa: Increasing Access to Power in Sub-Saharan Africa On June 30, 2013, President Obama launched Power Africa, an innovative private sector-led initiative aimed at doubling electricity access in sub-Saharan Africa, where more than 600 million people currently lack access to electricity. Power Africa set an ambitious initial goal of adding more than 10,000 megawatts (MW) of new, cleaner electricity generation capacity and increasing electricity access by at least 20 million household and business connections. Today, the President announced a renewed commitment to this initiative, and pledged a new level of $300 million in assistance per year to expand the reach of Power Africa across the continent in pursuit of a new, aggregate goal of 30,000 MW of additional capacity to Africa and increasing electricity access by at least 60 million household and business connections. The President also announced $6 billion in new private sector commitments, bringing the total private sector commitments under Power Africa to date to more than $20 billion. This includes additional commitments under Beyond the Grid, a new sub-initiative, announced at the June 2014 U.S-Africa Energy Ministerial, for fostering private investment in off-grid and small-scale energy solutions that seek to expand access to remote areas across sub-Saharan Africa.
Power Africa: Progress to Date The U.S. Embassy teams have worked closely with their host governments and private sector partners to facilitate the financial closure of transactions that are expected to generate almost 2,800 megawatts (MW) of electricity, and Power Africa is actively supporting transactions expected to generate an additional 5,000 MW. Once completed, these transactions will represent 78 percent of Power Africa’s initial 10,000 MW goal. Twelve U.S. government agencies, whose combined capabilities form the backbone of Power Africa, are working closely with African governments to prioritize and address key legal, regulatory and policy constraints to investment, and to implement measures that will sustain growth and enable successful governance of a growing power sector throughout sub-Saharan Africa. Growing Private Sector Commitments in Support of Power Africa Private sector commitments to date are on track to meet Power Africa’s initial 10,000 MW goal and leading the path towards achieving the goal of doubling access to electricity in sub-Saharan Africa through private sector-led investments. 20 Africa US Today
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21 Extraordinarily Creative People Who Inspire Us All: Meet the 2014 MacArthur Fellows Recognizing 21 exceptionally creative individuals with a track record of achievement and the potential for significant contributions in the future, the Foundation today named its 2014 MacArthur Fellows. Fellows will each receive a no-strings-attached stipend of $625,000 with no stipulations or reporting requirements, allowing recipients maximum freedom to follow their own creative visions. “Those who think creativity is dying should examine the life’s work of these extraordinary innovators who work in diverse fields and in different ways to improve our lives and better our world,” said Cecilia Conrad, Vice President, MacArthur Fellows Program. “Together, they expand our view of what is possible, and they inspire us to apply our own talents and imagination.”
22 Africa US Today
MACARTHUR FELLOWS / MEET THE CLASS OF 2014
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Jennifer L. Eberhardt
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Social Psychologist Associate Professor, Department of Psychology Stanford University
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Stanford, CA Age: 49 Published September 17, 2014
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SEPTEMBER 17, 2014 - PRESS RELEASE
Jennifer L. Eberhardt is a social psychologist investigating the subtle, complex, largely unconscious yet deeply ingrained ways that individuals racially code and categorize people, with a particular focus on associations between race and crime. Through collaborations with experts in criminology, law, and anthropology, as well as novel studies that engage law enforcement and jurors, Eberhardt is revealing new insights about the extent to which race imagery and judgments suffuse our culture and society. Her studies regarding visual attention and racial bias in modern policing and criminal sentencing offer concrete demonstrations that stereotypic associations between race and crime directly impact how individuals behave and make decisions, often with far-ranging ramifications. These associations also influence the extent to which individuals are able to discern—literally, to perceive—important visual details in crime-related imagery, as well as distinguishing features in African American faces. Using statistical analysis to analyze how a defendant’s skin color and hair texture relate to the sentencing decisions of jurors, Eberhardt has shown that black defendants are more likely to receive the death penalty if their facial characteristics are stereotypically black and their victims are white. Extending this research to the criminal sentencing of juveniles, she found that simply bringing to mind a black juvenile offender led people to perceive juveniles in general as more similar to adults and therefore more worthy of severe punishment, highlighting the fragility of protection for young defendants when race is a factor. She also has examined implicit bias among law enforcement, showing that, for example, police officers are more likely to mistakenly identify African American faces as criminal than white faces; in addition, officers are more likely to judge faces that are the most stereotypically black as the most likely to be criminal. In response to these findings, Eberhardt has recently begun to work with law enforcement agencies to design interventions to improve policing and to help them build and maintain trust with the communities they serve. Currently working with anthropologists to better articulate the process of cognitive dehumanization that occurs to justify marginalizing and discriminatory practices, Eberhardt is unearthing nuanced insights about how we see and experience racial difference. Jennifer L. Eberhardt received a B.A. (1987) from the University of Cincinnati and an A.M. (1990) and Ph.D. (1993) from Harvard University. From 1995 to 1998, she held a joint faculty position at Yale University in the Departments of Psychology and African and African American Studies and was a research fellow at the Center for Race, Inequality, and Politics. She has been affiliated with Stanford University since 1998, where she is currently an associate professor in the Department of Psychology and co-director of SPARQ, a Stanford center aimed at offering Social Psychological Answers to Real-World Questions.
21 Extraordinarily Creative People Who Inspire Us All: Meet the 2014 MacArthur Fellows
“Those who think creativity is dying should examine the life’s work of these extraordinary innovators who work in diverse fields and in different ways to improve our lives...” Cecilia Conrad, Vice President, MacArthur Fellows Program. Read More
About the MacArthur Fellows Program
Frequently Asked Questions MacArthur Fellows
SEPTEMBER 20, 2013 - COMMENTARY
"Five Myths About the MacArthur ‘Genius Grants’" AFRICA US TODAY 23
MACARTHUR FELLOWS / MEET THE CLASS OF 2014
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Steve Coleman
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Jazz Composer and Saxophonist Founder M-Base Concepts, Inc.
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Allentown, PA Age: 57 Published September 17, 2014
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SEPTEMBER 17, 2014
Steve Coleman is an alto saxophonist and composer whose technical virtuosity and engagement with musical traditions and styles from around the world are expanding the expressive and formal possibilities of spontaneous composition. Whether performing solo or with his regular ensemble, Steve Coleman and Five Elements, Coleman delivers signature performances of notated works and brings a masterful facility to intricate and complex improvised pieces. His original compositions weave disciplined rhythmic structures, refined tonal progressions, and overlapping and mixed meters into soulful and fluid interpretations. In his improvisational performances, Coleman energizes and updates iconic musical idioms in the creative traditions of luminaries like John Coltrane and Charlie Parker by infusing them with melodic, rhythmic, and structural components inspired by music of the larger African Diaspora, as well as from the continents of Africa, Eurasia, and the Americas (in particular, West Africa, Cuba, Brazil, Europe, India, and Indonesia). His work also draws heavily on inspiration from nature, metaphysics, and science, integrating, for example, patterns derived from the cycles and relationships of the planets in our solar system or, as on Functional Arrhythmias (2013), the pulsating patterns of the human heart. Coleman’s commitment to mentorship and community has also distinguished his career. MBase(Macro-Basic Array of Structured Extemporizations), a cooperative that Coleman co-founded in the mid-1980s and that is still vital today as the non-profit organization M-Base Concepts, Inc., provides a supportive environment for musical experimentation and original performance, and his workshops, seminars, online instruction, and interdisciplinary collaborations encourage younger musicians both here and abroad to push the boundaries of their craft. Influential well beyond the scope of saxophone performance and composition, Coleman is redefining the vocabulary and vernaculars of contemporary music. Steve Coleman attended Illinois Wesleyan University (1974–1976) and Roosevelt University (1976– 1977. In addition to giving workshops worldwide, he has been an artist in residence at the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts (2009–2010) and the Thelonious Monk Institute (2008– 2009) and a faculty member at the University of California at Berkeley (2000–2002), the Stanford Jazz Workshop (1995–1996), and the Banff School of Fine Arts (1985–1991). His extensive catalog of recordings includes Harvesting Semblances and Affinities (2010), Invisible Paths: First Scatterings(2007), and Resistance Is Futile (2002), among many others.
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Rick Lowe Public Artist Founder Project Row Houses Houston, TX Age: 53 Published September 17, 2014
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Rick Lowe is an artist whose unconventional approach to community revitalization has transformed a longneglected neighborhood in Houston into a visionary public art project that continues to evolve, two decades since its inception. Originally trained as a painter, Lowe shifted the focus of his artistic practice in the early 1990s in order to address more directly the pressing social, economic, and cultural needs of his community. With a group of fellow artists, he organized the purchase and restoration of a block and a half of derelict properties—twenty-two shotgun houses from the 1930s—in Houston’s predominantly African American Third Ward and turned them into Project Row Houses(PRH), an unusual amalgam of arts venue and community support center. Since its founding in 1993, PRH has served as a vital anchor for what had been a fast-eroding neighborhood, providing arts education programs for youth, exhibition spaces and studio residencies for emerging and established artists, a residential mentorship program for young mothers, an organic gardening program, and an incubator for historically appropriate designs for low-income housing on land surrounding the original row houses. While inviting constant collaboration with local residents, artists, church groups, architects, and urban planners, Lowe continues to provide the guiding vision for PRH as he pursues his overarching goal of animating the assets of a place and the creativity of its people. He is not only bringing visibility and pride to the Third Ward by celebrating the beauty of its iconic shotgun houses; he is also changing the lives of many PRH program graduates and expanding the PRH campus to cover a six-block area in an effort to preserve the historic district’s character in the face of encroaching gentrification.
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$36 Million to Train Homeless Veterans Is 'Our Moral Duty'
Grants totaling more than $36 million have been awarded to 156 organizations nationwide to provide more than 12,000 veterans with training to help them succeed in civilian careers. "These job training programs will provide the skills that veterans require to find and keep a job and secure housing," said Secretary Perez. "The progress made in recent years to reduce veterans' homelessness is encouraging, but it remains our moral duty to do all we can to honor our veterans with the dignity of a good job and opportunities to build a solid middle-class life for their families." The grants include approximately $9 million for 37 new grantees to provide job-driven training, in which they will actively engage with employer partners to identify the skills needed for in-demand jobs and careers. They also will provide job placement, career counseling, life skills and money management mentoring, as well as help in finding housing. Learn More Share on Twitter
JUN 26, 2014 $155 Million in Grants Announced for Job-Driven Training Programs
Matching job seekers with employers who are hiring is critical to an economy that provides opportunities for all. On June 26, the department awarded nearly $155 million in grants to 32 states, Puerto Rico and the Cherokee tribal nation through the JobDriven National Emergency Grant competition. Secretary Perez and Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker announced the grants, which will help workers who lost their jobs through no fault of their own. The grants will help states provide opportunities for on-the-job training, Registered Apprenticeships or other occupational training that results in an industry-recognized credential. Funding also will provide dislocated workers with career coaching and career counseling, as well as assistance with job placement in high-demand industries.
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JUL 14, 2014 First-Ever American Apprenticeship Summit at the White House
Earlier this year, President Obama laid out a goal to double the number of apprenticeships in the United States over the next five years. As part of on-going efforts to achieve the goal, the White House hosted the first-ever American Apprenticeship Summit on July 14. The gathering culminated a series of six regional meetings hosted by the Department of Labor with business and labor leaders in the transportation, health care, construction, energy, information technology and manufacturing sectors to discuss how to expand apprenticeships. Many of the participants in these events attended the White House summit, which focused on several topics, such as increasing diversity among apprentices and aligning apprenticeships with a broad job-driven training strategy. Secretary of Labor Thomas E. Perez and Jeffrey Zients, director of the National Economic Council, led a roundtable discussion with participants to review their recommendations. Ultimately, this information will be used to design the $100 million American Apprenticeship grant competition, expected to be announced this fall. "For apprenticeship to succeed, we need to start a movement," Secretary Perez said at the summit's conclusion. "That's how systems change. I see the beginnings of a movement in this room."
AUG 20, 2014 Job Corps: A Golden Anniversary
When President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Economic Opportunity Act on Aug. 20, 1964, a visionary model for providing education and opportunity to underserved young people was born. Fifty years later, that program — Job Corps — has transformed the lives of more than 2.7 million young people. With 125 Job Corps centers across the country, it has become one of the nation's largest residential training programs. To mark this historic achievement and the anniversary, Secretary Perez visited the Benjamin L. Hooks Job Corps in Memphis, Tenn. — one of the highest-performing centers in the system. He spent the morning talking with Holley Stafford, a 20-year-old carpenter and Job Corps graduate. Stafford dropped out of high school but, because of the training she received at Job Corps, now earns a good wage and loves her job remodeling grocery store interiors. At the center, Perez was treated to demonstrations of its medical office support, accounting, computer service technician and carpentry trades. Addressing the student body with Memphis Mayor A.C. Wharton, Perez spoke about the continued vitality of the program, telling students that, with their skills, "The sky's the limit."
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Book Club Feature “Akiba Grace Zakai has written a most compelling book about surviving child sexual abuse. Her detailed and honest exposure of her own life will give hope to others who have suffered for years. Her main objective is to hopefully show the masses of those who have been abused to TELL SOMEONE, TALK TO SOMEONE, IT’S OKAY. No one should ever have to wait for over forty-years as Akiba did to seek help. There is hope in letting go of the guilt and shameful feelings of the past and return to a healthy life. It is never your fault.” Michael A. Applegate, Author, Making Dreams Happen & Raising a Brand New Bar. “Akiba has showed courage, strength and staying power in writing this book. YOU STOLE MY CHILDHOOD, BUT NOT MY SOUL. Her story will always inspire me and others to never give up on their dreams.” Christine ‘Cookie’ Powell, Harvey Memorial Community Church, 30 year friend. “When my friend Akiba asked me to read her book and contribute a quote, I thought this horror story that happens to be her life. I am also forced to realize that this happened to my friend and continues to happen to others. It is my ardent prayer someone, anyone who will listen. And, be assured that someone can help.” Maureen ‘Moe’ Smith, 30 year friend.
AKIBA GRACE ZAKAI is a Chicago native. As an Author and Speaker in the community, she uses her life’s experience to help and to serve others. Her search outside of herself for fulfillment led her down a road of destruction. “I was still empty, and I was still thirsty.” Some obstacles seemed insurmountable, but her success hinged on the ability to keep on hoping and striving. It was not until her search turned inward did she find out her own true strength. “I do not regret my past; it is an integral part of who I am today. I have overcome and made peace with my past. The tough times built my character and gave birth to a renewed desire for life. I am grateful to GOD for my journey.” Today Akiba’s desire to tear down the walls of silence in regard to child sexual-abuse is a battle within itself. She is and has been undaunted in her resolve to better the lives of other victims and to express the need to get the help that is so desperately needed. Zechariah 1:3 “Return to ME, “says the LORD of hosts, “and I will return to you.”
Ak i b a G r ace Z ak a i
AKIBA GRACE ZAKAI is a Chicago native. As an Author and Speaker in the community, she uses her life’s experience to help and to serve others. Her search outside of herself for fulfillment led her down a road of destruction. “I was still empty, and I was still thirsty.” Some obstacles seemed insurmountable, but her success hinged on the ability to keep on hoping and striving. It was not until her search turned inward did she find out her own true strength.
“I do not regret my past; it is an integral part of who I am today. I have overcome and made peace with my past. The tough times built my character and gave birth to a renewed desire for life. I no longer look outside of myself for a SHERO. I weathered this storm. I am grateful to GOD for my journey.”
Today, Akiba’s desire to tear down the ‘walls of silence’ in regard to child sexual-abuse is a battle within itself. She is, and has been undaunted in her resolve to better the lives of other victims and to express the need for men and women to get the help that is so desperately needed.
Zechariah 1:3 “Return to ME, “says the LORD of hosts, “and I will return to you.”
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Book Club Feature
John E. Smith Jr. Photography
Penny and the magic puffballs Author Alonda Williams “Change a girl and you change the world”
Penny and the magic puffballs is a fun story about a young girl who discovers through a series of whimsical adventures, that her hair is special, even magical. the story reinforces self-acceptance and celebrates diversity. The author’s goal is to instill a sense of pride and self-love in all who read it. Penny and the magic puffballs created to inspire young girls Chosen by MSNBC as one of the most inspiring children’s books of the year 5 Star Reviews- Amazon Best Seller www.pennyanthemagicpuffballs.com Facebook/Pennypuffs @magicpuffballs @alondaw
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