Support upcoming SENIORcare Enough SAID African-American 490 Challenge
WHAT’S INSIDE
SENIORcare
MI Health Link Program Bucket List for Seniors Money Matters for Caregivers National Alzheimer’s Disease Awareness Month
See page A-3
35 Years of Facts About Detroit Area Agency on Aging
POWERED BY REAL TIMES MEDIA
Volume 79 – Number 5
WHAT’S INSIDE Franklin-Wright growth continues (Page A-3) “You do not get to be 134 years old without positioning yourself to be lockstep with change,” said Monique Marks, president and CEO of Franklin-Wright Settlements, Inc. To further expand its operations, Franklin-Wright has purchased a building on Woodward Avenue near West Grand Boulevard., formerly YouthVille of Detroit.
michiganchronicle.com
October 14-20, 2015
Why we marched For the third time, Farrakhan’s call attracts hundreds of thousands
Gun violence destroying us (Page B-4) It is way past time for something to be done on several fronts regarding the gun violence that continues to plague this country, and the situation continues to worsen. Editorial writer Tom Watkins speaks out.
Rainbow PUSH Auitomotive Project (Page C-1) The MGM Grand Hotel in downtown Detroit was the location for the 15th annual Rainbow PUSH Automotive Project. Among the speakers was founder Jesse Jackson. Detroit’s own Ed Gordon served as moderator.
Fashion designers contribute to city’s comeback (Page C-2) Nine fashion designers are making an indelible mark on the city’s revival through their fashion brands. In November, the Detroit Garment Group will launch its Fashion Incubator at Techtown, in Midtown, a one-to-two year business mentorship program.
Janet Jackson returns with a bang (Page D-1)
By Keith A. Owens
Justice or else what?
SENIOR EDITOR
Where to begin… OK. Let’s start here. Amidst all the vexed criticism that many have leveled against the Million Man March over the years, as well as its centerpiece and COMMENTARY founder, Minister Louis Farrakhan (and for the record, some of that criticism is valid), there are a few things that seem to get tiptoed around: Minister Louis Farrakhan is the only black American leader — or perhaps any American leader — who possesses the amount of clout to summon that many black people to Washington DC (or anywhere else, for that matter) knowing that they will come by the hundreds of thousands. Million Man March 2015 was the third Million Man March (it all began in 1995 with the original march, followed by the 10-year anniversary in 2005, and then MMM 2015) which means that Farrakhan has managed to pull off this feat three times in a row, at 10-year intervals. A significant number of MMM 2015 participants weren’t even born during the first march, or were barely making their way around a crib. Although a handful of other events in the National Mall have reportedly drawn larger crowds over the years (after considerable controversy, the latest figures given for the 1995 march attendance is estimated at somewhere between 650,000 and 1.1 million according to various media reports) none of those other
By Kai EL’ Zabar REAL TIMES MEDIA
Minister Louis Farrakhan – Monica Morgan photos
events were repeats. So if you add up the attendance at all three MMM events, then… I have been following Minister Farrakhan for about 30 years, and have seen him speak in Los Angeles, Chicago, Detroit, and other locations. And no matter where he speaks, the line to get inside to wherever he is speaking has sometimes been hours long (when I went
Janet Jackson, the princess of R&B/pop, took an amazingly long hiatus (seven years), but is back with an exciting album titled “Unbreakable” that is equal to much of her best work from the past.
to hear him at the LA Forum in the early ’80s, the line was wrapped around the building three times), and the room has always been full to overflowing. For 30 years, I have seen this with my own eyes, so I don’t have to rely on what somebody else said. Farrakhan is someone you need to see and hear for yourself. I have repeatedly seen dramatic distortions in the media of what he has said, just as I have heard him say things that I quite frankly could not believe or in any way condone. He is without a doubt the most remarkable and brilliant public speaker I have ever witnessed, and also the most infuriating.
See JUSTICE page A-4
I’m focusing on Minister Farrakhan because, try as some might, there is no way to exorcise him from the remarkable phenomenon that is the Million Man March. Because without Farrakhan? No march. Period.
See MARCH page A-4
Gordie Howe International Bridge to double truck traffic in already polluted area By Natasha Dado SPECIAL TO THE CHRONICLE
Patricia Gonzalez can’t imagine living in Southwest Detroit’s Delray Neighborhood after the Gordie Howe International Bridge (GHIB) opens and truck traffic doubles.
$1.00
Twenty years ago, in 1995, black men set out to come together for the Million Man March in America’s state capital to show unity in all matters that concern black men and black people in general. Popular belief has it that Nation of Islam leader Minister Louis Farrakhan called the march. Some dispute this, saying other community leaders chose the minister as the face needed to pull together black men from all walks of life. The march, marketed as the next step toward change, was held on and around the National Mall. Other organizations like the National African American Leadership Summit, a leading group of civil rights activists and the Nation of Islam work-
A look at the Ambassador Bridge in Southwest Detroit. When the second bridge opens truck traffic will grow at the rate of 2.5 percent per year, which will result in a 109 percent increase in 30 years from today’s traffic.
“My biggest concern about the second bridge is increased truck traffic. This area is already too polluted,” said Gonzalez, a longtime Delray resident. Delray was chosen as the U.S. site for the GHIB. The impoverished neighborhood is located near the Ambassador Bridge, North America’s busiest international border crossing. Approximately 10,000 trucks cross over the Ambassador Bridge everyday.
Then known as the Detroit River International Crossing (DRIC), GHIB is set to open in 2020 and will connect Detroit and Windsor. The GHIB will increase truck traffic by 125 percent, according to Simone Sagovac, program director of the Southwest Detroit Community Benefits Coalition. Jeff Cranson, a spokesman for the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT), said the most recent published estimate compiled as part of the DRIC study is that truck traffic will grow at the rate of 2.5 percent per year, which will result in a 109 percent increase in 30 years from today’s traffic.
See BRIDGE page A-4