JANUARY 13, 2016
Natalie Cole She, too, is ‘unforgettable’ See page C-1
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michiganchronicle.com
Volume 79 – Number 17
WHAT’S INSIDE
Why diversity builds
better cars
Mayor to focus on crime reduction (Page A-3) Despite much visible progress, with more to come, Detroit remains challenged by its very high crime rate. Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan says his main focus for 2016 will be a reduction in crime statistics.
Some years ago, it used to be that when someone said they were attending community college, the all-toocommon assumption was that this poor soul simply didn’t possess the intelligence required to attend a ‘real’ college or university. Community colleges were essentially the stepchild of higher education; a step above high school but not quite college material. Things have changed. And Dr. Curtis Ivery, Chancellor of the Wayne County Community College District, has quite a bit to do with that. When he began as chancellor, WCCCD was on the brink of disaster with only 6,000 students enrolled throughout the entire district
By Keith A. Owens Senior Editor
DVL Awards to recognize Black spending power in auto industry (C-1) The inaugural DVL Awards event will take place on Sunday, Jan. 10, at Cobo Center. Organizers are “committed to developing strategic relationships and achieving parity in which the owners of the car dealerships mirror that of the buying power.”
More of Motown and Detroit’s history (Page D-1) Mickey Stevenson, one of Motown Record Corp.’s most accomplished artists and repertoire men, and songwriters, promised that in his new book, “The A&R Man,” he would not rehash the same Motown stories heard so many times before. He does not disappoint.
their products.
Detroit is what it means to be Driven.
Detroit made its greatest impact on the world in two areas: the mass production of the automobile, pioneered by Henry Ford, and music. It was Detroit that put the world on wheels, and it was Detroit that provided the world the tunes to sing and hum while driving those cars. Detroit has always been a Driven city, ever since the days when thousands of African Americans heard the call of better wages - and a better life - from Detroit’s auto factories. Few who worked in those factories would express fond memories of the often mind-numbing, and sometimes brutal working conditions, but despite the challenges, Ford’s offer of $5 a day was nevertheless a far better deal than anything most black people were getting Down South. Brutal living and working conditions was something they were accustomed to, but at least this time they would be getting some money out of the deal. Ford introduced the $5-a-day wage in 1914. The promise of a good job and a better life attracted thousands of immigrants and African Americans, a consequence that forever altered the dynamic - and the complexion - of America’s Motor City. Today, a little over a century later, African Americans and other minorities are contributing considerably more to the automotive industry overall - not just to Ford - than simply working in the factories. While few would argue there is still a considerable ways to go in terms of minority representation when it comes to leadership positions in the industry, most would agree that minorities are having a recognizable impact, not the least of which is forcing the industry to realize how quickly it needs to change its image to reflect the ever-diversifying market for whom they are designing
Driven, which began in 2011, is the Michigan Chronicle’s way of recognizing, appreciating, and applauding multicultural achievement inside the industry and those who are steadily expanding the definition and reach of their chosen profession simply by being the best of who they are at what they do. Faye Caballero, President and CEO of Diversity Enterprise Solutions, LLC, is among those who will be recognized at this year’s event. Her company specializes in manufacturing, engineering, design and program management in the automotive, military and consumer goods industries. DES has a joint venture partnership with tier-one supplier Mayco International. “Ninety-five percent of JV partnerships fail, but ours should be the benchmark,” said Caballero. Currently, 90 % of DES managers and 60 % of all DES employees are women or minorities. At the 2014 Rainbow Push Automotive Project, held in Detroit at the MGM Grand Hotel, Rainbow Push founder the Rev. Jesse Jackson said, “I don’t like the word diversity. Diversity is a bad word to me. We don’t need diversity, we need equality. Whenever the playing field is even and the rules are just, the goals are clear, and the referees are fair we can win.
and a financial outlook that was bleak at best. The beleaguered institution had the worst funding of any community college in the state. Today, the district is educating more than 70,000 students and it is the fastest growing community college district in the nation. “We’ve been the fastest growing for at least the past 10 years. And this is just the tip of the iceberg,” said Ivery. “If we really tap into the community we should be reaching, what I call the underserved population, we’re gonna just knock the top off this thing because what we do is just so important.”
In a press conference earlier in the day, Jackson complained that business leaders “keep changing the rules,” indicating that business leaders had broken agreements with regard to minority participation. Jackson cited the decline in the number of minority owned auto dealerships and minority auto supplier contracts as evidence that some agreements to increase minority participation had not been honored.
The story of how Dr. Ivery strategically transformed WCCCD into the model of success that it is today is inspiring, but what may be the real story is how, through WCCCD’s success, he has managed to help transform the negative image of community colleges and, in the process, refocus the dialogue on education prompting a reconsideration of the practical benefits of a community college education.
Jackson joked that in the initial automotive summit in 1999, auto leaders were up in
For example, Ivery says that 98 percent of WCCCD graduates find
See DRIVEN page A-4
See WCCCD page A-4
Famed psychiatrist, ‘Isis Papers’ author Frances Cress Welsing dead at 80 By Stacy M. Brown
us learn from the teachings of this divine queen and move accordingly.”
NNPA
Dr. Frances Cress Welsing, the famed 80-year-old afro-centrist, has died. Welsing’s death was announced by close friends on social media and later confirmed by family members.
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Community college can elevate the community
Senior Editor
There was civic outcry in some quarters when there was a possibility of the city’s DIA jewels being sold. But what came to be known as the “Grand Bargain,” sparked by Chief Judge Gerald Rosen, changed everything.
President Barack Obama, says Benjamin Chavis, has proven that he has the fortitude and intellectual capacity to provide leadership not only across the country, but also the worldwide geopolitical stage.
Dr. Curtis Ivery:
By Keith A. Owens
DIA treasures saved by ‘Grand Bargain’ (Page B-1)
A president’s global prowess (Page B-4)
January 6-12, 2016
“RIP to the elder, Dr. Frances Cress Welsing, the inspiration behind ‘Fear of a Black Planet,’” said Chuck D, the leader of the groundbreaking rap group, Public Enemy, whose 1990 “Fear of a Black Planet” album sold more than 1 million copies in less than two weeks and is viewed as one of the greatest and most important recordings ever.
Dr. Frances Cress Welsing Popular Democratic strategist Donna Brazile said Welsing died of complications from a stroke she suffered earlier in the week. “Our great teacher and leader has transitioned into the realms of the ancestors,” said designer Inl Vibez. “I give thanks for all the powerful word sound and knowledge she has shared. Let
Welsing was admitted Thursday to MedStar Washington Medical Center in Northwest and was eventually placed on a ventilator. It is believed that the decision to remove Welsing from life support machines occurred after the arrival from Chicago of her sister, Loren Cress Love. Born in Chicago on March 18, 1935, Welsing, a psychiatrist, is noted for her “Cress Theory of Color Confrontation,” which explores the practice of White supremacy. In 1991, she authored the book, “The Isis Papers: The Keys to the Colors,” where she stated that a system is practiced by the
global White minority, on both conscious and unconscious levels, to ensure their genetic survival by any means necessary. Welsing said this system attacks people of color, particularly people of African descent, in the nine major areas of people’s activity: economics, education, entertainment, labor, law, politics, religion, sex and war. She said she believes that it is imperative that people of color, especially people of African descent, understand how the system of white supremacy works in order to dismantle it and bring true justice to planet Earth. Welsing appeared in the 2005
See WELSING page A-4