Congratulations to all the winners!
INSIDE
A PUBLICATION OF
Touching Communitie s.
MGM GRAND DETROIT
Touching Lives.™
‘Amazing:’
October • 2016
MGM Grand Detr oit’s seventh Count Day was a smashing succtrip at Gompers School ess By Scott
Straight ticket, mixed ticket, split ticket?
The Michigan Chronicle wishes to thank all who came out to celebrate with us last week.
Talley Special to the Michigan
What you need to know before you head to the polls
For a list of all the winners, please go to page A-4.
Polling locations by zip code
Chronicle
Visitors to Gompers west side are greeted Elementary-Middle School on Detroit’s by a sign out front place to learn.” which reads: “A great On Oct. 5, not only was Gompers “a great a fun place to be place to learn,” educated as well with help from MGM it was Detroit. Grand
Inside This Issue
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• MGM Grand Detroi at Gompers Schoo t’s proud “Count Day” traditi on continued l. • Wright Museum continues to shine after spectacular Gala. • Women of Tomor row organization inspires and empow • And much more! ers.
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Oct. 26 - Nov. 1, 2016
michiganchronicle.com
Volume 80 – Number 7
Decision 2016: Straight, split, mixed ticket?
Who else would we endorse?
How will you vote on Nov. 8?
By Alisha Dixon On Nov. 8, Michigan voters will still have the chance to vote straight ticket after an attempt this year by Gov. Rick Snyder and Republican lawmakers to eliminate this option. Last month, the Supreme Court rejected Michigan’s attempt to ban straight-ticket voting. The Department of Elections has defined straight, split and mixed party voting as the following: • Straight Ticket: Vote the party of your choice and nothing further need to be done in the partisan section of the ballot. • Split Ticket: You may vote a straight ticket and vote for individual candidates of your choice. • Mixed Ticket: Vote for the individual candidates of your choice in each office. The Nonpartisan and Proposal sections of the ballot must be voted on individually. Michigan voters have had the option to vote straight ticket since 1891. This 125-year old law has been a point of contention for legislatures who feel it is biased and makes voters less informed. Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette is against straight-ticket voting. He said, “Having voters actually cast a vote for their chosen candidate — rather than blindly voting for all candidates of a party — is the very act of voting, so it cannot rationally be characterized as a burden on the right to vote.” In January, Gov. Rick Snyder supported the Republican-led bill by signing it into law because he said he believes it would benefit Michigan voters. “As governor, I have strived to put people before politics and strongly encourage voters to do the same,” Snyder said. “Michigan joins 40 other states that require voters to select an individual for each elective office, rather than simply selecting a political party,” Snyder said. Legislators, mostly Democrats, argued that the bill would not benefit voters and instead would create confusion and longer lines on Election Day. State Rep. Sheldon Neeley believes the creation of this bill was an attempt to alienate African American voters and is a violation
See BALLOT page A-4
WHAT’S INSIDE
Hillary Clinton
By Keith A. Owens
pour on that match.
Senior Editor
Abandon all hope ye who foolishly continue to believe that Trump can make anything great, let alone the United States of America. As for the NeverHillary crowd who continue to tell themselves that a vote for the Green Party’s Jill Stein or Libertarian Gary Johnson is a vote for conscience and righteousness over Politics as Usual, feel free to pat yourselves on the back for doing absolutely nothing in the face of one of the most dangerous internal threats to this nation’s well-being that most of us have experienced in our lifetime. Neither Johnson nor Stein is in any way even remotely qualified to be president of the United States, and if the Green Party and Libertarian Party wants to ever be taken seriously in a presidential election year, they need to submit a seriously qualified candidate.
Of course we’re endorsing Hillary Clinton for president. It’s the only sane thing to do. Actually, for anyone who knew anything at all about Donald Trump prior to his foray into politics (and who is sane), the choice became obvious the minute Trump became the Republican candidate. For those (sane) individuals who did not know much about Trump prior to his nomination, but who then witnessed the widely televised, widely reported flood of unregulated filth that spewed forth from his lips pretty much every single day on queue, the choice was also obvious. As for those fence-straddling holdouts who continued to nurture a flickering flame of hope that Trump would somehow evolve from knuckle-dragging Neanderthal to Enlightened 21st Century Man within the space of a few months, all three presidential debates served as an overflowing bucket of cold water to
Because make no mistake, Donald Trump is not simply the Republican alternative. If that were the case, more than one major American newspaper
might have endorsed the man. As it stands, the only major media outlet to endorse Trump besides the Las Vegas Review-Journal is The Crusader, which happens to be the official newspaper of the Ku Klux Klan and isn't exactly major. Besides the Review-Journal, no otherconservative newspaper was willing to put its name behind someone as offensive (and unqualified) as Trump, but the Klan recognizes and embraces Trump as one of their own. Hillary Clinton has her flaws, sure, but when compared to Trump there is simply no comparison. This is in no way, shape or form a case of the lesser of two evils, because that would be to create a false equivalency, as if each of them is guilty of committing same-sized transgressions. They are not. Not even close. To be clear, most of the so-called “charges” made against Clinton that her detractors love to drag out time and
See CLINTON page A-4
Best in Black is Best in Detroit
By Roz Edward
Michigan Chronicle Managing Editor
THE MOTOWN MUSEUM Come and share these memories
See page D-1
Even with the buzz generated around Detroit’s rise from the municipal dead, the return of commerce and the regentrification of neighborhoods, one would be hard-pressed to match the excitement and the resilience of recipients at the first annual Best in Black Awards ceremony held at Detroit’s famed Music Hall. As Detroit reemerges as a destination city, local leaders are working vigorously to spotlight the ethnic icons that have long been the benchmarks of Detroit culture, a source of great pride for the city’s citizens, and ultimately attractions for the growing number of visitors to the Motor City. In 2015, Travel + Leisure magazine named Detroit one of the “50 Best Places to Travel in 2016.”
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“In a few short years, Detroit has gone from being a cautionary tale to a success story,” writes Travel & Leisure digital travel editor Corinna Quinn. “Detroit might not be able to sell its
comeback story for much longer — it’s decidedly back.” Best in Black Detroit event sponsors Radio One and the Michigan Chronicle established the highly anticipated awards ceremony to highlight the contributions of African Americans in more than 40 categories ranging from attorneys and preachers, to entrepreneurs and entertainers.
Distinguished nominees and their enthusiastic supporters packed the theater in the historic Paradise Valley district, noted for its black business and entertainment venues, eager for the announcement of winners. BIB organizers, nominees and their supporters expressed heartfelt appreciation for the many Detroit ers who did more
than just hold on during difficult times, they made the commitment to consistently strive for excellence, without much mention having been made of them publicly. “I love black people!” Michigan Chronicle publisher and Real Times Media CEO Hiram E.
See BEST
IN BLACK page A-4