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Volume 79 – Number 22

Rev. Jackson says engaging Wall Street is the next step in the struggle

February 10-16, 2016

When faith meets action

By Glenn Reedus SPECIAL TO THE MICHIGAN CHRONICLE

The phrase “the struggle continues” is a familiar one, and Rev. Jesse Jackson sees the struggle as an evolutionary process that now must be taken to Wall Street and the financial markets.

Jackson, founder of Rainbow PUSH, explained that the thrust today is closing the economic disparity that exists between Wall Street and the MLK avenues around the country.

His organ i z a t i o n , Rev. Jesse along with Jackson the Citizenship Education Fund, set a program in motion Jan. 15, 1997 to eliminate the multibillion-dollar trade deficit between Wall Street and minority communities.

The initiative, tagged The Wall Street Project, will have its 19th annual summit in New York Feb. 16-19. A major objective of the project is to “increase the hiring of minorities, the appointment of more minorities corporate boards, and the allocation of capital to minority companies,” Jackson said.

He refers to this mission as the fourth fundamental stage of the struggle. The preceding stages involved the abolition of slavery, followed by the end “legal apartheid” or segregation and the right to vote.

“But the fourth stage, beyond freedom is equality. That means access to capital and access to technology. I meet so many people who are so brilliant,” said Jackson.

“They are inventors, scientists and technicians, but they cannot get startup capital. They cannot get lenders to deem them creditworthy.

The longtime civil rights leader related the story of a former AT&T employee who had 20 years of experience with the company, recalling, “She had the tech background and wanted to strike out on her own but couldn’t get the capital needed to do that.”

The Wall Street Project should be of particular interest to the Detroit tech community as metro Detroit is first in the Midwest with a concentration of tech-focused jobs. We

See STRUGGLE page A-4

Bishop Edgar Vann of Second Ebenezer Church is pictured with Flint Mayor Karen Weaver. – Montez Miller photos

Detroit pastors join together for massive donation to Flint

By Keith A. Owens SENIOR EDITOR

The Bible says that faith without works is dead. Last week, a large group of Detroit pastors, led

by Bishop Edgar Vann of Second Ebenezer Church, put scripture to work when they delivered 500,000 bottles of water to Flint residents.

Ultimately, Flint will need much more than even a huge donation such as this. Much more. But the astronomical needs of Flint in no way diminish not only the size of the gift, but the heart behind it. Sensitive to the perception among some that the church doesn’t do much of anything for anyone except church members, not to mention the heightened publicity being

received by so many generous celebrities who have stepped up to do something for Flint, it is important to the Bishop that people recognize that the church is still there, and is still in the business of caring for those in distress, including those who may not be members of their congregations.

“A lot of churches get bad raps, and they do a lot of things all the time to help people. They just aren’t reported necessarily. If a person is not in church, then they don’t know anything about it. This is such a

Rev. Edgar Vann, left, talks with Pastor Wilton Smith of New Life Church.

Drawn to the flame: Detroit's first black firefighters

By Betty DeRamus SPECIAL TO THE MICHIGAN CHRONICLE

A mob of about 200 sweaty, screaming people blocked the streets when Detroit's first two black firefighters showed up for duty at Engine Co. No. 34 at Warren and Livernois on the city's west side.

It was a July day in 1938, a morning for slow-moving ceiling fans and icy soft drinks, not flushed faces and yells of rage.

BLACK HISTORY MONTH After members of the firefighters’ union spread word through the neighborhood that black firemen were coming, an angry white crowd quickly formed.

$1.00

See DONATION page A-4

It was only a month since people had crowded Paradise Valley, Detroit’s black entertainment district, to celebrate boxing champion Joe Louis’ June 22 victory over Germany’s Max Schmeling. Black men and women had wept on the streets after Louis-

— America’s only dignified and larger than life black hero — lost to the German boxer in 1936. However, in the summer of 1938, Louis won his rematch with Schmeling two minutes and four seconds into the first round.

Yet the singing, shouting, dancing and hat-waving crowds that celebrated Louis’ victory were nothing like the mob that awaited Detroit’s first black firemen. That crowd swelled and swelled until Mayor Richard Reading finally sent top officials to the scene.

Marcena Taylor and Marvin White, the black firefighters whose arrival triggered this eruption of suspicion and hate, survived their first day on the job, but their ordeal was just beginning.

It had been challenging enough getting hired by a fire department that refused until 1935 to give blacks job applications. A civil rights group headed by activist Snow Grigsby spearheaded the breakthrough, according to Taylor.

A U.S. Postal Service employee, Snow Grigsby had founded the Civil Rights Committee in 1933 to battle discrimination in black hiring. Using his research to document institutional racism, Grigsby spurred changes in black hiring at the Detroit Board of Education, Detroit Edison, Detroit Receiving Hospital, the U.S. Postal Service and the Detroit Fire Department.

Of the black men who passed a firefighters’ exam in 1935, Marcena Taylor wound up No. 1 on the job eligibility list, and Marvin

Marcena Taylor White was No. 2. After becoming firemen in 1938, the two men faced a tougher test. Without flinching or blinking, they had to look raw racism in the eye.

For six weeks after their first turbulent day at work, the men received police protection

See FIREFIGHTERS page A-4

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THE MICHIGAN CHRONICLE

February 10-16, 2016

Page A-4

Detroit teachers charge DPS of blocking health inspections MICHIGAN CHRONICLE REPORTS

In addition to a lawsuit against the Detroit Public School District, a teachers’ union has accused the district of blocking environmental health inspectors to look into the troubling school conditions.

The information came in the form of a Detroit Federation of Teachers news release as Ivy Bailey, the union’s interim president, stood by during a press conference. Atrocious school conditions prompted the union to seek outside help to show the DPS just how harmful the lack of resources is for children, Bailey explained.

Donation huge effort, a major effort that needs to be exposed, because I think there are those who believe that churches don’t do anything for people and that they’re only concerned about themselves. And for so many of us who are in ministry, that is just not the truth. Nothing could be further from the truth. There are always causes like this for which we are activated an energized,” said Bishop Vann.

“And in this particular instance, not just doing something individually, but doing it together. I just felt it was important for other pastors — and it didn’t matter how many bottles they had — but other pastors to get involved as well.”

But more important than that is the very real possibility that unless Flint’s rapidly escalating dilemma is brought under control and rectified quickly, as in a matter of months, then the city of Flint just might fade into the past tense. Because this is about so much more than poisoned water at this point, even though the water is at the root of the crisis.

“It’s obvious that there has been a problem there for quite some time.

And the people are angry. That’s one emotion. Their hope is lost. Because now their property is not worth anything. You can’t sell a house in Flint.

You can’t buy a house in Flint. Nobody’s going to lend money in Flint.

I have a gentleman in my church who owns four restaurants, fast food restaurants, in Flint, and he’s trying to figure out now whether he should close them,” said Vann. “Business has gone down over 50 percent because nobody wants to sit in a restaurant in Flint. Nobody wants to come where you have cleaned the salad with water or anything like that. So the economy is suffering. People are losing their jobs in Flint. They still have water bills that they’re being asked to pay.

“And now, even with the money that’s trying to go through Lansing to be allocated, the $30 million, it’s still not for the full water bill. It’s only for water. They still have a sewerage bill on top of it, which means that the only thing the $30 million is going to pay for is between 47-60 percent of their water bill. The whole idea is that they’re just gonna give you a credit on your water bill. Now, you paid cash, right? If I’m getting a refund it ought to be cash back.

“What would really stimulate the economy, and really give people a good feeling about themselves, is if they were able to get a check back

From page A-1

CNNreports: The school district said that having more teams of people in buildings would “complicate” their efforts, according to a statement from the district obtained by WDIV. “Further, the DFT/AFT (the teachers’ unions) were seeking to have teams of unknown individuals come into our school buildings without proper or reasonable prior notice to administration and staff,” the school district said.

that’s a refund for water they couldn’t use through no fault of their own. So there’s a lot of anger there.

He continued, “They’re going to need a lot of money in Flint, and there’s no way to do this without replacing the pipes. And to replace the pipes in Flint is going to be a Herculean task. We’re talking maybe a billion dollars there. Where does that money come from? And digging up the whole city, and it’ll take years to do that. And I don’t know if there’s enough time to bring the solution to it. The conditions there are just despicable. I mean, when you look at what people are up against and what they have to deal with. It’s really bad.

And so with the caravan of water we were able to take up there, I think we made a tremendous impact.”

Vann said the idea for the collaborative effort came when several other pastors heard about the drive Vann’s church was already conducting throughout January and thought it would be a good idea to do a joint effort. Vann agreed.

“We sort of captioned the initiative under ‘Revive Matthew:25.’

Matthew 25, in scripture, says, ‘I was sick and you visited me, I was hungry and you fed me, I was thirsty you gave me water to drink.’ That’s where the inspiration came from.

And Pastor Welton Smith, of New Life Family Church, helped to put a lot of the logistics in bringing together a lot of the other pastors to join the effort collectively with us. That’s the genesis of it. … We had a caravan of about 60 vehicles that went to Flint on Monday (Feb. 1). About four or five of them were 18-wheeler semis” that left Second Ebenezer at 10 am.

Other participating Detroit churches include: Triumph Church, Pastor Solomon Kinloch; Great-

er Emmanuel Institutional COGIC, Bishop J. Drew Sheard; Pastor Ryan Johnson, First Baptist Institutional Church; Pastor Larry Smith, New St. Mark Baptist Church; Pastor Kenneth Brock, New Welcome Missionary Baptist Church, and a number of others.

“In Flint, we were working with seven different churches, and five different senior villages,” he said.

“A lot of the seniors have not had the chance to get access to water because of their lack of mobility.

So seniors and some of the immigrants had a hard time. Well first of all, you know they were asking people for their driver’s license and ID in order to get water. When the National Guard came in? They were asking people for ID. And, you know, for those who are immigrants or foreign born individuals, they were really not for that, of course because it put them under a different light of scrutiny. So we were trying to reach some of the unreachables with all the water that we were bringing.

“And then again, the government was only giving them one case per day. They only give one case per household. Per day. And there are about 24 to 32 bottles included per case.”

So do the math. Each bottle averages about 16 ounces, and there are 128 ounces in a gallon. If there are 32 bottles in a case, that equals 512 ounces per case, which equals about 4 gallons of water per household per day. Multiply that by 30 for a month and that’s 120 gallons per month per household from the state.

The United Nations says that the minimal amount of water needed for a household of four is 3,000 gallons.

For full story, go to michiganchronicle.com

Detroit native Jalonne White-Newsome joins Kresge environment program MICHIGAN CHRONICLE REPORTS

vironment Program.

Jalonne L. White-Newsome has joined The Kresge Foundation as a senior program officer with the organization’s Environment Program.

Prior to her work at WE ACT, White-Newsome was a post-doctoral fellow at the Union of Concerned Scientists in Washington, D.C.; an environmental specialist at Global Engine Manufacturing Alliance in Dundee, Mich.; and a public health engineer with the Maryland Department of the Environment.

She joins Kresge from West Harlem Environmental Action Inc. (WE ACT), where she served as the first director of federal policy for the organization’s Washington, D.C., office.

Jalonne L. She was recentWhite-Newsome ly named “One of the 50 People You’ll be Talking About in 2016” by Grist magazine.

White-Newsome will assume responsibility for Kresge’s grant portfolio addressing sustainable water resources-management in a changing climate. She also will lead the foundation’s work addressing the intersection of climate change and public health.

A seasoned federal policy analyst, researcher and leader, White-Newsome has extensive experience engaging diverse communities on environmental issues including clean air, climate change and public health.

She has a particular interest in working with low-income communities of color to equip them with tools to create resilient and healthy local and regional systems.

“Jalonne’s experience in the private, public and nonprofit sectors combined with her commitment to assist underserved communities is invaluable in furthering The Kresge Foundation’s purpose of creating opportunity for low-income people in America’s cities,” said Lois DeBacker, managing director of Kresge’s En-

But the school district declined the union’s request for new inspectors.

Her professional pursuits include environmental justice analysis and advocacy with WE ACT and advocacy related to climate change and public health during her time at UCS. She has tackled a variety of eclectic professional projects including coordinating a 42-member national environmental justice coalition, directing campaigns to support environmental and social justice leg-

Firefighters against residents in the surrounding area who rode around shouting racial epithets. The two men’s presence also stirred up alarm in their fire station house. Co-workers refused to eat or sleep in the same room with them. Taylor and White had to bring their own dishes, pots and pans to work and cook for themselves after the others were done.

A delegation of firemen headed by the president of the Detroit Fire Fighters’ Association also protested their assignment to Mayor Reading.

Yet they persevered and even progressed in what had been a closeknit and closed-door club.

In the book “Untold Tales, Unsung Heroes,” Taylor talks about how he survived those early days by reading, talking to neighborhood youngsters and keeping his fighting spirit.

A no-nonsense man with a degree from Livingstone College in Salis-

islation, and extensive teaching and consulting work.

A Detroit native, White-Newsome earned a Ph. D. in Environmental Health Sciences from the University of Michigan School of Public Health; a master’s degree in environmental engineering from Southern Methodist University; and a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from Northwestern University.

“I can’t imagine a better fit for my goals, values and experience than helping further the ambitious work of Kresge’s environmental grantees and partners,” said White-Newsome.

“These organizations are making a difference in their communities and – collectively – our nation. I look forward to enhancing their capacity to succeed.”

From page A-1 bury, S.C., he moved through the ranks to become the first black sergeant in 1952, the first black captain in 1963 and the first black battalion chief in 1969. He retired from the Detroit Fire Department as battalion chief in charge of the fourth battalion, with nine companies under his command. He died in 1994.

White also remained with the department. In 1959, he was promoted to senior assistant architectural engineer-fire prevention. He died in 1968.

In 1974, Melvin Jefferson became the first black fire commissioner in the city of Detroit. In 1998, Harold Watkins Sr. became the first black chief of the firefighting division, reaping the harvest planted by Marcena Taylor and Marvin White on a sweaty day in 1938 when two black men with cool heads and stout hearts made history.

Last week, the city released the health and safety reports for four schools and another 14 safety inspection reports, which paint a troubling portrait of the city’s ongoing problems.

The Dossin Elementary Health and Safety Field Investigation Report revealed mold growth on damaged interior walls, stained ceilings from previous water leaks, and floor damage from other leaks.

The City of Detroit is reportedly ready to take action if DPS doesn’t correct the numerous health code violations, Click on Detroit reports.

Last week, the DFT/AFT filed lawsuits against the DPS and asked for the removal of emergency manager Darnell Earley, claiming he failed to institute repairs and fix other problems such as overcrowding and insufficient maintenance.

Earley announced his resignation will go into effect at the end of the month. The embattled manager was previously employed by Flint and was one of the officials behind the decision to use water from the Flint River, sending the city into a man-made crisis.

Detroit teachers continue to protest the conditions by calling in sick en masse and posting photos of damages, mold and more on social media

Struggle From page A-1

are leading the way. When compared to other cities, metro Detroit has the highest concentration of technology jobs, according to Michiprenuer, an online magazine covering the local tech community.

Detroiters are rapidly embracing the online world as the city is expanding as a learning venue for those interested in building or expanding their coding businesses. Five sites not only help local residents develop those skills, some even help with securing a job in the tech industry. It is these and similar ventures Jackson is pushing for a stronger relationship with financial institutions and other funding and lending sources.

“The Wall Street Project is about access to banks and financial institutions,” the one-time aide to Dr Martin Luther King, Jr. noted. He compared minority access to capital and opportunities at tech companies to the recent ruckus surrouding the absence of black Academy Award nominees. “The Oscars is typical, where you have a college of ‘choosers’ who can’t even choose the greatest African-American actors.

The same is true with Silicon Valley. We can do the work, but can’t get the jobs.”

Rainbow PUSH’s decision several years ago to buy stock in the major tech firms not only gave Jackson and supporters opportunities to speak at the companies’ annual meetings. Additionally, they received the usual information stockholders get, including details about performance, profits and diversity.

He pointed out that during a meeting with Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO, Cook discussed that prior to the Wall Street Project, “we (tech firms) have not been challenged to do better with minority, particularly African American hiring.

“He who will be free must strike the first blow.

We struck that blow.”

Jackson compared the executives of tech companies to the staunch segregationists of the old South.

“They were somewhat embarrassed for their brands and didn’t take old hard line stance,” he said.

Silicon Valley companies are shortchanging non-tech minority companies too, according to Jackson. He said black-owned law firms, ad agencies, marketing and public relations companies, as well as number of other small businesses, show up in the zero column when the tech companies’ totals in those areas are added.

“We must be persistent. It is not a talent deficit we are looking at. It is a deficit of opportunity. We have young whites who come out of Stanford and can get hired right away,” he said.

He added that experienced black applicants, if hired, will likely end up reporting to the recent grad.

“This is a great frontier we must conquer,” he stated.

Black people “have economic leverage, and we have to use it scientifically,” Jackson said.

He noted that this means strong negotiating, and one of the other factors must be educating inner city youths so that they will be prepared for the ever-growing number of hi-tech jobs of today and the future. This will also reduce the number of people being hired from other countries.

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THE MICHIGAN CHRONICLE

February 10-16, 2016

Page A-2

Sen. Peters visits Hurley Medical Center to announce expanded Head Start for Flint kids MICHIGAN CHRONICLE REPORTS

Volunteers prepping water for distribution to residents

Flint Water Crisis: The Ripple Effect

By Patreice A. Massey In April of 2014, Gov. Snyder, in conjunction with various key political players made the decision to change its water source to the Flint River thereby disconnecting from the Detroit water system.

This was pitched to residents of Flint as a “liberating” move that would allow Flint to save money.

It seemed harmless enough at the time — to the unknowing — and the dog and pony show was underscored with a press conference and a photo op of former Flint mayor, Dayne Walling ceremoniously flipping the switch while several city officials — then emergency manager Darnell Earley included — raising their glasses of Flint water to toast as they counted down in a manner that implied that this as something great.

What citizens didn’t know at the time was just how big of a decision this would be and the devastation that would follow.

So how did we get here?

You see, for over 50 years Flint had been getting their water from Detroit, and overtime the cost of water from Detroit became too much for the small town of Flint to bear. In a town with a shrinking population (Flint currently has less than 100,000 residents) the city was strapped for cash. When Flint’s city council voted 7-1 to stop buying water from Detroit it was because they were going to eventually join a new initiative piping in water directly from Lake Huron. This move was supposed to save the city $19 million over eight years. The plan was signed off on by the state and the city’s emergency manager at the time, Ed Kurtz who resigned in May 2013 clearing the way for Earley.

Flint residents began to complain about the water almost immediately after the switch. Local leaders began receiving calls and letters complaining about tainted, foul-smelling tap water — and health symptoms such as skin rashes and hair loss from drinking and bathing in it.

Next E. coli and coliform bacteria were found in the Flint water supply. City leadership put the town on notice telling residents to boil their water prior to use.

Then comes a major sign that things were really bad, when in October 2014 General Motors announced that it would stop using Flint River water in its plants after workers notice that the water corrodes engine parts.

We pretty much know what happens next.

However there is one factor that few may consider and that is how this crisis has depressed business owners and inundated community service agencies. I visited the Food Bank of Eastern Michigan and learned firsthand how their day-to-day operations have been affected by the Flint water crisis.

With a steadily increasing need for its services, the Food Bank of Eastern Michigan has vigorously pursued their mission to eradicate hunger within the community.

However as the news of the Flint water crisis began to gain national attention the city has been flooded with massive amounts of bottled water. The food bank has been overwhelmed with trying to accommodate the influx of water.

“We have enough water!” says William Kerr, CEO and President of the Food Bank of Eastern Michigan.

“Water is heavy. Our equipment was not meant to withstand the amount of pressure that the large amounts of water have placed on it. We have lost several pallet jacks due to transporting water within the warehouse.

Kerr goes on to say, “We also lost a lot of our volunteers as they are working on delivering water to neighbors and others in need.”

Kerr wants those who are looking to help, to not forget about the food donations, as there is still a great need for food. We service 22 counties and right now a lot of our warehouse space is being used to store water.”

“With the threat of lead poisoning being present and real we need to get foods in here that help combat the effects of the lead. We need healthy, low-fat foods high in iron, calcium, and vitamin C. Your green vegetables like kale, broccoli and things of that sort.”

Couple the water crisis the fact that Flint has been notorious for the number of food deserts permeating it’s hard hit communities and a general lack of quality foods in the area, and the implications are clear. The combination of contaminated water and the lack of nutritious food sources to offset to any degree the impact on the health of Flint residents is a sure recipe for disaster which will continue to impose serious health threats for generations to come.

Patreice Massey is a staff writer for the Michigan Chronicle. She can be reached at 313-963-8100 ext 266 or via email at pmassey@realtimesmedia.com.

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U.S. Senator Gary Peters (MI) visited Hurley Medical Center in Flint to announce new legislation he will be introducing along with Senator Debbie Stabenow to expand Head Start and Early Head Start enrollment for Flint kids exposed to lead. Peters was joined by Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha, Director of Hurley Medical Center’s Pediatric Residency Program, whose work exposed elevated lead levels in Flint kids last year. The Children’s Head Start Intervention for Life and Development Act establishes one-time Head Start and Early Head Start grants to areas affected by water pollution from lead or another toxic substance resulting in an emergency declaration. Congressman Dan Kildee (MI-05), who also represents Flint, will introduce similar legislation in the House.

“The Flint water crisis will have lasting impacts for all of Flint residents, but especially its children, who are the most vulnerable to the cognitive, behavioral, and health challenges created by this man-made disaster, said Senator Peters.

“Early education programs and wrap-around services, like the ones Head Start provides, are crucial in mitigating the adverse effects of toxic lead exposure. Flint’s children were exposed to contaminated water by no fault of their own, and I am proud to introduce this bill to help ensure they have the resources and support necessary to lead happy and healthy lives.”

“Every child deserves a chance at a bright future, and the children of Flint are no exception,” said Senator Stabenow. “This legislation will help meet the early education needs of the thousands of children in Flint who are living with lead poisoning.”

“Flint children are the victims in this terrible man-made crisis, and we must ensure that they get resources necessary to mitigate the effects of lead exposure,” Congressman Kildee said.

“Getting kids enrolled in Head Start, in addition to other educational, nutritional and developmental resources, will help put them on a path to success going forward. The State of Michigan created this crisis, and it must also make a big commitment to care for Flint kids exposed to lead.”

“In order to help Flint children who are at risk for developmental delays from lead-leached water, we must support and expand Head Start programming to intervene early and minimize any long-term damage,” said Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha, Director of Pediatric Resident Education, Hurley Medical Center and Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at Michigan State University College of Human Medicine. “Head Start can provide a critical lifeline to children in Flint, who will need specialized care and services

for years to come. I thank Senator Peters, Senator Stabenow and Congressman Kildee for their leadership and commitment to helping our community overcome the impacts of lead exposure.”

The CHILD Act authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award one-time, non-renewable Head Start and Early Head Start grants for a period of five years. Head Start promotes school readiness for children from birth up to years of age through a variety of resources for low-income children and families. Head Start programming is administered by localpublic and private nonprofit and for-profit agencies and includes child learning services in reading, math and science; nutritious meals; health and developmental screenings; oral and mental health support; behavioral and special needs services and family services.

Lead exposure has been associated with Attention Deficit Disorder, impulsive behaviors, reduced fine motor skills and speech articulation

and a number of other cognitive and developmental issues, but early intervention is key to mitigating these negative effects. According to a report published by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services last year, “research demonstrates that children with developmental delays or at high risk for developmental delays benefit most from interventions that start at an early age.”

Hurley Medical Center has partnered with Michigan State University on a joint Pediatric Public Health initiative to address the lead poisoning of thousands of children in Flint. The initiative, led by a team of experts, is focused on ongoing data collection, monitoring those impacted and working on intervention efforts to prevent long-term consequences.

Earlier this month, Peters joined Senator Stabenow and Congressman Kildee in sending a letter to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) urging that Head Start be made available for every eligible child in the city of Flint.

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February 10-16, 2016

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DPS takes action to address building issues Detroit Public Schools is actively working to address the building maintenance issues that have been cited in the inspection reports received todate from the City of Detroit, as well as those concerns that have been submitted through its internal work order system by individual schools with its available resources.

In the interest of transparency and wanting employees and the public to view its progress on repairs moving forward, the District is creating a new page on its website where a weekly update on the corrective actions taken on the violations at inspected schools will be posted at the end of each week. Also included on the webpage will be information on the District’s internal work order system, “School Dude,” and the proper procedure to report maintenance and other building related-work requests.

Life and safety matters are the District’s priority and we will work to address those issues immediately. For example, water damaged ceiling tiles have been replaced at AL Holmes, Ben Carson and J.E. Clark, the fire alarm pull station and windows broken due to vandalism have been replaced at Osborn High School, peeling paint has been addressed at Spain and at Ron Brown Academy, the District has removed stored items in corridors and on stairs.

It is, however, important to note that in a majority of cases, the corrective actions requested in the inspection reports are those that can and/ or are already being addressed. For example, the District employs an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) approach to prevent and managing pests in schools and works with a licensed extermination company that inspects schools on a monthly basis, and which is dispatched when concerns are brought forth by the schools. In fact, the mouse that has been widely reported at Spain Elementary had actually been caught in a trap that had been placed by the exterminator. Inspection reports are to be logged in the IPM manual maintained in the main office at every school. Monthly inspection reports are also retained here for viewing.

It is critical that school personnel follow stated guidelines for the proper disposal of trash and food waste to help guard against re-occurrence.

To further assist in addressing this issue districtwide, classroom teachers will be instructed to immediately remove personal appliances such as toaster ovens, microwaves and mini-refrigerators from their rooms.

Additionally, the District is in the process of purchasing bulk quantities of materials such as ceiling and floor tiles to make replacements as a part of routine maintenance. Cody High School is one example of a priority location for receiving the ceiling tile replacements.

There are, however, a number of violations cited in the inspection reports that are more extensive and costly such as roof replacements, that District will not be able to make without the investment that Gov. Snyder is requesting be made by the Michigan Legislature in a new Detroit Public School district. For example, it would cost $2.7 million to replace the roofs at Dossin, Vernor and Spain Elementary Schools (Spain also needs the majority of its doors and windows replaced, which would bring the total cost up to $5.4 million for this building alone; a complete refurbishing of the school’s gymnasium and pool would add another $300,000 to that tally).

“DPS appreciates the city of Detroit for working in partnership with the District to create a clean and safe working and learning environment for its students and staff,” said Emergency Manager Darnell Earley. “Since inspections began, the District has cooperated fully with the City and its inspectors and will continue to do so moving forward. In fact, I have directed the District’s Acting Executive Director of Operations to meet on a weekly basis with the leadership of those City departments who are tasked with inspecting our schools.”

Earley continued, “I also met this morning with Mayor Mike Duggan to not only provide an update on the District’s short-term plan for addressing the inspection violations, but also to seek the City’s partnership in immediately abating blight by addressing overgrown lots next to our schools and by boarding up or tearing down abandoned structures and clearing illegal dumping from vacant lots near schools, which when left unchecked can not only contribute to rodent and insect issues within our buildings, but also present safety concerns for our students as they walk to and from school.”

Additionally, as previously stated, the District will be working with the State’s Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs to develop a plan to address the inspection violations that assures that we are following health and safety guidelines and remediating all issues of concern within our available resources.

From a long-term perspective, the District is taking two important steps. First, it is working on an RFP for the development of a Facilities Master Plan that is expected to be released by the end of February. The plan would detail the conditions of the District’s current school buildings and identify where all capital investments must be made. This plan will assist the District in its future school portfolio planning.

Second, it partnering with the Detroit Public Schools Foundation to launch a new fund where any individual, group, nonprofit, and business and/ or corporation can make a donation that will be used specifically to address the District’s broad range of facility maintenance and repair issues.

More details about this will be announced within the next week.

“The District is committed to making the necessary repairs to its buildings in order to provide our students with an environment conducive to academic achievement,” said Earley. “Unfortunately, given that it would cost upwards of $50 million to address all of the immediate maintenance and capital issues that exist, and considering the District’s crippling debt, which takes approximately $1,200 of each student’s per pupil funding, there are serious limitations to what can be accomplished without a legislative solution. We will, however, continue implementing our long and short-term plans already in place to address these issues.”

Making water affordable for Detroiters DWSD Director Gary Brown’s affordability plan

By Keith A. Owens SENIOR EDITOR

It’s not surprising – and was also inevitable - that the spotlight surrounding the Flint water catastrophe is now expanding to include Detroit’s water situation as well. Because it wasn’t much more than a year ago when Detroit was garnering unwanted local and national headlines due to customer Gary Brown shutoffs that were being imposed on delinquent customers, many of whom were simply too poor to pay their bills.

Since that time, there has been considerable discussion surrounding how to best deal with yet another crisis; people need water to live, but many cannot afford the water rates.

And despite the pleas of those who insist that water is a human right, the uncomfortable fact (for some) remains that providing clean water to the masses cannot be done for free. In October 2015, a Blue Ribbon Panel was appointed to begin the heavy lifting of devising some feasible proposals on how best to solve the problem. The draft copy of the report has already been making its rounds through the local media, whose job it is to determine what is the key ‘takeaway’ buried inside all those pages.

Different reporters will come to differing conclusions, but one paragraph in the executive summary seems to stand out when it comes to summarizing the dilemma faced

by DWSD – and Detroit - in broader terms:

“Nationally, water and wastewater utilities face the dual challenges of: (1) generating revenues sufficient to support infrastructure development and renewal, and (2) advancing universal access1 to services considered essential for human health and welfare. This dichotomy is amplified by economic conditions in Detroit, making it in some senses “ground zero” for the national water affordability challenge.2 Detroit is ranked as the poorest major metropolitan area in the United States according to the U.S. Census Bureau (2015), with an exceptionally high poverty rate coupled with a substantial loss of population. Although housing in Detroit is relatively affordable, the city is also challenged by relatively poorly valued housing stock. At the same time, charges for water and sewer (including drainage) services in Detroit are among the highest in the United States. Moreover, legal constraints on water and sewer service pricing, and on the use of system revenues to assist low-­ income households, are seen to be more acute in Michigan than in many other states.”

So it’s safe to say that Ground Zero isn’t necessarily the desired location to be in this particular circumstance. Our water rates are higher than just about everybody else, and we’re poorer than everybody else – even in the midst of this great and wonderful comeback we keep hearing so much about. The challenge being faced by Detroit is brutally apparent.

On a more direct level, it is DWSD Director Gary Brown who must confront this challenge head-on. To point out that this challenge is not easy is to give the word ‘understatement’ an entirely new and comical definition. Nevertheless, Brown has been working hard toward a solution to the crisis – or at least a major first step -which will likely be approved

for implementation by the Great Lakes Water Authority on Wednesday.

The plan (WRAP) being proposed

by Brown will no doubt still attract criticism from those who insist that an income-based payment plan is the only fair solution, but Brown insists just as strongly that an income-based solution would be in violation of Michigan State Law (see Bolt vs. Lansing, and the Headlee Amendment) and could wind up strangled in lawsuits, while leaving the poor just as stranded – and dry - as before. So instead, Brown has created what he says is a workaround that will withstand any legal challenges while still achieving the desired result of providing affordable water to those most in need – defined more specifically as those who fall 150 percent below the federal poverty level. Those are the ones who will qualify for the four-pronged WRAP program.

■ In summary, WRAP aims to assist low-income homeowners by: ■ Offering up to $1,000 per household to address plumbing issues identified as being responsible for high water usage ■ Providing a free water audit for those identified as using 20 percent or more above average household water consumption in the city ■ Provide a conservation class that all who qualify for WRAP are strongly encouraged to attend ■ Providing payment assistance that will freeze any arrearage up to $1,000. If the customer makes timely payments each month or one year, the debt will be erased.

The average debt of Detroit water customers is $663 For full story see michiganchronicle.com

Detroit Mercy practices being a good neighbor

By Keith A. Owens

The Kresge Foundation, the Detroit Corridor Initiative, the Detroit Economic Growth Corporation, area neighborhood associations, and other anchor institutions.

SENIOR EDITOR

Sure, it’s already been reported. That doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be repeated.

Most of the Detroit comeback story (that’s getting broadcast most loudly) is circling over and around Downtown and Midtown. At times it can very much seem like the rest of the city is on hold, tapping our foot, waiting for the Great Arrival.

But the truth is that there are, indeed, other stories of comeback. To be sure, most are not on the scale of a brand new Joe Louis Arena, but nevertheless they are stories of neighborhoods determined to write themselves into the narrative of a city on the rebound. Neighborhoods coming together, neighborhoods reaching out, neighborhoods doing whatever is needed to do to make things happen in the most beneficial way for the neighbors that inhabit those neighborhoods.

One of those stories is the story of the Live6 Alliance, which is what happens when an urban university takes on the responsibility of being a good neighbor. Most universities have a fair amount of resources at their disposal, far beyond the reach of what most struggling to average neighborhoods would ever have access to. So when an institution like University of Detroit Mercy decides to weigh in on the quality of life of the neighborhood it inhabits, that decision can spell good news for that neighborhood. And once spring

Dr. Antoine Garibaldi – Keith Owens photo arrives, the visible imprint of UD Mercy’s involvement with the beautification aspects of neighborhood revitalization will become more apparent, especially as the plants begin to flower in the dramatically improved medians that stretch down the middle of Livernois from the Lodge Freeway all the way up to 8 Mile Road.

But beautification is only one step in the process, according to Dr. Antoine Garibaldi, President of UD Mercy.

“It really was more of a beautification effort initially,” but then a larger vision began to take hold.

“A lot of our efforts focused on how can we create an economic development organization that would be a great benefit particularly for this corridor. We focused in on Livernois and McNichols because we thought that’s really where attention needed to occur.

“This is really phase one of a five-phase plan.

We just completed phase one.”

Garibaldi estimates the full completion of the project - which will stretch roughly from the Lodge Freeway east to 8 Mile Road, and from Hamilton north to Wyoming - could take 3-4 years.

The formal establishment of the organization, known as Live6 Alliance, was first announced last September with a press release, which read, in part: “The Live6 Alliance will focus on strengthening Livernois Avenue and McNichols Road (6 Mile Road) commercial corridor in Northwest Detroit.

Funders have committed a total of $700,000 over two years to facilitate the Live6 Alliance’s work.

“The Live6 Alliance will build on neighborhood revitalization strategies already being implemented in the Livernois corridor.

The organization is anchored by University of Detroit Mercy, with a 74.75acre McNichols campus, located at the intersection of Livernois and McNichols. The organization will also receive support from

“Live6 will facilitate new efforts and complement current initiatives in the corridor related to placemaking, business attraction and retention, residential stabilization, safety and security. The Alliance will focus on creating and enhancing processes to strengthen private/public partnerships, enabling stronger communications within the community, exploring areas for physical improvement and facilitating action.

Community input will be vital in determining community projects. Live6 will also introduce new activity, uses and visual appeal to the area, while serving as a conduit between the anchor institutions and surrounding community.”

Lauren Hood is serving as the acting director for Live6.

“She’s been doing a great job. She’s from the neighborhood, she knows the neighborhood. She’s also a graduate of Detroit Mercy.”

In addition to the $700,000, the project has also received a welcome $975,000 from the Michigan Department of Transportation.

Said Garibaldi, “The Live 6 Alliance is focused on four primary goals: placemaking, business attraction and retention, residential neighborhood stabilization, and safety and security.”

news

THE MICHIGAN CHRONICLE

February 10-16, 2016

Page A-4

Detroit teachers charge DPS of blocking health inspections MICHIGAN CHRONICLE REPORTS

In addition to a lawsuit against the Detroit Public School District, a teachers’ union has accused the district of blocking environmental health inspectors to look into the troubling school conditions.

The information came in the form of a Detroit Federation of Teachers news release as Ivy Bailey, the union’s interim president, stood by during a press conference. Atrocious school conditions prompted the union to seek outside help to show the DPS just how harmful the lack of resources is for children, Bailey explained.

Donation huge effort, a major effort that needs to be exposed, because I think there are those who believe that churches don’t do anything for people and that they’re only concerned about themselves. And for so many of us who are in ministry, that is just not the truth. Nothing could be further from the truth. There are always causes like this for which we are activated an energized,” said Bishop Vann.

“And in this particular instance, not just doing something individually, but doing it together. I just felt it was important for other pastors — and it didn’t matter how many bottles they had — but other pastors to get involved as well.”

But more important than that is the very real possibility that unless Flint’s rapidly escalating dilemma is brought under control and rectified quickly, as in a matter of months, then the city of Flint just might fade into the past tense. Because this is about so much more than poisoned water at this point, even though the water is at the root of the crisis.

“It’s obvious that there has been a problem there for quite some time.

And the people are angry. That’s one emotion. Their hope is lost. Because now their property is not worth anything. You can’t sell a house in Flint.

You can’t buy a house in Flint. Nobody’s going to lend money in Flint.

I have a gentleman in my church who owns four restaurants, fast food restaurants, in Flint, and he’s trying to figure out now whether he should close them,” said Vann. “Business has gone down over 50 percent because nobody wants to sit in a restaurant in Flint. Nobody wants to come where you have cleaned the salad with water or anything like that. So the economy is suffering. People are losing their jobs in Flint. They still have water bills that they’re being asked to pay.

“And now, even with the money that’s trying to go through Lansing to be allocated, the $30 million, it’s still not for the full water bill. It’s only for water. They still have a sewerage bill on top of it, which means that the only thing the $30 million is going to pay for is between 47-60 percent of their water bill. The whole idea is that they’re just gonna give you a credit on your water bill. Now, you paid cash, right? If I’m getting a refund it ought to be cash back.

“What would really stimulate the economy, and really give people a good feeling about themselves, is if they were able to get a check back

From page A-1

CNNreports: The school district said that having more teams of people in buildings would “complicate” their efforts, according to a statement from the district obtained by WDIV. “Further, the DFT/AFT (the teachers’ unions) were seeking to have teams of unknown individuals come into our school buildings without proper or reasonable prior notice to administration and staff,” the school district said.

that’s a refund for water they couldn’t use through no fault of their own. So there’s a lot of anger there.

He continued, “They’re going to need a lot of money in Flint, and there’s no way to do this without replacing the pipes. And to replace the pipes in Flint is going to be a Herculean task. We’re talking maybe a billion dollars there. Where does that money come from? And digging up the whole city, and it’ll take years to do that. And I don’t know if there’s enough time to bring the solution to it. The conditions there are just despicable. I mean, when you look at what people are up against and what they have to deal with. It’s really bad.

And so with the caravan of water we were able to take up there, I think we made a tremendous impact.”

Vann said the idea for the collaborative effort came when several other pastors heard about the drive Vann’s church was already conducting throughout January and thought it would be a good idea to do a joint effort. Vann agreed.

“We sort of captioned the initiative under ‘Revive Matthew:25.’

Matthew 25, in scripture, says, ‘I was sick and you visited me, I was hungry and you fed me, I was thirsty you gave me water to drink.’ That’s where the inspiration came from.

And Pastor Welton Smith, of New Life Family Church, helped to put a lot of the logistics in bringing together a lot of the other pastors to join the effort collectively with us. That’s the genesis of it. … We had a caravan of about 60 vehicles that went to Flint on Monday (Feb. 1). About four or five of them were 18-wheeler semis” that left Second Ebenezer at 10 am.

Other participating Detroit churches include: Triumph Church, Pastor Solomon Kinloch; Great-

er Emmanuel Institutional COGIC, Bishop J. Drew Sheard; Pastor Ryan Johnson, First Baptist Institutional Church; Pastor Larry Smith, New St. Mark Baptist Church; Pastor Kenneth Brock, New Welcome Missionary Baptist Church, and a number of others.

“In Flint, we were working with seven different churches, and five different senior villages,” he said.

“A lot of the seniors have not had the chance to get access to water because of their lack of mobility.

So seniors and some of the immigrants had a hard time. Well first of all, you know they were asking people for their driver’s license and ID in order to get water. When the National Guard came in? They were asking people for ID. And, you know, for those who are immigrants or foreign born individuals, they were really not for that, of course because it put them under a different light of scrutiny. So we were trying to reach some of the unreachables with all the water that we were bringing.

“And then again, the government was only giving them one case per day. They only give one case per household. Per day. And there are about 24 to 32 bottles included per case.”

So do the math. Each bottle averages about 16 ounces, and there are 128 ounces in a gallon. If there are 32 bottles in a case, that equals 512 ounces per case, which equals about 4 gallons of water per household per day. Multiply that by 30 for a month and that’s 120 gallons per month per household from the state.

The United Nations says that the minimal amount of water needed for a household of four is 3,000 gallons.

For full story, go to michiganchronicle.com

Detroit native Jalonne White-Newsome joins Kresge environment program MICHIGAN CHRONICLE REPORTS

vironment Program.

Jalonne L. White-Newsome has joined The Kresge Foundation as a senior program officer with the organization’s Environment Program.

Prior to her work at WE ACT, White-Newsome was a post-doctoral fellow at the Union of Concerned Scientists in Washington, D.C.; an environmental specialist at Global Engine Manufacturing Alliance in Dundee, Mich.; and a public health engineer with the Maryland Department of the Environment.

She joins Kresge from West Harlem Environmental Action Inc. (WE ACT), where she served as the first director of federal policy for the organization’s Washington, D.C., office.

Jalonne L. She was recentWhite-Newsome ly named “One of the 50 People You’ll be Talking About in 2016” by Grist magazine.

White-Newsome will assume responsibility for Kresge’s grant portfolio addressing sustainable water resources-management in a changing climate. She also will lead the foundation’s work addressing the intersection of climate change and public health.

A seasoned federal policy analyst, researcher and leader, White-Newsome has extensive experience engaging diverse communities on environmental issues including clean air, climate change and public health.

She has a particular interest in working with low-income communities of color to equip them with tools to create resilient and healthy local and regional systems.

“Jalonne’s experience in the private, public and nonprofit sectors combined with her commitment to assist underserved communities is invaluable in furthering The Kresge Foundation’s purpose of creating opportunity for low-income people in America’s cities,” said Lois DeBacker, managing director of Kresge’s En-

But the school district declined the union’s request for new inspectors.

Her professional pursuits include environmental justice analysis and advocacy with WE ACT and advocacy related to climate change and public health during her time at UCS. She has tackled a variety of eclectic professional projects including coordinating a 42-member national environmental justice coalition, directing campaigns to support environmental and social justice leg-

Firefighters against residents in the surrounding area who rode around shouting racial epithets. The two men’s presence also stirred up alarm in their fire station house. Co-workers refused to eat or sleep in the same room with them. Taylor and White had to bring their own dishes, pots and pans to work and cook for themselves after the others were done.

A delegation of firemen headed by the president of the Detroit Fire Fighters’ Association also protested their assignment to Mayor Reading.

Yet they persevered and even progressed in what had been a closeknit and closed-door club.

In the book “Untold Tales, Unsung Heroes,” Taylor talks about how he survived those early days by reading, talking to neighborhood youngsters and keeping his fighting spirit.

A no-nonsense man with a degree from Livingstone College in Salis-

islation, and extensive teaching and consulting work.

A Detroit native, White-Newsome earned a Ph. D. in Environmental Health Sciences from the University of Michigan School of Public Health; a master’s degree in environmental engineering from Southern Methodist University; and a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from Northwestern University.

“I can’t imagine a better fit for my goals, values and experience than helping further the ambitious work of Kresge’s environmental grantees and partners,” said White-Newsome.

“These organizations are making a difference in their communities and – collectively – our nation. I look forward to enhancing their capacity to succeed.”

From page A-1 bury, S.C., he moved through the ranks to become the first black sergeant in 1952, the first black captain in 1963 and the first black battalion chief in 1969. He retired from the Detroit Fire Department as battalion chief in charge of the fourth battalion, with nine companies under his command. He died in 1994.

White also remained with the department. In 1959, he was promoted to senior assistant architectural engineer-fire prevention. He died in 1968.

In 1974, Melvin Jefferson became the first black fire commissioner in the city of Detroit. In 1998, Harold Watkins Sr. became the first black chief of the firefighting division, reaping the harvest planted by Marcena Taylor and Marvin White on a sweaty day in 1938 when two black men with cool heads and stout hearts made history.

Last week, the city released the health and safety reports for four schools and another 14 safety inspection reports, which paint a troubling portrait of the city’s ongoing problems.

The Dossin Elementary Health and Safety Field Investigation Report revealed mold growth on damaged interior walls, stained ceilings from previous water leaks, and floor damage from other leaks.

The City of Detroit is reportedly ready to take action if DPS doesn’t correct the numerous health code violations, Click on Detroit reports.

Last week, the DFT/AFT filed lawsuits against the DPS and asked for the removal of emergency manager Darnell Earley, claiming he failed to institute repairs and fix other problems such as overcrowding and insufficient maintenance.

Earley announced his resignation will go into effect at the end of the month. The embattled manager was previously employed by Flint and was one of the officials behind the decision to use water from the Flint River, sending the city into a man-made crisis.

Detroit teachers continue to protest the conditions by calling in sick en masse and posting photos of damages, mold and more on social media

Struggle From page A-1

are leading the way. When compared to other cities, metro Detroit has the highest concentration of technology jobs, according to Michiprenuer, an online magazine covering the local tech community.

Detroiters are rapidly embracing the online world as the city is expanding as a learning venue for those interested in building or expanding their coding businesses. Five sites not only help local residents develop those skills, some even help with securing a job in the tech industry. It is these and similar ventures Jackson is pushing for a stronger relationship with financial institutions and other funding and lending sources.

“The Wall Street Project is about access to banks and financial institutions,” the one-time aide to Dr Martin Luther King, Jr. noted. He compared minority access to capital and opportunities at tech companies to the recent ruckus surrouding the absence of black Academy Award nominees. “The Oscars is typical, where you have a college of ‘choosers’ who can’t even choose the greatest African-American actors.

The same is true with Silicon Valley. We can do the work, but can’t get the jobs.”

Rainbow PUSH’s decision several years ago to buy stock in the major tech firms not only gave Jackson and supporters opportunities to speak at the companies’ annual meetings. Additionally, they received the usual information stockholders get, including details about performance, profits and diversity.

He pointed out that during a meeting with Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO, Cook discussed that prior to the Wall Street Project, “we (tech firms) have not been challenged to do better with minority, particularly African American hiring.

“He who will be free must strike the first blow.

We struck that blow.”

Jackson compared the executives of tech companies to the staunch segregationists of the old South.

“They were somewhat embarrassed for their brands and didn’t take old hard line stance,” he said.

Silicon Valley companies are shortchanging non-tech minority companies too, according to Jackson. He said black-owned law firms, ad agencies, marketing and public relations companies, as well as number of other small businesses, show up in the zero column when the tech companies’ totals in those areas are added.

“We must be persistent. It is not a talent deficit we are looking at. It is a deficit of opportunity. We have young whites who come out of Stanford and can get hired right away,” he said.

He added that experienced black applicants, if hired, will likely end up reporting to the recent grad.

“This is a great frontier we must conquer,” he stated.

Black people “have economic leverage, and we have to use it scientifically,” Jackson said.

He noted that this means strong negotiating, and one of the other factors must be educating inner city youths so that they will be prepared for the ever-growing number of hi-tech jobs of today and the future. This will also reduce the number of people being hired from other countries.

news

THE MICHIGAN CHRONICLE

February 10-16, 2015

Page A-5

African-Americans and the ACA: much accomplished, more to do

By Pat Maryland

lions of individuals and families. In fact, according to HHS, if more states took advantage of these provisions, upwards of 95 percent of African- Americans would qualify. Unfortunately, some states remain reluctant to participate, so access to coverage is limited to some who need it most.

NNPA

The passage of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) promised to improve the delivery of healthcare services in America—especially for historically disadvantaged communities that suffer high rates of chronic illness.

All Elections Matter: It’s Time to Make Our Voices Heard at the Ballot Box in 2016!

By Melanie L. Campbell NNPA

In just over a week, Iowa, which has a 3.4 percent Black population and New Hampshire, which is less than 2 percent Black, will hold their presidential caucus and primary. From there, the primary battles move to states with larger Black populations — first in South Carolina where over 27.8 percent of its population is Black. Then it’s on to Super Tuesday with several southern states with large Black populations that are key for presidential candidates to win their party nominations including Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia.

The additional reality is that in less than one year the presidency of Barack Obama, the first African American President, comes to an end. We were reminded of this reality on January 12th, when President Obama delivered his final State of the Union message.

I watched the President with bittersweet remembrance of his historic and impactful two-term presidency. The President stressed the need for reforms in our democracy and emphasized the importance of people, not corporations electing their representatives. He also called for bipartisan unity when it comes to the electoral process.

As the leader of a non-partisan Black civic engagement organization (NCBCP), that will be celebrating the 40th Anniversary of its founding in 2016, it was very moving to hear President Obama deliver a message of hope, optimism and achievement. He also declared he is going full speed with his 4th quarter agenda for the American people that includes continuing to fight for voting rights reform.

During the speech, I recalled the images of millions of black Americans standing in long lines for hours and many voting for the first time for President Obama in 2008 and 2012. Still, even with the historic election of President Barack Obama as the 44th President of the United States and the many gains made, there is much work to be done that the next president will be responsible for in 2017 and beyond.

African Americans and other people of color dominate statistics of the undereducated, unemployed and poor; and millions do not have access to affordable health care in many states with large minority populations, especially in the South where many governors have blocked fully implementing the Affordable Care Act for partisan gain.

Further, the Black Lives Matter Movement is a reminder that there is much social justice work to be done — where we dominate the statistics on those likely to be victims of police violence or injustice. Thanks to partisan gridlock nationally and in many state legislatures, middle class wages are stagnant and the Labor Movement — a traditional gateway to middle class for working families — is under attack like never before in states across the country. Also, thanks to the U. S. Supreme Court — our voting rights are not fully protected through the Voting Rights Act! As we all know it’s not just any old ordinary election year. There’s a lot in the mix. The seeds of discourse sowed

by some are finding their way into the mainstream. Right now 31 states have passed some form of restriction to voter access. So, we have our work cut out for us to ensure the Black vote not only turns out in record numbers in 2016, but, we also must unite to protect our vote. That means we have to work even harder.

There is much at stake. In 2016, voters will elect the 45th president, 435 members of the U. S. House of Representatives, 34 U.S. Senators and 12 state governors. Further, history has proven that all politics is local and that local elections matter.

MICHIGAN CHRONICLE REPORTS

Youth leaders from Neighborhood Service Organization’s (NSO) Youth Initiatives Project (YIP) will host its annual Male Empowerment Breakfast, Friday, Feb. 12 at Durfee Elementary-Middle School beginning at 9:30 am. Durfee is located at 2470 Collingwood St. in Detroit. The purpose of the youth-driven event is to support the young males in the YIP program in overcoming daily challenges and to provide the opportunity for the leaders of today to guide the young leaders of tomorrow.

Up to 70 YIP students from Durfee Middle School and the Osborn University Campus are expected to attend the breakfast. The focus and theme of the breakfast, chosen by students, is “Young Men Changing for the Future.”

The Master of Ceremonies for the event will be David Bellomy, a YIP alumnus who is now a Chemical Sales Engineer at NALCO. They will also hear from

Some of the greatest gains in reducing the number of uninsured people in the U.S. have been realized in the African-American community, which has seen a 30 percent increase in those with health insurance.

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), nearly 8 million African-Americans now have access to critical preventive services, including mammograms and flu shots.

The benefit is extended further for adults whose children up to age 26 can remain on their parent’s health insurance. That

Pat Maryland includes some 500,000 African-Americans.

Now, our focus turns to educating and mobilizing groups where more work needs to be done, in particular with African-American males. Within this group, 43 percent suffer from high blood pressure, compared to nearly 34 percent of all white men.

And black males are more than 30 percent more likely to contract lung cancer, even though their overall exposure to cigarette smoke (the primary risk factor for the disease) is lower. These rates are primarily attributed to affordability and limited access to care. Thanks to the ACA those limitations to care have been lifted.

For those living in poor and minority communities, cost has always been a major barrier to care. However, access to care is now more broadly available, thanks to an expansion of Medicaid in many states, the Children’s Health Insurance Program, and health insurance subsidies for mil-

Another barrier to health insurance is lack of information. Therefore, our job – yours and mine – is to help spread the word about the ease of signing up for insurance using Healthcare.gov.

For those who have used the program before, it is important that they review their policy to see if it still meets their needs and fits within their budget. For those would-be first-timers, take them by the hand and lead them through the site.

The Affordable Care Act has begun to meet its goal of revitalizing our healthcare system and making it more accessible and affordable to all Americans. As we make our way through this latest enrollment period, our mission is to ensure more African-Americans have the information they need to make informed choices about their healthcare. Ultimately, we know this will help lead to a higher overall quality of life.

Patricia A. Maryland, Dr.PH, is the president of Healthcare Operations and Chief Operating Officer for Ascension Health.

In 2016, forty-one of the 100 largest cities are holding municipal elections including mayor and/or city council.

Several of those cities holding local elections have large Black populations including Baltimore, Md., Baton Rouge, La., Norfolk, Va., and Washington, D.C. It is time for us to use our skills.

Those in leadership positions have to reach people on the grassroots level.

It’s great to reach people who are always taking part in the process but we have to figure out how to go deep — that means the beauty shop and the barber shop and the ushers and the cashier at the drug store and the waitress at the diner.

Each one, reach one. I’m talking about educating and reinforcing to black people of every stripe about the power and importance of their vote. Lest we forget — in 2012, Black voters surpassed the rate of White voters for the first time in history — and Black women, we are the “secret sauce” leading the way for the Black vote and young Black women led the way in 2012.

To assist voters, the NCBCP Black Women’s Roundtable released our non-partisan 2016 Election Voter Guide.

The BWR Voter Guide provides a number of tools that voters can use that includes how to find your precinct, how to become a delegate and other resources.

Further the National Coalition has joined with more than 80 organizations to form the National Black Voter Alliance.

History has taught us that all elections matter and the Black vote has made the critical difference to improving the lives of generations.

It is far easier to build strong children than to repair broken men.

Now is the time to unite and come together to leverage the power and influence of the Black vote in 2016 and beyond.

Now is the time for action.

Neighborhood Service Organization’s Youth Leaders to host annual Male Empowerment Breakfast Adult male role models to provide local youth with the tools for future success

The ACA has begun to deliver on that promise, but work still remains to ensure all who need healthcare in the most prosperous nation on earth can receive it.

Healthcare.gov is now available for the open enrollment period through January 31, 2016. It’s imperative that members of the African-American community take advantage of this opportunity to access the coverage and care they need.

Osborn Neighborhood Alliance Board Member Bishop Daryl Harris, who will serve as keynote speaker.

Importantly, the YIP consumers will be joined by nearly 25 male leaders from the local faith, business and civic community. These individuals will serve as role models for the young men, listening to and supporting them with the goal of reinforcing the importance of education, preparing for the future and overcoming challenges such as peer pressure.

Designed to encourage youth activism and peer-to-peer collaboration as a means of improving the capacity of neighborhood and community organizations, NSO YIP’s training provides youth leaders with the skills to plan and organize activities that promote well being and success. Participants include individuals who have experienced gun violence on some level. YIP members plan and organize activities designed to promote non-violence and substance abuse prevention. YIP is funded by The Skillman Foundation, The Kellogg Foundation, United Way for Southeastern Michigan and Wayne County.

The Education Recovery Program offers (at no cost): GED Certificate and Literacy Training Flexible Scheduling Outstanding Educators Personal Attention Helpful Support Services Sign up with Goodwill to break down educationrelated employment barriers to build a better future for you and your family.

Call (313) 557-4818 Monday - Thursday 8 AM -5 PM

T:10” Page A-6 • THE MICHIGAN CHRONICLE • February 10-16, 2016

T:21”

This month, X1 from XFINITY® brings you iconic Black lms and the lmmakers that make them. Join us as we relive, rediscover and realize the power of storytelling. See the often controversial, but always poignant look at social injustice in the Black community from Spike Lee, one of the “Greatest Of All Time,” award-winning directors.

Or discover who’s next – with a collection of independent lms curated by the American Black Film Festival. These movies, and more, are available anytime, anywhere, on any screen with XFINITY On Demand.™

X1 will change the way you experience Black film.

Restrictions apply. Not available in all areas. © 2016 Comcast. All rights reserved.

SECTION B

ASK THE

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DOCTOR

Dr. Carmen McIntyre This week I was asked, “What are the warning signs for suicide?” This is a great question, and one that everyone should learn the answer to. In fact, the Detroit Wayne Mental Health Authority has trained over 10,000 people in Mental Health First Aid (MHFA), which teaches about types and symptoms of mental health disorders, how to recognize crises such as suicide thoughts, and how to get help.

Some risks that increase the likelihood of suicide include major depressive episode; substance use or abuse, such as alcohol or cocaine; divorce or widowhood; recent loss (such as losing a job, or a loved one); physical illness and chronic pain.

Suicide warning signs are listed below, but in general, look for signs of depression as this has the greatest correlation with suicide attempts.

Depression doesn’t look the same for everyone, but some hints are feeling sad, or being agitated and angry (especially in children and adolescents); changes in sleep and appetite; loss of interest in activities that were previously enjoyed, such as spending time with friends, or playing sports; difficulty with concentration or memory; feelings of guilt or worthlessness; and fatigue or decreased energy.

Warning signs of suicide include: • Talking about death, wanting to die, or wanting to kill oneself.

• Looking into ways to kill oneself, such as buying a gun, or searching online for ways to die.

• T alking about feeling helpless, hopeless, or having no reason to live.

• Talking about being a burden on others.

• H aving thoughts that one is trapped or in unbearable pain (physical and/ or psychological).

• I ncreasingly reckless behavior, including use of alcohol or drugs.

• B ecoming more withdrawn or feeling isolated.

• F eeling enraged or talking about getting revenge.

• Loss of interest in the things one cares about.

• Making arrangements or setting one’s affairs in order, including giving away one’s possessions, or saying goodbye to people.

• Finally, suddenly seeming happier or calmer. This is because the person has made the choice to die and has a sense of relief that their suffering will soon end.

What can you do? Always make sure to get help, for yourself and the person who may be considering suicide. In Wayne County, the crisis line number is 1-800-241-4949. This will connect you to the suicide line, as well as the access center for mental health services. You can also call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline anywhere in the US: 1-800-273TALK (8255). I suggest you put these numbers everywhere, — on the refrigerator, in your wallet or purse, in your phone, etc. If you can’t remember these numbers, you can always call 911. You can also take yourself/ the person threatening suicide to the nearest hospital emergency room.

Other tips: Talk to someone who can help you get help, whether that is a friend, teacher or school social worker, your minister/pastor/priest/rabbi/ imam, or human resources person at work. Make sure you stay away from things that might hurt you, or remove things a person can use to hurt themselves. For example, take firearms out of the house, secure medications, and guard against “sharps” – knives, needles, scissors …

I want to address a few myths about suicide.

“People who talk about suicide won’t really do it.” This is false. Almost everyone who commits suicide has given some warning or clue. Never ignore suicide threats.

“If a person really wants to kill themselves, there is nothing you can do to stop them.” This is a frustrating myth. The truth is that most people thinking about suicide have mixed feelings about death, and waver until the last moment. They move between wanting to live, and wanting their pain to end. It is rare for someone to move instantly from the first thought of suicide to an attempt.

“Talking about suicide may give someone the idea.” This is the worst

See ASK THE DOCTOR page B-2

February 10-16, 2016

Shaka Senghor:

The ascent from prison to prominence

By Roz Edward An appearance on Oprah’s “Super Soul Sunday” is usually an affirmation that the guest is officially recognized as an intellectual or a spiritualist who has transcended ordinary life experiences to join the ranks of the enlightened. They are typically the sages who’ve led stellar lives and have long been considered pillars of society. But, award-winning author and motivational speaker Shaka Senghor joins that company social commentators after taking a turn on the path to higher understanding, which lead him to a 19-year stint in prison.

very unhealthy ways.

“When someone attempts to take your life over a meaningless argument, you carry the fear, you carry the anger, you carry the sadness, and all of these volatile emotions. I was 17 at the time.

And that’s a lot of difficult [and complicated] emotions for a 17-year-old to process alone.”

But alone and virtually forgotten is how Senghor would spend nearly the next two decades of his life, with four and a half years of that time in solitary confinement for an altercation with a prison guard. Twenty-three hours a day

for five days a day alone in his tiny cell, and 24-hours in complete isolation on weekends, prompted the remorseful inmate to examine his life and explore the possibilities for his future.

Confinement and his decision to write …

“I was in solitary confinement for four and a half years of my 19-year sentence.

I was allowed three 10-minute showers a week, and one recreational hour five days a week in a dog kennel-like cage.

“Fortunately for me I was able to use

See SHAKA SENGHOR page B-2

Senghor’s incarceration was not of the nature of political imprisonment or a social injustice, as in the case of those he champions like Nelson Mandela and Assatta Shakur. He went to prison for killing a man when he was just 17 years old. A murder he admits he committed, and the type of street altercation that’s all too common in distressed urban environments — intoxicated young men and a drug transaction gone wrong.

Senghor writes in a letter to his victim in the prologue of his book, “Writing My Wrongs: Life Death and Redemption in an American Prison.”

“It takes strength to walk away from an argument. Back then, I didn’t have that strength. I was afraid and I allowed my fears to dictate my actions. … When you and I encountered each other, I was already programed to kill. I had convinced myself it was better to shoot than be shot, that the handgun in my pocket was the only think that could protect me.”

Senghor had been shot himself 16 months prior to that fatal night that would alter his life forever. He explained that it was the trauma of that experience that led him and young men like him to react violently.

On gun violence …

“Post traumatic stress disorder is part of the cycle of violence in cities like Detroit and other cities with high levels of gun violence. Most of the young men that I was incarcerated with had similar stories where they were shot or they were in close proximity to a friend or a loved one who had been shot and the cycle just repeats. There’s no recourse or treatment for the PTSD we suffer from in our communities. And so it manifests in

WSU partners with pharma to treat PTSD and other neurological disorders MICHIGAN CHRONICLE STAFF

Wayne State University recently entered into an exclusive license agreement with TRImaran Pharma Inc. for a class of novel drugs developed at Wayne State University that aims to offer hope in the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorders (PTSD), depression, ADHD and other neurological disorders.

Aloke Dutta, Ph.D., professor of pharmaceutical sciences in the Eugene Applebaum College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences at Wayne State, has developed promising lead molecules based on unique pyran molecular structures known as triple reuptake inhibitors (TRI) to address the current therapeutic need for treating depression, PTSD and other neurological disorders, including Parkinson’s disease. These drugs enhance three key monoamine neurotransmitters — serotonin, norepinephrine and dopamine — by blocking monoaminergic transporters in the brain, prolonging

to be a sound approach to treating abnormalities in these processes.”

neurotransmitter activity between brain cells, and thereby producing therapeutic effects.

According to Dutta, these pyranbased drugs can almost be “tuned” to provide the appropriate ratio for each disease and disorder. ”All three neurotransmitters are known to play important roles in numerous neuronal processes, including mood, anxiety, stress responses, depression, cognition, attention, urinary flow, pain, impulse control and more,” said Dutta. “Based on these roles, enhancing their transmission is thought

“We are pleased to be able to partner with Wayne State University and Professor Dutta to advance the development of such high-potential drug candidates,” said Frank Bymaster, chief scientific officer of TRImaran. “The currently used medications for our target indications — PTSD, MDD and ADHD — have low efficacy and troublesome adverse events.

We believe Dr. Dutta’s triple reuptake inhibitors will be able to meet the significant unmet medical needs in these target indications.”

“It is exciting to see Dr. Dutta’s hard work and dedication to his research take off to the next stage,” said Joan Dunbar, Ph.D., associate vice president for technology commercialization at Wayne State University. “With TRImaran’s commitment to his technology, we may one day soon see new treatment options that will slow down or alleviate diseases that currently are difficult to treat.”

community

THE MICHIGAN CHRONICLE

February 10-16, 2016

Page B-2

Habitat for Humanity Detroit honors ‘stars’ at Annual Red Carpet bash

By Tara Franey

Habitat for Humanity Detroit will host its 5th Annual Red Carpet Bash on Saturday, Feb. 27, at the Fillmore Detroit, 2115 Woodward Ave. The Bash, which is being presented

by Lear Corporation, is Habitat Detroit’s largest annual fundraiser and will begin the celebration of Habitat Detroit’s 30th Anniversary year, honoring Habitat stars – homeowners, volunteers, community partners and sponsors – for their support of Habitat Detroit in its efforts to build homes, community and hope in Detroit and surrounding communities.

Shaka Senghor that time wisely. It was very difficult. It’s one of the toughest environments to be in. But I was able to turn my prison cell into a (place) of higher learning. I studied, and I read and I wrote.

“Meditation really helped me with being able to step back and look at life from a different perspective and figure out that I still had time (and the opportunity) to do something meaningful with my life.”

During high school Senghor attended several schools and admits that he lost interest in school due to the distractions of a turbulent home life and a troubled relationship with his mother. The former honor roll student once destined for success expressed regret for his choices and hope for the young charges he mentors now.

Impact of violence on youth …

“You have to understand and you have to understand the thinking of young inner city kids, mostly black and brown males, who grow up in these very volatile environments. And once you understand a lot of the abuses and the high level of gun violence they are exposed to and the proximity to death and danger, then you can begin to help them cope and help them understand what their own cognitive processes are, what their emotional processes are and how they are psychologically damaged by their environment. You can fix that if you understand it.

“It’s also important to bring in people they can relate to, even inmates and people who have been in prison who have information and experiences that they can impart to these kids in ways nobody else can. I try to play my part in terms of helping young men and women understand the consequences of those lifestyles.

On the school to prison pipeline …

“Our long-standing history in the city

From page B-1 of Detroit shows our commitment to “You know, when you watch these kids getting out of school there’s such a dominant police presence. The uniform mentality and the whole idea that our kids have to be regulated in a way that criminalizes them even though they’re regular kids doing what kids do. We have this hyper reaction to every incident and take a blanket approach in Detroit schools, and create policy to (penalize) kids. Our kids get expelled in record numbers and that sets them up for a pathway to prison. Even when you look at test scores, tests scores are an indicator of who is going to end up in prison.”

Other contributing factors to cycle of violence…

When you think about the self-medicating that happens (it’s part of that cycle). You have young people who are addicted to drugs and addicted to alcohol, these are there self-help and coping mechanisms. Gun violence is another one, because when you’re paranoid and you run up into these volatile environments, you don’t feel safe unless you have a gun. Then you’re in the mindset of, ‘If I’m in a conflict, what does this other person have, and I need to shoot first.’ That’s one of the reasons I thought it was so important to share my story. You can’t solve the problem if you don’t know the root causes. And locking somebody up and throwing away the key is not the answer, because you can stop it before it gets to that point but you have to know the answer.”

On forgiveness …

“For me it wasn’t about forgiveness, it was really about freeing myself from my baggage that I carried. And that’s what happens when you carry that baggage.

It weighs you down, it’s hurtful and you end up hurting yourself even more struggling with that baggage. Forgiveness was abut freeing myself and liberating myself from other people’s baggage.”

this great city. And, we couldn’t do anything without the stars we are honoring at this year’s Red Carpet Bash. They are the volunteers who have helped build homes; the sponsors who have provided both financial support and labor for our efforts, and our partners who are as committed to our communities as we are in making it safe and sustainable for years to come,” said Kenneth V. Cockrel, Jr., newly appointed executive director for Habitat Detroit.

The Red Carpet Bash plays on the theme of the Oscars, where guests have the chance to walk the red carpet, enjoy a strolling dinner, mingle with celebrity

guests, and watch a special awards ceremony as the organization honors its “stars” with the Habbie Awards. Awards include Volunteer of the Year, Homeowner of the Year, Sponsor of the Year, Community Partner of the Year, and Faith Partner of the Year.

“Detroiters have a chance to join in on the fun and glamour of Hollywood while also supporting Habitat Detroit and our mission to provide affordable and safe housing solutions,” said Cockrel.

Habitat for Humanity Detroit, an affiliate of Habitat for Humanity International, brings people together to build homes, communities and hope. Since 1986, the Detroit affiliate has rehabilitated and/or built new houses in partnership with more than 350 families.

Financial support, gift-in-kind donations and volunteer labor allow Habitat for Humanity Detroit to continue building affordable homes for those in need.

Individual tickets are $75. For tickets, please visit www.RedCarpetBashDetroit. com.

For more information please visit www.habitatdetroit.org or call (313) 521-6691 For sponsorship opportunities, please contact Lisa Prince at 313.521.6691 X109 or lprince@habitatdetroit.org

Ask the Doctor of the myths. The opposite is true. Bringing up the subject and discussing it openly can give a person a sense of relief.

They have been struggling with their emotions and thoughts, but may be afraid or too ashamed to talk about them. Giving them the opening to discuss it shows that you care, and are willing to help them.

Finally, a word about how to talk about suicide.

Be open, direct, and com-

From page B-1

passionate.

Stay away from using terms such as “failed” or “successful.”

This is not a contest.

Rather than focusing on persons who complete suicide, I would much rather celebrate the lives and recovery of those who survive suicide thoughts.

To learn more about Mental Health First Aid, go to www.mentalhealthfirstaid.com. For DWMHA trainings visit www.dwmha.com.

Dr. Carmen McIntyre

is the chief medical officer at the Detroit Wayne Mental Health Authority.

She is committed to ensuring that the Authority meets the mental health needs of those with substance use disorders, children with serious emotional disturbance, mental illness, and persons with intellectual and/or developmental disorders in Wayne County. If you have a question for Dr. McIntyre, please submit it to AskTheDr@ dwmha.com

Share your news story with us!

Send to:

newsdesk@michronicle.com

- Written by Dr. Curtis L. Ivery

Don’t Give Up, Don’t Give In offers real life advice, lessons and encouragement for young black men.

Don’t Give Up, Don’t Give In is a conversational read that promotes productive lifestyles, well-being, personal growth and the impact of mentorship on the lives of youth.

Proceeds from the sale of this book go to The Wayne County Community College District Student Scholarship Fund Available at Wayne County Community College District Bookstores Also available at Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com And many other national and international distributors

community community

12-14 Meridian Winter Blast FEBRUARY

Campus Martius Park 800 Woodward Ave Detroit

Experience Detroit’s winter like never before at the Meridian Winter Blast, Feb. 12-14 at Campus Martius Park. Take a ride down the Meridian Health Plan Snow Slide or Woodward Corridor in Midtown a spin on the ice skating rink. You can also soar over the city with the brand-new Bedrock Line AdvenDetroit’s newestZip nighttime festival. For two ture. Detroit’s music scene Midtown will also is enveloped electrifying evenings, be on display with more than 50 live performances. When you are ready for a in a sea of light as a number of artisits break from the chilly wonderland, warm up at one of the Tim Hortons comfort on Detroit to illuminate zonesconverge located every 150 feet.

And if youbuildings get hungry food vendors from local and cityscapes using verious mediums at the Taste of Detroit Tent. restaurants will have scrumptious food available

that information, meld sci-fi technology with Victorian For more visit www.winterblast.com. spectacle on a grand scale.

12 FEBRUARY

Sept.

30 - Oct. 6, 2015 Page B-3 February 10-16, 2016 Page B-3

THE MICHIGAN CHRONICLE THE MICHIGAN CHRONICLE

For more information visit www. dlectricity.com or call (313) 420-6000.

Detroit Go Red For Women Luncheon

13 FEBRUARY

Valentine’s Day AND EAT DOBBS & Heels GROW COMMUNITY

SEED HARVESTING Come dressed to impress in your finest attire. Leave the jeans, gym shoes and AND SAVING sweat pants at home as Cultural Incline presents Dobbs & Heels. It’s a love thang for ages 25 and up, old school cabaret style. TicketsCLASS are $12 in advance and will increase at the door.

Shamax Hall 18050 Lahser Detroit

For more information call: Harold 12 313-632-1576, Julius 313-575-3665, p.m. - 2 p.m.

Jay 313-303-3676 or Glen 248-796-8546 Detroit Market Garden 1850 Erskine Street FEBRUARY Detroit

20

HALLOWE’EN IN GREENFIELD VILLAGE Detroit Public Library

The Unsung Musicians Grow and Eat is a program designed to of theequip Motown residents of Empire Detroit, Highland Park,

and Hamtramck with the knowledge to independently grow, harvest, and prepare their 5201 Woodward Avenue own food. Admission is $5 per class, free Detroit Greenfield Village for Greening of Detroit members or partic20900 Oakwood Blvd. The documentary”The Unsung Musicians of ipants in the Greening’s “Build A Garden” the Motown Empire,” will provide appreciation, Dearborn entertainment and education of the historical Program. musical contributions made by the horn players of

Long, winding paths Motown. lined with jack-oThese musicians have not been formalFor more information call Trish Hubbell at Marriott Detroit Renaissance Center ly recognized or honored for helping create the lanterns; ghastly strangers lurking; withces 400 Renaissance Dr the sound Greening of Detroit (313) 285-2255 or Without them, the would who’d like to talk to“Motown you; asound.” headless Detroit visititwww.greeningofdetroit.com. not have the worldwide acclaim that enjoys horseman riding the today. streetsa.

Sounds The documentary listens to their voices (many who are no longer with The American Heart ­Association’s Go Red For Women to and feels their appreciation. Audiences will love stepping us)family hears friendly their cries Luncheon is a celebration of the ­power of women, bringing wonderfully frightful, but be sure. back into history and mentally hearing the sounds their instruments made. awareness to the issue of heart disease, ­creating a passionate call-to-action and generating funds to support education and$16 research.

Cost: For more information, visit www.easzmusic.org/events-pricing-receipt For more information, visit For more information call (313) 982www.detroitgoredforwomen.org 7 p.m.

6001.

FEBRUARY KICK-The Center

13 FEBRUARY

WOMAN 2 WOMAN AT KICK-THE CENTER IN DETROIT

41 Burroughs St. Red Night Suite 109 at the Detroit Rep! Detroit Annual Valentine’s Day Benefit

Woman 2 Woman is a monthly program designed to create The Detroit Repertory Theatrethe bridge between 13103generations Woodrow Wilson of women of color; in order to Detroit forge a solid sisterhood. Sisterhoods that The Detroit Theatre Board of Trustees’ invites you to a unique evewe can Repertory rely on, heal with and, be vulnerable ning of theatre, music and romance on RED NIGHT, Saturday, February 13th among through conversation, activities and For more information call 313-868-1347 building relationships.

Cost: Free

26

The 35th Annual Black History Month Gala Celebration

The Henry 300 Town Center Dearborn

The Ford-Employees African-Ancestry Network presents The 35th Annual Black History Month Gala Celebration featuring keynote speaker Jerome Bettis, Pro Football Hall of Fame Running Back

For more information, visit www.eventbrite.com/faan2016blackhistorymonthcelebration.eventbrite.com

For more information call (313) 7847121.

Stay young at heart with

A HEALTHY HEART Make yourStart fluwithshot a FREE blood pressure test and get 500 Balance make a world of difference Rewards points.*

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*Offer valid with Balance® Rewards card only from 1/31 thru 2/27/16. Not available in AR, NJ or NY. No purchase necessary. Limit one redemption per card. Other restrictions may apply. For full terms and conditions, see participating location or Walgreens.com/Balance.

From July 1, 2015 to August 31, 2016, for every immunization administered, Walgreens will donate $0.18 to the United Nations Foundation, up to a maximum donation

HIRAM E. JACKSON Publisher

A Real Times Media Newspaper 479 Ledyard, • Detroit, MI 48201

(313) 963-5522 e-mail:newsdesk@michronicle.com February 10-16, 2016

Page B-4

Quote of the Week:

CATHY NEDD Associate Publisher

“If you play the theatrics too much, you get in the way of your cause.”

— Al Sharpton

KEITH A. OWENS Senior Editor SAMUEL LOGAN Publisher 1933-2011

JOHN H. SENGSTACKE Chairman-Emeritus 1912-1997 LONGWORTH M. QUINN Publisher-Emeritus 1909-1989

Behind Flint water horror, a corrosive cynicism

By Jesse Jackson The basic story of the poisoning of the children of Flint, Michigan, through the water they drink is now pretty well known, but as more details come out, it keeps getting worse.

Republican Gov. Rick Snyder, after passing a big tax cut for the rich and corporations on coming into office, had to find cuts to make up for the lost revenue.

In Flint and other cities, he essentially nullified democratic elections, deposed Jesse Jackson elected mayors and city councils and installed his own agents with virtually dictatorial powers.

The “emergency manager” of Flint decided that the city could save money by discontinuing its water supply from Lake Huron and instead drawing it from the toxic Flint River. He then failed to treat the new water with additives needed to keep the city’s old pipes from leaching lead.

When people objected to the brown, smelly water filled with particles that was coming out of the taps, the governor’s men reassured them the water was safe. All of Flint’s children were exposed to water with elevated levels of lead.

Now we learn that General Motors complained to state officials that the water was corroding their auto parts.

So the governor’s team gave GM its own hook up back to the water from Lake Huron — while still insisting to the residents of Flint that the water was safe for their children to drink.

State officials also acted promptly to respond to the bad water for one other constituency: state employees in Flint’s state office building. Even as it was reassuring residents that the water was safe to drink, Flint officials arranged for coolers of purified water to be set up on all the floors of the office building.

Flint’s residents — disproportionately black and low income — were seen as disposable. And they are not alone. The national statistics on lead poisoning, as Kevin Drum of Mother Jones details, show that African Americans were poisoned at three times the rate of whites until recent times.

And, of course, low-income people are poisoned at higher rates than the more affluent; poor, urban African-Americans and Latinos suffer the highest rates of all.

Drum notes that while white children were severely afflicted in the postwar lead epidemic, it produced “nothing less than a carnage among black kids.”

He argues that before lead was brought under control in the late 1980s, virtually an entire generation of urban black teenagers was at risk of lower IQs, more behavior problems in school, higher rates of violent behavior.

This, of course, reinforced already vicious racial stereotypes of AfricanAmericans, and of the poor. The only hope in Flint is that the children’s exposure was limited in time and intensity, but even that is grasping at straws.

And as Flint resident and documentary filmmaker Michael Moore points out, this isn’t just a crisis of water. Flint’s residents now see the value of their homes wiped out and their hopes for jobs dashed.

Few would consider buying a home in Flint now. Few employers will want to set up shop there or expand there. The governor’s men have wreaked untold economic damage on the residents of Flint on top of the threat to their health.

The lessons of Flint are plain. Those who scorn government are the wrong people to elect to head it. Government capacity to enforce health and safety, to police environmental poisons and water safety, is essential to the security of our children.

As America gets more and more unequal, the cynical, unstated assumption that there are some who are simply disposable, who don’t deserve decent services, is likely to spread.

But Flint may end up showing something else as well. That cynicism is more corrosive than the toxic water coming from the Flint River.

People aren’t going to put up with it.

They aren’t going to adjust quietly to the decline of basic services. The Flint calamity was exposed because the poorest residents objected time and again, despite the reassurances issued by authorities.

The failure of the governor’s local dictator and of the state officials themselves is now apparent. Yet the reaction to the calamity still seems in slow motion.

It is time for the federal government to step in. Investigations should lead to indictments. Federal resources should be mobilized to rectify the water in Flint immediately, and to provide the city with a real plan for renovation and revival.

Standing on sacred ground

By Julianne Malveaux Three unarmed black men encountered a group of white men walking down a dirt road in Slocum, Texas on July 29, 1910. Without warning, and with no reason, the white men opened fire on the black men. And for two days white men simply slaughtered black people.

Eight deaths have been officially acknowledged, but historians who have studied the Slocum Massacre say that it is likely that dozens more were killed, with some saying as many were killed in Slocum as in Tulsa in Julianne Malveaux 1921 (and those numbers range into the hundreds).

History mostly swallowed the horror of the Slocum Massacre. Some descendants of those massacred pushed for official acknowledgement of the horror, but there have been efforts to cover up the carnage, with some in Slocum pretending that the Massacre never happened. It took more than a century, until 2011, for the Texas Legislature to formally acknowledge the massacre.

A roadside marker commemorating the tragedy was just placed on January 26, 2016. A local member of the Anderson County Historical Commission opposed the marker because “The citizens of Slocum today had absolutely nothing to do with what happened over a hundred years ago. This is a nice, quiet community with a wonderful school system.

It would be a shame to mark them as racist from now until the end of time.”

E.R. Bills, author of “The 1910 Slocum Massacre: An Act of Genocide in East Texas,” says there are more than 16,000 historical markers in the state of Texas.

“The Slocum Massacre historical marker will apparently be the first one to specifically acknowledge racial violence against African Americans,” he said.

His book meticulously documents the Slocum facts, and asserts, “Many white folks got away with murder.”

Only 11 were arrested for their role in the massacre. Seven were indicted but none were prosecuted for their crimes.

The Slocum historical marker stands on sacred ground. There is much other sacred ground in these United States, ground that is soaked with the blood of lynched and murdered African Americans. Yet there are few markers of our nation’s historical madness.

The Equal Justice Initiative, an Alabama-based organization that has documented the magnitude of our nation’s lynching history, hopes to build markers and memorials on lynching sites, much like the one in Slocum. We need these memorials to remind us of an era of racial terror, and to consider the contemporary consequences of that terror.

This year the association for the study of African American life and history (ASALH) has chosen Hallowed Grounds: Sites of African American Memories as their Black History Month Theme. While ASALH has not focused specifically on markers and memorials for sites of lynching and massacres, the focus location is important. They mention plantations, historic homes, and historic streets (like Beale Street in Memphis, Sweet Auburn Avenue in Atlanta, and 125 Street in Harlem) as important places to embrace and celebrate.

Many of our nation’s major cities have experienced gentrification in the past decade or so. Washington, DC is no longer Chocolate City – more like neapolitan or chocolate chip. The 125 Street of the Harlem Renaissance has diversified, as young whites with deep pockets are pushing the prices of historic brownstones into the seven or eight figure price range.

No matter. The places are still sacred ground, and should be recognized as such. It is important to acknowledge these places with statues, markers, and memorials, lest we forget.

Those who don’t know history are doomed to repeat it.

The African American State of the Union Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr. NNPA NEWS WIRE COLUMNIST

While millions of people across the United States and throughout the world will continue to affirm, discuss, or respond in various ways to the last State of Union by America’s first President of the United States who is an African American, there are still priority issues that challenge African Americans going forward Of course, as one would expect and predict, President Barack H. Obama’s 2016 Benjamin Chavis State of the Union address was a message to all people in the U.S., as well as to all people in the global community.

President Obama’s leadership will be judged by history and his legacy will be the subject of focus for generations to come. One thing, however, is for certain concerning the executive success of the Obama Administration in the face of unprecedented political opposition from the very first day that the Obama family moved into the White House.

But, in truth, the success of the President Obama is indisputable in leading the steady recovery of the economy of the U.S. with the enactment of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act , the Affordable Care Act (ACA) that has enabled millions of people to acquire health care insurance, the Credit Card Accountability, Responsibility and Disclosure (CARD) Act that has protected millions of people from predatory financial schemes, and the Helping Families Save Their Homes Act that has helped thousands of African Americans in particular avoid preventable home foreclosures across the nation.

Yet, there is a need, I believe to first say thank you to President Obama respectfully for his outstanding national and global leadership. Today, secondly, we are obligated to issue an independent African American State of the Union.

For more than 45 million African Americans, the State of the Union is a complexed set of realities, challenges, and opportunities. The reason why the “Black Lives Matter” movement has taken a front position in the consciousness and support from the vast majority of African Americans is because fatal police brutality has become once again too prevalent in too many of our communities. Prosecutorial misconduct that has worked to protect and shield the perpetrators of police violence demands louder outcries of national protest.

Today we remain disproportionately incarcerated in America’s jails and prisons: women, men and young juveniles are overflowing behind bars. There is an urgent demand for criminal justice reform without further delay or debate.

Mass incarceration is a reality for Black America that needs to be challenged and ended.

The spending and annual consumerism of African Americans continues to exceed $1.2 trillion. Our “State of the Union” indicates glaringly that we are big spenders, but we are not big savers or investors. The economic development of our families and communities is really in our own hands.

The high quality education of our children has to be at the top of our priority list for next year and beyond.

Yes, also “Black Minds Matter.” I highly recommend that you take the time to read and get an update about an ongoing study in the state of California that I believe will have a significant impact on national education policies and programs that are focused on the education of African American children and others who still have to grapple with inequality and inequities in the nation’s educational system.

Filthy rich and dangerous

By Harry C. Alford My early days of being an activist seem so simple now. A hot head reporter or radio personality would challenge my actions and I would simply shut him/ her down with my quips and verbal jockeying. An IRS series of audits, police interrogations, being pulled over by the state police, for no reason, were some of those tactics back then in Indiana.

A strange car following our sons home from school was about the lowest tactic. Our opponents, politicians and local business owners found that we were afraid of nothing. We took a vow of near poverty.

That meant we had nothing serious to Harry C. Alford lose and they had nothing to leverage us into submission or contrition.

When we (my wife, Kay and I) decided that the above state was not beneficial to our twin son’s upbringing, we left Indiana for Washington, D.C. and began to live an upscale lifestyle. We brought with us an understanding of local political harassment and how to dodge around it. We relied on that experience until now.

It appears that we have arrived in the major leagues and the enemies would not be some Hoosier Hicks. All of a sudden we were in the arena of billionaires who saw money as no object and vengeance as a requirement to their under the table activities.

These guys make presidents, congresspersons, senators, etc. They take no prisoners (literally). One of my friends explained to me: “You have been used to dealing with people who seek to knock you down. These folks here will take you all the way out. They will seek to destroy you!”

One of my first examples of this was during the first Clinton Administration.

The number two person at the Small Business Administration was a sister, who decided that the SBA would no longer get into the procurement business and just concentrate on lending and technical support.

That was war to us and we prepared for battle. We raised some serious noise on a national basis and this caught the attention of the White House. Some elderly guy met with some of our principals. No one really knew who he was.

But when he realized that we were prepared for “war” he made a suggestion.

“If I talked to Bill (the president) and told him if we removed this lady from her position, the problem would go away – would that work?” We said yes. Two weeks later she was gone. She went to one of Vernon Jordan’s companies (He was a board member for about a dozen Fortune 100 companies). That spoke volumes.

It also made us aware that there was a force out there that was more powerful than the president. As the “body counts” under the Clinton Administration started to multiply and the overwhelming scandals started to appear, it was so clear to me. Forget about the movies, this was the real “Empire.” My advocacy remained strong, but I purposely remained under the “radar” of these real power brokers.

So I played this game. A few “jabs” here and a “duck” there, progress was being made. In fact, our positions were similar to the platform of President George W. Bush. The pro-business arena saw talent in me and the National Black Chamber of Commerce. We were on a major roll and considered the voice of Black business. Fortune magazine, the House, the Senate and cable television referred to the NBCC to measure the mood of black business.

Then, as Earth, Wind & Fire would say, “Something happened along the way and what used to be happy turned sad”.

The presidential race for 2008 brought the fiercest political battle in the history of the United States. It wasn’t Democrats versus Republicans any more. It was do or die. There were a lot of organizations: environment, taxation, education, military, labor, economic parity, civil rights, homosexual, etc.

But now, there was a major movement to take all of these organizations and classify them as Group 1 and Group 2. Saying liberal or conservative wasn’t enough. Terms like Progressive and Free Market became defining roles. Thus, America and the Western world for that matter became divided into two groups of tribes.

community

THE MICHIGAN CHRONICLE

February 10-16, 2016

Page B-5

1,500 residents take pledge to eat less, exercise more

By Tom Nugent

while adding the Detroit Police Department as one of our new Challenge partners, we were also greatly encouraged by its success on social media.”

SPECIAL TO THE MICHIGAN CHRONICLE

One number says it all: 37. That’s how many pounds a very determined Detroit health care professional named Imana (“Mo”) Minard was able to shed during the recently concluded DMC 61 Day Health Challenge.

“To our surprise, the 2015 Challenge scored more than 48,000 views on Facebook and drew more than 12,000 followers on Twitter. The yearly Challenge has now become a regular fixture on the health care scene in Southeast Michigan, and for a medical doctor who also serves as president of three Detroit hospitals, that is a hugely encouraging outcome.”

“For me, participating in 2015’s health challenge was absolutely life-transforming,” said Mo manager, Emergency Department/Clinical Decision Unit Harper University Hospital. “I not only amazed myself by losing 37 pounds, I was also able to lower my blood pressure significantly by confronting my obesity and then going to work on it. Having been through that wonderfully empowering experience, I better understand the crucial importance of healthy eating and healthy exercise in my life.”

Like Dr. Eadie, DMC CEO Joe Mullany says he has been “greatly encouraged” by the growing success of the yearly DMC 61 Day Health Challenge.

“I don’t think there’s any doubt that public education has a major role to play in achieving better public health,” said Mullany. “And to see the enthusiastic response the campaign has been getting in Southeast Michigan is exciting, to say the least. At the Detroit Medical Center, our goal is to do everything we can to help improve public health and the Challenge is clearly a major step in that direction.”

Like Mo – an award-winning caregiver with a reputation for keeping her cool during even the most stressful moments at one of Detroit’s busiest emergency rooms – more than 1,500 residents of Southeast Michigan last fall took the pledge by signing up for the annual DMC- nutrition-and-exercise public health education campaign.

And just like Mo, most of the Challenge participants (including more than 300 members of the Detroit Police Department) soon learned that the pledge to eat less sugar and take more steps while also eating more fruit during the last two months of 2015 wasn’t really as

Imana (“Mo”) Minard difficult as they’d feared it would be.

“Once I got into the swing of it, I discovered that I actually enjoyed the pro-

Former U of M and NBA player Ekpe Udoh launches scholarship program Former University of Michigan and NBA center Ekpe Udoh kicked off the Take Flight Scholarship at the newest Metro-Detroit Wingstop location in Eastpointe. The contest started Feb. 1 and runs to May 8.

“My time in Michigan was extremely impactful on my life and the shaping of my career, so it was an easy decision to give back to the community,” said Udoh who currently plays for the Turkish Basketball League. “I want to encourage the youth in the metro Detroit area to excel in academics and be involved in their local communities. These types of programs will hopefully assist in helping further their educations.”

This is how it works: Nominate a Take Flight Scholar at www.takeflightscholarship.com.

Student must: A) be a current senior at local high school; B) have at least a

cess,” said the 42-year-old ER manager.

“Knowing that I could stop eating candy bars and French fries – while also increasing my daily exercise – was quite empowering. For me, the goals of the DMC 61 Day Challenge are now my permanent goals and I’m going to continue this healthier way of life indefinitely.”

Having achieved a 37-pound weight reduction by the end of December, Mo says she plans to have shed “at least 100 pounds” by the time the 2016 campaign begins again on Nov. 1.

A former Detroit Fire Department paramedic who won a 2010 citation for saving a child from a house fire, Mo served as the DMC’s Health Challenge Ambassador for the 2015 DMC 61 Day Health Challenge.

Ekpe Udoh 3.0 GPA; C) participate in at least one extracurricular activity; D) be involved in the community.

Get social by using #WingstopEastpointe to start encouraging others to vote for your nominee. Wingstop Eastpointe will pick five winners who will be awarded $1,000.00 scholarships.

Launched in the fall of 2011 by DMC Harper/Hutzel and Receiving Hospital CEO Reginald Eadie, MD, MBA, the annual healthy-eating-and-exercising education campaign has been growing rapidly in recent years while also attracting a fast-growing amount of news media attention.

“When we launched the Challenge four years ago with a dozen or so Southeast Michigan community partners, we were hoping it would eventually begin to catch on,” said Dr. Eadie. “This year,

The yearly DMC Health Challenge began under Dr. Eadie’s leadership as president at DMC Sinai-Grace Hospital, after he and a few colleagues concluded that helping both patients and hospital staffers to “say no to soda pop,” might slow down the fast-growing obesity epidemic in southeast Michigan.

Participants in the annual public health education campaign are asked to sign a pledge in which they promise not to consume sugary beverages or fried foods. At the same time, they commit themselves to consuming less sugar in “junk foods” while also exercising moderately several times per week.

At the headquarters of the Detroit Police Department, meanwhile, Chief James Craig said that many of his officers and staffers have eagerly embraced the goals of the yearly DMC Challenge because they understand that a fit and healthy police officer can “do a much better job” of serving the public.

So enthused was Chief Craig, in fact, that he came up with what he described as a “helpful sound bite” to describe the DPD’s participation in the campaign.

That sound bite drew waves of delighted laughter during a public Challenge meeting at DPD headquarters last fall, when the Chief said to reporters, “Let’s put the handcuffs on obesity!”

To learn more about the DMC 61 Day Challenge and how you can participate throughout the year, visit www.dmc.org/ 61days.

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2/1/16 1:10 PM

Page B-6 • THE MICHIGAN CHRONICLE • February 10-16, 2016

SECTION C

BUSINESS Powered by Real Times Media

February 10-16 2016

michiganchronicle.com

Mayor Duggan, business and foundation leaders kick off effort to provide 8,000 summer jobs to Detroit’s youth Mayor Mike Duggan has issued an ambitious challenge to the city’s businesses and foundations — put 8,000 Detroit youth ages 14-24 to work this summer.

The goal is significantly higher than the goal of 5,000 that the mayor set last summer for the inaugural year of his Grow Detroit’s Young Talent initiative, which ended up connecting 5,594 young Detroiters with work experiences and job skills. The initiative is a collaborative effort between the Mayor’s Office, City Connect Detroit, Detroit Employment Solutions Corporation and the philanthropic and business community.

As he kicked off this year’s Grow Detroit’s Young Talent campaign at the Detroit Regional Chamber of Commerce, the mayor praised the city’s business and philanthropic leaders for their commitment to Detroit’s youth last year and challenged them to increase their commitment this year.

“Last year, this community came together in a very powerful way to let our young people know how much they matter to us,” Mayor Duggan said.

“The work, training and networking opportunities these young people have been able to experience will stay with them for the rest of their lives.”

Detroit youth interested in applying for a summer job this year can apply at www.

GDYT.org. Businesses interested in providing summer work experiences for Detroit youth also can register at the GDYT website.

Starting this weekend, the first of a series of Youth Enrollment Career Fairs, will be held from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. at the following locations: East Lake Baptist Church, 12400 E. Jefferson Ave. Triumph Church, 2760 E. Grand Blvd.

At each of the events, interested youth will be able to ask questions and apply online at one of several computer stations that will be set up.

Bishop Charles Ellis of Greater Grace Temple said that the faith-based community will play an active role this year in helping to get Detroit’s young people into the application process.

“A first job and employment experience for a youth can establish a self-sufficient mentality for the rest of their life,” said Ellis.

Last year, more than 11,000 young people completed GDYT applications. To help hire as many as possible, major sponsors came forward to provide nearly $7 million in funding for the program, of which the City of Detroit pledged $1.5 million of community development block grant (CDBG) funds.

Among last year’s major sponsors were: • Skillman Foundation • Kellogg Foundation • Bank of America Charitable Foundation • DTE Energy Foundation • JPMorgan Chase Foundation • Marjorie S. Fisher Fund • Fifth Third Bank • The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation • Wayne Metropolitan Community Action Agency • Detroit Wayne County Mental Health Agency “Giving a young Detroiter a summer job is one of the fastest and more direct ways those in the private sector can make an impact on the life trajectory for a young person, all while contributing in an immediate and meaningful way to our regional economy and by building a prepared workforce for the city’s future,” said Tonya Allen, president and CEO of The Skillman Foundation.

Meanwhile, local businesses large and small, such as Detroit Manufacturing Services (DMS), Belfor and Errol Service, made up the more than 170 employer partners who committed to providing placement and financial support to hire youth last summer.

“We're excited to be working with smart,

See Summer Jobs Page D-2

Lewis and Munday’s legal eagle, Reginald Dozier, looks toward expansion

By Roz Edward When Lewis and Munday PC shareholders unanimously named Reginald Dozier president and CEO of the oldest African American law firm and one of the most prestigious firms in Detroit, that vote of confidence fortified Dozier’s resolve to move ahead with expansion plans and extend the firm’s reach beyond metropolitan Detroit. Lewis and Munday, which currently has offices in New York and Washington D.C., had at one point been one of the largest African American law firms in the nation.

“I came to Lewis and Munday because it was firm that had a storied history, being founded by African Americans and it was nationally known. And because it is a smaller firm than Clark Hill, I felt that I could come here and probably make a bigger impression than I could at a larger firm,” Dozier explained.

With the cadence in his voice of a thorough and knowledgeable litigator, Dozier explained how high stakes litigation really works. He’s been on the forefront since he started practicing in 1985 and has skillfully navigated the legal system to successfully negotiate a myriad of municipal issues.

“Lewis and Munday does more than just litigation. The firm has been involved in just about every major real estate development in the city in the past 35 years. They were involved with the Chrysler plant, they were involved the Poletown plant, they were involved with aspects of Comerica Park, Cobo Hall and Ford Field.”

Dozier, who has practiced at the renowned law firm for more than 15 years, boasts an impressive resumé which includes Clark Hill PLC, Reynolds, Beeby and Magnuson PC, and six years with his own firm Dozier, Turner and Braceful PC . At the age of 27, he served as commanding officer of the legal adviser unit for the Detroit Police Department.

“I did a lot of civil work when I first started practicing because I worked for the Detroit Police Department and I handled civil matters for the (DPD).

I would go over to the Wayne County Circuit Court on motion day, which was Friday, and generally I would be the only African American in a courtroom of 30 to 40 attorneys. And to be honest, there are only two or three of us in the courtroom on motion day now, in 2016,” Dozier noted.

Lewis and Munday’s success and ability to get into courtrooms and boardrooms when others couldn’t is in large part attributable to their extensive relationships with businesses and government agencies, especially with Detroit’s legendary and first black mayor, Coleman Young.

“One of the things that Lewis and

Munday had in its favor is that they were pretty well connected and those connections allowed them to do a lot of work for the City of Detroit,” said Dozier. “One of the largest (developments) that those connections made possible, which is still pretty much a legacy of Coleman Young, is that Lewis and Munday was able to do municipal financing for bond work.”

Lewis and Munday was the first African American law firm in the Bond Buyer, also known as the Red Book.

In order for a law firm to engage in municipal finance negotiations it must be listed in the Red Book, which

See Reginald Dozier Page D-2

Lawrence Tech, Focus: HOPE, extend partnership MICHIGAN CHRONICLE REPORTS

LTU President and CEO Virinder Moudgil and Focus: HOPE CEO ­William Jones, Jr

Lawrence Technological University and Focus: HOPE will offer LTU’s new Associate of Science in Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering Technology degree at Focus: HOPE’s training facility on Oakman Blvd. in Detroit.

LTU President and CEO Virinder Moudgil and Focus: HOPE CEO William Jones, Jr. signed the agreement Feb. 1 and met with the students, who will also have the additional opportunity to transfer seamlessly to LTU’s bachelor’s program upon completion of their associate degree.

Some 16 students will comprise the first class and upon completing their program will be the latest of over 115 students who have earned Lawrence Tech college degrees since LTU and Focus: HOPE launched their partnership in the early 1990s.

“Focus: HOPE has long provided special opportunities to so many in Detroit,” said Moudgil. “We are very pleased to extend our relationship and provide a valuable and highly marketable degree to these young men and women who are so worthy

of investment and greater opportunity.”

Jones added that “the LTU partnership is among the many programs in training and education that are helping students at Focus: HOPE enter the workforce with high levels of skills and competence. We have appreciated the long relationship that Focus: HOPE has had with Lawrence Tech, and we hope it will grow in the future.”

Focus: HOPE, www.focushope.edu, founded in 1968, is a Detroit-based organization

See Partnership Page C-2

business

THE MICHIGAN CHRONICLE

February 10-16, 2016

Page C-2

DTE Energy and Pure Michigan host event to help grow local economy

MICHIGAN CHRONICLE REPORTS

DTE Energy, in partnership with Pure Michigan Business Connect (PMBC), will host an invitation-only Supplier Immersion Day. This event will advise suppliers as to how they can become suppliers to DTE, as well as provide resources to help them grow their business in the state. Invited will be suppliers that can supply commodities in the groups of Telecommunications, Information Technology, Fleet, Energy Optimization, Renewables, Facilities and more.

Speakers include DTE executive director, Corporate Services and CPO Tony Tomczak; DTE director, Supply Chain Management, Jaspreet Singh, and a panel of DTE Supply Chain managers and DTE Supply Chain senior managers.

Approximately

320

Tony Tomczak

Jaspreet Singh

suppliers will participate in the event which takes place on Wednesday, Feb. 10, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Ford Field located at 2000 Brush St.

ners early to help with the development process and continue to work closely with vendors throughout the life of their business.

DTE Energy is helping to expand local businesses and bring new businesses to Michigan to strengthen the vitality of our communities, and support economic success and growth throughout the state. The company is able to achieve this by collaborating with part-

Partnership

In 2015, DTE spent $945 million with Michigan-based suppliers and has increased its commitment to invest $5 billion over the next five years, which represents $500 million annually in new supplier contracts, an increase of more than 200 percent since first partnering with PMBC in 2011.

Reginald Dozier requires that the firm has successfully negotiated bond issues in the past.

“So the connection with Coleman Young (prompted) other firms that were doing municipal finance to allow Lewis and Munday to co-counsel with them and as they co-counseled and they were able to negotiate deals then they were able to get into the Red Book, and that is what has allowed them to become the firm they are now.”

From page D-1 Dozier, a product of the

dedicated to intelligent and practical solutions to the problems of hunger, economic disparity, inadequate education, and racial divisiveness.

Lawrence Technological University, www.ltu.edu, is a private university founded in 1932 that offers more than 100 programs through the doctoral level in Colleges of Architecture and Design, Arts and Sciences, Engineering, and Management. The Brookings Institution ranks Lawrence Tech fifth nation-

Summer Jobs

wide for boosting graduates’ earning power, PayScale lists it in the nation’s top 10 percent of universities for graduates’ salaries, and U.S. News and World Report places it in the top tier of best Midwestern universities. Students benefit from small class sizes and a real-world, hands-on “theory and practice” education with an emphasis on leadership. Activities on Lawrence Tech’s 107acre campus in Southfield include over 60 student organizations and NAIA varsity sports.

From page D-1

Detroit Public Schools, attended Howard University for two-and-a-half years, pledged Omega Psi Phi, Inc., and returned to Detroit at 19 to join the Detroit Police Department.

The aspiring attorney, who completed his undergraduate degree at the University of Michigan Dearborn and earned his law degree at the Detroit College of Law, admits that although there were some twists on the path to earning his degree, the course he traveled afforded him a more comprehensive and insightful experience on his journey to practice.

young Detroiters during the earliest stages of their careers, helping them get the training and experience they need to thrive,” said Andra Rush, CEO, Detroit Manufacturing Systems.

May and June, applicants will be selected based upon both employer request and a random selection process among the applicants.

DMS is the program’s single largest summer employer, having committed to hiring 100 youth at Rush’s facility in Detroit.

“While I was in law school at Detroit College of Law, I worked for the Michigan Department of This year’s work experience begins Corrections for five years.

That was the thing that July 6. really shined the light on me and let me realize (the possibilities),” he re-

Process for successful applicants: After an individual applies through GDYT.org, the applicant will be screened. Throughout the months of

Orientation sessions preparing successful GDYT applicants for the workplace will take place and include 12 hours of work readiness training at a worksite.

From page D-1

counts. “There were some brothers in there who were brilliant, and there were some brothers in there who were hardworking, but it became clear to me they didn’t realize there were alternatives …

I was going to law school then and they would be in awe.”

lot of it is based on the fact of just keeping your eyes and ears open for a situation.”

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And although Dozier quips about his initial interest in becoming a lawyer, he is quick to share the nuts and bolts of what it takes to be an outstanding lawyer.

“What drew me to the law was TV. I said at the age of four I that I was going to be a lawyer and I think that it was ‘Perry Mason’ that had an influence on me,” he said.

It may have been a television show that sparked his interest in the law, but it was tenacity, a lot of hard work, a little luck and a lot of blessings that got him to the top rung at Lewis and Munday.

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“I never feel that I am smarter than anybody else. I think now that I have gotten older, I have come to accept the fact that I may analyze situations differently than other people. But that doesn’t make me smarter it makes me different,” Dozier said in reflection.

“I look for the simplest way of handling situations, but I also think a lot of it is God favoring me. A

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business

THE MICHIGAN CHRONICLE

February 10-16, 2016

Page C-3

Sportscaster Rob Parker joins WMYD Detroit

Chatoya Antwine

MICHIGAN CHRONICLE STAFF

Sports personality Rob Parker is bringing his unique brand of sports reporting to WMYD TV20.

Parker has been a trailblazer in sports media. He was the first African American sports columnist at both Newsday in New York, and at the Detroit Free Press, where he started working in 1993. He was also an award-winning sports columnist at the Detroit News for nine years.

Goals, potential and The Unlocked Summit

By Brittany Banks

“The Unlocked Summit is a groundbreaking experience, whose goal is to help women entrepreneurs unlock their goals, dreams and future,” said entrepreneur Chatoya Antwine during our recent encounter at Pink Pump boutique in Royal Oak. “Unlocking potential is exactly what we believe The Unlocked Summit will do for each of its registrants.”

women who have an impact on the city of Detroit as well as women who may be under-represented. This provides them with, according to Antwine, “a platform to be able to build their brand, let people know who they are and what they do.”

She is excited that this year’s workshops aren’t just business-oriented.

One workshop includes Jena Emily Utley of The Fitness JEM which provides health and wellness strategies for women.

Sponsored by the Michigan Chronicle, the complete 2016 summit experience includes a night of networking and socializing called The Unlocked Lounge which takes place Friday, Feb. 19, at Centaur in downtown Detroit from 6:30 to 9:30 pm, and The Unlocked Summit on Saturday, Feb. 20, at TechTown Detroit from 9 am to 5 pm.

In addition to the wealth of knowledge offered by a versatile host of contributors, this summit is innovative.

According to alacarteblog.com, it will “provide an interactive, valuable, and sincere learning experience and equips registrants with tips, tools and resources needed to help women flourish in their businesses.”

Although the summit is a women-only event, The Unlocked Lounge is open to the public in general. New this year is the Unlock the City Award Ceremony added “especially for the city of Detroit,” honoring Councilwoman Mary Sheffield and Dr. Nicole Farmer.

The event will also explore the importance of sisterhood.

Two ambitious women, Chatoya Antwine, owner and executive planner of A la carte Galore, specializing in event, travel, financial, and career planning, and Asia Horne, creator and editor-in-chief of EmpireLifeMag.com, a digital platform for entrepreneurial women of color, joined forces to launch the summit in Chicago in 2015.

Antwine and Horne are excited to bring the summit to the Detroit this year. Workshops will be held on platforms of business, being, and beauty, led by hand-selected entrepreneurial

“We’re all about women empowerment, holding each other accountable for whatever goals that you set out for your success journey,” said Antwine. “If we’re not helping each other, who’s going to help us?”

The first Unlocked Summit was a sold out event, so don’t miss the opportunity to be a part of this inspirational experience.

Registration is still open. Tickets can be purchased from theunlockedsummit. com or use the ticket link theunlockedsummitdetroit2016.eventbrite.com.

Stay connected to find out about The Unlocked Summit’s quarterly events by following on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and theunlockedsummit.com.

“Rob brings vast experience — and deep sources — to our team,” said WXYZ/WMYD news director Dave Manney. “He also brings a fearless style with opinions that will have people talking.”

Beyond print, Parker worked at ESPN for eight years and has been a regular contributor on WDIV’s Sports Final Edition since 1994. He was also the popular host of “The Odd Couple” on WDFN radio and “Sports Night with Parker and The Man” on 97.1 The Ticket.

“I am excited about his great opportunity at WXYZ and WMYD,” said Parker.

“I’m loud, passionate, informed and I dig deep for scoops. Best of all, I have the biggest opinion in Detroit sports.”

Rob Parker Parker is among a select group of sports journalists who vote each year to determine the Baseball Hall of Fame inductees.

Parker began on WMYD’s Action News at 10 p.m., the week of Feb. 8.

Walker-Miller Energy Services bolsters leadership with two top executives

By Shaun Wilson Walker-Miller Energy Services announced the hiring of two senior-level executives to continue the company’s impressive growth and reputation for cutting-edge energy solutions.

Greg Walker has been named chief operating officer and joins the executive team with decades of leadership experience in Fortune 500 companies including Wal-Mart, Home Depot and Sears.

Under Walker’s leadership, Walker-Miller Energy Services will solidify its industry reputation for integrity, innovation, diversity, and values-driven service that has forged the company’s success.

Cornell Batie has been named chief financial officer and brings 15 years of financial management expertise, having served as executive vice president and chief operations officer for the Detroit Jazz Festival. Named the 2012 CFO of the Year by Crain’s Detroit Business, Batie will direct Walker-Miller Energy Services’ accounting and financial operations, as well as human resources and

information technology.

“The addition of visionary leaders like Greg and Cornell showcase our determination to provide the best training and resources to help Walker-Miller improve quality and drive continuous operational improvement. With a stellar team, inherent commitment to our customers, and the absolute necessity for a low-carbon future, we are well-positioned for sustainable growth,” said Carla Walker-Miller, president and CEO of Walker-Miller Energy Services.

Walker and Batie joined Walker-Miller Energy Services in January 2016.

Walker-Miller Energy Services is a Detroit-based, woman- and minority-owned company that promotes cost-effective, sustainable solutions to help meet the demands of a rapidly changing energy landscape. Our energy efficient and sustainable technologies provide for smart infrastructure replacement. We leverage our talent to benefit our residential and commercial building owners, utility companies, and the communities in which we live, work and play

Get your weekly home delivery of the Chronicle!

Subscribe Today!

Call (313) 963-5522 www.michiganchronicle.com

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THE MICHIGAN CHRONICLE

February 10-16, 2016

Page C-4

NAWBO Greater Detroit announces 2016 Michigan Top 10 Business Women Awards Henry Ford Health System CEO Nancy Schlichting to deliver keynote address

The National Association of Women Business Owners Greater Detroit Chapter will present its 22nd annual Top 10 Michigan Business Women Awards ceremony on March 17, hosted by Emmy-winning broadcast journalist Paula Tutman. The annual celebration will take place at 6:30 p.m. at Laurel Manor in Livonia, and will honor the state’s outstanding women business owners, entrepreneurs and community leaders for their contributions to excellence and innovation in a variety of fields.

Karen Dumas

910AM Superstation announces Karen Dumas as newest host

By Lee Claire

Detroit’s 910AM Superstation, announces Karen Dumas as drive time host from 4 to 7 p.m. beginning Monday, Feb. 15.

She will broadcast live with a talk and call-in format. The show will cover a wide range of issues facing African Americans.

Dumas, former chief of Communications and External Affairs for the Bing administration and the City of Detroit, is a distinguished communications professional, media personality and public speaker.

She attracted readers, listeners and viewers and garnered respect as a trusted radio and television personality and columnist. As founder of her own PR firm, Images & Ideas, Inc., she earned a reputation as a communications specialist known for performance and excellence.

Delta Sigma Theta commemorates 103 years of sisterhood, scholarship and service Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., Southfield Alumnae Chapter, a service organization with a long history of social advocacy and women’s empowerment, presents its Founders Day Luncheon on Saturday, March 5. This celebratory luncheon will be held from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at The Henry Hotel, 300 Town Center Drive, Dearborn.

The theme to commemorate the founding of the sorority’s 103 year history is “The Power of Women, the Power of Delta: Strengthening Our Connections.” Beverly E. Smith, national first vice president of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. will deliver the keynote address. The 24th national president, Cynthia M.A. Butler-McIntyre, will also speak.

The winners of the 2016 Top 10 Michigan Business Women Awards represent a broad range of industries, including communication, medical, manufacturing and non-profit. While some awardees have led businesses for decades, others have Tanya R. Allen become trailblazers in their fields in only the last five years. The evening’s program will be dedicated to honoring these outstanding women in categories such as the Diversity Champion, Giving Spirit and Global Business Awards. In addition, an eleventh honor, known as the Greater Good Award, will be presented to Crain’s Detroit Business publisher Mary Kramer.

“Reading through this year’s list of honorees, it’s undeniable that women continue to play an integral, vital role as leaders in our regional business landscape,” said Tanya R. Allen, president of NAWBO Greater Detroit. “The quality and caliber of these women, including all those that were nominated, speaks to the strength of the entrepreneurial spirit that has not only provided stability in our region through the difficult times, but distinguished Southeast Michigan as a driver of the state’s economic revival and success.”

Nancy Schlichting, CEO of Henry Ford Health System, will be the keynote speaker for the evening. Known as one of the most powerful figures in the health care industry, she is credited with leading the health system through a dramatic financial turnaround, and for implementing award-winning patient safety, customer service and diversity initiatives. Schlichting is a frequent executive speaker on the topics of leadership and innovation, and is the author of “Unconventional Leadership.”

Schlichting will also be signing copies of her book at a pre-ceremony VIP reception beginning at 5 p.m. (limited tickets available.) Tickets for the VIP event and the full ceremony can be pur-

Nancy Schlichting chased through March 11. For additional options, and to purchase tickets online, visit www.nawbogdc.org.

The evening will feature a raffle to win a two-year lease on a 2016 Dodge Ram Truck. Tickets will be available during the event. Entrants need not be present to win. For details on purchasing raffle tickets, call 313.961.4748 or email treasurer1@nawbogdc.org.

The 2016 NAWBO Greater Detroit Top 10 Business Woman Awards is sponsored by Comerica Bank, Goldman Sachs, Varnum Law, Henry Ford Health Systems and Health Alliance Plan. The deadline for purchasing advertising space for the event is March 1.

The 2015 Top 10 Michigan Business Women award recipients are: ■ Breakthrough Award – Katana Abbott, founder, Smart Women’s Coaching ■ Diversity Champion Award – Sylvia Daniels, supplier diversity coordinator, Henry Ford Health System ■ Giving Spirit Award – Cynthia Greening, founder and CEO, Hands of Hope for Tanzania ■ Global Business Award – Alison Vaughn, founder and CEO, Jackets for Jobs, Inc. ■ Pinnacle Award – Jennifer O’Brien, founder and president, Accounting

The cost of the luncheon is $65 and it is open to the public. Tickets are available via PayPal at http://www.deltasac. org/. For additional information, please contact Gloria N. Smith or Dr. Joslyn N. Witherspoon, Founders Day Committee chair and co-chair respectively, at foundersday@deltasac.org.

Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. was founded in 1913 on the campus of Howard University to promote academic excellence; to provide scholarships; to provide support to the underserved; to educate and stimulate participation in the establishment of positive public policy; to highlight issues and provide solutions for problems in communities. Today, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. has more than 250,000 members and over 1,000 chapters worldwide. The sorority uses its FivePoint Programmatic Thrust: economic development, educational development, international awareness and involvement, physical and mental health, and political awareness and involvement to create its national programs.

■ Rainmaker Award – Lisa Lunsford, founder and CEO, Global Strategic Supply Solutions ■ Red-Tape Buster Award – Akousa Barthwell Evans, CEO, The Barthwell Group ■ Up-and-Coming Award – Pamela Smith, managing member, PTS Compliance Consulting, LLC ■ Warrior Award – Cheryl Hudson, owner and operator, Woodhouse Day Spa Detroit ■ Words of Wisdom Award – Jocelyn Giangrande, founder and president, Sashe, LLC ■ Greater Good Award – Mary Kramer, publisher, Crain’s Detroit Business The Greater Detroit Chapter of NAWBO is the premier business resource for women business owners in Southeast Michigan. NAWBO was founded in 1975 and has over 5000 members in 60 chapters across the United States.

NAWBO Greater Detroit’s membership includes the finest women entrepreneurs in the area, sharing their experience and empowering each other through NAWBO membership. Their companies include emerging enterprises, sole proprietorships and longstanding companies with multi-million dollar revenue. For more information, visit: http://nawbogdc.org/index.php.

Being a love-oholic Valentines’ Day is one of our favorite holidays, so it’s with great pleasure we present

“As we celebrate more than 100 years of Sisterhood, Scholarship and Service, I am reminded of the 22 dynamic collegiate women who founded our illustrious sisterhood at Howard University. They used their collective intellect and strength to promote academic excellence, and to engage in social action initiatives that would benefit the underserved. We are honored to continue this legacy while connecting and empowering women worldwide,” said Danita L. Wimbush, president of the Southfield Alumnae Chapter.

Community leaders, professionals, and metro Detroit influencers will experience the philanthropic journey of the sorority while dining and being entertained by music and dance. A host of notable women across America will be highlighted in the Grand Ballroom with a focus on the Sorority’s Five-Point Programmatic Thrust: Economic Development, Educational Development, International Awareness and Involvement, Physical and Mental Health, and Political Awareness and Involvement.

Business Solutions

For HIM:

For HER: John Kelly Chocolates: The Truffle Fudge is unique in that it has a silky chocolate center with the consistency of ganache, as well as a chocolate coating. It is similar to a truffle but it’s actually a proprietary recipe for fudge – a gourmet fudge unlike any other. Each handcrafted collection comes beautifully wrapped, boxed and handtied ribbon for ready gifting that is sure to make an impression. (Price: $6.50-$109.50) Natalia Teddy: Natalia plays with light and shadow, texture and seduction, for a stunning lacy teddy that feels as incredible as it looks on the body. The gorgeous graphic art nouveau lace stars on the body with a deep V plunge front and divinely cheeky bum. A band of textured trim with gold hardware hooks at the small of the back and a slinky and tactile satin halter neck ribbon ties at the nape of the neck. Hook? Unhook. Tie? Untie. Boldly lovely, indeed. (Price: $88.00) Pandora Filled with Love Bracelet Gift Set: Present her with this beautiful and heartfelt Filled with Love Gift Set and know she will treasure it for years to come. It features two classic sterling silver Feathered clips, a sparkling heart-shaped Ribbon of Love charm in sterling silver, and a twist on PANDORA's sterling silver classic charm bracelet from a beautiful heart-shaped clasp. This set is presented in a leatherette wristlet, and is the perfect way to show her that she's given you a heart "filled with love." (Price: $185.00)

Nike Air Force 1 Ultra Flyknit Mid: The Nike Air Force 1 Flyknit is a basketball shoe built with a woven material called Flyknit. Led by Nike Designer Jonathan Johnsongriffin, the shoe weighs half of the ’82 original and is the lightest AF1 in history. (Price: $174.99) Esperos Bags Edinburgh Weekend Warrior: The Edinburgh Weekend Warrior is the sophisticated approach to your favorite weekend bag. Designed to carry everything you need for a vacation away, it is made of the same quality canvas used in vintage military gear. The Edinburgh Weekend Warrior is outfitted with two interior shoe pockets, nickel plated swivel-hook lanyards and an exterior pocket.

This sleek overnighter will take you through your next jaunt!

(Price: $124.99) Sleepy Jones Jasper Boxer Short: A tailored boxer short in fine cotton poplin, the Jasper Boxer is ideal for the selective layabout looking for a sharp, refined fit. Custom print designed by John Derian, flat front waistband, double button fly, and discreet coin pocket perfect for casual numismatic pursuits. (Price: $48.00) The Ultimate Couples Gift - Staycation at MGM Grand Detroit: MGM Grand Detroit is a true resort destination in Downtown Detroit complete with a Forbes Travel Guide Four-Star hotel and spa (the only in the city) and several fine-dining establishments including Wolfgang Puck Steak and Wolfgang Puck Pizzeria & Cucina. A romantic weekend can be had without even leaving the property, but the location between downtown and Corktown, and free parking make it convenient to explore the city too.

To help couples celebrate romance this time of year a special package in available through Feb 29 that includes a luxury king Guest Room, welcome amenity of champagne and chocolate, 2 p.m. late checkout, complimentary valet parking and access to the spa and fitness center.

business

THE MICHIGAN CHRONICLE

February 3-9, 2016

Page C-5

2016 Black History Month at the Wright Museum Kathleen Cleaver of the Black Panther Party is featured speaker for Liberation Film Series event The Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History will present a wide range of exciting, insightful, and inspirational programming in celebration of Black History Month. The museum will be open every day of February to accommodate the expected record visitation by school groups and the general public. Unless otherwise noted, all events take place at the museum, located at 315 East Warren Avenue in Midtown Detroit’s Cultural Center, and are free and open to the public. Of special note are the following: In the 50th anniversary year of the establishment of the Black Panther Party (formerly the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense), Kathleen Cleaver, professor at Emory University School of Law and former communications secretary for the organization, will visit Detroit for the first times since 1971. Cleaver is to speak on the topic of “Report for the Black Liberation Struggle” for the Museum’s Liberation Film Series presentation of “The Black Panther: Vanguard of the Revolution,” the first feature length documentary to explore the Black Panther Party. The program will also pay tribute to former Black Panther Party leaders and activists Ahmad A. Rahman and Ron Scott. Both have passed.

SPECIAL EVENTS No Boundaries Gallery Talk by Dennis Scholl Wednesday, February 17 at 6 PM Journey to Australia with Dennis Scholl (former V.P. of Arts and Miami Program Director at the Jonh S. and James L. Knight Foundation). Hear how he has come to build one of the most extensive collections of Aboriginal art in the world, a portion of which now tours as No Boundaries: Aboriginal Australian Contemporary Abstract Painting. The Museum is the fourth stop on the tour. Exhibit ends on May 15. Free.

Panther: Vanguard of the Revolution. Book Signing. Free.

um membership, making your next 12 months free. $7 or free for members.

FAMILY

30 Days to Lose It! Weekly Workouts ($)

Family Activity Series presents Tap Dancing Saturday, February 13 at 1 PM Be inspired to move like Savion Glover, Gregory Hines and Sammy Davis, Jr.! Make rhythmic sounds that come from your feet and learn to tap dance. Free.

Don Barden Foundation Interactive Storytime Sunday, February 14 at 2 PM Do you want your child to love reading? Then you’ll love being a part of Interactive Storytime where music, movement, and literacy collide.

This interactive performance puts your kids right in the story! Plus, take home a free book!

Free.

Family Activity Series presents Hip Hop Dance Saturday, February 20 at 1 PM Have you ever wondered how to pop and lock like Missy Elliot? The Detroit Windsor Dance Academy knows just how Missy moves! Come out to learn fun hip hop moves with the whole family. Free.

Meet the Scientists Saturday, February 27 at 2 PM Do some detective work by investigating and decoding FOOD! Food scientists intentionally manipulate products to make them more addictive in order to keep you coming back. Kids and parents, Bring a “healthy” snack to be decoded and learn how much nutritional value is actually in our favorite foods with Dr. Akua Woolbright.

Free.

PERFORMANCE & FILM Liberation Film Series presents A Tribute to Frantz Fanon: His Continuing Relevance Saturday, February 27 at 4 PM

Liberation Film Series presents 50th Anniversary of the Call for Black Power

Speakers: Dr. William Strickland, Professor Emerita, Afro-American Studies, UMass-Amherst; Dr. Rita Kiki Edozie, Professor of International Relations and African American and African Studies at Michigan State University; and Dr.Lewis R. Gordon, Professor of Philosophy and Africana Studies at University of Connecticut - Storrs. Film: Rediscovering Fanon produced by Rico Speight. Book Signing: What Fanon Said (2015) by Lewis R. Gordon. Free.

Featuring a tribute to Dr. Ahmad Rahman and Ron Scott

HEALTH & WELLNESS

Saturday, February 13 at 3 PM

Hustle for History Weekly Dance Lessons ($)

Speaker: Kathleen Neal Cleaver, Senior Lecturer and Research Fellow at Emory University School of Law and former Communications Secretary of the Black Panther Party. Topic: Report From The Black Liberation Struggle. Introduction by Dr. Errol Henderson. Film: The Black

Sundays at 5 PM Work your muscles, strengthen your bones, and improve your health with weekly hustle lessons, taught by Thomasenia Johnson of Two Left Feet. Purchase five lessons and receive a muse-

Tuesdays at 7:30 PM Want to slim down, stay in shape or just be healthy? Join us for SEASON 6 of 30 Days To Lose It! a weekly workout that was inspired by the TV show, The Biggest Loser. This workout is free for museum members and $5 for non-members. Attend 8 consecutive sessions and receive a complimentary museum membership, making your next 12 months free.

EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMMING Power Lecture Series presents Black Studies and Black Liberation: What Went Wrong? How Can We Fix it?

Saturday, February 20 at 2 PM Speaker: Dr. Abdul Alkalimat (McWorter), Professor Emeritus, African American Studies, Liberal Arts, and Graduate Library and Information Sciences. Free.

Annual ASALH Black History Month Event: Detroit: Under Attack & Fighting Back!

Wednesday, February 24 at 6 PM Join the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH) to examine Detroit’s history and discuss the impact of five pivotal uprisings and their relationship to present- day conditions and race relations. Free.

Empowering a Millennial Hip-Hop Generation Thursday, February 25 at 6 PM How do you encourage a generation? How do you empower your peers? How can millennials utilize their voice and talents to negotiate aspects of mainstream society? Share your thoughts at this panel discussion, featuring a special spoken word performance from the Lyricists Society of Douglas Academy for Young Men. Free.

NIGHTLIFE The Secret Society of Twisted Storytellers: Love Stories ($) Friday, February 19 at 8 PM Real People. True Stories. Told Live. The award winning Secret Society of Twisted Storytellers is back for another highly-acclaimed live curated, storytelling event. Let storytellers Monica Morgan and Kalyn Risker Fahie sooth your ears with tales of “Love.” Hosted by creator and producer Satori Shakoor. Tickets can be purchased at thewright.org.

EXHIBITIONS And Still We Rise: Our Journey Through African American History and Culture Permanent Exhibition The core experience of The Wright Museum,

this 22,000 square-foot exhibition takes visitors through time and across geographic boundaries from prehistoric Africa all the way to modernday Detroit. Throughout, the efforts of everyday men and women who built families, businesses, educational institutions, spiritual traditions, civic organizations and a legacy of freedom and justice are hailed. Free with museum admission.

Inspiring Minds: African Americans in Science and Technology Permanent Exhibition This high-tech exhibit highlights trailblazers, contemporaries and careers in the STEM fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics through interactive computer kiosks, a touchscreen video wall, and hands-on activities and play areas. Inspiring Minds introduces individuals from across the spectrum of fields, levels of renown, and from times past and present, with particular focuses on African American women in science, black aviators, black inventors, medical ethics, and key historical figures such as George Washington Carver. Free with museum admission.

No Boundaries: Aboriginal Australian Contemporary Abstract Painting January 18 May 15, 2016 The rise of the Aboriginal Australian art movement in the early 1970s ushered in an artistic revolution. As the 21st century approached, Aboriginal artists across the continent began transforming their traditional iconographies into more abstract styles of art making. Speaking across cultures, without sacrificing their distinctive identities, they found new ways to express the power of the ancestral narratives of the Dreaming.

Postmarked: The African American Stamp on History December 15, 2015 – March 13, 2016 Postmarked: The African American Stamp on History was created from the Black Heritage Stamp Series, a collection generously donated by the United States Postal Service. These commemoratives are presented with the idea that stamps are a different way of telling stories. The Black Heritage Stamp Series promotion began in 1978, is the longest running series of its kind, and one of the most popular philately ventures the Postal Service has ever undertaken.

Collect: The Power of Knowing October 31, 2015 - March 27, 2016 Curated by Dr. Cledie Collins Taylor, Collect: The Power of Knowing honors art collectors who have preserved and shown us works we may not have seen on our own, especially art from the continent of Africa. The works show evidence of our creativity from the distant past to our current times. There is power in knowing this history

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Detroit launch 100 Days Campaign MICHIGAN CHRONICLE REPORTS

100 MENTORS IN 100 DAYS: Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metropolitan Detroit (BBBSMD) launched its 9th Annual 100 Mentors in 100 Days campaign, on January 1, 2016, a day after President Obama proclaimed January 2016 National Mentoring Month. President Obama stated, “Every young person can benefit from having a mentor, and all people carry unique ideas and experiences they can employ as a mentor.”

This drive is committed to recruiting mentors; particularly male mentors, to help young people achieve their full potential within our community. This year’s campaign theme is REAL MEN MENTOR, recognizing those already serving as mentors in metro Detroit and encouraging others to join in.

In his Presidential Proclamation, President Obama stated that, “by sharing their own stories and offering guidance and advice, mentors can instill a sense of infinite possibility in the hearts and minds

of their mentees, demonstrating that with hard work and passion, nothing is beyond their potential.” This is of particular importance to young males. The matched mentoring services BBBSMD provides to young males is a life changing experience for our Bigs (mentors) and Littles (mentees).

BBBSMD President & CEO, Jeannine Gant, stated that “the need for male mentors continues to grow and we are seeking male volunteers through aggressive media and community outreach in recruitment of volunteers and mentor rich companies within Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties. At present we have 275 youth in need of a mentor and the number continues to grow. The proportion of boys to girls waiting on a volunteer Big is 183/92.

Our main focus during the campaign is to encourage male participation in mentoring. I join with President Obama in calling upon public officials, business and community leaders, educators, and Americans across the country to observe this month

by getting involved.”

BBBSMD’s 100 Mentors in 100 Days Campaign is intended to bring awareness to the great need for mentors, specifical-

ly males; encouraging young and old to learn more about why mentoring is so important to our youth and our communities. In as little as 2-hours a month mentors can make a

100% difference in a life of a child. BBBSMD asks people to sign up to become a mentor or nominate a man who would be a great mentor.

Page C-6 • THE MICHIGAN CHRONICLE • February 10-16, 2016

EXCELLENCE MEN & WOMEN OF EXCELLENCE 2016 AWARDS CEREMONY AND ALUMNI REUNION IN CELEBRATION OF THE MICHIGAN CHRONICLE’S 80TH BIRTHDAY!

Friday, April 1, 2016 Cobo Center — Grand Ballroom NOMINATION FORM Name of Nominee

Age

Title/Position Company/Affiliation Years in Industry

NOMINEE CONTACT INFORMATION Address City/State/Zip Day Phone

Evening Phone

Fax Email Local African American executive or business owner.

Proven success within his/her profession.

Positive role model whose contributions encourage others.

Its Our Birthday!

In celebration of the Michigan Chronicle’s 80th birthday, Men and Women of Excellence will be combined into one big colossal birthday celebration and alumni reunion. On Friday, April 1, 2016, a new class of Men and Women of Excellence will be honored before an audience of more than 1,500 of their peers. But first, they must be nominated. Be a part of the the Michigan Chronicle’s 80th birthday celebration, take a moment to honor someone who is excellent today.

Active in community service or organizational involvement.

QUESTIONS TO BE COMPLETED Describe the specific accomplishments that demonstrate the nominee’s professional excellence.

Describe the nominee’s community service activity or organizational involvement.

SUBMISSION DEADLINE: February 19, 2016 • 5 p.m.

Submit online: www.michiganchronicle.com

How has the nominee mentored others?

Submit via email: events@realtimesmedia.com Submit by mail: Michigan Chronicle MOE/WOE Nomination 479 Ledyard St. Detroit, MI 48201 (313) 963-5522

NOMINATOR’S CONTACT INFORMATION Name Title Firm/Organization Address City/State/Zip Day Phone

Evening Phone

Fax Email

#MOEWOE2016

@MichiganChronicle

www.MichiganChronicle.com

@michronicle

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SECTION D

Reflections

By Steve Holsey

Titles

It’s interesting how some recording artists have titles, some bestowed on them by the media, others given to themselves.

James Brown had more titles than anyone — “Soul Brother No. 1,” “the Godfather,” “Mr. Dynamite” and “the Hardest Working Man in Show Business.”

Before they were famous

Ray Charles was “the Genius.” Bruce Springsteen is “the Boss.” Bessie Smith was “the Empress of the Blues.” Michael Jackson was “the King of Pop” (Elizabeth Taylor came up with that one). Aretha Franklin is “the Queen of Soul.” B.B. King was “the King of the Blues.” Donna Summer was “the Queen of Disco.” Mahalia Jackson was “the Queen of Gospel.”

Vin Diesel

By Steve Holsey Some people were seemingly born for entertainment…to sing, act, play an instrument, dance, and on it goes.

Ray Charles

But a surprising number of celebrities once had jobs that were not even remotely connected to show business, although as they were going about their 9-to-5 work day they may have had show business thoughts swirling through their minds.

Jackie Wilson

Let’s start with Morgan Freeman. The Academy Award-winning actor (“Million Dollar Baby”) at one time worked as a mechanic for the United States Air Force.

Evelyn “Champagne” King

Erykah Badu

February 10-16, 2016

michiganchronicle.com

Beyoncé swept up hair as well, in her mother’s beauty shop.

Tina Turner

Bill Withers, to whom we can be grateful for classic songs like “Lean on Me,” “Lovely Day” and “Ain’t No Sunshine,” worked as an assembler for several companies, including Douglas Aircraft Corporation.

Jackie Wilson was “Mr. Excitement.”

Little Richard is “the Architect of Rock and Roll.” Nina Simone was “the High Priestess of Soul.” Luciano Pavarotti was “the King of the High C’s.” Gladys Knight is “the Empress of Soul.” Tina Turner is “the Queen of Rock.” Erykah Badu is “the Queen of Neo-Soul.”

LL COOL J recently received one of the entertainment industry’s greatest honors — a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. No one could be more deserving.

And going way, way back, two-time Oscar winner Denzel Washington (“Glory,” “Training Day”) remembers sweeping up hair in a barbershop.

Morgan Freeman

Ashanti was a daycare worker.

Jennifer Hudson has come a long way.

She was an “American Idol” finalist in season 3 in 2004 and went on to win an Academy Award in 2007 for her performance in “Dreamgirls.” But people in her native Chicago remember when she worked at Burger King.

Queen Latifah has something in common

with Hudson because she, too, worked at Burger King.

Kanye West, whose ego is like no other, was employed by the Gap. His main function was folding pants, sweaters, etc.

Keith Sweat, R&B hitmaker and syndicated radio host, once worked as a brokerage assistant on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange.

Madonna worked at Dunkin’ Donuts.

Laz Alonso, seen in such movies as “Jumping the Broom” and “This Christmas,” as well as many TV shows, used to be an investment banker for Merrill Lynch on Wall Street.

Evelyn “Champagne” King made her money as an office cleaner at a major record company and enjoyed singing while she worked. A record producer heard her and not long after, she was signed by RCA Records and began having hits like “Shame,” “I’m in Love” and “I Don’t Know if it’s Right.”

Vin Diesel was employed as a bouncer in a nightclub. That was good preparation for the action film star he would eventually become.

Diana Ross bused tables in the basement cafeteria of Hudson’s department store.

Jennifer Lopez worked in a New York City law office as a paralegal.

Samuel L. Jackson was a social worker.

He enjoyed “improving the quality of life and enhancing the wellbeing of individuals, families, couples, groups and communities,” but the acting profession beckoned.

Queen Latifah

LL Cool J His transition from rap superstar to highly respected actor (television and movies) has been amazing, not to mention how perfect he is at hosting TV specials such as the Grammys.

It tickles me every time I think about something Maxine Powell, who conducted Motown’s finishing school as part of the company’s grooming program, said to me. At the time, college-educated Lionel Richie was soaring to superstardom.

Mrs. Powell said forcefully, “I didn’t have anyone like Lionel Richie. Most of the ones I had were rude and crude and from the projects.”

And I love this quote from Samuel L. Jackson: “We’ve come a long way in our thinking, but also in our moral decay. I can’t imagine Dr. Martin Luther King watching ‘Real Housewives.’”

JUSSIE SMOLLETT mended for honesty and self-confidence.

The breakout star from “Empire” who portrays Jamal Lyon, recently said:

Laz Alonso

Jennifer Hudson

WGPR-TV exhibition captures a clip of American history It was a pipeline for local and national celebrities.

is to be com-

Whether they became known for showing great moves on “The Scene” dance show or for hosting forums with Mayor Coleman Young and other city leaders, the faces broadcast on WGPR TV62 remain some of Detroit’s most memorable.

“If I had to label myself, I would label myself as a gay man.

With that said, I be- Jussie Smollett lieve that love is the only thing that matters, and I would hope that people would leave themselves open, not to gender but to love.”

Names like “Scene” dancer “Fast Freddie” and host Nat Morris helped motivate many a student to hurry home after class to be in front of their sets every weekday evening, for the dancers and they might catch a hot recording artist performing at the downtown-area studio.

Yet, even at the peak of its success, before going off the air in the 1990s, many, if not most, of its viewing audience was unaware that WGPR was not just a black-owned television station, but the first black-owned station in America.

Smollett has received unwavering support from the show’s main star, the Emmy-winning Taraji P. Henson.

Good for him, good for her.

Steve Harvey is not one to turn on someone he cares about.

Now there is a special exhibit at the Detroit Historical Museum — and there are plans for a permanent museum de-

On the subject of Bill Cosby, he said:

See Reflections Page D-2

Shaun Robinson, who launched her career as a WGPR-TV news reporter.

See WGPR Page D-2

entertainment

THE MICHIGAN CHRONICLE

WGPR

Week’s Best

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voted to the station’s broadcast legacy — to educate those who didn’t know, and remind those who did of the organization’s history-making significance.

Through April 3, 2016 “America’s Broadcast Pioneer,” a multimedia exhibition featuring a vast collection of vibrant photographs, re-aired segment broadcasts, and rare memorabilia including certified gold records by Prince and the Time (whose success was helped by exposure from WGPR’s radio side), will greet visitors to Detroit Historical’s Community Gallery.

The recently unveiled attraction traces WGPR’s origins from the vision of Dr. William V. Banks, who was faced with skepticism about the ability to attract advertiser support and other crucial industry resources, to the station’s first air date of Sept. 29, 1975 and beyond.

Oral histories and a replica of the historical marker installed in January at the former studio location, 3146 East Jefferson Ave., are also part of “America’s Broadcasting Pioneer.”

Joe Spencer, former station program director, and president of the WGPR-TV Historical Society, announced the ultimate goal to open a museum at the site of the former studio, where he was responsible for bringing not only Detroit-based shows to the airwaves, but popular syndicated programs like “Ebony/Jet Showcase,” a predecessor of entertainment news series like “Entertainment Tonight.”

The repository would let visitors

2-14-26-37-53-6 3940 9118 DIGITAL DAILY WWW.MICHIGANCHRONICLE.COM

Tenicia Gregory, daughter of WGPR-TV founder Dr. William V. Banks, and Karl Gregory. study the station’s origins, participate in a mock television program, experiment with hands-on displays of studio cameras, watch video segments of station programming, and attend a speakers series featuring WGPR alumni. The 2,500-squarefoot space would be filled with additional memorabilia, mega-sized video screens, and digital production technology.

The WGPR-TV Historical Society, comprised of former staff and station supporters, held a ribbon-cutting to formally open the Detroit Historical Museum exhibition.

Former Fox TV “Access Hollywood” co-host Shaun Robinson, a former WGPR news reporter,

DIGITAL DAILY

praised the efforts of Banks and his family, the International Masons, who owned the station, and her former co-workers.

WWW.MICHIGANCHRONICLE.COM

Robinson grew up in Detroit and says she is proud of the community that helped launch her into the realm of red-carpet interviews with the world’s biggest entertainers.

Sharing that her father died in recent years, Robinson pointed out her mother in the audience that gathered for a brief program and pre-unveiling ceremony last month.

“Thank you,” she told station alumni, “for making it possible for my parents to watch me on TV in the city where I lived.”

Reflections

From page D-1

“He has been a friend of mine.

He has been a friend to my children.

That’s the man I know. I would love to believe that none of it is true, but I’m not the judge and jury. I’ve talked with him a couple of times. I don’t bring up the subject. Wherever the chips fall, he is my friend.”

Former pro-baseball player David Justice is tired of speculation that he is the ex-husband of Halle Berry who hit her so that she ended up deaf in one ear.

“I didn’t do it,” said Justice. “If it was me, then say it. But she can’t say it because she knows it wasn’t.

She’d rather just let people believe it.”

P I CK S

LOTTERY

From page D-1

February 10-16, 2016 Page D-2

Halle Berry has a lengthy history

of marriages and relationships going bad.

BETCHA DIDN’T KNOW…that a scene in the famous 1943 movie “Cabin in the Sky,” featuring Lena Horne taking a sexy bubble bath was cut. The decision-makers believed that white America would not accept seeing a black woman that way!

MEMORIES: “But It’s Alright” (J.J. Jackson), “Bring it on Home to Me” (Sam Cooke), “Fight the Power” (the Isley Brothers), “How Can You Mend a Broken Heart?” (Al Green), “Oh No Not My Baby” (Maxine Brown), “Going in Circles” (the Friends of Distinction), “Midnight at the Oasis” (Maria Muldaur), “Angel” (Anita Baker), “I’ve Got to Use

My Imagination” (Gladys Knight & the Pips), “Something About You” (the Four Tops).

BLESSINGS to Rian Barnhill, Britta Spear, Stephanie Washington, Jason Flowers, Lester Bryant, Donald James, Andre Smith, Daniel Washington, Eddie Allen, Gwen Kendrick, Rita Griffin, Al Allen and Pam Woodside.

At Your Finger Tips!

WORDS OF THE WEEK, from Paul McCartney: “You’ve got to get it just in case it doesn’t come around again.”

At Your Finger Tips!

Let the music play!

Steve Holsey can be reached at Svh517@aol.com and PO Box 02843, Detroit, MI 48202.

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February 10-16, 2016

Page D-3

MOTOR CITY ENTERTAINMENT

CALENDAR

BOYZ II MEN, Goodwill’s Harmonies and Hope Event Concert, Sound Board at Motor City Casino, March 17.

Tickets sold at Ticketmaster locations and MotorCityCasino.com. To charge by phone, call 1.800.745.3000.

PEABO BRYSON, Andiamo Celebrity Showroom, Sunday, Feb. 14. For ticket information, call 586.268.3200 or visit andiamoshowroom.com.

VIVIAN CARPENTER/Jon Barfield Challenge Grant Concert to raise funds to keep Music Hall Center for the Performing Arts in operation, featuring Chaka Khan, Michael Cooper, John Barfield & Irresistible, Michael Mindingall, Maurissa Rose, Ashton & Rivonne Moore, Music Hall, Friday, Feb. 12. For tickets or more information, call 313.887.8501 or visit ­ www.musichall.org/.

Remembering

Maurice White (1941-2016)

Maurice White was a visionary, a man on a mission. And in fulfilling that mission with Earth, Wind & Fire, he gave us some of the greatest recordings in the history of the music industry.

The music is timeless.

As White put it, “The music of the ’70s has not died. It has a rejuvenating quality to it. We were very serious about our music and who we were trying to touch.”

Earth, Wind & Fire was, and continues to be, one of the greatest, most innovative groups, and the influence they had on other bands is evident.

The band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995.

Maurice White, affectionately known as “Reece,” was born in Memphis. While a student at Booker T. Washington High School, he formed his first band. One of the members was Booker T. Jones, a friend since childhood, who would go on to form Booker T. & the MG’s.

He later moved to Chicago where he studied at the Chicago Conservatory of Music. Evenings he played drums in area nightclubs. He also found work as a session drummer at Chess Records, playing for such artists as Etta James, the Dells and Betty Everett.

In 1966, White was asked to join the Ramsey Lewis Trio. They, too, recorded for Chess. He played on nine of the trio’s

‘H20 Fest’ to benefit Flint

Among the performers are GS the Dream, Overdrive, Aztek the Barfly, Go Gang, Smash Your Enemies, Angel Lanise with Fan Smith and many more.

There was often a spiritual dimension to the songs White wrote, but he was never preachy.

Maurice White could do it all — sing, write songs, play instruments, produce and arrange songs, and lead a band. For his efforts he won seven Grammys and was nominated for 21.

DANCE THEATRE of Harlem, Detroit Opera House, Friday-Sunday, Feb. 12-14.

Tickets sold at MichiganOpera.org, the Opera House box

On Saturday, Feb. 13, Detroit Underground Promotions will present “H20 Fest, a benefit for Flint Water,” from noon to 11 pm at Tangent Gallery, 715 E. Milwaukee.

Although no admission money is required, a gallon or more of bottled water is requested.

Think of the songs: “Can’t Hide Love,” “Getaway,” “Reasons,” “That’s the Way of the World,” “Fantasy,” “Keep Your Head to the Sky,” “Let’s Groove,” “September,” “Boogie Wonderland” (with the Emotions), “After the Love is Gone,” “Open Our Eyes,” “Sing a Song,” “I’ll Write a Song for You,” “Serpentine Fire,” “Love is Life,” “Shining Star,” “Saturday Night” and on it goes.

GEORGE CLINTON, Parliament, Funkadelic, Alise King, Sound Board at Motor City Casino, May 5. Tickets sold at Ticketmaster locations and MotorCityCasino.com.

To charge by phone, call 1.800.745.3000.

albums, including one of their most successful, “Wade in the Water.” Years later, he produced another of Lewis’ biggest albums, “Sun Goddess.”

Eventually, White moved to Los Angeles. He had formed a band called, believe it or not, the Salty Peppers. Fortunately, the name was changed to Earth, Wind & Fire. One of the things that made the band sound different was that he began using the kalimba, an African instrument.

White also produced other artists, most notably the Emotions and Deniece Williams, in addition to Jennifer Holliday, Atlantic Starr and others.

A serious health condition made it necessary for White to stop touring with Earth, Wind & Fire in 1994, although he maintained executive control.

Lalah Hathaway was correct when she said Maurice White’s contributions as a musician, songwriter and producer are immeasurable. — SVH

Dance Theatre of Harlem office, by calling 313.237.7464 and at Ticketmaster locations.

MIKE EPPS, Tommy Davidson, Jay Pharoah, Cocoa Brown, Joe Louis Arena, March 25. Tickets sold at Ticketmaster locations and MotorCityCasino.com.

FLOETRY, Fox Theatre, Sunday, Feb. 14. Tickets sold at Ticketmaster locations.

To charge by phone, call 1.800.745.3000.

KIRK FRANKLIN, Fox Theatre, March 25. Tickets sold at Ticketmaster locations.

To charge by phone, call 1.800.745.3000.

JOHNNY GILL, Christopher Williams, Sound Board at Motor City Casino, April 14.

Tickets sold at Ticketmaster locations and MotorCityCasino.com. To charge by phone, call 1.800.745.3000.

BRIAN McKNIGHT, Sound Board at Motor City Casino, March 11. Tickets sold at Ticketmaster locations and MotorCityCasino.com. To charge by phone, call 1.800.745.3000.

JEFFREY OSBORNE, Atlantic Starr, Enchantment,

Loose Ends, Masonic Temple, Saturday, Feb. 13. Tickets on sale at the Masonic Temple box office and Ticketmater locations. To charge by phone, call 1.800.745.3000.

“SMOKEY JOE’S Café,” stage musical, Sound Board at Motor City Casino, Feb. 2528. Tickets sold at Ticketmaster locations and MotorCityCasino.com. To charge by phone, call 1.800.745.3000.

STYLISTICS, Stephanie Mills, the Manhattans featuring Gerald Alston, Harold Melvin’s Blue Notes, Ray, Goodman & Brown, Fox Theatre, March 26. Tickets sold at Ticketmaster locations and MotorCityCasino.com. To charge by phone, call 1.800.745.3000.

WHISPERS, Family of Faith Choir, Sound Board at Motor City Casino, Thursday, Feb. 11. Tickets sold at Ticketmaster locations and MotorCityCasino.com. To charge by phone, call 1.800.745.3000.

KATT WILLIAMS, Joe Louis Arena, Saturday, Feb. 13.

Tickets sold at Ticketmaster locations. To charge by phone, call 1.800.745.3000.

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February 10-16, 2016

THE MICHIGAN CHRONICLE ANNOUNCEMENTS

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BORN GIFTED READER The 7th Daughter without asking you a single word. I will tell you what you want to know. Tell your present, past and future. Tell you who your friends and enemies are.

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ANNOUNCEMENTS

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“MARY JEAN PEYTON”

I, BOYD EL , whose address is 4635 - 4641 Grand River Avenue, Detroit, Michigan 48208 proclaim my Free National Name as MOORISH SCIENCE TEMPLE OF AMERICA according to the rules and usages of such MOORISH SCIENCE TEMPLE OF AMERICA.

(SMART) is soliciting a Request for Proposals (RFP) for Third Party Administrator for Workers’ Compensation Insurance Control No. 16-1963. RFP forms may be obtained beginning February 10, 2016 on www. mitn.info RFP’s are due by 3:00PM EST, Thursday, March 3, 2016 at the Buhl Bldg.

535 Griswold, Ste 600 Detroit, MI 48226

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Detroit Transportation Corporation NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING All Citizens are advised that the Detroit Transportation Corporation (DTC) has prepared an application for State of Michigan financial assistance for fiscal year 2017 as required under Act 51 of the Public Acts of 1951, as amended, and for federal assistance as required under the federal transit laws, as amended. The DTC is requesting estimated total capital funding through the following sources: Section 5307 for DTC Infrastructure and Equipment Upgrades $500,000; Section 5337 DTC Infrastructure and Equipment Upgrades, $1,375,000; Section 5310 DTC Infrastructure and Equipment Upgrades,$440,625 and (MI) Act 51 Operating Assistance, $5,100,000. Notice of these federal funds has been previously published in the Transportation Improvement Plan prepared by SEMCOG.

PROCLAMATION I, THOMPKINS EL, whose address is 2198 Prince Hall Drive Detroit, Michigan 48207 proclaim my Free National Name as MOORISH SCIENCE TEMPLE OF AMERICA according to the rules and usages of such MOORISH SCIENCE TEMPLE OF AMERICA. The Moorish Science Temple of America deriving its power and authority from the Great Koran of Mohammed to propagate the faith and extend the learning and truth of the Great Prophet of Alli in America. To anoint, appoint and consecrate missionaries of the prophet and to establish the faith of Mohammed in America.

POLICE OFFICER The Grand Rapids Police Department is currently seeking qualified Police Officers.

The closing date for the posting is 11:59 PM on 2/25/16. All Applicants must fill out the online application at www.grcity.us/humanresources.

Applicants will find all other necessary requirements for this position on that website.

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FRI 4/29/2016 @ 1:00 PM (313) 724-8990, www.siapsa.org

The Moorish Science Temple of America deriving its power and authority from the Great Koran of Mohammed to propagate the faith and extend the learning and truth of the Great Prophet of Alli in America. To anoint, appoint and consecrate missionaries of the prophet and to establish the faith of Mohammed in America.

REQUEST FOR QUOTE

HELP WANTED

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No Mail Answered 2742 Monroe St., Toledo, Ohio 1-419-248-2145 1-419-973-9058

has resigned as “Resident Agent,” pursuant to MCL 450.1243.

24425 Hass & 24480 George St Dearborn Heights, MI 48127

FEBRUARY PRENATAL INFECTION PREVENTION

The DTC ensures that the level and quality of transportation service is provided without regard to race, color, or national origin in accordance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. For more information regarding our Title VI obligations or to file a complaint, please contact the DTC at the address listed below.

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OPEN ENROLLMENT UNIVERSAL ACADEMY 4833 Ogden St. Detroit, MI 48210

M-Fr 3/01 - 3/24/2016, 9 AM–3:30 PM Fr 3/11/16, 10 AM–6 PM & Sat 3/12/16, 9:30 AM–12 PM

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Fri 5/06/2016 @ 1:30 PM (313) 581-5006, www.universalpsa.org

HELP WANTED

PHYSICIAN NEPHROLOGIST Chowdhury MD PLLC has an opening for a Physician Nephrologist to work in Lake, Manistee, Mecosta, & Wexford Counties, MI. Will diagnose, evaluate, & treat kidney disease, hypertension, including care for complex kidney transplant patients, both as outpatient & in the hospital. Evaluate & treat dialysis patients as necessary. Take nephrology call as required throughout Lake, Manistee, Mecosta & Wexford Counties, MI.

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Visteon!Corporation!is!seeking!a!Lead!

Software!Validation!Engineer!at!our!Technical!

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Specification!(SRS)!reviews!and!analysis,! among!other!duties.!Bachelor’s!degree!in! engineering!and!3!years!of!experience!in!the! job!offered!or!electronics!or!software! engineering!occupation.!!For!confidential! consideration,!please!apply!online!at! www.visteon.com/careers/.!Please!respond!to! job!Requisition!Number!16R0013.!EOE.%

Must have Medical Doctor Degree or foreign academic equivalent. Must have completed 36 months of Residency training in Internal Medicine & 24 months of Fellowship training in Nephrology. Must have or be eligible for a Physician’s License Michigan Chronicle in the State of MI.

Size: 2 (2.16”) x 3” Applicants submit resumes to: Issue : 02-10 Chowdhury, M.D. PLLC 8795 Pine Ridge Dr. Cadillac, MI 49601

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Motor%Thermal%Systems%Engineer% %

General!Motors!Co.!seeks!Motor!Thermal!

Systems!Engineer!in!Pontiac,!MI!to!perform! complex!thermal!analysis!using!finite!element! analysis?!calibrate!electric!motor!thermal! performance?!develop!and!release!thermal! calibrations!for!electric!motors?!test!and!verify! electric!motor!thermal!performance?!correlate! data!from!empirical!testing!to!FEA!data?! perform!thermal!simulations!of!electric! machines!to!determine!thermal!capability! against!component!requirements?!compile!and! present!simulation!results!to!internal! customers?!generate!validation!plans!to! ensure!compliance!with!thermal!performance! requirements,!among!other!duties.!Min.!Ph.D.! +!2!yrs.!exp.!!Please!send!resumes!to:!!

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Michigan State University Infrastructure Planning and Facilities is seeking to hire for the following position:

Heating Systems Mechanic Posting #2692

View complete posting and apply online at jobs.msu.edu. Refer to the posting number. The closing date for this position is Tuesday, February 23, 2016.

Written comments or requests regarding the application and/or written requests for a public hearing to review the application must be received by Monday, March 9, 2015. If a hearing is requested, notice of the scheduled date, time and location will be provided at least 10 days in advance.

MSU is committed to achieving excellence through cultural diversity. The University actively encourages applications and/or nominations of women, persons of color, veterans and persons with disabilities.

Submittals should be sent to Mr. Oliver Lindsay, Grant Manager, Detroit Transportation Corporation, 535 Griswold Street, Suite 400, Detroit, MI 48226 or 313-224-2160. Barring any changes made in response to the written comments, this document will become final.

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CITY OF RIVER ROUGE

River Rouge Police Department Dispatchers The City Of River Rouge is currently seeking applications for 911 Dispatchers to create an eligibility list. Applicants must be 21 years of age, a high school diploma/GED equivalent, valid Michigan Driver License/Michigan Identification Card, qualified to obtain a Concealed Pistol License, type 25-30 words per minute, pass background check. No felony convictions. Full-time position with ability to work dayshift, afternoon shift and midnight shift, and weekends required.

Applications may be obtained Mon-Fri 9:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m.

Jan. 28th - Feb. 15th, 2016 at: River Rouge Police Department 10600 West Jefferson Avenue River Rouge, MI 48218 313 842-0069 WWW.MICHIGANCHRONICLE.COM

March is National Nutrition Month: Develop Better Eating Habits (StatePoint) Have your healthy New Year’s habits already begun to fade? Recharge your resolutions in March during National Nutrition Month and remember the importance of developing and following sound eating habits.

The 2016 National Nutrition Month theme, “Savor the Flavor of Eating Right,” encourages you to take time to enjoy food traditions and appreciate the pleasures, great flavors and social experiences that food can add to life.

“Food nourishes the body and provides necessary fuel to help you thrive and fight disease,” says registered dietitian nutritionist and Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics spokesperson, Kristen Gradney. “In addition to providing nourishment, food is also a source of pleasure and enjoyment. Take time to enjoy healthy foods and all the happiness they bring to your life.”

Gradney offers a few ways you can

“Savor the Flavor of Eating Right” this National Nutrition Month: • Enjoy Food Traditions and Social Experiences: There is an obvious social component to food. Whether it’s a nightly family dinner, a special occasion or social gathering, food often plays a central role. Enjoy the food at these gatherings while also taking time to appreciate the company around you.

Research indicates that family meals promote healthier eating and strengthens family relationships.

• Appreciate Foods’ Pleasures and Flavors: Take time to appreciate the flavors, textures and overall eating experience. In today’s busy world, we often eat quickly and mindlessly. Instead, savor your food, eating slowly one bite at a time to focus on the different flavors and textures. Stop and take time in between bites.

Eating slowly not only allows you to enjoy your food, but it also can help

you eat less by giving your stomach time to tell your brain you are full.

• Develop a Mindful Eating Pattern: How, when, why and where you eat, are just as important as what you eat. Think about where you eat the majority of your meals. Do you eat lunch at your desk or dinner in front of the television?

Instead of multitasking through meals, take a few minutes out of your busy schedule to find a nice place to mindfully eat.

• Consult a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist: A healthy lifestyle is much more than choosing to eat more fruits and vegetables. It’s also essential to make informed food choices based on your individual health and nutrient needs.

A registered dietitian nutritionist (RDN) can educate you and guide your food choices while keeping your tastes and preferences in mind.

RDNs are able to separate facts from fads and translate nutritional

science into information you can use. Find an RDN in your area by visiting the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics site at www.eatright.org.

The site also contains articles, recipes, videos and educational resources.

Follow National Nutrition Month on Facebook and Twitter using the #NationalNutritionMonth hashtag.

By taking the time to enjoy what you eat, you can develop a healthier relationship with food.

Ways to Give Back to Your Community beyond. The Marine Toys for Tots Foundation has given new toys to children in need for more than 60 years. The organization also extends its reach through a partnership with The UPS Store through the Toys for Tots Literacy Program, which provides economically disadvantaged children an opportunity to succeed in school and beyond. Donations can be made at The UPS Store locations nationwide or online at toysfortots.org/ literacy.

One-hundred percent of all proceeds go to support local children and literacy programs. Your donations go even further thanks to the Marine Toys for Tots Foundation, which is able to purchase books at a deep discount. To find a participating location near you and make a donation that will help ensure families everywhere have access to books, visit theupsstore.com.

Bake Sale The next time you are making trays of cookies, consider making an extra batch or two, and encouraging friends and neighbors to do the same.

(StatePoint) Want to give back to your community but not sure how? Here are a few ideas to get you started.

The Gift of Literacy Only one-third of all students entering

high school are proficient in reading, according to a National Assessment of Education Progress report. Brighten children’s smiles while also giving them an opportunity to succeed at school and

With your combined efforts, you can host a bake sale, which can be a lucrative and enjoyable way to raise money for your favorite charity.

If you don’t have time to organize an event like this, you can still give back through your baking. Wrap packs of cookies or other goodies in bags as thank you gifts to your children’s teachers, coaches and others in your community who have served or been kind to your family.

Volunteer Your Time One of the best ways to give back is by donating your valuable time. Make a trip to a local nursing home and spend time with residents who may not have family or anyone else to visit them. Additionally, soup kitchens are often in need of extra hands. Ask your local organizations about volunteer opportunities.

If you have the time and resources to give back, there are plenty of opportunities to help people out in need of the basics.

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THE MICHIGAN CHRONICLE

Clergy and churches launch new DRIVE initiative

By William O’Brien HARRIET TUBMAN CENTER

Over 50 congregations were represented at the Commitment Ceremony of the Detroit Regional Interfaith Voice for Equity (DRIVE) on Sunday afternoon, Jan. 31. Five hundred and fifty people attended the spirited 90-minute ceremony, co-chaired by Rev. Aramis Hinds of Breakers Covenant International Church in Detroit, and Rev. Louise Ott of Congregational Church of Birminghmam UCC. The congregations were welcomed to Gesu Catholic Church by the Pastor, Rev. Robert Scullin, SJ. The pastors, along with two rabbis are building DRIVE to be a "coalition of clergy, congregations and allies, acting and advocating to create a just, equal and equitable community through congregation-based organizing."

Following a call to action by Apostle John Harvey of Serenity Christian in Highland Park, 32 congregations committed their membership, announcing publicly their 2016 financial support and how many of their leaders would attend the first Core Team Training on Sunday afternoon, 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Adat Shalom Synagogue in Farmington Hills.

Other congregations announced that they were in the process of deciding membership.

Psalm 118 provided the theme of the ceremony; Rabbi Aaron Bergman of Adat Shalom Synagogu) gave a scriptural reflection: "I will give you thanks, for you answered me; you have become my salvation. The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; the LORD has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes. The LORD has done it this very day; let us rejoice and be glad."

Commenting on the name DRIVE, Rev. Alonzo Bell, Pastor of Martin Evans MBC on Gratiot, said that "when many speak with one strong voice, not only are

they heard, but they are able to produce results. Equity ensures that all people are justly given the equal opportunity to compete on an equal playing field.

Rev. Michael g. Cunningham, Pastor of Historic East Lake Baptist Church, gave a short history of Detroit, challenging participants to work together to make changes that are long in coming. "We cannot be stuck in neutral. We have to put ourselves into DRIVE." Five speakers highlighted the kinds of issues that citizens face in common.

Rev. Kevin Turman of Second Baptist Church focused on the state of Public Education in our city, region and state.

Redford Mayor Tracey Schultz Kobylarz talked about the levels of poverty and scarcity of resources in the older suburbs across the region.

Rev. Susan Bock of Grace Episcopal Church in Mt. Clemens talked about the numbers of homeless children in her area, and the results of decades of disinvestment in mental health services. Ms. Taniya Doz'ier' of Martin Evans MBC in Detroit described the high cost of auto insurance in Detroit as an obstacle for young men and women starting families and careers. Rev. Patricia Gandarilla of United Methodist Church Centro Familiar in SW Detroit, said her young Latino families want to be part of a broader community with people of other races and cultures so they can participate in the work to make our neighborhoods safer and cleaner.

The new 7-member Organizing Team of DRIVE was presented to the assembly. Rev. Dr. Twana Harris of Carter Metropolitan CME transitioned her final prayer into a glorious rendition of “Glory” from the movie Selma, led by Dawan Glover of St. John CME and Rev. Anthony Wells if One in Praise.

For information on DRIVE and its upcoming Core Team Training, call 313549-0421. www.tubmanorganizing.org

February 10-16, 2016

Page D-5

Soul Fiber: In love with love

By Rev. Dr. Pamela June Anderson

Traci Blackmon, acting executive minister, Justice and Witness Ministries.

“Wade in the Water” is the name of a Negro spiritual first published in “New Jubilee Songs as Sung by the Fisk Jubilee Singers” (1901) by John Wesley Work II and his brother, Frederick J. It is associated with the songs of the Underground Railroad.

Rev. Blackmon heightened our awareness that Black Lives Matter. She was passionate about the reality that this international activist movement originated in the African American community

by Alicia Garza, Patrisse Cullors, and Opal Tometi. BLM campaigns against violence toward black people and regularly organizes protests around the deaths of black people in killings by law enforcement officers, and broader issues of racial profiling, police brutality, and racial inequality in the United States criminal justice system. Michigan orchestrates the water crisis and dysfunctional education systems that adversely affects more black people than any other group. Black prisoners are allowed to read the Bible but not black elementary school children.

During my stay in Oakland recently, the subject of water – in various ways – came up, From the wa- Pamela June ter crisis in Flint to Anderson “wade in the water, we’re going to trouble the water,” to taking the courage of the Hebrews/Israelite and putting one’s self in the water to experience a God-miracle likened unto that of the crossings in the Old Covenant.

Among the UCC African American Consultation participants at the City of Refuge in Oakland, California was Rev.

While Black Lives Matter to God, I, too, must believe Black Lives Matter.

What does it matter to me that God loves me unless and until I love me. Come on.

During ‘Love Month’ let’s get seriously in love with love.”

The power of prayer

Prayer continues to be the most powerful weapon and gift for African Americans. Prayer is the one constant from Genesis to Revelation. Prayer is in every book in the Bible. From being sold and forced from our native land, no matter the language or country, the only thing we could take was prayer. That connection to God nobody could break. Surviving the Room of No Return, Middle Passage, Slavery, advancing to the Civil Rights Movement, opportunities in education, entrepreneurship, financial gain, politics, have all come through the power of prayer.

Prayer brought us through all of this to miracles. Even reading this column is a miracle. There was a time when we were killed for wanting to read because slavemasters knew that reading sets us

free. Working, studying, starting a business, we can do because of the power of prayer. Prayer gives us hope and faith because there was a time when in the words of James Weldon Johnson in the Negro National Anthem, “Hope Unborn Had Died.”

To all of my brothers and sisters in Flint, Virginia, New Orleans, Detroit, Highland Park, everywhere, we are stronger, better, hope filled, goal oriented, God blessed because of the power of prayer. Continue to pray for ourselves, each other, our leaders. Why? Jesus prayed for us. We must follow his example and never forget that during Black History Month, and all year long, the word is good, the music is soothing but prayer is our power. — Dorma McGruder

Marva Louise Williams Bryant Services for Marva Louise Williams Bryant took place on Jan. 30 at Ebenezer AME Church with Rev. Dr. Mickarl D. Thomas officiating. Mrs. Bryant passed away on Jan. 21, 2016.

ant and they subsequently moved to Detroit. She later attended the University of Detroit.

Mrs. Bryant taught at several schools, including Alger Elementary School and Cody High School.

Marva Louise Williams Bryant was born in Memphis, Tennessee to Ernest W. and Rhobelia Alexander Williams on June 25, 1944.

She spent her formative years in the Brunswick community. After high school, she continued her education at Tennessee State University.

There she met and married George Bry-

Cherishing the memory of Marva Louise Williams Bryant are her daughter, Jinah; a son, Jerron; and many other relatives and friends.

Swanson Funeral Home handled the arrangements.

Interment took place at Elmwood Cemetery.

Susie Mae Mitchell

Services for Susie Mae Mitchell were held on Jan. 26 at Unity Baptist Church with Rev. Dr. Lee C. Winfrey, Sr. officiating, and Jan. 30 at Zion Valley Baptist Church in Panola, Alabama with Rev. Marvin E. Washington officiating.

Mrs. Mitchell passed away on Jan. 21, 2016.

Susie Mae Mitchell was born to John and Mima Bell Anderson on May 5, 1914, the twelfth of fourteen children. She was married to the late George Mitchell, Sr. and they became the parents of three sons.

Affectionately known as “Baby Sis-

ter,” Mrs. Mitchell moved to Detroit in 2012.

The memory of Susie Mae Mitchell is being cherished by her sons, Willard Mitchell and George Mitchell, Jr.; numerous grandchildren and many other relatives and friends. Third son Alfred Mitchell preceded her in death.

Swanson Funeral Home and Gandy Funeral Service (in Eutaw, Alabama) handled the arrangements.

Interment took place at Zion Valley Memorial Gardens in Panola, Alabama.

Effie Ellis Services for (Mother) Effie Ellis were held on Jan. 30 at Mt. Zion Missionary Baptist Church with Pastor Sterling L. Jones officiating. Mrs. Ellis passed away on Jan. 21, 2016.

Effie Ellis was born on March 5, 1923 in Magnolia, Arkansas to Julius and Cora Thompson. She attended school in Texarkana, Texas. After marrying Isaac Ellis, she gave birth to four children, Gwendolyn, Rudolph, James Edward and Otha Dell.

Mrs. Ellis was known for her loving

nature and for being an example of what a Christian should be.

Mrs. Effie Ellis leaves to cherish her memory her four children, Otha Dell, James Edward, Rudolph and Gwendolyn; two sisters, Mary Louise Fuller and Mary Ruth Hall; 10 grandchildren, 19 great-grandchildren and many other relatives and friends.

Swanson Funeral Home handled the arrangements.

Interment took place at Elmwood Cemetery.

Kay Francis Hawthorne Hopkins Services for Kay Francis Hawthorne Hopkins were held on Jan. 29 at Triumph Church with Pastor Solomon W. Kinloch, Jr. officiating. Mrs. Hopkins passed away on Jan. 19, 2016.

Mary Francis Hawthorne Hopkins was born on June 9, 1940 in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania to Simon and Maggie Horne, the fifth of their seven children.

She and Jack Hopkins were married in 1966 and had two children, Monica Sheree and Erika Lynn.

Mrs. Hopkins earned a bachelor’s degree in education from Central State University and a master’s degree, also

in education, from the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor. She taught school for many years and retired from Winterhalter School in 2002.

Left behind to cherish the memory of Kay Francis Hawthorne Hopkins are her husband, Jack; daughters Monica and Erika; several grandchildren; a brother, Kenard Hawthorne; two sisters, Sandra Vinston and Adrana Patterson; and many other relatives and friends.

Swanson Funeral Home handled the arrangements.

Interment took place at Elmwood Cemetery.

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