MC Digital Edition 2.5.2020

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Michigan Chronicle

Vol. 83 – No. 22 | February 5-11, 2020

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WCCCD Chancellor Dr. Curtis L. Ivery Receives Airport Authority Appointment Wayne County Community College District Chancellor Dr. Curtis L. Ivery has been appointed Chairperson of the Wayne County Airport Authority (WCAA) Board for a four-year term which expires in 2024. Ivery was appointed to the seven-member independent board by Wayne County Executive Warren Evans.

The WCAA is tasked with the strategic operation and management of Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport and Willow Run Airport. Detroit Metro Airport is one of the busiest airports in the world, and last year ranked first in customer satisfacCurtis L. Ivery tion by J.D. Power and Associates. Together, Detroit Metropolitan Airport (DTW) and Willow Run Airport (YIP) represent one of the world’s leading air transportation hubs, recording more than 1,100 flights a day to and from four continents and providing $10.2 billion in annual economic impact and thousands of jobs.

“I am honored by this appointment and the opportunity to work with my board colleagues to advance one of the world’s most important transportation hubs,” said Ivery. “We know that Detroit Metro and Willow Run are vital parts of the economic engine that drives our region forward.

During such a dynamic and innovative time in transportation and in southeast Michigan, it is truly exciting to champion that movement and help our region thrive into the future.”

As the Chancellor or Chief Executive Officer of Wayne County Community College District, Ivery directs the largest urban community college district in Michigan.

Ivery led the transformation of the District into a thriving, six-campus, inclusively pluralistic District that serves nearly 70,000 students annually, and 36 cities and townships across 500 square miles. Ivery is a recognized national thought leader, early education and equity advocate, educator, author and scholar.

Ivery directed the creation of more than 120 workforce development, career and academic programs to help retrain workers for new careers in emerging sector industries, and a rigorously transparent operating model that has become a reference point for educational institutions nationwide.

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Celebrate Black History in Style:

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Detroit Housing Crisis: American Economy

By Whitney Gresham When Dr. Karl D. Gregory read stories recently in the local newspapers about the city of Detroit overtaxing homeowners by roughly $600 million following its failure to accurately lower property values following the Great Recession, the retired economics professor could only shake his head.

A distinguished professor emeritus of economics at Oakland University in Rochester, Gregory knew such a catastrophe would impact black and brown Detroiters the most. And he shuddered at the thought of how difficult it would be for the city to make all of the victim’s whole without creating another financial crisis of its own.

State of Black Detroit ​“This particular crisis is going to be especially painful to resolve,” he said, “because historically the main source of black wealth in the U.S. is tied up in the equity in their homes.”

“And more than any group of Americans, black Americans took the biggest losses during the Great Recession because of losing their homes as a consequence of the mortgage crisis which helped triggered the recession,” Gregory said.

“Much of black wealth was wiped out as families were encouraged to take out loans even if they were not qualified,” he said. “The banks would repackage and sell the loans to others, eliminating the “risk” to the initial lender and transferring it to the uninformed purchaser of the loan packages. So when the inevitable happened people had their homes taken from them Mortgages defaulted and it wiped out a lot of wealth.”

“This is capitalism at its worst,” Gregory said.

The professor isn’t exaggerating. In fact, according to a July 2018 Michigan Public Radio report, homeownership rates for African-Americans declined nationwide in the wake of the Great Recession. However in Michigan, with a historically high level of black homeownership, the report noted the drop was steeper— from 51% in 2000 to just 40% in 2016.

“Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties experienced the largest drops in the state. And African-American homeowners aged 45-64 were the hardest-hit, with homeownership rates falling 18%. Thus, African-American homeownership has fallen further in Michigan than in any other state since 2000,” it said.

So, in the minds of many people, the overtaxing scandal has come to symbolize for many African Americans and black Detroiters in particular, the frustrating and maddening relationship between African Americans and the U.S. Economy.

Indeed, some of the best known and large major institutions and businesses today were founded based on profits from slavery and with loans using slaves as collateral.

“The current beneficiaries of these ill-gotten gains have also benefitted from hundreds of years from interest and capital gains earned at compounded rates,” Gregory said.

While it is understood almost intui-

See DETROIT

HOUSING CRISIS page A2

Rev. Dr. Jim Holley Announces Retirement After Five Decades After 48 years of service to his church and congregation, Dr. Reverend Jim Holley announced his pending retirement this past Sunday and announced the building of a new senior citizen facility this spring. Holley’s retirement will be official New Year’s day 2022 which will end 50 years of pastoring and his church leadership.

In a letter to the church he reflected on his first coming to the city. “I remember moving to Detroit on January 1, 1969, after I was asked to come to this great city by my mentor, the late Dr. Benjamin Hooks, famed Civil Rights Leader, Executive Director of the NAACP, and Senior Pastor of Greater New Mount Moriah Baptist Church,” said Holley. “I was fresh out of seminary school in Chicago and was

Rev. Dr. Jim Holley Residences Preliminary Rendering. excited to serve under Dr. Hooks at his church. I was honored to join him on the critical pathways of the Civil Rights Movement.”

Holley went on to say, “today, with a membership of 1,500 and

growing; Historic Little Rock Baptist Church is one of the greatest churches in America and beyond.

And, we’ve done God’s business, not just on Sundays, but on the

See RETIREMENT page A2

Page A-2 • michiganchronicle.com •

February 5-11, 2020

DETROIT SEVEN-DAY FORECAST

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Detroit Housing Crisis From page A-1 tively by most black citizens that they live in the most successful economic system in the world, it is also understood just as reflexively that it was built largely upon the backs and violently enforced free labor of their ancestors. And yet, after more than 400 years in the country, African Americans remain consistently marginalized from that very same economy. And that includes during both good and bad times, even though black-owned businesses employed over a million people and generated over $104 billion in sales in 2016, according to the U.S. Census. And according to a February 2018 Nielsen report the black community accounted for a combined $1.2 trillion in consumer spending in 2017, an amount that is projected to reach $1.5 trillion by 2021.

So, as P.J. Lockhart, a writer for the online web magazine, Vox, noted in an August 2019 article entitled How slavery became America’s first big business, the evidence is clear that black Americans were foundational in creating the most successful economic system in the world: “The bodies of the enslaved served as America’s largest financial asset, and they were

Retirement From page A-1

other six days of the week He’s given us. It has been my honor to serve such an outstanding church for 48 years. Yet, I could not have come this far without faithful and dedicated members, ministries and auxiliaries. We’ve seen good times, and we’ve seen not so good times, but through it all, we’ve leaned on Roman 8:28, which assured us that “All things work together for good for those who love God”.

Holley went on to say in the letter, “As we approach the day and time of my retirement together, I pray that I’ve built a spiritual legacy, not only at Little Rock, but

forced to maintain America’s most exported commodity. In 60 years, from 1801 to 1862, the amount of cotton picked daily by an enslaved person increased 400 percent. The profits from cotton propelled the US into a position as one of the leading economies in the world and made the South its most prosperous region. The ownership of enslaved people increased wealth for Southern planters so much that by the dawn of the Civil War, the Mississippi River Valley had more millionaires per capita than any other region.”

How slavery became America’s first big business.”

The question then is as we enter the 21st century why is does the black community continue to flounder in the American economy despite having collectively more than $1 trillion in money to spend?

Gregory, the retired economics professor said structural racism, widespread discrimination in lending, redlining, employment discrimination and the lack of educational opportunities perpetuate the inequities by hindering far too many African Americans ability to access capital or even save enough money to pass along generational wealth. throughout this community, city, state, nation and beyond. It has always been my mission to lead a “Ministry of Liberation”, focused on freeing God’s people through Salvation, Education and Economics (SEE). I hope and pray that my deeds and efforts have been appropriate in serving you, but we must give God the Glory for all successes that Little Rock and I have experienced together.”

Holley plans to break ground in April on a senior citizen residential complex which will be completed prior to his retiring. The new facility is 58,000 square feet, 60 units and it has 4 floors.

This project will be Holley’s transition from fulltime ministry to full-time businessman.

“The severe over taxation of poor and middle class black and brown homeowners is the perfect metaphor for this tragic phenomenon,” he said.

Making matter worse is that, he is not at all certain the residents will be properly compensated.

“In spite of the problems it may create for the

city budget, it will be extremely painful if affected Detroit residents are not compensated for the loss,” Gregory said.

“How to do so is an analytical challenge, because many victims have moved out of Detroit or been forced out by gentrification,” he said glumly.

“Where there is a will, there should be a way.

But is there the will?”

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NOTICE OF REGISTRATION FOR THE ELECTION TO BE HELD ON TUESDAY, MARCH 10, 2020 DETROIT, MICHIGAN TO THE QUALIFIED ELECTORS OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN: PLEASE TAKE NOTICE that any qualified elector of Detroit, Michigan who is not already registered, may register to vote at the office of the Detroit Department of Elections, the office of the Detroit City Clerk, any of our satellite/vote centers, the office of the County Clerk, a Secretary of State branch office, or other designated state agency. Registration forms can be obtained at mi.gov/vote and mailed to the Detroit Department of Elections or the Detroit City Clerk’s office. Voters who are already registered may update their registration at www.expressSOS.com.

The last day to register in any manner other than in-person with the local clerk is Monday, February 24, 2020.

After this date, anyone who qualifies as an elector may register to vote in person with proof of residency (MCL 168.492) at the Detroit Department of Elections, Detroit City Clerk’s office or any of the following satellite locations or vote centers:

District 1 WCCCD Northwest Campus 8200 W. Outer Drive Detroit, MI 48219

District 2 Northwest Activity Center 18100 Meyers Road Detroit, MI 48235

District 3 Farwell Recreation Center 2711 E. Outer Drive Detroit, MI 48234

District 4 WCCCD Eastern Campus 5901 Conner St. Detroit, MI 48234

District 5 Department of Elections 2978 W. Grand Blvd.

Detroit, MI 48202

District 6 WCCCD Downtown Campus 1001 W. Fort Street Detroit, MI 48226

Detroit City Clerk’s Office 2 Woodward Ave., #200 Detroit, MI 48226

District 7 Adams Butzel Recreation Complex 10500 Lyndon St. Detroit, MI 48238

HOURS OF OPERATION: •Regular business hours: Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (Department of Elections) Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. (All other locations)

DIGITAL DAILY www.michiganchronicle.com

At your fingertips Follow Us On facebook.com/michiganchronicle @michronicle

•Saturday, March 7th from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and Sunday, March 8th from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

•Election Day, Tuesday, March 10th from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.

PLEASE TAKE NOTICE that the City of Detroit will be voting in the Primary for the office of the President of the United States.

PLEASE TAKE NOTICE that Wayne County will be voting on the following authority millage as presented and listed below: WAYNE COUNTY: RENEWAL OF WAYNE COUNTY ART INSTITUTE AUTHORITY MILLAGE Full text of the ballot proposal may be obtained at https://www.waynecounty.com/elected/ clerk/election-information.aspx or at the Wayne County Clerk’s Office, 2 Woodward Ave., Room 201, Detroit, MI 48226. A sample ballot may be viewed at mi.gov/vote.

Persons with disabilities needing accommodations should contact the Department of Elections at 313-876-VOTE (8683).

Janice M. Winfrey Detroit City Clerk

February 5-11, 2020 • michiganchronicle.com • Page A-3

DTE Supplier Diversity Program Receives Multiple Honors DTE Energy received 14 supplier diversity achievement awards in 2019, earning both state and national recognition for its commitment to partnering with women and minority-owned businesses.

The company spent more than $500 million – 20 percent of its overall external spend -- with minority and women-owned businesses last year and increased its spending with diverse suppliers by 50 percent since 2013.

“Our focus on supplier diversity is bringing jobs back to our neighborhoods and building stronger communities,” said Tony Tomczak, vice president of Corporate Services and chief procurement officer. “We’re proud to partner with women and minority-owned companies to provide safe, reliable service for our customers.

We see this work as core

The company’s approach is to use outreach, advocacy and training to seek out diverse entrepreneurs and help them grow. These are often small or mid-sized companies that connect with DTE, or its largest suppliers, through unique outreach opportunities or involvement in minority-business organizations.

DTE supplier Carla Walker-Miller, CEO of Detroit-based Walker-Miller Energy Services. to our mission, and it’s an honor to be recognized for our efforts.”

Black EOE Journal, the Edison Electric Institute, and the Michigan Minority Supplier Development Council were among those organizations honoring DTE for its commitment to developing a more inclusive supply base.

For example, DTE sponsors annual faithbased supplier events at Detroit churches to provide networking opportunities for small, diverse suppliers. These events have resulted in $13 million in business awarded to minority businesses and opened the door for other contract opportunities. DTE amplifies its supplier diversity commitment by encouraging its largest suppliers to prioritize diverse suppliers and by measuring their efforts.

Senior Buyer Jiali Li speaks with business owners about opportunities for becoming a supplier at a DTE Supply Chain networking and outreach event.

Diverse supplier Carla Walker-Miller, owner of Walker-Miller Energy Services, credits DTE with helping her business to maximize its opportuni-

“DTE is way ahead of the curve,” she said.

“They’re a clear leader in supplier diversity. Their program is the best-inclass, in every way.” DTE is targeting additional spending with women and minority-owned suppliers in 2020.

Streets Are Watching: New App Helps Citizens Stay Safe

By Patreice A. Massey What chance do crime and corruption have when technology unites the forces of good? And what happens when old school neighborhood watch instincts meld with the phenomena of social media?

These are the questions the team behind the Citizen app looks to answer.

In 2014, the Detroit Police Department reported that there were over 43,000 violent and property crime incidents reported. Some of these incidents were life threatening and some have taken place in broad daylight with dozens of people around.

The Citizen app notifies you when a crime or other major incident is reported to 911 near you. It allows for the live streaming of incidents, giving you complete transparency of the neighborhood around you.

now, we relied only on first responders to provide safety to you. That’s not the way it’s supposed to work. Cops can’t do it alone, and firefighters can’t do it alone. Citizen allows you to collaborate with your community to ensure public safety. I am proud that New York was the first to prove Citizen’s value, and we are excited to bring this technology to the rest of the U.S. People trust Citizen because it works.”

One of the features of the app basically allows you to broadcast what you’re seeing so people can see exactly what youre seeing—think like going live on Facebook.

However, the team be-

Today, Walker-Miller Energy Services is an industry leader in energy waste reduction consultation, employing specialists that show DTE customers how to reduce their energy use. DTE’s 2019 spend with Walker-Miller exceeded $11 million.

hind the app want to make it clear that they do not encourage untrained users of the app to race towards any given crime scene. According to the terms of service Citizen was built to create safety; any reckless or dangerous behavior will not be tolerated.

“It’s made a huge difference, giving people a head’s up when there’s a fire, even in their own building,” Jealous said.

“It’s helped us find missing kids much faster.”

As we all know not every crime makes the news, but Citizen is pro-

Beyond hard work and competitive pricing,

PHOTO: citizen.com

viding another way for residents to know what’s going on around them.

Citizen is a free app available for iOS and Android platforms.

The app first launched in New York City back in 2017 and the old adage of ‘if you can make it there you can make it anywhere’, seems to be true. A city with over eight million people is a great testing ground for a user driven application especially when you take into consideration that in New York City alone there are nearly 10,000 calls to 911 each and every day. According to the company’s website, they have incorporated advice from, and are now in active communication with, city officials, representatives from the Police Department and a variety of community leaders.

“Citizen is a game changer for public safety,” said Bill Bratton, Former NYPD Commissioner, LAPD Chief, and Citizen board member. “Up until

Walker-Miller says a caring corporate culture is the secret to her success.

“Early in my career, I focused solely on the bottom line – just dollars and cents -- but now it’s about creating the type of environment I would want to work in, where everyone feels valued,” she said.

“We hire for character and train for skill. It’s been an effective strategy.”

“Our talented diverse suppliers deliver outstanding products and services that make us a stronger company so we can serve our customers, and our communities, better,” Tomczak said.

“Our employees and leaders are passionate about helping small and midsized businesses grow and we are deeply committed to this transformative work.”

STATE OF MICHIGAN BEFORE THE MICHIGAN PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION **** NOTICE OF HEARING FOR THE GAS CUSTOMERS OF DTE GAS COMPANY CASE NO. U-20543 • DTE Gas Company requests Michigan Public Service Commission’s approval of a Gas Cost Recovery plan, 5-year forecast, and authorization of Gas Cost Recovery factors for the 12-month period from April 1, 2020 through March 31, 2021.

• The information below describes how a person may participate in this case.

• You may call or write DTE Gas Company, One Energy Plaza, Detroit, MI 48226, 313-235-8000 for a free copy of its application. Any person may review the documents at the offices of DTE Gas Company.

The Citizen app looks to give power to people by creating a space where neighbors look out for neighbors. Alerts about incidents like fires, car collisions, and searches for missing people provide information in real time, 24/7. The alerts are accompanied by live stories, real-time updates, and user-generated content to provide residents with situational awareness and a comprehensive picture of what’s happening around you.

• A pre-hearing will be held:

Opioid Use Disorder Opioid Addicti

➔

“Citizen gives you peace of mind so you don’t have to worry about why there are cop cars on your corner or helicopters overhead,” said Ben Jealous, former president of the NAACP and Social Impact investor. “Alerts provide you with public safety information previously only available to first responders. Citizen empowers communities through information equality, enhancing both personal safety and police transparency.”

ties. Walker-Miller employed 11 people when she began working with DTE. Now, her company has 120 employees in three states.

End the stigma.

Hurtful words can make people with opioid use disorder hide their condition rather than seek treatment. Let’s start a real conversation that leads to healing. Learn more at Michigan.gov/Opioids.

DATE/TIME:

Wednesday, February 26, 2020 at 10:00 AM

BEFORE:

Administrative Law Judge Sally Wallace

LOCATION:

Michigan Public Service Commission 7109 West Saginaw Highway Lansing, Michigan 48917

PARTICIPATION: Any interested person may attend and participate.

The hearing site is accessible, including handicapped parking. Persons needing any accommodation to participate should contact the Commission’s Executive Secretary at (517) 284-8090 in advance to request mobility, visual, hearing or other assistance.

The Michigan Public Service Commission (Commission) will hold a pre-hearing to consider DTE Gas Company’s (DTE Gas) December 23, 2019 application requesting Commission approval of: 1) DTE Gas’ Gas Cost Recovery (GCR) plan and authorization of GCR factors for the 12-month period from April 1, 2020 through March 31, 2021, including a maximum base GCR factor of $2.43 per Mcf that can be adjusted to a new maximum GCR rate by the monthly NYMEX based contingency factor matrix, to be reflected in DTE Gas’s monthly gas customer billings beginning April 1, 2020, and continuing through March 31, 2021; 2) a Supplier Of Last Resort (SOLR) Reservation Charge of an additional $0.42 per Mcf that is billed to GCR customers while the Reservation Charge billed to Gas Customer Choice customers will be $0.28 per Mcf; 3) DTE Gas’ 5-Year (April 2020-March 2025) Forecast of Gas Requirements, Supplies and Costs, and Gas Supply Plan; and 4) other relief.

All documents filed in this case shall be submitted electronically through the Commission’s E-Dockets website at: michigan.gov/mpscedockets.

Requirements and instructions for filing can be found in the User Manual on the E-Dockets help page. Documents may also be submitted, in Word or PDF format, as an attachment to an email sent to: mpscedockets@ michigan.gov. If you require assistance prior to e-filing, contact Commission staff at (517) 284-8090 or by email at: mpscedockets@ michigan.gov.

Any person wishing to intervene and become a party to the case shall electronically file a petition to intervene with this Commission

by February 19, 2020. (Interested persons may elect to file using the traditional paper format.) The proof of service shall indicate service upon DTE Gas Company’s attorney, Lauren D. Donofrio, One Energy Plaza, Detroit, MI 48226.

Any person wishing to appear at the hearing to make a statement of position without becoming a party to the case may participate by filing an appearance. To file an appearance, the individual must attend the hearing and advise the presiding administrative law judge of his or her wish to make a statement of position. All information submitted to the Commission in this matter becomes public information, thus available on the Michigan Public Service Commission’s website, and subject to disclosure. Please do not include information you wish to remain private.

Requests for adjournment must be made pursuant to Michigan Office of Administrative Hearings and Rules R 792.10422 and R 792.10432.

Requests for further information on adjournment should be directed to (517) 284-8130.

A copy of DTE Gas Company’s application may be reviewed on the Commission’s website at: michigan.gov/mpscedockets, and at the office of DTE Gas Company. For more information on how to participate in a case, you may contact the Commission at the above address or by telephone at (517) 284-8090.

The Utility Consumer Representation Fund has been created for the purpose of aiding in the representation of residential utility customers in various Commission proceedings. Contact the Chairperson, Utility Consumer Participation Board, Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, P.O. Box 30004, Lansing, Michigan 48909, for more information.

Jurisdiction is pursuant to 1909 PA 300, as amended, MCL 462.2 et seq.; 1919 PA 419, as amended, MCL 460.54 et seq.; 1939 PA 3, as amended, MCL 460.1 et seq.; 1969 PA 306, as amended, MCL 24.201 et seq.; 1982 PA 304, as amended, MCL 460.6h et seq.; and Parts 1 & 4 of the Michigan Office of Administrative Hearings and Rules, Mich. Admin Code, R 792.10106 and R 792.10401 through R 792.10448.

Viewpoint Michigan Chronicle

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February 5-11, 2020 | Page A-4

Will A Woman Be President In 2020?

By Julianne Malveaux NNPA Newswire Contributor

In a most unusual endorsement, the New York Times has endorsed both Senators Elizabeth Warren (MA) and Amy Klobuchar (MN) for the Democratic nomination for President. Apparently, the Editorial Board of the Times disagrees with Senator Bernie Sanders (VT), who allegedly told Warren that a woman could not win the Presidency. I’d love to see the right woman in the White House, but I’ve been among the many who have wondered openly if, in a polarized Julianne Malveaux and sexist United States, a woman can win both the nomination and the Presidency.

Though polls are not a definitive measure of who will win an election, Warren and Klobuchar tend to poll more weakly than the men in the race – Vice President Biden, Sanders, and former Mayor Pete Buttigieg. Have we come such a long way since 2016 that a woman is electable? Can so-called progressive men who want to get 45 out of the White House overcome their gender bias to vote for a woman?

Clearly, the Times not only thinks a woman can win, but in endorsing two women for the Democratic nomination, they are saying that women are the best of the Democrats in the race. And, in the past two years, we’ve seen signs that women are gaining politically. The women’s sweep of the 2018 elections certainly bodes well for women. At the same time, is gender a sufficient qualification for the Presidency? Three years after the first flawed but overwhelmingly successful Women’s March in 2017, the realignment of the March “movement” has illustrated cracks in the foundations of feminism.

These flaws perhaps go back to the scuffle over who should get the vote first between our nation’s first feminists like Elizabeth Cady Stanton and civil rights activists like Frederick Douglass. In resenting the fact that Black men got the vote before white women, those early feminists used extremely disparaging language against Black men, using terms like “savage” to suggest these men did not deserve to vote.

Can anybody say “intersectionality”?

Or to make it more clear, use the words of Sojourner Truth and say, “Ain’t I A Woman.” The women’s march movement fell apart because women were not on the same page. Accusations against Tamika Mallory and Linda Sarsour, two of the co-chairs of the March caused much discussion and rancor, so much so that the second Women’s March attracted a fraction of the people who showed up to the first one. And the third March was operated on s different model. It did not equal the excitement or momentum of the first March, although there were many more local marches and other activities associated with the marches.

Women can’t “come together” unless they acknowledge our differences, as well as our similarities. Thanks to Tarana Burke and folks like Professor Kimberly Crenshaw, some Black women are openly addressing issues of race and class in feminism. But I’ve heard few white women, either politicians or intellectuals, deal with issues of racism in the women’s movement. Is there really “a women’s movement”? There are women’s issues, and women’s marches, and an exhilarating display of anti-Trump sentiment three years ago (don’t forget that 53 percent of white women voted for that man), but when do women come together?

In other words, gender is not a qualification for higher office. And if the women endorsed by the New York Times do not fully explore the concept of intersectionality and speak on it, they will likely sideline some votes, even though many others would vote for Bubba the Fool to get rid of 45. Both Warren and Klobuchar are exciting candidates. Warren’s progressive ideas endear her to the left, and Klobuchar’s more moderate approach to social and economic challenges appeals to others. The Times did a good job of contrasting the two women.

But can either win the Presidency?

When then one-term Senator Barack Obama ran for President, l liked him very much but didn’t think a Black man could succeed in this racist nation. Thankfully, I was wrong. Can a woman win in 2020? I’m hoping the best candidate will win, and the best candidate may well be a woman.

Dr. Julianne Malveaux is an economist, author, media contributor and educator. Her latest project MALVEAUX! On UDCTV is available on youtube. com. For booking, wholesale inquiries or for more info visit www.juliannemalveaux.com.

The Empire Has No Clothes If your childhood memories are of the United States during the 1950s, you probably remember Hans Christian Andersen’s tale, “The Emperor’s New Clothes.” In this Danish short story, a vain emperor is tricked into purchasing an invisible set of fine clothing that can be seen only by the virtuous. So impressed was the emperor with what he believed to be his new clothes, he donned them and paraded through the streets naked.

If you are a child of the ‘50s, you also grew up on a diet of Walt Disney’s Davy Crockett, John Wayne’s Western heroes and Joe McCarthy’s anti-communist rants.

This was the Oscar H. Blayton time when the United States went from being “One nation with liberty and justice for all” to “One nation ‘UNDER GOD’ with liberty and justice for all,” when Congress changed the wording of the Pledge of Allegiance to distinguish ourselves from the “godless” Russians.

It was a time when little boys were encouraged to cheer as loudly for cowboys that slaughtered Indians as they did for Tarzan as he vanquished African savages.

By the time the “50s rolled around, America had defeated the Nazis, laid low imperial Japan and could do no wrong.

It was also a time when little girls were encouraged to prepare to marry the sons of these conquering heroes - and do little else.

Children of color stood on the sidelines watching this parade of American glory go marching by while being forced to swallow our daily dose of humiliation.

We knew that taxes were taken from our parents’ hard-earned wages to build municipal swimming pools that we were forbidden to enjoy. We also watched our parents pay taxes to build grand public schools that we were not allowed to enter.

We knew that if you were Black, Latinx, Asian or from the First Nations, America wanted to crush you.

White kids didn’t have to walk in our shoes, so most did not know how crippling it was to be hobbled by bigotry and racial hatred. Many believed that our inability to walk as they did was our fault, and dispositive proof of our laziness, stupidity and low morals.

In the years since America’s “greatest generation” strutted home from World War II, the people of this nation have been fed a steady diet of lies telling us that the United States is clothed in “equal justice,” the “rule of law” and “American exceptionalism.” These lies became the norm because anyone who questioned them was accused of being unpatriotic, ungrateful or a communist.

White America did not bother to turn off their TVs, open their blinds and look out the windows of their split-level homes to see that beyond the boundaries of their segregated planned communities, people of color were being gunned down in the streets in the name of law enforcement. They did not see that the harsh drug laws landing darker youths in prisons were being bent or ignored when it came to their children.

And they rolled their eyes at the news of corrupt politicians overseas, while ignoring the fact that American businesses and American foreign policies were doing the corrupting.

It’s been a grand American parade these past several decades, full of loud noise, strutting heroes, shiny objects and a display of wealth. America proclaims it has become a global empire – something to admire and make your heart beat faster.

But America is not clothed in its imagined virtues at all. Like the naked emperor America has been conned into buying a lie, wrapped in the protection of fear. In Hans Christian Andersen’s story, no one dared point out that the emperor wore no clothes for fear of being accused of lacking virtue. Few Americans dare to point out our country’s failings for fear of being branded unpatriotic – and we need look no further than former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick to see the reality of this danger.

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Hidden Tax Increases on Airlines Tickets Won’t Fly

By Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr., President and CEO, National Newspaper Publishers Association

Why is it that poor people are always asked to pay more in America? Last year, I warned about the possibility that Congress might try to impose a new tax on air travelers. Well, it’s 2020 — and here we go again.

Even in the midst of a historic impeachment trial and potential military conflict abroad, lawmakers on Capitol Hill have managed to find time to dust off its plan to soak air travelers, including working people who struggle everyday just to make ends meet.

Make no mistake about it: this is a tax hike, even though backBenjamin F. Chavis, Jr. ers of this plan won’t call it a tax hike, for obvious reasons. And it’s one that hits relatively low-wage workers harder than it hits those who make a lot more money. And it hits those who routinely fly for business especially hard too.

This week, Democratic leaders are expected to unveil their broad infrastructure agenda for the coming year – a plan that is sorely needed given our aging highways, railways and other transportation needs.

But here is what is galling: sources tell me that buried in the broad array of transportation initiatives is a proposal to raise the so-called Passenger Facility Charge (PFC), a hidden fee on airline travelers that Congress enacted long ago to help pay for renovation projects at airports around the country.

Most Americans have probably never heard of the PFC, now capped at about $4.50 per person for each leg of a flight. But working families across the country, including our readers, may soon feel the impact if some members of Congress have their way.

Here is how the fee works. Passengers are charged the fee at the ticket counter, allowing the airport that collects it to keep it for local repairs and renovations. Current proposals in Congress include one to nearly double the fee to $8.50 per person for each leg of a flight. Another possibility is eliminating the cap entirely, thereby allowing airports to charge whatever they like.

If the fee is raised to $8.50, a family of four on a trip with a connecting flight would pay nearly $150 in this tax alone – a tax that is layered on top of the price of the ticket itself, a major reason people don’t notice it. Such a substantial increase could be the deciding factor between that family taking a much-deserved vacation or staying home.

While most people agree that it is in

the public’s best interest to have safe and efficient airports that can accommodate increased passenger travel, proponents of increasing the passenger fee have been a little misleading about the condition of the nation’s airports.

In reality, airports are undergoing something of a revitalization, particularly when compared to rail or highway travel. Passengers are traveling at record rates, airport revenues are at alltime highs, and infrastructure upgrades are booming across the nation.

Just take a look at the balance sheets of our nation’s airports. U.S. airports have over $16 billion of unrestricted cash and investments on hand, with $7 billion sitting in the aviation trust fund. And, in the last decade, more than $165 billion in federal aid has been directed to airports for improvement projects at America’s largest 30 airports alone.

Some of these projects have been completed, others are currently underway, and some have received approval to move forward in the coming months.

For example, Los Angeles International Airport and New York’s John F. Kennedy Airport are both undergoing multi-billion-dollar upgrades. Smaller facilities like the Long Island MacArthur Airport and the Shawnee Regional Airport are also upgrading their terminals and runways.

The bottom line, then, is that there is no substantive basis for a fee hike. And it makes even less sense politically.

With Election Day just months away, most lawmakers will likely make the safe calculation and reject any proposed hike presented on the floor for a vote, lest they stir a voter backlash. Yet it should be worrisome that House Democratic leaders appear willing to put a fee hike on the table for consideration.

It could be nothing more than a trial balloon released in an attempt to test whether rank-and-file lawmakers have the stomach for taking up such a measure in an election year. But even if it is just that, there’s still reason for concern, given that even unpopular ideas have a way of gaining sudden momentum in the topsy-turvy politics of Congress.

Air travel remains one of the most popular and necessary forms of transportation because it is relatively safe and convenient. But it should not become more expensive because a hidden tax that few people expected is added.

Congress should not put air travel out of the reach of American families who are still trying to get out of poverty.

Thus, increasing taxes on airline tickets won’t fly for Black Americans and won’t fly for all others who believe in economic fairness and equality of opportunity.

Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr. is President and CEO of the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) representing the Black Press of America.

He can be reached at dr.bchavis@nnpa. org.

Keeping You Informed Away or at Home.

This country is as vile, corrupt and disgusting as Donald Trump.

We are a nation full of bigots ruled by bigots – a country of greedy grasping materialists who would destroy the very planet on which we live for the sake of a few more shiny things. And we abuse and kill our fellow humans for these same reasons.

The world sees America for what it is – a naked Donald Trump strutting down Main Street to the beat of victorious music playing only in his head. And if we do not bring an end to this vile parade, we will deserve the condemnation that we receive.

Oscar H. Blayton is a former Marine Corps combat pilot and human rights activist who practices law in Virginia.

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February 5-11, 2020 • michiganchronicle.com • Page A-5

Black America’s Housing Crisis: More Renters Than Homeowners Homeless Population Jumps 12%

By Charlene Crowell NNPA Newswire Contributor

No matter who you are, or where you live, there’s a central concern that links consumers all over the country: the ever-rising cost of living.

For many consumers, the combined costs of housing, transportation, food, and utilities leave room for little else from takehome pay.

From Boston west to Seattle, and from Chicago to Miami and parts in between, the rising cost of living is particularly challenging in one area: housing. Both homeowners and renters alike today cope as best they can just to have a roof over their families’ heads.

The nation’s median sales price of a new home last September in 2019 was $299,400, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Even for an existing home, the St. Louis Federal Reserve noted its median price in December was $274,500.

For renters, the cost of housing is also a serious challenge. Last June, the national average rent reached $1,405, an alltime high. But if one lives in a high-cost market like Manhattan, Boston, Los Angeles, or San Francisco, a realistic rental price is easily north of $3,000 each month.

Now a new report from Harvard’s Joint Center for Housing Studies (JCHS) finds that the American Dream of homeownership is strained even among households with incomes most would think adequate to own a home.

From 2010 to 2018, 3.2 million households with earnings higher than $75,000 represented more than three-quarters of the growth in renters in its report entitled, America’s Rental Housing 2020. “[F]rom the homeownership peak in 2004 to 2018, the number of married couples with children that owned homes fell by 2.7 million, while the number renting rose by 680,000,” states the report. “These changes have meant that families with children now make up a larger share of renter house­holds (29%) than owner households (26%).”

To phrase it another way, America’s middle class is at risk. Consumer demographics that traditionally described homeowners, has shifted to that of renters. And in that process, the opportunity to build family wealth through homeownership has become more difficult for many — and financially out of reach for others.

“Rising rents are making it increasingly difficult for households to save for a down payment and become homeowners,” says Whitney Airgood-Obrycki, a JCHS Research Associate and lead author of the new report.

“Young, college-educated households with high incomes are really driving current rental demand.”

Included among the report’s key findings: Rents in 2019 continued their seven-year climb, marking 21 consecutive quarters of increases above 3.0%; Despite the growth in high-income white renters, renter households overall have become more racially and ethnically diverse since 2004, with minority households accounting for 76 percent of renter household growth through 2018; and Income inequality among renter households has been growing. The average real income of the top fifth of renters rose more than 40 percent over the past 20 years, while that of the bottom fifth of renters fell by 6 percent; “Despite the strong economy, the number

and share of renters burdened by housing costs rose last year after a couple of years of modest improvement,” says Chris Herbert, Managing Director of the Joint Center for Housing Studies.

“And while the poorest households are most likely to face this challenge, renters earning decent incomes have driven this recent deterioration in affordability.”

This trend of fewer homeowners has also impacted another disturbing development: the nation’s growing homeless population.

Citing that homelessness is again on the rise, the JCHS report noted that after falling for six straight years, the number of people experiencing homelessness nationwide grew from 2016–2018, to 552,830.

In just one year, 2018 to 2019, the percentage of America’s Black homeless grew from 40% to more than half – 52%.

That independent finding supports the conclusion of the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s report to Congress known as its Annual Homeless Assessment Report.

While some would presume that homelessness is an issue for high-cost states like California, and New York, the 2019 HUD report found significant growth in homeless residents in states like Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, Virginia, and Washington as well.

According to HUD, states with the highest rates of homelessness per 10,000 people were New York (46), Hawaii (45), California (38), Oregon (38), and Washington (29), each significantly higher than the national average of 17 persons per 10,000. The District of Columbia had a homelessness rate of 94 people per 10,000.

And like the JCHS report, HUD also found disturbing data on the disproportionate number of Black people who are now homeless.

For example, although the numbers of homeless veterans and homeless families with children declined over the past year, Blacks were 40% of all people experiencing homelessness in 2019, and 52% of people experiencing homelessness as members of families with children.

These racial disparities are even more alarming when overall, Blacks comprise 13% of the nation’s population.

When four of every 10 homeless people are Black, 225,735 consumers are impacted. Further, and again according to HUD, 56,381 Blacks (27%) are living on the nation’s streets, instead of in homeless shelters.

The bottom line on these research reports is that Black America’s finances are fragile. With nagging disparities in income, family wealth, unemployment and more – the millions of people working multiple jobs, and/or living paycheck to paycheck, are often just

one paycheck away from financial disaster.

Add predatory lending on high-cost loans like payday or overdraft fees, or the weight of medical debt or student loans, when financial calamity arrives, it strikes these consumers harder and longer than others who have financial cushions.

And lest we forget, housing discrimination in home sales, rentals, insurance and more continue to disproportionately affect Black America despite the Fair Housing Act, and other federal laws intended to remove discrimination from the marketplace.

The real question in 2020 is, ‘What will communities and the nation do about it?’

For Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor, an assistant professor of African-American studies at Princeton University and author of the new book, “Race for Profit: How Banks and the Real Estate Industry Undermined Black Homeownership”, federal enforcement of its own laws addressing discrimination and acknowledging the inherent tug-of-war wrought from the tension of public service against the real estate industry’s goal of profit, there’s little wonder why so many public-private partnerships fail to serve both interests.

connecting the energy on the ground to a different vision for our society — one that has housing justice, equity and housing security at the heart of it,’ Taylor continued. “The resources and the money are there, but there’s a lack of political will from the unfortunate millionaire class that dominates our politics… I think, given the persistence of the housing crisis in this country, we have to begin to think in different ways about producing housing that is equitable and actually affordable in the real-life, lived experiences of the people who need it.”

Amen, Professor Taylor.

Charlene Crowell is the Center for Responsible Lending’s communications deputy director. She can be reached at charlene.crowell@responsiblelending.org.

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In a recent Chicago Tribune interview, Professor Taylor explained her view.

“You don’t need a total transformation of society to create equitable housing for people,” said Taylor. “We have come to believe that equitable housing is just some weird thing that can’t happen here, and the reality is that we have the resources to create the kinds of housing outcomes that we say we desire.”

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Page A-6 • michiganchronicle.com •

February 5-11, 2020

Building on our commitment to strengthen Detroit Our commitment by the numbers:

At Bank of America, our success depends on the success of the communities we serve. That’s why we continue to use our expertise and resources to address issues that matter most to people. We’re working to drive economic and social progress and helping our clients and employees achieve their financial goals.

This year begins with solid momentum and financial results, enabling us to continue investing in the communities we serve — profit and progress working

Delivering more than $4 billion in community development lending for affordable housing and other important local priorities Making more than $250 million in philanthropic contributions to help remove barriers to economic progress

together to make a difference.

I am Matt Elliott, Detroit Market President. My team and I are here to listen to your business and personal needs, so we can help you get things done. That is why we are always asking:

What would you like the power to do?

Investing $3 billion annually in technology initiatives, including digital and mobile, to give clients what they need, when they need it Raising our internal minimum rate of pay to $20 per hour in Q1 2020 Hiring 10,000 military veterans, guard and reservists since 2014

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Let me know at: matthew.b.elliott@bofa.com

As always, protect your personal data. For assistance with a personal financial issue, please visit your nearest financial center. Bank of America N.A. Member FDIC. Equal Housing Lender © 2020 Bank of America Corporation. All rights reserved.

B1

| February 5-11, 2020

DPSCD Needs Seats Filled & Counted Next Week

Roots.

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The Detroit Public School Community District is counting on parents and students to have seats filled when school doors open on Wednesday, February 12th which is its annual Spring “Count Day” initiative. Count Days operate from the same premise as The United States Census; both exist to determine state funding for schools, road repairs and more. The State Aid is responsible for allocating $11 billion to public schools in Michigan. Without an accurate count, funding isn’t received in high-priority areas.

A student can still be counted if the student has an excused absence and attends within 30 calendar days (following count day) or if the student has an unexcused absence and attends within ten school days (following count day).

WCCCD Hosts 2020 Census & Voter Education Rally

By Andre Ellington Here’s a list of facts regarding attendance from DPSCD’s website www.detroitk12.org: • Being late to school leads to poor attendance.

Wayne County Executive Warren Evans.

• Too many absences can cause children to fall behind in school.

• Students can be chronically absent even if they miss only one or two days every month.

• Attendance is an important life skill. It will help your child graduate from college and keep a job.

Absences can be a sign that a student is losing interest in school, struggling with schoolwork, dealing with a bully, or facing some other potentially serious difficulty.

Ways you can help your child strive for excellent attendance include reworking important health appointments during the day, emphasizing the importance of regular attendance and making sure they stay home only if they’re truly sick.

Jo Lynn Williams, Principal Training Specialist, City of Detroit Dept. Of Elections.

in saying, “We’re pouring into you [the youth] everything that we have so that you know and understand the importance of the Census as well as the election.”

Detroit students turned out in masses for the Census and Voter Education Rally at Wayne County Community College Evans then folDistrict in Downtown lowed by providing Detroit. The 2020 information about the Census in Detroit is 2020 Census. “In repushing to encourality, the amount of age Millennials and money that comes will Generation Z who be determined by how are the most engaged many people actually on social media and participate,” said Evcan spread informaans. “For every pertion through posting son that’s missing the and direct messagCensus, we lose about ing. The event was $1,800 in funding. We hosted by WCCCD urge you to fill out the Director of ExterCensus forms and ennal Affairs, Daniel A. courage others to do Baxter and featured the same.” speakers including Everyone wore Wayne County Executive Warren Evans, Daniel A. Baxter, WCCCD a black “Everybody Detroit vs. Everybody ­Director of External Affairs. Counts” T-shirt designed for the event CEO, Tommey Walker and Detroit rap superstar Kash Doll by Tommey Walker. “I don’t want any and included a Student Ambassador of you guys to pass up this opportunity because you don’t think your Swearing-In and Student Rally. vote counts,” said Walker. “When Baxter opened by directly adSee RALLY page B-2 dressing the Student Ambassadors

“In the fall, we increased enrollment by another 700 students, we now have 51,000,” said Dr. Nikolai Vitti, Superintendent of DPSCD. “This increase is a key indicator that the education reform is working, and families are seeing the value once again in Detroit’s traditional public education system. In Michigan, the disbursement of funds to districts from the state school aid fund is calculated using a formula based on enrollment counts taken from two count days. The District receives 90-percent of the state aid on the first count day, which was October 2nd and the other 10-percent is received on the second count day, February 12th.”

For more information on count day, please visit the Every School Day Counts Detroit www. everyschooldaycountsdetroit.org and the Attendance Works www.attendanceworks. org.

2-1-1 Gives Residents The 4-1-1 On Services United Way for Southeastern Michigan will celebrate National 2-1-1 Day next Tuesday, February 11. The event is part of a campaign to raise awareness about the service that helps more than 500 people every day in Wayne, Oakland, Macomb, Washtenaw, Monroe and Lapeer counties.

This is the fifteenth anniversary of the free service that connects people to valuable resources like utility assistance, food pantries, childcare, rent assistance, and help finding a job by simply by picking up the phone.

211 can be called 24 hours a day, seven days a week to reach referral specialists, who listen to callers’ concerns and questions and then get them connected to help.

Through the confidential service, specialists connect callers to agencies, organizations

and direct connections to assistance.

Referral specials access a database of more than 30,000 statewide programs and services available to meet just about any need.

United Way says the number of calls and the need continues to grow. “The need continues to grow across the counties we serve. Last year alone, we took in more than 250-thousand calls,” says Tonya Adair, chief impact officer, United Way for Southeastern Michigan. “2-1-1 has helped so many and we want to get the word out to the community as we celebrate 15 years of helping people.”

These resources can also be found online by visiting the United Way website at www. unitedwaysem.org/2-1-1 or calling 2-1-1 directly.

Page B-2 • michiganchronicle.com • February 5-11, 2020

HELP WANTED

Michigan Science Center The Michigan Science Center is currently seeking capable, responsible and dynamic individuals to fill various full and part-time position within our organization. Ideal candidates will be working in support of the Michigan Science Centers mission to inspire children and their families to discover, explore and appreciate science technology, engineering and math in a dynamic learning environment. The Michigan Science Center is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

For a complete list of openings and to apply, please visit our company page on Indeed at: www.indeedjobs.com/michigan-science-center-3528798/_hl/en_US

Rally From page B-1 we vote, we’re letting our voices be heard individually, and we collectively speak truth to power.” Wayne County, high school students, were then sworn in as Youth Ambassadors by Baxter.

Kash Doll shared her upbringing with the crowd and discussed the 2020 Census. “When you see those letters come to your home, don’t let your parents throw them out,” she said. “Let them know that the Census matters.”

Every ten years, the United States takes a national headcount of every citizen living in the United States. These numbers indicate what areas of government to allot funds toward. Also, the Census helps determine if schools, hospitals, and other businesses should be built in designated areas.

Here are a few statistics regarding the U.S. Census:

Detroit rap superstar Kash Doll

Residents use the Census to support community initiatives involving legislation, quality-of-life, and consumer advocacy.

Businesses use Census Bureau data to decide where to build factories, offices, and stores, and these create jobs.

Local government officials use the Census to ensure public safety and plan new schools and hospitals.

Real estate developers and city planners use the Census to plan new homes and improve neighborhoods.

Recently, Detroit was recognized as one of the country’s most hardto-count cities. Factors such as abandoned homes, internet access, impoverished neighborhoods play a role in gathering an accurate account for Detroit citizens. For more information, visit detroitmi.gov/ census.

Empowerment: Mission for Nonprofit “Detroit Heals Detroit”

By Andre Ellington Healing is a necessary yet neglected aspect of the human experience.

While many people heal in different ways, most healing comes through either a spiritual base, self-realization, or all the above.

All it took was one Detroit social justice educator to tap into the power of youth through words and expression. From there, students from Detroit Collegiate High School founded the nonprofit organization, “Detroit Heals Detroit.”

Detroit Heals Detroit exists for youth to

“transform their pain into power.” They also combat trauma, another overlooked emotional component, so the youth of Detroit can be free to operate at maximum capacity. “Forbidden Tears” is the name of the project that also sparked the creation of Detroit Health Detroit. The narrative-focused concept allowed students to freely express themselves and be vulnerable through their words.

The Board of Directors is comprised mostly of Detroit youth and the Youth Advisory Council.

They work in tandem to push Detroit Heals De-

troit forward. “Our overall goal is to build access for our peers; access to healing, access to literacy, access to liberation and access to new possibilities,” says Detroit Heals Detroit President Brianna Donald. “We hope to raise the level of literacy while simultaneously healing the system, truly giving our trauma a purpose.”

and dances performances, and several youths in attendance will receive awards.

The Inaugural Healing Justice Gala will take place on February 17, 2020, from 6 PM to 10 PM at The Pareik Gallery in Southfield, MI. For more information, please visit detroithealsdetroit.org.

Detroit Heals Detroit is hosting an Inaugural gala for youth and adults.

“Sincerely Detroit” is the theme of the celebration.

The theme is symbolic of a love note to Detroit from the youth of Detroit.

There will be poetry, vocal

Detroit Wayne Integrated Health Network

Children’s Initiatives

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Michigan Chronicle

Subscribe Today!

Call (313) 963-8100

If your child is struggling, has suffered abuse, neglect or trauma, there is a place where you can find help. The Detroit Wayne Integrated Health Network (DWIHN) provides services and supports to people with serious mental illness, those with intellectual and developmental disabilities, people with substance use disorder and to children with serious emotional disturbance.

The Children’s Initiatives Department is responsible for the oversight, management, development and coordination of services for children and youth with serious emotional disturbance and intellectual and developmental disabilities.

It is also responsible for providing a comprehensive and integrated array of services and supports that promote treatment, recovery and prevention to anyone ages zero to 21. Here is a partial list of services provided through DWIHN.

■ Applied Behavior Analysis (Autism) ■ Case Management/Supports

Coordination

■ Home and School Based Services ■ Infant Mental Health ■ LGBTQ2S ■ Parent Support Partners ■ Respite ■ Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavior

Therapy

■ Wraparound Services

The System of Care that supports children and youth is a spectrum of effective, community-based, family centered and youth guided services and is organized into a network of cross-system collaboration.

This concept builds meaningful partnerships with families and youth and addresses their cultural and linguistic needs to help them function better at home, school and in the community throughout their lifetime.

If you would like to know about available services, please contact the DWIHN Customer Service department at 313-833-2500 or our 24 hour Access Center Helpline at 800-241-4949.

3col. x 8.5

February 5-11, 2020 • michiganchronicle.com • Page B-3

This Week In Black History: February 6-12 Eubie Blake

1978 — Leon Spinks defeats Muhammad Ali and captures the heavyweight boxing championship.

Ali regains the title in September of the same year becoming the first person to win the title three times.

February 6 1820 — The first organized emigration of blacks from the U.S. back to Africa occurs. Eighty-six free blacks leave New York Harbor on a ship named the “Mayflower of Liberia.” The group lands on the West African coast on March 9 and joins with ex-slaves freed by Britain to help form what would eventually become the West African nation of Sierra Leone.

February 9

died when he was 100 years old on February 12, 1983.

1967 — Comedian-actor Chris Rock is born on this day in Andrews, S.C. He is the oldest of seven children.

February 8

1993 — Tennis star Arthur Ashe dies on this day after contracting AIDS from a 1988 blood transfusion. Ashe was the first African American to win at Wimbledon defeating Jimmy Connors in the finals in 1975. Born and raised in Richmond, Va., Ashe was also known for his activism in various social causes. Once asked what type of attitude was required of a champion, Ashe responded, “The ideal attitude is to be physically loose and mentally tight.”

February 7 1871 — Alcorn A&M College (later “University”) opens in Mississippi. The great black legislator Hiram Revels resigns his seat in Congress to become the first president of the institution which would grow to become one of the leading black colleges in the nation. At first it was only open to men but began admitting women in 1895.

1883 — Eubie Blake is born James Hubert Blake in Baltimore, Md. Along with Noble Sissle, he popularizes Ragtime music. The genre had its birth in black bars and whorehouses in Southern and Midwestern cities. But Sissle and Blake took it mainstream with hits ranging from the “Charleston Rag” to “I’m Just Wild about Harry” to “Shuffle Along.” Blake

three students dead and 27 wounded. The students were protesting a segregated bowling alley near the school’s campus in Orangeburg, S.C. The students killed were Samuel Hammond, Delano Middleton and Henry Smith.

1894 — Congress repeals the Enforcement Act and thus making it easier for states, especially in the South, to take away black voting rights. Originally passed in 1870, the Act had established criminal penalties for interfering with a person’s right to vote. After its repeal, Southern states passed a host of measures including poll taxes, literacy tests and so-called vouchers of “good character”—all designed to block or limit the number of blacks who could vote.

1925 — Marcus Mosiah Garvey, the “Black Moses,” enters federal prison in Atlanta, Ga., after being convicted of what many blacks felt were trumped up mail fraud charges. Garvey, a master of grandeur and showmanship, had built the largest black mass movement in African American history by emphasizing racial pride, economic empowerment and the building of a black empire in Africa. Born in Jamaica and having traveled throughout South America, Garvey had become distressed with the plights of blacks throughout the world and organized the Universal Negro Improvement Association—UNIA—in 1914.

He brought the UNIA to America in 1915 and its growth exploded. At its height, the UNIA had several hundred thousand members and owned businesses ranging from bakeries to shipping lines. Garvey’s rapid growth and increasing power over masses of blacks are what attracted negative attention from the federal government. After his imprisonment, the organization never recovered.

He died in London, England in 1940.

1968 — In what became known as “The Orangeburg Massacre” police open fire on protesting black students on the campus of South Carolina State University. The officers responded to rock-throwing with a volley of shots which left

1944 — Award-winning novelist Alice Walker is born in Eatonton, Ga. She is known for “telling the black woman’s story.” Perhaps her most famous novel was “The Color Purple.”

1995 — Dr. Bernard Harris becomes the first African American to walk in space as part of a joint Russian and American mission. However, Harris was far from being the first black person in space.

That honor goes to a black Cuban pilot who flew aboard the Soviet Soyuz 38 in 1980. His name was Arnaldo Tamayo-Mendez.

February 10 1854 — Educator Joseph Charles Price is born on this day in Elizabeth City, N.C. Largely unknown today, Price was a world-renowned scholar who founded North Carolina’s Livingstone University.

He was also a powerful preacher and orator who raised funds to advance African American education throughout the nation. His basic educational theory was “educate the whole person”—hands, head and heart.

1927 — Opera singer Leontyne Price is born Mary Violet Leontyne Price in Laurel, Miss. She first achieved international fame when she was selected to play “Bess” during the European tour of the George Gershwin Broadway production of “Porgy and Bess.” She became a sensation in Europe signing contracts to sing in just about every European language. She made her debut at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York City in 1961.

1989 — Ron Brown is elected chairman of the Democratic Party becoming the first African American to head one of the two major political parties.

1992 — Renowned author Alex Haley dies. He was also a biographer and scriptwriter. Haley is perhaps best known for the novel “Roots,” which became a major television series, and for the “Autobiography of Malcolm X.” Haley was born August 11, 1921, in Ithaca, N.Y. 1992 — Heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson is convicted in Indianapolis of the rape of beauty pageant contestant Desiree Washington.

February 11 1644 — Eleven blacks confront the ruling Council

of New Netherlands (later New York) with a petition demanding their freedom. This was probably the first legal protest action by blacks in American history. The petition is granted and the blacks are freed because they had worked off the terms of their indentured servant contracts which were usually for seven years. But these blacks had worked for up to 18 years. Shortly after this victory, however, no more blacks were allowed such contracts but were instead treated as slaves for life.

1990 — Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela is released from prison on Robben Island after 27 years. He had been jailed for his militant activities against the then white-ruled South African government and its system of rule known as Apartheid. Mandela would go on to become the first black and first democratically elected president of South Africa (1994-1999). He enabled a peaceful transition to black majority rule. Mandela was one of the most respected and admired men in the world. In South Africa, he was known as “Madiba”—an honorary title given to elders in his tribe.

February 12 1793 — Congress passes the first Fugitive Slave Law. The law made it easier for a slave owner to re-take control of a slave who had escaped to freedom. Blacks and their supporters were outraged because the 1793 law only required the “word” of a white man before a magistrate to declare any black person a runaway slave and have him or her arrested and placed in bondage. Under the law even blacks who had earned their freedom or had never been slaves were placed in danger.

1900 — Legendary poet James Weldon Johnson (1871-1938) writes the lyrics to the song “Lift Every Voice and Sing” as part of a birthday tribute to Abraham Lincoln. In time, the song would become the Black National Anthem.

1909—The NAACP is formally founded by a group of 60 progressive blacks and whites in New York City. The organization, originally called the National Negro Committee, was the outgrowth of the Niagara Movement which met in Niagara, N.Y., in 1905. The NAACP would go on to become, and remain, the nation’s largest civil rights organization.

1930 — The infamous Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment is funded. More than 400 black men from rural parts of Georgia and Alabama are lured into the program with the promise that they would be treated for syphilis. But the program was actually designed to study the effects of untreated syphilis on the body. Thus, the men were given fake anti-syphilis medicines as their diseases advanced.

The unethical “experiment” went on for 40 years as most of the men gradually died. A reporter exposed the study in 1972. Several government agencies, including the U.S. Public Health Service and Centers for Disease Control, were involved.

On behalf of the nation, President Clinton apologized to Charlie Pollard and other surviving members of the racist experiment in 1997.

Installation Service and investiture of Rev. Dr. Steve Bland Jr. President Elect of the Council of Baptist Pastors Detroit & Vicinity

B4

| February 5-11, 2020

Employment to Reduce Poverty

Money.

michiganchronicle.com

By Kevin Johnson There are countless causes of poverty – a changing economy, poor education, destabilized families, illiteracy and social injustice, to name just a few. Poverty, especially among minorities, is a deeply entrenched and complex problem that no single policy, administration, organization or program can solve. However, many public and private organizations throughout Detroit, including the DEGC, are working to address the systemic causes of poverty and find solutions.

The DEGC believes that providing accessible employment, especially to minorities, is an important step.

In the last three years, the DEGC has helped facilitate the creation of more than 23,000 new jobs throughout Detroit, with nearly 5,000 of those Kevin Johnson coming from the 2019 FCA project alone. These jobs have been created intentionally, considering the skills, abilities and interests of the City’s current and future population. Wherever there is an opportunity to prioritize Detroiters for jobs, or multiply employment using the local workforce, we do our very best to make it happen.

Many of our partners are working to increase the employability of Detroiters. This includes education and vocational training, expunging non-violent criminal records, and helping returning citizens back into the workforce. Grow Detroit’s Young Talent, Entrepreneurs of Color and Motor City Match are excellent programs borne from private and public collaborations, funded with public and philanthropic dollars, targeted at giving our homegrown talent access to success.

Thanks to Detroit at Work and Detroit Employment Solutions Corporation, Detroit’s labor market is also becoming more efficient, matching job seekers to jobs and related training. The DEGC is helping Detroit businesses build capacity, grow revenue and increase their workforce. We’re also working with the City, TCF Bank, DTE and others to develop a new procurement program that provides a similar service for Detroit’s minority suppliers and service providers.

Information, Good Choices Drive

Economic Empowerment

By Arthur Bridgeforth Jr. Contributing Writer

When it comes to financial literacy the simple definition is understanding how money works, be it banking, buying a car or house, paying taxes or saving for retirement.

But when you talk to someone like Gail Perry-Mason, the definition of financial literacy is even more basic then that – it’s a person’s ability to control what they do with their money.

“If you don’t put a GPS on your money and know where it’s going, then you can’t make any changes,” said Perry-Mason, who is founder and executive director of Money Matters for Youth, a non-profit organization in Detroit.

“Whether someone earns $30,000 a year or $150,000 a year, it comes down to how people manage their money,” Perry-Mason said. “That means keeping track of how much money is going into your wallet and bank account, versus money that vanishes from your account and wallet.”

Perry-Mason tries to teach these lessons to the youth in her Money Matters program. Money Matters for Youth exposes its members to the world of business and entrepreneurship through its money camps and field trips.

Others interchange the notion of financial literacy with financial empowerment.

In other words, understanding how a person’s choices affect how they spend their money.

N. Charles Anderson, president and CEO of The Detroit Urban League www. deturbanleague.org, said the organization has many programs that involve economic empowerment for the African-American community.

“The key to financial literacy is in part understanding things like obtaining a mortgage,” Anderson said. “But even with the information, a person’s choices make the difference.”

Anderson pointed to the mortgage crisis several years ago. He said that while predatory lending was a huge problem, the crisis was exacerbated by people deciding to purchase homes they couldn’t afford.

See EMPOWERMENT page B5

We must move with a sense of urgency to address all of the issues that separate people from work, even potential roadblocks like transportation and affordable childcare. Detroiters are not looking for a free ride, only a helping hand.

Just look at Benita Taylor, a recent graduate of Diamond Designs Beauty School in Harbortown Center. Taylor received a scholarship to attend the school, received her certificate with the first graduating class, and was offered a job at Diamond Designs Studio and Salon.

Marlene Brooks, owner of both Dymond businesses, won a $65,000 cash award from Motor City Match to open the beauty school. She is on a mission to develop minority entrepreneurs and build Detroit’s neighborhoods. There are countless others like Benita and Marlene who are committed to ending the cycle of poverty for themselves and others. It is our job to provide them the tools and pave the way.

Tia Mowry Gets Serious About Self-Care with New Supplement Line Actress, author, and producer Tia Mowry is no stranger to the public eye; she’s using her well-renowned platform to launch “Anser” Supplements in partnership with BioSchwartz.

Mowry has been in the public eye for over two decades, widely known for her starring role on “Sister, Sister,” and remains a cultural icon with over 14 million followers across all social platforms.

Alongside her public career, Mowry’s health challenges have kept her invested in finding solutions for her overall wellbeing.

For years Mowry suffered from endometriosis which created other health struggles that impacted her everyday life.

“I’ve wanted to inspire others to take charge of their health and knew an experienced partner would allow me to better serve a broader community. With the help of my team at United Talent Agency (UTA), I started working with BioSchwartz to build on my vision,” co-founder Tia Mowry states.

BioSchwartz works with expert researchers and scientists to create premium natural products that support consumer wellness.

“We are thrilled about this partnership and aim to provide the highest-quality nutritional supplements at an affordable price,” explains BioSchwartz CEO Tom Mooy. “In addition, we

want to further educate and support communities that are often overlooked in today’s health and wellness landscape. As our offering grows, we will introduce new and exciting products that target common health concerns for people of all backgrounds.”

Anser launches with a collection of three formulations— Women’s Multivitamin, Prenatal Formula and Beauty Formula—to empower women to take charge of their health with these simple first steps.

Mowry will share her unique wellness journey with the social media campaign #selfcareisntselfish highlighting the Anser collection.

February 5-11, 2020 • michiganchronicle.com • Page B-5

Myths vs. Facts of Landing a Skilled Trade Job (StatePoint Media) With the demand for skilled trade workers growing nationwide, you may be looking to launch your career, change professional paths, or hone current skills in order to advance in your industry.

As you go about the process, consider these few myths and facts about landing a skilled trade job: Myth: It will be hard to find training in my local area.

How Companies Can Help Employees With Student Loan Debt After paying monthly student loan minimums, many Americans have just enough to cover basic living expenses. As a consequence, when unexpected expenses arise, they often end up defaulting on their student loans.

It’s no wonder that student loan debt is a top financial stressor for so many. There’s good news, though. Not only can employers help employees with student loan debt, but doing so is in everyone’s best interest. Here’s how: Reducing Anxiety A growing number of employees are entering the workforce with student loan debt. About 43 million adult Americans carry a federal student loan and as a whole they owe $1.5 trillion in federal student loan debt. Americans also owe an estimated $119 billion in student loans from private sources not backed by the government, according to the Center for American Progress.

Experts say that this debt is causing anxiety and a distracted workforce, with many people spending hours of their workday wondering how to meet financial commitments. A majority of those with student loan debt report being

worried about paying off their student loans, according to research reported by the University of Missouri in an October 26, 2018 article on their website, www.phys.org.

That research also found a strong link between student loans and mental stress for borrowers.

According to research, those with student loans say that getting help with refinancing or repaying their loans would ease their stress so they can focus on their job.

When such assistance is offered, employees appreciate that their employer cares about their financial well-being, and ultimately becomes more engaged and involved in the success of the business.

Refinancing Education Some may wonder whether refinancing is worth their time and effort, but research shows that many people who take out student loans have a high interest rate. On average, borrowers take 20 years to pay off their student loan debts. Instead of continuing to pay a high rate for the lifetime of the loan, employers can work with education benefits providers, such as BenefitEd, to direct employees toward private refinancing options like U-fi. Saving a

small amount each month can substantially lower the total cost paid over the life of the loan.

Employees are likely to appreciate having the option to refinance loans as well as receive education and financial advice from their employer, say experts. Supporting employees’ financial health is a great way to increase employee loyalty and engagement.

Avoiding Loan Default Nationally, the default rate on student loans is increasing. In 2018 alone, student loan delinquencies amounted to over $166 billion.

Missed payments can affect someone’s credit score for years. It can also affect career opportunities as some employers are now checking candidates’ credit scores before making job offers. If people receive advice on refinancing their student loans or receive repayment assistance from employers, they’ll be more likely to make their monthly payments and less likely to deal with the consequences of a poor credit score.

To learn more about how employers can support future and current employee financial needs, visit www.youbenefited.com.

Fact: There are numerous free resources available to connect you with local training opportunities. Veterans and their spouses, for example, can seek career assistance from organizations such as amvets. org. In the case of the HVACR industry, locating training organizations in your zip code is as simple as visiting natex.org which provides online services to English and Spanish speakers, as well as certification and recertification.

Myth: All training programs are pretty much the same.

Fact: Not all certification programs offer the same quality education, nor are they associated with the same breadth of job opportunities. Those in the HVACR industry, for example, can set themselves apart by getting North American Technician Excellence (NATE) training.

“Not only do contractors prefer working with NATE-certified technicians, consumers look for this certification as well because it ensures that a knowledgeable, well-trained and highly experienced technician will service their home heating or cooling system,” says Anthony Spagnoli, NATE’s director of training and education.

Myth: Skilled trade careers don’t offer room for growth.

Fact: Skilled trade careers are in especially high demand today offering long-term job security, a good living and room for advancement. To learn more about existing growth opportunities, tune into the podcast “Blue is the New White.” Available for download on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, this is also a good resource for those seeking to get their foot in the door.

Myth: Career support will be hard to come by once I receive my certification.

Fact: Connecting with a seasoned professional who can act as your mentor is a great way to build relationships, network and learn as you go. This is especially important for those who have traditionally been underrepresented in a given industry. You can find mentors on-the-job, at industry events and through online resources such as Women in HVACR, which among its initiatives, connects young women in the industry with mentors.

Visit womeninhvacr.org/mentorship to learn more.

Empowerment From page B-5 The Urban League’s College Club is an example of the non-profit organization teaching financial literacy while offering economic empowerment. The program tries to prepare young people heading to college for some of the financial pitfalls like easy access to credit cards.

“We caution students not to go to school and be caught up in credit cards,” Anderson said.

The Urban League’s Women Infant and Children (WIC) program also offers an element of economic empowerment.

“We encourage more African-American women to look at breast feeding versus buying man-made formulas,” Anderson said. “It makes sense. It’s good for the baby, good for the mother and it’s economical.”

Anderson added that education seems to make a difference when it comes to breast feeding. “The more educated people are, the more likely they are to breast feed,” Anderson said.

When asked if the problem of people not being financially literate has gotten worse? Anderson couldn’t really give a definitive answer.

But he did say he believes it varies between age groups, with the older generation typically having a better understanding of how to use money than younger people.

“There was grandma that always had money and was able to pay her bills and give you some money if you needed it,” Anderson said.

However, Hector Hernandez, executive director of Southwest Economic Solutions www.swsol.org in Southwest Detroit, said there is a lack of financial literacy in his community.

“The need for financial literacy in our communities is extremely great,” Hernandez said. “These communities are made up of primarily Black and Hispanic residents that come from family histories of low socio-economic standing. We serve residents from neighborhoods throughout the city of Detroit.”

Indeed, Southwest Solutions a non-profit organization, offers many financial literacy programs within its overall services, Hernandez said. This includes homebuyer education, foreclosure mitigation, adult learning, workforce development and entrepreneurship.

“The financial literacy programs have been effective in engaging our clients in not only education around their finances,

but in empowering them to take charge of their circumstances and make the changes they can – to improve their situation,” Hernandez said. “All while receiving support from our staff.”

A 2018 Foundation Investor Education U.S. Financial Capability Study www. usfinancialcapability.org, that included a six-question financial literacy quiz, found that people tend to have a below average understanding of finances.

Results from the quiz, sponsored by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), found that Michigan respondents had an average of 2.98 correct answers, compared to an average of 3.00 correct answers for national respondents and an average of 2.99 correct answers for respondents in the East North Central Census Division (Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin).

Clearly adults aren’t the only ones who need to become financially literate.

Andre White, a teacher for 28-years who spent several years working in the Detroit Public Schools, said he tries to incorporate lessons dealing with financial literacy while teaching his students.

“It’s very important,” said White, who is currently a business teacher at Birmingham Groves High School.

For example, White teaches his students the importance of saving for retirement, even though they’re teenagers. He tells them that Social Security benefits may not be enough to live on by the time they reach retirement age.

“Students also need to be mindful of incurring heavy debt from student loans when they go to college,” White said.

Students have a choice and options where they can attend college. Many students look at big name schools. But White encourages them to also consider other colleges.

“Look at places that you can afford,” White said.

Meanwhile, Jason D. Lee, president and CEO of Junior Achievement of Southeast Michigan www.jamichigan.org , is also focused on teaching students from K-12 about financial literacy.

“Junior Achievement has three pillars when it comes to working with students and financial literacy is one of them,” Lee said.

The non-profit organization has developed hands-on learning experiences that are led by adult volunteers or K-12 educators. It starts teaching financial literacy in kindergarten.

The students participating in Junior Achievement seem to welcome the lessons.

“Students are very receptive to the programs and appreciate the adult volunteers sharing their knowledge and mistakes with them,” Lee said.

“Many of our middle and high school students would not learn the financial literacy concepts presented if not for Junior Achievement,” Lee added. “The most successful students are those who experience JA programs at multiple times throughout their K-12 academic years.”

Another one of the tools that Junior Achievement employs to teach students about financial literacy is its JA Finance Park in Detroit.

“The JA Finance Park simulates adult life,” Lee said. “Students learn about debt, budgeting, taxes, health care costs, autos, insurance and utilities.”

Roughly 11,000 students participate in JA Finance Park, Lee said. Overall, Junior Achievement served 61,300 students in 2019.

“Some of our students are overwhelmed after finishing the simulation because they see the amount of work and sacrifices their families make when it comes to managing their finances and lifestyle,” Lee said.

Page B-6 • michiganchronicle.com •

February 5-11, 2020

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City. Life. Style.

C1 | February 5-11, 2020

Where City Meets Life and Life Meets Style

michiganchronicle.com

Celebrate Black History in Style:

Shinola Introduces

Smokey Robinson Collection

PHOTO: Smokey Robinson Official Website.

By AJ Williams, Managing Editor When you think of Detroit, you think of Motown; and when you think of Motown, one of the most iconic names that comes to mind is Smokey Robinson. In honor of his musical genius and Detroit roots, Shinola has inducted Robinson as the eighth installment in their Great American Collection, with the launch of the Smokey Robinson collection.

a va-

Shinola’s the “Great Americans Series” was created to be collection of limited-edition watches created to honor iconic American innotors and pioneers who helped make our

country great. Previously honoring individuals from all walks of life from the Wright Brothers to Henry Ford, from Muhammed Ali to Maya Angelou and Jackie Robinson, and now Smokey Robinson.

“Shinola is honored to celebrate Smokey Robinson as our latest Great American,” said Shannon Washburn, president & CEO of Shinola.

“Born and raised in Detroit his impact on music and artists around the world is legendary. Having met Smokey at the onset of the project, I was impressed by his approachability, humility and kindness. He embodies the attributes in line with the Great Americans Series we celebrate at Shinola.”

Robinson’s personalized collection was crafted to pay homage to his legacy with two new Vinton timepieces, a Runwell Turntable, journals and a greeting card featuring some of Smokey’s iconic song titles.

As with all Vinton models, the caseback is engravable, so con-

sumers can share their warmest sentiments—a perfect “My Girl” or “My Guy” kind of gift. In addition to the timepiece, the limited-edition gift set includes a 45 RPM record adapter, a necessity to play the vinyl of the newly re-recorded versions of “My Girl”, a duet by Smokey and Ramsey Lewis III, and “My Guy” covered by Arya Goya.

“After 60 beautiful years of creating and being inspired by music, I’m still living my dream,” said Smokey Robinson. “To partner with and be recognized by Shinola, a Detroit-based company, as their next Great American is an absolute honor. I worked closely with them to create a one-of-a-kind watch for both men and women, and I hope my fans wear them proudly.”

To coincide with this launch, Shinola will also be debuting a special-edition blue colorway of the signature Runwell Wall Clock, to be merchandised alongside the Smokey Robinson Collection.

Limited to 1000 pieces of each size, the Smokey Robinson timepiece gift set will retail for $950 and be available on Shinola.com and Shinola retail locations.

The Essence and Beauty of Black Women in America

By Roger Caldwell

NNPA Newswire Contributor

Black women are some of the most amazing females on the planet. There are many fraudulent images and concepts about black women in American culture, where they are considered angry, hard to talk to and unintelligent.

The image of black women as a B, gives everyone in the country, the impression that the majority of our women will curse you out, and are always ready to fight.

These inaccurate descriptions of black women give young black girls a negative impression of themselves, their culture and race, especially when they are constantly being bombarded with foolishness on the radio or with reality television, it makes black women appear silly.

The essence of black women is that they are survivors, with purpose as their common denominator. (Photo: iStockphoto / NNPA)

But for decades black women have achieved phenomenal accomplishments and achieving the goal of sharing

this information requires black media to lead the way, by exposing the truth to America and the world.

Shonda Rhimes, the most powerful show-maker in Hollywood says, “What we are is truth tellers, change agents, and troublemakers – in the best way.

We’re agitating. And advocating. Standing on the shoulders of a long line of resourceful, and resilient black women. And preparing the next generation to take on the mantle, with their own kind of activism.”

Black women have always understood that there was racial discrimination, but they also were discriminated against because of their gender. Black women, and women in general, knew they had to fight and still nurture and take care of their children, and their man. Black women are magicians; they were always working. And today, more women are graduating from college than ever before.

See BLACK WOMEN page C-2

Page C-2 • michiganchronicle.com • February 5-11, 2020

Black Press Screens Two Films Headed for Major Festivals

By Stacy M. Brown

to go along with its feature-length movies.

NNPA Newswire Senior Correspondent

Char’Actors, a company of artists dedicated to acting and filmmaking and an objective to advance careers and create opportunities for members to write, produce, and direct their own works, and 25th Frame Films are jumping into the genre with other promising shorts, including “Dilemma,” a drama in which Mahmud-Bey said should reach completion soon.

Any studio would rarely provide media access to films that it plans to enter into several prestigious film festivals, like the New Orleans Film Festival and the American Black Film Festival.

However, Char’Actors and 25th Frame Films granted the Black Press that access. Both companies are headed by New York-born actor Shiek Mahmud-Bey (“The Profiler,” “Night Falls on Manhattan” and “Buffalo Soldiers”).

This week, Mahmud-Bey previewed two riveting short films that are sure to grab the attention of judges and those fortunate enough to see them. He has several potential blockbuster feature-length films he also plans to release this year and in 2021.

The first is “Unrequited Love,” written by and starring Katja Sarkish Stewart, who plays opposite Nefertiti Warren (“Dari Ji Mi” and “Reparations”).

The film serves up nine minutes and 11 seconds of raw emotion as the two sisters have just buried their father. They eventually, and reluctantly, meet inside a church and it soon becomes evident that they hadn’t seen each other or been in contact for years.

But they must confront a couple of family secrets that threaten to rock their lives further.

The second film previewed was “My Father’s Son,” written and directed by Mahmud-Bey and includes the cinematic efforts of Sean Snider (“Honour Among Thieves,” “Leak” and “Chasing After You.”).

“My

Father’s

Son”

Black Women From page C-1

The essence of black women is that they are survivors, with purpose as their common denominator. They take care of business, and they get the job done. “There are also countless women beyond the headlines doing the work every day without any of the fanfare,” says Amber Scott of Black Enterprise.

There are always black women like Oprah Winfrey and Michelle Obama, whose contributions are too numerous to count, and who are using their influence to promote other black women. “There is DJ Beverly Bond, who’s gathered up the sprinkles of black girl magic to show the world how much black girls do indeed rock,” says Amber Scott.

Not only are black women some of the smartest on the planet, they are also the prettiest.

In December 2019, black women held five of the biggest beauty pageant titles in the United States and the world. “When Miss Jamaica, Toni-Ann Singh, was crowned Miss World in London, she joined an impressive roster of Black women who hold some of the world’s most prestigious pageant titles,” says Tara Law of the New York Times.

The prestigious pageant titles were: Toni-Ann Singh as Miss World, Cheslie Kryst as Miss USA, Kaliegh Garris as Miss Teen USA, Zozibini Tunzi as Miss Universe and Nia Franklin as Miss America (who has since crowned her successor on December 19). It is the first time that black women have held all five of these titles at once.

Black women have a troubled history with race, especially when it comes to beauty pageants in America. The wins were very difficult for blacks to get, because racism played a major part in every judge’s decision. But black women never gave up, and many of the contestants considered themselves freedom fighters.

“Dilemma” is a story about a woman named Lisa (Shannon Weiss) who suffers from schizophrenia. Lisa controls the condition well with her medication, but all of that changes when her brother, Joseph (Ryan Lawerance), moves in with her.

Shiek Mahmud-Bey (seated, wearing the patterned hat), is the head of 25th Frame Films and Char’Actors. An actor and filmmaker, Mahmud-Bey starred in “Night Falls on Manhattan,” and “Buffalo Soldiers.” He also had a lead role in NBC’s detective show, “Profiler.” Others in the photos are actors, writers, and producers who are a part of Char’Actors. stars Malachi Anderson (“Affliction,” “The Fatal Flaw,” “Extrinsic Truth,”), Carol Towns (“Little Church,” “Why Do Men Cheat”), and Aqeel Ash-Shakoor (“Batwoman,” “Chicago Med” and “Iced Out”). James Alexander serves as the photographer.

The 24-minute short chronicles life’s ups and downs for Barry Collins (Anderson), who suffered the tragic loss of his mother when he was a child.

would “take his mother and his father” at the same time.

Later, when happiness in the form of a promising job offer arrives, things get even more complicated.

While he angrily rejects Auntie Pamela’s request to read letters his had father sent over the years, Barry’s juggling a girlfriend and another woman with whom he’s fallen in love.

An unexpected pregnancy brings more complications for Barry, and his actions leave everyone afraid of what’s to come.

The general contours of “My Father’s Son” brings to the screen the sometimes-rocky path traversed by men and their fathers in what some psychologists call one of the most complex relationships in a man’s life – that of father and son.

It’s a relationship that can

On that faithful day, Barry’s father (Shakoor) left him alone, forcing his Auntie Pamela (Benita Hughes) to raise a conflicted and angry young man.

While Auntie Pamela leans on her faith, Barry is disenchanted, wondering what kind of God In almost every field black women have achieved — and have never stopped fighting. Truth tellers, change agents, and troublemakers, Black women were advocating, agitating to break down the walls. Black women are the most beautiful women on the planet, they are queens, and we must shower them with our love.

Keeping You Informed at All Times of the Day. michiganchronicle.com

When Lisa realizes that her brother is planning to get married, Lisa stops taking her medicine and chaos ensues. What comes next is a dilemma for Lisa, Joseph and Joanne (Warren), his fiancée.

“Unrequited Love,” and “My Father’s Son,” also underscore the resurgence of the short film that accompanied feature-length movies in theaters decades ago.

While Char’Actors and 25th Frame Films are scheduled to go into pre-production on another film titled, “Thought,” the companies are expected to release a seven-episode web series titled “Interface,” which Mahmud-Bey said contains a rare multi-cultural cast with a demographic that pleases those from 12 to 70.

Pixar remains the only major studio that routinely airs original short films

“I will find a way or make one,” Mahmud-Bey stated.

affect others, and unless Barry gets the closure he needs, it could have a devastating impact on all of the women in his life and a newborn baby.

February 5-11, 2020 • michiganchronicle.com •

Celebrate Black History at The Wright Museum

Page C-3

rhythm and melodies, Blaire has worked with such Motown greats as Marcus Belgrave, Sylvia Moy, and Ortheia Barnes and also collaborated with modern-day icons Carl Craig, PAJAM, The J Moss project and Vanessa Williams.

Saturday kicks off Black History Month and you can get a hands-on experience at the Charles H. Wright Museum.

They will be featuring several exhibits, movies, and live presentations throughout the month that highlight the history and contributions black people have made to American culture. It kicks off Saturday and ends February 29th.

Saturday, February 22 & Sunday, February 23 Detroit Institute of Awesome! Puppet Performance: Jeghetto’s Workshop 2 p.m.

Jeghetto gets lost in his imagination as he creates unique puppets out of recycled materials. This production offers a glimpse into this puppeteer’s process with visual projections, spoken word and hip-hop beats.

Saturday, February 1, 2020 Celebrating Dr. Carter G. Woodson | Lecture, Book Signing, Q&A: Presented in partnership with ASALH Detroit, this event is free and open to the public, and will be hosted from 2:00 PM to 3:30 PM. Vision of Detroit Exhibition Reception

Sunday, February 23

6:00 - 8:00 PM

28th Annual Alain Locke Awards 2 p.m.

The 2020 recipient of FAAAA’s 28th annual Alain Locke International Art Award is abstract artist Ed Clark who died recently at age 93. His friend and renowned Detroit artist Allie McGhee and Clark’s daughter Melanca Clark will speak about Clark’s art and career. The Alain Locke Recognition Award will be presented to Detroit artist Sydney James for her work as a visual artist and muralist. A reception follows. Sponsored by Friends of African and African American Art.

Saturday, February 15, 2020 The Vincent Chandler Experience Jazz Concert 7:00 PM

Celebrate Black History at the Detroit Institute of Arts

Sunday, February 16, 2020 The Potential Power In The Conscious Black Vote Lecture 6:00 PM

Exhibitions “Detroit Collects: Selections of African American Art from Private Collections” on view through March 15, 2020

Celebrate Black History with the Detroit Pistons 15TH ANNUAL BLACK HISTORY MONTH SCHOLARSHIP EVENT WITH RICK MAHORN Tuesday, February 4th, at 2 p.m.

Detroit Institute of Arts Open to the public Pistons Legend Rick Mahorn and the Detroit Pistons Foundation will invite high school seniors in Detroit to participate in the 15th annual scholarship competition. Twenty-five high school seniors will present an original interpretation – poem or poster – of the contest theme, “The Past. The Present. My Future.” in front of hundreds of fellow classmates, teachers and a panel of community leaders, serving as judges, for higher education scholarships. The organization will supply $50,000 in scholarships.

Special Black History Month Drop-in Art-making: Community Quilt Design Fridays, 1/31 & 2/28, 6–9 p.m., Saturdays 2/1 & 2/28, Noon–4 p.m., Sunday, 2/2, Noon–4 p.m.

Thursday, February 6 Thursdays at the Museum: Pop-Up Tour of Detroit Collects: Selections of African American Art from Private Collections 1 p.m.

Friday, February 7 Spoken | The Art of Poetry 6:15, 7:15 & 8:30 p.m.

In collaboration with Citywide Poets, spoken word poets Sherina Sharpe, Michael Sheldon, and Nadine Marshall perform pieces inspired by the works of art they love the most.

Friday Night Live!

Sphinx Organization 7 & 8:30 p.m.

Detroit-based Sphinx Organization presents music written and performed by black and LatinX composers and musicians who have overcome challenges facing artists of color in the contemporary classical music world. Enjoy the music of composers Roscoe Mitchell, Tyshawn Sorey, George Lewis and Leroy Jenkins, among others.

Queen Mother of the Asante in Ghana.

Leading Asante scholar Kwasi Ampene directs and narrates with the authority, gaze and sensitivity of a true insider, with stunning footage of the rich cultural traditions of the Asante people.

Friday, February 14 Theatrical Readings | A Portrait of Toni Morrison & James Baldwin by The Oliver Pookrum Theater Project 7 p.m.

The Oliver Pookrum Theater Project with NyRee Hardyway and James Abbett performs dramatic readings of A Portrait of Toni Morrison & James Baldwin in celebration of the life and artistry of two American literary masters.

Friday Night Live! Dom Flemons 7 & & 8:30 p.m.

Singer Dom Flemons pays tribute to the music, culture, and the complex history of the golden era of the Wild West. This century-old story follows the footsteps of the thousands of African American pioneers who helped build the United States of America.

Saturday, February 15 & Sunday, February 16 Detroit Institute of Awesome! Puppet Performance: String Theory Theater 2 p.m.

Baltimore-based puppet troupe String Theory Theater is composed of artist Dirk Joseph and his daughters, telling stories of varied narrative styles with multiple puppetry formats. Their colorful design and wit poke fun at conventions to create amusing and thought-provoking performances.

Thursday, February 20

23RD ANNUAL SPHINX COMPETITION

Saturday, February 8 & Sunday February 9

Thursdays at the Museum: Art-Making: Mosaics 1 p.m.

Saturday, February 8, at 7:30 p.m.

Detroit Institute of Awesome! Artist Demonstration: Najma Ma’at Wilson Noon–4 p.m.

Fiber artist, educator and co-founder of Detroit Fiber Works Najma Ma’at Wilson invites everyone to participate in making Stitched Collages, small works of art using basic stitching techniques with needles, thread, and fabrics.

Friday, February 21

Sunday, February 9

Friday Night Live! Monica Blaire 7 p.m.

Classically trained Detroit singer and songwriter Monica Blaire developed skills as a writer and choreographer, but hip-hop music is her passion. Rooted in the sound of early soul music and inspired by an unconventional sense of

Max M. and Marjorie S. Fisher Music Center Open to the public, tickets $0-20 The Detroit Pistons will once again sponsor the Sphinx Competition, which offers young African-American and Latin classical string players a chance to compete under the guidance of an internationally renowned panel of judges and to perform with established professional musicians in a competition setting. Its primary goals are to encourage, develop and recognize classical music talent.

Tickets are available at www.DSO.com

Film: Gone to the Village: Royal Funerary Rites for Asantehemaa Nana Afia Kobi Serwaa Ampem II 2 p.m.

This beautifully filmed documentary portrays the elaborate funerary rites for the

Artist Panel | Artists and Mentorships: The Perfect Imperfect Picture 6 p.m.

Moderator Tylonn Sawyer discusses the mentorships with established, mid-career and emerging artists Hubert Massey, Gil Ashby, RaShaun Rucker, Nivek Monet, Horario Hall and Elaine Cromie.

Thursday, February 27 Thursdays at the Museum: Film: Bless Their Little Hearts 1 p.m.

Charlie Banks searches for steady work while viewing his chronic unemployment as a spiritual trial, only to find comfort for his wounded pride in an affair that threatens his marriage. This pioneering work of independent African American cinema was inducted into the National Film Registry of the Library of Congress as a national treasure.

Detroit Film Theatre: My Brother’s Wedding 7 p.m.

This funny, heartbreaking and honest family drama from trail-blazing African American director Charles Burnett that presents a richly textured portrait of a young Los Angeles man whose family obligations come into conflict with his still-forming plans for his own future.

Also shown: rare short films by Charles Burnett.

Friday, February 28 Author Talk: Yaa Gyasi 7 p.m.

Yaa Gyasi, born in Ghana and raised in Huntsville, Alabama, is the author of the highly acclaimed debut novel Homegoing and its follow-up, Transcendent Kingdom.

She holds a BA in English from Stanford University and an MFA from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop and is a recipient of the National Book Foundation’s 2016 “5 Under 35” Award. An illuminating speaker, Gyasi captivates audiences with her sincerity and compassion. Admission is free, but registration is required. Visit dia.org/ BlackHistoryMonth to register.

Celebrate Black History at the Detroit Historical Museum African-American History Day at Detroit Historical Museum, featuring make-andtake projects, story readings, games and live performances. Highlighting this year’s event will be neighborhood sports in Detroit, and talks on lacrosse, hockey and golf. Noon-5 p.m. Free. 5401 Woodward, Midtown Detroit. (313) 833-1805

Celebrate Black History Month at the DIA with visual art and art-making, poetry and prose, an array of musical traditions, dance, films and more. #BlackHistoryDIA

Classified OBITUARY

Vera Mae Gatewood Vera Mae Gatewood was born on May 20,1923 in Macon, Georgia to Warren Abraham and Maude Shaw She was the youngest child born to Warren and Maude. Her brothers and sisters Lucy, Ben Sylvester, Eula Mae, and Warren iI (who have all preceded her in death) made up the family of six.

Vera excelled in school and was noted for her abilities in mathematics and art. She graduated from high school in Macon, GA. Later she moved to Detroit, MI., where she met and married Edward Gatewood, a decorated World War II veteran.

Vera spent 35 years employed at Champion Spark Plugs Company, where she earned a reputation as a reliable employee. She was a member of the Eastern Star. She participated in a bowling league where she won several trophies.

Vera loved the Lord and her family very much. Which was Berea Lutheran Church where she was a dedicated member for many years.

Vera Gatewood passed away on January 18, 2020. She is survived by her son Charles Shaw (wife Lula); grandchildren: Delisa Shaw Cassandra Thomas (husband Anthony), Courtney Jones (wife Jackie), Tavares Oliver (wife Timmi) and Dedrick Oliver. Five great great-grandchildren: Janae, Jalessa, Nicholas, Tavares Dion, and Trevor.

She is also survived by a host of nieces and nephews including Loretta Nelson, Warren Shaw, Sylvester, Doris, Carolyn Shaw (Penney), Cary. Funeral services were held January 27, 2020 at Life Church 4366 Davison Detroit, Michigan at 11:00a.m. Interment Grandlawn Cemetery Arrangements entrusted to Thompson Funeral Homes Detroit, Michigan.

February 5-11, 2020

THE MICHIGAN CHRONICLE

OBITUARY

LEGAL NOTICE

Declaration of Nationality

Norene Adams Norene Adams was born on May 7,1953 in Detroit, Michigan. She was the second of five children born to the union of George Dewey Adams and Roberta Adams. Norene accepted Christ as her Lord and Savior at an early age at New Light Baptist Church. She later united with Greater Ebenezer Missionary Baptist Church where she proudly served on the Usher Board Educated in the Detroit Public School system, Norene graduated from Mackenzie High School in 1971. She then went on to graduate from Michigan State University with a Bachelors in Social Work. For over 30 years, she was employed by the State of Michigan and remained dedicated to jobs that focused on criminal rehabilitation including a corrections officer, social worker, probation officer, and after retirement a substitute teacher.

Norene married Arthur Everett on September 24,1983. To this union two children were born: Sarena and Angela.

She loved all things black: black people, black art, books by black authors, and supporting black businesses! Norene was always an avid reader and was a proud and dedicated member of the Howard Johnson Memorial Book Club for over 20 years. In her later years, she also enjoyed being a member of the St. Patrick’s Senior Center.

Norene transitioned to be with the Lord on December 22,2019. She was preceded in death by her mother, Roberta Adams; father, George Adams; older brother George Adams Jr., and younger sister Clarice Adams. She leaves to cherish her memory: husband, Arthur Everett; daughters, Sarena (Kenneth) Harris and Angela (Marlon) Winder; four grandchildren, Kendall Harris, Mackenzie Harris, Amber Winder, and Madison Winder; sister, Sharon Adams; brother, Mark (Rosa) Adams Sr.; aunt Elois Bentley; and a host of sisters-inlaw, cousins, nieces, nephews, and friends.

Family Visitation was held January 3, 2020 from 4-8pm at Thompson Funeral Home 15443 Greenfield Rd. Detroit, Michigan. Funeral services were held on January 4th, 2020 at 11:00 a.m. at Greater Ebenezer Ministries 18751 Fenkell, Detroit, Michigan.

Burial Elmwood Cemetery 1200 Elmwood Avenue, Detroit, Michigan 48207.

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Notice of Special Appearance : I am: ‘’ nacumba patrick© ‘’, in full life, in propria persona, sui juris, in solo proprio, by natural issue, the beneficiary and heir of: ‘’ PATRICK, NACUMBA© ‘’, corp.sole Dba.: ‘’ NACUMBA PATRICK© ‘’, having reached the age of majority, being aboriginal to the northwestern and southwestern shores of Africa, the Atlantic Islands, the continental Americas, hereby affirms to declare my intention to be as my pedigree subscribes, as an: Moorish American, but not a citizen of the United States. I declare permanent, and inalienable, allegiance to the Moorish Empire, Societas Republicae Ea Al Maurikanuus Estados / States of the Union/ United States Republic, The Constitution for the united States of America, Article III Section 2, The Barbary Treaties, International Law, United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, and all Natural laws governing Moors and hereby Declare and Proclaim my nationality as an: Moorish American. I am: ‘’ nacumba patrick© ‘’, from this day forward, in harmony with my Nationality / Status / Jurisdiction, shall be known as: ‘’ nacumba patrick-bey© ‘’. Notice of Merging of Legal Title with Equitable Title : This order is to preserve legal and equitable title , and to reserve all rights, title, and interest, in the property, Re: ‘’ PATRICK, NACUMBA© ‘’, corp.sole Dba.: ‘’ NACUMBA PATRICK© ‘’, to the depositor: ‘’ nacumba patrick-bey© ‘’, nom deguerre: ‘’ nacumba patrick© ‘’. All property , of the same issue and amount, in like kind and specie, is to be returned fully intact , as a Special Deposit order of the Depositor / Beneficiary / Bailor / Donor / Principal / Creditor: ‘’ nacumba patrick-bey© ‘’, nom deguerre: ‘’ nacumba patrick© ‘’, as a special deposit order in lawful money. This special deposit is to be used exclusively for the benefit of : ‘’ Rising Seven Trust© ‘’, a Private Divine Foreign Grantor Trust. This deposit is not to be commingled with general assets of any bank , nor depositary / trustee / agent / bailee / donee / debtor. This deposit is not limited to, but including: discharge and set off, of any and all outstanding liabilities as accord and satisfaction. All Rights Reserved.

MICHIGAN CHRONICLE

PERSONAL SERVICES MRS. LINN

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.

Why you’re so unlucky. If your loved one is true or false.I will advise you all problems of life, such as love, marriage, business and health, etc. Why suffer, you can be free from all troubles. I guarantee Sucess where others failed. I am superior to any other reader you have seen.

Don’t let distance keep you away from Health and Happiness. Hrs. 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Daily and Sunday.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

No Mail Answered 2742 Monroe St., Toledo, Ohio 1-419-248-2145 1-419-973-3100

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Request for Information (RFI)

Barbara Ann Vance Barbara Ann Vance (nee Enyard) was born to Laura Delores Butner and Marion (Tudie) Enyard on April 11, 1936 in Glasgow, Missouri.

Barbara was ‘born’ at Campbell Chapel A.M.E. Church.

She played piano for services there beginning at age 5. She graduated as Valedictorian of her class at 15 years old from Dalton Vocational High School in Fulton, Missouri in 1951. She received her B.S in Elementary Education from Lincoln University in Jefferson City, Missouri in 1956.

While at Lincoln, Barbara became a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Alpha Iota Chapter. She received her M.A. in Education from Michigan State University in 1961. She pursued her doctoral degree in Education Administration, Research and Evaluation at Wayne State University.

Barbara was very proud of being an Educator. Barbara began her career in education in 1956 as a classroom teacher in Muskegon Heights, Michigan. Barbara moved to Detroit and continued her work as a classroom teacher in the Detroit Public School System from 1959-1968.

From 1968 to 1970, Barbara continued her passion for education at Wayne State University (WSU) in Detroit as a research assistant. Barbara was the Midwest Director of the United States Teacher Corps and Technical Resource Center from 1970 to 1980. Barbara taught at WSU from 1980-1983. She returned to the Detroit Public School System from 1984-2006. During this time she was a math teacher, and Coordinator at Dossin Elementary School and an Assistant Principal at Paul Robeson Academy She was joined in holy matrimony with H. Bernard Vance Jr. on December 16, 1961. They were married for 48 years. To this union, three children Barrie (Harold) Wright, Brent D. Vance, Brian D. (Dara) Vance were born.

Barbara was a woman of many talents. She enjoyed anything to do with mathematics, so much so that much of her professional life was focused on math instruction and curriculum development. Barbara enjoyed the pursuit of knowledge throughout her life, whether it involved reading, traveling throughout the world, going to museums, theater etc. She especially enjoyed playing the piano, and did so as for as long as she could. Barbara also enjoyed sewing, and could/would create a couture look in an afternoon for herself or anyone who asked.

Barbara achieved many professional accomplishments throughout her life. Barbara was also a social chameleon and belonged to many organizations that catered to her many interests. Many of the organizations were associated with her career in education, among them the Association of Teacher Education, the American Educational Research Association, and the International Reading Association.

Barbara was also a past president of the Consortium of Black Colleges and Universities and a past 1st Vice President of the Lincoln University Alumni Association-Detroit Chapter. Barbara received the National Distinguished Alumni Award from Lincoln University in 1987. Barbara was also a lifelong member of the NAACP. Barbara was part of the community track program and coached track for years. She also coached double dutch teams. Barbara infused everything she did with a spirit of infectious joy.

Barbara departed this life January 26, 2020. She was predeceased by her parents, her husband of 48 years, her brothers, Robert and Howard, and her sisters Marion Lois and Marilyn Kay. She was also predeceased by her brother in law Reginald Davis and her nephews Sean and Andre Davis Barbara is survived by her children, grandchildren Sophia, Ryki and Laurence, brothers Gary (Elaine), David (‘Dot’), Jeffery (Sandra), Gregory, Joel, and Richard (Karen). She is also survived by beloved nieces, nephews and cousins and extended family. Barbara was a beloved mother/mentor and friend to many. She will be sorely missed by all who loved her.

OPEN ENROLLMENT

The Detroit-Wayne Joint Building Authority (Authority) owns and operates the Coleman A. Young Municipal Center at 2 Woodward Avenue, Detroit, Michigan and is interested leasing a 224 square foot Lower Level Suite (LL29) to a tenant that will operate a retail and/or service facility to serve the building population and general public.

Site Visit: A mandatory pre-submission site visit will be held on Wednesday, February 12, 2020 at 10AM in the Lower Level (Suite 29) of the of the Coleman A. Young Municipal Center.

Submission requirements will be provided to interested parties at that time.

Response Due Date: All submissions responses are due no later than Monday, February 24, 2020 at 12:00 Noon Interested firms will be required to submit (4) sealed proposals address to: Detroit -Wayne Joint Building Authority Coleman A. Young Municipal Center 2 Woodward Avenue, Suite 1316 Detroit, MI. 48226 Mike Kennedy, Property Manager

Grades PK-12 (Ages 4-18 yrs.)

Universal Learning Academy 28015 Joy Road Westland, MI 48185 (734) 402-5900, www.ulapsa.org Accepting Applications: M-Fr 03/01 - 3/31/2020, 9 AM–3:30 PM Fr 3/06/2020, 9 AM–6 PM & Sat 3/07/2020, 9:30 AM–12 PM PUBLIC LOTTERY Fri 4/24/2020 @ 11 AM

OPEN ENROLLMENT

Grades PK-12 (Ages 4-18 yrs.)

The Authority reserves the right to request additional information, require an interview of the team members identified in the submission and withdraw this RFP without advance notice or explanation and at no cost to the Authority.

Universal Academy 4833 Ogden St Detroit, MI 48210 (313) 581-5006, www.universalpsa.org Accepting Applications: M-Fr 03/01 - 3/31/2020, 9 AM–3:30 PM Fr 3/06/2020, 9 AM–6 PM & Sat 3/07/2020, 9:30 AM–12 PM PUBLIC LOTTERY Fri 4/24/2020 @ 1 PM

OPEN ENROLLMENT

Grades PK-12 (Ages 4-18 yrs.)

Request for Proposal (RFP) The Detroit-Wayne Joint Building Authority (Authority) is interested in securing the services of a General Contractor for design-build construction services to create a Wellness Room in the Lower Level of the Office Tower of the Coleman A. Young Municipal Center, 2 Woodward Avenue, Detroit, Michigan.

Interested parties should request a copy of the RFP by emailing a request to Commissioners@dwjba.com.

Site Visit: A mandatory pre-bid site visit will be held on Friday, February 7, 2020 at 10 am in the Lower Level of the Office Tower of the Coleman A. Young Municipal Center.

Submission Requirements: All submission requirements are included in the RFP. Interested firms will be required to submit (4) four sealed bid copies no later than Wednesday, February 19, 2020 at 12:00 Noon, with a public opening to follow. Bids should be address to: Detroit -Wayne Joint Building Authority Coleman A. Young Municipal Center 2 Woodward Avenue, Suite 1316 Detroit, MI. 48226 Chris Hewitt, Engineering Manager The Authority reserves the right to request additional information, require an interview of the team members indentified in the submission and withdraw this RFP without advance notice or explanation and at no cost to the Authority.

IT PAYS TO ADVERTISE IN THE MICHIGAN CHRONICLE

When we are saying this cannot be accomplished, this cannot be done, then we are short-changing ourselves.

- Kobe Bryant

Star International Academy 24425 Hass & 24480 George St Dearborn Heights, MI 48127 (313) 724-8990 & 45081 Geddes Rd Canton, MI 48188 (734) 331-3081 www.starpsa.org Accepting Applications: M-Fr 03/01 - 3/31/2020, 8 AM–3:30 PM Fr 3/06/2020, 9 AM– 6 PM & Sat 3/07/2020, 9:30 AM–12 PM PUBLIC LOTTERY Fri 4/24/2020 @ 8:30 AM

PROCLAMATION I, EDWARDS BEY, whose address is 15705 JULIANA EASTPOINT MICHIGAN 48201 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.

Classified

February 5-11, 2020

THE MICHIGAN CHRONICLE

Page C-5

ANNOUNCEMENTS

CITY OF HIGHLAND PARK

2020 March Board of Review Current Year Appeals, Poverty Exemptions & Mistakes

Tuesday, March 3, 2020 Board Members Organizational Meeting 9 a.m.

(Pursuant of Michigan Open Meeting act, Public Act No. 267 of 1976 as amended)

Monday, March 9, 2020 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.

Wednesday, March 11, 2020 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.

Thursday, March 12, 2020 3 p.m. – 9 p.m.

City Hall 1st Floor Conference Room

Robert B. Blackwell Municipal Building 12050 Woodward Ave. Highland Park, Mi. 48203

PLEASE CALL FOR AN APPOINTMENT Call (313) 252-0050, ext. 228, to make the appointment

Tips for Avoiding Emotional Spending

*Poverty Exemption Application MUST be submitted with all attachments, (failure results in denial of Exemption) and a Board of Review Petition

by March 6, 2020 to City Treasurer’s Office.* HELP WANTED

PROFESSIONAL HELP WANTED

Seeking

OFFICE ASSISTANT II AT OAKLAND UNIVERSITY School of Medicine

Minimum Qualifications: High school graduation or an equivalent combination of education and experience. Four years general office work, including experience in prioritizing work and meeting deadlines.

Ability to operate standard office equipment.

Knowledge of proper grammar, spelling & punctuation, intermediate word processing, spreadsheet and database applications.

Ability to effectively interact with the public, students, faculty, and staff. This is a full time, clerical-technical position, with a salary of $41,297 annually. See online posting for additional position requirements. First consideration will be given to those who apply by February 14, 2020.

Must apply online to: https://jobs.oakland.edu

Test & Validation Engineer – Autonomous Vehicle Connected Ecosystem General Motors, Detroit, MI. Create E2E test procedures for autonomous psgr vehicle program incldg emergency crash &blue button service, using TFS &IBM RQM tools. Work on infotainment &Supercruise (SC) Vehicle to Backoffice (V2X) backend test procedures in vehicle &on test bench for OnStar/GCCX emergency call, vehicle loc., Navi, Personalization, Safety&Security package, Apps &Personalization Exper. Validation, Vehicle Task Management (VTM) in External Object Calculation Module (EOCM), using ATT CAN, VehicleSpy, neoVI FIRE2 &DPS tools. Verify SC program related data events flow from V2X apps using Kafka, Cassandra &HIVE tools to validate expected result. Create SQL queries &execute using Oracle SQL Dvlpr tool, to confirm data accuracy. Plan &coordinate review meetings w/ Feature Owners, GCCX Bus. Anlysts &Solution Architects, to understand functionality of features such as Lane Centering Control, MapUpdates &GPS. Master, Computer Science, Computer Engrg, or Computer Applications. 12 mos exp as Engineer, Developer, Computer Sys. Analyst, or related, working on infotainment V2X backend test procedures in vehicle &on test bench for emergency call, Navi, Personalization, &VTM in EOCM, using VehicleSpy &neoVI FIRE 2 tools, or related. Mail resume to Ref#35241-103, GM Global Mobility, 300 Renaissance Center, MC:482-C32-C66, Detroit, MI 48265.

Seeking

OFFICE ASSISTANT III AT OAKLAND UNIVERSITY School of Medicine

To provide specialized office assistance, coordinating procedural business or service activities for a complex program area involving processing, implementing, advising on, and reporting specialized subject matter. Minimum Qualifications: High school graduation or an equivalent combination of education and experience.

Four years progressively responsible office experience, including direct experience in office coordination, i.e., prioritizing work assignments, maintaining work flow to meet deadlines. This is a full time, clericaltechnical position. Salary is $43,718.00 annually. See online posting for additional position requirements. First consideration will be given to those who apply by February 12, 2020.

Must apply online to: https://jobs.oakland.edu

Seeking

GREENSKEEPER II AT OAKLAND UNIVERSITY Golf Course

Establish and maintain University hardsurfaced plant and unplanted areas; may lead other golf course employees. Minimum Qualifications: High school graduation plus a minimum of thirty-seven (37) academic hours in landscape technology or a directly related field. A minimum of three years groundskeeper/landscaping/ greenskeeping experience and a valid State of Michigan pesticide applications certification. Must possess and maintain a valid State of Michigan driver’s license with a driving record acceptable to the University. This is a full time position, working 9 months per year, Mid-March through Mid-December. Sunday through Thursday – 6:00 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. and will adjust for sunrise, golf play and golf course needs. Salary is $20.33 per hour probationary/$20.94 after 90 days. Refer to online posting for additional qualifications and requirements. First consideration will be given to those who apply by February 14, 2020.

Must apply online to: https://jobs.oakland.edu

PROFESSIONAL HELP WANTED Validation HiL Engineer Nexteer Automotive Corp. seeks a Validation HiL Engineer in Auburn Hills MI, to support control software functional integration verification and validation of software for an embedded control system, among other duties. Min. bachelor’s degree in electrical, mechanical or computer eng., and two years of experience in the job offered or related.

Send resume to: Angela Passariello, Nexteer Automotive, 3900 E. Holland Rd., Saginaw, MI 48601, Ref #10540844.

Design Release Engineer Warren, MI, General Motors. Engr, dvlp, &release U.S., global &emerging market psgr vehicle exterior syss incldg fascias, grilles, bumpers, impact beams, bumper beams, lighting, exterior trim (rocker &side door moldings &appliques), wheel house liners incldg acoustics pads &textiles, roof racks, badges &nameplates, spoilers, weatherstrips, 360 degree cameras, front &rear part assist sensors, &handsfree liftgates, using UGNX, Teamcenter, Vismockup, &E2 tools. Perform anlys, early stage design engrg, dvlpmt, benchmarking, &provide collaboration to ensure part performance meeting mass, cost &timing for U.S., global &emerging markets.

Work w/ Design Studio to incorporate technologies to dvlp new designs for vehicle exterior syss starting w/ “clean sheet of paper” &engr sys solutions to detailed &balanced level. Collaborate daily w/ Sys Integration &Chassis Engrs, &with Design, Mfg, Body, Powertrain, &Electrical to jointly dvlp overall optimal vehicle syss solutions. Master, Mechanical, Automotive, or Industrial Engrg, Technology Mgmt, or related. 12 mos exp as Engineer, engrg &releasing U.S. &global psgr vehicle exterior syss incldg fascia, grille, beam, 360 degree camera, &part assist sensor, using UGNX, Teamcenter, &E2 tools.

Mail resume to Ref#30753, GM Global Mobility, 300 Renaissance Center, MC:482C32-C66, Detroit, MI 48265.

(StatePoint) Decisions about spending money are often driven by emotions, even if what your heart is telling you goes against logic. Emotional financial choices may provide you with short-term happiness, but they are just as likely to result in long-term regret or debt.

Here are six tips for making spending decisions, without allowing your emotions to take over.

• Get an accurate picture of what it costs to maintain your lifestyle and fund your goals.

Knowing your fixed and variable expenses and being able to quantify your goals in terms of dollars and timeframes will help you understand what you can afford to spend in the near term.

• Ask yourself if you want something or need something before you buy it. If you do need it, or if it will make a huge difference in your life and you can pay for it right away without touching funds that are earmarked for other important goals, then go for it.

• Pause and think twice before buying large items. When making major purchases (for example, over $500), take some time between deciding to buy and making the actual purchase.

Prioritize your expenditures by categorizing them in terms of cost and effect. For example, you should pay your health insurance and car insurance before booking a short-term vacation.

• Make a list before shopping. Whether shopping for groceries, household items or gifts, creating a list -- and sticking to it -- will help you avoid impulse buys and save money.

• Shop for major holidays throughout the year.

Set a budget for annual gifts early in the year and take the time to comparison shop to find the best prices and take advantage of discounts when you find them. This not only helps to spread out giving expenses, it also ensures you do not pay a premium for last-minute purchases.

• Experts say financially savvy people know their emotional triggers for spending, and are able to rein them in when necessary. Unfortunately, this is not easy for everyone. However, working with a Certified Financial Planner (CFP) professional to manage your spending can help you stay focused on achieving your long-term financial goals. To find a CFP professional near you who can help you look at your life through a financial lens and avoid the cost of emotionally driven decisions, visit www. letsmakeaplan.org.

Remember that your financial priorities should almost always be focused on your longterm goals. A bit of planning and some outside help can go a long way toward better spending decisions.

7 Tips for Using Credit Cards Safely

Pre- Production Launch Manager Warren, MI, General Motors. Lead &coordinate engrg, mfg, validation, qlty, &supply chain efforts to ensure successful component integration &launches of integration vehicles to support flawless full vehicle launches at U.S. &global vehicle assy plants. Analyze, coordinate daily/wkly/mnthly mtngs, &assure &verify mfg engrg processes, tools, new Body in White (BIW), powertrain &electrical modules parts, &ergonomics, during Pre-Production (PP) cmpnt &vehicle prototyping &launch phases at PP Ops in Warren. Prepare PP launch key indicator reports reflecting owners of launch deliverables in BIW, Paint &GA Depts., &define global &emerging market full psgr vehicle content, wire frame construction, engine dyno kit &frame, vehicle quantities, BIW, powertrain, chassis, thermal, interior &exterior specs, &overall buildability of vehicle content incldg ~1,000 part nos. Plan &ensure overall vehicle program qlty of BIW, Paint &GA depts, assembling psgr vehicles, &mentor/act as checkpoint for Production Group Leaders to contain defects &resolve problems &grievances w/ union reps. 2 years’ exp as Production Group Leader, Production Supervisor, or related, supervising or leading Body in White, Paint or GA dept to ensure overall qlty of dept at high volume vehicle assy plant, &mentoring Production Group Leaders or Production Supvs to contain defects &resolve problems &grievances w/ union representative, or related. Mail resume to Ref#4518, GM Global Mobility, 300 Renaissance Center, MC:482-C32-C66, Detroit, MI 48265.

IT PAYS TO ADVERTISE IN THE MICHIGAN CHRONICLE

WWW.MICHIGANCHRONICLE.COM

(StatePoint) Credit cards are a useful tool for managing personal finances and building credit, but they also expose you to a number of risks -- including identity theft and credit card fraud. Thankfully, experts say there are many simple, proactive steps you can take to help protect yourself when using a credit card. Here are seven tips for guarding your credit.

4.

1.

5.

Monitor your credit reports. To identify any suspicious activity, periodically request and review your credit reports and your children’s from the three major credit bureaus: Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. These companies will provide you with a free credit report once per year. Consider requesting a different agency’s report every four months at no charge for more frequent monitoring.

If you see any signs of identity theft, credit card fraud or other scams, contact the credit bureaus right away.

2.

Activate fraud alerts. Experian, Equifax and TransUnion also offer free credit fraud alerts.

When a potential creditor sees a fraud alert on your credit file, they will take additional steps to verify your identity before authorizing new credit. Fraud alerts last for 90 days but can easily be renewed.

You only need to contact one credit bureau to set up alerts -- that company will notify the other two.

3.

Freeze your credit. Placing a freeze on your credit reports will prevent anyone from opening new accounts in your name. You will need to contact all three credit bureaus to freeze your reports. Note that it may take several days to lift a freeze if you need to apply for credit. Also, credit

freezes do not prevent fraudulent transactions on your existing credit accounts.

Review credit card statements carefully.

Check your statements as soon as you receive them to make sure there are no fraudulent charges.

Contact your card issuer if you see anything suspicious.

Enroll in bank notification programs. Most banks offer a credit card notification program which will alert you to account charges over a preset amount.

6.

Protect your passwords. Change logins and passwords monthly, use password generators and sign up for two-factor authentication. Security experts recommend a minimum of 14 characters for creating a secure password.

7.

Shop online carefully. Avoid making payments or accessing financial information on unsecured wireless networks, such as those at coffee shops, hotels and restaurants. Your phone should be treated like your computer: password protect it, too.

A Certified Financial Planner professional can help you protect your assets from this type of risk and pick up the financial pieces if your information falls into the wrong hands. To find a CFP professional near you, visit www.letsmakeaplan.org.

With a few simple tools and a bit of diligence, you can safely use and continue to build your credit.

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• michiganchronicle.com • February 5-11, 2020

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