Michigan Chronicle and Talmer Bank Announce Inaugural Scholarship Award Program
The return of
'Empire'
See page A-5
See page D-1
POWERED BY REAL TIMES MEDIA
michiganchronicle.com
Volume 78 – Number 52
WHAT’S INSIDE For the love of dance (Page B-1) Ayi Muhammed had a dream and transformed it into a reality. Sparked by a love of African dance, she created the Alnur African Dance, Drum & Drama Troupe on the city’s east side.
Detroit Golf Club president profiled (Page C-1) Lane Coleman has served as president of the historic Detroit Golf Club (DGC) and chairman of its board since October 2014. He is only the second African American to hold this position.
Rainbow PUSH Excel and Toyota working together (Page C-2) Fueling the future by ensuring that students have their best opportunity to succeed, Toyota and Rainbow PUSH Excel are providing $75,000 scholarships to 10 engineering and business college students.
Into the
e n o Z d e R
By Patreice A. Massey The dictionary defines red zone as a red sector on a gauge or dial corresponding to conditions that exceed safety limits and a region that is dangerous or forbidden. The term red zone — or “zone rouge” — has been applied to areas in northeastern France that the French government isolated after the first World War. The land, which originally covered more than 460 square miles, was deemed to be too physically and environmentally damaged by the conflict for human habitation. Rather than attempt to clean up the former battlefields, the land was allowed to return to nature. By definition a red zone would make one think of a desolate, abandoned area, unsafe for human habitation. Yet many of us are presently visiting, working, shopping and/or living in a red zone.
Sounds crazy, right?
But it’s true. And if you’ve ever been cruising down the Detroit side of Gratiot Avenue, or have taken Kelly Road to get to Eastland Mall, then chances are you have been through the red zone. The other day, I witnessed yet another shootout, and unlike in the movies it wasn’t dark and ominous. I wasn’t at an abandoned warehouse watching a deal gone wrong. I was on a residential street helping a friend unload items from her car. It was 6 p.m. and there were many children running around haphazardly, as children tend to do. I saw what started as a fight between two young men escalate into something far more threatening. One young man
went into the house and came back out. The second gentleman, upon seeing him return, began to run — in our direction. As they got closer I heard what sounded like kids playing with firecrackers, but then I looked and saw the same guy who had just previously emerged from the house extend his arm. In his hand was a small caliber pistol.
SENIOR EDITOR
History can be an ugly thing sometimes. But sometimes the wrongs of history can be corrected. It may take awhile, but justice is always welcome once it shows up. On Wednesday, September 9, Arlene Jeter will be moving out of Southfield and into her new Hamtramck home. Granted, that by itself is not exactly worthy of a news story. Until you know the history. Because that’s when it becomes clear that this is hardly your average moving day for Jeter. Or for the city of Hamtramck. More than one half century ago during the 1950s and 1960s, the City of Hamtramck was making plans for
The gun was a semi-automatic, as evidenced by the continuous shots that were being fired. There was a young teen who was leisurely riding his bike when he found himself peddling right into the path of the shots being fired. Clearly startled by the situation he found himself in, he fell off his bike and stood there in shock. I stood there frozen in complete disgust, but I was also standing there because my son was outside getting bags from the car when the men approached. He was trapped in the vehicle. I had to ensure that he did not make a wrong move out of fear. From the porch I signaled for him to get down and not to get out of the car as he was trying to do. I could see the panic on his face, and rightfully so. He’s only 10 years old. His reality consists of Cartoon Network, football and arguing with his little sister. The funny thing is that the first time you witness shots being fired you are in shock. You don’t really recall what happened because you are afraid. However, after the third and fourth incident, you become mildly desensitized. You see it all happening in slow motion. I was able to tell 911 dispatch everything I
See RED
ZONE page A-4
the construction of the Chrysler Freeway, as well as the construction of new housing in the area. Although the city used federal funds to clear out three neighborhoods’ worth of homes — homes with families in them — the city neglected to replace the housing that had been demolished. In 1968, a woman named Sarah Sims Garrett was joined by more than 100 other plaintiffs who claimed that the City of Hamtramck had violated the 14th Amendment’s Equal Protection clause because 74 percent of the people displaced were African American. Judge Damon Keith, who served as United States District judge at the time, went so far as to refer to the displacement not as urban renewal but more accurately as “Negro removal.” The suit was won by the plaintiffs in 1971, and then once again upheld in Appeals Court in 1974, after which new housing was planned to be built for the plaintiffs. More than a quarter of a century later, in 2015, the final five of the planned 25 homes built by Wayne County have been completed thanks to a partnership with the City of Hamtramck, Wayne Metro, Habitat for Humanity, National Faith and the federal government. Wayne County was never a part of the lawsuit, but stepped in
See LAWSUIT page A-4
Mental illness still misunderstood
Needs to be confronted more honestly by black community By Keith A. Owens, Chronicle Senior Editor, and Lynette Holloway, Real Times Media If you broke your leg, you wouldn’t be ashamed to ask for help, right? Perhaps go to a hospital where someone could do something about that broken leg. Like fix it. Because the last thing you’d ever expect would be for friends and family to shun you simply because you had an accident that affected the way you walked. That just wouldn’t be right.
$1.00
By Keith A. Owens
Pop! Pop! Pop!
What does Prince know that we don’t? (Page D-1) It is extremely difficult to believe that Prince is 57 years old. He could easily knock off at least 20 of those years. Whatever he does he should keep on doing…and perhaps share some of his secrets.
Justice at last
End of housing discrimination lawsuit produces new homeowners
A salute to a great former president (Page B-4) Lekan Oguntoyinbo, like so many others, has glowing words of praise for Jimmy Carter, an outstanding former president, a humanitarian and a great man in general who is fighting a losing battle with cancer.
September 9-15, 2015
So then why is it that when someone experiences a condition of brokenness that isn’t quite so visible as a broken leg
— something like mental illness — then suddenly there are all these “issues”? Why the shame?
Black folks, we got Jesus and Courvoisier or whatever the case may be. And I’m a woman of faith. I do believe that God “The hard part is heals, and I do believe that mental illness that He heals even is still highly stigmathose most challengtized in our society, ing mental and physand especially in the ical situations. I also black community know that God has and other communi- Joy Calloway gifted certain people ties of color. We have with skills and talents and insaid for years in our communisights to assist us on our healing ty, ‘you know therapy, that ain’t journey. So I am not the type that for us, that’s for white folks.’ believes you can just pray the
pain away. I don’t believe that. I believe that yes you pray, and you also move your feet. Faith without works is dead.” This is Joy Calloway speaking, and she is the CEO of the New Center Community Services (NCCS) mental health services agency in Detroit. Not surprisingly, Calloway has some rather strong opinions when it comes to the issue of mental health and how it is viewed by society, particularly in the black community. The thing we need to rec-
See MENTAL
ILLNESS page A-4