Michigan Chronicle Digital Edition 1.27.21

COVID-19 Part Two?

Local Experts Weigh in on New COVID Strain’s Potential Impact in the Black Community Roots. A3

Michigan Chronicle

Vol. 84 – No. 21 | Jan. 27 - Feb. 2, 2021

Powered by Real Times Media | michiganchronicle.com

First 100 Days

By Megan Kirk The 46th president of the United States, Joseph R. Biden, Jr. was sworn in at the nation’s Capitol Wednesday, January 20, on the same steps violent Pro-Trumpers violated just two weeks prior in a deadly insurrection. Now that the Biden Administration has taken over, plans for the first 100 days in office have begun to be executed. How the new administration manages the pandemic, economy, healthcare, education, racial disparity and other hot button issues in the next three months can help set the tone for the next four years.

During the first hours of his presidency, Joe Biden signed in 17 executive orders.

The orders, which include rejoining the Paris climate accord and the World Health Organization, work to erase the Trump Administration’s former hold on the nation.

Also, as a part of the executive orders, President Biden made his first steps of controlling the spread of coronavirus by mandating masks in all federal buildings.

Using his @POTUS handle on Twitter, the president made this statement: “Wearing masks isn’t a partisan issue — it’s a patriotic act that can save countless lives. That’s why I signed an executive order today issuing a mask mandate on federal property. It’s time to mask up, America.”

As the president continues to roll out initial plans for the country, local communities are looking to hold the new president responsible for promises made during his campaign. For Detroiters, the first 100 days for Biden are crucial in earning the respect of a community that helped lead the newest president to office.

In the last presidency, race and white privilege were put on display highlighting civil justice issues in America.

The issue of racism continues to be in the forefront and is expanding its growth in the fabric of the country reaching areas such as education.

Continuing to adjust to the pandemic and navigate virtual learning, the education system’s response to the COVID19 pandemic has uncovered surging issues in urban learning. Marini Calette Lee, Ph.D., owner and founder of MCLee Educational Consulting, LLC, which specializes in anti-racist equity training and programming and remote learning support, believes the system has always shown a

See FIRST

New Administration New Day: What Biden/Harris Means for Black America

Whitney Gresham If anyone wondered if having a new President in the White House who owes his unexpected election victory directly to overwhelming Black support will make a difference in how Black America’s concerns get addressed, one need only look back to the Trump Administration’s response to the catastrophic effect the COVID-19 pandemic has on Black America.

And compare it to the new Biden Administration’s response after less than a week in office.

According to the CDC, the age-adjusted COVID-19 death rate for Black people is 3.6 times that for whites. The Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies showed that under the Trump Administration, compared to all other racial or ethnic groups, Black business owners and entrepreneurs were about 30 times less likely to have received government aid for people or businesses affected by the pandemic, even accounting for financial factors such as the expected total receipts for the month the data were collected and the cash reserves at hand. It noted such a disparity in funding creates a "negative feedback loop" of lower entrepreneurial optimism, driving a self-fulfilling prophecy wherein Black businesses and ventures are less viable and have poorer growth.

In fact, last August during the presidential campaign's heat, The Joint Center issued a report titled Pandemic Relief Priorities for Black Communities. Leaders of the Washington, D.C. -based organization called on President Trump, then-Democratic Presidential nominee Joe Biden and Congress to adopt their proposals to not only ease the suffering in Black America

Native Detroiter Represents Her Community in 2021 Mrs. Michigan-America Pageant for the Culture

City.Life.Style. B1

$1.00

See NEW

ADMINISTRATION page A2

What Does Detroit Think About Kwame Kilpatrick’s Freedom and The Fate of The City

By Megan Kirk

Yes, Queen:

voters during early in-person voting and on Election Day. One month later, in response to the Joint Center's proposal and other arguments made by Black leadership for racial justice, economic fairness and policies that recognize the disproportionate impact the COVID-19 pandemic is having on Black America, President Trump issued an Executive Order banning all federal agencies from engaging in diversity training and discussing racial discrimination, structural racism or how it impacts society.

He also stepped up his attacks on Black voting rights and made sure his Justice Department did nothing to investigate widespread voter suppression complaints.

He even put together a bizarre "1776 Commission" filled with white supremacists for the sole purpose of producing a white supremacist propaganda document that would downplay slavery and praise the Americans who instituted and maintained the system of slavery and Jim Crow for more than 400 years.

And, after the election, he spent more than two months trying to get the courts to throw out the results of the election in cities with large Black populations, including Detroit, to erase the Black vote's impact, which proved decisive in the Biden victory.

Four months later, within 48 hours of being sworn in as the 46th President of the United States, President Biden issued a bevy of executive orders to reverse Trump’s racially malevolent actions.

He also more or less accepted much of the Joint Center's proposals by incorporating much of its economic incentives in his $1.9 trillion pandemic relief package.

Will It Be A Comeback?

100 DAYS page A6

WHAT’S INSIDE

caused by the deadly COVID-19 pandemic, but also bring economic relief to the millions of Black Americans dislocated from the economy, and Black businesses damaged from the fallout.

Among the proposals offered by the Joint Center, long considered by many to be the premier African American think tank, were: • Provide Financial Support for Black Workers by extending the $600 per week federal supplement to state unemployment insurance and the Earned Income Tax Credit, increasing SNAP benefits, providing rental assistance and providing fiscal relief to states and localities.

• Sustain Black Businesses by extending the period for forgiveness of Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans and streamlining the forgiveness process, mandating data collection on loan forgiveness, providing significant funding for Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) and Minority Depository Institutions (MDIs), and strengthening the Minority Business Development Agency.

• Expand Internet Access Among Black Households by providing a $50 a month emergency broadband subsidy for households in need and allocating $4 billion for laptops, tablets, Wi-Fi hotspots, routers and modems that can be used at home by students, school staff and library patrons.

• Protect Our Democracy by allocating to states at least $3.6 billion for administering elections and requiring that states provide online and same-day voter registration opportunities, provide accessible vote-by-mail with due process protections, provide at least 15 days of early in-person voting, and develop plans to ensure sufficient staffing and equipment to protect the health of poll workers and in-person

Ex-Detroit mayor Kwame Kilpatrick has been released from prison with the help of former president Donald Trump. Hours before leaving office, the president granted clemency to over 140 federal inmates and those facing federal charges. Now, residents of the city he once served are anticipating Kilpatrick’s return.

After serving seven years at the Federal Correctional Institution in Louisiana, the ex-mayor’s remaining 21-year sentence was commuted by a fleeing president in turmoil. According to a statement released by the White House, Kilpatrick’s release was strongly supported by city leaders, such as Peter Karmanos, religious leaders and prominent state representatives.

Since being convicted in March 2013 on 24 federal felony counts including bribery, fraud, extortion and racketeering, members in the Black community debated if race played a role in sentencing and if the punishment fit the crime.

In a statement released by the Office of Michigan State Representative Karen Whitsett, an avid supporter of Kilpatrick’s release, said that she believes race was a factor in deciding the former mayor’s fate.

Kwame Kilpatrick “I’ve always felt that because Mr. Kilpatrick was a Black man, he received an excessive sentence for his crimes,” Rep. Whitsett says.

Residents are also debating the length of the mayor’s sentence. For some, in the face of a 28-year sentence, the punishment did not fit the crime.

“His time may not have been commensurate with the crimes we knew about or we were sure about, but he did a lot of dirt,” Brittany Garner, a local celebrity makeup artist and entrepreneur, says.

While the criminal justice system seems to be an unfair playing field for Black and Brown communities, since his release some Detroit residents are rejoicing at the news of the former mayor’s commuted sentence.

“It’s always great to see some get a second chance at life,” Branden Chambers, a local Detroit resident says. “The length of his sentence was extreme. This pardon was felt and appreciated throughout the Black community.”

While others are skeptical about the ex-mayor’s release, Detroiters are divided on the commuted sentence from the now former president Donald Trump. Crimes of the past continue to haunt the community and others are not so quick to forgive.

“I think his crimes affect the city tremendously. He took a lot from people,” Angela Jenkins, an insurance agent and native Detroiter says. “I feel instead of expanding everything, he stole away, what

See KILPATRICK page A2

Page A-2 • michiganchronicle.com •

Jan. 27 - Feb. 2, 2021

“I’m Ready to Lead, I’m Ready to Serve,” Says New Wayne County Sheriff Raphael Washington

By Sherri Kolade

Sheriff’s Office and what areas need improvement and how do you plan to address the areas that need improvement?

Former Wayne County Deputy Chief of Jail and Courts Raphael Washington is now the new sheriff of Wayne County, Washington confirmed in an exclusive one-onone interview with The Michigan Chronicle.

Washington takes the place of his predecessor, well-loved Sheriff Benny Napoleon who died December 17 from complications related to COVID-19. Washington is completing Napoleon’s term that began January 1, 2020. Washington plans to run for reelection in 2022.

Staff Writer Sherri Kolade spoke to Washington on January 19 about what his plans are for his new position. His answers are below.

What is your first order of business in your new role?

The first order of business is to make sure we’re doing everything we need to do to stay safe during this pandemic. That is very important to me. I’m not even sitting here at this time if it wasn’t for this pandemic doing what it did to our sheriff and one of our command officers and one of our corporals, as well as two doctors in our facility. It is important that I make sure we are safe and prepared and using all the personal protective equipment that is available to us … properly and consistently. And, it is exciting to know that we’ve started administering the vaccines to some of our officers as we get it … and we’ll start to flatten the curve as well. That is first and foremost on my agenda as I walk into the office today as sheriff. I was sworn in Friday [January 15] and working since then to make sure we are prepared for situations even going on with the Inauguration. There is no intelligence that anything is supposed to spread down to our area but as sheriff, I want to make sure we’re ready to address any issues that may affect our jails and infrastructures. We’re going to be out there and prepared … we don’t want to look like an army state necessarily, but we’ll be out here ready. Just because you may not see all of the law enforcement around our infrastructure we’re out there and people need to be mindful of that. Anything we need to address we will address it in the most responsible way.

What are your public safety priorities in Wayne County?

Overall,

making

sure

things

Kilpatrick From page A-1

could’ve been used to help the city.

I don’t know too much about it, but I do feel he’s a con man who should not be let in any election again.

Never will I trust him.”

Kilpatrick is illegible for running for local or state office until 2033 under Michigan law, however, he can serve in congress beginning in 2022. This leaves spectators wondering if he will have a play in the city’s political future.

“I’m not sure what he’ll do. I won’t be quick to vote for him, but if it’s permitted, I wouldn’t be surprised to see him getting involved,” Chamber says.

With mayoral and city council elections in November, Kwame’s

New Wayne County Sheriff Raphael Washington has a long ­ history in law enforcement. – Photo provided by the Wayne County Sheriff’s Department

we’re mandated to do-- securing our parks courts and jails from a public safety aspect -- that we’re staffed properly and that we’re able to engage the community in the most excellent way we know how.

That is what we have as it relates to being in the community for our mandated duties.

What are your budget priorities for the sheriff’s office?

We’re very interested in making sure we do our best to fill the 200 vacant positions we have in the Sheriff’s Office. We remind the public we’re open for business.

We’re hiring and we need people to help staff those shortages. That is one of the budget concerns that I want to address coming in and I want to get those filled and that is a priority of mine. … I want people to know we are here and would like them to join the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office -- these are jailbased positions.

The jail is the biggest thing we do in the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office. … Everyone has their own police department, which we do support when needed. We do jails, courts and parks, and we need people so we’re not ordering our officers to work more than 16 hours a day. … They will be pleased with coming in and applying to any of our facilities. We will get them started and welcome them as long as they are [qualified to apply].

What do you view as the strengths of the Wayne County return to the city will be highly anticipated. While the former mayor cannot hold state or local office, his reputation, notoriety and influence could weigh heavily on election outcomes.

Regardless of his release, some Detroiters feel his commuted sentence does not bode well for the city’s ex-mayor in a town that has grown immensely during his stint in federal prison.

“I don’t think this means anything for Detroit. He did his damage years ago and we’ve grown since then,” Chambers says.

According to the Department of Justice, commutation allows the president to fully or partially reduce a prisoner’s sentence.

Under the guidelines for a commuted sentence, prisoners are still considered convicted and does not imply innocence but will receive

New Administration From page A-1

He unveiled a five-part $20 billion vaccination plan that includes expanding eligibility to frontline and essential workers and those older than 65; using the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the National Guard to open more sites for vaccination; hiring more workers to deliver the vaccine; increasing supply, and creating a public health campaign stressing the safety of the vaccine and encouraging people to wear masks.

And President Biden signed executive orders related to grappling with the pandemic's effects, including an extension of moratoriums on evictions, foreclosures, and federal student loan payments.

He also directed each federal agency to review equity in their programs within 200 days and produce plans to address any disparities.

He created an equitable data working group to ensure federal data accounts for the nation's diversity and directed the Office of Management and Budget to distribute more resources to underserved communities.

In addition, he charged his Domestic Policy Council Director Susan Rice to lead a racial equity interagency process. And, he rescinded the 1776 Commission and revoked President Trump's order preventing government agencies and contractors from implementing diversity and inclusion training.

President Biden also reversed the "Muslim Ban" that restricted entry

into the U.S. from largely Muslim and African countries and extended protections for a group of Liberians to stay in the country an additional year.

What does this mean for Michigan?

While it’s still very early in the Biden Administration and his cabinet is yet to be confirmed, Biden has explicitly made racial justice a top priority of his administration.

In fact, he was the first president in U.S. history to condemn white supremacy in his inauguration address. And, he has selected a highly respected team of attorneys to lead the Department of Justice, attorneys with long histories as civil rights advocates. This includes Merrick Garland as attorney general, Vanita Gupta as associate attorney general and Kristie Clarke as assistant attorney general for civil rights.

Both Gupta and Clarke have been long-time supporters of the Black Lives Matter movement and committed to racial justice including police reform.

According to Bridge Magazine, when President Biden visited Michigan during the closing days of the campaign, he discussed several proposals including: investing $400 billion in the transition to clean energy and incentivizing U.S. companies to create jobs at home, a 10 percent tax penalty for outsourcing work to other countries and a 10 percent tax credit to compensate businesses that make investments

Strengths -- I believe in our organizations. We are here for the community, here for the public. We make sure those in our custody are treated the right way with dignity and respect and make sure our officers are doing that -- they do a great job of that. [We are] here to engage the community to make sure the sheriff’s office can respond to them and their needs and concerns in the community; I think we do that well. Weaknesses would be we’re in a pandemic situation. It is hard to engage the public the way we want to as a sheriff. I would like to be close and personal to people and we have to find the opportunity to do that through Zoom and make sure we’re engaging them … as much as we can with the community.

What experience do you have that makes you qualified to manage this office?

I have been a 38-year law enforcement executive. I have been a supervisor in law enforcement since 1999. I followed on a very consistent basis our late great Sheriff Benny Napoleon who was a mentor of mine, and I worked very closely with him for those 38 years. I gleaned a lot from him …as he commanded police departments and so I’m prepared through my training, through my experience, through the vast variety of operations that I’ve had to command.

I’ve done everything at the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office that can be done. … I know I’m in a place where I’m capable, I’m ready. I have the energy to lead this organization as the Wayne County Sheriff.

What are your plans for running for election?

I was fortunate enough to take this job. [You] have to be chosen for this job. I’m going to have to now be elected to this position. Next year in 2022 August, there is an election I’m going to have to win to retain this seat. We’re going to be working very hard to make sure this happens. I’m going to be looking for the support of the people of Wayne County; I’m going to prove myself in the best way I can. … I need people to understand I’m in this position for the long haul, Hopefully the citizens will know who I am and what I bring and they’ll be very supportive of me continuing in this position. credit for time served. Because the former mayor’s sentence was commuted, the conviction will stay on his record.

“I mean I hope he’s a changed man--that’s what we’re told prison is for,” Gardner says.

Released and residing with his family in Georgia, the political realm continues to speculate Kilpatrick’s future. The former mayor is still responsible for over $1 million dollars owed to the city of Detroit and almost $200,000 in restitution owed to the Internal Revenue Service.

Per the statement released from Rep. Whitsett’s office: “I believe Kwame has done his time, and I’m very pleased with this outcome,” Whitsett says. “I’d like to thank President Trump for putting people over politics regarding this matter.” in American jobs.

He has also said he plans to create 1 million auto industry jobs while working to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050.

These proposals have the potential to bring hundreds of millions of dollars in funding to the state of Michigan which Detroit will be a direct beneficiary, especially with former Gov. Jennifer Granholm leading the Department of Energy.

During her two terms in office, Granholm’s political base was Detroit and has had a very long relationship with Detroit leadership.

He also vowed what happened in Flint will never happen again. In his $1.3 trillion infrastructure proposal, he plans to replace aging pipes and lead service lines, particularly in low-income communities, and invest in new water technologies.

So, with Governor Granholm leading the Department of Energy and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Mayor Mike Duggan as two of President Biden’s political allies, with Vice President Kamala Harris by his side and with a host of progressive African Americans located in key positions throughout the administration, Michigan and Detroit should expect to benefit mightily from a very friendly administration.

It may not happen immediately as the Biden Administration is just starting to gel and is facing public health, economic and racial justice challenges of historic proportions.

But for Black Americans, and Black Detroiters in particular, it is definitely a new day.

37

PICKS 305 286 798 162 479 WEEK’S BEST LOTTERY

613 445 615 888 542 427 230 8370 3534 590 18 19 25 52 54 34

THE MICHIGAN CHRONICLE PUBLISHING COMPANY

1452 Randolph • Detroit, MI 48226 • Phone: (313) 963-8100 Publication No.: USPS 344-820

OFFICE HOURS:

Mon.-Fri. 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. | Closed Sat. and Sun. The Michigan Chronicle is published every Wednesday.

Periodical Postage, paid at Detroit, MI. Price $1.00 and other post office.

MEMBER OF AUDIT BUREAU OF CIRCULATION

ADVERTISING DEADLINE Classified: 3 p.m Friday Copy, corrections and cancellations, preceding the Wed­nesday publication.

Display: 12 p.m. Friday preceding the Wednesday pub­lication.

For all news and calendar items: Deadline is two weeks prior to event.

Weeks that contain holidays, dead­line is Thursday prior to publication date.

POSTMASTER — Send address changes to:

MICHIGAN CHRONICLE • 1452 Randolph • DETROIT, MI 48226

First 100 Days From page A-1

bias towards Black and Brown children.

“The American education system is just as problematically racist as the rest of this nation,” Lee says. “We need to acknowledge the inherent racism that infects our curriculum and instructional approaches and administrative policies.”

With a vast history in education, including teaching preschool and college level courses, race and learning continue to be a point of concern for the educator. Aside from addressing racism in schools and within education as a whole, leveling the playing field for all children and bringing qualified officials to the public education sector, according to Lee, should be on the president’s agenda.

“The same way 45 and Betsy DeVos delegitimized and attempted to dismantle public education, President Biden can restore our trust and belief in public education as the Great Equalizer.

He can enlist the advice of experts, including children and students, and listen to what we say we need and want,” Lee says.

President Biden used Twitter to convey his message of reuniting teachers and students safely for in-person learning to the world.

“We don’t have a second to waste when it comes to getting this virus under control. That’s why today, I’ll be signing executive actions to expand testing, administer vaccines, and safely reopen schools and businesses,” President Biden tweeted.

On a state level, the first 100 days give the Biden Administration an opportunity to execute legislation that will directly affect each resident. A key battleground state during the 2020 presidential election, President Biden carried over 50 percent of the state’s votes according to the Associated Press.

Michigan’s economy is taking a hard hit from the coronavirus forcing businesses across the state to close its doors. For State Representative for Michigan 35th House District Kyra Bolden, getting a handle on the virus will help lead to another tall task, the economy.

“I think the first thing in the first 100 days is to wrap our arms around this coronavirus. We can’t have healthy citizens, Michiganders, and we can’t have a healthy economy with this virus raging,” Rep. Bolden says.

Aside from plans on education and virus management, repairing relationships between not only democrats and republicans, but within Congress, may also be in the president’s agenda. Having support from the House and the Senate will help the president push policies that could prove beneficial across the country.

“As much as we want bipartisanship, and we should have it, it’s so important to have partners to work with in both the House and the Senate to get crucial legislation passed,” Rep. Bolden says.

While full plans for the first 100 days have yet to be rolled out by the Biden Administration, the president has an aggressive plan of attack for the nation’s top issues. Plans to cancel up to $10,000 dollars of student loan debt, develop a fair stimulus package for citizens, and establishing racial justice are among the issues up for resolution.

“I do think that student loan forgiveness is really important to jolt the economy,” Representative Bolden says. “Obviously, I think, there’s another stimulus coming down the pipeline to help folks get money in their pockets so that they can afford their basic needs.”

Despite how the Commander-In-Chief proceeds in the first days of office, he will perform under the watchful eye of supporters and non-supporters.

The 100-day mark for the administration is May 1.

Call for Artists “Art of Courage: Black Lives Matter 360 Exhibition” Submit art by Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2021*

Important Dates

Exhibition: Feb. 8, 2021–Feb. 8, 2022 Connector @ CityHall Artspace Artwork Delivery: Saturday, Jan. 30, 2021 *Selected artists will be notified by email

East Downtown

For more information, contact: Rozenia Johnson, Curator of Art and Exhibitions/MDUBA Associates rozeniajmduba@gmail.com or 313.405.3044 Scan the QR for more information

A3

| Jan. 27 - Feb. 2, 2021

Slay Affordably: Quarantine Hacks to Keep You Going Stronger This Year

By Sherri Kolade Linda Harper, an Ann Arbor-based branding strategist, helps millennials strategize their branding so they, in turn, can get to work on their business plan in the most productive way possible.

So, when quarantine hit, she used her business skills and developed resources to save her coins while at home. Harper has several practical hacks that she and other locals are sharing during the in-between time that can help people save in more ways than one.

Harper said people looking to build their wealth could use the investment app, Stash. With small transfers set up as often as one likes with profits going to a debit card, if you choose, or into a retirement account, it can be great for passive savings.

Harper added that another way to save is by participating in a 52-week money challenge.

“There are different ways to do this, but I like to keep it simple with a set amount weekly put in a savings account ($25 per week),” she said. “You can up the amount each week or keep it the same and save a minimum of $1,300.”

Harper also encourages reducing spending during this uncertain economy.

“I love Starbucks, so I started brewing it at home, saving me about $30 a week,” she said. “I canceled Netflix since I wasn’t watching anyway, saving around $15 a month. I also buy dish soap, paper towels, toilet paper and hand sanitizer in bulk to save an extra trip or two to the store.”

Local designer Karen Burton, co-founder, CEO and community manager of coworking space SpaceLab Detroit, has a background in architecture and construction and offers useful advice on simple quarantine-friendly redesigning for the home office and more.

Burton said that with so many people working from home now they may want to work on redesigning their home office so there is a more ceremonial. This helps create a “clear distinction between home and work.”

Burton added that even if a home office door can’t be put up, maybe adding a screen, curtain or partition of some kind separating the two spaces would be ideal.

“Or, if possible, move your office to a different level. If you have a loft, put it in the loft area or basement so when you’re ready to leave work for the day, go to a different space,” Burton said.

She added that another way to update the home could be to “try pops of color” on an accent wall, buying a throw pillow, a bright chair to “try out new colors in your space.”

Burton also said that with the stressors of this world, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to convert a room or space into a meditation or prayer room.

“Or even a place you can go and read a book with no TV ... unless that’s your thing and want to have a gaming room,” Burton said.

Lastly, if renovations aren’t in the works, try updating by decluttering the bedroom.

“You don’t want a whole lot of stuff around you,” Burton said.

“You want to clear out that stuff to rest.”

She added that a nice comforter or duvet is helpful during the winter months.

“Have colors in your space that make you feel comfy,” Burton said.

“You might want to get some blackout shades or curtains.”

Soft lighting and candles are also great ambiance setters. And for those who like smell-good things, add some essential oils to the mix and drop them in a diffuser.

“A lot of times in the Black community we enjoy bright colors and don’t shy away from that, if that is what makes you feel comfy and at home,” Burton said, adding that people should also consider purchasing an air purifier for their home to get rid of germs and bacteria in their home.

Local chef Quiana “Que” Broden of Cooking with Que said that eating healthy and affordably can be done.

“If you set your mind to eating healthy you have to make sure your kitchen matches your mindset,” Broden said. “So, if you say, ‘I want to have a healthier diet’ ... you have

See HACKS page A-4

Roots.

michiganchronicle.com

COVID-19 Part Two? Local Experts Weigh in on New COVID Strain’s Potential Impact in the Black Community

By Sherri Kolade When it comes to the devastating effects that COVID-19 brought upon the Black community, it is easy for many to wonder how will we fare with the new COVID-19 variant B.1.1.7?

B.1.1.7. is believed to be more contagious, but there’s no indication that it impacts the clinical outcomes or disease severity compared to the SARS-CoV-2 virus that has been circulating across the United States for months. The first Michigan case of the new COVID-19 variant, B.1.1.7. was identified as an adult female living in Washtenaw County by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) Bureau of Laboratories last week. According to a press release, the woman recently traveled to the United Kingdom where this variant originated.

• Wear a mask around others • Stay six feet apart from others • Wash hands often • Ventilate indoor spaces

spoke to The Michigan Chronicle about the new strain.

California on December 30 announced the nation’s second confirmed case of the new and reportedly more contagious strain, offering a strong notion that the infection is spreading more widely in the United States, according to an article from the Associated Press.

The announcement came 24 hours after there was a first reported U.S. variant infection which occurred in Colorado.

That person was identified as a Colorado National Guardsman who helped out at a nursing home struggling with an outbreak, according to the article.

“The virus is becoming more fit, and we’re like a deer in the headlights,” warned Dr. Eric Topol, head of Scripps

There is a higher rate of transmission that could increase the number of people who need to be hospitalized or who lose their lives to COVID-19 if the new variant begins circulating widely in Michigan. To date, the virus was identified in at least 16 other states and jurisdictions in the U.S.

“Our MDHHS is looking at DNA, the samples that have come into our lab,” she said of the work they’ve done for the past 10 months.

Khaldun added that there is no evidence that the vaccine would be ineffective protection against the new COVID-19 strain.

Khaldun added that it’s evident that more minority populations have been impacted by the COVID-19 virus because some in these populations are more at risk due to underlying medical conditions in addition to having fewer resources such as access to health care.

She added that she is looking to vaccinate as “many people as possible as quickly as possible” and work around any skepticism and hesitancy in the minority population when receiving the vaccines.

“The most important thing we should all be doing is preventing the spread,” she said.

Local medical experts shared their thoughts on this new strain.

Patricia Wilkerson-Uddyback, vice president for Academic and Community Affairs at Detroit Medical discov- Center.

“The ery of this variant in Michigan is concerning, but not unexpected,” said Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, chief medical executive and chief deputy for health at MDHHS. Based on available evidence, current tests and vaccines for COVID-19 also work against this new variant. Protective actions that prevent the spread of COVID-19 will also prevent the spread of the new variant. Michiganders should: • Get vaccinated for COVID-19

Joneigh Khaldun, chief medical executive and chief deputy for health at Michigan Department of Health and Human Services.

– Photo provided by the MDHHS Office

Dr. Matt Sims, M.D., Ph.D., director, Infectious Diseases Research, Beaumont Health. – Photo provided by Beaumont Health

Research Translational Institute, in the published report. He noted that the U.S. does not do a lot of genetic sequencing of virus samples to discover variants, and that’s why they were probably slower to detect this new mutation.

The discovery of the new virus strain in Colorado has added urgency to the nation’s vaccination drive against COVID-19, which has killed over 400,000 people in the U.S.

Patricia Wilkerson-Uddyback, vice president for Academic and Community Affairs at Detroit Medical Center, [DMC], echoed K h a l d u n ’s thoughts and told The Michigan Chronicle that the Black community can expect some effects of the new strain.

“We are certainly expecting the new strain will impact us like the first strain did because of the underlying comorbidities that exist in our community and gaps in place and other variables that played into the first strain … because that hasn’t gone away,” Wilkerson-Uddyback said.

Wilkerson-Uddyback added that she is also encouraging the Black community to look to the new vaccine as a helpful cure toward the new variant. Also, the

In a follow-up interview, Khaldun

See NEW STRAINS page A-4

Just Do You:

Why Thriving Low-key During a Pandemic is Good Enough

By Sherri Kolade West Bloomfield resident Marlo Rencher, 50, takes it a bit easy on herself in the morning.

Dr. Charmeka S. Whitehead helps many of her clients navigate through pandemic-related issues. – Photo provided by Dr. Charmeka S. Whitehead

She used to wake up around 4:30 a.m. every day and exercise at the gym but now she allows herself to get up a bit later. When she rolls out of bed, her brown locs tucked safely beneath her satin scarf, she says her morning prayers and takes the day from there.

“I also allow myself to get up slowly and [have] been much more forgiving of myself,” Rencher said. “Allowing myself to sleep. … I am giving myself more space to breathe.”

Rencher, a director of technology-based programs at TechTown and mother of an 11- and 13-year-old also drinks lemon-infused room temperature water as part of her morning ritual.

During the pandemic, many people have been lauded, and deservingly so, for their overachieving accomplishments from learning a new language, creating culinary delights and even starting businesses. But for the people who are content with just being in the present moment, they deserve some shine, too. Because living through a pandemic and being centered and okay is more than

See JUST DO YOU page A-4

West Bloomfield resident Marlo Rencher is mindful of her mornings now and takes things slowly during the pandemic to achieve greatness in her time. – Photo provided by Marlo Rencher

Page A-4 • michiganchronicle.com •

Jan. 27 - Feb. 2, 2021

Hacks

New Strains

to make sure that you keep healthy things readily available.”

Broden said that if people don’t have healthy foods around, they will set themselves up for a “downfall.”

For snacks: Keep chopped fresh fruit to make fruit salads or already washed to grab and go.

Take those fruits, put lemon or lime juice on them and fresh mint leaves to give it a new flavor after a day or so.

Lastly, when the fruit looks like it’s about to expire, freeze it and use that later for fruit smoothies or smoothie bowls.

“The next thing that I tell people is to grocery shop with a purpose,” Broden said. “When you go to the grocery store, already have a list of what you need. When I say list, that really means you need to make a plan for your entire week.” Then she said when at the store only buy what is on the list.

“That will then save you [money] and you won’t waste food,” Broden said. “People spend lots of money purchasing bulk food and all the food that gets purchased has expiration dates. People need to respect expiration dates. Seasonings expire, herbs expire.”

potential vaccine reactions from others won’t necessarily be another person’s experience.

“I am encouraging everybody, do not wait.

This is not that time that we want to be on the back end of this solution,” Wilkerson-Uddyback, who was vaccinated, said.

Dr. Matt Sims, M.D., Ph.D., director of Infectious Diseases Research at Beaumont Health, said that there is still a lot to be learned about the new strain.

“Viruses, especially types of viruses mutate all the time,” Sims said. “Anything that has DNA or RNA [single-stranded molecule] is subject to mutation. That is how evolution happened.”

Sims said that similar to HIV, it can show up in one person a certain way and there can be different symptoms in someone else.

Sims added that even a year after the COVID-19 pandemic, new things are being learned daily about it. Also, the new variant doesn’t seem to have a higher mortality rate.

He did say, however, that if a lot more people could get infected at the same time it could “overwhelm hospitals and increase mortality.” “[There is] not much you can do about that,” Sims said adding that there are multiple factors involved in the new strain impacting a community and not one single factor.

Sims added that he did a study last April through Beaumont about potential COVID-19 infection rates in Beaumont employees. Their antibodies were checked to see if they were exposed to COVID-19. Sims said that some interesting data cropped up in the study involving Black employees.

He said that of the six percent of Black employees tested, they represented almost 20 percent of those testing positive for COVID-19.

“All the other races were 12 percent or lower,” Sims said. “We’re not sure the cause of that. It could be social; it could have to do with living circumstances. It could have to do with public transportation.”

Sims added that while Blacks in the Beaumont study had higher COVID-19 positivity rates, they were more likely to be asymptomatic.

He added that out of all the Black people who were positive in the study almost 60 percent of them were asymptomatic. White people were a little over 40 percent asymptomatic; Asians were over 40 percent asymptomatic; Hispanics were over 35 percent asymptomatic.

“This was at the beginning of the pandemic. If this holds true to the new strain, we might even see a bigger scale,” he said of asymptomatic rates. “I don’t have any answers as to why we can make models … and guesses for this. To me, it’s a little bit of a mystery.”

For more information on the study, search “Dr. Sims Beaumont serological testing” online or visit https://www.beaumont.org/.

Find out more information at Michigan.gov/ Coronavirus and CDC.gov/Coronavirus.

From page A-3

Just Do You From page A-3

okay, local mental health experts say.

Dr. Charmeka S. Whitehead, a fully licensed psychologist in the State of Michigan who currently teaches Counseling Psychology at Western Michigan University, said that a lot of her clients are emotionally drained at this point. “[We’ve] been in this almost a year and a lot of people have been trying to cope and that sense of not seeing an end to it really is impacting people’s emotional health and requires people to be creative in ways in which they can cope,” Whitehead said.

She added that for people continuing to miss the traditional milestones from graduations and birthdays to weddings and holidays in person, often, along with dealing with grief, it can be hard to stay the course.

From page A-3

Local branding strategist Linda Harper uses hacks for days to keep her money right and tight. – Photo provided

by Linda Harper

Local chef Quiana “Que” Broden of Cooking with Que encourages eating healthy and affordably. – Photo provided by Quiana “Que” Broden

Local designer Karen Burton encourages simple home design updates during quarantine to spruce up a home office and other places. – Photo provided by Karen Burton

For meal prepping, Broden encourages people to also use her company’s meal prep services that range from three-day options to seven-day options. “We will provide all of your meals for the entire day,” she said.

The meals include a smoothie or smoothie bowl for breakfast. Soup and salad for lunch. And a main course for dinner.

“If you were to purchase a seven-day meal plan you receive 21

meals,” she said, adding that the plan is to make it easier for people to eat healthy and not have to make the excuse of having to cook. “Because I feel like even during quarantine and people are working from home, they’re working more than they will be working even at the office. So that’s what we did; we just wanted to make it easier for everybody.”

For more information visit https:// cookingwithque.com/.

habits to keep people stable.

current situation: she can work from home, and her family is healthy.

She added that there is also a hidden pressure to do great professionally and in other areas of our lives. Even on social media people can scroll and see other people who are seemingly flaunting their pandemic wins.

“For some individuals when you are adding on [doing extra tasks] to the pandemic it may be more difficult for individuals to set new goals,” Whitehead said She added that people, however, should always strive for their best self and if something is not their best then that needs to be fixed. Being one’s best might look like different things to different people but as long as progress is being made in that direction, count that as a personal win.

Whitehead said that while the pandemic is out of our control it is important to take control of what you can.

“Some people doing their personal best may just be getting out of bed making breakfast and that’s okay,” she said. “Each day push yourself and say, ‘How can I do a little more and counteract some of the impacts as it relates to my mental health?’”

For more information visit http://www. legacyhealthcenter.com/about.html.

“We can control our emotional health,” she said of making healthy

Rencher said that her morning prayers include giving thanks for her

“Just really realizing the blessings that I have helps to center me,” she said, adding that that gratitude has been a major shift for her. Rencher also empathizes with others who are hurting because of the pandemic.

Rencher, who is also co-authoring a book, said that going slower in her daily pace helped her to work on the book called, “Hard Reset: Framing Inclusion as the New Normal.”

The book talks about how inclusion is a necessity and will be used at companies exploring diversity and inclusion conversations.

Rencher, who used to fall asleep beside her computer while working, added that she doesn’t do that anymore and said she’s learned to disconnect and spend more time with her family. She also said that slowing down before it is too late is essential.

“You have to stop sometimes or something else will make you stop,” she said. “Just lean into that stop because it will more than likely make whatever it is you do better than [before]. There is a lesson in the stopping.”

A5

| Jan. 27 - Feb. 2, 2021

Money.

michiganchronicle.com

Millennial Money

Don’t Just Know Your Worth – Create It

The average net worth for millennials is less than $11,000. While that is not necessarily a small number, it pales in comparison to the figures needed to achieve most long-term financial goals. While we might think the path towards these goals is to make more money, the real solution is building wealth. The two might seem the same, but they are very different. When you’re rich, you work for and/or have a lot of money. But when you’re wealthy, your money and your assets work for you. This is a great position to strive for, as it gives you leverage and options when purchasing a home or trying to fund a new venture. A little preparation goes a long way to creating a better future. How can you prepare? These three wealth-building principles are a great start.

2021: The Year of the Entrepreneur

By Sherri Kolade Managing Liabilities We all have liabilities, or bills.

But we have a lot more power over controlling these liabilities than we think. Are you really using that Disney Plus subscription? $6.99/ month might not seem like a lot, but that’s roughly $84 dollars per year, and there have been plenty of success stories of people flipping $84 into $8400. You don’t need to cancel all subscriptions, but you should incorporate these words into how you approach spending: honesty, thoughtfulness, and moderation.

It is possible to balance the occasional splurge or paying a premium for an exclusive gym membership with cutting back on things you don’t even use or there is a cheaper alternative. And after covering essentials, the attention should turn to balancing immediate wants with future wants.

and said that she has seen billion-dollar companies created during the pandemic.

In 2020 they brought it.

New businesses popping up, Black entrepreneurs springing forth with beauty bars, clothing lines and virtual companies, giving consumers what they didn’t even know they needed but are thankful they now have.

It was and still is, the year of the entrepreneur and in metro Detroit, especially, it has been evident that if you build it, they will come back time and time again.

According to a Forbes article, Black women represent 42 percent of new women-owned businesses—three times their size of the female population—and 36 percent of all Black-owned businesses.

Local hair care guru Gwen Jimmere knows a thing or two about that. The founder and CEO of Naturalicious sells hair products and developed her business several years before the pandemic

Managing Debt

“Now’s probably a really good time … to start a business,” Jimmere said.

Jimmere added that she recognizes it is easier to get one’s foot in the door for their new business than it used to be.

“Research it and see if it makes sense,” she said of starting a business. “if you can afford to do it jump off the cliff and build your wings on the way down.”

For more information visit https:// naturalicious.net/.

West Bloomfield resident Stefanie Smith works full time at the Detroit Police Athletic League, a non-profit organization in Detroit that serves young people. At her job, she helps bridge the gap between residents and police officers.

When the pandemic hit last year, her fundraising job responsibilities were slowly being taken away due to events shutting down and the public sheltering

in place.

“Everything I worked on was canceled,” she said, adding that in the meantime, she started figuring out what to do to supplement her income. “That is how Alpha-Lit Detroit was born.”

Alpha-Lit Detroit, https://alphalitdetroit.com/, is Smith’s marquee lighting company. Customers can rent out her lighted letters and numbers for the duration of their party for various fees based on how many numbers and letters they use.

“I can spell your name in lights or age or anything you want to say -- short phrases. You spell it I can light it up really cool,” Smith said, adding that the events are mostly outdoors and her personalized signs, and color lights, can add the right touch.

“I started the company in June … and I’ve done probably over 300 events since then,” she said, adding that she has capitalized on the ingenuity of celebrations.

See ENTREPRENEUR page A6

How many consumer credit cards do you have? Do you know the interest rate for each one? As well as your outstanding balances? How much student loan debt do you have? What’s the interest rate?

Would it be beneficial for you to refinance your home? These are the kinds of questions you must know the answer to if you are going to manage your debt properly.

Debt is a kind of liability. Whenever you take on debt, there are usually options for repayment and interest terms for you to choose from.

What might seem like minor details could mean a difference of several thousands of dollars, so make sure to shop around for the best deal available, and know the implications of the terms you are choosing. If you don’t know what certain terms mean or how they could impact you, don’t rush into a decision.

None of this to say that all debt is bad debt. In fact, there is such a

See YOUR

WORTH page A6

Entrepreneur Stefanie Smith created her business, while having a job, to look for more streams of income – she’s made six figures since starting Alpha-Lit Detroit, a marquee lighting company. – Photo provided by Stefanie Smith

UpNext:

From Board Games to Playing the Long Game:

Roderick Hardamon Focused on Collective Community Progress

By Alan Hunt II

return to his hometown. Today, he runs URGE Imprint; a consulting firm focused on public sector work, real estate, and aiding small/medium-sized businesses.

He is also the founder and chairman of URGE Development Group, which is geared towards revitalizing and reimagining neighborhoods while honoring the historical legacy of the communities it invests in. Both firms serve a common goal.

As a kid, Roderick Hardamon had a fascination with the board game Monopoly. Little did he know that fascination would inspire his career.

“Growing up, I had this love of playing Monopoly,” said Hardamon. “My family historically is from the South, and they owned property. Owning land and having some type of ownership was always front and center to me.”

naissance High School alumnus.

“In 2016, I knew it was time to come back home. While I appreciated and loved my experience in New York, and it was really beneficial to my career, my passion wasn’t there anymore. My passion was Detroit, and I knew I wanted to be a part of the resurgence that was happening here. I know I could only do so much investing from afar. I had to be here.”

After spending nearly two decades on Wall Street, Hardamon felt compelled to

In 2020, Hardamon’s Urge Development Group, along with partner N’Namdi

Reminiscing on his adolescence, Hardamon recalled dreaming up big plans.

“My cousin and I used to look across the city of Detroit. I remember we were at the Renaissance Center once, and I vividly remember us talking about one day we’re going to buy that block, own that block, and own that block, but we were just kids. Youthful fantasies, fed by me loving monopoly, fed into my current business,” said Hardamon, a Re-

Roderick Hardamon

Holdings, broke ground on the Osi Art Apartments, a $6.6 million apartment complex in the Woodbridge neighborhood.

“How do we have greater impact in the city of Detroit and southeastern Michigan by systemically impacting and providing opportunities to communities that often do not receive them,” said Hardamon. “That is my primary focus.

How do I make sure there is a collective progress, a collective win in Detroit and southeastern Michigan?”

With plans to break ground on a commercial retail space with residential units in the Fitzgerald neighborhood at W. McNichols and Monica in the third quarter of this year, Hardamon acknowledges access to capital is essential and that women and minorities have struggled more to obtain it. As a developer, he looks to be a trendsetter and admits

See RODERICK

HARDAMON page A6

Page A-6 • michiganchronicle.com • Jan. 27 - Feb. 2, 2021

Your Worth From page A-5

thing as good debt that you take on to finance the purchase of assets that could add value over time, such as starting a business, buying a home, or getting an education. But bad debt, with very high interest rates and obtained for something that adds no value over time, is something you should avoid taking on whenever possible, as it is counterproductive to our goal of building wealth.

Local entrepreneur Tia Regular started her company, Milk Pimp, which sells clothes, colorful bows and other accessories catering to babies and children. – Photo provided by Tia Regular

Entrepreneur From page A-5

“People have found a different way to celebrate. I think that because of the pandemic people didn’t want to cancel their plans but knew they wanted to be safe so they figured out a different way to plan.”

Local entrepreneur Tia Regular is anything but regular. The mother of five children ranging in ages 19 months to 14 years old started her company, Milk Pimp, a children and mother apparel company in 2018, but didn’t do anything with it until the pandemic, she said.

Smith, who has already earned six figures from her rental business, even learned how to make intricate and elaborate balloon displays to accompany her letters and numbers.

Her clients can be found all over metro Detroit and they include the spouse of a Detroit Lions football player and gospel artist Kierra Sheard.

She’s also done corporate events, weddings and more.

“After she [Sheard] posted it [Smith’s creations on her social media page] my business blew up after that,” she said adding that she thought outside the box and many people thought she was crazy for starting an event rental business during the pandemic. “Everything I learned I found a free tool for doing the research and figuring out how to get it done.

“It’s been amazing.”

made kid’s masks a priority item during the pandemic. Milk Pimp is an acronym for my innocent little kid precious in my possession.

Regular, who has an 18-year background in freelance makeup artistry, said that her business is to help new mothers and mothers throughout different stages, know that they can accomplish whatever they put their mind to.

She added that new breastfeeding moms can sometimes fall into the comparison trap where they see other moms having a more robust milk supply and might feel inadequate about their own.

So, Regular created a slogan for her company, “My milk game’s strong,” as a reminder to mothers choosing to breastfeed that they have exactly what they need for their baby.

“I thought of the name and used it as a hashtag then decided that it would be a great name for a business because it’s inspired by my journey as a breastfeeding mother.”

Regular added that when she became a mom again there was also a new need for face masks that could fit small children properly and comfortably. So, she put Milk Pimp to work and

“You have to encourage yourself and in your self-motivation that can help to get those endorphins going, your feel-good hormones can help your milk production,” she said.

Regular added that she is looking forward to adding more apparel and products in 2021.

For more information visit www.shopmilkpimp.com.

Financial advisors, like Greenpath can give you relevant, accurate information on your financial situation and help manage your debts and liabilities to improve your financial health for the long-haul.

As a trusted national nonprofit, many people have been able to understand their options in handling debt with GreenPath’s debt management program.

Managing Assets There’s no way to talk about building financial wealth without discussing investment and investment strategies.

It’s critical to pay close attention to how the value of each type of asset you own or want to obtain changes

over time, as fluctuations or market forces may drive your decision to buy, sell, or liquidate (turn into cash) an asset. This doesn’t mean all of your money has to go into savings bonds and the S&P 500. In fact, diversifying your assets offers a way to spread out risk and reap potential rewards from other asset types that might be doing better than others.

Certain kinds of jewelry, such as watches or gold, might offer a way to treat yourself now while also investing for the future. Cryptocurrency and the Foreign exchange markets are the hottest investment strategies around right now for millennials.

Focus on accumulating legal, proven, lucrative assets that build value over time. Be sure to know your exact reason for the investment. Acting merely on a “feeling” could lead to a pretty costly investment.

These three principles, managing liabilities, debt and assets are universal tenets that will help jumpstart a financial future that has many options, a lot of great assets, and even a little debt.

Contact a GreenPath Financial Wellness expert today to map your path to financial prosperity. https:// www.greenpath.com/contact-us/

Roderick Hardamon From page A-5

taking that route is not the easiest.

“Oftentimes, the projects we do are risky because we are going ahead of the curve.

We’re investing in neighborhoods that people haven’t already “blessed.” It’s easier to invest in Downtown and Midtown because those have been blessed. It’s harder to invest in 6 Mile because people hope it comes back.”

Like any great Monopoly player, Hardamon thinks big picture. He looks to sustain and grow financial wins for generations to come.

“My view is 10, 20, 30 years because I am focusing on creating generational wealth and helping others

see how to create generational wealth,” said Hardamon. “I make the decisions, and the investments that I think will have a generational, transformational opportunity even if I do not get to reap the immediate benefits.

If I don’t get the yacht, I’m okay with that.”

He operates to make sure residents, especially those who have remained loyal to Detroit, are included in the city’s resurgence. He embraces his role of bringing representation in economic development to the forefront.

“It’s about providing images for those who look like me, for those who feel like me, to see themselves in a light they may not have ever imagined.”

SCIENTISTS HAVE TAKEN HUNDREDS OF STEPS TO OPEN THIS DOOR. Developed by a proven process, the COVID-19 vaccine is safe and effective.

Decades of research, followed by months of clinical development. Tens of thousands of diverse volunteers in clinical trials. Scientists and doctors worldwide have joined forces to bring us a safe, effective vaccine for COVID-19… and help give us our lives back.

Learn more at Michigan.gov/COVIDvaccine.

Viewpoint Michigan Chronicle

A Real Times Media Newspaper

“Good riddance to bad news and the horse he rode in on.”

That’s a saying in the corner of the world where I spent my early youth.

We have rid ourselves of the bad news that was the Donald Trump presidency, but more bad news could ride in on that same old horse.

America will make no real progress unless we ask ourselves how we came to stumble so badly into “the age of Trump” and how we prevent it from ever happening again.

This nation cannot bury its head in the sand Oscar H. Blayton and ignore the fact that 74 million Americans voted for Donald Trump in the 2020 presidential election despite his dismal failure as a national leader – or even as a decent human being.

What did those 74 million Trump voters expect to gain from four more years of Donald Trump setting the national agenda and steering the ship of state?

With Trump’s disastrous response to the COVID-19 pandemic resulting in the deaths of hundreds of thousands of our fellow citizens, it is unlikely that his supporters believed that he would ensure their personal safety.

The Trump presidency wrecked our economy, trashed America’s reputation as a world leader and thumbed its nose at both the international efforts to save the planet from environmental disaster and the need for sober diplomacy to avoid nuclear holocaust.

Donald Trump’s presidency left most Americans poorer, less safe and facing a bleak future of internal strife. So, what were his 74 million supporters voting for when they cast their ballots for him in 2020?

The answer to this question is ingrained so deeply in the DNA of the body politic of this nation that we must cut into the very marrow of our cultural bones to expose the cancer that has inflicted this land for more than 400 years.

When Donald Trump gave his famous “What Do You Have to Lose” speech during the 2016 presidential campaign, he was not trying to convince African Americans why they should vote for him. Instead, he was reminding bigoted whites that they needed to put him in the Oval Office to protect white supremacy.

Donald Trump mounted the horse of racial hatred when he announced his candidacy in 2015 and falsely declared that Mexicans coming to America were drug dealers and rapists. He galloped through the land espousing American exceptionalism while calling professional football players “sons of bit***s” for

quietly kneeling during the playing of the national anthem and accusing Black Lives Matters marchers of being “thugs” for peacefully demonstrating against police brutality and the racial hatred he promoted.

Trump’s capacity for spewing racist venom was further demonstrated when he declared that there were “very fine people” among the neo-Nazis and rabid racists whose protests in Charlottesville, Va., resulted in the murder of a counter protester.

NNPA Newswire

When the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved two new vaccines to combat the coronavirus, the initial concern was whether African Americans would accept vaccination.

The rollout of the medicine from Pfizer and Moderna featured heavy promotion.

High-profile African Americans like former President Barack Obama, National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) Coronavirus Task Force Member Dr. Ebony Hilton, and the Rev. Jesse Jackson received their shots publicly.

An African American nurse in New York earned distinction as the first person in the country to receive a vaccination, and Meharry Medical College President Dr. James Hildreth, a Black man, sat on the FDA board that approved the vaccines.

Now, concern has shifted from whether African Americans will accept the vaccine.

Many now wonder whether doses would be available to the Black community.

A new Kaiser Family Foundation report has revealed that African Americans are getting vaccinated at much lower rates than whites.

The report, released on Saturday, Jan. 16, shows that in 16 U.S. states where the vaccine is available, white residents are being vaccinated by as much as three times higher than African Americans.

One example is Pennsylvania, where 1.2 percent of white residents had been vaccinated, compared with just 0.3 percent of African Americans in the Keystone State.

Kaiser Family Foundation researchers noted that vaccine distribution is supposed to align with healthcare and frontline workers’ demographics, presumably making the vaccine equally available to all races.

Some have hinted the lack of vaccine

Is Removing Confederate Monuments, Changing Sports Teams Names Just A Distraction?

By Stacy M. Brown NNPA Newswire

Protests and unrest in 2020 sparked by the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, shined an even brighter spotlight on police brutality against African Americans.

The actions led to renewed calls to remove Confederate statutes and other racially insensitive structures.

But the elected Republican officials are just the tip of the iceberg.

Despite incremental progress, many still argue that unless much more Stacy M. Brown is done to show that Black lives matter, removing racist monuments and changing racially insensitive team names and logos are just mere distractions.

The white supremacy nag Trump rode in on is no more a noble steed than the mounts bearing the four horsemen of the apocalypse who bring war, famine, pestilence and death to the world. Riding atop his white supremacy beast, he more deeply inflicted those four horrors that have always stalked communities of color in America. For Blacks, Latinx, people of the First Nations and other non-white people in America, the realities of our lives are murderous police waging war on innocent men and women, food deserts resulting in empty stomachs, inadequate health care leaving people susceptible to disease and illness and diminished life expectancies bringing untimely deaths.

Even now, white supremacy remains saddled and ready to run. And Trump wannabes like U.S. Sens. Joshua Hawley of Missouri and Ted Cruz of Texas have already tried to mount it.

History has taught us you cannot fix a problem until you admit you have one – and the widespread race-based hatred and bigotry within American culture is our greatest problem.

But armed with rampant denial, whitewashing and gas lighting, and astride white supremacy, the worst of America’s politicians will fight to protect white privilege.

Their disarmament will be neither swift nor easy. The time to begin our resistance is now, or the next storming of the U.S. Capitol may succeed.

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

access is rooted in racism – not an unwillingness of minorities to get vaccinated.

Dr. Taison Bell, of the University of Virginia, told NBC News that he was “horrified to discover that members of environmental services — the janitorial staff — did not have access to hospital email.”

Hospital staff receives its vaccination information via email, Dr. Bell stated.

“That’s what structural racism looks like,” Dr. Georges Benjamin, executive director of the American Public Health Association, told NBC. “Those groups were seen and not heard — nobody thought about it.”

As of Jan. 16, the U.S. had surpassed more than 23.3 million total cases and 388,700 deaths due to the pandemic, the Kaiser Family Foundation reported.

According to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention analysis, African Americans, Latinos, and Native Americans are dying from COVID-19 nearly three times the rate of white people.

“With the country’s coronavirus pandemic continuing unabated as cases and deaths increase, and a more contagious variant of the virus spreads, there is a greater focus on vaccine distribution troubles,” Kaiser Family Foundation President and CEO Drew Altman wrote.

The covid-19 vaccine distribution effort is in trouble, Altman demurred.

According to federal data, only about a third of the more than 25 million doses distributed nationwide have been given to people.

“Hundreds of different distribution programs are being organized across states and counties for frontline health workers, residents of long-term care facilities, the elderly and others that states are prioritizing in different sequences,” Altman continued.

“The country needs a distribution strategy that our fragmented, multilayered healthcare system can effectively implement. This will require more federal direction, a simpler priority structure, and a different role for the states.”

LONGWORTH M. QUINN Publisher-Emeritus 1909-1989

CONTACT US 1452 Randolph • Detroit, MI 48226 • (313) 963-8100 e-mail: newsdesk@michronicle.com

Professional sports teams, including the Washington Football Team (formerly the Redskins) and Cleveland Indians announced they would change the monikers that many said are offensive to Native Americans.

No longer constricted by the expected norms of human decency, those 74 million voters who put their support behind Trump, and now comprise the base of the Republican Party, will continue to demand racial, ethnic and religious intolerance in return for their votes. And they will want the LGBTQ community labeled “Enemy No. 1.”

AJ WILLIAMS Managing Editor

JOHN H. SENGSTACKE Chairman-Emeritus 1912-1997

Now that Trump has left Washington and the White House has been fumigated, Republican politicians want us to pretend that these past four years never happened. Taking a page out of the old South’s playbook that submerged the historical fact that 11 states mounted a treasonous rebellion to continue to enslave human beings, most of today’s Republican officeholders want to rewrite recent history to exonerate themselves from any wrongdoing.

Vaccine Distribution Another Example of White Privilege

By Stacy M. Brown

SAMUEL LOGAN Publisher 1933-2011

Jan. 27 - Feb. 2, 2021 | Page A-7

The Horse He Rode In On

By Oscar H. Blayton

HIRAM E. JACKSON Publisher

In other words, those who spoke with the Black Press on the subject said they are eager to see more tangible results.

“Dismantling Confederate monuments and ridding sports teams and brands of racist imagery is not enough,” Marcos Martinez, the owner of the blog, http://www.themenwhobrunch. com, wrote in an email.

“For there to be racial progress, there need to be drastic improvements in failing schools in minority communities,” Martinez exclaimed.

He noted the many academic studies that prove education leads to better life opportunities.

“I know this firsthand because I lived in Brownsville, one of the most impoverished neighborhoods in New York,” Martinez remarked.

“Many of my [peers] who attended the schools in Brownsville didn’t graduate or didn’t pursue higher education.

Most of them are either incarcerated or deceased due to gun violence.”

Darryl Smith, the founding partner for the firm, Florida Car Accident Law Team, said backlash remains from the dismantling of racist statues and the changing of names by some sports teams.

“The dismantling of the monuments and the rebranding of the teams’ racist imagery is not an end unto itself, and that should be remembered in the face of the expected backlash from those who really don’t want to see that imagery go away and make outsized noise about it,” Smith offered.

“We want to remember that these things are distance markers on the road

to moving society toward a more inclusive future,” he continued. “[Monuments] are inappropriate for spaces that are meant to represent all of the people in a particular jurisdiction as opposed to a select few. This is different from the concept of fighting systemic racism.”

Since the murder of Floyd in May, an estimated more than 100 Confederate symbols have been removed from around the country, including a Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee from the U.S. Capitol that had represented Virginia for more than a century.

In July, the Washington Football Team announced it would drop the racist nickname, Redskins, after Pepsi, Nike, and FedEx received letters from investors calling on them to end their more than $620 billion sponsorship deals with the team.

The Cleveland baseball team later announced it would drop “Indians” as its nickname after the 2021 season.

“Changing sport teams names and tearing down statues are great PR moves by companies and politicians, but we’re never going to fix the problem until we educate the youth,” pronounced Jamie Hickey, the founder of https://coffeesemantics.com/.

“Racist parents that raise racist kids is the reason why we still have an equality issue in America. Kids aren’t born racist. They are raised to be racist,” Hickey declared.

“It’s the same as when people say pit bulls are mean. There is no such thing as a mean pit bull, only mean owners.”

Ken Eulo, the Smith & Eulo Law Firm’s founding partner in Orlando, Florida, said tangible change is needed.

“In 2021, rebuilding is likely to be a recurring theme. Black Americans want to reinforce the idea of rebuilding and developing communities in what we hope will be a post-COVID-19 society,” Eulo said.

“We want to see news, think pieces and human-interest stories that lend themselves to the idea of this being the time for Black innovation and excellence in a way that may not have been advisable before.”

This year needs to be a time “where we as individuals and a community find new ways to uplift ourselves after a year where we saw widely held beliefs, and long-standing conventions broken and cast aside in the wake of a global pandemic,” concluded Smith, of the Florida Car Accident Law Team.

“This is a time where finding ways to function outside the box can reap real benefits at a time when all bets appear to be off,” Smith demanded.

“We need to see examples of Black people and black communities thriving in the face of this unprecedented adversity, and examples of our political and economic influence being wielded for the betterment of Black Americans and the Black diaspora.”

Page A-8 • michiganchronicle.com •

Jan. 27 - Feb. 2, 2021

Stay Connected.

Keep Informed.

michiganchronicle.com

City ity.. Life ife.. Style.

B1 | Jan. 27 - Feb. 2, 2021

Where City Meets Life and Life Meets Style

michiganchronicle.com

After-H(ours)

Access Equity and Opportunity in a 24-Hour Economy

By Adrian Tonon, Jabari Jefferson and Andre Reed Photo Lil Monsterr Bartenders play a crucial role in a 24-Hour Economy and like many other industries, they were forced to pivot and innovate during government mandates, oftentimes not knowing where their next paycheck was coming from. Join us for the seventh series to hear from five celebrated bartenders who have rose above adversity and are bringing new flavors, energy and excitement into 2021.

Leslie Williams / Society Detroit The pandemic has forced me to think outside my boundaries and get creative. The bar industry has always provided for me in ways that a regular 9-5 job couldn’t. Taking my bar skills and my self-starter, entrepreneurial edge, I thought of ways to adapt to the changing times. Most of the displaced bartenders I know have been doing an amazing job at taking their bar skills outside of the bar. As a community, we’ve come up with ideas to sustain the bar life by selling cocktails and mocktails, doing online video demos, even educating other future bartenders and becoming mentors. Personally, I’ve gone into freelancing by offering my services to small private events and functions. The pandemic also gave me time to study my profession further and learn new and hot ideas to bring back to the bar.

In addition, staying updated on safety standards once businesses open. Being a bartender means you have to be adaptable. We rely on an industry where sometimes you can make hundreds of dollars, and some days you come out with a few bucks for gas, the pandemic is no exception. However having that adaptability gives us the advantage to weathering any storm.

If you are not a people person, adaptable, quick and creative, this is not the job for you. Making tasty cocktails is only a portion of the job. You have to be able to adapt to the changes. You have to become adaptable with constant changing hours of operation and days, COVID restrictions and ever-changing standards. After months of quarantine, worrying and stress, the bar is a safe haven for people who want to release the pressures of yesterday and tomorrow and live in the moment. Knowing that the bar and the bartenders will always be that shed of light at the end of the day, that can help reduce the pressures of life. We are drink makers, confidants, party starters, magicians and tricksmiths, entertainers, friends and professionals all in one. As bartenders we set the tone.

Dre Delano / Delano Entertainment Group (D.E.G.) I stared at this question for a while, mainly because of the word “ADAPT”. Not sure anyone in this industry has fully adapted, especially in Michigan, with the un-

Yes, Queen:

Native Detroiter Represents Her Community in 2021 Mrs. Michigan-America Pageant for the Culture By: Sherri Kolade Detroit resident Maritza Cooper is a lot of things. She is a proud Black woman, a wife and mother, a businesswoman and a mentor. And now the vivacious 35-year-old is a contestant in the Mrs. Michigan-America Pageant.

Mrs. Michigan-America is the state’s official preliminary to the Mrs. America Pageant and Miss for America.

“I am humbled to be able to participate in this once in a lifetime experience,” Cooper posted on Facebook.

Cooper selected the local title of “Mrs. Southfield” because she said that the city of Southfield is a place that she credits as the starting point to so many life experiences for her.

she added in the post. “For me, Southfield is a cornerstone in my life which held new beginnings, memories and a sense of community that has molded me into the person I am today.”

“I am a graduate of the former Southfield-Lathrup High School where I met and later married my high school sweetheart. It is the city where I birthed my three children and began my family. Additionally, it is a beautiful and diverse community of respectable hard-working citizens to which I’ve had the pleasure of calling home,”

Cooper chose to participate in this pageant to inspire others to “do anything they can to make their mark on the world in a positive way through community involvement.”

“Additionally, my goal is to utilize this platform to bring awareness to

See MRS. MICHIGAN Page B-2

Master Chef Of Culinary Experiences Channy J

C

Spices, Sea Moss, and Detox Meal Preps which Fight Against COVID-19

hanny J Celebrity Chef and Lifestyle Specialist in Metro Detroit. Releases her own collection of Black Owned Organic spices and Sea-Moss Goods. Channy specializes in meal preparation to the stars and everyday professional entrepreneurs she makes her recipes available in her collection of 8 EBooks based on a healthy diet.

Channy J’s Catering is available to travel to a city near you. Book with her for a virtual consultation for meal prep needs, cooking classes and catering at h ttps:// www.channyjs.com Chantal (Channy J) Jarrett has mastered the infusion of passion and authentic Caribbean influence. Born and raised in Clarendon, Jamaica, Channy J. utilized cooking as a creative outlet to outwardly express love and comfort while sharing her culture with others.

Catering service to professional NFL players, Singers, Actors, Models and Entrepreneurs on the go.

Channy J’s detox and smoothie kits are essential during the pandemic. Allowing you to satisfy your tastebuds and build up a strong immune system which are necessary in fighting off

Covid-19. Handcrafted smoothie kits catered to your needs and wants packaged up and ready to go. Channy J’s catering believes you can indulge in luxury fine dining during quarantine in the comforts of your own home, beach or even backyard. Ready to get snatched for 2021 contact Channy J. she has the recipe to shed those Quarantine pounds and have you looking like a snack.

Page B-2 • michiganchronicle.com • Jan. 27 - Feb. 2, 2021

Mrs. Michigan From page B-1

some issues that I am very passionate about,” she said.

Cooper shared her good news on the Detroit Women’s Leadership Facebook Group where she received a flood of overwhelmingly positive responses that she said she felt were “so empowering.”

“I was able to form some awesome connections; it was uplifting -- made me want to go harder,” she said of her competition journey.

The qualifications for the Mrs. Michigan-America pageant are that the contestant is: • Married • 21 years of age or Older • U.S. Citizen • A resident of the state The pageant’s scoring categories include certain percentages of total scores: personal interviews with a panel of judges (50%); swimsuit segment (25%); and evening gown (25%).

Also, there is an onstage question segment for the top finalists.

Cooper said she became involved in the pageant at a time she was passionate about being more involved in her community and was just trying to “kind of touch base with things that were local and near and dear [to my heart].”

She added that what she loves about the pageant is that they encourage people of all shapes, sizes and personalities to apply.

“There’s lots of different ethnicities and that is what I really loved about it,” she said of the pageant. “It went further than different body types.”

Nest Makers United to Host Free, Two-Day Online Workshop for Detroit Makers/Artisans Nest, a nonprofit that works with makers to build a world of greater gender equity and economic inclusion, will host a free, two-day online workshop for Detroit makers from Jan. 28-29. This online two-day workshop—designed for artisans and handmakers—will provide resources about sales, marketing, networking and business planning and take place on January 28th and 29th.

Registration is available here.

Supported by the Same Sky Foundation, Bloomberg Philanthropies and West Elm, roundtable discussions topics include: goal-setting, accessing capital and marketing for buyers. Founder, and Fashion Designer, Hope For Flowers, Tracy Reese, who grew up in Detroit, will be among experts reviewing submissions for the workshop’s elevator-pitch evaluation. Reese also serves on the Nest board of trustees.

“Through Nest’s Makers United program, we create concrete opportunities that may not have already existed for the amazing artisans in my hometown,”

Reese said. “I also want to open their eyes to opportunities that were already here that, for some reason, they do not have access to.”

Ongoing workshops—along with marketplace activations and local partnerships—stem from the program’s previous analysis of Detroit’s maker landscape in Summer 2020, which provided insight into local maker communities and highlighted the unique challenges artisans face in small business development in the city’s distinct markets.

“Nest’s Makers United program is a multi-stakeholder initiative that connects and strengthens diverse communities of makers across the United States,” said Rebecca van Bergen, Nest’s founder and executive director.

“We are committed to building a vibrant and inclusive maker population and excited to bring this program to Detroit and invest in being a part of the Detroit makers community.”

Rebecca and her work to create the Nest Makers United Program was re-

cently honored by InStyle Magazine in their Badass Women issue, as one of 50 women who show up, speak up, and get things done, alongside so many influential women including Cori Bush, Bridgett Floyd, America Ferrera, and more.

In December, Nest Makers United hosted an online workshop called “How To Boost Your Last-Minute Holiday Sale,” which featured Jinal Shah, vice president of marketing at Feather; Victor Ramirez, lead product analytics engineer at The Knot Worldwide; and Eli and Valencia Morr, co-founders of Peacesake Candles & Co. “I really appreciated the seminar,” said Detroit maker Archana Aneja. “Being a nascent business owner can be overwhelming, but I am very happy to see how Nest is, in fact, helping us wade through these uncharted waters.”

Makers interested in attending this month’s two-day workshop can learn more at makersuniteddetroitworkshopser.splashthat.com .

After H(ours) From page B-1

certainty of how long you were going to have a job. The constant change of rules and shutdowns, adaptation was the last thing on my mind; the first thought that played for me was “SURVIVAL”. I was fortunate to work a couple side jobs, but it was nothing consistent or enough to make ends meet. When I finally received UIA benefits, I was thanking the Creator and surprisingly the government, for once.

I was able to catch up on finances and move forward, but I was still missing something. I missed working the bar and being able to create and cultivate experiences that bring people together or even just being an ear for a lonely soul to listen to. I understood it is not just the money for me, so I was no longer going to sit, wait, and wonder anymore if there was a time to take a leap of faith.

I started promoting my skills on social media and through any resource I obtained.

Soon after, I began getting calls for private bartending events and fundraisers.

Covid-19 brought a lot of negatives, but I learned to use it and my faith to light a fire under me.

While taking all safety precautions as mandates continue to shift, I am still grateful to be creating and providing an experience / love, for my beautiful Detroit Souls. Soon, I hope to be back Downtown in the heart of my city serving good vibes to my “D-town Night Owls”. Until then, my advice for people interested in this profession is that sometimes it’s rough, sometimes you grind so hard just to make it to the end of the tunnel, but it’s so worth it. There is beauty in the hardships and you learn more than the skills of the trade, but life skills as well. It’s not just about the money you make or the places you can go, it is also about the bonds you make, the connections, and the journey it takes you on. We welcome you and we are just getting started Ayana (Yaya) Ford / Exodus Things are definitely a lot different than before, but with time I’ve learned to adapt since the pandemic has forced a normal upon us. There’s no telling when this will all be over, so the best way to

She added that she would tell other Black girls and young women interested in competing in the beauty pageant that they are beautiful just as they are. She works with children and she says a lot of young Black girls tell her that they don’t like how they look. “[They] are very self-conscious; they are trying to fit in and one of the things I say all the time is a quote: ‘In a world full of horses, be a unicorn.’”

She said that she tries to embrace her uniqueness, too, which includes being over five feet tall. “I definitely have a mommy body. … I know I am not like everybody else,” Cooper said, adding that especially as a woman of color. “Black is beautiful and everybody should embrace it. We are some of the most diverse creatures on the earth and it is just amazing being a part of something like that and being able to represent.”

Southfield resident Francetta Watson and Cooper attended high school together and became very close during the quarantine.

Watson said that her spirit was filled with so much excitement over the news of her entering into the pageant.

“Maritza’s spirit is and understanding. I connects to the youth es them no matter the said.

cope is to make the best of it. I, personally, needed some extra time because I’ve been hustling multiple gigs for years now. With the time I was given from being laid off, I have been able to rest, reset, and make plans for the future. I would advise nightlife newcomers to have faith, have more than one source of income, and because this industry is a mostly cash-based business, SAVE YOUR MONEY! 2020 showed us that life can change in the blink of an eye and you have to be prepared.

on in the world, to their personal life. So I can understand how people find this industry enticing, but my suggestion right now would be to wait. This job is hard, lots of hours, typically late nights, and being on your feet for 8-12 hours at a time. Due to the pandemic, the income isn’t the same and most people are barely making enough to survive. We were the first people to lose their jobs and the last ones to get them back, so it’s not the most reliable job and income right now, so wait.

Monica Ruiz / Exodus

Tyron Foster / Drinks on Me

My line of work shifted from being a Director of Events in the beginning of the year, to unemployment in the Spring, bartending in July, and unemployment again a month before Christmas. Choosing to go back to bartending was based on losing additional federal unemployment and not being able to continue the path I was on in the event industry. Personally, I enjoyed going back to bartending and being able to create an inviting atmosphere in a different way. It allowed me to step back from managing and get back in touch to why I love this industry so much. It’s the people we work with, the people we serve and the environment we create. What I didn’t expect was losing my second job in November due to the additional closings and having to try and find another job again.

My line of work has adapted to the current state of the world by providing mobile drinks to go and mobile bartending. Bartenders are beginning to get more creative with their craft by branding themselves. For me in particular, it’s been rough because I have a tip based job and with COVID-19 going around gigs are hard to come by. There has been a lot of wedding and party cancellations, but Drinks On Me still gets a few bookings through social media shout outs and word of mouth.

Being a bartender is more than a way to make ends meet. It’s creating cocktails for people to learn how to step out of their comfort zone and try something new. It’s having conversations with out of towners or locals about what’s going

The advice I would give to someone pursuing my line of work is to be optimistic, brand yourself, stay creative, and stay ready. Bartending will rise again.

Musicians play a crucial role in a 24-Hour Economy. As stages were mandated to close, touring came to a halt.

Artists were forced to pivot, oftentimes not knowing where to focus their music or brands. Join us for the eighth series to hear from four emerging artists who ‘blew up’ and grew their audience globally in 2020.

kind, patient, love how she and encouragobstacle,” she

Watson added that her friend helped her, too. “Maritza has no clue how she has helped me in the journey of mentoring and just being her loving self. She is beyond deserving and just amazing,” Watson said. “She is always wearing a crown of light no matter if it’s pouring down raining. She’s that inspiration, that drive, that spark of light that this world needs to just believe that they are beautiful and can do what they put their mind to. She’s the light young Black girls and boys so desperately need in 2021.”

The pageant is slated for May in Plainwell, Michigan. For more information visit here: https://www.mrsmichiganamericapageants.com/.

City ity.. Life ife.. Style.

Where City Meets

LIFE STYLE and Life Meets

In Print & Online

michiganchronicle.com

Jan. 27 - Feb. 2, 2021 • michiganchronicle.com •

Page B-3

Easy Dishes to Boost Immunity (Family Features) Staying healthy is important year-round, but especially in the cooler months when temperatures drop, people spend more time inside and germs can spread easily. What you eat and the lifestyle you embrace are critical components of staying healthy.

Nourishing meals full of fruits, vegetables, protein-rich foods and whole grains help provide the body’s immune system with the nutrients it needs. Maintaining a healthy lifestyle by getting enough sleep, being physically active every day, having enough fluids and reducing stress also help keep the immune system in shape.

As a nutritious food to include on your grocery list, grapes of all colors - red, green and black - contain more than 1,600 natural plant compounds such as antioxidants and other polyphenols that help protect the health of cells throughout the body. They also contain about 82% water, so they provide important fluids for hydration, which is also critical to a healthy immune system.

Grapes can be enjoyed as a healthy snack or an immune-boosting ingredient in recipes like Chicken, Spinach and Grape Pita sandwiches and Grape and Salmon Power Salad. Each provides a mix of immune-supporting nutrients, including zinc in chicken, vitamins A and C in kale, polyphenols in grapes and other important nutrients in the salmon, walnuts and barley.

Find these recipes and more in “Eating for Immune Health” along with additional ways to eat healthy and stay well at grapesfromcalifornia.com.

Chicken, Spinach and Grape Pita Servings: 4 2 tablespoons pine nuts 2 tablespoons lemon juice 2 tablespoons minced shallot 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 1 pinch red pepper flakes 1/4 teaspoon ground sumac salt freshly ground black pepper 1 package (5-6 ounces) fresh baby spinach, washed and dried 1 1/2 cups shredded, cooked chicken (about 8 ounces) 1 cup red California grapes, sliced 1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese 4 whole-wheat pita breads (6 1/2 inches each), warmed and halved In small skillet over medium-high heat, toast pine nuts, stirring constantly until toasted, about 5 minutes. Transfer to bowl and let cool. In large bowl, whisk lemon juice, shallot, olive oil, red pepper flakes, sumac, salt and pepper. Add spinach, chicken, grapes, feta and pine nuts; toss to mix. Stuff into pita breads and serve.

Nutritional information per serving: 445 calories; 24 g protein; 46 g carbohydrates; 20 g fat (39% calories from fat); 5 g saturated fat (10% calories from saturated fat); 57 mg cholesterol; 658 mg sodium; 6 g fiber.

Photo courtesy of Getty Images

Improve Your Mental Health with Better Sleep (Family Features) For some, the holidays may be the happiest season of all, but for others the hectic pace and endless to-do lists can take a real toll on their mental health. This year, the impact is heightened by a global health pandemic.

According to a survey from Mattress Firm, more than 60 million Americans say COVID-19 has worsened their quality of their sleep, and those losing sleep are often seeing their mental well-being and healthy habits worsen. Nearly half of respondents said COVID-19 has increased their worries and prevented them from falling or staying asleep at night, with 41% reported their poor sleep has a negative impact on their daily lives.

“It’s no surprise that when our minds are full or our hearts are heavy, our mental health tends to suffer,” said Dr. Sujay Kansagra, a sleep health expert for Mattress Firm. “What many people don’t realize is that mental health struggles also affect sleep, and adequate rest is a key component of maintaining and improving your mental health.”

If stress and worry are preventing you from getting a good night of sleep, try these ideas from Kansagra to help improve your mental state and ease your body into rest.

Think positively. Every night before going to bed, list three good things from your day. They don’t have to be amazing things, just three positive aspects of your day. For example, acknowledge you had a good virtual

catch-up with a colleague or enjoyed a new recipe or workout class. Listing your positive experiences at night can help you maintain a positive frame of mind as you unwind for the day.

Create a to-do list. This technique is for those who mentally work through their list of pending responsibilities before bed. In a fast-paced world, sometimes lying in bed is the first time you have to actually think about what’s on your list. By creating a list of tasks (or even writing down your worries), you can prevent yourself from thinking about them excessively before bed and throughout the night.

Try progressive relaxation. This involves taking slow, deep breaths and slowly tensing the muscles in your body for a few seconds then relaxing them. Start at your feet and work your way up the body. This technique can help you relax and decompress after a long day.

Give yourself a break. Especially if you’re working from home or tackling a lot of seasonal tasks, it’s easy to keep yourself busy up until the minute you fall into bed. However, your mind may still be whirling from all that activity.

Build in a few minutes before bed each night to let your mind rest, whether it’s spending a few minutes with a good book, practicing meditation or sipping on a cup of sleepy-time tea.

Appeal to your senses. Being mindful of how your senses react to various stimuli can play a role in your ability to drift off to sleep. Some people need

silence; others benefit from ambient sound. Certain scents can be soothing and make good choices for essential oil diffusers, such as lavender oil. Also be conscious of the touches that affect your sleep, like the support from your mattress, the softness of your sheets or the temperature of the room.

Whether it’s your family, your health or general stress that’s keeping you up, find time in your day to give yourself some grace. Your mental health is extremely important and should not be overlooked, so if you’re feeling a little worn down, ensure you’re getting the quality sleep you need to tackle the day and week ahead.

Find more tips for better sleep at MattressFirm.com.

What’s Keeping You Awake?

If you’re like many Americans, outside influences and worries may affect your sleep. Pinpointing what’s keeping you awake, such as these common sleep disruptors reported in a Mattress Firm survey, can help you address your concerns so you can rest more easily.

1. Money or Paying Bills (49%) 2. My or My Family’s Health (48%) 3. State of Country and the Economy (39%) 4. My Kids and Their Health or Education (32%) 5. Missing Social Interaction (31%) #15485 Source: Mattress Firm

Grape and Salmon Power Salad Servings: 6 3/4 cup pearled barley 3 cups firmly packed kale leaves, torn and sliced into ribbons 1 cup halved red or black seedless California grapes 8 ounces cold, cooked salmon, skin and bones removed 1/2 cup walnuts, lightly toasted and coarsely chopped Dressing: 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice 1 clove garlic, mashed 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1 pinch cayenne pepper 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil Cook barley according to package directions. Drain and cool.

Tenderize kale by blanching in boiling water 2-3 seconds or microwaving 1 minute. Rinse pieces in cold water to stop cooking; squeeze dry. Fluff and uncrimp dry kale pieces with fingers. In medium bowl, mix barley, kale, grapes, salmon and walnuts.

To make dressing: In small bowl, whisk lemon juice, garlic, salt, pepper and cayenne. Gradually mix in olive oil. Pour onto salad and fold gently to combine.

Nutritional information per serving: 413 calories; 15 g protein; 30 g carbohydrates; 16 g fat (47% calories from fat); 3 g saturated fat (8% calories from saturated fat); 22 mg cholesterol; 232 mg sodium; 500 mg potassium; 4 g fiber. #15521

Source: California Table Grape Commission

Photo courtesy of Getty Images

(Family Features) This year has taught many workers a thing or two about being productive when offices and homes blend into one.

As the calendar turns to 2021, consider these key products and processes to stay productive next year.

Find a system (and stick to it): Creating an organizing system is an easy way to ensure your at-home workspace is ready for optimal productivity. Designate space to house all your work items - a drawer, cabinet or box - and keep work items organized by type (pens, papers, computer gear, etc.) At the end of each day, transitioning to “offline hours” can be easier when you have a place to stow your work items.

Start your day clean: Studies have shown cleanliness has a direct impact on productivity. Yet, many people

struggle to find the time and energy to clean, especially at the end of a busy day at home. An option like The DEEBOT T8 from Ecovacs provides a hands-free cleaning experience, complete with the time-saving benefits of an all-in-one robot vacuum and floor mop, along with TrueDetect technology to avoid tangling in small objects.

Easily controlled via an app, just set it to clean before bed and wake up to a tidy workspace.

Break up your day: With so many hours at home in front of a computer, workdays can get a little monotonous.

Break up the day to make working from home feel as “normal” as possible - shower in the morning, take a walk or drive to coffee then make time for at least two breaks throughout the day. Some people have found success with the Pomodoro Technique, which is breaking your day up into 25-minute chunks of work, with 5-minute

rest periods. If you continue to work until you feel like taking a break, odds are you’ll overwork yourself until it’s too late to take the “big break” you had in mind.

Bookend your days with mindfulness: At the beginning and end of each workday, do a 3-5-minute mindfulness meditation. Before signing on to work for the day, allow your mind to fully focus on the day’s tasks at-hand. Signoff by doing another mediation to end the day and let go of any worries or stresses you might have. Incorporating this tactic into your daily routine can help create a natural boundary from work and home while also restoring peace of mind.

Find more solutions to help maintain productivity at Ecovacs.com. #15490 Source: Ecovacs

Page B-4 • michiganchronicle.com • Jan. 27 - Feb. 2, 2021

5 Questions to Ask Yourself Before Taking the Leap to Entrepreneurship As COVID-19 causes layoffs and extends uncertainty about employment in 2021, many people are considering new options, reinventing themselves or trying to decide whether working for themselves is more desirable than finding another 9-to-5 job that might not last.

Entrepreneurship brings a lot of freedom, responsibility and risks, and before people commit to taking that big step there are several important questions they should ask themselves, says Tim Mercer, author of “Bootstrapped Millionaire: Defying the Odds of Business.”

“Entrepreneurship is a career that offers a kind of freedom and personal satisfaction you simply cannot get from traditional 9-to-5 employment,” Mercer says. “You will never know if you have what it takes to be an entrepreneur unless you take the leap of faith and experience it yourself.

“It’s a big decision, though, involving many factors and inherent risks.

There is a lot to navigate and endure

en route to reaching your dream destination of professional and financial freedom, and many don’t make it because they simply weren’t cut out for the challenge to begin with.”

Mercer thinks people who are considering entrepreneurship should first ask themselves these five questions: Why do you want to do this? “Let’s be honest,” he says. “If the business endeavor is just about us, we will want to give up on ourselves when things get hard. Your why, which is your purpose, has to be much bigger than yourself. You must believe in a vision of why you want to be an entrepreneur and develop a plan for how you will involve others in your vision. Sustainable entrepreneurship requires the efforts of other people.”

Mercer thinks it’s imperative to write down your ‘’why” and keep it in front of you as a reminder when tough times come.

Are you being realistic? One can get swept up in the emotion of start-

ing a business, but Mercer says it’s vital for every potential entrepreneur to be realistic in their business projections for the first two years of the startup. “Answering this question before you open can prevent some unpleasant surprises as you try to build your company,” Mercer says.

Do you have daily discipline? “You are the boss, and only you can hold yourself accountable,” Mercer says.

“If it’s hard for you to stay on task or stay motivated, and you think being an entrepreneur is a fast ticket to easy street, entrepreneurship definitely is not for you.”

Can your relationships survive the sacrifices? The time commitment, Mercer notes, to starting one’s own business and getting it running efficiently goes well beyond a typical 9-to-5 job. Relationships can suffer.

“All entrepreneurs have to understand that they are going to be forced to make sacrifices on a personal level with their family and friends,” he says. “You have to stay focused without letting your dedication to your

entrepreneurial pursuit harm your relationships with those [with whom] you are closest. Communicate with them and mutually come up with adjusted expectations as you build the business.”

Can you withstand the struggles? Rejection and failure, Mercer says, are realities that new entrepreneurs have to get accustomed to and learn to overcome. “You need to understand how many times you’ll fail before you’ll succeed,” he says.

“You’ll get turned down by prospective customers constantly and your self-value will be tested on a daily basis. Is your ‘why’ strong enough to keep you going?”

“Overall, deciding whether you are an entrepreneur or not boils down to how comfortable you are being uncomfortable,” Mercer says. “Only time will tell if you have the people skills and business skills to be a successful entrepreneur, but rest assured that you will have to endure periods of real discomfort.”

“New Year, New Administration, New Opportunities to Take Charge of Debt As the world welcomed 2021’s arrival, many people pledged to adopt good practices, change behavior or accomplish a new goal. While exercising and losing weight continue to top the list of New Year’s resolutions, many adults are focused on physical, mental and financial wellness in 2021, particularly as many continue to cope with lasting effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

This week marks the start of the Biden-Harris administration. President-elect Biden recently outlined a $1.9 trillion economic relief plan that, if confirmed by Congress, would provide an additional $1,400 in relief payments to eligible adults and children, extend emergency unemployment benefits through September, extend a federal moratorium on evictions through September and provide $30 billion in additional aid to renters.

How should households best utilize the stimulus package passed late December as well as additional relief potentially afforded by the Biden relief plan if it is finalized? National nonprofit GreenPath Financial Wellness suggests that households first use stimulus funds to take care of essential needs (housing, medicine, food/water, electricity, etc.). Once these expenses are covered, use stimulus to establish emergency savings. GreenPath’s stimulus guide can help people under-

stand stimulus eligibility and track payment: https://www. greenpath.com/how-togetyour-stimulus-check/.

“January is often our busiest call volume month as people come to grips with their spending and make resolutions to become financially fit,” says GreenPath CEO, Kristen Holt.

“As women and workers of color bore the brunt of lost jobs last month, we are confident that the stimulus will provide

needed relief for many, many households. Many of our bank and credit union partners are continuing to offer hardship assistance when requested. Yet, we advise our clients that this assistance and relief is temporary, and that forbearance is not forgiveness. The sooner borrowers make a plan to tackle their debt and prepare to stick to that plan, the better.”

Now’s a good time to acknowledge if debt has become

a challenge. Does the individual only pay the minimum monthly payment? Use credit card cash advances to pay bills? Is maxed out or over the limit on credit cards? Is receiving collection calls? If the answer to these questions is “yes”, the individual should first outline the amount of debt owed. Using a debt calculator will give people a clear picture of their financial situation.

He/she should understand their “why” – imagine what a

debt-free future would look like, identify the financial goals he/she wants to achieve, and use these as incentives to reduce debt. Automate payments to pay bills on-time (set it and forget it) and pay as much above minimums as possible. Rethink non-essential spending. Identify additional sources of income (i.e., sell things no longer used) to free up cash.

Those overwhelmed with debt can take control of their finances using a free financial health assessment. Examine which payoff strategy -- either the Snowball method (paying off smallest debts first) or Avalanche method (paying more on debt with highest interest) would best help the individual pay off debt. Consolidate debts into a personal loan or balance transfer credit card with zero or low interest. Contact GreenPath to discuss if a Debt Management Plan can help to pay off unsecured debt in 3-5 years.

In 2020, GreenPath helped thousands of households pay off more than $250 million in debt.

Holt adds: “It can take anywhere from 18 to 254 days for a person to form a new habit.

GreenPath’s certified counselors are ready to help people seamlessly adopt financial wellness practices and make debt management and saving a new habit. Many of our clients often say they wish they had sought help sooner.”

Classifieds

Jan. 27 - Feb. 2, 2021 • michiganchronicle.com • Page B-5 ANNOUNCEMENTS

MIKE DUGGAN MAYOR, CITY OF DETROIT

Cornelia Ann Terry

ADVERTISEMENT

SUNRISE – 12/21/1939

✟

SUNSET – 01/09/2021

Cornelia A. Terry was born in Greenville, South Carolina to the union of William and Lillian Pearson who preceded her in death.

REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS / PROPOSALS TO SELECT A DESIGN/BUILD CONTRACTOR FOR THE NEW STATE FAIR TRANSIT CENTER FOR THE CITY OF DETROIT DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION (DBA# 88-0006)

Ann was educated in the Detroit Public School System.

She graduated from Northwestern High School where she played basketball.

She loved sports and loved to sew.

Ann leaves to cherish her memories, her beloved niece, Darlene and her “bestie” Patricia.

The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away.

Blessed be the name of the Lord.

The Detroit Building Authority (“DBA”) requests experienced design / build contractors to submit Qualifications and a Proposal to build the new State Fair Transit Center, as more fully described in the Request for Qualifications / Proposals (RFQ/P).

Final arrangements were entrusted to Swanson Funeral Home, 806 E. Grand Blvd. in Detroit.

Interested respondents may obtain a copy of the RFQP and all associated documents at BidNet (www.BidNet.com). The unique request is titled “State Fair Transit Center 2021” and will be posted the week of January 25, 2021.

A mandatory pre-submittal meeting and site tour will take place at the State Fair Transit Center site, located at 20110 Woodward Avenue, Detroit, MI 48203, beginning at 11:00 A.M., Detroit time, on Tuesday, February 9, 2021.

The Respondent may only submit one response to this Request for Qualifications/Proposals.

Participation in more than one submittal team will result in rejection of all responses by that Respondent.

DO THE

FIVE

Respondents submitting qualifications may be required to make an oral presentation(s) to designated City representatives. The issuing office, if required, will schedule such oral presentation(s). The Respondent must pay any travel costs incurred for such presentations.

Help stop coronavirus

The Respondent must agree to comply with the requirements of the City of Detroit’s Ordinances and Civil Rights, Inclusion and Opportunity Department.

1 HANDS Wash them often 2 ELBOW Cough into it 3 FACE Don't touch it 4 SPACE Keep safe distance 5 HOME Stay if you can

Any changes to the dates above will be released via BidNet. No response to this Request for Qualifications/Proposals may be withdrawn for at least 120 days after the actual opening of the qualifications/proposals. The DBA reserves the right to waive any irregularity in any qualifications/proposals, and to reject any or all qualifications/proposals, should it be deemed in its best interest. If additional information is needed regarding this RFQ/P, please contact Donna Rice of the DBA at (313) 779-3928.

Tyrone Clifton, Director Detroit Building Authority 1301 Third Street, Suite 328 Detroit, MI 48226 END OF ADVERTISEMENT ANNOUNCEMENTS APPLICATIONS 2021-22

Barber Preparatory Academy, 45. E. Buena Vista, Highland Park, MI 48203, (313) 957-3005. Applications for the 2021-22 school year for grades [pre-kindergarten - eighth grade levels] are being accepted from ­ February 2 thru March 31, 2021. Should applications exceed available space a random selection drawing will be held on March 16, 2021 at the school. ­Applications are available online at www.barberprep.com.

PROFESSIONAL HELP WANTED Director, Production Management New Boston, MI, Brose North America. Plan, dvlp &implement production strategies to ensure business plan &Operational Excellence (OpEx) of high volume, mechatronic plant to make it “Plant of Choice in NA” based on lean principles &stateof-the-art mfg technologies. Expand Brose New Boston plant to include 1,000+ full time employees by 2028 &, thereafter, continue high volume production of Brose mechatronic Touchless Handsfree Access, door modules incldg carrier plates, window regulators, seat adjuster syss incldg 2/4/6/8-way seats, spindle drives &cooling fan modules for psgr vehicles.

Supervise &lead team of 6 Production Team Mgrs (responsible for ~100 production employees each,) &Launch Mgr & Technical Asst. Plan &establish strategic &tactical priorities &key objectives for cross-functional production &engrg team, &other functions within plant organization incldg Engrg, Product Testing, End of Line Testing, Qlty, &Logistics for all new welding technologies. Bachelor, Industrial, Mechanical, Mfg Engineering, or related. 24 mos exp as Operations Mgr, Plant Mgr, or related, dvlpg &implementing production strategies to ensure business plan &OpEx of high volume mechatronic plant, &expanding plant &continuing high volume production of psgr vehicle door or seat adjuster syss, or related. Mail resume to Ref#2226, Brose, Human Resources, 3933 Automation Ave, Auburn Hills, MI 48326.

Creative Digital Sculptor Warren, MI, General Motors. Plan &coordinate advanced surfacing concepts &timely &careful dvlpmt of Class A surface of full vehicle interior &exterior syss. Design &dvlp 3D Class A surfaces of gasoline, diesel &electric full vehicle psgr car, truck &SUV interior cmpnts incldg instrument panels (IP), door trim, consoles, headliners, A/B/C/D pillars, garnish &trim, trunk covers &detailed interior cmpnts incldg Head Up Display covers, air vents, defrosters, latches, handles, switches, front fascia, rear fascia, hood, exterior doors, bumpers, headlamps, wheels, exterior roof, grilles, badges, logos &accessories using Autodesk Alias AutoStudio, Autodesk Maya, UGNX &VRED, for U.S., global &emerging markets. Interpret, define, conceptualize &execute unique solutions to technical challenges &provide creative proposals to capture design intent from initial concept through mass production achieved in various stages according to Global Vehicle Dev Process, while collaborating w/ engrg, packaging, human factors, &tooling teams to assure min. radii/draft, tooling &safety reqmts in compliance w/ U.S./Euro/China/Latin NCAP standards.

Bachelor, Industrial Design, Transportation Design, Mechanical or Automotive Engrg. 36 mos exp as Digital Sculptor, Digital Modeler, or related, developing 3D Class A surfaces of psgr vehicle interior cmpnts incldg IP, door trim, consoles, headliners, &A/B/C/D pillars &detailed interior cmpnts incldg air vents, defrosters, latches, handles &switches using Autodesk Alias AutoStudio, &UGNX, for U.S. &emerging markets, or related. Mail resume to Ref#1120, GM Global Mobility, 300 Renaissance Center, MC:482-C32-C66, Detroit, MI 48265.

PROFESSIONAL HELP WANTED

ANNOUNCEMENTS APPLICATIONS 2021-22 MacDowell Preparatory ­ Academy, 4201 W. Outer Drive Detroit, MI 48221, 313-494-8141. Applications for the 2021-22 school year for grades K-8 are being accepted from February 2 thru March 31, 2021. Should applications exceed available space a random selection drawing will be held on Wednesday, April 7th at 4:30 pm at MacDowell Preparatory Academy.

Applications are available online at www.macdowellprep.com.

Get your weekly home delivery of the

Michigan Chronicle

Call (313) 963-5522 Subscribe Today!

HELP WANTED

Embedded Systems Requirements Engineer Nexteer Automotive Corp. seeks an Embedded Systems Requirements Engineer in Saginaw, MI, to develop Nexteer requirements for Electric Power Steering systems. Author, allocate, and link requirements within Nexteer’s EPS requirements hierarchy; among other duties. Min. bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or Mechanical Engineering. Mail resume to: Angela Passariello, Nexteer Automotive, 3900 E. Holland Rd., Saginaw, MI 48601, Ref #11249825.

HELP WANTED

Join Our Team

Walker-Miler Energy Services is hiring!

Several Positions Are Ready to be filled by Extraordinary Individuals!

Energy Engineer – Detroit, MI Energy Advisor I – Jackson, MI Energy Advisor I – Farmington Hills, MI IT Manager – Detroit, MI IT Systems Administrator – Detroit, MI IT Helpdesk Technician II – Detroit, MI Accounting Manager – Detroit, MI Business Development Manager – Detroit, MI For a full list of qualifications please visit https://wmenergy.com/careers-2/ **Please note the location of the position when applying.**

SeekingAssistant SeekingMedical Office Seeking AssistantII II OFFICE ASSISTANT III at Oakland University at Oakland University

ATGraham OAKLAND UNIVERSITY University Housing Health Center

DIGITAL DAILY

Keeping You Informed At All Times Of The Day

ATGraham OAKLAND UNIVERSITY SchoolHealth of Medicine Center

This is a part-time clerical-technical porequirements.

First consideration will be sition, working Monday-Friday, 10:00 given to those who30apply March a.m. – 5:00 p.m., hoursbyper week.23, 2020.

Salary is $30,973.00 annually. See

www.michiganchronicle.com

Michigan Chronicle

School of Medicine To coordinate clerical processingin fora Coordinate thethe clinical processing a specialized function by performing a by performing a variety Tomedical provideclinic specialized office assistance, variety of multi-step processes according of multi-step processes according to coordinating procedural business a or to a specified framework of procedures, specified framework of procedures and service activities for a complexto program regulations and precedents; serve regulations, to serve as an and informationas involving an informational source.implementing, Minimum area processing, alQualifications: source withinHigh the school clinic in addition graduation advising on, and reporting specialized toormaintaining the role as a an equivalent combination ofmedical educasubject matter.

Qualifications: assistant the Minimum clinic.

Minimum Qualtion and in experience.

Four years general ifications: High School or High school graduation orgraduation anexperience equivalent office work including some anin equivalent combination educaprioritizing work and meeting deadcombination of education and ofexperience. tion and experience. years’ office exlines Thisprogressively is a full time,Three clerical-technical Four years responsible position. as Salary is $42,123.00 annually. perience a medical assistant or in experience, including direct experience in online posting for with additional posia See directly related field experience office coordination, i.e., prioritizing work tion requirements.

First consideration in medical office clerical functions. Exwill be given to thosework who apply assignments, flow to by meet perience inmaintaining venipuncture and obtain­February 3,is 2021.

Must on line to: deadlines. a full time,apply clerical-technical ing basicThis patient information including https://jobs.oakland.edu blood pressure, electrocardiograph position.

Salary is $43,718.00 annually. measurements and urine specimens.

See online posting for additional position This is a part-time clerical-technical porequirements.

First consideration will be sition, working Monday-Friday, 10:00 given thosep.m., who30apply March a.m. to – 5:00 hoursbyper week.23, 2020.

Salary is $30,973.00 annually. See Must apply posting online to:Seeking https://jobs.oakland.edu online for additional posiSeeking OfficeMust Assistant IIIII Seeking Medical Assistant tion requirements. apply online OFFICE ASSISTANT III at Oakland University at Oakland University to: https://jobs.oakland.edu of Medicine assistance, To provide School specialized Coordinate the clinicaloffice processing in a coordinating procedural business or 2col. x 4.75 clinic by performing a variety Tomedical provide specialized office assistance, service activities for a complex program ofarea multi-step processes according to a or coordinating procedural business involving processing, implementing, specified framework procedures and advising on, and specialized service activities forreporting aof complex program regulations, to serve as anQualifications: informationsubject matter.

Minimum area involving processing, implementing, alHigh source within the clinic addition school graduation or aninequivalent advising on, and reporting tocombination maintainingofthe role asand a specialized medical education experisubject Minimum Qualifications: assistant in the clinic.

Minimum Qualence. matter.

Four years progressively responsible officeHigh experience, including direct ifications: Schoolor graduation or High school graduation an equivalent office coordination, i.e., anexperience equivalent combination educacombination of ineducation and ofexperience. prioritizing work assignments, maintion and progressively experience.

Three years’ exFour years responsible office taining work to meet deadlines. perience as a flow medical assistant or in experience, including direct experience is a related full time,field clerical-technical po- in a This directly with experience sition.

Salary is $44,592.00 annually. office coordination, i.e., prioritizing work in medical office clerical functions. ExSee onlinemaintaining posting for work additional posiassignments, flowobtainto meet perience in venipuncture and tion requirements. First consideration deadlines. is atofull time, who clerical-technical ing patient information including willbasic beThis given those apply by blood pressure, electrocardiograph position.

Salary is $43,718.00 annually. ­February 4, 2021.

Must apply on line to:­ measurements urine specimens. https://jobs.oakland.edu See online postingand for additional position

Please visit our website for more classified ads.

michiganchronicle.com | DQE

Page B-6

• michiganchronicle.com • Jan. 27 - Feb. 1, 2021

The Michigan Chronicle recognizes our Frontline and Essential Workers!

From our heart to yours

We could not make it through this Pandemic without you!