NJG | Vol. 123, No. 28 - July 13, 2023

Portsmouth, Hampton Are Among America’s 25 Top ‘Blackest’ Cities

By Stacy M. Brown NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent @StacyBrownMedia

Traveling To Nashville?

NASHVILLE

The National Museum of African-American Music (NMAAM) in Nashville, Tenn. is the only museum dedicated to preserving and celebrating the many music genres created, influenced, and inspired by AfricanAmericans. The NMAAM takes its place proudly in the heart of the Nashville’s music district known internationally for its Country and Western beats, as it proclaims, displays and honors Black music and history from the earliest days in Africa to today’s Hip Hop culture generation. Twenty years in the making, the museum opened in 2021 during the pandemic. see INSIDE, page 6A

Photos: BrendaH.Andrews

Norfolk Will Buy Hunton Property; Help Agency Relocate Operations

By Leonard E. Colvin Chief Reporter New Journal and Guide

The city of Norfolk will buy the land and building of the Historic Hunton YMCA, under an agreement the city council approved 6-1 during its July 11 meeting.

The deal calls for the city to buy the land the Hunton has been sitting on since 1979 for $6.6 million. This money will enable the organization to raise money to build a new permanent building, and provides $200,000 in moving costs as well as $400,000 in rent at a temporary location.

News about the deal was reported in a NewsBreak wire story late Monday night, a day in advance of the council meeting on Tuesday. According

to that media account, Joe Waldo, the attorney representing the Hunton Board of Directors, is quoted as saying the Hunton’s operation will be moved to a nearby church in September.

During that time a new facility will be built at the site of the Tidewater

Park Elementary School, which is being closed. It is located at 1045 Brambleton Avenue.

Earlier in the day on Monday, when contacted by the New Journal and Guide, Waldo was mum about the purchase, saying that news was under wraps until after the council had

met. According to the early NewsBreak report, Hunton officials would be able to buy about 1.8 acres of the new site for $1. Waldo said construction of the new facility is expected to take about two years. see Hunton, page 5A

REPORT CITES POLICE RESISTANCE TO CITIZENS’ RIGHTS REFORMS

By Leonard E. Colvin Chief Reporter New Journal and Guide

Many city and county law enforcement agencies in Virginia are resistant to imposing reforms that would improve community-police relations and other abuses of citizens’ rights.

This is the assessment of a report, recently released by the Virginia Advisory Committee to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights.

“Implementation (of reforms) has faced challenges in the law enforcement community, and the legislature has already entertained several bills aimed at repealing some of them,” said the authors of a report compiled by the Virginia Advisory Committee to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights.

Much of the data used to establish this assertion was based on eight public meetings Virginia Advisory Committee to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights hosted to hear citizen concerns about issues related to law enforcement from Virginians between

Tracy Breaks C&W Music Barriers

Tracy Chapman’s Billboard No. 1 country music song makes her the first Black woman to reach that plateau since the chart’s inception in 1990.

see page 6B

2021 and 2022.

The research by the commission and others across the nation was prompted by the death of George Floyd, Jr., the African-American man murdered by a white police officer in Minneapolis, Minnesota, after a store clerk suspected Floyd may have used a counterfeit twenty-dollar bill, on May 25, 2020.

The meetings were chaired by Raul Danny Vargas, a Herndon-based businessman and founder of the American Latino Veterans Association.

During a special session of the State Legislature convened by then Governor Ralph Northam, a Democrat, in 2020, a slate of reforms had been passed under his administration.

At that time Democrats controlled both houses of the Virginia State

A recent report by the esteemed Brookings Institution revealed that the internal migration patterns of AfricanAmericans in the United States have contributed to “Black-majority cities.”

These urban areas, where African-Americans constitute a significant portion of the population, have become magnets for individuals seeking more substantial opportunities and sustainable living.

According to Insider Monkey, despite a mere 1.5 percent growth in their overall share since 1970, the AfricanAmerican community’s strategic relocation has paved the way for their rising influence in critical regions nationwide.

Experts project that the United States will transform into a minoritywhite country by 2045, as racial minorities, including AfricanAmericans, Hispanics, and Asians, are set to become the primary drivers of the country’s economy.

Census experts attribute this transformation to two reasons: the combined racial minority population is projected to grow by a staggering 74 percent between 2018 and 2060,

while the aging white population is expected to experience a decline during the same period. Jackson, Mississippi, widely regarded as the “Blackest city” in America, is at the forefront of this demographic shift. With African-Americans constituting over 80% of the city’s population, Jackson is a testament to the vitality and prominence of AfricanAmerican culture and influence.

Looking at the state level, Texas boasts the highest African-American population, with 3.55 million individuals, followed closely by Georgia and Florida. These three states rank as the top contenders with the highest concentrations of African-Americans nationwide. see Cities, page 4A

Social Ties & Networks Found To Greatly Affect Mental Health

By Rosaland Tyler Associate Editor New Journal and Guide

If you are reading this story in July 2023, during Minority Mental Health Awareness Month (MMHAM), please, pat yourself on the back, throw a party, or whisper a prayer of gratitude.

It means you are still breathing and didn’t die during a routine traffic stop – or die at a mass shooting in a public space where Blacks were targeted. Or you did not die from heart disease, cancer, stroke, homicide or an unintentional injury – the top five killers of Blacks before age 71, according to the CDC. The median age for Blacks is 71.8 years compared to 77.6 years for Whites.

But the good news is the Black mortality rate actually declined among AfricanAmericans who maintain close emotional social relationships. Those who are rarely lonely or alone live longer. Multiple reports show biological and non-biological factors influence one’s life span, in other words.

“It’s not an exaggeration to say that lack of social connections can be deadly,” said Dr. Julianne HoltLunstad, the lead author of a 2010 study that showed strong social relationships increase the likelihood of survival by 50 percent regardless of age, sex or health status, according to a meta-analysis of 148 studies on mortality risk. Her 2010 study was published in PLOS Medicine.

Several local events have already been held to honor MMHAN’s 2023 theme: Culture, Community, and Connection.

For example, during its recent Juneteenth celebration, the Urban League of Hampton Roads and the City of Portsmouth included mental health agencies and therapists of color among its 757 performers, corporate sponsors, and vendors who promoted their services and resources.

Another local mentalwellness event was held at Norfolk State University in June at G.W.C. Brown Memorial Hall. The twoday event, “Moving Beyond Words By Taking Action,” was sponsored by The YWCA of South Hampton Roads and was the second annual Racial Equity and Social Transformation (REST) Conference sponsored by the Center for African-American Public Policy. see Mental, page 5A

Serving Norfolk, Portsmouth, Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, Suffolk & The Peninsula Publishing since 1900 ... that no good cause shall lack a champion and evil shall not thrive unopposed.

The research by the commission and others across the nation was prompted by the death of George Floyd, Jr., murdered by abusive police force in Minneapolis.

Hunton YMCA at its current site.

Jackson, Miss., widely regarded as the “Blackest city” in America, has an AfricanAmerican population constituting over 80 percent.

CIVIL RIGHTS GROUP

CHALLENGES HARVARD’S LEGACY ADMISSIONS

By Stacy M. Brown NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent @StacyBrownMedia

After the Supreme Court’s 6-3 decision to end affirmative action in higher education, a civil rights group has launched a challenge to legacy admissions at Harvard University. Lawyers for Civil Rights, a Boston-based nonprofit, filed a complaint, arguing that the practice unfairly favors predominantly white children of alums and discriminates against students of color.

The challenge against legacy admissions has gained momentum since the conservative justices on the Supreme Court handed struck down affirmative action on July 2.

The NAACP has thrown its support behind the effort, calling on more than 1,500 colleges and universities to level the playing field in admissions. The civil rights complaint, filed by Black and Latino community groups in New England, alleges that Harvard’s admissions system violates the Civil Rights Act.

Ivan Espinoza-Madrigal, the executive director of Lawyers for Civil Rights, expressed his concerns about rewarding children for the privileges and advantages inherited from previous generations.

Espinoza-Madrigal emphasized that an applicant’s family background and financial status should not determine their merit or influence the college admissions process.

Critics argue that legacy admissions can no longer be justified without affirmative action, which the recent Supreme Court ruling prohibits.

While the court’s decision mandates colleges disregard applicants’ race, it still allows for preferential treatment of legacy and donor-related candidates.

The complaint draws on Harvard’s data, which came to light during the affirmative action case before the Supreme Court.

The records reveal that 70 percent of Harvard’s legacy and donor-related applicants are white. Furthermore, being a legacy student increases an applicant’s chances of admission by approximately sixfold.

In addition to the legal challenge, the NAACP launched a nationwide campaign to promote diversity on college campuses.

The campaign calls on 532 public and 1,134 private

Historic Tulsa Reparations Lawsuit Is Dismissed

By Stacy M. Brown NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent @StacyBrownMedia

Hughes Van Ellis – still have the option to appeal the decision.

colleges and universities to end legacy preferences, eliminate racially biased entrance examinations, foster faculty diversity, and support low-income and firstgeneration students through scholarships and mentoring.

The NAACP’s initiatives align with another campaign that Ed Mobilizer started, asking alums from 30 prestigious colleges, including Harvard, to withhold donations until these institutions stop offering legacy admissions.

“Let’s be clear, Black

America is in a fight for our lives. The NAACP has been at the forefront of this battle for more than a century and we’re not backing down,” NAACP President & CEO Derrick Johnson asserted.

“It is our hope that our nation’s institutions will stand with us in embracing diversity, no matter what.

Regardless, the NAACP will continue to advocate, litigate, and mobilize to ensure that every Black American has access to the resources and opportunities they need to thrive.”

An Oklahoma judge has dismissed a lawsuit demanding reparations and rebuilding to address the historical damage inflicted by the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre.

The case, representing the last three survivors of the violent assault that claimed the lives of approximately 300 Black Americans in the renowned “Black Wall Street” community, ended on Friday, July 7, according to court records.

Judge Caroline Wall, in her ruling, ruled in favor of the defendants, including the state and the city of Tulsa, who had repeatedly moved for the case’s dismissal. Wall dismissed the lawsuit with prejudice, barring it from being refiled in state court.

However, the plaintiffs – Lessie Benningfield Randle, Viola Fletcher, and

Philanthropist Ed Mitzen, who, along with his wife Lisa, donated $1 million to the trio last year, expressed disappointment over the dismissal, describing it as an “incredibly sad development.”

Mitzen conveyed his sympathies to the survivors and their families via email. One of the central arguments presented by the state and city officials was that the survivors did not personally experience individualized adverse effects resulting from the massacre.

Many said the Tulsa Race Massacre has come to symbolize governmentsanctioned racism and violence, contributing to the persistent disparities faced by Black Americans. While the survivors said dismissing the lawsuit is disappointing, it is unlikely to halt the growing awareness of this crucial chapter in American history, which sheds light on contemporary disparities.

CAUSE FOR CONCERN: JUSTICE THOMAS’ SOCIAL NETWORK TO RICH AND FAMOUS

By Stacy M. Brown NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent @StacyBrownMedia

The New York Times has uncovered that U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas has a network of connections to wealth and opulent vacations that extend beyond his association with billionaire businessman and controversial figure Harlan Crow, known for his affinity for Nazi memorabilia.

According to the report, Thomas has exploited his ties with affluent individuals he met through the Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans, a prestigious scholarship organization, for personal gain, benefiting himself and his wife, Virginia.

Thanks to their Horatio Alger connections, the Thomases have gained exclusive invitations to extravagant vacations, lavish parties, and coveted VIP access to sporting events.

Moreover, the association has

facilitated encounters for Thomas with prominent figures such as Oprah Winfrey and Ed McMahon, as witnessed during a lavish threeday birthday celebration in Montana for billionaire industrialist Dennis Washington.

However, Thomas’ involvement with the Horatio Alger Association extends beyond luxury trips.

Notably, the contacts he made through this association, including Washington and investor David Sokol, formerly of Berkshire Hathaway, played a role in financing a documentary that portrayed him as a hero following the release of an HBO movie that depicted Anita Hill’s sexual harassment allegations during his confirmation hearings.

The Sokol family further extended their generosity by hosting the Thomases at their Montana ranch and waterfront estate in Florida.

The New York Times discovered that Thomas had not disclosed many of the benefits and gifts he had received from his wealthy and well-connected allies, and he declined to provide the

paper with any clarification regarding this matter.

Initially, at the start of his tenure on the Supreme Court, Thomas dutifully reported various personal gifts he received, such as private flights, cigars, and clothing.

However, after The Los Angeles Times scrutinized his disclosures in 2004, Thomas ceased reporting certain gifts and advantages he received to the court.

A recent investigation by ProPublica in 2023 exposed Thomas’ close relationship with Harlan Crow, a GOP megadonor with a disturbing collection of Nazi memorabilia and Hitler paintings.

Crow had treated Thomas to trips on his private jet and yacht, amounting to tens of thousands of dollars, and even purchased a residence where Thomas’ mother resided.

Additionally, Crow financed the tuition of Thomas’ nephew, who was under the care of the Thomases.

In response to the revelation of his relationship with Crow, Thomas defended his lack of honesty by

claiming that “colleagues and others in the judiciary” had advised him that he did not need to disclose trips of a “personal hospitality” nature from friends.

Thomas’ acceptance of benefits granted him access to exclusive places he might not have otherwise frequented, and he also extended unusual access to the Horatio Alger Association by hosting their induction ceremony for new members in the Supreme Court’s courtroom.

The Supreme Court recently updated its disclosure regulations, mandating that justices report private jet travel and complimentary stays at hotels and resorts.

However, an exception exists for “personal hospitality,” encompassing food, accommodations, or entertainment unrelated to official business.

As the layers of Clarence Thomas’ connections to wealth and luxury are gradually peeled back, questions arise about the integrity and transparency of one of the nation’s highest judicial authorities.

From The Guide’s Archives

Archives taken from the pages of the (New) Journal and Guide

her brother said.

July 13, 1957

Edition of the Guide

Clowns-Yankees To Meet In PortsmouthNewport News Series PORTSMOUTH

Negro League American baseball will return to the Tidewater area this week when the Indianapolis Clowns and the New York Black Yankees meet in a two-game series. The teams will clash at Portsmouth’s Clay Stadium in July at 8 p.m. and then move over to Newport News War Memorial Stadium for an afternoon clash at 2:15 Sunday, July 14.

The Clowns, world Colored baseball champions, are loaded with young major leaguebound stars. The bestknown player from owner Syd Pollock’s fabulous team now in the majors is the Milwaukee Braves’ Hank Aaron. He started for the Clowns to help the team secure several Negro American League championships and was scouted while competing for the fun-loving organization.

However, the smoothplaying diamond team is only half the story. The Clowns will present five of the funniest guys around. Prince Jo Henry, Indianapolis’ third baser, is fitting right into the shows of the great “Goose” Tatum. Henry, like Tatum, is a natural showman. He plays the game in top hat, a tuxedo, and a pair of crazy, big-size shoes.

The four other funnymen of the diamond, King Tut, Spec Bebop, Clown Ed Hamman, and first baseman Nature Boy Williams have been fan favorites throughout the nation for

years.

Despite the improvement in their baseball laugh circus, the Clowns have sacrificed nothing in the way of their top-caliber playing performance which has been their byword over the past 28 seasons of successful operation.

Ovation for New Queen of Tennis –South Carolina’s Girl’s Dream Comes True at Wimbledon

NEW YORK

Althea Gibson’s neighbors in Harlem had a “blockbusting” reception ready when the new world tennis queen arrived home from London.

“We are so proud of her,” said her brother Dan Gibson, Jr. at his home.

“People have been calling from everywhere to congratulate her. We even have a telegram from the Governor.”

Gov. Averell Harriman telegraphed his congratulations to his “fellow New Yorker,” Gibson from his residence at Albany.

“Congratulations to a fellow New Yorker on winning the Wimbledon, England (Women’s) championship,” the governor’s telegram read.

“We are all very proud of you.”

Dan Gibson recalls how the new tennis queen, when a child, learned the game with an old wood paddle, a couple of worn tennis balls, and only a brick wall for an “opponent.”

“She can thank Mother (Annie Gibson) for that tennis crown. Mother never failed to encourage us to ‘do better’ in whatever we tried to do,”

Guide Wins Awards

Upset Featured

A Primary Close Call For A Winner

NORFOLK

There was nothing very exciting about the primary election last week.

The most significant accomplishments locally were the defeat of three candidates for the General Assembly who were running on the “massive resistance” platform. Their defeat was a moral victory in that they stood for “massive resistance” to a decision by the highest court of the land.

They also stood for resistance to the district federal courts. The speech of one of the candidates, Mr. White, on Monday night was based almost entirely on ridicule and condemnations of the decision of the U.S. Supreme Court (in the Brown Decision).

So, their defeat was a victory for law and order and human progress.

They would have won however if “not wanted by either side” Negro voters had not done some thinking and acting on their own.

This vote chose to cast its lot with the “lesser than two evils.”

They chose to vote for the incumbents. They did not want to see the doctrine of racial prescriptions and “massive resistance” given a moral endorsement in Norfolk.

After all, that happened as far as the white voters were concerned. This was due however to a lack of interest on the part of white voters in a knockdown and drag-out fight over the race issue.

The Journal and Guide won three Merit Awards in National Competition at the Silver anniversary convention of the National Newspaper Publishers Association in Louisville, Ky. last week. Circulation Manager Jordan Kearney (left) admires the paper’s first-place plaque for the “best newspaper promotion” category with Thomas W. Young, Guide Publisher, who was awarded the third-place trophy in the “best editorial” category. The promotion project captured the top honors of a series considered a series of advertisements featuring Guide carriers. The ads were prepared by Kearney.

Father Shoots Couple For Taking Daughter To A Party

CASTLE HAYNE, N.C

Johnnie King told his daughter not to go partying with Ertie Fennel and her husband William but she went anyway. And when the smoke cleared Ertie was dead, Williams was suffering from a shotgun wound in the foot and Johnnie was in jail. King, 53 said he had told his

daughter not to go to a party with the Fennels and said that he had told them to stay away from his home But the daughter went on a pre-July 4 party with the Fennels and the couple was returning her to her home when the shooting took place. Police officers say King started firing a shotgun when the Fennels and his daughter walked into his driveway. Mrs. Fennel was killed instantly by a shotgun blast.

PROFESSOR EMERITUS OF SOCIOLOGY VIRGINIA TECH

JUSTICE JACKSON’S HISTORY LESSON

By Wornie Reed, Ph.D.

The six Right-Wing U.S. Supreme Court justices have just abolished affirmative action in colleges and universities. A primary reason for such a ruling they argue is that neither the existence nor the effect of systemic racism exists in the country. Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson wrote a strong dissent to this view by providing a short history lesson.

Justice Jackson opened her dissent with the following paragraph:

“Every moment these gaps [by race] persist is a moment in which this great country falls short of actualizing one of its foundational principles – the “self-evident” truth that all of us are created equal. Yet, today, the Court determines that holistic admissions programs like the one that the University of North Carolina (UNC) has operated, consistent with Grutter v. Bollinger, 539 U. S. 306 (2003), are a problem with respect to achievement of that aspiration, rather than a viable solution (as has long been evident to historians, sociologists, and policymakers alike) ...”

Justice Jackson continues with her history lesson. I highly recommend you read it. This is some of the history that is not discussed enough. I provide here a few excerpts from her powerful dissent.

“This contention [that affirmative action is unfair] blinks both history and reality in ways too numerous to count. But the response is simple: Our country has never been colorblind. Given the lengthy history of state-sponsored race-based preferences in America, to say that anyone is now victimized if a college considers whether that legacy of discrimination has unequally advantaged its applicants fails to acknowledge the well-documented ‘intergenerational transmission of inequality’ that still plagues our citizenry ...

“It is that inequality that admissions programs such as UNC’s help to address to the benefit of us all. Because the majority’s judgment

Cities

Continued from page 1A

The following ten urban areas have the highest percentage of AfricanAmerican residents:

10. Miami Gardens, Florida Total Population: 110,881 African-Americans: 68,121 Percentage: 61.44 percent

9. Memphis, Tennessee

Total Population: 628,118

African-Americans: 398,824 Percentage: 63.50 percent

8. Montgomery, Alabama Total Population: 198,659

African-Americans: 126,268 Percentage: 63.56 percent

7. Southfield, Michigan

Total Population: 75,901

African-Americans: 48,391

Percentage: 63.76 percent

6. Birmingham, Alabama

Total Population: 196,410

African-Americans: 139,691

Percentage: 71.12 percent

5. Albany, Georgia

Total Population: 67,146

African-Americans: 49,281

Percentage: 73.39 percent

4. Detroit, Michigan

Total Population: 632,589

African-Americans: 484,779 Percentage: 76.63 percent

3. Lauderhill, Florida

Total Population: 73,461

African-Americans: 58,704

Percentage: 79.91 percent

2. East Orange, New Jersey Total Population: 68,893

African-Americans: 55,087

Percentage: 79.96 percent

1. Jackson, Mississippi

Total Population: 149,813

African-Americans: 122,612

Percentage: 81.84 percent Baltimore (Md.), Shreveport (La.), New Orleans, Mount Vernon (N.Y.), Macon (Ga.), Augusta (Ga.), Mobile (Ala.), Baton Rouge (La.), Portsmouth (Va.), Savannah (Ga.), Trenton (N.J.), Cleveland (Ohio), Hampton (Va.), and Newark (N.J.), rounded out the top 25 cities with the highest AfricanAmerican population.

To Feel Less Heat We Need More Trees

By Ben Jealous (TRICEEDNEYWIRE.COM)

stunts that progress without any basis in law, history, logic, or justice, I dissent ...

“[Then came Jim Crow] – a system that was, as much as anything else, a comprehensive scheme of economic exploitation to replace the Black Codes, which themselves had replaced slavery’s form of comprehensive economic exploitation. . .

“[The] government was ‘giving away land’ on the western frontier, and with it ‘the opportunity for upward mobility and a more secure future,’ over the 1862 Homestead Act’s three-quarter-century tenure. Black people were exceedingly unlikely to be allowed to share in those benefits, which by one calculation may have advantaged approximately 46 million Americans living today ...

“With Black people still locked out of the Homestead Act giveaway, it is no surprise that, when the Great Depression arrived, race-based wealth, health, and opportunity gaps were the norm ...

“Federal and State Governments’ selective intervention further exacerbated the disparities. Consider for example the federal Home Owners’ Loan Corporation (HOLC), created in 1933 [created redlining] . . .

“Similarly, consider the Federal Housing Administration (FHA), created in 1934, which insured highly desirable bank mortgages. Eligibility for this insurance required an FHA appraisal of

– Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson

the property to ensure a low default risk. But, nationwide, it was FHA’s established policy to provide “no guarantees for mortgages to AfricanAmericans, or to whites who might lease to AfricanAmericans,” irrespective of creditworthiness ...

“For present purposes, it is significant that, in so excluding Black people, government policies affirmatively operated – one could say, affirmatively acted – to dole out preferences to those who, if nothing else, were not Black. Those past preferences carried forward and are reinforced today by (among other things) the benefits that flow to homeowners and to the holders of other forms of capital that are hard to obtain unless one already has assets ...

“This discussion of how the existing gaps were formed is merely illustrative, not exhaustive. I will pass over Congress’s repeated crafting of family-, worker-, and retiree protective legislation to channel benefits to White people, thereby excluding Black Americans from what was otherwise ‘a revolution in the status of most working Americans.’ I will also skip how the G. I. Bill’s ‘creation of ... middleclass America’ (by giving $95 billion to veterans and their families between 1944 and 1971) was ‘deliberately designed to accommodate Jim Crow.’”

We need more of this American history spread all over America.

All of us suffered last week through day after day of the hottest average temperatures ever recorded on Earth. Now imagine it had been 10 percent hotter where you live. That wasn’t hard to do for residents in urban neighborhoods where pavement, concrete and glass far surpass leafy trees. The people who live there pay a heat tax through their health and their economic well-being.

Roughly 80 percent of Americans live in urban areas and roughly 80 percent of those city dwellers live in neighborhoods with less than 20 percent tree cover. And those places with minimal tree canopy experience significantly higher temperatures than green neighborhoods just miles away. That’s true in big cities like Newark and New Orleans and smaller ones like Burlington, Vt., and Erie, Pa. The list of quality-oflife indicators that decline as the presence of trees declines is long – health conditions from heat stroke to asthma, outdoor activity, air pollution, flooding and chemicals from stormwater run-off, energy costs, and home values among them. The most vulnerable are hardest hit – children, the elderly, and pregnant women.

The places where people of color and low-income whites live get far less relief from trees. Communities in which nearly all residents experience poverty have 41 percent less canopy than those with nearly no poverty. The group American Forests calls this the “tree equity” gap. One of the easiest ways to find the neighborhoods with too few trees and too much heat is to look at a map

of where racial redlining prevented residents from benefiting from federal home loans for much of the 20th century.

The need couldn’t be simpler to state – plant more trees where there are too few. But meeting it has been less a priority for those in neighborhoods where shade isn’t a luxury. We can’t overlook urban trees help everyone – they keep close to a billion metric tons of climate-killing carbon out of the atmosphere.

We’re beginning to change that inattention. The same historic spending package approved last year that’s driving renewal of American manufacturing and growth of clean energy includes $1.5 billion for planting and maintaining urban trees, with first $1 billion in grants expected to be announced at the end of the summer. That’s at least 25 times more than the federal government has spent for urban forestry in most years.

That money gives us a chance to grow more than trees. We can grow livelihoods. Good jobs created in nurseries and tree care businesses should go first to the people in these neighborhoods who need them. We have good models – the Detroit Conservation Corps trains unemployed people, many of whom have faced incarceration, to earn tree care certifications by transforming vacant lots into

One of the easiest ways to find the neighborhoods with too few trees and too much heat is to look at a map of where racial redlining prevented residents from benefiting from federal home loans for much of the 20th century.

nurseries, for example.

Like everything associated with our climate crisis, we are running out of time for urban forestry. Conditions like heat, storms, and air pollution that trees can help address are getting worse, which makes it tougher for us to grow the trees we need. Every year, the nation has more deaths due to severe heat than it would if we reduced urban temperatures. As enormous as the new federal investment is, it’s just the starting point (the original proposal was $3 billion). The average cost nationally to plant and establish a tree in an urban area is $300. Five million trees planted will close a sliver of the tree equity gap. Our commitment to narrow it must grow as those trees grow. Ben Jealous is executive director of the Sierra Club, the oldest and most influential grassroots environmental organization in the country. He is a professor of practice at the University of Pennsylvania and author of “Never Forget Our People Were Always Free,” published in January.

PENCE IS WRONG TO CLAIM NO RACIAL INEQUITY IN EDUCATION

By Marc H. Morial President and CEO National Urban League

“Decades of research indicate that racism undergirds our public institutions and shapes various aspects of our contemporary society, including public policies. These policies, in turn, shape local school practices that impact the day-to-day experiences of students in classrooms. Even as schools are shaped by broader trends of racial inequality, they serve to maintain – or in rare cases disrupt – racial inequality for students and families.”

– The Inequality Project, Columbia University

Former Vice President and current Presidential candidate Mike Pence, who presided during the most aggressive rollback

of civil rights in more than a century, brazenly told the nation this week he doesn’t believe there is racial inequity in the nation’s education system. Confronted with evidence to the contrary, he ducked the question. “I haven’t seen your studies.

I don’t know the numbers.” We do know the numbers. And Pence is dead wrong.

The National Urban League’s most recent Equality IndexTM for education was 74.3.

Inspired by Three-Fifths Compromise of 1787, which counted Black Americans as “threefifths” of a person, the Equality Index is the National Urban League’s semi-annual calculation of the social and economic status of Black Americans relative to whites. Under full equality, the Index would be 100.

Because of the lag in data collection and analysis, the most recent Equality Index does not capture the full effect of the learning disruption

during the COVID-19 pandemic, which hit Black students the hardest. But even before factoring in the pandemic, Black students lost ground since 2005, when the education Index was 77.2.

More than 100 separate metrics are used to calculate the education Index, and Black Americans have achieved parity with whites in almost none of them. About twice as many Black students are taught by unqualified or underqualified teachers. Black boys are twice as likely as white

boys to be suspended from school, and Black girls are three times as likely. Black students are more than twice as likely as white students to live in a home without broadband internet access.

A more recent study found that school districts where the majority of students enrolled are students of color receive $23 billion less in education funding than predominantly white school districts. Districts with a high percentage of students of color receive, on average, 16 percent, or about $2,200, less per student than largely white districts.

Unsurprisingly, the relative lack of resources and heavier disciplinary burden for Black students contribute to a persistent racial achievement gap: pre-pandemic, fewer than 15 percent of Black 8th-graders were reading at or above proficiency, compared to 42.5 percent

of white 8th-graders. Only 13.6 percent of Black students were at or above proficiency in math, compared to almost 44 percent of white students. Whether Pence really doesn’t “know the numbers” as he claims, we cannot say. But his choice not to acknowledge racial inequity in education aligns with the so-called “anti-woke” movement some extremist politicians have embraced, hoping to capitalize on a wave of white grievance and racial resentment.

Fortunately, a solid majority of Americans still reject the notion that racial inequality doesn’t exist. But if Pence and his fellow distorters of history have their way, the next generation of Americans will grow up oblivious to the effects of historic and systemic racism and allow white supremacy not only to persist but flourish.

Ben Jealous

Marc H. Morial

But his (Pence’s) choice not to acknowledge racial inequity in education aligns with the socalled “anti-woke” movement some extremist politicians have embraced, hoping to capitalize on a wave of white grievance and racial resentment.

Given the lengthy history of state-sponsored race-based preferences in America, to say that anyone is now victimized if a college considers whether that legacy of discrimination has unequally advantaged its applicants fails to acknowledge the well-documented ‘intergenerational transmission of inequality’ that still plagues our citizenry ...”

News about the Hunton’s future first appeared in a Public Notice published by the city in the local daily media on July 4th, announcing the council might be poised to approve an ordinance in the future to allow the city to buy the property where the YMCA has sat since 1979 at 1139 E.

Charlotte Street.

According to the cryptically written Public Notice, the city was considering the sale (or exchange) of the property where TPES sits as the site to relocate the Hunton YMCA.

TPES – Tidewater Park Elementary School – is currently owned by Norfolk Public Schools (NPS). But since NPS plans on closing the facility, and will no longer use it for educational purposes, its ownership will revert back to the city.

Negotiations on the purchase price between the city and the now 148-yearold Hunton YMCA have been ongoing for three years, according to Ulysses Turner, who is a consultant for the organization’s Board of Directors.

The city needs the land to construct a flood mitigation project. The city targeted the land when it began planning for the redevelopment of Tidewater Gardens as part of the massive St. Paul’s Redevelopment project.

Hunton is one of the few remaining lots located in the redeveloping neighborhood that isn’t owned by the city and officials at Hunton worried the organization might not survive the redevelopment. While the massive redevelopment project has been taking place over the past two years, the Hunton YMCA continued to operate. But the

Police

Continued from page 1A

Lawmakers passed bills urging police departments to redefine policies on how their officers were trained and imposed restrictions on how these agencies execute search warrants or authorize lethal force.

But some of the reforms did not take hold, and Republicans after they took control of the House of Delegates in 2022. sought to repeal them.

RaShall Brackney was the first Black woman hired by the Charlottesville, Virginia Police Department after the White Supremacist “Unite the Right” rally on the campus of UVA in 2017.

According to a recent story by the Washington Post, she was hired to reform the department. At one point she investigated allegations of misconduct among the department’s 15-member

families which it served have been relocated to other parts of the city as the massive housing project was demolished.

Turner said the Board wants the Hunton to remain in the St. Paul’s area to serve the families who may be returning to the new development.

“(The Hunton YMCA) was formed ... after the Civil War at the time of Jim Crow and the very fact that the Hunton Y has survived for over 145 years is not only remarkable, it would seem almost impossible, but they have,”

Waldo told the New Journal and Guide on Monday. “With the help of the mayor and the city council and many others, they are going to prosper. We hope for another 145 years in a new location.”

While the city will pay $6 million for the Hunton

property, half of that will be held in escrow as a seed for Hunton’s capital campaign to build a new facility, according to the advance report.

WPA Architects which is located in downtown Norfolk, has been contracted to design the new Hunton at its new location on Brambleton, according to the early report citing Waldo. He said the plans may include a pool, an amenity the facility has never had.

The YMCA, according to Turner, had failed to find an existing building in the vicinity of the St. Paul development area suitable enough to move its operation.

The city assessed the building some years ago at $3 million. But initially, it only offered $1 million.

This is the second time the

officers was decertified.

SWAT Team.

In early 2022, Brackney submitted seven names to the state agency that licenses police officers, anticipating that their credentials would be pulled. The process is known as “decertification” and is run by the Department of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS).

Decertified officers are prohibited from serving as law enforcement officers anywhere in the Commonwealth. The officers had been fired – in one instance after being formally charged with assault.

But DCJS is currently allowed a loophole under the state code. The office can “waive the requirement for decertification” if it chooses. Brackney said though the officers had been fired, none of the seven

There was a backlash, and Brackny was eventually forced out in late summer of 2022 when officers said they had lost confidence in her leadership. Brackney filed a $10 million lawsuit against the city and 10 officials, alleging racial and gender discrimination and that her firing was retaliation for her efforts to root out problematic policing.

“The information (in the report) is accurate,” said former Norfolk Police Chief Larry Boone, who said he encountered resistance to his effort to apply 21st Century Policing policies during his tenure leading NPD.

“After George Floyd more reforms were placed on law enforcement which some didn’t like so they left the profession,” he said.

historic Hunton YMCA has negotiated a move to retain its legacy and mission due to a city redevelopment project.

In the late 1970s when the city and Norfolk Redevelopment and Housing Authority (NRHA) were redeveloping the Church Street Business corridor of the St. Paul’s area, the Hunton YMCA sat on Brambleton and Wood Streets.

The Norfolk Unit of Virginia Union University began a private Baptist institution on September 18, 1935, with 85 students in three second-floor rooms in that Hunton YMCA building.

Many of the old buildings along Church Street Brambleton and Wood were targeted to be demolished to make way for the construction of the current United Postal

Service Sorting facility and other structures.

The city is now seeking to buy the land where the USPS facility exists as part of the St. Paul’s Project. The Hunton YMCA is independent of the YMCA of Hampton Roads.

According to the GUIDE archives, in 1978, the Hunton YMCA officials were in tense talks with the Norfolk Redevelopment and Housing Authority (NRHA) which led to the agency proposing to buy the property on Brambleton and Wood Streets. The Hunton officials also negotiated with the city to help find a new location for the YMCA.

In late 1978, the city finally agreed to provide a city-owned recreation center on Charlotte Street. Hunton officials, with help from the United Community Fund of Norfolk, (forerunner of the United Way), raised over $1 million to renovate the facility to accommodate its mission.

Today, a lingering point the YMCA board and NRHA have involves money the YMCA owes the agency for various maintenance projects performed at the Charlotte Street site including the installation of a new HVAC system.

The Hunton YMCA dates its founding to 1875. It was the first YMCA opened to service African-American in the South.

get younger people from these communities who have credible educational credentials before they are hired.”

It focused on launching and implementing solutions that work toward eliminating racism and social injustice. The keynote speaker was Dr. Ruth Jones Nichols, deputy assistant secretary for public engagement at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

“This conference is for all of us to lean in fully to the systems that have long perpetuated stark and persistent biases and disparities in wealth, mental and financial well-being of women and people of color. R.E.S.T. is our opportunity to learn and grow for the good of humanity,” YWCA Chief Executive Officer Michelle Ellis Young said. “We are leaning into the fullness of our mission unapologetically, not because it’s a political thing to do. It’s because it’s a humanitarian thing to do.”

In other words, a few good friends are as beneficial as diet, exercise, and routine medical care when it comes to increasing the average African-American’s life span, due to the fact that multiple studies not only show Blacks are more likely to experience racial discrimination; but also Blacks are also more likely to experience the deaths of more friends and relatives throughout life.

In plain terms, a few good friends will help you make sense of the death of a close friend, a relative, a random racist encounter, or a video on TV that shows an unarmed Black being killed by a police officer.

Aiming to explain the impact that the endless George Floyd-video-reruns had on many African-American psyches, Harvard psychologist David R. Williams, who released a historic 2018 study, said, ”The accumulation… was comparable to the rate experienced by diabetics.”

“Others just waited for the dust to settle and did very little if anything.”

Boone was recently hired by the Urbana, Illinois Police Department. The Virginia State NAACP, according to its president Robert Barnette, supported Northam’s reform effort taken up by the Virginia Legislature.

“I am not surprised at all that nothing has been done in police reform in Virginia,” said Barnette. “The NAACP believes that police departments need to teach their officers greater cultural competence to better serve their community. That should be a must.”

“Second, law enforcement should work more closely with the leaders of the communities they serve,” he said. “Also, there needs to be more effort to

Barnette said while some police training academies are licensed and monitored by the state, many are not, which creates uneven results in the quality of police training and acceptance of reforms by agency leaders. “What you may find in Hanover County,” he said. “May be different from what you find In Norfolk.”

Dana Schrad, executive director of the Virginia Association of Chiefs of Police, told the panel that 12,000 law enforcement officers “had recently left the profession due to these legislative and accountability reform efforts.”

Sean McGowan, executive director of the Police Benevolent Association, said the union’s attitude has been “pugilistic,” “because of the way we’ve been treated,” the report said.

Specifically, Williams, who released an historic 2018 study titled, “Police Killings and Their Spillover Effects on the Mental Health of Black Americans,” said, ”What we found was that every police shooting of an unarmed Black person was linked to worse mental health for the entire Black population in the state where that shooting had occurred for the next three months.”

“It’s a striking finding, and it’s the first time it has been documented in that way,” Williams said. “On the other hand, it’s not totally surprising. There’s a body of evidence emerging that suggests these incidents are having a negative impact not just on [victims’] family members, but there’s a broader community grieving; there’s a broader “threat” to the community; there’s a broader increase in personal vulnerability that’s having mental health consequences. ... We are still in the beginning of understanding of what is happening.”

Lawmakers passed bills urging police departments to redefine policies on how their officers were trained ... but some of the reforms did not take hold.

Hunton

The Hunton YMCA dates its founding to 1875. It was the first YMCA opened to service AfricanAmerican in the South.

NASHVILLE’S NATIONAL MUSEUM OF AFRICANAMERICAN MUSIC

By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent @StacyBrownMedia

From the hymns of slaves in the 17th and 18th centuries to hiphop artists’ powerful message in the 20th and 21st centuries, AfricanAmerican artists have created and influenced generations of music lovers.

When Elvis Presley sang “Hound Dog,” he knew he had to pay homage to the African-American Blues Legend Big Mama Thornton, who did it first – and better.

“A lot of people seem to think I started this business,” Elvis famously remarked.

“But rock ‘n’ roll was here a long time before I came along. Nobody can sing that kind of music like colored people. Let’s face it: I can’t sing like Fats Domino can. I know that.”

From rock and roll to blues, jazz, and hip-hop, music is as much the African-American way of life as the Afro was Black people’s style in the 1970s.

Finally honoring that history, the National Museum of AfricanAmerican Music (NMAAM) has opened in Nashville, Tenn.

According to a news release, it’s the only museum dedicated to preserving and celebrating the many music genres created, influenced, and inspired by AfricanAmericans.

The 56,000-squarefoot institution contains more than 1,500 artifacts, objects, memorabilia, and clothing from Black artists.

Complete with stateof-the-art technology, the museum contains seven galleries. Each is designed to share a different narrative and a unique perspective on Black music and history.

“NMAAM is complete,”

NMAAM President and CEO H. Beecher Hicks III declared in a news release on Feb. 23, 2021.

“We have been preparing for this day for more than 20 years, but this museum has actually been more than 400 years in the making,” Hicks remarked.

“We look forward to welcoming music lovers from around the world to this magnificent cultural experience.” Displays at the museum include interactive exhibits and such iconic items as “Lucille,” the guitar played by B.B. King, and a kimono worn by Alicia Keys.

Captured in a film overview at the museum’s “Roots Theater,” are the traditions of West and Central African cultures before slavery.

The Rivers of Rhythm Pathways, the “central spine of the museum experience that features touch panel interactives and an animated timeline that links American history and American music history,” officials described on the museum’s website.

A “Wade in the Water” gallery may prove popular among visitors as it explores African hymns.

The gallery connects African cultures’ religious music and later AfricanAmerican spirituals and hymns, including highlighting Mahalia Jackson, Shirley Caesar, Thomas Dorsey, and others.

The “Love Supreme” gallery dives deep into the

history of jazz and explores the careers of legends like Ella Fitzgerald, Duke Ellington, John Coltrane, and others.

The “One Nation Under a Grove” gallery relays Motown Records and Soul Train’s stories, while “The Message” gallery explains the origins of hip hop. For more details about the museum, visit www. nmaam.org.

The museum is located in Nashville’s famous Music City region.

Famous Rappers and Singers from the 757 are displayed prominently, to include (Top) Missy Elliott and Timbaland, (Bottom) Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo.

New Journal and Guide Publisher Brenda H. Andrews highlights a picture of her namesake, Brenda Andrews, the first African-American woman to become a partner in a major worldwide music publishing group.

Photo: OrondeAndrews

Photo: BrendaH.Andrews

Exhibit

Photo: BrendaH.Andrews

Exhibit

Photo: BrendaH.Andrews

Jones-Morant Opens Photo Show At Lexington Gallery

By Glen Mason Arts & Culture Correspondent New Journal and Guide

LEXINGTON, VA

When she was growing up in the port city of Norfolk’s Liberty Park, Paulette JonesMorant couldn’t wait for three publications delivered to her parents’ home on Pioneer Avenue. They were the Journal and Guide, a precursor to the New Journal and Guide, Ebony, Jet, and Life Magazines.

In the Guide, she studied the photojournalism of the ubiquitous Southhall Bass, who documented AfricanAmerican culture and life for the Guide until his passing. Then Ted and Moneta Williams, award-winning photographers of the Johnson Publishing company, like Bass, recorded the life of the African Diaspora internationally, not just in America.

Their examples inspired Jones-Morant when she first picked up her father George Jones’ Kodak Brownie Hawkeye camera in the early 1960s.

Jones-Morant’s photographic art show “From Where I Stand” is on exhibit at the Nelson Gallery in Lexington, VA, and will be on display until August. It was Jones-Morant’s first vernissage as a professional photographer. A vernissage (from the French via Webster’s dictionary) is a preview of an art exhibition, which may be private, before the formal opening.

According to Dorothy Blackwell, one of the Nelson Gallery artists’ co-owners, it was one of the “best attended” openings ever hosted featuring a national artist. Jones-Morant said she is still trying to process it.

“This is amazing,” said an emotional Morant-Jones, taking a break to greet art show patrons. “There is someone here from every

chapter of my life. From old Liberty Park friends whom I grew up with, Wyatt Andrews from high school at Norfolk Catholic to family from Harrisburg, PA. It’s going to take me a while to process this.”

The Guide’s photo-

journalistic influence is obvious as a veneer in one of Jones-Morant’s photos titled Progress.

The contrasting imagery in Progress with a twostory building or, to former residents, apartments being demolished resonates

with urban renewal in Norfolk’s St. Paul quadrant. Ironically, it was opposite the beautiful, multi-colored, tiered sunset she captured reflected on the mirrored glass on the skyscrapers in Midtown Reflections of Midtown Manhattan.

Other photographs reflect years of travel in a very diverse career that JonesMorant began as a Spanish teacher over 30 years ago after graduating from the University of Virginia. She spent ten years at the Rockbridge County High School and was active in alum relations for Wake Forest University and George Washington University law schools.

Jones-Morant’s suite of photographs circles the globe from McLaren Vale, South Australia, to the port city of Norfolk, Va. Spiral Etude in D was reviewed in the Guide when she was selected to exhibit in Virginia Beach a

year ago and was marked sold almost immediately.

Morant has been a highly regarded fine arts photographer for some years, going back to her student days at the University of Virginia and Ohio State. However, she seldom showed her work publically.

The Nelson Gallery is

displaying the photography of Paulette Jones Morant until August. The opening reception was held last Friday. Her work has won many awards; last year, a suite of her photos was published in the “Best Shots” features of The Malibu Times in Malibu, CA.

HAMPTON HISTORY MUSEUM HOSTS FREE EVENTS IN JULY

HAMPTON

The Hampton History Museum is hosting free admission all day on Saturdays in July from 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

School-age children and families can interact with musicians, artists, actors, storytellers, dancers and more. Each weekend has new programming. The series will be held on July 15, 22, and 29.

Activities include learning dances from around the world; exploring techniques for actors; listening to musical instruments from different cultures and continents; creating your own personal stories through poetry; experiencing Japanese taiko drums; and more. To see the complete schedule, visit www.hamptonhistorymuseum.org.

The Hampton History Museum is located at 120 Old Hampton Lane in Downtown Hampton.

Norfolk-based photographer Paulette Jones-Morant greets Pat Delaney at her exhibit. Delany is the widow of Ted Delaney, the first African-American tenured in the College of arts and sciences at Washington and Lee.

Photo: NJGStaffPhotographer

MEAC-NFL Partnership Hosts Inaugural “Girls On The Gridiron” Flag Football Clinic At NSU

NORFOLK

The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC), in partnership with the National Football League (NFL) and Reigning Champs Experience (RCX), is set to host its inaugural Girls on the Gridiron Flag Football

Clinic, on Thursday, July 20, in conjunction with MEAC Football Media Day, presented by Wells Fargo. This will mark the first time a collegiate conference holds such an event in concert with the NFL/RCX. The clinic, open to

women of all ages, will run from 5-7 p.m. at Norfolk State’s Dick Price Stadium. Check-in begins at 4 p.m. Participants are asked to wear athletic gear (including cleats, if possible) and to bring a water bottle.

Pre-registration for the event is free and can be done at register.ryzer.com.

“Women’s flag football is a steadily growing sport, and it is imperative for the MEAC to get in on the ground floor with that,” MEAC Commissioner Sonja Stills said. “Diversity and gender equity are tenants of what we do at the MEAC, and this clinic is a way for the conference, and our Elite Eight member institutions, to serve the broader community with those aspects in mind.”

“Women’s flag football is exploding in the United States and around the globe,” Troy Vincent, Sr., NFL Executive Vice President of Football Operations, said. “The opportunity is available to all who choose to participate. The MEAC’s partnership with the NFL and RCX Sports is an open invitation to come learn, compete, and grow.

We encourage women of all ages to come out and participate.”

Participants will take part in drills and learn skills, which will be coordinated and run by the MEAC’s six head football coaches and student-athletes from each football-playing institution. Those in attendance will also receive a free camp shirt. RCX, an affiliate group

of the NFL, partners with premier professional leagues to facilitate youth sports leagues and clinics nationwide. The NFL/RCX will use its framework from other, similar events, to host the MEAC’s event. In addition, they will provide all equipment for each drill station, as well as camp shirts and shorts for participants. To learn more about RCX, visit rcxsports.com.

The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) is in its 53rd year of intercollegiate competition with the 202324 academic school year. Located in Norfolk, Va., the MEAC is made up of eight HBCUs across the Atlantic coastline. To learn more about the MEAC, visit www.MEACSports.com.

The MEAC’s partnership with the NFL and RCX Sports is an open invitation to come learn, compete, and grow. Women of all ages are encouraged to come out and participate.”

HUNTINGTON HIGH SCHOOL ALUMNI AWARD SCHOLARSHIPS

Special to the Guide

NEWPORT NEWS

The Huntington High School Alumni Association, Inc. (HHSAA INC) held its 10th annual reunion June 10.

During that event it also held its annual scholarship awards program at the United House of Prayer for All People in Newport News.

More than 70 members were present to witness the awarding of five $1,000 scholarships to graduating seniors.

Scholarship Committee Chairman, James Lovett, Jr., said this was the most

competitive and compelling group of applicants he has had the honor to review.

Collis P. Huntington High School, commonly referred to as just Huntington High School (opened in 1927), was a Black high school located in the East End section of Newport News, Virginia, during the era of racial segregation. After desegregation, it became an integrated intermediate school (eighth and ninth grades), and in 1981 was converted to a middle school (sixth through eighth grades).

AFRICAN-AMERICAN FOLKLIFE IS FOCUS OF RICHMOND FESTIVAL

RICHMOND

Elegba Folklore Society, Richmond’s Cultural Ambassador, will present the 32nd Down Home Family Reunion, A Celebration AfricanAmerican Folklife on Saturday August 19, 2023 downtown in Historic Jackson

Ward’s Abner Clay Park. The festival’s hours are 4-11 p.m.

The festival is designed to connect aspects of West African cultural traditions

with African-Americans and to show their influence on the American South. Bringing the world home, audiences are exposed to the artistic expressions – performing and material – of African world cultures in a lively, colorful and informing celebration of heritage and light. It is sited in Historic Jackson Ward to call attention to the neighborhood’s illustrious Black history and future potential.

It is a free family festival.

Chesapeake Deputy Named Virginia Sheriffs’ Association’s

CHESAPEAKE

A Chesapeake deputy is being honored for his dedication, bravery, and professionalism under fire.

The Virginia Sheriffs’ Association (VSA) named Investigator Scott Chambers as their 2023 Deputy Sheriff of the Year.

Investigator Scott Chambers has served the Chesapeake Sheriff’s Office for four years but is a lifelong law enforcement officer and former Army Ranger. Chambers is a member of the office’s Criminal Apprehension Unit and a sworn Special Deputy with the United States Marshals Service.

On January 11, 2023, Investigator Chambers and his fellow members of the US Marshals Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force were on the trail of a murder suspect in Hampton. Lamont Lewis was wanted for the

murder of his wife in their home on Christmas Day. Lewis had been on the run for more than two weeks.

Lewis was the passenger in a vehicle when the task force initiated a vehicle take-down, attempting to surround the vehicle and pin the vehicle doors closed to safely isolate the suspect. As Investigator Chambers finished escorting the driver out of the vehicle to safety, Lewis hopped into the driver’s seat and exited the car firing two pistols, hitting Investigator Chambers three times. Chambers returned fire striking Lewis. Once the threat was neutralized, Investigator Chambers used his training as a certified EMT to apply his own tourniquet. Medics transported Inv. Chambers to the hospital in critical condition where he underwent two surgeries.

Exactly one week after the shooting, Investigator

A MAN OF THE CLOTH

ABOUT THE POET: Delores Dudley is an award winning poet from Portsmouth, Virginia who has been recognized for her poems by THE NAACP-ACT-SO group of Hampton Roads, The Optimist International Club of Portsmouth, the Portsmouth Fine Arts Gallery and Court-House Museum of the Fine Arts, the Portsmouth Chapter of University Women and the International Platform Association (IPA) which, in the past, was the premier organization for persons on the lyceum circuit in America. Back in 1996, Dudley was invited into the membership and was extremely humbled because numerous Presidents of the United States and one of the greatest orators in American History, The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.,were members at the time.

BY DELORES DUDLEY HAMPTON ROADS ʼ POET,

Chambers walked out the doors of the hospital to continue his recovery.

“Scott Chambers is a hero,” said Sheriff Jim O’Sullivan. “He puts on his badge every day to go out and get the worst of the worst off the streets.”

“This prestigious award recognizes the height of professional service and dedication to the citizens of Chesapeake. The VSA counts Investigator Chambers as one of the finest examples of law enforcement and we are proud to call him a member of the VSA,” said John W. Jones, Executive Director of the Virginia Sheriffs’ Association.

The VSA holds these awards every year to recognize the meritorious contributions of Virginia’s professional deputy sheriffs and dispatchers. The awards will be presented in a ceremony on n September 19-21, 2023.

NSO & Sheriff Baron Foundation Hosting Free Summer Camps

NORFOLK

After a three-year hiatus due to the pandemic, the Norfolk Sheriff’s Office recently announced the Sheriff Joe Baron Foundation Summer Camp is back!

For the next two weeks, the Norfolk Sheriff’s Office and the Sheriff Joe Baron Foundation will host a free summer camp for residents of Norfolk between the ages of 8-13. Each participant will be attending the camp for one full week, either July 1014 or July 17-24, 2023.

Each camp is being held at Girl Scouts’ Camp Apasus

located at 8420 Granby Street in Norfolk, MondayFriday from 9 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. and is conducted in partnership with the Girl Scouts of the Colonial Coast, Norfolk Police Department, and Norfolk Fire-Rescue.

Buses for transportation and meals for attendees are being provided by Norfolk Public Schools.

Throughout the week, participants will enjoy presentations from the Norfolk Police Department, Norfolk Fire-Rescue, Chrysler Museum, the Elizabeth River Project’s

And so GOD has called the man of the cloth to preach and to witness to those who are lost,

And with GODʼS guidance to teach and to show the depth of GODʼS LOVE that the lost need to know.

The man of the cloth is a flesh and blood man but one who believes that he must lead in GODʼS PLAN,

For heʼs a man who has been called to and by GOD given a most spiritual task of ministering to others as long as his life lasts,

So love him in spite of when he is strong or when he is weak, For the man of the cloth needs the prayers of the meek.

A discerning disciple, he has counted the cost and still to his MASTER said yes to his cross,

So give him your love and support free of dross,for he is one of the robed brethren, a man of the cloth.

And so, I do present to you at this great hour a man whom the SPIRIT has lent HOLY POWER,

Dominion Energy Learning Barge, crafts from Pinot’s Palette, and activities such as archery, canoeing, and much more.

NSO deputies and staff facilitate the summer camp with the goal of building trust between law enforcement officers and campers, teaching important lessons outside the classroom, and letting kids have fun.

Additional information about summer camp can be found on our website at https://www.norfolk-sheriff. com/community/summercamp-2023.

CHESAPEAKE SEEKING APPLICANTS FOR CITY BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS

CHESAPEAKE

The Chesapeake City Council is seeking residents who may be interested in serving on various boards and commissions. Boards and commissions provide a vital service to various City departments, agencies, and City Council.

Citizens wishing to serve must complete an application form.

Applications for the vacancies listed below are due in the City Clerk’s

A wayfarer who has known some pleasures of life like love among friends,family,and dearest wife; Yet, one who has traveled the world to unfold some mysteries of faith that the universe holds,

For he is a man who believes in Godʼs hopes, goals and dreams and is a witness to the fact that “PRAYER CAN and DOES CHANGE THINGS.”

Here is a man who has known honor and praise but also has known tired nights and many tense,taxing days.

So, why does he do it against the dark demons of men, Try to bring light time and time and again?

Maybe because itʼs GODʼS HOLY SPIRIT within that compels him to always fight on against sin.

So, following as CHRIST did, GODʼS WILL he does fulfill, as he carries his cross,

A true , pure servant of GOD is THE MAN of the CLOTH.

fit Rep)

• Transportation Toll Facility Advisory Committee – 1 vacancy (Alternate Attorney)

• Utility Review Board –

4 vacancies

For more information or to apply, contact the City Clerk’s office at (757) 3826151, or visit Boards and Commissions on the City of Chesapeake’s website, CityOfChesapeake.net.

(Originally, The poet , Delores Dudley, was asked to write a poem to honor the now Pastor Emeritus of the Third Baptist Church in Portsmouth, Virginia, Joe B. Fleming.)

Delores Dudley

Winners (1st Row, L-R): Natalee M. Jackson (Bethel HS) attending Old Dominion University; Zariah S. Holloman (Bethel HS) attending Virginia State; Selah Z. Longchamp (Bethel HS) attending North Carolina A&T; Darius A. McCallum (Kecoughtan HS) attending William & Mary; and Chase A. Dickerson (Woodside HS) attending Old Dominion University. Scholarship committee members and contributors are standing in the 2nd-4th rows.

Photo: Courtesy

“Deputy of the Year”

CITY OF HAMPTON HIRES NEW POLICE CHIEF

HAMPTON

Jimmie Wideman, a lifetime Hampton resident, will serve as the new police chief in the City of Hampton. He assumes office on July 31. The new chief earned his bachelor’s and masters in criminal justice at Saint Leo University, according to a press release on The City of Hampton’s website.

He has additional leadership and police disciplines training through the Federal Bureau of Investigation National Academy (FBINA Session 267), University of Virginia Senior Executive Institute, and Command Officers Program. Hampton City Manager Mary Bunting said she was pleased to offer him the position, as so many in the organization and community had encouraged her when they learned of Talbot’s departure. She expressed unequivocal support:

“I am so thrilled that Jimmie Wideman was able to accept our offer to be Hampton’s next Police Chief. He brings the perfect balance of HPD knowledge, professional experience, and the professional distance to see pathways to improvement that comes from having served in other locations.”

The new police chief’s resume is extensive and

includes service at the Northampton Fire and Rescue Squad at the age of 16. He attended the Tidewater Regional Fire Academy after graduating from Bethel High School in 1987 and joined the Hampton Fire and Rescue Division as a medic firefighter in 1988. He also worked for the Hampton Newport News Community Services Board as a Social Detox Technician. In 1994, he joined the Hampton Police Division and served in public information, special projects, recruiting and several command assignments in Investigative Services, Professional Standards, and a Firearms Enforcement Task Force. He rose through the ranks before retiring as a captain in 2019. Since that time, Wideman

has served the Department of the Air Force as an Intelligence Analyst for the Law Enforcement Division in Quantico, Va., providing tactical and strategic analysis to investigations and operations in support of the Air Force’s law enforcement mission.

According to the Hampton press release, When Bunting first contacted him, Wideman was excited but said he was not in the position to accept the opportunity. However, he recently reached out to Bunting and indicated his desire to be considered for the job.

Although Hampton was in contact with a national search firm, no search had begun.

Bunting said, “He brings the perfect balance of HPD knowledge, professional experience, and the professional distance to see pathways to improvement that comes from having served in other locations.”

Commonwealth Attorney Anton Bell said, “I have worked closely with Jimmy Wideman for two decades. He is a strategic visionary in law enforcement. Moreover, I look forward to partnering with his proven leadership to increase public safety and positively impact the quality of life of our residents.”

BELLEVILLE SUFFOLK COMMUNITY TO RECEIVE A HIGHWAY MARKER

RICHMOND

The Belleville community in the City of Suffolk is receiving a highway marker to highlight its history as being founded by formerly enslaved African-Americans after the Civil War.

The community can be traced to 1896, when William Saunders Crowdy (18471908), who escaped enslavement during the Civil War, founded in Kansas the Church of God and Saints of Christ, which is today a predominantly AfricanAmerican Judaic community with

Firehose of Falsehoods

By Sean C. Bowers

The formerly disgraced President rambles incoherently on FOX NEWS, droning on-andon while his single dance move is reduced from a 2-step to a 1-step. The about-to-be-locked-up candidate, in his coneof-silence phone booth, is as of this writing, still in a 45 “free-zone.” 45 is (boxes and boxes) “boxed in” on all fronts by court cases in multiple states, jurisdictions, (both civil and criminal) for numerous charges of felonies, illegalities, transgressions, misrepresentations, bad examples, and outright falsehoods of his own catastrophic making.

AND QWEEF, accelerant. As long as they were still in the car with 45, they felt like they were still in control-driving and steering.

Mnuchin, Pompeo, Wolk, Huckabee, Haley, and Jared and Ivanka, for some 45 nepotism appointments as only America’s first true family of crime could do- (up under the kilt, to the hilt.)

members and missions in the United States, Jamaica, and Africa.

In 1903, Crowdy bought 40 acres of land in Suffolk. The site became the international headquarters of the church in 1919, and the Belleville community developed around the church in the 1920s.

At the height of its existence, Belleville encompassed more than 700 acres and included a sacred tabernacle, farms, a school, a home for widows and orphans, stores, an electric plant, a music hall, and athletic facilities.

Let’s examine the Republican Right’s whole philosophy, agenda, and 45 psychoses. The Right has always been the Watergate party of rulebreakers at any cost. These proven liars are prepared to pay “the penalties” as a “cost-of-doing-business,” expense, which they would then claim as a 12pack of tax breaks, if only they paid their taxes! They have methods for obtaining their desired goals and getting their own way: knowing full well they will cheat, gerrymander, restrict voting rights participation, to a few. The Right lost their way when they allowed themselves to suckle at 45’s “Power Teat.” They mistakenly thought they could play with the danger and feed the American public outright hog wash.) They saw themselves getting off and easily dropping the ORANGE SMACKTOSE INTOLLE-RANT

Sadly, it seems that 45 now has a “death wish” for the nation. Now that he is going down for his crimes of high treason, 45 wants all of America to burn down to the ground with him simultaneously. Nobody will be protected by 45’s ruleless type law.

News bulletin for the Right: this is the price you pay for having no evidence and doing nothing to govern and lead, but conspiracylying endlessly. The Right has lost elections for a generation or more, all because the Right willingly gambles breaking laws, only to apologize if they are caught.

That base is fine with lawlessness. They have accepted it, checking their integrity at the door, and proven that through their continued worship of the False Hood(ed) Flick-ted Orange One. With his crimes and Cheetos crumbs in tow, his supporters super OK with all of this. Now, the little baby, hand-printed 45, will finally come faceto-face with his inability to grow-the-hell-up as a responsible honest human.

This is the guy who bragged that “he only hired the best people “in his administration.“ We all witnessed firsthand 45 hiring them. Then they were charged, tried, convicted, jailed and then pardoned by 45’s revolving crony trap-door: (Bannon, Cohen, Stone, Manaforte, Flynn, Barrack, Broidy, and Gates (no chips and pardon for Cohen).

Next came the disgraceful progression of shameful excuses for appointees that the nation has ever seen since Andrew Jackson. They were all “the best” on their way into his administration and then “the worst” people, he’d ever seen and that he didn’t really even know them on their way out his one-way loyalty detractive power paradigm. Only to be fired or outright quit their posts, these secondrowers clown-car show riders included: Ross, Devos, Perry, Carson,

We have arrived at the “We only got “woke(ned) after 45 burned the crowd of former 45 Kool-Aiders: Kelly, Sessoms, Barr, Chow, Christie, Milly, Tillerson, Esper, Hutchinson, and both Cheney’s, Lynn and (Darth) Dick.

While in office, 45 had multiple mouthpieces who served as his Fake News (manure) spreaders (formerly called Press Secretaries) Spicer, Murse, Grisham, McEnnany, (H)Cluckabee and the Minnie mooch, Scaramucci thrown in for a 10-day contract (and a convict-to-be-namedlater, trade.)

Outside the administration mouthpieces included Trump-a-tears: Conway, Giuliani, Powell, the my pillow(ed to death) guy, with the most legally illiterate John Eastman’s malpractice to propose and execute America’s first failed coup (on our own soil) January 6th, 2021.

On the Hill: McCarthy, Jorden, MTG, Gates, Gomer, Kovar, Boebert, carry the 45 lies of the heaviest water, to and fro, as they go. High ho, it’s off to steal American democracy all 45’s minions go, willingly, wantonly. Just remember, continued drinking out of their firehoses equals losing sight of the end of your noses, Pinocchios.

Sean C. Bowers has written the last 25 years, as a White Quaker Southern man, for the nation’s third oldest Black Newspaper, The New Journal and Guide, of Norfolk, Virginia, about overcoming racism, sexism, classism, and religious persecution. Some of his latest NJ&G articles detailing the issues can found by searching “Sean C. Bowers” on the NJ&G website. Contact him directly on social media at Linkedin.com or by email V1ZUAL1ZE@aol. com NNPA 2019 Publisher of the Year, Brenda H. Andrews (NJ&G 35 years) has always been his publisher.

Sean C. Bowers

Jimmie Wideman

High ho, it’s off to steal American democracy all of 45’s minions go, willingly, wantonly.

MOMENTS of MEDITATION

By Rev. Dr. Archie L. Edwards, Sr. NAAMAN AND GEHAZI: CHARACTERS IN CONTRAST

Read: 2 Kings 5

Part One: Naaman

Poetic justice is a literary term first introduced in England by Thomas Rymer in 1678. It denotes that the characters in a drama essentially reap the harvest of what they sow – for the virtuous, rewards for the wicked, punishment.

In 2 Kings 5, a similar type of drama is enacted that forever changes the course of two men’s lives. The men: Naaman and Gehazi. The first was a leper; the second a servant of God’s prophet Elisha. In an example of poetic justice, a surprising change takes place in the lives of both men. The leper becomes a servant of God; the servant, in turn becomes a leper.

As the curtain rises on this drama, we’ll be able to see Naaman and Gehazi with front-row clarity. And all the character lines etching their faces will be revealed as the footlights of God’s Word that both faces are lined and

shadowed with unbelief, which in Naaman manifest itself as pride and in Gehazi as greed.

In the opening credits, Naaman is described in glowing terms. (2

Kings 5:1) Naaman was a high-ranking officer in the Syrian army. His personal references were impeccable: “A great man with his master and highly respected.” However, one physical flaw dogged Naaman’s every footstep: he was a leper.

Leprosy, in biblical times, was a dreaded skin disease. Those who had it – at least in Israel – were outcasts of society. They were often banished to live in isolated colonies, ostracized by the community (see Leviticus 13, especially vv. 45-46). It was a disease that could be pronounced cleansed by the priest but could not be cured (Leviticus 14).

God was at work coupling a chain of events that would lead to the cure of Naaman’s leprosy, “because by him the Lord

had given victory” (2 Kings 5: v. 1). Coming to verse 2, we see a small but indispensable link in the chain. (2 Kings 5:2-3) A “little girl,” yet mightily used by God’s chain of events is a bigger one – Naaman’s master, the King of Aram (vv. 4–5).

Notice Naaman’s thinking as an unbeliever. The first thing that comes to his mind is, “I’ll give money. I’ll buy my cure.” So, he sets off with the wind of optimism in his sails (vv. 6-7). The request literally tears the King of Israel to pieces with its superhuman demands. He replies, exasperated: “Am I God ...?” Upon reflection, the King imagines that the request might be some ploy to create an incident between the two kingdoms. Fortunately for the King, the matter reaches Elisha’s ears and is immediately delegated to him (v. 8).

Naaman wastes no time beating a direct path to the prophet Elisha’s door (vv. 9-10). First, he is not invited in but is left to stand in Elisha’s doorway. Second, Elisha doesn’t come to greet him but only sends his messenger. Third, the presentation the messenger brings hardly fills the bill of what Naaman had expected from so great a prophet as Elisha. For a man who had been accustomed to buying everything he wanted, the prescription was a hard pill to swallow. Standing at the doorway with his entourage looking on, he reads this little crumpled-up note given him by Elisha’s servant.

And, as if it weren’t bad enough for a Syrian to come to a Jew’s land, he was expected to do some silly ritual – dip in the muddy Jordan River. Understanding the background and Naaman’s pride, his reply is predictable (vv. 11-12).

Then, just as Naaman threatened to break the chain, another minor link holds the events leading to his cure in place. (v. 13) In spite of his rage, Naaman realizes that the servant’s reasoning is right and reacts more rationally (v. 14) and he is cured.

In Naaman’s defense we can’t overlook the fact that he listened to the advice of those under him – the little servant (v. 10), his own servants (v. 13). God sometimes works in strange ways to bring about His will. He speaks through His Word (Hebrews 4:12), but He also speaks through the whirlwind (Job 38: 1). He speaks through the prophets (Hebrew 1: 1), but He also speaks through Balaam’s donkey (Numbers 22:28). It appears then, that the only way to hear all that God has to say to us is to develop a listening ear and a learning heart.

How are your ears?

Have you been in for a hearing test lately – or should I say a listening test? Try listening to and learning from a little child – as Naaman did. If you can pass this test, God is beginning to train your ears to hear His footsteps … soft but certain amid the traffic of everyday life.

... Continued next week

SMBA’s 109th Annual Session Is Slated July 25-27 In Suffolk

SUFFOLK

The 109th Annual Session of the Sharon Missionary Baptist Association and Allied Bodies (SMBA) is scheduled for Tuesday through Friday, July 25-29, 2023. The Session is being hosted by Rev. Trevon Boone and members of Tabernacle Baptist Outreach Center, 3621 Nansemond Parkway, Suffolk VA 23435.

Tuesday, July 25th’s Session begins at 9 a.m. Sessions for Wednesday and Thursday, July 26thJuly 27th begin at 10:00 a.m. All are welcome to

come for three days of prophetic preaching, panel discussions, informative workshops, and great fellowship. Also, SMBA’s Youth and Children’s Department will host an inspiring Worship Session on Friday, July 28th from 7-9 p.m. at Greater First Baptist Church Orlando (600 Factory Street, Suffolk), followed by a Fun and Fellowship Session on Saturday, July 29th.

For more information call (757) 295-6398 or (757) 539-0032.

Dr. Christine King Farris To Lie In State In Georgia’s Capitol Rotunda

ATLANTA

The family of the late Dr. Christine King Farris recently announced that their matriarch will lie in state at Georgia’s State Capitol Rotunda on Friday, July 14, 2023, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. A memorial service in her honor is scheduled from 12:30 p.m. to 1 p.m. Dr. Farris, the last remaining sibling of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., is the fourth Black American to receive such honors from the state of Georgia. Mrs. Coretta Scott King was the first, followed by Congressman John Lewis, and Atlanta Councilman C.T. Vivian.

Dr. Ferris died the morning of June 29, 54 years after the July 1969 untimely death of her brother, A.D. King, one of the leaders of the modern Civil Rights movement. She was a founding board member of the nonprofit that Coretta Scott King started in 1968 in the wake of her husband’s assassination, and she served in other roles at the center. Please visit www. thekingcenter.org for a complete list of activities honoring Dr. Farris. In lieu of flowers, please donate to The Christine King Farris Legacy Foundation, Inc. at https://giv.li/o5fi8e

NORFOLK YOUTH GROUP TRAVELS TO ATLANTA, GREENSBORO ON SUMMER FIELD TRIP

Special to the Guide

NORFOLK

The C.L.E.A.N. Youth Organization (Citizens Learning And Educating About Neighborhoods) sponsored its annual summer field trip to Atlanta, GA and Greensboro, NC, Friday, June 16 Monday, June 19, 2023.

Youth left Norfolk and traveled south to Atlanta where they were able to tour the World of CocaCola and sample some of the different flavors from around the world. During their visit in Atlanta, they were also able to visit the Georgia Aquarium, where they saw the hammer head sharks, the white African alligators, and so many wonderful, beautiful animals. The group even took in a baseball game to see the Atlanta Braves.

Sunday service was a blessing to attend Ebenezer Baptist Church, where Senator Raphael Warnock is

pastor. Leaving Atlanta, C.L.E.A.N. traveled back north to stop off in Greensboro, NC where they visited the International Civil Rights Museum. There they learned the meaning of the United States flag and the history of the Woolworth sit-in counter.

“This field trip was a fun-filled learning and blessed experience for the youth,” said Director and Founder Anthony Daniels.

“Through our programs, we have seen selfdetermined youth cultivate into responsible adults. With the help of Prayer and Dedicated Volunteers, we will continue to see improvements in our youth.

C.L.E.A.N. Is an 18-year-old youth mentoring organization with the mission to educate young people in the Berkley neighborhood and surrounding communities of Norfolk.

For more information about C.L.E.A.N., email Anthony Daniels at jclean2@gmail.com or Lisa Montgomery at lisamuka412@aol.com.

Photo: Courtesy

Photo: Courtesy

Photo: Courtesy

Photo: Courtesy

C.L.E.A.N visiting Ebenezer Baptist Church, Atlanta, GA

(Centered) C.L.E.A.N Director Anthony Daniels

At the International Civil Rights Museum in Greensboro.

CLEAN visiting the Martin Luther King Jr. Burning Flame

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

TRACY CHAPMAN BREAKS COUNTRY MUSIC BARRIERS WITH NO. 1 HIT

By Stacy M. Brown NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent @StacyBrownMedia

Renowned singer and songwriter Tracy Chapman, known for her reclusive nature, has emerged from the shadows to comment on a historic moment.

In a statement to Billboard, Chapman expressed her surprise and gratitude at finding herself on the country music charts, a genre she never expected to venture into.

“I’m honored to be there,” she remarked, acknowledging country star Luke Combs and his resounding success with his cover of her iconic 1988 single, “Fast Car.”

Combs’ rendition of “Fast Car” has soared to the top spot on the Country Airplay chart, a significant achievement that carries even greater weight.

The ascent to No. 1 makes Chapman the first Black woman to reach that plateau as the sole writer on a country music song since the chart’s inception in 1990.

Chapman’s songwriting prowess also has propelled her to the summit of Billboard’s Country Songwriters chart, courtesy of the Combs remake.

Combs’ version has climbed higher in the charts than Chapman’s original, which reached No. 6 upon its release over three decades ago.

“Fast Car,” the breakout single from Chapman’s eponymous 1988 debut

album, earned her numerous accolades, including a Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance.

Billboard noted that, “Combs’ version has generated at least $500,000 in global publishing royalties, Billboard estimates, with the bulk going to Chapman who owns both the writers’ and publisher’s share of the song.”

Additionally, the success of Combs’ version has boosted Chapman’s original, with weekly consumption of Chapman’s version increasing 44% since Combs’ version was released, according to Luminate.

The original version garnered nominations for Record of the Year and Song of the Year, solidifying Chapman’s

status as a bona fide star in the music industry.

She also won Best New Artist and Best Contemporary Folk Album.

Chapman’s journey to musical success began in Boston, where she honed her craft as a songwriter and performer, recording songs at the local WMFO radio station.

The turning point came in 1986, when a fortuitous introduction to a manager at Elektra Records led to her self-titled debut album, “Tracy Chapman,” released in 1988.

The album’s lead single, “Fast Car,” achieved considerable acclaim, reaching No. 5 on the U.K. charts and No. 6 on the U.S. charts.

Another critically acclaimed album by Chapman, “New Beginning,” came out in 1995

and featured the hit song “Give Me One Reason.”

Today, Chapman remains an active artist and dedicated activist, lending her voice and performances to various organizations.

Extraordinary achievements, including Grammy recognition, charttopping hits, and a dedicated fan base, have marked her musical journey.

Beyond her artistic endeavors, Chapman has used her platform to champion causes close to her heart, advocating for organizations like the San Francisco AIDS Foundation and Circle of Life.

In a memorable collaboration with Bonnie Raitt during a 2003 event, Chapman showcased her talent and commitment to making a positive impact.

HELP WANTED

TRANSPORTATION DATA ANALYST II

STARTING SALARY $62,000 - $68,000 DOE/DOQ

The HRTPO is seeking candidates for the position of Transportation Data Analyst. As part of the Long-Range Transportation Planning team, the Transportation Data Analyst position will be responsible for providing data insights that support a broad range of planning tasks. The position requires skills in all aspects of data analytics, including mining, generation, interpretation, and visualization into understandable and engaging formats that help inform the transportation planning process. This position also requires the ability to collaborate well with diverse stakeholders, presenting information to both technical and non-technical audiences.

For more information on this position and instructions on how to apply, visit https://www.hrtpo.org/page/employment/ or https://www.hrpdcva.gov/ page/employment/. EOE

Closing Date: July 15, 2023

INVITATION FOR BIDS

INVITATION FOR BIDS PR2086-086-24

Norfolk Redevelopment and Housing Authority (NRHA) will receive bids for: NRHA Young Terrace Recreational Center/ Rental Office Roof Replacement

The Scope of work includes all supervision, labor, materials, and equipment necessary to remove the existing roofing, provide new roofing, perimeter roof coping caps, and encapsulate existing skylights to the connected bldgs at Young Terrace Recreational Center/Rental Office. Located at 816 Whitaker Lane PO Box 968 Norfolk, VA 23510. Furnish all labor, materials, and equipment as necessary to complete all work indicated, including, but not limited to: Reroofing of the Young Terrace Rental/Maintenance Shop, Central Heating Plant, Senior Center, Gymnasium, and installation of a new parapet coping caps around the roof perimeter where applicable. Related finish work and the full scope of work is described in the Contract Documents.

A pre-bid meeting will be conducted on July 27, 2023 at 1:00 PM outside of 816 Whitaker Lane, Norfolk VA 23510 (Young Terrace Rental Office). All prospective bidders are strongly encouraged to attend.

Please contact Steven Green, NRHA – Project Manager (sgreen@nrha.us) for any related questions. All questions must be received on August 4, 2023 by 10:00 AM.

Sealed Bids will be received, publicly opened and read aloud on August 15, 2023 at 11:00 AM local prevailing time at the office of the Norfolk Redevelopment and Housing Authority, 910 Ballentine Boulevard, Norfolk, Virginia.

Contract documents will be available for review by appointment only at the NRHA Office of Economic Opportunities, Calvert Square Envision Center, 975 Bagnall Road, Norfolk, VA (please call (757) 314-2026 to schedule); Builders and Contractors Exchange, Norfolk, VA; and on the Virginia Procurement Website (www.eva.virginia.gov). A thumb drive will be available from NRHA, 910 Ballentine Blvd., Norfolk, VA for the non-refundable price of twelve dollars (Company Check Only).

NRHA does not discriminate against individuals on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, elderliness, familial status, disability, source of funds, sexual orientation, gender identity or veteran status in the admission, access to or operations of programs, services or activities. Small businesses and businesses owned by women and minorities and Section 3 certified businesses are encouraged to respond

The ascent to No. 1 makes Chapman the first Black woman to reach that plateau as the sole writer on a country music song since the chart’s inception in 1990.”

Tracy Chapman