NJG | Vol. 123, No. 31 - Aug 03, 2023

Historically Black Fraternity Pulls Convention Due To Florida’s Policies: “Harmful, Racist, and Insensitive”

By Stacy M. Brown

NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent @StacyBrownMedia

The oldest historically Black collegiate fraternity in the United States, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, has announced that it will move its planned 2025 convention from Florida to an alternate location.

The decision comes as a response to what the fraternity describes as “harmful, racist, and insensitive” policies implemented by Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration towards African-Americans.

The convention, which typically draws between 4,000 and 6,000 attendees and reportedly has an economic impact of $4.6 million, has been a significant event for the fraternity.

However, the recent travel advisory for Florida issued by the NAACP and other civil rights organizations has raised concerns about the state’s stance towards African-Americans, people of color, and the LGBTQ+ community.

In a statement, Willis Lonzer, the fraternity’s general president, said that part of their motivation for relocating the convention is Florida’s new education standards.

The new standards mandate that middle school teachers instruct students on the idea that enslaved people developed skills for their benefit.

The fraternity strongly disagrees, viewing it as an attempt to downplay the horrors of slavery and its enduring impact on African-Americans.

“Although we are moving our convention from Florida, Alpha Phi Alpha will continue to support the strong advocacy of Alpha Brothers and

other advocates fighting against the continued assault on our communities in Florida by Governor Ron DeSantis,” Lonzer explained.

DeSantis, vying for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination, has faced criticism from various quarters, including a fellow Republican, U.S. Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina, the sole Black Republican in the

Sixty Years Later, Marchers Plan Return To Washington, Aug. 26

By Leonard E. Colvin Chief Reporter New Journal and Guide

In August 1963, over 300,000 people attended the March on Washington to bring attention to the marginalization of African-Americans and other oppressed groups in this country.

The effort to bring down Jim Crow segregation had begun, as a few examples of compliance with the Brown Decision declaring separate but equal schools illegal.

The American workplaces were mostly white and male.

Voting by AfricanAmericans in federal, state, and local elections was restricted due to the poll tax or the threat of violence.

Blacks, “deemed invaders,” could not move into predominately white neighborhoods without being harassed or being the target of violence.

Senate.

In response, DeSantis defended Florida, stating that he was countering “false accusations and lies” and pledging to uphold the truth.

In May, the NAACP, along with the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) and Equality Florida, issued travel advisories for Florida. see Alphas, page 3A

CONGRESSIONAL BLACK CAUCUS SAYS BLACK AMERICANS ARE UNDER ATTACK

By Rosaland Tyler

Associate Editor New Journal and Guide

In late July, Congressional Black Caucus Chairman Steven Horsford walked toward the podium, adjusted the microphone and told reporters that AfricanAmericans are under attack. Here are some of the more troubling racial incidents that Horsford, Congressman from Nevada, cited as spokesman for the CBC. The U.S. Department of Justice recently announced plans to investigate the Memphis police department’s patterns and practices, nearly seven months after five MPD officers were caught on video violently beating and killing Tyre Nichols on Jan. 10, during a routine traffic stop.

Meanwhile, an Ohio police officer was recently fired after he released his canine on 23-year-old Jadarrius Rose, an unarmed Black commercial semitruck driver who failed to stop for a routine inspection. The video shows the white police officer releasing

his canine on the unarmed Black man who is shown holding his hands up in the air during the traffic stop.

Another recent racially-charged incident recently occurred in Maryland, Specifically, a white police officer, who was accused in a lawsuit of kneeling on a Black man’s neck during a traffic stop was recently suspended from the department, officials said.

“Black people are under attack in America, but we are not victims and we are not powerless,” Horsford

said, at the CBC’s recent July 27 “State of Race and Democracy in America” press conference at the Capitol.

“Our fundamental rights are under assault and our very history is being denied,” Horsford told reporters. “But we will not stand by quietly as it happens. We will never give up when so many people are counting on us to fight for them.”

Horsford said, “We want our freedoms. We want our people to be safe. see CBC, page 3A

Standing in the shadow of the Lincoln Monument in Washington, D.C., these disparities were vocalized by a number of speakers on a hot August 28, 1963. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech has survived 60 years in the collective American memory.

King, a Baptist preacher, couldn’t stick with his script when the spirit of the crowd moved within him. He departed from

his planned comments, shifting like a jazz musician improvising well-practiced riffs, into lines from a sermon he’d delivered on previous occasions. His “I Have A Dream” sermon compared the idealized American Dream to King’s spiritual quest. One line in particular, where King foresaw a day when his children “will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character,” has become one of the most famous and controversially quoted passages in the history of American oratory. see March, page 7A

Virginia Beach System of Electing Council Still To Be Approved

By Leonard E. Colvin Chief Reporter New Journal and Guide

Two years ago, a Norfolk Federal District Court declared Virginia Beach’s system of electing its council was in violation of the Voting Rights Act.

Judge Raymond Jackson said the hybrid district/atlarge system, diluted the city’s African-American voter ability to elect candidates to the governing panel of their choice.

Before Judge Jackson approved a voting system to replace it, Virginia State Delegate Kelly Fowler

sponsored a bill which outlawed at-large election systems like the one applied in Virginia Beach.

Last year, the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals declared the Jackson ruling moot, considering the legislation passed by the legislature.

Also, the city was moving forward on the implementation of a new plan, despite its challenge to the Judge’s ruling. The city finally created a new 10-1 election system with 10 individual singlemember districts and the mayor elected at-large which the court signed off on. see Va. Beach, page 3A

Henrietta Lacks Financial Settlement Sets Precedent

By Stacy M. Brown

NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent @StacyBrownMedia

Living relatives of Henrietta Lacks have reached a confidential settlement with Thermo Fisher Scientific, the multibillion-dollar biotechnology company that has used regenerative cells taken from Lacks decades ago without her consent.

The settlement sets a precedent, potentially leading to complaints seeking compensation and control of Lacks’ cells, famously known as “HeLa” cells, the world’s first cells capable of replicating outside the human body.

Represented jointly by Attorney Ben Crump, renowned for his advocacy for Black victims of police violence, and Attorney Chris Seeger, known for leading

Living relatives of Henrietta Lacks have reached a confidential settlement with Thermo Fisher Scientific ... which used regenerative cells taken from Lacks decades ago without her consent.

significant class action lawsuits in U.S. history, the family called a news conference in Baltimore on Tuesday, August 1, which coincides with what would

Black Cemetery Getting Facelift

Portsmouth City Council recently approved $50,000 for perpetual care to provide drainage, road and monument repair to Portsmouth’s historic Lincoln Memorial Cemetery. see page 1B

have been Lacks’ 103rd birthday.

“The parties are pleased that they were able to find a way to resolve this matter outside of court and will

have no further comment about the settlement,” Crump and Seeger wrote in a news release. The Lacks family’s lawsuit addressed a problem that had persisted for 70 years following the unlawful removal of Henrietta Lacks’ cells while she was receiving cervical cancer treatment at Johns Hopkins Hospital.

The family argued that the cells rightfully belong to Lacks and that companies like Thermo Fisher

Scientific should pay for using them in research and product development.

In a 2022 interview, Crump called the situation “indicative of the Black struggle for equality and respect in America.

“Because it’s a racial justice issue when you think about it in the purest form,” Crump asserted. “The children of Henry Ford, they’re able to benefit from his contributions to the world.”

Thermo Fisher Scientific, in its defense, contended that Lacks’ descendants waited too long to take legal action and that other companies worldwide also use HeLa cells without the family’s consent. see Lacks, page 3A

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Black people are under attack in America, but we are not victims and we are not powerless.”

— Rep. Steven Horsford (D-NV)

Rep. Steven Horsford (D-NV) CBC Chairman

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Dr. King’s “I Have a Dream” speech in 1963 has survived 60 years in the forefront of America’s collective memory.

THE ENVIRONMENT: A WIN FOR THE DESERT GHOST

By Ben Jealous

The odds are high that you will never see a Sonoran Pronghorn. About the size of a goat, the pronghorns are so elusive that their nickname is “the desert ghost.”

Adding to the challenge, they’re only found in the United States in a small part of the Southwest, they’ve been endangered since before we had an Endangered Species Act, and they’re the fastest land animal in North America clocking speeds up to 60 miles per hour.

So it would be easy for the short-sighted to overlook the pronghorns – out of sight, out of mind after all. That’s exactly what the Trump administration did when it illegally transferred federal funds and rushed to erect a border wall that threatened many already fragile species, disturbed culturally significant sites, and ruined lands designated as national refuges and monuments.

The Southern Border Communities Coalition, an umbrella organization for more than 60 groups from San Diego to Brownsville, TX; the ACLU; and the Sierra Club have been fighting to stop the destruction since 2019.

Last week they won. It’s an example of people closest to the harm battling and succeeding in a way that has benefit that stretches well beyond their communities.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection agreed to stop any further construction on parts of the wall built with Defense Department funds (President Biden paused work on his first day by executive order) and to spend more than $1 billion mitigating damage done to wildlife including jaguars who have only returned to the region in the last decade and more than 400 bird species, sacred lands of the Tohono O’odham Nation, and irreplaceable wild places like Quitobaquito Springs in Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument.

For the pronghorns, it means they will get an opening in the wall at least 18 feet wide in the Cabeza Priete National Wildlife Refuge to be able to cross into Mexico as they historically have. There will be smaller openings for jaguars, Black bears, and even smaller wildlife at other places.

Our ecosystem is a web spun with biodiversity that ensures a planet that’s livable and sustainable. Protecting species of animals and plants we inevitably protect ourselves. We can’t anticipate fully the effects that losing species will have.

Cabeza Priete itself is one of the largest wilderness areas outside Alaska. Once destroyed, land that supports

Hefty Donations

Supporting Rep. Shelia Jackson Lee’s Mayoral Bid In Houston

HOUSTON U.S. Congresswoman Shelia Jackson Lee has already raised at least $1.2 million for her mayoral campaign in Houston.

Ben Jealous

so many unique species and houses more than 600 cultural sites dating back to Pre-Colombian times cannot be recovered completely. The settlement calls for roads and wells created to facilitate construction to be erased as a start.

Earlier this year, I went to Arizona to learn more about the fight to stop this environmental and archeological nightmare from frontline organizers like Eric Meza. “From damage to Tribal lands to degraded habitats for

wildlife, borderlands communities will be dealing with the consequences of this boondoggle for years to come,” Meza observes. Perhaps most importantly, the federal government agreed to be bound by the same laws protecting the environment, which demand consultation with communities before major projects begin. While the settlement doesn’t rule out building a wall, it ensures Americans on the border will have a greater say than they did four years ago. So many of the troubling parts of our history have come because someone powerful decided people and places are disposable in the

way that the pronghorns and Cabeza Priete were treated by the Trump administration. It’s a lesson for us not to avoid tough questions about who is bearing the real costs of our decisions. Even if we shouldn’t have to fight to ensure no one, no species and no place is disposable, we must.

Ben Jealous is executive director of the Sierra Club, the nation’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization. He is a professor of practice at the University of Pennsylvania and author of “Never Forget Our People Were Always Free,” published in January.

But she is trailing State Sen. John Whitmire (D), who has served as a state lawmaker since 1982 and raised $1.5 million since October 2022. Lee is a graduate of Yale University and the University of Virginia Law School. She does not have to give up her seat in Congress to run for mayor. The election will be held Nov. 7.

Meanwhile, a recent University of Houston poll suggests Jackson-Lee and her top-ranking opponent, Whitmire, are the early favorites in the race which has 14 candidates who aim to replace retiring, term-limit Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner. The poll surveyed 800 Houston residents from July 12 to July 20.

The poll was conducted

From The Guide’s Archives

August 3, 1968 Edition of the Guide

The Arrest of Councilman Jolts City

PORTSMOUTH

A preliminary hearing for newly elected City Councilman Raymond Turner has been continued until Sept. 6. The hearing held in Municipal Court Monday morning grew out of an incident early Sunday morning at a supermarket when the councilman was arrested.

According to police, Councilmen Turner was arrested for “interfering” with police. The incident took place in the parking lot of a supermarket in Alexander’s Corner and involved four young men. News of the councilman’s arrest spread readily through the city and hundreds of disturbed citizens quickly pledged their support to the freshman official who found himself in an awkward position. Although Turner would not comment on the case on advice from attorneys, there were indications they were highly displeased by the police actions and would fight the charges.

Turner and James Holley were elected in 1968. They were the first Blacks elected to the panel since Reconstruction.

Representatives of the Portsmouth NAACP chapter and other civic leaders are actively interested in the case.

Turner said he had been shopping at the market and was returning a grocery basket from the parking lot when he saw a crowd gathering. The 42-year-old Portsmouth native said he recognized one of those in the crowd as a fellow member of the Ebenezer Baptist Church.

He said he approached the policemen, identified himself, and asked why the four were being arrested. The policemen responded by arresting Turner. The young men were charged with disorderly conduct, according to Police Chief H. P. Crowe.

Observance of The Opening of Berkley Pool

NORFOLK

Ceremonies officially opening the Berkley swimming pool will be held on August 2 at 10 a.m. at the site on the southwest side of Liberty Street adjacent to St. Helena Elementary School.

In addition to other highranking officials present will

by the Hobby School of Public Affairs. The poll showed 34 percent of likely voters said they will choose Whitmire.

Thirty two percent said they will vote for Jackson Lee, whose political career began in Texas, where she was elected state senator in 1982.

According to the recent poll, 13 percent remain undecided between the two frontrunners. Three percent say they will not vote in a runoff between the two, should that happen.

Several high-profile political leaders have served as mayors including New Jersey Senator Cory Booker, who was elected to Congress after he served as Newark’s mayor. Virginia Senator Tim Kaine served as the mayor of Richmond, while former U.S. Congresswoman Karen Bass left Capitol Hill to serve as the mayor of Los Angeles in December 2022.

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

be Norfolk City Councilman William Ballard, Chair of the Mayor’s Youth Commission; members of the pool Committee.

Slaughter Prevented

CLEVELAND City officials said Monday that if Mayor Carl B. Stokes had not ordered white policemen out of the violence-torn East End area last week the officers would have walked into a slaughter.

Police Chief Michael Blackwell said there was evidence that Black Nationalists who ambushed police touching off a savage gun battle that killed 10 people recently, had a “tripod military type machine gun” and would have used it had the white policemen not been withdrawn. Only hours before Blackwell’s statement, a second Negro was charged with first-degree murder in connection with the sniper deaths.

Blackwell said that police informants saw at least one machine gun and the Nationalists had stitched ammunition belts that would be useless in any other weapon. He said he did not know where the gun was now. Stokes said at a news conference Monday he wanted to prevent more policemen from getting killed. Three white policemen were slain in the first half of the gun battles that broke out last Tuesday.

Extra! 3 Negroes Found Who Backed Wallace MONTGOMERY, ALA

A pretty blond teenager from Bay Minette, Ala., plans to help pay her way through college with the $500 she won from novelist William Bradford Huie for finding a Negro supporter of presidential candidate George C. Wallace.

Huie, a resident of Hartward, Ala., offered the reward as a challenge to Wallace’s contention that he has the support of many Negroes in Alabama.

Three people came forward to claim the money, but 18-year-old Judy Reeves was first. She collected Friday on the steps of the Alabama Capitol. Miss Reeves brought with her Morris Anderson, a 72-year-old Negro janitor from the Bay Minette City Hall who said he voted for the late Lurleen Wallace (who was the candidate’s wife for governor in 1966) and supports Wallace for President.

TV’S ‘JULIA’ HAS A MISSION

The overwhelming burden of the first Black performer to singly carry a weekly TV series falls on the slender shoulders of Singer Diahann Carroll. Diahann will lead the cast this fall in NBC’s “Julia” playing a middle-class widow with a six-year-old son. There are serious questions as to whether whites will discredit the show and/or Blacks will be offended by the presentation. Diahann believes her show will discredit racism. She will not be portraying the typical Black mother seen on national TV or in the movies.

She said she planned to use all of the money to go to Auburn University. Huie came up with another $100 for Anderson who said he had not heard about money being Involved.

Huie, author of “The Revolt of Mamie Stover” and “The Americanization of Emily,” also forked over $100 to Negroes Frank Maten of Montgomery and William Thomas of Florence, who said they were Wallace supporters and had voted for Mrs. Wallace in the last gubernatorial election.

Blacks Seek Equality In The U.S.; Not To Destroy It

WASHINGTON

“The most apparent fact that emerges from the data we have assembled is that the Negro mass is far less revolutionary in its attitudes that the more militant spokesman.

“While there is no doubt that Negroes want changes and some are supportive of desperate things to bring it about, the changes they have in mind are essentially conservative in nature.

The great majority do not propose to withdraw from America; they want equal status. These are basic conclusions by a research team from the University of Michigan Research Center, prepared for the National Riots Commission and released during the

weekend.

The group was somewhat more optimistic than the Riots Commission’s own report released on March 1, which concluded that “our nation is moving toward two societies: one Black and one white; separate and unequal.”

The report on the latest study carried out under a Ford Foundation grant after the commission depleted its funds, continued in its conclusions about American Negroes.

“They do not talk of tearing down the economic system, political institutions of the nation; they seek to share equality in the benefits. The majority ... are not despondent and without hope for the future. They see ‘real progress’ over the last decade and real hope for the future.

They are expressing an end to the end of indignities and disadvantages which the traditional American racial pattern has held for them. But this is the only sense in which the objective of this majority can be considered revolutionary.

Legion Favors Lowering The Voting Age To 18 Years

NORFOLK

The Virginia Department of the American Legion went on record at its annual convention in Richmond a week ago in favor of dropping the legal age for voting from 21 to 18.

FROM THE PRESS BOX

By Cal Jacox

Boycott

Olympic

Sour Note

There are strong indications that intimidation is the major weapon being used by the proponents of the proposed boycott of the upcoming 1968 Olympic Games.

Reports are numerous that Harry Edwards and his supporters have virtually browbeaten the colored athletes into believing that their failure to participate in the boycott will brand them forever as a cop-out and a traitor to their race.

In addition, the reports indicate their technique also includes ostracism of the athletes who disagree with them and highly effective use of the “Uncle Tom” and “sell out” labels they plant upon those who straddle the fence.

Harry Edwards gave his reasons as to why Negroes should boycott the Olympic Games in a nationally circulated magazine with the cry of “traitorous.”

An article in The Box commented then that it was a sour note in an otherwise excellent presentation of his cause.

Intimidation is a method that simply cannot be condoned by adherents of fair play, and it is regrettable that the advocate of the boycott must resort to it in their zeal to gain worldwide recognition of the racial plight of the Negro in America.

In favor of the change was adopted by convention delegates during the session held at John Marshall Hotel July 18-21

It was a victory for Attucks Post No. 5 of Norfolk which sponsored the resolutions which were as follows.

“Whereas our nation the United States of America is engaged in a bloody war conflict in far-off Vietnam, “And Whereas our young men are being drafted to serve in the armed forces against a relentless enemy three years before reaching their majority or 21st birthday.

“And, Whereas it has been clearly demonstrated that our educational processes have advanced the maturity stability and the assimilation powers of these 18-yearolds far beyond that enjoyed by the 21-year-old of two or three decades ago.”

Perhaps most importantly, the federal government agreed to be bound by the same laws protecting the environment, which demand consultation with communities before major projects begin.

URBAN LEAGUE CEO COMMITS LEAGUE’S MOVEMENT TO 3 D’S: Defend Democracy, Demand DEI, Defeat Poverty

HOUSTON, TEXAS

National Urban League President and CEO Marc H. Morial has introduced a new phase of advocacy and activism – Empowerment 2.0 – that builds upon the fivepart Empowerment Agenda he unveiled in his first State of the Urban League address 20 years ago.

Built on the foundation of the organization’s five pillars, Employment, Education, Housing, Healthcare, and Justice, Empowerment 2.0 encompasses what Morial called The Three Ds: Defend Democracy, Demand Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, and Defeat Poverty.

“We are engaged in a battle for the future of this nation,” Morial said in his annual address to the National Urban League Conference. “It is clear that the progress, hard fought, since the Brown decision, is under assault on every front. From the Supreme Court to

Lacks

Continued from page 1A

Lacks’ cancer treatment in 1951 was unsuccessful, and she tragically succumbed to the disease a few months after her diagnosis.

Following her death, researchers at Johns Hopkins discovered that the cells sampled from Lacks’ cervix could regenerate outside the human body.

They shared those groundbreaking cells, which were instrumental in developing polio and COVID-19 vaccines and the world’s most common fertility treatment.

Crump has noted that other companies besides

Marc Morial

right-wing state legislatures, to cable talk shows, to the utterances of some Governors, presidential candidates, members of Congress and the United States Senate – it seems they are trying to bend that moral arc not toward justice, but backward to a dark time, long gone.

“With the Three Ds as our battle cry and our clarion call, this generation of Urban League leaders, supporters,

and CEOs, is prepared to face the headwinds that lie before us.”

Morial assailed the policies of Texas Governor Greg Abbott, which have promoted voter suppression, gerrymandered legislative districts, undermined book banning and distortion of history, and life-threatening restrictions on reproductive rights.

“We have come to Houston because Texas seems to be in a race to the bottom of the barrel, reveling in the rolling back of civil rights and advancing the cause of racial injustice, not justice,” Morial said.

Morial reflected on his 20-year journey leading “an iconic organization of the 20th Century” and retooling it for the 21st Century.

“The 20th century Civil Rights Movement of our fathers and grandfathers was a movement to defeat Jim Crow,” he said. “In 2003, we

Va. Beach

Continued from page 1A

were facing a new villain: James Crow, Esquire. James wore a suit and a tie instead of a robe and hood. James would never utter the n-word in public. Instead, he would winkingly refer to ‘states’ rights’ and ‘welfare queens.’

“Today, we are facing the son of James and the grandson of Jim: Jimmy Crow,” he said.

“Jimmy’s not content with suppressing Black votes; he wants the power to ignore election results altogether. He fiercely guards the symbols of white supremacy his grandfather erected on town squares and courthouse grounds to intimidate Black Americans. He rants about ‘replacement theory’ and ‘Critical Race Theory.’”

The National Urban League Conference continues through Saturday at the George R. Brown Convention Center in downtown Houston. For more information, visit NUL.org

The lawmakers said the goal is to ensure her contributions are honored and acknowledged for generations, as the cells she unknowingly provided continue to benefit millions worldwide.

Lacks’ story has since become a best-selling book and, in 2017, Oprah Winfrey starred in the big screen biopic, “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.”

Last November the city held the first election using the format and history was made, as four African-Americans now sit on the council.

Just recently the city highlighted the results of a survey which indicated that a majority of voters approved of the new 10-1 system.

At this point, activists and the plaintiffs who support the new system have noticed that two important pieces needed to finish the complicated puzzle of reforming Virginia Beach’s election system have yet to be put in place.

First, the council has not approved an ordinance to add the new system to the city charter.

And second, nor has it assigned any of the city’s legislative representatives to sponsor a bill to change the city charter to codify the ordinance and the system.

But the city could be making moves to correct that issue.

On August 8, the council is slated to hold a public hearing on an ordinance certifying the new election system.

The following week, it is slated to be approved by the audience.

After those moves, the council will have a State Senator and House of Delegates member representing the city, sponsor a bill in their respective chambers to change the city’s charter.

The 10-1 ward system, with three minority opportunity districts (Districts 4, 7 and 10), where minority voters are the majority, was used in November.

extreme frustration with the city’s pace of considering the election system to this point,” Boynton told the council. “It made clear that it believed only the 10-1 system with these three minority opportunity districts is sufficient to overcome the Voting Rights Act issues.”

The 10-1 ward system, with three minority opportunity districts (Districts 4, 7 and 10), where minority voters are the majority, was used in November.

Civil Rights Activist Roy Perry-Bey, who helped secure Holloway and Allen as plaintiffs and a legal team to plead their suit, said Black civic and political leaders in Virginia Beach should be vigilant.

Thermo Fisher Scientific sell Lacks’ cells, and biotech companies and labs globally use them for various types of research.

The family has signaled that they also may act against those companies.

For decades, Lacks’ contributions to science

remained unrecognized. However, Maryland Democratic Rep. Kweisi Mfume and fellow Maryland Democrats U.S. Sens. Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin have introduced legislation seeking to award Lacks a Congressional Gold Medal posthumously.

“It’s a real honor to have a family member that’s genetic makeup is that important to the world,” Lacks’ grandson, Ron Lacks, said in an earlier interview.

“When people are profiting from her, and some of my family members can’t even afford proper medical [care], you know, it’s like she’s on the auction block,” he said.

“You know, as loving as my grandmother was, she would have definitely said, ‘Well, what about her family?’”

CBC

Continued from page 1A

“And so seeing that as an existential threat to the Republican Party, they aim to change the way a generation thinks by changing what we teach them. But little do they know, not only will it not work, it’ll piss us off and move young people to go and organize.”

Horsford was referring to the recent approval by the Florida State Board of Education of controversial new education guidelines that downplay the harsh history of slavery.

Instead, they emphasize how the skills learned by the enslaved could be used for their personal benefit.

Horsford was elected CBC chair in December 2022. A few months later, in May 2022, the CBC requested a meeting with President Biden to discuss national reforms to the justice system, especially law enforcement conduct. After Tyre Nichols was killed by Memphis police officers, many lawmakers called for action and urged political leaders to revisit the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, after the video was released.

The CBC dates back to the Civil Rights Movement when it was launched by nine members in 1971. Currently, the CDC has 58 members, who serve in the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate.

During a recent council meeting Deputy City Attorney Christopher Boynton warned the council that Virginia Beach could face another federal suit if city leaders do not comply with Jackson’s ruling, or the legislation sponsored by Fowler.

“The barriers to any system other than the 10-1 are strong, if not insurmountable,” Boynton told the city council during that mid-July meeting.

Boynton told the council that city attorneys and the plaintiffs in the suit which abolished the old hybrid system met with Judge Jackson, in late May.

During that council meeting Boynton said the Judge warned that Virginia Beach needs to move forward with approving the new system ordinance and getting the legislature to approve the charter to sanction it.

In 2017, Latasha Holloway and Georgia Allen filed a suit claiming the old hybrid atlarge/borough system did not comply with the Voting Rights Act (VRA).

A special redistricting master drew up the new 10-1 system.

The failure of the city to comply with the court’s order imposing the 10-1 system could prompt the two plaintiffs to file a new suit.

Also, the city runs the risk of not being able to hold council elections 2024.

“The court expressed

Alphas

Continued from page 1A

They pointed to the state’s recent laws and policies that they deemed hostile to marginalized communities.

Among these laws were restrictions on diversity, equity, and inclusion programs in state colleges, bans on critical race theory, and implementing the Stop WOKE Act, which limited specific race-based conversations and analysis in schools and businesses.

Concerns were also raised over laws impacting immigrants in Florida and restricting discussions on

“The council is dragging its feet deliberately,” said PerryBey. “They may be trying to find a way to avoid complying with Judge Jackson’s ruling or the legislation. But they will only face another suit and have to spend more taxpayers’ dollars to defend a system residents do not want anymore.”

Perry-Bey believes there are members of the council who would like to revert back to the “old racist system.”

Perry-Bey said opponents of the new system could try to drag their feet “hoping the Republicans get stronger control of the State House of Delegates and reclaim the Senate.”

The city will need twothirds of the votes in both chambers, and the Governor’s signature to get a charter changed.

“They could lobby a Republican-controlled state legislature to turn down the charter change,” said PerryBey. “But the plaintiffs are ready to go back to court to force them to comply.”

To keep the old system Perry-Bey said the city could write an ordinance to change its residency requirements. When the old system was in place, individuals did not have to live in the district to vote for a candidate representing that district.

So, even if a candidate received the majority support of the residents in that district, their decision could be nullified by people living outside of it.

Civil rights, civic and Black political leaders in Virginia Beach have been concerned about the city making such a move.

LGBTQ topics in schools. At least nine other organizations or associations have canceled their conventions in Orlando and Fort Lauderdale, two of Florida’s major convention cities, citing concerns over the state’s political climate.

Florida remains a popular tourist destination, and tourism is a vital industry for the state, providing 1.6 million fulltime and part-time jobs.

Despite facing challenges during the pandemic, Florida’s tourism sector bounced back, with over 137.5 million visitors in the last year, contributing $98.8 billion to the state’s economy in 2019.

Henrietta Lacks

Practical Economic, Cultural And Political Guidance From Master Teachers

PROFESSOR EMERITUS OF SOCIOLOGY VIRGINIA TECH

EMMETT TILL AND THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT

By Wornie Reed, Ph.D.

Earlier this year, after 120 years of trying to get an antilynching bill passed, civil rights warriors succeeded, and Congress passed such a bill, which President Biden signed. Then more recently, President Biden outdid himself. His latest act is symbolic but a big deal, nevertheless.

Last week, on Emmett Till’s birthday, July 25, President Biden signed a proclamation establishing a national monument honoring Till. Emmett, who lived with his mother in Chicago, was visiting relatives in Money, Mississippi, in the summer of 1955 when he was abducted, tortured, and lynched at the age of 14, allegedly for whistling at a White woman, Carolyn Bryant, in her family’s grocery store. At the trial of his murderers, Carolyn Bryant also testified that in addition to whistling at her, Emmett had come behind the counter, pursuing her and saying other sexually taunting things. In 2015, Bryant, who died earlier this year, sixty years later, confessed to a Duke University professor that she had lied about the event and that Emmett did not deserve to die.

The monument is named the “Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley Monument," rightfully so because what Till's mother, Mamie, did at her son's funeral in Chicago sparked a civil rights movement. She insisted on an open casket for viewing, contrary to practice when the deceased person's face is distorted (by the beatings and torture) beyond recognition. But as she indicated then, she wanted the world to see what these savage racists had done to her son.

Emmett was lynched on August 28, and I was

in Mississippi at the time, spending the summer with my aunt and my first cousins. We were in the Ocean Springs/Biloxi area, which was rigidly segregated but substantially less oppressive and violent than it was in the Mississippi Black Belt.

As I recall, Emmett's lynching was considered terrible; however, it was not considered that special as it was just one more of the violent and deadly attacks on Blacks by Whites, usually with impunity. However, when Jet magazine published the grotesque picture of Emmett on its cover, Black America got sick and angry.

Other important events have been offered as the beginning of the postWorld War II Civil Rights Movement. Some say it was when Jackie Robinson integrated Major League Baseball in 1947. Others point to President Truman's integration of the military in 1948. Many claim it was when Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat and started the Montgomery Bus Boycott. However, I side with those who say it was the lynching of Emmett Till which sparked the civil rights movement, causing many Blacks to declare that something had to be done about this racism and violence.

After the Jet magazine cover, another important event occurred the following September at the trial of Carolyn Bryant’s husband, Roy Bryant, and his half-brother J.W. Milan. Moses Wright, Emmett

Till’s great uncle, did the unthinkable and accused Bryant and Milam of taking Emmett from his home on the night he was lynched.

Moses Wright stood in the courtroom, pointed to Roy Bryant, and said, "Dar he!" indicating the man who dragged Emmett away that night. This may be the first time in Mississippi's history a Black man testified against White men and lived. Despite all this, the jury acquitted the killers.

And in December of 1955, Rosa Parks had recently attended a civil rights workshop at the Highlander School that the great Septima Clark had led. As she left the workshop, Parks would not promise Septima that she would do anything she had learned in Montgomery "because White people there are so mean." However, 100 days after Till’s murder, when the bus driver asked her to give up her seat to a White passenger, she thought of Emmett Till and could not do it. She stayed seated.

Mamie Till’s actions turned out as she intended. The Jet magazine cover made the world more aware of the persistence of racial violence against Blacks who resolved to do something about it. Thus, the Montgomery Bus Boycott began. Then later, the student sit-in movement. “Emmett Till” was an important thread in the civil rights movement. For example, the 1963 March on Washington was held on August 28, the anniversary of Emmett’s murder.

By A. Peter Bailey (TRICEEDNEYWIRE.COM)

When asked about Brother Malcolm X, I always praise him as a Master Teacher who taught me and many others the importance of reading, learning from and acting on our history. By doing so, we can more effectively promote and protect our economic, cultural and political rights in the United States and the world.

One thing I did because of Brother Malcolm’s guidance has been to collect important quotes that provide sound guidance from serious Black folks including journalist/ historian Lerone Bennett, Jr., academician Mary McLeod Bethune, business executive Earl B. Dickerson, psychologist Frances Cress Welsing and historian Carter G. Woodson.

Brother Bennett stated, “Given the way we were forced to live in this society, the miracle is not that so many Black families are broken, but so many are still together. That so many Black fathers are still at home. That so many Black mothers are still raising good children. It is the incredible toughness and resilience in (Black) people that give me hope.”

Sister Bethune wrote in her last will and testament that “I leave you (Black people) the challenge of developing confidence in one another. This kind of confidence will

aid the economic rise of the race by bringing together the pennies and dollars of our people and ploughing them into useful channels.”

Brother Dickerson stated that “As more and more Blacks move into the middle class, they owe a responsibility to the Black community. If Blacks go into the white community to get the knowhow and then stay there, they are only pushing further away from the possibilities of Blacks ever becoming economically self-sufficient.”

Sister Welsing noted that “Black children are our most valuable possession and our greatest potential resource. Any meaningful discussion of the future of Black people must be predicated upon Black people’s plans for the maximum development of all Black children….If the children of a people are not fully developed at whatever cost and sacrifice, the people will have consigned

themselves to certain death.”

Brother Woodson warned us in 1926 that “In the schools of business administration Negroes are trained exclusively in the psychology and economics of Wall Street, therefore made to despise the opportunities to run ice wagons, push banana carts and sell peanuts among their own people. Foreigners who have not studied economics, but have studied Negroes take up this business and grow rich.”

The advice and guidance provided by these master teachers and others have just as much relevance in 2023 as it did when given. If we don’t follow their advice and guidance as a group of people we will never be in a position to effectively promote and protect the rights of people of African descent in this country and the world.

HANDLING EXTREMISM

By Dr. E. Faye Williams, Esq. (Ret.) (TRICEEDNEYWIRE.COM)

At one time we could confidently turn to the U S Supreme Court for relief from extremist behavior that attempted to take away rights we already had or rights we were fighting to achieve. Today, unfortunately, we experience extremism in so many areas of our lives. Our forever President Barack and First Lady Michelle Obama are sounding the alarm and have asked all of us to join with activists who've been sounding the alarm on extremism for years. Unfortunately, many never even dreamed racism and all the other

Dr. E. Faye Williams,

negative isms would ever get as bad as they are today! We thought Donald Trump, Ronald DeSantis, and a big chunk of the MAGA crowd were just a joke. It must be clear now, they are for real, and people we thought were semisensible have come down

HONORING JESSE JACKSON’S LEGACY AND OUR SHARED MISSION

By Marc H. Morial (TRICEEDNEYWIRE.COM)

”No generation can choose the age or circumstance in which it is born, but through leadership it can choose to make the age in which it is born an age of enlightenment, an age of jobs, and peace, and justice.”

– Jesse Jackson

It was the repeated refrain of a poem composed in the 1940s by Atlanta pastor and civil rights activist Rev. William Holmes Borders Sr. But Rev. Jesse Jackson’s call-andresponse with a multi-racial group of children on Sesame Street in 1972 made it an anthem for a generation.

I am – Somebody.

Rev. Jackson, who announced his retirement from the organization he founded, the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, is not just a beacon of hope or a pillar of strength; he is a trailblazer, a mentor, a friend, and an inspiration to me and countless others.

As a teenaged protégé

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Jackson was an eyewitness to some of the most pivotal moments in civil rights history, including King’s tragic assassination 1968.

“It’s hurtful, painful though,” he said, “that a man of love is killed by hate; that a man of peace should be killed by violence; a man who cared is killed by the careless.”

Jackson’s tireless fight for voting rights, economic justice, and racial equality have left an indelible mark on our nation and have been a guiding force for the National Urban League’s work.

Of that generation who picked up the torch directly from King, only Jackson and Andrew Young, remain, carrying it forward to illuminate the path towards justice and equality. When the assassin’s bullet stilled King’s voice, it was Jackson’s that thundered forth, resonating the clarion call for justice well into the 21st century.

In 1984 and again in 1988, I proudly traveled as a delegate to the Democratic National Convention to cast my vote for Jackson. His keynote address at the 1984 convention inspired a generation of young leaders – myself included – and continues to resonate today:

“This is not a perfect party. We are not a perfect people. Yet, we are called to a perfect mission. Our mission: to feed the hungry; to clothe the naked; to house

the homeless; to teach the illiterate; to provide jobs for the jobless; and to choose the human race over the nuclear race.”

His historic presidential runs were not mere campaigns; they were seismic shifts in the political landscape. Jackson ran with purpose, with passion, and with an unyielding belief in the possibility of change.

Finishing third in 1984 and second in 1988, Jackson shattered the glass ceiling for future leaders like Barack Obama. The National Urban League and the Rainbow PUSH Coalition share a common mission. We both strive to empower AfricanAmericans and other marginalized communities, promote economic and social justice, and fight for equal opportunities for all.

Our organizations have long been intertwined in this shared mission, working side by side to bring about meaningful change.

Jackson founded People United to Serve Humanity – Operation PUSH –in Chicago in 1971 to promote the employment of Black Americans by the companies operating in their communities, and to nurture Black-owned businesses. The National Rainbow Coalition was a political movement that grew from Jackson’s 1984 Presidential campaign. Jackson merged the two organizations in 1996. For more than five decades, Rainbow PUSH has served as a blueprint for multicultural coalition building. Jackson advanced the idea that elected office was not just a position of power, but a platform to advance social and economic justice. He gave voice to progressive issues and served as a relentless catalyst for

change, creating productive tension that spurred action.

In his retirement statement, Reverend Jackson said, “I have been doing this stuff for 64 years ... I’ve had a good run.” Indeed, he has. His life’s work has brought about significant change and progress, and his legacy will continue to inspire and guide us.

As we navigate this transition, we welcome his successor, Frederick Douglass Haynes III, a man of equal passion and commitment. Haynes, a longtime civil rights activist and former president of the National Baptist Convention USA, is poised to carry the torch forward.

Haynes has pledged to work tirelessly to build on the legacy of Rev. Jackson and to ensure that the Rainbow PUSH Coalition remains a powerful force for justice and equality. The National Urban League is proud to support him in this mission. see Morial, page 5A

front to prove we were wrong. Many of them have spent years building their strength to do damage to us in many ways. I don't think most of us ever thought we would witness a leader in the White House (Donald Trump) would work so hard to do harm to us – and worse still that there would be such a large group of people even running to become President – with the same ideas and plans as Trump. Some of them have already served in some capacity as a leader in our nation and are supporting the same turmoil that has been created by their criminal leader!

Can you even imagine a Black leader being convicted or having as many serious indictments as Trump who would still be walking the streets freely so as to have time to personally push his day of reckoning beyond reach because the discovery of his continuing criminal behavior leaves him free to keep on upsetting any kind of belief that he will ever pay for the people’s lives his behavior has already ruined?

I talk with many people who’ve lost faith that Trump will ever pay for his thuggish behavior. If you think there’s any hope we will ever be able to head off a bunch of local and state Trumps, we’ve got to take an interest and action in heading off the destruction of our local community.

We must attend our city council, school board, county council, and political party meetings. We can’t fight the extremism that’s growing all around us by waiting for somebody else to handle things. We must stand up and help to fight this extremism. see Extremism, page 5A

Esq.

If you think there’s any hope we will ever be able to head off a bunch of local and state Trumps, we’ve got to take an interest and action in heading off the destruction of our local community.

In the spirit of Reverend Jackson, let us continue to carry the torch of justice, to push for a world where everyone, regardless of their race or background, has an equal opportunity to thrive.

One thing I did because of Brother Malcolm’s guidance has been to collect important quotes that provide sound guidance from serious Black folks

However, I side with those who say it was the lynching of Emmett Till which sparked the civil rights movement, causing many Blacks to declare that something had to be done about this racism and violence.

A. Peter Bailey

Marc H. Morial

Morial

Continued from page 4A

In the spirit of Reverend Jackson, let us continue to carry the torch of justice,

Extremism

Continued from page 4A

Extremists want to cancel true African-American history, fair voting rights, and rights to be educated at certain universities. Teachers are being fired. Books have been banned. Affirmative action rights to correct past wrongs are canceled, and for women, our right to choose what happens with our bodies –all of that has happened just over the past few months. Just think about what will happen in the coming years with any one of the current Presidential candidates challenging President Joe Biden who is trying his best to put us back on a sensible course to the things our

to push for a world where everyone, regardless of their race or background, has an equal opportunity to thrive.

Because, as Reverend Jackson has shown us, when we fight for justice and equality, we don’t just change the world, we create a new one.

nation professes to stand for.

We have people we once thought to be friends and to have a concern about our human rights now toying with giving aid and comfort to the enemies of our people. Whether or not they carry out their dangerous plans, we need to remind them of the negative impact their present course of actions will have on the 2024 Presidential, Senatorial, and House results.

You know who they are.

As much as Dr. Cornell West has usually been on the right side of issues, we question his intention now. Sen. Joe Mansion has always been suspect and has failed us at crucial times. I don’t think any of us can explain Joe Kennedy – so spread the news when somebody figures it out!

Why I Am Fighting For Greater Visibility For Diabetic Men & Women

By Patti LaBelle

More than 25 years ago, I collapsed on-stage while performing. I had no idea what was happening, but that night in the hospital, when I was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes, my life was forever changed.

At first, I was angry, and I was terrified. I watched my aunt and uncle lose their sight, and my mother lost both her legs before she died in her 60s due to diabetes. I know firsthand the toll that this disease can take. It took me a while to do something about my diabetes. I was in denial. I kept my old unhealthy eating habits. If it was battered or fried, I ate it!

Eventually, I realized my glucose levels weren’t getting any better, and I knew it was time to do something. I made a conscious choice to prioritize my health and change my way of living. I turned to my love of cooking to overhaul my diet. It meant I had to put down the butter and pick up the vegetable steamer. I would even take my pots and pans with me on tour and cook in my suite with ingredients from the local farmer’s market, just so I could better control my food intake. Has it been easy? No. But has it paid off? Absolutely.

BLACK PEOPLE AND DIABETES

The more attention I pay to my health, the better I feel. Exercise and I are not friends, but I started becoming more active –whether walking my dog and exercising in my pool or hopping on the elliptical machine.

I use my Dexcom

continuous glucose monitor (or CGM) to stay on top of my glucose levels throughout the day, without the need for painful finger pricks. It lets me know where my glucose levels are and where they’re headed, all with a glance at my iPhone. I can even share my levels with members of my family and my physician so they can keep a close eye on them, too.

I am proud of how far I have come on my health journey, and I am blessed and privileged to have an incredible support system in my doctors, family and friends. But millions of Americans in this country are not as fortunate.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 1 in 10 Americans have diabetes (34 million), and approximately 90 percent of them have Type 2 diabetes. Black people are 60 percent more likely to develop diabetes than white people, and in 2018, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services found that Black people were twice as likely as white people to die from diabetes.

Lots of things are making this true, but it doesn’t have

to be this way.

Living with diabetes has never been easier; insulin pumps talk directly to continuous glucose monitors and automatically deliver insulin, and you can keep a close eye on your glucose levels from your smartwatch or phone without pricking your finger – no one likes to do that!

But this amazing technology is still not in the hands of people in Black communities and communities of color.

A recent survey of people with insulin-treated diabetes found that most believe they deserve new technology to manage their disease, and I couldn’t agree more.

Why are so many of us out here fighting diabetes with the same old tools that have been around since my aunt, uncle and mother were diagnosed? If today’s health care system provided more coverage for (and access to) these technologies, millions of lives could be saved.

A ‘DIVABETIC’ ADVOCATING FOR OTHERS

Diabetes is often invisible to everyone except those

living with it, and for too long, minorities have felt invisible in this country. They deserve to feel seen and heard. I am proof that you can not only live with Type 2 diabetes but also live well with it. I am not a diabetic, I’m a divabetic! And I am proud of it.

That is why this November, along with the Global Movement for Time in Range, I am sharing my story to amplify this important topic, and advocating for better access to diabetes technology and asking that decision-makers take action for communities of color to receive the care they need.

Whether you have Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes, care for someone with diabetes, or you simply believe that people with diabetes deserve better, you can take action too by joining the conversation at wheninrange.com.

It’s time that we all truly #SeeDiabetes, because we can’t help change what we cannot see.

Patti LaBelle is a singer, actress, author and advocate. Follow her on Twitter: @ MsPattiPatti Patti LaBelle lost three sisters to cancer. Now, she’s telling adults to ‘take heed and get checked.’

That is why this November, along with the Global Movement for Time in Range, I am sharing my story to amplify this important topic ... and asking that decision-makers take action for communities of color to receive the care they need.”

Patti

LaBelle

The

Sixty years later – 2023 – a coalition of Black civil rights groups led by Dr. King’s offspring, Martin Luther King, III; King’s wife, Andrea Waters King; their daughter, Yolanda Renee King; the Drum Major Institute; and the National Action Network (NAN), are in the forefront of the 60th Anniversary of 1963 event under the theme: “It’s Not a Commemoration, It’s A Continuation! We March On!”

The 60th anniversary arrives at a point in American history when African-Americans, along with poor whites, gays, women, Hispanics, and Native Americans are fighting against efforts to marginalize them economically and politically, according to organizers of the 60th Anniversary event.

Blacks are still among the poorest Americans. The nation’s public schools appear as segregated as they did in 1963.

A growing number of states led by the Republicans are devising ways to deter and reduce the number of AfricanAmerican voters.

The same states, notably Florida, are outlawing or deterring the teaching of Black history in public schools and mentioning the most abusive practices of slavery or Jim Crow.

Tools, such as affirmative action, that have been used to increase Black employment and college enrollment are being rolled back by the federal courts and the Republican-controlled legislatures.

Black people walking through or recreating near all-white neighborhoods

are increasingly once again subject to being harassed or attacked in some places in America.

Nathan Richardson of Suffolk does a reenactment of Frederick Douglass, one of the most prominent pre-Jim Crow civil rights abolitionists and activists. Richardson appears in costume and delivers Douglass’ messages around the country.

He has not attended any of the anniversaries of the 1963 March. He did attend the Million Man March that came later in the 1990s.

Richardson said this year’s march should remind people today why the 1963 and subsequent events were held.

“A march is a prayer in motion,” he said.

“Some of us are well aware of ‘the fierce urgency of now.’ Some of us do not have a clue,” he said.

“Back then, it was jobs and Jim Crow. Today, Jim Crow has been discarded for the dog whistles. Jim Crow (White Supremacist), just as he did 160 years ago, is openly advocating seceding from the American Constitution.”

He continued, “As for jobs, we have the lowest unemployment rate since the industrial revolution.

Everyone in America (especially Blacks are far too wealthy and content) to be concerned about the serious threat to their

rights.”

“Even moderate wealth creates a dangerous level of apathy,” he said.

“In the words of Frederick Douglass, ‘The American people are more disposed to be generous rather than just. Is it jewelry or justice?”

The march represented a coalition of the “Big Six” civil rights organizations and their leaders: James Farmer of the Congress of Racial Equality, or CORE; John Lewis of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, or SNCC; Asa Philip Randolph of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters; Roy Wilkins of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, or NAACP; Whitney Young Jr. of the National Urban League; and King, head of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, or SCLC.

Each of the Big Six leaders spoke except Farmer, who was in a Louisiana jail at the time, having been arrested for “disturbing the peace” as he organized protests in the town of Plaquemine. Floyd McKissick, a North Carolina-based civil rights activist, lawyer, preacher, and Black-Power advocate, read Farmer’s speech to the marchers.

Other speakers included labor leader Walther Reuther and religious leaders representing Catholic, Protestant, and Jewish faith traditions.

Entertainer Josephine Baker, who recognized Rosa Parks among the “Negro Woman Fighters for Freedom,” was the only female speaker. The 1963 march was followed by anniversary marches in 1983, 1988, 1993, and 2003.

In 1988 Angie Gregory of Chesapeake, her then teenage daughter Nikki and other friends boarded a bus from Virginia Beach to attend the 25th anniversary of the 1963 March.

Gregory said she recalls a reporter from the Journal and Guide as well as a reporter from the local daily newspaper shadowing her as she retraced the steps of the one-mile march in the National Mall along the reflective pool to the steps of the Washington Monument. Her story appeared in the local newspaper.

She recalls hearing Dr. King’s disciples, such as Rev. Jesse Jackson, who was running for President, give speeches on the continued fight for civil rights.

Gregory said the 1963 and following anniversary marches were used to highlight the Black community’s demands for voting, social and economic rights.

But, like Richardson, she said that Black people “have gotten so complacent, despite the

challenges to civil rights today, we need to turn the light bulb on again and stand up to what is going on.”

She said progress has been made, but with Conservative White Republicans’ attack on the civil rights of Blacks, the poor, Gays, and women’s reproductive rights, “did we do it all in vain?”

“They are trying to pull the rug of economic and political rights out from under us,” said Gregory. “Many of us have lost the concept of fighting for our freedom. We have forgotten that despite ... we are continually fighting to preserve that and secure more.

They are trying to send us back to 1963.” 

She was Sharon Riddick in 1983 when the 20th anniversary of March took place.

Today, Sharon Hoggard is retired after working in various avenues of media for three decades.

In 1983, she was a reporter for the Journal and Guide. She recalls she was in one of a caravan of buses from Hampton Roads which descended on Washington D.C. that hot late August.

“It was the largest event I had ever covered as a reporter,” she recalled. “Before I had covered

large jazz concerts or conferences. There were over 50,000 people there.”

Hoggard said she ran across a number of “interesting people and stories.”

“We walked the mall along the reflecting pool and there were people from all over,” she said. “There were all kinds of vendors.”

Hoggard said she recalled some of the more noted speakers such as Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan.

Also, Malcolm X’s widow Betty Shabazz gave a fiery operatory along with John Lewis and other civil rights leaders.

“The event allowed me to understand the Civil Rights Movement and what it meant to Black people more,” she said. Hoggard said, “Democracy is under threat; a lot of people do not believe that slavery was a big deal.”

“Like 1963, people are still willing to stand in the door to block Black progress,” she said. “They believe that if AfricanAmericans get something, it means we are taking something away from them. I believe this country would be 200 years ahead of other nations if it had not spent so much time trying to keep us down ... segregation, oppression, and discrimination. Think of all the talent and money that has been wasted.”

STRATEGIES FOR EMPOWERING AT-RISK YOUTH TO SUCCEED SCHOOL AND LIFE

By John L. Horton

Come September the “new” school year (September 2023

– June 2024) will begin for our public schools students and their families, locally and elsewhere. Therefore, I am motivated to write this piece pertaining to some important aspects concerning this upcoming school year, and the like.

As an octogenarian (82), retired Marine sergeant major, probation officer, social worker, college teacher, lecturer, mentor, facilitator, counselor, trainer, advocate and activist, I have seen, experienced and attempted to do a lot over the years and decades, which gives me special insight and realistic understanding when it comes to “simplistic, synoptic strategies for empowering atrisk and disadvantaged youth to be successful in school and life.”



It has been stated that “you earn what you learn.” Therefore, we must empower all of our youth to become smarter and more productive citizens. Moreover, it has been said that “education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” Unless we are able to accomplish this feat, our great nation will not be competitive in the world marketplace, much less remain the world’s leader. Economically, politically, militarily, and socially, most of us are already aware of this self-fulfilling prophecy of life.

Another old truism goes: “The flip side of crisis is opportunity.” When it comes to our nation’s educational system, this is particularly true.

Therefore, special attention and intense interest should be given to those youth who are at greatest risk and most disadvantaged for dropping out of school and/or failing to get a good education.

This is particularly true of those youth who disproportionately come from single parent and economically disadvantaged households. This population is “at-risk” most drastically, academically and otherwise, and not too much is getting any better for them – after all this time and all the monies supposedly expended on their behalf.

As I see it, there are several significant drawbacks to our present educational processes, and I would like to delineate some possible strategies and solutions:

First, we need an academic program that is comprehensive and inclusive for all of its student body. We need to insure that all of our children are educated and advanced according to their needs and abilities.

Some of our children have “special education” needs, especially when it comes to adaptation, behavior and learning. More study needs to be given to behavior (suspensions, expulsions, etc.)

and learning (deficiencies, limitations, etc.) among other things. This needs to be accomplished in an “open, honest and realistic” environment, involving students, teachers and parents.

Second, we must use a “reality-based” focus for teaching our at-risk and disadvantaged youth. We could begin by honestly evaluating our students’ educational abilities and skills.

This is more important than ever, especially since the recent COVID-19 epidemic that hampered and harmed many of our youth living in some of our most “at-risk and disadvantaged” communities.

Then we could develop and implement curricula that deal with the students’ (actual/real) levels of comprehension and competence.

Through this “new approach” education system, everyone will be encouraged and expected to achieve and succeed – not by words alone, but also by actions and deeds. For example, the so-called “special/social promotions” may be a means to an end, but it is “not the answer.” In fact, it may be a disservice to the very students that it is supposed to help, since many of them end up “dropping out of the system” after getting a promotion that was supposed to be for their own good.

Third, we need programs that more clearly and profoundly focus on the concerns and needs of students who come from at-risk and disadvantaged backgrounds. For the most part, middle and higher income and/or two-parent families are better able to give their children/students what it takes to achieve academically and socially. see Strategies, page 8A

Angela Gregory Nathan Richardson Sharon Hoggard

60th anniversary arrives at a point in American history when African-Americans, along with poor whites, gays, women, Hispanics, and Native Americans are fighting against efforts to marginalize them economically and politically, according to organizers of the 60th Anniversary event.

John L. Horton

Strategies

Continued from page 7A

Collectively speaking, special attention and preferential treatment need to be given to those students most at-risk and disadvantaged. We must come to understand that these particular children have special needs and that they suffer from a loss of community. Therefore, a “different” approach is needed for imparting the educational/learning experience to them. Otherwise, a telling and substantive “difference” will never be accomplished. And their loss, too, will be our loss. We must always keep in mind: “A chain is only as strong as it weakest link…

Fourth, probably the most critical piece to making this all work – satisfactory attendance, good behavior and academic achievement – is the parent(s). It is unfortunate that too many of these parent(s) do not have the in-house wherewithal and resources to achieve the “three basics” of satisfactory attendance, good behavior, and academic achievement.

This basic foundation of parental authority and student responsibility has to be developed and implemented effectively before anything else will succeed and/or be meaningful.

Brie fl y stated, these particular youth need,

among other things: parenting skills for their parents, psychological and academic evaluation, concentrated and focused counseling within the school setting, selfesteem and motivational reinforcement, cultural and personal empowerment, mentoring and tutoring, and the like.

Fifth, being successful in school can be equated to the “3-A’s: Attendance + Attitude = Achievement.”

For this educational at-risk population, the “truancy and behavior” aspect is of profound importance. For, until they come to schools and behave themselves on a regular basis, it will be almost impossible to teach them anything meaningful and substantial. Keeping disruptive and unruly youth in school solely for the purpose of a body count and budget funding is counterproductive for those students who truly want to learn.

Accordingly, it is of paramount importance that good order and a positive learning environment be maintained in the classroom at all costs. For those students who are unable and/or unequipped to function in this “positive learning environment,” an extensive “alternative school setting” may be the best and/or only recourse.

Lastly, but certainly not least, we must allow and empower our teachers to do and be all that they can be in the classroom. Teachers should be treated and paid like the professionals they

are. We must encourage our “best and brightest” to become and remain teachers.

We need to give our teachers “room to operate” and solicit their advice, opinions and ideas. We need to support our teachers in these vital endeavors, for they “educate” the children who are our future and our hope.

We can no longer afford to ignore these vital issues and hope that the situation will get better all by itself. Political correctness, governmental intervention and human sacri fi ces will not save us, alone, without parental involvement and participation on behalf of their children/students.

In summary, we must aggressively pursue “corrective actions” until our goals for our children are achieved. Good intentions are groundless unless the fi nal objective(s) are achieved.

Alas, we have come too far and invested too much economic, political and social capital, not to succeed in this formidable task that lies before us.

Enough talking and grandstanding. Enough division and mayhem. Let’s get to work and make it happen for our youth to be successful in school and life.

And, let us always remember those “ten most powerful and substantive words”: If it is to be, it is up to us!

John L. Horton is a resident of Norfolk and frequent contributor to this newspaper.

Symphony By The Sea Concert Series

VIRGINIA BEACH

The Neptune Festival’s Symphony by the Sea Concert Series – presented by the Breeden Company launched its 12th season this year. This free concert series features performances by the Virginia Symphony Orchestra and Symphonicity, performed select Thursday and Tuesday evenings at Neptune’s Park on 31st Street

and Atlantic Avenue from 7:30-9 p.m. Bring a beach chair and come early, as the park fills up quickly for these popular summer concerts. 2023 dates: Aug. 10, Aug. 17. Aug. 24., Sept. 5. Rain dates as needed are Aug. 31, and Sept. 7. More at www.neptunefestival.com/ events/symphony-by-the-sea-concertseries/2023-07-27

SECTION B COMMUNITY & MORE ...

PORTSMOUTH

In a few months, Portsmouth’s Lincoln Memorial Cemetery located off of Deep Creek Boulevard will receive a makeover.

Portsmouth City Council members recently approved $50,000 in this year’s fiscal budget for perpetual care that will provide drainage, road and monument repair to Portsmouth’s historic Black cemetery.

Lincoln Memorial Cemetery will finally receive ongoing maintenance care. It is the final resting place for numerous local residents, as well as Black veterans who fought in the Civil War, World War

61st Grand Worthy Matron

HAMPTON

On Thursday, July 20, 2023, at the 121st Annual Order of the Eastern Star of Virginia Prince Hall Affiliation Grand Session, Jacqueline T. Sutton was installed as the 61st Grand Worthy Matron. She resides in Hampton, Virginia, alongside her husband of 54 years, Raymond A. Sutton III, and through their union, Mr. and Mrs. Sutton have a daughter, Candace, and a son, Raymond IV. see page 5B

I and World War II, and the Vietnam and Korean Wars. Portsmouth resident Lisa Bares said she often visits her mother at the cemetery, but the trip is stressful.

“I’m afraid to walk. I’m afraid to fall in something. The headstones are broken. They’re fallen in. This is what we have out here,” she said in recent news reports.

Historian Charles Johnson said, “The cemetery’s here because of segregation. If you go back into the history of the area of Portsmouth there were no cemeteries for African-Americans except for Calvary

cemetery. That was closed down in 1964.

“In between that time, it was filling up and there was no place for AfricanAmericans to be buried. So they were looking for a site and this was the site that was found. Because of segregation they were not able to be buried in the city cemetery.”

According to news reports, mowers were recently spotted at the historic cemetery. Meanwhile, the AfricanAmerican Historical Society of Portsmouth is working with the government to replace several handmade marble military stones.

NSU HOSTS FILM EVENT AT MARTHA’S VINEYARD

(OAK BLUFFS, MARTHA’S VINEYARD)

Norfolk State University will present an exclusive film screening and conversation at the historic The Strand Theater in Oak Bluffs, Martha’s Vineyard on August 4.

Following the showing of the film, “Freedom’s Path,” a thought-provoking talk-back session will take place with the film’s producer, BK Fulton, an acclaimed figure in the entertainment industry and the CEO of Soulidifly Productions. Joining the conversation will be Emmy-nominated TV host and distinguished NSU professor, April Woodard.

“Freedom’s Path” follows the journey of a soldier who deserts from battle and embarks on a soul-searching quest. During his journey, he encounters a young and heroic Black man whose courage and resilience amid adversity serve as a guiding light. The soldier learns the profound and often harsh realities of war, discovering the true meaning of freedom and humanity.

“We are honored to host this significant event at the historic The Strand Theater on the picturesque Island of Martha’s Vineyard,” said Dr. Javaune Adams-Gaston, NSU President of Norfolk State University. The free event will conclude with a reception.

Boys Choir of Hampton Roads Performs In Washington , D.C.

By Julius McCullough Special to the Guide

HAMPTON ROADS

The Boys Choir of Hampton Roads performed in Washington, D.C. on July 23 at the Sixth Presbyterian Church which was celebrating its momentous 170th Anniversary.

A day earlier, upon their arrival in the nation’s capital, the Boys Choir of Hampton Roads paused to pay homage to the cherished history of their ancestors and the champions of civil rights. They stepped into the revered halls of the National AfricanAmerican Museum, where the tapestry of their heritage unfurled before them, revealing the triumphs and trials that shaped their identity.

As the golden sun dipped below the horizon, casting its warm glow over the city, the Choir’s journey led them to the aweinspiring Martin Luther King, Jr. Monument, a majestic testament to resilience and dreams realized. There, amidst the profound silence of history, the boys stood in reverent awe, finding strength and inspiration in the legacy of the visionary leader who once walked these very streets.

On Sunday afternoon, July 23, the stage was set at the church for an evening of musical transcendence. Reverend Rose Wayland, the church’s esteemed Pastor, bestowed a gracious Welcome and Invocation.

Guided by the masterful hand of Maestro Kelvin Page, the Artist Group of Washington lent their enchantment to the symphony, adding their own artistic fusion to the magical performance.

They commenced with soaring excerpts from Adolphus Hailstork’s opus, “I Will Lift Up Mine Eyes.”

The ethereal notes rose and fell, carrying the audience on a sublime journey of celestial splendor. Then, like a celestial beacon, Qualan Cooper, a tenor of remarkable talent, sang the solo. His voice, imbued with a rare blend

of power and tenderness, wrapped the audience in its golden embrace as he delivered. The Arts Group of Washington performed Hailstork’s “The Lord Is My Shepherd.” The listeners were enraptured, each note resonating with an exquisite sense of peace and solace.

But the evening’s marvels did not cease there, for the stage was soon graced by the presence of Angela Moore, a soprano whose voice seemed to transcend mortal boundaries. With consummate grace, she delivered a spellbinding performance of “Everytime I Feel The Spirit” by H.T. Burleigh. The purity of her voice, coupled with the deep resonance of the spiritual, sent shivers down the spines of the spellbound audience. As their final note echoed through the hallowed halls, a thunderous applause erupted, a tempest of appreciation and admiration for these aweinspiring performances.

The afternoon was still young, and the stage was set ablaze with lights, as the Boys Choir of Hampton Roads (directed by Julius E. McCullough, Artistic Director, with Geraldine T. Boone, Founder and Accompanist) took their position.

They entered the stage majestically conducted by David Whyte, Jr., singing the brilliant African Folk Song, “Siyahumba,” their harmonies filling the air with a sense of jubilant celebration. From humor to reverence, their repertoire showcased the diversity of their talents. They humorously presented “We’re the Men,” with the charming Elliott Williams adding his comic relief, followed by the exuberant “A Jubilant Gloria” that perfectly encapsulated the celebratory occasion.

Throughout the concert, the Boys Choir’s astounding performances left the audience mesmerized. From Howard Helvey’s reverent “Lord Make Me an Instrument of Thy Peace” to Sherri Porterfield’s heartfelt “Kyrie” (Lord, Have Mercy), each note struck a chord in the hearts of all

Sherard & Friends Give Jazz Boost At Roads Bistro

present.

After a brief intermission, the Boys Choir resumed their performance with a solo that left the audience enraptured.

The outstanding tenor, Nathaniel Dunaway, sang an arrangement by Maestro McCullough, “This Little Light of Mine,” leaving an indelible impression on the hearts of the listeners.

However, one of the highlights of the afternoon’s concert came in the form of Xavier Blount’s outstanding performance of “Jesus Is Love.” With his soulstirring rendition of the old Commodores favorite, the audience rose to their feet, roaring their approval of this breathtaking display of talent.

As the afternoon’s concert reached its climax, the Boys Choir performed “Make Them Hear You” by the arranger Jeff Funk, followed by the powerful spiritual “A City Called Heaven” by Josephine Poelinitz. The outstanding solo interpretation by David Whyte, Jr. was nothing short of aweinspiring, leaving the audience in awe of his exceptional talent. The other exceptional choir members are Elliott Williams, Eli Formilien, Cody Stiff, DaiJean Nowlin Britt, Corjah Nowlin Britt, Stephano Mosley, Jr., Isaiah Mosley, and Elijah Mosley.

In the grand finale, the Artist Group of Washington joined forces with the Boys Choir of Hampton Roads to perform “Awesome Grace” by Rev. Rodney Teal. The up-roaring gospel had the audience captivated, and it was Boys Choir member, Joshua Parker, whose voice resonated with the spirit of the song, bringing the concert to a triumphant and joyous close.

In this momentous convergence of musical brilliance and historic significance, the Boys Choir of Hampton Roads etched their names in the firmament of Washington, D.C. The echoes of their harmonies, like a sweet, resonant echo, lingered in the hearts of all who bore witness, a testament to the everlasting impact of their artistry.

Attucks Jazz Club Returns In September For 2023-2024 Season

NORFOLK

The Attucks Jazz Club returns on September 30 at the historic Attucks Theatre. Presented by the Virginia Arts Festival and SevenVenues, the Attucks Jazz Club transforms an intimate, upstairs space and brings some of the genre’s most talented players to Norfolk.

The series is curated by pianist and educator John Toomey, a legend among local jazz fans, whose namesake trio performs with the featured artist in each Attucks Jazz Club show. When he’s not making history himself, Toomey teaches Jazz History and Jazz Improvisation at Old Dominion University, where he also directs the Jazz Combo and Jazz Choir.

Before settling down at ODU, Toomey toured with jazz trumpet legend Maynard Ferguson as well as vocalists Mark Murphy and Rene Marie. Regular players in the trio include bassist Jimmy Masters, who has enlivened the region’s jazz scene for more than three decades, and drummer Tony Martucci out of Washington, D.C.

The 2023-2024 Attucks Jazz Club lineup opens with Alex McArthur, New York vocalist, who will make her local debut with The John Toomey Trio on Saturday, September 30, 2023, 7:30 p.m.

McArthur has shared her rich, soulful sound in New York clubs and festivals,

including a star turn as Billie Holiday in a production of the heralded play Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill.

On Saturday, October 21, 2023, vocalist Dominique Eade, performs at 7:30 p.m. She has performed in clubs, concert halls and festivals throughout the U.S., Latin America and Europe, and her recordings have made the top ten lists at Billboard, NPR, Entertainment Weekly, DownBeat magazine and more.

Tickets for the Attucks Jazz Club may be purchased online at www.vafest.org, by phone at (757) 282-2822 or by visiting the Virginia Arts Festival box of fi ce located at 440 Bank Street in Norfolk between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday-Friday; also available at ticketmaster.com.

All performances begin at 7:30 p.m. The Attucks Theatre is located at 1010 Church St., Norfolk. For more information and to buy tickets visit www.vafest.org.

ABOUT THE PRESENTERS:

Since 1997, the Virginia Arts Festival has presented performers from around the world to local audiences. The Festival has presented numerous U.S. and regional premieres, and regularly commissions new works of music, dance, and theater. The Festival also has an arts education program for area schoolchildren.

By Glen Mason New Journal and Guide Food and Culture Correspondent

VIRGINIA BEACH

Wilma Horne, a jazz enthusiast, was sitting with four close friends at Roads Bistro on Princess Anne Road in Virginia Beach when she was left stunned. She had known Sherard Fields for years as an audiophile and professional soundman, but she had no idea he could play the saxophone as well as anyone she had seen live or on tour. After the performance, she said to the saxophonist, “I didn’t know you could play like that.”

Unbeknownst to many, Fields is an exceptional saxophonist. Sherard and Friends will be performing an encore performance at Roads Bistro on Saturday, August 5th. Music lovers, especially jazz fans, can use this as a warmup for the Norfolk Waterfront Jazz Festival on Friday, August 18th, and August 19th in Towne Point Park, which is one of the most popular cultural events produced by Festevents and sponsored by Optima Health, the City of Norfolk, Southern Automotive and other businesses, including The New Journal and Guide.

Jazz is the only art form that originated in the United States, and the appearance of Fields bodes well for regional jazz fans. Roads Bistro schedules jazz performances every Thursday night and every other Saturday. With its “sublime” tapas menu and Sherard Fields on saxophone, making it like a night at the Bijou Café in Philadelphia.

Fields was asked where his musician life began.

“My musical life began at home when I was a child. My older brother, sister, and I took piano lessons from our grandmother on our mother’s side of the family.”

However, unfortunately, he did not take music as a priority at the time.

“I remember King Curtis being one of my earliest influences playing the saxophone,” Fields said. “His renditions of ‘Memphis Soul Stew’ and ‘Whiter Shade Of Pale’ totally blew me away!”

Which is what the Roads patrons expect Fields to do when he’s back at the bistro on Saturday accompanied by prolific keyboardist, Greg “Termite” Rich, who is known for his virtuoso mastery of jazz, rhythm and blues, gospel, and rock and roll. Brian Eubanks will lay down the licks on the bass guitar. Kurt Patterson on drums.

From their first set to break, it was cool to experience dinner and real live jazz in Virginia Beach.

Improvisation is the essence of jazz. Fields remarked about his set list when he took the stage.

“We don’t know what we’re going to play. We’re just going to feel it. We’re going to play some straight ahead, some smooth jazz and some straight ahead.”

Hampton Roads’ music scene is finally coming of age.

“The ebb and flow of jazz’s popularity remains fluid (in Hampton Roads) Fields said. “However, unfortunately, the ebb and flow of straight-ahead jazz and mainstream jazz has suffered a drought for many years, giving way to smooth jazz and neo-soul music.”

Now, thanks to venues like the Roads Bistro in Virginia Beach and Brothers Chops Seafood Spirits, “Live music” as a whole is thriving and doing well all across Hampton Roads.

“All music and music venue expansion and its continuation can only ‘expand’ and stay afloat because of strong regional support from the community building attendance,” Fields said later. “Just like in the movie ‘Field Of Dreams’ ... ‘Build It And They Will Come.’”

WHAT MOTHER ALWAYS SAID

BY DELORES DUDLEY HAMPTON ROADS ʼ POET, As a small child,my mother said,”Please close your eyes and bow your head.”

And then when ready,let us say a prayer unto OUR GOD who will be listening there,

and she added that I should on every day, pause and thank GOD for all blessings that came my way, And she said to take note of those around who may have less and to help them with food and/or clothing or shelter,whatever best.

For MOTHER always said that GOD created us to be A FAMILY of MANKIND filled with love and humility. And as I grew older,she said that all teachers and staff persons I should respect, and if I felt upset that I should never talk back, But,once I was home, I could tell her and dad about the problem that I had , and she said that we three when the teacher felt free that we could find a solution on which all could agree,for peaceful communication was the key,

And finally, in memory, I can still hear MOTHER DEAR, telling me and my sisters and brothers and making it crystal clear, that at sometime between the cradle and the grave that each one of us had to make THE GREATEST DECISION THAT COULD EVER BE MADE,and that was to hear the GOSPEL and willingly believe, repent of our sins, and JESUS CHRIST as OUR SAVIOR receive, for it is a fact that every person on EARTH will someday have to die and then go on, and MOTHER SAID, “I WANT ALL of YOU to be able to enter into HEAVEN which will be your most beautiful and HAPPY, FOREVER HOME”!

So , have a wonderful,great and meaningful life here on EARTH, MOTHER ALWAYS did say, But live this LIFE also preparing for THE FAMILY REUNION of ALL FAMILY REUNIONS, in HEAVEN, the land of the eternal, peaceful and never ending, bright,sunny day!

Delores Dudley

ORIGINAL OPERA PROJECT BEING DEVELOPED AROUND LOVING v. VIRGINIA CASE

HAMPTON ROADS AND RICHMOND

Virginia Opera and Richmond Symphony recently announced worldrenowned mezzo-soprano Denyce Graves has joined the team of an original opera Loving v. Virginia scheduled to make its world premiere in April 2025.

Loving v. Virginia will be an operatic retelling of the groundbreaking United

States Supreme Court case which legalized the interracial marriage of Mildred and Richard Loving. In 1958, they were sentenced to prison for marrying each other, which was illegal in Virginia due to its Racial Integrity Act of 1924. The United States Supreme Court issued a unanimous decision overturning their conviction in 1967.

45, JUST DOESN’T KNOW ANY BETTER

By Sean C. Bowers

Abraham

Lincoln

said, “The true rule, in determining to embrace or reject anything, is NOT whether it have (any) evil in it; but whether it have MORE OF EVIL, THAN OF GOOD.”

Denyce Graves

The cascading cacophony of court-room continue to charges corral and corner the cowardly Ex-Commander-in-Chief from Florida to New York. Everyone now knows that 45 repeatedly out-right lied in red states and blue to each and every one of you. When one is raised with NO home training, one left to his own devices develops his own (Roy Cohn) attitude of senseless mis-guided entitlement. 45s excesses’ are PRIME examples of the extremely elite and the most wealthy (top 1 percent) gone awry. With lies, innuendo, and mis-representations as his currency, 45 armed himself. His goal is to cast doubt with NO PROOF in every case, then delay, object, obstruct, never go under oath, and then complain when, and if ever, held to account. In the real estate world, there was “NO truth,” no bottom, no penalties paid for his illegal transgressions, 45 built up a false sense of ... “I can do anything I want, with “NO repercussions.” Bankruptcies, with bills 45 then chose to never pay and subsequently wrote off as “NON-tax paying years,” became his ultimate grifter mode of operation.

The fewer rules, accountability, restrictions, structure, fairness, justice one experiences, knows, learns from, and is subject to, the least amount of empathic selfawareness understanding can be expected from that individual (known by his court name, as “Individual #1.”) Here is some simple math: when you only put garbage in, no rules, lying, abusing the existing system’s rules at each and every turn because you are White and rich – your self-perceived entitlement complex, grows, exponentially. The mindset of “they’re out to get me,” and (the dog ate my top-secret files) excuses might have worked or been fallen for once, back in his 2016 political beginning. Now that same old tired rerun act is just a documented 40,000 (lying) bridges too far and beyond belief. Even if you are fairminded, neutral, and an

Only in 45s mind and the minds of his sycophants do racist and sexist minds win.

Sean C. Bowers

independent thinker - one would still have to come to the only logical, fact-based decision, and conclusion. An endless prison sentence for the rest of 45s lying days, is America’s only and best protection. 45 had to be charged for America to continue. He is MORE BAD THAN GOOD; first, for himself and his family, second, for the nation and the world. 45 is not ever going to grow up or be made responsible (by rubbing his nose in his own lying pooh.) 45 should and will be held accountable – as every other law-breaking American should be. 45 is not good for the Right, the Republican party, and the conservatives. The Right has a serious role to play, going forward, if they can grow up and stop the rear-view, bass-ackwards 45 victim-hooded martyrdom conspiracy theory nonsense. He did it all! He told us he was going to do it and he did it. He braggingly told us after he did it. Now 45 has promised to be people’s “retribution.” As he has said, he would do it all over again, and more.

Lightening strikes those under oath, smoting them publicly, privately, devastatingly, legally and in full view of the world. 45 only talks with a forked tongue out of both sides of his mouth. It is all he knows. It is all he has ever known, been taught, learned, emulated, or exhibited.

He has now trained his whole family and several generations or more of the American populace that they (as Whites) are miraculously the victims of some non-existent plot. 45s constant gardener (lying with FOX NEWS) approach has cultivated a ridiculous amount of amber waves of grain fed White American guiltfree victimhooded, which is as farcical as it is nonsensical.

Instead of uniting the nation as past presidents have at least attempted to

do, 45 is content to burn it all down because Lil’ Baby Donald didn’t always get his way. 45s DNA prints are all over every one of those cases and when justice prevails, will be, his undoing.

45, you, Sir, have no one to blame but yourself. Thousands charged with 600 GUILTY pleas from your followers is the precursor of what is yet to come. You and every one of your lawbreaking followers will be prosecuted, locked up, and finally held accountable. Our nation will build as many 45 minion cells as it takes. Democracy will hold each and every law breaker to account. The Republicans talk of pardoning 45 is only their continued attempt to keep breaking laws without being ever being within the rules.

This experience could have been much cleaner, simpler, with the most humane solution. When the Right, particularly the White Conservative Christian Religious Right, fully understands that they are NOT, and NEVER HAVE BEEN BETTER OR ABOVE anyone else (of any color,) there will finally be a reckoning. Only in 45s mind and the minds of his sycophants do racist and sexist minds win. Their need to feel better than or “above” others only proves that they, too, just don’t know any better.

Sean C. Bowers has written the last 25 years, as a WhiteQuaker 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.

MOMENTS of MEDITATION

By Rev. Dr. Archie L. Edwards, Sr. STRENGTHENING

YOUR GRIP ON MONEY

Read: 1 Timothy 6:3-19

PART ONE

I wouldn’t mind strengthening my grip on money” we might say, “ … a whole briefcase full!”

Well, we can dream can’t we? This study won’t offer any get-rich quick formulas. No lucky lottery numbers or stock tips here. What we will find however, is help in getting a firm grip on what the Bible says about money.

Now, don’t worry. This isn’t your basic “shame on you if you’re not tithing” message. Scripture has much more to say about this topic than simply how to fill the offering plate. It provides principles for spending, sharing, saving, and investing. The Bible also tells us how to view money in relation to God and how to use it for His glory.

The Apostle Paul knew that no one, not even himself as a Christian leader was exempt from the temptation to misuse money so in 1 Timothy 6, Paul reminds his young protege. Timothy, that everyone, regardless of financial status, needs to develop the right attitude toward money. Everyone –which includes those who

are not rich (vv. 6 -8), those who want to get rich (vv. 9-10), and those who are rich (vv. 17-19).

• A Reminder to Those Who Are Not Rich. From a Biblical point of view, money itself is amoral – neither good nor bad. It’s our attitude toward money and how we use it that determines the issue of morality or immorality.

Scripture also shows that there is no inherent godliness in either wealth or poverty. The Bible abounds with godly people who were poor – for example, John the Baptizer (Matthew 3:4) and the widow who gave her last penny to the temple treasury (Mark 12:42); as well as godly individuals of great wealth –Abraham (Genesis 24:34 -35) and Job (Job 1:1-3), for instance. Again, rich or poor doesn’t matter to God; what He’s concerned with is the heart (see Leviticus 19:15; Proverbs 22:2).

And it is the heart that Paul confronts in 1 Timothy 6. In Paul and Timothy’s day, some unscrupulous people apparently saw religion as a way to make money (vv. 3-5). But the richest prize of all, says Paul, is a godly

life, regardless of the size of our wallets. But godliness actually is a means of great gains, when accompanied by contentment (v. 6). In other words, Godliness + contentment = Great Gain.

You won’t find this formula for success in Forbes or Money Magazines. Yet this is the only kind of wealth that can’t be consumed by rust or stolen by thieves.

(See Matthew 6:19-20). A consistent and authentic walk with God plus an attitude of satisfaction and inner peace ... that is what constitutes true wealth.

Quite a different message from the one the world’s sending, isn’t it? Advertisers thrive on discontentment.

Every television commercial or magazine ad we see screams, “Why settle for what you’ve got, when you can have more?” Our old deodorant was just fine, until we discovered one that promises to advance our careers. And that computer you purchased only a year ago? Practically obsolete. Just upgrade to this new system, just drive this car, just wear these jeans, just use this toothpaste ... and you’ll be happier, healthier, and more popular, and you’ll meet only beautiful, shapely people.

Paul, however, says, “Be content. Stop striving for more; be satisfied and at peace with what you have.” How do we do that? The first half of the answer is found in 1 Timothy 6:7. For we have brought nothing into the world, so we cannot take anything out of this world either.

Continued Next Week

MESSIANIC JEWISH BIBLE (TREE OF LIFE VERSION) 2011. “For He is our Shalom (peace), the One who has made the two into one and has broken down the middle wall of separation. Within His flesh, Jesus made powerless the law code of Mitzvot contained in regulations. He did this in order to create within Himself “one new man” from the two groups, making shalom, and to reconcile both to God in “one body” through the cross – by which Jesus put the hostility to death. (Eph 2:14-16)

ENGLISH STANDARD VERSION STUDY BIBLE (ESV) (2008). “Thus the law was a dividing wall which Jesus Christ has abolished by fulfilling it. The result is a “new man” denoting a “new human race” under the second Adam (Jesus Christ) in whose image the Christian is re-created. (Eph 2:15)

THE LIFE APPLICATION BIBLE (RSV) 1988. “By His death, Jesus Christ ended the angry resentment between Jews and Gentiles, caused by Jewish laws which favored the Jews and excluded the Gentiles ... Jesus took the two groups and made them parts of Himself. Thus Jesus fused all believers together to become “one new person.” (Eph 2:15,16)

◆◆◆

THE MESSAGE STUDY BIBLE (2007). “The Messiah has made things up between us so that we’re now together on this, both “non-Jewish outsiders and “Jewish Insiders.” Jesus has torn down the wall we used to keep each other at a distance ... instead of continuing with two groups of people separated by centuries of animosity and suspicion, Jesus created a “new kind of human being”, a fresh start for everybody.” (Eph 2:14,15) ◆◆◆

THE NEW JERUSALEM BIBLE (1985). “For He is our peace ... and has made the two into His Purpose in this to create a single “new man” out of the two of them, and through the cross, to reconcile them both to God in “one body;” in His Own Person, Jesus killed the hostility.” (Eph. 2:14-16).

◆◆◆

FINALLY, OBSERVE THE QUESTION. Considering the centuries long conflicts between Jews and Gentile Christians, who will bring these two diverse and opposing groups together as “one new man,” one new humanity in Jesus Christ –His Body, His Church? This will be an impossible feat for mortal man. I thank my God in Heaven, the question has already been answered in the scriptures by Jesus Christ, Himself. ◆◆◆

OBSERVE NOW THE ANSWER (paraphrased).

“And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon This Rock (Jesus Himself), I will build My Church comprised of Jews and Gentiles, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” (Mt. 16:18) Jesus continues – “I will sanctify and cleanse My Church with the washing of the Holy Spirit and the Word; that through the cross, I may create out of the two – “one new man, one new heavenly being” – My Spiritual Church. Finally, I will present My Spiritual Church to Myself – “a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but holy and without blemish.” (Eph. 5:26,27) Jew and Gentile one body in Jesus Christ –The True Church. (Eph 2:15) Scofield Study Bible KJV Blessings and Shalom

“UPON THIS ROCK I WILL BUILD MY CHURCH” (Matthew 16:18) PT. 4

REBECCA’S WELL BY REV. DR. REBECCA R. RIVKA

Rev. Dr. Rebecca R. Rivka

61ST GRAND WORTHY MATRON HAILS FROM HAMPTON, VA.

By Nicole B. Daye

Special to the Guide

HAMPTON

On Thursday, July 20, 2023, at the 121st Annual Order of the Eastern Star of Virginia Prince Hall Affiliation Grand Session, Jacqueline T. Sutton was installed as the 61st Grand Worthy Matron. She resides in Hampton, Virginia, alongside her husband of 54 years, Raymond A. Sutton III, and through their union, Mr. and Mrs. Sutton have a daughter, Candace, and a son, Raymond IV.

Mrs. Sutton’s theme is

“Being Kind in All That We Do, Building Good Relationships While Doing Good Work.”

As the Grand Worthy Matron, Sutton’s mission is to continue strengthening relationships in the community through charity work and acts of kindness throughout communities across Virginia.

Established on November 28, 1901, by Dr. Harrison Llewellyn Harris, The Order of the Eastern Star of Virginia Prince Hall Affiliation is comprised of mothers, wives, widows, sisters, and daughters of Master Masons, who participate

in supporting community outreach activities. The mission of the organization is “An Organization based on the Bible that works together to enhance the growth of the Community.”

The local Chapters support their communities by providing college scholarships to high school seniors in their locality. Also, Angel Tree donations are made during the holiday season, and food and clothing drives are held. Chapters also host events that are open to the public, such as luncheons, banquets, bazaars, and health fairs.

The Order of the Eastern Star of Virginia consists of a Grand Chapter with elected and appointed Grand Officers and

eighty-seven chapters that support the NAACP and other organizations.

Highlights of events open to the public at the 121st Grand Session included Rev. Dr. Gerald Q. Brandon from Mount Calvary Baptist Church of Dewitt, Virginia, as the Guest Speaker at the Grand Session Vesper Service held on Sunday, July 16, 2023.

Also, there was an Awards Ceremony with the presentation of ten scholarships to graduating high school seniors who are attending college in the fall, monetary donations to the United Negro College Fund, March of Dimes, Sickle Cell Association, Virginia Commonwealth University Massey Cancer Research Center, and the Arthritis Foundation of America.

The Grand State Youth Department presented two college scholarships and nine monetary graduation gifts to graduating high school seniors who are members of the Order of the Eastern Star Youth Department.

Nicole B. Daye is the Grand Chapter Publicity Chairperson for the Order of the Eastern Star of Virginia Prince Hall Affiliation.

Young Girls Rule!™ Gala CELEBRATES YOUTH EMPOWERMENT

CHESAPEAKE Envision Lead Grow (ELG) hosted its Young Girls Rule!™ Gala on Sunday July 30 at the Signet Center located at Bells Mills Road. The fundraising event recognized three graduating Girl Bosses who successfully

completed a social entrepreneurship program developed by ELG, a 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization, under the direction of founder and Board Chair Dr. Angela Reddix. Also, the program featured notable awards recognizing

exceptional women and a corporation committed to advancing women equity.

Envision Lead Grow gives as its mission ending the cycle of poverty through the power of entrepreneurship. It was founded in Norfolk where it is headquartered and offers its programming to girls and young women across the country. It provides economic empowerment services for women and girls through programs that increase equity, ownership, entrepreneurship, scholarship, and investment. Since its founding several years ago, it has assisted over 2,000 teen young women in becoming entrepreneurs capable of starting and running their own businesses.

This year’s youth awardees were Jada Collymore, Memphis; Kristen Watts, Memphis; and Makayla Morris, Raspeburg, Md., all graduating Girl Bosses who were acknowledged for breaking barriers and creating positive change through entrepreneurship. They were escorted into the ballroom where they and their escorts performed a celebratory group dance before the assembly of several hundred guests. Four adults and one corporation received awards. They were The Trailblazer Award: Virginia Thornton; Community Pillar Award: Cecelia “CeCe” Tucker; DEI Illumination Award: Dan and Beverly Banister; Women in Leadership Impacting Community Award: Tonya Byrd; and DEI Torch Award: Cox Communications.

Musical entertainment was provided by Be’La Donna Band, an all-Girls Band from Washington, D.C.,. Serving as Mistress of Ceremony was Stephanie Walters.

Jacqueline T. Sutton 61st Grand Worthy Matron

Cecelia Tucker accepts her award.

Mrs. Tucker with Brenda Andrews, NJG Publisher, and Annette Brockett

BOOKWORM REVIEWS

By Terri Schlichenmeyer

TRINITY

If at first, you don’t succeed ... The old saying recommends trying three times, but that can be nothing but frustration: if it ain’t working, what says it might work later?

Try, try again is fruitless but then ... there are those days when a third attempt, or a fourth or a fifth is all it takes to get things done. As in the new book, “Trinity” by Zelda Lockhart, the third time’s indeed the charm.

Bennie Lee was somewhere around ten or eleven years old when his mother, Lottie, left Bennie and his toddler brother, Lenard, in the care of their father, Big Deddy. That care, though, was given through fists and slaps and overwork and denial.

Lottie always said she wanted to go to St. Louis and she’d take her boys with her but Bennie knew she was at a bar a few miles away, selling her body to men. He tried to bring her home, but she acted like she didn’t know him. When she came back to their Mississippi farm on her own, he shot her dead, chasing away the girl-spirit that waited in Lottie’s womb.

And then Bennie bolted. He left Mississippi, joined the Marines in

“Trinity”

By Zelda Lockhart ©2023, Amistad $27.99, 272 pages

Korea and when he came home, wounded, he brought alcoholism with him. Still, he stayed sober enough to meet Rebecca, who dreamed of marrying a Marine and she and Bennie conceived a child, so she got her wish.

They named that baby Bennie Jr., and they called him BJ. He would have had a sister but when Rebecca Lee was four months pregnant with their second child, Bennie shot her and then himself, and the girl-spirit was chased away again.

Lenard Lee was glad to take his nephew in after the murder-suicide of the boy’s parents. Six-yearold BJ grew up with every

opportunity America in the 1950s could offer and when he was old enough, he fought in Vietnam like many young men his age.

Also, like many young men his age, he fell in love with the girl next door when he came home.

When she told BJ that he was going to be a father, the girl-spirit rejoiced ...

Despite the wince-worthy violence inside this story and a few pages of surprising explicitness, “Trinity” is really a very pretty book. The imagery inside is dusty and lush, and it’s helped along with gorgeous turns of phrase and occasional sly sarcasm, both of which poke the imagination: you can almost feel the Mississippi heat, the suck of mud on a creek bank, and kudzu choking your ankles. Beginning each chapter and appearing elsewhere when needed, its spirituality feels like a bucket of cool water on a hot day; the ancestor love that author Zelda Lockhart allows for her characters fits perfectly into the rest of what happens.

Because of its flowing language and metaphors, this book may take some patience to embrace and its spirituality isn’t for everyone. Still, if this doesn’t sound like your kind of book, pick up “Trinity” anyhow, and try, try again.

CLASSIFIEDS

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS CONTRACT ID#: C00123129DB129

I-64 GAP SEGMENT C WIDENING DESIGN-BUILD PROJECT

The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) is seeking Statements of Qualifications for the I-64 GAP Segment C Design-Build Project from qualified and experienced respondents with design and construction experience of highway facilities. The Project is located in the counties of James City and York – widening 9.0 miles along I-64 between approximate Mile Marker (MM) 224.3 and MM 233.3. The two existing EB and WB general-purpose lanes will be widened on the median side to three lanes in each direction. This widening will fill in the gap to extend the full roadway section of the previously completed I-64 Capacity Improvements Segment III Design-Build Project in the Hampton Roads District (from 1.15 miles west of Route 199 (Lightfoot) to 1.05 miles west of Route 199 (Humelsine Parkway/ Marquis Center Parkway). The purpose of this additional work is to improve traffic operations and safety, provide faster travel times, reduce congestion, and provide a more reliable system of travel in the I -64 corridor by widening the remaining unwidened section of I-64. The Project will also include paving the Lightfoot Park & Ride at the Exit 234 Interchange. The work includes all work required for project management, design, and construction of the project.

Questions/clarifications regarding the Request for Qualifications (RFQ) should be submitted to Suril R. Shah, P.E., DBIA (Suril.Shah@vdot. virginia.gov).

Copies of the RFQ and additional submittal requirements can be found at Bid Express (bidexpress.com).

The Department assures compliance with Title VI requirements of nondiscrimination in all activities pursuant to this advertisement.