NJG | Vol. 123, No. 39 - Sept 28, 2023 by NJG WebTech

BIDEN TAKES ANOTHER MOVE TO ADDRESS GUN VIOLENCE CRISIS

By Stacy M. Brown Senior National Correspondent @StacyBrownMedia

NNPA NEWSWIRE

Gun violence remains a pressing concern for the United States, with over 500 mass shootings and a reported estimate of 25,000 victims in 2023 alone.

In response, the BidenHarris administration has announced a signiﬁcant step forward in curbing this crisis. President Biden has introduced the inaugural White House Ofﬁce of Gun Violence Prevention, dedicated to implementing crucial executive and legislative measures to save lives and heal communities.

The ofﬁce will be under the stewardship of Vice President Kamala Harris, perhaps the administration’s most vocal advocate against gun violence. Stefanie Feldman, a long-serving policy advisor on gun violence prevention, will take the reins as the Director.

Joining her are gun violence prevention advocates Greg Jackson and Rob Wilcox, who assume the roles of Deputy Directors.

“Every time I’ve met with families impacted by gun violence as they mourn their loved ones ... they all have the same message for their elected ofﬁcials: ‘Do something,” Biden asserted. He highlighted the importance of recent legislative strides and executive actions but stressed that they represent the

initial required phase.

The White House noted that Feldman, the new director of the inaugural ofﬁce, brings a wealth of experience. Her journey includes instrumental contributions following the tragic Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in 2012.

The White House said the establishment of the Ofﬁce of Gun Violence Prevention builds on the historic actions already taken by Biden. This includes signing the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, a landmark piece of legislation aimed at preventing gun violence.

Ofﬁcials insisted that efforts to implement the

Bipartisan Safer Communities Act have yielded tangible results. They pointed out that the legislation has increased the Justice Department’s ability to prosecute firearms traffickers, restricted access to firearms for those under 21, and increased mental health support for victims of gun violence.

The Biden-Harris Administration also noted they’ve introduced many executive actions to address the root causes of gun violence, including measures to curb the proliferation of dangerous weapons, hold rogue gun dealers accountable, and provide law enforcement with essential resources.

HAMPTON ROADS’ SICKLE CELL DISEASE WARRIORS ON THE JOB

By Leonard E. Colvin Chief Reporter New Journal and Guide

Over 40 years ago Diane Creekmore was wondering why her ﬁrstborn daughter Sherita was constantly experiencing bouts of pain. She was diagnosed with various ailments and prescribed various medicines which did nothing to resolve the child’s ills.

She discovered that previous physicians had misdiagnosed her child’s medical issues. She ﬁnally consulted a doctor who administered a test revealing that her offspring had Sickle Cell Disease (SCD).

Five years later, her second child Dinita, was born and at 18 months old was diagnosed with Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) as well. Both girls were born in Virginia; however, at the time of their births there was no newborn screening for sickle cell to alert parents that their child was affected by SCD, a disease affecting mostly people of African ancestry and other races.

“I took my children to CHKD as referred by their pediatric doctor, Dr. Toland,” she recalled. At that time

Norfolk

Diane

Dr. Rebecca Byrd and Dr. Melissa Warﬁeld oversaw the sickle cell program.

“They told me that neither one of my children would live to see their teen years,” said Creekmore. “I did not know what to do. I did not know anything about the disease. They told me to go and talk to someone at the local Sickle Cell Association of Hampton Roads.”

At that time, it was called The Sickle Cell Society.

The organization is now 51 years old, and Judy Anderson

INSIDE:

A New Journal and Guide Exclusive Chesapeake Family’s Faith Plus New Medical Treatment Cure Son of Sickle Cell Disease. see page 6A

is its Executive Director and has spent 47 years with the agency. When Creekmore ﬁrst walked through the front door of the organization, Anderson said she was not working directly with the patients. But over time she, Creekmore and other individuals with families have become close knit and supportive.

Thanks to the association, after countless hours of researching, engaging the medical and political establishment, Creekmore and others impacted by SCD have evolved into a small army of outspoken activists for individuals and families living with SCD in Virginia each day. see Warriors, page 2A

I.C. Norcom High’s Grand Reunion Celebrates 145 Years of Education

Special to the New Journal and Guide

PORTSMOUTH

The history of the historic I.C. Norcom High School will be taking center stage this weekend during the 8th Grand Reunion celebrating 145 years of Academic, Athletic, and Musical excellence. Events take place September 29-30 at the Renaissance Hotel in Portsmouth and October 1 at Zion Baptist Church.

The Grand Reunion pays tribute to the school’s history which was originally the Chestnut Academy Street School founded in 1878.

Thus, I.C. Norcom is the second oldest predesegregation-era high school in the nation, according to Leah Stith.

Before desegregation, according to Stith, the President of the Alumni Association which is organizing the reunion, I.C. Norcom was once one of 115 all-Black high schools in Virginia.

Now Portsmouth’s I.C. Norcom and Norfolk’s Booker T. Washington High Schools are the two remaining pre-desegregation Historically Black High Schools in Virginia.

Stith said more than 500 alumni dating from 1945 to 2023 are expected to attend events during the weekend.

Four recent graduates of

the school will be honored, she said. Their recognition is being done to assure that future generations will carry on the legacy and recognition of the school’s history. Also, attending the reunion will be leaders of the Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic League, which once administered the sporting events among Black junior and senior high varsity sports programs before desegregation.

see Norcom, page 5A

NEW REPORT SHOWS BLACKS HIGHEST TARGET FOR U.S. HATE CRIMES

By Rosaland Tyler Associate Editor New Journal and Guide

Seeks Residents’

Feedback To Help Abate High Fentanyl Deaths

By Leonard E. Colvin Chief Reporter New Journal and Guide

During the 1980s and ‘90s, cocaine and its street derivative crack, were targeted as the chief enemy of the nation’s War on Drugs.

Thousands of individuals, notably men in the Black community, were jailed for the use and distribution of the two. Also, the police had to deal with overdoses from heroin which can be

deadly.

But now the deadly opioid Fentanyl has replaced both crack and cocaine as the main concern of law enforcement, the courts and the health care networks.

Instead of crack being the leading cause of arrest of African-Americans for illicit drugs, Fentanyl along with gun violence have become the leading cause of death of Black men and women.

Small doses of Fentanyl directly or laced with other substances can cause an overdose and, if not treated quickly – death.

State and local ofﬁcials are recording an increasing number of deaths by overdose related to the deadly drug consumed in even tiny doses.

Starting this week, the Norfolk Community Service Board is hosting a series of Opioid Abatement Listening Sessions to get residents’ feedback on effective and inclusive solutions, treatment options, and recovery resources. The initial session was held at the Southside Girls and Boys Club. see Fentanyl, page 6A

Historic Phoebus Welcomes Fall!

The old Phoebus neighborhood of Hampton is preparing for the Historic Phoebus Fall Festival on October 14 beginning at 10 a.m. see page 1B

Blacks were the targets of more than one-fifth of all hate crimes that were reported in major U.S. cities last year, the highest share of any group, according to a new report.

This means about two years after Congress passed anti-hate-crime legislation on May 27, 2021 and the Tidewater Jewish Foundation held a public forum on hate crimes in Virginia Beach in November 2022, hate continues. The newly released report from the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at California State University San Bernardino shows Blacks are still more likely to be the target of hate crimes.

Although hate crimes targeting Blacks fell by an average of 6 percent last year, after surging in the previous two years,

Out of 42 cities surveyed by the center, more than half showed an increase in anti-Black hate crimes.

overall, hate crimes reported to police in the 42 cities researchers analyzed rose 10 percent in 2022. That's on top of a nationwide increase of nearly 31 percent seen in 2021. Out of 42 cities surveyed by the center, more than half showed an increase in anti-Black hate crimes, with some reaching historic highs. New York City, Los Angeles, Austin, Texas, and Sacramento, California, all set modern records.

see Hate Crimes, page 2A

Vol.

123, No. 39 | $1.50 September 28, 2023 - October 4, 2023

www.thenewjournalandguide.com NEWJOURNAL & GUIDE NEW JOURNAL & GUIDE

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

They told me that neither one of my children would live to see their teen years. I did not know what to do. I did not know anything about the disease.”

–

Creekmore

President Joe Biden

The ofﬁce will be under the stewardship of Vice President Kamala Harris, perhaps the administration’s most vocal advocate against gun violence.

Leah Stith

I.C. Norcom is the second oldest predesegregation-era high school in the nation, according to Leah Stith.

SEPTEMBER

IS SICKLE CELL AWARENESS MONTH

Diane Creekmore (center) with her children who have defied the survival odds. Photo: Courtesy

Continued from page 1A

Creekmore was born in Norfolk in the Historic Titustown section of the city.

Anderson said that some 5,000 mostly AfricanAmerican Virginians have SCD, and half of that number are in Hampton Roads. September is Sickle Cell Disease Awareness Month. But Anderson said she and SCD Awareness Warriors like Creekmore, are beating the pavement to advocate and educate people on the subject each day they open their eyes.

Creekmore and her fellow advocacy warriors don’t mince words about the slow pace of the development of a sureﬁre and affordable treatment for SCD more than 100 years after it was ﬁrst discovered. Over the years they have worked to educate themselves in every aspect of the deadly disease.

They formed the Sickle Cell Family and Peer Advocates of Tidewater (SCFandPA) which networks with the SCD Association and other groups promoting awareness. She said the group was formed over time as families and individuals with children impacted by SCD often engaged each other.

SCFandPA, year-round, organizes various community and client focus events such as Health Fairs, Support Group Meetings, Game Night, Christmas Parties for families, assisting families during holidays, school supply giveaways, Blood Drives and the SCD Walk at Norfolk State University.

Anderson said that her organization now has a caseload of 235 people including 55 families. She said the funding levels of the association dived.

She recalls the late State Senator Yvonne Miller, who began ﬁghting to insert state funding into the state budget for the agency in the 90s.

Anderson said that federal funding in small grants via the state Health Departments provides resources. Her agency manages to provide emergency assistance for medical co-pays, medicines, and other services.

For those with SCD, dealing with a blood crisis is a large part of living with the disease. This happens when their blood ﬂow is blocked to joints and organs due to the sickled shape of their cells. People experiencing excruciating pain during a Sickle Cell Crisis need a transfusion of fresh normally shaped red blood to reduce the impact of the sickled cells.

Blood collected from

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African-American donors due to its unique make-up is a key element in transfusions.

On September 18, SCFandPA was scheduled to participate in a blood drive at a local car dealership but it was cancelled due to a lack of people signing up to participate.

Over the years Creekmore has campaigned to encourage Black people to donate blood for SCD and other reasons.

“I am so disappointed,” Creekmore told the GUIDE.

“Sickle cell affects mostly Black people. But why don’t our people care about this

disease and its impact on our community? I do not understand it.”

Creekmore said despite the century-long existence of the SCD, the nation’s healthcare networks have fallen behind in addressing the issue of pain and other disparities facing people with the malady.

Creekmore says pain “is the hallmark” of the Ill effects that most people with SCD face daily.

In the 90s and until recently morphine was the most widely used drug to combat it, for adults and even children. Since then, several other pain meds

(opiates) have been developed. Some procedures show signs of providing a cure for SCD. Advocates say that Stem Cell Gene Therapy is promising. Also, receiving compatible bone marrow from a family member, is a hopeful treatment.

Back in 2018, Creekmore brought awareness about the way SCD patients, experiencing debilitating pain, were treated in the emergency rooms, their most convenient means of seeking care, especially for adults.

“Sickle Cell patients are still being treated like drug

addicts trying to get a quick ﬁx,” she said. “They are called frequent ﬂyers and worse. ER personnel need to be trained to be more sensitive about this issue.”

While most children with SCD are treated at CHKD, Creekmore says there is no Comprehensive Care Treatment Center for adults with the disease.

Anderson said she is acutely aware of the lack of such care for SCD patients who transition into adulthood and out-of-care eligibility at CHKD.

She said SCD patients who have a private doctor or Medicare or Medicaidfunded Care Physician (PCP) are usually referred to a blood specialist such as a hematologist in the region. Many patients must travel an hour to adult SCD

care in Richmond, “often experiencing pain” due to a Sickle Cell episode.

Both in their 40s now, Sherita S. Yancey and Dinita L. Brazell, her daughters, and others, are alive and well, have families and are living healthy lives.

“Since the diagnosis of my children and their illness I’ve been passionate about educating myself about Sickle Cell,” she said.

“So, thanks to the Sickle Cell Association Inc., for my volunteer years, traveling to the Virginia General Assembly, Capitol Hill Washington DC, and to State and National conferences. As a result of my caring and research, I now know more about the disease, about the care or lack people are receiving and realize so much more needs to be done.”

Publisher Gives Green Light To Clyburn’s New S.C. History Book

South Carolina Congressman James Clyburn’s new history book recently received the green light from Boston-based Little, Brown and Co. Clyburn’s new book has a title, “The First Eight.” However it does not yet have a release date. The 16-term Congressman’s book is about

Hate Crimes

Continued from page 1A

Five states – Colorado, New Jersey, Ohio, Texas and Utah – also broke their records for anti-Black hate crimes, while incidents in California and New York state – both with large Black populations – surged by more

the eight Black Congressmen who represented his state after the Civil War “The lives and legacies of these ‘unique eight’ have been known to me for some time,” Clyburn said in a recent statement. “But it is clear to me from my conversations in my home state and around the country,

than 20 percent, according to the report. But how much do you actually know about hate crimes?

For example, are you aware that the Department of Justice, since January 2021 has charged more than 90 defendants in over 80 cases and secured more than 70 convictions of defendants, according to the DOJ website? Are you familiar with

that their contributions and signiﬁcances are not well known and appreciated nor are the devious and dubious circumstances and conditions that were made legal by state and federal actions that ended Black representation in the South.”

Clyburn said he “felt compelled to share their stories

the laws listed in the 2021 COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act? Are you aware that the legislation received overwhelming support from both chambers of Congress? It is designed to make the reporting of hate crimes more accessible at the local and state levels.

In September 2023, the DOJ launched the United Against Hate program in all 94 U.S. Attorneys’ Ofﬁces, in order to help improve the

and highlight the lessons they teach. This is a passion project for me.”

In 2014, Clyburn released his 2014 autobiography, “Blessed Experiences: Genuinely Southern, Proudly Black.”

He has represented South Carolina’s 6th Congressional District since 1993. Rep. James Clybum

reporting of hate crimes and hate incidents by teaching community members how to identify, report, and help prevent hate crimes and encouraging trust building between law enforcement and communities.

Southern Poverty Law Center Senor Policy Counsel Michael Liberman said when the legislation was passed, “The COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act was the single most signiﬁcant piece

From The Guide’s Archives

Rambling Rover of P-Town

By John Q. Jordan

Hurry, Hurry Hurricane.

When old man hurricane roared through last week it turned out to be the biggest blow this usually temperate section has experienced since Louise Armstrong, when the syncopated boy scout, blared his bugle on his ﬁrst appearance here. Humming and screaming, the rushing winds snaked things about like a carload of Joe Louises in a dock ﬁght.

Thanks to a studious weatherman who like the sentry on the late outpost heralded the approach of the swashbuckling invader and no lives were lost in Portsmouth and Norfolk. And if anyone had been hurt it would have been their own fault what with all of these storm warnings screaming from newspaper headlines and radios, etc. Yes, the good citizens remembering the big gush of 1933 promptly took the weather sage’s hint to “batten down” and by the time the breezes began to sing old John Q. Public had crawled into his hold.

From my window, I watched the antics of a sturdy tree during the early stages of the storm as the wind whistled through its branches the old oak shimmed like dolls in a Cab Calloway show. I made a small wager with a friend that the tree would give way and fall like several of its ill-fated neighbors had already done. But no dice, The Old scorns vender trembled and twisted but it did not give. So, I lost my Nickle.

New Huntington High Opens Its Doors

of legislation to improve federal hate crime data since the Hate Crimes Statistic Act of 1990.”

Finally, are you familiar with the legal deﬁnition for a hate crime?

The FBI deﬁnes a hate crime as a “criminal offense against a person or property motivated in whole or in part by an offender’s bias against a race, religion, disability, sexual orientation, ethnicity, gender, or gender identity.”

its ofﬁcial acceptance by the city was held Friday and the new $150,000 Huntington High Schools swung open its doors to throngs of eager students.

The opening of the school was delayed a week pending completion of the installation of last-minute equipment. Students will be required to attend classes on Saturday until the lost time is made up to comply with state requirements Superintendent Joseph H. Saunders announced. Boasting air conditioning equipment which ensures fresh air at all times, built-in lockers of sufﬁcient sizes to take care of each individual student, modern appliances, the school has been termed the last words in high school structures. It has twenty classrooms and has a seating capacity of 600.

George Phenix High Has Big Enrollment

HAMPTON

A new record enrollment was established at George P. Phenix training school of Hampton Institute here this week when it was revealed a total of 584 students, 283 of whom are in high school and 301 of whom are elementary grades students has been registered.

Dear Naomi: Advice To Girls, Women & Men

Dear Naomi: Will I be successful in marrying the fellow to whom I am engaged? Is he true to me? Does he have another Girl?

When a young man keeps promising a thing and putting it off, there is a sure sign that he is not as interested as he used to be. As man is a funny animal. If he truly wants a thing, he will leave no stone unturned to get it in an honorable way. If he is an honorable man.

If he does not want it, he will ﬁnd every excuse to keep from having it. Don’t let these men tell you girls that they have the time and etc. If they want to, they will ﬁnd time.

and should die before

NEWPORT NEWS The ﬁnal inspection before

2A | September 28, 2023 - October 4, 2023 New Journal and Guide

from the pages of the (New)

taken

Journal and Guide

Warriors

So, thanks to the Sickle Cell Association Inc., for my volunteer years, traveling to the Virginia General Assembly, Capitol Hill Washington D.C., and to State and National conferences.”

– Diane Creekmore

New Journal and Guide September 28, 2023 - October 4, 2023 | 3A

PROFESSOR EMERITUS OF SOCIOLOGY VIRGINIA TECH

FOUNDED AND DEVELOPED ON RACE

By Wornie Reed, Ph.D.

The U.S.A. was established on a system of white supremacy, meaning speciﬁcally the subjugation and subordination of people of African descent and Native peoples. Many people have fought and died trying to change this system, occasionally even having some success, but never overturning white supremacy’s basic structure. Consequently, many, if not most, societal issues revolve around race and racism.

In their timely book in 2018, How Democracies

Die, Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt explained the company (of countries) the United States was beginning to keep. In their latest book, Tyranny of the Minority, they dig a little deeper to explain how the United States was going even further along the authoritarian path than they expected.

To begin their arguments, they describe events on two consecutive days, January 5th and 6th of 2021. January 6th, of course, was the infamous coup attempt by Trump and his followers. The day before, January 5th, according to Levitsky and Ziblatt, the U.S. moved signiﬁcantly toward a complete participatory democracy as it voted into ofﬁce a Black U.S. Senator from Georgia, Rafael Warneck, the second one since Reconstruction from the South.

While Levitsky and Ziblatt note that the coup attempt was a blow to this progress, they did not link the events of the two days. Yes, the election in Georgia suggested racial progress, but January 6th was at least partially a response to this

kind of progress. One notable fact about U.S. history is that each time it appears that the country is moving toward more inclusiveness of its Black citizens, something happens to halt that movement. Of course, the January 6th insurrection was not solely about race. However, race was a signiﬁcant underlying feature.

Race was not the sole reason for the advent of the so-called Tea Party in 2009; however, it was a signiﬁcant factor. The Tea Party showed itself in 2010, provoked by the election of Barack Obama as president. Many Americans thought we were advancing toward a more enlightened racial time. How wrong they were. With this Black man as president, racism came out of the woodwork with a vengeance.

Barack Obama was inaugurated in January of 2009, and organizers of the so-called “taxpayers’ march” began planning a few weeks later for a march in Washington that September.

Thousands attended this Tea Party march protesting “big government,” “the so-called dismantling of free market capitalism,” and Obama’s health care reform and federal spending proposals. These were the issues of the Koch brothers behind this movement, capitalizing on perceived grievances. To the Tea Party participants,

African-American Leadership Council Summit: A Journey Home

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

During the past week, I had the opportunity to attend and speak for a conference held by the African-American Leadership Council Summit: A Journey Home. Ms. Brandi Alexander serves as Chief Engagement Ofﬁcer. The conference was about end-oflife choices and many shared their experiences on this subject.

who had no vested interest in most of these issues, any knock against Obama was okay. And then came Trump and the insurrectionists. As Levitsky and Ziblatt explain, In 24 hours on January 5th and January 6th, 2021, the full promise and problems of American democracy were on display. There was a glimpse of a possible multiracial democratic future, followed by an unprecedented assault on our constitutional system. They summarized it as follows. Multiracial democracy is hard to achieve. Few societies have ever done it. A multiracial democracy is a political system with regular, free, and fair elections in which adult citizens of all ethnic groups possess the right to vote and basic civil liberties such as freedom of speech, the press, assembly, and association. It is not enough for these rights to exist on paper: individuals of all ethnic backgrounds must enjoy equal protection of democratic and civil rights under the law. The 1964 Civil Rights Act and the 1965 Voting Rights Act ﬁnally established a legal foundation for multiracial democracy in America. But even today, we have not fully achieved it.

I would add that the coup was intended to ensure we never achieve a multiracial democracy.

UAW Auto Workers Will Get A Fair Deal Only If They Fight for It

By Rev. Jesse Jackson, Sr.

(TRICEEDNEYWIRE.COM)

At least 12,700 United Auto Workers Union (UAW) workers have walked out in the ﬁrst strike wave against the Big Three auto makers – GM, Ford, and Stellantis (the company that took over Chrysler).

Every worker in America – union and non-union, young and old, female and male, Black, brown and white – has a stake in this strike. At issue is not simply whether auto workers can gain a living wage, but whether this country can begin to rebuild a middle class and curb the extreme inequality that undermines our economy and our democracy.

The companies paint the worker demands as extreme, even as the workers seek simply to get a raise that reﬂects the companies’ performance in recent years.

Consider from 2013 to 2022 the companies earned $250 billion in proﬁts, up 92 percent over that period of time. The average pay of their CEOs – last year each pocketed an average $25 million – is up 40 percent. Last year alone, the companies ladled out $9 billion in stock buybacks –rewarding shareholders but not workers.

Meanwhile, average auto worker pay, adjusted for

inflation, is down nearly 20 percent. Mary Barra, the CEO of General Motors, made $29 million last year, roughly $14,500 an hour. The starting salary of an auto worker now is $17 an hour. This astounding inequity has spread across the economy. The Economic Policy Institute reports that over the last 45 years, adjusting for inflation, CEO compensation in America’s 300 largest companies has risen 1,460 percent while a typical worker’s pay grew by just 18 percent. The auto executives, however, have enjoyed special aid from the government. In 2008, GM and Chrysler almost went bankrupt and were bailed out with some $80 billion in taxpayers’ money. Workers made deep sacrifices to keep the companies going – a wage freeze, an end of cost-of-living raises, a lower paid tier for new

In my case, I talked about our family’s experience with my mom who made her transition in 2021. Before leaving us, she wrote a message to us stating that we should not worry about her because she’d had a good life. She had shared with us her desire to live in her home rather than go to a healthcare facility while still with us. We honored her wish by having a healthcare worker come in during the day, and my sisters and I divided our time with her.

Individually we came to my mom’s place to be with her every day from California, Washington (DC), and Houston and we had a sister who lived near my mom, but there was always a family member with her to the end. My mom left advice for us in terms of her burial choices and how to pay for her service. Upon her transition, we did not deviate from her desires. While it’s always difﬁcult having a loved one make their transition, because our mom had nearly all her desires in writing, the process was easier for us.

I listened to the challenges some families had when there was no end-of-life plan for their loved ones.

Many participants were professionals who worked with people who either had or did not have end-of-life choices in writing. They found that often there were family feuds once the loved one made their transition without a plan. Some had to do Go Fund Me operations that often had the effect of holding up burials until the funds could be raised.

Some had arguments about cremation vs. traditional burials. This called attention to the need for cultural traditions to be recognized. While cremation is not yet popular among people of African descent, interest appears to be growing. There are other traditions/desires that should be included in a person’s endof-life directives.

Among the speakers were Bishop Vashti M. McKenzie who did a master class about end-of-life choices. She told us about her mom’s plan that made everything easier for her family. If you’ve never heard her speak on this subject, you should invite her to do so at your next conference or convention.

Dr. Julianne Malveaux shared her family’s end-oflife story with her mom. Rev. Kevin Taylor, Pastor of Unity Fellowship Church of Newark, shared his story of

By David W. Marshall (TRICEEDNEYWIRE.COM)

As a sitting vice president, it remains to be seen if Kamala Harris will eventually follow the political pathway of Joe Biden and ultimately ascend to the highest office in the nation. Harris, who graduated from Howard University in 1986, has already made history by becoming the first vice president to have graduated from an HBCU. Harris’s historic election was a proud and inspirational moment not only for the Howard University community but for the entire HBCU family.

personally performing the service for his mom and how challenging that was, but he knew it was his mom’s desire.

Dr. Rosalyn M. Satchel of the Berkman Klein Center at the Harvard Law School shared her experiences working on the issue of early and unexpected death among her students.

There were many experts who shared with us how end-of-life choices are made and how they help those of us left behind to carry out the wishes of the deceased.

Ms. Kim Callinan, President and CEO of Compassion and Choices provided an overview of the importance of the organization’s work.

Dr. Elisha Hall, AfricanAmerican Engagement Director of C&C, and Ms. Brandi Alexander Chief Engagement Ofﬁcer of C&C; Shawn Perry, Executive Producer and Host of The Senior Zone; Dr. Beverly M. Morgan, of the Black Nurses Association and Ricardo Thomas offered valuable economic information. I wish I could name everybody who participated, but I’m limited with words!

The best advice I can offer is to go to the website to learn more about why you should put your end-of-life choices in writing ASAP!

workers, weaker pension and health care protections. They haven’t received a cost-of-living raise since 2009, even though consumer prices are up 40 percent.

Now, with the companies raking in record proﬁts and the CEOs pocketing record salaries, workers are asking for their fair share. They seek wage increases on par with those of the executives, an end to the two-tier labor system that discriminates against new workers, a shorter workweek and an end to the use of temps to undermine full-time workers. They want workers to be rewarded when the company issues stock buybacks or special dividends to reward stockholders. see UAW, page 5A

The HBCU legacy of shaping and educating future Black entrepreneurs, doctors, lawyers, public servants, teachers, architects, and engineers continues to be fulfilled despite the challenges resulting from limited funding and resources. The struggles facing all HBCUs are no secret, but they are deep-seated, and the root causes behind the struggles are complex. Many people would not have the opportunity to obtain a college degree had it not been for an HBCU. Despite being underinvested institutions with small endowments, tight budgets, and higher percentages of students depending on Pell Grants, these schools serve a critical mission. HBCUs were always faced with having to do more with less, but this should not be the case for the HBCUs federally designated as land-grant universities.

Land-grant institutions

David W. Marshall

are universities or colleges that benefited from the Morrill Acts of 1862 and 1890 – proposed when Sen. Justin Morrill of Vermont served in the House of Representatives, the Morrill Land Grant College Act of 1862 set aside federal lands –wrongfully taken from Indigenous nations – to create agricultural and mechanical schools exclusively for white students. With the passing of the Agricultural College Act of 1890 (the Second Morrill Act), 19 HBCU land-grant institutions were established to provide a similar education system for Black students, primarily in the South. This Reconstruction Era legislation aimed to provide a “just and equitable” allocation of funds between the 1862 and 1890 universities. Unfortunately, the reality of racial discrimination will always undermine any law recognizing that people of all backgrounds don’t start in the same place in society; therefore, fair adjustments must be made to adjust the imbalances.

By taking advantage of ambiguous legislative

language, the states created a loophole to use when providing greater appropriations to white land-grant institutions. States’ unwillingness to fairly support the 1890 institutions shows you can change laws, but laws do not automatically change hearts. The funding disparity and shortchanging of HBCUs are obvious to many philanthropic groups, resulting in millions of dollars donated to HBCUs. But states should never be let off the hook. The Biden administration is taking note of the more than $12 billion disparity between HBCUs and white institutions. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona and U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack sent a letter to 16 state governors calculating how their respective state land-grant HBCU institution was underfunded from 1987 to 2020. see Separate, page 5A

4A | September 28, 2023 - October 4, 2023 New Journal and Guide

The “separate but equal” doctrine is a mindset of inequality and injustice that never intended to have a society with equal provisions and conditions for the education of Black students ...

The best advice I can offer is to go to the website to learn more about why you should put your end-oflife choices in writing ASAP!

One notable fact about U.S. history is that each time it appears that the country is moving toward more inclusiveness of its Black citizens, something happens to halt that movement.

Dr. E. Faye Williams, Esq.

At issue is not simply whether auto workers can gain a living wage, but whether this country can begin to rebuild a middle class and curb the extreme inequality that undermines our economy and our democracy.

Rev. Jesse Jackson, Sr.

DISMANTLING

“SEPARATE BUT EQUAL” IS UNFINISHED BUSINESS

Norcom

Continued from page 1A

“This event is extremely important at a time when people, even our people who do not know or accept our history, are trying to erase it,” said Stith. “We go back as far as the

UAW

Continued from page 4A

Central to the dispute is also what will happen as the companies again receive massive government subsidies, this time to accelerate the transition to electric vehicles. The companies have started building plants in antiunion red states, clearly hoping to use the transition and taxpayer subsidies to weaken workers and their unions. The union seeks protections so workers and their unions will benefit from the taxpayer subsidies, not just companies and their shareholders.

Will taxpayer subsidies help build a green economy that empowers workers to gain a fair

Separate

Continued from page 4A

For example, North Carolina A&T University has a $2 billion funding disparity compared with North Carolina State University, an original 1862 land grant institution.

Likewise, Prairie View A&M University in Texas

Chestnut Street Academic which started in 1878.”

Key highlights of the Grand Reunion include an escorted Motorcade; a wreath-laying ceremony at the grave of Mr. Israel Charles Norcom at Fisher’s Hill Cemetery; and a “Meet and Greet” at the Renaissance Hotel.

On September 30, the 8th Grand Reunion Celebration Gala and

share of the profits they help to produce? Or will the subsidies add to the extreme inequality already weakening our society and economy? Will they help build a broader middle class or deprive more workers of a living wage?

From Hollywood to fastfood workers to the auto workers in the Midwest, workers are finally standing up. Once more the question is posed: Whose side are you on?

A stunning 75 percent of Americans side with the UAW in their negotiations and strike. President Joe Biden has praised the auto workers. Sen. Bernie Sanders stood with the auto workers on the first day of their strike. Donald Trump tells them they should stop paying union dues and oppose building electric vehicles – presumably throwing themselves on the tender mercies of the

and Southern University and A&M in Louisiana have $1.1 billion in underfunding compared to the 1862 land-grant institutions in their states. The letters were sent to the governors of Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and

Banquet and Greyhound Awards program will start at 7 p.m.

The following day, on October 1, the weekend will conclude with a Sunday worship service at Zion Baptist Church in Portsmouth at 11 a.m.

For more information call (757) 705-7600 or presidents@icnaainc. org or publicrelations@ icnaainc.org

auto CEOs.

The media tends to focus on whether the strike, if it continues, will be bad for the economy. But the economy is not divorced from workers. It is bad for the economy when auto workers can’t afford to buy the cars that they build.

It is bad for the economy when auto workers are paid less than they made 15 years ago. It is bad for the economy when fulltime workers don’t have a decent retirement or can’t afford health care.

Record auto company profits haven’t helped workers. Taxpayer bailouts haven’t helped. Workers lost ground under Obama and under Trump. Wealthy CEOs don’t suddenly become generous. Workers will get a fair deal only if they fight for it. The UAW has decided to fight – and we all have a stake in their victory.

West Virginia. The question remains: what will be the long-term response by each state?

The dismantling of segregation laws in the 1960s did not mean states fully ended discrimination when funding HBCUs.

The legal doctrine of “separate but equal” was always a sham that never provided equal protection, accommodations, or facilities for all people.

The “separate but equal”

HBCUs

NSU Celebrates Constitution Day With Del. Marcia Price

By Melissa Spellman Fall Intern 2023

New

Journal and Guide

Norfolk State University celebrated Constitution Day on September 19 with a visit from Delegate Marcia Price of the 95th district of the Virginia House of Delegates who served as the keynote speaker.

Constitution Day celebrates the anniversary of the signing and ratiﬁcation of the nation’s Constitution on September 17, 1787. Since 2004 all institutions receiving federal funding have been mandated to observe Constitution Day.

Price is a native of Newport News and the niece of Congressman Bobby Scott. “I’m a little girl from Newport News, Virginia. I never thought about running for ofﬁce, but I got involved in campaigns, then I became a campaign manager, and then I became a campaign manager again, and then I was asked to run,” said Price.

She is the ﬁrst Black out member of the LGBTQIA community serving in the 400 years of the Virginia

doctrine is a mindset of inequality and injustice that never intended to have a society with equal provisions and conditions for the education of Black students on either the K through 12 or collegiate level. For decades, unequal funding forced HBCUs to function without adequate resources for campus infrastructure, research and development, and student support services.

Del. Marcia Price

General Assembly. “I have been successful in shaking every single table where I sit,” she said.

“Politics is personal,” said Price. She then asked the audience to deﬁne politics. Among the array of responses from NSU students were the movement within a governmental space, how the government interacts with its citizens, and who gets what, when, and how.

Price shared her deﬁnition.

“Politics is a group of people deciding the rules under which they will operate.” She explained that politics are rules that govern a group and that we

The current disparity in financial support shows that HBCUs are often seen as an after-thought, and in other cases, a continuation of the “separate but equal” mindset where states’ rights perpetuated a racial culture where governors and state lawmakers were emboldened to do whatever they wanted to do against people of color. The Biden administration appears willing to take the incremental steps

– Del. Marcia Price

see politics in every area of our lives such as Greek organizations, churches, and even friend groups.

Price continued, “So when I hear people say I’m not into politics, I hear that I’m okay with other people making rules that will govern my life without [me] being involved at all and that is why I am here.”

With that powerful statement, Price set the stage for discussion driven engagement with her audience.

In Frederick Douglasslike fashion of “What to the Negro is the 4th of July?,” Price questioned students, “What to the HBCU student is the Constitution?” see Price, page 6A

necessary to dismantle the long-term effects of “separate but equal.” Having a U.S. vice president who is an HBCU grad should be a constant reminder that HBCU students are well worth the investment.

David W. Marshall is the founder of the faithbased organization TRB: The Reconciled Body and author of the book “God Bless Our Divided America.”

UNLOCK FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE FOR FARMERS, RANCHERS, AND FOREST LANDOWNERS

USDA EXTENDS DEADLINE FOR DFAP TO JANUARY 13, 2024

Are you a farmer, rancher, or forest landowner who has faced discrimination in USDA farm lending prior to January 2021? You may be eligible for financial assistance through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Discrimination Financial Assistance Program (DFAP).

WHAT IS DFAP?

$2.2 Billion in Financial Assistance: Thanks to Section 22007 of the Inﬂation Reduction Act, USDA is allocating $2.2 billion in ﬁnancial assistance to eligible farmers, ranchers, and forest landowners who experienced discrimination in USDA farm lending programs.

Eligibility: Farmers, ranchers, and forest landowners who experienced discrimination by USDA in its farm loan programs prior to January 1, 2021, and/or are currently debtors with assigned or

assumed USDA farm loan debt that was the subject of USDA discrimination that occurred prior to January 1, 2021, are eligible for this program.

HOW DOES IT WORK?

Multiple Ways to Apply: Producers have the option to apply via the e-ﬁling portal at 22007apply. gov or by submitting paper-based forms via mail or in-person delivery to the program’s local ofﬁces. Free Technical Assistance: Technical assistance is available for potential applicants through four regional hubs working closely with communitybased organizations.

Local Resources: Local brick-and-mortar ofﬁces are being opened across the country to ensure easy access and personalized assistance. In-person and virtual events are also being held weekly, with state-by-state information on the website.

Important Deadline: Don’t miss out! The deadline for eligible farmers, ranchers, or forest landowners to complete their application is January 13, 2024.

LEARN MORE:

Website: For detailed information about DFAP, please visit our ofﬁcial website at 22007apply.gov. Our website provides comprehensive information on obtaining in-person or virtual technical assistance, supplementary program resources, and detailed program guidelines.

Call Center: Our call center, available at 1-800721-0970, operates from 8 a.m. ET to 8 p.m. PT, seven days a week, except for Federal holidays. English and Spanish-speaking agents are available, ensuring you get the assistance you need, when you need it.

Newsletter: Information about the program, resources, recent ofﬁce openings, and local events across the country is also available through a weekly e-newsletter, which you can sign up for on the program site.

DFAP is all about giving you the support you deserve. Don’t let this opportunity pass you by! Apply now to secure this ﬁnancial assistance.

New Journal and Guide September 28, 2023 - October 4, 2023 | 5A

I have been successful in shaking every single table where I sit.”

A NEW JOURNAL AND GUIDE EXCLUSIVE: CHESAPEAKE FAMILY’S FAITH PLUS NEW MEDICAL TREATMENT CURE SON OF SICKLE CELL DISEASE

PUBLISHER’S NOTE:

This story appeared in our June 1, 2023 edition of the New Journal and Guide in observance of World Sickle Cell Day on June 19. We are reprinting it in September during Sickle Cell Disease Awareness Month with an update from the Davenport family as an encouragement for those affected by the disease.

Robert Davenport, III, the subject of the story, continues to live a normal life after his complete cure from Sickle Cell Disease resulting from a costly stem cell procedure.

He will be completing his Bachelor’s Degree in Government and Finance at William and Mary in the Spring 2024. He recently completed an internship at TowneBank HQ in their Risk Management and Commercial Lending Division. During that internship he was also selected to participate in an investment and ﬁnancial management internship with the American Bankers Association in Richmond, VA.

The previous summer he served as a Legislative Intern with Congresswoman Yvette Clark (9th Dist., NY). Robert and his two Siblings are establishing a nonproﬁt organization to provide ﬁnancial assistance to families that are also undergoing stem cell or bonemarrow transplants, or other procedures designed to cure the Sickle Cell Disease.

By Leonard E. Colvin Chief Reporter New Journal and Guide

These days Robert L. Davenport, III, 22, enjoys running marathons with his family, playing intramural lacrosse at his school and working hard to complete his challenging course work at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg. But at one time, his body was impacted by the Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) and even basic life activities were restricted and made much more difﬁcult.

As the world prepares for World Sickle Cell Day on June 19, Robert’s story of a full recovery from Sickle Cell Disease provides hope for thousands of persons for whom the disease has proven to be incurable since it was diagnosed in 1910.

Growing up, Robert had to choose athletic and other activities that would not cause painful crises that are common among individuals with Sickle Cell Disease. Because Robert was determined, he was able to earn his Black Belt in Tae Kwon Do in elementary school. But, distance running, track, and long trips often caused him to get sick or

Fentanyl

Continued from page 1A

The second at the Lambert’s Point Community Center.

On October 3 there will be a session at the Pretlow Anchor Library from 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.; on October 5 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at Norview Community Center; and on October 11, there will be a Virtual Town Hall Webex from 4 to 6:30 p.m..

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, (CDC), there were more than 2,500 drug overdose deaths in Virginia in 2021 and approximately 75 percent were due to opioids.

Information recently obtained by the City of Norfolk, showed of the 213 cases recorded involving Fentanyl overdoses, 101 were fatal, with 112 were non-fatal.

Thus far, as of late September, there are 125 related Fentanyl overdoses in the City of Norfolk with 51 being fatal and 74 nonfatal.

Also, so far this year, of the eight deadliest illegal street drugs out there, Fentanyl has caused the highest number of overdose deaths at 51, Heroin is tied with prescription drugs with one death. There are eight other deaths where determination of the cause as being drug-related is still being determined.

There were incidents of fatal overdoses affecting all ages ranging from 19 to 85, with the 31-35 age

become extremely fatigued.

Robert is one of three children in the Davenport family. He has an older sister, Makaila, who recently graduated from law school, and a younger brother, Solon, who is a high school junior. The family currently resides in Chesapeake, VA.

Robert Davenport, III, affectionately known as “RDIII” is one of 100,000 mostly African-Americans in the U.S. whose lives are impaired because of SCD. He was diagnosed with the genetic disorder at birth. His mother, LaTricia, recalls the devastation that she felt upon his diagnosis.

“When the doctors at Walter Reed Medical Center told us about how sickle cell disease affects a person’s health, we were afraid and felt hopeless,” she said.

“We were told that the disease causes frequent painful crises, and slowly destroys the body’s organs.

Some patients experience frequent infections, the spleen typically fails during childhood and patients may experience acute chest syndrome – which impacts the lungs and breathing, strokes and sometimes even blindness.

Robert’s father explained,

A complicated medical Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) treatment for Robert began in 2020 when he underwent a new and promising procedure to rid his body of most of the debilitating and dangerous aspects of SCD.

“The only treatment that was available was a regimen of antibiotics to prevent infections, trans-cranial doppler scans – to detect brain clot formations, blood transfusions, and heavy narcotic pain medications. We prayed constantly that God would provide a cure for Robert and others plagued by this disease.”

The Davenport family was unfortunately very familiar with the disease. Robert’s grandfather, a former educator in the Norfolk Public School system, suffered with the disease his entire life and spent much time in the hospital battling the disease. His example of strength and faith helped the family to persevere and continue to believe that God would provide a cure.

Acomplicated medical SCD treatment for Robert began in 2020 when he underwent a new and promising procedure to rid his body of most of the debilitating and dangerous aspects of SCD. Because he was under the age of 25 at the time, Robert was eligible for a clinical trial that involved a stem cell

Unlike the crack and cocaine problems of the past, the incidents today involving Fentanyl are treated as healthcare emergencies and victims and families are not subject to arrest.

range having the highest and the 19-25 range coming in second. Four cases were recorded for people in the 61 to 85 age range.

Most of the victims thus far this year have been men, 35, and women, 16.

Historically, white males regularly had the highest rates of fatal opioid overdoses in Virginia. In 2019, however, Black males had the highest rate of fatal opioid overdoses in the Commonwealth. In 2022 Black males fatally overdosed on Fentanyl 1.9 times as often as white males.

Their same rate could continue this year, state health ofﬁcials say.

In Norfolk so far this year, 30 African-American men of varying ages have died from Fentanyl overdoses and 20 were white men.

Overall, the state saw a 35 percent increase in overdose deaths between June 2021 and June 2022. Fentanyl deaths increased 20-fold since 2013 and just last year (2022), 1,951 Virginians died from Fentanyl.

Unlike the crack and cocaine problems of the past, the incidents today involving Fentanyl are treated as healthcare emergencies and victims and families are not subject to arrest. The Norfolk Police Department (NPD)

transplant from his brother Solon.

During a testimony before fellow congregants at Norfolk’s Shiloh Baptist Church, his father, Robert Davenport, Jr., translated a long scientiﬁc description called “HLA-identical sibling donor transplantation using alemtuzumab, low dose total-body irradiation, and sirolimus.”

According to Mr. Davenport, in layman terms, his son’s treatment involved “a stem cell transplant from his brother Solon. It involved blood transfusions, radiation, and one round of drugs to suppress his immune system and another round to help to prevent infection. And after the transplant – there was the waiting. Months of prayer, and waiting,” he said.

The treatment approach Robert underwent (nicknamed SUN) is one of two new “curative” procedures used to rid the body of the sickling of the red blood cells that identify SCD patients, according to Judy Anderson, Director of the Tidewater Sickle Cell

Continued from page 5A

She delved deeper asking, “How does the word “Constitution” make you feel?

Association, a position she has held for 46 years.

There are over 600 children in Hampton Roads who have SCD. SCD causes the body’s red blood cells to form into a sickle shape that causes pain in the joints, anemia, and damages the organs in people with the malady.

Although Robert’s younger sibling Solon has the sickle cell trait, it is not full-blown SCD and he was able to share his healthy stem cells to help rid his brother’s body of the disease.

Solon was a perfect match. One of the challenges associated with using this procedure to cure sickle cell disease is the identiﬁcation of a stem cell donor that is a perfect match. A patient’s sibling can often be that match, but if that is not the case, another donor would have to be identiﬁed. African-Americans would typically need an African American donor, but few African-Americans get tested and registered on the donor rolls to help provide a cure for patients with sickle cell disease and other genetic disorders.

His father said Robert is one of the ﬁrst to undergo the procedure. He said that the cost of the SUN procedure was extremely expensive, but fortunately insurance paid for most of it.

Until 2019, Robert experienced the normal debilitating effects of SCD, including the recurring painful episode that would cause stays in the hospital

where he was given ﬂuids and other meds to combat them.

But at one point in early 2019, Robert, then a biology major suffered a minor stroke during his freshman year at Hampton University.

According to Anderson, strokes are common when the sickled red blood cells cause clots in the brain or arteries leading to it.

According to his father, it was the ﬁrst time Robert had experienced such a medical event.

He said the family feared more of them and damage to other vital organs.

The physicians at Children’s Hospital of The King’s Daughters in Norfolk, Virginia got wind of the SUN procedure.

Considering the stroke, the fact that his brother could donate the stem cells, and other medical factors caused by SCD, Robert fortunately qualiﬁed for the procedure.

His father said the procedure took place at the Children’s National Medical Center in Washington, D.C.

The Davenports were worried not only about the risks associated with such an invasive procedure, but also the logistics of Robert having to live in the Washington, D.C. area for the three to four month process that included preparation for the transplant, the actual transplant and then almost daily appointments at the Sickle Cell Clinic to monitor his health and progress. see Sickle Cell, page 7A

categorizes overdose calls for service as lifethreatening medical emergencies; therefore, overdoses are responded to by both the Norfolk Police and Fire-Rescue Departments. In the City of Norfolk, police personnel are properly trained and authorized to carry and administer naloxone to individuals who are overdosing.

While NPD Investigators track the reported fatal and non-fatal overdoses for data purposes; those reporting overdoses to 911 can do so without fear of arrest or prosecution.

All of the sessions are open to everyone, especially individuals in recovery, families of those impacted by opioid use disorders, peers, allies, service providers, and law enforcement.

By participating in these sessions, residents can share personal experiences, contribute to communitydriven solutions, and make a lasting impact. Residents may attend one or all sessions and registration is preferred but not required.

Find registration links and more information about the Opioid Abatement Community Input Sessions by visiting www.norfolk. gov/communityinput.

One NSU scholar gave a heartfelt reply, “It makes me feel unincluded. It makes me feel like change needs to happen. Especially since it was created in a time when we weren’t considered or thought about as full people or individuals. It makes me feel like my individuality as an American has somewhat been stripped away.”

Price added to the conversation that although the 55 Delegates did not have Black people in mind when writing the Constitution, they also did not have in mind “a room full of beautiful Black intuitive students at a school that was built just for us where professors and administration could significantly pour into your lives, so you could become the best you.

“Change is still possible even if you are not a part of this document,” said Price.

Price posed questions to NSU students citing lines from the preamble. “What does a perfect union look like to you?” she asked. The preamble consists of the first 52 words of the Constitution written in 1787. She challenged students to think critically.

“Did the authors have you in mind? What do the words ‘establish justice,’ ‘domestic tranquility,’ ‘general welfare,’ ‘secure the blessings of liberty’ mean to HBCU students today?”

Students fueled a discussion with the consensus that while the Constitution was written as an aspirational document it does not serve all its citizens equally. Some students felt the Constitution was meant to oppress rather than uphold its promises.

Price contended, “What if it wasn’t even written for oppression because it wasn’t even written with you in mind? Is that better or worse for you? Does that make you feel better?”

The conversation between Price and the students was passionate and meaningful. The energy in the room was thick with sincerity and an ambitious hunger for change.

“Reform is the most that we can get from the inside. Transformation is what you all can do from the outside,” said Price. She told students that “you all have so much power to make culture shifts and paradigm shifts from the outside that will change the nature of the conversation that

the 140 members of the General Assembly are having in Virginia [and] that 435 voting members of Congress are talking about.”

“We the people must be the ones to make the Constitution relevant for us.”

Price charged students to not limit themselves to the confines of the campus or to put their heads in the sand.

“Now that you recognize the hypocrisy, what we can do is become the people in those positions,” said Price.

Constitution Day coincides with National Citizenship Day which promotes civic participation.

“We need your voice right now,” said Price.

In closing she encouraged students to know their power and use civic participation as a strategy.

“Whatever your major,” she said, “use your individual talent to find your lane.”

As for the Constitution and to the Spartans of NSU, Price bestowed one final gem, “Read it, learn it, find the words that are not relevant to your life and let’s do the work to make sure this document does work for ‘we the people’ including ourselves.”

Price

6A | September 28, 2023 - October 4, 2023 New Journal and Guide

Robert recently completed an internship at TowneBank HQ in their Risk Management and Commercial Lending Division. (L-R) Solon Davenport, Robert Davenport Photo: CourtesyoftheRobertDavenport,Jr.,Family Photo: CourtesyoftheRobertDavenport,Jr.,Family

SEND US AN EMAIL NJGUIDE@GMAIL.COM

We need your voice right now ... whatever your major, use your individual talent to ﬁnd your lane.”

– Del. Price to NSU students

Sickle Cell

Continued from page 6A

By the spring of 2020, the COVID Pandemic had besieged the nation. His family were told that Robert’s body would be stripped of its immune system so any exposure to COVID or other obnoxious biological agent could be fatal.

“I was working at the Pentagon at the time,” said Mr. Davenport. “That made the ability to be with Robert and mange his care much easier.”

He said the entire family and local community rallied around Robert and the cause. Family and friends in both the Hampton Roads and Washington, D.C. area made frequent visits to support Robert.

Robert’s mother, brother and sister traveled to D.C. every weekend to be with him and support his healing and recovery.

“The entire procedure and recovery period was made much easier by

the prayers, calls, visits, and care packages that he received from church members, family friends and former teachers,” said Mr. Davenport.

He praised “the excellent care givers at CHKD Sickle Cell clinic in Norfolk, headed by Dr. William Owen, and by Dr. Allistair Abraham at CNMC, in Washington, D.C. who guided the family through the process both pre and post transplant. We were very blessed.”

After Robert was released from the Children’s Medical Center in D.C., there was concern about the effectiveness of the procedure or that he would be exposed to viruses or bacteria as his immune system was returning back

– Robert Davenport

to normal and healthy levels.

Now that several years have passed since the procedure, and his medical team has determined that he has been cured of the disease, Robert enjoys , physical activities such as distance running. He plans to ﬂy to Spain with his father and brother later next year to celebrate his graduation from college and Solon’s graduation from high school with no concerns of pain.

Robert III is now very active in his college community where he is the Undersecretary for Academic Affairs, an Intern at Towne Bank, and at the end of the year, he will be ﬁ nishing up his studies at William and Mary and plans to enter Law School.

Upon completion of law school, he will join his father and sister as a member of the legal profession.

As for his brother, Solon, he often states that while many consider it a miracle that he had the opportunity to donate and aid Robert’s healing, he considers it to be a simple act of “brotherly love.” Solon believes that “he can do all things through Christ which strengthens him”

and with that belief, he was not afraid.

“We were afraid of losing our son,” said Mr. Davenport, an NSU graduate and Army Veteran. “Fear is a part of being human. But we are a family of faith.”

Robert’s mother says Robert is doing wonderful things that he could have only previously dreamed about and living his best life.

This World Sickle Cell Day (observed every year on June 19), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is highlighting information and resources on SCD.

As we approach the observance, Robert has said, “I want to give people hope and strength to remain vigilant about possible cures for the disease. Know that God will provide. I am a living witness.”

HBCU News STUDENT’S CALL FOR HBCU “SWAG” GETS OVERWHELMING FAMILY SUPPORT!

WILMINGTON, DE Tony King (pictured below), is a 16-year-old student at Great Oaks Charter School in Wilmington, Delaware. As part of his school’s recent initiative to inspire young students to consider all possible post-graduation educational options, Great Oaks Charter School hosted a HBCU-themed Spirit Week for the students to get involved.

What started as a simple and fun call to cousins for “HBCU Swag” to help him participate and show school spirit, turned into overwhelming family support.

“Much to our surprise, his cousins Ayanna Jackson and Tyler Johnson answered the call with a T-shirt for each

day of the week,” said Natasha King, Tony’s mother. “His cousin Tyler sent a shirt from her alma mater, Alabama A&M University, as well as two other general HBCU shirts, and his cousin Ayanna sent two shirts for her alma mater, Virginia State University.”

Natasha originally shared the photos of Tony sporting the shirts on social media so his cousins could see him representing HBCUs, but the posts gained popularity among their family and friends ... and even received a supportive comment from Dr. Makola M. Abdullah, the 14th president of Virginia State University. Great job to Tony for representing HBCU PRIDE!

“Many stories matter. Stories have been used to dispossess and to malign. But stories can also be used to empower, and to humanize. Stories can break the dignity of a people. But stories can also repair that broken dignity.” - Chimamanda

New Journal and Guide September 28, 2023 - October 4, 2023 | 7A

(L-R) Solon, LaTricia Davenport (mom), Attorney General Eric Holder, Makaila (sister), Robert Davenport Jr. (dad), Robert III Photo: CourtesyoftheRobertDavenport,Jr.,Family

I want to give people hope and strength to remain vigilant about possible cures for the disease. Know that God will provide. I am a living witness.”

III

Ngozi Adichie Photos: Courtesy

8A | September 28, 2023 - October 4, 2023 New Journal and Guide

B COMMUNITY & MORE ...

OLD SCHOOL LEGENDS CLASS OF 2023 INDUCTED

Norfolk Chapter, Kappa Alpha Psi To Host Inaugural Scholarship & Achievement Gala

By Melissa Spellman NJG Fall Intern New Journal and Guide

The Norfolk Alumni Chapter (NAC) of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity’s Save Our Youth Foundation, Inc. will host its First Scholarship and Achievement Black Tie Gala on Saturday, October 14, 2023, at 6:30 p.m. at the Delta Hotel in Chesapeake.

The theme for the inaugural year gala is “Leaving a Legacy, Building into Generations to Come.”

Three recipients will be honored during the event. Kappa Alpha Psi will recognize the lifetime achievements of Clarence F. Nelson, Jr., a community servant leader, youth mentor, and philanthropist. A community service award will be presented to Dr. George F. Reed, a retired educator, mentor, nonproﬁt consultant, and community servant leader. The corporate philanthropy award will be presented to the Sentara Foundation for its extraordinary support of Kappa Alpha Psi’s non-proﬁt endeavors. see Gala, page 2B

HISTORIC PHOEBUS FALL FESTIVAL ON OCT. 14

HAMPTON The old Phoebus neighborhood of Hampton will transform into a vibrant outdoor street fair for the Historic Phoebus Fall Festival on

October 14 from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Activities will take place on Mellon Street. Attendees can purchase handmade arts and crafts, explore community

exhibits and live music, and more, as well as enjoy food and beer. The festival is sponsored by the Partnership for a New Phoebus. Admission to this festival is free.

New Journal and Guide September 28, 2023 - October 4, 2023 | Section B

SECTION

see page 4B

Clarence F. Nelson, Jr. Dr. George F. Reed

Trump’s Chances For Re-election: IT IS WHAT IT IS!

By John L. Horton

Senator Mitt Romney has announced that he will not be running for re-election in 2024. Furthermore, Romney has a new book, “Romney: A Reckoning,” due out in October 2024, criticizing much of the Republican party, and stating that too many in his party “do not believe in the U.S. Constitution,” and are “cult-like” in their devotion to and support of former President Donald J. Trump.

Moreover, Romney says this has caused his Republican Party to be against American principles and values, and to present a clear and present danger to the nation’s current governance and future stability. Due to these circumstances and other factors, what I am saying in this piece is even more important and critical concerning the upcoming 2024 presidential and other local, state and national elections.

It was announced (August 1st) by the January 6 Probe, DOJ officials that Trump is being indicted for the third time in the past four months. Since then, another (4th) indictment has been charged against Trump in Fulton County, Georgia. Overall, Trump is being indicted on four felony charges in regards to the Jan. 6 Probe: (1) Conspiracy to Defraud the United States; (2) Conspiracy to Obstruct an Official Proceeding; (3) Obstruction and attempt to obstruct an Official Proceeding; (4) Conspiracy Against Rights.

Additionally, there are six unnamed, uncharged co-conspirators, thought to be: (1) Rudy Giuliani; (2) John Eastman; (3) Sidney Powell; (4) Jeffrey Clark; (5) Kenneth Chesebro; (6) Presently Unknown. It is alleged that these six coconspirators, along with others, promulgated the “Big Lie,” and tried to aid and plan to keep Trump in power, beyond January 20, 2021, by refusing to relinquish the Presidency.

Further, it is charged that no person should be allowed to escape accountability for attempting to violently overthrow a legal election and refuting the (legitimate) will of the people. By his

words and actions, Trump is accused of “putting his interests over those of the country ... ” As of August 15th, Trump is facing 91 counts in four different cases. At this time of racial unrest, economic anxiety and pandemic aftermath, we need positive leadership and national unity more than ever. And, unfortunately, Trump, as a POTUS, is ill equipped for this challenging task, which leads us to a doorway of derision and down a staircase to (eventual) failure. It does not have to be like this, for we can – and should – do better for the sake and success of “our” country and democracy as a whole.

With all that is going on among our diverse populations and divided communities, I believe Trump is fully engaged in causing and bringing about anguish, anger and antagonism in an attempt to get reelected. Moreover, I believe that once a person shows you who he is…you should believe him! (Shades of Maya Angelou!)

Over the past several years, it amazes me how most Republican politicians and many inﬂuential others interact and react to Trump. At times, it seems that many of them are treating Trump “differently,” not out of respect, but out of “indifference.” It is as if they are dealing with an egotistical, arrogant, bullying, immature, irresponsible, incompetent “man-child.” Most of them appear to go along with Trump, because they want to avoid the “Trump tantrums” that usually attack those who disagree with and/or confront him.

Prior to running for and being elected President in 2016, Trump promised: (1)

To “drain the swamp;” (2) Abolish Obama Care; (3) Build and make Mexico pay for the Wall; (4) Reduce the National Budget; etc. ... And, although Trump had four years and a Republican Senate and House Majority for the ﬁrst two years, he failed to successfully accomplish any of these “political promises.”

It is felt and believed by many that Trump is basically uncontrollable and impulsively challenged when it comes to the ofﬁce of POTUS. That Trump is not a devotee of party, principle, participation, and/or patriotism. After all, Trump claims to be the “retribution and vindication” for his supporters and voters. And, Trump plans to get “revenge and justice” for his supporters and voters against the “others” (the liberals, the left, the Democrats, the deep state, the corrupt government, and anyone, who is not a true MAGA believer, and the like ...) Trump has said on many occasions, “If reelected President, I will go after those who have gone after me.”

However, I ﬁrmly believe, in the ﬁnal analysis, that “truth, justice, democracy, the Constitution, and the rule of law” will be held steadfast and perpetuate and sustain our nation until its eventual victory for our future and existence.

This, we can do! This, we must do!

John L. Horton is a frequent contributor to this newspaper.

Chesapeake Police Department Partners With Community Churches For “Cookout”

CHESAPEAKE

The Chesapeake Police Department is hosting a “Community Cookout” on Saturday, October 7 from 12 to 2 p.m. at the Campostella Square Park.

The event is called “Faith and Blue” and is part of a national initiative that weekend designed to bring together law enforcement and the faith-based community. The CPD is partnering with Greater Mt. Zion Baptist Church and Portlock United Methodist

Gala

Continued from page 1B

The Norfolk Kappa chapter has been offering scholarships since 1982 to help remove the financial barriers for Black males who desire to go to college.

Over the years, their Save Our Youth Foundation, founded in 2005, has provided more than $120,000 in scholarships and grants to area youths and adults. Funds from this year’s event will allow the foundation to enlarge its ability to give more scholarships.

Program organizers say their scholarships to Black males, especially, are important due to the

Church for this event. The Buffalow Family will also be participating. Faith & Blue was inaugurated in 2020 by Movement Forward, Inc., working with the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office) at the U.S. Department of Justice.

The idea was a simple but powerful one – the ties that bind officers and residents must be reinforced if we are to build neighborhoods where everyone feels safe

decrease in Black male enrollment in higher education because of financial hardships. Applications are reviewed by a committee that votes on deserving recipients. The Save Our Youth Foundation is dedicated to youth mentorship, providing scholarships, and resources to students and low-income families. Their mission is to improve the lives of youth and adults in South Hampton Roads through the inspiration of philanthropy. The foundation serves the Norfolk community hosting events, activities, special guest speakers, and trips for students throughout the year. One of the foundation’s initiatives is the Guide Right Program working

and included.

Faith-based organizations are key to building these bonds because they are not only the largest community resource in the nation, with 65 million participants in weekly events, but because they are as diverse as our nation. Moreover, they speak to Americans’ shared conviction that we are our brothers’ and sisters’ keepers. For more information on Faith and Blue please visit https://faithandblue. org/

with Norfolk middle schools and high schools offering in school mentorship and catering to young Black males. The foundation is requesting community and corporate support in their continued efforts to provide financial aid to worthy and deserving students continuing their education.

Sponsorships, donations, and tickets are tax deductible at https:// nacsoyf1stBlacktiegala. eventbrite.com.

High school students can apply for scholarships online at https:// saveouryouthfoundation. org/

If you have any questions, please contact Tim Lamb (757) 541-9161 or Keith Chapman, Sr., (757) 639-6290.

2B | September 28, 2023 - October 4, 2023 New Journal and Guide

LOCAL VOICES

With all that is going on among our diverse populations and divided communities, I believe Trump is fully engaged in causing and bringing about anguish, anger and antagonism in an attempt to get reelected.

John L. Horton

Happy Birthday NSU!

LIFE’S MUSICAL CIRCLE GAME

By Sean C. Bowers

Occasionally as age’s twilight dims we are catapulted back in time by a certain song, melody, or lyric that was timestamped on our psyche and brain stem with the attached muscle memory of the life trauma and drama we were attempting to scale and overcome at the time.

When the artist of my generation, Prince, passed in 2016, I felt a part of myself from my youth pass and fade away. Knowing there would be no more live performances and concerts from the “Purple One” was a gut punch the whole world is still trying to recover from. It feels similar to what people who lose limbs must feel about their “ghost limb” still being attached with them in spirt.

At least with Prince, we caught a break because “the artist formerly known as,” withheld an estimated quarter to a third of his total musical compositions from being released in real time. Prince danced back and forth across all previously known artist sexual lines.

Like millions of others, I found the rawness of his musical virtuoso versatility virtually impossible to resist, and to not respectfully emulate in my life and my game. I was captured and raptured by that ﬁve-footer of maximum musical and fashion style stature.

Since his passing, several excellent compact discs have been released, with more promised to come in the next few years from the Prince (Nelson) family archives at Paisley Park Studios, now a Prince tribute museum.

Like many of you, over my lifetime other artists have also helped me make sense of this nonsensical world.

Michael Jackson’s, “Off the Wall” CD with the world mega hit, “Don’t Stop Till You Get Enough,” was one of the ﬁrst four cassettes I ever bought when I started my own personal musical collection. Michael was the dance sensation in the 1970s as a kid lead singer of the Jackson Five family band. He was the man of the

Sean C. Bowers

1980s with unparalleled fame and success. In 1979-1981, Michael’s made me feel the rhythm, feel the beat, feel my power as the only white kid bussed from Seattle’s Central District’s “HOOD.” As I felt his realness, I began to ﬁnd my own the basketball courts of the Northwest.

Back then there was a running debate as to who was better, Michael or Princewho would last longer, have more hits, sell more records? Both were geniuses in their own right, in their own ways, on their own unmatched levels.

A Seattle former mentor and old Northwestern English literature major friend of mine turned me on to Donny Hathaway and Joe Zawinul of “Weather Report.” My friend’s linguistic input back then helped lead me to my writing career, addressing issues in prose and print. Donny sang, “Someday We’ll All Be Free,” and my personal favorite love song, “I Know It’s You.”

The jazz of Joe Z., who played with legends Cannonball Adderly and Ben Webster, then formed jazz super-group Weather Report, is the only jazz group to ever sell out 60,000-70,000 seat stadiums on their tours in the U.S. and around the world. His, “A Remark You Made,” from his best-seller “Heavy Weather” CD, may still be the most beautifully composed instrumental of all time. The joy these artists have brought me over the years of listening and reﬂecting is immeasurable and invaluable.

From my earliest childhood, the Beatles, Crosby, Stills, and Nash and Young, and Joni Mitchell stood atop my

earliest memories of love.

As my Mom raised me by herself in our one-room garage apartment ﬁlled with Joni’s clouds and “Chelsea Morning” cheese eggs. Joni had a way, even then, of soothing my angry adolescent self. I was unaware that my Mom was ﬁlling my empty broken-hearted hole through my universal input soul. From “A Case Of You,” to “Both Sides Now, to “Woodstock,” Joni Mitchell tapped into the deepest nether-regions of honesty, vulnerability, sensitivity, creativity, grace, healing, and empathic understanding that is relevant to every last one of us.

Two recent CD’s released in 2023 with some of the best music I’ve ever heard are Jon Batiste “World Music Radio,” and the “Joni Mitchell at Newport, Joni Jam.” Mitchell played at the famous “Newport Jazz Festival” in 1969 and closed her performance back then and again, on this CD, with “The Circle Game.” We have been blessed by her yet again, musically and spiritually, as we ﬁnally come full circle.

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.

NORFOLK SEEKS COMMUNITY FEEDBACK ON OPIOID CRISIS

NORFOLK

The Norfolk Community Services Board is hosting a series of Opioid Abatement Listening Sessions to allow residents to offer feedback on the opioid crisis in the area.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there were more than 2,500 drug overdose deaths in Virginia in 2021 and

approximately 75 percent were due to opioids.

All sessions are open to everyone, especially individuals in recovery, families of those impacted by opioid use disorders, peers, allies, services providers, and law enforcement.

The remaining three sessions in the series are planned for Oct. 3, from 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. at the Mary D. Pretlow Anchor

Branch Library; Oct. 5, from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., at the Norview Community Center; and Oct. 11, from 4 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., a Virtual Town Hall.

Registration is preferred, but not required. Find registration links and more information about the Opioid Abatement Community Input Sessions by visiting www.norfolk.gov/ communityinput.

New Journal and Guide September 28, 2023 - October 4, 2023 | 3B

Like many of you, over my lifetime other artists have also helped me make sense of this nonsensical world.

LOCAL VOICES

Norfolk State University (NSU) President Dr. Javaune Adams-Gaston (R) and Sophomore Class President Zay’Kori Jones (L) cut the NSU Birthday Cake, Sept. 18, in the Student Center with NSU cheerleaders looking on. The university celebrates 88 year this year ... NSU was born in 1935 in the midst of the Great Depression with 85 students as the Norfolk Unit of Virginia Union. Photo: Courtesy

MOMENTS of MEDITATION

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

REACHING OUR WORLD

Read: Acts 1:1-11

Jim Elliott once wrote in his journal, “Wherever you are, be all there. Live to the hilt every situation you believe to be the will of God.” Completely sold out to God, this young man impressed everyone he met with his humble spirit, his radical love for Christ, and his consuming passion for the lost.

After he graduated from Wheaton College in 1949, Elliott committed his life to sharing the Gospel with several unreached Indian tribes in Ecuador. He ministered successfully there for several years with his wife, Elizabeth. But when Jim and four friends tried to establish contact with the reclusive Auca Indian tribe, they were suddenly and brutally murdered by ﬁerce Auca warriors.

In His own way, God used this seemingly tragic event for His glory. The news media, intrigued by Elliott’s faith, courage, and adventurous spirit, spread his poignant story to millions of people throughout the world. LIFE

MAGAZINE featured a 10page article on the life and mission of Elliott and the four other young men. As a result, Jim Elliott is now known as one of the greatest missionary martyr of our time.

That’s not the end of

the story! Incredibly, Jim Elliott’s desire to share Christ with unreached Indian tribes lived on through his courageous wife, Elizabeth. She eventually returned to Ecuador to minister to the Auca Indian – the very people who had killed her husband. She shared the message of God’s love with the Acuas and saw many come to faith in Christ Jesus.

The Adventures of The Apostles. Like the Elliots, Jesus’ disciples knew what it meant to “live to the hilt.”

As they encountered one adventure after another, they learned how to be “all there,” no matter what the cost. In fact, the Bible book we now know as The Acts of the Apostles contains so much drama and intrigue that it could have been called The Adventures of the Apostles!

Merriam-Webster’s deﬁnes adventure as “an undertaking usually involving danger and unknown risks; or an enterprise involving ﬁnancial risk.” Notice that the word “risk” appears and again!

The Apostles braved it all to follow God’s will, taking the life-changing Gospel message to the world. As we explore the remarkable experiences and surprise

blessings that God bestowed on the Apostles, another term comes to mind. Ever heard the word serendipity? It means “the faculty or phenomenon of ﬁnding valuable or agreeable things not sought for.”

Think of it as ‘seren-dip-ity – the dip of the serene into the common responsibilities of life. Serendipity occurs when something beautiful breaks into the monotonous and the mundane. A serendipitous life is marked by “surprisability” and spontaneity. When we lose our capacity for either, we settle into life’s ruts.” But if we expect the best from God, the sky’s the limit! So consider your adventures serendipities – unexpected blessings that occur along life’s journey.

To be certain of God means that we are uncertain in all our ways, not knowing what tomorrow may bring.” When we choose to let “gracious uncertainty” and God’s serendipity deﬁne our faith, we experience His blessing to the fullest. As we become more mature believers, we learn to relinquish control and trust Him.

How often do we face the day with “breathless expectation?” Instead, we usually groan when the alarm goes off and hit the snooze button to gain a few more minutes of sleep. But preparing for a life of adventure means placing our faith in God, getting our act together, and making a difference.

The Lord had this in mind when He transformed eleven frightened disciples into brave, conﬁdent adventurers who spread the Gospel throughout the entire known world.

The Marks of An Adventurer. What attributes did these adventurous Apostles possess? They followed God’s

call and searched out new ways to share the Gospel. They ministered to others, even in the face of extreme danger. They were willing to accept the risks that came with the pursuit of God’s kingdom.

It was in the midst of these eleven men that Jesus made a promise that revolutionized the world. “I will build my church” (Matthew 16:18). At that time, He hadn’t yet started the construction project. But the Apostles realized that they were experiencing the birth of something new and incredible.

The physician Luke, sometimes called “Doctor Luke,” wrote the book of Acts. Inspired by the Holy Spirit, Luke created a profound, historically accurate, and gripping narrative about the early church. He exhibited an excellent command of the Greek language, peppering his writings with technical terms.

HAMPTON ROADS

Luke began the book of Acts the way: (v. 1) here Luke referred to a “ﬁrst account’ that he had previously written. What was this ﬁrst account?

The gospel according to Luke the purpose of Luke’s gospel had been to record in detail Jesus’ words and deeds so that every generation of Christians could read them.

What happened at the end of this ﬁrst account? Luke reminded us in verses 2-3 of Acts 1. First, Christ had risen from the dead and had appeared to the Apostles and many others, offering physical proof of His bodily resurrection. Then He had ministered to the people, teaching them concerning the Kingdom of God.

Before He ascended, Jesus gave the disciples a ﬁnal command (v. 4): What were the Apostles to wait for? The outpouring of the Holy Spirit

of God. Jesus’ Apostles, friends, and followers were not going to be left to face life alone. Jesus reminded them that the Father had promised to send them a Guide and a Comforter. The power of the Spirit would soon ﬂow, ﬁlling these men with strength and giving them a vision for how God would use them to impact their world.

You have the Holy Spirit of God to comfort and guide you. You’ve been given the Great Commission to take the Gospel to every creature. So seize your opportunity to live each day to the fullest, and be on the lookout for the special serendipities God may send your way. Ask God to make today an adventure that you’ll have forever!

Rev. Dr. Archie L. Edwards, Sr., is an Associate Minister at Second Calvary Baptist Church in Norfolk.

Old School Legends Inducted

Recently the Old School Legends Athletic Hall of Fame inducted its 2023 Class during an event held in Chesapeake, Virginia. The Old School Legends organization has been honoring outstanding high school players and

coaches in the region since its ﬁrst class of 2019, according to the founder of the organization, John F. Speller. The organization donates to a number of organizations, including the Children’s Hospital and the King’s Daughters and the Union Mission Ministries of Norfolk.

4B | September 28, 2023 - October 4, 2023 New Journal and Guide CHURCH ADs

DIRECTORY Distribution Points WHERE TO GET YOUR NEXT GUIDE NORFOLK,VA New Journal & Guide Ofﬁce 5127 E.” Virginia Beach Blvd. Piggly Wiggly 4630 East Princess Anne Rd. (COGIC) High Rise 2412 E.” Virginia Beach Blvd. Water Plus 5950 Poplar Hall Dr., Suite 107 Handy Business Service 3535 B Tidewater Dr. International Market 7506 Granby Street Bountiful Blessings Daycare 1010 E Brambleton Ave Herbal Farmacy 4215 Granby St. Norfolk Montessori Academy 979 Ingleside Rd. PORTSMOUTH, VA Lewis Barber Shop 4229 Greenwood Dr. Blondell’s Masonic Shop 3510 Victory Blvd. Fair & Honest Auto 2921 Portsmouth Blvd. CHESAPEAKE, VA African Value Braids. 2036 Campostella Rd. Master Touch 4013 Indian River Rd. Lawrence Pharmacy 1156 N. George Washington Hwy. Eddie’s Crab-house 2592 Campostella Rd. Herbal Farmacy 1128 N.” Battleﬁeld Blvd. VIRGINIA BEACH, VA SUFFOLK, VA Local 2426 U.A.W. 509 E. Washington St. CEB Financial 533 Highland Ave. NEWPORT NEWS, VA Moton Community House 2101 Jefferson Ave. Al’ Qubaa Islamic Center 1145 Hampton Ave. HAMPTON, VA Iconic Fashion International 89 Lincoln St. #1772 FRANKLIN, VA Man Market 2016 South St. WINDSOR, VA Eddie’s Crabhouse 1143 Windsor Blvd. Suite F CHICAGO, IL Doctors Choice 600 W. Cermak Rd. Lower Level

SPACE AVAILABLE CALL (757) 543-6531 OR EMAIL NJGUIDE@GMAIL.COM

INDUCTEES: Front Row (L-R): Coach Edward Young, Valerie Croker Artis, Vivian Greene, Coach Malcolm Zeke Avery. Back row (L-R): Teko Wynder, James E. Holmon Sr., Raynell Jones, Michael Brown Sr., and Benjamin Finney. Photo: Courtesy

New Journal and Guide September 28, 2023 - October 4, 2023 | 5B

BOOKWORM REVIEW

By Terri Schlichenmeyer

BAYARD RUSTIN: A LEGACY OF PROTEST AND POLITICS

You will never settle.

And why should you? If it’s not right, you make it right. If it can be better, well, then get at it. You ﬁnd the solution or you go on to the next thing because good enough is never good enough.

As in the new book “Bayard Rustin,” essays edited by Michael G. Long, there’s always work to do and good trouble.

Somehow, it seems, in the discussion about Martin Luther King and the leadership he brought to the Civil Rights Movement, certain things may be left out. In the case of Bayard Rustin, says Long, the record needs to be altered.

Today, now.

His mother was still a teenager, and unmarried, when Rustin’s grandmother helped deliver him in the spring of 1912. The boy’s father refused to acknowledge him, so his grandparents gave him a family name and raised him in their Quaker faith.

Still, alongside the peaceful, gentle mandate of Quakerism, young Rustin experienced Jim Crow segregation. His grandmother left a major impact on him, teaching him compassion, kindness, and generosity – she reared him to do the right thing – but they lived in Pennsylvania, where racism was common and the Klan maintained a nearby presence. As if that wasn’t difﬁculty enough, Rustin realized he was gay, which

“Bayard Rustin: A Legacy of Protest and Politics”

was illegal then. At that point, though, he had seen many wrongs around him, and he became an activist. He also worked for justice as a speaker and organizer; at one time, he’d embraced communism but eventually became a socialist. By his own admission, Rustin was jailed more than 20 times and served on a chain gang for several months – but even then, his nonviolent Quaker beliefs emerged and he befriended his jailers, gaining their respect. By the time he met a young preacher named Martin Luther King, Rustin was wellversed on civil rights work. He had direction, contacts, and the organizational skills the movement needed.

And yet, he was willing to let King take the front stage ... Pulled together as a collection of essays, “Bayard Rustin” has one ﬂaw that probably can’t be helped: it’s quite repetitive. Each of the essayists in this book wrote extensively about Rustin, his work, and his impact, but there just doesn’t seem to be quite enough about Rustin himself – perhaps because, as editor Michael G. Long indicates in his introduction, Rustin left a legacy but history left him more in the background. This means that the nearly two dozen contributors to this

book had only what they had to go on, hence, the repetition. Even so, if you look for Rustin, you’ll find abundant tales about him and this book has a good portion of them. Readers will be entertained, confounded, and pleased by what they read here. It’s like finding treasure you never knew you needed. This book needs to sit on the shelf next to everything written about Dr. King. It’s an essential companion to any volume about the Civil Rights Movement. If you need history, find “Bayard Rustin” and settle in.

CLASSIFIEDS

INVITATION FOR BIDS

INVITATION FOR BIDS PR2116-116-23

The Norfolk Redevelopment and Housing Authority will receive bids for the “NRHA Diggs Town PHC Roof Replacement.”

The Scope of work includes all supervision, labor, material, and equipment necessary to complete the Diggs Town PHC Roof Replacements at Diggs Town VA6-6, located at 1619 Vernon Drive Norfolk VA 23523. The work for this project includes but is not limited to replacing the existing roof. Also including items listed in the project scope of work section.

A pre-bid meeting will be conducted on-site at Diggs Town 1619 Vernon Drive, Norfolk VA 23523 on October 3, 2023, at 1 PM. All prospective bidders are strongly encouraged to attend.

Please contact Nathan Harden, NRHA Construction Project Manager (nharden@nrha.us) to register for the pre-bid meeting and for any related questions. All questions must be received by 11 AM, October 12, 2023.

Sealed Bids will be received, publicly opened, and read aloud on October 19, 2023, at 11 AM local prevailing time at the ofﬁce of the Norfolk Redevelopment and Housing Authority, 910 Ballentine Boulevard, Norfolk, Virginia.

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

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

INVITATION FOR BIDS

The Norfolk Redevelopment and Housing Authority will receive bids for the “NRHA Sykes Elevator Upgrades and Additions”

The scope of work includes all supervision, labor, material, and equipment necessary to upgrade existing elevators and addition of one new elevator at Sykes Mid-Rise Apartments at 555 E Liberty Street Norfolk, VA 23523, The work for this project includes but not limited to repairs and upgrades to the existing hydraulic elevator in apartment buildings, new HVAC systems for the elevator machine rooms, miscellaneous repairs in the hoist-ways, and other additional work as indicated in the contract documents. The full scope of work is described in the Contract Documents. A pre-bid meeting will be conducted on October 12, 2023 at 11 AM outside of 555 Liberty Street, Norfolk VA 23523. All prospective bidders are strongly encouraged to attend.

Please contact Randy Hill – NRHA Senior Construction Project Manager (rhill@nrha.us) for any related questions. All questions must be received by 11 AM October 20, 2023.

Sealed Bids will be received, publicly opened and read aloud on November 2, 2023at 11 AM local prevailing time at the ofﬁce of the Norfolk Redevelopment and Housing Authority, 910 Ballentine Boulevard, Norfolk, Virginia 23504.

A certiﬁed check, bank draft or irrevocable letter of credit, payable to the order of the Norfolk Redevelopment and Housing Authority, negotiable U. S. Government bonds (at par value) or a satisfactory Bid Bond executed by the bidder and an acceptable surety in the amount equal to ﬁve percent (5%) of the bid shall be submitted with each bid.

Attention is called to the fact that not less than the minimum salaries and wages set forth in the contract documents must be paid on this project, and that the contractor must insure that all employees and applicants for employment are not discriminated against because of their race, religion, color, sex, or nation origin, and comply with the requirements of Section 3 of the Housing and Urban Development Act of 1968 and of Executive Order 11246.

The Norfolk Redevelopment and Housing Authority reserves the right to reject any or all bids or to waive any informality in the bidding.

If any bidder seeks to withdraw his bid due to a clerical error therein, as provided in Code of Virginia, Title 2.2, Chapter 43, Section 2.2-4330, such bidder must give notice in writing of his claim of right to withdraw his bid within two (2) business days after the bid opening.

If a contract is for $120,000 or more, or if the total value of all construction, removal, repair or improvement undertaken by the bidder within any 12-month period is $750,000.00 or more, the bidder is required under Title 54.1-1100, Code of Virginia, 2050 (as amended) to show evidence of being licensed as a Class A Contractor. If a contract is $10,000 or more, but less than $120,000, the bidder is required to show evidence of being licensed as a Class B Contractor.

The bidder shall place on the outside of the envelope containing the bid and shall place in the bid over his signature whichever of the following notations is appropriate:

Licensed Class A Virginia Contractor Number __________________

Licensed Class B Virginia Contractor Number ___________________

If a contract is for $1,000 or more, or if the total value of all construction, removal, repair or improvement undertaken by the bidder within any 12-month period is $150,000 or more, the bidder is required under Title 54.1, Chapter 7, Code of Virginia, 2050 (as amended).

The contractor must be authorized to transact business in Virginia as a domestic or foreign business entity as required by the State Corporation Commission, if such is required by law. Such status shall be maintained during the term of a contract.

The bidder shall place on the outside of the envelope containing the bid and also on the bid form, acknowledgment of receipt of all addenda for the bid.

In submitting these Bids, the Bidder understands that the right is reserved by the Norfolk Redevelopment and Housing Authority to reject any and all Bids or to waive any informality in the bidding. If written notice of the acceptance of this Bid is mailed, telegraphed or delivered to the undersigned, the undersigned agrees to guarantee their bid price at least 120 days. The contractor shall execute and deliver an Agreement in the prescribed form and furnish the required bond within ten (10) days after the Agreement is presented to him for signature.

6B | September 28, 2023 - October 4, 2023 New Journal and Guide FUN PUZZLE FOR YOUR LEISURE ... answers to this week’s puzzle.

New Journal and Guide September 28, 2023 - October 4, 2023 | 7B

8B | September 28, 2023 - October 4, 2023 New Journal and Guide