NJG | Vol. 124 - July 25, 2024

NEWJOURNAL & GUIDE NEW JOURNAL & GUIDE

shall lack a champion and evil shall not thrive unopposed. www.thenewjournalandguide.com

BLACK WOMEN RALLY BEHIND KAMALA HARRIS AFTER BIDEN STEPS ASIDE

By Stacy M. Brown

NNPA Newswire Senior

National Correspondent

@StacyBrownMedia

Democrats and the rest of the nation are once again turning to Black women to lead the charge in saving democracy, and they have again stepped to the plate and swung for the fences.

Following President Joe Biden’s announcement that he would not run for the Democratic nomination, the network Win with Black Women organized a Zoom call to show how prepared and determined black women were to take on this enormous challenge. The call, held on Sunday, was a powerful display of unity

and determination, with Black women leaders from across the nation voicing their unwavering support for Vice President Kamala Harris.

The Zoom call reportedly drew an astounding 40,000 attendees and featured

Apollo Theater Makes History with Kennedy Center Honor

By Stacy M. Brown NNPA Newswire Senior

National

Correspondent

@StacyBrownMedia

The Apollo Theater, Harlem’s legendary cultural institution, has made history by earning a rare Kennedy Center Honors, one of the highest accolades in the arts. For ninety years, the Apollo has been the heart of American culture, nurturing emerging artists, launching legends, and serving as a center of innovation for Harlem, New York City, and the world. As the largest performing arts institution dedicated to Black culture and creativity, the Apollo has significantly influenced popular culture globally.

The Kennedy Center Honors has selected The Apollo Theater, marking the first time a venue, rather than an individual performer, has received this prestigious award.

“We are thrilled to be the first organization honored in the history of the Kennedy Center Awards, emphasizing The Apollo’s impact on the past, present, and future of American culture and the performing arts,” stated Michelle Ebanks, President & CEO of The

Apollo.

The 47th Kennedy Center Honors will also celebrate the lifetime achievements of director and filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola, blues singer-songwriter and guitarist Bonnie Raitt, jazz trumpeter, pianist, and composer Arturo Sandoval, and the surviving members of the countercultural rock band the Grateful Dead.

“I am profoundly humbled and deeply honored to be selected as a recipient of the prestigious Kennedy Center Honors,” Sandoval said. “This recognition is an extraordinary milestone in my career.”

Raitt said she’s “deeply honored and thrilled to have been chosen to receive one of this year’s Center Honors. There is no higher level of esteem nor as delightful a celebration.”

Frances Ford Coppola reflected on his career and the honor, stating, “There’s no greater honor than to be included along with those who inspired me, who I looked up to, and who gave me encouragement when times were dim.”

The Grateful Dead has always been about community, creativity, and exploration in music and

For ninety years, the Apollo has been the heart of American culture, nurturing emerging artists, launching legends, and serving as a center of innovation for Harlem, New York City, and the world.

presentation, stated the band’s Bob Weir. “We’ve always felt that the music we make embodies and imparts something beyond the notes and phrases being played— and that is something we are privileged to share with all

who are drawn to what we do—so it also must be said that our music belongs as much to our fans, the Dead Heads, as it does to us,” he continued. “This honor, then, is as much theirs as ours.” see Apollo, page 7A

IS KAMALA HARRIS FOLLOWING FOOTSTEPS OF OTHER TRAILBLAZING FEMALE LEADERS

By Rosaland Tyler Associate Editor New Journal

and Guide

Will a national crisis catapult U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris into the position of Commander in Chief, the way a crisis thrust trailblazing female leaders Margaret Thatcher, Indira Gandhi and Ellen Johnson Sirleaf into their nation’s oval offices in Britain, India and Liberia?

Harris unexpectedly became the likely U.S. Presidential nominee for the Democrats after President Joe Biden dropped out of the 2024 race on July 21. But will Biden’s abrupt resignation, which dates back to his disappointing debate performance against former

President Donald Trump in June, cause Harris to become the first Black woman and first Asian American to lead the ticket of a major political party?

“LaTosha Brown, a cofounder of Black Voters Matter, a progressive group

We’ve seen her constantly berated, marginalized, questioned. I think that the shift is because there’s a need.”

– LaTosha Brown, Co-Founder of Black Voters Matter

that works to boost Black voter turnout, recently told CNN, “We’ve seen her constantly berated, marginalized, questioned. I think that the shift is because there’s a need.”

History shows a leadership crisis unfolded before Thatcher’s sweeping 1979 electoral victory. It came on the heels of British Prime Minister Edward Heath’s downward spiral.

Specifically, Heath lost two successive elections starting in 1974. With the backing of the Conservative right wing, Thatcher was elected leader in February 1975 and thus began a 15-year ascendancy that would change the face of Britain. But in 1990, Thatcher announced her resignation as Conservative Party leader and was replaced by John Majors. see Footsteps, page 2A

an impressive lineup of speakers, including Reps. Joyce Beatty, Maxine Waters, and Jasmine Crockett. The leaders passionately emphasized Black women’s critical role in the upcoming election and shared personal stories about Harris that underscored her quali fi cations and leadership qualities. Other notable attendees included DC Mayor Muriel Bowser, Maryland Senate hopeful Angela Alsobrooks, civil rights leader Bernice King, and Black Voters Matter co-founder LaTosha Brown.

The call highlighted the urgency of fundraising and voter registration as critical

strategies for supporting Harris’s campaign. The participants raised over $1 million during the call. “We have a plan. This is not arbitrary. We are ready.” asserted Holli Holiday, one of the call’s moderators. Enthusiastic attendees expressed their readiness to work tirelessly to elect Harris. “This is work. Roll up your sleeves; we got work to do,” one attendee insisted. Another attendee declared, “Fired up and ready for this moment led by an intergenerational legion of Black women. Let’s get to work. Let’s gather our sons, daughters, nieces, and nephews. Let’s do what Black women do!” see Harris, page 8A

Solidarity in Action: Black Men Raise Millions for Harris, Send Strong Message Against Trump

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

In an unprecedented display of unity and determination, over 50,000 Black men gathered on a Zoom call hosted by Roland Martin’s Black Star Network, raising over $1.3 million for Vice President Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign. This powerful show of support came just a day after 40,000 Black women joined in a similar Zoom call, generating about $2 million for Harris and sending a resounding message of solidarity and resolve. The men’s call, led by Martin and co-hosted by Bakari Sellers and others, was a powerful statement against former President Donald Trump, who has been twice impeached and convicted of 34 felonies. Martin, visibly moved, tweeted, “I have no words. And not just because I’m tired. My @ BlkStarNetwork just told me that 53,862 people registered for our #WinWithBlackMen video call. We raised $1.3 million and counting from 17,000 donors.” Bakari Sellers shared a poignant story that underscored Harris’s

This powerful show of support came just a day after 40,000 Black women joined in a similar Zoom call, generating about $2 million for Harris...

compassion and unwavering support. He recounted a harrowing time in 2019 when one of his twin daughters was born with a rare liver condition. “The first person to call me was Kamala Harris. I am not sure people understand the pain and suffering that goes along with being a Black man in this country,” Sellers said. “I am not sure people understand what it means to stand strong in this country. To have your back against the wall. But I am going to stand with her because she stood with me during my darkest moment when I almost lost my daughter. When I had to protect my wife.” see Solidarity, page 8A

Democratic Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee Dies at 74

By Stacy M. Brown @StacyBrownMedia

Democratic

Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, one of the longest-serving members of the Texas delegation, has died at the age of 74. In June, Jackson Lee announced her diagnosis of pancreatic cancer, yet she showed little indication of letting it interfere with her plans to run for a 16th term this November. The fi ery congresswoman disclosed her diagnosis in a written statement

shortly after winning renomination in a fi ercely contested Democratic primary. Known for her unwavering commitment to social justice, she was a fervent advocate for reparations for African Americans and a vocal critic of the twice impeached and 34 times convicted felon and former President Donald Trump. Unlike some of her colleagues, she did not join the calls for President Joe Biden to step aside from the 2024 race.

see Jackson Lee, page 8A

Vice President Kamala Harris exiting Air Force Two

Name

Vice President Kamala Harris

WHAT IF THOMAS MATTHEW CROOKS HAD BEEN A BLACK MAN?

By Hazel Trice Edney

(TRICEEDNEYWIRE.COM)

Can you imagine what would have happened to a Black man who showed up at a Donald Trump rally acting “suspiciously” around the metal detectors?

It is no secret to any conscious American why Thomas Matthew Crooks, the 20-year-old shooter of former President Trump was not stopped although police and security deemed him to be acting “suspiciously” around the metal detectors at the entrance of the July 13 Trump rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.

There is a reason that Crooks was reportedly not interrogated for identification. He was not chased, not followed; not heavily surveilled as he climbed to the roof of a building and aimed an AR15 styled rifle only about 130 yards away from where former President Trump was speaking.

It is evident by only a brief review of recent American history that the reason Crooks was not stopped at the gate and caught before he pulled the trigger was because he was White. Period. Once again, it was the lone White male syndrome.

There is no question that had Crooks been a Black man, he would have been commanded to show identification. Had he not concurred, he would have been wrestled to the ground and likely shot dead or choked to death like D’Vontaye Mitchell, who was killed by hotel security June 30 right there in Milwaukee, Wisconsin where the Republican National Convention is being held this week.

Unlike Trayvon Martin, 17, out for Skittles and ice tea in Florida; Tamir Rice, 12, with a toy gun in Ohio; or Airforce Senior Airman Roger Fortson, 23, in his own apartment in Georgia, among dozens of other household names, Crooks was somehow given the benefit of the doubt, allowed to slide on by.

It ultimately ended with Crooks shooting and wounding former President Donald Trump in an assassination attempt, killing firefighter husband and father Cory Compechello and critically injuring two other people before he was killed by a police sniper. As authorities now intensely investigate, the debacle has been described as an “epic failure” of security, mainly the Secret Service. But we all know what it really was. The failure of security was catastrophic because Crooks was White.

President Joe Biden quickly took authority, met with Homeland Security, the FBI and Secret Service, he promised the nation a thorough investigation. But, Americans have

NEW JOURNAL AND GUIDE

P.O. Box 209, Norfolk,VA 23501

Phone: (757) 543-6531

Fax: (757) 543-7620

PUBLISHER AND EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Brenda H. Andrews

ASSISTANT TO THE PUBLISHER: Desmond Perkins

ASSOCIATE EDITOR: Rosaland Tyler

CHIEF REPORTER

EMERITUS: Leonard E. Colvin

PRODUCTION: Tony Holobyte

witnessed this all too familiar scenario many times before. For example, when thousands of predominately White Confederate flagwaving Trump supporters headed for Washington, D.C. on January 6, 2021, none of the federal law enforcement agencies responded by being prepared with the appropriate level of force, resulting in the violent January 6 attack and insurrection.

Clearly, had those rioters been Black, the Capitol Police and other security agencies would have been prepared in advance with military force, dogs and high-powered rifles. They were unprepared for the destruction that occurred that day for the same reason that they were unprepared for the attack on former President Donald Trump’s life in Butler, Pennsylvania. They have yet to become fully sensitized to the danger of the loan White male syndrome. The spirits of racism and White supremacy in America have trained authorities that

July 25, 1964

Edition of the Guide

Choice of Goldwater

Tragic, Top Negro Republican says ROANOKE

Virginia’s top Negro Republican, has described the nomination of Arizona Senator Barry Goldwater for the presidency of the United States as “A tragic occurrence.”

George P. Lawrence an attorney and member of the Roanoke Republicans Party City Committee issued a statement last week deploring the nomination by the Republican Convention in San Franciso.

Lawrence, long an active Republican and part time employee of the party’s national committee said however that he had no intention of leaving the party because of Goldwater’s nomination. But he expressed doubt that he would “be allowed to remain.”

During the contest for the nomination between Goldwater and New York Governor Nelson Rockefeller for the nomination Lawrence was general counsel for the Virgini Rockefeller for President Committee.

He said he was “disgusted” with many of the Virginia Republican candidates for public office because of their “obvious delight with the reactionary view of Senator Goldwater” that they will campaign under a race hate banner.” Goldwater said that a Civil Right is one born by social choice not by laws and he voted against the 1964 Civil Rights Act.

Jailed Author Still Feels Pride

CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA

Although called “White Nigger” and Nigger lover” while in prison in the St. Augustine prison in Florida, Sarah Patton Boyle, said at a luncheon here, she was “glad to go to jail for the cause and proud to participate in the demonstrations.”

Author of ‘The Desegregated Heart” and “For Human Being Only”, Boyle, White and wife of a University of Virginia professor was guest speaker at a luncheon given by the Charlottesville District of

the Black man should be treated as a threat and the White man should be given a pass.

Fortunately, the wouldbe Trump assassin did not succeed although a family man took the bullet and died. Donald Trump, shot across the top of his right ear, escaped serious injury and was given a hero’s welcome at the Republican National Convention this week. In an iconic photo seen around the world, he pumped his fist seconds after the shooting, shouting to the crowd, “fight, fight, fight!”

But fight for what?

Ironically, it has been Donald Trump himself who has been a ringleader in fanning the fumes of racism and White supremacy in America.

· He implied that the Central Park Five, Black and Latino men who were ultimately exonerated of rape after a wrongful conviction, deserved the death penalty. Trump has never apologized.

· He led the birther

movement claiming President Barack Obama was not born in the U. S.

· He called Haiti and African nations “sh*thole countries.”

· He called football players protesting wrongful police killings of Black men and women “sons of bitches.”

· During the Charlottesville “Unite the Right” rally that drew White supremacists from across the country in 2017, Trump said there were “very fine people on both sides.”

· And most recently, during the CNN debate against President Biden, he referred to “Black jobs”, apparently espousing a stereotype that he has yet to explain.

Thankfully, Donald Trump survived the assassination attempt. But the fact is that the so far unrepentant former president was nearly killed by the same evil that he has helped to perpetuate.

Hazel Trice Edney is editor-in-chief of the Trice Edney News Wire.

Footsteps

Continued from page 1A

In India, a similar pattern unfolded after Gandhi rose to power in 1966 and served as India’s prime minister until 1977. She was assassinated in 1984 after her leadership came under continual challenge from the right wing of the party In Liberia, Sirleaf was elected president of the Republic of Liberia in 2005, two years after the nation’s bloody civil war ended. Her historic inauguration as Africa’s first democratically elected woman head of state took place on January 16, 2006. Prior to the election, she had served in the transitional government, where she chaired the Governance Reform Commission and led the country’s anti-corruption reform. She won reelection in November 2011.

Records show that as of June 2024, only 27 countries are headed by 28 women who serve as Heads of State.

From The Guide’s Archives

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

Richmond Beneficial Life Insurance Company.

Boyle said she and a group of teenagers attempted to enter one of the restaurants has repeatedly refused to serve Negroes. As they approached the entrance the (Monson Motor Lodge), they said one of the waitresses hurried to the door and lock it. She and her group remained in front of the building until the owners appeared and informed them, they were on private property and would be arrested.

(The Lodge was the target of anti-segregation protests. The owner of the facility poured acid in its pool to force Blacks out of in June of 1964.)

When they continued to stand there, they were arrested and transported to jail.

Though jail was new, she said it was considerable clean and cool. Boyle said she had a feeling of helplessness when her cell door was locked and realized she was completely at the mercy of those in authority and anything they said or did to her she would have to accept. It was like being in a bird cage with no privacy or matron.

Students in the Money thanks to Bank’s Program

NEWPORT NEWS, VA

While many young people have only a short acquittance with a few dollars each day, 17 Newport News youngsters handle thousands and thousands of dollars each day.

The 17 are employees working at the Crown Savings Bank located on Jefferson Avenue near 25th Street.

They work in all areas of banking, from tellers, bookkeepers and accountants and hey get paid.

Most of them are June high school graduates, earning money to apply toward their college tuition this fall. In addition to the money, they receive valuable experience not available elsewhere. Six of the group are college students, three of whom are doing internship at the bank in connection to a program at Virginia State College.”

There are only two high school seniors working

with the program this year: Chenita Holmes 16, of Huntington High School here, and Robert C. Scott, 17 attending Groton Preparatory School, Groton Connecticut.

The summer programs cost the bank some $8,000 according to Leroy F. Ridley bank presidents, while sitting in his modest office puffing on a well – broken – corncob pipe insisting the programs is well worth the money spent.

Ridley founded the institution in 1905 and has 24 full-time employees.

NSC’s Tony Jones named to Trinidad’s Olympic Track team

NORFOLK

When the actions get underway at the 1964 Olympic games in Tokyo, Japan next October Norfolk State will be represented among the contestants.

The irony is that the youngster who will be representing his college and his country Anthony ‘Toney’ Jones was not heard of a year ago when the school’s number one Olympic candidate – Jim Johnson – was drawing all of the raves by track experts.

Jones, who enrolled at Norfolk State last September was recently named to the Trinidad (BWI) 1964 Olympic track and field teams and he earned the berth on the strength on his sparkling performance as a freshmen member of the 1964 Spartan Track and Field team.

July 23, 1966

Edition of the Guide

Portsmouth hires first Negro Deputy PORTSMOUTH

Jimmie Lee Jordan, of 1511 Basie Crescent, Cavalier Manor, was appointed City Sergeant of the Portsmouth Police Department, Sergeant Milton A. Owens announced. He was assigned as a night guard at the city jail.

A native of Newark, N.J. Jordan joined the junior police department in that city at the age of 17. Later he enlisted into the service, returning June 2 after 20 years.

While in the Navy, Jordan was a military policeman during WWII.

He holds a Black belt and teaches classes in Judo and Karate. For six years he taught Judo to members of the Tidewater Shore Patrol.

July 23, 1966

Edition of the Guide

Group Blasts Norfolk School Board

The Struggle is not over. That is the sentiment of many Norfolk Black citizens who oppose last week’s U.S. District Court ruling by Judge John A Mackenzie. The judge ruled the School Board’s proposed plan to return to neighborhood schools at the elementary level was not unconstitutional.

The attorneys for the plaintiffs in the civil rights case, a group called Concerned Black Parents and Children, are calling the ruling the first step to return to the days of segregations. The proposed plan “effectively reinstitutes segregated education in the city of Norfolk,” according to a statement by the Coalition for Quality Education, a group of Blacks opposing the plan.

The statement was issued at a press conference by the Coalition. In attendance were Richmond Attorney

Henry Marsh, one of the lawyers for the plaintiffs and former Coalition president, King Davis. Marsh answered most of the reporters’ questions. According to the statement issued the Norfolk school board neighborhood school plan proposes to use Black children to test the white flight theory, an act that will not be tolerated.”

“The court is applying experimental principles to the development of social policy such that Black children are being used to determine if there is a relationship between the two variables. This type of social engineering is immoral and unethical and cannot be tolerated,” so reads the statement issued by the Coalition and read by Coalition President Rev. James Harris. Also present at the meeting were Vice Mayor Jospeh N. Green; Rev. Ronnie Joyner; President of the Tidewater Metro Baptist Minister’s Conference; City Councilman Dr. H. Foster; Dr. Leslie G. Carr., and ODU criminal Justice professor; Charles Reynolds, President of Atlantic National Bank and Re. Luther M. Ferebee, and Carolyn W. Bell

Marsh said the court’s decision will be appealed.

JULY 23, 1966 EDITION OF THE GUIDE Virginia’s Arthur Ashe, a member of the U.S. Davis Cup and one of America’s top ranked tennis players will be honored when National Arthur Ashe Day is

Margaret Thatcher

Indira Gandhi

Ellen Johnson Sirleaf

PROFESSOR EMERITUS OF SOCIOLOGY

VIRGINIA TECH

THE REIGN OF TERROR AFTER SLAVERY

By Wornie Reed, Ph.D.

Last week, I visited the acclaimed Legacy Sites in Montgomery, Alabama, including the Legacy Museum, the National Memorial for Peace and Justice, and Freedom Monument Sculpture Park. These new national landmark institutions “chronicle the legacy of slavery, lynching, and racial segregation, and the connection to mass incarceration and contemporary issues of racial bias.”

African American law professor Bryan Stevenson, the founder of the Equal Justice Initiative, led the development of these legacy sites. Stevenson has a philosophy about race in America that I share, “If we do not engage the past, we will never move forward into the future.”

The Legacy Sites are a means of pushing us in that direction. I call the National Memorial for Peace and Justice the lynching museum. Below, I have noted some of the museum’s information about lynching.

Many lynchings occurred at the drop of a hat:

• Grant Cole was lynched in Montgomery, Alabama, in 1925 after he refused to run an errand for a white woman.

• Otis Price was lynched in Perry, Florida, in 1938 for walking past a window while a white woman was inside bathing.

• Henry Patterson was lynched in Labelle, Florida, in 1926 for asking a white woman for a drink of water.

• John Stoner was lynched in Doss,

Louisiana, in 1909 for suing the white man who killed his cow.

• Elizabeth Lawrence was lynched in Birmingham for reprimanding white children who threw rocks at her.

• General Lee was lynched in Reevesville, South Carolina, in 1904 for knocking on a white woman’s front door.

• David Hunter was lynched In Laurens County, South Carolina, in 1898 for leaving the farm where he worked without permission.

• William Wardley was lynched in Irondale, Alabama, in 1896 because local white merchants wrongly thought his money was counterfeit.

• Warren Powell, 14, was lynched in East Point, Georgia, in 1889 for “frightening” a white girl.

Many people participated in lynchings:

• Elias Clayton, Isaac McGhie, and Elmer Jackson were lynched by a mob of 10,000 people in Duluth, Minnesota, in 1920.

• Will Brown was lynched in Omaha, Nebraska, in 1919 by a riotous white mob of up to 15,000 people,

• John Hartfield was lynched in Ellisville, Mississippi, in 1919 by a white mob of several thousand people.

• Ellis Persons was lynched by a mob of 5,000 people in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1917.

• Horace Duncan and Fred Coker were lynched in Springfield, Missouri, in 1906 by a mob of 5,000 people,

• Fred Rochelle, 16, was burned alive in a public spectacle lynching before thousands in Polk County, Florida, in 1901.

If we do not engage the past, we will never move forward into the future”

– Bryan Stevenson, African American Law Professor

• Henry Smith, 17, was lynched in Paris, Texas, in 1893 before a mob of 10,000 people.

• Fred Alexander, a military veteran, was lynched and burned alive before thousands of spectators in Leavenworth, Kansas, in 1901.

And it went on and on.

• William Stephens and Jefferson Cole were lynched in Delta County, Texas, in 1895 after they refused to abandon their land to white people.

• Bird Cooper was lynched in Claiborne Parish, Louisiana, in 1908 after he was acquitted of murder charges.

• After a white man attempted to assault Jack Brownlee’s daughter in Oxford, Alabama, in 1894, Mr. Brownlee was lynched for having the man arrested.

• A black man was lynched in Millersburg, Ohio, in 1892 for “standing around” in a white neighborhood.

• Jim Eastman was lynched in Brunswick, Tennessee, in 1887 for not allowing a white man to beat him in a fight.

• After Calvin Mike voted in Calhoun, Georgia, in 1884, a white mob attacked and burned his home, lynching his elderly mother and his two young daughters, Emma and Lillie. A reign of terror indeed.

‘PRESIDENT HARRIS’ WOULD REPRESENT A NEW ERA OF LEADERSHIP

By David W. Marshall

(TRICEEDNEYWIRE.COM)

Fearmongering, when used as a political tool, has always been an effective means of swaying voters and winning elections.

Deliberately arousing public fear by way of racial and political overtures was effective when Barry Goldwater and Richard Nixon decided to target white conservative voters in implementing the Southern strategy.

Former President Richard Nixon once said, “People react to fear, not love. They don’t teach that in Sunday school, but it’s true.” Nixon’s statement shows his true heart. It also exposes how the specific people he is referring to are driven not by love, but by their hate. In turn, their hate perpetuates the fear of having any form of progressive change. It is the fear of progressive change in our nation which is the fundamental reason behind the rise of the current MAGA movement. It is also the motive behind the conservative promise called “Project 2025”.

Fear is a powerful emotion. There is not a person on the face of the earth who has not, at some point in their lifetime, experienced some type of fear. Whether we are young or old, fear can have a demoralizing grip on a person’s life. A tightening grip where a person loses confidence and hope, thereby leaving them lost and empty.

CARRTOON By Walt Carr

By E. Faye Williams (TRICEEDNEYWIRE.COM)

There has been a lot of listening we have had to do this past week about the choice we have to make about who will be our next President when 2025 rolls around. There are a lot of people who believe the orange man was really injured enough to wear that big pad on his ear that could have been covered by a band-aid. He wears it for sympathy. It’s hard enough to believe his ear was pierced by a young man who couldn’t shoot straight enough to even get into a gun training session in school! I wasn’t there at the Republican convention, but I’m having a hard time believing the same man who was such a bad shooter that he killed one man and injured two others near the orange man was the same person who hit his ear.

I’ll move to the performance of the Secret Service as they tried to protect the orange man while he continued to pop his head up and down so we could see his fist pump into the air (which by the way is the symbol we, Black people are known to use to express our determination to fight against racism.) I may be wrong, but I find it hard to believe that anyone who was just shot would not want to be protected by holding his head up to make it easy for the shooter!

Let’s move to the Secret Service at the time of the

This occurs when fear is used as a means to intimidate an individual or group. Fear can make one paralyzed. It can make a person powerless to the point where they withdraw into a depressed state of ineffectiveness and frightful silence while losing all desire to move or act.

We see this when countless members of the Republican establishment lost all political courage and backbone to publicly speak the truth about Donald Trump. Rather than challenge what they know to be wrong, they became enablers. Sen. Mitch McConnell is one who comes to mind. Sen. Lindsey Graham is another. A person can exhibit strength in one area of their life, while being totally powerless in another, all due to the spirit of fear. The fear of rejection, the fear of abandonment, the fear of change, the fear of the unknown, the fear of failure, the fear of success, the fear of losing control or power, the fear of old age,

and the fear of death. They all represent some form of personal internal struggles with serious consequences to themselves and to others when mishandled. The country pays a heavy price when those with influence and power are unwilling to put their selfish motives, pride, ego and their fears aside for the best interest of the nation.

But there is another side of fear we must consider, and even embrace. This is the type of fear that will cause independent and progressive voters to fight and win at any costs. It is the type of fear that presents a heighten sense of urgency knowing that the consequences we face cannot be allowed to occur. This type of fear makes us afraid where it drives us as individuals and communities to do what is right and necessary because of the enormous existential threat to democracy and the threats posed to people of color, veterans, young people, the elderly, the poor, immigrants and to the climate. see New Era, page 6A

By Dr. Julianne Malveaux (TRICEEDNEYWIRE.COM)

Since I don’t tell Republicans how to handle their business, I was somewhat indifferent to the Veepstakes that surrounded candidate Trump. Though South Carolina Senator Tim Scott did a good imitation of Mr. Bojangles, I was sure that Trump would not pick Scott, no matter how obsequious he was. A group of women and I thought if he dared choose former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley, Dems might have something to worry about. But his ego was too big to consider Haley, who might have tipped some suburban women his way.

Marco Rubio might have expanded Trump’s base and offered a nod to Latino voters, but instead of expansion, the former president’s vicepresidential pick signaled that he is drilling down on extreme conservatism, and he is suggesting that the Republican Party will embrace extreme conservatism for many years.

JD Vance is the 39-year-old MAGA conservative who began his career calling Trump “unfit” for the presidency. Fast forward to 2022 when JD Vance fawningly ingratiated himself to the 45th President, earning an endorsement, but also the ridicule of the former

reported shot of the orange man. I was impressed by the quick response of the men and women as they risked their lives to save the orange man. I was grateful for the female Secret Service woman who rushed up the steps to the stage to make the orange man keep his fist pumping to stop and figure out how to quickly get him down the stairway to safety in the limo waiting to take him out of danger. Now let’s go to those complaining about the makeup of the Secret Service that had several women taking measures to protect the orange man. After the first female agent succeeded in getting him to stop showboating with his fist, he had at least three female agents at the limo who again took over and rushed him into the limo out of danger by pushing him inside, closing the door as he resisted. The women moved their bodies against the door to keep him safe while the

...if Trump retakes the White House and has a Republican Congress, he’ll pursue an extreme agenda that leaves Americans with fewer rights, worse healthcare access and a higher cost of living - not to mention a loss of democracy.

male agents walked away. I resent any criticism of agents just because they are women, but when you consider how orange man and his VP candidate teach people how to disrespect women, they should consider it lucky the women agents were there. As Mark Pocan, Progressive for Congress, says in essence: Selection of J.D. Vance as his running mate is the latest glaring sign that if Trump retakes the White House and has a Republican Congress, he’ll pursue an extreme agenda that leaves Americans with fewer rights, worse healthcare access and a higher cost of living—not to mention a loss of democracy. see Again, page 6A

President who roaringly announced at one of his rallies that “JD Vance is really kissing my ---“.

The Trump-Vance combination is bad news. It is a double dose of rabid conservatism, a double dose of an anti-woman, anti-Black, anti-diversity agenda. Lots of people say that vice-presidents don’t matter, but JD Vance’s extreme conservatism ought to give us all pause.

He has said that feminism has gone too far, and thinks women should stay with their husbands, even if they are abusive. He is staunchly anti-abortion. In his scant two years in the Senate (he would be less than any major party candidate), much of the legislation he has introduced would “turn the clock back”.

For example, he would eliminate any tax breaks for those who purchase electronic

The Trump-Vance combination is bad news. It is a double dose of rabid conservatism, a double dose of an anti-woman, anti-Black, antidiversity agenda.

vehicles (EVs). Those breaks move us away from fossil fuel and are important given our climate crisis. But Trump and Vance don’t believe there is a climate crisis, so there’s that. From my perspective, one of the most disturbing things about Vance is his anti-affirmative action, antiDEI stance. He says he opposes “racism in federal government hiring”. In other words, no focus on diversity, no focus on the historical exclusion of Black people from federal employment and contracting. Vance’s College Admissions Accountability Act would enforce the Equal Protection Clause and Title VI prohibitions on racial discrimination or racial preferences. see Trump, page 6A

Dr. Julianne Malveaux

David W. Marshall

Dr. E. Faye Williams, Esq. (Ret.)

TO BE EQUAL

NUL CONFERENCE IN NEW ORLEANS, CONFRONTS HISTORIC THREATS TO DEMOCRACY

By Marc H. Morial CEO, National Urban League (TRICEEDNEYWIRE.COM)

“Project 2025 is more than an idea, it’s a dystopian plot that’s already in motion to dismantle our democratic institutions, abolish checks and balances, chip away at church-state separation, and impose a far-right agenda that infringes on basic liberties and violates public will. This is an unprecedented embrace of extremism, fascism, and religious nationalism, orchestrated by the radical right and its dark money backers. We need a coordinated strategy to save America and stop this coup before it’s too late,” — U.S. Rep. Jared Huffman

As the National Urban League and our affiliates from across the nation head to New Orleans to open our 2024 Conference on Wednesday, we are facing the gravest threat in generations to civil and human rights, the foundations of democracy, and the rule of law. This threat lends an even greater urgency to the Conference, where the nation’s top advocates, activists, thought leaders, and elected officials will outline and refine a strategy to overcome this threat, while restoring and advancing the rights of women, communities of color, LGBTQ+, and other marginalized groups.

Among the many alarming policy proposals contained in Project 2025, the extremist right-wing agenda for the next presidency, the most

alarming is a sweeping purge of the federal workforce. Upstanding public servants would be replaced with partisan loyalists prepared to override traditional checks and balances.

In a grave misunderstanding of the Vice President’s constitutional duties, one of the major-party candidates for that office already has indicated he would reject a state’s electoral votes for an opposition candidate.

It’s no exaggeration to say the 2024 election could be the last free and fair presidential election of our lifetimes.

As part of the National Urban League’s historic commitment to civic engagement, voter mobilization has long been a key pillar of our mission. Never since the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 has that mission been more important.

To kick off the Conference, we invite members of the public to join us as we come together in solidarity to advocate for equality and justice at the Reclaim Your Vote Rally on Wednesday at Xavier University of Louisiana Athletics Convocation Center. 7900 Stroelitz Street, New

It’s no exaggeration to say the 2024 election could be the last free and fair presidential election of our lifetimes.

Orleans.

Doors open at 3:30 PM; the Rally begins at 4 PM. Attendees are encourage to wear HBCU or Urban League swag.

Those who can’t join us in person can participate remotely; the rally – along with other Conference events -- will be livestreamed on NUL.org.

Among the dynamic speakers are former New Orleans Mayor and Biden Administration advisor Mitch Landreau, civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump, author and radio host Dr. Michael Eric Dyson, rapper and activist YelloPain.

We will continue to spotlight the challenges we face and refine our response through Saturday, with the State of the Urban League Address on Thursday morning, and Friday morning’s Presidential Plenary-Election 2024: What’s at Stake? and other dynamic panel discussions, information-packed workshops and forums.

Check out the full schedule of events on the Conference website and continue the conversation on social media by following @NatUrbanLeague on all platforms.

ONE

MAN’S

OPINION:

WE ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR WHAT (EVER) HAPPENS TO US AS “AMERICANS”

By John L. Horton

Damn, Damn, Damn! It has just been announced that President Joe Biden is dropping out of the 2024 presidential election. Meanwhile, Biden is endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris as the Democratic nominee. Moreover, several major Democratic political leaders and influencers (Obama, Clintons, Pelosi, Schumer, Clyburn, etc.) have potentially come out for Harris to be the nominee in November. It will be interesting to see how all this “transfer of power” will eventually turn out…

There I was (July 18) watching the “Republican National Convention” in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, featuring former president Donald Trump’s acceptance speech as his party’s nominee. Meanwhile, there is the ongoing “debate” and controversy about President Joe Biden dropping out of the upcoming election versus Trump, and all the chaos and confusion that will cause the nation as a whole. Simply put, “stuff” keeps on happening… or so it seems…

For example, “stuff” just keeps on happening…like the recent “Biden-Trump debate,” and all the “importance, significance and consequence” of that debacle…and then some… And, now, there’s the controversy over “Project 2025” and all that it portrays. In my opinion, we should all be concerned about “Project 2025”: also known as the Presidential Transition Project, which is a collection of right-wing policy proposals from the Heritage Foundation to reshape the United States federal government and consolidate executive power

should a Republican Party candidate win the 2024 presidential election.

Simply put, “Project 2025” is a massive 920page document that outlines exactly what the next Trump presidency would look like.

The document is a thorough blueprint and comprehensive plan for how, exactly, to carry out such a vision, through recommendations for key White House staff, cabinet positions, Congress, federal agencies, commissions, boards, and the like. Moreover, “Project 2025” goes so far as to outline a vetting process for appointing and hiring the right people in every level of government to carry out this vision.

Among other things, we should probably ask: How radical is the Project 2025 agenda? For instance, Kevin Roberts, Heritage Foundation president said that the country is in the midst of a “second American Revolution” that will be bloodless, if the left allows it to be. Accordingly, it most likely that Project 2025 is a blueprint for what could happen in a second Trump presidential term.

For many disadvantaged citizens and other minorities, the upcoming general elections throughout the nation will

For many disadvantaged citizens and other minorities, the upcoming general elections throughout the nation will have a special importance, significance and consequence.

have a special importance, significance and consequence. These elections will affect who/which party gets elected into power: U.S. House of Representatives, U.S. Senate, state legislatures, governors, mayors, councils, boards, committees, commissions, and the like. As a result of the 2024 elections, future nominations will be made for the U.S. Supreme Court, U.S. Courts of Appeal, and other influential judicial bodies throughout the land. Also, there are a host of policies and programs that will affect us domestically, economically and politically: public education, public health, public safety, infrastructure renovation, affordable housing, affirmative action, equal opportunity, welfare reform, tax regulation, bank management, corporate oversight, economic empowerment, immigration/ naturalization, military expenditures, budget requirements, national debt, and the like. see Opinion, page 6A

Marc H. Morial

John L. Horton

Continued from page 4A

We should be very afraid of having someone like J.D. Vance as vice president and in line to carry the mantle of the MAGA movement beyond the Donald Trump era. We should be very afraid of the conservative mandate that calls for the elimination of public protection agencies such as the FDA and EPA. We should be very afraid of plans to defund the FBI and Homeland Security. We should be very afraid of plans to cut Social Security, Medicare and end the Affordable Care Act. We should be very afraid at the prospect of eliminating unions and worker protections. We should be very afraid of the continued end of civil rights and DEI protections

in government. We should be very afraid of the threat of the Supreme Court and lower courts being packed with right-wing judges who ignore the rule of law. We should be very afraid that too many people are not paying attention and will regret not doing their part in stopping a second Trump administration. John Lewis taught us about getting into good trouble, necessary trouble. In the 2024 election and beyond, we must now be driven by a positive fear which beats back the darkness and preserves the positive gains from the past. In a selfless and patriotic move, President Biden abruptly ended his reelection campaign while endorsing his vice president, Kamala Harris, to replace him as the Democratic Party’s standard-bearer. On a post shared on X, Biden stated, “Today I want to offer my full support and endorsement for Kamala to

be the nominee of our party this year, - it’s time to come together and beat Trump. Let’s do this.”

Kamala Harris, along with her running mate, will offer the nation a new generation of leadership while at the same time give continuity to the successes of the Biden / Harris administration. Most importantly, a Harris victory would be a severe blow to Trumpism and all it stands for.

As Democrats are starting to rally behind Harris at the top of the ticket, we should be very afraid if she loses. It would not be the fear of the unknown. It would be fear knowing Project 2025 is now a realty and eventually it’s going to happen and it can’t be stopped.

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

Opinion

Continued from page 5A

Many of these “causes and obligations” are referred to as “big government spending programs” by critics and others. Well, I, for one, think that many of these “big government spending programs” are still needed. Yes, many of them need rethinking and revising; however, they are still very much necessary. The primary reason for this is that today’s playing field is not yet level for all of America’s citizens. Today, as before, there is (still) a glass ceiling and invisible barrier which prevents many qualified Americans from fully enjoying the fruits of their labors and skills.

possibly upwards of $4 trillion, are being held off-shore and in other similar accounts. You would think that some of these vast “riches” could be utilized to generate jobs and increase wages across the board for all “workers,” thereby making it possible to eliminate and/or reduce some “big government spending programs.”

Continued from page 4A

Before you go to the polls, you already know all of the orange man’s positions, but also take a look at what JD Vance, Trump’s selection for VP believes in: 1. national abortion ban with no exceptions, 2. stay in abusive marriages for the sake of children, 3. called universal child care “war against normal people”! Don’t forget his voting record where he failed to stand with striking autoworkers last year and advocated for cuts to Social Security.

these men are so against immigration, but choose wives who are immigrants or the product of immigrants?

I’m just asking!

Consider working for and voting for those who’ve shown they will work for your best interests. The next Presidential voting day is November 5, 2024. You know how to vote—so VOTE! Again

Isn’t it interesting how

Trump

Continued from page 4A

Though Republicans swear they hate bureaucracy, this College Admissions Accountability Act would create a Special Inspector General Unlawful Discrimination in Higher Education, a burdensome initiative for higher education. Similar legislation is being drafted on the House side. A Trump-Vance administration would restrict access to higher education. That administration would also likely restrict access to public assistance, health care, and more.

When former president

Trump gets on angry rant, it sometimes feels as if his anger is manufacture. Trump, after all, is not a workingclass white man whose job disappeared because his manufacturing plant closed, or because some foreign entity bought it and cut wages. Trump is an upperclass billionaire who didn’t want for a thing a day in his life, but he has cannily given voice to the white working class who feels lost and left out. Vance’s anger is real, and it became even more authentic when the elite treatment he both chased and craved didn’t come to him. He earned “hillbilly” spokesman status with his book, Hillbilly Elegy, that gave plaintive voice to the abandoned white working class. But the so-called elites

didn’t embrace the movie, and that angered him. After trash talking Trump, he ingratiatingly embraced him and lobbied for the second seat on the ticket.

Vance lobbied, but so did many others, including Junior Trump and members of the donor class, like Elon Musk. These billionaires want Vance on the ticket to serve their economic interests.

By choosing the young Vance as his VP, Trump has transformed the Republican Party into the MAGA Party. It’s likely to be that way for decades. That’s dangerous for most Americans, especially Black Americans. That, if nothing else, ought to be an incentive to vote.

Dr. Julianne Malveaux is a DC based economist and author.

Moreover, the mere reality of today’s America proves that “big government spending programs” have not resulted – as sometimes claimed by critics and others – in reverse discrimination and undue hardship on White males and privileged others. Has anyone recently checked out who truly runs this great nation: Corporate America, economic wealth, political power, income levels, social status, educational achievement, technology dominance, and the like?

Contradictorily, has anyone checked out living expenses (housing, food, transportation, utilities, gasoline, clothing, medical, taxes, insurance, etc.) lately? Believe it or not, low/ minimum wage earners are affected disproportionately and disadvantageously by these everyday costs and rising expenses. And, their cost of living is going up and their standard of living is being constantly/disproportionately lowered. Meanwhile, the stock market has been at an all-time high, recently over 40,000 points, at various times. Further, it is estimated that over two trillion dollars,

Accordingly, it is important to note that “big government spending programs” have been a necessary means of facilitation for certain previously overlooked groups of people to get a “fair” and “legal” opportunity to be included in the overall composition of American society. As a result, more diverse groups of Americans have been able to utilize their skills, talents, expertise and knowledge to maximize their potential and advance equitably in the overall society. In effect, they have been given an “equal opportunity” to gain access to the employment, entrepreneurial, educational and economic arenas.

Some “critics” have falsely blamed “big government spending programs” for many of America’s social, economic and political “shortcomings.”

In reality, the world’s social, economic and political marketplaces have put on a “new face” and “different look” as they compete with America for survival and superiority. For example, America’s decreased earning power in some industries and jobs is due in large part to the highly competitive world marketplace and changing technology of the 21st century.

Many of us conveniently forget that the mandated federal minimum wage ($7.25 per hour) has not been raised since July 24, 2109, although it varies from state to state. And, for 2023, the federal poverty guideline is an annual income of $31, 200 for a family of four. Real wages, income adjusted after inflation is taken into account, have been flat or even falling for decades, regardless of

whether the economy has been adding or subtracting jobs. Many of these so-called “big government spending programs” have been utilized to subsidize and/or supplement individuals and families in these challenging economic times. For example, the Federal Reserve Board (2023) reported that over 50 percent of American consumers would have trouble coming up with $400 to pay for an emergency (3-6 months of expenses). While some have demonized and stereotyped “big government spending programs,” they have yet to come up with a positive and meaningful alternative that would include America’s “melting pot” of people. To remain the world’s leader and continue to have an economic advantage, we must include all Americans with their diverse skills and talents. In short, we need a mutually inclusive remedy to unite all of American society as we go forward into this new millennium. Most of all, we cannot continue to divide and disfranchise Americans along social, economic and political lines. America has enough natural resources, human resources and technology resources for all of us to share responsibly, equitably and justifiably. In closing, I strongly agree that some “big government spending programs” need revision and amelioration. Some have significant imperfections that need to be mended and/or corrected. However, these necessary and much needed programs should not just be irresponsibly eliminated without implementing adequate replacements for them. For, there is still a need for “big government spending programs.” And, this will – or should — be among the most important issues to be decided for the local, regional, state and national elections in November 2024, and beyond.

Continued from page 1A

The Kennedy Center Honors, which raises funds for the Kennedy Center in Northwest, D.C., will be held on December 8 and aired on CBS on December 23.

Meanwhile, for 90 years, the Apollo has served as a testing ground for new artists working across various art forms and ushering in the emergence of musical genres, including jazz, swing, bebop, R&B, gospel, blues, soul, and hip hop. The countless legendary artists who launched their careers at The Apollo’s Amateur Night, the original, largescale talent show and one of the longest-running continuous events in New York City, include Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, Billie Holiday, James Brown, Stevie Wonder, Gladys Knight, Luther Vandross, H.E.R., D’Angelo, Lauryn Hill, Machine Gun Kelly, and Miri Ben Ari. The Apollo’s forward-looking artistic vision continues to build on this legacy.

As the largest performing arts institution dedicated to Black culture and creativity, the Apollo has significantly influenced popular culture globally.

and renovation. It also began plans to restore and renovate its historic theater. Officials said this will allow The Apollo to increase performances and educational and community programs and expand its support for artists and other cultural organizations.

ROSE MARIE AND ME!

(A Conversation Between Old Friends)

By Dennis Edwards Columnist

She was upset at my kinda direct response to a post by one of the daughters of Corey Comperatore, the man at the trump rally who heroically jumped in front of and on top of his wife and daughters shielding them from the snipers fire. Sacrificing his life for theirs.

Unfortunately, there was just too much MAGA propaganda in what the daughter said. Including false allegations and all against news media doing an excellent job covering the assassination attempt while making sure we knew the kind of hero her father was. Clearly an attempt to call “good evil and evil good”.

Grief is one thing. But spewing and spreading abject lies in the guise of sorrow are quite another.

down a dangerous path. It has to be challenged before it takes on the mantra of a misguided truth.

During its 90th anniversary season, the organization opened The Apollo Stages at the Victoria Theater, marking the institution’s firstever major expansion

“From the longestrunning talent show in America with, Amateur Night at The Apollo, which launched the careers of icons like Ella Fitzgerald and Lauryn Hill, to performances from beloved legends like Smokey Robinson and Lil’ Kim and today’s biggest stars like Drake, The Apollo has always been a home for artists to create and a home for audiences to see incredible music and art from legendary artists,” Ebanks asserted. Apollo

But her statements were factually untrue. Just plain wrong. My Suffolk High School friend Rose Marie was understandably defending the daughters grief in a pain filled moment. I too understand what grief can do to our perception of reality. But grief amplified and consumed by a misguided political ideology is a dangerous horse of a color disturbingly different. So I posted a direct response, maybe too direct, to the inaccuracies in what the daughter said.

I think my written tenor and tone wounded Rose Marie so she let me know, as she should, how her concern was empathizing and sympathizing with the daughters loss not the ideology. The moment

forced me to think again about my reaction. Had to ask myself exactly how deep is my concern about the aftermath of this kind of insanity and why? So maybe from deep with in this social media conversation arises a broader perspective as to why this resurrection of a particular kind of madness strikes a certain cord in people who look like me.

“Morning Rose Marie, I need you to understand my remarks are aimed at the mind set behind the false statements rippling through the daughter’s post. It’s the kind of misinformation and wide spread false rhetoric coming from the MAGA movement that’s throwing our nation further into the path of violent confrontation.

Grief is one thing. But spewing and spreading abject lies in the guise of sorrow are quite another. There is no intent to upset you or to be callous for callousness sake. But it’s that kind of misinformation wrapped in out and out lies that are leading our nation

“I understand the whole world has lost its mind” she wrote in a concise, thoughtful and powerfully quiet way. Sure feels that way Rose Marie. And I understand, appreciate and share your compassion and sympathy for the daughter’s grief. Yet, the truth is my industry has gone out of its way to tell her father’s heroic story with kindness, insight and appreciation for his sacrifice. Actually, she’s probably and understandably not seen much of that coverage. But statements like hers are fueling a dangerous fire as they spread across our nation, too quickly to control if we aren’t careful.”

I remember President John Kennedy’s Assassination more vividly than I’d like to admit. A newly minted 7 year old, I heard the urgent announcement over the speaker system at Suffolks Andrew J. Brown Elementary School just after 3 p.m. that Friday afternoon. The moment I looked up to see that clock will never leave me.

Remember the uncertainty griping my community and the faces of strong parents and neighbors who also raised us through MLK’s

and RFK’s assassinations. Before those violent moments, I was born in the wake of Medgar Evers and Emmett Till’s murders. Emmett was brutally killed less than a year before my birthday. Their assassinations hovered like a mindfully visible and ever present warning of what the land of the free and the home of the brave is capable of when ignorance and bigotry rein supreme. Our parents understood and cautiously raised us under the heat of a dangerously racist sun.

So Rose Marie, my sensitivity is a little heightened after growing up through excessively violent moments in the not so distant past. Rose Marie, let’s not allow this moment to hurt our friendship. I appreciate you, your compassion and empathy. Wish there were more like you who let their hearts and spirits sore beyond moments like this, reminding all of us of the need for compassion, kindness and a necessary kind of understanding in the worst moments life throws at us. But, I would hope, equally determined not to let this kind of history repeat itself on our watch.”

Sincerely,

Copyright

Dennis Edwards July 2024

Dennis Edwards

Jackson Lee

Continued from page 8A

As recently as Wednesday, July 19, Jackson Lee continued to champion President Biden’s re-election campaign. “Something that does not get talked about enough: we were able to bring down homicides in Houston with federal investment,” she wrote on X. “After President Biden signed the American Rescue Plan, we brought $50 million to the city to take on crime—and it worked! Local/federal partnership saved lives.” She added, “This House Democrat believes Joe Biden has served us well and has the best plans for the future. I am laserfocused on beating Donald Trump and delivering for America because that’s what matters.” Jackson Lee also reminded her followers that America saw one of the most significant homicide spikes ever in Trump’s last year in office.

“He threw his hands in the air and did not know what to do,” she asserted.

“Since he left, I am proud that our American Rescue Plan has done the very important work to bring these numbers down! Federal/local partnerships worked.” Jackson Lee’s legislative achievements are significant and wideranging. She played a crucial role in the passage of the Violence Against Women Act. She was a senior House Committee member on the Judiciary,

Homeland Security, and Budget Committees. She was the first female ranking member of the Judiciary Subcommittee for Crime and Federal Government Surveillance, serving as Chair during the 117th Congress. Among her notable legislative efforts were the Sentencing Reform Act, the George Floyd Law Enforcement Trust and Integrity Act, The RAISE Act, The Fair Chance for Youth Act, the Kimberly Vaughan Firearm Safe Storage Act, Kalief’s Law, and the American RISING Act. She also introduced the Juvenile Accountability Block Grant Reauthorization and Bullying Prevention and Intervention Act and the Federal Prison Bureau Nonviolent Offender Relief Act. A staunch supporter of women and children, Jackson Lee championed the Paycheck Fairness Act and the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act. She authored the Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Research and Education Act. Jackson Lee was widely recognized for her effectiveness and influence. Congressional

Jackson Lee’s legislative achievements are significant and wide-ranging. She played a crucial role in the passage of the Violence Against Women Act.

Quarterly named her one of the 50 most effective Members of Congress, and U.S. News and World Report listed her among the ten most influential legislators in the U.S. House of Representatives. She was a founder, member, and chair of the Congressional Pakistan Caucus and the Congressional Children’s Caucus. She was chair of the Congressional Black Caucus Energy Braintrust and the Justice Reform Task Force co-chair.

A Yale University alumna, Jackson Lee earned her B.A. in Political Science with honors and later received a J.D. from the University of Virginia Law School. She is survived by her husband, Dr. Elwyn Lee, an administrator at the University of Houston; her two children, Jason Lee, a Harvard University graduate, and Erica Lee, a Duke University graduate and member of the Harris County School Board; and her two grandchildren, twins Ellison Bennett Carter and Roy Lee Carter III.

Harris

Continued from page 1A

After exiting the race, President Biden’s made clear that his vice president should be the party’s nominee. “My very first decision as the party nominee in 2020 was to pick Kamala Harris as my vice president,” Biden said. “And it’s been the best decision I’ve made. Today, I want to offer my full support and endorsement for Kamala to be our party’s nominee this year. Democrats, it’s time to come together and beat Trump. Let’s do this.”

In the hours following Biden’s announcement, Harris’ campaign saw a surge of support, with about $50 million in grassroots donations pouring in. Democratic officials nationwide quickly followed Biden’s lead, voicing their endorsements for Harris.

Governor Roy Cooper of North Carolina praised Harris, saying, “Kamala Harris should

Solidarity

Continued from page 1A

The Zoom call resonated with the slogan, “We Rocking with Kamala Harris,” reflecting the participants’ unyielding support. This extraordinary event followed President Joe Biden’s announcement that he would not seek the Democratic nomination, prompting the Win with Black Women network to organize a Zoom call showcasing their preparedness to back Harris.

The women’s call drew an astonishing 40,000 attendees and featured influential speakers such as Reps. Joyce Beatty, Maxine Waters, and Jasmine Crockett. These leaders passionately emphasized the

The leaders passionately emphasized Black women’s critical role in the upcoming election and shared personal stories about Vice President Kamala Harris that underscored her qualifications and leadership qualities.

be the next President. I’ve known her since our days as AGs, and she has what it takes to defeat Donald Trump and lead our country thoughtfully and with integrity.”

Governor Kathy Hochul of New York added her voice to the chorus of support: “I’m proud to stand beside Kamala Harris. She is the right candidate to unite our country; I am confident she will deliver for New Yorkers. Let’s get to work.”

Governors Janet Mills of Maine, Gavin Newsom of California, and Jared Polis of Colorado echoed similar sentiments, highlighting Harris’s capacity and readiness to lead.

vital role of Black women in the upcoming election and shared compelling stories about Harris that highlighted her qualifications and leadership qualities. “We have a plan. This is not arbitrary. We are ready,” asserted Holli Holiday, one of the call’s moderators.

The energy was electric, with attendees voicing their readiness to work tirelessly to elect Harris. “This is work. Roll up your sleeves; we got work to do,” one attendee urged. Another declared, “Fired up and ready for this moment led by an intergenerational legion of Black women. Let’s get to work. Let’s gather our sons, daughters, nieces, and nephews. Let’s do what Black women do!”

In a less-publicized yet equally significant gathering, a large group of Black men and boys convened in Atlanta to

Senator Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin declared, “I’m proud to endorse VP Kamala Harris for President. Today is a new beginning for our party and our country, and I’m excited to keep working together to lower costs for Wisconsin families, grow our Made in America economy, and restore our fundamental rights and freedoms.” Harris has repeatedly stated the importance of the 2024 election. “I will do everything in my power to unite the Democratic Party—and unite our nation—to defeat Donald Trump and his extreme Project 2025 agenda,” she said.

discuss the state of America and the importance of Harris’s candidacy against Trump in the 2024 election. These weekly discussions are critical for spreading accurate information and countering misinformation. “The reason that we’ve gathered tonight is that there is so much misinformation, disinformation, that is being put out. So, we wanted thought leaders from across the political spectrum to come in tonight and talk directly to Black men about what they know, what they experience, and what some of the real statistics and facts are,” said Attorney Mawuli Mel Davis, cofounder of the non-profit hosting these discussions. “That’s critically important because the sources of our information are important for us to make sure that we’re basing our decisions on good quality information.”

Cong. Sheila Jackson Lee

FORMER NSU STUDENT WORKS AS PRODUCER ON SHERRI SHOW

By Rosaland Tyler Associate Editor New Journal and Guide

A former Norfolk State University student, Jawn Murray, works as the executive producer for “Sherri,” the No. 2 ranked TV talk show.

This means Murray works on a TV talk show that trailed “Live With Kelly and Mark,” the No. 1 TV talk show. “The Jennifer Hudson Show” ranked third place behind “Sherri.”

“While people see the glory of the story, they don’t know about the blood, sweat and tears that went in behind the scenes,” said Murray, who studied under esteemed NSU Professor Dr. Wanda Brockington, while he majored in mass communication at Norfolk State in the late 1990s to early 2000s.

Murray, “a latchkey kid,” rushed home from

school and watched talks shows, as well as Black TV sitcoms such as “ A Different World.” Later, he enrolled in a two-week summer program that led him to attend Norfolk State University and major in mass communication. There, he learned about video and camera production,scriptwriting, directing, and editing. And he learned how to network, as a member of the Student Government Association. There, he met his best friend and fellow “Behold” cover Alumnus Phil Thornton. They helped SGA plan larger events, like Homecoming and Spring Fest.

Inspired by entertainers such as Arsenio Hall and Montell Williams, Murray also worked on a promising newsletter but left Norfolk State at age 21 “to follow his dream,” he said in a recent statement on Norfolk

State’s website.

“By the mid 2000s, Jawn Murray was on the air as a young contributor on the Tom Joyner Morning Show,” he explained, on Norfolk State’s website.

“He wrote an entertainment news column for AOL Black Voices for several years. During this time, he was working tirelessly, accumulating an average of 100,000 frequent flyer miles a year and describing himself as ‘living this rock star media life,’ ” he said. His big break came after CNN and Headline News contacted him in 2012, after he posted information about Whitney Houston’s unexpected death on Twitter, now X.

Within seven days, Murray held 21 television interviews worldwide. He

also provided live funeral coverage with MSNBC on the day of Whitney’s homegoing celebration, which was held in Feb 2012, at New Hope Baptist Church, in Newark.

“That made me a player in the game,” said Murray. “That’s when people took me seriously as a pop culture expert.” The rest is history. Murray began making regular appearances on Headline News, CNN, and various TV One series. An early 2000s meeting with Sherri, at the Bobby Jones Retreat in Las Vegas, led to more opportunities.

When Murray recently won the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Talk Show, as the executive producer of the “Sherri” show, he told the audience, “Stay the course.”

(L-R) April Woodard, Jawn Murray and NSU President Javaune Adams-Gaston

Photo: Courtesy

BLACK MOM FIRED FOR HIRING HER SON AND HIS FRIENDS AT BURGER KING

BLACKNEWS.COM

Shakayla Dixon, an African American manager at a local Burger King restaurant in Clinton, Mississippi, has been fired along with her son and his friends after hiring them to work at the restaurant due to alleged nepotism. The issue arose after Dixon proudly shared a viral Facebook post featuring the teens at work. Dixon thought hiring her son, 15-year-old Corderrion Valentine, for the summer was a good idea. They could earn extra money before school started in the fall. Valentine agreed and even brought along his friends, Fabian Moore, Devin Banks, and Felton Moore.

“I felt like it was a good thing because we could have really been out doing violence or shooting or killing

but we went out and worked,” Valentine told WLBT. “I felt like it was a fun experience to get you ready for the real world.”

Initially excited about the new hires, Dixon shared their photo on Facebook, which unexpectedly went viral, garnering over 10,000 likes and 5,300 shares. The post even caught actor Nick Cannon’s attention, and he shared it on Instagram, getting nearly 95,000 likes.

However, things took a turn when Dixon received a call from her area manager and district leader. Dixon recounted, “She said we don’t want to turn something good into something bad, but we have some concerns.”

The higher management apparently expressed concerns about hiring her son

and his friends, particularly regarding pay discrepancies for minors.

“She told me that a minor is supposed to get paid differently than what an adult gets paid. It was never brought to my attention beforehand. My things were when it came down to policy. I feel like policy wasn’t in play in the beginning,” Dixon continued.

Valentine, who hoped to set a positive example for his peers, found the job loss disheartening. He said, “I hope that it portrayed a lot of people to do things good and stop the violence.”

Meanwhile, Dixon launched a GoFundMe campaign to support her son and his friends with upcoming school expenses after losing all their jobs.

FORMER BLACK SCHOOL TEACHER LAUNCHES HER OWN ACADEMY

Dr. Taylor Dee is an innovative educator, songsinging children’s author, and dynamic entrepreneur. As a former school teacher, she has now launched her own academy and has also created a YouTube Channel that is making waves in the world of education and youth development with her creative way of thinking and passion to empower the next generation.

With a Doctoral Degree in Curriculum and Instruction, a Master’s Degree in Youth Development Leadership from Clemson University, and a Bachelor’s Degree in Early/Elementary Education, Dr. Taylor Dee brings a wealth of experience and dedication to her multifaceted career and the understanding of how representation matters in the Educational space. Transitioning from public school teaching to

entrepreneurship, Dr. Taylor Dee took a leap of faith, investing her talents in writing, singing, movement, and literacy for children. Her journey began with the unexpected acquisition of a converted, seatless school bus, which she transformed into a mobile platform for promoting music, movement, and literacy across the Carolinas through her business, BEYOND Fit Kids and TUMBLEBUS.

Despite the pandemicinduced closure of this venture, Dr. Taylor Dee pivoted to launch Right Now Works Education and Taylor Dee Kids TV Media.

Dr. Taylor Dee’s creative endeavors have led to the production of over 45 educational songs, 70+ music videos, and two studio albums, amassing millions of views and streams. Her dedication to early childhood education is further exemplified through

the founding of Wonder Academy, a Preschool and School Age Program serving over 100 students daily.

Committed to her mission of serving children and educators globally, Dr. Taylor Dee continues to expand her reach through coaching, content creation, speaking engagements, and educational development.

“I hope through my efforts I can continue to inspire creativity and help children and educators unlock their own natural gifts,” says Dr. Taylor Dee. “We all have great work to be doing…the time to do it is now”.

Most recently, she has been casted main stage for the 2024-2025 season with the Charlotte Children’s Theatre. This has been a goal for her as she continues to impact more children through performance.

For more information on Dr. Taylor Dee, visit DrTaylorDee.com.

Hello and welcome to The Bridge Corner.

Developing Winners in the Trump Suit. In this exercise, we are examining the strategy for the play of the hand when the best opportunity to develop additional tricks is in the trump suit.

1) West opens the bidding with 1 Spade. West is the describer and East is the responder and the captain.

2) East, the responder, can support opener’s suit with four Spades (responder needs at least 3 of opener’s major suit) and 6 points. East, the responder, would bid 2 Spades. Opener does not have to bid again.

3) The contract is 2 Spades and West is the declarer.

4) North makes the opening lead with the Q Diamond.

5) Declarer needs eight

tricks but only has five sure tricks. Declarer can develop the extra tricks in the Spade suit (the trump suit).

6) Declarer should play the Spades after winning the first trick to develop the extra tricks in the Spade suit. Declarer needs to be lucky to make the contract because Declarer can afford to lose only one trick in the Spade suit.

LOCAL VOICES

HEAT INDEX EXHAUSTION STROKE

By Sean C. Bowers

On a bike ride we had done hundreds of times before, the heat proved too much and almost got the BEST of us. When smaller individuals are out in the heat, they cook faster, fry hotter, and have much less body fat and therefore, margin for error. This is why small children and frail elders are most at risk.

We were incredibly lucky on several levels. We stopped and dismounted our bikes. When I felt my wife’s body go limp in my arms on Atlantic Avenue, I rushed her into the air conditioning of North End Pizza. She became nauseous a second time, briefly. She rehydrated, cooling her core temperature with ICE and eventually regained her full consciousness, came to her senses and again had all her faculties. This all occurred almost immediately with what on the inside felt like heartstopping moments.

A Virginia Beach policeman happened to be standing just inside the front door and he called the EMTs who were there within a few moments. A half hour later we were on our way home for a good night’s rest, and a full recovery

Re-living this scary episode while it is fresh in my mind, I offer it that others may take heed and learn from our close call.

The heat index makes a 94-degree day feel like a full ten degrees hotter 104-degrees. My wife had just ridden one-way up the VB boardwalk, with good hydration and NO alcohol involved. In hindsight, many telltale signs of approaching heat stroke were there.

She had a past history of overheating on a RIDE, a few years ago, when there was a similar heat index day.

The shade of the hotels in the afternoon provided a false sense of security. The southernly breeze blew strongly behind us as we glided effortlessly, northbound from 1st street to 40th street. The wind was so strong we barely needed to pedal. This meant NO PERCEPTABLE BREEZE, which seemed to equal no way to dispel sweat or the perception of sweating.

She rode well on her new bike, but began to say non-sensical things that were kind of jumbled. There were small signs at

Sean C. Bowers

first. We wet her visor, she hydrated and we stopped and sat in the shade. On the way back when she began to slur her words and said she was beginning to lose her balance, we STOPPED immediately. As she dismounted safely with my help, she said she felt sick and became nauseous. All of this happened in a matter of seconds.

That was when I instantly scooped her up in my arms and carried her into the air conditioning to get her ICED DOWN and bring down her core temperature as fast as possible.

We were so lucky that day, but as a result we made some new exercise decisions going forward for her maximin safety. NO workouts over 90 degrees – “black flag” conditions. We‘ll do our workouts in the cooler morning temperatures from now on. We will always have ICE, water and her inhaler with us. Our rides will be shorter and “revolve around” possible cooling AC points - always keeping the distance to the AC extremely short and manageable.

The combination of the breeze, shade, and bike exercise all formed a perfect solar kind of “undertow” a lifethreatening- overheated (ALMOST) RIP current!

Here are some important things to remember in extreme heat: Never ignore strange speech, slurred, or not making sense speaking chatter. Hot, cold sweating, and feeling sick should be taken seriously. Don’t ever to ever try to push through. Losing one’s balance is also right up there with feeling lightheaded. Don’t be tough or “old school” and have a “rub-somedirt-on-it,” or “walk-it-off mentality.” No work out is worth OVER-pushing through.

My wife and I regularly ride 3-4 times per week for 4-14 miles per ride. She regularly walks, so her cardio is great, AT LOWER TEMPATURES.

One moment you’re both laughing together; the next, you and your beloved are in the heat exhaustive throes, fighting for survival.

We were only 2-3 miles into our ride when the heat stroke occurred. It happens that quickly! One moment you’re both laughing together; the next, you and your beloved are in the heat exhaustive throes, fighting for survival.

Please take PRECAUTIONS: implement the use of ice, ice packs, ice lined bags. Stand under showers, go inside AC to lower your body core temperatures on all work outs. Most importantly, find a workout friend, partner, buddy, or group. Like a spotter, they can help if needed, and spot symptoms for one another “the buddy system” style. This gut-wrenching experience was and totally preventable. It gave clues, however, I was not up to the task of deciphering my wife’s health code. It was so scary that I am writing to warn others how insidious it can be. ERR, on the side of caution. This heat is no joke. It’s nothing to play with and will kill you in a HOT second! I thought back to some of my own overheated workouts of the past. We will continue our joy bringing workouts, waking, biking, and swimming. We will dial back our work outs of those hot, hot “pressure cooker” days. We won’t get nearly as (OVER) heated, ever again. Sean C. Bowers writes for The New Journal and Guide, CHAMPIONING overcoming racism, sexism, classism, and religious persecution. More of his work can found by searching “Sean C. Bowers” on the NJ&G website, on social media at Linkedin.com or by email at V1ZUAL1ZE@ aol.com NNPA 2019 Publisher of the Year, Brenda H. Andrews (NJ&G 37 years) has always been his publisher.

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

THE PATIENCE OF HOPE MOMENTS of MEDITATION

James 5:7-12

Faith. Hope. Love. These three graces will remain after all the more spectacular gifts have passed away (1 Corinthians 13: 13). Hope is a wonderful, God-given capacity, without which our lives would be desolate. For an unbeliever, hope lies in the changing circumstances of life and the thought that sooner or later things will improve. A believer finds hope in a very different quarter circumstances maybe adverse, but he can still have hope because of the nature of God (Psalm 42: 5).

In the New Testament, hope takes on an added dimension because of the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ (1 Timothy 1: 1; Colossian 1: 27). His return in glory is our “blessed hope” (Titus 2: 13). James’ writing to believers who had been oppressed by the rich, encourages them to be patient as thy wait for the Lord’s return. What he said to them also applies to us.

PATIENCE IN THE PRESENT. At the beginning

of James’ letter, he was talking about a quiet endurance of circumstances that could not be altered, recognizing that God permits difficulties in order to foster Christian growth. Here (5: 7) he uses a word that means putting a long distance between ourselves and anger, perhaps best translated “long-suffering.”

The first term describes a reaction to circumstances; the second, a response to people. When people treat us unfairly, it is human to become angry and lash out at them. Is this, however, an appropriate Christian response? James thinks not (vv. 7-9; see 1 Peter 2: 21-23).

James’ readers had grounds for hop, not in retaliation, but in the plan and promise of God. They were to be longsuffering “until the coming of the Lord” (James 5:7). All true believers look forward to this great event. As an illustration of patience while waiting for God’s time, James uses the experience of a farmer, who tills the soil in anticipation of the crop it will yield. Before he receives the fruit of his labors,

however, he must wait for the “early and late” rains. This phenomenon is particularly significant in Palestine and the Middle East.

The “early rain” usually comes in mid-or late October. It introduces the cool, rainy season and provides the moisture needed for seeds to germinate.

The “later rain” comes in April or early May, as the crop is ripening. Both are essential for a good harvest. It would be useless for a farmer to become angry because he had to wait for these rains. Such an attitude would not change the situation. It would only reveal his lack of understanding. James advises his brethren to follow the farmer’s example of patience (v. 2.8).

God is in control and the Lord will return on schedule. Patience requires that they strengthen their hearts – i.e., develop am attitude that cannot be swayed by persecution or discouragement. O f course, it is God Himself who ultimately strengthen His children under trial (Romans 16: 25; 1 Peter 5: 10).

James expected the Lord to come soon; so should we. The fact that He has not yet come in no way negates the fact that He will come. We should be anticipating His return at any moment. Our only uncertainty is the precise time of our Lord’s return and Jesus bids us turn that into a blessing so that He may rewards us when He comes (Matthew 25: 19-23).

PATIENCE IN THE PAST. The kind of patience

that James instructed his readers to practice was not something new. Jesus called His followers blessed when they were falsely accused for His sake, telling them to rejoice because a great reward awaited them in heaven. He then commented. “Son they persecuted the prophets who were before you” (Matthew 5: 12).

James picks up this theme from Jesus’ teaching and refers to two historical situations as examples for the present. The Old Testament tabernacle and its furnishings were “copies of the things in the heavens’ (Hebrews 9: 23), designed to teach the Israelites God’s plan of redemption.

When Jesus washed His disciples’ feet, He did so as an example for them to follow (John 13: 15). In this way, James says, the prophets are examples for us. Notice the combination of suffering and patience (5: 10). James had just warned his readers against allowing suffering to make them angry. Now he cites the prophets as real-life illustrations of how to respond when mistreated.

James then returns (v. 11) to his earlier idea of patience as endurance – the capacity to remain steadfast under trial – and points out that people who endure will experience a divine blessing that brings happiness. To illustrate this point he refers to Job. Job is memorable for his steadfastness under pressure, for his determination to trust God no matter what, but he is hardly a mode of long –

suffering. He became angry several times and lodged vigorous complaints against God as well as his tree human “comforters.”

But though Job complained, his faith never faltered (Job 1: 21-22; 2: 10; 13: 15; 19:2526). He was greatly afflicted and sometimes angry, but he never doubted God. James speaks of God’s dealings with Job as a demonstration of the compassion and mercy of the Almighty. When Job’s trials were over, he had learned to trust God in a deeper way. He was stronger spiritually and better off materially. His questions were not all answered, but he no longer needed answers, for he had been in the very presence of God. James commends Job’s endurance, his steadfastness under pressure, as an example to others who must endure suffering that they cannot explain or understand, but which they can accept because they know that God is compassionate and merciful.

PATIENCE IN SPEECH.

Before leaving this topic, James becomes even more practical, directing the believers to watch their language, lest they express their frustration and anger verbally in ways dishonoring to God and their testimony. Notice the similarity of what James says to what Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5: 34-37). What did Jesus mean and what does James mean by their prohibitions against swearing

or the taking of an oath?

Taking an oath really means calling on God, the source of all truth – or some element of God’s creation – to vouch for one’s truthfulness. But both James and Jesus instructed us to be so straightforward and honest in our conversation and life style that taking an oath will be unnecessary.

Some 3 individuals and groups interpret this prohibition to mean that one must not “solemnly swear” to tell the truth, in account of law, not because one intends to lie, but in obedience to the command of Jesus. In deference to this view, courts may allow such persons to “affirm” their truthfulness rather than “swearing” to it. But the force of biblical prohibition is not directed toward legal proceedings so much as toward individual behavior in everyday life. People then (as now) attempted to convince others of their truthfulness by swearing or oath-taking. This resulted in a violation of the third commandment, which prohibits the frivolous use of the name of the Lord (Exodus 20: 7). The substitution of elements of God’s creation (Jesus mentioned heaven, earth, Jerusalem or one’s head) for His sacred name did not lessen the sin. God had told Moses that “the Lord will not leave him unpunished who takes His name in vain,” and James urges his readers to control their speech ‘so that you may not fall under judgment.” see Hope, page 6B

CHURCH ADs & DIRECTORY ADs

BOOKWORM REVIEW

By Terri Schlichenmeyer

SHARKS DON’T SINK: ADVENTURES OF A ROGUE SHARK SCIENTIST

Oh, those teeth! Your finger practically bleeds just looking at them: three rows of perfect, razorsharp white triangles that you know are gonna hurt. They’re inside a mouth made for swallowing you whole, that’s obvious, but when you think about it – are sharks really as bad as they seem? As you’ll see in the new book “Sharks Don’t Sink” by Jasmin Graham, maybe dentism isn’t the problem. In studying them, maybe racism is.

Growing up near the ocean by Myrtle Beach, Jasmin Graham fell in love with the water early in her life. She fell in love with the creatures there when she was ten, with her father, fishing –something her forebears had done on local piers for decades. She knew then that she wanted to be a “shark scientist.”

She was eighteen when she first held a live shark, and that cemented her dream. Not long afterward, though, Graham felt like she “had burned out completely.”

She’d been trying to make it in “a toxic, white, maledominated... environment

By Jasmin Graham ©2024, Pantheon Books

$28.00, 213 pages

laced with... casual and overt sexism and racism...” and it was harming her well-being. She was about to quit when she found a few other Black women who were shark scientists, too, and who were going through the same thing. Graham received instant support and it was life-changing. Two weeks later, the new friends had decided to mobilize. They met a Miami investor who lent resources and who helped them found Minorities in Shark Science

(MISS), an organization that gives BIPOC young women an introduction to shark science. By then, Graham had decided to become a “rogue scientist” – one without academic backing, but whose research on sharks is essential in the field.

Sharks, says Graham, are not always the fearsome creatures that Hollywood wants us to believe. Yes, some sharks attack humans, but others are “kinda silly” sometimes, and some are “cutie-pies.” And there’s still a lot we don’t know about them.

Says Graham, “So many questions. But that’s where science begins: with questions.”

FUN PUZZLE FOR YOUR LEISURE

Alright, here it is: the STEM book you can share with your young adult, a book that’s not stuffy or academic but that’ll teach you something truly interesting. Here: all the things you wanted to know about all kinds of sharks, in plain words that are friendly, thorough, smart, awed, and easy-to-understand. Right here.

And if the shark science doesn’t fascinate you enough, author Jasmin Graham uses “Sharks Don’t Sink” to draw analogies between freedom and bias and between shark lives and Black lives. That’s done in the sweetest of ways, through Graham’s own story and that of her ancestors who steadfastly, fiercely stood up to racism and big business through the years. We also meet Graham’s father, an easy-going man who makes you want to sit on a quiet front porch with some sweet tea and a church fan. Ahhhhh. Find this book for yourself, loan it to your 14-to-18-year-old, and be sure to ask for it back.

“Sharks Don’t Sink” is the kind of book you’ll want to bite into twice.

Continued from page 4B

It is not hard to understand the relevance of this admonition in a discussion of patience and long-suffering. It is probable that at some time each one of us, under stress, has said things that we later

regretted. Perhaps, in an effort to convince someone that we were telling the truth in a questionable matter, we resorted to strong language verging on the “cursing and swearing” that Peter used when he was under pressure (Matthew 26: 74). But this kind of language is never appropriate for a believer. Our character and reputation should be such that what we say will not be questioned.

FILM REVIEW: TWISTERS

By Dwight Brown Film Critic

Watching this big tent disaster movie in a cinema is fun. In an IMAX theater it’s even more amazing. But the ultimate immersion experience is viewing, hearing and feeling the whirling winds from a seat in a 4D theater. It’s a form of presentation that combines synchronized physical effects with what’s on screen. You’re transported by motion, vibration, scents, rain, mists, fog, smoke, wind, temperatures and strobe lights. Those effects are being served with the popcorn at the world’s largest 4D auditorium, the Regal Times Square, New York City. There are 790 more 4D playhouses across the globe.

Twenty-eight years ago, the original 1996 action/adventure film Twister garnered $490M+ at the box office with actors Helen Hunt and Bill Paxton chasing destructive vortexes of violent rotating winds shaped like funnels. Now a new generation gets the fever. This version, unlike its predecessor, doesn’t have an expert action-movie director like Jan de Bont (Speed) at its helm. Wisely the producers hired indie filmmaker Lee

Issac Chung (Oscar nominee 2021 Best Achievement in Directing and Best Original Screenplay for Minari) to give this autonomous sequel a more human approach. It’s a brilliant move. Pulling from a very gregarious and friendorientated script by Mark L. Smith (The Revenant), with a story originated by Top Gun: Maverick director Joseph Kosinski, Chung sets up the characters first, and then the audience experiences their journey, relationships, families and love lives. By the time the tornados show up, you’re so invested in the participants that everything works in concert. Inquisitive, adventurous people in jeopardy. Violent natural phenomena. Mass destruction. Hopes for the future. This isn’t your typical, generic, paint-by-numbers big-budget Hollywood film. Chung shows style and heart. As a meteorology student Kate Carter (Daisy Edgar Jones, Where the Crawdads Sing) had great ambitions. Tame tornados and save lives. Her initial ambitious work, on the plains of Oklahoma, with a fellow colleague Javi (Anthony Ramos, Transformers: Rise of the Beasts) ended in a catastrophe when a tornado proved to be more powerful and deadly than they could have fathomed. Five years later, traumatized by that tragedy, Kate is in New York working in an office with weather forecasters. Still in the game but far removed from the playing field. Until her old pal Ravi shows up, drafting her into a project that could be

a life-saving tracking system. Kate heads back to the South-Central region. These days the field of cloud chasers has expanded with all sorts of curious folks. Including the self-centered socialmedia darling Tyler Owens (Glen Powell, Top Gun: Maverick)—aka the Tornado Wrangler. With his face constantly on camera as he streams his exploits to millions of YouTube fans, he and his wild, publicity-hungry crew are the antithesis of Kate, Javi and their mission. The two disparate teams compete, give each other misinformation and throw lots of shade. Is there room enough on the tornado trail for both groups?

The most wonderful aspect of the script and the director’s approach is that you can’t guess where the characters are going. Not their direction in life, relationships, careers or incentives. Often what you think will happen gets blindsided with a different reality. Distinguishing the good from the bad guys becomes tricky. Motives are deceptive, unsettled and unpredictable. Though great attention and detail has been bestowed on the characters and their arcs, the action/adventure/thriller aspects of this disaster movie are just as weighty. Visually and auditorily the effects are top notch. The wondrous shots, especially the overheads, by cinematographer Dan Mindel (Star Wars: Episode VII- The Force Awakens) pull you into central Oklahoma. Interior sets from old garages to fancy NYC offices are appropriate (production designer Patrick Sullivan), the colors vibrant (art director Steve Christensen) and everyone is dressed like normal people (costume designer Eunice Jera Lee). When orchestra music crescendos and adds umph to the danger it also heightens emotions (composer Benjamin Wallfisch, Blade Runner 2049).

There’s a magical salute to film and cinemas when a movie theater becomes a shelter—a place to hide from the windy hell above. There are many daring escapes, victims sucked into updrafts and instances when the storm chasers are close to death. But the iconic visual that film lovers may love the most is the moment when Tyler tries to hold on to a crewmember who is being sucked away, out into the sky, to her doom. Hard to forget this image as it reinforces the notion that theaters are sanctuaries. Places of refuge. So why are so many closing these days?! Twisters will be revered in theaters and IMAX places. But the ultimate immersive experience will come in 4D theaters. That’s where rooms full of gleeful audiences will get rocked, rolled and rained on.

“Sharks Don’t Sink: Adventures of a Rogue Shark Scientist”

Jasmin Graham

Photo: SoniaSzczesna