NEWJOURNAL & GUIDE NEW JOURNAL &
VP Candidate Gov. Walz of Minn. Established His State’s “George Floyd Remembrance Day”
By Hazel Trice Edney
TRICEEDNEYWIRE.COM
Vice President Kamala
Harris, now the official Democratic nominee for President of the United States, has selected Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her vice-presidential running mate, establishing the full ticket to run against former President Donald Trump and Sen. J. D. Vance (R-Ohio) in the Nov. 5 election.
Democrats now will head for a Chicago convention August 19-22 where Harris will become the first Black woman and first Indian American to win the presidential nomination of
a major political party. She is the daughter of an Indian mother and a Jamaican father.
This, no doubt, will begin a hard-fought race against
Trump and Vance, both of whom have proven to be candidates willing to say just about anything – including attack Harris’ race and gender – with hopes to win
George Floyd’s murder ignited a global movement ... We must continue to do everything in our power to deconstruct systemic racism and inequities in our state ...” –
far right voters and Trump’s base supporters. However, those tactics could easily backfire, given her running mate’s background.
Harris’ choice of Walz will no doubt resonate with Black and progressive voters across the nation largely due to his sensitivity
HE WAS BELOVED “COACH” ELWOOD WILLIAMS PASSES AT 82
By Leonard E. Colvin Chief Reporter Emeritus New Journal and Guide
Elwood L. “Coach” Williams, 82, former Director of the Southside Boys and Girls Club (SBGC) for 37 years, died on August 5, according to his family.
As an athletic coach, he mentored and prepared youth to be top performers in sports. For over three decades, he used those skills to uplift countless youth who patronized the SBGC to excel in life in all areas.
Born during the height of Jim Crow segregation in 1941 in Elizabeth City, North Carolina, he was raised in the poorest section of the locale.
Williams, known fondly as “Coach,” played football, basketball, and baseball at P. W. Moore High School. He played football at Elizabeth City State Teachers College
(now Elizabeth City State University). He graduated from ECSU in 1965 with a health and physical education degree. He then taught academics and coached four varsity
see Coach, page 8A
2022 Re-Naming of The Dining Hall – (L-R) Mayor Kenneth C.Alexander, Del. Jackie Glass, Exec. Director Gregg Shivers, Coach Williams, City Councilperson Danica Royster, and Rep. Robert (3rd Dist.) “Bobby” Scott.
AMEZ CHURCH LAUNCHES VOTER INITIATIVE DURING N.C. MEETING
By Rosaland Tyler Associate Editor New Journal and Guide
Newly elected AME Zion bishops launched a voter initiative drive during their five-day quadrennial meeting that more than 3,000 congregants attended July 24-28 in Greensboro, N.C.
Guest speakers included the Rev. William Barber II and the Rev. Al Sharpton, president of the National Action Network. The denomination has 1.2 million members.
“Each area was challenged to register a minimum of 1,000 new voters,” the Rev. George McKain, a consultant and former public affairs
director for the denomination, told Religion News Service in a recent interview.
Among those elected during the meeting was Bishop Melanie Miller, who will lead the Western District, which includes several states in the American West.
see AME, page 5A
WHITE HOUSE INITIATIVE CELEBRATES 10 YEARS OF HBCU ELITE PROGRAM
By Stacy M. Brown
The White House Initiative on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence, and Economic Opportunity through Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) has announced the 2024 cohort of HBCU Scholars, marking the 10th anniversary of this transformative program. They include a Virginia Union University student, Michael Kevin Crossley Sr. from VUU’s Sydney Lewis School of Business, Richmond, VA
2024 HBCU Scholars include a Virginia Union University student, Michael Kevin Crossley Sr. from VUU’s Sydney Lewis School of Business, Richmond, VA
This year, 110 students from 77 HBCUs across the nation and around the world have been selected for their exceptional academic achievements, leadership potential, and dedication to their communities.
“For 10 years, the HBCU Scholars program has celebrated the exceptional academic talent and
achievements of students at our Historically Black Colleges and Universities – a recognition that reflects the BidenHarris Administration’s determination to fight for our nation’s HBCUs and their immense contributions to excellence and diversity in higher education,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona. “This
year’s 110 outstanding students exemplify Black excellence – and fill us with hope for the promise of tomorrow. We couldn’t be prouder to support them on their journey.”
Representing 23 states and 11 countries, this year’s cohort includes students from diverse disciplines, including science, technology, engineering, math, humanities, social sciences, and the arts.
Officials said their inclusion highlights the remarkable talent fostered within HBCUs and reflects strong educational foundations and community spirit.
see HBCU, page 8A
to key issues. On May 25th this year, Walz issued a proclamation, declaring a George Floyd Remembrance Day. Floyd was murdered in Minneapolis on May 25, 2020, by police officer Derek Chauvin who callously knelt on his neck.
“George Floyd’s murder ignited a global movement, accentuating the systemic racism that Black, Indigenous, and other communities of color have endured for centuries,” Walz stated in the proclamation. “We must continue to do everything in our power to deconstruct systemic racism and inequities in our state ...” Until now, Walz, a former high school social studies teacher, football coach, and retired sergeant major in the Army National Guard, has been relatively unknown on a national stage. Recently his description of Trump-Vance as “weird” has caught hold on social media and beyond. see Walz, page 6A
Chesapeake’s Own Grant Holloway Wins Olympic Gold Medal
PARIS, FRANCE
Chesapeake Native Grant Holloway made more history in the recent 2024 Olympics, winning a gold medal in the 110 meters hurdles and the second-fastest man in history at the event with a personal best of 12.81 seconds, set at the U.S. Olympic Trials on June 26, 2021.
This makes him a three-time world champion (2019 Doha, 2022 Eugene and 2023 Budapest), 2024 Paris. Holloway is the 2022 Belgrade and 2024 Glasgow World Indoor champion and the world indoor record holder with a time of 7.27 seconds set at the 2024 USA Track & Field Indoor Championships.
VP Kamala Harris: She’s Grace – And She’s Joy
By Julianne Malveaux
TRICEEDNEYWIRE.COM
When did politics become such fun? While Democrats will roll up our sleeves to win the November election, in the meantime our candidates are clearly having a good time with the process. Every time she strides across a stage, she beams. Her smile is an incandescence. Her wave joyful. And as we get to know him, her avuncular running mate, projects joy and con fi dence. The chemistry between Vice President Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz is visible and bodes well for this campaign.
The best thing about VP Harris and her 3-weekold campaign is that she has not stooped to the bizarrely weird level of her opponent. Whether he is attacking her race, minimizing the size of her crowds, or being downright
The best thing about VP Harris ... is that she has not stooped to the bizarrely weird level of her opponent.
ignorant and insulting (“low IQ individual’), she allows her surrogates to respond to his idiocy and fl oats about the nonsense. see Harris, page 7A
Democratic Presidential Nominee Kamala Harris (L) and her vice presidential pick, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (R)
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz
Julianne Malveaux
Photo: Courtesy
sports at W. S. Creecy High School in Rich Square, NC.
Photo: Courtesy
THE POWER OF THE GUMBO SPIRIT AT OLYMPICS
By Marc H. Morial CEO, National Urban League (TRICEEDNEYWIRE.COM)
“In addition to giving us countless thrilling moments of athletic excellence, the Summer Games have given the DEI movement the greatest gift it could ever hope for: a picture of success that can inspire people from across the political spectrum ... They represent what makes America great: individuals from diverse
backgrounds, viewing their distinctive identities as sources of pride, cooperating together to achieve excellence and bring honor to their nation.” – Eboo Patel
The power of the Gumbo spirit was on full display in Team USA at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. The most diverse women’s gymnastics team in U.S.
The anti-racial justice extremists who want to ban DEI policies would doom Team USA to mediocrity just to assure their own place on the roster.
history was the most decorated, with 10 medals total, 3 of them gold, including the coveted individual all-around.
Team USA members of every racial and ethnic
background found success in Paris, bringing home the gold in track and field, swimming, and other events. But the diversity of the women’s gymnastics team has captured
New HUD Policy Enacted To Aid Homeless Veterans
By Stacy M. Brown Senior National Correspondent
NNPA
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has announced significant policy changes to help veterans experiencing homelessness.
The new regulations ensure that veterans receiving service-connected disability benefits are not ineligible for supportive housing projects supported by project-based rental assistance through the HUD-Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH) program.
Previously, VA benefits, provided for injuries or illnesses acquired or worsened during military service, were considered income when determining eligibility for housing assistance. The agency said this caused some veterans to exceed the income threshold for these programs.
The updated policy will now exclude these benefits from income calculations, allowing more veterans to qualify for housing assistance. Alongside this change, HUD awarded $20 million to public housing agencies to further improve the HUD-VASH program.
“This policy change will ensure that veterans who are receiving the disability benefits they earned through service and sacrifice can access the housing assistance and supportive services they need to resolve their homelessness,” said Acting Secretary Adrianne Todman.
The HUD-VASH program pairs rental assistance through housing vouchers from HUD with case management and other supportive services provided by the VA.
VA Secretary Denis
McDonough emphasized the importance of the new policy, stating, “The days of a veteran having to choose between getting the VA benefits they deserve and the housing support they need are finally over. This is a critical step forward that will help veterans nationwide – and bring us one step
August 12, 1939
Edition of the Guide
Norfolk Unit Receives $1,250 For Vocational Work NORFOLK
The administration of the Norfolk Unit of Virginia Union University recently announced the acceptance of an offer of $1,250 to be used for a proposed vocational program for the school which is scheduled to be set up this fall.
This makes the second large donation towards the institution’s $25,000 (fundraising) objective, which is needed to put this phase of educational work on a sound financial basis.
A sum of $1,000 was pledged two weeks ago by the Rappahannock Sunday School Convention, of which, T. C. Walker is President.
The two brick dwellings facing the Brewer Street side of the present Unit property will be renovated for classroom space for a new program. When completed, one-half of the building will contain a domestic science unit, compromising two laboratories, living room, and pantry for demonstration purposes.
From all indications, the fall semester’s enrollment at the Norfolk Unit will exceed 200. Applications are being received daily at the registrar’s office. One unusual circumstance this year is the large number of out- of-town applications which are being filed. Students from Suffolk, Franklin, Smithfield, Cape Charles, Roanoke, New York and Pennsylvania are among the applicants.
The school has no dormitory facilities and girls can secure quarters in the Phyllis Wheatley Branch “Y” residence at 416 Cumberland Street, while boys will be housed in excellent quarters on Freemason Street.
(Editor’s note: $1,250 in 1930 equal to $23,516.09 today.)
Musicians Gather At Bland’s Grave PHILADELPHIA (ANP)
A large delegation of Negro musicians assembled
The days of a veteran having to choose between getting the VA benefits they deserve and the housing support they need are finally over.”
– VA Secretary Denis McDonough
closer to our ultimate goal of putting an end to veteran homelessness for good.”
“Every veteran deserves a roof over their head, and the Biden-Harris Administration is doing everything we possibly can to end veteran homelessness,” said White House Domestic Policy Advisor Neera
Tanden. “Today’s actions reflect President Biden and Vice President Harris’s commitment to breaking down barriers to housing so that every veteran gets the benefits they have earned.”
For more details on the revised HUD-VASH operating requirements, visit HUD’s website.
the world’s attention, given the historic exclusion of women of color from the sport.
When Dominique Dawes competed in the Olympic trials for the 1992 Barcelona Games, she was the first Black gymnast to ever qualify. She was part of the celebrated “Magnificent Seven” in the 1996 Atlanta games who won the first-ever gold medal for the United States in the women’s team competition.
A decade after Dawes Olympics debut, Gabby Douglas became the first Black woman of any nationality to win the all-around gold medal in gymnastics.
It would be absurd to argue that Black women were absent from Olympic gymnastics for nearly a century because of a lack of talent. It is an equally absurd argument to make about executive leadership in the nation’s top corporations, admissions to elite colleges and universities, or the Oval Office.
The anti-racial justice extremists who want to ban DEI policies would doom Team USA to mediocrity just to assure their own place on the roster.
Diverse organizations –from Fortune 500 companies to Olympic gymnastics teams – perform better than exclusive organizations. People from different backgrounds bring a wealth of different experiences, knowledge, and skills. One study found that diverse and inclusive teams made better decisions than
From The Guide’s Archives
individuals 87 percent of the time.
Diverse companies see higher revenue, with 75 percent of companies with strong DEI policies in their management teams will surpass their financial goals.
The gymnastics world did not sit passively by and wait for a fully-trained Simone Biles to find her own way, unbidden, to the National Championships in 2012. Were it not for a sharp-eyed coach who noticed the tiny 6-year-old on a daycare field trip to a gym, Biles may never have been steered toward the sport. Today she is almost universally recognized as the greatest gymnast of all time. The leaders of the so-called “anti-woke” movement would rather dominate second-rate institutions than collaborate to build world-class organizations.
We can give thanks, at least, they’re not entrusted to assemble our sports teams.
Archives taken from the pages of the (New) Journal and Guide
here last week in front of the Central YMCA to lead a motor cavalcade to the grave of James A. Bland, known as the Negro Stephen Foster, to pay honor to him.
Until recent years a comparatively unknown Negro musician, Bland has been credited with writing the words and music to “Carry Me Back To Old Virginia.” It was believed for many years that Stephen Foster was the author of the song.
The delegations were sponsored by the Philadelphia Council of the National Negro Congress. Bland’s burial place in the Merion Cemetery was the scene of the commemorative services. W.C. Handy, “Daddy of the Blues,” and J. Rosamond Johnson, representing the classical tunes in the Negro musical circles, were both present at the ceremony.
August 15, 1970
Edition of the Guide
Alleged FBI Info Discounted
ATLANTA (UPI)
Mrs. Martin Luther King Jr. denied a Time Magazine article which said her late husband toned down criticism of the FBI only after J. Edgar Hoover confronted him with wiretappings that revealed extramarital activities.
“The conversations between my husband and Mr. Hoover, which he related to me, does not correspond at all to the Time Magazine report,” Mrs. King said in a prepared statement.
“The love, concern and devotion Martin expressed toward me and the children are our most precious and treasured memories.”
Time magazine said in a 1964 meeting, four years before King’s death from an assassins’ bullet, Hoover told King of the wiretaps and “lectured to him that his morals should be those benefitting a Nobel Prize Winner.”
Hoover then reportedly asked King to tone down his criticism of the FBI which Time said King did and was a resultant factor in King’s
popular decline in the eyes of many Blacks.
In another story related to the King family, Mrs. King said a “tenuous financial situation” led to the dismissal of 12 staff members of the memorial center honoring her late husband.
King said the cutback of personnel on the Library Documentation Project of the center was made so other projects, including establishment of an institute for non-violent social change and a memorial park surrounding her husband’s crypt could be financed.
During the first of two news conferences King held on the subject, she was picketed by the library staff members who had been dismissed, they said, without notice.
The protestors carried signs reading “MLK Center Employees seek fair labor practices,” “What happened to movie funds” and “Save the King Center.”
In the second news conference, King said the $2 million received from showing the special film “King: Mongomery to Memphis,” was divided among units of the SCLC, founded and headed by her husband. The Memorial center, she said, received only $300,000 of the money which was donated to the MLK foundation.
August 15, 2001
Edition of the Guide
Restoration of Cemetery Is Enhanced By Gate, New Book
By Leonard E. Colvin
PORTSMOUTH
For many years the site of the old Mt. Calvary Cemetery for Blacks in Portsmouth was overlooked by the community and overrun by weeds and trash.
Transients used it as an unofficial campground and vandals tampered with the graves and stole the few ornaments which decorated the area. The site carried several names over the years: Mt. Calvary, Mt. Olive, Fisher’s Hill and Potter’s Field.
At one point you could not determine if a graveyard even existed if one drove along Pulaski Street.
Over the past decade, however, the city and groups like the Minority Police Association have been cleaning up the cemetery in a restoration effort. Now the city has put an iron fence around it and restored its official name to Mt. Calvary. Also, two local historians with the help of a number of concerned helpers have published a book containing the names of people buried in the graveyard since that patch of land became a burial site in the mid-1950s. Recently retired I.C. Norcom Librarian Mae Breckenridge-Haywood and Norcom graduate and family researcher Dinah Walters have collaborated on a 160page book “Inscriptions in Triumph: Tombstone Inscriptions from the AfricanAmerican Cemeteries” which is already on local book shelves.
Haywood said the many of the grave markers are embossed with the names of notable Black citizens such as I.C. Norcom, and Ida Barbour and numerous sailors, doctors, lawyers and common citizens.
Garvey’s Philosophy Continues With New Generation
By Leonard E. Colvin
On August 17, Black organizations across the country will pay tribute to the life and legacy of Marcus M. Garvey, including in Norfolk and Newport News, Virginia.
The appeal of Garvey’s legacy 61 years after his death is based on his philosophy of economic and political independence, which he felt was the cornerstone of any freedom movement undertaken by people of African descent around the world. This ideology, called “Garveyism” is being practiced by many organizations today. In case of much of the modernday freedom movements undertaken by the Nation of Islam (NOI), N’Cobra,
and SCLC and others draw from the self-help and selfdetermination philosophy of Garvey’s work during the early 20th century.
On August 17-18 various organizations will be sponsoring programs honoring Garvey’s birth 113 years ago in St. Anne’s Bay, Jamaica. At the Moton Community House in Newport News on August 18, Dr. Leonard Jefferies, Jr., a historian at the city College of New York, will deliver a speech on “Reparations Now” starting at 4 p.m.
The day before, Clarence Vincent, of the Uhuru Cultural Enrichment Center in Norfolk, will deliver a lecture on the history and contributions of Garvey. During the program a host of artists will lend their talents to the celebration starting at 7 p.m.
Directory Lists 300 AfricanAmericans Organizations
A new Internet directory of more than 300 Black organizations is now available on the Phillip Morris Website at www.philipmorris.com/ naad. The online edition is produced by Phillip Morris in partnership with the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies. The Tobacco company has been publishing a national directory of Black organizations for 20 years. The Joint Center conducted the research and designed the layout of the Internet Directory, which is a compilation of nationally-based non-profit organizations, state legislative caucuses and Historical Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).
“It is one of the most comprehensive listings of the organizations and institutions dedicated to ensuring opportunities and advancements for AfricanAmericans,” said Eddie N. Williams, President and CEO of the Joint Center. “The Directory provides accurate and timely information about minority leadership of organizations and serves as a valuable resource to both the organizations included and the members of the general public.”
Marc H. Morial
PROFESSOR EMERITUS OF SOCIOLOGY VIRGINIA TECH
2016 ALL OVER AGAIN
By Wornie Reed, Ph.D.
Last week on his TV program, “The Last Word,” Lawrence O’Donnell addressed something that has bugged me. It is the way the press treats Donald Trump so deferentially at his socalled press conferences and how Trump spouts off a bunch of nonsense with few, if any, challenges.
Lawrence O’Donnell lambasted this practice. The following are some excerpts from O’Donnell’s very appropriate rant.
“Well. It was 2016 all over again.
“Again, today, Donald Trump spoke at his home in Florida for over an hour, and all the cable news networks, including this one, carried it live – just like they all did repeatedly in 2016. It would be hard to find a sentence in what Donald Trump said today that did not include at least one lie.
“Some of the networks tried to play catch-up with fact-checking after Donald Trump finished speaking, but that was way too late and utterly useless. No network even attempted to fact-check every lie Donald Trump told. Every network has the capacity, with the wide screens we now have at home, to run a live scroll at the side of the screen, fact-checking.
“[They could] run a live scroll at the side of the screen, fact-checking many of Donald Trump’s lies, not all of them. That would be impossible, but many of them as he speaks. When Donald Trump said Kamala was not smart enough to hold a press conference, the networks simply could have put on the side of the screen, ‘Kamala Harris is a graduate of Howard University and the
University of California Hastings School of Law.’
“Of course, Donald Trump proved once again today that he is not smart enough to do a news conference by saying something that is provably false in every response he gave to every single question. Most of those were knowing lies by Donald Trump, but many of the falsehoods he spread today in his responses came from that vast well of stupidity that takes up most of his brain.
“The stupidest person who has ever won a nomination for president stood before those reporters and said his opponent isn’t smart enough to do what he was failing at right in front of those reporters and to make a bad news coverage situation worse, none of the networks, none of them, carried Kamala Harris’s speech live after the Trump appearance. None of them!
This network brought the last few minutes of Kamala Harris’s speech live but was actually doing Olympics coverage when the speech began and kept doing it.
“And so, as a first order of business in this hour tonight, we will correct that mistake by providing to you, in full and unedited, as if live, everything that Kamala Harris said in her speech in Michigan, which all of the networks knew was coming! They knew what time it was coming! They knew how to cover it live, and they didn’t!
“After giving Donald Trump more than an hour of live coverage on all of their networks, it is 2016 all over again. The same mistakes are being made.”
O’Donnell went on to contrast the press’ kidglove treatment of Trump with how they treat the Biden administration. To Trump, they asked
The press wasted most of the questions on Trump. Consequently, he could ramble about anything that came to mind, such as lying grotesquely about the size of his crowds.
useless questions with no follow-up, like, “Mr. President, can you tell us a bit more about your upcoming interview with Elon Musk? O’Donnell’s take: “What a waste of a moment with a convicted felon former president.”
O’Donnell showed how differently the press treated President Biden, whom they badgered and interrupted, and the Press Secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre, whom they harassed while pursuing what turned out to be a lie.
The press wasted most of the questions on Trump. Consequently, he could ramble about anything that came to mind, such as lying grotesquely about the size of his crowds. For example, he said his largest crowd was the Jan. 6 rally (fact check, estimated 53,000), which he claimed to be larger than the 1963 March on Washington (fact check, estimated 250,000).
The press gives Trump a free pass. As Lawrence O’Donnell implied, this atypical press treatment of Trump helped him win in 2016 – and might do so again.
Black America Must Rally Around Kamala Harris To Save Our
By Dr. Ron Daniels
(TRICEEDNEYWIRE.COM)
In 2020, Black voters helped carry President Biden to the White House. But now that the president has done the right thing by stepping aside and passing the torch to Kamala Harris as the Democratic Party’s nominee, Black America must now respond by rallying around the vice president and helping her win in November.
It is the only way to stop Donald Trump and the MAGA movement that remains a threat to our nation’s democracy and the future of Black America. No demographic has been more supportive of Democrats and President Biden as the Black community. It was Rep. James Clyburn’s ringing endorsement of Biden during the 2020 primaries, after all, that helped the candidate’s flagging campaign win South Carolina and ride the wave to the nomination. A massive turnout of Black voters in Georgia made Biden the first Democratic presidential nominee to win the state since Bill Clinton in 1992. But this is not 2020.
Genuine concerns about Biden’s age and fitness for the office clearly eroded the confidence of Democratic voters, with poll after poll finding Biden further behind Trump nationally and in critical swing states. Critically, this included waning enthusiasm among Black voters in states
CARRTOON By Walt Carr
‘When We Fight, We Win!’
By E. Faye Williams (TRICEEDNEYWIRE.COM)
Sometimes a writer has to figure out what to write about because it seems that not much is happening. Everything seems to be about the same old problems, but Vice President Kamala Harris, stepped up for us as soon as we began asking, “Who will go for us?” In the history of Black people someone among us has answered that call. This time it’s Kamala Harris!
The Orange Man ran for his own good. Even though he never accepted the fact that 4 years of him was a bit more than we could take 4 more years. He never accepted the fact that he lost in 2020. He was in such disbelief that he tried to force the Secretary of State in Georgia to come up with the number of votes he needed to win that state.
We heard the telephone call where he thought nothing of speaking freely to Georgia’s Secretary of State, Brad Raffensperger who stood firm against helping the Orange Man to illegally take votes he had not earned. That’s a crime, and to his credit, Mr. Raffensperger did not budge – so the Orange Man came up short and lost the State of Georgia.
We later learned some of his most loyal supporters
Nation
like Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and Michigan that will all but decide the election. It also threatens vulnerable down-ballot Democrats across the country – which could lead to total Republican control of the federal government.
It is why we saw incumbent Democrats facing challenging re-election battles increasingly pleading with Biden to step aside. Here in New York state, Rep. Pat Ryan, in the midst of a heated battle for his upstate House seat, is one of the many congressional Democrats who called on Biden to bow out for the good of the party.
Now, Biden has made the courageous and selfless move to do so. And it is time for Black leaders and Black voters to enthusiastically get behind Kamala Harris and carry her to victory. The loyalty to Biden of Black leaders such as Rep. Clyburn and others in the Congressional Black Caucus, for instance, has been admirable. But, ultimately, this loyalty could not come
Donald Trump and the MAGA movement remain a threat to our nation’s democracy and the future of Black America.
at the cost of a second Trump presidency and a MAGA Republican government. Black America must now unite to stop policies that will make it harder for communities of color to vote. It must unite to stop policies that will increase the wealth gap for poorer families. It must unite to stop policies that will make it harder for Black women to access health care. It must unite to stop policies that will put more guns on our streets and make all communities less safe.
Having achieved an impressive legislative record, President Biden is poised to enter the history books as one of the most influential statesmen in our nation’s history. And few presidents can match his achievements in just four years in the White House – from rescuing the United States from the pandemic and putting Americans back to work to reducing the crushing burden of student debt for millions of people and families. see Nation, page 6A
had made an effort to seek other means of getting more votes for the Orange Man by taking them from other states by way of a brazen act of sending illegal representatives to ignore the true votes and make their own choices. I still find it such a brazen act to be carried out by so many of the Orange Man’s minions! Well, here we are in 2024 and it looks like the Orange Man’s time is up.
Vice-President Kamala Harris stood up. She came to the game to run for President when President Joseph Biden decided not to run again. Vice-President Kamala Harris was ready to answer the question, “Who will go for us?” Without hesitation she stepped up and said, “I’ll go. Send me Lord, I’ll go.”
She brought with her such joy, then called Gov. Walz, and here we are three weeks
“When we fight, we win!” Fighting means we VOTE November 5, 2024!
later and just 5 months to go until Election Day! You might say, Kamala stepped onto the stage in a bigger, faster way than we were accustomed to seeing. Kamala had already done that. We Black women and some of our best friends called a meeting, led by Jotaka Eddy, and on the first night of Kamala’s ascension to Candidate for President of the United, our Divine 9 and a lot of other “Black Women for Kamala Harris” stepped forward – nearly 45,000 of us and raised more money than many candidates raise in an entire election season to get Kamala started. We then saw a meeting with Roland Martin called “Black Men for Kamala.” I stopped counting the men on the call, but it exceeded those who came forward the first night of Kamala’s campaign. They were followed by “White Dudes for Kamala Harris.” Then came “White Women for Kamala Harris”, “Asian Women for Kamala Harris.” Unions came on Board. Hispanics came on Board. see Fight, page 6A
HARRIS’S REPUBLICANS
By David W. Marshall
(TRICEEDNEYWIRE.COM)
It is no surprise that police officers who protected the U.S. Capitol during the Jan. 6 attacks are now hitting the campaign trail for Vice President Kamala Harris.
Former Capitol Police Officer Harry Dunn, former Capitol Police Sgt. Aquilino Gonell, and current Metropolitan Police Department Officer Daniel “Danny” Hodges testified before the House Select Committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack and are now joining the Democratic campaign with stops in Michigan, North Carolina, and Georgia. According to the Harris-Walz campaign, the officers are meeting with elected officials and community leaders to highlight the urgent and immediate threat that former President Donald Trump poses to democracy. Dunn said that on prior trips, it was clear that even some local reporters he spoke with didn’t fully understand what happened on Jan. 6. “Honestly, everybody doesn’t know. We assume that people know, living here, but in middle America, the average American, the regular voter, [it’s about] getting them to understand that Donald Trump is a biggest threat to our democracy,” Dunn said. “People really don’t understand what happened on that day, and to be able to tell
them as a firsthand witness, it’s kind of refreshing and it’s encouraging that people are willing to be receptive.”
For their actions on that historic day, Dunn and each member of the U.S. Capitol Police and the Metropolitan Police Department are American heroes because Jan. 6 could have been much worse. They were public servants who made personal and professional sacrifices to ensure no lawmakers were harmed. Unfortunately, Dunn’s comments show that despite credible news reporting and the public congressional oversight hearings and available facts, too many people remain misinformed regarding supporters of then-President Donald Trump, who attacked the U.S. Capitol.
Despite the contrast of having a prosecutor versus a felon, millions of people have decided to support the felon as the next U.S. president. This begs the question: How can the Republican Party,
Harris has not only excited her Democratic base but also encouraged and uplifted those Republicans who felt democracy was slipping away in the same manner as their Republican Party.
with any credibility, claim to be the party of “law and order” while a convicted felon awaits sentencing as its party’s nominee?
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi claims that members of the Republican Party have told her they want to see Donald Trump and J.D. Vance defeated in the 2024 presidential election.
“The Republican Party has been hijacked, and it’s now a cult, and they should take it back because the republic needs a strong Republican Party,” Pelosi said in a recent interview with MSNBC. According to Pelosi, some Republicans have approached her, saying, “You have to beat them in the general because we can’t beat them in the primary. And then we will come back to our debate on the issues.” see Harris, page 6A
Dr. E. Faye Williams, Esq. (Ret.)
Dr. Ron Daniels
David W. Marshall
Bloomberg Philanthropies Gifts $600M To Historically Black Medical Schools
By Stacy M. Brown Senior National Correspondent @StacyBrownMedia
NNPA NEWSWIRE
In a monumental move to address the underrepresentation of Black physicians in the United States, Bloomberg Philanthropies has announced a $600 million donation to the endowments of four historically Black medical schools. Of fi cials said the donation is part of Bloomberg Philanthropies’ Greenwood Initiative, which aims to advance racial wealth equity and address systemic underinvestment in Black institutions and communities.
Howard University College of Medicine, Meharry Medical College, and Morehouse School of Medicine will each receive $175 million, while Charles R. Drew University of Medicine & Science will receive $75 million. Additionally, Bloomberg said $5 million in seed funding will support creating a new
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Miller, who was pastor of St. Paul AME Zion Church in Ewing, N.J., becomes the second and now only living woman bishop in the historically Black denomination.
Bishop Bernardo Ngunza, who will lead the Central Southern Africa District, is the first Indigenous bishop to serve
historically Black medical school in New Orleans, the Xavier Ochsner College of Medicine. The historic investment will more than double the endowments of three medical schools, significantly boosting their financial stability and capacity to educate future Black physicians. A recent study highlighted the need for such support, revealing that only 5.7 percent of U.S. physicians identify as Black or African-American. This is despite Black Americans comprising 13 percent of the population. According to research, treating Black patients by Black doctors results in better health outcomes and more frequent medical care. For instance, Black patients are 34 percent more likely to receive preventative care if they see Black doctors. The four historically Black medical schools receiving funding reportedly graduate around half of all Black doctors in the U.S. but have been traditionally underfunded due to systemic inequities,
in the district that includes several African countries, including South Africa.
The others elected to lead districts of the AME Zion Church are: Bishop Daran Mitchell, who pastored Trinity AME Zion Church in Greensboro and will lead the MidWest District; Bishop Anthony Witherspoon, who led Metropolitan AME Zion Church in St. Louis and will oversee the Southwestern Delta District. Bishop Dwayne Walker, who pastored Little Rock AME Zion
including lower federal and state support. Since the early 1900s, discriminatory practices and the impacts of the Flexner Report have led to the closure of 10 Black medical schools in the United States. The financial boost from Bloomberg Philanthropies should have a transformative impact.
Michael Bloomberg, the former New York City mayor, Democratic presidential candidate, and founder of Bloomberg LP, will formally announce the donation at the National Medical Association’s annual convention. “This gift will empower new generations of Black doctors to create a healthier and more equitable future for our country,” Bloomberg said.
In 2020, Bloomberg Philanthropies granted $100 million to these same medical schools to reduce the debt load of enrolled students facing severe financial burdens exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Valerie Montgomery Rice, president of Morehouse School of Medicine, noted that the 2020 gift relieved
Church in Charlotte, N.C. will lead the AlabamaFlorida District.
The new bishops will join others in leading a restructured AME Zion Church, said McKain.
He said that a new church growth and development department is the result of a merger of home missions and evangelism. Likewise, the church literature department was folded into the Christian education department.
“It’s been a process and this is the conclusion of it,” McKain said.
an average of $100,000 in debt for each student, significantly enhancing the school’s ability to fundraise and support its students.
Denise Smith, deputy director of higher education policy and senior fellow at The Century Foundation, emphasized the importance of such philanthropic gifts. She pointed to MacKenzie Scott’s donations to HBCUs in 2020 and 2021 as pivotal in sparking increased support from other large donors.
“Donations that have followed are the type of momentum and support that institutions need in this moment,” Smith told the Associated Press.
Dr. Yolanda Lawson, president of the National Medical Association, expressed relief upon hearing about Bloomberg’s gift, especially in light of the Supreme Court’s recent decision striking down affirmative action and attacks on programs promoting inclusion and equity.
“This opportunity and this investment affect not only just those four institutions but our country’s health and future,” Lawson asserted.
WILLIAMSBURG
Tourists who buy a ticket at historic Williamsburg, will now learn more about Black History, thanks to the efforts of the Let Freedom Ring Foundation.
Launched by the historic First Baptist Church in Williamsburg, which identifi es itself as the nation’s oldest Black church, the foundation aims to “transmit our understanding of the past to future generations,” according to the organization’s website.”
“It is important to understand and share our place in the history of Williamsburg and the nation.”
This means the foundation is adding more details to the information that tour guides typically dispense beyond the stories of slave cabins and how the enslaved people simultaneously maintained the homes of slave owners and also their own traditions, customs and
means of survival.
“The city of Williamsburg was 52 percent Black in 1776, freed and enslaved,” Foundation President Connie Matthews Harshaw said, in a recent interview with WIN-TV’s digital program, “Let’s Talk.”
The foundation is undertaking a signifi cant archeology project using artifacts from the church’s original site that were found after it was relocated. At that time, 62 intact burials were found. Visitors to the former church and burial sites do not have to pay to view the area.
The foundation’s work is being supported by the College of William and Mary, located in Williamsburg, which has digitized the church artifacts.
Michael Blakey, Ph.D., Professor of Anthropology, Africana Studies, and American Studies at W&M is working with the foundation to ensure proper research for the project.
(L-R) Bishop Daran Mitchell, Bishop Anthony Witherspoon, Bishop Melanie Miller, Bishop Dwayne Walker and Bishop Bernardo Ngunza were elected during the 52nd General Conference of the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church in Greensboro, N.C.
Photo: RoberickCharlesforHillWillPhotography,courtesyofAMEZionChurch
Ashanti Alert “Missing Person” System Launched
NORFOLK
The family of Ashanti Billie, along with activist Michael J. Muhammad, recently brought attention to the rollout of the national Ashanti Alert program, marking a significant advancement in enhancing the safety of our communities.
The announcement follows a groundbreaking vote by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on June 27, 2024, to establish a new Emergency Alert System (EAS) code specifically for “Missing and Endangered Persons” (MEP).
The Ashanti Alert program is named in memory of Ashanti Billie, a young woman whose tragic disappearance in 2017 exposed critical gaps
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Having run in a largely Republican district, Walz spent six terms in the U.S. House of Representatives before being elected Minnesota governor in 2018, largely due to votes from the suburbs of Minneapolis, according to the New York Times. He was re-elected in 2022. Walz, 60, has led on other issues important to the Black community, including a $15-an-hour minimum wage. The organizing of unions, workers’ rights and free breakfast and lunch for school children.
The Walz selection was applauded by former President Barack Obama, said to have advised Harris as she decided between the vice-presidential candidates.
“By selecting Tim Walz to be her vice president from a pool of outstanding Democrats, Kamala Harris has chosen an ideal partner – and made it clear exactly what she stands for,” said a statement from Barack and Michelle Obama.
“Governor Walz doesn’t just have the experience to be vice president, he has the values and the integrity to make us proud. As governor, Tim helped families and businesses recover from the pandemic, established paid family leave, guaranteed the right to an abortion, and put common sense gun safety measures in place to keep communities safe. But Tim’s signature is his ability to talk like a human being and treat everyone with decency and respect – not all that surprising considering the fact that he served in the National Guard for 24 years and worked as a high school
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There are Republicans who privately are separate from the MAGA extremism and genuinely want to clean house and start over with a new Republican Party. To do that, they need to become Harris Republicans when they vote in November. One cannot say Republicans didn’t have their chance to rid themselves of Trump during his second presidential impeachment. Only seven Republican senators publicly joined the Democrats in voting to convict Trump, falling 10 votes shy of the twothirds majority required by the Constitution. If Trump loses, will there be a peaceful transfer of power? Republicans cannot have it both ways. On the one hand, they want him to lose, but on the other hand, this is not the time to be partisan by remaining silent when warning signs show the potential of a fair election not
in existing alert systems, particularly for individuals aged 18 to 65. In collaboration with her parents, Meltony Billie and Brandy Billie-Moore, along with activists Michael J. Muhammad and Kimberly Wimbish, extensive training was recently conducted by the Director of the Bureau of Justice Services, Mr. Karhlton F. Moore. During this training, Muhammad highlighted the historical significance of the Ashanti Alert Act, stating, “It should be historically mentioned that on December 31, 2018, at 6 PM, Donald Trump, President of the United States, signed into law the Ashanti Alert Act of 2018. Six hours later, on January 1, 2019, we recognized the 400 years since our Black
The Ashanti Alert program is named in memory of Ashanti Billie, a young woman whose tragic disappearance in 2017 exposed critical gaps in existing alert systems, particularly for individuals aged 18 to 65. The program aims to foster a more coordinated response to missing persons cases, especially within tribal communities that have disproportionately faced violence and abductions.
ancestors were taken from the shores of Ghana. Now, 400 years later, we have established the system by
Walz, 60, has led on other issues important to the Black community, including a $15-an-hour minimum wage. The organizing of unions, workers’ rights and free breakfast and lunch for school children.
social studies teacher and football coach before being elected to Congress.
“Like Vice President Harris, Governor Walz believes that government works to serve us. Not just some of us, but all of us. That’s what makes him an outstanding governor, and that’s what will make him an even better vice president, ready on day one. Michelle and I couldn’t be happier for Tim and Gwen, their family, and our country.”
The entry of Vice President Harris, a graduate of Howard University, an HBCU, into the race since President Joe Biden decided not to run, has – in just a few weeks – infused powerful new life and excitement into the race, initially between Biden and Trump.
The choice of her vice presidential running mate was her first major decision.
The murder of George Floyd by now convicted and imprisoned former police officer Derek Chauvin at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic quickly became an iconic symbol of long standing injustices by police in the Black community. In the Black community, much vetting will now take place of Tim Walz. But he is already getting wide applause that might help Harris’ election which will not happen without vast Black support.
“Gov. Walz shows what our communities can look like when we lead with empathy. He is a labor champion who will take
being properly certified.
A new rule in Georgia could allow some local election boards to refuse to certify results, raising concerns about the November election in a critical swing state. This should be a red flag for Republicans who are looking to the results of the general election to solve their “Trump” problem. Joining the Harris bandwagon is fine for the sake of saving the future of democracy, but will Republicans for Harris go as far as to join Democrats in speaking out in real-time when democracy is threatened before our eyes? In a word, the Harris-Walz campaign is inspiring. She has not only excited her Democratic base but also encouraged and uplifted those Republicans who felt democracy was slipping away in the same manner as their Republican Party.
Timing is everything. The 2020 version of Joe Biden was able to beat Donald Trump, but the same could not be said about the 2020 version of Kamala Harris. Polls in 2024 show the reverse is true. With the enthusiasm and excitement
pro-worker values with him to the White House. Together with Kamala Harris, they will defend our freedoms — to care for our families, to have a voice on the job, to thrive. We look forward mobilizing the full strength of our union to ensure that this dynamic ticket wins on November 5,” said Lee Saunders, president of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), in a statement.
“Tim Walz personifies what public service is all about: Doing for others and never leaving anyone behind. He learned these values while serving in the National Guard, and he lived them as a teacher and football coach in Mankato, Minnesota. He has always been the first to lend a helping hand in his community, and today, this is how he governs – empowering worker voices and defending those who have made public service a career,” Saunders continues.
The Rev. Al Sharpton, president of the National Action Network, also applauded Walz:
“Four years ago, we stood in Minneapolis to demand justice for George Floyd and accountability for not only the officer who murdered him, but his colleagues who stood idly by. We were honest about Governor Walz’s response, and he heard the calls we made for actual justice.
“Governor Walz tapped Attorney General Ellison to lead the investigation as a
surrounding the Democratic ticket, people are sensing this as the perfect opportunity not only to defeat Trump in the presidential election but also to start the dismantling of any long-lasting effects from the MAGA movement.
Trump, who may have underestimated a Harris candidacy, could likely see the same thing. He gives himself away when he tells a crowd of Christian supporters that if they vote for him this November, “in four years, you don’t have to vote again. We’ll have it fixed so good, you’re not gonna have to vote.”
Many Republicans may truly be persuaded to vote for Harris in 2024, but they were uninformed and seemingly did not understand what happened on Jan. 6.
Do they fully understand what just happened in Georgia? If Republicans want Harris to win, they cannot remain blind to the tricks Trump plays.
David W. Marshall founded the faith-based organization TRB: The Reconciled Body and is the author of the book God Bless Our Divided America.
gratitude, noting, “Ashanti is a guiding angel, and we are forever thankful that she came this way.” This sentiment underscores the profound impact of the Ashanti Alert program, serving as a beacon of hope for families and communities grappling with the fear of losing their loved ones.
which missing people must be sought after.”
Brandy Billie-Moore expressed her heartfelt
direct result of our advocacy in the streets and in the halls over government. I learned then that he was a man who will listen and do what is right by those he represents. A year later, justice like we had rarely ever seen was delivered for George Floyd, his family, and this nation,” Sharpton said in a statement.
“We can count on Governor Walz to take that same kind of open approach as Kamala Harris’ vice president. He will be a trusted partner for her as she leads the nation through one of its greatest challenges in history. Governor Walz has already shown he isn’t afraid to take on those who want to move our country backward, which will only be in asset in moving us forward.
“You can already see he is ready and willing to support Kamala Harris as she seeks to become the first Black female President, knocking down one of the greatest barriers in the process.”
The FCC’s establishment of the MEP code represents a critical advancement in community safety by allowing local authorities to disseminate vital information regarding missing and endangered persons. This addition complements existing Amber and Silver Alert systems, as stated by the FCC: “Today we move forward with establishing
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a ‘Missing and Endangered Persons’ alert code to close this gap. This will help ensure no person who is missing, at risk of being overlooked and in danger is left behind. With this new code, we can save lives.” The Ashanti Alert program aims to foster a more coordinated response to missing persons cases, especially within tribal communities that have disproportionately faced violence and abductions. Through the collaborative efforts of local police, the Department of Justice, and the FCC, this initiative lays the foundation for an integrated approach to tackling the national crisis of missing minorities, ensuring effective communication during emergencies.
These achievements ought to be celebrated. And all Americans – not just Democrats – owe President Biden a debt of gratitude for his five decades of service to our country. But now the torch has been passed to a candidate with a better chance of defeating Donald Trump and preserving our democracy. It is why Black leaders and all Black voter must seize this moment and unite to elect Kamala Harris our next president. Dr. Ron Daniels is President of the Institute of the Black World 21st Century and Distinguished Lecturer Emeritus, York College City University of New York.
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Kamala immediately began her opening act and shortly thereafter, she brilliantly chose a candidate for Vice-President in the person of Governor Tim Walz of Minnesota. He joined her to bring even more joy to the ticket. Together they began a
campaign tour with such excitement as one we had not seen before (except for Barack Obama’s.)
Kamala Harris and Tim Walz brought joy back to campaigning, and crowds grew and grew no matter where they went to hold rallies. It’s clear as Kamala asks, “Are you ready to fight?” The crowd roars back in the affirmative, and she assures them “When we fight, we win!” Fighting means we VOTE November 5, 2024!
Howard University Announces Plans To Build New Hospital
By Rosaland Tyler Associate Editor New Journal and Guide
In mid July, Howard University announced plans to build a new $650 million hospital that will contain 225 beds and open directly in front of the existing Howard University Hospital in 2028, after a groundbreaking ceremony is held late next year.
The new 600,000-squarefoot hospital will contain a level-one trauma center, a teaching hospital and other amenities. The current hospital, which was built in 1975, will remain open until the new facility is constructed.
“At no point will the existing hospital cease to operate and deliver care to the community and to its patients while we go through this project of building a new facility,” Senior Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer of Howard University Rashad Young told reporters in mid July.
“They actually will be connected. And so the idea here, building this new acute care facility on the front of Georgia Avenue, connecting it to the existing facility, allows us to create that integrated academic medical center.”
Maryland-based Adventist HealthCare has been managing Howard University Hospital for the past four years, and was in talks to buy the facility until negotiations stalled, according to news reports.
Howard University Hospital opened for the first time in the fall of 1975 and replaced The Freedmen’s Hospital, which was built for former slaves around 1862, three years after Howard University opened its doors in 1865. The federal government funded and managed Freedmen’s
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And while the former President delivers rambling and incoherent attacks, his running mate Senator JD Vance is slightly more coherent, but equally ignorant. He and his wife have dialed back on his bizarre comments about “childless cat ladies,” but even their dial back raises questions.
For example, Vance, who did not support the child tax credit in the Senate, now describes Democrats as “anti-family.” His wife, Usha, who is reportedly a brilliant Yale-educated lawyer, attempted to defend the crass remarks by saying they were just a “quip” and that he would never insult people who are “trying to have children.”
In other words, I suppose, those who choose not to have children are the ones he has contempt for. One in six adults have no biological children for any number of reasons. Vance apparently does not mind alienating such a significant portion of the population.
Watching the Republicans unravel is amusing. The latest baseless Trump claim is that the rousing crowd (estimated at 15,000) that turned out for VP Harris’ Detroit landing on August
Howard University will build a new $650 million hospital that will contain 225 beds and open directly in front of the existing Howard University Hospital.
Hospital. In 1967, Freedmen’s Hospital merged with Howard University and operated until 1975, the year a new university hospital opened at 2041 Georgia Ave.
The Freedmen’s Hospital was founded on the grounds of Camp Barker at 13th and R Streets in Northwest Washington. It remained in that location until a new building was completed in 1909 at Bryant and 6th Street.
Through much of its history the hospital was managed by the U.S. government.
In 1868, six years after it was launched, it became a teaching hospital for the Howard University Medical School. In 1967 Freedmen’s Hospital was taken over by Howard University and operated until 1975.
The current facility admits 12,000 patients each year and serves more than 100,000 out-patients. It offers numerous specialized care services including a cancer center, a sickle cell center, a diabetes treatment center, a kidney transplant program, as well as perinatal diagnosis, an ultrasound center and neonatal care units.
At one point, according to Nathaniel Wesley Jr.’s book “Black Hospitals in America: History, Contributions and Demise,” about 500 hospitals were exclusively owned or operated by Black doctors. These local hospitals primarily served Black patients during segregation.
Maryland had 11 hospitals that were owned or operated by Black doctors. Seven were in Baltimore, two
7, was AI-generated. Several news organizations attended the rally and have live footage of it, but the former president, in his dotage, claims that Harris somehow “manipulated” the photographs that were featured on the front pages of many newspapers.
Even more bizarrely, the former President, obsessed with crowd size, has amusingly claimed that he has drawn larger crowds than Dr. Martin Luther King. Is this the person we want to have with the nuclear codes?
Even Trump’s former close allies, like Senator Lindsey Graham (SC) and House Speaker Mike Johnson (LA) have urged the former President to stop the personal attacks and stick to the issues. He would have to remember the issues to stick to them!
Instead, Mr. Trump has spawned a new industry – fact checking! National Public Radio found that his hour-long press conference on August 8 asserted “at least” 162 “misstatements, exaggerations and outright lies.” That’s more than two lies a minute. Beyond the lies and misstatements, there is the toxic energy that Trump exudes. He is in constant attack mode, and he has as dystopian vision of our country. It appears that he wants to frighten people into thinking that Democrats will “ruin” the country and, especially, the
in Crownsville, one in Cheltenham and one in Henryton.
While Howard University Hospital remains the only Black-owned and-operated hospital in the nation, the first Black-owned hospital opened in Chicago in 1891, in a three-story brick house at 29th and Dearborn Streets. It was called Provident Hospital and Training School Association. The 12-bed hospital was launched “to maintain a hospital and training school for nurses in the City of Chicago, Illinois, for the gratuitous treatment of the medical and surgical diseases of the sick poor,” according to records from “Provident Hospital: A Living Legacy.”
The staff and patients were both Black and White. The hospital narrowly averted bankruptcy in the late 1940’s and remained reasonably stable financially over the next two decades. Ironically, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and 1965 led to Provident’s demise. It became more common for Black physicians to be granted privileges at larger hospitals, and for Black patients, particularly those newly insured by Medicare or Medicaid, to receive care at other facilities. In other words, Black doctors and patients left. And the financial condition of Provident worsened. The Provident nursing school closed in 1966. After declaring bankruptcy in July 1987, the hospital closed its doors that September.
economy. While economic fluctuations and inflation have been troubling for some, President Biden has improved the economy from the time that he became President. Indeed, his challenge has been to clean up the mess that the forty-fifth President left. Meanwhile, VicePresident Harris continues to comport herself with grace and joy. There is a refreshing contrast between the dour scowling incoherent elderly man, and the vital, joyful Vice President. Our nation does face some of the challenges that could wipe the smile off anyone’s face, and we certainly don’t expect her to smile her way to the September 10 ABC debate (if Trump manages to show up), but her effect of joy, even among the challenges is a much-needed change of focus for our nation. It explains, perhaps, why Harris attracts the large crowds that seem to unsettle the former president. Grace, joy, determination, firmness, amiability, and cordiality are words that describe Vice President Harris’ campaign. And millions of Americans appreciate. It fuels the momentum that Republicans like to dismissively call a “sugar high.” Democrats are high but not on sugar, we are high on joy and possibility. Dr. Julianne Malveaux is a DC-based economist and author.
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fi
Of
cials added that these students “exemplify the academic excellence and leadership potential the HBCU Scholars program seeks to recognize and support.”
Since its inception in 2014, the HBCU Scholars program has helped over 500 students, providing them invaluable opportunities for personal and professional
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In a January 12, 1994 edition of the GUIDE, when he was honored for his years of service to SBGC, Williams described Creecy High School “as a poor school which could barely afford to repair the uniforms of their student-athletes let alone buy new ones.”
The student-athletes spent part of the fall playing sports and then “helping their parents harvest the peanuts or cotton crops before returning to school activities.
In the late 1960s, he left Rich Square and migrated to Norfolk to continue his career at the Colonial Street Boys Club.
Williams was lured from that post to the southside club, according to the same GUIDE article in 1994.
George Banks said in that article, “I did not think he would last this long.”
Banks was a lifelong resident leader in Berkley, one of the founders of the SBGC, and a Board member who worked to recruit Williams.
growth, mentorship, and networking. Throughout the year, the HBCU Scholars will engage in workshops, leadership development programs, and networking events designed to enhance their skills and expand their horizons. They will connect with industry leaders, policymakers, and program alumni, further enriching their educational experience.
Aligned with the U.S. Department of Education’s mission to “Raise the Bar,” students in the program are encouraged to lift their communities, unite
others around student success, work to strengthen democracy and grow the economy.
“I am delighted to announce the 20242025 HBCU Scholars, representing 77 of our nation’s HBCUs. These students exemplify the excellence and leadership that is characteristic of the HBCU community,” said Dietra Trent, Executive Director of the White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities. “I anticipate and look forward to our partnership over the next academic school year.”
He was a great role model, dedicated to his purpose and the gift God gave him. I am blessed to have been a recipient of his legacy.”
– Sarah Peoples Perry
of age to use it.
Williams continued that formula of advocating for the club and accessing public, private, and corporate resources for SBGC programs and scholarships.
“We did not have a lot, but he got to work to get the resources we needed,” he said.
Williams’ experiences with the inadequacies at Creecy High School prepared him for what he found at the first SBGC, a three-story structure located in the old Redman Union Hall at State and Clifton Streets in Berkley.
In the January 12, 1994 article, he said, “It should have been condemned because of its raggedy roof, huge cracks in the walls, and ancient and unreliable plumbing.”
When Williams arrived, the club had only 60 youth members. At one point, the facility had to be closed to undergo repairs and renovation.
According to the GUIDE article, Williams was not idle. He walked through the neighborhood with free membership cards in his hands and signed up 50 youths.
Hundreds of others would join as time moved on and the community saw growth and
improvement.
Then, with the help of the Berkley parents, civic leaders, and the business community, he raised the money to build a new facility.
“We’d go to the Larchmont neighborhood (one of the wealthiest in Norfolk) and got stuff out of the garbage, fix it up, and sell it,” Williams said in the January 12, 1994 article.
At one point, they accrued $50,000. In 1981, Williams devised a media and outreach strategy. This helped rake in $800,000, and the current facility on Melon Street was built.
Berkley is the home of a number of wealthy corporations, including shipyards. They created hundreds of jobs, tax dollars to the city and have donated thousands of dollars to support the SBGC.
By 1994, 1500 youths had used the facility. The SBGC was the first to allow girls and boys from 6 to 13 years
Norfolk Mayor Kenneth Alexander was born in Berkley. He is a former state Senator and has a branch of his Funeral Service company in the neighborhood.
“I first met ‘Coach’ in 1972 when I joined the Southside Boys and Girls Club, an encounter that would prove to be a pivotal moment in my life,” he said. “Coach had a profoundly positive impact on the lives of countless individuals and communities, leaving an indelible mark as a transformational leader.”
Despite facing numerous challenges, including a lack of financial resources, Coach’s creativity ... and tireless efforts provided invaluable programs, services, and resources, helping to shape the minds and characters of future generations. His legacy will continue to inspire, motivate, and uplift others, ensuring that his memory and contributions will never be forgotten.”
Current Executive Director Gregg Shivers, trained under Williams. In an interview with WAVY-TV 10 said, “Once a child is Coach’s kid, that child is always Coach’s
kid. “He was a father figure to so many of us that he guided us, and he gave us direction, and he was there for us any time of the day [and] any time of the night,” Shivers said. “I can remember calls coming from the prison system of former students, former club members, reaching out to him.”
In September 2022, Mayor Alexander and other dignitaries attended the dedication of the SBGC dining room in honor of the retired Williams.
Retired Norfolk Public School Educator Sarah Peoples Perry is a Berkley resident and educational advocate.
“Coach Williams was the first coach to teach my children great sportsmanship, character, patience, and leadership,” she said in a text to the GUIDE. “I remember climbing the stairs of the old hall club to watch the coach pour love into the children of Berkley. He was a great role model, dedicated to his purpose and the gift God gave him. I am blessed to have been a recipient of his legacy.”
When resident-activist
Anne Boone arrived in Berkley in 2000, the first organization she got Involved with was SBGC. Boone reminds the
community that Milton Miller founded the first SBGC. “But when Coach got there, he took it to another level,” she said. “Coach believed that the Boys Club was for more than just a place for the kids,” she continued. “He said it was a time for the community to mentor and support them. Coach always said, ‘Never get bigger than the cause.’” Barrett Hicks said he frequented the club in the 70s, “and did not realize how powerful he (Williams) was as a mentor, leader, and marketer.” Hicks enlisted in the Air Force in 1980 and retired in 2000. When he returned, he got involved in the organization. He helped Williams organize the CIAA Legacy Program.
“Coach believed in sharing his knowledge to benefit this community,” said Hicks. “He believed that it was about the child and not any one person. He also worked and supported the children, as well as the parents, to get them involved in helping to prepare their children for the future.”
Elwood “Coach” Williams’s Funeral Service is 11 a.m. Saturday, August 17, at Queen St. Baptist Church, Norfolk. The Wake Service is 4-6 p.m. Friday at Metropolitan Berkley Chapel.
VIRGINIA STATE UNIVERSITY COMPILING BLACK VOTER SURVEY
By Rosaland Tyler Associate Editor New Journal and Guide
If you are Black/of African descent and live in Virginia, you have until Sept. 9 to add your views to The Black Voter Survey, which Virginia State University’s John Mercer Langston Institute (JMLI) is conducting.
The survey contains about a dozen questions and is available online at 2024 Black Virginian Voters Poll (google.com).
After the Sept. 9 deadline ends, the poll’s fi ndings will be presented at the JMLI Closing Ceremony on Sept. 30, at the VSU Gateway Dining Event Center at 5:30 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.
“Black voters in Virginia remain a driving force in the political landscape across the Commonwealth,” said Dr. Wes Bellamy, chair
of the VSU Department of Political Science and executive director for the John Mercer Langston Institute for Political Leadership, speaking in a recent statement on Virginia State’s website.
“This new poll aims to not only analyze the beliefs and viewpoints of Black Virginians but also use this data to help propel those voices to demand change,” Bellamy said.
the upcoming presidential election.
For example, a new Marquette Law School Poll found Vice President Kamala Harris is the choice for president of 52 percent of registered voters and former President Donald Trump is the choice of 48 percent. Among likely voters, Harris received 53 percent and Trump 47 percent, in the poll released Aug. 7. The poll also explored voter enthusiasm and preferences in congressional races.
This is the third time the institute has issued its “Black Virginia Voters Poll,” which aims to learn more about the opinions and viewpoints of Black Virginia Voters during an election year.
The survey is open to all Black individuals in Virginia, regardless of their political af fi liations.
Researchers aim to query a diverse group, in order to gain a comprehensive understanding of the community’s attitudes toward current news and events and the state of politics.
Other universities also are conducting research on
The Marquette Law School survey was conducted July 24 to Aug. 1, 2024, interviewing 879 registered voters nationwide, with a margin of error of +/-4.1 percentage points. For likely voters, the sample size is 683 with a margin of error of +/-4.7 percentage points.
The recent New York Times/Siena College swing state polls released on Aug. 9, showed since her entry into the race, Kamala Harris leads Donald Trump by four points each in Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin among likely voters.
NORFOLK’S SHERIFF OFFICE PREPARES FOR ITS 4TH ANNUAL CAMP HOPE FOR YOUTH
NORFOLK
The Norfolk Sheriff’s Office is hosting its fourth annual Camp HOPE Norfolk beginning Sunday, August 11 through Saturday, August 17, 2024. Thirty-one campers, along with several NSO staff and counselors will depart the Norfolk Sheriff’s Office Administration Building on Sunday for a weeklong camp on the Eastern Shore.
In 2021, the Norfolk Sheriff’s Office, in collaboration with the Norfolk Family Justice Center, established Camp HOPE Norfolk, the first summer camp and mentoring program in Virginia for children who have experienced primary or secondary abuse or trauma. Camp HOPE Norfolk is part
of the Camp HOPE America program and was the first Camp HOPE in the country led by a sheriff’s office.
Camp attendees, who range in age from 8 to 13-years-old, will spend a week at YMCA Camp Silver Beach in Jamesville, VA participating in a variety of activities offered by Camp Silver Beach and learning from a clinically proven curriculum designed to help children overcome trauma.
Seven Norfolk Sheriff’s Office staff and three YWCA staff will accompany the youth participants, with some serving as camp counselors. The Norfolk Sheriff’s Office has procured a federal grant that will cover the cost of the camp for the youth attendees, making the
camp free for each child to attend.
The goal of Camp HOPE Norfolk is to create an environment where youth can feel safe, seen, heard, encouraged, and cared for. In addition to the week-long camp, bi-monthly activities are held throughout the year to bring Camp HOPE participants together and introduce them to new experiences, hobbies, teambuilding activities, and more.
“Camp HOPE Norfolk and the children who participate in this program are dear to our hearts, stated Sheriff Joe Baron.
“During the year, through ongoing programs and activities, we form bonds with the participants, many of whom have been attending
Camp HOPE Norfolk since its inception. We are thankful to be able to help break the cycle of violence, create an environment of trust, and assist each of them in their healing process.”
He continued, “This camp wouldn’t be possible without help from our partners at the YWCA and the Norfolk Family Justice Center, who identify children that could benefit from Camp HOPE and its curriculum. It also wouldn’t be possible without the hard work and dedication of the Norfolk Sheriff’s Office staff who pour so much of themselves into the program – procuring the funds, planning activities, and making this a positive experience for everyone involved,”
United Way of the Virginia Peninsula Hires New CEO, Charvalla West
By Rosaland Tyler Associate Editor New Journal and Guide
The United Way of the Virginia Peninsula recently appointed a new CEO, Charvalla West, who previously served as the 70-year-old organization’s chief operating officer, starting her tenure in 2020. This means West is assuming the helm of an organization that is a tireless advocate for lowincome families in Hampton Roads. For example, this year alone the organization stopped widespread family evictions in April. The same month, it donated clothing to nearly 3,000 youths, about two months after it launched a sustainable housing initiative on the Peninsula. This year,
the organization also helped students raise $17,000, at a time when increased food and housing scarcity are causing more Hampton Roads’ residents to contact non profits, according to its website.
Skip Smith, Board Chair said, “on behalf of the Board of Directors, we are excited for the future of the United Way of the Virginia Peninsula.
Charvalla’s passion for our mission, desire to support our partner agencies, and to bring our community together makes her the right person for this role. She has the full support of the Board and so many
Dealer: North
Hello and welcome to The Bridge Corner.
A Finesse Against the Ace. When you don’t have enough tricks to make your contract, you have to analyze your options. Sometimes, you can try to win a trick with one of your high cards even if the opponents have a higher-ranking card. In order to do this, you will need a little luck. The higher-ranking card must be favorably placed in an opponent’s hand. If it is, a finesse will let you develop an extra trick.
1) North opens the bidding with 1 Diamond. North is the describer and South is the responder and the captain.
2) South, the responder, can’t support opener’s minor suit and can’t bid a new suit, so responder would reply 1NT. This bid is invitational, meaning the opener doesn’t have to bid again. Opener, having a minimal hand (12 to 14
High Card Points) would pass.
3) The final contract would be 1 No Trump. South would be the declarer.
4) West makes the opening lead with the K Hearts.
5) Declarer needs seven tricks but only has six sure tricks. Declarer’s best chance for developing the extra trick is in the Club suit.
6) After taking the lead, the declarer should lead toward the K Club. East
must hold the A Club or Clubs must break 3-3.
7) Declarer should make his 1 No Trump contract.
TIDEWATER BRIDGE CLUB:
Richard A. Tucker Memorial Library 2350 Berkley Ave., Ext. Norfolk, VA 23523
The dates for the next two games are:
1) Wed., Aug. 21, 2024 10 a.m. – 3 p.m.
2) Wednesday, Aug. 28 10 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Game fee is $6 (paid BEFORE the game thru our voucher system. Contact L. Owes at email below). Light snacks and water provided; bring your lunch.
Any questions, concerns, or comments, please feel free to contact Lawrence Owes, President Tidewater Bridge Club at l.a.owes1@ gmail.com
Back To School
St. Aug’s Accreditation Reinstated; Up For Review In December
By Rosaland Tyler Associate Editor New Journal and Guide
SACS recently reversed its decision and reinstated accreditation for St. Augustine’s University, a nearly 160-year-old HBCU that will re-open in midAugust; although, it is still on probation.
On July 22, 2024, The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) issued an announcement that said it planned to reverse the controversial decision to strip St. Aug of its SACS membership.
institution can remain on Probation for Good Cause before removal from membership.”
In plain terms, this means SACS ‘most recent decision overturns a nearly two-year-old revocation ruling, after St. Aug successfully survived 2023, 2016 and 2018 probationary-status rulings.
others in this community. We know she’s the right person at the right time to grow United Way and to do more for those in need.”
West, the new CEO, said in a recent statement on the organization’s website, “I believe in what our United Way stands for in our community – a connector. Our hope is that every person, whether they have a need or something to give, will reach out to United Way to get connected. We have a vision and a clear path forward to raise more money for our partner agencies and to help more people in need. We are positioned to do so with the support of our community.”
The 70-year-old organization continues to focus “ its efforts on helping people build pathways out of poverty,” a statement on its website noted.
“In a unanimous decision, the panel reversed the decision of the SACSCOC Appeals Committee of the College Delegate Assembly, which affirmed the decision of the SACSCOC Board of Trustees to terminate the accreditation of Saint Augustine’s University,” SACS noted in a recent July 22, 2024 statement.
“The panel found that SAU should have been permitted to present new and verifiable financial information.”
SACS continued in its recent announcement, “Saint Augustine’s University will remain an accredited institution on Probation for Good Cause, pending the outcome of its next review by the SACSCOC Board of Trustees in December 2024. At that time, the institution will reach the maximum period (two years) for which an
Alumni groups and local organizations held protests and fundraisers while the school’s accreditation hung in the air. Meanwhile, several knowledgeable sources told reporters that the conflict could be traced back to a local effort to merge St. Augustine’s with nearby Shaw University so that land developers could demolish and rebuild Raleigh’s downtown area. Locally, many opposed a St. Aug. and Shaw merger.
“We’re still here to try and save the school and keep the doors open,” Dr. John Larkins with SAVESAU said. “The idea that the school has ‘til the end of the year will be good, so we can roll our sleeves up so we don’t end up like Morris Brown and Bennett College.” SAU Interim President Dr. Marcus H. Burgess said in a recent statement, “This reinstatement acknowledges SAU’s relentless dedication to upholding academic standards and ensuring a thriving educational environment for our students. We are resolute in our mission to overcome challenges and emerge stronger than ever.”
SIGN UP NOW FOR 4TH ANNUAL SPARTAN GOLF TOURNEY
NORFOLK
The 4th Annual Spartan Golf Tournament presented by title sponsor, Chartway Federal Credit Union will be held on Friday, September 13, 2024, at Bide-A-Wee Golf Course in Portsmouth,. This tournament is a partnership between Norfolk State University’s Athletics Foundation and Department of Intercollegiate Athletics in support of student-athletes. The tournament will commence at 9 a.m. with a shotgun start. A continental breakfast will be provided along with lunch and an awards program. The 2023 Spartan Golf tournament raised $23,000 in net proceeds. Additionally, the
NSU Athletics Foundations was able to provide more than $107,000 to support fifthyear scholarships, athletics programming, and priorities for Norfolk State University. Several sponsorship levels are available including, but not limited to, individual holes, beverage carts, items for raffle prices, or monetary donations. Sponsors are encouraged to register a foursome for the event to take advantage of the networking and fellowship opportunities. The deadline for sponsorships and foursome registration is Friday, August 30, 2024. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Ashley Avery, Golf Committee Chair at (757) 770-6618.
Charvalla West
VIRGINIA BUDGET CUTS WILL HAMPER LOCAL HIV PREVENTION PROGRAMS
By New Journal and Guide Staff
At the same time the Commonwealth announces a $1.2 billion surplus at the end of fiscal year 2024, Hampton Roads HIV community-based groups say they will lose over a half million dollars in new funding.
In a press release, the LGBT Life Center, along with several other communitybased organizations, including local organizations like Minority AIDS Support Services (MASS), reported a significant reduction in funding due to recent budget cuts by the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) will severely impact the critical services they provide to those at risk for HIV and STIs.
“The cuts from this administration, despite a billion-dollar budget surplus, suggest a lack of concern for LGBTQ+ individuals and HIV health,” said Stacie Walls, CEO of LGBT Life Center.
“Many of Youngkin’s policies disproportionately disenfranchise LGBTQ+ individuals and undermine health equity for our community. Achieving health equity is impossible through funding cuts in these critical areas. Free testing and outreach programs have proven their effectiveness over decades. These funding cuts appear to be driven not by health considerations but instead by moral judgments unsupported by science or health data.”
For decades, community-
based organizations have been at the forefront of HIV and STI prevention, providing essential services such as testing, counseling, education, and outreach to vulnerable populations. These services have been instrumental in reducing new HIV and STI infections and supporting individuals living with HIV. The reduction in funding jeopardizes these efforts and threatens to reverse the progress made in HIV and STI prevention and treatment, at a time when some STI rates are soaring locally and nationally.
The funding cuts will affect outreach activities, HIV and STI testing events, and educational programs. Additionally, it will hinder efforts to distribute prevention tools such as
condoms and PrEP (preexposure prophylaxis), a medication that reduces the risk of contracting HIV by up to 99 percent. The decrease in services will leave many at-risk individuals without access to life-saving information and resources. Also, this substantial loss will result in necessary staff layoffs, further reducing the capacity to serve those in need.
LGBT Life Center and other affected organizations are urging community members, advocates, and policymakers to raise their voices and advocate for the restoration of funding for HIV prevention programs.
For more information or to support this effort, please visit www.lgbtlifecenter.org or info@lgbtlifecenter.org.
NEW CALVARY HOSTS NORFOLK SUPERWARD 7 FORUM ON AUGUST 22
NORFOLK
New Calvary Baptist Church, 800 E. Virginia Beach Blvd., will host “A Conversation With Superward 7 Candidates” on Thursday August 22, 2024 at 5:30 p.m. in the S.A.W. Room.
The following candidates have been invited: Carlos Clanton, James Graham, Phillip Hawkins, Rodney Jordan, Leon Judge, and Christine Smith.
Candidates will answer questions presented by the organizers and will also respond to questions asked by guests. Questions for the candidates may be submitted in advance via email to churchoffice@ newcalvarynorfolk.org by Monday August 19. For additional information, contact Glynis Mason: (757) 7179194.
SEND US YOUR COMMUNITY
Jim And Karen Crow Welcome You To The 2024 Republican Party
By Sean C. Bowers
Vice-Presidential
candidate, Shay-D-y VANCE, “EMPTY VESSEL,” authored an ex-hill-billy book, and adVANCEd himself out of poverty. Great for you. At the Republican convention you introduced your exdrug-addict MOM, who recovered and has been clean for years. Great for her. Where, sir, was your same level of care and concern for another American ex-addict, Hunter Biden?
Notice how the entire Republican party has completely dropped the Hunter Biden & Joe Biden Crime Family attack lies, now that Joe brilliantly passed the Lady Liberty justice torch, leaving them grasping at straws, suckers.
Empty Vessel VANCE became a U.S. Marine. He went to Ivy League, Yale, all great accomplishments. He got two jobs, given to him by a billionaire, that he subsequently lost.
Empty Vessel VANCE sailed on, undaunted and unproven, starting a hedge fund that invested in only one company and promptly went out of business.
If you listen, between the lines, that FAILED track record speaks for itself. Billionaires specialize in buying empty vessel (minds) then use them as Far RIGHT potential mouthpieces that only serve their (TOP 1%) Financial Evangelical Project 2025 (900-page) agenda.
Flash back and Google VANCE’s original 45 comments, when he first came on the scene. He saw what 45 was and called him on it, in multiple video clips sound bites- digital bytes outta’ that tail bone!
Flash forward to the same billionaire-bankrolled Ohio campaign Vance won in 2022. You see the 180-degree flipped-flop of a lifetime on nearly every issue, just like a factory REBOOT! VANCE’S original firmware backbone was overridden, de-programmed and re-
programmed. 45, then installed the MINI-Me, TROJAN Pony, mental software downgrade, retrograde virus. He was chosen to unite the younger generation of WHITES (are only) RIGHT, in a younger, repackaged 45-clone version of himself that can continue the attempted destruction of truth, math, science, the rule of law, freedoms, and RIGHTS Americans have taken for granted the past 50 years. Programmed to hate women, non-Whites, and NON -Christians, (ad) VANCE’s walking papers are “COMSTOCK ACT,” based on their version of the “BELLOW-BRICKROAD” of their Lunytoonacy.
The “Fugitive Slave Act” has become the Federal Abortion Act, BORN-AGAINS’ hyperRIGHT wing that three in ten Americans support, known as MAGA. 45 is now saying, “Vote for me and this is the LAST TIME you will have to vote,” or, “You don’t even need to vote, because we don’t need your vote.” We all know what that means. NO MATTER HOW MANY MILLIONS OF VOTES 45 LOSES BY, HE WON’T ACCEPT THE NATIONAL RESULTS OR GETTING HIS BUTT KICKED. 45 and the RIGHT have already placed 70 people in key positions in the swing states alone, ready to contest election results, in an attempt to gum up the entire election tabulations results.
Go ahead. Contest the results yet again without
any evidence. Joe Biden, still President, will hand the power baton to Kamala Harris, anyway. 45, you will be watched, and held accountable this time, by OUR AMERICAN TROOPS, peacefully, for real. If you don’t go away peacefully, after your third butt-kicking in a row, the nation will formally put you out to pasture, permanently! Violence is never the answer, except to the bully who keeps asking for it, threatening it, as a fearbased scare-tactic. 45 looks forward to starting another CIVIL WAR, over his second lost election in the last 5 years. That is only a legitimate option to those on the RIGHT who are trying to destroy America as we know it, and as we have known it for these past 248 years. Like their Confederate predecessors before them, if and when they attack America’s Red states, KNOW THIS: You and yours will be caught, prosecuted, convicted, jailed, and ultimately overcome by all the Americans who can still separate Church and State, using peaceful debate, instead of violence’s hate. There will be NO 4th Reich in America in 2024. Jim and Karen, you’ll just have to eat Crow! 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.
Sean C. Bowers
By Rev. Dr. Archie L. Edwards, Sr.
CHOSEN IN CHRIST MOMENTS of MEDITATION
Ephesians 1:1-14
Paul’s letter to the Ephesians conveys the apostle’s inspired reflections on one of the most significant areas of biblical truth: the nature and position of the church as the body of Christ. In this letter Paul writes with unparalleled eloquence about what it means to be “in Christ.” The theme of Ephesians makes it especially relevant for believers today. The church at the end of the 21st century is living in rapidly changing and uncertain times, but each believer’s position “in Christ” remains secure, as it has always been. THE SALUTATION. Paul begins by identifying himself and his readers (1:1) and wishing them grace and peace from God the Father and God the Son
(v.2). THE GREAT DOXOLOGY. In the Greek text, verses 3-14 constitute a single sentence – long and complex, with many interwoven themes. This entire sentence, as shown by its opening clause, is intended to convey praise to God for the many blessings that He has bestowed on believers.
It is familiar doxology (“Praise God from whom all blessings flow”), extended and expanded by enumerating many of those blessings. Though the passage lends itself to a threefold division corresponding to the three persons of the God head, the blessings mentioned in each section cannot be confined to that person as their source.
The Father, Son and Spirit work together to accomplish God’s eternal
purposes. Paul mentions the position of believers “in Christ” (v. 3). This phrase, or equivalent, occurs some 20 times in the first half of this letter. If we are “in Christ,” God the Father “has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing.” Our real life, now and for the eternal future, is wrapped up with Him in the heavenly realm where God lives and reigns. We are strangers on earth; our real and lasting abode is with Christ in God’s Kingdom. Our ultimate concern should be for the eternal and spiritual rather than the temporal and material.
Earth-bound human beings can experience heavenly blessings because God the Father chose us in the Lord Jesus Christ (v. 4), and God the Father “predestined us … through Jesus Christ” (v. 5).
Roman law, under which Paul and the Ephesians lived, provided that an adopted son had the same rights and privileges as a natural son. To be “adopted” as God’s sons and daughters makes us bona fide members of God’s family. All this is done “in love” (v. 4) and in order that His grace – His underserved favor shown to us through Christ –might be magnified (v. 6).
Being chosen “in Christ” was made possible by Jesus’ deals as an atoning sacrifice for sin. This is what Paul refers to as “redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins” (v.7). Jesus the sinless one, died in our place; through His blood believers are redeemed and their sins forgiven (Romans 3:24-25). All this, like our having been chosen by the Father, is a part of “the riches of God’s grace that He lavished on us” (Ephesians 1:7-8).
Paul refers to God’s plan as a “mystery” (v. 9). Contrary to modern usage, this term does not mean something that is hidden from us, which we must try to puzzle out. Rather, it refers to something which, though hidden from human understanding in the past, God has now revealed.
In the present instance, it is God’s sovereign plan to ultimately bring everything in the universe together under the headship of Christ. This will occur “when the times will have reached their fulfillment” (v. 10).
Paul had said that God “chose us in Him” (v. 4). Now He says, “In Him we were also chosen” (v. 11). Though this refers to the same thing, Paul uses two different words for “chose.”
In verse 4, the meaning is “to pick out” or “to select” as an expression of kindness or love. In verse 11 it means “to obtain an inheritance.” This prepares us for a later consideration of the heavenly inheritance of believers (vv. 14, 18) and the Spirit’s role in that. Paul referred to our adoption as being in accordance with God’s pleasure and will (v. 5).
Now he returns to that point (v. 11), emphasizing that this is all part of God’s eternal plan.
The church in Ephesus, as well as the other churches of Asia Minor who read this letter, was comprised mostly of Gentile believers. It is to them that Paul refers when he says, “you also” (v. 13).
The unity of the church “in Christ,” without distinction between Jew and Gentile, is an important theme in this letter.
Not only were Gentiles included in Christ when they believed, but they, as well as Jewish believers, were given “A Seal, the promised Holy Spirit” (v. 13). Part of the Spirit’s work is to confirm the reality of the new life in Christ, in somewhat the way that a wax seal affixed to a document in those days attested to the authenticity and ownership.
Everyone who trusts
Jesus Christ as Savior receives the Spirit (Romans 8:9) as a “Seal” of his or her faith, giving the believer assurance that redemption is real. Paul also refers to the Spirit as “a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance” (Ephesians 1:14). This “deposit” is God’s “down payment,” given to assure us that God will complete His plan of Salvation and to offer us a little taste of what it will be like to experience the joys of heaven.
The opening verses of this letter are a magnificent, even breathtaking, summary of some of the things that are involved in being chosen “in Christ.” God, the Father, made the choice that all who believe will be saved. God, the Son, provided the means by which this redemption could be accomplished. God, the Holy Spirit, assures believers that the promised glories of eternity will indeed become theirs. All this is so much beyond our human imagination as to be almost incomprehensible. In the test of chapter one, Paul prays that God may give the Spirit of wisdom and revelation to His saints so that they may grasp the implications of these truths for the ordering of their earthly lives.
CHURCH ADs & DIRECTORY
New Book by Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis Jr. and Stacy M. Brown Explores 500-Year Legacy of Transatlantic Slave Trade
From NNPA Newswire
NEW YORK Select Books Inc. is thrilled to announce the forthcoming release of a groundbreaking book, The Transatlantic Slave Trade: Overcoming the 500Year Legacy, scheduled for publication on October 8, 2024. Co-authored by National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) President and CEO Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis Jr. and NNPA Senior National Correspondent and Let It Be Known News host Stacy M. Brown, this book provides a deep dive into the enduring impact of the transatlantic slave trade from 1500 to 2024.
The transatlantic slave trade represents one of history’s most horrific chapters, where millions of Africans were forcibly removed from their homeland, dehumanized, and exploited to build the so-called American dream. This book meticulously examines how the legacies of this era continue to influence American society, laying the foundation for the systemic racism that persists today.
In The Transatlantic Slave Trade: Overcoming the 500-Year Legacy, Dr. Chavis and Brown explore the ways systemic social demonization, racial enslavement, geopolitical imperialism, and ethnic cleansing were constructed and perpetuated over centuries. The book sheds light on how the ideology of white supremacy, rooted in the transatlantic slave trade, remains a pervasive force in contemporary racism and inequity.
Chuck D of Public Enemy, who wrote a powerful foreword for the book, underscored its relevance. “This book isn’t just about the past,” Chuck stated. “It’s about the living, breathing legacy of that past. The chains of slavery may have been broken, but the shackles of systemic racism are still very much intact. From
police brutality and mass incarceration to economic disparity and educational inequality, the echoes of the slave trade reverberate through every facet of American life. If you’re not angry, you’re not paying attention.”
Chavis, a stalwart in the civil rights movement and a member of the Wilmington Ten, draws on his extensive experience and insight for this book. His leadership in the NAACP and work in environmental justice and economic empowerment highlight his dedication to combating racial injustice. Chavis’s life’s work reflects the resilience and resistance that are central themes in the book.
Meanwhile, Brown brings his exceptional reporting skills and profound understanding to the collaboration, resulting in a comprehensive examination of the transatlantic slave trade as a shared history – a narrative woven with threads of sorrow, resistance, collaboration, and resilience.
The Transatlantic Slave Trade: Overcoming the 500-Year Legacy offers
This book meticulously examines how the legacies of this era continue to influence American society, laying the foundation for the systemic racism that persists today.
a raw, unfiltered look at the atrocities of the slave trade and its enduring impact on Black America. The book serves as an urgent call to acknowledge the pain and suffering of the past and to continue the fight for justice and equality.
With endorsements from former African Union Ambassador Arikana Chihombori-Quao and NBA legend Isiah Thomas, the book arrives at a critical moment when understanding the historical roots of contemporary racial injustices is more important than ever. As Chuck D poignantly states, “Fight the Power.” The book equips readers with the knowledge and motivation to challenge the status quo and strive for true equality and justice.
The Transatlantic Slave Trade: Overcoming the 500-Year Legacy is available for pre-order now at Amazon. com, and will be available for purchase on October 8, 2024, wherever books and e-books are sold. For more information, contact Select Books publishers or visit www. SelectBooks.com. For review copies or to schedule an interview with the authors, please contact Kenichi Sugihara at kenichi@selectbooks.com.
Herbie Hancock: In Quest of the New Appearing In Norfolk On September 22
Who invented hiphop? Though the beatdriven form originated in underground clubs in the Bronx, it was Herbie Hancock who drove it into the spotlight with “Rockit,” an irresistible mix of keytar, turntables and sheer brilliance that rocked the GRAMMY Awards in 1984, bringing a star-studded audience to their feet.
It wasn’t the fi rst time Herbie Hancock had boldly blended musical styles. Long an adventurous music maker, Hancock couldn’t resist experimenting, fascinated by the way that jazz and funk, rock, electronic, and more could be blended and juxtaposed into new forms in a way that Duke Ellington would have described as “beyond category.”
Born in 1940 in Chicago, the son of Winne Belle Grif fi n, a secretary and Waymand Edward Hancock, a government meat inspector, Herbie was a musical kid who started piano lessons at age seven, quickly becoming recognized as a prodigy. (At 11, he performed a Mozart concerto with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.) He attended Wendell Philips High School (where, coincidentally, Nat “King” Cole, Same Cooke and Dinah Washington also number among the famous alumni). After college, he arrived in New York, where he was discovered by jazz trumpeter Donald Byrd, signed with Blue Note Records, and joined the Miles Davis Quintet. By the 70s, Hancock was
gaining a reputation as a trailblazer.
Over a 50-plus year career, Hancock has captured innumerable awards and honors, including 14 GRAMMY Awards and an Oscar for the score to the movie Round Midnight.
What drives this musical genius in his ceaseless quest for the new? It’s his first and lasting love: jazz. “We all have the natural human tendency to take the safe route – to do the thing we know will work rather than taking a chance,” he wrote in his autobiography, Possibilities. “But that’s the antithesis of jazz. Jazz is about ... trusting yourself to respond on the fly. If you can allow yourself to do that, you never stop exploring, you never stop learning, in music or in life.” Virginia Arts Festival presents Herbie Hancock at Norfolk’s Chrysler Hall on Sunday, September 22. Tickets are on sale now, online at VAFEST.org or by phone at (757) 2822822.
Herbie Hancock
