Nation’s Second Gentlemen Excites Dems During Congressman Scott’s 47th Labor Day Cookout
By Randy Singleton Community Affairs
NEWPORT
Congressman Bobby Scott kicked off the official campaign season for local Virginia Democrats with his 47th annual Labor Day Cookout. The packed event was held at the Newport News home of Congressman Scott. Scott introduced Democrats running for local offices up and down the ballot across
the Commonwealth.
Scott, then, welcomed the husband of Vice President Kamala Harris, Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff, and Senator Tim Kaine, who is running for re-election. In his remarks, Scott made the case for why Virginia voters should select Kamala Harris as the next President.
Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff explained that his wife is the best candidate for the job because she has the
experience and discipline needed to guide the nation through its current challenges. Senator Tim Kaine said that he first met Kamala Harris after she put together a bipartisan group of Senators to tackle women’s healthcare issues. Kaine noted that Harris likes to solve problems that afflict the nation with big solutions.
The event ended with Scott, Emhoff, and Kaine working the rope-line shaking hands and taking selfies with supporters.
The packed event introduced Democrats running for elected offices up and down the ballot across the Commonwealth.
ARE NYT, WASHINGTON POST IN COZY RELATIONSHIP WITH TRUMP?
By Stacy M. Brown
Senior National Correspondent
@StacyBrownMedia
NNPA NEWSWIRE
In a revealing and disturbing revelation, it appears that the mainstream media – once seen as the last line of defense against political corruption – may be bending to the will of Donald Trump. Multiple prominent news outlets, including Politico, The New York Times, and The Washington Post, have reportedly been handed confidential material from within the Trump campaign, including a detailed vetting report on JD Vance, Trump’s vice-presidential pick. Yet, instead of reporting on the contents, these outlets have chosen to keep the information under wraps.
The Associated Press noted that the decision is even more startling given the media’s aggressive coverage of the 2016 election, where hacked emails
A number of prominent news outlets have reportedly received con fi dential material from within the Trump campaign ... which they have chosen not to report.
from Hillary Clinton’s campaign were relentlessly published and scrutinized.
“Back then, there was no hesitation to dive into the details of the leaked communications, despite the clear involvement of Russian operatives,” the Associated Press noted. But in 2024, when the Trump campaign’s internal documents land in their laps, the same outlets are suddenly squeamish, raising serious questions about their integrity and motivations.
Politico acknowledged receiving emails from a mysterious figure named “Robert” that included a 271-page campaign document on JD Vance and a partial vetting report on Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, who
was also considered for the vice presidential slot. Both Politico and The Washington Post confirmed the authenticity of the documents but have chosen to focus on the potential origins of the leak rather than the damning content within.
The Trump campaign, predictably, has spun this to its advantage, claiming – without evidence –that Iranian operatives hacked the campaign. The timing of this claim, coming on the heels of a Microsoft report detailing an Iranian attempt to breach the email of a former senior advisor to a presidential campaign, raises more questions than it answers. see NYT, page 6A
Vaccine Options Starting To Roll Out This Month
WASHINGTON, D.C.
A third updated COVID-19 vaccine has been approved by U.S. regulators for this fall.
In addition to Pfizer and Moderna, the new shot made by Novavax Inc. is also on the way.
Already, Pfizer and Moderna are shipping shots that have been improved from former versions to better match the recent strains of the coronavirus that is ever changing. The Pfizer and Moderna doses can be used in adults and children as young as 6 months.
The updated Novavax formula is open to anyone 12 and older.
As a result of the contagious nature of the coronavirus disease and efforts to innoculate as many peo[ple as possible with the COVID-19 shots during the pandemic, most Americans have developed some degree of immunity from prior infections or vaccinations or both. However, that protection wanes with time. Winter surges of COVID-19 tend to be worse and health officials are urging Americans to get one of the vaccine options this fall. Novavax makes a protein-based vaccine mixed with an immune booster, which is a different technology than the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines which are called mRNA vaccines.
NORFOLK MARCH COMMEMORATES WOMEN’S EQUALITY DAY
By Rosaland Tyler
Associate Editor New Journal and Guide
Women from all over the state recently participated in the Ida B. Wells March in Norfolk, which was organized by the NAACP and attracted elected leaders including Congressman Bobby Scott, Norfolk Mayor Kenny Alexander, and Dels. Bonita Anthony and Jackie Glass. Marchers gathered at the Chrysler Museum to commemorate Women’s Equality Day. Women in the NAACP organized the event to celebrate the legacy of Ida B. Wells and emphasize the importance of voting. Virginia NAACP Vice
President and Hampton City Branch President Gaylene Kanoyton said, “The Ida B. Wells March is very important. During that time, she really fought for the right to vote. During the suffrage march, she was not allowed to
come to the front of the march, but she forced her way up to the front of the march. She fought her way through, even though Black women weren’t
allowed to vote during that time. It wasn’t until the 1960s that Black women had the right to vote.”
NAACP Norfolk President
Stacie Armstead said, “[Ida B. Wells] was the first woman to help women of color, to help bring the NAACP organization together. “For myself, being the first elected woman of
the NAACP Norfolk branch, it’s just powerful to me. see Women page 6A
Ida B. Wells
Women Marchers
Photo: Courtesy
Doug Emhoff spent time taking selfies with guests.
Photo: RandySingleton
(L) Congressman Bobby Scott and Guests with Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff (Center) and Senator Tim Kaine (Right)
Photo: RandySingleton
By Stacy M. Brown Senior National Correspondent @StacyBrownMedia
NNPA NEWSWIRE
A ground-breaking study found glaring disparities in the language that healthcare professionals use when recording patient interactions, which could have an impact on the caliber of care that minority groups receive.
The findings highlight how racial and ethnic biases may permeate even the most intimate and routine aspects of
healthcare.
Titled “Examining Linguistic Differences in Electronic Health Records for Diverse Patients with Diabetes,” the study analyzed electronic health records (EHRs) of Black, white, and Hispanic or Latino patients treated by 281 physicians in a major metropolitan area.
The research, which Eden King, the Lynette S. Autrey Professor of Psychological Sciences at Rice University, led, sought to ascertain whether doctors use biased
language when describing patients in post-visit reports.
The analysis revealed that physicians’ notes for Black and Hispanic or Latino patients contained significantly more negative adjectives – such as “unkind,” “negative,” and “stupid” –and words associated with fear and disgust, including “intimidate,” “attack,” and “cringe.” In contrast, notes for white, non-Hispanic patients featured more positive language, including adjectives like “supportive” and “kind,”
as well as verbs indicating trust, such as “affirm” and “advise.”
“These findings align with a growing body of research demonstrating that racial and ethnic minorities often receive inferior care, marked by less empathy, reduced rapport, and diminished patient trust,” King explained in a news release.
The study’s results are consistent with previous reports, such as the 2018 National Healthcare Disparities Report, which
Black Virginia Church Contributes $1M For African Girls’ Scholarships
By Rosaland Tyler
Associate Editor New Journal and Guide
Ghanaian girls will now receive scholarships totalling $1 million, thanks to a recent historic donation made at the annual Lott Carey meeting that ran from Aug. 12-15 in Memphis.
Alfred Street Baptist Church, a historic Black church in Alexandria, recently donated $1 million to support the ministry of the Ghana Baptist Convention, one of the largest denominations in Ghana, in an effort to rescue young girls from families that have sold them into indentured servitude. Previously, Alfred Street Baptist donated $1 million to the National Museum of African-American History and Culture in 2015 and donated the same amount to Jackson State University, a historically Black institution in Mississippi, to help students and officials as they dealt with a crisis in 2022 after high levels of lead were found in its water.
The Rev. Howard-John Wesley, who has pastored Alfred Street Baptist for nearly 20 years, said his church raised the money through a 40-day fast in 2023. Members and supporters declined favorite foods, drinks and habits and donated the money.
Wesley recently told Religion News that about 14,000 people gave up “wine, all caffeine, all sugar, all fried products,” he said, “and all spending from Amazon.”
Wesley, who is a rising star in Black Baptist circles, attracts hundreds of thousands to his weekly online sermons. He said his church “actually gave about $870,000 and the church leadership said that’s too close to a million not to raise a million,” so the church used its Tithe-the-Tithe Initiative, which gives 10 percent of weekly donations it receives to help community groups.”
Lott Carey donated its
historic scholarship award to Ghanaian girls at its recent annual meeting in Memphis, where the Rev.
Sept 5, 1942
Edition of the Guide
First (Black) Marines Arrive At New Carolina Base
By A. A. Morisey Staff Writer
NEW RIVER MARINE BASE, N.C.
Fourteen Negro youths, comprising the first contingent of recruits to begin active duty with the U.S. Marines since change of (military segregation) policy which enabled their enlistment arrived here last week.
They are stationed in an area of this mammoth base, the world’s largest, which is entirely new and completely equipped to make this unique outfit a strong arm of the service as fit and able as any other units in the U.S. Armed forces (fighting in Europe in WII).
The area is to be occupied by these first Negro Marines. It is all but complete and contractors are putting on finishing touches of paint here and there or completing the walkways which connect the various structures on the site.
There are two large warehouses for equipment and supplies of the battalion. One hundred and twenty comfortable huts will accomplish the entire battalion of 1,200 men when it is at full strength.
The post exchange will provide every need of the men in service and includes in its elaborate fountain and a large barber shop with most modern equipment for such services.
GUIDE Praised By
OWI Head For Aid In Exposing Rumors
WASHINGTON, D.C.
The Journal and Guide of Norfolk was one of the four Southern newspapers highly commended this week by Elmer Davis, Director of the Office of War Information (OWI) for investigating and exposing false undercover rumors of impending
Church members and supporters declined favorite foods, drinks and habits for 40 days and donated the money.
Gina Stewart concluded her historic three-year tenure over the organization. In 2021, she became the first female president of the Black Baptist organization, Lott Carey.
At the recent meeting, she installed her successor, the Rev. Jesse T. Williams Jr., the current first vice president and senior pastor of Convent
Avenue Baptist Church in Harlem.
A former slave, Lott Carey was born a slave in 1780 in Charles City County, Va. He launched his global ministry in 1821. The organization continues to offer prayer, financial backing, and technical support to local communities worldwide.
… a growing body of research is demonstrating that racial and ethnic minorities often receive inferior care, marked by less empathy, reduced rapport, and diminished patient trust.
found that Black and Hispanic patients frequently experience worse care on numerous quality measures compared to their white counterparts.
This includes receiving less respect and attention from physicians, further contributing to health disparities.
Researchers assert that the implications of these linguistic biases are farreaching. Language in electronic health records (EHR) not merely reflects a physician’s observations but also influences future medical decisions, as these records are reviewed and referenced in subsequent patient encounters.
Bias in these records can perpetuate negative stereotypes and lead to ongoing disparities in care.
The study’s authors emphasize that understanding and addressing these biases is crucial for improving health outcomes for minority populations.
The study also points to the need for systemic changes in how medical professionals are trained. Officials noted that the language used in records (documenting patient
From The Guide’s Archives
care) can reflect unconscious biases that may influence patient outcomes. They said the research underscores the importance of ongoing education and training for healthcare providers to recognize and mitigate these biases.
The research team, which includes experts from institutions such as the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, the University of Houston, and Duke University, plans to explore whether biased language correlates with poorer health outcomes for minority patients and whether interventions can reduce these disparities.
The study employed a sophisticated natural language processing tool, the Sentiment Analysis and Social Cognition Engine (SEANCE), to examine various linguistic markers in the electronic health records (EHR) text.
The study, supported in part by a grant from the Rice Race and Anti-Racism Research Fund, was published in JMIR Medical Informatics and is available online.
Archives taken from the pages of the (New) Journal and Guide
racial conflicts in southern communities.
Davis’s commendations were contained in a letter to P.B. Young, Sr., Editor of the Journal and Guide, in which he said: “I should like to commend as heartily as possible your recent editorial; exposure of false and inflammatory rumors about the danger of racial conflicts. There is every reason to suppose that such stories are invented by the enemy for the deliberate purpose of provoking such troubles. Turning the light on these falsehoods is a patriotic service not only to your community but to the unity of the nation.”
Similar letters of commendation were sent to the VirginianPilot, The News and Observer of Raliegh, N.C. and the TimesDispatch of Richmond.
Chicken Sandwich Cause Of Gun Play On The Peninsula
NEWPORT NEWS
A 30-year-old White shipyard work lies in critical conditions at Riverside Hospital, a young Negro who played the role of protector was wounded and almost fatally hurt, and two White defense workers are under arrest charged with felonious shooting and disturbing the peace as of result of a melee at Twin Oaks, a colored roadhouse on Route 60, recently.
M. J. Yoder, police chief of Warwick County, said he was notified by Mrs. Viola Morton, owner of the tavern, that two White men were behaving disorderly shortly after midnight and a squad of officers were sent to investigate.
Robert S. Wilkerson, 28, and Wilbur Williams, 30, residing in Holton Village were arrested.
Wilkerson was charged with shooting Madrid Morgan, colored shipyard worker, who was standing with his back to the door when the gun play started.
As told to police by eyewitnesses and Mrs. Morton, the two men
asked for and received a chicken sandwich in their car outside the roadhouse by one of their customers. They were creating a disturbance and the owner asked them to go away.
One of the White men insisted he be permitted to enter the tavern and attempted to force his way through the screen door. He was told that the establishment only served Negroes. His order was filled as a special accommodation. The men did leave.
Before the shooting, Morgan, a neighbor of Mrs. Morton, arrived after his shift at the shipyard.
At one-point customers warned, “those drunken men are back again.”
A volley of shots rang out in rapid succession and Morgan fell wounded to the floor.
Also, Paul Jones, a patron standing in the front door of the tavern, was shot in the leg.
Mrs. Morton, believing Jones was the man doing the shooting, knocked him unconscious, only to find out she was attacking the wrong man.
The White men had threatened to “kill every Negro present, in the tavern.”
Yoder fired 17 bullets from a 22 caliber pistol. Both Jones and Morgan were recovering at nearby hospitals.
The White men are now in jail.
September 1, 1999
Edition of the Guide
City Councilman
Questions Business Bonding Under Empowerment Zone
By Leonard E. Colvin
Why did the cities of Norfolk and Portsmouth approve funding for a business venture under their joint Empowerment Zone (EZ) plan before complying with all of the guidelines for implementing it?
That is the question being asked by Norfolk City Councilman Paul Riddick about
an announcement that Norfolk Restauranteur, Louis Eisenberg will build a new restaurant with $ 4 million in low interestbearing loans backed by a bond created by the EZ designation.
Eisenberg last week announced his plans to build a 320-seat restaurant in Norfolk’s Lambert Point section after receiving approval by Norfolk and Portsmouth City Councils.
Eisenberg, owner of Uncle Louie’s in Norfolk Ward’s Corner area, plans to place his new enterprise in EZ Census tract 25, one of the poorest areas of Norfolk.
It was targeted for economic development under the $100 million HUD grant awarded earlier this year to the two cities.
Although both councils approved the plan, Riddick was the only one to vote against it.
Riddick claims that projects were done without input or approval from the EZ Governance Board which is made up of residents of both cities and has not even met yet.
Riddick said the team of lawyers, consultants and real estate interests, who helped Eisenberg put the deal together, did so by using their insider knowledge and, are set up to reap handsome economic benefits from the deal.
The team, according to Riddick, included local consultant Bill Thomas, State Delegate Jerrauld Jones, who did the legal work, and Delegate Thelma Drake who worked to acquire the land.
“Thomas and Jones were out there late last year talking about making sure the Empowerment Zone would be used to enhance the lives of not only the people who live there, but minority business people,” Riddick said. “But we see they are not sticking by their word as leaders of the Black community.”
Riddick wants to know why some Black businessperson did get the same opportunities and help.
Lynchburg Seminary Is Holding On
By Leonard E. Colvin
In 1988 when Rev. Melvin Boone assumed the role of president of then Virginia Seminary and College in Lynchburg, his first question was “How could he keep the school from closing its doors?”
The school was 102-years- old that year and, had produced the largest share of the nation’s Black Baptist Clergy, especially in Virginia.
Virginia Seminary is considered a historical centerpiece of the Black Baptist community as well as an educational entity. But the school has fallen into disrepair. Many of the buildings were deteriorating; it had lost its accreditations and enrollment had fallen to less than 50 students at the two-year Liberal Arts and Divinity School.
“Things did not look good,” said Rev. Boone, who pastors the Metropolitan Baptist Church of Suffolk. “It was a question of how could we keep this school open. Would we allow a part of our history to die without trying to save it?
“We needed a lot of money,” said Boone. “But a lot of people said it was time to move on… to let the school close.
“But there were also a lot of people who felt that the school should continue,” he said. “It has given so much to our community, why not give something to it to help it survive.”
Today the old school is in better shape than 11 years ago when the 25-member board named Boone President. Two years ago, the school was renamed the Virginia University of Lynchburg.
(Editor’s Note: As of June 2024, the school was still operating. Since Boone, there have been four other Presidents, including the current one Kathy C. Franklin. Initially, she was interim president 2015, and President since 2016. The enrollment in December 2023 was 2,394 students.)
Rev. Howard-John Wesley
Harris Forcefully Defends Record In CNN Interview
By Stacy M. Brown Senior National Correspondent @StacyBrownMedia
NEWSWIRE
NNPA
Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee for president, made a strategic decision to sit down for her first major interview since President Joe Biden withdrew from the race. She selected CNN as the platform despite the network’s heavily criticized moderation of the controversial June debate between Biden and former President Donald Trump.
In that debate, CNN anchors were widely condemned for allowing Trump to spread untruths and disinformation unchecked. On Thursday, Aug. 29, Harris used that same network to set the record straight and present her vision for America alongside her running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz.
The interview in Georgia during their ongoing bus tour marked a critical moment for Harris, who has lit a fire under a once stagnant Democratic Party and galvanized donors as she’s taken the lead in almost every national poll. Dana Bash, who conducted the interview, opened by questioning Harris about her priorities if she were to win the presidency.
Harris, clear and direct, outlined her immediate goals: “On day one, we’re going to bring down the cost of everyday goods, support small businesses, and invest in American families. We’re not going back –we’re moving forward.” Her response was a sharp contrast to Trump, who vowed that he’d be a dictator on day one.
Walz, seated beside Harris, praised the proposed agenda, highlighting its practical success in Minnesota. “The child tax credit, for example, reduced childhood poverty by a third in our state. With a federal partner, the impact could be even greater,” Walz said.
The discussion quickly pivoted to the economy, with Bash pressing Harris on why some Americans might, according to Bash, feel nostalgic for the economic conditions under Trump. Harris responded by highlighting the dire situation she and Biden inherited – a nation reeling from a pandemic, with millions of jobs lost and a collapsing economy.
… my agenda is focused on real solutions – tackling price gouging, investing in affordable housing, and providing a $25,000 tax credit for firsttime homebuyers.”
“We inherited a nation in crisis,” Harris said, recalling the early days of the Biden administration. “We’ve brought inflation down to under 3 percent, but we know prices, especially for groceries, are still too high. That’s why my agenda is focused on real solutions – tackling price gouging, investing in affordable housing, and providing a $25,000 tax credit for first-time homebuyers.”
Harris also addressed her past positions on fracking and immigration, clarifying that her views have evolved as she gained more office experience. On fracking, she stated clearly that while she once supported a ban, she now believes in a balanced approach that doesn’t jeopardize jobs in key sectors. “In 2020, I made my position clear and kept my word. My values haven’t changed, but my experience as vice president has shown me that we can achieve a thriving clean energy economy without banning fracking,” Harris asserted.
When the conversation turned to immigration, Harris didn’t hold back in criticizing Trump’s handling of the issue, particularly his role in blocking bipartisan efforts to secure the border. “We had a bill that would have added 1,500 agents to the border and increased fentanyl seizures, but Trump killed it because it didn’t serve his political interests,” Harris said. She pledged to sign that bill into law if elected, underscoring her commitment to enforcing immigration laws with the experience she gained as California’s attorney general.
LeBron James’ Family Foundation Supports Community Empowerment
By Stacy M. Brown Senior National Correspondent @StacyBrownMedia
NNPA NEWSWIRE
In a visit to PBS-TV’s
The Chavis Chronicles in Washington, D.C., Gloria James and family members of NBA superstar LeBron James highlighted the extraordinary impact of the LeBron James Family Foundation (LJFF) and its ongoing mission to uplift and empower communities. The foundation’s efforts, which began in Akron, Ohio, where LeBron was raised, have become a national model for athletes, entertainers, and politicians alike.
Gloria, LeBron’s mother, expressed immense pride in her son’s accomplishments both on and off the court. “I’m very honored to be LeBron’s mother. He has done so much for our community and for people across the world. He’s so unselfish,” Gloria said, emphasizing that LeBron’s greatness extends beyond his athletic achievements. “He’s not only the GOAT on the court, but off the court. He’s a humanitarian, a great father and husband, and a great advocate for his community, people of color, and the underdog.”
The LJFF, through its flagship I PROMISE program, serves over 1,400 students in the Akron area, offering comprehensive support that extends far beyond academics. The foundation’s work, as Gloria described, is about more than just raising graduation rates; it’s about redefining the concepts of family and community.
“What we learned was that you can’t just help one person in the family and expect it to be of great significance,” Gloria explained. “Even when it comes to housing or food, we address those issues as well. We know that a lot of our families can’t provide meals for themselves for a full family throughout the entire month, so we have pantries.”
The holistic approach to community support has become the cornerstone of the LJFF’s mission.
“Unfortunately, some kids don’t have that in their lives,” Gloria noted, referring to the love, compassion, and support she said true family offers.
James
Gloria, LeBron’s mother, expressed immense pride in her son’s accomplishments both on and off the court.
“They deserve that, and that way it’ll also help them as they grow into adulthood. Family, we take that very seriously.” Curtis James, LeBron’s uncle and an assistant at the foundation, echoed Gloria’s sentiments, highlighting the foundation’s recent projects, including a documentary. “We just launched a documentary, and my job is to inspire people through my podcast. We want people to do the right thing. It’s not just through our music. Family keeps me in the community, and Akron will always need inspiration, so I try to be a model for people to do better and be better,” Curtis shared.
The LJFF’s influence has extended to the University of Akron, where the LeBron James Family Foundation School of Education operates with selective admission criteria to nurture future educators who will continue the foundation’s legacy of community upliftment.
“What I’ve learned through our foundation is that helping your community is probably one of the most important jobs you can have,” said Gloria James, who works as a third-grade teacher’s adie at the I PROMISE school.
“Especially if you’re on a platform that allows you to help, not just talk about it, but be about it. Put your
money up. Our city has been so responsive positively that it makes us want to do even more.” Gloria also shared her emotions during one of LeBron’s most iconic moments – carrying the Olympic flag.
“Every time LeBron exceeds expectations, which is often, I feel he’s given more than he’s received. But seeing him carrying the Olympic flag made me feel even more special; that was almost surreal,” she noted.
“Think back years ago when Blacks and people of color had such a hard time being chosen for something so honorable, so to see that made it even more special. To see them with medals around their necks, it just confirms that he’s done all the right things and he’s deserving.” The excitement continues for the James family, as LeBron’s son, Bronny, is expected to join him on the Los Angeles Lakers for the upcoming season. “That will be very special. I know LeBron is extremely excited about playing with his son,” Gloria said, beaming with pride at the prospect of the father-son duo making history together on the court.
Watch the entire interview this fall on PBS-TV’s The Chavis Chronicles.
– VP Kamala Harris, Democratic Presidential Nominee
Gloria
Photo: Courtesy
PROFESSOR EMERITUS OF SOCIOLOGY VIRGINIA TECH
MORE DAMAGE BY TRUMP
By Wornie Reed, Ph.D.
I could not even contain
my short list of President Donald Trump’s damage to American democracy and the rule of law in a single short article. I include more instances here.
Trump has damaged the Supreme Court. Long before the recent stacking of the Supreme Court by Trump and the Republicans, Trump pushed the Right-Wing members of the Court to go through odd contortions to uphold Trump’s racist Muslim ban in the Trump v. Hawaii case.
Justice Sonia Sotomayer, in her blistering dissent at the time, showed stark parallels between this case and the flawed ruling in the 1940s Korematsu v. United States case that upheld Japanese internment during World War II. In both cases, the Court accepted the unproven national security excuse to support the racist behavior of the United States government.
Trump damaged the economy. Not understanding how tariffs work, Trump, as president, imposed large tariffs on goods coming from China. Tariffs tax all products that cross a border, thus raising prices within the country imposing the tariff. Consequently, it raised prices for American consumers. China retaliated and reduced the importation of goods from the U.S. Trump imposed tariffs on other goods and other countries, and these countries retaliated by raising tariffs on U.S. goods. However, his tariffs on goods from China took things from bad to worse for American farmers.
This had a devastating effect on American farmers who had depended on exports to China. To help farmers, the Trump administration provided $28 in aid. The USDA estimated that aid payments amounted to one-third of total farm income in 2019.
Trump damaged the presidency with his ignorance. He never understood how the government functioned and never tried to learn.
To date, Americans have paid over $230 billion for tariffs Trump imposed on imported solar panels, steel and aluminum, and Chinesemade goods.
A January 2021 study commissioned by the U.S.China Business Council reported that former President Trump’s trade policies – and I would add “ignorance” – cost the United States 245,000 jobs.
Because of his trade policies and tax cuts for the rich, the national debt rose by almost $7.8 trillion during Trump’s time in office.
Trump damaged U.S. intelligence operations. He ignored intelligence from his officials and expressed his preference for what Russian leader Putin said. Putin told him Russia was not involved in the U.S. presidential elections, and Trump believed it, believing an enemy of the U.S. and not his intelligence officers.
A binder holding topsecret intelligence that contributed to a U.S. assessment that Russia tried to help throw the 2016 U.S. election to Donald Trump has been missing since the last days of his presidency
On May 10, 2017, Trump disclosed classified information to Russian representatives, creating political and security concerns in the United States and its allies. Some experts indicated that this action jeopardized the lives of foreign agents.
Trump abandoned U.S. international leadership. He tended to push important allies away and isolate the U.S., including pulling out of landmark international agreements like the Paris Climate Accord.
People worldwide have
expressed negative views of Trump. In January 2020, the Pew Research Center released a survey of 32 countries that showed a median of 64 percent saying they did not have confidence in Trump’s ability to do the right thing in world affairs.
As leaders of NATO member states prepared for a summit in London in 2019, a familiar theme emerged: how to keep President Trump from disrupting proceedings.
Trump caused excess deaths from COVID.
Researchers from UCLA noted in March 2021 that the United States could have avoided 400,000 COVID deaths if the Trump administration had implemented a more effective health strategy that included mask mandates, social distancing, and robust testing guidelines. Instead, Trump was suggesting various quack remedies.
Trump damaged the presidency. His actions lowered the prestige of the office, but hopefully, it was temporary. For example, Trump refused to release his tax returns until courtordered well into his term, and he never released his medical reports.
Trump damaged the presidency with his ignorance. He never understood how the government functioned and never tried to learn.
I have often said that I owe George W. Bush an apology. I was very critical of him as he appeared to have so few of the intellectual tools needed to be president of the United States.
And then Trump came along. With so few of these tools, he made Bush seem like a great leader.
VOTING RIGHTS ACTS ARE THE REAL PROJECT 2025
By Marc H. Morial President and CEO
National Urban League
“As long as some among us are oppressed – and we are part of that oppression-it must blunt our faith and sap the strength of our high purpose. Thus, this is a victory for the freedom of the American Negro. But it is also a victory for the freedom of the American Nation. And every family across this great, entire, searching land will live stronger in liberty, will live more splendid in expectation, and will be prouder to be American because of the act that you have passed that I will sign today.”
– President Lyndon B. Johnson, on signing the Voting Rights Act of 1965
Last week in Chicago, the National Urban League joined with the Brennan Center and Democracy SENTRY for a conversation on voting rights.
“One of the first things I want to do, should we have the presidency and keep the majority, is change the rules and enact both the Freedom to Vote Act and the John Lewis Act,” Keynote speaker Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said. He later told reporters, “This is vital to democracy. This is not just another
CARRTOON By
Walt Carr
BOYS TO MEN OR MEN TO BOYS?
By Dr. E. Faye Williams, Esq. (TRICEEDNEYWIRE.COM)
Years ago, the rule was boys being taught to be men. Donald Trump and J.D. Vance have got it backwards. With their childish remarks, they are showing us the reverse of what it means to be a grown up!
So, there’s no confusion as to which one said what, I will use their actual names rather than who they have become. There is no evidence either Trump or Vance has grown up since coming into the world!
This was obvious hearing both candidates during that boring week, as well as now. I listened so I could be in the know when discussing what Republicans and Democrats would be offering to the people they were trying to inspire to vote for them.
We were privileged to witness two conventions a few weeks apart. The R’s went first. We heard a lot of nonsense and a whole lot of mean, childish, angry things at their convention and since then. We saw a silly prank by Hulk Hogan where he ripped off his shirt for some unexplained reason.
The R’s choice of music
extraneous issue. This is the wellspring of it all.” The sentiment was echoed by Vice President Harris in her acceptance speech, when she noted that among the “fundamental freedoms” at stake in the election is “the freedom that unlocks all the others: the freedom to vote.”
When the Supreme Court stripped the preclearance provision from the Voting Rights Act, Chief Justice John Roberts argued that “the conditions that originally justified these measures no longer characterize voting in the covered jurisdictions.”
Within hours, lawmakers in Texas and Alabama proved how wrong he was, announcing they would move forward with restrictive voting laws that had been blocked under the preclearance provision.
The John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act would update the preclearance formula that
And if the architects of the extremist Project 2025 agenda have their way, voting rights will be even further eviscerated.
Roberts called “outdated,” reinvigorating the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and strengthening legal protections against racially motivated voter suppression. Some changes would require preclearance nationwide, such as creating at-large districts or changing jurisdiction boundaries in places with large populations of color, imposing stricter documentation or ID requirements to vote, making it easier to purge voters of color from the rolls, or significantly reducing the opportunity to vote in communities of color.
Other provisions of the John Lewis Act include:
• Making Election Day a public holiday.
• Expanding voter registration, including same-day and automatic registration.
• Expanding early voting and vote-by-mail options. see Voting, page 5A
was certainly not cheerful. I didn’t see anybody get up and want to dance. Their music and speeches were boring and outdated. I can’t remember anything I would call positive. It didn’t get lost on me that Trump’s family didn’t spend a lot of time cheering the program and speakers.
The worst part was closing their convention with the main speaker – Donald Trump. He tried to insult Milwaukee before the convention began. As usual, he was long and boring, providing no inspiration for delegates who came to be inspired by their dear leader. He gave them a lot of gibberish. A young boy certainly would’ve done better. Vance was busy cleaning up things he’d previously said about his dear leader! Next, we were privileged to witness the
Our forever First Lady, Michelle Obama, left us with the most memorable line when she reminded Trump that the job he was seeking just might be one of those Black jobs!.
Mighty Democrats! They provided a professional program. We learned exactly what they stand for and we liked it! We heard visiting speakers from the R’s party who gave us reasons not to vote for Trump and Vance! The reasons came easily from one speaker after the other. The great grownup speakers just kept on coming. Hillary Clinton fell into the perfect category as did many others. They delivered messages that inspired us. An unusual number of people volunteered to work in the D’s campaign, and before the convention was over, a lot of money to do the job had been raised! see Boys, page 5A
DEMOCRATS HAVE BOTH JOY AND POLICY INITIATIVES
By Julianne Malveaux (TRICEEDNEYWIRE.COM)
The Democratic National Convention, held August 19-22, was, among other things, an occasion of joy. I’ve attended every Democratic convention since 1976, and have never experienced such energy, enthusiasm and, yes, exuberance.
People were happy. Happy with Kamala Harris and Tim Walz, the candidates for President and Vice President. Happy for the leadership team at the Democratic Party. Happy for the platform, for the entertainment, for the connections. Happy for the off-site events, organized by affiliate organizations. Just plain happy. People got it and used the word “joy” in many of the columns and commentary around the convention. Some compared the effervescent joy to a “sugar high” and suggested that it couldn’t last. Others say the joy was “rootless” because, they said, the joy was not matched by policy initiatives. Because VP Harris had not agreed to an unscripted interview before the convention, her detractors posited that she was unable to do such an interview. New York Times columnist Patrick Healy wrote a snarky
column titled, Joy Is Not a Strategy. Healy says that Harris can’t “coast on joy,” but she isn’t trying to. He says the debates will be her test, and I say she will be time enough for the former President.
Vice President Harris can’t expect the rest of the country to come together with the same enthusiasm as we did at the Democratic National Convention. As the nominee for President, she can expect some shade, some brickbats, and even the outright lies that the former President is addicted to. A columnist like Healy should be honest enough, though, to admit that there were solid policy proposals in the speech he described as “good.” He might have mentioned her notion of an “opportunity economy” or written about her proposal to grant new parents $6000. He might have delved into the ways
The opposite of joy is despair, misery, sorrow, wretchedness.
Coupled with strategy, joy is the blissful delight I observed at the DNC.
she proposes to deal with the housing crisis, including granting $25,000 for firsttime homebuyers. Or he might have written about her foreign policy firmness. She wasn’t smiling or laughing when she warned dictators and despots that she would not dally with them.
Healy is right, joy is not a strategy. Joy is icing, public policy is cake. You can have cake without icing, but you can’t have icing without cake. The Democratic National Convention showcased the cake that Harris has built through her career –as a prosecutor, District Attorney, Senator and VicePresident. As a mentor, mother, and aunt. As a fierce advocate for women, and a protector of those who have been abused. That’s the cake. The joy is the icing. see Democrats, page 5A
Julianne Malveaux
Dr. E. Faye Williams, Esq.
Marc H. Morial
OP-ED: IF WE FIGHT, WE WIN!
By Rev. Dr. R.B. Holmes
As I write this op-ed, there are 72 days, 6 hours, and 55 minutes before the November 5, 2024, presidential election. This presidential election between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump is truly, in many of our lifetimes, the most significant and sacred presidential election perhaps ever.
Yes, this is not hyperbole, rhetoric, or sugar high. So much is on the ballot in this nation. Time will not permit me to recite many of the reasons why we need to vote in record numbers. Democracy is on this ballot; freedom is on this ballot; national security is on this ballot; racial equality is on this ballot; voting rights, women’s rights, civil rights, environmental protection, and decency are on the ballot; the rule of law is on the ballot, and much more.
This presidential election between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump will be decided by what
Boys
Continued from page 4A
Our forever First Lady, Michelle Obama, left us with the most memorable line when she reminded Trump that the job he was seeking just might be one of those Black jobs! I don’t have space to tell you about all the great happenings, but I must mention Stevie Wonder who worked his magic and John Legend and Sheila E who put the
Voting
Continued from page 4A
• Requiring public announcement of voting changes at least 180 days before an election.
• Enabling the federal government to dispatch observers to polling places with a noted pattern of discrimination.
• Expanding restrictions on campaign spending by foreign nationals.
• Banning partisan
the political experts call “battleground” states, such as Georgia, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Michigan, Arizona, Nevada, and perhaps North Carolina.
However, my argument is that Vice President Kamala Harris can win Florida. Yes! I said it. I am of sound mind, and I do not need to be admitted to any mental treatment facility, at least not at this time.
Vice President Kamala Harris can win Florida because of her vision, her experience, her leadership skills, her rich history, her heritage, and her sense of decency, dignity,
icing on the cake!
Our forever President, Barack Obama, delivered as expected. Gov. Tim Walz, on the way to being our next Vice-President, showed us why he was chosen! Then came the main event. Hon. Kamala Harris walked into the arena and there was bedlam – all positive!
Since her nomination to run for President, she’s been showing she’s ready to be President. She has put a lot more meat on the bones! She promised to prosecute the criminal, and she’s doing just that!
gerrymandering. • Make it a criminal offense to “corruptly hinder, interfere with, or prevent another person from registering to vote or helping someone register to vote.”
Since the Shelby decision, states have added at least 100 restrictive voting laws. Voters in almost half the country will face new voting restrictions this fall. And if the architects of the extremist Project 2025 agenda have their way, voting rights will be even further eviscerated.
The Civil Rights Division
and decorum. I believe that God has ordained Vice President Kamala Harris and called her for such a time as this. We must thank God for President Biden’s courageous and selfless act of stepping aside and firmly endorsing his competent, capable, calm, and charismatic Vice President.
It was his unwavering endorsement that put an end to the notion of considering other prospects to succeed President Biden. The Bible references “The ram in the bush” (Genesis 22:13) and
She laid out her program for us. She left us ready to go to work to save our democracy and ensure our freedom!
Since that time, Trump and Vance have turned the song “Boys to Men” to “Men to Boys!” Kamala reminded us why we need to confirm our voters’ registration and of our need to vote Harris/Walz on November 5th!
Dr. E. Faye Williams is President of The Dick Gregory Society and National President Emerita of the National Congress of Black Women.
of U.S. Department of Justice, which enforces civil provisions of the federal laws that protect the right to vote, would be eliminated. The FBI would be prohibited from combating the spread of misinformation and disinformation, which has given rise to election-related violence and harassment of election workers.
Next year marks the 60th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act. Will we meet that anniversary proudly, having honored the promises of the Act? Or will those promises lie shattered at our feet?
I believe that God has ordained Vice President Kamala Harris and called her for such a time as this.
that ram is Vice President Kamala Harris. Say her name! She can win Florida’s 30 electoral votes! How? Inquiring minds may ask.
Florida is ripe for fresh new leadership. Florida has witnessed clear examples of the danger of Project 2025. We are living and experiencing the pain of Project 2025. This pain includes voter suppression and gerrymandering, the dismantling of teaching our history factually and truthfully, the disdain for collective bargaining, the disarming and dissolving of our higher education system, taking down duly elected representatives, reducing the power of local school boards,
city and county governments, and refusing to accept federal funds to feed hungry children during the summer months, etc.
Our constitutional right to free speech is in jeopardy, e.g. we cannot say “climate change” nor “gay.” Additionally, the autonomy of corporations and businesses is being challenged; the importance of public schools is being jeopardized; lifesaving vaccinations, plus quality health care have been carelessly minimized.
Listen, the over 900 pages of the Project 2025 playbook for the extreme MAGA movement is fully operational
in the most diverse state in this nation, Florida. If we reject Project 2025 and implement Project Rise-Up, Vice President Kamala Harris can win Florida and save our democracy, our constitution, and our freedoms. If we can convince most registered independent voters to vote for the Harris-Walz ticket, we win.
I am an Independent and I am voting for my children’s and grandchildren’s future. There are over 3.9 million, or approximately 34 percent of voters in Florida who are not affiliated with a political party. Furthermore, there are 5.3 million Republican voters (39 percent) and 4.3 million Democrats (29 percent). My prayerful points are that the overwhelming number of Democrats will vote for the Harris and Walz ticket. see Op-Ed, page 6A
September Is Sickle Cell Awareness Month
Dear Editor:
September is Sickle Cell Awareness Month, a time dedicated to raising awareness about the challenges faced by those living with Sickle Cell Disease (SCD). Along with World Sickle Cell Awareness Day on June 19th, this month provides an opportunity to highlight the daily battles endured by individuals with this devastating condition –aptly referred to as “warriors.” Sickle Cell Disease is the most common genetic blood disorder, affecting the red blood cells (erythrocytes), which are responsible for carrying oxygen throughout the body. In individuals with SCD, some red blood cells become “sickled” or crescent moon-shaped under stress, making it difficult for them to move easily through blood vessels. Unlike normal, round, and flexible red blood cells,
Democrats
Continued from page 4A
The Republicans have their own cake, a meanspirited cake full of attacks and lies. And if they have any icing it is the bitter vitriol that repulses from the top down. The Democratic cake is solid public policy that helps people, and the icing is a joyful icing, one to be savored. It’s the kind of icing that you lick the
these sickled cells can stick to the vessel walls, leading to slowed or blocked blood flow. This can cause severe pain, organ and tissue damage, strokes, or even death. People with SCD often require frequent, chronic, and emergency blood transfusions. These transfusions involve receiving red blood cells from a matched donor without SCD or the trait. Becoming a blood or bone marrow donor is one of the most impactful ways to help those affected by SCD. By donating blood through organizations like the American Red Cross or joining the marrow donation registry, you can play a vital role in saving lives.
Remember, “BLOOD SAVES LIVES!” – especially for those battling Sickle Cell Disease.
– Diane Creekmore
spoon on, the kind of icing that you might even eat by itself.
But few want icing without cake, without substance. My message to Patrick Healy is fasten your seatbelt and watch the details of the opportunity economy emerge. What will you write then? Will you stop with the snark?
Patrick Healy isn’t the only one. The Wall Street Journal and the right-wing press have been clamoring for details, and Harris has provided some of them. Others have reprised her
2020 Presidential campaign and insisted that she explain her pivot on certain issues. Simple explanation – people evolve; people learn.
The opposite of joy is despair, misery, sorrow, wretchedness. Coupled with strategy, joy is the blissful delight I observed at the DNC. There was wretched haranguing at the Republican National Convention a month ago. What kind of icing goes with that?
Dr. Julianne Malveaux is an economist and author.
Rev. Dr. R.B. Holmes
VP Kamala Harris Democratic Presidential Nominee
UPLIFTING AND EMPOWERING YOUNG AFRICAN-AMERICAN MALES
By John L. Horton
“What happens to a dream deferred? Does it, too, dry up like a raisin in the sun?”
– Langston Hughes
“We cannot reasonably expect others to do those things that we should do for ourselves.”
– Paul Robeson
Recent media coverage about crime and violence in the Hampton Roads area, specifically in some of our inner city and disadvantaged communities, caught my attention. While there is much “huffing and puffing” as to how to deal with these “criminal and violence” issues, not much will improve for these neighborhoods and the rest of us until substantive and permanent “socialeconomical-political” issues are properly addressed and resolved.
Come September 20, I shall be an 84-year-old African-American male who has previously worked and volunteered in juvenile justice, social services, community services board, public housing, public schools, and colleges and universities. Moreover, I am a retired Marine sergeant major (E-9), 30 years (October 14, 1958 –November 1, 1988), 100 percent disabled, Vietnam combat veteran.
My heart aches and my mind is troubled every day of my existence. This is because I see so many of our youths, especially African-American males, who have gone astray and/ or who have no future in terms of achievement and success. These disenchanted youths are profoundly alienated and they are experiencing a sense of powerlessness and hopelessness. They do not feel as if they belong in today’s or tomorrow’s society – at least not as a positive force and/or contributing factor. These
NYT
Continued from page 1A
Yet, the mainstream media seems content to take this claim at face value, echoing the Trump campaign’s narrative rather than challenging it.
These outlets’ reluctance to publish the leaked material is in stark contrast to their behavior in 2016, when the media was all too eager to publish every salacious detail from the Clinton campaign’s hacked emails. The Times, which has refused to discuss why it chose not to publish the Trump campaign’s internal documents, is now being criticized for what appears to be a double standard.
Critics argue that this newfound restraint is nothing more than the media protecting Trump or, at the very least, avoiding the kind of backlash
youths feel as if they are society’s lost cause ... its scapegoat. As a result, they feel no connection, no investment, no ownership, and/or no partnership in their community and society at large.
Sadly, even today, I still see too many shattered dreams, broken promises and hopeless futures, especially among our young African-American males. This all reminds me of Langston Hughes’ powerful words: “What happens to a dream deferred? Does it, too, dry up like a raisin in the sun?”
Without further delay, we as a nation must help our young African-American males to “see the light at the end of the proverbial tunnel.” For, they, too, are our “brothers” and our “children.” In essence, we are our “brothers’ keepers.”
To quote Paul Robeson, “We cannot reasonably expect others to do those things that we should do for ourselves.”
The time has come for African-American men, especially fathers and elders, to accept collective responsibility for making things happen ... and for bringing about positive changes in our families and communities. I boldly say to you, “You must always remember that you are braver than you think you are, stronger than you think you are, tougher than you think you are, and smarter than you think you are.” We are capable! We can do it!
Rather than accept these gloomy realities and negative projections that buffet us, we need to come up with some strategies and solutions to empower
that might come from publishing unflattering material about him. Jesse Eisinger, senior reporter at ProPublica, slammed the outlets’ decision, telling the Associated Press, “Once the material is verified as authentic, the public has a right to know what’s inside. It’s not the media’s job to shield a political campaign from embarrassment – especially when that campaign has been less than transparent.”
Eisinger’s sentiment echoes the frustration of many who see the media’s reluctance as a betrayal of its duty to inform the public. “The media is supposed to be a watchdog, not a lapdog,” said one social media commentator, capturing the growing disillusionment with mainstream news outlets.
The FBI has confirmed that it is investigating the matter, but the Trump campaign and the media have not been transparent,
This is an “honorable” and “humane” endeavor and it can be done.
ourselves. Together, we can overcome many of the social, economical and political ills that buffet us. In that regard, we can overcome tremendous odds and obstacles by doing the following:
1. Show a willingness to know something, to be smart, to be curious, and to be willing to learn and accomplish a lot more. While the world we inhabit may not be all fair or just, as a people we must be “willing to try.” We need to perform and achieve at our maximum capacity. For, the time for action and result is now. We owe it to ourselves to give life our best shot.
2. Contribute on an individual and communal basis by giving assistance to whomever is most in need. We need to give more of our time, skills, knowledge, money and leadership to others. For, if it is to be, it is up to us. We can no longer expect others to do those things that we need to do for ourselves.
3. Implement effective strategies and methodologies on how to involve parents, particularly “missing fathers,” in the raising and nurturing of their children.
4. Create ways to plant the seeds of self-esteem and group empowerment early on, particularly for at-risk and disadvantaged children, families and communities.
5. Learn about “Silver Rights.” Be concerned and knowledgeable about competitive education, economic literacy, job training, and entrepreneurial development. Make this the essence of “being in the know” and “what’s happening.”
6. Live the “Golden Rule.” Be concerned and knowledgeable about pay equity, saving, investing, ownership and producing. Never forget the old adage, “He who has the gold gets to make the rules.”
leaving the public in the dark. While it’s possible that foreign interference is at play, it’s equally plausible that this is just another example of the Trump campaign’s mastery of manipulation and the media’s complicity in it.
As the 2024 election nears, most argue that the stakes could not be higher and that the media’s role in shaping public perception is more critical than ever.
By choosing not to publish these documents, The New York Times, Politico, and The Washington Post have not only abdicated their responsibility but also set a dangerous precedent. In an era where misinformation reigns supreme, their silence speaks volumes.
“If the media starts picking and choosing what truths the public is allowed to see, then we’re no longer living in a democracy –we’re living in something much darker,” a veteran journalist stated.
Women
Continued from page 1A
It just shows how much she has laid the way for me to be in this position to lead others.”
To renew and empower the African-American family and community, we will need grassroots activism and eclectic leadership. Among other things, we need to learn how to coalesce and compete as we move forward into this new millennium. Simply stated, we will need to work “harder, longer, stronger and smarter” to overcome our shortcomings and deficiencies. If it is to be, it is up to us!
To the rest of America in general, I beseech you: “Together, as one, we can do this. We can make it happen.” Let nothing stand in our way. Let us make this our neo-Manifest Destiny. Let this challenging task become the most powerful force in the universe – an idea whose time has come. Let us, together, be in the vanguard of achieving “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” for all of our people. This is truly the American way ... the fair, just and equitable way.
In closing, I have been told by many of my peers and colleagues on a regular basis that this is too daunting of a task to undertake. I strongly disagree. This is an “honorable” and “humane” endeavor and it can be done. All we have to do is put our minds, hearts and backs into it. Now is the time to do this. We can wait no longer. Let “us” do what needs to be done. “We” will truly be the better for it.
John L. Horton is a frequent contributor to the New Journal an Guide.
The nonprofit group Red, Wine, and Blue VA, under the directorship of Penny Blue, also participated. The group educates people, especially women, on quality of life issues, such as women’s rights, health and education.
Marchers walked along Duke Street and Olney Road, to honor Wells, who
Op-Ed
Continued from page 5A
Deep down in my spiritual soul, I believe there are a significant number of Republican voters who will listen to their “better angels “and join most Independents and that is how, after much thought, prayer, common sense, and love of country, will turn Florida “Blue” and we can say with “Joy,” Madam President. This effort is not going to be easy. I will encourage the Harris-Walz campaign to fi ght for the great state of Florida. To “Rise-Up” I am humbly asking them to rethink their strategy by allocating the necessary resources and ground game by sending some of their key surrogates to visit major cities in the Sunshine State and even send the brilliant and beautiful Vice President herself, or her capable running mate, Governor (Coach) Tim Walz to visit Florida.
Vice President Kamala Harris has provided energetic, engaging, and electrifying leadership to the campaign. Her energy, passion, hope,
died in 1931, in Chicago at age 62 from kidney disease, after blazing trails as a co-owner and crusading columnist for the Memphis Free Speech, a Black newspaper. She spearheaded an antilynching campaign in the paper starting in 1892, after a mob lynched three of her friends. In 1895, she married Ferdinand L. Barnett, a Chicago lawyer, editor, and public official. From 1898 to 1902 Wells-Barnett served as secretary of the National Afro-American Council. In 1909, she participated in the meeting of the Niagara Movement, which gave birth to the NAACP.
Yes, we can, and yes, we will win Florida. Florida is ready to embrace
‘The New Way Forward.’”
and joy are contagious. It shows up in her mass gatherings of enthusiastic supporters. This energy can be sustained from state to state; this energy is transferable; and I believe this energy can lead to an historic turnout of voters in Florida. Yes, we can, and yes, we will win Florida. Florida is ready to embrace “The New Way Forward.” Well, this is one of the preachers of Florida who strongly believes that “With God, nothing is impossible! “Let us “Rise Up” and go to work to turn Florida blue this November.
Rev. Dr. R.B. Holmes is President and Publisher of the Capital Outlook Newspaper and the pastor of the historic Bethel Missionary Baptist Church in Tallahassee, Florida.
John L. Horton
BTW CHOIR BEGINS NEW SCHOOL YEAR WITH FOND MEMORIES OF TRIP TO LOUISIANA AND MISSISSIPPI
Special to the New Journal and Guide
As the new school year begins at the historic Booker T. Washington High School in Norfolk, members of last year’s chorus return with a symphony of melodies and memories. Before the school’s spring season ended, the BTW Chorus embarked on an unforgettable journey to Ruston, Louisiana, and Alcorn, Mississippi.
The Chorus is directed by Odell Zeigler IV, who says this trip was not only a showcase of the students’ musical talents but also an immersive exploration of the vibrant cultures and historical landscapes of these two southern gems. The adventure was planned to ensure the trip was both enriching and memorable, weaving together performances, cultural experiences, and profound learning opportunities.
Setting the Stage: Anticipation and Excitement
The journey began with an air of anticipation as chorus members, clad in their finest attire, gathered at the school’s departure point to board two, 15-passenger vans and set off for Louisiana.
The ride itself was filled with laughter and camaraderie as students
sang along to their favorite songs, engaged in animated conversations, and eagerly discussed their expectations for the upcoming performances. The sense of unity and purpose among the chorus members was a testament to the strong bonds they had formed through their shared love for music.
Grambling State University: A Musical Collaboration
The first stop on this musical odyssey was the esteemed Grambling State University in Ruston, Louisiana where the BTW Chorus performed alongside two other local high schools and the Grambling State University Choir.
As the chorus took the stage, the anticipation in the auditorium was almost tangible. The
BTW Concert Choir captivated the audience with a blend of classical and contemporary pieces.
The performance was a testament to the dedication and hard work of the students, who had spent countless hours rehearsing to perfect their craft. The applause that followed was not merely a reaction to their musical prowess but also an affirmation of their commitment and passion for their art.
The highlight of the evening was a combined piece featuring all the choirs. The experience was both humbling and inspiring, as the students realized the impact of their music on a diverse audience.
Cultural Immersion: A Taste of Louisiana
The trip was not solely about musical performances; it was also an opportunity for cultural immersion. The chorus members eagerly embraced the chance to explore Louisiana’s rich cultural heritage.
One of the most
memorable experiences was the opportunity to savor authentic Cajun cuisine. The students delighted in dishes such as jambalaya, gumbo, and crawfish étouffée, each bite offering a taste of the region’s culinary traditions. The vibrant flavors and unique dishes were a highlight of the trip, and the students relished the opportunity to experience the local food culture.
In addition to their culinary adventures, the chorus members explored historic landmarks and cultural sites that offered a deeper understanding of Louisiana’s history. A particularly noteworthy visit was to the North Louisiana Military Museum, where the students were immersed in a vast collection of over 10,000 artifacts.
The museum’s exhibits chronicled U.S. military history from the Civil War through the present War on Terror, providing a poignant glimpse into the sacrifices and heroism of those who served. see BTW, page 8A
Photo: Courtesy
Photo: Courtesy
The display dedicated to Women in the Military was especially impactful. It highlighted the contributions of women across various branches of service, offering a powerful testament to their courage and dedication. Many of the artifacts were donated by local veterans and their families, adding a personal touch to the exhibits. The students spent hours exploring the museum, taking photos, and engaging in discussions about the historical significance of the artifacts.
The visit sparked conversations that continued long after they had left the museum, reflecting the deep impact it had on their understanding of history and service.
Alcorn State University: A Glimpse Into College Life
The journey continued with a visit to Alcorn State University in Mississippi, a historic institution with a legacy of academic excellence. The chorus was warmly welcomed by students and faculty, who shared their insights and experiences about college life. This interaction provided the high school students with a valuable perspective on what to expect in their future academic endeavors.
The Booker T. Washington High School Concert Choir performed in the university’s Little Theater, a venue known for its excellent acoustics and intimate setting. The performance was met with enthusiastic feedback from the music professor at Alcorn State University, who praised the choir’s technical skill and expressive delivery. The positive critique was a significant boost to the students’ confidence and reaffirmed their passion for pursuing music beyond high school.
In addition to the performance, the chorus members had the opportunity to tour
the campus, explore its facilities, and interact with current students. This exposure to college life was an eye-opening experience, allowing them to envision their own futures in a higher education setting.
Reflections and Impact
As the trip drew to a close, the chorus members returned home with hearts full of memories and voices enriched by the experiences they had shared. The journey to Louisiana and Mississippi had been a multifaceted exploration of music, culture, and education. The students had not only showcased their musical talents on prestigious stages but had also forged lasting bonds with one another and gained a deeper appreciation for the diverse cultural landscapes they had encountered.
Acknowledgements
The success of this trip would not have been possible without the dedication and support of numerous individuals, including the teachers and chaperones who accompanied the students, ensuring their safety and well-being throughout the
journey.
Additionally, heartfelt appreciation goes to the local high schools, Grambling State University, and Alcorn State University for their warm hospitality and collaborative spirit. Their contributions to the trip’s success were invaluable, and their support exemplified the power of community and shared passion for music and education.
Looking Ahead
With the return of Mr. Zeigler for his fifth season on Norfolk’s Park Ave and as the Booker T. Washington High School Chorus reflects on their journey, they are already looking forward to future endeavors. The lessons learned, the friendships forged, and the memories created will serve as a foundation for their continued growth and success.
Their trip to Louisiana and Mississippi had been more than just a series of performances and cultural experiences; it had been a testament to the power of music to create meaningful connections, foster personal growth, and ignite a lifelong passion for exploration and discovery.
GREENBOOK LAUNCHES NEW PLATFORM FOR LOCAL BLACK, & MINORITY-OWNED BUSINESSES
HAMPTON ROADS
Hampton Roads resident Seko Varner recently announced the official launch of The Hampton Roads Greenbook, a pioneering cell phone app and website resource directory designed to grow wealth in the Black community.
The Hampton Roads Greenbook spotlights Black-owned businesses, professionals, and organizations throughout the Hampton Roads area to bolster the local economy by enhancing the circulation of money within the community.
After months of meticulous development, this innovative platform is now available to the general public, with free Android and Apple app store downloads.
According to a study by the Selig Center for Economic Growth, money circulates significantly more within Latino and Asian communities compared to Black communities. In white neighborhoods, the circulation is virtually limitless. The Hampton Roads Greenbook aims to ensure that economic resources circulate more robustly and enduringly within the community by providing a comprehensive directory of local Black and minority-owned enterprises.
This modern iteration of the historic “Green Book” pays homage to the original Negro Motorist Greenbook of the 1930s, created by Harlem postal carrier Victor Green and his wife Alma. The original Greenbook served as a vital guide for travelers, highlighting businesses and services that welcomed all patrons across America and beyond. Similarly, The Hampton Roads Greenbook serves as a contemporary
resource for the Hampton Roads area, spotlighting Black, Latinx, Veteran, Women, and Minority organizations and businesses while remaining inclusive of all.
The platform operates on a Freemium, offering free basic listings for Blackowned businesses, professionals, and organizations. Users can upgrade to paid listings, place advertisements, and share event information and articles. Additional features include links to job opportunities, health resources, support for those in abusive relationships, and other community services.
Seko Varner says his commitment to the community is personal and professional. He is currently a teacher at Granby High School in Norfolk and a consulting and entertainment company owner. Born in Brooklyn, NY, and raised in Ohio, he relocated to Virginia Beach in 1990 after graduating from Hampton University.
Varner has since been active in the Hampton Roads community, earning degrees from Old Dominion University and Regent University and completing an Educational Leadership Certification from George Washington University.
He says the Hampton Roads Greenbook is set to become an invaluable resource for connecting local businesses and organizations with the community while fostering economic growth and unity. For a FREE listing or to explore partnership opportunities, visit http://www.HRGreenbook.com. For further inquiries, contact HamptonRoadsGreenbook@gmail.com or call Mr. Seko Varner at (757) 9320177.
COME JOIN THE VIRGINIA AFRICAN-AMERICAN CULTURAL CENTER, AS WE CELEBRATE OUR ANNUAL COMMUNITY FALL FESTIVAL ON OCT. 5TH, 12 P.M. -5 P.M., 744 HAMPSHIRE LANE, WITH LIVE ENTERTAINMENT, PRAISE & AFRICAN DANCERS, COMEDIANS, CHILDREN’ ACTIVITIES, BOUNCE HOUSE, VENDORS, AFRICAN-AMERICAN HISTORY, ARTS & CRAFTS, AND FOOD TRUCKS.
WITNESS THE HISTORIC RIBBON CUTTING CEREMONY FOR OUR RENOVATED BASKETBALL COURTS SPONSORED BY SITW AND THE NBA WITH LOCAL SPORTS CELEBRITIES AND SURPRISE GIVEAWAYS!
Photo: Courtesy
Photo: Courtesy
Want To Play Bridge? Beginning Bridge Lessons
Offered In Chesapeake
& Virginia Beach This Fall
Special to the New Journal and Guide
HAMPTON ROADS
It’s “back to school” again” and the perfect time to learn the fascinating game of bridge! If you are interested in learning the game of bridge but have never played cards, this is the place for you. If you have played various card games but never learned the bridge basics, this class is for you. If you have played or are currently playing and need a refresher course on the fundamentals of the game, you have come to the right spot!
Course Description:
This is an eight-week course, divided into two 4-week classes. The first session covers lessons 1 thru 4. The second session covers lessons 5 thru 8. The lesson plan is to spend 25 to 30 minutes in a lecture covering the specific bids unique to the bridge and the rest of the class time we will
be playing hands. All bridge materials (including instructional booklets) will be provided. There is an eight-week session on Thursdays at the Rokeby Center in Chesapeake; there is also an eight-week session on Fridays at The Bridge Center in Virginia Beach.
DATES & TIMES:
Chesapeake
Rokeby Center Location: All classes are on Thursdays at 10:30 a.m. at 1709 Rokeby Street Chesapeake, VA 23325. The first session starts on Thursday, September 5th, and continues on September 12, 19, and September 26th. The second session starts Thursday, October 3rd.
Cost: $20 per session for Chesapeake residents, $25 + membership fee ($50) for non-residents. ALL monies are paid to and collected by the City of Chesapeake.
LOCAL VOICES
Registration Required: Register online (cityofChesapeake.net/senior programs) or in person. ALL Monies are paid to and collected by City of Chesapeake [call (757) 8226259 for help].
Va. Beach Bridge Center
Location: All classes are on Fridays at 10:30 a.m. 4966 Euclid Road, Virginia Beach, VA 23462.
First session starts on Friday, September 6th and continues on September 13, 20, and September 27th..
Second session starts Friday, October 4th.,
Cost: $25 per session, collected in the first class of each session. Cash is preferred, but checks are acceptable (payable to JL Douglas).
Registration Required: You may send an email to jldouglas23462@aol.com stating that you wish to sign up for the 1st and/or 2nd session at the Bridge Center and you will be sent a ticket number.
A FISHING STORY
By Shedrick Byrd
On this year’s summer visit to-do list for my 12year old grandson and my 9-year old granddaughter was to go fishing. Going fishing was at the request of the 12-year old who I had taken fishing during his visit last summer. He enjoyed fishing so much he wanted to make sure we did it again this summer.
We chose a day and one of my older granddaughters, who is 35, and one of my friends who had never gone fishing before wanted to join us. My older granddaughter had been fishing two or three times before but my friend had never been.
We chose a site and date and met at Harrison pier. To make things worse, I had not been fishing myself but two or three times since the year 1972. So, it was like four novices going fishing. Because of his experience from last year my grandson was the best fisherman in the group. He could bait and cast his line. Since I was the most experienced, I didn’t get any fishing done. I was too busy helping my granddaughters and my friend. It didn’t take much for my older granddaughter because she already had a little experience. But my friend needed lots of help. Because of my limited physical mobility, I wasn’t able to provide my friend with as much help as he needed. My granddaughter who was a quick study took on the task of helping him. Needless to say, after all the struggles of tangled lines, locked reels, etc.,
Byrd
we spent approximately four hours on the pier and caught nothing. But that was not a deterrent. Each one of us wanted to try it again. So, two days later, the same four of us went back to Harrison pier. This time it was different. We must have caught 30 fish. They were not very big fish but it was fun. My 9-year old grand mostly played on her tablet while we fished. At one point after we had caught about 5 or 6 fish she remembered that we didn’t catch any the last time we came. So, she put her hands on her hips, looked in the bucket and made the comment, “ooh! Grandma is going to be impressed!” That brought about a thunder of laughter from us.
The few people I shared our story with wanted to know when we were going fishing again. They wanted to try to join us, or they had their own fish story to share. One or two of them had never been fishing. Some of the others had been.
The positive vibes I got from people when I talked about fishing made me wonder what made people so excited about fishing.
The positive vibes I got from people when I talked about fishing made me wonder what made people so excited about fishing.
I reflected to the first day our group went fishing and the time we had. If it wasn’t untangling lines on the reel or trying to figure out how to cast a line, it was sitting on the bench hoping to catch something. Fishing is a dirty sport and it takes patience.
You have to use your hand to bait the hook, use your hand to cut up bloodworms or other bait you want to use. My friend wondered why the pier keepers didn’t wash the benches. I told him they probably did, but it wouldn’t do any good because the fishermen would soon dirty them up again cutting up bait.
What makes people so interested in fishing? I don’t know, but I did ask a few people why they liked to fish. Some said it was therapeutic for them. Others said it was fun. Yet another person told me he didn’t care that much about fishing, he just like to be around people who did fish.
Are you a person who likes to fish? If so, what’s your story about fishing?
Shedrick Byrd is a contributor to the New Journal and Guide.
1ST JAY PHAROAH FINE ARTS
ARTS SCHOLARSHIP BALL, SEPT. 21
PORTSMOUTH
The Pharoah Phamily Phoundation will host its 1st fundraising gala, the “Phall Ball,” celebrating the legacy of the “Jay Pharoah Fine Arts Scholarship.” The event will take place on September 21, from 6:30 p.m. to 11 p.m. at Rivers Casino in Portsmouth, VA.
The Pharoah Phamily Phoundation, co-founded by renowned actor, comedian, and Virginia native Jay Pharoah, is dedicated to promoting and supporting arts in the community – providing opportunities particularly for underrepresented individuals around the Hampton Roads area.
The “Jay Pharoah Fine Arts Scholarship” established in 2014, provides financial support to talented young artists. For the past 10 years, this scholarship has been awarded to Indian River High School seniors pursuing college degrees in
the arts. This year, eligibility for the scholarship was expanded to all public high schools in Chesapeake, resulting in three $5,000 scholarships awarded to students from Grassfield, Indian River, and Western Branch High Schools.
The evening will feature Phil Thornton, a highly respected entertainment executive and producer, as the keynote speaker.
Phil Thornton has made significant contributions to the music and television industries and is known for his work in promoting diversity and innovation in entertainment.
In addition to the keynote address, the Pharoah Phamily Phoundation will honor Mr. James Frye, a celebrated former principal of Indian River High School in Chesapeake, VA. Mr. Frye has been a pivotal figure in the community, dedicating
his career to the education and empowerment of young minds.
Guests can expect an unforgettable evening of celebration, networking, and entertainment, all in support of a worthy cause. The gala will include a gourmet dinner, live performances, silent auctions, and opportunities to meet and mingle with notable figures from the arts and entertainment industry. For tickets, sponsorship opportunities, and more information about the Pharoah Phamily Phoundation and the “Phall Ball,” please visit p3h.org.
About Jay Pharoah Jay Pharoah spent six seasons on “Saturday Night Live” and continues to headline comedy clubs across the country. He is hosting FOX’s game show, “The Quiz With Balls” and has appeared in a number of films.
Hello and welcome to The Bridge Corner.
Tidewater Bridge Club welcomes it’s latest 90+ Celebrity Club Member into the exclusive bridge circle designed to acknowledge and honor members who are 90+ years old.
Evelyn Monroe celebrated her 90th birthday on May 30, 2024 and soon after, declared her eligibility for membership into the 90+ Celebrity Club. Evelyn Monroe joined the Tidewater Bridge Unit (now Club) in 1986; so after serving in the club for a little over 38 years the members of Tidewater Bridge Club welcomed her with open arms into the 90+ Celebrity Circle! Evelyn Monroe passed away July 13, 2024 but she will live forever in our hearts!
Tidewater Bridge Club members are looking forward to celebrating and honoring Evelyn Monroe, along with their other 90+ Celebrity Circle members, in December at their Grand Finale Celebrity 90+ Party. Thank you to the winning players who participated in the Wednesday, August 28th game:
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
Evelyn Monroe
Shedrick
Photo: KenSutton
Alphas On Duty Duty
NORFOLK Members of the Alpha Phi Lambda Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. were on duty outside of the Scope last weekend seeking to add new voters to the rolls.
HRT Leader Named Among Distinguished Young Professionals
NORFOLK
Alexis Majied, Hampton Roads Transit’s Chief Communications Officer, has been named to a list of distinguished young transit professionals published by Mass Transit magazine.
Majied “has distinguished herself as a professional who has helped shape vision, drive innovation, enhance collaboration and promote accountability and community involvement,” the magazine wrote. In its 16th year, the program recognizes individuals for their industry contributions. The magazine’s evaluation
committee assessed more than 120 nominations for this round of awards.
Nominees were rated on four criteria, including
LOCAL VOICES
job commitment, industry involvement and contribution, achievement in his or her position and innovation in his or her field.
“The 2024 group of 40 Under 40 honorees represent the next wave of innovative leaders in the North American transit industry,” said Brandon Williamson, vice president market leader, Endeavor Business Media Infrastructure and Aviation Group. “This year’s class consists of individuals who share a purpose to improve their communities through enhanced mobility.”
Past Fault Lines 2024
By Sean C. Bowers
Our American national freedom experiment will celebrate its 250th birthday in two short years. The choice to deal with and heal our age-old faults such as violence, vengeance, and vindictive tendencies is being addressed by only one of the two 2024 presidential candidates.
From the dark ages the printing press was created to help take us forward. It was not invented for books to ever be burnt in the future, forever extinguishing hope and the joy of life’s potential possibilities. In 1500 A.D., when a Catholic Pope for profits (mistakenly) declared that all non-whites, were sub-humans and therefore enslave-able, a non-existent human fault line was created. That worldwide fault line is today’s broken tectonic plate beneath us and the world.
In 1776 the freedom bug inspired America’s revolutionary Founding Fathers (WHITE MEN ONLY) to bring into being our republic, creating another even more powerfully transformative positive fault line for (some) fair representation, justice, equality, and liberty.
In 1920 women corrected mankind’s unkind sexist-led fault line in gaining the RIGHT to vote. The 1960’s Civil Rights movement attempted to address the nation’s “original sin” of slavery in our lessthan-perfect-Union with another love fault line of non-violence.
The emergence of 45 and the COVID-19 virus reopened the oldest “original sin” fault lines: racist and sexist fault lines in his MAGA masses. Their hate-filled common stock and trade is the supposedly NEW BLUEPRINT “Project 2025” is actually Jim Crow 2.0.
Inflammatory disinformation, division, anger, violence and WHITE hate BLOWTORCHES provided the required oxygen that allowed this hateful energy to grow uncontrollably. 45
Sean C. Bowers
and the Republican Right opened their own personal over-leveraged hate (OVER EXTENDED FAKE CREDIT) fault lines they will now answer for.
On a positive uplifting fault line, level Nelson Mandela’s Apartheid movement leadership helped produce this generation’s Barack & Michelle Obama, and now Kamala Harris. They will continue Martin Luther King Jr.’s work along with Susan B. Anthony, Harriet Tubman, and Frederick Douglass creating more progressive healing fault lines by honestly addressing the fact that patriotism has no room for HATE-TRY-ISM.
Joy does not have fault. It is as contagious as freedom and as fleeting. A positive outlook is what we strive for, aim for and live for. The anger of hate can’t mend broken hearts, broken minds, and broken souls. It only inflames them, consuming them in their own allencompassing vengeful, ORANGE fault-lining WHITE-HOT overflow of Aryan molten hate lava.
That self-hate fault line is deep within the WHITE psyche, buried, butnot-so-hidden-anymore, less-concealed, renamed, re-packaged, and rebranded. It will never be completely extinguished until the flame of racial death of RIGHT’S denial is HONESTLY admitted, atoned for, and forgiven. Black America has the ability to forgive White America for the unforgivable. Why can’t Whites see they only maim and cripple their own offspring’s future happiness without hope’s joy? Building lives to be oppressors, overseers, profiteers, masters over others, is an unending,
The emergence of 45 and the COVID-19 virus reopened the oldest “original sin” fault lines: racist and sexist fault lines in his MAGA masses.
exhaustive, unachievable task. WHITE folk should get over themselves and just do the hard self-work of securing a Black job. Hell, all work and jobs are “BLACK job.” The hardest most difficult jobs are Black jobs by any definition. BLACK folks have continually shown resilience, resolve, and strong work-ethic, as well as the revolutionary skills to love, forgive, and overcome. In the process of finding and becoming their joy, through sport, music, politics, activism, family, food, faith, literary works and all aspects of a joyful life, BLACK always delivers Amazing Grace. BLACK healing that fault line further proves that BLACK LOVE is always stronger than WHITE HATE. My WHITE bothers and sisters worldwide: We would do well to ask ourselves some simple questions. Where is our long-term joy of love and life?
When will we end our legacy’s “fault line” role in the hatred of the past in favor of a new shared joyous future for ALL of us?
Sean C. Bowers has written the last 28 years in 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 V1ZUAL1ZE@ aol.com NNPA 2019 Publisher of the Year, Brenda H. Andrews (NJ&G 38 years) has always been his publisher.
Alexis Majied
By Rev. Dr. Archie L. Edwards, Sr.
UNITED IN CHRIST MOMENTS of MEDITATION
Ephesians 2:11-22
One of the central issues that the early church faced was the relationship between the Jewish people and the Gentiles. This surfaces throughout the book of Acts and in a number of Paul’s letters, especially Romans, Galatians and the Ephesians.
Earlier in Ephesians, Paul alluded to the fact that each believer, whether Jew or Gentile, is “in Christ.”
Now he writes about Jews and Gentiles as a class, explaining how God has torn down the barriers between them so that they are no longer two different groups, but one, united in Christ.
JEWS AND GENTILES UNITED IN CHRIST.
“Therefore”
(Ephesians 2:11) connects what Paul is about to write with what he has just written – the new relationship between Jews and Gentiles is the outcome of their life in Christ. Before that, the two groups were separate, not only from Him,
but from each other. That separation is epitomized in the terms that the Jews commonly used with reference to themselves and others: “the circumcision” and the “uncircumcised” (v. 11). For them, these were terms of pride and derision, respectively. Circumcision was the tangible sign of the Abraham Covenant; those who were uncircumcised had no relationship to God. To be sure, what God had always wanted was an inward change, of which the outward change in the flesh was only a symbol (Romans 2:28-29). Here is where many Jews failed, for they came to regard physical circumcision as sufficient, regardless of their inward state.
Before Christ came, nonJews were, in Jewish eyes, in a hopeless condition spiritually. Paul describes this in three ways in Ephesians 2:12: They were separate from Christ; they were excluded from Israel
and its promises; and they lived totally apart from God. In striking contrast to the way things were comes the phrase, “but now” (v. 13). Things have changed! Those who were “far away” are now “near.” Through Christ, those who were once alienated from God have been welcomed into His family.
Peter reminded his Jewish hearers of the extent of God’s love when, in his Pentecost sermon, he said, “the promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off – for all whom the Lord our God will call” (Acts 2:39).
It is Christ’s death that has made this reconciliation possible. “In Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ” (Ephesians 2:13; see 1:17). Because He died for all, not only can both Jewish people and Gentiles be reconciled to God, but they can find love for and fellowship with one another. They are no longer enemies, but brothers and sisters, united in God’s family.
UNITED IN ACESS TO GOD. The union of Jew and Gentile to which Paul refers (2:14-18) did not come about because Jesus was a peacemaker. What Jesus did went far beyond mediation. Peace has come to those who are “in Christ” because Jesus Himself “is our peace” (v. 14; see Isaiah 9:6). see United, page 6B
To Edren, for inner love, joy, peace and a sense of wholeness and well-being in life. I have sustained this spiritual morning exercise for years. I greet The Lord first thing every morning this way after I wash my face and brush my teeth. Edren, if you practice this spiritual discipline, you will never be the same. Trust me on this. Stuff will just drop off and you will cope with the remaining stuff with ease. This will begin the sundown of all your stress and anxiety. Blessings and Shalom.
1. Assemble a small piece of cracker, bread or cookie and small quantity of water or juice such as the amount we have in church. Place on a saucer. Sit or kneel with elements in front of you. I started years ago kneeling; now I occasionally sit.
2. Begin with a brief prayer of forgiveness and thanksgiving. Next, you consecrate the elements. You may use my morning
consecration as a model until you become familiar and skilled in your own words. But always say Jesus’ words own words in “The Last Supper” as your core. I use Matthew 26:2630 and I Corinthians 2:23-26 because these scriptures seem to flow in me. “The Last Supper” is also recorded in Mark 14:22-25 and Luke 22:1720. John does not record “The Last Supper” but he gives other words on that Maundy Thursday night before the cross. (John 14: 1-31) (John 15:16-17) KJV You will want to read these scriptures as well.
3. Edren, Let’s get started. This is how I begin with I Cor 2:23-26 ...” In the same night in which You were betrayed Lord Jesus, You took bread, gave thanks, broke it and gave it to Your disciples and said: ‘Take, eat: this is My Body which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me.’” Then I continue with the following:
“Now I, Rebecca, take the broken cracker, symbolizing Your broken body, Lord Jesus, I take and eat and I feed on You in my heart by faith and the power of the Holy Spirit in me and I am grateful for what You have done for me at Calvary.”
Edren, let’s continue with the cup.
“Likewise after supper, You took the cup, Lord Jesus, gave it to Your disciples and said: ‘This cup is the new testament in My Blood: Drink ye all of it, for I shall not drink of the fruit of the vine again until I drink it new with you in My Father’s Kingdom.’” see Rebecca, page 6B
CHURCH ADs & DIRECTORY
BOOKWORM REVIEW
By Terri Schlichenmeyer
THE FALLEN FRUIT
You’re lucky you didn’t hit your head! The damage you did to yourself was bad enough, you didn’t need a head wound to lay you low, too. You haven’t skinned your knees like that since you were ten years old. Your elbow still hurts from that tumble. But read the new book, “The Fallen Fruit” by Shawntelle Madison and be grateful: you’re still in the here and now.
She should’ve just put a “For Sale” sign on it and sold the place, like she was told.
Cecily Bridge-Davis was warned by the locals that the portion of the old Bridge farm she’d inherited was “godforsaken,” but she had to see it. Maybe it would help her understand her father, who’d up and died when Cecily was just a baby. If she could find anything about him, the trip wouldn’t be wasted. The property was overgrown, rundown, and there was a tumbledown cabin on it that she couldn’t resist. Inside the cabin, Cecily found a Bible, and an X-marked map... Millie Bridge prayed that she’d be the one to fall. It was 1920, and her brother, Isaiah, was meant for better things. She’d be able to handle a trip back in time better than he, but it was a fifty-fifty chance. Their father was a Bridge man, and the family curse that’d been around for hundreds of years would send one of his children to another time in the past, which is why the offspring of every Bridge man carried
freedom papers with them.
Since one never knew if, where, or when they might fall, one could never be too careful.
Cecily Bridge-Davis looked over the Bible and followed the map to a hole in a tree stump, where she found an old satchel and more questions. Was she actually supposed to believe that, as an only child, she might disappear one day, only to reappear in another time?
How could that happen? Moreover, how could she tell her husband and children? Autumn seems to be
the right time for a spinetingling, twisty-scary novel, doesn’t it? And “The Fallen Fruit” is just about the right book.
If you mixed together the movie Groundhog Day and Octavia Butler’s “Kindred,” you might have something close to what’s inside this novel. The difference is that author Shawntelle Madison adds a few more levels and a lot more characters to time-travel, meanwhile keeping readers guessing as to where this curse began. Sometimes, that makes this novel scrape against your imagination until it’s raw. Other times, it feels oddly like an adventure story or a survival-type tale, a test of resourcefulness that you can place yourself inside. And then there are shades of romance, to keep you rapt.
If you’re someone who tends to overthink novels, you may not like this one; it leaves a lot of questions that don’t get answered. But if you’re up for a thrill-ride of a novel, “The Fallen Fruit” is a gem. A speculative fiction fan will go head over heels for it.
FUN PUZZLE FOR YOUR LEISURE
United
Continued from page 4B
One outcome of Jesus’ death is that the “wall of hostility” that separated Gentiles from Jews has been destroyed. Jesus has made peace. Through his death on the cross, He reconciled both Jews and Gentiles, first of all to God (Ephesians 2:16) and then to one another. Religious, racial, ethnic, social and all other divisions are done away with in Christ.
As a result of Jesus’ sacrifice, both Jews and Gentiles now have access to the Father. This access is facilitated by the work of the Holy Spirit. Verse 18 contains a beautiful picture of the Trinity in action to affect our salvation.
UNITED AS A DWELLING FOR THE HOLY SPIRIT. Jews and Gentiles – formerly divided by the Law as it was interpreted by the Pharisees – have now been united through the blood of Christ so that they have equal access to the Father through the Holy Spirit. This means that they are also united as God’s people, God’s household, God’s building, God’s temple and God’s dwelling. Paul uses all these terms (vv. 19-22) to describe the church that Christ is building as the Spirit does His work in human hearts. As a result of Christ’s death and the reconciliation that this has achieved, those who used to be “foreigners and aliens” are now “fellow citizens … and members of God’s household” (v. 19). In Christ a new household is being built, of which He is the chief cornerstone is
Rebecca
Continued from page 4B
Then I say: “Now I Rebecca, take the cup of water emblematic of Your Precious Blood, Lord Jesus, shed on the cross for my sin nature and the sin nature of all mankind when You poured out Your Soul an offering for sin at Calvary, I take and drink and I feed on You in my heart by faith and the power of the Holy Ghost in me. For as often as we shall eat this bread and drink this cup we do show forth the Lord’s death till He comes again. After supper, Lord Jesus, You and Your disciples sang a hymn and went out to the
a stone that has been cut in such a way that it provides solid support for two walls where they come together. This is a graphic way of portraying the unifying work of Christ in writing all people of faith in the family of God. It is in Christ that the many diverse individuals who make up the church are “joined together” in the unity necessary to make up a building that can be “a holy temple” (Ephesians 2:21) of God. (This joining together of people with diverse backgrounds and gifts is something that Paul will discuss further in the last half of this letter, when he deals with the practical out-working of being “in Christ.”) In Christ all believers, Gentiles and Jews, are being fashioned into a place in which God tells in person of the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 2:22). In Old Testament times, the tabernacle in the wilderness, and later the temple, were regarded as places where God dwelt (cf. 1 Kings 8:13). But Solomon’s temple was destroyed, as were the temples that succeeded it. Today, as when. Paul wrote, God dwells in the bodies of believers (1 Corinthians 6:19). Through the indwelling Spirit, all Christians, regardless of their human heritage, are united to form the true church, the body of Christ. This is the work in which God has been engaged since Pentecost, which He will continue until Christ returns. This is the work to which He has called the members of Christ’s body. As we bear witness to His saving grace, we do the will of Him who is “not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9).
Mount of Olives in the Garden of Gethsemane where You prayed three agonizing prayers. I call these ‘The Nevertheless Prayer’ and two ‘Thy Will Be Done Prayers.’” (Mt 26:39-46) AMEN. “Thank You, Jesus, for one more time to commune with your Holy Spirit. AMEN.” Edren, this concludes the personal communion. I repeat the three prayers because I know them, but you can stop here and save them until you become skilled with this ritual. I hope you can understand my model. However, you will develop your own model in time. Call me when you have time. Blessings and Shalom Aleichem (peace be unto you) NaNa’
“The Fallen Fruit” by Shawntelle Madison, ©2024, Amistad $28, 437 pages
Shawntelle Madison Photo:WillowRunPhotography
