NJG | Vol. 124, No. 46 - November 21, 2024

WHAT WILL TRUMP POLICY PLANS SIGNAL FOR HBCUS?

By Stacy M. Brown Senior National Correspondent @StacyBrownMedia

NEWSWIRE

NNPA

With the Trump administration preparing to take office in January, plans across numerous policy areas are likely to significantly affect Black Americans.

Repealing Biden’s pledged funding would hinder efforts to address historical HBCU underfunding.

Here’s a look at other critical policies and potential outcomes that many might want to monitor under the new administration.

Rule of Law

Farewell Mazielle

One involves the Department of Education which faces an uncertain future under Trump, who has proposed its elimination. This change would dismantle federal oversight on public education standards and divert funding currently allocated to Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). Black leaders are concerned that repealing Biden’s pledged HBCU funding would hinder efforts to address historical underfunding at these institutions.

Trump has also indicated a desire to provide what he calls “reparations” for white students, citing perceived discrimination due to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) policies. If enacted, this approach could shift federal resources away from minority students to focus on what Trump describes as “equal access for all.”

Trump has consistently signaled a reduction in the Department of Justice’s civil rights oversight. His approach would likely limit the DOJ’s role in addressing police misconduct and civil rights cases, including those involving voting rights protections.

For Black communities facing systemic challenges in the justice system, this could mean a significant loss of federal support for ensuring equal protection under the law.

see HBCU, page 2A

Norfolk Sheriff Donates Thanksgiving Turkeys

NORFOLK

Norfolk’s Sheriff Joseph Baron delivered turkeys and sides to Shiloh Baptist Church on Nov. 19.

This annual donation is a result of more than 10 years of partnership between the Norfolk Sheriff’s Department and Shiloh. (Pictured are Chloe’ Jones, Dr. Gail Davis, Sheriff Baron, and George Maben)

REEXAMINING “THE LOST CAUSE”

FROM PRE-CIVIL WAR TO TRUMP

By Rosaland Tyler Associate Editor New Journal and Guide

NEWS ANALYSIS

Edward Pollard grew up on a Virginia plantation and failed at nearly every turn until he became a white supremacist. His name may sound unfamiliar, but his story sounds familiar now that the winner of the 2024 presidential election has been announced. Here are the facts about Pollard, who helped launch The Lost Cause, a post-Civil War movement that claimed slavery did not cause the war and slaves were carefree and happy on plantations.

Pollard was raised by slaves after he was born on an Oak Ridge Plantation in 1832 in Nelson County located near Charlottesville, Lynchburg, and Waynesboro. Pollard grew up and relocated to

In 1866, Edward Pollard helped fuel the feverish White Supremacy Movement called The Lost Cause which is active today.

California. There, he failed as a miner and a newspaper reporter. He returned home, joined the Richmond Examiner in 1861 and fi ve years made his mark after he published “The Lost Cause: A New Southern History of the War of the Confederates.”

Pollard puts a face on white supremacy, in other words, due to the fact that his popular 1866 book, (which was published the

year after slavery ended in 1865,) helped to fuel the feverish white supremacy movement called The Lost Cause. Its members not only claimed that slavery did not start the Civil War, they also rewrote (or manipulated) history and erected Confederate monuments on huge pedestals that towered over newly-freed slaves in public squares. see Lost, page 5A

NORFOLK

Family and friends gathered on Nov. 16 to say “Farewell” to Mazielle Brown. see page 8A

Md. Mother Alleges Student Tried To Hang

7-Yr-Old Son

By Stacy M. Brown Senior National Correspondent @StacyBrownMedia

NNPA NEWSWIRE

A disturbing incident at C. Paul Barnhart Elementary School in Charles County, Maryland, has sparked community outrage and conflicting accounts.

Initially described as horseplay, the situation involved a 7-year-old student whose jacket became caught on a bathroom stall hook, leaving him unable to free himself. The school called 911 and rushed the child to the hospital as a precaution. However, the child’s mother disputes the official account, alleging her son was intentionally “hanged.”

I’m going to show you how I did people back in the day,” the 7-year-old says he was told.

she called misinformation that had circulated online.

Dr. La Francis Rodgers Rose “A Thankful Heart”

By Leonard E. Colvin

Chief Reporter Emeritus

Publisher’s Note: The article that follows is reprinted as a tribute to the life and legacy of Dr. La Francis Rodgers-Rose who passed at age 88 on Sunday, Nov. 10, 2024. It originally appeared one year ago in our Nov. 9, 2023 edition.

NORFOLK

The Virginia native was based in Newark, New Jersey in 2002.

evident. Then, as now, heart disease, various cancers, diabetes, substance abuse, and other maladies were impacting Blacks disproportionately.

“I was busy with the IBWC, my activism, and realizing that I was making a difference in lives and the life of my people,” she recalled. She and her husband had nurtured two adult offspring who were sailing along in the early stages of their careers. Rodgers-Rose was in her mid-60s, was healthconscious, and avoided drinking, smoking, certain foods, and other factors that led to any impairment of her age.

The mother, who spoke with a news crew and posted messages on social media, recounted her son’s version of the event. According to her, a fourth grader told her son, “I’m going to show you how I did people back in the day,” before hanging him by his jacket. She said her son was unable to call for help because he couldn’t breathe and learned the full extent of his injuries only when doctors at the hospital treated him for strangulation.

After the incident, Principal Carrie Burke informed parents and said a need for clarity remained. Burke also tried to dispel what

“I appreciate the quick thinking of the student who reported their classmate needed help, our staff for calmly managing a schedule disruption, and our students who followed our directions this afternoon so emergency medical services (EMS) could enter the school and provide care for the student,” Burke wrote in a letter to parents. Over the weekend, Superintendent Maria V. Navarro addressed growing community concerns, emphasizing the district’s commitment to transparency while withholding specifics due to the ongoing investigation. She denied accusations of a cover-up. The mother’s Instagram post over the weekend amassed nearly half a million likes and tens of thousands of comments, called for systemic changes to prevent similar incidents.

The Virginia native was based in Newark, New Jersey at the time, an urban center where social, economic, and health disparities were

In 2002, Dr. La Francis Rodgers-Rose, the founder and leader of the International Black Women’s Congress (IBWC), was at the forefront of advocating and supporting Black women and their families on issues related to physical and mental wellness.

Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs) were a common and historic scourge in the Black communities. But HIV, which causes AIDS, made it deadlier and people were dying left and right, she said.

But one day after flying back to her New Jersey home from Jamaica, RodgersRose had to call her sister Cynthia Rodgers who lived in Chesapeake. see Rodgers-Rose page 2A

Dr. LaFrancis Rodgers-Rose

John Earl Robinson on drum

Photos: ErnestLowery

Edward Pollard

Photos: Courtesy

Rodgers-Rose

Continued from page 1A

She recalled that while walking through the airport to her car, she could hardly breathe.

“I told her she needed to take a rest,” said Cynthia Rodgers, who directs the programs for the IBWC. “I told her that she was working way too hard and needed to relax more.”

Rodgers-Rose thought she had a bad case of asthma.

“My doctor looked me over and discovered I had issues with my heart ... serious ones,” she recalled. “That was a Friday. The doctor told me if I made it to Monday, I should see a heart specialist. I did and he told me my heart was working at eight percent capacity.”

Rodgers-Rose moved

HBCU

Continued from page 1A

Health Care Policy

The Trump administration has expressed an interest in reducing the scope of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and scaling back Medicaid. Any cuts to these programs stand to have a significant negative impact on Black Americans, who suffer disproportionately from chronic health conditions and high rates of uninsured.

Environmental Regulations

Under Trump’s prior administration, environmental protections were scaled back, impacting air and water quality in urban areas where Black Americans are more likely to live.

Trump’s deregulatory stance could again see rollbacks on pollution standards and decreased enforcement against industrial polluters, particularly in cities where Black communities are at risk.

Civil Rights and DE&I Policies

Trump has proposed eliminating many diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) policies across federal agencies. Civil rights groups have raised concerns that ending DE&I policies could weaken protections and opportunities for Black Americans in government and private employment. Additionally, with plans to limit the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division, discrimination protections in housing, employment, and education could be at risk.

Federal Poverty Policy

In previous statements,

Brenda H. Andrews

ASSISTANT

Desmond Perkins

ASSOCIATE EDITOR: Rosaland Tyler

CHIEF REPORTER EMERITUS:

I hope to continue to be in the struggle in some way as long as I can.”

back to Virginia to the family home with her sister, who also had returned to the area to “save our family home so we would have a home to return to when we got old.”

She also contacted the Cardiac Specialists division at Sentara Norfolk General Hospital.

A team of cardiac specialists recommended she undergo a heart transplant. The procedure was risky, but there was a chance a suitable donor could come forth before her time and heart ran out. She was not allowed to go home, and she was placed in the Hospital’s Cardiac Pavillion with 10 other patients awaiting the same procedure.

Their ages and races varied from folks her age to

Trump has advocated for limiting welfare and SNAP benefits, aiming to reduce federal poverty assistance programs.

Restrictions on these programs could create economic strain in communities already facing higher unemployment rates and limited access to generational wealth.

Reproductive Health

November 20, 1943

Edition of the Guide

First Colored Pilots Off To War Zone

By Ernest E. Johnson

WASHINGTON, D.C.

The departure of the first, all Colored fighter group of the Army Air Force, the 332nd Fighter Group for a combat area is imminent. An informed source in the War Department has revealed that the day of departure and the destination have been set.

This is the group Lt. Colonel Benjamin O. Davis Jr., returned from the North African theatre of operation to assume command.

The pilots are stationed at Selfridge Field, Michigan.

When that glorious day arrives, 84 pilots and a flock of enlisted men and officers who make up the ground crews will be on the way to put into practice the training for which the government has spent $4 million.

Further it is authentically learned when they arrive at their destination, they will be flying ships of superior capabilities.

Throughout their training both at Tuskegee and Selfridge Field, the men have been flying P-40s made by CurtissWright and P-38s made by Bell Aircraft.

November 17, 1945

Edition of the Guide

Widow Gets Answers About Husband’s Death

PORTSMOUTH

The grieving widow of Willie S. Smith of 1005 Mt. Vernon Avenue, a veteran employee of the Norfolk Naval Operations Base, has been able to piece together a morbid story of her husband’s last days. A story that saw him leave his job ill, tossed in jail as a drunken man and finally on the following day, carried to a local hospital where he died.

Mrs. Smith was told her husband had taken sick October 23 at the Naval Base where he had been working as a pipefitter for 15 years. Fellow employees told her of having to assist him in keeping his feet on the job that morning.

Mr. Smith left and was presumably trying to make his way home when he fell out in the street in Portsmouth. It was raining that day and his clothing was wet.

Some had been waiting for weekends and months for a viable donor to surface.

the President of the Student Association, and I was Vice President.”

Rodgers-Rose, her sister Cynthia, and her brother Carroll Rodgers Jr., to be activists.

a 24-year-old Navy man, who is alive today and doing well in Northern Virginia.

“We all became family,” she recalled. “We supported each other’s story. We stayed in contact years after that time in the Pavilion.”

Seven of the 10 Pavilion family members, RodgersRose said, have “ancestored,” a word she uses for those who have died and must be honored for their living memory and work.

“They have moved onto another life,” she said. “Europeans call Africans ‘ancestor worshipers.’ That was our way of honoring ancestors so we would maintain our physical and spiritual culture and not forget our history. I can’t forget my mother, father, or my Pavilion family.”

Trump’s administration’s stance on limiting reproductive services, including defunding clinics that provide abortion and contraception, could disproportionately affect Black women, especially those in underserved areas.

Foreign Policy and Immigration

Trump has indicated that immigration restrictions

Rodgers-Rose said she was in the Pavilion for four months before she got word “that I was blessed,” with a suitable donor.

Rodgers-Rose, now 87, said she is still writing, active and busy, via telephone, zoom, and personal interactions, as she continues organizing and planning as the IBWC’s leader, although from her home.

A Morgan State undergraduate in Sociology, Rodgers-Rose then attended graduate school at Fisk in the early 60s.

She recalled the Civil Rights Movement was “getting hot.”

“The sit-ins were going on, students marched, protested, and boarded buses going south,” she said. “I was attending and organizing strategy meetings with James Bevell and Marion Berry,

could be expanded, with stricter enforcement and limitations on familybased immigration, which could affect Black immigrant communities from African and Caribbean countries. Policies that increase deportation rates or restrict visas could destabilize families and communities with close ties to immigrants.

Trump’s Business Interests

She recalled that during intense meetings, “younguns” like John Lewis sat in the corner and could not talk until spoken to.

After graduate school, she became engaged and ventured to Washington, D.C., got married, and started her family and career.

“We all have that fork in the road,” she recalled. “If I had not, I don’t know where I would be.”

Rodgers-Rose said she is working on her autobiography, to include passages about her grandfather, the Rev. J.E. Rodgers, who pastored the First Baptist Church in Berkley, starting in 1906 until his passing. Her father, Carroll Rodgers, was an activist who ran the first substance abuse center out of a site on Church Street.

Both men inspired

and Economic Policy

The Trump administration’s emphasis on corporate tax cuts and deregulation could benefit large corporations but may do little to address income inequality, which disproportionately affects Black Americans. Critics argue that policies focused on supporting corporations and high-income individuals could further limit

From The Guide’s Archives

“The history of old Church Street is gone except for markers and memories,” she said. “I wonder what Black people own in downtown Norfolk today except our churches.”

Rodgers-Rose said many of her ancestors and the 60s activists have ancestored. While their work for change and equality for Blacks is gone, still their goals overall are being sought.

“There are still many disparities, and our families and communities are in trouble,” she said. “We have plenty of politicians and advocates. But they are too scared and compromised by money and selfish ambition to mobilize, educate, and help the people who need the help the most. I hope to continue to be in the struggle in some way as long as I can.”

investment in community programs, housing, and small business support.

Technology and Digital Access

Trump’s approach to technology policy may reduce funding for broadband expansion, essential for improving internet access in underserved Black communities.

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

Mrs. Smith was further told that police officers found the stricken man and jailed him on a charge of being drunk. He was too sick to write his name, she said. He wore the same wet clothes in jail until 10 a.m. the next morning when he was carried to the hospital, suffering from a stroke, paralysis and pneumonia, due to lengthy exposure.

Minister/Pastor Victim of Police Brutality

HAMPTON

The story has come to light of how a well-known local high school Principal and assistant pastor of a church was arrested and assaulted by Hampton police officers following a complaint by a White woman who said she was assaulted by a Colored man who attempted to rape.

Rev. C. Thomas Paige, a native of Phoebus, principal at Morrison High School in Warwick County and assistant pastor of Zion Baptist Church, the victim of the attack, told the Guide the story.

He related how he was picked up by two Hampton Police officers in a squad car early morning October 30 near the main entrance to Hampton Institute, He subjected to abusive and vile language, stunned by a blow on the right side of his head with a Black Jack, and then taken to the car where the victim of the alleged assaults failed to identify him when she said “No, he is not the one: I told you, he was a large man.”

The principal-assistant pastor is 5’7’ and 144 pounds.

Meanwhile a suspect in the case Williams H. Buckner, 33, has been ordered held for the Elizabeth City County grand jury by Trial Judge John H. Brown on charges of felonious assault and attempted rape in connection with the case.

November 15, 1995

Edition of the Guide

Groups Report Continued Interest In March

NORFOLK

Toward the end of the two-hour and 10 minutes speech at the Millionman March (MMM) on October 16, Minister Louis Farrakhan urged the thousands of Black men who attended the gathering to “join some civic, rights or activists’ group, church or synagogue” upon returning home.

Statistics indicate that less than two percent of the African-American community belongs to such organizations.

Though the organizing staff of the Millionman March has shrunk to a skeleton at the central headquarters in Washington, D.C., reports coming into the national office are that men are responding to Farrakhan’s request across the nation.

Sister Sebah Agell, who handles press relations for the post MMM operations, says she is compiling a data base of post march activities which reflect the “spirit of renewal in the Black community.”

She says that an 800 number is being considered to handle “all the calls which are coming in from around the country from people who want to tell us about what they are doing.”

“There is a lot of spontaneous activity going on about the nation and it needs to be recorded to show the march’s impact on the Black community,” she said.

Despite the fact that the national leadership did not support the march, the NAACP is realizing some benefits.

Earl Shinhoster, the acting executive Director of the NAACP, recently announced that it has a surge in membership at the local and national level. The NAACP has a half million national membership base. Shinhoster said that a steady flow of Black men specifically signing up is significant.

Postcard Worth A Thousand Words

NORFOLK

Local Photographer

Keith Cephus did not attend the Million Man March, but he said the power of the gathering “gravitated me to try to express a message symbolic of the spirit of the march to Black men of the country.”

Cephus recently came out with a post card with a picture of a Black father caressing his son named “Fatherhood.”

On the back it has “One

Million Man March 1995” and “man’s Precious Gift from God.”

CAMP LEJEUNE , N.C. As the Marine Corps celebrated its 170th anniversary last Saturday, history added to its brilliant record with the naming of the first Negro commissioned officer in the service – Second Lt. Frederick C. Branch. Lt. Branch, a former private first class, native of North Carolina, was the lone Negro among a

Dr. Herman Clark To Be Honored

NORFOLK

Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc., Alpha Phi Lambda Chapter Norfolk has selected Dr. Herman Clark, Principal of the Bowling Park Elementary School in Norfolk as the 1995 “Citizen of the Year.”

Under the leadership of Dr. Clark, Bowling Park Elementary School has been recognized as a model urban school that uses a “partnership” approach between the parents and school staff to improve the learning environment of the students. Dr. Clark, a Norfolk native, was reared in the Campostella section of the city.

The Fraternity will honor Dr. Clark at its 22nd annual Black and Gold Civic Awards Banquet and Ball at the Norfolk Hilton Hotel on December 1.

The fraternity will also recognize Dr. Rod Taylor, Dean of the Fines Arts Department at Norfolk State University and NSU’s “Teacher of the Year,” and Capt. Langston Smith,

three Negro Marine Sergeants have been given officers training at Quantico, Va. but failed to complete the course.

DC, USN as the Chapter’s Patriarch and Man of the Year Respectively.

Street Named In Honor of Mrs. Butts

NORFOLK On November 18 the achievements of Norfolk native Evelyn T. Butts will be celebrated during a special ceremony that will culminate with a street being renamed in her honor. Butts was key in the successful demolition of the Virginia Poll Tax in 1966 and was the fi rst African-American woman to be appointed a Norfolk Redevelopment and Housing Authority (NRHA) Commissioner. She also received a gubernatorial appointment to the Virginia Board of Housing and Community Development. The event will be held in the Oakwood Chapel Church parking lot starting at 11 a.m. at Avenue E and Elm Street. Elm Street is being renamed in honor of Butts.

Photo: NJGArchives Lt. Branch is being pinned by his wife, Mrs. Camelia Branch.

PROFESSOR EMERITUS OF SOCIOLOGY VIRGINIA TECH

OMNIPRESENT RACISM

By Wornie Reed, Ph.D.

Recently, Professor Eddie Glaude of Princeton University was one of the guests on Stephanie Ruhle’s show, The 11th Hour, on MSNBC, where he was provoked to histrionics in his objection to Ruhle’s argument that parroted the mainstream media’s assessment of why so many whites voted for Trump. Here is a representative transcript of that conversation.

Glaude: “There is this sense that whiteness is under threat [with] the demographic shifts. This country isn’t what [it was]. [They lament], “All of these racially ambiguous children on Cheerios commercials are confusing the hell out of me.”

Ruhle: Eddie, a lot of people voted because their life’s too damn expensive

Glaude: Stephanie, you are telling me that all of these people believe that their lives, that bread is too high and eggs are too high [so] they voted for a convicted felon, a guy who said we can grab the p–, [so] they voted for this guy!?

Ruhle: I am not defending it, but there are tons of people who don’t pay attention to politics at all [who say] but while we live in the most prosperous country in the world ... people are saying life’s not fair – I am not doing well, my son still lives in the basement, I can’t seem to get a job ...

Glaude: I love you Stephanie, but I do not believe that! I cannot believe that! And the reason I think you believe it is because you don’t want to believe that that’s what’s motivating them! It’s always the case [that] we people don’t wanna believe what the country actually is, because if they believe it, they’re gonna have to confront what’s in them!

Along with the continuing racism in the country is the widespread hesitancy to admit it.

Glaude: I don’t believe that they voted for a crook, a person who they know is stealing from ... just doing everything to undermine the so-called country that they love. And they are telling us that it’s [because of] economics! I agree with Professor Glaude. This country was founded on racism. And racism has continued to be a significant factor in its ongoing history.

Last week, I argued that the Democrats’ failure to discuss publicly and widely what they are doing and what they are trying to do is a failure to define reality. In contrast, the Republicans and the many right-wing media define reality for much of the country – with a heavy dose of lies. I still think that was a significant factor in the election, but I also said we start the discussion with racism and sexism. The right-wing political and media blitz enhanced those issues.

Along with the continuing racism in the country is the widespread hesitancy to admit it. This happened after Trump won the 2016 election. In the face of contrary data, pundits and politicians said then and continue to say that economic anxiety [See Ruhle above] caused working-class voters to leave the Democrats and vote for Trump. The data say otherwise. A report based on surveys conducted before and after the 2016 election revealed that it was not economic anxiety that elected Trump. Those who reported being in fair or poor financial shape were almost twice as likely to support Hillary Clinton as those in better financial shape. It was cultural anxiety more so than economic anxiety

that drove white, workingclass voters to Trump. White voters who said they often feel like strangers in their own country and who believe the U.S. needs protection against foreign influence were 3.5 times more likely to favor Trump than those who did not share those concerns.

Further, Trump got his foothold in national politics with the racist birther movement, using the false claim that Obama was not born in the United States to denigrate this Black man and appeal to the racists. Then he ran a racist campaign, skewering everybody who was not European, and he continued this approach in his 2020 and 2024 campaigns.

In 2022, a month before a white gunman killed ten people and injured three, most of them Black, in Buffalo, New York, a poll found that half of Americans and 7 out of 10 Republicans said they believe in the ideas that constitute the “great replacement” theory. This unfounded idea was widely cited in documents left by the Buffalo shooter. Replacement theory claims that liberal forces are intentionally changing the demographics of the country to affect elections. The ultimate goal of those responsible – Democrats, leftists, “multiculturalists,” and, at times, Jews – is to reduce white political power and, ultimately, to eradicate the white race. Until a few years ago, this theory was confined to white supremacist chatrooms and neo-NAZI websites. In the past few years, it has been promoted by rightwing politicians and the vast network of right-wing media.

Racism is alive and well.

CARRTOON

By Walt Carr

FIGHTING RACISM WITH UNITY

By Dr. E. Faye Williams (TRICEEDNEYWIRE.COM)

After the election on November 5th, we tried to imagine how we came to the results, but it’s still hard.

It’s really hard to see the people of America electing a convicted criminal. We witnessed Vice-President Kamala Harris conduct a perfect campaign in a positive way, while she was called every filthy word by the convicted criminal.

We saw the excitement of women from day one –women of most races and cultures because someone was finally understanding the importance of women’s health care and our desire to make choices about our own health – but many later betrayed us.

We saw nearly every union in the nation support the Harris/Walz team. We saw nearly every Black female voter show our pride in the ticket and we worked for the victory.

It’s hard to imagine many other women did – and I have tried to imagine how any woman supports someone like the criminal is going to protect them whether they like it or not! We Black women rejected that threat. I am so proud of my sisters for doing so because we knew what it meant not just for us, but for our families and friends, as

well as the women who voted for him.

We are supposed to accept the results of elections, but time and again, we see the problem with that because we read not just what candidates are saying, but we know their past record. We’re not going out breaking into and destroying the Capitol and leaving the bill for others to pay for the damage. The fact is that those responsible for the destruction haven’t paid for any damage. Had we done that, we would have been required to pay for the damage and go to jail!

The difference in treatment is a sure sign of racism!

We don’t cry racism easily. We just go back to work and do all we can to try to find common ground the next time around. We just take losses on the chin, and begin working toward a better day the next time. We work for unity with

Black women, it’s on us. A majority of our white sisters are still too busy protecting white privilege, so let’s follow Kamala’s lead!

good people who’ve shown themselves willing to work for a better world for all. Looks like that number dwindled in the immediate past election even though we Black women gave it our all. Still, it’s hard to see that other groups deserted us in what they led us to believe were our common causes. Some misled us – some to a greater degree than others, but as usual, we believe as Fred Hampton taught us many years ago when he said, “You don’t fight racism with racism. We fight racism (and I add sexism) with unity.” It wasn’t just that so many betrayed us. The results tell you who did, and while it’s painful, we’ll do what we always do. We’ll continue to work as our well-deserved period of grieving is over –and we will never give up the fight for what we deserve. see Unity, page 5A

We Cannot & Will Not Go Backwards on Clean Energy

By Ben Jealous

(TRICEEDNEYWIRE.COM)

More jobs. Better jobs. Lower energy prices. Cleaner water. Cleaner air. Fewer asthma attacks. Fewer heart attacks.

Those are just a few of the benefits working people and communities across this country are reaping from the transition from fossil fuels to a clean energy economy. Sure, it is also about saving the planet – which most of us can agree is a good thing. But the economic and health benefi ts for millions of American families are very real as well. Donald Trump and his Project 2025 agenda have threatened to upend the clean energy transition and move us backwards. He has

shown us he is more interested in lining the pockets of fossil fuel oligarchs than helping everyday Americans.

But we will not go backwards. That is due in part to market forces

In addition to good clean energy jobs and the rebirth of American manufacturing ... is improved health outcomes.

that are not going anywhere. And it is due to the resistance that strong leaders and a strong movement for justice will wage in defense of the American people.

In Illinois, more than 130,000 people are now employed in clean energy jobs. In 2023, clean energy jobs grew eight times

faster than the rest of the state’s economy and clean vehicles are now the fastest growing sector in the state. California has more than 545,000 people employed in clean energy.

Those two states come to mind not only because they are both in the top fi ve states for clean energy jobs, but because the governors of both those states are already pledging to resist Trump’s attacks on their progress and the wellbeing of their people. But the governors of every state should be as protective of their constituents.

Two other top five states for clean energy jobs are Texas (second only to California with about 262,000) and Florida (with about 172,000). And maybe the far-right governors of those states will stand up against potential efforts to roll back clean energy investments like those found in the Infl ation Reduction Act (IRA). After all, 18 US House Republicans already wrote to Speaker Mike Johnson back in August asking him to leave the IRA’s clean energy tax credits in place because of how they are helping their districts. It should not be a partisan issue. Nationally, the Department of Energy found clean energy jobs to be growing at more than twice the rate of US employment overall. A lot of these jobs are in deep red states and districts, because that is where a lot of the IRA investments are fl owing. see Energy, page 5A

By Marc H. Morial

To Be Equal

(TRICEEDNEYWIRE.COM)

“Today it is perfectly legal to discriminate against criminals in nearly all the ways that it was once legal to discriminate against African-Americans. Once you’re labeled a felon, the old forms of discrimination –employment discrimination, housing discrimination, denial of the right to vote, denial of educational opportunity, denial of food stamps and other public benefits, and exclusion from jury service – are suddenly legal.”

Marc

– Michelle Alexander, The New Jim Crow

It is indefensible for states to continue to enforce disenfranchising felons after the election of a convicted felon to the nation’s highest office.

One out of every eight Black people in Florida, where President-Elect Donald Trump is registered to vote, is disenfranchised due to felony convictions. Trump, who was convicted of 34 felony charges, is not.

Florida law allows those convicted of felonies to vote only after their full sentences have been served, including probation and parole, and all

fines, fees, and court costs have been paid.

The vast majority of disenfranchised Floridians have served their sentences. Trump has not even been sentenced yet.

But under Florida law, Trump is subject to the far less restrictive laws of New York state, where he was convicted. Only those currently incarcerated on

felony charges are barred from voting in New York. Felony disenfranchisement is a relic of Jim Crow white supremacy. Its enforcement after the election of a convicted felon to the nation’s highest office is indefensible. Confederate states were required to ratify the 14th Amendment to be readmitted to the Union after the Civil War. No longer legally able to deny the vote based on race, the states rushed to deny the vote to anyone convicted of a felony, while at the same time enacting “Black Codes” – laws “essentially intended to criminalize

Black life,” Douglas Blackmon wrote. While white people accused of crimes often escaped punishment, Black people were arrested and convicted “almost always under the thinnest chimera of probable cause or judicial process.” Almost 160 years later, Black Americans are three times as likely to be disenfranchised as non-Black Americans. Nationwide, about one in 22 Black citizens of voting age is disenfranchised. In five states – including Florida – more than one in 10 Black adults is disenfranchised. see Mockery, page 5A

Dr. E. Faye Williams

Ben Jealous

H. Morial

WE NEED SCIENCE –NOT CONSPIRACY

Democracy & Patriotism Are At A Crossroad

By Carl B. Mack

(TRICEEDNEYWIRE.COM)

For those of us

concerned about the reelection of Donald Trump as the 47th POTUS, of which there are many, as the President-elect he has officially announced the nomination of antivaccine activist Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to head the Department of Health and Human Services. This nomination has many stating they believe Kennedy to be dangerous. Washington State Senator Patty Murray said Kennedy was “nothing short of a disaster for the health of millions of families.” On October 25, 2024, Kennedy posted on X: “ ... If you work for the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) and are part of this corrupt system, I have two messages for you: 1. Preserve your records, and 2. Pack your bags.”

According to Richard Besser, former acting director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), “If we were to come in and wholesale remove departments of public health and areas in public health, everyone in our country would be at risk.”

On July 20, 2023, Kennedy testified before a congressional committee regarding censorship of Americans’ free speech on social media and said, “I have never been anti-vaxx. I have never told the public to avoid vaccination.”

That was a lie, and for the record, his soon to be boss lied when he said he didn’t lose the 2020 Presidential election. Either the folks in Congress didn’t remember or just didn’t know what he said in a 2021 podcast. I clearly remember him saying to the listening audience to “resist” CDC guidelines on when children ought to get vaccinated. Then he doubled down saying, “I see somebody on a hiking trail carrying a little baby and I say to him, better not get them vaccinated.” If a

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“What we want especially in the South, is that the negro shall be brought down from those false steps which he has been allowed to take in civilization, and reduced to his proper condition as a slave,” Pollard wrote earlier in his 1859 book, “Black Diamonds Gathered in the Darkey Homes of the South.” Pollard continued, “I cannot bear to see negro slaves affect superiority over the poor, needy, and unsophisticated whites who form a terribly large proportion of the population of the South. When I see a slave above his condition, or hear him talk insultingly of even the lowest white man in the land, I am strongly tempted to knock him down.” The point is Pollard failed at nearly every turn until he returned home, became a white supremacist and wrote a book that blamed his bad decisions on Blacks, similar to how the nation’s current president-elect filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy for his companies six times, but finally succeeded when he became an advocate for white supremacy. Like Pollard, in

picture is worth a thousand words, what do you think the video is worth showing him standing next to a sticker that read: “If you’re not an anti-vaxxer you aren’t paying attention.”

I wish Congress was paying attention after he was sworn in under oath to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. Never mind. What does the Truth and Rule of Law mean to Kennedy and Trump?

It’s clear to me that Congress missed the mark, or simply ignored it. I need us to be “paying attention.”

There should be no doubt he is an antivaxxer, and there is no doubt he’s spread false and reckless information to the Black community. His credibility was in-part established by reminding us of the horrific Tuskegee Experiment conducted between 1932 and 1972 by the U.S. Public Health Service and the CDC. The two organizations injected nearly 400 Black men with syphilis and left them untreated to study the effects of the disease.

During the COVID-19 Pandemic, Kennedy told all who would listen that the virus was aimed at Caucasians and Blacks. He went on to say the Chinese scientist were making “ethnic bioweapons” and collecting data on people of various races so that they can specifically target their desired group.

His history is clear: Kennedy is full of these types of conspiracies, and very academically empty on science. There has not been one credible

There should be no doubt Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., is an antivaxxer, and there is no doubt he’s spread false and reckless information to the Black community.

scientific organization that has validated his conspiracies.

Men lie, women lie, but numbers don’t lie. In 1912, measles was placed on the list of to be reported nationally. Prior to the vaccine in 1963, nearly every child got measles by age 15. The estimate of those infected was between 3-4 million/year. Hundreds died and thousands were hospitalized each year. In 2000, the United States declared measles a nonissue. Since then, there have been only 1,577 cases of measles reported in the country (1,300 in 2019, and 277 in 2024).

Why? Because of science and the application of a very effective vaccination program. Given his rhetoric, Kennedy could Make Measles Great Again. Was the COVID-19 vaccine perfect, absolutely not; however, I don’t know of any medicine or vaccine that is perfect. What I do know is that science has proven to save far more lives than conspiracies. What our community ought to be telling Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is just one thing: PACK YOUR BAGS!

Carl B. Mack is former president of the Seattle King County NAACP and former executive director of the National Society of Black Engineers. He holds an honorary doctor of science degree from Clarkson University, a private research institution, based in Potsdam, New York.

Photo: PublicDomain/WilliamPorcherMiles(1822-1899)

Flag

other words, Trump experienced wild success after he became a white supremacy advocate during former President Barack Obama’s two terms that stretched from 2009-2017. In an effort to understand white supremacy, many academicians and journalists have toiled and scratched their heads over laptops, including Britney Cooper, who wrote about Trump’s first presidential win in Cosmopolitan on Nov. 9, 2016. “Donald Trump’s victory yesterday is an attempt by disgruntled white Americans to slow down the American social progress ushered in by Barack Obama’s presidency,” Cooper wrote. “This is retaliation toward a country that voted for a Black president and had

the audacity to try to leave the racial politics of the last two centuries behind.”

The Lost Cause, which began a few years before the Civil War, provides answers. The Lost Cause used denials and manipulation to justify white supremacy back in the day, much like many today are explaining Trump’s second term by dismissing or minimizing white supremacy’s enduring impact.

“What many people don’t realize is that white supremacy is a culture that is much broader and deeper,” Politico writer Erin Aubry Kaplan wrote on Nov. 20, 2022. see Lost, page 7A

By George F. Reed, Ph.D.

Alexander F. Tyler, a Scottish historian, predicted that American Democracy would last 200 years. He further noted that “All governments are essentially of the nature of a monarchy.” In this election, a majority of Americans voted to return to the presidency a convicted felon, sexual assaulter, and a man with authoritarian tendencies.

In our Democracy, we accept the will of the people which is one of the bedrocks of our Democracy. When citizens are divided on the issues, as we are right now, whose views should prevail, and in what circumstances?

Should this majority prevail, or should the minority be empowered to block or overcome majority rule to preserve our Democracy.

The question we are confronted with is what do we do now? The majority of Americans expressed dissatisfactions with our institutions, economy, immigration policies, and an increase admiration for autocratic leadership. Why did this happen when the economy is doing well, immigration is on the decline, and America is admired around the world as the greatest economy.

Acute polarization and racism is at the core of

Unity

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We thank President Biden for the opportunity he gave us to again showcase the great talent of another Black woman. Now, we ask that he allows the real 47th President of the nation to take her place

Energy

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One of the greatest stories of how the clean energy economy is reinvigorating communities and reshoring supply chains – and the jobs they create – comes from Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s district, where Trump received 75 percent of the vote in 2020. There, the IRA has allowed the solar panel manufacturer Qcells to build solar panel plants and the capacity to house entire supply chain for their panels locally. That means thousands of good jobs as well as hope for the U.S. competing with China in the global solar market – 80 percent of which China currently dominates.

In addition to good jobs and the rebirth of American manufacturing, another

Mockery

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The United States is alone among the world’s largest nations in these harsh restrictions on voting. Of the 136 countries with populations of 1.5 million or more, most – 73 – never or rarely disenfranchise a citizen because of a conviction. Of the other 63, the U.S. is among the most restrictive and disenfranchises a wider swath of citizens.

Over the last eight years, the number of Americans disenfranchised for felony convictions has fallen dramatically due to new laws and policies. In

the nation’s problems. Polarization, wherein some people are never willing to accommodate the preference of others. Polarization threatens Democracy, and coupled with extremism and racism the threat becomes even more threatened.

Democracy depends on loyal opposition, patriotism, and the shared notion of equality imbedded in the Nation’s Constitution.

This election was a repudiation of women and especially a Black woman to lead this nation. Hilary Clinton, an imminently qualified candidate was rejected. Kamala Harris was domed from the start, major groups, including Hispanics, white women, and some Black males voted against their own self-interest, because of their hate for a woman leader, and especially a Black woman. We must face a salient truth about

by allowing Vice-President Kamala Harris to take that number, even if it’s only for the next two months. Another request is that President Biden pardons his own son who does not have 34 criminal convictions, no racist attacks, made no hateful speeches, and didn’t hurt any of the American people or our sacred buildings. My second request is that President Biden pardons

major real-life benefit of the clean energy transition for American families is improved health outcomes. Ditching fossil fuels saves lives. The Sierra Club has successfully worked to retire more than 380 coal-fired power plants since 2010.

As of this past spring, those retirements are estimated to have prevented roughly 900,000 asthma attacks and over 84,000 heart attacks, saved $25 billion in health care costs, and saved more than 54,000 lives.

Make no mistake, Trump has made big promises to the fossil fuel industry. He is a climate denier. And it is not unwarranted to be worried about what his next presidency will mean for the clean energy boom.

But the clean energy transition is already happening and some bumps in the road will not stop it.

Again, that is because of market forces. Clean energy is more resilient and

Maine, Vermont, and the District of Columbia, even those who are incarcerated have the right to vote. In 38 states, voting rights are restored upon release from incarceration or upon completion of parole or probation.

But 10 states, including Florida, withhold indefinitely the right to vote from those convicted of felonies, or require additional measures like payment of fines and fees before voting rights are restored. In Virginia, home of the former capital of the Confederacy, the right to vote can be restored only by the arbitrary whim of Governor Glenn Youngkin. Felony disenfranchisement not only is racially discriminatory and antidemocratic, it makes

Polarization threatens Democracy, and coupled with extremism and racism the threat becomes even more threatened.

this nation, as long as white males dominate our politics, control and rule this nation, we will never achieve equality, justice, and freedom for everyone as it is embodied in the Nation’s Constitution.

The proposed policies of this elected president are a serious threat to women rights, minority rights, our robust economy, and our national security. As Benjamin Franklin said in 1787 when leaving the Constitutional Convention when Elizabeth Willing Powell, approached him.

“Well Doctor, what do we have,” “A Republic or monarchy? Franklin famously answered, “A Republic, if we can keep it.” We are at that crossroad today; it is time for our patriot and citizens to decide.

George F. Reed, Ph.D. is a retired educator and resident of Chesapeake, VA

former Baltimore State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby so that she can return to doing the great work she was doing before the real criminal (Donald Trump) got involved to make sure she suffers a wrongful conviction for doing her job so well! We’ve sent several requests. It’s time for an answer. Dr. E. Faye Williams, President of The Dick Gregory Society.

less expensive than fossil fuels – and its costs are falling rapidly. As just one example, between 2010 and 2020, the cost of producing electricity from solar power decreased by 85 percent. But it is also because of resistance from – and progress in – the states. Again, see the stands being taken by governors like Gavin Newsom in California and JB Pritzker in Illinois. Illinois passed And it is because of those of us dedicated to combating the climate crisis and protecting communities. We are going to redouble our efforts and grow our movement. And we are going to help people understand what speeding up the clean energy transition means for their pocketbooks and their health.

Ben Jealous is the Executive Director of the Sierra Club and a Professor of Practice at the University of Pennsylvania.

our communities less safe. Returning citizens whose voting rights were restored are less likely to be arrested than those who remained disenfranchised.

“Restoring voting rights gives citizens the sense that their voice can be heard in the political process and contributes to building an individual’s positive identity as a community member,” researchers for The Sentencing Project wrote. The election of a President with 34 felony convictions makes a mockery of any defense of felony disenfranchisement. Lawmakers in every state must acknowledge the racist origins of these policies and relegate them to the garbage heap of history.

George F. Reed, Ph.D.

Carl B. Mack

Confederate

What You Should Know About Medicare Part D Changes

By Kenneth Thorpe

Congress recently made a number of changes to Medicare’s “Part D” prescription drug benefit. The changes were part of President Biden’s signature legislation, the Inflation Reduction Act. The legislation was intended to make it easier for seniors to afford their medicines. Some of the changes will indeed help seniors. But other changes could inadvertently raise seniors’ costs, reduce their access to medicines, and stifle the development of new treatments. With open enrollment season here – it’ll run from October 15

to December 7 this year – every senior should know about the Inflation Reduction Act and how it has impacted Medicare. First, the good news. Seniors using insulin now have their costs capped at $35 each month. This has already made a huge difference for those living with diabetes.

Starting next year, seniors’ yearly out-of-pocket Part D drug costs will be capped at $2,000. Seniors will also have the option to spread these costs out over the entire year through a new program called the “Medicare Prescription Payment Plan.” Both of these changes can help seniors who rely

on multiple brand-name medicines and those on fixed incomes. But right now, very few enrollees are aware of this new program. Medicare could do more to alert seniors to this new feature, especially since seniors interested in this benefit will need to opt in. During open enrollment season, seniors should consider contacting their Part D insurers if they’d benefit from spreading out their pharmacy costs. Because of the Inflation Reduction Act, Medicare can now set prices on some covered drugs for the first time ever. Unfortunately, this policy has had some unintended effects on the

development of new medicines. Thus far, it has already resulted in the discontinuation of at least 36 research programs and 22 experimental drugs. The Inflation Reduction Act has also resulted in higher premiums for seniors. This year, standalone Part D plans were on track to cost 21 percent more than they did last year, on average. As a result, many seniors switched to lower cost options. The number of plans available has also dropped, down about 25 percent since 2020. Because of the law, many insurers have also shifted some medications to “non-preferred” or “specialty” tiers that require

higher out-of-pocket costs, restricting beneficiaries’ access to previously covered drugs. Some insurers have also created rules that make it harder to get the drugs your doctor recommends, like making patients first try cheaper options.

It is important that seniors learn about these changes – and the impact they’re having on their access to medicines.

Kenneth E. Thorpe is chairman of the Department of Health Policy and Management at the Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University. He is chairman of the Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease.

Newport News Community Mobilizes Around Thanksgiving Feeding 5000

NEWPORT NEWS

The Andrew Shannon FEEDING 5000 Thanksgiving Harvest and Community Celebration will be held on Saturday, November 23rd, 2024 at New Beech Grove Baptist Church located at 361 Beechmont Drive in Newport News, Virginia. Dr. Willard Maxwell, Pastor and Host.

The Andrew Shannon FEEDING 5000 will include the attendance and participation of “Celebrity Servers.” Invited Guests include Lt. Gov. Winsome Sears, Congressman Bobby Scott, Sen. Danny Diggs, Del. Shelly Simonds, VPCC President Dr. Towuanna Porter Brannon, Council Member Marcellus L. Harris III, City Manager Alan Archer, Chief of Police Steve Drew, Attorney Larry King, Dr.

Michelle Boone-Thornton, Lisha Bryant-Shannon, Edna V. Davis, Dr. Tremayne Johnson, Pastor of Zion Baptist Church, Dr. Floyd A. Miles, Virgil Thornton, Sr., Virgil Thornton Jr., Lionel T. Hines, Sr., Clyde Brown, Keith Mills, Frank Duff.

The event is free and open to the public and provides the largest gathering of families and individuals in one setting for Food Distribution of Prepackaged meals served To Go on the Virginia Peninsula, according to founder Andrew Shannon.

Sponsors, partners and supporters are Dr. Willard Maxwell, Jr., Pastor, New Beech Grove Baptist Church; Barry Davis, The Alley and Friends, Virginia Peninsula Community College, Dominion Terminal

Associates, Larry King Law, Virginia Peninsula ASAP, Newport News Branch NAACP, SCLC; Bowditch Ford, BayPort Credit Union, Newport News Shipbuilding, WTJZ Praise Radio, Chic A Sea Restaurant and For The People MOS Inc. “Mother Overton’s Son.”

Bobby Dunston ”DJ

Bobby D,” New Generation Marching Band & Bishop Ray Bynum and Pentecostal Followers of Christ Church Choir will provide musical entertainment.

Chic A Sea restaurant – Linda Joyner, Brenda Wiggins, Maxine Fogg, Charlene Carey, Linda Macon and Cynthia Johnson – will cater this community event. For more information, contact Andrew Shannon at (757) 877-0792.

PAUL VS.TYSON

MATCH SETS BETTING & STREAMING RECORDS

By Stacy M. Brown Senior National Correspondent

@StacyBrownMedia

NNPA NEWSWIRE

The highly anticipated boxing match between Jake Paul and Mike Tyson shattered records across sportsbooks and streaming platforms, drawing unprecedented attention to the world of combat sports. Held Nov. 15 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, the event was a commercial success despite the underwhelming performance inside the ring.

According to BetMGM, the fight attracted more bets and more money than any other boxing or MMA event in the sportsbook’s nearly seven-year history. The company reported that the Tyson-Paul fight generated four times as much money as any previous combat sports event, highlighting its massive appeal. ESPN BET also declared the bout its most-wagered combat sports event, with more than twice the handle of its biggest MMA event since launching in November 2023.

Continued from page 5A

”It is about racialized power, an assumed authority of white people (chie fl y men) to set and enforce the social and moral order as they see fi t, often in the service of values that on their face sound noble, like tradition or family.”

Kaplan continued, “The gravitational pull of white supremacy in America is not new. It is part of who we’ve always been. What is new is that in 2022, under the increasingly thin guise of conservatism – and greatly aided by the internet, social media and big media like Fox News – the culture of white supremacy has gone fully, almost gleefully mainstream.”

Here is a list of Pollard’s failures. After he fi nished the University of Virginia in 1850, he studied law at William and Mary but was expelled for misbehavior. He relocated to participate in the California Gold Rush. When that didn’t pan out, he took up reporting, writing dispatches from California, the Caribbean, and Asia. Returning to America, he became a lawyer and a law clerk.

“Early in 1865, he returned to Richmond. He watched the Union army capture the city and harangued street-corner crowds, urging fellow secessionists to fi ght the Yankees,” Peter Carlson wrote in a 2018 HistoryNet article titled, “Lost Cause Myth that Underpinned Jim Crow.”

“It was unbelievable for business,” said John Murray, executive director of the Westgate SuperBook in Las Vegas. “Casino was packed. Bets flying in all day. I was stunned.”

More than 70,000 fans filled the Dallas Cowboys’ home stadium, while millions tuned in via Netflix to witness the clash between Paul, a YouTuberturned-boxer, and Tyson, the legendary heavyweight stepping back into the ring after nearly two decades. Netflix reported a staggering 60 million households tuned in, peaking at 65 million concurrent streams. The platform described the event as a “mega-event,” citing record-breaking viewership and significant social media buzz.

Despite the spectacle, the fight itself left much to be desired. Paul secured a unanimous decision victory after eight uninspiring rounds. Tyson, now 58, showed signs of his age, throwing just 97 punches and landing 18. Paul’s athleticism carried him through the match, improving his

professional record to 11-1. The event elicited mixed reactions from fans and fellow fighters. Evander Holyfield, Tyson’s former rival, called the fight lackluster. Nicola Adams, an Olympic gold medalist, remarked that a prime Tyson would have easily dominated Paul. “Let’s be real,” Adams posted on X. “A young Mike Tyson would’ve absolutely annihilated Jake Paul tonight.”

The bout also drew criticism for its quality, particularly when compared to the co-main event featuring Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano. Their thrilling match saw Taylor controversially retain her undisputed world lightwelterweight champion status, providing a stark contrast to the main event.

“I love Mike Tyson, but they giving him too much credit,” wrote Terence Crawford, a four-division world champion, on X. “He looked like trash, to train that long and only throw 97 punches the whole fight is crazy. I’m just glad he didn’t get hurt out there.”

“Not surprisingly, the Yankees threw him in jail. After his release, he deserted his wife and fl ed to Memphis. He took up with another woman, deserted her, and, without dissolving his marriage, wed a divorcee. Amid these erotic adventures, he managed to write the book that made him notorious –“The Lost Cause.”

Is history repeating itself? Disgruntled white supremacists launched the Lost Cause after the South lost the Civil War. Now, many people suspect that supremacists caused Trump to win a fi rst term in 2016 and a second term in 2024. An academic who has written and talked at length about the topic is Princeton University Professor Eddie Glaude Jr., who said most Americans voted for Trump because they felt that “whiteness” was under threat. “So there’s this sense, right, that whiteness is under threat,” Glaude said recently on MSNBC’S “The 11th Hour. “The country is – all of these racially ambiguous children on Cheerios commercials are confusing the hell out of me,” he added. see Lost, page 8A

This Confederate statue (built in the early 1900s and now removed from Norfolk,VA) shows rebel soldier towering down on passersby in the city’s downtown area.

Photo: BrendaH.Andrews

COMMUNITY GATHERS TO CELEBRATE THE LIFE OF MAZIELLE BROWN IN THE COMMUNITY

NORFOLK Calvary Cemetery

was the site of the home going service for Maizelle Brown on Saturday, November 16.

Family, friends and others who knew the celebrated and talented artist gathered at graveside to say good-bye and express their love.

Maizelle, born March 18, 1941 transitioned on November 2, 2024 in her hometown of Norfolk, Va.

Paintings and artwork by Maizelle have been and some can currently be seen at such local galleries as the Barry Art Museum, Norfolk Botanical Garden, Chrysler Museum, Norfolk State University, and many others in the Hampton Roads area. Her expressions were extraordinary because of her innate talent that celebrated and captured the essence of everyday Black life in many forms.

Serving as spiritual leader for the service was Joseph Ofusu. The community members gathered, most standing, and a few in chairs they had brought along, to the steady beat of the African drum with lead drummer John Earl Robinson which lent a solemnity to the purpose for which the gathering of friends and family was being held.

Speaker after speaker brought tributary remarks to the extraordinary life and artistic legacy of Maizelle, each noting her humble personna and willing spirit.

Solo renditions of Maizelle’s favorite songs by Lucius Bennett and a poetry and song selection by Ferria Fatia Collucci were well received.

As the ceremony came to an end, Maizelle’s favorite flower – the

Lost Continued from page 7A

Trump did not win because “bread is too high and eggs are too high,” Glaude said. “They voted for a convicted felon, a guy who said we can grab the P?” Glaude added, “They voted for a crook, a person who they know is doing everything to undermine the so-called country that they love. And then they’re telling us the BS, that it’s economics. We know that’s not true. We know it’s not true.” Is history repeating itself?

The Lost Cause sheds light. Aiming to manipulate the facts and marginalize the South’s defeat in the Civil War, members of the Lost Cause did what all bonafide manipulators do, according to psychologists. Lost Cause members lied and denied the facts. While records show that the South lost the war due to multiple battles and mismanagement of their army, members of The Lost Cause behaved the way protestors did on Jan. 6 after Trump lost the 2020 election to Joe Biden. On Jan. 6, 2021, approximately 20,000 participants rioted, destroyed public property and looted. About 10,000 people came onto Capitol grounds. After the South lost the Civil War, Lost Cause members went on to erect monuments and statues that towered over newly freed slaves. The United Daughters of the Confederacy, a group that spearheaded the frenzied monument-building campaign erected its first Confederate statue on April 26, 1866. The group,

Maizelle Brown Photosby ErnestLowery

Yes. History is repeating itself –yesterday and today ... the problem is few manipulators want to change.

which had about 17,000 members in 1899, also endorsed the Ku Klux Klan, which was founded in 1866. Decades later, the United Daughters of the Confederacy constructed a memorial to the Klan near Concord, N.C. in 1926.

◆◆◆

Yes. History is repeating itself. Yesterday and today, white supremacy is still a largely irrational philosophy that argues Whites should automatically live on pedestals – similar to how their confederate monuments rest on polished marble supports. They must stand up and tower over others. Whites must automatically occupy lofty and elevated positions in society – rather than share power and try to get along with others. Like all manipulators, white supremacists aggressively pursue power and maintain control by using recurring emotional manipulation, physical abuse, and lies (gaslighting). The problem is few manipulators want to change.

Consider this:

“The highest peak of Confederate monumentbuilding coincided with the founding of the NAACP in 1909 and the two years following,” Wellesley College Assistant Professor Liza Oliver wrote in an Aug. 24, 2017 essay for The Albright Institute.

“A second wave emerged with the civil rights movement, beginning with Brown v. Board of Education in 1954 and

the effort to desegregate schools,” Oliver wrote. “Not surprisingly, more schools were named after Confederate icons or had Confederate memorials erected on their property during this period than any other. ◆◆◆

The Lost Cause’s manipulative efforts to uphold white supremacy in the South did not go unnoticed. “This is, of course, intended as a species of political cant, whereby the crime of treason might be covered with a counterfeit varnish of patriotism,” Union General George Henry Thomas, a Virginia native, wrote in an 1868 report to his superiors. According to HistoryCollection.com.

“His warnings fell on deaf ears in Congress, already concerned more with potential political patronage in the returning Southern states.”

Perhaps it is time for Blacks to see white supremacy as a lost cause. To turn a blind eye and deaf ear to Whites who may continue to blame their own personal failures on Blacks, (as Pollard did until he died in 1872 in Lynchburg at age 40), Blacks must move on past those who clearly refuse to move on. During Trump’s second and final term, Blacks should start a business, go back to school, move overseas, write a book, pay off debts, buy a home or launch a self-care program. Do something productive, in other words. But refuse to be manipulated.

sunflower – was gifted to those who so chose. Riddick Funeral Services officiated.

Super Bowl Champ-Turned-Reading Advocate Visits Area Schools To Spotlight Literacy

HAMPTON ROADS

New England Patriots

Super Bowl Champion

Malcolm Mitchell has teamed up with E3:

Elevate Early Education of Norfolk to bring his READing Rallies to five schools from Hampton Roads to Richmond on Nov. 20 and 21. The READing Rallies allow a book author to read aloud their book to students and combine it with a pep rally. The goal is to ignite a love of reading and get books in the hands of children.

Mitchell will hand out over 2,000 copies of his book The Magician’s Hat, as he talks about the importance of reading and how he overcame his struggle to read.

Forty percent of third graders in Virginia cannot read, and in some communities, it is even worse

Throughout his life, Mitchell struggled to read. During his freshman year in college at the University of Georgia, he developed a love of reading. Books became an avenue for him to expand his curiosity, creativity and learning.

He graduated with a degree in Communication Studies in 2015 and was drafted by the New England Patriots. Mitchell authored and published

his children’s book, The Magician’s Hat, and created a youth literacy initiative called Read with Malcolm. A year later, he went on to establish the Share the Magic Foundation with a goal to transform children’s lives through literacy.

E3: Elevate Early Education and The New E3 School raise awareness, advocate and create innovative initiatives to give children equitable access to a quality education for the first eight years.

Lisa Howard, President and CEO, stated, “When children cannot read, they cannot learn. They will struggle in school, the workforce and life.

E3 is working with strategic partners to increase public-private investment for early literacy initiatives and implementation of the

Virginia literacy Act to help every child read by third grade.” Mitchell will host a Reading Rally at the following schools: The New E3 School in Norfolk; Park View Elementary in Portsmouth, Ecoff Elementary School in Chesterfield; Sedgefield Elementary in Newport News; and Newsome Park Elementary in Newport News.

As part of the reading tour, Mitchell will deliver a keynote address and Conversation with Literacy Experts at the ODU SB Ballard Football Stadium.

E3: Elevate Early Education and The New E3 School raise awareness, advocate and create innovative initiatives to give children equitable access to a quality education for the first eight years.

Malcolm Mitchell

GRAND CHAPTER ORDER OF EASTERN STAR PHA HAS FOUNDERS’ DAY

By L. J. McCoy, Jr.

Special to the Guide

RICHMOND

On a beautiful autumn afternoon

November 9th at the Richmond Westin, the Grand Chapter Order of the Eastern Star PHA celebrated their 27th Founders’ Day Program.

Grand Worthy Matron Mrs. Jacqueline T. Sutton and Grand Worthy Patron Mr. Albert Ruffin were pleased to receive over 200 OES sisters, Masonic brothers and guests for an eventful program and lunch.

Although the Grand Chapter was organized in November 28, 1901 in Richmond, the Eastern Stars began celebrating their first Founders’ Day in 1998.

The Grand Chapter is not only proud in honoring student scholarships, but also supporting the NAACP, the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, the Virginia Federation of Colored Women’s Club, the Tuberculosis Assoc., the United Negro College Fund, MCV Cancer Fund, the March of Dimes, the Intervention Crisis Center, Camp Holiday Trails, the American Diabetes Assoc., Virginia Baptist Children’s Home and Sickle Cell Anemia.

Following an inspirational message of comfort from OES Grand Chaplain Rev. Brenda Austin, the Honorable Beverly W. Morgan, Jr. who is the Most Worshipful Grand Master of the Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Virginia Free and Accepted Masons, Inc. gave closing remarks.

WinterFest On The Wisconsin Opens; More Than 1 Million Holiday Lights

NORFOLK

An enormous, 35-foottall leg lamp and a Buddy the Elf trail are just two of the new signature additions to Nauticus’ annual WinterFest on the Wisconsin. Recently, U.S. News & World Report called these types of creative displays “ … a fun twist on traditional light festivals” as it recognized Nauticus’ WinterFest as one of the Top 28 Christmas Light Displays in the United States (U.S. News Travel).

“Being recognized as one of America’s top holiday light displays was a big surprise and a huge honor,” said Stephen E. Kirkland, executive director of

Nauticus. “A lot of love goes into producing this event, and this season we’ve got some amazing new additions we think families will really enjoy.”

Boasting more than one million holiday lights, WinterFest on the Wisconsin will also introduce its new Mistletoe Marina Circus this season, featuring a mind-boggling magician performance, an impressive juggler, and a nationally recognized aerialist.

Also new this season –the Snow Queen will host a holiday tree lighting celebration twice nightly aboard the Battleship Wisconsin.

Many WinterFest traditions will return, including a waterfront s’mores station, the marina bar, a puppet version of A Christmas Carol, animatronic elves throughout the battleship’s lower decks, and an elaborate holiday train display.

Opening this Friday, November 15, WinterFest on the Wisconsin will be shining brightly on select nights through January 1, 2025.

General admission tickets are $22 for adults and $18 for children (ages 3-12) on premium nights, with value night tickets available at $18 for adults and $16 for children.

Hello and welcome to The Bridge Corner. The 1 No Trump Overcall

3) The contract is 2 No Trumps. North is the declarer.

4) East makes the opening lead with the 5 Heart, top of a doubleton, in the suit his partner bid.

5) Declarer, North, needs eight tricks but only has six sure tricks. Declarer can develop extra tricks in the Diamond suit by playing Diamonds right away.

Norfolk General Services’ Career Fair, Nov. 22

NORFOLK Norfolk’s Department of General Services is hosting a career fair on Friday, Nov. 22, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Lamberts Point Community Center (1251 W. 42nd St.). Open full-time positions include maintenance, customer service, plumbing, electrical, automotive technician, animal caretaker and many more. Benefits include paid holidays, health insurance, retirement, professional development and training. New, eligible

full-time hires will also receive a $5,000 signing bonus. Individuals interested in exploring the many rewarding opportunities are strongly encouraged to apply online in advance and bring their resume and references to the event. Hiring managers will be on site to meet with attendees and answer questions about available positions. 1251 W. 42nd St. Find detailed job descriptions, duties, requirements and apply at www.norfolk.gov/careers.

Because it’s Thanksgiving

BY DELORES DUDLEY HAMPTON ROADS ʼ POET,

Many years ago,a date was set that all Americans were never to forget, And It would be a day that we ʼd pause and remember all of our blessings listed by number, And this tradition would always be held on a fourth Thursday in November.

Now,some say that the first Thanksgiving began with a feast between the Pilgrims and a group of Native Americans: two nations,two different races,being thankful for their harvest and in harmony enjoying a beautiful and bountiful and peaceful and happy celebration,living near one another honorably as one of GOD ʼ S wonderful creations.

And one thing today that we know for sure is that over the years,Thanksgiving has grown to be so much more and a day that most families and friends and their pets do amazingly adore!

baked and fried chicken and as appetizers,small biscuits wrapped with both crab meat or spam.

And there will be greens,potato salad,beets,cranberries and sweet potatoes too, and always a favorite , macaroni and cheese and another favorite, with a bit of warmed cream those very mouth watering fresh deep, dark,and tasty green peas. And there will be corn pudding and rice and gravy and cabbage with bits of sausages too, and all of GRANDMAʼ S corn bread that Is SIMPLY TOO VERY GOOD to be true!

Also,on a special, decorated t able, There will be a beautiful, both vanilla and chocolate cake that an auntie of age did take time to perfectly bake,A HOLIDAY DINNER feast for FAMILY AND FRIENDS to partake, along with several, wonderful pies to be served along with many flavors of ice cream. “O MY! O MY,” It is the answer to everyone ʼ s DESSERT DREAM ...

Because it is Thanksgiving! And even the family and some friends ʼ pets enjoy special treats, those being as always the healthiest and still most delicious pet foods to eat, and all present can hear mellow meows and happy but low brave barks near. “O, ʼʼ It IS SO ADORABLY SWEET!

1) West opens the bidding with 1 Heart.

2) North overcalls 1 N/T. East passes. South has 9 points. South doesn’t know whether the partnership belongs in game or partscore. The strain should be No Trump. South would bid 2 N/T, showing 8 or 9 points. West passes. South made an invitational bid. North makes a judgement call and passes with 16 points, holding no intermediate cards (tens or nines) and no

fi ve-card suit.

6) After winning the fi rst trick, declarer should start playing the Diamonds to develop the Diamond suit BEFORE playing the sure tricks in other suits. If Declarer plays the sure winners in the other suits before he sets up the Diamond winners, the opponents have enough winners in the other suits to defeat the contract.

7) Declarer should make his 2 N/T contract. Declarer will take only eight tricks if West (correctly) continues leading Hearts after winning the fi rst Diamond trick.

Tidewater Bridge Club’s Winning players in the November 13, 2024 game:

Jennifer Douglas –Wanda Miller – Wilma Horne

Sandra Starkey –Gillis Watson – Lillye Holley

Elizabeth Lyons –Lawrence Owes – Elva Taylor

Shirley Nottingham –Rose Ward – Gloria Brown

TIDEWATER

BRIDGE CLUB:

Richard A. Tucker

Memorial Library 2350 Berkley Ave., Extension –Norfolk, VA 23523.

The dates for the next four games are:

1) Wed., Nov. 27, 2024

10 am to 3 p.m.

2) Wed., Dec. 4, 2024

10 a.m. – 3 p.m.

Game fee is $6 (paid BEFORE the game thru our voucher system. Contact L. Owes at email below). Light snacks and water provided; bring your lunch. Contact Lawrence Owes at l.a.owes1@gmail.com for additional information.

For it has been recorded that Thanksgiving in America is its most traveled day, as millions of Americans passionately take to the skies for their plane rides or board buses or in their cars meet the roads with too many boxes and too many loads or board a railroad train again and again.

For Thanksgiving begins an official season,and our united GRATITUDE becomes our national reason,as relatives plan to get together, even when challenges are not deemed safe, and They may face horribly uncomfortable weather,and most,especially if they live alone,almost nothing will be able to keep them from traveling to that one place that for them is called “HOME.ʼʼ

Because they all know that whether their relatives are somewhat grumpy or mellow and sweet, that at “HOME” , There will be some laughter and hugs and kisses and high fives that outside of home are always hard to beat, for the spirit of home is SO HEAVENLY UNIQUE! and of course let us never forget:all types of GREAT FOODS SO DELICIOUS to EAT!

Because it is Thanksgiving!

So,There will be turkey,and there will be ham,and both

AND Let us not ever forget the parades that are seen and those NFL GAMES THAT FOR OUR FAVORITE TEAMS, We sometimes do scream,and We watch our favorite movies that we find appealing , especially those that are heartfelt and healing.

And then,at the close of the day,each one a personal prayer of thanks to GOD will say, And finally, We in unity, praise THE FATHER, THE SON, AND HOLY SPIRIT, THE TRINITY SAYING “ THANK YOU GOD for life and blessings that I can and sometimes can not see.ʼʼ

HALLELUJAH,O GOD WE DO PRAISE,as we lift our hands up and our voices raise saying, ʻʼ GOD, we are so happy and grateful for this season when GRATITUDE TO YOU IS OUR REASON.ʼʼ So to THE GREAT I AM and JESUS CHRIST, GOD ʼ S SON, and THE HOLY SPIRIT, IF we are saved, in life and death, our victory is won. SO, Let us thank GOD for the great blessing of OUR SALVATION,and let us tell others too, so that they can join the true kingdom congregation.

BECAUSE IT IS THANKSGIVING!

Photo: Courtesy

Delores Dudley

OBITUARY:

LA FRANCIS A.

RODGERS-ROSE, PH.D.

SUNRISE: JULY 19, 1936

SUNSET: NOVEMBER 10, 2024

NORFOLK

Dr. La Francis Rodgers-Rose, of Norfolk, VA, passed away on November 10, 2024 following a two-year battle with myelodysplastic syndrome. She was born July 19, 1936 in Norfolk, VA to Carroll M. Rodgers and Beulah P. Rodgers (Smith) and grew up in segregated Portsmouth, VA, graduating from I.C. Norcom High School in 1954. La Francis earned a bachelor’s degree from Morgan State University (then College) in 1958, a master’s degree from Fisk University in 1960, and a doctorate from the University of Iowa in 1964, all in the fi eld of sociology.

Dr. Rodgers-Rose taught sociology and African-American Studies for more than 30 years at various colleges and universities, including St. Olaf College, Case Western Reserve University, Rutgers University, the University of Pennsylvania, and Drew University. She taught at Princeton University for 15 years and introduced the university’s fi rstever course on the Black woman in 1975.

Dr. Rodgers-Rose lectured extensively on Black history and culture, the Black woman, Black family, Black identity, rites of passage, and cultural diversity. She edited the acclaimed volume The Black Woman in 1980, the fi rst, comprehensive social science book published in Black Women Studies on the Black woman by Black women.

Dr. La Francis Rodgers-Rose was past national president of the Association of Black Sociologists, past national president of the Association of Social Behavioral Scientists, and founder and president emerita of the International Black Women’s Congress. She was an active member of social,

cultural, historical, and community organizations and received numerous honors and awards over the years, including being named a Fulbright Fellow to Africa and a Distinguished Sociology Scholar.

Dr. Rodgers-Rose was a member of Iota Phi Lambda Sorority, Inc. and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. In 1993, she was enstooled as Nana Obaapanyin Akosua Asantewaa Ofosua I of Aburi, Ghana.

Dr. Rodgers-Rose was given the gift of life when she received a heart transplant on October 19, 2002.

She was preceded in death by her parents and fi ve of her siblings. She is survived by her sister, Cynthia Rodgers; children Henry D. Rose (Cleo), Valija C. Rose (Daniel Blue), and adopted son, Brian Williams; six grandchildren, two greatgrandchildren, and a host of nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends.

A memorial service to honor the legacy of Dr. La Francis RodgersRose will be held on November 24, 2024 at 12 p.m. at Metropolitan Funeral Service, 120 W. Berkley Ave, Norfolk, VA. The Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. Omega Omega ceremony will start at 11 a.m. The memorial service will be live streamed via Metropolitan’s website. In lieu of flowers, contribute to Donate Life at https://donatelife. net/how-you-can-help/ contribute/give-to-dla/ and consider signing up to become an organ donor.

VIRGINIA

VIRGINIA BEACH

BEACH RECOGNIZES

Spearheaded by Councilmember Dr. Amelia Ross-Hammond, the City has instituted a program to install signs recognizing the rich history of the city’s 14 historic African-American neighborhoods.

On Sunday, November 17, the first of the neighborhood signs was dedicated to identify the historic Beechwood community. It is located at the corner of Pleasure House Road and First Court Road next to Morning Star Baptist Church. Dates for three upcoming neighborhood sign dedications have not been finalized; however, they are for the Burton Station, New Light and Queen City communities.

Councilmember Dr. Ross-Hammond observed that many long-standing African-American neighborhoods lacked entrance signs designating their name and location. Concerned that the history of these neighborhoods could be forgotten by younger generations, she championed the sign program as a way of preserving their past and recognizing these neighborhoods as examples of Black economic self-empowerment.

“This isn’t just Black history,” explains Ross-Hammond. “It’s American history. These neighborhoods

played an integral role in the foundation of our city. These communities and the people who lived there over the years made a tremendous impact on Virginia Beach and beyond, from music and fashion icon Pharell Williams to State Senator Aaron Rouse.”

At the end of fiscal year 2023-24, City Manager Patrick Duhaney provided each councilmember with a $150,000 budget to use at his or her discretion for a project in their district. Ross-Hammond elected to use her funds not just for District 4, but to benefit historic African-American communities throughout the city. Her hope is that the program helps to preserve the past, while also recognizing the resilience of these neighborhoods and their residents.

Signs at the threshold of the four communities – Beechwood, Burton Station, New Light, and Queen City –are under construction. Plans call for additional funding in future budget cycles to construct or improve signs at all 14 historic African-American neighborhoods in Virginia Beach.

The 14 historic African-American neighborhoods in Virginia Beach developed in the late 19th and early 20th centuries under racial segregation. These communities were significantly affected by post-Civil War Reconstruction, Jim Crow laws, voter suppression, the Civil Rights movement, and limited access to municipal services – events that impacted both individual livelihoods and the fate of the neighborhoods.

Dedication ceremonies for the next three neighborhood signs, with dates and times to be finalized, are:

• A sign at the Burton Station neighborhood to be located at the corner of Burton Station Road and Northampton Boulevard.

• A sign for the New Light community to be located on Indian River Road just past Regent University near the intersection of Church Street and next to New Light Full Gospel Baptist Church.

• A sign at Queen City to be located at the corner of Tamer Avenue and Queen City Road.

For more information about each of the 14 neighborhoods and updates on the sign installations, visit VirginiaBeach. gov/HistoricNeighborhoods.

The signs have a brick base and two columns flanking a concrete face. Each displays the name of the neighborhood and beneath it the words, “An AfricanAmerican Historic Community.” Both are spelled out in oil-rubbed bronze lettering.

WE ARE THE WORLD: 2024 ELECTION UPDATE

By Sean C. Bowers

The passing of worldfamous musical producer Quincy Jones the same week as the Presidential election showed the world that as beautiful as our country is in so many wonderful ways, she still has some ageold fault lines attacking her overall beauty from within. The Black/White divide was augmented with a new reality; where the GREEN$$$ and the bottom line collide.

America’s beauty is always in the eye of the beholder. I have to constantly remind myself that the Republican Right, winners of all three branches of governmental power in a historic sweep, see this as their beautiful coming of age for their MAGA movement. To them, this is their version of an American “heaven.”

Our task now is far from over to help America become her BEST-better than EVER BEFORE.

We are painfully reminded that the American beauty of her moral arc that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. referred to is much longer than we thought, hoped, hungered, believed, and ever dreamed. Our words, deeds, thoughts, actions and responses now become our badges we honor going forward to those of opposing views. In response to the outcome we have to reckon with the two information silos and their different perspectives. Traditional mediums such as television, radio, newspapers, Cable TV, magazines and political ground games won’t reach the masses like they used

to.

The Internet and semi-smart phones have weaseled their way past the formerly trusted news media networks, broadcast platforms and sources. This election showed we must find ways to collaborate with the other sources of information to engage the conversation of similar goals, ideals, ground-working our way up from there. Republicans won’t ever come to us and we know that. The future depends on the common ground and common sense, we both acknowledge and build forward from.

My choice is to support America and America’s choice for President, while praying that 47 will finally honor his oath to all Americans, our country and God.

If that sounds like surrender, it is more of my taking a mental health break from the non-stop ten-year tenure of mental fatigue and battery CONCUSSINS that won’t now be allowed to negatively impact my positive outlook, writings, and overall offerings to the world.

If the Washington Post continues its factchecking lie confirming count, monitoring our 47th

When our nation comes to grips with a way to represent all of us and we learn to work cooperatively together, we may experience lasting peace.

President, I can then shift and lift my focus, not only out of self-preservation, but into thoughts of beautiful motivations, devotions, faithfulness to my family, my country and my work.

Our future is what we make it. Now is the time to roll up our sleeves and begin, after doing the hard self-evaluation processes to determine where we can meet in the middle to convey our shared love of our country, America, the beautiful.

We will honor ourselves and our ancestors by continuing to “keep on keeping on” and creating our JOY when and where we can.

Famed rapper, Tupac Shakur, wrote some earthshattering poetry before his passing about being the rose growing up through a concrete sidewalk. We are all seeded American fields of roses, growing up and blooming, strong and proud, past any asphalt assault attempting to block us, our progress, growth, or resolve.

We must be astute and equally resolute. America’s future depends on our being able to create a way that the Right comes to better understand and deal with our perspectives more clearly.

When our nation comes to grips with a way to represent all of us and we learn to work

cooperatively together, we may experience lasting peace.

As God is our witness, we will now study how well the nation does with the Right in full control of the three branches, four if you count the Supreme Court. That means that we, those of us in the fourth estate-the press- must shoulder the weight of all of the above. The Right is on the clock, with no fall back, no back up, or excuses. We must pray, day by day, that we continue to honor Quincy Jones’ view of Americans being the ultimate, as in his “We Are The World,” loving impact project. The world needs American leadership, empathy, and involvement and depends on our resolve and initiative more than ever. We must power on moving forward on high purposefully even though the climb has steepened and our commitment had deepened. Resolved! Sean C. Bowers has written for The New Journal and Guide, CHAMPIONING overcoming racism, sexism, classism, and religious persecution. More of his work can found by searching “Sean C. Bowers” on the NJ&G website, on social media at Linkedin.com or by e-mail V1ZUAL1ZE@aol. com NNPA 2019 Publisher of the Year, Brenda H. Andrews (NJ&G 39 years) has always been his publisher.

Sean C. Bowers

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

JESUS: REDEEMER MOMENTS of MEDITATION

Hebrews: 2:5-18

One of the great mysteries of scripture is that when Jesus walked on this earth, He was both true God and true Man. Theologians teach the doctrine of Incarnation; the world scoffs at it; Christians accept it by faith. Some may wonder if the Incarnation was necessary, or even important.

This week’s scripture focuses on Christ as the Son of Man. Specifically, the Son of Man in this passage is our Redeemer, tasting “death for everyone” (2:9). The doctrine of atonement is the basic truth of salvation.

Christ became the Son of Man that we might become sons of God. He came to earth that we might go to heaven. He bore our sins that we might partake of His righteousness.

JESUS ASSURES

MAN’S FUTURE

GLORY. The author often uses the antithetical words but and yet (2:6, 8, 9). Angels were not given sovereignty over “the world to come” (2:5) – but it is man who has been given a

destined sovereignty. That sovereignty is attended by a crown of glory and honor; it involves authority over nature and all created things (2:6-8). God “left nothing that is not subject to Him (2:8b). Because of sin, all things are not subject to Him now. Christ came to restore what man had lost through sin. He was made, for a little while lower than the angels that He might taste death for everyone and bring many souls back to God.

GOD PROVIDES MAN’S PRESENT SANCTIFICATION. In Hebrews 2:9, we read about Christ dying for us, that “He might taste death for everyone.” Then, in verse 10, we read about the work God gave His Son. His is a continuous ministry – that of “bringing many sons to glory.” This is the work of sanctification (making holy), accomplished by Christ the sanctifier (2:11). A sinner is sanctified by position the moment he or she is born again. This new person is then led by the

Holy Spirit to a hunger for Christ likeness in a daily walk and a faith which appropriates God’s gracious provision of sanctifying grace. It is not difficult in these verses to feel the intimacy of the Father-Son-believers relationship. Our union with Christ is declared by Him (2:11-13). Christ can identify with people because He experienced our suffering.

The physical agony of being scourged was intense. Thongs on the whips were weighted with jagged pieces of bones or metal. Jesus’ physical torture on the cross was also agonizing in the extreme.

At Golgothia the soldiers flung Jesus to the ground and stretched His arms upon the crossbar. The executioner took a spike about 1/3” thick at its head and drove it with a single blow between the wrist bones, at the heel of the victim’s hand (not through the palm).

Edwin R. Bloomquist, MD, explains that the tissue of the palm “cannot bear weight, and [if mailed through the palms] the victim would drop to the ground within minutes after being elevated.”

Dr. Bloomquist further explains that the feet were nailed (through the second metacarpal space) in order to give the victim a cruel “step” to support himself so the he could breathe. As the hours wore on, the

body became soaked with perspiration, thirst became intense and the pain and shock were unbearable.

When the victim’s legs were broken (John 19:32), he was prevented from lifting Himself to breathe and he quickly died. Since Jesus had already dismissed His Spirit that measure was unnecessary (19:33).

We surely need to reflect more on the price paid for our salvation. Christ suffered physically for us; He tasted physical death for us (Hebrews 2:9). But by far, His greatest suffering was in taking man’s sin upon Himself (see 2 Corinthians 5:21; 2 Peter 2:24).

JESUS BREAKS MAN’S BONDAGE. In Hebrews 2:14-18, we read about man’s three great problems: death, sin and temptation. 1. Death (2:1416). Everyone has an appointment with death and fears it. Jesus became a Man so that He could die for humanity. Through that death, made effective by His resurrection, He tendered the devil – who had the power of death –inoperative and powerless (2:14). His defeat of Satan brought deliverance for all believers, referred to in verse 16 as descendants of Abraham. Christians have no need to fear death (1 Corinthians 15:55-57).

Because Satan is a prominent personality in Hebrews, we should make

a brief study of him. Satan is man’s worst enemy. He is a fearful being – powerful, cunning, wicked- constantly seeking the ruination of souls. Many things about the devil are only partially revealed. His name, Satan, means “adversary” which accurately identifies our enemy. Satan moves in two realms. He is the head of the domain of evil spirits (Luke 11:14-18; Matthew 25:41), and he is lord over the world of lost humanity (1 Peter 5:8; Ephesians 6:11-18; 1 Thessalonians 2:18). Satan’s chief weapon is deception (2 Corinthians 11:3; Revelation 12:9), and his chief goal is to be worshiped (Matthew 4:9). Only in God’s strength can we hope to successfully face him.

Throughout the world’s history, Satan has deceived and tried to ruin mankind. But at Calvary, his dominion received its death blow. By Christ’s death, Satan’s power was utterly undermined and destroyed (Hebrews 2:14). Eternal fire is prepared for him and his angels (Matthew 25:41).

Satan today continues his attack on God’s people. We who have been delivered from his domain of darkness (Colossians 1:13) should constantly remember that he is still permitted to fi ght against us. Our victory is promised, but we must heed the

commands of God (such as: 1 Peter 5:8; Ephesians 4:27; 6:11; James 4:7). 2. Sin (2:17). The problem is “the sins of people” (2:17). The people are believers – the descendants of Abraham mentioned in verse 16. Their sins alienate them from a Holy God. People can only be restored to fellowship when they return to God’s will and care. Only the sinless Christ can intercede for us as our High Priest.

To stand in place of believers as their High Priest, Jesus had to be true Man (2:17).

3. Temptations (2:18). Jesus can sympathize with our weaknesses because He was tempted in all things, just as we are, yet without committing sin. He can therefore help us when we are tempted. As mentioned before, the small word but is a key word in the Gospel of Salvation. For example, “the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23). The plight of people as depicted in Hebrews 2:5-18 is their helplessness in the face of death and the devil.

But we see Jesus, the Son of Man, our Redeemer, dying for us (2:5-9) and identifying with us (2:1013). He did this in order to destroy the devil and live triumphantly in and through us.

CHURCH ADs & DIRECTORY

CHURCH RATES

Welcoming all to join us in our Bible-based service!

JUDITH JAMISON

LEGENDARY ARTISTIC DIRECTOR OF ALVIN AILEY AMERICAN DANCE THEATER, DIES AT 81

By Stacy M. Brown Senior National Correspondent

@StacyBrownMedia

NNPA NEWSWIRE

Renowned dancer and choreographer Judith Jamison, who led the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater for over two decades, passed away on Saturday in New York at 81. Jamison’s death occurred at New YorkPresbyterian Weill Cornell Medical Center after a brief illness, according to Christopher Zunner, managing director of public relations at the dance company.

“We remember and are grateful for her artistry, humanity, and incredible light, which inspired us all,” Zunner stated.

Born on May 10, 1943, in Philadelphia, Jamison discovered her love for dance early on, beginning lessons at age six at the Judimar School of Dance in her hometown. Encouraged initially to study the piano and violin, Jamison gravitated toward ballet, later training under African-American dance pioneer Katherine Dunham. She attended Germantown High School and briefly enrolled at Fisk University before dedicating herself to dance and kinesiology studies at the Philadelphia Dance Academy.

Jamison joined the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in 1965, quickly becoming a celebrated figure in modern dance when few Black women held prominence in the field. Her defining moment came in 1971 with the premiere of Cry, a 17-minute solo created by Alvin Ailey as a tribute “to all Black women everywhere – especially our mothers.” This piece became a hallmark of the Ailey troupe and earned Jamison international acclaim. Alvin Ailey later wrote of Jamison’s performance, “With Cry, she became herself. Once she found this contact, this release, she poured her being into everybody who came to see her perform.”

In addition to her iconic work with Ailey’s company, Jamison performed with global ballet companies, including

Photo: Courtesy

the San Francisco Ballet, Swedish Royal Ballet, and Vienna State Ballet, and even graced the Broadway stage in Sophisticated Ladies alongside Gregory Hines. She began her choreography work in the 1980s, premiering her fi rst ballet, Divining, with the Ailey company in 1984 and launching her dance group, The Jamison Project Dance Company, in 1988.

Following Ailey’s death in 1989, Jamison took over as the artistic director of his company, steering it through a period of profound growth and establishing its fi rst permanent home, the Joan Weill Center for Dance. She also founded a partnership with Fordham University, creating a joint Bachelor of Fine Arts program to support a multicultural dance curriculum.

Throughout her career, Jamison received numerous

FUN PUZZLE FOR YOUR LEISURE

Even after stepping down as artistic director in 2011, Jamison continued to inspire and guide the Ailey troupe as artistic director Emerita.

honors, including the National Medal of Arts and a Kennedy Center Honor, recognizing her contribution to the arts and her role in broadening the visibility of Black dancers and choreographers. Her legacy is preserved in her autobiography, Dancing Spirit, and her choreography, which remains foundational to the company’s repertoire.

Even after stepping down as artistic director in 2011, Jamison continued to inspire and guide the Ailey troupe as artistic director Emerita.

Reflecting on her role as Ailey’s successor, Jamison once said, “I felt prepared to carry [the company] forward. Alvin and I were like parts of the same tree. He, the roots and the trunk, and we were the branches. I was his muse. We were all his muses.”

MAGIC MEETS CULTURE: Tiana’s Bayou Adventure Brings Joy To Disneyland!

By Dawn Montgomery

Disneyland welcomed guests and the press to attend a grand opening ceremony where attendees visited New Orleans Square and Tiana’s Bayou Adventure.

Celebrating the culture and spirit of this music-loving land, guests enjoyed classic attractions, authentic dining, entertainment, shopping, and more. The land features fresh additions inspired by Tiana’s story from Walt Disney Animation Studios’ “The Princess and the Frog,” including Eudora’s Chic Boutique featuring Tiana’s Gourmet Secrets retail shop and her restaurant, Tiana’s Palace.

Tiana’s Bayou Adventure ride replaced Splash Mountain and was inspired by Disney’s first Black Princess. Music and signs convey the message of inclusivity – “Everyone is welcome!” – surrounding the water ride. “We wanted to give that feeling for everyone coming off of the ride, we are better together,” says Josef Lemoine, senior story editor at Walt Disney Imagineering. “The story as a whole is all about getting everybody together and also to find those individuals who might be overlooked.”

Released in 2009, the film

“The Princess and the Frog” celebrates the rich music and culture of New Orleans. The film portrays the resilience of Black families and emphasizes how a shared love for food can bridge gaps and connect people. Disneyland

Released in 2009, the film “The Princess and the Frog” celebrates the rich music and culture of New Orleans.

guests can now experience a continuation of this storyline as they ride through Tiana’s Bayou Adventure. The initial planning for this ride started back in 2019. “Then the world changed,” said Carmen Smith, a senior vice president who heads inclusion strategies for Disney Imagineering, referring to the COVID-19 pandemic and the murder of George Floyd.

“Life lets you know when it’s time for something to give birth to a concept, and it was without hesitation that leadership came together and said, you’ve been working on it; you’ve got an idea. Let’s move forward on this.” Disney’s commitment to keeping up with the times is clear in attractions like Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, which shows they’re listening to their audience. With the increasing demand for unique experiences, Tiana’s Bayou Adventure gives Disney an edge over other amusement parks across the country. Bring your family and friends to Disneyland and Walt Disney World Resort to experience this new ride and exciting cultural experience.