NJG-Volume-124_No-04_January_25_2024

NEWJOURNAL & GUIDE Serving Norfolk, Portsmouth, Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, Suffolk & The Peninsula

Vol. 124, No. 4 | $1.50

January 25, 2024 - January 31, 2024

Publishing since 1900 ... that no good cause shall lack a champion and evil shall not thrive unopposed.

www.thenewjournalandguide.com

RIVERS CASINO PORTSMOUTH CELEBRATES ONE-YEAR AS VIRGINIA’S FIRST CASINO

Before There Was Any History …There Was Black History RICHMOND The Ẹlẹgba Folklore Society’s Cultural Center at 101 E Broad St. in Richmond, will showcase The Kemetic Collection, during Black History Month. This exhibition includes artifacts, photographs, and material culture from ancient Egypt which was originally known as Kemet.

The collection titled Before There Was Any History, There Was Black History: The Kemetic Collection will be on view beginning Friday, February 2 with an opening reception from 5 to 9 p.m. It will be displayed as an infusion of expressive art into Ẹlẹgba Folklore Society’s permanent collection through February 29.

From architecture and engineering marvels to mathematics, from spirituality to its artistic expressions, from Kings and Queens of an ancient past to artifacts, decor, adornment and fashion, visitors can learn the influences of Kemet (a.k.a.

Egypt) on the shaping of the world.

Located in the downtown arts district, Ẹlẹgba Folklore Society’s Cultural Center’s visitors are invited to experience, browse and

PORTSMOUTH Rivers Casino Portsmouth recently marked its first year on Victory Boulevard as Virginia’s first permanent casino.

With much fanfare, Rivers Casino Portsmouth opened its doors on January 23, 2023. The casino introduced a new industry to the region, creating 1,300 permanent jobs, with a focus on local hires.

With a $340 million investment, Rivers Casino Portsmouth has generated over $42 million in state and local taxes within its first year. Also, the casino has supported local Virginia businesses, vendors, and suppliers, contributing approximately $10 million annually in new local commerce.

On Saturday morning, January 20, the first year anniversary was observed with a historic Time Capsule Ceremony that featured remarks and time capsule presentations. Those participating were Roy Corby, general manager of Rivers Casino Portsmouth; Tim Drehkoff, chief executive officer of Rivers Casino Portsmouth and Rush Street Gaming; Senator L. Louise Lucas, President Pro Tempore, Senate of

The casino introduced a new industry to the region, creating 1,300 permanent jobs, with a focus on local hires.

Virginia; Speaker Don Scott Jr., Virginia House of Delegates; Shannon Glover, Mayor of Portsmouth; Dr. Marcia Conston, President of Tidewater Community College (TCC); and Melissa Ramsey, director of community relations, Rivers Casino Portsmouth.

The sealed time capsule will be buried near the casino’s water feature until January 23, 2073. It encapsulates significant artifacts, including a groundbreaking shovel, ribboncutting scissors from the grand opening, and items highlighting the casino’s onemillionth and two-millionth customers. ...see Casino, page 7A

REPORT SHOWS POLICE KILLINGS ROSE IN 2023

By Rosaland Tyler Associate Editor New Journal and Guide

Photo: Courtesy

Black History Papyrus, Aswan, Egypt buy.

On February 17 at 3 p.m., the 3rd Saturday Documentaries, a regular program at Ẹlẹgba Folklore Society’s Cultural Center, presents Egyptologist, Anthony T. Browder and Why Kemet Matters: The

Reclamation of African Culture.

Admission is free. A discussion will follow.

More details will be posted at efsinc. org; @efsinc and @ ElegbaFolkloreSociety. Or call: (804) 644-3900.

Alpha Day On The Hill 2024

More people were actually shot and killed by police officers in 2023 which increased the number of overall killings by 19 percent during an 11-year span, according to a new report titled, “Mapping Police Violence.”

More than 1,300 people in 2023 were killed by police, including a Black man in Memphis. In Virginia deputies fatally smothered a Black patient at a state mental hospital. Families of both of these victims received landmark legal settlements.

The number of individuals killed by gunfire and number of officers killed in the line of duty declined, according to data from the Gun Violence

Archives. However, there was an increase in the number of police officers shot.

“We’ve seen it stay similar or even creep up a little bit at times when crime was falling or at times when crime was increasing,” Justin Nix, a criminal justice professor at

the University of Nebraska Omaha, said in a recent USA Today interview.

“We saw it persist throughout a global pandemic when people were staying home for several weeks, months,” Nix said. ...see Police, page 7A

DEXTER KING’S DEATH HIGHLIGHTS BLACK MEN AND PROSTATE CANCER

By New Journal and Guide Staff NORFOLK The recent death of Dexter Scott King, the youngest son and the third child of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Mrs. Coretta Scott King, brings attention once again to the health Photo: Courtesy of Ken Sutton issue of prostate cancer and Black men.

NORFOLK King, age 62, passed Newly installed Speaker of the House of Delegates Don Scott addresses Alpha men during their Monday, January 22, 2024, January 18 visit to the State Legislature. More than 100 Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity members from after a valiant battle with around the state were present to lobby their State Legislators. prostate cancer, his wife said, just a week after the world celebrated the 95th birthday of his slain father.

“He transitioned peacefully in his sleep at home with me in Malibu,” said his wife of 11 years, Leah Weber King. “He WASHINGTON, D.C. – HUD’s 2023 gave it everything and Annual Homeless Assessment Report, reveals a battled this terrible disease distressing 12% surge in homelessness since 2022. until the end. As with all the challenges in his life, Individuals identifying as Black accounted for 37% he faced this hurdle with of the homeless population. ...see ... see page 6A bravery and might,” she

Homelessness Surges In America

Dr. Bernice King’s scheduled appearance at ODU this week was immediately cancelled to be rescheduled.

Dexter Scott King said.

His sister Rev. Dr. Bernice A. King, CEO of The King Center stated “words cannot express the heart break I feel from losing another sibling. I’m praying for strength to get through this very difficult time.” His brother Martin Luther King, III added ‘‘the sudden shock is devastating.

It is hard to have the right words at a moment like this.

We ask for your prayers at

this time for the entire King family.“ Dr. Bernice King was scheduled to speak in Norfolk at Old Dominion University on January 23 to deliver the keynote address at the University’s 39th Annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Observance.

ODU announced it would welcome Dr. King for its 2025 celebration event with a confirmed date to be announced as soon as possible. ...see King, page 7A

New Journal and Guide

2A | January 25, 2024 - January 31, 2024

Biden Unveils New Sweeping Student Loan Debt National Day of Action For Black Men Relief Measures, Surpassing 3.7 Million Beneficiaries

By Stacy M. Brown Project Launched BOSTON, MA Facing a year of historic political divisiveness, economic uncertainty and geopolitical instability, Black activists, advocates, and community leaders from across the country chose Martin Luther King, Jr, Day 2024 to announce the launch of the National Day of Action for Black Men. The purpose of the Day of Action is to identify, call out and uproot the systemic challenges facing Black men in the United States.

Participants will engage with elected officials, organize and attend public meetings, lead street demonstrations, and join community education sessions in cities across the nation on March 6, 2024.

Organizing is already underway in Boston, New York, Chicago, Atlanta, Philadelphia and other communities across the country.

“Too often, Black men are cast as the ‘problem’ or relegated to observer status when critical decisions are made about addressing systemic inequity. The National Day of Action for Black Men moves us from being the object of public policy to driving change,” Dan Delaney, founding member of the National Advocacy Day for Black Men Committee, stated. “No one is going to rescue us, if we don’t act collectively to claim our space in civil society, we’ll continue to see the

same patterns of inequity in health, criminal justice and economic development.”

As the National Advocacy Day for Black Men Committee (NADBMC) builds towards the March 6th event, its focus is on engaging, training and motivating Black men to act collectively in their own interest and in the interest of the communities in which they live.

“It’s not just about solving the problems facing Black men. It’s about Black men acting to solve the problems facing America.” Horace Small, creator of NADBMC, stated. “When the Day of Action is over, we’ll have a cohort of leaders who are ready and willing to stay engaged in solving some of our country’s toughest challenges.”

For More Information Contact National Press Coordinator Daniel Delaney at (617) 2516774 or Matthew Parker at the offices of the National Black Men’s Advocacy Network at (617) 9427577.

ASSISTANT TO THE PUBLISHER: Desmond Perkins ASSOCIATE EDITOR: Rosaland Tyler CHIEF REPORTER EMERITUS: Leonard E. Colvin STAFF REPORTER: Melissa Spellman PRODUCTION: Tony Holobyte New Journal and Guide (USPS 0277560/ISSN 8096) is published weekly on Thursday for $50 per year, $30 per year for six months by New Journal and Guide Publishing, Incorporated,5127 East Va. Beach Blvd., Suite 100, Norfolk, VA 23510. Periodicals Postage Paid at Norfolk, VA 23501. Postmaster: Send address changes to New Journal and Guide, P.O. Box 209, Norfolk, VA 23501. The New Journal and Guide is not responsible for any unsolicited manuscripts, photographs or related materials.

through various actions,” Biden said in a statement on Jan. 19.

The beneficiaries of the latest round of relief include nearly 44,000 teachers, nurses, firefighters, and other public service professionals who have earned forgiveness after a decade of dedicated service. Additionally, close to 30,000 individuals who have been in repayment for at least 20 years without receiving relief through income-driven repayment plans will now see their debts forgiven.

Biden credited the success of these relief efforts to the corrective measures taken to address broken student loan programs. He asserted that these fixes have removed barriers preventing

borrowers from accessing the relief they were entitled to under the law.

The president outlined the broader achievements of his administration in supporting students and borrowers, including achieving the most significant increases in Pell Grants in over a decade, aimed at assisting families with incomes below approximately $60,000 per year. Other accomplishments include fixing the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program and introducing the most generous income-driven repayment plan in history, known as the SAVE plan, he said. Borrowers are encouraged to apply for this plan at studentaid.gov.

In response to challenges,

including the Supreme Court’s decision on the student debt relief plan, Biden affirmed the administration’s commitment to finding alternative paths to deliver relief to as many borrowers as possible, as quickly as possible.

“From Day One of my administration, I vowed to improve the student loan system so that higher education provides Americans with opportunity and prosperity, not the unmanageable burdens of student loan debt,” Biden asserted. “I won’t back down from using every tool at our disposal to get student loan borrowers the relief they need to reach their dreams.”

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

Norfolk Division Pinched

By Gov. Battle’s Budget

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

NNPA NEWSWIRE President Biden continues to make significant strides in alleviating the student loan debt crisis, announcing the approval of debt cancellation for an additional 74,000 student loan borrowers. The latest action contributes to the record-breaking relief the administration has provided to more than 3.7 million Americans.

Earlier this month, Biden announced the accelerated implementation of a crucial provision under the Student Aid for Voluntary Education (SAVE) plan, which the administration said has helped 3.6 million Americans by canceling their student debt. Biden said the plan aims to create a more affordable student loan repayment structure while providing life-changing support to students and their families.

“Today, my administration approved debt cancellation for another 74,000 student loan borrowers across the country, bringing the total number of people who have had their debt canceled under my administration to over 3.7 million Americans

From The Guide’s Archives January 26, 1952 Edition of the Guide

NEW JOURNAL AND GUIDE P.O. Box 209, Norfolk,VA 23501 Phone: (757) 543-6531 Fax: (757) 543-7620

Senior National Correspondent @StacyBrownMedia

NORFOLK With its present facilities already inadequate and with a new building program scheduled to start soon, The Norfolk Division of Virginia State College was virtually put out in the cold this week as the request for the division of $3,056,200 in capital improvement funds was cut down to $818,000.

Despite the fact that the Governor John H. Battle (Dem.) did ask the General Assembly for $818,000, “he has not really given us one penny,” said a spokesman for the local college division.

The $818,000 which Governor Battle recommended was unexpended capital improvement funds left from the 1950-52 biennium.

Unless the General Assembly raises upward the Governor’s recommendation, the Norfolk Division will be unable to commence, in 1952 the building programs along the lines worked out by the state’s architect and planners.

In effect Governor Battle’s recommendations would require the college to erect an administration building (Brown Hall) for which $1,148,500 was asked for, a little more than half that amount $640,000.

This building was to include classroom and library facilities. $640,000 was requested for a vocational building.

The Governor recommended $178, 900, a little more than one fourth of the amount requested.

Not included in the budget were several items: $36,200 for equipment; $600,000 for a home economics building, cafeteria and health center; $500,00 for a gymnasium and ROTC building; $600,000 for an auditorium and music classroom building; and $300,000 for land and other structures.

One bright spot in the picture was the fact that two years ago, when Governor Battle recommended an appropriation of $328,000, the legislature voted for $818,000.

Officials at the college were hoping that an increase from this source might be forth coming this year.

A present peak load in the present high school enrollment might well mean an increased enrollment at the college next

year, the college spokesman said. He also indicated that Norfolk County and Princess Anne County High Schools had no graduating classes last year under the new high school set up.

He said these schools would have graduates this year and they would also form part of a moderately increased demand for facilities at the college.

A new GI Bill for Korean Veterans, if passed, soon would probably make for a substantial increase in enrollment similar to what occurred following World War II, he said.

Ceremonies Mark 70th Anniversary of Virginia State PETERSBBURG, VA “Neither Russia nor any other power can conquer and rule the world,” Dr. Rufus E. Clements, president of Atlanta University, declared Friday night at ceremonies celebrating the seventieth anniversary of the founding of Virginia State College.

President Clements, who spoke on the subject of “Assurances for the Future,” recalled as a lesson in history the ultimate collapse of power figures like Alexander and Napolean. “No individual and no empire have ever ruled the world,” he averred. Asserting the impossibility of a rule by force, he declared for “the ultimate triumph of the good, the right and the true.”

In addition to the lesson of history, President Clements found assurance, in the great literature of the world as a guarantee for the future of the moral structure of the universe. He stressed the importance of the individuals in shaping affairs. “The future of Virginia State College, of race relations in America, the future of the world in which we live will be fashioned by you and ‘other you’s’ as we go forth into tomorrow.”

Earlier on during the program’s Founders Day, greetings were brought by Dr. Robert P. Daniel, president of the college. President Daniel urged faculty and students to be “mindful of the struggles and difficulties of these who footsteps we walk.”

25th Street USO Gets Ready For Big Opening NEWPORT NEWS Extensive renovations are being made at 558 25th Street where after completed, will be the site of the USO on the

Five Negro Members of The 88th Congress

The 88th Congress, just getting underway, has already made important history if for no reason other than for the first time in modern time, there are five Negro members in the House of Representatives.

The “Big five” got together recently in the Office of the Speaker of the House.

From Left to right: William L. Dawson, Illinois; August F. Hawkins, California; city Vyvyan (correct spelling) C. Pritchett, new director, is making preparations for the opening which is approximately eight weeks away.

A large group of volunteer junior hostesses are an important and integral part of the programs, according to Pritchett. They cooperate in promoting some activities for the men and women in the Armed Forces and assist in the general USO program, she said.

Age limits for junior hostesses are 18-30 years.

However young ladies 17-years-old may participate if they have the consent of their parents. Registration begins Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Half Million Dollars High School Is First Project SUFFOLK The first project to get underway in Suffolk’s Three Point School building program is a new Colored high school estimated at over a half million dollars. Bids for its constructions will be opened on February 12.

The new facility was given priority over the other two projects because of the overcrowding and the high rate of dropouts at the Colored school. By increasing the facilities and academic offerings for high school pupils, it is hoped that the city

Adam Clayton Powell, New York; Robert Nix, Pennsylvania and Charles C. Diggs, Jr, Michigan. Rep Hawkins took office for the first time this session. This is believed to be the first picture made of the five Negro Congressmen together.

(Editor’s Note: today there are 60 African-American members in the 118th U.S. Congress today)

will exercise a greater holding power over its students.

Records show that between eight to ten percent of all high school students drop out before graduation.

An alarming situation arose about three years ago when 47 out of 291 pupils enrolled dropped out before the school year was over.

When the new building is completed the present Booker T. Washington High School will be converted into an elementary school relieving overcrowding in the Andrew J. Brown Elementary school. At present Brown and Booker T. schools are the only Colored school in the city.

In an interview last week with the superintendent of schools, W. R. Savage, Jr., it was revealed that plans for the school building programs were an outgrowth of a study made by lay people and the school board. The study began in 1948. Other projects in the program include a new While elementary school and an annex to the White high school.

The architectural firm of Rudolph, Cooke, and Van Leeuwen of Norfolk have been retained. They designed Norfolk’s half million-dollar D. G. Jacox school The new school will have 14 standard classrooms in addition to rooms for commercial education; natural sciences; instrumental and vocal music; home economics; trade shops; and a

Cosmetology Labaratory.

An auditorium will seat 500. A gym, cafeteria, library and administrative offices will also be included. It will be the first school in the city to have a cafeteria.

It is to be built on a 26acre site between Mapole and Walnut Streets. The recent high school building built in 1928 adjoins the grounds of the elementary school. A four-room annex built four years ago affords additional classroom space for both schools.

January 26, 1963 Edition of the GUIDE Hunton Y Plans Anniversary NORFOLK The board of directors of the Hunton YMCA held its first meeting as an independent governing body Monday night and made plans for celebrating the 75th anniversary of the organization.

A relation between the Hunton and Central YMCA established in 1936 was terminated on January 1 by mutual agreement following collapse of lengthy negotiations during which the Hunton committee of management sought unsuccessfully to gain a greater voice in the operations of the branch.

New Journal and Guide

January 25, 2024 - January 31, 2024 | 3A

New Journal and Guide

4A | January 25, 2024 - January 31, 2024

Here We Go Again!

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

PROFESSOR EMERITUS OF SOCIOLOGY VIRGINIA TECH

AFRICAN-AMERICANS ON THE MANHATTAN PROJECT I saw the movie Oppenheimer recently, and it reminded me that I saw the movie Oppenheimer recently, and African-American scientists worked it reminded me that AfricanAmerican scientists worked on that project to build the atomic on that project to build the atomic bomb, and I knew bomb, and I knew two of them.

By Wornie Reed, Ph.D.

two of them.

This project, called the Manhattan Project, operated at several locations across the country, working on different parts of the project. Most AfricanAmericans worked in the MET Lab in Chicago, which developed plutonium.

Los Alamos, featured in the Oppenheimer film, coordinated the work and brought the pieces into a bomb.

There were 15 or more African-Americans involved in this project.

African-American scientists known to have worked at the laboratories included William Jacob Knox and his brother Lawrence Howland Knox, Lloyd A. Quarterman, Moddie Daniel Taylor, and J. Ernest Wilkins. A second group was classified as technicians as they still needed to complete their doctorates. They included Sherman Carter, Harold Delaney, Ralph GardnerChavis, Jasper Brown Jeffries, Robert Johnson Omohundro, George W. Reed, Edwin R Russell, and Benjamin F. Scott.

I knew two of these men, Benjamin F. Scott and Ralph GardnerChavis. After obtaining bachelor’s degrees in chemistry – Scott at Morehouse and GardnerChavis at the University of Illinois – they went to work as junior chemists at the central facility of the Manhattan Project, The Metallurgical Laboratory, which later became the University of Chicago’s Argonne National Laboratory.

I met and worked with Benjamin Scott in the Black Power Movement.

At the time, he was a retired chemist doing

consulting work. After the war, he worked as a radio chemist and was later chief chemist for the Nuclear Instrument Company and then Technical Director for the New England Nuclear Assay Corporation.

The work at the Manhattan Project was monumental, and it was dangerous. I remember Ben telling me about the time a colleague was exposed to plutonium. When I asked what happened to him, Scott replied, “He just went home to die,” as such exposure was usually fatal.

Ben was one of the Black Unitarian Universalist Caucus (BUUC) leaders when I joined in 1969.

BUUC was heavily involved in the Black Power Movement but is not widely known. It was an effort by Unitarians to push Black empowerment, especially in AfricanAmerican communities.

Among its activities, BUUC was a co-organizer with Amiri Baraka and the Congress of African People to hold the historic Pan-African Conference in Atlanta in 1970. Virtually every major national Black organization – from the Urban League to the Black Muslims – participated.

As a participant in the Manhattan Project, Ralph Gardner-Chavis engaged in highly classified plutonium research, which was crucial in the development of the atomic bomb. Even after holding such a prestigious research position in World War II, Ralph could not find academic or professional work after the conflict ended. Consequently, from 1947 to 1949, he worked as a waiter before finding work as a chemist for Standard Oil Company in

Cleveland. This difficulty in finding employment was undoubtedly one of the reasons only a few African-American students pursued scientific fields.

In 1949, Ralph became a research chemist and project leader at the Standard Oil Company in Ohio, where he designed chemical processes to refine gasoline for nearly 20 years. During this time, he earned a Master’s and Ph.D. from Case Western Reserve University and later led the Department of Chemistry at Cleveland State University (CSU) from 1968 to 1985.

At CSU, Ralph pushed for integrating multiracial courses into the University’s curriculum.

Undoubtedly, this is why every student who completes a bachelor’s degree at CSU must take two courses on the AfricanAmerican experience.

When I joined Cleveland State University in 1991, Ralph was retired but still conducting research in his lab. His passion at that time was pushing the practice of parents reading to their children, even before they were old enough to understand any of the words. He relentlessly aimed to have African-Americans practice and advocate this reading activity.

A footnote: In 1979, an African-American physicist, Walter E. Massey, became director of Argonne National Laboratory, formerly The Metallurgical Laboratory, where scientists did vital work in developing the atom bomb. Massey later became president of Morehouse College and director of the National Science Foundation.

(TRICEEDNEYWIRE.COM) Just when we thought things were getting better around the world, and at home, some of the craziest stuff raised its ugly head not to resolve problems, but to create more.

We were heavily impacted by the Israeli-Hamas tragedy.

Our hearts were broken for friends caught up in a tragedy they didn’t create. Yet, we find ourselves sadly impacted by what happened in Israel and the Israeli response. We were already in disbelief about how much a former President of the U.S. could get away with as we try to teach our children how our democracy should be working, and how they should stay out of trouble when there comes a former President showing the worst of behavior. He disrespects all women, and now Black men. I would ask Black men who are said to be flocking to the side of Donald Trump to reconsider and think about what a disgrace that is, if true.

Black women work so hard for all of our people.

AG Letitia James makes us proud every day for the way she has been handling the case about the despicable way the orange man disrespects her as she works to uphold the law. We should be honoring her for what she is faced with as the trial goes on.

Look at the case against our brilliant sister, Claudine Gay, former President of Harvard University for a brief time, and what happened to her as she sat before a

Despite the changing society we live in, the honor of being a teacher will never change. Knowing that a teacher can shape the young minds of children for a lifetime is a reward in itself. Both the student and society benefits when a teacher is successful in molding future generations and developing future leaders. In many cases, the teaching profession is a family tradition.

K.J. Johnson is a 23-year-old educator in Buna, Texas where he wears multiple hats as a girl basketball coach, special education teacher, in addition to being an anatomy and physiology teacher. The various roles in which he serves his students is what makes him priceless. Johnson comes from a family of educators, including a mother who is a math and science teacher, a father who is a superintendent, a stepmother who is a guidance counselor, and grandmothers who worked as teachers.

The family legacy of teaching is deep-rooted and he was encouraged to pursue it as a career. Young

David W. Marshall Black men like Johnson are defying stereotypes and stepping up to become teachers, but more are needed. Donald Moses, from Houston Texas, never planned on entering the teaching profession. The 25-year-old went to college with the goal of becoming a criminal defense lawyer.

However, Moses was inspired by participating in a college program which served as a pipeline to teaching. Moses later made the decision to became a teacher and he joined Johnson as part of what is becoming a decreasing number of Black men who serve as K-12 classroom teachers.

As of August 2022, there were approximately 36,000 teacher vacancies across the United States.

hostile Congress treating her more like a criminal than the acts on which they defend Trump. I was horrified by the disrespect shown to Dr. Gay and the other women College Presidents listening to Ms. Stefanik. Her rude manner was hard to believe. I had to turn her off to breathe for a while.

Let’s move to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin. He’s been commanded to appear to explain how dare he get sick and not personally get out of his hospital bed to get permission to take care of his health! Even if it’s a law that a sick person has to follow, it must be changed so that the appropriate staff can make the call to interested parties. I can’t imagine how a woman in charge could have an emergency miscarriage and have to say to the doctor, “Wait, I have to call my boss first!” We must have rules, but they should make sense – especially in case of emergencies. Instead of taking time to heal, he’s having to defend himself because of his “failure to notify key government leaders of his recent hospitalization!”

By Marc. H. Morial

21 Pillars take a holistic approach to public safety, the restoration of trust between communities and law enforcement,

and a path forward Marc H. Morial The sheriff’s deputies for meaningful who shot and killed Tony Cox in Michigan last month said had a gun.

He didn’t. The deputies change.

(TRICEEDNEYWIRE.COM) “The only way to get this number down significantly would be to make more significant changes to, you know, what policing means in this country.”

– Justin Nix, Criminal Justice Professor, University of Nebraska Omaha

Children of color need to see themselves in teachers. They need role models who reflect their culture and background.

As the teaching profession becomes more politicized and hostile due to culture wars, will the decrease of Black men entering the teaching profession continue to slide? Not everyone is called to be a teacher, therefore we should encourage and support those who have the passion and drive to do so. Black students who attend public schools are disproportionately taught by teachers from different ethnic or racial backgrounds.

Children of color need to see themselves in teachers.

They need role models who reflect their culture and background.

According to the U.S. Department of Education in 2015 only 2 percent of the public school teachers in the U.S. were Black males. Today that number has dropped to 1.3 percent. The Black male teacher is basically nearing extinction.

As HBCUs produce 50 percent of Black teachers,

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

Give me a break! Is he the only person who can call appropriate officials?

DA Willis dares to get the truth for the people about Trump. What happens when she does her job so well that she gets investigated with attempts to destroy her? Gov. Brian Kemp has opted against a criminal investigation into her private life. This decision comes amidst allegations of Willis’ personal life. Who is Greene to decide on an adult relationship? Is she just frustrated that her husband recently filed for a divorce from her?

Greene’s time would be better spent helping the Capitol Police investigate the 8,000 threats against Congress in the past year.

I’m standing with DA Willis and supporting her right to have a personal life so long as she follows the law in doing her work.

We can’t point a finger at AG James, Dr. Gay, Secretary Austin, or DA Willis, while defending a man with over 90 charges and promises to be a dictator? Vote for the right reason and the right person this November. Think about how women and minorities are constantly having to fight for basic human rights while the orange man works against us and threatens to do the same if he is reelected!

2023 Police Killings Show Need For George Floyd Justice In Policing Act

GETTING BLACK MALES INTO THE K-12 CLASSROOM

By David W. Marshall

Vote for the right reason and the right person this November.

these institutions are recognized as being key players in solving teacher shortages while building a more diverse teaching force around the country.

The tradition of training educators at HBCU’s dates back to the Civil War era as the early HBCU’s were founded as teacher’s colleges. A study released

by DonorsChoose found that HBCU graduates account for some of the most dedicated teachers.

Another research suggest the training found at HBCU’s plays a part in what makes an effective teacher. In North Carolina, Black elementary school students performed better in math when taught by an HBCU-educated teacher.

At Bowie State University, faculty, students and alumni said their training as teachers centered on the importance of building a strong sense of community and connecting with their students as individuals. ...see Classroom, page 5A

said Cox pointed at them with “a two-handed posture.” But in the single still image police released – it’s not clear whether it’s from a body camera or dashboard – Cox is facing away from the camera.

Police in Fayetteville, N.C., who shot and killed DeMarcus Brodie during a traffic stop on Thanksgiving Day haven’t explained why they stopped Brodie, or how the encounter escalated into violence.

Cox and Brodie are two of the 1,329 people killed by police in the United States last year, the deadliest year for police killings since 2013. Black people are three times as likely to be killed by police as white people. Almost 90% of the victims died by gunfire.

It’s no mystery why police killings continue to escalate: the nation is awash in guns, too many police are poorly trained, and most face almost no accountability.

All of these factors point to the urgent need for the nation to adopt the National Urban League’s Pillars for Redefining Public Safety and Restoring Community Trust.

A comprehensive framework for criminal justice advocacy, 21 Pillars takes a holistic approach to public safety, the restoration of trust between communities and law enforcement, and a path forward for meaningful change.

Each of the 21 Pillars centers on five key themes that are fundamental to the protection and preservation of life, dignity, and trust, while also building safer communities: 1.

Collaboration between law enforcement and communities 2. Accountability 3. Reform of divisive policies 4.

Transparency, reporting, and data collection 5.

Improved hiring standards and training.

The George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, which the National Urban League emphatically endorses, would accomplish most of the Pillars on the federal level.

About a quarter of those killed by police last year were in the throes of a mental health crisis.

Address the needs of individuals experiencing mental health crisis is Pillar 4.

Campaign Zero, the criminal justice reform advocacy group that compiled the data, notes that at least 42 percent of the incidents were captured on body-worn cameras, which police often don’t release to the general public. The footage “commonly” contradicts officers’ initial accounts of a fatal encounter. ...see Policing, page 5A

New Journal and Guide

January 25, 2024 - January 31, 2024 | 5A

OP-ED

TRUMP’S UNCHECKED PATH TO THE WHITE HOUSE

By Stacy M. Brown

It indeed says a whole lot that Trump is the clear front-runner to return to office, where he promises that “on day one,” he’ll be a dictator.

Senior National Correspondent @StacyBrownMedia NNPA NEWSWIRE A good parent usually chastises and punishes their child when they’ve egregiously misbehaved.

Jaywalkers get tickets, and murderers have received the death penalty. Generally, no one goes unpunished for breaking the law. Not in the United States. Not unless you are of a particular social and financial status, and the crime, for the most part, isn’t much more than white collar.

But that’s not the case with Donald J. Trump.

Undoubtedly, Trump is the kid who has never been chastised or punished.

And, as a grown-up, and certainly since his false election claim in 2020 and his egging on a deadly riot at the U.S. Capitol, the twiceimpeached and four-times indicted former president hasn’t seen a scintilla of punishment. One could argue that America, or his parents, have rewarded his unprecedented bad behavior.

Just one day before his second sexual assault civil trial was to begin, Trump cruised to a landslide victory in the Iowa caucuses, solidifying his front-runner

Policing Continued from page 4A Mandate the use of dashboard and body-warn cameras and provide public access to the footage is Pillar 15.

Campaign Zero also noted that their research efforts are hampered by the fact that at least than half of police killings are not reported in official government data.

Collection of data on police misconduct and use of force is Pillar 14.

Classroom Continued from page 4A Almost half of the nation’s schools are restrained in teaching on issues concerning race and racism.

This growing opposition to having inclusive curriculums in schools cannot be allowed to weaken the current pipeline from HBCU’s to the K-12 classrooms. Our schools cannot afford further decreases in the number of Black male teachers who may become politically discouraged from entering the profession.

The largely unnoticed crisis is being addressed by the growing number of special programs, such as Summer House and Black Men Teach, whose goals are to encourage Black men in becoming teachers and providing them with the training and preparation that is needed. Both K.J. Johnson and Donald Moses are members of the Summer House Institute, a four week extensive fellowship program where young men are exposed to careers, leaders and networking opportunities related to K-12 education. The fellows

status for the Republican presidential nomination.

As several outlets reported, losing one-term presidents rarely mount subsequent successful primary campaigns, much less pull off landslides that demonstrate utter dominance of their party.

Trump transformed the GOP in 2016. By claiming 50% of the vote in the biggest win in caucus history, putting him on course for his third consecutive nomination, Trump showed that the current GOP is now entirely his party.

President Joe Biden beat Trump in the 2020 general election, 81 million popular votes to 75 million.

And while both numbers were stunning, Trump’s Chuck Wexler, executive director of the Police Executive Research Forum, told USA Today that deescalation training is proven to work, but too few departments have implemented it.

Strengthening police hiring standards and improving training to build integrity and trust is Pillar 20.

“Until that training changes, and until the culture with it changes, that number is going to be way too high,” Wexler said. “We can cut officer involved shootings with the right training.”

are matched with a current Black male educator for guidance and must complete 80 hours of volunteering in K-12 classrooms after their summer experience allowing them significant exposure to the realities of classroom teaching. The Summer House Institute co-founders, Vincent Cobb II and Rashid Coleman, believe that working with college age men who are formalizing their career decisions is the right intervention point for the fellowship program.

When we consider the fact that less than 2 percent of teachers are Black men, it should sound the alarm not just for what this absence means to public education, but what it means to the overall idea of public service. Not only are the schools struggling with recruitment and retention, but the same is true with police departments and the military. Public service still remains an honor, despite the fact less people are willing to do serve.

David W. Marshall is founder of the faith based organization, TRB: The Reconciled Body, and author of the book “God Bless Our Divided America.” He can be reached at www. davidwmarshallauthor.com

TODAY IN BLACK HISTORY

was more telling, as it demonstrated that 75 million could vote for a man who single-handedly destroyed American Democracy, who championed white supremacy, caged babies, mocked the disabled, and called cowards American troops whom the enemy captured. Not all Trump followers are racist, but there’s no doubt that you must be a racist to be a Trump follower.

Biden’s victory over Trump came in part because his slogan, his message, “saving the soul of America,” resonated. It was the first time since President Obama’s “Yes We Can” that Dems had a message folks could understand and get behind. Mainly a message

that the ultimate swing voters, African-Americans, could embrace. During the current campaign, when Biden says there’s a need to “save Democracy,” the message falls flat particularly to African-Americans who have come to a reckoning that Democracy today, like the Confederacy of decades ago, doesn’t work for Black people.

So, what are they saving?

A system that fosters outright racism from politicians, the emphatic truth that Black Lives really don’t matter, and more than 75 million, including a few who were born Black (Ben Carson, Clarence Thomas, Candace Owens, Jason Whitlock, etc.) show the worst of African-Americans with their allegiance to slavery and their slave master Trump.

It indeed says a whole lot that Trump is the clear front-runner to return to office, where he promises that “on day one,” he’ll

be a dictator. He’ll have people – read Black people – shot by police on the spot if they are deemed to have participated in shoplifting or any minor crime. Trump will get rid of the Affordable Care Act, which provides otherwise uninsured Black and poor people with lifesaving healthcare coverage.

He’ll release the seditious, murderous January 6 inmates whom he calls hostages.

Having already banned just about any book with a Black author or one that reveals true American history, Trump will ensure that publishing houses that produce such work will be shut down. That could also mean the Black Press of America, founded in New York 197 years ago before slavery ended in America.

Trump once proudly proclaimed that he could shoot someone on New York’s Fifth Avenue and get away with it. He also exclaimed on national television that he and other

celebrities are allowed to grab a woman, any woman, by their private parts without permission, and it’s okay.

Subsequently, a jury found him civilly responsible for sexual assault, and he currently has 91 felony charges pending against him.

And with a favorable U.S. Supreme Court and three of the justices he put there, Trump is on his way to proving the accuracy of his declarations of committing crimes and getting away with them. America has been good lately about canceling sexual predators, even those who were only accused of sexual assault.

America has been good of late with jailing some of the January 6 perpetrators.

A judge ordered Trump to pay $5 million after being found guilty of sexual assault, another judge is on the verge of ordering Trump to pay more than $250 million for massive business fraud, and evidence recently emerged that Trump probably sold U.S. secrets to foreign entities while in office.

Yet, he swept to victory in Iowa and may easily defeat Biden in November. To Trump, there’s no better parent, none more lenient, than America.

HORTENSE SPENCE WILLIAMS, 95 AREA BUSINESSWOMAN KNOWN AS ENTERPRISING AND GENEROUS PASSES Special to the New Journal and Guide Longtime entrepreneur and activist, Hortense Spence Williams, 95, of Virginia Beach, passed January 10, following a brief illness.

Former Norfolk City Councilman Paul Riddick, recalls meeting Williams when he was nine-years old.

She was one of three women who owned styling shops serving men and women along the street at the time.

“She was a very enterprising and generous woman,” said Riddick.

“She cut everybody’s hair from the famous to the infamous She once had a wall of fame of the pictures of people she served.”

According to her obituary, she was born on February 10, 1928, in Greensville County, Virginia, to Jesse and Fannie Spence.

Williams, a graduate from Greensville County High School, attended St. Paul’s Polytechnical College (later known as St. Paul’s College).

She majored in industrial education. After college, she embraced entrepreneurship, inspired by her father.

She relocated to the Hampton Roads area to stay with her older sister, the late Thelma Edwards, a local educator, married to the late Albert T. Edwards, former principal of I.C. Norcom High School.

Her vision of motivating others to be and look their best prompted her to start working as a manicurist.

She observed barbers and stylists working alongside her in the shop, quickly

Men in the Norfolk area knew where to go to get the “conk” style in the early 1960s, leading to Afros in the late 1960s, Jheri Curls in the 1970s, flat tops, high-top fades, rat tail, etc.

Hortense Spence realizing that she could outperform them. She was ahead of her time as an African-American businesswoman in the 1960s in a male-dominated profession.

She opened Hortense’s Barber Salon, a trailblazing establishment at 908 Church Street, Norfolk in 1960. She expanded the business to include manicurists, cosmetologists, and barbers.

“Hortense’s Salon” was the place to get a haircut and styled. Men in the Norfolk area knew where to go to get the “conk” style in the early 1960s, leading to Afros in the late 1960s, Jheri Curls in the 1970s, flat tops, high-top fades, rat tail, etc.

Williams hired and mentored the best barbers and stylists who stayed up with the fashions over the years, maintaining a customer base of the most influential men in the Norfolk area.

In early 2000, she relocated the business to 848 Granby Street in Norfolk. Mrs. Williams, a visionary AfricanAmerican businesswoman, mentored many in the industry and nurtured a legacy beyond hair care.

Later she moved her

shop to 645 Church Street, the Willis Building.

She worked every day at the shop until the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.

Williams was a pillar in the community, sponsoring church and community sessions to speak to students on the importance of self-image and professional “presence” in their academic and professional pursuits. She mentored many middle and high school students who worked in the shop as pre-apprentices, including her nephew, Douglas.

She always reached back to help others achieve, always putting herself last.

She strongly advocated for education, community service, economic empowerment, and selfsufficiency.

Williams served as a trustee at First Baptist Church, Bute Street, Each year, she raised funds and collected donations so that students would have backpacks and supplies for the beginning of the school year.

She was instrumental in developing the Norfolk State University (NSU) Basketball Classic, collaborating with Dr. Harrison B. Wilson, the HBCU’s late President.

She wanted youth from the community as much as possible to see the university and to attend collegiate games free of charge.

She also spearheaded community fundraisers for the Dr. L.D. Britt, Scholarship fund, serving on the committee to award scholarships for minority students from the Norfolk Community. She was honored with many awards for her community engagement, including the Norfolk State University Presidential Citation.

She was a champion of volunteerism and felt strongly about people giving back to their community.

Williams was quoted in The Voice, a local newspaper, stating, “The

youth just need someone to show them love and let them know that someone cares about them. We need to show more love.

We really need to show more love.”

Williams lived by that statement each day, showing God’s love.

A woman of great poise and eloquence, she was admired for her beauty, style, business sense, heartfelt generosity, and ability to handle any situation.

She encouraged all her nieces to keep a business sense and be ready, as you don’t know when opportunities will present themselves. “Business is business, baby.”

Her charm, beauty, and wit could command an audience. She willingly shared the spotlight and was quick to help others rise and prosper. She will be greatly missed by all who know her.

She and her siblings Norfleet, Dallas, Thelma, Jessie Jr., Valroy, William Arthur Douglas, Celestee, Paul, and Pauline grew up in the Hicksford area, near Macedonia Baptist Church.

Adored by her father, she fondly recalled tying his shoes each morning, establishing herself as the cherished “daddy’s girl.”

Williams was preceded in death by her parents and 13 of her siblings.

She leaves to cherish her legacy and fond memories her sister, Pauline Spence Epps, of Hampton, Virginia; Mediel W. Spence, sisterin-law; a host of nieces and nephews; Godson, Wardence Butler; her spiritual confidante and long-time friend, Pam Walker; her deacon and deaconess Clarence and Patricia Childers; the members of the First Baptist Church, Bute Street, and numerous longtime friends, co-workers, neighbors, community and professional associates who offered time and assistance to her especially during her illness.

New Journal and Guide

6A | January 25, 2024 - January 31, 2024

Homelessness Surges; Disproportionately Affecting Black & Latino Communities

By Stacy M. Brown

Senior National Correspondent @StacyBrownMedia NNPA NEWSWIRE The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has released its 2023 Annual Homeless Assessment Report, revealing a distressing 12 percent surge in homelessness since 2022.

The report, encompassing the Housing Inventory Count, paints a bleak picture of the current state of homelessness, with a staggering 653,104 individuals experiencing homelessness on a single night in January 2023 – the highest since the national reporting on the Point-inTime count began in 2007.

Of significant concern is the disproportionate impact on Black communities, constituting nearly 4 in 10 of those experiencing homelessness.

Despite comprising just 13 percent of the total U.S. population, individuals identifying as Black accounted for 37 percent of the homeless population.

Equally alarming is the plight of the Latino community, as almost one-third of people experiencing homelessness identified as Hispanic or Latino. The number of homeless individuals in this demographic surged by 28 percent between 2022 and 2023, contributing to 55 percent of the total increase in homelessness during this period.

“Our society is selective on who is worthy enough to receive sympathy and assistance: Black or white, sober, or addicted, mother or father, married or single. We choose according to personal politics who is worthy of stability, who doesn’t deserve support, and when

HEALTH TRENDS

NEW BRA WARNS WOMEN OF HEART ATTACK OR STROKE

By Rosaland Tyler

The Bloomer Bra aims to help The Bloomer Bra is a females with new invention which aims to stop busy women from heart disease dying of heart attacks and strokes, two diseases that by collecting disproportionately killed one in four males in 2021 and analyzing compared to about one in data in real time. five females.

Although about 50 Researchers are percent of all women, over 60 million women in also working on the United States, or 44 percent, have some form a breast-cancer of heart disease, which can affect them at any age, the detection bra.

Photo: Courtesy Associate Editor New Journal and Guide

HUD Secretary Marcia Fudge acknowledged the gravity of the issue. “Homelessness is solvable and should not exist in the United States,” Fudge declared. it is acceptable for someone to be without shelter,” author, poet, and blogger Archuleta Chisolm wrote for BlackGirlNerds.com.

While the latest report indicates progress in addressing homelessness, with HUD projecting to serve 330,000 people through increased grants to homeless service organizations, challenges persist.

The expiration of resources from President Biden’s American Rescue Plan (ARP), the largest single-year investment in preventing and ending homelessness in U.S. history, has played a role in the current rise.

The 2023 Point-in-Time Count data underscored the urgency of the situation, revealing increases across various demographics: • Sheltered homelessness rose by 13.7 percent • Unsheltered homelessness

rose by 9.7 percent • Homelessness among individuals rose by 10.8 percent • Homelessness among people in families with children rose by 15.5 percent • Homelessness among unaccompanied youth rose by 15.3 percent • Homelessness among veterans rose by 7.4 percent • Chronic homelessness among individuals rose by 12 percent HUD Secretary Marcia Fudge acknowledged the gravity of the issue.

“Homelessness is solvable and should not exist in the United States,” Fudge declared. “From day one, this administration has put forth a comprehensive plan to tackle homelessness, and we’ve acted aggressively and in conjunction with our federal, state, and local partners to address this challenge. We’ve

KAPPA ALPHA PSI AND IU SCHOOL OF BUSINESS PARTNER ON FELLOWSHIP

BLOOMINGTON, IN Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc. has partnered with the Indiana University Kelley School of Business with the goal of increasing diversity in corporate leadership.

Through the partnership, college graduates from around the world who are Kappa Alpha Psi members are invited to apply for a fellowship program to attend the Kelley School’s nationally ranked in-residence FullTime MBA Program. Successful candidates will be known as Kappa Alpha Psi Fellows.

The fraternity, open to all men regardless of color, religion, or national origin, has 642 active chapters with more than 250,000 initiated members worldwide.

Kappa Alpha Psi was founded 113 years ago

by Black students at IU seeking camaraderie and support.

“This partnership creates an exciting opportunity for Kappa men to share in the MBA experience at our birthplace and deepen the special bond that Kappa Alpha Psi and Indiana University share,” said its international president, Jimmy McMikle, the 35th grand polemarch of Kappa Alpha Psi, a 1991 initiate of the Alpha Chapter, and a 1992 IU graduate.

Ash Soni, dean of the Kelley School and The Sungkyunkwan Professor, said the new partnership continues Kelley’s history of leading the way toward a more diverse classroom and workplace experience.

“Six decades ago, Kelley was one of three founders of the Consortium for Graduate Study in Management, which has helped more than 100,000 people of color earn a graduate business degree,” Soni said. “Today, we celebrate this partnership with another impactful organization to offer even more leadership opportunities and promote greater diversity, equity, and inclusion in corporate America.”

The Kelley School was also one of the first participants of the Forté Foundation, which supports the advancement of women in business.

In addition to student and alumni chapters in nearly every state across the country, Kappa Alpha Psi has chapters in the Bahamas, United Kingdom, Germany, Korea, Japan, Saint Thomas, Saint Croix, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Nigeria, Bermuda, Canada, Dubai, Dominican Republic and South Africa.

Other noted alumni initiated through the Alpha Chapter at IU include Elbert Frank Cox, the first Black person to receive a PhD in mathematics; Booker T. Jones, a multiinstrumentalist, songwriter and record producer; the late George Taliaferro, a leader of desegregation at IU and the first AfricanAmerican to be drafted by an NFL team; and Jeremy A. Morris, an IU Trustee and threetime graduate.

Kappa Alpha Psi and the Kelley School will work together to support members who

Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc. has partnered with the Indiana University Kelley School of Business with the goal of increasing diversity in corporate leadership.

want to develop as leaders through an MBA. In addition to receiving financial support, Kappa Alpha Psi Fellows will benefit from the school’s one-of-a-kind professional development workshop, Me, Inc., and become part of a global alumni network of more than 130,000.

At least three full-tuition fellowships will be provided annually to successful applicants meeting the program’s admissions requirements. This will include applicants referred by the international headquarters of Kappa Alpha Psi or one of its regional chapters.

The school also may support fellowship recipients to attend Kappa Alpha Psi conferences and provide applicants with application fee waivers. Kelley also will develop webinars and other opportunities for Kappa Alpha Psi undergraduates to learn more about careers in business.

Kelley will continue to pursue similar opportunities with other “Divine 9” historically Black fraternities and sororities through outreach via the National Pan Hellenic Council.

made positive strides, but there is still more work to be done. This data underscores the urgent need for support for proven solutions and strategies that help people quickly exit homelessness and that prevent homelessness in the first place.”

The report further attributes the overall increase to a rise in the number of people experiencing homelessness for the first time, with a 25 percent increase between fiscal years 2021 and 2022. Data from the report emphasized the pressing need for sustained, collaborative efforts to combat homelessness and support vulnerable populations nationwide.

“HUD has substantially invested in addressing the housing needs of those facing homelessness, particularly the most vulnerable populations,” officials wrote in a release.

Bloomer Bra aims to help females with heart disease by collecting and analyzing data like electrocardiogram, pulse rate, respiratory rate, and heart rhythm, in real time. Data from the bra is transferred to the patient’s primary care doctor.

“It looks exactly like your bra,” Bloomer Bra noted on its website. “We are embedding our circuits into the daily bra. It feels the same!” The bras have “washable flexible circuits that can be embedded into fabrics in a discrete way.”

High-tech sensors are installed in the Bloomer Bra. This new high-tech bra tells a woman if she is having a heart attack or stroke. The sensor bra may also send messages to women who have had heart attacks or strokes, as well as those who are less likely to get lifesaving medications and other interventions. Prices for Bloomer Bras range from about $21 to $65 and can be purchased online.

“I just published a paper ... showing a certain type of heart attack is on the rise in women under the age of

45 … This is why we all need to start thinking about prevention really early,” said Erin Michos, director of women’s cardiovascular health research at Johns Hopkins Medicine.

Thanks to a $1.9 million grant from the National Institutes of Health for a clinical study, the Bloomer Bra is actually a medical device that understands and treats heart conditions that are unique, disproportionate or different in women.

An app tells a woman not just about her blood pressure, but about potentially irregular heartbeats, lab results and the impact of medications, weight and physical activity. A woman may see a chart pop up on her cellphone after taking a walk, for instance, showing how it lowered her blood pressure.

Researchers are also working on a breast-cancer detection bra called the SmartBra. If it detects a suspicious mass, it will alert the wearer so she can follow up with a specialist.

New Journal and Guide

January 25, 2024 - January 31, 2024 | 7A

There were only 14 days without Continued from page 1A Continued from page 1A a police killing last year and Also, mementos from the ”It appears to me then on average, law casino’s first graduating that the only way to get this class of table dealers number down significantly enforcement made possible through its would be to make more partnership with TCC. significant changes to, you officers killed Five decades hence, know, what policing means someone every when the capsule is in this country.” opened, future generations There were only 14 days 6.6 hours, noted will also find relics that without a police killing last Photo: Courtesy year and on average, law a report that celebrate other “firsts” – the signed bill authorizing Sen. Louise Lucas, Del. Don Scott Jr., Mayor Shannon Glover, Dr. Marcia Conston join Rivers Casino enforcement officers killed casino gaming in Virginia Portsmouth officials Roy Corby,Tim Drehkoff and Melissa Ramsey to mark the ceremony. someone every 6.6 hours, was based on from Senator Lucas, noted the report, which news reports Virginia Senate’s first Casino Portsmouth is us to commemorate this Rivers Casino Portsmouth is primarily based on woman and first African- proud to join such a milestone, as we send a strong economic engine, news reports and includes and state/local proud community data from state and local American President Pro prestigious roster as the a message to the future a government data.

Tempore; and a gavel from first-ever permanent about the origin of our partner, and a great place government agencies.

Casino

Speaker Scott, Virginia’s first Black speaker of the House of Delegates.

“Virginia boasts a rich history of pioneering achievements, and Rivers

Police

casino in Virginia,” said Roy Corby, general manager, Rivers Casino Portsmouth. “We were delighted to have such trailblazing leaders join

world-class entertainment destination.”

Portsmouth Mayor Shannon Glover closed the ceremony with a proclamation declaring

to work.

The history-making moment, which concluded with a celebratory lunch, kicked off a series of anniversary events.

Specifically, the increase climbed from 1,250 people in 2022, to 1,329 people in 2023.

The highest number of per capita shooting fatalities occurred in New Mexico, Alaska and West Virginia. About 42 percent of the incidents were captured on bodyworn cameras, though the footage may not be

King Continued from page 1A The University also postponed the presentation of the Hugo Owens Martin Luther King, Jr. Award until that time.

Born in Atlanta on January 30, 1961, Dexter King was named after Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery Alabama, where his father

publicly accessible. Blacks were nearly three times more likely than Whites to be killed by police.

Nix said, “When you ask human beings to go out and police a country awash with guns and train them and socialize them in their heads that a gun could be lurking around any corner, this is what you get.” served his first pastorate.

The 62-year-old was the second-born son of Dr. & Mrs. King and was only seven years old when his father was assassinated in Memphis, TN in 1968.

Like his father, he grew up in Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, where his grandfather served as Pastor. He was a graduate of Frederick Douglas High School, where he played football and participated in many other school organizations. He then he followed his father’s footsteps to Morehouse College in Atlanta Georgia.

At the time of his death Dexter King served as both Chairman of The King Center and President of the King Estate. Becoming well versed in intellectual property law, and its management and licensing was the result of his dedication to the delegated task and the memory of both his father and mother.

Known to be humble about his uncanny resemblance to his father, he portrayed him in the 2002 television movie The Rosa Parks Story. The actor had a love for the creative arts and initially relocated to California to pursue a career in acting.

But family duty called and he answered, living out the rest of his life balancing both his love of the arts and his duties to the King family legacy.

He was preceded in death by his father (1968), his mother (2006) and sister Yolanda (2007). He is survived by his loving and devoted wife of 11 years Leah Weber King, his sister Rev. Dr. Bernice A. King, his brother Martin Luther King, III, and his niece, Yolanda Renee King. ◆◆◆ Prostate Cancer And Black Men Although all men are at a risk for prostate cancer, Black men are at higher risk. They are about twice as likely to get and die from prostate cancer than white men. The reasons for this, however, are not definitively known.

“It could be a combination of factors, from genetics to access to care,” says Firas Abdollah, M.D., a urologist with Henry Ford Health, who has published extensive research on the impact of race in prostate cancer.

Black men should consider prostate cancer screening at 45 years, rather than the recommended 55 years of age, according to a recent study led by researchers from UW Medicine and Fred Hutch Cancer Research Center.

The study was published recently in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

Other studies suggest men with family history may be advised to consider age 40.

8A | January 25, 2024 - January 31, 2024

New Journal and Guide

New Journal and Guide

January 25, 2024 - January 31, 2024 | Section B

SECTION B LOCAL YOUTH ADVOCATE AT STATE CAPITOL TO PREVENT GUN VIOLENCE

By Melissa Spellman of those killed by gun Staff Reporter New Journal and Guide

The Virginia Center for Public Safety (VACPS) held their 32nd Annual Vigil and Advocacy Day to Prevent Gun Violence on Monday, January 15, 2024, at the Virginia State Capitol in Richmond, Virginia. This event was held in observance of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day to honor the civil rights leader’s teachings and his memory. VACPS sponsored the annual trip to Richmond, VA for the YOURS organization Youth Outreach Urban Resources and Services Ministry to attend this vigil.

Other Hampton Roads based organizations that accompanied YOURS were 757 Breaking Barriers, Riddick Driven, Mothers and Fathers of Tidewater, Children of the Sun, and C.L.E.A.N. Citizens Learning and Educating About Neighborhoods.

Their trip to the capital city afforded them an opportunity to talk to one another about issues facing the families and how they can work together to make positive change.

The vigil was held at Bell Tower.

Following the vigil participants joined other Virginians as they assembled outside of the General Assembly Building to advocate for more sensible gun laws and to remember the lives

violence.

The groups had the chance to talk with Delegate Jackie Hope Glass of Norfolk’s 93rd District. Glass is a 39-yearold African-American woman who prior to redistricting represented the 89th District and was re-elected to represent the 93rd District in November of 2023. Her motto is, “I’m here for the people of Virginia, not the status quo.” Glass gave the organizations insight on how to get their concerns to the right audience.

Organizations like YOURS, Children of the Sun, C.L.E.A.N., and all those in attendance work diligently every day to provide activities, resources, mentoring, and programs to guide the youth and give them alternative options to criminality and gun violence.

According to a study titled Firearm Deaths of American Minors: Perceptions vs. Facts by VACPS Board Member Andrew Goddard, firearm violence is now the leading cause of death for Americans under the age 18. This study was published by the University of Richmond’s Public Interest Law Review.

Andrew Goddard’s research study delves into understanding the misconceptions about the realities of gun violence risk and its continued effects on legislative decisions. His

Photo: Courtesy

The youth groups had the chance to talk with Delegate Jackie Hope Glass (in red jacket) of Norfolk’s 93rd District. study discusses various gun legislation that has been proposed, passed, and why it was or wasn’t passed. He also addresses areas where legislation could cause a reduction in the rate of deaths due to firearms and injury of minors, particularly concerning mass shootings and the ban of sale on assault rifles and high-powered weapons.

In Goddard’s study he suggests four approaches to safe schools that actually work which are focusing on social-emotional development; fostering strong relationships among students, parents, and teachers; utilizing school-based mental health providers; and

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employing restorative justice programs. These are the same efforts and approaches that many of the organizations in attendance practice within their community programming.

There is still more work to be done, more children to be saved, and more public servants willing to make the hard choices concerning gun violence prevention legislation.

All mentions of the study were taken from the VACPS website.

To learn more about VACPS visit their website.

You can read VACPS Board Member Andrew Goddard’s entire study at the Virginia Center for Public Safety website www.vacps.org.

New Journal and Guide

2B | January 25, 2024 - January 31, 2024

PART 2 OF 4-PART SERIES

HLC Diabetes Prevention: Cooking Class

Class Learns Merits of Plant-Based Diet

By Melissa Spellman Staff Reporter New Journal and Guide

Wednesday, January 17, 2024, marked the second week of the Healthy Living Center’s Diabetes Prevention: Plant Based Cooking Class taught by Dr. Olivia Newby of Primary Care Specialists located in Norfolk, VA. The previous week served as an introduction to the four-week course where participants learned the basics of what diabetes does to the body and how a plant-based diet can alleviate diabetic issues or even reverse the disease. This can result in little to no medication. So, what is diabetes?

Diabetes is a disease that affects how your body processes sugar. Elevated levels of blood glucose (or blood sugar), over time will lead to serious damage to the heart, blood vessels, eyes, kidneys, and nerves.

Uncontrolled blood sugar, blood pressure, and weight can cause cardiovascular disease, heart attack, and stroke.

Newby stated, “Two out of three people with diabetes die of heart disease or stroke. If you have diabetes, you are four times as likely to have a stroke as someone who does not have diabetes. If you smoke that just gives you double the risk.”

This week blood pressure and weight were the main topics. Blood pressure and weight are the two components that participants will focus on each week. Dr. Newby says that blood pressure and weight are the two things we want to see change during the four weeks. Prior to the start of class everyone has their blood pressure and weight taken. Dr. Newby explained that a person is diagnosed with high blood pressure when their blood

Dr. Olivia Newby pressure is consistently over 130 over 80.

“Your blood pressure is the first step to making sure we are not at risk for cardiovascular disease or heart disease which is one of the components of congestive heart failure.”

She shared that 45 percent of adults have high blood pressure. 54 percent of Blacks compared to whites have high blood pressure. Four percent of adolescents have high blood pressure and as we age 75 percent of adults have high blood pressure. Along with blood pressure weight is another key area the doctor says we want to observe to change.

The group discussed the stigma of what our body type culturally should be. “Blacks often become comfortable with their weight because everyone in the family looks the same so it’s normal, and no one stands out. However, we will also notice that our family members as they age are having health issues,” said Newby. She added that “Losing one pound of body weight takes four pounds of pressure off your knees. Also, that one pound of weight loss significantly lowers blood pressure as well.”

Next Newby asked for a praise report from the

Photos: Courtesy

Class members at their cooking stations.

Chef Patricia Louis participants on the changes they made in the past week.

Some shared how they avoided fast food restaurants, increased their daily steps, read their food labels, and lost a few inches around their waist. Newby told the group if they have not had any changes to blood pressure or weight during the week to consider whether you have been taking your medication. “It’s so common for people to say ‘Oh I don’t need that medicine’ but taking your medication is such an easy control of your blood pressure and diabetes if you

Preparing the dishes

are not exercising or changing your diet,” said Newby. When patients Dr. Newby ask how long they have to be on their medications. Her reply is “As long as it takes for you to change your eating and exercising habits.”

This week in the kitchen with Chef Patricia Louis the class made two dishes, cabbage with colors and coleslaw with oil and vinegar.

The cabbage with colors dish included green cabbage, a yellow or red pepper, a white onion, a pinch of salt, pepper, and roasted tomatoes.

The dish was sauteed with only the oil from the roasted tomatoes and an optional vegetable broth.

The coleslaw was made with green cabbage, purple cabbage, a carrot, and a red onion sliced into designated sizes. The dressing for the coleslaw included olive oil, vinegar, a pinch of salt, pepper, thyme, celery seed, and Dijon mustard. All the ingredients were mixed to make a tasty coleslaw.

Participants left class with their cabbage and coleslaw in tote and two new ingredients

to add to their cooking tool kit a jar of roasted tomatoes and Dijon mustard to make a zesty dressing. The class is entering its third week of plant-based cooking with more health education and new recipes to come.

The class is free and open to the public. If you are interested in attending the Diabetes Prevention: Plant Based cooking class you can register for the next session at www.hlcnorfolk.com, call (757) 622-0542, or email hlcnorfolk@gmail.com for more information.

H

( w w w. c c s h a w j r @ a o l . com). The Alzheimer’s Association is developing a lifestyle intervention program to support brain health and prevent brain decline using bridge as part of the Alzheimer’s “10 Ways to Love Your Brain” campaign (www.ACBL.org/ Alzheimer’sAssociation).

Then there is the study that says, “Forget exercise.

Forget chicken soup, Forget sleep, vitamins, and heredity.

If you want to stay healthy, play bridge!” A study by researcher Marian Cleeves Diamond, a University of California-Berkeley professor of integrative biology, indicates that playing contract bridge leaves people with higher numbers of immune cells which makes for a stronger immune system (www.berkeley.edu/news/ b e r k e l e y / 2 0 0 0 / 11 / 1 5 / bridge.html).

Overwhelming evidence strongly suggests that in 2024, playing bridge is FUN while supporting academic, health, and lifestyle improvements.

Come, join us; take advantage of the awesome benefits of learning to play bridge. Let’s start now with a quick first lesson!

Two important concepts: 1) EVERY bid asks a question and 2) During the bidding, you ARE NOT playing your hand, you must discipline yourself to ANSWER your partner’s question(s). in order to “open” the auction for bidding, a player (the opener) must have at least 12 points. In order for the partner of the opening bidder to respond, this player (the responder) must have at least 5 points.

The point system: Ace = 4 points; King = 3 points;

Queen = 2 points; Jack = 1 point. From a deck of 52 cards (no Jokers), deal four hands of 13 cards in each hand (four players/2 pairs are needed). Make North & South a pair facing each other and East & West a pair facing each other. How many points are in each hand? Who has enough points to open the bidding; who can respond?

How many points are in the deck? In our next session, we will discuss the questions that each bid represents.

ello and welcome to The Bridge Corner. This year, the American Bridge Association (ABA) will celebrate its 92nd year!

“The American Bridge Association was formed in 1932 by Black tennis players at Buckroe Beach, Virginia. During this time Blacks were excluded from most bridge events.

The desire to compete in the sport of tennis, despite the racial barriers of the time, resulted in the creation of the American Tennis Association in 1916. The Association often held its matches on college campuses such as Hampton Institute, now Hampton University, and Lincoln University, where adequate facilities were available. One such championship event was held at Hampton in 1932.

At the conclusion of the tournament, a group of tennis players, who were also bridge enthusiasts, suggested having a duplicate bridge match in the evening as a form of relaxation.

This event, coupled with impetus from the Cromwell School of Contract Bridge in New York City, marked the beginning of the American Bridge Association.” (the ABA’s website: www. ababridge.org/about-aba).

Fast forward to today and the benefits of learning and playing bridge have skyrocketed; bridge is no longer “just a form of relaxation.”

Dr. Christopher Shaw, a researcher from Carlinville, Il., completed a study in 2005 that shows children who play bridge perform better on standardized tests than their nonplaying counterparts

TIDEWATER BRIDGE CLUB The Banks at Berkley 701 South Main Street, Norfolk, VA 23523 WEDNESDAYS 10:45 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

This is a locked building.

An assigned person will be at the door to let you in until 11 a.m. Take the elevator up to the second floor Community Room.

The game fee is $4 for 2 ½ or more tables. Bring your lunch. Light packaged snacks/water will be provided.

Winning Pairs from the January 17, 2024, Bridge Game Lillye Holley – Barbara Whitfield Aldis Raymond – Leon Ragland Rose Ward – Gillis Watson Sandra Starkey – Marshall Hutto Lawrence Owes – Elva Taylor Any question, concerns, or comments, please feel free to contact Lawrence Owes, President, Tidewater Bridge Club at www. paladin357@yahoo.com.

New Journal and Guide

January 25, 2024 - January 31, 2024 | 3B

Norfolk Public Schools’ Elects Its First AfricanAmerican Woman Chair NORFOLK A year after she was appointed to the Norfolk Public School Board her colleagues voted to elect Tiffany Moore-Buffaloe as chair and Dr. Noelle Gabriel as its vice chair.

She was elected the first African-American female chair of the board during its January 17, meeting, for a term ending December 31, 2024.

Moore-Buffaloe, who represents Ward 4, served as vice chair of the School Board for the past year after being appointed to the School Board in January 2023.

“I’m excited and I know this School Board is going to do great work this year, and I look forward to seeing what Norfolk Public Schools can be, and will be,” Moore-Buffaloe said.

“We will be having many important conversations and really tackling the work. I am just thankful that I have the opportunity to lead this group.”

Vice Chair Gabriel, who was first appointed to the School Board in 2012 and elected to the Board in 2016, represents Superward 6.

“I am honored to resume my role as vice chair for Norfolk Public Schools,” Gabriel said.

“These marks my 12th year of dedicated service as a school board member.

Whether in the capacity of past chair, vice chair, or board member, my commitment remains steadfast in serving our students, staff, and families.”

A native of Chicago,

Photo: Courtesy

Publisher Brenda Andrews (centered) standing with members of the Williamsburg Rotary Club.

Tiffany Moore-Buffaloe Illinois, Moore-Buffaloe has been a resident of Norfolk, Virginia for over 30 years.

A graduate of Norview High School, she has spent the last 25 years working and serving in the public school system and her community. She began her career as a long-term substitute teacher and parent volunteer. She is currently serving as the executive assistant to the superintendent of Newport News Public Schools and the Clerk of the School Board.

Moore-Buffaloe completed her Bachelor’s Degree from Norfolk State University (NSU) and her Master’s Degree from Strayer University.

As a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, Gethsemane Community Fellowship Church, and the Beacon Light Civic League, she provides service to the community by getting involved in initiatives that help people.

Moore-Buffaloe is married and has two adult children who are both graduates of Norfolk Public Schools.

C

D E L L E C AN

Williamsburg Rotary Club Welcomes NJG Publisher As Speaker WILLIAMSBURG The Williamsburg Rotary Club opened its 2024 season on January 18 with a presentation by New Journal and Guide Publisher Brenda H. Andrews of Norfolk.

Ms. Andrews spoke about the history and mission of Black newspapers, in general, and about the 124 years of New Journal and Guide’s continuous business as a member of the Black Press.

The Publisher and Owner of the newspaper which is Virginia’s oldest weekly Black newspaper discussed her four decades

at the paper and her life-long involvement as a civil and human rights activist. Among the night’s attendees were two Rotarians who remembered the paper from its heyday when it was widely distributed in the peninsula area, including Williamsburg.

The Club, established in 1924, meets on the 1st and 3rd Thursdays of the month at the Williamsburg Lodge in Historic Colonial Williamsburg. According to its website, Rotary is a service club. Rotarians provide community service to both local and

Photo: Courtesy

Tim Burke presents Publisher Andrews with a certificate. international communities.

One of its many current community service projects has its members delivering hot meals to displaced and homeless persons living in hotels in Williamsburg.

As a goodwill and appreciation gift, Andrews

was presented a certificate detailing a book that the Club will donate in her honor to the Williamsburg Regional Library that is inscribed with her name.

The evening included dinner and active conversation about media, civil rights, and history.

LOCAL VOICES

Yea Thou I Walk Through The Valley of ...

By Sean C. Bowers Sometimes our past comes full cycle, to the forefront of our consciousness confronting us head-on in the darkest recesses of our memory banks. Fifty-four years ago, as a five-year-old, I journeyed the Petersburg, VA Federal Prison to visit the inmate, my dad.

As we approached the valley of Prison life-destruction, dismemberment, and death, I felt my blood pressure rise as it had during every penitentiary movie I couldn’t watch since.

My meditation preparation evaporated. It seemed like ages ago. Then, I focused on things I’d overcome in life and the breakthrough successes; the wins, championships, college scholarships, degrees earned, books and articles written, and published, the many youth nationally empowered over the past thirty years. Slowly these thoughts of bright spots eased my past pains. I felt an inner warming like a churches’ stained-glass with the heaven’s sunlit overflow, and an inner glow.

They say, “It skips a generation,” the prison pipeline complex for highly profitable incarceration. The straightlaced grandfather I never knew, died of a heart attack on his bathroom floor at sixty-nine. His son, my dad was caught up in the prison plantation drug game’s intake line. That day at the prison, I

Sean C. Bowers vowed at five, to never deal drugs or go to prison, on my life mission.

Having no kids of my own, when I married ten years ago, I was blessed with seven grandchildren, plus a daughter and son. The oldest grandchild told his Nana, “He didn’t care if he ended up in jail like his (and my) dad.”

I let him know while I could never be or replace his dad, I could be the best granddad anyone ever had. Now eight years later, that grandson is in college on a full D-1 football scholarship in pursuit of degrees and knowledge. He turned that most dangerous prison intake life corner, of admitting to me then that, “He didn’t know what his dad even looked like.”

Our visit on the sixth of January in this New Year 2024, of our lord, I was once more at my life’s most miserable crossroads for my son and my redemptive chance to be

the dad he and I never had. I was with his mom, all in, all on board.

When we saw our shared son, all my personal tears and heart tears disappeared like age-old work-out’s blood and sweat soaked perspiration, faded into the mist. With each and every laugh memory shared and updated, we broke through the nearly two decades lost, locked away, time. Hard time is being transferred repeatedly to where the plantation’s pipeline’ profits most. Arrested in Ohio, the national prison complex sent our son back home to us here in Virginia. In the Petersburg prison visitation room, we as a family. We united as one, under God, from whence I’d already come. I retraced my old steps from the past’s darkness into the dawning of a new glorious day, a day, where a man has his life and freedom in front of him-where he can find and choose his own way.

He can become the dad to his son, that he always wanted to be, but never had the chance to fulfill. He can be the best brother and son to his mother whom they have sadly been deprived of.

As his release countdown begins, I can hear his song’s beat, off in the distant heavensour son’s swan song of becoming a great granddad to make sure “IT”(incarceration) skips that yet-to-be-born generation.

Because those who say it

skips a generation, are the very people perpetuating the prison pipeline plantation for generations. It’s never their kids they are locking up and down. They just keep bussing ’em from all over the nation, from all sides of town.

As we left that day and walked out into the rain soaking our faces, I prayed to the heavens for all the prisoners, all the guards in all the yards, and all those divisive disrespectful dismantling diabolical places.

We are who we lock up. The way we are, is our treatment of our own. They can never be cast off, cast out, or left on their own, alone. They are us, our family. We can’t afford to lose one more precious soul.

We can’t afford to lose every other generation, as a nation.

Sean C. Bowers has written the last 26 years, as a White Quaker Southern man, for the nation’s third oldest Black Newspaper, The New Journal and Guide, of Norfolk, Virginia, about overcoming racism, sexism, classism, and religious persecution. Some of his latest NJ&G articles detailing the issues can found by searching “Sean C. Bowers” on the NJ&G website. Contact him directly on social media at Linkedin.com or by email V1ZUAL1ZE@aol. com NNPA 2019 Publisher of the Year, Brenda K. Andrews (NJ&G 36 years) has always been his publisher.

New Journal and Guide

4B | January 25, 2024 - January 31, 2024

MOMENTS of MEDITATION

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

CONTINUING IN THE TRUTH Read: 2 John John’s familiar theme, continued in his third letter, is that truth is the bedrock foundation on which the Christian faith is built.

In the first two letters, he was concerned to combat the false teaching about Jesus Christ that had crept into the church. In the third letter, he does not directly refer to false teachers, though some expositors believe that they or their influence may have been the source of the personal problems to which this letter refers. Holding to the truth as it is in Jesus Christ (“the name” in 3 John 7) continues to be his main concern.

Salutation. Again, John refers to himself as “the elder” (v. 1, 5; see 2 John 1). He is writing to his “dear friend Gaius” (2 John 1b), for whom he expresses affection frequently in this letter (vv.

2, 5, 11). Gaius must have been a man of spiritual stature and stability, for John prays (v.2) that his friend’s physical health and temporal prosperity may match his spiritual well-being.

GAIUS: FAITHFUL PRACTITIONER OF HOSPITALITY. Verses 3-8 help us understand something of the network

of communication and fellowship in the early church. Followers of “the Way” (Acts 24:14), though living in a pagan society, were not really a part of that society. They quickly established their own subculture, which became an important means of mutual support and encouragement.

John had learned from certain traveling brethren that Gaius was being faithful to the truth (probably a reference to his beliefs about Christ), and that he was continuing to “walk in the truth” 2 John 3), as demonstrated by his action toward the brethren. John is particularly appreciative of the way in which Gaius has been extending hospitality to the Christian brothers who visited him, even to some whom he had not previously known personally (v.5).

They had told the church about his unselfish kindness toward them, which is apparently how it had come to John’s attention (v. 6).

The apostle sees these brethren and those who care for them as sharing in the work of the gospel (v. 8).

Those who remain at home offer support and hospitality to those who travel and both

are working together to promote the truth of God. Diotrephes: Eccclesiastical Dictator. In verses 9-10 we are introduced to another personality in the church to which John was writing, a man named Diotrephes. We know nothing about him apart from what is said here, but that is enough to show us that he was a problem for the young church. John brings six charges against him: 1. He “loves to be first” (v.

9b). 2. He will have nothing to do with us” (v. 9c).

Probably John’s recognized authority as “the elder” was more than Diotrephes could accept without damage to his fragile self-esteem, and so he refused to accept him either in person or through the letter he had written (v. 9a).

He is ‘gossiping maliciously about us” (v. 10b). This can be rendered literally, “talking nonsense about us with wicked words.” 4. He “refuses to welcome the brothers” (v. 10c). This is an attitude diametrically opposite from that of Gaius.

5. He “stops those who want to do so” (v. 10d). In his determination to be in charge, Diotrephes not only refuses personal hospitality to these visitors, but he also forbids anyone else in the church to welcome them. 6. He ‘puts them out of the church” (v. 10c). He goes so far as to ostracize or even excommunicate church members who show hospitality to their visiting brethren against his wishes. John’s response to this situation is simple and direct. He plans to confront Diotrephes personally and expose his actions so that everyone will be aware of them (v. 10a). ...see Truth, page 6B

Screening Tour Explores Religion and Spirituality In Young African-Americans WASHINGTON, D.C. A documentary film examining faith and religion among Black millennials is on a multi-city tour from the National Museum of African-American History and Culture (NMAAHC).

The film “gOD-Talk: Reimagining Faith in the 21st Century” explores how and why African-American millennials are creating new ways to engage with religion and spirituality. It includes panel discussions exploring how and why AfricanAmerican millennials are creating new ways to engage with religion and spirituality.

This film is the first feature-length film from the NMAAHC. Tour updates, registration details and additional information can be found on the NMAAHC website.

The documentary undertaken by NMAAHC’s Center for the Study of

African-American Religious Life in association with the Pew Research Center is the culmination project of a fiveyear study exploring the lives of seven Black millennials – Atheist, Buddhist, Christian, Muslim, Ifa, and Spiritualist – and how they reimagine faith in the 21st century.

The film was executive produced by Kevin Young, NMAAHC’s Andrew W. Mellon Director.

NMAAHC curator Teddy Reeves is the film’s creator and producer along with director and writer, Kim Moir, NMAAHC museum specialist. The film includes narration from Javicia Leslie Walker, film poster design by artist Nikkolas Smith, and original music from Grammy winner Fantastic Negrito. “gOD-Talk is charting new ground in the exploration of Black faith both in the scholarly study

of religion and cinematic expression,” Reeves said.

“The film gives millennials, the world’s largest living generation, the space to not only wrestle with the complexities of their faith – from issues pertaining to gender and sexuality, abuse and trauma, hip-hop, gentrification and more – but to discuss how they are fearlessly reconstructing their spirituality within or beyond the confines of their traditional upbringings.”

The gOD-Talk film tour and accompanying “talk back” panel discussions will take place at conferences, festivals, museums and community curations around the world. Discussions will feature principals from the film and leading millennial voices. The film is rated PG13.

Registration and more details can be found on the NMAAHC website.

SPECIAL BLOOD DRIVE FOR SICKLE CELL DISEASE AT FIRST BAPTIST, JANUARY 31 Special to the Guide NORFOLK To increase the supply of blood needed to treat patients fighting Sickel Cell Disease, (SCD) a special Blood Drive will be held at the Historic First Baptist Church, Bute Street January 31 starting at 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The Blood Drive is being sponsored by the American Red Cross and the Sickle Cell Family and Peer Advocates of Tidewater at the Church’s Murray Center Banquet Hall at 455 E. Brambleton Ave. The majority of people impacted by the Sickle Cell Disease are African-

Americans. But there is a shortage of blood available to help those suffering from painful episodes caused by the sickling of Red Blood Cells in their joints and organs.

The red blood cells replenish the blood supply and provide needed relief.

To register for an appointment, visit redcrossblood.org and use the sponsor code “patidewater.” Also, participants will be given a $20 Amazon e-Gift Card for their donation. If you participate in a blood drive from January 1 to 31, you will be able to sign up for a chance to win a trip for two to the Super Bowl in Las Vegas at Super Bowl.

For information (800) 733-2767.

CHURCH ADs & DIRECTORY= DIRECTORY=

SPACE AVAILABLE

CALL (757) 543-6531

OR EMAIL NJGUIDE@GMAIL.COM

Distribution Points WHERE TO GET YOUR NEXT GUIDE NORFOLK,VA New Journal & Guide Office 5127 E.” Virginia Beach Blvd.

Piggly Wiggly 4630 East Princess Anne Rd. (COGIC) High Rise 2412 E.” Virginia Beach Blvd.

Water Plus 5950 Poplar Hall Dr., Suite 107 Handy Business Service 3535 B Tidewater Dr. International Market 7506 Granby Street Bountiful Blessings Daycare 1010 E Brambleton Ave Herbal Farmacy 4215 Granby St.

Norfolk Montessori Academy 979 Ingleside Rd.

PORTSMOUTH, VA Lewis Barber Shop 4229 Greenwood Dr. Blondell’s Masonic Shop 3510 Victory Blvd.

Fair & Honest Auto 2921 Portsmouth Blvd.

CHESAPEAKE, VA African Value Braids.

2036 Campostella Rd. Master Touch 4013 Indian River Rd. Lawrence Pharmacy 1156 N. George Washington Hwy.

Eddie’s Crab-house 2592 Campostella Rd. Herbal Farmacy 1128 N.” Battlefield Blvd.

VIRGINIA BEACH, VA

Al’ Qubaa Islamic Center 1145 Hampton Ave.

HAMPTON, VA Iconic Fashion International 89 Lincoln St. #1772

FRANKLIN, VA SUFFOLK, VA Local 2426 U.A.W. 509 E. Washington St. CEB Financial 533 Highland Ave. NEWPORT NEWS, VA Moton Community House 2101 Jefferson Ave.

Man Market 2016 South St.

WINDSOR, VA Eddie’s Crabhouse 1143 Windsor Blvd. Suite F

CHICAGO, IL Doctors Choice 600 W. Cermak Rd. Lower Level

New Journal and Guide

January 25, 2024 - January 31, 2024 | 5B

New Journal and Guide

6B | January 25, 2024 - January 31, 2024

BOOKWORM REVIEW Youth May Apply Now For Summer

By Terri Schlichenmeyer

LEGACY: A BLACK PHYSICIAN RECKONS WITH RACISM IN MEDICINE

U

gh, suddenly, just now, you don’t feel well. Not at all.

It might help to lie down somewhere for a few minutes or maybe there’s something in a drawer in the bathroom you could take to feel better. Need a doctor? Having the right skin color might help, as in the new book “Legacy” by Uché Blackstock, MD. Her career choice seemed like the most natural thing in the world.

Uché Blackstock and her twin sister, Oni, practically grew up in a hospital, doing homework in a staff room while their physician-mother made her rounds. The girls got a front-row peek into what it was like to be a Black female doctor and because of their mother’s influence, it never entered their minds to choose another career.

That inspiration lingered: after their mother died young of cancer, Blackstock chose to work as an ER doctor, caring for her Brooklyn and Bronx neighbors like her mother did.

Blackstock knew the history: Black people had long been objects for experimentation, without painkillers and without their permission.

Early in the last century, Black midwives were forbidden from practicing because of a testing matter. A document called the Flexner Report led to low numbers of Black

“Legacy: A Black Physician Reckons with Racism in Medicine”

by Uché Blackstock, MD ©2024,Viking $28, 304 pages doctors for nearly a century.

She also knew the statistics: Black patients are less likely to get pain medications than are white patients. Black mothers are at a higher risk than white mothers for maternal death, miscarriage, and problems at delivery. Half of all medical treatment in the U.S. today happens in an ER, and many of those patients are Black, poor, and without a safety net.

Knowing these things, working under those facts, took its toll.

When she was small, Blackstock played with her mother’s leather medical bag and the treasures inside it. She dreamed of carrying it to her own patients someday but her job, meant to help people, left

her exhausted, frustrated, and emotionally tangled.

It was time to try something else...

This year, if you’re average, you’ll spend roughly fifteen minutes face-to-face with your doctor at an appointment.

You’ll come prepared, and so will your physician; bring “Legacy,” and you’ll come with stats that are alarming, although very little of it’s new.

Indeed, the news lately has been full of stories of Black patients and subpar care and author Uché Blackstock underscores every bit of that news with personal experiences to support the facts, scattered inside a dual biography of her and her mother. Readers will enjoy the stories of Blackstock women becoming physicians and you’ll be dismayed at generational and historical roadblocks they overcame.

Read these triumphs, but don’t lose sight of the other important thing here: remember, as Blackstock often urges, that advocating for one’s self or a loved one is key to maintaining health and surviving.

Readers concerned about their well-being will be glad they read this book.

Biography fans will love it for different reasons. Either way, getting what you want out of “Legacy” is easy, and you’ll feel quite well about it.

FUN PUZZLE FOR YOUR LEISURE

Conservation Corps At State Parks RICHMOND Virginia State Parks are currently recruiting qualified candidates for the Youth Conservation Corps (YCC) program for 2024.

Eligible applicants must be 14-17 years of age and going into at least their first year of high school.

Crew members will live and work in one of 42 Virginia State Parks for a two-week session while completing trail maintenance, basic construction and park beautification projects led by adult crew leaders and park staff.

Applications are accepted until March 15.

The program session dates: 1st Session: June 16-29; 2nd Session: July 7-20.

“Participants will find this program to be

both challenging and rewarding,” said Youth Engagement Coordinator Scarlett Stevens.

“This program is not a summer camp. No prior outdoor work experience is required, but participants should expect to spend their weekdays working hard in the heat, and weekends exploring the natural beauty of Virginia.”

Room and board are provided, and crew members will receive a $750 stipend at the end of the two-week session. Applications must be filled out by the youth rather than another family member or guardian.

For more details on how to apply for the program visit, https://www.dcr.virginia.gov/ state-parks/youth-conservation-corps.

Ches. P.E.A.R.L.S. To Present Nikki Giovanni For BHM & Scholarship Event

CHESAPEAKE On February 3, 2024, The Chesapeake P.E.A.R.L.S, Incorporated in partnership with Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated® Omicron Pi Omega chapter will host its annual Black History Month and Scholarship Celebration at the historic Attucks Theatre, featuring legendary poet, writer, and activist Nikki Giovanni.

The annual celebration highlights the rich history, culture, and experiences of African-Americans while honoring the scholastic achievements of promising young students from Chesapeake high schools.

The event also allows P.E.A.R.L.S. to raise funds to support its mission to provide students with financial assistance to attend college.

In 2023, The Chesapeake P.E.A.R.L.S., Incorporated

awarded more than $25,000 in scholarships to graduating seniors attending Chesapeake Public Schools. This year, P.E.A.R.L.S. plans to award scholarships to seven graduating seniors from Chesapeake Public Schools.

This year’s event will be hosted by WTKR News Anchor Jessica Larché, and centered on the 2024 National Black History Month theme, “African-Americans and

the Arts.” In addition to featuring Ms. Giovanni, the event will be a showcase up and coming talent from the Hampton Roads region.

Performers include Norfolk State University’s Jazz Ensemble, Norfolk-based dance company Dance Dimensions, vocalist Ashley Felder, and opera singer Symone Harcum.

Tickets are available at Ticketmaster.

Truth

saying that Demetrius’ life was in harmony with the gospel that John had been preaching, so that Demetrius, like Gaius and other faithful believers, was “walking in the truth.”

FAREWELL. John concludes his letter by sending greetings from the friends who were with him and asking Gaius to greet the friends there by name.

This indicates something of the warmth of the personal relationship between John and this church.

As we conclude our study of these three letters of Joh, two elements common to all of them stand out” love and truth. Christians are to love one another with the self-giving kind of love that comes from God and the only way in which this can be done is through adherence to the truth as it has been revealed in the God-man, Jesus Christ.

Continued from page 4B D E M E T R I U S : KNOWN FOR DOING GOOD. The third person to whom we are introduced in this letter (vv. 11 - 12– is Demetrius. John makes the transition from Diotrephes to Demetrius by exhorting Gaius not to imitate “what is evil, but what is good.”

John gives a threefold testimony to Demetrius’ character (v. 12) by stating that he is well-spoken-of (1) by everyone, (2) by the truth itself and (3) by the writer of this letter.

“Everyone” probably means the Christian community of which John and Gaius were apart. “The truth itself” may be John’s way of

CLASSIFIEDS REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

The Norfolk Redevelopment and Housing Authority (NRHA) will receive proposals for 2153-153-24: Project Based Vouchers (PBV) for Projects within the Boundaries of the City of Norfolk from property owners and developers for new housing developments in Norfolk, Virginia and neighboring jurisdictions. The PBV program is a tool to promote the expansion of quality, affordable and accountable housing opportunities to low income families, homeless persons, elderly persons and person with disabilities, in order to meet mixed-income community objectives. The PBV shall be deployed in new construction, rehabilitated housing, or adaptive reuse of existing structures for residential housing developments or mixed income rental communities.

Multiple, resultant contracts may be offered up to 20 year terms.

Proposals will be received at NRHA, 555 E. Main Street (17th Floor drop Box) Norfolk, VA 23510 no later than 3:00 p.m. local prevailing time, on February 8, 2024. Solicitation documents are available for review at www.nrha.us and the E-Virginia Procurement website (www.eva.virginia.gov).

NRHA does not discriminate against individuals because of race, color, religion, sex, disability, familial status or national origin. Small businesses owned by women and minorities, and Section 3 certified businesses are encouraged to submit proposals.

... answers to this week’s puzzle.

New Journal and Guide

January 25, 2024 - January 31, 2024 | 7B

8B | January 25, 2024 - January 31, 2024

New Journal and Guide