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Youth V. I.B.E. hosting 20th anniversary gala
Big Boi instagram post stirs up controversy
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Volume 88 • Issue 43
Kenny Leon tees off for the cause
Black pastors blast President Obama’s transgender bill
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June 2-8, 2016
June 2-8, 2016
COVER STORY
Kenny Leon’s Celebrity Golf Tournament raises money to grow young talent
By Terry Shropshire Kenny Leon is, incontrovertibly, one of the most celebrated theater directors and filmmakers in the country, and most certainly in black America. This is not even subjected to debate. He has worked with the crème de la crème of actors and entertainers in award-winning plays on Broadway from the likes of two-time Oscar-winner Denzel Washington, to Academy Award-nominated actors Samuel L. Jackson, Angela Bassett and the legendary Phylicia Rashad and even worked with music impresario and actor Sean “Diddy” Combs and Alicia Keys. But the always-in-demand, Tony award-winning Leon takes a reprieve from his hectic schedule in New York and Atlanta to host his annual “Green in the Day, Blues in the Night” celebrity golf tournament in order to raise money to mentor young acting and filmmaking aspirants across the country and fly them to New York City’s Manhattan to experience this one-in-a-lifetime weekend on Broadway. The all-day celebrity event is broken into two parts:
golf during the day at the Bear’s Best Atlanta, and the evening gala that took place at the Millennium Gate Museum. The event helped raise funds for the True Colors theater company’s educational programs, such as the National August Wilson Monologue Competition for high school students. This year, the gala attracted the likes of TV One’s Roland Martin, NBA legend Julius “Dr. J” Erving, Anthony Anderson, Shanice Williams, Flex and so many others. Denzel and Samuel L. Jackson have been part of previous years’ celebrations. “Many of our inner city youth have never had an opportunity to fly on an airplane. Many of our
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children have never had the opportunity to fly to New York City. Many inner city youth have never had the opportunity to speak with Denzel Washington and Danielle Radcliff, and see a play like “Hamilton” on Broadway, and to have the cast come out and speak with them, or to see the “The Color Purple” and then talk to and touch Jennifer Hudson and take selfies with her,” Leon says. “So they know that dreams can really happen. It’s not just us running our mouths, saying this is a possibility. Yes, it may be more difficult. But I want to teach young people that it’s always been more difficult for us. But that doesn’t mean that you cannot succeed.” The program offers students from low ¬income neighborhoods, where arts programs are minimal to non¬-existent due to budget constraints, the opportunity to study theatre. Students of all races have the opportunity to explore African American culture and history through this program along with improving public speaking and reading comprehension skills. Participants are offered free acting workshops to prepare for the competition and future mentoring opportunities. The program exponentially increases arts in education dollars for participating schools and builds the skills and confidence of the youth in the following participating cities: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Greensboro, New York City, Pittsburgh, Portland, Seattle and Los Angeles. “Greens in the Day, Blues in the Night” has garnered widespread support from multinational corporations in Atlanta and beyond, including Delta Air Lines, Georgia Power, AT&T, Georgia Pacific, Bank of America, Adidas, Granny Nannies, Gude Management Group, Wilmington Trust and InterContinental Buckhead. The idea for the all-day event came when Leon’s then wife said that said ‘you should do something for your friends.’ And Samuel L. Jackson used to do a tournament every year for me. So we would all gather there and play, and then he stopped doing it. But I started doing it, calling it “Greens During the Day, Blues at Night,” meaning golf during the day and blues music at night. “It was originally called Kenny and friends. And it was about spending time with my celebrity friends to get together once a year,because we are always shooting, or making movies on playing in theater. And when August Wilson passed away, and I came
up with True Colors Theater (truecolorstheatre. com), I said we need to find a way to raise money get these kids to New York for that one special weekend. And we have these pilots in 12 different states now. So then I started using as a way to raise money for that one component of True Colors Theater and our education program.” Leon first gained national prominence back in 1988, when he became one of the few blacks to head a notable nonprofit theater company as the artistic director of the Alliance Theater Company in Atlanta. He lit up Peachtree Street with staging Pearl Cleage’s Blues for an Alabama Sky, Alred Uhry’s The Last Night of Ballyhoo, and Elton John’s and Tim Rice’s musical Aida, which was so acclaimed that it went to Broadway in Manhattan. The Alliance’s endowment also rose from $1 to $5 million during Leon’s time there. Even with this enormous success, Leon had bigger plans. He resigned from the Alliance in 2000 and became the co-founder and artistic director of True Colors Theater Company, which is based in both Atlanta and the nation’s Capitol. He kept going further north ascended to international fame when he a revival of Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun on Broadway starring starring Phylicia Rashad, Sean Combs and Audra McDonald in his Broadway debut. At the end of that year, he directed the Broadway premiere of August Wilson’s Gem of the
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Ocean and, in the spring of 2007, he directed August Wilson’s Radio Golf. All three plays were nominated for Tony Awards, and Leon was a Drama Desk Award nominee Raisin in the Sun. The success of those plays helped him accrue the cache to direct the television version of A Raisin in the Sun in 2008 on ABC. One of his greatest career feats took place when Leon was nominated for a Tony Award in 2010 for Best Director for his revival of his idol and friend, the late legendary August Wilson’s Fences, that starred Denzel Washington and Viola Davis, earning them both award wins for Best Performance for Male and Female in a Play. Now Leon is leveraging his ever-increasing fame and platform to raise resources in order to inspire the next generation of filmmakers and theater directors -- or to help catapult students to success in other occupations and genres. “The main thing is, I’m never trying to tell a kid that they should definitely be in theater or film or television or music,” he said resolutely. “Through the use of theater, I’m just trying to open their eyes and say ‘you know what? This is America. You can do whatever you want ... anything you want. “So if we can use that weekend (of flying kids to New York and seeing Broadway plays and speaking with the directors and cast members) to open their minds and say ‘America belongs to you and you can do whatever you want,’ then that is money well spent.” Photos by Paras Griffin and Facebook
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NEWS
Metro Atlanta mother holds down teen as daughter beats and cuts her By Terry Shropshire COBB COUNTY, Ga. — A suburban Atlanta mother was arrested for inciting a fight between two teens when she allegedly held down her daughter’s adversary so that the daughter could beat and cut her, the media reports. Ramona Ann Thompson is accused of holding a teenage girl down so her 17-year-old daughter [middle] could beat her bloody and cut her with a box cutter. A third woman Shaqwana Montice Veasley has also been charged for encouraging the fight and spitting in the child’s face. According to the police report, the mother allegedly grabbed the other girl by her hair and pulled her to the ground, allowing another woman to assault the 17-year-old, arrest warrants say. As Ramona Ann Thompson held a teenager to the ground, her relative, Karreston Kinyada Hill, hit and cut the girl with a box cutter, arrest warrants state, according to the Atlanta Journal Constitution.
A third woman, Shaqwana Montice Veasley, also allegedly encouraged Thompson’s daughter to injure the other girl. Thompson also spit in a child’s face, police said. “Stomp her! Beat her!” Thompson yelled as the girls fought, according to her warrant. “That’s what you get for talking all that (expletive)!” Veasley allegedly said. The 17-year-old girl had several lacerations to her face after the fight and needed stitches. After the fight, Hill, who is also 17, was arrested and charged with aggravated battery and affray, according to police. She was released from the Cobb jail the following day after posting $20,000 bond, booking records showed. On Friday she was arrested again and charged with aggravated assault. Hill was released the second time on Monday after posting an additional $20,000 bond.
Mayor Reed shares feelings on President Obama’s call for more worker overtime pay After President Obama declared that more workers be eligible for overtime pay, Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed weighed positively on the decsion. The Obama administration announced the publication of the Department of Labor’s final rule updating overtime regulations, which will automatically extend overtime pay protections to over 4 million workers within the first year of implementation. “Today, the Department of Labor has taken a significant step in addressing inequity in our nation’s overtime pay rules. The new rule to expand overtime protections for millions of Americans is a clear victory for working families, including many here in the City of Atlanta. Because of President Obama’s commitment
and action on behalf of American workers to double the salary threshold under which most salaried workers are guaranteed overtime, thousands of working parents in our city and as many as 4.2 million workers nationwide will now receive the compensation that they earn and deserve,” Reed stated. “This rule will boost wages by $12 billion over the next decade, helping to grow and strengthen our country’s middle class and enhance our local economy. At the same time, the new protections will come at minimal cost to the business community. “I am proud to support President Obama and Secretary Perez in this effort.”
Georgia counties seek to reduce number of jailed juveniles As part of a local and national movement on comprehensive criminal justice reform, several Georgia counties have entered a pilot program seeking to greatly lower the vast amount of juveniles behind bars — and the often traumatizing and sometimes irreversible affects on the adolescents. Fulton County, which houses the Georgia capital city of Atlanta, as well as Clarke, Glynn, Chatham and Newton counties are participating in the pilot project, The Athens Banner-Herald reported. The national nonprofit organization, Annie E. Casey Foundation, is aiming to find alternatives to juvenile detention. Giving credit to Gov. Nathan Deal, the newspaper says the numbers of Georgia juveniles behind bars have dropped sharply since the Georgia legislature approved reforms in the state’s juvenile justice systems pushed by Deal, a former juvenile court judge. Officials with the foundation, however, believe the numbers can go lower. This would have a two-pronged benefit, the foundation says: it would result in benefits to the state treasury; also there will be less harm to the young people caught up in the juvenile justice system. Jim Payne, a technical assistance provider with the foundation, and Whitney Dickens, state coordinator of the initiative, were in Athens recently to help launch the project in Clarke County.
Dickens outlined a series of “core strategies” various agencies can use to reduce incarceration rates, and to make incarceration less traumatic for the youngsters locked up. The elephant in the room is, of course, the racial component of juvenile incarceration, he said; Nationwide, African-American youths are disproportionately represented in juvenile justice proceedings and in detention, he said. In Clarke County, which houses Athens, Ga., a much higher percentage of adolescents who appear before the Athens-Clarke County Juvenile Court Judge Robin Shearer are African-American, she said. A similar trend is reflected in some discipline statistics from the Clarke County School District, the Athens newspaper reported. Through mid-May, the school district conducted 212 disciplinary hearings for high school and middle school students, according to school district statistics; of those, 179 were African American students, about 85 percent. But race is just a part of the equation, he said. Oftentimes, kids end up in detention because police officers know if they detain a parent or parents, they’ll also have to find a place for their children overnight. They simply find it easier to take the children into custody, Payne said. “Sometimes we overreact to kids,” Payne said.
June 2-8, 2016
State threatens to get rid of Atlanta Streetcar Georgia Department of Transportation officials have issued threats to shut down the Atlanta Streetcar because of alleged lack of efficiency, bad management and inadequately trained workers. GDOT says it stop operations by June 14 if MARTA and Atlanta don’t develop concrete ideas to solve problems, states WXIA-TV. What are the issues? According to GDOT, the issues include inadequate investigations of accidents, along with inadequate training and staffing, according to a letter sent by Georgia Department of Transportation Commissioner to the city. In a letter to WSB-TV that the city has since August 2015 submitted numerous Corrective Action Plan logs and that officials are eager to receive feedback to continue the review process and to meet the agency’s requests.
Help arrives for drug afflicted via congressman’s resources toolkit
Congressman Hank Johnson (GA-04) today unveiled a comprehensive addiction resources toolkit to help families in Georgia Fourth Congressional District and across Georgia address the issues associated with addiction. The guide is now available through Congressman Johnson’s website. More Americans die every day from drug overdoses than from car accidents – an average of 129 people per day, with six out of 10 deaths related to opioids. And the majority of those who need help with addiction issues are not receiving it. In 2014, only 11 percent of the approximately 22.7 million Americans who needed treatment for substance abuse received it, according to the Office of National Drug Control Policy. Assembled by leading experts in the addiction fields and the Addiction Policy Forum, the Comprehensive Addiction Resources Toolkit includes resources around prevention, drug treatment, recovery support and general information for families, community organizations, schools, and parents concerned about addiction and looking for support. “Starting today, a resources guide is available on my website,” said Rep. Johnson. “By providing this comprehensive guide, we hope families will find the support they need to deal with these issues. So many of our families have been affected by this epidemic – and many don’t know where to turn. I hope this guide can be a small step to begin healing.” Leading national and community organizations contributed to this comprehensive set of resources, including Community Anti-Drug Coalition, the National Council, National Association for Children of Alcoholics, Shatterproof, Faces & Voices of Recovery, Legal Action Center, National District Attorneys Association, Fraternal Order of Police, National Governors Association, Hazelden Betty Ford, National Institute of Drug Abuse, and the Office National Drug Control Policy.
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June 2-8, 2016
BUSINESS
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Winning Super Bowl 2019 means what to Atlanta economically? The region and state of Georgia is elated that they are going to host Super Bowl 53 in 2019. Right away, armchair economists and pseudo numbers crunchers imagined a vast economic boon to the metro Atlanta area. It is not going to work out that way. Not even close, testifies an Emory Goizueta Business School expert. “I’ve seen estimates that the game could bring as much as $400 million or $800 million into the local economy,” said Dr. Michael Smith to Patch.com. “But let’s bring that figure into a much more realistic orbit. I think its going to be around $40 million, and a lot of that has to do with where the money comes from.” Smith said any economic benefit will be derived from out-of-towners who spend money at venues like a Super Bowl village, an amenity that Atlanta created for its 2013 Final 4 NCAA Basketball Tournament. “The city did an awesome job for its Final 4,” Smith said. “It’s one thing to get people who are not from here, to spend money here. But if it’s just us, going out and spending money at a Super Bowl village instead of going to the movies or going bowling, that doesn’t do the regional economy any good. It’s just a transfer of wealth, and we really
want this event to have a more far-reaching impact.” Very interesting point that most casual observers, restaurant proprietors and members of the hospitality industry probably did not factor in. If tens of millions of dollars is spent at the Super Bowl village, then that money will be funneled back to the NFL, not the city of Atlanta nor the state of Georgia. Super Bowl 53 will be played at Atlanta’s new Mercedes-Benz Stadium in 2019. Atlanta won the bid for the game on the fourth ballot by outlasting New Orleans. Tampa and Miami were eliminated during the early rounds, and the fourth round came down to between Atlanta and New Orleans. Smith says the game’s indirect impact is much more interesting, over the long term. “Getting the Super Bowl with a new stadium is a good selling point when the mayor or governor or the chamber of commerce tries to convince people that Atlanta isn’t some hick Southern town,” he said. “The region still has that image. “What I tell people is, Atlanta isn’t in the South. You can get to the South from Atlanta, but we’re not in the South. Getting the Super Bowl gives people who are trying to portray Atlanta as a great place to live and work, some legitimacy in their efforts.”
Apparel company to create more than 300 jobs in metro Atlanta
Gov. Nathan Deal today announced that thredUP, a leading online marketplace for consumers to buy and sell like-new women’s and children’s clothing, will establish a distribution and warehouse operation in Gwinnett County. This project represents the creation of more than 300 new jobs in the metro Atlanta area. “thredUP’s decision to grow its business here in Georgia is a direct reflection of our first-rate workforce and the ease of access we provide to the company’s online customer base,” saidDeal. “These are critical components for innovative companies like thredUP to continue growing. I am confident thredUP will benefit from the wealth of resources that make Georgia the No. 1 state for business.” thredUP is an augmented marketplace that specializes in the buying and selling of women’s and kids secondhand apparel. The company will retrofit and upgrade an existing facility at 2670 Breckinridge Blvd. in unincorporated Gwinnett County. The newly created jobs will include a range of positions including inspection, quality assurance and inventory and HR management.
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“We’re excited to put down roots here in Duluth and to have access to the area’s tremendous high-quality workforce as we build out our team,” said John Voris, chief operating officer of thredUP. “By opening new distribution centers in strategic locations across the country, thredUP is able to increase processing capacity, while also offering faster shipping transit times and more localized, seasonally relevant inventory.” With the opening of the new distribution center, thredUP will expand its Southeastern presence to better serve a rapidly growing customer base. “We are excited that thredUP has selected metro Atlanta for its expanded operations,” said Metro Atlanta Chamber President and CEO Hala Moddelmog. “Our region’s strength as an innovation and logistics hub and leading universities will be critical assets as thredUP seeks to fill key creative and technology positions and reach new customers. Congratulations to Gwinnett County on this great win.” “thredUP’s decision to locate in Gwinnett County demonstrates once again the strong business climate that exists here,” said Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners Chair Charlotte Nash. “Gwinnett’s skilled workforce and connectivity make it the ideal location for companies like thredUP to grow and thrive.” Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD) project manager Joshua Stephens represented the Global Commerce division in partnership with the Metro Atlanta Chamber, the Gwinnett Chamber Economic Development, Georgia Department of Labor, Georgia Power and Jones Lang LaSalle Commercial Real Estate Agency. “It is exciting to see inventive companies like thredUP look to Georgia as they are striving to better serve a growing customer base,” said GDEcD Commissioner Chris Carr. “This announcement is indicative of our pro-business environment, collaborative statewide partnerships and a top-notch workforce. Today, we welcome thredUP to Georgia as a new corporate citizen, and we look forward to supporting them as they fill these newly created jobs with Georgia’s highly-skilled talent.”
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COMMUNITY
June 2-8, 2016
Youth V.I.B.E. hosting 20th anniversary gala on Sunday Youth V.I.B.E. (Vision. Industry. B u s i n e s s . Empowerment.) foundation founder and CEO Waleed ShamsidDeen boasts many success stories of molding and cultivating youth into becoming leaders, businesspeople Waleed Shamsid-Deen minded especially Youth V.I.B.E. Founder and entrepreneurs during the 20 years of the program. Brian Reynolds is just one of those many standouts. After going through the program during his senior year in a DeKalb County high school, “the entrepreneurial spirit bit him, and he decided to go oversees to China and staying for a few years and getting a degree in Mandarin.” But remarkable story doesn’t end there. Reynolds, who now speaks fluent Chinese, started an international business where he bring students from oversees to America for post-secondary education, with the whole emphasis being like cultural exchange. Before that, Shamsid-Deen said, Reynolds was importing hair from oversees before he
found his life’s calling, his raison d’etre, with education where he is now doing camps with thousands of Chinese students, and he started a blog and has a vast following in both the U.S. and China. Stories like Reyonolds, who now lives in California, might not have been had it not
been for Shamsid-Deen’s Youth V.I.B.E. This is one of the reasons why Shamsid-Deen is celebrating with the 20th year anniversary gala on Sunday, June 5. After the Olympics, Shamsid-Deen and his team decided to start an organization called the South DeKalb Business Association
Youth Mentoring Program. A year later, they changed the name to Youth V.I.B.E. and incorporated as a 501(c)3 and “began mentoring programs for youth around business, entrepreneurship, mentoring and tutoring,” progressing into a full after-school mentoring program, working with about 105 kids in three schools in South DeKalb County each year. “Over the years, we have expanded into food services. We did summer camps and provided food for low income kids. We do tours of big and small businesses. We do enrichment and academic programs, boasting some powerful backers, partners, sponsors and grant benefactors, including the Georgia Department of Human Services, United Way, Department of Education 21st Century and DeKalb County. This Sunday, Shamsid-Deen and hundreds of others are going to celebrate the 20 years on, June 5th 2016, 963 Edgewood Ave NE, Atlanta, GA 30307 To attend, RSVP: Adeidra@YouthVIBE. org Shamsid-Deen said his goal “is to raise $100,000 between the gala, the silent auction and other things that we have going on.” For more information, log onto: http://www. youthvibe.org
Clark Atlanta University receives $50,000 bequest from alumnus Marvin Arrington, Sr.
Clark Atlanta University (CAU) President Ronald A. Johnson today announced a bequest of $50,000 from former Fulton County, Ga., Superior Court Judge and 1963 Clark College alumnus Marvin Arrington Sr., J.D. The bequest will establish the Judge Marvin Arrington Book Fund for African-American students pursuing an undergraduate degree from the University’s Whitney M. Young Jr. School of Social Work or an undergraduate degree in political science. Arrington, who grew up in Atlanta’s Vine City Neighborhood, also known as “The Bluff,” attended Clark College on a football scholarship. Upon graduation, he entered Howard University School of Law, then transferred to Emory University Law School to become one of the first two African Americans to graduate from that institution.
He was elected to Atlanta’s City Council in 1969—then its youngest alderman at age 27, and served in that capacity for 25 years, 17 of them as president. He served as a trustee for Clark College and, upon consolidation of Clark College and Atlanta University in 1988, Clark Atlanta University until 2002. Clark Atlanta University (CAU) President Ronald A. Johnson today announced a bequest of $50,000 from former Fulton County, Ga., Superior Court Judge and 1963 Clark College alumnus Marvin Arrington Sr., J.D. The bequest will establish the Judge Marvin Arrington Book Fund for African-American students pursuing an undergraduate degree from the University’s Whitney M. Young Jr. School of Social Work or an undergraduate degree in political science. Arrington, who grew up in Atlanta’s Vine City Neighborhood, also known as “The Bluff,” attended Clark College on a football scholarship. Upon graduation, he entered Howard University School of Law, then transferred to Emory University Law School to become one of the first two African Americans to graduate from that institution. He was elected to Atlanta’s City Council in 1969—then its youngest alderman at age 27, and served in that capacity for 25 years, 17 of them as president. He served as a trustee for Clark College and, upon consolidation of Clark College and Atlanta University in 1988, Clark Atlanta University until 2002.
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June 2-8, 2016
ENTERTAINMENT
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‘RHOA’s Cynthia Bailey and Peter Thomas file for separation It looks like the “Real Housewives of Atlanta” has claimed another marriage as Cynthia Bailey’s and Peter Thomas’ tumultuous marriage may have imploded beyond repair. If you’re taking inventory, RHOA reality show has sucked down — or hastened the end of — of a marriage including Porsha Williams and Kordell Stewart, the (impending) union of Phaedra Parks and Apollo Nida and, temporarily, the marriage of Nene and Gregg Leakes, before they finally reunited and remarried. Now we can add Bailey and Thomas to the trash heap of RHOA marriage tumult. Most people probably saw this one coming after six turbulent years of arguments, failed businesses and rampant speculation of infidelity, the couple have officially announced their legal separation. The pair’s troubles has been played out for public consumption for years, but it may be in irreparable disrepair.
Bailey spoke with Bravo’s Daily Dish and let them know the state of their union. Needless to say, things aren’t looking too good. According to reports, Thomas never came home from their Charlotte, N.C., after packing up and moving in a few months back, so the pair has gotten the process started to officially call it quits: “Peter and I are separated. He lives in Charlotte, and I live in Atlanta.” “I am definitely taking some time to myself to figure out how I want to move forward. I don’t want to rush into anything, so I think this time apart is good for us. And I think the space apart, I think he can appreciate it as well. I think it gives people time to think and process and just move forward in a way that really is healthy for everyone involved.”
Three ‘real’ reasons why Tamar Braxton was fired from ‘The Real’ Some disturbing, but not surprising, news is billowing out from the set of “The Real” like smoke from an extinguished fire. The “fire” was the firing of popular co-host Tamar Braxton for basically five major reasons, including: On-set tantrums, “p-ssing off ’ sponsors, and a focus group that revealed Tamar’s “aggressive eye-rolling and mouth-smacking” turned off “educated women” viewers as they are “indicative of behavior African-American women have worked years to overcome.” Executives of ‘The Real’ reportedly fired Tamar from “The Real” for three real reasons: • Negative feedback on her ‘ghetto’ persona received from focus groups of the daytime talk show • On-set insubordination • Advertiser complaints – (The show’s sales team made it clear that advertisers did not want her in their segments due to her antics and lack of cooperation). On Saturday, May 21, Braxton and her co-hosts (Adrienne Bailon, Jeannie Mai, Loni Love and Tamara Mowry) all got phone calls from the show’s parent company Telepictures/ Warner Bros. to inform the group that the popular talk show would be moving forward without Braxton. Braxton was blindsided by the news, as were all of her cohosts. “Everyone was caught off guard. None of them saw it coming and everyone was completely blindsided by the decision,” a source close to production tells Daily Mail Online. The cast was also taken aback because, as Loni Love stated in her video response, all five cast members had just completed a new photo shoot for images that were supposed to be used to promote their upcoming third season. The group was also scheduled to fly to New Orleans together over the July 4th weekend for a rare off-season multiday taping to occur at this year’s Essence Festival, where they were scheduled to film episodes of their show and premiere them when they returned in September. But an alleged flagrant Braxton error in judgement derailed that those plans. The show’s executive producer is said to have cursed her out in earshot of other staffers on set a few weeks ago, after Braxton reportedly sulked over losing a game during the taping, the Daily Mail reports. “It was an ugly scene. Pinterest was sponsoring the segment and Tamar was genuinely upset she was losing the game. ‘She really acted out during the taping in front of the studio audience and then exploded behind the scenes once the show was done. Producers had to heavily edit the segment to make it presentable to air on TV, but the sponsor was on set for the segment and witnessed it all,” the source explains. (you can read it in its entirety here). According to production staff, the newspaper continues, Braxton’s outbursts on set were frequent and she regularly blew up at the executive producer and oftentimes her husband,
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prolific producer Vincent Hubert and/or her co-hosts would have to work to put out the flames. “Let’s just say she was becoming unbearable to work with,” the source said. But the move to finally ax Braxton probably came when she took time off of “The Real” to contend on “Dancing with the Stars” that producers realized the show could survive without her. First off, there was peace on set and, most importantly, the ratings maintained and at times, went up depending on whom was guest co-hosting the show, the source explained. After Telepictures received a two-year renewal of ‘The Real’ on all Fox stations and on BET where it reairs, execs reportedly wanted to see what they could do to make the show better for Seasons 3 and 4. Here came the focus groups. The research from the focus group was also a major factor in the decision to fire Braxton. She did doesn’t score well with educated women, The Daily Mail reports: ‘The focus group research showed that most educated and working women did not identify with Tamar’s show vernacular and her use of words known to be popular among drag queens and some gay men – phrases like “get your life,” “where they do that at,” “have several seats.” ‘It was even said she seemed more suited to be a judge on RuPaul’s Drag Race on Logo instead of a talk show host on The Real,’ revealed the source. ‘The research went on to say that most educated and working women found her to be ‘ghetto’ and that her aggressive eyerolling, neck-rolling and the smacking of her mouth were indicative of ‘stereotypical behavior that African American women have worked years to overcome,” the source continued. The Real’s executive producer used the aforementioned reasons (the focus group findings, on-set insubordination and the sales team issues about advertisers not wanting Braxton in their segments) to convince Warner Bros. to give Braxton the boot! Vince Herbert, Braxton’s husband and manager, was kept in the dark about these decision to get rid of his wife. “He knew they were having problems with her and he shielded Tamar from a lot of what was being said and done, but in the end his producer credit on the show was more about vanity and less about control,” the source revealed. For the record, Warner Bros. wanted to work out an exit agreement with Braxton that wouldn’t make viewers aware she was being fired but before they could hammer out
a joint statement and an agreement that was good for both parties, Tamar had already posted that cryptic message on IG about betrayal and an unnamed person who she feels ‘stabbed’ her ‘in the back.’ ‘It’s that type of impulsive behavior and lack of self control that is why she is off the show,’ the source said.
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ENTERTAINMENT
Meet the newest member of ‘Married to Medicine,’ Genise Shelton By Terry Shropshire “Married to Medicine,” which has been off the air since October 2015, is preparing to premiere a new season beginning September 2016. And they will do so by adding an intriguing, statuesque cast member. M2M have upped their event quotient recently, and the cast members have just returned from a trip to Hawaii about two weeks ago. Toya Bush Harris, Lisa Nicole Cloud, Heavenly Kimes, Jackie Walters, Dr. Simone Whitmore, Quad Lunceford Webb are all returning as well as Mariah Huq, who will return full time after she was unceremoniously outsted from the show she helped create in season 3. There’s also the addition of at least one newbie, Genise Shelton. Shelton, Atlanta area Realtor, is married to Dr. Courtney Shelton, an internal medicine specialist with two practices. They have five children, four sons and a daughter. Genise is laso fitness model and has competed professionally in fitness competitions under the name ‘Nikki Spice’.
June 2-8, 2016
‘Married to Medicine’s’ Quad Webb-Lunceford’s Brazilian birthday bash in Atlanta Amid an explosion of bright, bold and beautiful colors that spanned the spectrum and corresponded with her perky personality, the ever-so colorful Quad Webb-Lunceford slayed the game in a barely-there Brazilian/Carnival-inspired outfit that accentuated her carefullycultivated curves and illuminated her cocoa-coated skin as she celebrated her birthday party in suburban Atlanta. The mercurial yet authentic maven of the “Married to Medicine” reality show sashayed and strutted with swagger through a throng of M2M fans in the backyard of a beautiful estate, where she met up with her costars who stood on the edge of a pool. Webb-Lunceford gave a poignant and powerful testimonial of her love and relationship with her husband, Dr. Gregory Lunceford, before allowing her fellow castmates to show love. The lady of the evening was joined by her cast members Dr. Heavenly Kimes, Dr. Jackie Waters, Toya Bush-Harris and Dr.
Simone Whitmore, their husbands, as well as Dwight Eubanks, who was the emcee of the evening, and author Joyce Reed, A’lana Banks of “Selling It: In the ATL, organizer K a t h y Tay l or and many others.
Big Boi stirs up controversy with Instagram post aimed at black mothers
Well-known for his top-notch rap skills and laid-back persona, Big Boi, one-half of the Grammy-winning, multi-platinum duo Outkast, found out how it feels to face the wrath of #BlackTwitter. Over the holiday weekend while many were enjoying family cookouts, retail sales and binge-watching their favorite shows, Big Boi posted a controversial meme that got many fans and followers up in arms. Attempting to highlight the contrast between black mothers of today and back in the 70s, the rapper posted the controversial meme to both his Instagram and Twitter accounts. The meme featured the Florida
Evans character from the 70s sitcom Good Times alongside an unidentified woman in a string bikini posing with her backside to the camera as a small child watches. The text placed in the meme reads: “Mothers in the 70s…Mothers now…And we act like we don’t know what’s wrong with these kids.” Instantly the rapper was trending on Twitter and being called everything from a misogynist and sexist to a hypocrite. Many who voiced their criticisms pointed out that a large portion of Big Boi’s lyrics and imagery in his videos equally refer to women in a derogatory manner or feature them scantily clad, which is the exact opposite of the meme’s intention. His love of strippers and strip clubs throughout the years, as evidenced in his music and personal life, was also brought to the forefront. Despite the #BlackTwitter backlash, Big Boi stood firm on his decision to post the meme and simply responded with, “I don’t mind u bussin’ it open, but not in front of the baby, but I guess ya’ll don’t see the baby in the Meme. (That I did not create).” However it wasn’t all hostility on social media, as fellow rapper Snoop Dogg came to his defense by reposting the meme and responded with “True.” Social media and celebrities have a long and complicated history and this certainly won’t be the last time a celebrity ruffles the feathers of fans and social media hounds alike. Tell us, do you think Big Boi was out of line with the meme he posted or is it no big deal?
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June 2-8, 2016
LIFESTYLE
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HelloBeautiful.com launches annual list to celebrate Inspiring Women of Color #HBWomenToKnow 2016 “Women to Know” feature highlights African American agents of change HelloBeautiful.com, the premier online destination for African American women, today announces the release of their “Women to Know” feature, highlighting African American women from all walks of life who are using their platforms to effect change in their communities. This year, the annual feature highlights Black women who are at the forefront of social change. The list includes a range of women– politicians, lawyers, activists, teachers, entrepreneurs and artists – who are working tirelessly to advance the message of equality and to uplift their communities. Some of the dynamic women included are: Alicia Garza, founding member of Black Lives Matter, April Reign, creator of #OscarsSoWhite, Kamala Harris, the first female Attorney General of California, Marilyn Mosby, State’s Attorney for Baltimore City, Sybrina Fulton, Activist and Mother of Trayvon Martin, Bree Newsome, Activist and Filmmaker and Valeisha Butterfield Jones, Head of Black Community Engagement, Google. While Black women continue to be at the forefront of social change, too often their efforts go unnoticed. HelloBeautiful is seeking to change this by bringing the work of these
incredible women to its readers. “Each year we are more impressed with the women we get to know through this list, and it is our pleasure to celebrate them as the heroines they are.” Says Allison McGevna, Managing Editor, HelloBeautiful.com. “Each profile will leave you feeling as if you just received an empowering message from your sister, their experiences are all of ours,” McGevna continued. Content includes editorial and video, as well as an interactive feature encouraging women to become Women to Know by celebrating their own stories using the hashtag HBWomenToKnow and a photo upload. HelloBeautiful, an InteractiveOne property, embraces the philosophy that Black women are diverse and dynamic -- the women who work tirelessly for women’s rights and the women who are rocking the latest trends are not mutually exclusive. From politics to social movements, from fashion trends to the latest entertainment stories, HelloBeautiful covers all the headlines black women need to know. 2016’s Women to Know feature speaks to this credo.
KIA Motors’ music-loving hamsters returns
Beginning in movie theaters this weekend, some of the nation’s most recognizable advertising icons – Kia Motors’ music-loving hamsters – are back in a new campaign for the fun and funky Soul urban passenger vehicle with an upbeat message and a catchy new tune that transforms the classic “Dueling Banjos” (EMI Entertainment World) into an internationally-inspired anthem. Set to appear on more than 34,000 screens nationwide in National CineMedia’s FirstLook pre-show program beginning tomorrow, the 60-second “Soul Jam” spot opens on an idyllic park setting with Nathaniel Rateliff, front man of roots sensation, Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats, trading guitar licks with a banjoplaying hamster who arrives on the scene in a Soul. As additional hamsters join the fray, what begins as a friendly game of musical one-upmanship morphs into a world music inspired jam session and
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dance party as nearby city-dwellers join in with instruments of their own, ranging from a sitar and African and Korean Drums to a ukulele, bagpipes, violins and more. “The hamsters have always been plugged-in to what is going on in the world around us, and in the ‘The World Needs More Soul’ campaign they are back to share their infectious spirit of optimism and celebrate things that bring people together like music and dance,” said Michael Sprague, chief operating officer and EVP, Kia Motors America. “With each Soul execution we strive to bring a fresh musical perspective, and ‘Soul Jam’ blends a variety of styles and cultures with a highly recognizable piece of music to create something fun and different that stands out from the crowd, just like the Soul.” As Kia’s most ambitious hamster commercial production to date, “Soul Jam” required nearly 3,000 hours of computer generated imagery (CGI) work to bring the hamsters to life. And to ensure authenticity, ethnomusicologists, including Dr. Steven Loza, chair of the UCLA Herb Albert School of Music’s Department of Ethnomusicology, helped curate the globally inspired jam session featuring authentic instruments, dance and clothing from around the world.
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June 2-8, 2016
Friendship Baptist Church to host first 3-part symposium “The Perils and Promises of Historical Black Colleges and Universities” By Diane Adoma Friendship Baptist Church Forum Ministry under the leadership of Rev. Richard W. Wills, Sr. Pastor will host a FREE III Part Symposium on June 25, 2016 from 10am to 12noon at Providence Baptist Church, 2295 Benjamin E. Mays Dr. SW, Atlanta, GA. The program Forum Ministry Chair, Dr. W. Kevin Dancy and the committee members will launch an aggressive outreach campaign to bring awareness to the struggles and successes of these great institutions. All across the United States, historical black colleges and universities are facing unprecedented challenges compared to other universities. For more than 150 years, these academic institutions have been the foundation for African American Students seeking cultural and academic refuge. Enrollment is rapidly declining, governmental cuts in funding, leadership and financial struggles have surpassed the proposed budgets. Doing more with less may not be a workable solution. Friendship Baptist church established in 1862 and organized in 1866 has rich roots in the Atlanta HBCUs and is focused on preservation of these great historical institutions.
This III part symposium will focus on the history, the situation today and what is next as we move into the future. A panel discussion with professionals and students as well as a question and answer session will allow for open candid
discussions. Part II and Part III will focus on what is the state of HBCUs and a call to action. The Forum Ministry will reach out to businesses and individuals to collaboratively seek ideas and solutions to increase enrollment, strengthen financials, increase resources and expand alumni. All who are interested in the future of these valuable academic institutions should be in attendance and are encouraged to invite future students. The workshop format will be a panel discussion and audience engagement and will focus on preserving the rich legacy. We will discuss how we can collaboratively work together to ensure that we attract qualified students and increase alumni giving. This three part series will end with a call to action for everyone who is interested in creating and shaping our schools to be both competitive and financially sound. Please bring your ideas, creativity, experience and wisdom and help us create a demand for attendance at HBCUs. Light refreshments will be served. For more information contact Dr. W. Kevin Dancy, Forum Ministry Chair or Diane Adoma, Forum Public Relations at adoma.diane@gmail.com, 678-612-5175.
Oprah’s conversation with T.D. Black pastors blast President Obama’s Jakes about megachurch series transgender bill as ‘insult’ to black civil rights ‘Greenleaf’ By Fahnia Thomas of EURWEB.com *”I am, who I am, sitting here today, because of the Black church.” Tycoon, Oprah Winfrey, participated in a Q&A session for OWNs newest TV series “Greenleaf,” along side show stars Lynn Whitfield, Keith David, and Merle Dandridge, at Soho House Hollywood. The mega star shares her conversation with Bishop T.D. Jakes, addresses questions about Black mega churches, her character and the difference between acting and hosting. On comparing T. D. Jakes and Joel Osteen to the character Bishop James Greenleaf… Oprah: I spoke to T.D. Jakes and said, ‘I just want you to know I’m doing a show about a mega church and the only resemblance to you, is that our main character is called Bishop and you’re a bishop.’ And he says, ‘I’m happy to hear that because I’ve heard something’s about it…’ I said, ‘I just want you to know, from my lips to your ears, I have nothing but deep respect and regard for the church. I, Oprah Winfrey, am going to do nothing, ever, that disrespects the church. I am, who I am, sitting here today, because of the Black church, but there are some people in the church with some flaws…we might be talking about that. It has nothing to do with you.’ And he said, ‘alright, can you send me a ticket?’ On her character Mavis McCready the sister of Lady Mae Greenleaf (Lynne Whitfield)… Oprah: I modeled her after my beloved friend and mentor, Maya Angelo. If Maya had a bar, it would be Mavis’ bar. And in preparation, I listened to jazz. I’m not a jazz person, I’ve never listened to a jazz anything, but I turned all the stations in my house to
Sirius jazz. I’ve been listening to Cold Train and Miles Davis to be in the zone and it was fun. On what acting fulfills in her that being a talk show host did not… Oprah: Years ago, I was interviewed by Gene Siskel and at the end of the interview, he asked me, ‘what do you know for sure?’ I couldn’t think of one thing. So I said, ‘Gene, I’m going to think about that.’ I called him a few days later and said, ‘this is what I figured out…’ And he says, ‘the show is over. I don’t really need the answer.’ But that is a question, that will live with me. Being able to act is a way to lose myself and really be submerged into the ideas and consciousness of someone else. Sometimes it’s a relief and sometimes it’s exhausting. “Greenleaf ” launches with a two-night premiere on June 21 at 10 p.m. ET/PT and June 22 at 9 p.m. and 10 p.m. ET/PT.
A coalition of black pastors are incensed that President Obama would dare to mandate all public schools to make girls restrooms and locker rooms accessible to sexually confused boys. Rev. Bill Owens, president of the Coalition of African-American Pastors (CAAP), said Obama’s comparison of sexually confused individuals with black civil rights was a “gross insult” to all who fought for equality for African-Americans. On Thursday Attorney General Loretta Lynch argued that a sexually confused individual’s choice of “gender identity” superseded women’s rights to privacy, including the privacy of female victims who would be uncomfortable sharing locker rooms or dressing rooms with men. But Rev. Owens disagreed. “There is simply no relation between the struggles that Black Americans have faced and the desire of a tiny minority group to violate
the dignity and privacy of women and girls,” Owens said in a statement sent to Breitbart News on Friday. Owens described Obama’s legislation that would amend the Civil Rights Act to include protection for trannies and cross-dressers as “an affront to the Black community and a theft of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy.” Rev. Owens called on all black Americans to “stand up and fight for the sanctity of Martin Luther King’s accomplishments for our race.” “Transgendered persons are not asking for equal rights—they are asking for special rights that violate the privacy of women and simple common sense,” Owens added. “CAAP calls on all those who oppose this unwarranted expansion of the Civil Rights Act to contact their representatives in Congress today and let them know how you feel about this bill.”
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June 2-8, 2016
ANNOUNCEMENT C. W. Matthews Contracting Co., Inc will be accepting quotations from subcontractors, including those subcontractors certified as DBE by GDOT for Columbus Consolidated Government Project RFB No. 16-0036 Forrest Road Improvements. The project is bidding on June 22, 2016 @ 2:30 P.M. Items of work includes (but is not limited to): Hauling, Concrete Flatwork, Retaining Walls, Storm Drain, Drainage Structures, Water Lines, Traffic Signals, Signs, Erosion Control, Grassing, Milling and Pavement Marking. Subcontractor quotations (including any Required Forms) will be accepted by C. W. Matthews’ Estimating Department in person, by e-mail: hpaige@ cwmatthews.com and/or mikek@cwmatthews.com or Fax: #770-422-9361 until Noon on Monday, June 20, 2016. All bidding documentation will be available at the C. W. Matthews Contracting website (www.cwmatthews.com). If you have any questions regarding this project, please contact CWM estimator, Heath Paige at 770-422-7520 X101. You must register a User ID and Password to access the CWM website. For additional website information, contact C. W. Matthews’ Estimating Department at 770-422-7520. C. W. Matthews Contracting Co., Inc will be accepting quotations from subcontractors, including GDOT certified DBE’s, for Dekalb County Invitation To Bid No. 16-100721 North & Northeast Ramp Pavement Improvements at Dekalb Peachtree Airport. This project is bidding on July 11, 2016 @ 3:00 P.M. Items of work include (but not limited to): Hauling, Erosion Control, Crack Sealing, Milling, Concrete Pipe, Drainage Structure, Fencing, Grassing, Water Lines and Pavement Marking. Subcontractor quotations will be accepted by C. W. Matthews’ Estimating Department in person, by e-mail: dustinj@cwmatthews.com and/or mikek@cwmatthews.com or Fax: #770-422-9361 until 12:00 Noon on Thursday, July 7, 2016. All bidding documentation will be available at the C. W. Matthews Contracting website (www.cwmatthews.com) as well as the Dekalb County website (http://www.dekalbcountyga.gov/ purchasing/pc_formal_solicitation_current_bids.html) If you have any questions regarding the project, please contact Estimator, Dustin Johnson at (770) 422-7520 X1161. You must register a User ID and Password to access the CWM website. For additional website information, contact C. W. Matthews’ Estimating Department at 770-422-7520.
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GUEST COMMENTARY
GUEST COMMENTARY
by Rev. Jesse L. Jackson, Sr.
by Marc H. Morial
America is literally falling apart. In Flint, children were poisoned by the lead contamination of the water. In Washington, the subway system is plagued by fires and delays. Arlington Memorial Bridge — which connects the North to the South, the Capitol to Arlington National Cemetery — may have to be closed soon. Kennedy’s eternal flame may burn forever, but the bridge is on its last legs. The American Society of Civil Engineers released a report last week once more warning the country of a massive investment deficit — an estimated $1.4 trillion shortfall over the next ten years — coming on top of years of underfunding and neglect. This isn’t a matter of money. The Obama administration has announced it plans to spend over $1 trillion to build a new generation of nuclear weapons and the planes, missiles and submarines that deliver them. These are weapons that can never be used. We have spent over $2 trillion on the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq to date, with the final costs estimated at $4 to $6 trillion. The war in Afghanistan — an impoverished country where we have no strategic interest — is already the longest in our history and continuing. We have the money. U.S. corporations stash trillions abroad to avoid paying taxes. If they paid what they owe — now estimated to be $700 billion — it would provide a down payment on rebuilding America. The federal tax on gasoline — dedicated to paying for infrastructure — has not been raised since 1993, even though gas prices have plummeted. Interest rates on U.S. bonds are now so low that the Treasury could issue Rebuild America bonds, put people to work to rebuild the country — and the growth and increased productivity that results would generate revenues to repay the bonds. Even establishment economists like Lawrence Summers argue that the program would literally pay for itself.
And it would respond to the pleas of the bastion of economic conservatism — the International Monetary Fund — that is pleading with the U.S. and other advanced countries to expand public investment to forestall a return to recession. The American Society of Civil Engineers estimates that the U.S. will suffer a stunning $4 trillion in lost GDP by 2025 from the costs of decaying tunnels, railways, waterways and other basic infrastructure. It will cost us more to decay than it would to rebuild. But Washington is frozen. The Republican Congress rejects President Obama’s modest plans for infrastructure investment, though they are supported by a massive coalition that includes the conservative Chamber of Commerce as well as the AFL-CIO. All three presidential candidates call for expanding investment in infrastructure (although only Bernie Sanders comes close to meeting the shortfall that the civil engineers warn about). But it will require a wave election — a sweeping rebuke to the obstructionist Republican Congress — for anything to happen. This is how great nations decline. Investments that are essential to any modern civilized nation — from schools and bridges to electric grids and clean water systems — are neglected. Money is squandered on foreign adventures or lost to the tax evasions of corporations and the rich. Private speculators profit from privatizing public services. We build the most modern and powerful military in the world, but are ever more crippled by decaying services that we depend on every day. Politics as usual won’t change this. It will change only if people rise up and hold their politicians accountable. How many bridges must collapse or children must be poisoned or businesses must be shuttered before that happens?
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Things you need to know about Vernon Jordan
“Don’t just give us money, and don’t just show up for the Equal Opportunity Day dinner. That is not enough when you look at black consumer power in this country. It’s not enough for you to come and shake our hands and be our friends. We want in.” — Vernon Jordan, National Urban League President 1971-1981, on his message to corporate executives The National Urban League recently released our annual report on the social and economic status of people of color, the State of Black America. This year’s edition, “Locked Out: Education, Jobs & Justice,” was especially significant because it marked the 40th anniversary of the report, first issued in 1976 by Vernon Jordan. In a video message Jordan recorded for the State of Black America release, he recalled the tears he wept the night Barack Obama was elected president. “It dawned on me that my tears were not really my tears, but they were the tears of my grandparents and my parents. They were the tears of all those black people who toted that cotton and lifted that bale,” said Jordan. “The notion that Obama was going to be president, or that any black person was going to be president, is stunning.” While we reflect this year on how far we’ve come since Jordan first issued the State of Black America, Jordan’s own life is a vivid illustration of the progression of civil rights throughout the latter half of the 20th century and into the 21st. “He is kind of the Rosa Parks of Wall Street,” said Harvard historian Henry Louis Gates. “He realized that the first phase of the modern Civil Rights Movement was fighting legal segregation, but the roots of racism were fundamentally economic.” According to the Bloomberg profile, published on the occasion of his 80th birthday last year: “As a young man in Jim Crow Georgia, his first job was chauffeuring a white banker who was shocked that he could read. Now he counts some of America’s most wealthy and powerful citizens as friends and CEOs of Fortune 500 companies are proud to call him a mentor.” Jordan himself often recounts what he calls his earliest political memory, listening to Georgia’s segregationist Governor Eugene Talmadge on the radio in 1943, when Mr. Jordan was only
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eight years old. “I have two planks in my platform,” Talmadge said. “N----rs and roads. I’m against the first and for the second.” Persuaded by a recruiter to apply to an integrated college in the North, Vernon enrolled at DePaw University in Indiana over his parents’ misgivings. “Here were Negro parents, both of whom had grandparents who were slaves, who to some extent were conditioned to the southern way of life,” Jordan told author Robert Penn Warren in 1964. “They could never quite adjust to the idea of their boy even being in Green Castle, Indiana, the only Negro in a class of 400 students, and they felt their boy, their baby, their prize, would be happier and have less frustrations if he went to a predominantly Negro institution.” But his parents came to realize the significance of Jordan’s choice the night a white classmate came to stay at the Jordans’ home. “In the middle of the night, my father got out of bed and came into my room and turned on the light and stood there with tears in his eyes, put the light out and went back to bed and said to my mother, ‘You know, this democracy thing is really here, and it’s right here in my house.’” Having struggled in college due to his substandard segregated education in Georgia, Jordan determined upon graduation to pursue a career in civil rights. After receiving his law degree at Howard University, he returned to Georgia where he successfully challenged the University of Georgia’s discriminatory admissions policy. Through the Civil Rights Movement, he realized that economic empowerment would be the driving force for justice. “In the 1960s, we conferred and defined the right to check into a hotel,” he said. “The 1970s were about providing the wherewithal to check out.” In a commencement address at Stanford University last year he said, “It’s much easier to integrate a lunch counter than it is to guarantee a livable income and a good solid job. It is much easier to integrate a public park than it is to make genuine, quality, integrated education a reality. But that is the challenge at hand.” We are grateful that Vernon Jordan has dedicated his life to that challenge, and we are proud to continue his legacy.
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