Adw may 26 by Atlanta Daily World

Volume 88 â&#x20AC;˘ Issue 42

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Atlanta:

Look inside for health-related news for you and your family on page 6 May 26 - June 1, 2016

HIV Capital of the New South and the Nation

May 26 - June 1, 2016

COVER STORY

Downtown Atlanta’s HIV rate is as bad as third-world African nations

“Don’t have food on your table, have kids to take care of and somebody says you have HIV … that’s just another problem that you have,” -Dr. Carlos del Rio By Terry Shropshire Atlanta has, over the years, earned the reputation as the epicenter of African American businesses, philanthropy, entertainment and politics. But the Capital of the New South has also garnered a less than savory and very dangerous reputation that is beginning to overshadow its sterling reputation: the Capital of HIV/AIDS contraction in America The situation is more than bad. It is now a major public health emergency, officials and scientists report. Recent reports from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention state that the HIV/AIDS rates in Atlanta, particularly in the downtown area, are as bad as some third-world African countries. The CDC estimates that 1 in 51 Georgians will be diagnosed with HIV in their lifetime. As of 2013, Atlanta’s metro population accounted for more than half of Georgia’s total population, with 5.6 million people. “Downtown Atlanta is as bad as Zimbabwe or Harare or Durban,” said Dr. Carlos del Rio, co-

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followed a group of Atlanta area men ages 18 to 39 who had sex with men during 24 months and found that 12.1 percent of the black men under 25 contracted HIV, compared with only 1.0 percent of the white men under 25 — “one of the highest figures for HIV incidence ever … recorded in a population in the resource-rich world,” according to the National AIDS Manual. What’s more, AIDS is the leading cause of death among black people in Georgia ages 35 to 44, according to the state Department of Public Health. Ignorance of the disease is also to blame for the high numbers. Nearly 20 percent of Georgians said in a recent survey they actually believe that HIV can be transmitted by sharing a drinking glass, for example. There’s also the fact that Georgia has a countybased health department system, and with 159 counties, the state is second in number of counties only to Texas, which has 254. This makes it hard to coordinate and monitor public health efforts. Please keep in mind that these rates for Atlanta are specific to HIV only. There are many other lists out there that outline states and cities who have higher rates for STD’s. But speaking to HIV in America among those 18 to 39 years old, Atlanta director of Emory University’s Center for AIDS is leading. Research. Another problem is poor planning and Del Rio added the disease shifted from one that management on how to tackle this exploding mainly affected gay men and drug users in the late epidemic, Fulton County (Atlanta) officials stated. That coupled with ‘80s, to a disease a lack of leadership that now affects and grosse just about every mismanagement population, but in further impede particular African efforts to address Americans with the deadly health limited access to issue. health care. A 2015 Fulton “Don’t have food County internal on your table, have audit of their kids to take care of HIV Prevention and somebody says Program cited you have HIV … poor management that’s just another after the county problem that you squandered have,” del Rio said. The CDC ranks Dr. Carlos del Rio, co-director of Emory University’s Center millions of CDC grant dollars meant Atlanta as 5th in for AIDS Research for HIV programs. the nation with Ultimately the county had to return millions to the new HIV infections. CDC. Since starting a routine testing program in 2013, “Well it certainly was a bruised eye,” Fulton the nationally renowned medical center, Grady Hospital, has diagnosed an average of two or three County Chairman John Eaves told WSBTV. The County Commission asked for audits of the patients with HIV every single day. embattled Health Department and demanded In 2014 it was reported that Atlanta had the fifth changes in procedures. “I did meet with city highest rate of new HIV infections. Atlanta area officials directly and assured them that processes zip codes with highest HIV rates are 30302, 30303, were in place and make sure going forward monies 30308, 30309 and 30310. would be better accounted for,” Eaves added. Other data in the study suggests that the To have this label while being a major Southern region of the United States as a whole international city is damning enough. But to also presents the highest risk of contracting HIV. Men have the CDC headquartered in Atlanta and still who have sex with men had a 1 in 6 risk of getting be the fifth worst city for HIV contraction in the the disease while heterosexual men possessed a 1 nation speaks poorly of the city and the leadership in 473 risk. governing it. “Atlanta is like New York was in the ’80s in But fortunately for many Atlantans, HIV is no the need to develop a public health response to a longer the automatic death sentence it once was serious [HIV] epidemic,” said Devin-Barrington back in the 1980s, if you diagnose it early and Ward, an advocate based in Washington, D.C., who receive proper care and adhere to the regimen of helped organize the Georgia symposium. taking the requisite pills every day. The issue is particularly acute for young gay and With access to antivirals, many people with bisexual black men. One Emory University study HIV can still look forward to living a long life.

Atlanta Daily World

Founded August 5 1928; Became Daily, March 12, 1932 W.A. Scott, II, Founder/Publisher August 5, 1928 to February 7, 1934 Published weekly at 100 Hartsfield Centre Parkway Suite 500 Atlanta, Georgia 30354 Periodicals Postage Paid at Atlanta Mailing Offices. Publication Number 017255 POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Atlanta Daily World, 100 Hartsfield Centre Parkway Suite 500 Atlanta, Georgia 30354 Subscriptions: One Year: $52 Two Years: $85 Forms of Payment: Check, Money Order, VISA American Express, MasterCard MEMBER: Associated Press Atlanta Business League Central Atlanta Progress Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce National Newspaper Publishers Website: www.AtlantaDailyWorld.com Lorraine Cochran General Manager lcochran@realtimesmedia.com

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NEWS

Peach State Health Plan joins Habitat for Humanity in homebuild

ADW Staff Reports Peach State Health Plan’s dedicated team members will join NW Metro Atlanta Habitat for Humanity to swing hammers, paint walls, and install insulation over the next six weeks to help build a new home for a family in Smyrna, GA. The home build, which kicks off on June 4, marks a new partnership between the two organizations. Peach State Health Plan’s first home project will be NW

Metro Atlanta Habitat’s 459th home built in Cobb, Douglas and Paulding counties since 1986. This is the affiliate’s 30th Anniversary. “Peach State Health Plan is dedicated to improving access to quality health care in communities around the state, and we proudly support organizations that help Georgians with their most basic needs,” said Patrick Healy, president and CEO of Peach State Health Plan. “We are honored to partner with NW Metro Atlanta Habitat for Humanity, an organization that has been a vital part of the community for 30 years.” More than four dozen Peach State Health Plan team members are expected to volunteer each week at the build site. Staff from other local companies will also contribute to building the house. Peach State Health Plan build dates will be June 4, 18 and 25, July 16 and 23, and August 6. “We appreciate our new partnership with Peach State Health Plan,” said David McGinnis, president and CEO of NW Metro Atlanta Habitat. “Their contribution and the commitment of their employees to build their first Habitat house will help us achieve our goal of building seventeen houses in Cobb, Paulding and Douglas counties this year.” For more information about Peach State Health Plan visit: www.pshp.com.

Georgia’s unemployment rate unchanged at 5.5 percent in April ADW Staff Reports The Georgia Department of Labor announced today that the state’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in April was 5.5 percent, unchanged from March. The rate was 6.1 percent in April 2015. “We continue to see evidence that our job market is moving in the right direction, even though the unemployment rate remained steady,” said State Labor Commissioner Mark Butler. “Our job growth is outpacing the nation as a whole, our labor force is showing strong growth and our employers are laying off fewer workers.” All 14 metropolitan areas in the state added jobs, as Georgia gained 10,600 jobs to reach a total of 4,371,300 in April. Georgia’s over-the month growth rate was .2 percent, compared to the nation’s .1 percent growth rate. Over the previous three years, Georgia has gained an average of 5,700 jobs from March to April. Most of the increase came in professional and business services, 7,200; information services, 2,400; manufacturing, 1,800; other services, 1,300; and trade, transportation and warehousing, 1,100. The overall job gains were somewhat offset by losses in government, 1,600; education and health services, 1,500; and financial activities, 1,100. There was an over-the-year increase of 140,800 jobs, up by 3.3 percent from April 2015. The national job growth rate for the same period was 1.9 percent. The sectors in Georgia showing the largest increases were professional and business

services, 40,000; trade, transportation and warehousing, 28,700; leisure and hospitality, 19,700; construction, 13,600; education and health services, 11,600; and manufacturing, 11,000. The number of initial claims for unemployment insurance, a measure of new layoffs, declined by 1,637, or 5.9 percent, to 26,345 in April. Most of the decline was due to a decrease in claims filed in manufacturing and construction, retail trade, accommodations and food services, and real estate, rental and leasing. Over the year, the number of claims declined by 1,394, or 5 percent, from 27,739 filed in April 2015. The decrease came mostly in construction. The labor force grew by 13,792 to 4,853,336 in April. It has grown by 68,319 since the beginning of this year. Job seekers and employers are encouraged to use the GDOL’s online job listing service, www.employgeorgia.com to search for jobs or recruit new employees. In April, 71,092 jobs throughout the state were posted on Employ Georgia. The leading sectors for job postings were health care and social assistance, professional, scientific and technical services, retail trade, accommodations and food services, and transportation and warehousing.

May 26 - June 1, 2016

City of Atlanta selected for The Rockefeller Foundation’s 100 Resilient Cities

Atlanta Daily World Mayor Kasim Reed announced recently that 100 Resilient Cities pioneered by The Rockefeller Foundation, has selected the City of Atlanta to join the 100RC Network, a global effort to build urban resilience. As a member of the 100RC Network, Atlanta will gain access to tools, funding, technical expertise, and other resources to build resilience and fight the complex challenges of the 21st Century. “We are honored that the City of Atlanta was selected to join the 100 Resilient Cities Network,” said Mayor Reed. “This partnership will allow our city to leverage tools which will help support our vision to become an even better city tomorrow, and for future generations. We accept the challenge to tackle social and economic challenges and we will work with our key partners to develop a plan which will help promote resilience for our already ascendant city.” The City of Atlanta was chosen from more than 325 applicants spanning more than 90 countries across six continents, and was selected on the basis of the city’s willingness, ability, and need to become resilient in the face of future challenges. As part of the 100RC Network, the City of Atlanta will be eligible to receive grant funding to hire a Chief Resilience Officer, who will lead the citywide resilience-building process and engage stakeholders from across different government agencies, public and private sectors and various communities to incorporate diverse perspectives and knowledge. The City of Atlanta will also receive technical support to develop a Resilience Strategy that reflects the city’s distinct needs, and gain access to a variety of 100RC partners in the private, public, academic, government and nonprofit sectors. Partners offer tools and services valued at more than $200 million at no direct cost to 100RC members, in areas such as innovative finance, technology, infrastructure, land use, and community and social resilience. “We are so proud to welcome Atlanta to 100 Resilient Cities,” said 100RC President Michael Berkowitz. “We selected Atlanta because of its leaders’ commitment to resilience building and the innovative and proactive way they’ve been thinking about the challenges the city faces. We’re excited to get to work.” For more information about the City of Atlanta, please visit http://www.atlantaga.gov or watch City Channel 26.

To learn more about career opportunities, Employ Georgia and other GDOL services for job seekers and employers, and to connect with us on social media, visit www.dol.georgia.gov.

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BUSINESS Atlanta Metropolitan State College Russell Simmons repays RushCard adds $114 million to local economy holders, pushes for credit reforms

May 26- June 1, 2016

By Sheila Tenney Atlanta Metropolitan State College continues to be a major economic engine in the city of Atlanta, contributing $114 million into the Atlanta metropolitan economy during Fiscal Year 2015, according to a study conducted by the Selig Center for Economic Growth in the University of Georgia’s Terry College of Business. The $114 million represents a 11.76 percent increase for AMSC since the FY 2014 report. In addition to the $114 million in total economic impact generated by AMSC during FY 2015, the study determined that Atlanta Metropolitan State College is responsible for 1,058 full-and part-time jobs, up from 1,038 from the previous year. From among these positions, 261 positions or 25 percent, are on-campus jobs while 797 or 75 percent, are off-campus jobs that exist

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due to AMSC’s related spending. The report quantifies the economic advantages and significant benefits that AMSC conveys to metropolitan Atlanta and Fulton County. The $114 million represents the economic impact of spending by Atlanta Metropolitan State College, its faculty, staff, and students who attended the institution in FY 2015. “Atlanta Metropolitan State College continues to be a major contributor and an educational and economic asset to the metropolitan area,” said AMSC President Gary A. McGaha., Ph.D. “The 2016 report continues to emphasize annually, the consistent growth, and financial stability that Atlanta Metropolitan brings to the region.” The $114 million 2015 economic impact represents an 86.88 percent increase from the 2008 economic impact of $61 million.

By Stacy M. Brown Russell Simmons is just starting to regain a little normalcy in his life. He’s back at yoga and the hip-hop and business mogul is even able to run some errands without worrying about whether a disgruntled RushCard holder might verbally attack him or worse. Simmons never hung his head despite mounting – if unfair – criticism that rocked the music impresario when his innovative pre-paid RushCard experienced a computer glitch last fall that prevented hundreds of thousands of card holders from accessing their money. “I took full responsibility. It’s my card and I made sure to reach out to card holders personally and I reached into my own pocket to help people with their rent, their medicine or whatever emergency that may have come up,” Simmons said. “All I knew how to do was to make good on it and try to make the people that were damaged whole again,” he said. Simmons has done even more and he continues his push to have the underbanked and the underserved benefit. “My mission is to eventually see that when someone pays their rent on time, pays their light bill on time, that these things go on their credit reports,” Simmons said. “It should be and if I can’t get regulators and the credit bureaus to do it, then I will have to start my own credit bureau.” If that sounds like a bit of a stretch, Simmons points to his starting the RushCard as proof that real change can happen. “I was first, no one else did this until I came out with my card,” he said, noting that he’s not only the face of RushCard, but along with his American Express and other items in his wallet is his own RushCard that he regularly uses. “Look, we were the ones who invented this and what I don’t like is when people refer to us as a celebrity company,” Simmons said. “All of what American Express is doing, all of what Chase Manhattan did, we did first. We’re a virtual bank. The other thing is that we didn’t build this company to make money when we started and, really, I didn’t think it would become a business but it did and I go to work every day to try and improve the service we provide.” Simmons said his fight for credit building is an uphill battle, but it’s a battle that can be won. It’s as much part of his life as yoga, he said. “You pay rent every month for eight years on a RushCard, why can’t you get a mortgage? I think that’s a travesty. I think a lot of the big companies like MasterCard, the Visas, the others that do the processing and infrastructure work; a lot of us could come together and force them to accept this information on credit reports of the world,” Simmons said. As Simmons pushes for changes in policies in the credit industry, he’s leaving the door open for starting his own credit reporting agency. In the aftermath of the much-publicized computer glitch – which Simmons still refers to as a “tsunami” – the business leader provided free service to

card holders for five months, sacrificing all of his company’s profits to do so. He also reached a more than $20 million settlement from a class action lawsuit filed against RushCard, because of the glitch. “I’m glad to do it. I had put aside $25 million,” Simmons said, noting that the card isn’t just for communities that have been forgotten and underserved by banks. “There’s no reason why small businesses can’t use a Rush Business Card. We just added a feature, just now where if you lose your card, you can turn your card off instantly through an app. Then you can turn it back on.” Simmons continued: “This card should be for affluent people as well as underserved community members and it should be the wave of the future for millennials. This is the bank for millennials and the growth rate for our company is 70 percent millennials, when it used to be single mothers. Millennials who don’t like banks are coming in our direction and we haven’t even begun the branding exercise to speak to them.” Simmons said that he didn’t mind paying the $20 million settlement. “I don’t mind paying the $20 million. I don’t mind that that was our cost. I am going to spend a lot more money than that in the community, in my peacekeeping programs, in RUSH and art education,” he said. Simmons said so much more will soon be announced and he’s confident that RushCard holders and others will be pleased. “We are going to be in the community in a way that we’ve never been,” Simmons said. VGOODLOE2 Simmons said that he’s going to spend a lot more money n the Black community, in peacekeeping programs, and on art education, following the settlement his company reached over the class action lawsuit over the well-publicized computer glitch that affected thousands of RushCard users. (Valerie Goodloe/NNPA News Wire)

Whats Inside: Dads and Grads Season: Picking the right gift Psychiatry: A Industry of Death Exhibit How selfies are changing the way we communicate

May 26 - June 1, 2016

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High-tech mosquitoes could combat Zika virus By Josh Peterson, Urban News Service Genetically modified mosquitoes could mean curtains for the Zika virus. New U.S. cases of Zika virus infections are continually being discovered as the Food and Drug Administration looks to these high-tech mosquitos as a possible solution. Zika’s potential to spring from mosquito “nurseries” in the American South could hammer poor minority communities as summer heats up. Atlanta has the nation’s worst mosquito problem, according to Orkin, the pest control company. Mosquitoes only need standing water to spawn. Scientists believe Zika spreads when a female mosquito feeds off of an infected person and later bites a new victim. Harmless male mosquitoes feed on flower nectar. Zika also can be transmitted through sexual intercourse with an infected partner. Symptoms, while rare, can last for a week and range from a mild fever to muscle and joint pain. Concerns rocketed after last year’s discovery that Brazilian babies with unusually small skulls and brains were born to mothers who contracted the virus while pregnant. Brazil’s Zika woes continue as athletes, fans, journalists and others from around the globe prepare to converge on Rio de Janeiro for the 2016 Summer Olympics. Fulton County, which includes Atlanta, is battling potential local Zika infections. TheAedes aegypti, which lives in the Deep South, is one of several mosquitoes that scientists believe spread the virus. Specialists with Fulton County’s Department of Health and Wellness, according to the agency, are working with Georgia’s Department of Public Health and the Atlanta-based U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to monitor outbreaks and educate the community.

“The mosquitoes that spread Zika virus will bite four or five people before they are satisfied,” said Nancy Nydam, spokeswoman for Georgia’s health department. She said people should use insect repellent, eliminate standing water around their homes and stay indoors during dawn and dusk, when mosquitos are most active. An $85-million fund is available to states, cities and territories at risk of Zika outbreaks, the CDC announced on May 13. The money would finance Zika-prevention efforts only temporarily, said Dr. Stephen C. Redd, a director at the agency. More money from Congress is needed, he said. The CDC reported that between January 1, 2015 and May 18, all of the 544 U.S. Zika cases are travel-associated, meaning the virus was originally contracted abroad. To date, 157 pregnant women in the U.S. have reported symptoms. New York logged 114 travel-related cases, the highest number in America. Florida was second with 109, and California’s 44 cases put it in third. Texas was fourth, with 35 reported infections. These states all have high black and Hispanic populations, foreshadowing what this disease could do to these communities. Among 836 Zika cases in U.S. territories, 832 were contracted locally. These include 803 infected people in Puerto Rico, 15 in the Virgin Islands, and 14 in American Samoa. Oxitec, a British biotechnology company, is testing its genetically modified male Aedes aegypti mosquitoes in Key Haven, Florida. Oxitec’s male mosquitoes mate with wild female Aedes aegypti, producing offspring that “have a very high probability of dying before they reach adulthood,” according to its website. Mosquitoes generally live about two weeks. The company’s experiments “have resulted in reduction of the wild population by more than 90 percent,” said Oxitec

spokesman Matthew Warren. “Existing methods to control the Aedes aegypti mosquito, such as insecticides, are only 30 to 50 percent effective, at best.”More than 150 million Oxitec mosquitos have been released, Warren said, with no reported adverse effects. Oxitec’s mosquitos were one possible approach within a larger program, said FDA spokeswoman Theresa Eisenman. “However, it is too early to say with any certainty whether such an approach would be successful.” The agency approves and regulates biotechnology treatments, including vaccines. “The FDA is acting responsibly with its mosquito pilot approach, and we’re glad to see that the CDC has activated the resources to respond,” said Adolph Falcon, executive vice president for the National Alliance for Hispanic Health. Oxitec’s solution, however, only targets one mosquito species. Also, pesticides no longer could be used against the insects, since they would kill both the dangerous female mosquitoes and the modified males. Mosquito breeding habits show Zika disproportionately could affect poor countries and communities with inadequate sanitation. A still-undiscovered Zika vaccine and improved sanitation would be more effective solutions, said Jaydee Hanson, senior policy analyst for the Center for Food Safety. “People like magic,” said Hanson. “We want easy answers and we like technology. I’m a big fan of technology, but it needs to be assessed for what it can do.

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May 26 - June 1, 2016

LIVINGWELL

Dads and Grads Season: How to pick the right gifts (StatePoint) It’s that time of year again. Whether you’re shopping for a new graduate or something special for Dad, you’ll want to find the perfect gift. This Father’s Day and graduation season, skip the tie or the gift card -- old standards are great, but you’ll want your gift to stand out. Here are three cool ideas to consider: Big Sounds, Small Space Whether it’s for dad’s man cave or a graduate’s small apartment, new innovations are offering great sound in a compact instrument for musicians tight on space. For example, Casio’s Privia PX-160 features piano sounds recorded from a nine-foot concert grand piano, as well as newly developed string ensemble sounds. For quiet listening, it also features two headphone outputs, and USB c on ne c t iv it y that can be used with Mac or Windows computers.

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DIY Food Fun Is your dad or grad a foodie? Rather than indulging in one shared meal out on the town, consider giving a gift that keeps on giving. These days, amateur foodies are taking certain things into their own hands -- they are pickling their own vegetables, brewing their own craft beers and even creating their own hot sauces. Specialty kits are fun and offer all the knowledge and supplies necessary to get started. Better Movie Nights Beef up a home theater system with the latest tech gear. A portable projector that doesn’t require a mercury lamp is a fun and versatile present for anyone that loves to host movie and video game nights or sports-viewing parties. For example, Casio’s LampFree projectors combine Laser and LED technology for high brightness that can last up to 20,000 hours. The newest models offer clear, bright images, and the projectors are only 1.7 inches thick and weigh five pounds. This season, go beyond the standard gift items you know everyone else is giving. Get creative in your effort to find something useful and cool.

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‘Psychiatry: An Industry of Death’ exhibit opens in Atlanta

By Deb MacKay “That’s almost more than I can stomach, but at least I know the truth now,” said one visitor exiting “Psychiatry: An Industry of Death,” an international touring exhibit which opened Sunday for a week-long stay in Atlanta. Hosted by Citizens Commission on Human Rights of Georgia, the museum-style displays document a side of psychiatry’s past that is rarely seen. Historical and contemporary footage, including interviews with over 150 experts and survivors, covers the brutal psychiatric treatments of the past and trace its history through the labels and drugs used today. Georgia State Senator Donzella James, officiating the ribbon cutting, told attendees, “Don’t take my word for it. I’m here today to help open up this [exhibit] so that you can come and see for yourself, and know what psychiatry is doing.” Deb MacKay, regional coordinator for CCHR, said that plans for the exhibit were already in place when Atlantans received news about the indictment of psychiatrist Narendra Nagareddy, nicknamed “Dr. Death” after thirtysix of his patients died while he was prescribing them controlled substances. “Dr. Death is just a footnote in a long history of medical abuse,” said MacKay, “That’s ‘business as usual’ for many in this profession.” MacKay was standing near an exhibit vignette titled Psychiatric Criminality which notes “psychiatrists and psychologists have an inordinately high number of criminal convictions as compared to other sectors of the health care profession.” The exhibit brings facts and figures on such topics as “using ‘science’ to promote racism” and “labeling and over-drugging children.” A section is devoted to electroshock, explaining concerns that led to a demonstration in downtown Atlanta last weekend, where hundreds of participants representing CCHR, the Nation of Islam, the NAACP and Concerned Black Clergy protested the American Psychiatric Association’s Annual Meeting and denounced the APA’s request to the FDA to allow electroshock on children and teens who are “treatment resistant,” meaning drugs didn’t work. With eight million children in the U.S. already on psychotropic drugs and a growing awareness of the harm and inefficacy of these

drugs, protesters feared the label “treatment resistant” would be applied to thousands of children to justify giving them electroshock. At a press conference following the march, one survivor of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) said he received “30 rounds of electroshock” in one year at age 21. He described how he had no memory of his high school years and broke into tears while recounting “sitting there, and my father having to teach me how to tie my shoes again.”

“This is unconscionable to even consider doing this to a child,” said Dr. Linda Lagemann, a clinical psychologist who retired after 23 years in practice. “Someone’s getting rich and someone’s getting hurt. This really must be stopped.” Georgia may soon join a growing list of states to enact protections against ECT for minors. Senator James is championing the effort and recently called for legislation to ban its use on children. She said Georgia’s provisions to protect children and others from ECT were grossly insufficient and cited a World Health Organization recommendation to governments that: “There are no indications for the use of ECT on minors, and hence this should be prohibited through legislation.” At the exhibit, Georgians can show their support for Senator James’ legislation by signing a petition for the ban of ECT on children. The exhibit is free and runs through Sunday, May 29, 11 am to 7 pm daily at Piedmont Park Greystone, 400 Park Dr NE. It has toured more than 441 major cities in the U.S. and around the world and has educated over 800,000 people on the history and contemporary practices of psychiatry.

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LIVINGWELL

May 26 - June 1, 2016

How selfies and self-produced videos are changing the way we communicate (StatePoint) The way we communicate and relate to one another is rapidly evolving, and new platforms and applications are constantly feeding that change. At the center of it all is the ability for individuals to create their own video, photo and written content that allows them to express opinions and thoughts in real-time. It is estimated that while average millennials will take 25,000 selfies in a lifetime, they are replacing the static selfie with self-produced videos to express themselves more fully. Users are taking to multiple platforms -- including Instagram, Snapchat and Facebook Live -- to share richer details of their everyday lives through streaming video content as a way of cultivating their own personal brand to their followers. “Millennials are attracted to selfies and mobile videos as a way of sharing their opinions and voices,” says Jarret Streiner, CEO and President of Selfeo, an immersive, interactive video distribution platform that encourages users to engage with one another. “Self-produced video and picture content brings about a whole new form of expression to users.” Users are offering real-time reactions on a variety of topics from the must-watch series finale to the big game. In this election year, new trends -- and controversies -- have also emerged. For example, the so-called “selfie-ballot” has become a popular way to celebrate civic engagement -- whereby voters post Election Day pictures and videos to their social media accounts; however some states are

banning the practice due to general restrictions on photography in the voting booth. “Video-distribution platforms are taking on a growing relevance in the lives of individuals, because they provide an alternative platform to mainstream media. Society is dealing with the resulting changes,” says Streiner. Brands too are getting in on the trend, using social media platforms to connect with consumers via mobile video. While only 24 percent of national brands are now using online video to market to consumers, according to Kantar Media, that percentage will likely grow. “Brands’ mobile video is taking a central role in influencing our purchasing decisions,” says Streiner. With these types of social media capabilities so readily available to consumers, and a growing number of people looking for active engagement with one another on the hot topics of the day, experts say that mobile video and selfies are here to stay

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May 26 - June 1, 2016

ENTERTAINMENT

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Harlem Fine Arts Show debuts at Atlanta’s Civil Rights Museum By P. Andrews-Keenan The Harlem Fine Arts Show will return to Atlanta June 15 – 18, 2016 for its highly anticipated exhibition and sale at the Center for Civil and Human Rights. The four-day traveling show of contemporary paintings, sculpture, and photography, the largest of its kind featuring art from the African Diaspora, debuted in Atlanta in 2014. The exhibition is open to collectors, art enthusiasts, educators, and professionals. Show sales at the Harlem Fine Arts Shows have totaled more than $7 million since its inception in 2009. The show will feature 15 artists including Kevin ‘WAK’ Williams and Atlanta-based Ashley Reid, daughter of music mogul L.A. Reid. Among the exhibiting artists from across the country are Ted Ellis, Najee Dorsey, founder of Black Art in America and Martha Wade. Memphis based Walter Kolours Gallery will also be offering their works for sale. The HFAS will host an opening night preview on June 15. A portion of the proceeds from the invitation only event will benefit the Emerging 100, the young professional auxiliary of the 100 Black Men of Atlanta, Inc. “The Harlem Fine Arts Show is excited to bring our national tour back to Atlanta,” explains Dion Clarke, founder of the HFAS. “Our partnership with local artists including Ashley Reid and Kevin Williams and the Emerging 100 afford us an opportunity to grow the show, introduce it to both a local and national audience and tap into the cultural mecca that is Atlanta. We look forward to partnering with cultural and educational groups in the city as well.”

Preliminary Agenda Wednesday, June 15 (Opening Night) Benefit for Emerging 100 Black Men (6 p.m. – 9 p.m.) Thursday, June 16 Open to the Public (10 a.m. - 5 p.m.) Hosted Event for BronzeLens Film Festival & Peachtree Street Project (6 p.m. – 9 p.m.) Friday June 17 Open to the Public (10 a.m. – 5 p.m.) Private Event (6 p.m.- 9 p.m.) Saturday June 18 Open to the Public (10 a.m.- 5 p.m.) Civil Rights Museum Fundraiser (6 p.m.– 9 p.m.) The 1920s “Harlem Renaissance” produced a wealth of influential art from many now-famous black figures — including Palmer C. Hayden, Malvin Gray Johnson, and Augusta Savage — and established Harlem as the epicenter of African American artistic expression. During the ‘50s, such luminaries as Romare Bearden, Elizabeth Catlett, Jacob Lawrence, and Ernie Barnes established their own places in the artistic history of the community. The Harlem Fine Arts Show is a celebration of that artistic history that also exposes visitors to modern day African American masters. “There’s tremendous anticipation surrounding the return of the show to Atlanta,” says Reid. As artists, we are excited to interact with our patrons and educate them on their art investment.”

Fade to Black Play Festival welcomes Atlanta Jazz Festival partners with ‘Looter’ by Dana Stringer HISTORY to celebrate ‘Roots’ premier ®

Dana L. Stringer is a writer, playwright, poet, screenwriter, and instructor. She holds a Masters of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from Antioch University Los Angeles and a Bachelors of Arts from Morehead State University. She is the author of In Between Faith, her debut poetry collection. Dana’s work has appeared in literary magazines and anthologies, and she has served as a contributing writer for several cultural and entertainment websites. Stringer has been a featured poet in venues throughout Los Angeles and Atlanta. Her produced plays and staged readings include: Kinsman Redeemer (Coleman & Smith Artistic Company), ID (NAACP Theatre Festival), The Costume Waver (Fade to Black Play Festival), Solomon’s Porch (SAG-AFTRA Atlanta Indie Screenwriter Series), Colored in Winter (Fade To Black Play Festival), and Secret Life in a Sacred House (National Black Theatre Festival New Works Reading Series). Stringer has worked to refine her playwriting skills by participating in numerous writing workshops, including The Robey Theatre Company’s Playwrights Lab and The Los Angeles Women’s Theatre Festival’s Page to Stage series. The popular playwright’s work seeks to explore issues that involve the intersection of race, identity, sexuality, and religion. Her most recent offering, Looter, is inspired by recent uprisings and riots within the Black community, where looting and the destruction of private property has left many wondering if racial injustice and economic inequality justifies looting as a form of social protest. In Looter, an African American convenience store owner catches a young

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man looting his store during a riot sparked by the recent killing of an unarmed Black man by a white man that he was attempting to carjack. Stringer is a native of Louisville, Kentucky, but she currently resides in Atlanta, where she works remotely as an online writing tutor, a poetry instructor, and an instructional facilitator for Antioch University Los Angeles.

We are very excited about our partnership with HISTORY in connection with the premiere of their epic series ‘Roots,’” says Camille Russell Love, Executive Director of the City of Atlanta Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs. “Audiences at the Atlanta Jazz Festival in Piedmont Park over Memorial Day Weekend (May 27-29) will get a chance to see several exhilarating trailers for ‘Roots’ on our Jumbotrons near the Main Stage. We know they will be as thrilled about this new series as we are!” HISTORY® premieres “Roots” at 9 p.m. on Monday, May 30. The series will air over four consecutive nights. Developed by HISTORY, from A+E Studios, “Roots” is a historical portrait of American slavery recounting the journey of one family and their will to survive and ultimately carry on their legacy despite hardship. In addition to HISTORY, “Roots” will be simulcast on A&E and Lifetime. The stellar cast includes Academy Award® winners Forest Whitaker (Fiddler) and Anna Paquin (Nancy Holt), Academy Award® nominee and Emmy Award® winner Laurence Fishburne (Alex Haley), Golden Globe Award® winner Jonathan Rhys Meyers (Tom Lea),Tony Award® winner Anika Noni Rose (Kizzy), Grammy Award® winner Tip “T.I.” Harris (Cyrus), Chad L. Coleman (Mingo), Emayatzy Corinealdi (Belle), Matthew Goode (Dr. William Waller), Derek Luke (Silla Ba Dibba), Mekhi Phifer (Jerusalem), James Purefoy (John Waller), Erica

Tazel (Matilda) and introduces Regé-Jean Page (Chicken George) and Malachi Kirby (Kunta Kinte). “Roots” is an A+E Studios production in association with Marc Toberoff and The Wolper Organization, the company that produced the original “Roots.” Will Packer, Marc Toberoff, Mark Wolper, Lawrence Konner, Mark Rosenthal and Barry Jossen serve as executive producers. LeVar Burton and Korin D. Huggins are coexecutive producers. Questlove is executive music producer. “Roots” is directed by Phillip Noyce, Mario Van Peebles, Thomas Carter and Bruce Beresford. Sponsors for this year’s Atlanta Jazz Festival include: City of Atlanta, Bank of America, PNC Bank, Publix and Publix Charities, Loews Atlanta Hotel, MARTA, the Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau, Fontis Water, Standard Press, New Amsterdam, Barefoot Wines, the Eubanks Collection, LG, Libman, and AIDS Healthcare Foundation. The 39th Annual Atlanta Jazz Festival is presented by the City of Atlanta Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs. The mission of the Atlanta Jazz Festival is to educate and entertain a diverse audience of jazz fans and to nurture the next generation of jazz musicians. The festival is partially supported by Atlanta Jazz Festival Inc, a 501(c)(3) cultural, non-profit. For more details about the Atlanta Jazz Festival, visit: www.atlantafestivals.com.

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COMMUNITY

May 26 - June 1, 2016

Family Food Fest Father’s Day Celebration welcomes actress Kim Fields and husband a professional chef either,” said Kevin Ashford, spokesman for Family Food Fest Atlanta. “Also, this is not only a fun and tasty charity event celebrating fatherhood Family Food Fest Atlanta sponsors include: WSB TV 2 Family 2 Family Project,The Atlanta Daily World, Kiss 104.1 FM, Kroger, Georgia Power, MARTA, Northside Hospital, American Signature Furniture, Southwest Airlines, Atlanta Journal Constitution, Walmart, Waffle House, Gus’s Fried Chicken, Signal Outdoor, Fairways Billboards Upscale Magazine, Urban Lux Magazine and Sheen Magazine.

Family Food Fest Atlanta welcomes Dancing With the Stars and Real Housewives of Atlanta Actress Kim Fields and her husband Actor Christopher Morgan and Egypt Sherrod Host of HGTV and Author and her husband DJ Fadelf as Guest Hosts and Honorary Chairs for the Multicultural Father’s Day Celebration June 19 at the Georgia Freight Depot from 3-6 p.m. Kroger Executive Chef Howard Warren will join us this year with barbecue sliders and Commerce Club Chef Idris Muhammad will do his famous She Crab Soup. A diverse representation of men and women cooks from communities across Atlanta join local celebrities, politicians, and other dignitaries for the second annual celebration. An orientation for cooks, chefs, caterers and

Tickets can be purchased on line at www. familyfoodfirstatlanta.com or eventbrite. com. Ticket outlets include Who’s Got Soul Southern Café, in Dekalb and Lawrenceville, Nancy’s Pizza Midtown, Nancy’s Pizza Camp Creek, FootFittR in Emory, Rick’s Barber & Beauty in Southwest Atlanta, and Medu Bookstore at Greenbriar Mall and Eye Connection Optical in Stone Mountain. There is still time to sign up as a cook, volunteer or to sponsor the event. For more information visit www.familyfoodfestatlanta. com call 404 344-6594, or email familyfoodfestatlanta@gmail.com

restaurants and volunteers is Saturday, June 11 at the Georgia Freight Depot from 10:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. In addition to an opportunity to sample an assortment of dishes prepared by professional and self-proclaimed master chefs from all walks of life, the three-hour charity event will feature a health pavilion, a kid’s zone and live musical performances featuring various genres. There will be a silent auction and giveaways that include a stay at Breezes Resort & Spa in Nassau Bahamas, and round trip airline tickets on Southwest Airlines. Also this year a barbecue competition has been added. “There is still time for men and women to sign on to showcase their cooking skills and be a part of the celebration- you don’t have to be

Deklab County School District hosts my Brother’s Keeper Summit By Portia Kirkland On May 9 the DeKalb County School District’s Board of Education adopted the resolution for My Brother’s Keeper DeKalb Summit. “The MBK DeKalb theme is ‘We must do something!’ ” stated Superintendent Dr. R. Stephen Green. “We have a strong task force committed to developing action plans to help young men reach milestones as laid out by the White House. Like MBK Denver, we have also decided this year to focus on four key areas: Education, Workforce Development, Social and Emotional Health, and the Juvenile Justice System. This event was just the beginning of empowering young males of color.” Following the resolution, on May 11, 2016 DeKalb County School District hosted the My Brother’s Keeper DeKalb Summit (MBK DeKalb) at Miller Grove High School in Lithonia, GA, and once again challenged males of color to maximize their full potential and strive for success. More than 800 students participated in MBK DeKalb Summit. From community leaders and experts, students received a full day of empowerment sessions and workshops, including Healthy Teen Relationships, Violence Prevention, Resume & Interview Dos and Don’ts, Leadership, Investing in Your Image, Second Chances, Goal Setting, and Behind the Music. Power sessions entitled Raising Males of

Color, Family Dynamics and Parental Stress, and Supporting Your Children’s Education were also offered to parents and adult mentors. In addition to breakfast, lunch, childcare, and transportation, attendees experienced uplifting performances from DeKalb youth. Local vendors and community leaders such as the 100 Black Men of DeKalb also attended. In 2015, the DeKalb County School District accepted the MBK challenge from President Barack Obama, who asked local communities to tackle the issue of opportunity gaps faced by young men of color. “MBK DeKalb continues to grow and we were very pleased with the attendance from our students and community. One of our goals with the MBK DeKalb Initiative is to combat the issues of low attendance rates, out-of-school suspensions, and the ‘schoolto-prison pipeline issue,’ which clearly reflects the prioritization of incarceration over education. MBK DeKalb will assist us with implementing restorative practices.” MBK DeKalb Task Force Leader and Regional 5 Superintendent Dr. Ralph Simpson stated. DeKalb County School District is currently outlining its MBK DeKalb program, including additional workshops and events for students. For more information on MBK DeKalb, please visit http://www.dekalbschoolsga.org/mbk/

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May 26 - June 1, 2016

ANNOUNCEMENT Western Summit/Anatek Construction Joint Venture (WS/Anatek JV) is soliciting bids from AABE & FBE (M/FBE) subcontractors and suppliers for the following project: City of Atlanta, FC-8556 CSO Various Projects, Group 1, Bid Pkg. 1, Clear Creek Chemical System Improvements and System Wide Flow Monitoring. Bid Date: June 13, 2016 @ 2:00PM, All quotes due no later than 6/10/16, 5pm MST. Submit Bid to: Max McClean, Max.McClean@westernsummit.com, (303) 298-9500 / Fax (303) 325-0304. If you would like to view the plans/ specs at one of our offices or online thru Smartbidnet, please contact Melissa Gravley: Melissa.Gravley@westernsummit.com Specific Crafts, Trades and Materials include but are not limited to: Survey, Electrical, Trash Services, Site Security, Barriers/Enclosures, Aggregates, Cement and Concrete, Fencing, Site Remediation, Tree Removal, Landscaping, Trucking/Hauling, Demo, Clear and Grub, Grading, Paving, Seeding, Concrete Accessories, Cast-in-Place Concrete, Grouting, Metals, Welding, Metal Fab, Roofing, Doors & Windows, Signage, Chemical Feed Equipment, valves and gaskets, Fire Protection, HVAC, Painting/Coatings. Please note: WS/Anatek JV is similarly soliciting quotes for portions of the scopes listed above. Portions may include separate types of work within the listed scopes, work in separate areas of the project or work in certain time frames. Bonding may be required. WS/Anatek JV intends to negotiate with qualified AABE/FBE firms and will, at its sole discretion, assist in obtaining bonds, lines of credit and insurance. WS/Anatek JV is an Equal Opportunity/ Affirmative Action Employer.

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May 26 - June 1, 2016

GUEST COMMENTARY

by Walter Rhett

by Julianne Malveaux

Harriet Tubman’s face on the new $20 bill is priceless

President Obama said in his recent remarks that Harriet Tubman would likely greet the news she was on the $20 with little fanfare. In fact she might question how that would buy freedom. Still, while the change “on the money” is significant it has already become a political football for the presumed Republican frontrunner. When Donald Trump calls Harriet Tubman’s selection as the face on the $20 bill “politically correct,” it is just another flag-wrapped slur. Let’s face it, his record shows he befriends blacks, but he cannot accept black achievement on merit. Nor can he accept a shift of power and image that results in a historic African American replacing the legacy of a tarnished figure of the past or present. If you can’t keep them down, keep them out. Many in the country agree with him. It’s one reason why today’s slurs come flagwrapped. Affirmative action/politically correct/ grievance politics are labels of blame that imply bias trumps merit. Its underlying principle appears in curious places. Found in the decision of Supreme Court Chief Justice Roger B. Taney regarding Dred Scott, in a floor speech by South Carolina Senator Ben Tillman, in editorials by respected journalist James J. Kilpatrick after the Brown school desegregation decision, it says opportunity by merit for some is un-American and dangerous. Kilpatrick’s blunt editorials demanded school children be separated by race as the constitution makes no claim of “racial equality.” For him, the limits race put on opportunity were “unchanged by the Civil War, not altered in any way since the Constitution was created in 1787.” The flag-wrapped principle of the new racism is the same as the old: opportunity has a freedom cost; it denies someone else a fair choice. Opportunity and freedom are mutually exclusive in this old American formula; equality is really a battle about winners and losers, losers who want to mar and taint our history. Few people in history understood this battle better than Harriet Tubman, on whose life the system and its stakeholders once put a $40,000 bounty. In fact, her entire life was anything but politically correct. More than today’s conservatives, she understood balance sheet politics and its customs. Another tactic of the new racism employs equality to challenge black merit; its deflection offers alternatives. Why not Susan B. Anthony? Why not create a new denomination–the new racism’s version of separate but equal. Because before Anthony, a woman who

President Obama gets props for speech at Howard

couldn’t rest without freedom slept on the cold, damp ground, hidden from the tracking hounds, outwitting her pursuers by risking her life for the simple action of bringing America’s freedom to others, an opportunity often more baffling than the bondage they had left, but one worth the ultimate, prayed for prize–worth every penny the price put on her head. Her legendary work with the Underground Railroad help galvanize the women’s movement. It inspired many to defy the system and make change. In an act of self-definition, born Araminta Ross, “Minty” took her mother’s name, Harriet. So let us honor the politically incorrect Harriet Tubman. In the arc of her life she drew strength from grief and pain. Denied her full pension after her Civil War army service, a healer during her work with Union soldiers in Port Royal, SC at Camp Saxton (she saved many lives from dysentery through her knowledge of folk medicine, passed to her by the enslaved and from Native American traditions), she taught many of the camp’s contraband (the enslaved in Union camps who were without status during the war) how to earn their first income by cooking and working for the soldiers. She was the first woman to lead U.S. troops in wartime. Appointed to lead the sweep of mines from the local rivers, she accepted the assignment and its dangers, and asked to handpick her men. Doing that mission, she freed 900 slaves, the largest single emancipation event of the Civil War. On shore, word outpaced the ships: “Moses is coming. Moses is coming,” the words repeated as the enslaved gathered children and belongings (accounts say a pig or two) to crowd the decks of the ships bound back to Camp Randall. She married a soldier from South Carolina that she met in Hilton Head and they returned together to Auburn, New York. In her fight for freedom during the war, in her service as a scout, spy, and nurse, she never fired a shot! But she knew violence. At age 13, her skull was “broken,” smashed when a 2 pound scale weight thrown by the property holder left her in a coma for months and with a lifetime of pain, hypersomnolence, dizziness, and severe migraines. On the day of emancipation, its first celebration at Camp Saxton at midnight (where a tree remains), her first words were, “There’s a glory over everything.”

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Volume 88 • Issue 24

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I was apprehensive when I learned that President Obama would give the commencement speech at Howard University this year. I feared a repeat of his Morehouse speech, his yammering and scolding of African Americans in a manner so objectionable as to repulse. The Morehouse speech was, charitably speaking, a misstep. Would Howard be a reset? I was reminded that Ivory Toldson, a Howard University professor, leads the White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities, and understood that Dr. Toldson might have had an opportunity to review the President’s speech. I desperately wanted President Obama to knock his speech out of the park. Guess what? He did. He hit all the right notes. He told students to celebrate their Blackness their way. He offered sage, but not scolding advice and seemed nowhere as condescending as he did at Morehouse. I didn’t have the privilege of attending Howard’s commencement, but I had the opportunity to watch the President on television. This was one of the times when I wish I could give him a high five. Perhaps President Obama’s last year will be his best year. Perhaps the work he is doing on offering clemency for nonviolent drug offenders will expand. While he has embraced the principle of pardons, he has offered fewer than 400 so far, even though more than 9000 may be eligible. The Justice Department says it is “red tape” and “bureaucracy” that hampers the process, but Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe managed to cut through a lot of red tape by restoring voting rights to more than 200,000 felons in his state. Let’s see if President Obama can be as creative as the Virginia governor in issuing a blanket order to pardon nonviolent drug offenders. That would be historic. There have been several historic and transformative moments in these last months of the Obama Presidency. Executive Order 13658 provided a minimum wage of $10.10 for federal contract workers, an important initiative given that federal contractors earn millions of dollars in profits but often pay their lowest-level workers little more than the federal minimum wage of $7.25. When they bid on contracts, the contracts are often awarded based on minimum bid,

DFCS offers retroactiv e food stamps P. 3

Jada Pinkett Smith’s Oscar boycott

P. 6

but minimum bid means minimum wage. Absent an executive order setting a wage floor, the most exploitative employer is the one who gets the contract. Similarly, Executive Order 13706 provides paid sick leave for those who work for federal contractors. Again, these contractors would not provide such leave unless they were mandated to do so by executive order. President Obama has pushed the envelope in determining that an employer or contractor has the right to include terms and conditions of work in a contract. A low-bid contract must now include adequate pay, not minimum pay. It is a step forward. A recalcitrant Congress made it impossible for President Obama to change the terms and conditions of work for more workers, but the Executive Orders he issued set a tone for what one could consider an ideal workplace. Workers should have fair wages, sick leave, and other benefits that federal contractors are not likely to offer without incentives. All workers should have these benefits, but they cannot be mandated without the concurrence of Congress. In the same way that President Obama has spoke from his heart to Howard University students, he seems to have spoken from his principles to some workers. Kudos. Still, it is challenging for me to be satisfied by actions that come so late in this administration, a speech that comes after President Obama’s team has slashed the money available to HBCUs. The soaring rhetoric of the Howard University commencement speech must be balanced by the gritty reality that too many students are leaving school because they cannot afford to pay tuition, and that even as students were walking across the state during graduation, some fraction of them would not receive diplomas because of their unpaid bills. President Obama recovered from his Morehouse misstep with a Howard reset, but he still has half a year to do more.

Atlanta Daily World

Atlanta Dream presents reading initiative P.9

Georgia’s firefigh over assault weaponst

January 21-27,

2016

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May 26 - June 1, 2016

ATLANTA DAILY WORLD

Let’s bring dinner back to the table.

Let’s leave our devices and distractions behind. Let’s pass food and share stories. Let’s laugh until it hurts. Let’s smile. And love. Let’s breathe new life into old traditions. Let’s make dinner on Sunday, Sunday Dinner again. publix.com/sundaydinners

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