Spectacular Magazine

SPECTACULAR

Magazine August 2009

Fantasia in “The Color Purple” in Greensboro

THE MAKING OF A SUPREME COURT JUSTICE

ERADICATING EDUCATIONAL DISPARITIES: THE CIVIL RIGHTS FIGHT OF THE 21ST CENTURY

B ULL DURHAM BL UES FESTIVAL RUTH RUSSELL WILLIAMS

BACK TO SCHOOL BACK TO THE COMMUNITY

UNION INDEPENDENT SCHOOL cover story on page 9

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Currently, North Carolinians may renew their drivers’ licenses as much as six months prior to the expiration date. Under the new law, members of the armed forces will be able to renew their licenses upon receipt of deployment orders. The legislation will also allow a 30-day grace period for the renewal of an expired license upon release from AUGUST ‘09 LEGISLATIVE REPORT active duty.

- A state panel will be directed to examine the law books and propose changes to the General Statutes to Deliberations continued in Raleigh this month with members of the House make them more gender neutral under a bill that has been ratified by the and Senate negotiating a spending proposal and a change in the state’s tax General Assembly (SB 870). The Legislature would have to approve any prolaws. We are making progress, but our work is deliberate and thorough in posed changes before they are implemented, and voters would have to the face of this great challenge. However, we continue with important approve any changes to the state’s constitution. The legislation now goes to policy work and have passed approximately thirty two (32) pieces of imporGov. Perdue to be signed into law. tant legislation this week. I am including some discussion of this legislation - The “Open Government Act” has passed the House, and is headed to the below.

Senate (HB 1134). The legislation creates the Open Government Unit of the I hope you will contact me if you have questions, or if I can be of servDepartment of Justice, which will further the goal of transparency in govice. Thank you as always for your support and your interest in our state. ernment and the principle that public records are the property of the peoSTATE BUDGET UPDATE - We have passed a second continuing resolution to ple. The legislation will also establish a fee for services of moderation and mediation by the Open Government Unit, and will provide that the successextend the operations of the government at an 84% level. This will allow ful plaintiff in a public records dispute is entitled to reasonable attorney’s additional time to conclude a reasonable plan to move us forward and prefees. pare us for the recovery. We continue to work with our Senate counter- The General Assembly has ratified legislation to clarify that commercial parts to refine the state’s budget plan for the next two years. As you know, social networking sites cannot be held civilly liable for actions stemming this has been the most challenging budget we’ve faced in several decades. from communications on the site as long as the operators of the site have The gap between our anticipated budget and projected revenue is more made a good-faith attempt to screen out convicted sex offenders (HB 1267). than $4 billion. Money from the federal government and expected tax revThe bill has now gone to Gov. Perdue to be signed into law. enue increases will cover about half the gap. We will make up the other half of the shortfall – more than $2 billion – with cuts in state programs.

NOTES HEALTH - State lawmakers have voted in favor of legislation that authoriz- - Members of the General Assembly honored the life and memory of the late state Senator Vernon Malone (SJR 1106). Vernon Malone had served es the Department of Health and Human Services to release confidential with honor and distinction as a member of the North Carolina Senate since data in the Controlled Substances Reporting System to state medical exam2003. He was a leader on several key committees and a strong proponent iners for the purpose of investigating deaths (SB 628). The bill would also of education. Senator Malone died on April 18, 2009. make changes pertaining to confidentiality of prescription information. The - Members of the General Assembly have passed a joint resolution supportlegislation will now go to Gov. Perdue to be signed into law. ing the implementation of the Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement - State lawmakers have amended North Carolina’s rabies laws to conform Act of 2008 and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (HJR to recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and the National 1654). The acts establish a program of federal capital grants to improve Association of State Public Health Veterinarians (SB 674). Once enacted, the passenger, intermodal and freight services, create a new capital program for legislation will allow stray or feral animals to be euthanized and tested for states to expand and improve passenger rail services and encourage pubrabies after biting a human. The bill has now been sent to Gov. Perdue to lic-private partnerships that work on high-speed rail projects. be signed into law.

MISCELLANEOUS - Public school teachers with four years of experience will CONDOLENCES It is with great sadness that I ask that you honor the life and memory of now have the right to receive an explanation as to why they will not receive Chester Jenkins, former mayor of Durham who died on July 14, ’09. Mayor tenure under a bill that has passed both bodies of the Legislature (SB 962).

Jenkins was the first African American to serve as Mayor of the City of The legislation will also give those teachers the right to a hearing before Durham . Prior to being elected mayor of Durham in 1989, he served the local school board votes on the decision. The bill will now be sent to eight years on the Durham City Council. After leaving the mayor’s office, Gov. Perdue to be signed into law.

Jenkins remained in city government, directing the Human Relations - State lawmakers have ratified legislation that extends the Legislative Department until 2000.

Commission on Global Climate Change (SB 835). The commission was established to conduct an in-depth examination of issues related to global cliFurther I ask that you remember Donice Marie Harbor , Donice served as mate change. The bill will now go to Gov. Perdue to be signed into law.

Special Assistant to Governor Beverly Eves Perdue. Donice was a graduate - Public utilities, electronic membership corporations, telephone membership of Fayetteville State University and received her MPA from North Carolina corporations, and cities and counties that operate public enterprises will now Central University. Prior to serving with then Lt. Gov. Perdue Donice be prohibited from using certain debt collection practices that result in a worked for Durham Senator Jeannie Lucas. Please keep the family and customer being liable for the past due and unpaid debts of another perfriends in your prayers. son. The legislation, which was ratified by the General Assembly this week, has now been sent to Gov. Perdue to be signed into law (HB 1330).

Larry D. Hall _Legislation that will make it easier for soldiers, reservists and National Please remember that you can listen to each day’s session, committee meetings and press conferGuard members to renew their drivers’ licenses has been ratified by the ences on the General Assembly’s website at www.ncleg.net. Once on the site, select “audio,” and then make your selection – House Chamber, Senate Chamber, Appropriations Committee Room or General Assembly and sent to Gov. Perdue to be signed into law (HB 98).

FR O M THE OFFICES OF

Press Conference Room.

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From The Publisher’s Desk...

WHAT ABOUT HEALTHCARE? There are many versions of the health care reform bills in Congress. All of them have the aim to provide coverage for the in excess of 50 million uninsured Americans. A point of contention is what will the new policies do for the far greater number of people who already have insurance? Those with insurance that they like and that has worked well for them don’t see the need for change or improvement. They do not see how their “individual” family benefits so they are skeptical. They have no great concern for the 50 plus million without insurance and they see that lack of insurance as a type of savings.

Unfortunately this whole situation is being characterized by some as a battle between the haves and the have nots. Those who have do not see the hidden cost to them for those without healthcare. But the question is who is benefiting now and can more folk be added to those who can benefit from our healthcare system. Of course the big “A,” of access and affordability always rear their ugly heads.

Some folks wonder what reform could look like and are having to come up to speed with their healthcare jargon. Some of the bills in congress want to require virtually all Americans to carry health insurance with specified minimum benefits or pay a penalty. This is the case in the state of Massachusetts.

This would require all but the smallest businesses to provide and subsidize insurance that meets minimum standards for their workers or pay a fee for failing to do so. The policies are not extravagant but provide the basic services. No plastic surgery, romantic therapy or hair growth options here.

Some forms would help many uninsured by expanding Medicaid. Some citizens who earn up to three or four times the poverty level, or $66,000 to $88,000 for a family of four — would get subsidies to help them buy coverage through new health insurance exchanges, national or state, which would offer a menu of policies from different companies. These will be private insurance companies competing for business mandated by the government.

Just because you have some insurance does not mean you do not need help. Millions of insured people need help as much as the uninsured. Premiums and out-of-pocket costs for health care have been rising faster than wages without the influence of the 10% unemployment factor. Millions are “underinsured” — their policies won’t realistically come close

to covering their medical needs or resulting treatment bills. So many people postpone their medical treatment or skip filling prescriptions since they can’t afford to pay their share of the costs known Phyllis D. Coley, Publisher as a deductible. And we have all heard of the thousands who declare personal bankruptcy because they are unable to pay big medical debts of family members that they are responsible for. The reform effort should help ease the burdens of many of them, some more quickly than others.

Hopefully there will be greater coverage for all under the new policies. All insurance companies would be more tightly regulated. Policy holders who were never quite certain that their policies will come through for them when needed will see this as a great benefit. Also policies will have to offer some basic benefits and they would prohibit companies from excluding persons or charging higher rates to people with pre-existing conditions. Companies would not be able to rescind policies after people are hit by serious illness or injury. It would also prohibit insurers from setting annual or lifetime limits on what a policy would pay. These new policies are intended to apply to employer-based health care plans as well.

This sound like a great improvement, but you know there is another shoe to drop, how do we pay for it? Current estimates suggest that it would cost in the neighborhood of $1 trillion over 10 years to extend coverage to tens of millions of uninsured Americans. To put that in context, we have spent more than $13 trillion on the war in Iraq over the last eight years. So we know the amount is not too great to bear, but more so, whether we value the health of our fellow citizens enough to pay for it.

We’ll talk more later. Health care is too important to me (and my family) to let it go until it is…REFORMED. TO GOD BE THE GLORY!

Phyllis Coley

pcoley@spectacularmag.com August 2009

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SPECTACULAR MAGAZINE www.spectacularmag.com

PUBLISHER & EDITOR-IN-CHIEF PHYLLIS COLEY

FEATURES EDITOR GRACE GRAHAM

HEALTH EDITOR

DR. SHARON ELLIOTT-BYNUM

ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR GARY JONES

COLUMNISTS

STELLA J. ADAMS MIN. CURTIS GATEWOOD LARRY HALL, ESQ. MICHELLE LAWS LAMONT LILLY IRVING JOYNER, ESQ. DR. ARCHIE D. LOGAN DEL MATTIOLI REV. JAMES SMITH

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

APRIL MIAL

VALERIE JOSEPH

WIL GLENN

PHOTOGRAPHERS

CHRIS HINTON

LAWRENCE DAVIS III

LAYOUT/DESIGN PHYLLIS COLEY

LAWRENCE DAVIS III

DISTRIBUTION

LELIA ROYSTER

CHARLES STREET

Spectacular Magazine enlightens, empowers and entertains African Americans with features, columns, commentaries and calendars.

Spectacular Magazine is published monthly and distributed free in Durham, Wake, Guilford, Orange, Granville, Vance and Person counties.

Deadline for all submissions is the 18th of each month.

In This Issue Another Perspective Beneath The Surface Entertainment

24 23 36

From The Publisher’s Desk FYI Health Into The Light Legal Eagle Advisor Lifestyles News Briefs Political & Civic Affairs Religion Rightchus Truth State & National Talkback, Too This Is Your Life What’s Up Doc?

5 17 31 24 27 33 21 27 15 7 22 4 34 31

Features Bull Durham Blues Festival Eradicating Educational Disparities Making of a Supreme Court Justice Ruth Russell Williams Sun-Ra The Color Purple featuring Fantasia Union Independent School

36 23 27 33 14 36 9

Features Editor

Writer: Cover Story

Grace Graham

April Mial

Contact us at: info@spectacularmag.com Post Office 361

or by mail at: Durham, NC 27702

919-680-0465

Mail subscriptions are available for $25.00 per year. Second class postage is paid in Durham, NC.

PRESIDENT - CEO Phyllis D. Coley

VICE PRESIDENT - OPERATIONS

MARKETING/SALES DIR. -TRIANGLE Angie Steele 6

SPECTACULAR

Gary N. Jones, MBA

MARKETING/SALES DIR. -TRIAD Ron “Big E” Eldridge August 2009

The Rightchus Truth

by Lamont Lilly aka ‘Rightchus’

STORIES UNTOLD, KEEPERS OF THE SCROLL “We have been believers believing in our burdens and demigods too long. Now the needy no longer weep and pray; the long suffering arise, and our fists bleed against the bars with a strange insistency.”

The excerpt above is the last stanza of Margaret Walker’s, [We Have Been Believers] of her 1942 classic, For My People. Though eloquently simple, the rolling of its words pack more power than a thousand Kamikazes. Needless to say the written word for Afro-Americans has always played an integral role in our survival and stake to claim freedom. From Richard Wright to Mari Evans the tradition of black storytellers, whose pens ooze with passion, has served many purposes. Throughout the eras of Abolitionism, Reconstruction, and the Harlem Renaissance, our writers dared to speak freely and imaginatively that they might incite—calm and comfort, encourage and inspire, educate and liberate.

While each generation of slaves and ex-slave descendants were evolving into the ‘American Negro’, our writers observed and reflected. Creative catalysts such as Arna Bontemps, Jean Toomer, Gwendolyn Brooks, Nikki Giovanni, Claude McKay, Paul Laurence Dunbar and Countee Cullen told our stories the way we tell our stories. There was also the local boy, George Moses Horton, who as a slave-hand owned by the then president of UNC Chapel Hill, published and sold writings to campus students.

These artists produced greatness in the form of fiction & non-fiction, poetry & essays, plays, novels and even children’s books. Through their very careful and critical literary analyses the writers of old wrote and spoke from the heart—[heart of the Negro]. With these writers rest the real truth, the real glory, and the pains that taste of tears, but still march on. They wrote not for contracts and fame, but as messengers of the downtrodden. They wrote for duty and honor.

Many never saw much of a dime. The beauty of the Black written word is that not only is it selfless, it possesses such an extensive collection of expressions and concerns.

While Phillis Wheatley and Jupiter Hammon may have appealed more to the burgeoning class of slave intellectuals & Freedman Societies; Zora Neale Hurston and Langston Hughes spoke proudly and directly to the working poor and ghetto masses.

These wordsmiths have rightly paid their toll to preserve the scroll. If Negroes are ever to learn as much as everyone else knows about us, we must seek the writers (the real writers). No disrespect to their means of making a living, but I don’t read Zane, E. Lynn Harris or the Video Vixen girl. This movement of hyper lewdness is what I call Literary Crack. I mean, come on!! What adult doesn’t like the “sensualities” that accompany grown folk anatomy, on grown folk time? But whatever happened to the substance of spirit and mind—culture and history? Any sexual being can talk to the [loin].

But do you connect to the soul? What are you contributing to the foundation our ancestors constructed; that the Negro might progress to bring about solutions to our many enigmas? This, we should ask ourselves before supporting such material. Though we no longer fight by way of Bull City lunch-counters and Mobile bus lines; we are still at war, brothers and sisters. [For we wrestle now not against flesh and blood, but against principalities….against spiritual wickedness in high places]. I ask of us, what oppressor will teach the [true truth] to the sons and daughters of the ones they have slaughtered? The good thing: there is no need for others to teach us—not when we may teach ourselves.

One of my favorite writers/teachers is Audré Lorde.

Audré was a pistol pallet of passion who kept no secrets that she was feminist, lesbian and full blood nigga!! Bolder than an Iberian Fighting Bull, Lorde was a literary assassin who was keenly intelligent, yet always in touch with the human heart. In her 1978 work, School Note of The Black Unicorn, Lorde states: My children play with skulls at school They have already learned to dream of dying Their playgrounds were graveyards where nightmares of no stand watch over rented earth filled with the bones of tomorrow.

Can anyone see how these words may still be applied to the black youth of today? Though the recipient of countless honors and awards, Lorde’s writing would piss-off white women liberals and the klu klux klan in The Rightchus Truth continues on page 29

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COVER STORY

BACK TO SCHOOL: BACK TO THE COMMUNITY

Union Independent School

Union Baptist Church Plants Seed for Union Independent School

By April Mial Contributing Writer DURHAM - When I learned that my next assignment was to interview Reverend Kenneth Hammond about his new school, Union Independent School, I was ecstatic! I must admit, though, his new endeavor, building a grade school for the community, did not come as a surprise.

Many times, I sat in his congregation at Union Baptist Church, during bible study and Sunday service to know that any new endeavor that he was to embark would be done through careful, thorough planning and swift execution (faith Rev. Kenneth Hammond without works is dead), as he preached to his members. I phoned Reverend Hammond on our scheduled time and as promised, he was ready to discuss the hope of the Union Independent School and the positive impact that it would make in the community.

Prior to our interview, I got a chance to visit the school’s website (www.unionis.org), and was pleasantly surprised to see pictured, on the home page, a young black male with a big grin on his face, sitting behind a school desk adorned with an open book, with his arms outstretched in a victorious pose.

Immediately, I gained a sense of pride and appreciation that the area that has plagued many of our young Black youth was being challenged. The image showed the community the possibility of what African-American youth could achieve and the school was one of the first steps to help get them there.

Other pictures that adorn the website also show positive images of the African-American community – images that are not so easily seen in media, where the AfricanAmerican family structure seems disjointed and youth seem to excel at breaking the law or doing poorly in school.

There is an African-American father figure hugging his smiling, young daughter.

There is also a picture of a diverse group of smiling students standing together in school uniforms. These images, coupled with the great expectation for students to learn will make a positive impact on the community and others looking at the community.

“Union Independent School’s mission is to minimize the disconnect [that most public schools face] between home and school. We want parents to be involved. They

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UNION INDEPENDENT SCHOOL continues will have updates and a family mentor,” says Hammond.

He further states that the school will move away from the “traditional” schools because those institutions are not equipped with the challenges that our youth face.

He described those challenges as a student who comes to class hungry or falls asleep during the lesson or a student not prepared for his/her day’s lessons. Instead of labeling that student as unfocused because he/she does not have the energy to think, lazy because he/she was up all night and didn’t get any rest or unintelligent because he/she was unable to do his/her homework at home – because he/she is living between two different households that may not be conducive to learning. Union Independent School will help the student navigate through that challenge and create a learning model conducive for them to achieve success.

Troy K. Weaver

Troy K. Weaver is the Head of the School. Weaver has been in education for more than 22 years and has had a number of exciting professional experiences. He began his teaching career as a public school biology and chemistry teacher at Hugh M. Cummings High School in Burlington, NC. Later, he accepted a position in a non-traditional educational setting as an Educational Specialist, providing educational diagnosis and teaching all subjects to incarcerated youth (ages 10-16) at the Durham County Youth Home.

His next professional venture was within the independent school ranks by becoming an inaugural faculty member at Cary Academy where he taught algebra and science in the middle school and later moved to the upper school where he taught biology and chemistry, and developed a course in forensic science. It was at Cary Academy that Weaver also began his first administrative position by becoming Dean of Students for grades 9 & 10.

In 2002, he became the inaugural headmaster of Durham Nativity School a private, tuition-free, all-male middle school in Northeast-Central Durham, where he also taught science, religion and math. He most recently taught and served as an administrator at Triangle Day School, a K8, coed school here in Durham.

Weaver is absolutely thrilled to be able to serve as the

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Union Independent School is a state-of-the-art, 49,000 square foot facility scheduled to open doors to its first students and families on August 19, 2009, The building includes spacious classrooms each containing a “Smart” Board, digital projector and personal computers/laptops (pictured top); a science lab; visual arts and music rooms; a media center with AV storage; a gymnasium/multi-purpose area (pictured middle); a fitness center; a full-service cafeteria; outdoor playground space with state-of-the art equipment (pictured bottom); and, a conference room and numerous faculty and staff office spaces. In addition, the building will also contain allocated space for a separately run day care, preschool, and a planned health & wellness center.

Cover Story

UNION INDEPENDENT SCHOOL continues inaugural Head of School for Union Independent School, a school that will undoubtedly change lives and impact the Northeast-Central Durham community.

The father of six sons, Weaver grew up on Long Island, New York. He came to Durham to attend Duke University and become a pediatrician. Instead, after graduation he worked at Duke University Medical Center as a certified Poison Information Specialist by night and eventually became a substitute teacher with the former Durham City Schools by day.

His experiences as a substitute teacher caused him to be "bitten" by the teaching bug. He then received a Lyndhurst Fellowship at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to receive a Master of Arts in Teaching (M.A.T.) and North Carolina Teacher's Certification in a one-year, intensive program.

Currently, the building has been set up to accommodate K-8 grades, but will enroll only K-2 this year. The following years will add one grade level each year until the eighth grade is enrolled. Thus, for the 2010-2011 school year, the third grade will be added.

When most leaders preach about being of and about the community, Reverend Hammond puts his work into action.

His result is the opening of Union Independent School slated for a grand opening on August 19, 2009. The school has an enrollment of 72 students, averaging about 24 students in each class of Kindergarten, first and second grade. The students were selected through a random lottery held, which was drawn by a local CPA firm.

Over 138 applicants applied. The only criteria upheld was that if one sibling was selected from the random lottery, then the other siblings in the family automatically were placed. In addition to its opening, the school will have extended hours (7:30am-6:30pm), to allow students to get tutoring and one-on-one sessions with teachers.

Tuition is free to students.

The curriculum will include CORE classes - Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies and Arts Education, as well as Technology, Spanish, Physical & Health Wellness and Character Education classes.

Rev. Hammond confirms that being technically savvy in today’s world is very necessary and important. He will be the first to admit that “we live in a different world than when [he] grew up [and] how students are now able to speak with other students around the world, like Russia, through the internet.” The Technology classes will allow students to consistently interact with the world that exists beyond their classroom. This will also allow AfricanAmerican students to compete with other communities on a global level. The school will even provide students who advance to the third grade a laptop of their own.

Spanish classes are offered to help encourage young students develop a sense of a bilingual world.

Physical & Health Wellness classes developed from concerns that childhood obesity and diabetes were prevalent silent killers in the African-American community. The classes engage students in making healthier food choices and show how physical education/exercises can be fun.

There is also a nurse available who works with both the

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UNION INDEPENDENT SCHOOL continues

Rev. Hammond (left), who had the vision for Union Independent School, has been totally involved in the building process. The birth of Union Independent School was not only for the students of the community, but it is for the community. The School will be a transformation for the community, where the community can utilize the center by working out in the fitness facilities/gym, hold meetings in office spaces, and entering a health clinic (which is a collaboration between Duke and UNC Hospitals).

students and their families.

Finally, Character Education classes emphasize social, emotional and academic growth in a strong and safe school community. This approach is based on the premise that students learn best when they have both academic and social-emotional skills.

Even though Union Baptist Church paid seed money towards Union Independent School, the school will be independently operated from the church. Rev. Hammond believes that “if you want religion, then you come to one side of the street, but if you want a world class education, then you go to the other side of the street.”

In turn, Union Independent is not a “Christian School” because Rev. Hammond wants students to first come to the school to receive a Grade A education from teachers who are nationally board certified (from both local communities and outside of North Carolina). Rev. Hammond believes that “great teachers make for great learning.”

The planning for the school started about seven to eight years ago after the Church was a recipient site for The Durham Scholars Program (DSP). In that program, students’ ages ranged from sixth grade through college. Rev. Hammond realized that although they were positively touching lives of these youth, they needed to intervene at an earlier age. Thus, Union Independent School was born.

The birth of Union Independent School was not only for the students of the community, but it is for the community. Hammond states that [Union Independent] will be a transformation for the community, where the community can utilize the center by working out in the fitness facilities/gym, hold meetings in office spaces, and entering a health clinic (which is a collaboration between Duke and UNC Hospitals).

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When I asked Reverend Hammond what he wanted to say to the students, he stated that he wants students to “come with inquisitive minds, willing to think outside the box and [invite] new ways of learning… [then you will realize that] learning can be fun.” I then asked him the same for parents. He is quoted as saying that he wants parents “involved in the education of their children…

Together [we] can create a product that [parents] will be proud of.” After his inspirational comment, our interview was over and I headed to class.

As I walked towards class, I realized that like my attendance at his church during bible study and Sunday morning worship, that I had once again become inspired to do something – inspired to help a leader fulfill his vision for the betterment of the community I lived. Even if my donation was small compared to others, I was going to give it freely and with a loving heart.

I would also encourage others to do the same because my donation, coupled with others, could move mountains.

Union Baptist Church has planted a $10.5 million dollar seed, but needs $35 million dollars to sustain the school maintenance and operations. Let us all be inspired to do something.

Has this article inspired you to give? If so, monies can be donated online at www.unionis.org. Donators can also call the school at 919.682.5903.

April Mial is a writer/producer/director with Lilac Films, Inc. [www.lilacfilms.com]. She currently lives in Raleigh.

Cover Story

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DURHAM ART GUILD KICKS OFF THREE MONTHS OF SUN RA INSPIRED EVENTS Sun Ra

Inspired Procession is Free and Open to all

Ages DURHAM – Saturday, August 8th kicks off three months of Sun Ra Inspired Community Events scheduled in conjunction with the nationally acclaimed exhibit, Pathways to Unknown Worlds: Sun Ra, El Saturn and Chicago’s Afro-Futurist Underground 1954-68. The exhibit will be presented in partnership with Duke University’s John Hope Franklin Center of Interdisciplinary and International Studies and the Durham Art Guild at the CCB Gallery in the Durham Arts Council Building at 120 Morris Street in downtown Durham from Friday, August 21 through Sunday, October 18.

The Spectacle: A Procession of Costume, Sound and Images, which precedes and celebrates the coming of the Pathways to Unknown Worlds exhibit, will take place on Saturday, August 8th until 8:00 p.m. and will include three events: Intergalactic Costume Creation at Scrap Exchange ($5) from 3:00 – 4:30 pm, The Spectacle Procession from Durham Central Park to the Durham Art Guild from 4:30 – 6:00 pm, and Gallery Space is the Place at the gallery of the Durham Art Guild located in the Durham Arts Council Building at 120 Morris Street from 6:00 – 8:00 pm where there will be film, video and sound celebrating Sun Ra. The Spectacle Procession and Gallery Space is the Place is open to all ages and is free. Participants are encouraged to dress in their best intergalactic costumes and bring instruments or noise-makers for the procession from Durham Central Park to the Durham Art Guild.

The exhibit Pathways to Unknown Worlds showcases diverse, provocative and rarely seen materials related to pianist, bandleader, mystic, philosopher and Afro-Futurist Sun Ra (born Herman Poole Blount 1914, Birmingham, Alabama, died 1993). His personal mythology have grown increasingly relevant to a broad range of artists and communities since his death.

Artifacts from the earliest days of Ra’s record producing is a highlight of the exhibition, including his original drawings for the mid-60s albums Art Forms of Dimensions of Tomorrow and Other Planes of There and original artwork for other LPs. These consist not only of the sketches and final versions of the art, but also all steps along the way to printing the covers. They are from Ra’s tenure in Chicago, especially during mid-50s, with his business partner and fellow mystic Alton Abraham. The public opening is scheduled in conjuction with Durham’s Thrid Friday event on Friday, August 21st from 5-7 pm.

The materials in this exhibition are from the Alton Abraham Collection of Sun Ra Papers, Chicago Jazz Archive, located in the Special Collections Research Center, University of Chicago Library. Additional support has been provided by the Duke University Office of the Vice Provost for the Arts and Downtown Durham, Inc.

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Sun Ra

Supporters include: Duke University for International Studies and the Duke University Office of the Vice Provost for the Arts, Downtown Durham, Inc., and Paragraph Project, and Spectacular Magazine.

SECOND EVENT: FILM SCREENING AND DINNER

The second event is a Preview Event with a Film Screening and Dinner at Rue Cler, Piedmont or Revolution.

Attendees will enjoy a sneak preview of the Pathways to Unknown Worlds Exhibit with wine reception and a special film screening in the PSI Theater of the documentary Sun Ra: A Joyful Noise by Mug-Shot Productions. After the film, attendees will go to the restaurant of their choice for a three-course meal and drinks at either Rue Cler, Piedmont or Revolution restaurants. This is a ticketed event. Seating is limited and available on a first-come, first-serve basis. Tickets are $115/person ($70 is taxdeductible). Tickets can be ordered online from the DAG website at http://www.durhamartguild.org/#sunRaAnchor.

ADDITIONAL EVENTS

Additional events include Sun Ra Inspired – A Jam Session on Saturday, September 19th at the PSI Theater at the Durham Arts Council Building starting at 5:30 pm, The Sun Ra Arkestra and the Mingus Big Band at Duke University’s Page Auditorium presented by Duke Performances on Saturday, September 26th, and related panel discussions and artist visits at the John Hope Franklin Center for Interdisciplinary and International Studies throughout the fall semester.

Visit www.durhamartguild.org, www.jhfc.duke.edu www.dukeperformances.duke.edu or more information.

and

Feature

RELIGION ANOTHER PERSPECTIVE by Rev. James W. Smith

“WHAT IS A CALL TO MINISTRY” A Pastor friend of mine shared an article with me that I thought very interesting. It was an article entitled “God’s Calling Plan,” by Gordon MacDonald. In the article a question was asked, “so what exactly is, a call to ministry”? “There is an old joke – so old, in fact, that it may be unknown to a newer generation and, therefore, recyclable.

A young farmer, standing in his field, observes a peculiar cloud formation. The clouds form the letters G, P, and C, and he thinks them a call from God: Go Preach Christ! The farmer rushes to the deacons of his church and insists that he has been called to preach. Respectful of his passion and zeal, they invite him to fill the pulpit. That Sunday, the sermon is long, tedious, virtually incoherent. When it finally ends, the leaders sit in stunned silence. Finally, a wizened deacon mutters to the would-be-preacher, “Seems to me the clouds were saying, ‘Go plant corn.’”

himself or herself. Second, biblical calls were quite unpredictable.

Gideon, for example, responded to his call, “How can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.”

Why David? Why Jeremiah? Why Simon Peter?

And, of all people, why Saul of Tarsus who recollects, “I was a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man?” When St. Francis was asked why God called him, he said, “God picks the weakest, the smallest, the meanest of men on the face of the earth, and he uses them.” Third, biblical calls usually focus on mind-boggling, seemingly impossible objectives. Build a boat, Noah; lead a nation out of Egypt, Moses; face down a wicked king, Elijah; preach to the Gentiles, Paul. But the call was so compelling that is gave courage to the one called.

Finally, each biblical call was unique. No call seems like any other.

The circumstances, the nature, the expectations of the call: all customized. When God wanted a word said or a people led, he mandated a person to make it happen in an unprecedented way. Calls were not classified ads so that anyone could volunteer. Persons, sometimes strange persons, were selected while others, seemingly more worthy and capable, were not. There was only one Esther, one John the Baptizer.

There was only one Moses in spite of what Miriam and Aaron dared to think the day they asked,“Hasn’t he also spoken through us?” These not-so-novel observations are worth repeating. For they form a foundation for authoritative ministry in the twenty-first century.

If it really happened that way, it wouldn’t be the first time there’s been confusion about what it means to be called into ministry. The concept of a call is one of the most profound of all biblical ideas.

The Bible is riddled with stories about calls to men and women who, when summoned to service, went out and marked their generation in a particular way. Such calls have several commonalities.

If we have lost our faith in the idea that such calls continue today, then perhaps we have lost touch with the supernatural element that ministry desperately needs. The key questions are simple: Does God still call men and women as He once did? And do we know how to recognize and implement a call if it should come?”

First, in one way or another, they all originated out of the Godhead.

God the Father called Abraham, Moses, Isaiah, and Amos (to name a few). Jesus called twelve men “to be with him,” and then sent them out to disciple the nations. The Holy Spirit called Saul and Barnabas and others to apostolic opportunity. No one in the Bible anointed

Dr. James W. Smith,

New Vision United Choir of

Emmanuel AME Church 2018 Riddle Rd. - Durham will be celebrating ten years of ministry through song

Saturday, August, 15, 2009 at 4pm Please join us as we lift the name of Jesus at this joyous occasion. The public is always welcome at Emmanuel.

Religion

Church Consultant, Inspirational/Motivational Speaker Author, “Deal By Me Email: revsmith@spectacularmag.com

LIVING YOUR FAITH: PRACTICAL PIETY

By Rev. Dr. Archie D. Logan

WILL RETURN NEXT MONTH August 2009

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FOR YOUR INFORMATION LINCOLN NURSING ALUMNI PLANS ITS 2009 HISTORIC LINCOLN NURSING REUNION

THE WAREHOUSE BLUES CONCERT SERIES DURHAM - Durham Parks and Recreation Department presents The Warehouse Blues Concert Series, a series of free blues concerts, played outdoors in the courtyard of West Village Apartments, 604 West Morgan Street, in Downtown Durham. Concerts are every Friday night from 6 pm – 8 pm.

Scheduled performances are: August 7 John Dee Holeman with Abe Reid and Jake Hollifield August 14 Adolphus Bell and Dr. Burt

John Dee Holeman

August 21 Mudcat LINCOLN HOSPITAL NURSE TRAINING SCHOOL - 1939 Photo courtesy of University Library, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

The Lincoln Hospital School of Nursing Alumni Association, Inc. will celebrate the continuing legacy and the wonderful spirit of its alumni, members of the community and special supporters during the weekend of August 7-9, 2009.

From 1903 to 1971, the Lincoln Hospital School of Nursing graduated 614 professional nurses.

This year’s theme is “Vintage II…On the Front Porch” with highlights of recognizing Lincoln Scholars of the GlaxoSmithKline/Lincoln Hospital School of Nursing Endowed Scholarship, enjoying “Front Porch” entertainment and crowning of Ms. Vintage Lincoln II. Please mark your calendars to attend these events.

Unable to attend? Contributions can be made payable to LHSNAA, Inc. for the Mentoring Program, Scholarship and Community Service activities by mailing to LHSNAA, Inc. P. O. Box 81, Durham, NC 27702.

Friday, August 7 7pm Complimentary Alumni-Community Reception Sheraton Imperial Hotel (RTP), Durham, NC Saturday, August 8 7pm Reunion Banquet & Celebration

Sheraton Imperial Hotel (RTP), Durham, NC “Front Porch” Entertainment Lincoln Scholar Recognition Crowning of “Ms. Vintage Lincoln II” Business Attire Ticket required Sunday, August 9, 2009 8am Farewell Breakfast Celebration & Worship Service Sheraton Imperial Hotel (RTP), Durham, NC Ticket required All nursing alumni, descendents of alumni, former Lincoln Hospital nurses, former physicians, former students, interns, residents, former patients, babies born at Lincoln, past instructors, former Lincoln employees, former board of trustees, past volunteers, friends and supporters of Lincoln and other members of the community are cordially invited to attend and support these events.

For questions, please contact Mrs. Mary R. Baldwin, Vice President and Reunion Chair 919471-1675. Ms. Carolyn E. Henderson is President of Lincoln Hospital School of Nursing Alumni Association, Inc.

August 28 Boo Hankins and George Higgs September 4 Cool John Ferguson

Cool John Ferguson

For information, call (919) 560-4355.

Durham Parks and Recreation Department also presents:

FAMILY FRIDAY SKATE NIGHTS

Fridays, 6 pm - 8 pm Bring the whole family and enjoy an evening of roller skating! Skates are provided, but you can bring your own as well.

Cost: Adults: $2.50, 5-17:

$2, 4 and under are free.

W.D. Hill Recreation Center, 1308 Fayetteville St., Durham. (919) 560-4292

SWAG-N-SURF BACK TO SCHOOL EVENT Friday, August 7, 7 pm - 11 pm Celebrate the end of summer with basketball, video games and a pool party, plus a dance party from 9 p.m.-11 p.m. Light refreshments will be served.

I.R. Holmes, Sr. Recreation Center at Campus Hills, 2000 S. Alston Ave., Durham. (919) 560-4444.

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FOR YOUR INFORMATION continues DURHAM JOBLINK MOBILE and career counseling.

UNIT COMES TO NORTHGATE MALL

DURHAM - In an effort to reach out to the community and assist with the high volume of traffic at the Durham JobLink Career Center, the City of Durham, the Durham JobLink Career Center, and the State of North Carolina Division of Workforce Development have partnered to bring the Durham JobLink Mobile Unit to Northgate Mall. The Mobile Unit will be in the Sears parking lot at the Guess Road entrance of Northgate Mall : Every Monday and Tuesday from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the following dates: August 3, 4, 10, 11, 17, 18, 24, 25, 31 September 1, 7, 8, 14, 15, 21, 22, 28, 29 October 5, 6, 12, 13, 19, 20, 26, 27 Durham residents can receive job leads, conduct job searches, and submit online applications at the Durham JobLink Mobile Unit. If applicants are not currently registered with Durham JobLink, they should come prepared to receive this new “express service” after filling out a brief registration card. Residents that need assistance with résumé writing, career search information, and assistance with job applications should continue to use the Durham JobLink Career Center at 1105 S. Briggs Ave., Durham.

Durham job seekers applying for unemployment insurance benefits should also continue using the Durham JobLink Career Center so they can obtain staff assistance for other services such as interviewing help, labor market information,

Residents should also note that Durham JobLink Satellite Sites are available at the following locations for self-service job searching and résumé preparation: . W.D. Hill Recreation Center, 1308 Fayetteville St., Durham . Durham County Main Library, 300 N. Roxboro St., Durham . Oxford Manor, 3633 Keystone Place, Durham . Durham Technical Community College, 1637 Lawson St., Durham . Antioch Baptist Church, 1415 Holloway St., Durham The Durham JobLink Mobile Unit is a service provided by the Durham JobLink Career Center, which is a partnership that brings workers from across the community together with potential employers. The Durham JobLink Career Center brings together an array of services geared to help Durham residents find employment; increase the education and training of the local workforce; and assist area employers in filling job openings.

For more information, contact Tanya SpauldingHill, manager for the Durham JobLink Career Center, at (919)560-6880, ext. 202 or via e-mail at Tanya.Hill@ncmail.net.

QUALITY EDUCATION INSTITUTE GOLF TOURNAMENT AUGUST 21

DURHAM – The ninth annual Quality Education Institute Golf Tournament takes place on Friday, August 21st at the Umstead Pines at Willowhaven Country Club in Durham, NC. Sixty to seventy five golfers tee off every year and this year should prove to be no different according to the registration roll. Many come from as far west as Texas, along with others throughout the southeast, and then the ever faithful locals.

This tournament raises funds for textbooks, supplies, after-school care, and scholarships based on financial need.

2007 school year. The school’s growth is attributed to the success of students in the classroom and the satisfaction of parents who choose to enroll their children in the school’s challenging and rewarding curriculum. Some of the reasons parents send their children to QEI include low student-to- teacher ratios, a rigorous academic curriculum, a safe and secure environment for learning, personalized education plans for each child, emphasis on character development and citizenship, and a year-round schedule with before and after-school care.

For more information about QEI-Durham or to register for the golf tournament, visit the web site at www.qeidurham.org or call (919) 6806544.

2009 N.C. STATE FAIR CONCERT LINEUP FEATURES MOTOWN LEGENDS RALEIGH - Motown legends are coming to North Carolina to take the stage during the 2009 State Fair. They are part of 11 nights of entertainment featuring R&B, contemporary Christian, and country concerts in Dorton Arena.

Tournament participants will pay a $85 registration fee which entitles them to green fees, a cart, dinner, and a gift bag. Registration begins at 10:00 am. Tee time is at 12:00pm. Golfers will be able to purchase Fun Packs for $35 which includes two mulligans, two strings, and a raffle ticket.

FOR MORE INFO 919.956.8889

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The school, Quality Education Institute of Durham, began in 1998 with three students and has grown to more than 100 students for the

August 2009

The Temptations featuring Dennis Edwards will perform Tuesday, October 20, and will sing such For Your Information

FOR YOUR INFORMATION continues Motown classics as “My Girl,” “Just My Imagination” and “Papa Was a Rolling Stone.”

Youngsville native Jason Michael Carroll kicks off the concert series on Thursday, October 15.

Albemarle native Kellie Pickler will bring her Southern charm to the stage Saturday, October 17, performing songs off her self-titled sophomore album. The top-10 finalist from Season 5 of “American Idol” has recorded a string of hits including “Red High Heels,” “Don’t You Know You’re Beautiful” and “Things That Never Cross a Man’s Mind.”

Singer-songwriter Eric Church will wrap up the 2009 N.C. State Fair Sunday, October 25. Awardwinning Christian rock group Third Day will present songs from their latest album, “Revelation,” on Friday, October 16. Nat and Alex Wolff, best known as the siblings from Nickelodeon’s The Naked Brothers Band perform Sunday, October 18.

Others scheduled to perform include singer, actress and “Dancing with the Stars” champion Julianne Hough, Dove Award-winning Christian singer Jeremy Camp and Christian group Tenth Avenue North, country-music star Blake Shelton and rising star Jamey Johnson.

All shows begin at 7:30 p.m. and doors open at 6:30 p.m. Ticket prices range from $5 to $15 and can be purchased online only at www.ncstatefair.org beginning Aug. 3 at 10 a.m. Any concert tickets remaining after the start of the Fair can be purchased at the Dorton Arena Box Office.

MILL GROVE - MERRICK MOORE SCHOOL REUNION September 4-6, 2009 Durham, NC

If you attended Mill Grove or Merrick Moore, you are invited to attend the School Reunion September 4, 5, and 6 in Durham.

Planned activities include a Meet & Greet, Banquet/Dance, Worship Service and Picnic.

Three days of Old School Fun! Contact Joanne Parker Sales at joanne.parker_s@yahoo.com or call Lillie Rogers at (919) 251-8209 For Your Information

SUBMIT EVENTS TO:

calendar@spectacularmag.com by the 15th of the month prior to the month of the event August 2009

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TODAY’S WOMAN ORGANIZATION, INC. PRESENTED ANNUAL SPRING SEMINAR DURHAM - Today’s Woman Organization, Inc. presented its Annual Spring Seminar on Saturday, June 20, 2009 at the R. David Thomas Executive Conference Center on the campus of Duke University. The seminar entitled, “Join Us to Help Change Us” focused on small changes that can make large differences in our lives and in our communities.

The seminar also focused on encouraging volunteerism and commitment to do all that we can to serve others. Several members noted their changes, which ranged from healthy lifestyle changes and weight loss, smoking cessation to mentoring young families with The Grandparents Network.

The keynote speaker was Dr. Louise J. Gooche, a member and past president of the organization. The guest entertainment was the Hearts of Praise MIME Team from Union Baptist Church under the direction of Ms. Cordie McIntyre. Several community change agents were acknowledged for their positive influences and contributions to community service in Durham and Chapel Hill.

TWO, Inc. 2009 honorees are: Annie Jones-Clement; Clarine Hyman; Cloyce Lassiter; Judge Elaine Bushfan; Phyllis Joyner; Constance S. Walker; Dr. Sharon ElliottBynum and Betty Rhodes of Durham, and Carolyn B. Jefferson of Chapel Hill.

The organization also awarded their annual scholarships to two high school graduates going on to college in

Newsbriefs

the fall. Scholarship recipients are Princess Bethea of Durham, and Nicholas Speaker of Chapel Hill.

Today’s Woman Organization, Inc., is a public service organization and open to all women interested in volunteerism with a commitment to community service. We welcome new memberships. Mary Joyner Jones is the current president of TWO, Inc.

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STATE & NATIONAL AFTER BEERS, OFFICER, PROFESSOR PLAN TO MEET AGAIN

President Obama and Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. met with Henry Louis Gates Jr. and the police officer who arrested him, Sgt. James Crowley, at the White House on Thursday July 30. Photo: AP

WASHINGTON - The officer who arrested a top AfricanAmerican professor said talks over beers Thursday evening, July 30th, at the White House were productive and the two men plan to meet again.

Sgt. James Crowley and Henry Louis Gates Jr. sat around a patio table with President Obama and Vice President Biden, drank beer, munched on snacks and talked about the arrest that has sparked debate about racial profiling and police procedures.

“It was a private discussion. It was a frank discussion,” Crowley said of the meeting, but would not divulge specifics except to say that no one apologized.

Crowley said he and Gates will speak by telephone in the coming days to finalize details of their next meeting. Both men bring different perspectives, he said, but he would like to hear more about Gates' views.

Gates was arrested July 16th and accused of disorderly conduct after police responded to a report of a possible burglary at his Boston-area home. The charge was later dropped.

After the meeting, Crowley told reporters that the men had a “cordial and productive discussion,” in which they agreed to move foward rather than dwell on past events.

The renowned Harvard professor reflected on the significance of the event and thanked Obama for arranging the meeting.

Gates said in a statement on theroot.com that after tonight's meeting, "There's reason to hope that many people have emerged with greater sympathy for the daily perils of policing, on the one hand, and for the genuine fears about racial profiling, on the other hand.

‘The national conversation over the past week about my arrest has been rowdy, not to say tumultuous and unruly. But we've learned that we can have our differences without demonizing one another,” Gates said.

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FAMU PRESIDENT GETS $113,750 BONUS

By Caryn Wilson - Black College Wire TALLAHASSEE, FL - Florida A&M University President James Ammons will be awarded a salary bonus of $113,750 following a unanimous trustee board vote in May. Trustees relied on the legal wording of Ammons’ contract to award the bonus check. The contract authorizes the board to grant a performance bonus of 25-35 percent.

“We have a responsibility of honoring all legally binding contracts and not James Ammons picking and choosing which contract we honor and which we do not,” said Bill Jennings, chairman of the board of trustees.

Other trustees didn’t agree.“Maybe you all have something different in Florida than we have in North Carolina…we’re laying off teachers,” said Trustee Robert Brown, founder and CEO of B&C Associates Inc., a public relations firm in High Point, North Carolina.

The economic downturn, which was not up for discussion during the meeting, has caused administrators to cut almost $16 million from FAMU’s 2009-2010 operational budget.

“I just think...the best way we can help our people right now is to make sure everybody keeps their jobs,” Brown said.

The state of Florida covers $225,000 of Ammons’ annual salary of $325,000, while the FAMU Foundation covers the rest. The board chose to award Ammons a 35-percent performance bonus.

Florida Atlantic’s Frank Brogan and Florida State’s T.K. Wetherell have opted not to take recent bonus awards. There is no word yet on whether Ammons will accept the bonus.

REV. IKE HAS DIED: PRAY CLOTH PIONEER SUCCUMBS TO SICKNESS Known as a pioneering prosperity preacher of the airwaves, former televangelist Reverend Ike died Tuesday, July 28 in Los Angeles after a lengthy illness. He was 74.In the 1970s, Rev. Frederick J. Eikerenkoetter II was one of the first evangelists to reach an audience of millions through television and radio.

Reverend Ike He preached the power of what he called “positive self-image psychology” to his 5,000 parishioners at the United Church Science of Living Institute in New York.

And millions more received his weekly message through 1,770 radio and television stations.

Ike hawked “pray cloths” for pay and touted “You can’t lose with the stuff I use” during every broadcast. His son, Xavier F. Eikerenkoetter, who took over the ministry when his father retired.

By Michelle Cotton-Laws

ERADICATING EDUCATIONAL DISPARITIES IS THE CIVIL RIGHTS FIGHT OF THE 21ST CENTURY Contrary to what the current educational data on Black children’s achievement suggest, the African American community has always placed a high value on education. From slaves who were beaten for sneaking away to hidden sanctuaries on slave plantations to learn and teach others to read to the Little Rock Nine who suffered physical and verbal abuse to integrate schools following the Brown v. Board decision African Americans have overcome many obstacles and paid a high price to receive an education. Today, this legacy is in serious peril.

President Obama and the President of the NAACP Ben Jealous agree that eradicating educational disparities between Black (and Brown) and White children is the premier Civil Rights fight of 21st Century. In his speech to the NAACP’s 100th Anniversary convention, President Obama spoke these truths: “…more than half a century after Brown v. Board, the dream of a world-class education is still being deferred all across the country. African American students are lagging behind white classmates in reading and math — an achievement gap that is growing in states that once led the way in the civil rights movement. Over half of all African American students are dropping out of school in some places. There are overcrowded classrooms, and crumbling schools, and corridors of shame in America filled with poor children — not just black children, brown and white children as well. The state of our schools is not an African American problem; it is an American problem because if Black and Brown children cannot compete, then America cannot compete. Innovative programs and expanded opportunities will not, in and of themselves, make a difference if each of us, as parents and as community leaders, fail to do our part by encouraging excellence in our children…Government programs alone won’t get our children to the Promised Land. We need a new mind set, a new set of attitudes — because one of the most durable and destructive legacies of discrimination is the way we’ve internalized a sense of limitation…We’ve got to say to our children, yes, if you’re African American, the odds of growing up amid crime and gangs are higher. Yes, if you live in a poor neighborhood, you will face challenges that somebody in a wealthy suburb does not have to face. But that’s not a reason to get bad grades, that’s not a reason to cut class, that’s not a reason to give up on your education and drop out of school. No one has written your destiny for you. Your destiny is in your hands — you cannot forget that. That’s what we have to teach all of State & National

our children. No excuses …To parents we can’t tell our kids to do well in school and then fail to support them when they get home. For our kids to excel, we have to accept our responsibility to help them learn. That means putting away the Xbox, putting our kids to bed at a reasonable hour. It means attending those parent-teacher conferences and reading to our children and helping them with their homework. And by the way, it means we need to be there for our neighbor’s sons and daughters.”

On general principle, it’s hard to argue against the President’s appeal to individual responsibility. Like many who are counted among the socalled “Black intelligentsia” or as Michael Eric Dyson refers to them, the “Afristocracy,” which are made up of black professionals and the Black elite (i.e. Bill Cosby, Dr. Alvin Pouissant and Juan Williams to mention the more familiar voices) the President promotes the tenets of the “culture of poverty” theory which shifts the brunt of the responsibility of African American youth’s failure—socially and educationally—to the parents, home environment and individual behavior while downplaying or ignoring the more persistent and pernicious structural influences that block opportunity and encumber achievement.

They focus on the outcomes or the symptoms of the problems that have manifested into individual behaviors as opposed to the systemic and structural influences that create and reproduce urban blight, broken families, crime and violence, teen pregnancy, drug use and drug selling, cultural indignities and vulgarities in music and language, and children uneducated and undisciplined. Most of us know that personal responsibility or individual effort alone cannot solve the problems that are plaguing our schools and preventing Black and Brown children from succeeding in our schools.

If we are truly committed to improving the educational achievement of ALL children and equipping them to live out the American dream as competitive and productive global citizens, we have to take an honest assessment of the processes and mechanisms whereby education is used to reproduce social inequality in larger society and create a permanent underclass made up largely of Black and Hispanic/Latino people. We must get back to practicing the principle of collective responsibility. Every adult—whether you have a child in the school system or not, whether you are among the affluent or impoverished, whether you live in the “hood” or in a gated community—-should make it a priority to take an active role in helping to improve the academic outcomes of African American and poor children.

From mentoring and tutoring a child who is not your own, helping a young single parent rear his or her child correctly, regularly attending local school board meetings to joining and working with the local NAACP—no act is too small or insignificant. The making of history runs on a parallel track with the present. When the final record is written about this generation the question will be where were you and what role did you play in helping to advance the Civil Rights agenda of your era, not how well you knew or how proud you were of the work that others did who went before you.

Michelle Cotton-Laws Michelle is a Ph.D. candidate in Sociology and Anthropology at NC State University and be reached at mcottonlaws@earthlink.net

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Out of the darkness...

...INTO THE LIGHT By Minister Curtis Gatewood

GRANVILLE COUNTY MENTAL HEALTH WORKERS ORGANIZETO FIGHT UNFAIR POLICIES AND OTHER JOB-RRELATED INJUSTICES First, on behalf of the Gatewood family, I would like to thank Spectacular Magazine and each of you for your expressions of sorrow and condolences upon the recent passing of my oldest brother Wade Gatewood, Jr. It is through God Almighty and His omnipotent love, which is reflected in hearts of you during difficult times such as these, that make it possible for me to continue moving forward. So we thank you for your prayers and hope your prayers will continue.

I am just getting back from New York and the commemoration of the National NAACP 100th year Anniversary and Convention! I learned a lot upon hearing from seasoned and elderly freedom fighters. I am reminded that we stand on the shoulders of so many who blazed trails before us. It is also a blatant act of God’s divine maneuvering that He positioned the first African American President to be elected and in place to speak on the NAACP’s 100th year of monumental existence.

Unfortunately, as I arrived back to my home in Oxford, NC (Granville Co.), the message box and email inbox are full with messages calling for help to assist those such as the Mental Health Workers in Butner as African-Americans disproportionately face aggressive firings and unfair conditions.

In her first “State of the State” address, earlier this year, Governor Bev Purdue claimed she “set high expectations for myself [Purdue] and for everyone who works for North Carolina.” At the core of these so-called “high expectations”, came the unveiling of Purdue’s controversial “zero tolerance” policy.

The problem I have is, “zero tolerance” polices are always used on children or the poorest workers.

There was no “zero tolerance” for the Bush/Cheney administration who drove the country into the deepest pits of hell in every way imaginable; no “zero tolerance” for the CEOs who drove the banking industry off a cliff as they all landed safely by the golden parachutes of multi-million dollar bonuses; no “zero tolerance” for school administrators who set up black youth and send them to prison by the way of “zero tolerance”; no “zero tolerance” for the top management staff and physicians at the same mental health facilities where these “zero tolerance policies” are being implemented; and no “zero tolerance” for Purdue and her staff, unless it comes by way of the voters.

“On my first day in office I ordered reforms to change the face of state government… And some major policy decisions, like my new ‘zero tolerance’ policy in mental health, the corrections systems and throughout government in general, will sometimes be painful because I am exposing weaknesses and individual actions that are unacceptable and wrong. I believe ‘zero tolerance’ is how we find and correct the weaknesses that put people’s lives at risk and undermine faith in government,” said Purdue.

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the exact opposite of everything she claimed it would do. I contend, “zero tolerance” policies are not the way we “find and correct the weaknesses that put people’s lives at risk.”

To the contrary, these policies contribute toward greater employee stress; increase injustices by enforcing unrealistic/unfair expectations toward the lowest paid employees; cause higher employee turnover rates and subsequently create greater “weaknesses that put people’s lives at risk” especially as the budget is balanced on the backs of poor workers. Yes Governor, these “weaknesses are unacceptable and wrong.”

The state budget gap has grown to $4.6 billion as legislators are proposing deeper cuts on state workers. Raising new revenue from large corporations and the wealthiest citizens in our state are not even being viewed as an option by the House. Additional 11 percent cuts are expected to come from universities, as current proposals seek to cut 465 positions from the NC Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS).

I attended a meeting on July 25th, with Local members of UE 150 – NC Public Service Workers Union and other concerned mental health workers who are employed at the Central Regional Hospital (CRH), here in Granville County. As I heard some of the appalling stories from the mouths of these employees, who as a result of these “zero tolerance” policies and other injustices were being terminated under highly questionable circumstances; others forced to work under conditions which put the employee and patient at risk.

Certain workers even expressed times they would go all day without bathroom accommodations. I reiterate, these episodes exemplify “weaknesses which are unacceptable and wrong”.

What was conspicuously absent from this gathering was the support from the larger community. As expected, long-time workers’ advocate Dana McKeithan, CRH workers such as Bernell Terry, union organizer Dante Strobino, and a few others were there sharing information. The meeting again demonstrated there is power in the “gathering” of God’s compassionate “two or three”.

However church and community leaders, and others who seek righteousness should ensure citizens of all walks of life are there to support such a needy movement and to be educated on what challenges these employees face and how we can effectively bring about the needed change. Because at the meeting, organizers were well equipped and prepared to answer any question imaginable as there were “State of Emergency Campaign” flyers, “Mental Health Workers Bill of Rights” handouts, information requesting that we call Senator Tony Rand (at 919 733-9892 and tell him to “stop attacking workers”), and there was even a petition to “End ‘Zero Tolerance’ and form worker-community advocate commission to investigate firings”.

On a state level, unions such as UE-150 and the “State of Emergency Campaign” is supported by leaders such as the Rev. Dr. William J. Barber, II, President of the North Carolina NAACP State Conference and visionary for “Historic Thousands on Jones St. (HK on J)”. Earlier this year, even before Purdue’s “Zero Tolerance Policy” and other eyebrow-raising budget proposals, HK on J’s annual rally where about 10,000 people representing the “People’s Assembly”, proactively asked that the budget not be “balanced on the backs of the poor”.

And on May 26th, Barber and state workers held a funeral ceremony to bury 95-98, the final Jim Crow law on the book which denies workers the right to collective bargaining. So this “State of Emergency Campaign” is ripe for Granville County in the sense that Granville has become the DHHS capitol, with mental health hospitals and detention facilities galore. These issues State & National

BE THE ROCK IN SOMEONE’S LIFE Part II By Dr. Alvin Augustus Jones Ray Charles’ inspiration and firm foundation was his mother.

Before telling the world during a Diet Pepsi soda commercial that they got the right one baby uh-huh or before Dr. Alvin Augustus Jones the Georgia Legislature made his version of Georgia On My Mind the official state song and even before being one of the original inductees into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame, The Kennedy Center Honors, or Grammy Lifetime achievement award, he was simply Brother Ray. Brother Ray was born Ray Charles Robinson on September 23, 1930 in Albany Georgia. His father’s name was Bailey and his mother’s name was Aretha. It’s unclear whether his parents were married or were together in common law. It was a mystery to him, especially since he was raised by his mother and his father’s wife. As a child he called Aretha “Mama” and his father’s wife Mary Jane, “Mother”. Ray Charles accepted the arrangement and was bathed in love and affection by both women. His natural mother was strict and he was spoiled by the other.

During his early years he said that he was poor with a capital “P”. Despite poverty in many ways, he felt that life was good and offered many blessings. For instance, he said in his autobiography entitled Brother Ray, that country folk don’t miss anything on the pig. They ate the ears, feet, insides and outsides. He ate everything on the hog except the oink. He enjoyed, pig neck bones, chitins, collard greens, rice smothered with onion gravy, cabbage with thick pieces of ham, and sweet watermelon. He said they ate well, even though they were poor.

If we had chicken, it had to be on Sunday, our Church Day. He said, “Oh yes, Lord, mama believed in going to church.

Ours was Shiloh Baptist Church and I liked it best for the singing.” He goes on to say “Church was simple: preacher sang or recited and the congregation sang right back at him. There were hardly any accompaniments. We didn’t have a piano in church until I became much older and the services were basic and raw. That’s how I got my first religion and my first music.”

Ray Charles loved music. At the age of three he learned how to play the piano. At the age of five, his life changed when he witnessed his only brother George, drown. Just a few months after this, his eyes started tearing. It wasn’t real tears, but matter that was thick, it was mucus. Some mornings it was so thick that his eyes had to be pried open. This lasted for two years and then he became blind at the age of seven.

These and other circumstances started him on a road to

State & National

become one of the world’s most beloved singers and musicians. He had to overcome poverty, blindness, lost of his parents, drug addiction, a tangled romantic and the pervasive racism that existed in America. By the age of 32, he was considered a genius. He musical style combined the influences of gospel, jazz, blues, pop and country music.

His career spanned for more than half a century. He remained in complete control of his life and his music. He allowed nobody to tell him what he can and can’t do.

Like this wife and mother, be a friend. Your words of encouragement and deeds will have a lasting effect in your loved ones.

Dr. Alvin Augustus Jones As an expert of achievement and folly, your success is important to me.

If I can assist you in any way, please write me at Dr. Alvin Augustus Jones P.O. Box 9, Oxford, NC 27565, email me at alvin@dralvinjones.com, call 919-693-3540 or listen to me daily from 6AM-10AM on www.dralvin.com on WCBQ-AM 1340/WHNC-AM 890. May Heaven’s Best Be Yours.

Into The Light continues also emerge as Granville begins to restore its local NAACP. Within months our local NAACP membership drive caused the branch to go from 10 members to 85.

Unfortunately however, we continue to experience politics as usual with our elected officials. Candidates like Purdue and Senator Kay Hagan road President Barack Obama’s coattail of “CHANGE” all the way across victory’s finish line. But shortly after getting elected, they were the ones who “changed”.

Suddenly they have signed on to this “Blue Dog Democrat” selective amnesia brand of “conservatism”. For example, while for eight years, trillions of dollars were wasted and wiped upon the hind-parts of Haliburton and other no-bid contracts, and ultimately flushed down the commode of the Bush/Cheney septic tank, there was not a “conservative” watch “dog” to be found (any color dog would have done). But now that President Obama has been elected and is ready to disperse stimulus funds and healthcare resources which may benefit the poor and oppressed, we suddenly hear racially motivated, political and selective demands that all spending be “conserved”. I therefore contend these Blue Dog Democrats, are nothing more than “Blue” Cross – “Blue” Shield Wolves in Sheep’s Clothing.

The Granville workers have scheduled another meeting for August 22nd.

For more information, you may contact UE local 150, the NC Public Service Workers Union at organize@ue150.org or 919 539-2051. If you would like to call me regarding the status of the local Granville NAACP or with any other question that may allow us to keep God’s movement for justice “moving”, call me at 919 939-6311.

We must all stand with these workers. After all, “Faith without ‘work’ is dead.”

Minister Curtis E. Gatewood

Gatewood serves as Founder of “Save Our Little Ones (SOLO)” based in Oxford, NC and is 2nd Vice President of the NC NAACP State Conference of Branches/Units. Minister Gatewood has a Bachelor of Theology Degree, an Associate Degree in Early Childhood Education, and currently working on a Master of Arts in Christian Counseling at the Apex School of Theology.

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POLITICAL AND CIVIC AFFAIRS LEGAL EAGLE ADVISOR

by Professor Irving Joyner NCCU School of Law

PRESIDENT OBAMA HOLDS TOWN HALL ON HEALTH CARE IN RALEIGH

THE MAKING OF A SUPREME COURT JUSTICE: THE SOTOMAYOR CHALLENGE By everyone’s measurement, one of the most important responsibilities of the President of the United States is the power and opportunity to appoint a person to serve on the United States Supreme Court. Once nominated by the President and confirmed by a majority vote of the United States Senate, that appointee will help to shape and preserve the protections of the United States Constitution and federal laws, and to resolve disputes between branches and agencies of government. A person Irving Joyner appointed to serve on the Supreme Court has life-time tenure unless impeached by the Senate for misconduct in office. Without a doubt, an appointment to the Supreme Court is a big deal.

Within the first five months of his presidency, President Barack Obama has nominated Judge Sonia Sotomayor to serve on the United States Supreme Court. If confirmed, she will be the third female and the first Hispanic (Puerto Rican) to serve as a member of the highest court in this country. Since the announcement of her nomination, a cascade of questions, concerns and fears have been raised regarding her qualifications, competency and capability to serve the nation in this position. These are standard questions and certainly are critical considerations for any person who is nominated to become a Supreme Court Justice.

There is no doubt about Judge Sotomayor’s qualifications. She is a native of New York City who graduated from Princeton University with honor and from Yale University School of Law where she served as an editor of its Law Journal. She worked as an Assistant District Attorney in New York and was appointed to serve on the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York as a Trial Judge by President George Herbert Walker Bush in 1992. Thereafter, Judge Sotomayor was elevated to the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit by President Bill Clinton in 1998. As an appellate Judge, she heard appeals in more than 3,000 cases and authored more than 380 opinions.

In addition, Judge Sotomayor taught at the New York University School of Law and Columbia Law School. As a jurist, Judge Sotomayor has more judicial experience than any of the Justices who presently serve on the Supreme Court and more experience than any nominee to the Court over the past seventy (70) years.

(Pictured - Top) U.S. President Barack Obama discusses health care reform during a town hall meeting at Broughton High School on July 29, 2009 in Raleigh, North Carolina. Obama re-assured citizens that his health care reform will benefit the uninsured as well as mean more security for Americans who already have health insurance. (middle) President Obama shakes hands with a group of small business owners following his town hall meeting. (bottom) Guests to town hall meeting document his visit.

Photos by Sara D. Davis

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Her legal and judicial credentials are impeccable.

Judge Sotomayor was in a position to speak truth to power. She did just that when she articulated the valid concerns of the peoBecause she is a Puerto Rican and a racial minority who has been ple who continue to reside in those communities from which she nominated by President Obama, she is under a relentless attack by was reared. many conservatives and Republicans because of the perception that she is an ultra-liberal — whatever that is — who is being placed Judge Sotomayor has also been attacked by critics because she sugon the Court to promote a left-wing political agenda. There are no gested that Appellate Judges engage in policy making. The argufacts or other evidence which support this assertion. Her legal his- ment is that legislators make the law and Judges apply it. This is tory as a New York City Prosecutor, a Trial and Appellate Judge true in part, but diminishes the role of judges. In addition to does not support that assertion. In none of the cases which she applying the law, Judges interpret the meaning of laws after they has tried nor in any of the legal opinions which she authored can have been enacted and determine the law’s coverage and scope. critics point to any decision which paints her as a left-wing ideo- This responsibility requires Judges to determine what legislators logue. intended the law to accomplish when it was enacted. This responsibility propels Judges into making policy decisions which is always During her judicial career, Judge Sotomayor has celebrated her missing from the law itself. Few laws are enacted with its policy Puerto Rican heritage and participated in efforts to advance the already clearly defined. The law must be applied in the context of elevation of other Hispanics in the legal profession. These type the legislature’s intent and the particular facts which have been efforts have subjected her to criticism and the suggestion that her presented by the case. To apply the law, the Judge is required to background will influence her decisions as a Supreme Court Justice. make policy determinations about the enacted law in order that Her background is remarkable and significant. She was not born it can be applied appropriately to the issue which is being with a golden or silver spoon in her mouth. She was born to a resolved. If you read any judicial opinion, whether from the poor and under-educated family in the Bronx, New York. She was Supreme Court or lower appellate courts, the policy making funcreared in the Bronxdale Housing Projects which was located in tion becomes obvious. Past decisions authored by Judge Sotomayer the South Bronx and Co-op City which was in the Northeast Bronx. have appropriately satisfied this obligation; of the 380 opinions During her childhood, she maintained contacts with her Puerto which she authored, only five were appealed to the Supreme Court, Rican culture and history. As a child, she was a diabetic and two were affirmed and one is pending. This is a remarkable record required to take daily insulin injections which began when she was of accomplishment. On this point, Judge Sotomayor is correct and eight years old. Her father died when she was nine. Despite the her critics are inventing false and misleading arguments. adversities of her early life, she determined at age ten that she was going to become an attorney. Against all odds, she estab- Whether Judge Sotomayor will be confirmed as a Supreme Court lished that she was young, gifted and Puerto Rican and succeed- Justice will be determined by the United States Senate after coned in that goal. Judge Sotomayor’s academic excellence has been firmation hearings are completed. These hearings, which will be amply demonstrated from grade school through law school. Her life conducted by the Senate Judiciary Committee, are scheduled to has been one of accomplishments and is a mighty testament to begin on July 13, 2009. During these hearings, Senators will probe her determination and ability to rise above her humble beginnings. the nominee regarding her background, judicial philosophy and temperament, social and organizational affiliations and other facJudge Sotomayor’s efforts to celebrate and discuss her background tors which are deemed to be relevant to her suitability to serve as a poor Puerto Rican who was reared in the Bronx and its on the Court. Some Senators will attempt to secure from Judge impact on her career and judicial philosophy are presented by her Sotomayor indications of how she will vote on controversial issues critics as a curse. In reality, Judge Sotomayor has proudly spoken such as abortion, gay-rights, the death penalty, affirmative action about the many challenges which she encountered in her quest to and other divisive issues. In turn, Judge Sotomayor should refuse enter and excel in the legal profession. In doing so, she has done to offer a forecast of how she will vote on any issue since a judiexactly what she should be doing in order to give hope and cial opinion must be based on the law which exists at that moment encouragement to minorities and others who had to overcome and the particular facts which are being resolved by the Court. To racial barriers which blocked their efforts to improve their lives. demand a more specific response from Judge Sotomayor would The fact is that Puerto Ricans and other minority group members demean the independence, impartiality and integrity of the Court. have not been encouraged to join the legal profession and those who have entered into the profession, have been discriminated There is no doubt that Judge Sotomayor will face a grueling conagainst because of their race or nationality. During her judicial firmation hearing. Equally clear is the fact that she is highly qualcareer, Judge Sotomayor confronted this long-standing discrimina- ified by training, experience, background and judicial disposition. At tion, bias and racial prejudices and sought to challenge those the end of the process, Judge Sotomayor should be confirmed. exclusionary practices. As a result, she is now targeted as “reverse Whether she will be confirmed will depend upon the prevailing racists” by those same individuals who are primarily responsible for politics, but she is prepared, ready, willing and able to serve. supporting and/or condoning this continuing discrimination. As a member of the judiciary and as a minority in the profession, Irving Joyner ijoyner@nccu.edu 28

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THE RIGHTCHUS TRUTH continues the same verse. She once commented, “What you hear in my voice is fury, not suffering. Anger not moral authority.”

Lorde, we sure thank ya!

The second author of special mention is and always will be the G-d of Black Literature. Bro. Amiri Baraka (formerly known as LeRoi Jones) is heralded by most as the Father of the Black Arts Movement. Baraka and others such as Sonia Sanchez, Haki Madhubuti (formerly Don L. Lee), Ishmael Reed, Askia Toure and Larry Neal blazed new trails of social and cultural consciousness throughout the mid 60’s and well into the 80’s. Without question the writers of this era scripted my favorite period of Black Literature. With beastly full-volume classics such as Dutchman and The Slave, Black Magic, Daggers and Javelins, and Blues People, Amiri goes down in my book as the most fearless brilliant black writer of all time!! If it’s scholarly research you desire—he’s got it. If it’s bone rattling dramas you yearn—he’s got it. Poetry, novels, and even audio—he’s got it.

In the early years, Baraka’s controversial sentiments regarding women, Jews, gays and ofays had everybody shook; even some of US. From Greenwich Village to Harlem, Amiri painted and explored the harsh realities misunderstood by American mainstream. LeRoi was the first writer to [show me] that it was okay to write in “Black,” live in “Black,” be angry, intelligent and not apologize! The things that others would dare think, Amiri had the balls to say; and dissect such thoughts with wit and lucidity. Even as an elder, Amiri still refuses to submit to the cynical parochialism that assimilation and integration so respectfully demand. His words have a way of stabbing you in the gut and circulating the pain throughout the entire nervous system.

However, underneath all the venom, Baraka’s work addresses real issues and real people. And though I do not consider myself anti-Semitic nor homophobic, Baraka’s courage to write freely and unadulterated during a time when Negroes where being off-ed for mere words, makes him a man among boys. There should be no question today that Amiri is a genuine lover of people—all people.

He simply despises oppression (like we all should) and any agent who fosters such greed and tyranny. Just as Malcolm, Amiri lived in an era of intense social conflict.

And what I admire most is that throughout his varying stages of development as a man and writer, Amiri has never failed to critique both the world and himself. By way of Amiri, I have finally realized there are no perfect heroes. We love you Pops!!

PS: Mad-Mad props to some of the area’s most dynamic yet underappreciated writers and authors: Zelda Lockhart, Phillip Shabazz, Howard L. Craft, Kimberly Arrington and Nigel Barnes. Inspiration is Contagious!!

Bro. Rightchus rightchustruth@spectacularmag.com

Political & Civic Affairs

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HEALTH rates typically charged. These exchanges would start operating in 2013 and would target people who lack any insurance and those who carry individual insurance with minimal coverage with employees of small businesses .By the third year larger businesses may be allowed to shift their employees.

HEALTH CARE REFORM I had the opportunity to see President Barack Obama speak in Raleigh at the Town Hall meeting. Like many other citizens in North Carolina I wanted to know “How does my family stand to benefit from health insurance reform?” The one thing most of us have come to realize is that the current system is not working. I asked one of local leaders, Dr. Jonathan Kotch, President of Health Care for All N.C. His comments were that the only effective health care reform would be the single payer.

President Obama outlined several points in his reform bills during his talk, trying to answer our question “what is in it for us?”

The House bill would require almost all Americans to carry health insurance with specified minimum benefits or pay a penalty .A similar Senate bill would require all but the smallest businesses to provide and subsidize insurance that meets minimum standards for their employees or pay a fee if they did not.

The reform however, promises to help the poorest of the uninsured by expanding Medicaid. Some Americans who are considered middle-class (66,000 to 88,000 for a family of four) would receive subsidies to help them buy coverage. There are millions of people who are uninsured. As a result my Free Clinic (Jeanne Hopkins Lucas Education and Wellness Center) along with approximately 77 other Free Clinics in North Carolina are currently trying to meet their needs as a safety net provider.

The numbers are growing of those individuals who now find themselves without insurance, and cannot afford to pay for COBRA. President Obama in his talk stated that the stimulus package had money designated to help with extension of unemployment benefits to help cover some of the costs of COBRA .Current estimates suggest that it would cost somewhere near $1 Trillion over 10 years to extend coverage to tens of millions of uninsured Americans.

Millions of people are underinsured; their policies don’t cover their medical bills! Premiums and out of pocket spending for health care has been rising faster than wages. Many of these underinsured citizens postpone medical care or don’t fill prescriptions because they can’t afford to pay their share.

The legislation includes a new marketplace with the health insurance exchange. These major insurers in order to participate would have to agree to provide a specified level of benefits, and they would set rates more comparable to group rates for big employers versus those high

As for the Insurance companies the house bill would require that they be more tightly regulated. It would prohibit policies from excluding or charging higher rates to people with pre-existing conditions and would bar the companies from rescinding policies after people come down with a serious illness. It would also prohibit insurers from setting annual or lifetime limits on what a policy would pay. President Obama used the example of his own mother during the Town Hall meeting.

The question often arises” Who will pay for this?” Most people don’t like the idea of any new taxes .President Obama told us on Wednesday that the tax burden would likely be dropped on families earning more than $250,000 to $1 million a year.

President Obama also said that if you like your current insurance you can keep it. Employers at present are able to drop your coverage at any time. Under the reform they can still do so provided they pay a penalty to help offset the cost for their workers who would then buy coverage through an exchange. Employers would eventually be allowed to enroll their employees in insurance exchanges with a wider choice of plans or subsidize your coverage.

If the health care reform manages to cover most of the uninsured, this should reduce the amount of charity care delivered by hospitals and eliminate the need for the hospitals to shift such costs to patients who have private insurance. The health insurance exchanges and possibly a new public plan should offer more competition in the markets; maybe perhaps the competition will help lower premiums. The reform bills call for research and pilot programs to find ways to both control costs and improve patients’ care.

The elderly populations over 65 are usually covered by Medicare. The drug industry has already agreed to provide 50 % discounts on brand name drugs to Medicare beneficiaries who have reached the ”doughnut hole” where they must pay the full cost of their medications. The House reform bill would gradually phase out the doughnut hole entirely, making it less likely that the beneficiaries will stop taking their drugs once they have to pay the whole cost. President Obama insisted that benefits won’t be reduced; they’ll simply be delivered in more efficient ways.

This concludes my wrap up of the Health care reform “Town Hall Meeting” with our President.

God Bless,

Sharon Elliott-B Bynum "Beloved I wish above all things that you prosper and be in Good Health…."

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DR. ELAINE HART-BROTHERS RECOGNIZED BY SENIOR PHARMASSIST A dedicated health proDURHAM – Senior fessional and community PharmAssist, to mark 15 volunteer, Margaret years of service in Durham, Goodwin has been a strong honored physician, Dr. advocate for decades for Elaine Hart-Brothers, with the health care of all those the Margaret K. Goodwin who call Durham home.

Award on June 23, 2009 at At age 90, Goodwin notes Sarah P. Duke Gardens. that her ability to see the Senior PharmAssist creatgoodness in everyone is ed the Goodwin Award in what kept her happy in her 1999, in conjunction with health career and her daily its fifth anniversary, to recservice to others. ognize the contributions of Now entering its 16th Margaret K. Goodwin to year, Senior PharmAssist improving health and has created a unique syshealth care in Durham.

Goodwin Award winner Dr. Elaine Hart-Brothers (second Dr. Hart-Brothers was from right) is joined by (left to right) Senior PharmAssist tem of care for older adults acknowledged for her Executive Director Gina Upchurch, Margaret Goodwin and in Durham County, focusexemplary service in help- Gayle Harris, director of the Durham County Public Health ing on prevention, medication appropriateness and ing Durham seniors lead Department. medication access. healthier and more independent lives – through medication assistance and other preventive health measLearn more by visiting www.seniorpharmassist.org or by calling ures. She co-founded the Community Health (919) 688-4772.

Coalition in 1989, which works to reduce preventable death and illness among Durham’s African-American population – through health education and promotion, and disease prevention. Hart-Brothers is active with the Durham Academy of Medicine, Dentistry, and Pharmacy; the Old North State Medical Society; and numerous Durham Regional and Duke Hospital initiatives.

“HOW TO DEAL WITH HIGH CHOLESTEROL LEVELS IN CHILDREN” Speaker: Dr. Shilpa Dave When: Wednesday, August 19, 2009 Where: Granville Medical Center, 1010 College Street, Oxford, NC (Phone 919-6903000 for directions) Location: Education Classroom, Suite 1022 Time: 11:30 A.M. A free lunch will be served at 11:30 a.m. along with Dr. Dave’s presentation followed by a question and answer period. Free and open to the public. Seating is limited.

To reserve a seat, please call 919-690-2159 or email oxfordmealandmore@granvillemedical.com on or before August 14, 2009 and leave your name, daytime phone number, and number of people in your party (please include their names).

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LIFESTYLE ALPHA KAPPA ALPHA SORORITY, INC. RECOGNIZES OUTSTANDING SERVICE DURHAM - Alpha Zeta Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. celebrated its 81st Anniversary. The chapter was founded April 14, 1928. During the anniversary celebration, the chapter recognized several members for outstanding service to the sorority and the Durham community.

The 2009 “Humanitarian of the Year” award was presented to Julia Fairley.

This award is presented annually to the member who provides charitable, unselfish, and productive service to both the Alpha Zeta Julia Fairley Omega chapter and the community without the expectation of reward. During the sorority’s centennial year, Fairley, a Silver Star member, worked collaboratively with the chapter’s History Committee in developing an award winning display of the chapter’s history. She also served as regional chairperson for the production of a publication for the sorority’s regional conference.

In the community, she is involved in at least two Bible studies, educational associations and committees, and works to enhance the lives of elderly citizens in the community by providing a variety of services—taking them to the doctor, shopping, to bible study, the movies, and to vote. Moreover, she provides both financial and motivational assistance to young people who are in need and desirous of making better lives for themselves through an annual scholarship at Peace Missionary Baptist Church.

Fairley is a retired middle school principal. Shepard Middle School was

NCCU TO HOST RUTH RUSSELL WILLIAMS EXHIBIT Durham - The North Carolina Central University Art Museum will host an exhibit by folk artist and North Carolina native Ruth Russell Williams. Ruth Russell Williams: Master Storyteller will open on Sunday, August 9th. The opening reception will take place from 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm.

Museum Director Kenneth G. Rodgers says “We are honored to have the opportunity to bring one of North Carolina’s most original artists to Durham once again. We view this exhibition as an opportunity for the community to learn something about an artist who single handedly developed a regional, national and international reputation through an Annual Art exhibition held at “Mother’s Day” by Ruth Russell Williams her own home.

Today she occupies a prominent place among self taught artists. It is by no means a comprehensive examination of this wonderfully creative artist, but there are many compelling paintings in the show.”

Ruth Russell Williams was born in 1932 in Townsville, North Carolina to sharecroppers.

At age 8, she began picking cotton to earn enough money to go to the State Fair. Later, her paintings would portray scenes from not only this early work but from many other childhood experiences including memories of going to work with her grandmother to the home of a plantation owner. Williams developed her talent along a path that took her from these humble beginnings to beauty salon owner and cosmetologist to national recognition as a folk artist.

In 1948 she married Odell Russell and they had four children Ruth Russell Williams but would later divorce. In 1974 she married building contractor Samuel Williams. Initially being drawn to ceramics she would teach ceramics at VanceGranville Community College. With her children off to college she became restless and took to painting. She was self taught and initially felt that her paintings lacked merit.

At an art exhibit at Kerr Lake in 1985, Williams was quite satisfied showing her work to lay men and women, but when she learned that North Carolina A & T art professor James McCoy was nearby, she grabbed up her paintings and hid behind bushes, fearful of presenting her work before a professional. Recognizing her apprehension, McCoy asked to see the work and immediately recognized Williams’ unique esthetic sensibility. Encouraging her, McCoy informed Williams that she was a folk artist and predicted that she would one day become widely recognized. For the next two decades, Williams produced hundreds of paintings, each one telling a story of life as she saw it, in a simple, straightforward way.

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Carolina who have been long time admirers of Williams work. Visitors can expect to find a sampling of her signature themes. A number of paintings in the exhibition re-examine Williams many visits to her local church, and the numerous activities that were held there. “Mother’s Day”, included in the exhibition, presents this uniquely American secular endeavor that is a universal celebration of mothers. Centrally placed, a simple church is the meeting place for men, women and children alike who casually exchange pleasantries before entering the sanctuary.

The exhibition will also provide the visitor with the opportunity to see paintings of a wide range of flowers, as independent still life, and as an integral part of larger landscapes. The majority of works, however, provide ample evidence of Williams’ gift of storytelling. From picking plums and grapes, to eating water melon, to playing baseball, to gossiping, the range of her narrative canvases is extraordinary and imbued with touches of brilliant color.

The North Carolina Central University Art Museum is located on Lawson Street across from the Farrison-Newton Communications Building. Every effort is made to make all museum events accessible to the handicapped. For general information or assistance, please call 5606211. For group visits, please call in advance. The Museum is open Tuesday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is free.

This is Your Life...

BY

DEL MATTIOLI

WHY INSURE YOUR LOVE FALL?

THIS

Have you or someone you know been layed-off recently? Are your stocks and investments falling? Has your house decreased in value? Many of us have been impacted by the current financial crisis. However, there has been one reliable industry, which has been stable and has done exactly what it is suppose to do in times like these, protect you and your family. While it may be difficult to look beyond your current financial needs on a monthly basis, life insurance can provide “an anchor of stability” to your family finances, ensuring that your loved ones are financially secure when you are no longer here.

A recent survey conducted by LIFE, a nonprofit organization, found that 70 percent of Americans would give up a gift in exchange for greater financial peace of mind. So consider giving up the temporary gifts, consider buying a life insurance policy, which will be there for financial security.

LEAVE YOUR FAMILY A LEGACY OF LOVE There are many famous people who demonstrated their love through poetry, shrines dedicated to the one they loved and songs written about the loves of their life. You don’t have to be a poet, a musician or a builder to leave you family a lasting legacy.You can demonstrate your love by giving financial protection. Review your current life insurance policy, make sure your beneficiaries are updated, and determine whether or not your coverage is adequate if your family no longer has you. It’s quite simple to do; scheduling a consultation today can assist in providing that legacy of love.

GIVING A SELFLESS ACT OF LOVE How often have you volunteered for a community organization? How often have you donated food or clothing to family in need? There are many things we do, without thinking about the return or how we might be blessed. Have you thought what could be the most selfless act you can do for your family without expecting something in return? Now is the perfect time to “commit a selfless act” for your family. Update your financial portfolio. Consider what would happen to your family if you became ill, if you lost your job, if your parents needed assistance in caring for themselves. Consider purchasing a life insurance policy or a long term care policy. It’s a selfless way to say I love you. You will be taken care of, even when I can’t.

Isn’t this the way we all want to be loved?

Del Mattioli This month’s article is written in cooperation with the Insure Your Love Campaign of LIFE, a nonprofit organization. If you are in need of assistance, call Del Mattioli and Associates, An Established New York Life Insurance Agent, website: www.delmattioli.com 919.401.9988 office or email: delmattioli@ft.newyorklife.com

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AKA SORORITY continues certified as an International Baccalaureate under Fairley’s leadership. Shepard was also one of the first of two DPS schools named as Schools of Distinction. During her tenure, Shepard had approximately 85% of its students score at or above grade level on state End of Grade Testing.

The chapter’s 2009 Member of the Year was presented to Patricia McGhee. This award is presented annually to the member who demonstrates exemplary service to the chapter. McGhee, initiated into the chapter in 2005, utilizes her leadership and organizational skills to enhance chapter operations. She serves the sorority on both the local and regional levels. She has worked Patricia McGhee diligently on the chapter’s Program Committee, Membership, By-Laws, The Economic Keys to Success Committee, and Finance and Standards.

She is described as a committed, competent, and dedicated member. McGhee is a retired Vice President of Wachovia Bank. She served the bank and their customers for more than 30 years. In addition to making a presentation, “Smart Money Tips in a Down Economy” to chapter members and community citizens, she had a key participating role in the sorority’s Mid Atlantic Regional Conference. She currently serves as the chapter’s secretary.

The 2009 ICC Outstanding Volunteer Service Award was presented to Rosa Small. She has been a part of the Ivy Community Center Board for thirteen years, and has been a very involved and committed member.

At the time she expressed an interest in becoming a board member, there were no vacancies, but she was told that she was welcome to attend the meetings. Not only did she regularly attend meetings Rosa Small but she often volunteered for special assignments and became so involved that when the first Board vacancy occurred, there was no doubt who would fill that position.

That type of involvement continues even today. She is assigned to two ICC subcommittees, but she places herself on many more, and as is her custom, attends the meetings regularly. Mrs. Small is an active participant in all aspects of the ICC Board, oftentimes volunteering to do whatever needs to be done.

She leads the house management team and spends many long hours at ICC. Her daughter once stopped by the Center to check on her Mom and to take a picture of her, because she said jokingly, “Dad said he didn’t want to forget how you look.” Small volunteers for many of the after school functions and helps with serving lunch during the summer programs.

She was elected the third Secretary of the ICC Board in 2003 and continues to serve in that position today. When not helping others, she enjoys playing golf. Small is a retired DPS educator.

The 2009 Leadership Award was presented to Zelphia

Lifestyles

Watson. Watson received the 2009 Leadership Award in recognition of superior guidance rendered to the Ivy Community Center. This award honors her leadership in the administration of the chapter’s 21st Century Community Learning Center’s After School Program, where she has served as director of the federally funded grant for four years.

Zelphia Watson The grant was awarded through the Department of Public Instruction. The program, funded by the grant, is housed on two sites – ICC and Covenant Presbyterian Church. There are thirty students at each site during the school year and forty students for the summer program at the Ivy Community Center. Watson, a Silver Star member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority managed the two sites and worked diligently with staff, students, and parents. She assisted in coordinating university partners, community volunteers, and other service organizations to enhance the program.

Watson has also served as president of the Alpha Zeta Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. She also is a retired DPS educator.

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ENTERTAINMENT ANNUAL BULL DURHAM BLUES FESTIVAL BACK AT THE DAP WITH NEW FORMAT 12 HOURS OF BLUES: For the Blues Lover in You! DURHAM - The 22nd annual Bull Durham Blues Festival, North Carolina’s largest celebration of the blues, will be held September 11 & 12, 2009. The festival will move back to the newly renovated Durham Athletic Park (DAP) to the pleasure of the festival organizers and the majority of those who were surveyed after last year’s festival.

“We are extremely excited to be back at the DAP with all of the newly enhanced features that will give our festival an uplift and bringing it back home to the atmosphere we like best,” states V. Dianne Pledger, Executive Producer and President of St. Joseph’s Historic Foundation, Inc. “We are working closely with the City of Durham and Minor League Baseball to work out of the details related to the use of the DAP to produce the best festival we possibly can.”

This annual festival, produced by St. Joseph’s Historic Foundation, Inc., has been successfully presented since 1988. It is nationally recognized as one of the premier Blues festivals in the country and was honored in 2000 with the “Keeping the Blues Alive Award” by The Blues Foundation in Memphis, TN. This three-day event has become North Carolina’s largest celebration of the Blues, recognizing Durham’s rich musical heritage as an important center of Carolina and Piedmont Blues. The festival has attracted as many as 20,000 Blues lovers and has over a 3 million dollar economic impact on the Durham economy annually.

Not only is there change with the festival returning back at the DAP, the format has changed this year.

Opening night concert September 11th will take place in the St. Joseph’s Performance Hall at Hayti Heritage Center, 804 Old Fayetteville Street, featuring Grammy Nominated and WC Handy/Blues Music Eric Bibb Award Winner Eric Bibb, in addition to local sensation Jasmé Kelly and 2008 Triangle Blues Society Solo Competition winners Jon Shain Trio.

“The Foundation is hoping that our blues audience who has supported us for these many years will like the day

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FANTASIA REPRISES ROLE IN “THE COLOR PURPLE” IN GREENSBORO

Fantasia Barrino as Celie in “The Color Purple”

GREENSBORO, NC - American Idol Season 3 winner and High Point, NC native Fantasia Barrino will make her Piedmont Triad area stage debut when she reprises her starring role of Celie in The Color Purple for the Greensboro engagement. The Greensboro Coliseum Complex’s War Memorial Auditorium will host the first North American Touring production of The Color Purple for one week, September 8 –13, 2009*.

Fantasia made her Broadway debut in The Color Purple on April 10, 2007. She won the 2007 Theater World Award and received across the board rave reviews.

As a 19-year old single mother, Fantasia began her path to international stardom when she became the winner of FOX’s hugely successful audience-driven singing competition in May 2004. Now 23, Barrino has garnered critical acclaim for the release of both her debut album, Free Yourself, which marked her becoming the first artist in Billboard Hot 100 chart history to debut at #1 with her debut single “I Believe,” and her second album, FA N TASIA, released by J Records on December 12, 2006.

To date, she has gathered more than 20 award nominations including the Grammy Awards, American Music

BLUES FESTIVAL continues

Jasmé Kelly

Trombone Shorty

Homemade Jamz Blues Band

Cool John Ferguson

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long festival atmosphere and great music we will provide for 12 hours on Saturday, September 12th,” Pledger explains. “There will be something for the entire family to enjoy where blues lovers can indulge in an eclectic mix of regional and international foods for the soul, workshops for adults and children, kid’s activities, arts and crafts by local and regional artists, a variety of unique specialty items and of course great weather! Gates open at 12 noon and the show will begin at 1pm through 12 midnight.

The music is sure to make you move, but if you feel a need, lawn chairs and blankets are welcome.”

A selection of local, regional and national artists that have performed world wide from Grammy nominated, WC Handy-Blues Music Award winners, various blues challenge winners, and artist as young as 10 years old have been booked.

Saturday’s line up, September 12th, will feature Grammy nominated and WC Handy/Blues Music Award winner Elvin Bishop and OffBeat Magazine’s Performer of the Year Trombone Shorty and the Orleans Avenue Band. The remaining line-up includes Zac Harmon, Cool John Ferguson, The Lee Boys, Homemade Jamz Blues Band, Delta Moon, Roy Roberts, Valentino and the Piedmont Sheiks.

Ticket prices have changed to reflect the change in format and advance tickets are on sale now. Tickets are: Friday: $35 advance/$45 day of festival/ $5 for children 12 and under at the door, Saturday: $45 advance/ $55 day of festival/ $5 for children 12 and under at the door.

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FESTIVAL TWO MAN BEST BALL SHOOTOUT GOLF TOURNAMENT

For those individuals who want to include some outdoor recreation to their weekend in Durham, the Foundation will host the Bull Durham Blues Festival Two Man Best Ball Shootout Golf Tournament Friday, September 11th at the Crossing Golf Course in Durham.

This shootout format is 2-Person Captain’s Choice in addition to hole sponsorships, three flights, men’s champions, men’s seniors and women’s, and purse distribution. Golf starts at 9am and tournament entry fee is $100. Interested golfers can retrieve the registration form via www.bulldurhamblues.org or www.hayti.org.

ST. JOSEPH’S HISTORIC FOUNDATION, INC.

The St. Joseph’s Historic Foundation, Inc. (SJHF) founded in 1975, is an African American cultural and educational institution deeply rooted in the historic Hayti community of Durham, North Carolina. SJHF is dedicated to advancing cultural understanding through diverse programs that examine the experiences of Americans of African descent – locally, nationally and globally. The Foundation is committed to preserving, restoring and developing the Hayti Heritage Center, the former St. Joseph’s AME Church, a National Historic Landmark, as a cultural and economic anchor to the greater Durham community. Funds raised from the event support the programs and operations of the Foundation and Hayti Heritage Center.

For more information, to purchase tickets, be a vendor or to volunteer, call (919) 683-1709 or visit www.hayti.org.

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THE COLOR PURPLE continues Awards, Vibe Awards, Soul Train Awards and Soul Train “Lady of Soul” Awards, Billboard Music Awards and R&B & Hip Hop Awards, BET Awards, NAACP Image Awards, and Teen Choice Awards.

No stranger to acting, Fantasia also broke records of a different kind after authoring a New York Times best-selling autobiography Life Is Not A Fairy Tale (Simon & Schuster, September 2005) and starring in The Fantasia Barrino Story: Life is Not a Fairytale, the Debbie Allendirected Lifetime original movie adaptation of her truthful, outspoken and ultimately healing memoir in August 2006.

For her performance, she was nominated for a 2007 NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special. The biopic, also nominated as Outstanding Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special for the 2007 NAACP Image Awards, ranks as the channel’s second most watched movie and has been seen by 19 million viewers.

With her Broadway debut as Celie, the heart and soul of The Color Purple, she added the distinction of being the first ever American Idol winner to star in a Broadway show.

Fantasia joins her Broadway cast-mate Felicia P. Fields, who originated the role of Sofia, for which she received a Tony Award nomination. Felicia has received numerous awards and nominations for her work on and Off-Broadway. Also joining the tour direct from the Broadway production is Angela Robinson, who will play the role of Shug Avery. Angela has appeared in several other Broadway productions including Wonderful Town and Bells Are Ringing.

Celie’s sister Nettie will be played by LaToya London. London was named the early front runner to win season three of American Idol by Simon Cowell and Elton John. On air she joined the ranks of the aptly named “Three Divas,” along side Jennifer Hudson and Fantasia. Rufus Bonds, Jr., who recently won the L.A. Weekly nomination, Best Ensemble, for his work in the Los Angeles premier of Because They Have No Words, directed by Emilie Beck, will play Mister. Rufus also performed the role of Mufasa in Julie Taymor’s Broadway production of The Lion King. Also starring in the North American Tour are Stu James as Harpo, and Tiffany Daniels as Squeak.

Nominated for eleven Tony Awards, including Best Musical, The Color Purple opened on December 1, 2005 at the Broadway Theatre where it ran for over two record breaking years. It is based on the classic Pulitzer Prizewinning novel by Alice Walker and the moving film by Steven Spielberg.

It is the unforgettable and inspiring story of a woman named Celie, who finds the strength to triumph over adversity, and discover her unique voice in the world. With a joyous Grammy-nominated score featuring gospel, jazz, pop and the blues, The Color Purple is about hope and the healing power of love.

As on Broadway, the first North American Tour of The Color Purple is directed by Gary Griffin. The Color Purple features a libretto by Pulitzer Prize-winner Marsha Norman, music and lyrics by Grammy Award-winning

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composers/lyricists Brenda Russell, Allee Willis and Stephen Bray, and choreography by Donald Byrd. The original creative team of Tony Award-winner John Lee Beatty (sets), Paul Tazewell (costumes), Tony Award-winner Brian MacDevitt (lighting), Jon Weston (sound), Jonathan Tunick (orchestrations) and Kevin Stites (Music Supervisor) was reunited for the tour.

The original cast recording is available on EMI/Angel Records, and The Color Purple: A Memory Book of the Broadway Musical is available in bookstores now.

Tickets went on sale on now at the Coliseum Box Office (1921 West Lee Street), online at ticketmaster.com, charge-by-phone at (800) 745-3000 and at all Ticketmaster outlets.

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