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Blacks Must Control Their Own Community
To The Unconquerable Host of Africans Who Are Laying Their Sacrifices Upon The Editorial Altar For Their Race AUDITED BY
•C•P•V•S•
VOLUME LXXIII NUMBER 52—SATURDAY, APRIL 19, 2014
PUBLISHED SINCE 1940
25 Cents and worth more
Report says half of college mothers are Black By Wendell Hutson Jennifer Lewis said she could have graduated two years ago from Malcolm X College but took time off after having her son. Now the single mother said she would not finish her nursing studies at Malcolm X College until 2016. “My son is the greatest thing that ever happened to me and I do not regret having him for one second,” she said. “But in looking back I should have waited to have my child until I finished school.” Lewis was among the 4.8 million mothers in 2012 in college, according to a recent report by the Institute for Women’s Policy Research (IWPR). The report also found that the 4.8 million women represented more than one in four (26 percent) of all college students, up from 23 percent in 2008. The report was released April 14 in conjunction with “Lumina Ideas Summit: New Models of Student Financial Support. The report, “College Affordability for LowIncome Adults: Improving Returns on Investments for Families and Society,” also found that Black, female college students are
A RECENT REPORT BY the Institute for Women’s Policy Research cites numerous reasons why Black female college students end up being single mothers.
more likely than other college students to have dependent children (nearly half at 47 percent) of Black female students, 39.4 percent of Native-American female students, and 31.6 percent of Latina students are mothers. Additionally women—who are 71 percent of all student parents—are disproportionately likely to be balancing college and parenthood, many without the support of a spouse or partner. Being a student parent is associated with higher levels of unmet financial need, low levels of college completion, and higher levels of debt upon graduation. Barbara Gault, vice president and executive director of the IWPR, said there must be more support services put in place for female college students for any of this to change. “To make college more affordable, increase completion rates, and improve the outcomes of college for low-income adults, we must consider new approaches, like expanding child care supports for those raising children, and addressing sex and race segregation in college majors,” explained Gault. Whatever changes are ultimately made Sharmaine Wells, 30, said it comes a little too (Continued on page 16)
Hundreds pay their final respects to Otis McDonald By J. Coyden Palmer Some of the most influential people in the Second Amendment movement, including the head of the National Rifle Association (NRA), came to South Suburban Harvey last week for the homegoing celebration for Otis McDonald, who died on April 4 after battling cancer. McDonald, 80, became a household name in June of 2010 when he defeated the City of Chicago in the U.S. Supreme Court, thus, striking down the city’s ban on handguns, which had been in place for nearly three decades. In addition to being a hero to millions of Americans, McDonald was remembered as a favorite uncle, father, grandfather, friend, and a kind Southern gentleman, who was feisty and courageous for what he believed in and supported. Services were held at Bethlehem Temple Missionary Baptist Church, 20 East 147th Street, and were presided over by his nephew, Dr. Fred Jones, who said his uncle was an inspiration and example of a life well-lived.
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During the eulogy, which was based off of the biblical passage, Samuel 1:17:29, Dr. Jones challenged those in attendance to find the meaning of their own lives as McDonald had done. “There are three things you must do, as Otis did in his life in order to make a difference,” Jones began. “You have to find your cause; be courageous in fighting for the cause; and finally, be willing to pay the cost for your courage. Otis did all of those things.” Jones set the public record straight about his uncle’s fight against gun control laws as well. He said McDonald v. the City of Chicago, was not about guns as some have tried to make it out to be, but was about a person’s right to protect themselves and others from harm, which he identified as a moral right and a civil rights issue. Attorney Alan Guru, who presented the oral arguments before the Supreme Court in McDonald’s case, said McDonald, who grew up in Louisiana, never forgot the stories his grandparents told him about the errors that were made with how the nation’s charters of freedom, especially the 14th Amendment, was not applied to Black people. The law grants citizenship rights and (Continued on page 9)
HUNDREDS GATHERED TO bid good-bye to the man who was instrumental in bringing a change to Chicago’s gun possession laws. A U.S. Army representative presents a U.S. flag to the widow of Otis McDonald, a Korean war veteran whose case went to the United States Supreme Court.
INSIDE THIS ISSUE CHA residents get online job search help (See story on page 3)
NEWS
Anti-violence rally sparked by shootings Three non-fatal shootings galvanized a group of Austin ministers and residents who demanded that the men of that neighborhood “begin to stand up, protect the community and serve the community.” The call went out during a recent rally at Race Street and Central Avenue. The Rev. Ira Acree described the gathering that attracted about 200 spectators a “community cry for
peace.” Acree, pastor of Greater St. John Bible Church, said Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Governor Pat Quinn should provide resources for jobs in the community. “That’s the most immediate way we can stem this vicious tide of violence,” Acree said. He was joined by the Rev. Cleophus Lee, who told the gathering, “Today we hope to send out a clarion call for a revolution in the
THE PRESIDENT OF Leaders Network, the Rev. Cy Fields (far right) talks with the Rev. James Stevenson of New Hope Baptist Church and a local videographer following an anti-violence rally at the location where three men were shot.
THE REV. CLEOPHUS LEE uses a bullhorn to address supporters at a recent anti-violence rally in Austin. Lee is joined by the Rev. Robbie Wilkerson to his right, and the Rev. Ira Acree and 37th Ward Alderman Emma Mitts (far left). Austin community, letting it be tried to run away, then felt pain, to stand up, protect, and serve our known that we are going to put in one of the victims told police. community, as God intended,” the work to restore our communiThe shooting took place on the added the Rev. Robbie Wilkerson ty to a place of health.” Lee is pas- east side of Central Avenue near of the Austin Dream Makers Mentor of Original Providence Baptist Race Avenue. Austin Town Hall toring Program. Church. Park and the Austin Branch of the The rally was at the site of the Chicago Public Library are on the With approximately 98,000 resishootings that occurred April 7. west side of Central Avenue north dents in its 7.16 –square-mile raThe three victims were standing of Lake Street. dius, Austin is the city’s largest near Central and Race avenues neighborhood. According to U.S. when someone in a car headed “It is time for us as the church Census Bureau data, it is 85.1 pernorth on Central Avenue started and community as a whole to cent Black, 8.85 percent Hispanic shooting at the three, and they stand together. I call upon all men and 4.43 percent white.
High school students get help with their report cards By Wendell Hutson Students at John Hope College Prep on the South Side received some additional help recently after picking up their report cards for the third quarter. Students at Hope, 5515 S. Lowe St., said the help they received from Diplomas Now, a nonprofit organization, was encouraging, useful and inspiring. “It was helpful to meet with these mentors but it was nothing spontaneous about it,” said Keala Lightfoot, 16. “I always like to listen to people when they give me ways I can improve myself especially from people who are not judgmental.” Antonio Sowell, 17, said after meeting with a volunteer he walked away encouraged.
GETTING GOOD GRADES was easy this semester, said John Hope College Prep students (from left) Terriungha Dobson and Lonya Harris. “She (mentor) told me I can do thing but now I realize I don’t.” According to Greg Ekey, field better in chemistry and geometry and I believe her,” Sowell said. manager for Diplomas Now, it part“Sometimes I think I know every ners with the school community so every student has the support of caring adults and those adults have the tools to improve student success. Working with administrators and teachers, a Diplomas Now team organizes and supports schools to strengthen achievement and engagement. Diplomas Now also provides curriculum, teacher coaching and student support. Besides Chicago, Diplomas Now partners with 40 schools in 14 cities, including New York, Boston, Los JOHN HOPE COLLEGE PREP substitute teacher Melissa Lawrence Angeles, Washington, D.C., and (left) is also a nurse and volunteered this week to advise students about Philadelphia. Students at Gage Park how to improve their report cards next marking period. High School also received mentor2
Saturday, April 19, 2014
ing this week from Diplomas Now. Hope students said they were grateful the organization came to their school for a second straight year. Until he met with a mentor George Franklin, 15, said he was unaware that he needed 40 servicelearning hours to graduate. “My mentor pointed out that I have 15 service-learning hours and 10 and a half credits toward graduation,” Franklin said. “Now I know what I need to do to stay on track to finish school.” Franklin added that while his report card was “decent” he said he could have done better had he studied more. “I work at McDonald’s so sometimes when I work late I don’t feel like studying when I get home,” Franklin said. But some students said they did not do well this marking period. Dantrell Blake is a 17-year-old junior who said he received a D in Algebra and an F in environmental science. “I had an issue with my attendance this marking period and that contributed to me not passing one of my classes,” Blake said. “I missed school because I stayed out too late. And sometimes I don’t have a bus card so I have to walk to school and when it was cold outside I did not want to do that long walk.”
BLACKS MUST CONTROL THEIR OWN COMMUNITY
Junior Steve Harris said he earned a 3.2 grade point average even though he got a D in AP Trigonometry. “Trig ain’t no joke! I have got to study harder this marking period if I want to bring my grade up,” said Harris. “My mentor suggested I get a tutor and I think she is right.” Volunteers for the one-day event included employees from PepsiCo and Quaker Oats Co. Erica Miller, a senior finance manager at Quaker, was one of the volunteers. “I really enjoyed myself and definitely look forward to volunteering next year. I volunteered because I wanted to give back to a community in need,” Miller said. “This volunteer effort also provided students with role models, which you can never get enough of.” Philip Skrzypek, also a Quaker Co. employee, said more companies should get involved with organizations that give back to students like Diplomas Now. “I enjoyed helping the students figure out ways to improve their school work next marking period,” explained Skrzypek. “For some students like our young men, it was about exposing them to professional behavior like shaking hands when you meet someone for the first time and giving eye contact when talking to someone.” www.chicagocrusader.com
NEWS
CHA residents get online job search help By Wendell Hutson The next time Sharon Brewer looks for a job, she won’t have to look far thanks to a new employment website launched recently by the Chicago Housing Authority (CHA). Brewer does not live in public housing but in a three-bedroom apartment in the Austin community on the West Side. “I lost my job two years ago and did not find another one until a year later,” recalled Brewer, 34, a single mother of four daughters. “I applied for jobs through a ton of websites but I never got hired. Now that the CHA has a website that lists open positions with them, that may be a better route to go.” The new website, https://sec-
tion3jobs.thecha.org, allows Section 3 residents to apply for jobs with the housing agency and its contractors. Section 3 residents are not only those living in public housing but are also Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) holders and low-income residents at least 9 years old whose household income meets or falls below the lowincome limits established by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The website, is in compliance with HUD’s Section 3 Voluntary Compliance Agreement, according to CHA officials. “The Chicago Housing Authority and its contractors are required to post all Section 3 employment opportunities on this new website, which will include an array of
LOW-INCOME RESIDENTS in 2013 had to update their contact information online if they wanted to remain on the Chicago Housing Authority’s waiting list.
THE CHICAGO HOUSING AUTHORITY launched a new employment website recently for public housing tenants and low-income residents. positions such as construction, household income is less than tration in the system and apply maintenance, administrative and $25,000 a year for a family of for jobs. clerical employment,” said three. “I am embarrassed but I do not To register, Section 3 residents Michael Merchant, chief executive officer of CHA. “This is the know how to use a computer at must create a profile on the webfirst time in the history of CHA my age and that has hurt my job site with a username and passthat each and every Section 3 job search because I am too ashamed word before applying for jobs. has been made available for view- to ask for help,” said Williams, CHA public housing residents and ing in one place. It will help the 49. “I did not go to college and I HCV participants must include Section 3 process move quickly have worked blue-collar jobs my their tenant ID number when creand efficiently for both applicants whole life, so I did not think I ating a profile to verify their status. and contractors.” CHA staff re- would ever need to know how to Users may then enter professional experience, educational attainceived a two-week training on use a computer until now.” CHA’s compliance department ment, certifications/licenses, and how to use the website in order to will monitor the website, and staff union affiliation status. Section 3 assist residents needing help. Now that Henry Williams has been allocated to ensure con- residents may also upload their reknows CHA staff are available to tractors are properly posting posi- sumes to the website. The site also help him, he plans to search the tions. CHA officials added that its will provide its registrants with the site immediately. Williams is cur- staff would also be available to as- opportunity to receive email uprently unemployed and said his sist Section 3 residents with regis- dates when new jobs are posted.
Metra adds reform to correct flaws in hiring
The Metra Board of Directors recently unanimously passed a reform measure aimed at increasing transparency in the hiring process and reinforcing a ban on political influence by requiring all employment-related communications to be entered into a log that is available to the public. “We want the message to be loud and clear that political considerations in all employment-related matters are not and will not be tolerated,” said Metra Chairman Martin Oberman. “Publicizing any job-related communications should serve as a deterrent to any attempt at improper influence. This reform reinforces our existing ban on political hiring and demonstrates our commitment to transparency and reform.” One of the recommendations of the Northeastern Illinois Public Transit Task Force was that agencies should be required to disclose communications between elected officials or their representatives regarding employment matters via a publicly available and regularly updated database. The new ordinance defines “employment related communication” as communications by any medium, directly or indirectly, recommending or suggesting the hiring, firing, transfer, promotion, demotion, salary inwww.chicagocrusader.com
crease, job benefit, or discipline of any individual with respect to employment by Metra. Any employee or board member who receives such communication from anyone who is not a Metra employee or board member will now be required to enter details about it into a log maintained by Metra’s Human Resources Department. The log will include the date and time of the communication, the identity of the person making the communication, the identity of the person who is the subject of the communication, and a summary of the substance of the communication. The log will be subject to disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act. Any person who violates any part of the ordinance shall be subject to discipline up to and including termination. The ordinance includes exceptions for communications from third parties who are providing references or recommendations that Metra requests in the ordinary course of reviewing applicants for employment. However, if the person providing such a reference or recommendation is a public official, then such communication must be logged and is subject to disclosure.
The ordinance also does not require logging communications relevant to any employee or applicant exercising existing rights, such as collective bargaining rights or a right to representation by legal counsel for alleged wrongdoing. The new ordinance is just one of many steps that the Board of Directors has taken in recent months to build and sustain a successful transportation enterprise that is accountable to the public it serves. In another important change, adopted in December 2013, Metra’s Human Resources Department now requires both interviewers and managers to certify that political affiliations are absolutely no factor in employment decisions. Other key reforms include: • New Chief Audit Officer. Metra representatives said the agency is in the process of interviewing and hiring for that position now. The new Chief Audit Officer will operate according to the strictest business and accounting standards, and will be directly accountable to all 11 Metra Board members and the CEO. • Metra has streamlined the recruiting and hiring process, accord-
BLACKS MUST CONTROL THEIR OWN COMMUNITY
ing to officials who said the organization is actively reaching out to veteran, minority and women’s groups seeking qualified prospects to add to its employment pool. • New evaluation process for the executive director. The reform board is currently reviewing a comprehensive evaluation process for the agency’s executive director that includes clear goals and objectives by which to measure progress and performance. Legal work brought in-house. Since the middle of last year, the Metra board has eliminated retention of an outside law firm that reports only to the board. The Board has been transitioning legal work from outside firms back to the agency’s in-house lawyers to ensure consistency and control costs. More comprehensive Board training. All new board members now receive a comprehensive briefing packet and are required to attend personalized meetings to learn about and discuss governance and operational issues. Renewed commitment to ethics. Metra has created a comprehensive ethics manual for all employees and is in the process of doing so for the board, in addition to the ethics train-
ing mandated by state law. Separation agreements. Metra’s reform board has enacted an ordinance that now requires any separation agreement exceeding $100,000 to be reported immediately to the RTA. Information to legislators. Metra is providing regular news and information updates to state legislators, and county commissioners in its service territory. Reports to the news media. Rather than waiting for the news media to knock on our door, Chairman Oberman will periodically report on Metra’s reform agenda, progress and performance through in-person meetings with the news media. Hillard Heintze report. Because of a concern with the operational effectiveness and efficiency of the Metra police operation, the previous board retained the nationally respected security experts at Hillard Heintz to take a hard look at the Metra police department. As a result of their critical review, Metra is hiring a new police chief to completely and comprehensively reorganize the agency’s police department in a manner consistent with the Hillard Heintze recommendations. Saturday, April 19, 2014
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EDITORIAL
EDITORIAL BUILDING A FENCE AGAINST SUCCESS
Everywhere you turn in the Black electronic media you can hear people lamenting the state of the community. Now this is understandable, since the National Urban League (NUL) released its state of the Black community report which painted a very dismal picture. In the National Urban League’s 2014 report, One Nation Underemployed, Jobs Rebuild America, Marc H. Morial, President and CEO of NUL states: “While ‘too big to fail’ corporations went into the bail-out emergency room and recovered to break earnings and stock market records, most Americans have been left in ICU with multiple diagnoses of unemployment, underemployment, home losses and foreclosures, low or no savings and retirement accounts, credit denials, cuts in education and school funding—and the list of maladies continues.” This is no doubt true, but there is a question to be asked, “Are we doing as much as we can to offset this trend?” Yes, there is a history of deprivation, oppression and discrimination in America which has gone a long way to contribute to the state that Black America is exhibiting at this time. However, those situations don’t relay the whole story. The proof of this is that if just ONE African American can achieve in America, then others can, with the right “something.” Of course, there will be those who will call this attitude “blaming the victim,” and will automatically become upset. But therein lies the problem: as long as we don’t take responsibility for our own actions in fighting the scourge of non-productivity, corporate greed, and failure, we will continue to dig a ditch that will only go deeper and deeper until it reaches rock bottom! All around us people are reaching a new understanding of how we create our own reality by what we do and, most importantly, what we expect. But if Black pundits everywhere are saying that we are helpless against the powers that be, then we are building a fence against success. The only thing that can happen in that regard is that we will conceptually, and actually, lock ourselves away from progress. We know that there are hundreds, and perhaps thousands of people in America who do not want Black people to succeed. Many of these individuals are extremely powerful and hold the key to jobs. But it is also true that hundreds, even thousands of jobs are unable to be filled due to the lack of skills of those that might benefit. This is a “head in the sand” scenario that is one of Black America’s best kept secrets. The fact of the matter is that the jobs picture is changing, and some corporations are actually begging for people who can fill certain positions, but they can’t find people to fill them. On the flipside, there are an increasing number of young people who are attaining prestigious positions and who are doing a magnificent job when it comes to accessing a quality education. This cannot be denied. One example is the young Black man who was recently accepted into all 8 Ivy League Schools. Others are acquiring Rhodes Scholarships, Gates Millennial Scholarships, and more. Chances are that they will have a far better go of it when seeking employment once they graduate than the scores of Blacks who are dropping out of high schools. With today’s standards, dropouts will have very little opportunity to make a decent living if they cannot stick to the course and finish high school, which will only provide a start. The American (actually global) marketplace today demands high skills. Once upon a time people could reach success based on brawn alone, but those days are over. Unskilled workers will be left behind, or will be stuck in low-paying service jobs, which will be a step away from slavery. They will be the working poor. Are these the jobs that we want? One of the biggest challenges facing the Black community is the notion, i.e., perception that we will automatically fail and will automatically remain at the bottom of the socio-economic heap. Many Black people actually believe this, and as long as they do, which contributes to lackluster attempts at education, people will remain at the bottom. As long as we focus on lack, we will demonstrate lack. A luta continua. 4
Saturday, April 19, 2014
LETTER TO THE EDITOR Changing the Parenting Experience Dear Editor: In my role as a child advocate and former foster parent, I meet victims and learn of experiences that highlight the tragic and horribly profound impact resulting from child abuse and neglect through issues of mental health, crime, violence and addiction. So often, these incidences occur as a result of underdeveloped parenting skills. A lack of exposure to healthy parenting is the root behind many problems that affect children today. In order to make steps toward a solution, it is vital that our youth be educated on the responsibilities associated with parenting. As we approach April and National Child Abuse and Prevention Month, it is a timely opportunity to look at the substantive ways we can alter these patterns. Schools have the opportunity to intervene and offer hope through the elective courses offered by the Family Consumer Science Program (FACS). These courses focus on parenting skills, child-development and family living. Many schools offer these classes as electives. It is essential that school administrators guide students towards participating in such courses. Recently, I sent a letter to the Illinois Principal Association (IPA) urging them to direct attention to the importance of expanding the
reach of FACS courses, and incorporating an increased focus on parenting education among students. Surveys report that 80-87 percent of all Americans will become biological parents. The FACS courses have the opportunity to increase skills that the majority of our students will utilize everyday for two decades of their life. All students would have an opportunity to begin discussing the qualities needed in their partner parent. The ultimate goal in equipping youth with parenting skills is to reduce the incidences of child abuse and neglect. Children raised in an unhealthy family environment often grow to mimic the behavior of their parents. Early parenting education can prevent this from happening. Government agencies have programs set in place in order to respond to unhealthy family environments. Unfortunately, these programs are set from a reactive position, meaning they are unable to interfere until a problem has arisen. It is imperative for the education system to get ahead of the issues before they arise, beginning with our youth. Educators have an opportunity to change the course of a child’s life and the lives of their children, making a positive impact on future communities. I encourage you to also reach out to the IPA regarding the educational efforts that need to occur in order to work towards creating and insuring a brighter future for children.
The newspapers aren’t slick Dear Editor: I am positive I am not the only one who notices that the local news media will take a swipe at President Obama every chance they get. I also am sure they will feign innocence if confronted with this perception. The most recent example of this came in (Continued on page 13)
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COMMENTARY
No, this is not a Black Thing Beyond The Rhetoric By Harry C. Alford NNPA Columnist Racial discrimination does exist in this world but certainly not at the level it did prior to the Civil Rights Act of 1964. It has been waning but sometimes it will lift its “ugly head.” Whenever that happens it should be snuffed out quickly and firmly. As one proud Jamaican member of the National Black Chamber of Commerce commented to me about the subject, “Show me that I am late; my price is too high, my product is unsafe. Don’t you ever say no because of the color of my skin, for I will fight you with every breath of my life.” That is wise advice and we must be certain not to shrug off pressure or rebuke by saying, “It’s because I am Black.” So when we hear people say that our President or Attorney General is being criticized because they are Black, we should check them. Heck, the fact of the matter they are where they are because of the timing and the fact that they are Black – at least considered Black. The fact is, as a whole, our nation is in a very critical state of uneasiness. It is pure chaos right
Harry C. Alford now. We don’t look assuring to our allies and our enemies are smiling at our apparent weakness. Yes, right now we are in a giant cesspool of deceit, timidity, corruption and cowardice. Great nations don’t act like this and it has nothing to do with “Black.” My people it is time to get a grip on the realities at hand. “Ye shall
know the truth and the truth shall set you free.” Let me note some examples. We have had a non-accountable State Department. I hope Secretary John Kerry can turn it around. Can you believe that this major agency had been operating without an Inspector General for five years? What does that mean? The IG is responsible for oversight and accountability. During the absence of an IG the State Department cannot account for over $6 billion in procurement. Who got paid for what? Did they actually do the work? Was strict procurement law followed? They don’t know. Many of the files are lost and some have been pilfered. Where is the investigation and who is going to jail? The five Mafia families of New York could not have been more corrupt. Oh yes, the State department is still playing dumb about the Benghazi attack which is now a scandal. Oh, how they lied on all of the Sunday news channels about it – like we weren’t going to find out. Four of our people were murdered by Al Qaida linked persons and we won’t even arrest them for trial. They fear what will come out in court. So they stall and stall and stall. Justice is not
served. The same goes with Homeland Security. The “Fast and Furious” disaster put hundreds of illegal weapons onto the streets. We lost a border patrol officer and hundreds of Mexican citizens and they stall and stall and stall. Justice is not served. The National Security Agency (NSA) in its sweeping/wiring of telephone and email communications is an ongoing disaster. Recently, we find that the USAID agency ran a covert operation in Cuba. The mission of the USAID is: “Our Mission: We partner to end extreme poverty and to promote resilient, democratic societies while advancing our security and prosperity.” Not anymore! They took 500,000 cell phone numbers of Cuban citizens (from NSA) and began spamming them on a cooked up Twitter account covertly placed in Spain. Money was funneled through the Cayman Islands. The intent was to provoke discontent among Cuban citizens against their government. Sounds a little bit like the Arab Spring affair which backfired tremendously on us. Syria, Egypt, Libya are probably lost to democracy because of our botched “intelligence” activity. The world is seeing us as an evil entity.
Then there is the “Mother” of all scandals – the IRS corruption. Every day the plot seems to thicken. There is more than a “smidgen of corruption.” It appears to be a few truckloads of it. In the end, when the truth will eventually come out, there will be IRS employees and people from the White House, Justice Department and recently it looks like Congress too will be indicted and carried off to jail. A federal agency which is already hated by most Americans has become a politicized organization working towards the detriment of our democracy. It is the work of the Devil himself. The above are just a few examples. Items like socializing our insurance industry along with mortgages, education; ignoring our debt; cutting our military; evading Congress and the Supreme Court are other items we can discuss later. It isn’t a Black thing. It is government overreach and a lack of respect for our Constitution. Mr. Alford is the co-founder, President/CEO of the National Black Chamber of Commerce. Website: www.nationalbcc.org Email: halford@nationalbcc.org.
Memories of LBJ, Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton By George E. Curry NNPA Columnist Covering the three-day celebration of the 50th anniversary of the 1964 Civil Rights Act at the University of Texas last week brought back a string of memories – some fond, some bitter. As a son of the South –Tuscaloosa, Ala., to be specific – I saw first-hand how the region was transformed from America’s version of apartheid to one that is perhaps more genuinely accepting of African Americans than any other geographical section of the country. Lyndon B. Johnson, Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton – all white Southerners who grew up in the Jim Crow South – played a significant role in the region’s transformation. But that didn’t happen in a vacuum. Each was pushed and challenged by the modern Civil Rights Movement, a multi-racial movement, with Blacks serving as chief architects that prodded the U.S. to have its deeds mirror its professed ideals. (George W. Bush, a wealthy Texan, is omitted from this discussion because he did nothing significant to advance civil rights. In fact, his appointment of John Roberts and Samuel Alito to the Supreme Court represented a setback to the cause of civil rights.) www.chicagocrusader.com
While Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC); Whitney Young of the National Urban League; NAACP Executive Director Roy Wilkins; John Lewis, chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) and Roy Innis of the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) receive the lion’s share of publicity about the movement, the true heroes were the everyday men and women of the South who risked their jobs and lives to be treated as equals. As a senior at Druid High School, I participated in the last leg of the Selma-to-Montgomery March. A group of us skipped school one day and went to Birmingham to protest the killing of the four little girls at 16th Street Baptist Church. And when we boycotted the segregated buses in my hometown, I borrowed Uncle Percy’s car and joined dozens of others who retraced the bus routes through our community, picking up people and giving them a free ride to their destination. A few Alabama-born whites took a principled stand for civil rights. Bill Shamblin and Bill Plott, editors of the Crimson White, the University of Alabama newspaper, were among the most memorable. They supported desegregation in the face of death threats. That took
George E. Curry a lot of courage, especially in a city that was also home of Robert Shelton, the head of the Ku Klux Klan. Neither LBJ, Carter nor Bill Clinton demonstrated that level of courage and commitment to civil rights in their youth. Yet, they, too, are sons of the South and though they grew up on the other side of the tracks, they carried a special sensitivity to race – some say guilt – with them to the White House. Of the three, Lyndon Johnson was by far the best. His signature legislation – the Civil Rights Act of 1965, the Voting Rights Act of 1964 and the Fair Housing Act of 1968 – forever changed America,
particularly the South. But Johnson didn’t start out as a progressive. As President Obama said of Johnson in his speech in Austin, Texas, “During his first 20 years in Congress, he opposed every civil rights bill that came up for a vote, once calling the push for federal legislation ‘a farce and a sham.’” But stepping into the Oval Office upon the assassination of John F. Kennedy, Johnson was able to rise above his past. Unlike Johnson or Clinton, Jimmy Carter had a close relationship with African Americans growing up in Georgia. “I grew up in a little village, unincorporated named Archery, Ga., just a few miles west of Plains,” Carter recounted. “…We were surrounded by 55 other families who were African American. All of my playmates, all of my companions in the field – the ones I hunted with, fished with, wrestled with, fought with – were Black people,” Carter said in his speech. He explained, “I learned to appreciate, you might say, Black culture. When I wrote a book called ‘Hours Before Daylight,’ at the end of the book, I tried to think of five people other than my parents who had shaped my life and only two of those five were white.” Bill Clinton was a good president
BLACKS MUST CONTROL THEIR OWN COMMUNITY
but was probably the most overrated of the three Southerners. When looking at permanent cabinet positions, he appointed more Black cabinet members than Barack Obama, he was a firm supporter of affirmative action and appointed two liberals to the Supreme Court – Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Stephen Breyer. But he also was part of the successful movement to shift the Democratic Party to the right and signed into law a regressive welfare reform measure. Last week’s summit at the University of Texas celebrated the 1964 Civil Rights Act. It could have also been a celebration of three Southern-born presidents who managed to overcome the rampant discrimination of their youth. George E. Curry, former editor-in-chief of Emerge magazine, is editor-in-chief of the National Newspaper Publishers Association News Service (NNPA.) He is a keynote speaker, moderator, and media coach. Curry can be reached through his Web site, www.georgecurry.com. You can also follow him at www.twitter.com/currygeorge and George E. Curry Fan Page on Facebook. Saturday, April 19, 2014
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COMMENTARY
CARICOM Reparations Ten-Point Plan: Part 1 Dr. Conrad Worrill, Director/Professor, Carruthers Center for Inner City Studies (CCICS) located at 700 East Oakwood Blvd, Chicago, Illinois, 60653, 773-268-7500, Fax: 773-268-3835 E-mail: c-worrill@neiu.edu, Website: www.ccicschicago.org, Twitter: @CCICS_ Chicago.
Dr. Conrad Worrill On April 19, 2014 at Chicago State University, the Institute of the Black World 21st Century, in conjunction with the Jacob H. Carruthers Center for Inner City Studies and the Samuel DeWitt Proctor Conference, will present a “National/International Forum on Revitalizing the Reparations Movement.” The forum will begin at 2:00 p.m. in the Emil Jones Convocation Center In his keynote, Dr. Ralph Gonsalves will report on the CARICOM (Caribbean Community of Nations)
meeting in St. Vincent on March 1011, 2014 that produced the “CARICOM Reparations Ten-Point Plan.” CARICOM represents the fifteen nations of the Caribbean. The Honorable Dr. Ralph Gonsalves, Prime Minister of St. Vincent and the Grenadines and current Chairman of CARICOM, will present the keynote address at a national/international forum entitled “Revitalizing the Reparations Movement” at Chicago State University on Saturday, April 19, 2014. Gonsalves is one of the leading voices in the Americas demanding that the former European colonial powers pay reparations to Caribbean and South American countries for centuries of African enslavement, native genocide and colonial exploitation. Specially invited guests will be Detroit’s Honorable John Conyers, Sr., Dean of the Congressional Black Caucus and sponsor of the HR-40 Reparations Study Bill, and Minister Louis Farrakhan, leader of the Nation of Islam. A primary goal of the forum is to revitalize the reparations movement in the USA by revisiting the Durban Resolution on the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade, presenting an update on HR-40 and examining the status of CARICOM’s reparations initiative. Other speakers will include Dr. Conrad Worrill, Director/Professor, Center for Inner City Studies; Dr. Iva Carruthers, General Secretary, Samuel DeWitt Proctor Conference; Dr. Ron Daniels, President of the Institute of the Black World; JoAnn Watson, former Detroit City Council Member; Don Rojas, Director of Communications, Institute of the
Black World and Illinois State Rep. Donne Trotter. The following are five of the tenpoints of the CARICOM Reparations Ten-Point Plan: 1. FULL FORMAL APOLOGY: The healing process for victims and the descendants of the enslaved and enslavers requires as a precondition the offer of a sincere formal apology by the governments of Europe. Some governments in refusing to offer an apology have issued in place Statements of Regrets. Such statements do not acknowledge that crimes have been committed and represent a refusal to take responsibility for such crimes. Statements of regret represent, furthermore, a reprehensible response to the call for apology in that they suggest that victims and their descendants are not worthy of an apology. Only an explicit formal apology will suffice within the context of the CRJP (CARICOM Reparations Justice Program). 2. REPATRIATION: Over 10 million Africans were stolen from their homes and forcefully transported to the Caribbean as the enslaved chattel and property of Europeans. The transatlantic slave trade is the largest forced migration in human history and has no parallel in terms of man’s inhumanity to man. This trade in enchained bodies was a highly successful commercial business for the nations of Europe. The lives of millions of men, women and children were destroyed in search of profit. The descendants of these stolen people have a legal right to return to their homeland. A Repatriation program must be
established and all available channels of international law and diplomacy used to resettle those persons who wish to return. A resettlement program should address such matters as citizens and deploy available best practices in respect of community reintegration. 3. INDIGENOUS PEOPLES DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM: The governments of Europe committed genocide upon the native Caribbean population. Military commanders were given official instructions by their governments to eliminate these communities and to remove those who survive pogroms from the region. Genocide and land appropriation went hand in hand. A community of over 3,000,000 in 1700 has been reduced to less than 30,000 in 2000. Survivors remain traumatized, landless, and are the most marginalized social group within the region. The University of the West Indies offers an Indigenous Peoples Scholarship in a desperate effort at rehabilitation. It is woefully insufficient. A Development Plan is required to rehabilitate this community. 4. CULTURAL INSTITUTIONS: European nations have invested in the development of community institutions such as museums and research centers in order to prepare their citizens for an understanding of these CAH (Crimes Against Humanity). These facilities served to reinforce within the consciousness of their citizens an understanding of their role in history as rulers and change agents. There are no such institutions in the Caribbean where the CAH were
committed. Caribbean schoolteachers and researchers do not have the same opportunity. Descendants of these CAH continue to suffer the disdain of having no relevant institutional systems through which their experience can be scientifically told. This crisis must be remedied within the CRJP. 5. PUBLIC HEALTH CRISIS: The African descended population in the Caribbean has the highest incidence in the world of chronic diseases in the forms of hypertension and type-two diabetes. This pandemic is the direct result of the nutritional experience, physical and emotional brutality, and overall stress profiles associated with slavery, genocide, and apartheid. Over 10 million Africans were imported into the Caribbean during the 400 years of slavery. At the end of slavery in the late nineteenth-century less that 2 million remained. The chronic health condition of Caribbean Blacks now constitutes the greatest financial risk to sustainability in the region. Arresting this pandemic requires the injection of science, technology, and capital beyond the capacity of the region. Europe has a responsibility to participate in the alleviation of this health disaster. The CRJP addresses this issue and calls upon the governments of Europe to take responsibility for this tragic human legacy of slavery and colonization. Again, these are the first five points of the CARICOM Reparations TenPoint Plan. I will continue with the other five points in next week’s column. Hope to see you at Chicago State on April 19.
BLACK WOMEN AND PAY EQUITY: AT THE MARGIN, AGAIN By Julianne Malveaux NNPA Columnist When John and Ann started working on January 1, 2013, John has something of an advantage. Because women earn 77 cents for every dollar John earns, it will take Ann until April 11, 2014 to earn the same amount of money that John earned in the calendar year of 2013. The issue of unequal pay is so pressing that President John F. Kennedy signed the Equal Pay Act 50 years ago. While we have come a long way, baby, the pay gap has remained stubborn. This is why President Obama signed the Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Restoration Act as soon as he assumed office. This year, to commemorate National Equal Pay Day (that’s the day Ann finally earns as much as John), the President signed an Executive 6
Saturday, April 19, 2014
Order protecting workers from retaliation when they speak of unequal pay in the workplace (one of the ways employers can maintain unequal pay is to make discussing pay grounds for firing). The President, through the Secretary of Labor, is also requiring federal contractors to provide data on pay, race, and gender to ensure that employers are fairly paid. Furthermore, the Senate is considering the Paycheck Fairness Act, which may pass the Senate, but not the House of Representatives. We know all about John and Ann, but what about Tamika? If women earn 77 percent of what men earn, what about an African American woman. Women surely have come a long way, but some are moving far more slowly than others. How many African American women are there in the Senate? Among For-
Dr. Julianne Malveaux tune 500 leaders? In other positions of power? What about pay? African American women earn about three
quarters of what other women earn, meaning that if it takes Ann until April 11 to catch up with John, it will take Tamika until about June 1 (or about another 6 weeks) to catch up. Tamika earns in 18 months what Tom earns in 12 months. Even African American women with the highest levels of education experience these differences. White men with a postgraduate degree earns a median salary of $1,666 a week. African American women earn a median salary of $1,000 during the same time period. For all the talk of pay equity and paycheck fairness, the status of African American women is largely ignored. It wouldn’t take much for the President, or some of those feminist groups who support paycheck fairness to throw in a line or two about African American women. Nor would it hurt African American or-
BLACKS MUST CONTROL THEIR OWN COMMUNITY
ganizations, especially those who serve Black women, to point out this injustice. Are African Americans invisible? Don’t we count? African American women raise the majority of our children, and shoulder many of the challenges in the African American community. Ignoring us in a conversation about unequal pay simply marginalizes our experiences and us. The focus on “overall” data is yet another way of marginalizing not only African American women, but other women and men of color as well. Reporting aggregate data gives some notion of economic progress. Reporting data as it pertains to African American women and men makes it clear, for example, that African Americans experience depression-level unemployment rates. (Continued on page 16) www.chicagocrusader.com
GOSSIPTARY
By Ima Gontellit EDITOR'S NOTE: This column is published as political satire, street gossip and humor, and therefore should not be considered as fact but rather as matter of opinion. None of the items therein are collected by the news gathering staff of the Crusader Newspaper Group. Items forwarded to The Chatterbox are kept confidential unless otherwise requested by the author in writing. For submissions please forward to: AChicagoCrusader@aol.com. Original photography and artwork are permitted. Thank you for reading!
CHARLES JENKINS EXPOSED--LITERALLY AND MAYBE? Well it looks lak that little Rev. Charlie Jenkins over at Fellowship Church done done it again. Now a former employee of his is hopping mad that she done got fired and she ain't been appropriately compensated the $20,000 owed to her for "services rendered." Chatterbox readers know that little Jenkins is a questionable "anointed" person who has taken Rev. Clay Evan's legacy and run it in the ground. Instead of fur-
claimed was trying to take his life a few years back (you remember when he had his bodyguards standing in the pulpit). Maybe he was hanging out with his corporate buddies and decided to strip down to bear his soul? Of course this might not be Jenkins at all--it could be a photo shop of some other man with Jenkins head. Who knows. But what we do know is Fellowship's membership has dwindled since he took over and after this we hear even more people are going to run over to Greater Harvest. We hear dat if Jenkins don't "pay up" even nastier stuff is going to leak online. If you want to get a picture of Jenkins' alleged anointed staff visit: http:// obnoxioustv.wordpress.com/2014/04/ -14/grammy-award-winning-gospelsinger-and-pastor-charles-jenkins-in full-disclosure-warning-graphic-enter at-your-own-risk/
Jay Travis rev up de people to turn against the popular, but very quiet alderman who recently has been showing up with the mayor at just about every Negro function. -Ima-
SHE’S SAFE
SAY CHEESE
There’s a militant group in the Third Ward who are trying to figure out how to get rid of Pat “Seven Foot Tall” Dowell. They claim “she’s turned her back on us,” and “we are the ones who put her in office in the first place.” After admitting they got rid of the Tillmans because of “B.S. they pulled with the Harold Washington Cultural Center and how they undermined Mollison,” this group has been meeting regularly to “screen candidates” who are interested in running against Rahm’s good friend Pat Dowell. However, the group said they wouldn’t back Ebony Tillman if she was the last man sister on earth. One man who smells like old gizzards claimed he heard that Jay Travis, the gal who couldn’t beat 12year-old Christian Mitchell for State Rep is “mad dat she ain’t run against Pat because she could’a won that one.” Folks claim the Travis woman has been shaking her head “no” that she can’t just jump in an aldermanic
White folks are just finding out something dat the Negro people been knowing for quite some time, and dat’s that the good Reverend Sharpton is a government informant—or was one, if you listen to him. Some white man with a long standing grudge against the activist preacher was given all of his F.B.I. files in order to write a long-standing expose on how the MSNBC star wound up wearing wires, snitching, telling on people and being a government trick all in one. What he failed to mention was Negroes been knowing Sharpton been wired up since the early 1980s and anybody that’s really down, don’t mess with
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race after losing all the teacher union’s money like that. Opponents are now running behind a lady who got her Harold’s Chicken shack shut down by Dowell and are trying to
PRINCE ATTACKS No not the Purple One with the guitar—but the one with a ink pen who writes for a website that scrutinizes Negroes in the public eye. Richard Prince seems to have a hard on for Black Newspapers because he’s always attacking them and trying to help white folk and corpora-
-ImaSCANDAL Speaking of the Negro Press, there is a Negro in Detroit who is being accused of stealing the pension money from poor Black Detroit workers as he continues to raid cities for African American owned newspapers that have been left in the undeserving hands of the children of the original publishers. Just like a corporate scavenger the man who runs Real Times is said to be “up to no good,” and “messing up several Black own institutions,” according to one lady who used to work next to the Michigan Chronicle. With the Chicago Offender on its last good leg and currently being made up and published by workers 500 miles outside of Illinois, people are very concerned that the legacy of the late John H. Sengstacke is being tarnished big time.
AARON PATTERSON
Al Sharpton
Pat Dowell
-Ima-
she’s a co-chair of his fixed and depressing campaign for re-election. The First Lady of Chicago has been like a ghost ever since she returned to the Windy City to stand by her short man. Federal folk who seem to know these things, said Chicago’s First Lady would have preferred to stay in D.C., a refrain that sounds like the same one former Ald. Sandi Jackson was singing during her entire term in the City Council. Now we hear America’s first woman has no problem joining a slew of wellpaid, well-fed Black operatives and gate keepers who will be the Negro face of Rahm Emanuel’s re-election campaign.
-Ima-
Charles Jenkins thering the church's mission of justice and hope, the young, singing pastor of Evans’ former flock has turned the church into a corporate, cash cow that backs anything that comes out of City Hall even at the expense of his own people. Now on the heels of him visiting the White House, his former exployee has released a full, butt naked photo of her former employer all for de world to see. Now ain't nobody said that he was sleeping with this woman and ain't nobody clear on how she got a naked picture of someone who looks like Jenkins brushing his teeth in what looks like the bathroom of a seedy, pay-by-the-hour motel. Could have been a man that took that. Maybe it was the ninja he
America that the President has no psychological grip on—and that would be about 2,017 people mostly in Mississippi and Gary, Indiana. As news broke of Sharpton’s strange history as a government informant his Chicago friends on the West Side have been as quiet as Deacon Robinson lying in the coffin at Leak Funeral Home. In de meantime, the really revolutionary (also known as crazy) Negroes are saying this proves their theory that Sharpton once offered to go “and get Assata Shakur” and claim the two million dollar bounty they have on the former Black Panther’s and Cubanative’s head. Now Sharpton likes to tell on himself before others do so, but he ain’t never admitted that he was hired to go to Cuba to fetch Ms. Chesimard. For that matter, he ain’t confessed dat he was sent to Chicago by the White House to cool out all of the growing anger against a tiny man that the fat union lady called “a murder mayor.”
his fat behind. However, what be new could be information that the man who would stop all crime in Chicago was not only tricking on boxing promoter Don King and (allegedly) James Brown (according to one person from Georgia), he was actively telling on all of the big name mobsters who ruled New York. What white folks seem to be mad about is that now that Sharpton has loss weight, got a new younger woman, and put on a good suit, he is the official White House HNIC and apparently controls all of Black
Richard Prince tions put these vital and important sources of news and information out of business. While he scribbles away, the Black Press continues to record the life, legacy, hopes and dreams of a people. It ain’t going nowhere Mr. Prince so stop yo’ attacks and gon’ back behind the plantation where you come from. -ImaWE HEARD ...that First Lady Michelle Obama is going to team up with the mayor’s invisible wife to launch a major youth initiative with a bunch of celebrities just before she announces
BLACKS MUST CONTROL THEIR OWN COMMUNITY
A friend sent this message to you as you serve in the belly of the beast: “Brother Aaron we have not forgotten about you bro. Keep your head up and stay strong. They still on some (curse word) out here and they got the streets all turned up. Also, they got some Homeland Security people in Englewood and a lot of young cats who could be schooled to turn their lives around are getting entrapped on conspiracy charges. Ain’t nobody out here standing up for the people, man. Nobody. Write us through the Crusader so we’ll know how you doing.” -ImaNOT TRUE That Wallace Gator Bradley is contemplating running for the City Council. Saturday, April 19, 2014
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COMMUNITY CALENDAR
TWO ICONIC & HISTORIC CHICAGO STADIUMS CELEBRATED THROUGH DISCUSSIONS AND REMINISCENCES AT CHICAGO PUBLIC LIBRARY: When you talk about Chicago sports, two iconic teams are identified not only by their assortment of Hall of Fame players, but also by their historic stadiums. In 2014, the Chicago Cubs and the Chicago Bears will play ball in stadiums that are still serving loyal fans after 100 years and 90 years, respectively. To celebrate the stadiums’ longevity, Chicago Public Library invites sports fans to enjoy two fascinating author talks that will explore the unique histories of Wrigley Field and Soldier Field, and the many years of happy (and sad) times produced by Chicago’s beloved Cubs, Bears and other memorable events. Wrigley Field: 100 Stories for 100 Years will be the topic on Saturday, April 19 at 11 a.m. at the Edgewater Branch, 6000 N. Broadway Street. Join Dan Campana and Rob Carroll, authors of Wrigley Field: 100 Stories for 100 Years, for a book talk and signing. Wrigley Field will turn 100 years old on April 23, 2014. Throughout the century, the stadium had several name changes and was the home to professional football and professional soccer teams as well as baseball. Campana and Carroll will take you through the turnstiles of their collection of personal stories about baseball’s greatest ballpark and the sacred space it occupies in the hearts of Chicago Cubs fans. With contributors like Bob Costas, Rick Sutcliffe and Steve Stone, their informal oral history salutes the legacy that has made Wrigley such an unforgettable part of baseball and Chicago for the last century. Copies of Wrigley Field: 100 Stories for 100 Years will be available for purchase at this event. Soldier Field: A Stadium and Its City will be the topic on Saturday, April 19 at 1 p.m. at the Rogers Park Branch, 6907 N. Clark Street. MEDORA SCREENS AT THE CHICAGO CULTURAL CENTER: On Saturday, April 19th, at 2 p.m., Community Cinema Chicago presents a FREE screening of the documentary film Medora (80 Minutes), which is directed by Andrew Cohn and Davy Rothbart. It will take place at the Chicago Cultural Center, 78 E. Washington Street in the Claudia Cassidy Theater. A once-booming rural community with a thriving middle class has seen its factories and farms close as the population dwindles. A deeply personal look at small-town life, Medora follows a down-but-notout varsity basketball team as its struggles to compete parallel the town’s own fight for survival. After the film George Goehl of National People’s Action (a native of Medora, IN) and Anton Seals Jr. of Seals360group 8
Saturday, April 19, 2014
will lead the audience in a discussion on rural and urban disinvestment. What are the similarities and the disparities between urban and rural poverty and the cause and effects of population shifts? What is the way forward for community revitalization? This event is free and open to the public. UPCOMING PROGRAM OPEN HOUSE AT SOUTH SUBURBAN COLLEGE: South Suburban College will be hosting several upcoming program specific Open Houses to assist prospective and current students with preparing their academic plan for the Summer 2014 Semester. One of the remaining Open Houses scheduled is Speech Language Pathology, Occupational Therapy, Tuesday, April 22, 12 p.m. – 6 p.m., in the Main Campus Atrium. For more information, contact GRaimbault@ssc.edu. CHICAGO PUBLIC LIBRARY HOSTS “THE VIVIAN MAIER MYSTERY” FILM SCREENING: Chicago Public Library will present the film screening of The Vivian Maier Mystery on Thursday, April 24 at 6 p.m., in the Cindy Pritzker Auditorium Center at the Harold Washington Library Center. This event is free to the public. Registration is not required and seating is on a first come, first served basis. The Vivian Maier Mystery is a BBC Production presented by Film buff in association with Strawberry Films and K Nation Entertainment, on behalf of the BBC Images, courtesy of the Jeffrey Goldstein Collection. The film uncovers the mystery of Vivian Maier, illustrating her life in Chicago as a nanny and undiscovered street photographer. Her photographs remained unknown and mostly undeveloped until they were discovered by Chicago historian and collector, John Maloof, in 2007. Maier died at the age of 83 before her work was ever publically recognized or exhibited. Following Maier’s death, her work began to receive critical acclaim. The film is presented in conjunction with an exhibition of Vivian Maier’s photographs from the Jeffrey Goldstein Collection, featuring approximately 55 silver gelatin prints of images selected from the book,Vivian Maier: Out of the Shadows by Richard Cahan and Michael Williams (CityFiles Press). The exhibition will run through September 28, 2014 in the Special Collection Exhibition Hall, 9th Floor, at the Harold Washington Library Center, 400 S. State Street. POET, AUTHOR, ACTIVIST SONIA SANCHEZ HEADLINES CHICAGO PUBLIC LIBRARY’S POETRY FEST 2014:In celebration of National Poetry Month, the Chicago Public Library presents the 15th Annual Poetry Fest, a free day-long festival of poetry readings, workshops,
THE CHICAGO POST OFFICE recently installed its 46th Postmaster, Anthony B. Vaughan, during a ceremony at the Main Post Office. Vaughan, who is a 30-year U.S. Postal service veteran, oversees mail delivery in the city of Chicago and eight adjacent suburbs. Accepting congratulations from his mother, Izell Phillips, Vaughan said, “As Postmaster, my responsibility is to ensure the citizens of Chicago receive world-class mail service.” performances and discussions under one roof. The free event takes place on Saturday, April 26 from 10 am until 4:30 pm at the Harold Washington Library Center, 400 S. State Street. This year the Library welcomes poet, author, activist and scholar Sonia Sanchez, as keynote speaker for Poetry Fest at 2 p.m. in the Cindy Pritzker Auditorium. Sanchez is one of the most important writers of the Black Arts Movement, and distinguished for
her advocacy on behalf of peace, justice and women’s rights. She is the recipient of both the Robert Frost Medal and the Langston Hughes Award, among many other literary laurels. The Festival is co-sponsored by The Poetry Foundation and will feature a host of important poets during the day-long festival. Poets Amaris Howard and Kucha Brownlee host an open microphone poetry session where all poets are welcome to share their writings.
Registration is required for this program, with sign-up available the day of the event. Inaugurated by the Academy of American Poets in 1996, National Poetry Month is held every April, when publishers, booksellers, literary organizations, libraries, schools and poets around the country band together to celebrate poetry and its vital place in American culture. Great poetry events and resources can be found at Chicago Public Library throughout the year.
Extended Coverage Family members and others often worry that a senior citizen— especially one with physical limitations—is no longer able to drive safely and should give up the car keys and the independence that goes with them. But thinking is evolving. *** One option: a driving rehabilitation specialist. These professionals will ride with a driver, observing how good the reflexes are, the range of motion in shoulders and neck and how well the driver uses his or her feet.
Milton E. Moses
*** As long as you are driving, make sure you’re well insured. Talk to us at Community Insurance Center, Inc., 526 E. 87th Street, your insurance headquarters. We have been serving the community since 1962. For more information about the services we provide, call (773) 651-6200. You can also reach us via email at: sales@communityinsurance.com or visit the website at www.communityins.com.
*** The National Highway Safety Administration has released a five-year safety plan for older drivers that includes behavioral and technological changes. *** AAA and AARP both offer online screening assessment of drivers’ abilities. In addition, the website of the American Occupational Therapy Association offers a list, by ZIP codes, of therapists who specialize in driving rehabilitation. BLACKS MUST CONTROL THEIR OWN COMMUNITY
www.chicagocrusader.com
BUSINESS
College Debit Cards Put Financial Aid Balances At-Risk New rules on financial aid disbursement coming from DOE
As 21st Century employers continue to seek a highly-trained workforce, the marketable value of a college education has never been higher. At the same time, the rising costs of a college education force growing numbers of families and students to seek federal financial aid. In FY 2012, according to the Department of Education (DOE), federal student aid programs provided about $142 billion in grants and loans to 15 million students. Although a large portion of these funds are paid directly towards tuition costs, many students also receive a portion of their aid to cover the costs of textbooks or living expenses. To facilitate these direct student payments, many colleges have partnered with financial firms that provide debit cards and/or bank accounts. These disbursement products can serve as a revenue opportunity for colleges; but they may not be the best deal for students. In a recent report, the Government Accounting Office (GAO) identified 852 colleges and universities with agreements to offer either a prepaid debit card or a debit card linked to a regular checking account. In instances that the debit card becomes part of the student’s campus identification, the single debit card can also be used to access banking services. The GAO expressed concerns
about the potential steering of students to these debit cards instead of encouraging them to shop independently for a bank account or prepaid debit cards with potentially better terms and lower fees. As institutions receiving revenues from these debit card partnerships grow dependent on the funds generated, students might be better served by determining whether these debit cards are best for them. With these and other findings, the GAO report called for actions to address student choice, transparency, and access for the growing market of college debit cards. This report will likely serve as a factual reference for the current rulemaking process that DOE is developing for college debit cards. For consumer advocates – including the Center for Responsible Lending – a major concern is whether these debit cards will put students at risk of incurring hefty overdraft fees. Some banks simply decline debit card transactions at no cost to the consumer when consumers lack adequate funds. Other banks charge overdraft fees each time a transaction that lacks available monies on account is attempted. This extension of credit also comes at a high cost. In 2013, CRL research found that debit card transactions were the most common trigger of overdraft fees, causing consumers to incur a median $35 fee per incident. An
equal protection under the law. “He felt, during our case, that he was helping remedy that problem,” Guru reflected. “Otis was not changed by all of the attention that he received. He always remained authentic. On the morning of the decision… he remained just one of us. His humbleness and fierceness is what made you love him.” Colleen Lawson, McDonald’s co-plaintiff, said when she met Otis when they were facing the same challenge: the safety for themselves and their family. She said one would be challenged to find a group of plaintiffs more united before, during or after a case has been decided. She reiterated that their case was never about guns, but rather about family and freedom and told the story of how when she visited McDonald in the hospital shortly before his death and a nurse asked her if she was family. “I told her ‘no,’ but Otis jumped right in and said, ‘yes, she is,’” she shared with a laugh. Lawson said she selfishly was not ready to let McDonald go when
(Continued from page 1) she learned of his passing. But a few days afterwards, she could hear his voice in her head and she began singing to herself. “Carry on in my name because our goal is the same. Whether on earth or above, we stand for all that we love, so carry on in my name.” Jim Porter, president of the NRA, said Otis McDonald was a great American story. He said the theme of McDonald’s life was honorable service, love of family, love of country, and love of fellow man. “Mr. McDonald was the quintessential American citizen. He felt strongly that it was his duty to look after his family and his neighbors,” Porter said. “He had been living on the South Side of Chicago for years, and then it changed, and it got bad. His neighbors and family were mistreated, and they were getting no protection. So, he did what any good American would do: he stood on his rights. He had no idea when he started this journey that he would become an iconic hero of civil rights.”
By Charlene Crowell
Charlene Crowell earlier study of overdraft charges by the FDIC found that young adults were particularly vulnerable to debit card overdrafts. Two leading civil rights leaders, Wade Henderson, President and CEO of the Leadership Conference
more than they have in exchange for a fee is the equivalent of offering them a loan to be repaid with interest. Until DOE finalizes its rulemaking, students and their parents should set out on a mission to better understand the terms of the college debit cards issued. If review of the ‘fine print’ details lead to more questions, those concerns should be brought to the attention of the debit card providers, college officials and if necessary, to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau through its online complaint forms. Those forms can be found at www.consumerfinance.gov. Just as the United Negro College Fund slogan advises that ‘a mind is a terrible thing to waste,’ so too is financial aid. Funds disbursed to support higher education should not be snatched away for private gain. Charlene Crowell is a communications manager with the Center for Responsible Lending. She can be reached at Charlene.crowell@ responsiblelending.org.
The Chicago Urban League tackles closing the skills and opportunity gaps The 2014 Chicago Urban League SUMMIT Luncheon, themed Fearless Collaboration: Where Preparation Meets Opportunity, will high-
Hundreds pay their final respects . . .
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on Civil and Human Rights and Hilary Shelton, NAACP Washington Bureau Director co-authored a commentary on the effects of overdraft fees on communities of color. “Surveys have found that high overdraft fees disproportionately impact people of color and lower-income communities—those who already suffered a disproportionate impact from the financial crisis, and who are now having the hardest time recovering,” said the leaders. Now with so many colleges and universities entering into contracts with debit card providers the opportunity for these lucrative fees to strip away needed student aid is at hand. The DOE faces a major decision. Should the Department restrict schools from entering into partnerships with financial institutions that allow students to overdraw their accounts with the swipe of a debit card? If so, that decision would be consistent with the Department’s existing policy to disallow disbursements of student aid onto debit cards or accounts that can be used or converted into a credit instrument. Allowing consumers to spend
McDonald’s daughter, Shelia McDonald-Jordan, thanked the community at-large for their words of comfort and prayers throughout her father’s illness. She said the outpouring of support for the family was overwhelming. “The loss of my hero, my father, Otis McDonald, my daddy, is so hard, but God needed him more. God saw fit to give my daddy his great big white wings. I would like to say thank you to each and every one of my family and friends whom traveled near and far; those who called, texted, or emailed; those were able to attend; and those who were not. Your prayers, your words of encouragement, and your presence will always mean the world to me and my family.” McDonald is buried at Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery in Elwood, Illinois. He is survived by his wife, Laura Lee; daughters: Chandra, Shelia, Dorsey, Jesse Marie, and son, Jerome; and 18 grandchildren, 11 great-grandchildren and one great-great grandchild.
light strategies that bring the public, private and non-profit sectors together in collective efforts to bolster the number of African Americans who are prepared for and connected to existing and emerging careers in the areas of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) and related fields. The event will take place on Wednesday, April 30, 2014 from 11:30 a.m. until 1:30 p.m. at the Hyatt Regency Chicago. Ilene S. Gordon, Chairman, President and CEO of Ingredion Incor-
BLACKS MUST CONTROL THEIR OWN COMMUNITY
porated, will deliver the luncheon’s keynote address and discuss how rallying together, through public, private, and not-for-profit sector partnerships, can challenge the status quo and ensure that the gaps in skills, access and achievement are closed and eventually eliminated. In addition, the Chicago Urban League will also applaud the work of local innovators who are blazing successful pathways for themselves and for those that will follow them. (Continued on page 16)
Saturday, April 19, 2014
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EDUCATION
Author Shelia P. Moses tells open book students that books can save their lives Author Shelia P. Moses spoke to students about her life as an author and her book, “The Legend of Buddy Bush,” during the Institute for Positive Living’s Open Book Author Event on Saturday, March 29, 2014 at Drake Elementary School, 2722 S. King Dr., in Chicago. Moses’ emphasized the importance of reading books. “The book you read today will save you tomorrow,” said Moses. Open Book Students from Drake Elementary School and the Lawless Garden Youth Program exhibited their reading, writing and critical thinking skills by performing original skits and poems based on Shelia P. Moses’ book “The Legend of Buddy Bush.” The students worked with professional performance artists who helped them create their skits and poems. The audience included parents and a visiting class from Jensen Elemen-
the Open Book participants. She answered students’ questions about her life as an author and her book. The Open Book participants also got a chance to get their books signed by Moses. “The Legend of Buddy Bush” is a novel based on the true story of a young Black man falsely accused of raping a white woman in Rich Square, N.C., in 1947. Shelia P. Moses, who grew up in Rich Square, wove Buddy’s saga into memories of her own childhood, handing off the narrative to Buddy’s wisecracking, “ease-dropping” niece, Pattie Mae Sheals. “The Legend of Buddy Bush” was nominated for the National Book Award and was named the Coretta Scott King Honoree for 2004. Moses is a poet, author, playwright and producer. She is currently researching and writing a novel based on the life and trials of Dred Scott and resides in At-
OPEN BOOK PARTICIPANTS from the Youth Working for Success group at The Lawless Gardens Youth Program are all smiles after reciting their poems inspired by Shelia P. Moses’ book, “The Legend of Buddy Bush,” during the Open Book Author Event on March 29, 2014. Pictured (l-r) Johnathon Sloan, Makala Garrett, Maurice Murry, Diyana Fields, Sheryl McCambry-Cabil, Rayshawn Scott, Moesha Thomas, and Britten Fields. ing. The Mission of the Institute for Positive Living is to promote the quality of community life with special focus on helping families solve educational, social and economic problems.
“THE LEGEND OF BUDDY BUSH” author, Shelia P. Moses, signs copies of her book for students from Drake Elementary School during the Open Book Author event. tary School. on developing critical thinking lanta, Georgia. Following the performances, The Institute for Positive Liv- skills by inspiring young people to Shelia P. Moses interacted with ing’s Open Book Program focuses both love and become proficient in reading and writing. The Open Book Program focuses on stimulating interest in reading quality, culturally relevant children’s literature through a variety of activities including literary circles, drama, and Internet experiences. During each program segment, participants do an in-depth study of one or two books. Authors and author/illustrators have included Sandra Belton, Ashley Bryan, Debbi Chocolate, Sharon Flake, Jan Spivey Gilchrist, Nikki Grimes, Catherine Ingram, Jewell Parker Rhodes, M. LaVora Perry, Harriette Gillem Robinet, Annie Ruth, Earl Sewell, Charles R. Smith, Jr., Hope Anita Smith, Glennette Tilley Turner, Darwin MacBeth Walton, Walter Dean AUTHOR SHELIA P. MOSES is pictured with Drake Student Myers, and Camille Yarbrough. The Open Book Program is part Talia Bailey who played the lead female role of Pattie Mae of the Institute of Positive LivSheals in the skit. 10
Saturday, April 19, 2014
For information on the Open Book Program or the Institute for Positive Living, contact Marrice Coverson at 773-924-9802 or on the Internet at www.openbookprogram.org.
YOUTH, FROM THE Lawless Gardens Youth Program, perform a skit based on Shelia P. Moses’ book.
JAYVON MOORE (RIGHT), who plays Buddy Bush, is arrested by Jailen Aikens (left) who plays the police officer in the Drake Elementary School skit.
BLACKS MUST CONTROL THEIR OWN COMMUNITY
www.chicagocrusader.com
COMMUNITY
Public housing museum moves step closer to reality A proposed national public housing museum recently lopped off one-third of its targeted $6 million fundraising goal recently during a fundraiser at the Black Ensemble Theater (BET). During the fundraiser, museum organizers announced fundraising had reached $2.6 million including a $750,000 contribution from Chicago-based Alphawood Foundation. “Chicago’s Golden Soul,” a showcase of artists including Jerry Butler, Etta James, the Chi-Lites, Curtis Mayfield and other who grew up in Chicago public housing was featured during the event. The proposed museum will commemorate personal experiences in pub-
er, the museum recognized several women leaders who are shining examples of some of the excellence that was bred in public housing, including Fischer (who grew up in the Bronx’ Eastchester Projects); The Honorable Sen. Mattie Hunter (Robert Taylor Homes); Mary Mitchell of the Chicago Sun-Times (Dearborn and Darrow Homes); Mattie Butler (CabriniGreen) of Woodlawn East Community and Neighbors, and former background singer for brother Jerry Butler; Francine Washington (Stateway Gardens), NPHM board member and president of CHA’s Central Advisory Council; and Jackie Taylor (Cabrini-Green),
ZENOBIA JOHNSON-BLACK, NPHM Board of Directors member, was on hand at a recent museum fundraiser to introduce and honor women of public housing, which included Sunny Fischer, Mary Mitchell, and Jackie Taylor. They all spoke of the positive formative influences of growing up in public housing on their pathways to success. lic housing across the country. founder of the Black Ensemble The most recent donation moves Theater. the museum group closer to acOthers attending the event inquiring a 99-year lease from the cluded Jesse White, Illinois SecreChicago Housing Authority tary of State; Cook County (CHA) to acquire a building at the Recorder of Deeds and vice chair former Jane Adams Homes in the of the Illinois Democratic Party 1300 block of Taylor Street. Karen Yarbrough; NPHM Board As a part of the theater fundrais- Chair Sunny Fischer and Alpha-
KAREN YARBROUGH, Cook County Recorder of Deeds and vice chair, Illinois Democratic Party, second from left, joined the NPHM celebration of diverse women leaders, all from public housing from (l-r): Loisteen Walker-Woods, former president, Altgeld/Carver Park District Advisory Council; Yarbrough, Sunny Fischer, Mattie Butler, and Jackie Taylor. The salute to women also included Mary Mitchell, Francine Washington and Illinois State Sen. Mattie Hunter.
ILLINOIS SECRETARY OF STATE, Jesse White, was on hand when The National Public Housing Museum (NPHM) acknowledged Alphawood Foundation Chicago for their $750,000 capital gift at a museum fundraiser held recently at the Black Ensemble Theater. Left to right is Jim McDonough, executive director Alphawood Foundation Chicago; Secretary White; Brad White, associate director Alphawood Foundation Chicago; and Todd Palmer, Interim executive director NPHM. wood Foundation Chicago Execu- tional Public Housing Museum, find the museum on Facebook/visit www.publichousingmuse- National Public Housing Museum tive Director Jim McDonough. For information about the Na- um.org or www.nphm.org. Also and Twitter @NPHM.
Prologue Inc. plans to open school this fall
On a given school day, there are some 60,000 dropouts roaming the streets of the nation’s third largest city. For 40 years, Prologue Inc. has been a leader in addressing this crisis and providing alternative educational opportunities for young people ages 17-21. The organization’s successes have been chronicled on the Oprah Winfrey Show, the Phil Donahue Show and in prestigious newspapers such as the Washington Post and the Chicago Tribune. Now, Prologue is presenting another cutting edge concept for Chicago. The organization plans to open the city’s first maritime academy for high school dropouts, hoping it will open their eyes to new educational opportunities and get them jobs in the growing maritime industry. Prologue officials traveled to Toledo recently to attend the Great Lakes Maritime Education Sympowww.chicagocrusader.com
sium to learn best practices that will make their vision, to establish the William Tillman Maritime Academy, a reality. “Over 60 maritime leaders from
across the country attended the symposium and the weekend provided an excellent platform for immersive learning in preparing the next generation of Great Lakes
DR. NANCY JACKSON and Captain Mark Stevenson at The Maritime Academy of Toledo.
mariners,” said Renee Marazon, founder of the Maritime Academy of Toledo. “We are excited to welcome Prologue to learn about our academy and support their plans in Chicago.” The third annual K-12 Great Lakes Maritime Education Symposium took place April 11 in Toledo, Ohio. It was followed by a ribbon cutting ceremony and VIP cocktail reception to unveil the completion of Phase I, a state of the art, Class A full mission bridge and radar classroom simulators on the second floor of One Maritime Plaza, in downtown Toledo. “Using simulation technology and experiential learning to educate the next generation of Great Lakes Mariners” is the theme of the Third Annual K-12 Great Lakes Maritime Education Symposium hosted by The Maritime Academy of Toledo Foundation. Michael D. Collins, Mayor of Toledo; Congresswoman
BLACKS MUST CONTROL THEIR OWN COMMUNITY
Marcy Kaptur, 9th District Ohio; Marazon and Dr. Arthur H. Sulzer, EdD, Captain USN (Retired), who was recently named by President Obama to the Advisory Board of the St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation, are some of the many guests at the symposium. Prologue officials Dr. Nancy Jackson, chief executive officer; Shipmaster Captain Mark Stevenson, maritime consultant; Sherri Hal-Rembert, Programs Director; and William Scott, community engagement consultant will be attending the symposium and job fair. “As leaders in the space of maritime/marine education, the officials at the Maritime Academy of Toledo will be our mentors as we start the various training programs at the William Tillman Maritime Academy,” said Hal-Rembert. “Therefore we consider it an honor that they invited us to the symposium and of(Continued on page 14) Saturday, April 19, 2014
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ENTERTAINMENT
By Raymond Ward SONNY, PLEASE!: Since launching his Doxy label in 2006 with the Grammy Award-nominated studio album Sonny, Please, the great tenor saxophonist Sonny Rollins has been turning to his vast archive of his own concert recordings to compile superior performances for release in Doxy’s acclaimed Road Shows series. The selections in Volume 1 (2006) spanned nearly 30 years and included a trio track from the saxophonist’s 50th-anniversary Carnegie Hall concert, while Volume 2 (2011) focused primarily on his epic 80th birthday concert at New York’s Beacon Theatre. Road Shows, Volume 3, to be released May 6 as part of a distribution agreement with Sony Music Masterworks and its jazz imprint Okeh, draws its six tracks from concerts recorded between 2001 and 2012 in Saitama, Japan; Toulouse, Marseille and Marciac, France: and St. Louis, Missouri. “Patanjail,” a recent-vintage Rollins composition is given its debut recording on the new disc. The performances, says Rollins, “present parts of me I want to have preSonny Rollins sented.” On May 5 at 12 (noon), EDT, Rollins will expand his forays into social-media territory (and CD promotion) by participating in an unprecedented video conference. “Sonny Rollins Meets His Fans” broadcast live on YouTube and Google+. Ten members of Sonny’s global community of listeners and fellow musicians, chosen from the winners of a video contest on his Facebook page, will interact with Sonny, one by one, in real-time video, utilizing Google’s popular Hangout platform. Immediately after the live broadcast, the program will be available for viewing on demand on Sonny’s website and Facebook page. In addition to the ten guests (each of whom will receive a copy of
By Elaine Hegwood Bowen, MSJ
Motown the Musical is alright out of sight Music mogul Berry Gordy was all excited, and as well he should have been, at the “Motown the Musical” press conference held recently in Chicago. Gordy was in town to introduce media to the great cast that was chosen from all over the country to perform as Motown heavy hitters in “Motown the Musical,” playing at the Oriental Theater from April 22 through at least July 13. Gordy was introduced by the director of the first leg of this national tour, Charles RandolphWright, and a representative from Broadway in Chicago, who were both pleased to have the touring company blast off from Chicago. Gordy waxed nostalgic about years ago that he spent in Chicago when he wasn’t wheeling and dealing in Detroit. “I produced my first record in Chicago at Chess Studios, before Motown, and my movie Mahogany was filmed right on the South Side.” He added that the Chicago cast is phenomenal: “I am blown away by the cast, and this is an exciting time. They are better than any
Allison Semmes nois at Urbana-Champaign, has been performing since she was about 3 years old—“jumping in front of the TV,” she said. “My mom knew I was going to be a musical child.” Semmes attended Kenwood High School and is a
Diana Ross,” she added. “I have studied Diana’s music and movie roles, and I had so much fun— getting a taste of Broadway and being with the Motown family.” When asked what she thought about the Motown sound, Semmes said that it “shattered social barriers.” She is hopeful that the musical will open doors and the eyes of a new audience. “I hope people see America’s music and that the younger generation is educated about the musicians and the fact that Gordy went from a boxer to a music mogul.” She was ecstatic in that she has come full circle. “With all my training here in Chicago, it has formed the musician and artist that I am today. It is an honor to be performing in my hometown.”
Nicholas Christopher
Jarran Muse
Clifton Oliver
member of the Greater Institutional African Methodist Episcopal Church on 78th and Indiana. She was also a member of the Chicago Children’s Choir for 12 years and traveled the world, which prepared her in many ways. “I was exposed to different languages and others types of music,” she said. “These experiences were my professional building blocks.” She said she got the role of Diana Ross after many call-backs and eventually a personal performance in front of Gordy. “I played Florence Ballard in New York and was an understudy for
Road Shows, Volume 3), moderator Bret Primack will be choosing questions from Google+ viewers. Road Shows Volume 3 was produced by Rollins and his longtime engineer Richard Corsello. Trombonist Clifton Anderson and bassist Bob Cranshaw are heard throughout, joined on selected tracks by pianist Stephen Scott, guitarists Bobby Broom and Peter Bernstein; drummers Kobie Watkins, Perry Wilson, Steve Jordan and Victor Lewis and percussionists Kimati Dinizulu and Sammy Figueroa. “All of these people in my bands are top of the line in their own right,” says Rollins. “It’s a privilege and pleasure to play with them.”
cast that I have seen so far.” The Crusader was able to catch an interview with native Chicago Hyde Parker Allison Semmes, who plays Diana Ross. While the word “diva” has been attached to Ross by countless others, Semmes says she is just looking to give a performance that illustrates Ross’ everlasting influence on the global music world. Semmes, who received a music degree from the University of Illi-
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BLACKS MUST CONTROL THEIR OWN COMMUNITY
Yolanda Adams
Saturday, April 19, 2014
Featuring more than 50 classic hits such as “My Girl” and “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough,” “Motown the Musical” tells the story behind the hits, as Diana, Smokey, Berry and the whole Motown family fight against the odds to create the soundtrack of change in America. Other cast members include Clifton Oliver, who plays Berry Gordy, Jarran Muse, who plays Marvin Gaye, and Nicholas Christopher, who plays Smokey Robinson. Everyone agrees that “Motown the Musical” highlights the sound of young America, not just the sound of Black America. For ticket information, call 800-7752000 or visit one of the Broadway in Chicago ticket offices, located at 24 W. Randolph St., 151 W. Randolph St., 18 W. Monroe St., and 175 E. Chestnut St. www.chicagocrusader.com
ENTERTAINMENT
Nas documentary ‘Time is Illmatic’ opens New York’s Tribeca Film Festival Lilly Hartley’s Candescent Films announced a multi-year initiative with Tribeca Film Institute to support documentary films through the Candescent Award. The Award’s inaugural recipient will be “Time is Illmatic,” which is opening this year’s Tribeca Film Festival. The award is a grant given through the Tribeca Film Institute. “Time is Illmatic,” from director/producer One9 and producer Erik Parker, delves deep into the making of Nas’ 1994 debut album, “Illmatic,” and the social conditions that influenced its creation. Twenty years after its release, “Illmatic” has become a hip-hop benchmark that encapsulates the socio-political outlook, enduring spirit and collective angst of a generation of young Black men searching for their voice in America. The documentary examines the social conditions and environmental influences that contributed to Nas’ worldview. “‘Time is Illmatic’ is a lyrical film
Candescent Award to help get it to the finish line.” Nas is equally as excited: “I want to thank the TFF for supporting the film with the incredible platform
songs by Nas is his debut single, ‘The World is Yours.’ It ushered in what some like to call The Golden Era of hip hop. Looking back on the genre as a whole, and Nas’ extraordinary ca-
NAS OPENS Tribeca Film Festival. they’ve built over the years,” he said. reer...he was right.” “It’s an honor to premiere this film in The documentary and festival are my hometown. I also want to thank deeply rooted in New York City, says One9 and Erik Parker for their persis- Jane Rosenthal, CEO and Cotence and hard work. Those guys and founder of TFF. “But it represents I come from the same place and era, and reaches communities far beyond, and the film spotlights a musical journey with community and family at its core, and we look forward to celebrating this pivotal moment in hip hop history as we open our 13th edition.” Nas has taken his life experiences and shared them with the world, said One9. “Throughout the journey, we see the metamorphosis of Nas as a young street poet, full of a rich musical legacy, transforming the pain and isolation of growing up in Queensbridge Houses into raw, honest lyrics, illuminating a spirit that inspired generations from the past, present and the future. Experiencing the stoPSALM ONE ACKNOWLEDGES Nas’ hip hop influence. ries, passion and energy of a modernthat inspires us to overcome social which gives the doc an authenticity day alchemist shaping lyrical dust to and economic challenges and cele- that is important to me. We wanted diamonds was truly an honor, and we brates cultural history,” said Hartley. this film to represent the real, from are extremely proud to premiere the “I am honored to support the heart- the storyline all the way down to the film at Tribeca.” The screening of the documentary beat of this film through the Candes- directors and producers.” Psalm One, a Chicago-based rap- will be followed by a special musical cent Award. Candescent’s partnership with the TFI is exciting to me, as per, was also congratulatory on Nas’ performance by Nas. In addition to they provide vital resources to emerg- recognition. “Nas is one of the most Nas’ opening night documentary, ing artists and the documentary com- influential rappers of his day. I re- other documentaries that are being member not quite understanding screened during the festival include: munity.” Champs: Mike Tyson, Evander Ryan Harrington, Vice President, why everyone was so amazed by him, Artist Programs, Tribeca Film Insti- and it took me years of honing my Holyfield and others talk about the tute, added: “As with all of our own craft and doing my own hip hop sport that has given them so much, grantees, TFI is honored to have had studies to do so,” Psalm One said. “I and asked for much in return: boxthe great opportunity to work with remember, however, feeling like he ing. From inner-city housing projects ‘Time is Illmatic’ throughout the was a kindred spirit, because he to the biggest stages in boxing, this infilm’s creative process – from giving it rapped with a chipped tooth, just like sightful and provocative documena Tribeca All Access grant for produc- me, for years. He is truly one of the tary charts the lives of some of Amerition in 2013, through choosing it for greatest rappers of all time, with a ca’s heaviest hitters, including Tyson, a Tribeca All Access Alumni grant for discography that trumps most. She Holyfield and Bernard Hopkins, as editing in 2014, to now with this continued: “One of my favorite rap they seek to break out of poverty via
one of the few outlets available. Director Bert Marcus skillfully weaves their personal histories and gripping footage from their biggest bouts to explore the meaning of the American dream in a society increasingly fragmented between rich and poor. Iverson: Iverson is the ultimate legacy of NBA legend Allen Iverson, who rose from a childhood of crushing poverty in Hampton, Virginia, to become an 11-time NBA All-Star and universally recognized icon of his sport. Off the court, his audacious rejection of conservative NBA convention and unapologetic embrace of hip hop culture sent shockwaves through-
“Clyde” Frazier, Earl Monroe, Willis Reed, Bill Bradley, Phil Jackson, Red Holzman, Dave DeBusschere, Jerry Lucas, and many more stars from the Knicks’ championship years, “When the Garden Was Eden” is a snapshot of a colorful and volatile era in New York history and a testament to the breathless energy that defines the city and its sporting heroes. Keep on Keepin’ On: In his melodic debut, Australian-director Alan Hicks spent four years following the charming and sometimes poignant mentorship between 93-year-old jazz-legend Clark Terry and blind piano prodigy Justin Kaulflin during a
ALLEN IVERSON RECOGNIZED in new documentary. out the league and influenced an en- pivotal moment in each of their lives. tire generation. Told largely in Iver- Terry has played alongside Duke son’s own words, the film charts the Ellington and Count Basie; his pupils career highs and lows of one of the included Miles Davis and Quincy most distinctive and accomplished Jones, but his most unlikely friendfigures the sport of basketball has ever ship is with Justin, a 23-year-old with uncanny talent but debilitating seen. When the Garden was Eden: Actor nerves. As Justin prepares for a comand tried-and-true New Yorker petition that could jumpstart his Michael Rapaport delivers an un- budding career, Terry’s failing health abashed love letter to the Knicks with threatens his own. Beautifully nostalthis fast-moving tribute to the team’s gic with a reverence for the imporglory days, based on Harvey Araton’s tance of finding your own sound, the best-selling book from 2012, “When film celebrates an iconic musician the Garden Was Eden.” In the late while introducing one of equal vi-
CLARK TERRY DURING the taping of ‘Keep on Keepin On.’ ’60s, basketball was the city’s forgot- brancy. It is a mentoring tale as inspiten sport. Enter an unlikely band of rational as its subjects. For more inscrappy team players, many of them formation about the Tribeca Film future hall-of-famers, who would Festival, which opened earlier this transform the team into one of the week and ends on April 27, and its online offerings, visit http://www.triNBA’s most dazzling squads. Featuring interviews with Walt becafilm.com/.
LETTER TO THE EDITOR (Continued from page 4) the April 10 edition of the Chicago Tribune newspaper. The headline screamed “Former aid to Obama pal Whitaker pleads guilty.” Decision makers at the paper surely understand that pairing the words Obama and guilty will cause a lot of tongues to start wagging, and probawww.chicagocrusader.com
bly more important to them sell more papers. The readers surely will be disappointed to find the story had nothing to do with the president. So regardless of which side you are on regarding the president the paper caused you just to waste money. Because the Chicago papers have a
longer history with President Obama than others in other parts of the country, I would think they would be less prone to sensationalize. It seems as though not one week goes by without some news organization trying to tie something negative onto the President, regardless of how far removed from a situation it
is. Some may think it is only about Obama, but I have to believe this is more about trying to ensure he is the last African American president for many many years to come. If they can discredit the first African American president then every possible Black successor after will have his or her credibility more so than it nor-
BLACKS MUST CONTROL THEIR OWN COMMUNITY
mally would be. It is very slick game and I hope that Black folks who really want to understand politics and all of its nuances will think for themselves and not get caught up in mainstream news media’s disingenuous moves. Carl Milton Saturday, April 19, 2014
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ARTS AND CULTURE
Chicago a cappella presents ‘Birth of the Gospel’ Rollo Dilworth is guest conductor when Chicago a cappella presents “Birth of the Gospel” Saturday, April 19, at 8:00 p.m. at the Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts, 915 East 60th St. The concert will include the classical anthems, hymns, spirituals, and gospel works sung in many Black churches that led to the advent of contemporary gospel music. Joining Chicago a cappella for a rousing finale is The Triedstone Full Baptist Church “Youth in Action” Choir. Guest Music Director Rollo Dilworth, internationally acclaimed choral director, arranger, and composer, is Chair of Music Education and Music Therapy and Associate Professor of Choral Music Education at the Boyer College of Music at Temple University, Philadelphia, where he teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in choral music education and serves as conductor of
Rollo Dilworth the University Chorale. Prior to his appointment at the Boyer College, Dr. Dilworth was on faculty at North Park University in Chicago for 13 years where he was Director of Choral Activities and Music Education. Before teaching at the college level, he taught choral and general music at the middle
school level in his native town of St. Louis, MO. Dilworth maintains an interest in working with children’s and youth Choirs. He has held conducting positions with the Jubilate Children’s Choir of the Northshore (renamed the Youth Choral Theater of Chicago), and the Music Institute of Chicago Children’s Choir. He currently serves as a consultant on choral pedagogy for the Chicago Children’s Choir. Dilworth is a life member of the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA) and serves on the ACDA Eastern Division board as Repertoire and Standards Chair for Student and Youth Activities. He is Chair-Elect for the Chorus America Board of Directors. Dilworth also holds memberships with the National Association for Music Education (NAfME), the National Association of Negro Musicians (NANM),
Lyric Opera presents ‘The Sound of Music’ Hit Broadway musical opens April 25 at the Civic Opera House Lyric Opera of Chicago presents Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Broadway musical “The Sound of Music” (new production) opening Friday, April 25 at the Civic Opera House, 20 N. Wacker Dr. Originally scheduled to close May 11, performances of the hit Broadway musical were extended to May 25 due to popular demand. Leading the production’s all-star cast as Captain von Trapp is Billy Zane who starred in James Cameron’s 1997 blockbuster film
Billy Zane/Photo by Azabra “Titanic” and received critical acclaim for his portrayal of Billy Flynn in Broadway’s “Chicago.” A native of Chicago and graduate of the Francis W. Parker School, Zane is known for his achievements as an actor in more than 100 films. It was his role as Caledon Hockley in “Titanic” that brought him his highest distinction, garnering him a Blockbuster Movie Award as Best Supporting 14
Saturday, April 19, 2014
Actor. Also featured are Broadway star Jenn Gambatese as Maria and Broadway and TV star Edward Hibbert as impresario Max Detweiler. Cast members include renowned operatic sopranos Christine Brewer as the Mother Abbess and Elizabeth Futral as Elsa Schraeder, and local talents Betsy Farrar (Liesl), Brady Tutton, (Friedrich), Julia Schweizer (Louisa), Michael Harp (Kurt), Isabelle Roberts (Brigitta), KyLee
Jenn Gambatese/Photo by Chris Macke Hennes (Marta), Nicole Sciemeca (Gretl), and Zach Sorrow (Rolf). The new production will be conducted by Rob Fisher (Lyric debut), directed by Marc Bruni (Lyric debut), designed by Michael Yeargan, choreographed by Denis Jones (Lyric debut), with lighting by Duane Schuler and costumes by Alejo Vietti (Lyric debut). Michael Black is chorus master. In addition to the cast, 37 members of the Lyric Opera Orchestra will perform with a 25-member choral ensemble (including 12
Christine Brewer/Photo Christian Steiner members of the Lyric Opera Chorus). This company premiere is the second work in Lyric’s American Musical Theater Initiative, which launched last season with a new production of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “Oklahoma!” Tickets start at $29 and are available now at lyricopera.org/soundofmusic or at 312-8275600. For more information on The Sound of Music production of Rodgers visit lyricopera.org/soundofmusic.
Elizabeth Futral/ Photo Karli Cadel
Chicago a cappella and American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP). Tickets are $38 (preferred seating); $30 (general admission); $25 (seniors) and $10 (students) and may be purchased online or by tele-
phone. Groups of 10 or more can receive a special discount rate. Visit chicagoacappella.org or call 773281-7820 for more information. USE CODE: GOSPEL3 to receive a $5 discount.
The Voice Faculty of the Chicago College of Performing Arts (CCPA) of Roosevelt University will perform a benefit concert, “A Celebration of Song,” Sunday, May 4 at 3:00 p.m. in Rudolph Ganz Hall, 430 S. Michigan Ave., 7th Floor. Voice Faculty members Matthew Chellis, Cynthia Clarey, Mark Crayton, Allan Glassman, Bruce Hall, Jonita Lattimore and Richard Stilwell will perform works ranging from Bellini and Bizet to Cole Porter and Cabaret accompanied by pianists Dana
Brown and Scott Gilmore in order to raise funds to provide scholarships for CCPA voice students. Faculty member Judith Haddon will serve as emcee. Henry Fogel is Dean of CCPA and Marsha Goldstein is Chair of the CCPA Advisory Board. Tickets are $100 each; four for $350; and may be obtained by calling Felicia Williams at 312-3414342 or online at fwilliams@- roosevelt.edu on or before Friday, April 25. Ticket prices are fully tax-deductible to the extent of the law.
Prologue Inc. plans to open (Continued from page 11) fering us a private tour of the Academy.” The Prologue team, which has been working diligently over the past year towards opening the William Tillman Maritime Academy, is excited to be at the symposium where they will attend educational workshops pertaining to the industry and share information about Prologue, which is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year. The weekend’s events provided an excellent opportunity for Prologue to showcase the maritime program during the Career/Job placement fair April 11. “The Toledo Academy opened with six students in 2006 and today we have about 225 students attending the courses,” said Dr. Arthur H. Sulzer, member of the Advisory Board of the Saint Lawrence Seaway
BLACKS MUST CONTROL THEIR OWN COMMUNITY
Development Corporation. “As a long-term proponent of maritime/marine school education programs, it is exciting to learn about the William Tillman Academy set to open in Chicago. It was my personal ambition to support maritime education programs in every major city along the Great Lakes and the symposium will bring together community leaders from Detroit, Cleveland and Chicago where new schools/programs are being initiated.” Sulzer added, “I commend the Prologue team for their enthusiasm to work diligently in creating a successful maritime school for Chicago youth. They will benefit greatly from the symposium where they can learn from other schools about the new technology and programs that will position Tillman students for the best career opportunities in the industry.” www.chicagocrusader.com
SPIRITUALLY SPEAKING
A Moment to Super Size Your Thinking By Effie Rolfe You still have value—regardless of your life’s journey and the challenges you’ve faced. Your life is filled with purpose, value and worth because you’ve been bought with a price—the blood of Jesus Christ. So this week is a reminder that regardless of all the mistakes you have made or the wrong path you have willfully walked, God has you here for a reason. Thankfully His ways are so above ours— don’t even try to figure it out— just be grateful. So you messed up…it’s called life. I know in your heart of hearts, you pray and you cry and hope that it will never happen again. “For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing” Romans 7:19. Just like death—messups are inevitable. If you were totally perfect, chances are you wouldn’t be alive. Honestly, I thought Christians matured into perfection—but now I wonder if
Effie Rolfe one can ever become perfect in this life—on this earth plane. Furthermore, Psalm reminds us “For a righteous man falleth seven times, and riseth up again; But the wicked are overthrown by calamity.” God is just and merciful to forgive as long as we remain faith-
ful with a heart for righteousness. A few weeks ago, I was asked to speak during an event for a substance abuse ministry. The pastor and coordinator read my book entitled, “The K(N)ots Prayer Journal” and thought it would be perfect to share with the group. The book is similar to my weekly column, which shares practical thought provoking messages to help empower, as well as expand one’s vision. I quickly obliged and reminded each person that as long as you have a pulse—you have a purpose. Everyone has issues— yours may be alcohol, someone else may be drugs, lying, fornicating, adultery, food or gambling. Yours is no better or worse than mine. Examine a $20 dollar bill. How much is its value once it’s been stepped on, dropped in the mud, washed and gone through the ringer? What if it falls in the toilet? What if it blows 30 miles away in a tornado and ends up in another city or state? What if it’s wrinkled and faded after being
tossed around? Once you take that $20 dollar bill to the bank— the value is still going to be worth $20 dollars. So it is with you during your struggle with drugs, obesity or your spending that’s been out of control for the past 10 years. Perhaps you had a child out of wedlock. You felt you weren’t the best parent, suffered an abusive relationship or you had an abortion. Again, because you are still alive— God still has purpose for your life. He takes your misery and gives you a mission to encourage someone else not to go down that path. You can mentor someone or be their eyes and ears since you’ve been there and done that. God takes your pity and gives you a purpose. “For all things work together for the good of them that love the Lord,” Romans 8:28. Yes, even your missteps can be turned around for the good. Remember—God specializes in the impossible. What seems useless and hopeless in your sight is just right
for God. You should never feel worthless or undeserving. Our heavenly Father takes nothing and produces life-changing miracles. Get over yourself. Your life is not about you. God made you, He made me and all of creation for His glory. Your purpose is much bigger than you, so allow God to use all of your life. Allow Him to turn your past into a glorious future. Whenever you ask—God is willing to forgive whatever you have done. Don’t be a prisoner of your past. Bask in the beauty of freedom and live life with purpose. You are blessed from the womb to the tomb. Never give up because God has not given up on you. What’s the value of your life…? ©Effie Rolfe is the author of “Supersize Your Thinking,” a Media Personality and Motivational Speaker. You can visit my website: effierolfe.com or follow me at twitter.com/effiedrolfe.
The Crusader Gospel Corner Cassi Davis loves being America’s favorite “southern mama.” Each week million watch Ella Payne in the television comedy series “House of Payne” produced by Tyler Perry. Davis began her career in Spike Lee’s “School Daze” while attending Spelman College. Since 1988, her TV and movie credits have expanded to
ous subject of foster care. “I have learned from Mr. Perry since 2004, that his theme is the same—restoration—laughter— exposure and freedom,” she said. “He really wants his audience to have fun. This particular one sheds light on our children in foster care. He puts it in the realm of a comedy. When you see the play,
The musical stage play is scheduled for release on DVD (plus Digital Ultraviolet), Digital HD, Video On Demand and Pay-PerView from Lionsgate Home Entertainment.
live CD and Video recording. The 200 Voice choir will record on April 27, 4:00 p.m. at the historic Fellowship Baptist Church, 45th and Princeton Avenue in Chicago. Expect an evening of praise, worship and good old fashion church. All are welcome to attend.
*** Pastor Darius Brooks and Grace Central Church, 10216 Kitchen-
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Darius Brooks
Madea’s Neighbors From Hell include “Living Single,” “Daddy’s Little Girls” and other movies by Tyler Perry. Once again, the seemingly natural born comedienne and Mississippi native will have viewers in stitches on April 22 in the hilarious new comedy “Madea’s Neighbors From Hell.” Davis plays “Aunt Bam” in the play starring blockbuster, director, writer and producer—Tyler Perry and Christian/gospel recording artist Wess Morgan. Davis is grateful that Perry often writes her into most of his plays and shared how America’s Madea managed to shed light on the seriwww.chicagocrusader.com
I think Madea is the neighbor from hell,” said Davis laughing. “The foster care people have come into the home in between Bam and Madea’s home. Bam is on the porch going through her regular day—in a neighborhood where you know what’s going on in your neighbor’s house. We basically bust up in her house and detect…you’re not treating these children right. You’re not this and you’re not that. The premise is the foster care mom—there are so many issues with foster care where they just do it for the money. It’s an awareness—it’s sad, but he does try to give laughter in it.”
er Street in Westchester will be in their 5th year anniversary services “Against All Odds.” A banquet for their milestone anniversary celebration services will be held on Saturday, April 19 at 5 p.m. with the honorable Rev. Dr. Clay Evans to share words of wisdom as the keynote speaker. The anniversary celebration services continue on Easter Sunday at 10:30 a.m. with First Lady Deborah Brooks and April 27 with Minister Chandra Barnes. For more information about the services contact info@gracecentral.net or call 708-3445020.
*** Rev. D. Hillsman and Grace and Glory Tabernacle MBC, 2140 S. Pulaski Road in Chicago invites you to experience Holy Week and Easter Services beginning at 7:15 p.m. on Wednesday and Thursday. There will be the “Seder” meal and “foot washing” for one hour on Thursday. Friday will feature the Seven Last Words of Christ at 7:30 p.m. On Sunday there will be an Easter Sunrise service at 6:30 a.m., breakfast at 8:00 a.m., Sunday school at 9:00 a.m. and followed by morning worship service at 11:00 a.m. The church will present an Easter Pageant drama presentation at 3:30 p.m., dinner at 5:30 p.m. and ending with an Easter egg hunt. *** Rev. Clay Evans and Dr. Lou Della Evans-Reid and the Traditional Choir invite you to their
BLACKS MUST CONTROL THEIR OWN COMMUNITY
Kurt Carr Condolences to gospel singer, Kurt Carr, who recently lost his mother, Mrs. Deloris Carr.
Send Your Church News Send your church news to the Chicago Crusader, Newspaper at 6429 S. King Dr., Chicago, IL 60637 or by email: crusaderil@aol.com, by fax to 773-752-2817. Please email pictures in JPEG format only and do not email flyers. For more information call 773-752-2500. Saturday, April 19, 2014
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HEALTH
Report says half of college mothers are Black (Continued from page 1) late to help her. In 2012 she dropped out of college after having her third child. “I have three kids and no husband and I have no one to blame but myself,” said Wells, who was studying
marketing at Roosevelt University. “After my first child I was able to stay in school. After my second child was born I took a year off to regroup, but got back in school. But when I had my third child last year it became too much to raise three
kids alone and go to school.” Money is another factor pushing single, Black mothers like Wells out of school, according to the report. Women and many Black communities face lower earnings than men, and than white and Asian gradu-
ates, according to the report. And the report suggested that segregation in college studies could play a role in differential earnings after graduation. *Black workers must have a bachelor’s degree for their median earn-
(Continued from page 9) “Preparing people with the skills needed to be connected to existing and emerging opportunities can be an overwhelming task, and though there has been improvement in certain sectors, there are still major skill gaps in the African American community,” said Andrea L. Zopp, president and CEO of the Chicago Urban League. “There remains an urgent need to increase the number of African Americans who are not
only prepared for STEM careers, but who also have access to ample opportunities in science, technology, engineering and math. Addressing these ongoing challenges requires a universal recognition that bold, fearless leadership and collaboration is needed across sectors.” Among those receiving special recognition as innovators for their dynamic work in the areas of education and healthcare will be: Joy Bivins, curator at the Chicago His-
tory Museum, who is behind diverse exhibits including Without Sanctuary: Lynching Photography in America and Inspiring Beauty: 50 Years of Ebony Fashion Fair. Bivins ensures African Americans’ contribution to the city’s history is preserved and recognized. Elizabeth Dozier, principal of Fenger Academy High School, who helped develop an instructional strategy and framework to change failing schools. For more information about Sum-
mit 2014 call 773-258-5800 or visit www.thechicagourbanleague.org.
The Chicago Urban League tackles . . .
About the Chicago Urban League Established in 1916, the Chicago Urban League works for economic, educational and social progress for African Americans and promotes strong sustainable communities through advocacy, collaboration and innovation.
BLACK WOMEN AND PAY EQUITY (Continued from page 6 ) I was delighted that President Obama signed the Lily Ledbetter Act when he did, and have been privileged to hear Ledbetter speak on more than one occasion. She is an amazing woman with a talent for “breaking it down.” When she learned that men doing the same job she did earned more money, she cried “foul” but the law said it was “too late” for her to complain. In her inimitable way, she said that grocers did not charge her less money because she was female, nor did doctors, or anyone else. She said that higher-paid men didn’t have to make uncomfortable choices about
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which child would get new shoes or clothes. African American women can tell the same story as Lily Ledbetter. Indeed, the gaps African American women are likely to be more severe than the ones Lily Ledbetter faced. The pay gap for African Americans is larger and too many live in food deserts where the cost of food is higher even as the quality is lower. Lily Ledbetter deserves the limelight she earned because she brought this matter to the President’s attention. There’s a black woman out there who can tell a similar story. She, too, needs to be lifted up. We ought to know her
name, see her name on a piece of legislation. Ledbetter is an ordinary shero, a working class woman who stood up for her rights. She reminds us that, in the words of Dr. Martin Luther King, “you don’t have to be great to serve”. We need a similar sister to remind us that we don’t have to be elected, appointed, or anointed to make a difference. When African American women are marginalized so are our girls. They are left with the impression that we have not fought for our rights. We’ve been fighting and fighting, but somehow the story of a sister struggling is too unremarkable to be noted by the media.
Race and gender continue to shape the opportunities that African American women have, and race and gender continue to marginalize us black women. When do African American women have equal visibility in the policy and imagery arena? When we demand it, when we stop applauding at our own marginalization!
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ings to equal those of a white worker with an associate’s degree, and a master’s degree to equal those of white and Asian bachelor’s degree holders. *Women with bachelor’s degrees earn only 73 percent of what comparable men earn, and Black and Hispanic workers overall with bachelors’ degrees earn only 80 percent of what comparable white workers earn. *Women are much less likely to major in STEM fields: Engineering technologies and computer IT sciences are among the five most common associates’ degree majors for men but not for women.
LEGAL NOTICE Notice is hereby given, pursuant to “An Act in relation to the use of an Assumed Business Name in the conduct or transaction of Business in the State,” as amended, that a certification was filed by the undersigned with the County Clerk of Cook County. Registration Number D14137539 on March 28, 2014. Under the Assumed Business Name of JOHNSON HEALTHCARE SERVICES with the business located at 10916 S. Sangamon St., Chicago IL 60643. The true name(s) and residence address of the owner(s)/partners(s) Full Name is: DONNA MARIE JOHNSON, Complete Address 10916 S. SANGAMON ST., Chicago, IL 60643, USA. 4/12, 4/19, 4/26, 2014
HELP WANTED
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HOUSES FOR SALE
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HOUSES FOR SALE
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SPORTS
Chicago White Sox hold panel discussion on Jackie Robinson’s societal impact By J. Coyden Palmer As an avid Brooklyn Dodgers fan growing up, Chicago White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf was in the stands during a preseason game against the Yankees when Jackie Robinson took the field just days before he broke Major League Baseball color barrier on Opening Day April 15, 1947. Now some 67 years later Robinson’s legacy is still being told to today’s youth. The White Sox hosted baseball players from Kenwood Academy, Simeon, King, Leo, Seton and Urban Prep high schools on Tuesday for a one-hour panel that discussed Robinson’s role in changing American society. Moderated by journalist Richard Steele, panelists included Reinsdorf, DuSable Museum CEO Dr. Carol Adams and White Sox Executive Vice President Kenny Williams. The students were allowed to ask the panelists questions and were treated to a nice lunch as well as tickets to the day’s game against the Boston Red Sox. This is the third year the White Sox organization has held such an event. Also in attendance was Gov. Pat Quinn. “The discussion today will be about how baseball and sports can change a society. America is a lot different today than it was then,” Quinn said. “That’s part of why all of you are here today. You young people have the challenge of moving us forward as we strive to become a perfect union.” Williams said Robinson’s story reminded him of the bonding of team-
mates and the humanity capability in all of us. He said Robinson was always a person who stood up for himself and others. While growing up in Pasadena, California, Robinson was subjected to racism and segregation. He said those experiences helped prepare him for the challenges he would face in tearing down Major League Baseball’s color barrier. “He almost walked off the football team at Pasadena Community College because six white kids from Oklahoma were recruited and they began to mistreat and degrade the Black players who were not stars on the team. Jackie stood up for them,” Williams explained. “He stood on his principles and morals and those players eventually changed their way of acting after being educated.” Reinsdorf, who grew up in Brooklyn, said at the time Brooklyn was the perfect place for Robinson to play because it has always been racially diverse. He said he had friends from all different backgrounds and as a child he was aloof to much of the racism that was taking place. He said it first hit him about what Robinson had achieved later in the year when he asked a Black childhood friend, Lester Davis, who his favorite player was and Davis looked at him like he was crazy. “That’s when it dawned on me that Robinson was the only one and that by being the only one he was the hero and favorite player of Black kids not just in Brooklyn but around the country,” Reinsdorf said. “They didn’t have anyone else to choose from until Jackie came around.”
RICHARD STEELE MODERATED a panel at U.S. Cellular Field on Tuesday that included Dr. Carol Adams, Jerry Reinsdorf and Kenny Williams. The panel discussed baseball’s first African American player Jackie Robinson and his impact on society. (Photo by J. Coyden Palmer) Adams said as we think about icans were lynched. So there was racial baseball as a way to better their lives Robinson and what he did, you have tension. Taking that into considera- and learn life lessons. He said the to put yourself into the mindset of tion, you can better understand what White Sox are committed to making what life was like at that time for a stance it was to do this and what it better people, not just major league Black Americans. Adams had uncles really meant and the impact this had baseball players. He said it is imporwho played in the Negro Leagues. She on the Black community. The com- tant for the players to have great charsaid Robinson’s achievement hap- munity had so much pride in Jackie acter because that is what colleges and pened in a post-war time where Black Robinson being able to take this step. professional sports teams look for in men were risking their lives on behalf People would gather around to watch addition to talent. And while he said of the United States only to return and listen to his game much like they not everyone will become a pro, he home to not enjoy the freedoms as did when there was a Joe Louis fight. could not help himself when he spotJackie was a source of great pride with ted a 6’7” player in the audience. other Americans. “You are still in a Jim Crow environ- his athletic achievements and with the ment,” Adams began. “The year be- way he carried himself off the field.” “How tall are you? Are you a lefty? Williams encouraged the high I’m always scouting,” Williams said fore Jackie Robinson joined the Brooklyn Dodgers, six African Amer- school players in attendance to use with a laugh.
New Baseball Academy in Bronzeville Teaching Fundamentals and Life Values By J. Coyden Palmer Chicago native and former Kansas City Royals draftee Kerron Walker has opened an indoor baseball training facility less than a mile away from U.S. Cellular Field. The Big Baseball Academy opened its doors in January and is already having an impact on youth baseball players from around the city. Located at 3621 S. State, the BBA features three batting cages and ATEC pitching machines, wood bats, strength and conditioning equipment, a youth pitching mound and personalized instruction time. “Our basic mission is to teach kids how to play the game the right way,” said Walker, who grew up in Hyde Park. “But more importantly we want them to learn life lessons through the game like competing and accepting failure…knowing that if you fail seven out of 10 times you can become a Hall of Famer in this game. The challenge of hitting a ball and working with eight different teammates from different socio-economic backgrounds and becoming a better human being is what this is all about. It’s really www.chicagocrusader.com
CHICAGO NATIVE KERRON WALKER recently opened Big Baseball Academy in the Bronzeville community. Walker, who was drafted by the Kansas City Royals, said he wanted more children from the African American community to learn all of the life lessons that come with learning the sport of baseball. Located at 3621 S. State, Big Baseball Academy offers private lessons, in addition to space teams can rent out to work on basic baseball fundamentals. tough to become a major league ment like Chicago’s tough winter. player, but they can become ma- He said if African American kids jor league people.” are more exposed to the game, we Walker told Crusader on Jackie would see a larger representation Robinson Day, the facility is des- of Black players in Major League perately needed in urban areas Baseball. Walker said a lack of relike Chicago because city youth sources is part of the problem, but do not have the indoor facilities he also believes the lack of fathers they need to train in an environ- in the daily lives of their sons is
the bigger issue. “Baseball is a game that has traditionally been passed down from father to son,” Walker said. “The fact that today’s Black kids don’t see a lot of people on TV who look like them also make them not want to do it.” Add to that the difficulty of the sport itself, as it is a sport that rewards sacrifice and failure to a degree and Walker said you have a recipe for low numbers. But he and others are working hard to change that. He said with winter being extended in Chicago, he is seeing more Public League teams and players come into his facility to work on their game as many fields are still unplayable around the area. Walker also has a different teaching technique. Players in his camps use wooden bats to learn how to hit instead of aluminum or composite-made bats. He said when he was drafted; he saw a lot of big-name college players wash out because they had never hit with a wooden bat, which is used in the minor and major league levels. He saw careers ended right in front of his eyes. “We have the kids use wooden
BLACKS MUST CONTROL THEIR OWN COMMUNITY
bats so they can learn how to hit the right way,” Walker explained. “They break a lot and we just get them more because we think in the long-run it will be worth it. If you can hit, you can hit. We want them to emulate their idols and show people that this can be done. We want them to learn how to hit the ball the right way.” In addition to the material being different, Walker said the “sweet spot” on a wooden bat is smaller so it makes you line up the ball on your swing better. With aluminum bats, even a ball hit off the handle will travel pretty far; not so with wood. But if hit on the sweet spot on either aluminum or wood the ball will travel pretty much the same distance Walker said. The BBA offers several camps throughout the year with twohour camps at $20 and a full sixhour camp costing $40. There are Saturday and Sunday evening times available during the spring and a new summer schedule will be announced soon. Kids of all ages and genders are welcome. You can call or text BBA at (312) 794-5520 or (773) 206-9363 or visit www.bigbaseballacademy.org for more details. Saturday, April 19, 2014
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