Chicago Crusader 03/08/14 E-Edition

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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 46—SATURDAY, MARCH 8, 2014

PUBLISHED SINCE 1940

25 Cents and worth more

Reported inmate abuse leads to another lawsuit

By Glenn Reedus The Cook County Sheriff ’s Department is counter-punching two jail inmate advocacy organizations after a lawsuit against the department alleged “sadistic violence” at the county jail – the largest single jail site

TOM DART, COOK COUNTY SHERIFF (above) was named as a defendant in a lawsuit by two advocacy organizations that charged inmate abuse by officers is rampant in the county jail.

in the country.

The class action lawsuit, filed on behalf of about 2,000 male inmates by the MacArthur Justice Center and the Uptown People’s Law Center, described violence by jailers as “a systemic problem” and not the behavior of a few rogue officers.

The 59-page complaint filed recently in U.S. District Court in Chicago, chronicled a litany of abusive behaviors – all denied by Sheriff Department officials.

David Shaprio, an attorney with the MacArthur Justice Center at Northwestern University, explained in the suit that “officers slam people to the floor, stomp, kick and punch them often while they are handcuffed and shackled.

“After beating the shackled men until they lose consciousness, officers will drag them by their chains, banging their heads (sic) on steel doors or allow their heads (sic) to slam into the concrete floor. Officers also order the men to attack, beat and stomp each other, instigating violence before the very individuals they are supposed to protect.”

Most of the plaintiffs are housed in the maximum-security sections of the jail, according to another MacArthur attorney Sheila Bedi. She added some of the inmates have been in the county jail as long as five years awaiting trial. Bedi noted

OVERCROWDING AT THE Cook County Jail is cited as one of the reasons for the level of violence that routinely occurs at the facility in a lawsuit filed by the MacArthur Justice Center and the Uptown People’s Law Center. many others, unable to make bail, have ly.” She added that by speaking up those inbeen incarcerated at the sprawling facility mates are risking retaliation by guards at for at least three years. the jail.

She explained only one of the plaintiffs is She said none of the inmates were availseeking money through the lawsuit. “No able for interviews as they are still wards of one else stands to gain from this monetari(Continued on page 2)

TEACHERS 1 –CPS-0 after ISAT boycott

After a week of saber rattling, the Chicago Public Schools administration backed off from threats to punish teachers who vowed not to administer a statewide test.

CPS had threatened teachers at Maria Saucedo Elementary Scholastic Academy with revocation of their state teaching certificate if the teachers refused to give the test to the students at the Little Village School. When the first day of testing was completed Feb. 4, the 20 teachers who did not administer the test were still in place along with their credentials.

About 40 teachers at Saucedo voted unanimously last week to boycott the test.

Their reasoning was this is the last year of the Illinois Standards Achievement Test (ISAT), and it is pointless to give a test that will not impact grades or promotions.

CPS officials maintained that at least 95 percent of students needed to take the test so the district could comply with the Federal No Child Left Behind guidelines and not jeopardize federal funding.

“There were teachers who felt really in(Continued on page 3)

SUCCESS FOR SAUCEDO ACADEMY ISAT boycott and opt out participants. Instead of administering yet another standardized test, teacher Mary Lyons gets to provide a quality writing lesson to students whose parents opted them out of the test. (Student faces blurred to protect their privacy.)

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NEWS

Reported inmate abuse leads to another lawsuit (Continued from page 1) the county.

Upon learning of the lawsuit, Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart responded, “This thing is so outrageous on so many levels. I don’t know where to start.”

Cook County Sheriff Department spokesperson Ben Briet on Feb. 4 said, “This is going to be a lengthy process, and as the sheriff said at his news conference, we are going to vigorously fight this.”

The latest lawsuit described isolation cells that were “unfit for human habitation” adding the spaces are “filthy, often streaked with feces and reeking of urine.”

About 100 inmates were interviewed by the MacArthur and Uptown Center’s teams for the lawsuit which also named Cook County Board President Tony Preckwinkle as a defendant, along with Thomas J. Dart, in his official capacity as Cook County Sherriff; Cara Smith in her official capacity as executive director of the Cook County Department of Corrections, superintendent of division X; E. Greer, in his official capacity, superintendent of divison IX; V. Thomas in his official capacity; Officer Campbell in his individual capacity; Sergeant Lewis in her individual capacity; Officer Wilson in her individual capacity; and Lieutenant Johnson in her individual capacity.

The lawsuit read Cook County’s jail is one of the most over-crowded in the country with approximately 62,573 people detained there every year. Bedi noted, that total accounts for more than one percent of the county’s population, and an even higher percentage of the county’s African American male population.

Bedi said the jailers perpetuate “a culture of lawlessness.”

REPORTED INMATE ABUSE allegedly occurred primarily in two divisions of the Cook County Jail. The entrance to one of them, Division X is shown above.

According to the lawsuit, the ma- commodates inmates of all security means any abuse could occur when jority of the alleged abuse occurred level classifications. the monitors are not on the premisin divisions IX and X of the jail.

The next step in the case rests with es, or in an area where they aren’t.

Both are termed maximum-security Dart and the others identified in Dart, in his eighth year as sheriff, divisions. The sheriff’s website de- suit. Alan Mills, legal director for the has a track record of citing overscribes division IX at 2854 W. 31st Uptown Peoples Law Center said, crowding and lack of mental health as “Opened in December of 1992, “We hope they will sit down and en- services at the jail as key problems to Division IX was designed to hold gage with us in settlement discus- be resolved at the jail.

1,056 super maximum-security sions. I think our goals are the same, There is a history of lawsuits allegmales. Currently Division IX, which a safe Cook County Jail. If they ing abuse associated with the jail. A is comprised of two interconnected want to sit down and negotiate we 1974 class action suit alleging abuse three-story buildings, houses general will negotiate. If they want to go to at the facility resulted in a 1980 conpopulation inmates with a maxi- trial, we are prepared to go to trial.” sent degree that specifically admum-security classification. The diFour years ago, Cook County offi- dressed nearly every aspect of jail opvision also houses the Level System cials entered into a consent decree erations, “including the rights of (consisting of four sections of hous- with the U.S. Department of Jus- people housed in the jail to protecing for inmates that committed dis- tice. The county then pledged to tions from harm and excessive ciplinary infractions while in cus- provide safe living conditions for in- force.” tody), disciplinary segregation, the mates to allow independent moniAlthough that 30-year decree was WIMP (weapons in my possession) tors to complete semi-annual in- in effect, the U.S. Department of tier, and protective custody for max- spections of the jail.” Dart said Justice conducted an investigation imum- security inmates. federal monitors have had unfet- in 2008 which concluded “people “Division X at 2950 S. California tered access to the jail and to the in- housed at the jail were regularly subopened in December of 1992, and is a mates since the decree was signed. jected to inappropriate and excessive four-story maximum-security strucBedi noted that the monitors’ uses of physical force.” The lawsuit ture designed to hold 768 male de- work has primarily been paper re- continued “CCJ officers too often tainees. In 2008, Division X was con- views and occasional visits. She said respond to inmates’ verbal insults or verted to medical and acute psych the monitors have never been on site failure to follow instructions by dose-by-dose building which ac- at the jail on an ongoing basis. That physically striking inmates, most of-

ten with the active assistance of other officers, even when the inmate presents no threat to anyone’s safety or the security of the facility.

Two years later when the 1980 consent decree ended, the DOJ filed another suit, which also resulted in a consent decree. This time county officials were required to “provide people housed in the jail with reasonably safe living conditions and protect them from excessive force and abuse.” The judge in the case, U.S. District Judge Virginia Kendall, ordered twice a year independent monitor visits and reports. The monitor’s December 2013 report, according to the lawsuit, “finds that Cook County is not in compliance with critical consent decree provisions related to protection from harm and excessive use of force.”

The MacArthur/Uptown suit maintains “little has changed since the DOJ filed suit. According to the complaint, “the county is not in compliance with critical consent decree provisions related to protection from harm and excessive force.

Mills and Bedi asserted the fact that inmates and former inmates have filed hundreds of lawsuits over civil rights abuses at the jail means jail and Cook County officials had to be aware of the conditions, and non-compliance with the decrees. The suit also noted Preckwinkle and the Cook County Board of Commissioners have approved more than $9 million in settlements for damages to people who were incarcerated at the county jail. The lawsuit continued “rather than preventing violence before the fact, the defendants let it occur, and then write it off in monetary settlements once the bones are broken.”

Marshall High School basketball coach still has ‘game’

By Wendell Hutson

In a recent fundraiser held for its assistant boys’ basketball coach, alumni from John Marshall Metropolitan High School, 3250 West Adams, hit the hardwood in a game against all-stars from the old Chicago West Red League.

Shawn Harrington, 38, who was paralyzed from the waist down after being shot on Jan. 30, said he is grateful to be alive and was excited to see so many people attend the event on his behalf.

“I never expected nothing like this. I expected a good turnout, but this has been overwhelming. I can’t thank these guys enough,” Harrington said. “All these people in the gym that have been supporting me through all this is the reason I’ve been able to be so upbeat and in positive spirit.”

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Saturday, March 8, 2014

Dorothy Gaters, the school’s athletic director and retired girls’ basketball coach, organized the event, which attracted 500 people.

“We’re basketball people, just like Shawn,” Gaters said. “You won’t see any dunks. Everyone is below the rim today. Some of them are out of shape, but it’s still fun to watch.”

When the 1994 movie, “Hoop Dreams,” was filmed 20 years ago, Harrington and fellow classmate, Arthur Agee, were featured in the movie. And Agee said he remembers constantly competing on the court with Harrington, who attended Mineral Area College with him.

“We battled on the court over who was going to be the man at Mineral Area. We always went at it,” Agee said.

MARSHALL HIGH SCHOOL Assistant boys Basketball Coach Shawn Harrington was shot Jan. 30 on the West Side as he drove his daughter to school.

Agee said he was grateful his former teammate was not killed in the shooting.

On Jan. 30, Harrington was driving his daughter to school and said when he heard gunshots all he thought about was protecting his daughter.

“That’s all that was going on in my head, Harrington recalled.

“Nothing else mattered. Period.”

Chicago Police officials reported that as Harrington was driving in the 3800 block of West Augusta, several men fired bullets into the car he was driving. He was shot twice while protecting his daughter.

Harrington was shot in the back, and police found a bullet lodged in the headrest of his daughter’s seat, according to the Cook County State’s Attorney Office.

BLACKS MUST CONTROL THEIR OWN COMMUNITY

For Harrington, he said the shooting seemed to be a case of mistaken identity.

That’s because every school day, Harrington shared, he drove the same route when dropping his daughter off at school before heading to work at Marshall.

But on the day Harrington was shot, he was driving a rented white car instead of his usual blue truck, which was in the shop at the time, he said.

“We were just on our way to school and work,” Harrington said. “The guys were looking for a white car.”

Chicago police charged 21-yearold Deandre Thompson in the shooting.

“I’m just glad they caught the guy,” Harrington said. www.chicagocrusader.com

NEWS

Residents reject plans for fast-food restaurant

By Wendell Hutson A recommendation by a developer to replace a South Side bank with a fast-food restaurant did not go over well with residents at a recent community meeting.

When Urban Partnership Bank (UPB) vacates a 40,000 square foot building at 7054 S. Jeffery Blvd. on March 22, the developer informed residents that it plans to put a fast-food restaurant on the parking lot and demolish the main bank to make way for a new onestory retail building.

Alderman Leslie Hairston (5th), whose ward includes the bank building, stated McDonald’s was considering a drive-through-only restaurant at the bank parking lot after plans for a location at 71st Street & Paxton fell through last year.

“The concept of drive-through only did not go over well, which I told them it would not,” she said.

“McDonald’s has not said they are coming, they may walk away from the table again.”

Officials from McDonald’s Corporation did not return calls seeking comment.

Previously, Chipotle and Potbelly restaurants were proposed, and some residents said they would have supported that proposal, but not McDonald’s.

“It would not do anything to enhance the community,” said John Lewis, chairman of the trustees at Bryn Mawr Community Church,

located two buildings from the bank building at 7000 S. Jeffrey Blvd.

Currently, the bank’s parking lot is used for a farmers’ market in the summer, according to Lewis.

The developer, Monroe Investment Partners, was unavailable for comment.

However, UPB officials said it plans to maintain some presence at the site, possibly with an ATM or banking kiosk.

“After the branch closes, Urban Partnership Bank still intends to maintain a presence in South Shore by incorporating a site for its ATMs and kiosks into the development plans [by Monroe Investment] or finding an alternative location,” Brian Berg said.

The availability of online and mobile banking has changed the way many customers conduct their financial business. As a result, foot traffic at branches has declined and due to damages from severe weather, the drive-through was shut down in January.

UPB now plans to shift more attention to mobile and online banking.

For example, Berg said, “You don’t even need to go to a bank anymore to talk to a mortgage officer.”

Since replacing Shore Bank in 2010, UPB has expanded its small business and commercial lending practices to further meet the needs of residents and businesses.

Besides UPB leaving the community, Dominick’s also vacated its

TEACHERS 1 –CPS-0 (Continued from page 1) timidated,” one Saucedo teacher said. An organizer with the group More Than a Score, an advocacy organization urging the boycott, Cassie Creswell, said more than 500 students from 80 schools opted not to take the test on the first day. The week was riddled with arguments between CPS officials and More Than A Score (MTAS) members about whether parents would opt out the children, or if students had to ask not to be included in the multiple days of testing. Some of the MTAS parents termed the tests as “an unnecessary source of stress,” as well as “absurd.”

There were accusations of menacing phone calls to parents who had publicly stated they would opt out their children. Chicago Teachers Union Vice President Jesse Sharkey released a statement that read, “principals and network administrators have picked up on the panic of those above them and are committing all sort of abuses against children in the name of a test.”

At least one parent, who has a www.chicagocrusader.com

daughter attending Addams Elementary School, said the girl did not take the test and was not given a treat by teachers but all the students who did test were rewarded with treats. Another CTU statement said a North Side student was led to believe he would be held back a grade for opting out of ISAT. MTAS is comprised of members from Parents United for Responsible Education, Raise Your Hand, and Parents 4 Teachers, as well as the Chicago Teachers Union.

Joel Hood, a CPS spokesperson explained the CPS position when he said on Feb. 4, “tens of thousands of Chicago Public Schools students, teachers and administrators participated in the first day of ISAT testing on Tuesday, which is mandated by federal and state law and tied to school funding. Students who chose not to participate were assigned independent reading or to other classrooms to ensure a quiet, respectful environment for students taking the staterequired test.” CPS did not issue a subsequent statement.

THE URBAN PARTNERSHIP BANK Building at 7054 S. Jeffery Blvd. is being sold to a developer, who has proposed replacing the financial institution with a fast-food restaurant. longtime South Shore site at 2101 seemed initially interested have Ward meeting. “(But) we’re confiE. 71st St. on Dec. 28. backed away and estimated that dent we’ll be able to attract a qualiAnd just as finding a replacement the Dominick’s store needs about ty grocer that will sell us what we for UPB has become difficult, $6 million in upgrades. want.”

Hairston said she still has not iden“Mariano’s seemed interested.

A community meeting for resitified a replacement for Do- Ultra seemed interested, but dents is planned on Saturday, minick’s. walked away from the table,” Hair- March 8, @ 2 p.m. at 7008 S. JefShe added many grocers who ston told residents at a recent 5th fery Blvd.

Police to expand Custom Notification program

By J. Coyden Palmer During a morning news conference last Tuesday at police headquarters, Supt. Gary McCarthy updated the public on the progress of a pilot program introduced last July in which those at high-risk of becoming a victim or perpetrator of a violent crime are contacted by district commanders and community partners in hopes of staving off violence.

The program, “Custom Notifications,” involves a team of officers paying a home visit to a person with a lengthy criminal record and speaking with them or members of their family warning them of the consequences of their actions. At the same time, they are offered social services like job training and education. McCarthy said due to the initial results, he will be expanding the program city-wide.

“While 2013 saw historic lows in crime and violence in our city, there is much more work that needs to be done,” McCarthy said. “The message given is if an individual wants some help in turning their life around, we will help them with healthcare, job placement and social services. If they chose to re-offend, they were eligible to enhanced penalties because of their previous criminal history. So, let’s be clear, this is not a negotiation; it’s an offering of services and assistance, but at the same time, it’s a very clear message from law enforcement that if they go back to doing what they did, we will use all of our resources to send them back to prison.”

BLACKS MUST CONTROL THEIR OWN COMMUNITY

Since the program began, McCarthy stated that 60 people have been contacted, and of those 60, 17 have taken the offer for assistance.

He went on to say that one person slammed the door in the officers’ faces when they attempted to contact him, but the 17 that have accepted the offer are currently working to change their lives. There has also been a positive change with even those who have refused services, which McCarthy said is also a good sign.

“To our knowledge, none of those that we have contacted have been subsequent offenders in a violent incident,” McCarthy said. “A couple of weeks ago, we made some changes to the program. Today, we are using the program as a prevention tool to intervene in active conflicts that are happening right now.

Within two days of the first incident of a gang conflict that we believe may escalate, the district commander and community partner are out knocking on doors of active gang members involved in that conflict.”

He added that parents, siblings, girlfriends, and others of influence are also encouraged to participate in the conversation and identified why it is important for people to understand that this program offers a way out for those, who, most of their lives have lived a life of crime: law enforcement can help a community in a variety of ways, which includes offering alternatives.

To date, the most notifications have taken place in the 15th District (Austin). McCarthy said 29 of the 60 notifications have come

from that district.

Commander Fred L. Waller from the 6th District on the South Side shared his experience while doing a recent notification.

“Initially, when we go to the door with the community partner and we’ve already indentified the individual we are looking for, you may be met with a family member. We explain to them that we are reaching out to this individual to offer them a new opportunity. And, we tell them the individual has been identified as a person who either has a high propensity of either being involved in violence; committing a violent act themselves; or an act to be committed against them because of the environment they are in or the people they are hanging around.”

Waller said the biggest “carrot” they offer with the program is the opportunity to perhaps get a legal form of employment. There is no promise a job will be landed, but by using some of the social services offered, they could possibly be linked to a job provider.

The best part, Waller acknowledged, is seeing people’s reaction when they realize the police came to their door not to arrest them, but to offer help. He said many communities do not trust police, and the look on their faces when they see it is help being offered and not an arrest warrant is priceless.

“If you don’t take the opportunity that is given to you, that’s on you,” Waller said. “The opportunity has been presented to you by the police department and the community as a whole.”

Saturday, March 8, 2014

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EDITORIAL

EDITORIAL AN UNEXPECTED CONSEQUENCE OF BLACK SUCCESS On Sunday, March 2, millions of television viewers were treated to the 2014 presentation of the awards presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, commonly referred to as the “Oscars.” These coveted awards have the impact of boosting the careers of anyone who receives a nomination or an actual award. Through the years there have been precious few African American winners, and no film directed by a Black individual has ever won an Oscar. All of that changed recently, when the movie 12 Years a Slave actually won an award in the Best Picture category! This was indeed a triumph, and director Steve McQueen has a lot to be proud about.

In addition to the Best Picture Award, John Ridley won for Best Adapted Screenplay, and the fashionista Lupita Nyong’o, who has become the darling of Hollywood, won for Best Supporting Actress. Chiwetel Ejiofor was nominated for Best Actor but did not win. Overall, the 12 Years a Slave awards were well deserved; the movie was well done, well-acted and told a bold story that apparently has touched the hearts of people worldwide.

One of the biggest surprises at the Oscars, however, was the revelation that the new president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is an African American woman! Cheryl Boone Isaacs is the first African American and the third woman to head this male dominated body. In 1941, Bette Davis became the first woman to head the organization, but resigned after two weeks because of the strong opposition that she met. Boone Isaacs certainly represents a possible turning point in diversity at the 6,100 member Academy.

In addition to Best Picture, Best Screenplay, Best Supporting Actress, and the Black president of the Academy, there was also a significant Black presence at the Awards. Jamie Fox, Will Smith, Sidney Poitier, Whoopi Goldberg, Samuel L. Jackson, Pharrell (Williams), Viola Davis, Gabourey Sidibe, Tyson Beckford, Michael B. Jordan, Kerry Washington, Tyler Perry, and Robin Roberts were among other prominent Blacks participating in the festivities. It was almost like home week, and certainly few people could accuse this edition of the Oscars of omitting Blacks. This is a good thing; but it also has its challenges.

One of the problems with motivating African American youth is that they have short memories, or actually, they have NO first hand memories of events that helped shape the Black perspective. For example, none of the youth alive today have had the experience of drinking out of separate water fountains, of the Civil Rights marches, of lynchings, or of Jim Crow in all of its many facets. They hear about the horrors of slavery, but quite frankly, cannot really relate because these ideas are mere stories on the pages of history books. They did not experience the Great Migration during its heyday, or many of the other indignities endured by the Black community in the past. This is why they are so quick to use words like “nigga,” and why they don’t associate it with something negative.

We have to understand that Black youth today are growing up in a world that looks like everything is okay, and pageants like the Academy Awards reinforces this notion. Because of this, many of them just don’t understand the struggle; they do not recognize it in their own experiences. The struggle that they face today is unemployment, mass incarceration, economic violence and racial profiling, among others, but the dots have not been connected in a way that they can see these challenges as the continuation of the struggle that Blacks have suffered in the past.

They see a Black president and others in high places, so they don’t understand why there is all of the fuss about discrimination. Our job, therefore, is to help them connect the dots; to help them see how their experiences today are linked with the struggles of the past so that they can make better decisions in a time when opportunity is actually greater than ever before. A luta continua.

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Saturday, March 8, 2014

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Attorney Benjamin Crump is correct Dear Editor: The attorney many of us got to know through the media, Benjamin Crump, because he represented the family of Trayvon Martin, brought a powerful message to Chicago recently.

Attorney Crump was here to handle the appeals case for Howard Morgan. Everybody in the country should know that Howard Morgan was shot 40 times by Chicago police, yet he was convicted of attempted murder for shooting back at several police officers, after Howard Morgan, a railroad police officer, identified himself.

Since that tragedy in 2005, Howard Morgan has been tried twice, convicted and is incarcerated in a prison hospital unit. Attorney Crump, during his visit, said Chicagoans should be outraged about the verdict and Howard Morgan ultimately being locked up. When he was in Chicago, he told us that people here of all colors and faiths should come together against this injustice. He is urging that we make this case a national issue. He said that if Trayvon Martin’s case didn’t get the national attention it did, the issue would have been dismissed.

Attorney Crump is pushing for all of the Greek organizations, service clubs and churches to form an alliance and collectively fight the injustices dealt to Howard Morgan.

He is right. We all definitely need to come together around this issue. If

we continue to sit back and say or do nothing we can be assured it won’t be long before some racist cops do the same to another Black man. Let’s come together now and stop this nonsense now.

Marshall Mitchell

Can you say Governor Rauner?

Dear Editor: As a political junkie, the campaign leading up to the March 18 primary election is big fun. I can’t remember when I have seen as much Republican in-fighting as I am now seeing with the four guys running for governor. Over on the Democrats’ part of that ticket, Gov. Pat Quinn is bumbling his way to what looks like a surefire victory. On the ballot he has an opponent named Tio Hardiman, and that is where the opposition ends – the ballot.

Mr. Hardiman comes off like an angry squirrel looking to do battle with a rhino. If you can imagine the squirrel trying to get the rhino’s attention, then you get the scenario in that primary.

Rather than buying ads and commercials and blanketing neighborhoods with get-out-the-vote messages, it looks like Mr. Hardiman is doing the bulk of his campaigning on Facebook.

But back to the Republicans.

Bruce Rauner, the only businessman in the pack of five trying to get the nomination, looks like he

BLACKS MUST CONTROL THEIR OWN COMMUNITY

is ignoring the fact his opponents have formed a we-hate-Bruce committee. They keep speaking in unison about how Rauner spends so much of his fortune on his campaign, or a business deal they don’t like. I am not sure the general public cares about this. As long as they keep their cabal together and don’t tell voters what they will or can do for our bankrupt state, Rauner gains more interest as well as becomes more appealing.

It is pretty much the same with (Continued on page 18)

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COMMENTARY

Our Future – It’s all About the Money!

Beyond The Rhetoric

By Harry C. Alford NNPA Columnist Our past was certainly all about the money. As soon as the Europeans discovered the Americas and determined that Native Americans weren’t going to submit to slavery, they went to Africa for their slaves. The first slave ship was directed to the Pope (Vatican) in 1516 AD for his blessing. He loved the idea and so it began. Three hundred forty nine years of pure hell (longer for our South American brothers).

Slaves work as drones and require little food. They are expendable and can be replaced on a continuing basis. It wasn’t cheap labor, it was free labor that was forced on us. It was all about the money as farmers and every phase of the economy were enhanced through this travesty to fellow man.

At the end of slavery in the United States, most slaves became sharecroppers, which was a little step up from slavery. It too was all about the money. Some found a way out by applying for a Homestead grant. The Homestead Act of 1862 was a system of granting plots of land, usually 160 acres, to applicants willing to settle in

Harry C. Alford new territories. Senator Blanch Bruce, the first Black senator in Congress, would encourage free Blacks to take advantage of this.

My grandfather, Tom Harry Alford, received his 160 acres in 1916. Prior to that, his father received his 160 acre land grant in 1901. They lived off that land – farming, hunting, fishing and selling what they didn’t use for themselves.

It was Booker T. Washington who told our people to stay where they are, work the land and get educated and whenever you can, start a business and do business

with each other. He was telling us that America is built through capitalism and we must become capitalistic to prosper. We began to understand the importance of building wealth and being educated. So impressed were the leaders of white America that President Theodore Roosevelt invited him to the White House for dinner and discussion. There was an extreme backlash for having a Black man come to the White House to discuss business. Industrial tycoons such as Henry Ford and Andrew Carnegie were so impressed that they began funding his projects and encouraging him to proceed with his dream. Mr. Washington built Tuskegee Institute as an example to quality education. The Ford Foundation still provides funding to the school.

He also started the National Negro Business League (a forerunner to the National Black Chamber of Commerce).

There was an organized effort to stop the progress that was being made. White progressive groups from up North started new rival organizations such as the NAACP and Urban League to promote government guidance for Blacks.

Others had harsher plans such as burning business sectors in Black communities such as Greenwood,

Oklahoma and Durham, North Carolina. The Ku Klux Klan became a major organization and had the blessings of President Woodrow Wilson. They even marched in Washington, DC with no fear.

Blacks were soon being encouraged to become comfortable with living poor and being third class citizens. Booker T. Washington noticed another phenomenon amongst the Black population: “There is a class of colored people who make a business of keeping the troubles, the wrongs and the hardships of the Negro race before the public. Having learned that they are able to make a living out of their troubles, they have grown into the settled habit of advertising their wrongs – partly because they want sympathy and partly because it pays. Some of these people do not want the Negro to lose his grievances, because they do not want to lose their jobs.” Oh, how this still lives today.

We need to turn back to education and entrepreneurship. The lessons taught to us by Booker T. Washington still apply today. We need economic parity. Our businesses have annual revenue of $136 billion. If there was parity, that annual revenue would be

$1.4 trillion. Our businesses hire 910 thousand workers but if we had parity, we would hire 7.1 million workers. We have 1.9 million Black owned businesses but with parity, we would have 3.3 million firms. These demographics are the courtesy of the Minority Business Development Agency, U.S. Department of Commerce.

Black business has come a long way over the last 30 years but we have many miles to go before we stop being mired in poverty and economic abuse from all sides.

For one thing we could start doing business with each other. The University of Georgia states that as consumers we have disposable income of over $1 trillion. Yet, our businesses can only produce $136 billion in sales. I know Mercedes, Rolex and other white owned companies like our disposable income but we need to take care of ourselves. “God bless the child who has his own” sang the great Billie Holliday. My people please remember that our future must be ALL ABOUT THE MONEY. Mr. Alford is the co-founder, President/CEO of the National Black Chamber of Commerce®.

Website: www.nationalbcc.org.

Email: halford@nationalbcc.org.

My Sister’s Keeper

By George E. Curry NNPA Columnist In all the hoopla surrounding President Obama’s “My Brother’s Keeper” initiative, overlooked is that fact that our young girls also need to be targeted for special attention. Sure, they outpace Black males in college attendance and, in many instances, in the workplace. Still, that does not mean they do not also need special attention and encouragement.

Nothing illustrates this better than events of the past week.

Sandwiched between President Obama’s White House announcement of his special effort to help Black males and jubilation over Lupita Nyong’o winning an Oscar for best supporting actress in “12 years a Slave” was news out of Florida that Marissa Alexander, who was sentenced to 20 years in prison for firing a “warning shot” in the direction of her estranged and abusive husband, will be retried and could face 60 years in prison instead of the original 20.

Florida State Attorney Angela Corey, the same prosecutor whose office failed to win a murder convictions against George Zimmerman in connection with the death of Trayvon Martin and, more recently, against Michael Dunn for the death of Jordan Davis, anwww.chicagocrusader.com

nounced that instead of the 20 years originally given to Alexander, she will seek to triple that by requesting that her three 20-year terms be served consecutively rather than concurrently.

Alexander was convicted of three counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon in 2012 and was sentenced to 20 years under Florida’s 10-20 Law that requires stiffer penalties for crimes committed with guns. On appeal, the conviction was overturned because Circuit Judge James Daniel placed the burden on Alexander to prove that she was acting in self-defense. In his instructions to the jury, the judge said Alexander had the responsibility to prove that she had been battered by her husband.

In a cruel twist, the prosecutor has announced that she will re-prosecute Alexander, this time seeking a longer sentence.

Marissa Alexander shouldn’t have ever been prosecuted, let alone convicted. If Florida’s Stand Your Ground law should apply to anyone, it should be Alexander, not George Zimmerman and Michael Dunn.

If convicted a second time, Alexander will join other Black women who make up the fastest growing segment of prisoners.

According to the Sentencing Project, the number of women in

George E. Curry prison increased by 646 percent between 1980 and 2010, from 15,118 to 112,797. As of 2010, more than 1 million women were under the supervision of the criminal justice system.

Black women are three times more likely to be incarcerated than white women. While most men are in prison for violent offenses, women are more likely to be in prison for drugs or property crimes.

Many, like Kemba Smith, become romantically entangled with drug dealers, often serving as their “mules” to transport drugs and

money.

While Florida was gearing up to triple Marissa Alexander’s sentence, there was some good news out of Hollywood. The fact that Lupita Nyong’o was awarded an Oscar at Sunday’s Academy Awards lifted the spirits of dark-skins girls across the country and indeed around the world. African Americans, especially females, are told in so many ways that when it comes to skin color, white is right. And if you can’t be white, light is the next best thing.

Of course, there is the famous dolls test conducted by psychologists Ken and Mamie Clark, which was instrumental in the landmark Brown v. Board of Education 1954 Supreme Court decision outlawing racially segregated public schools. When asked to pick out the most beautiful doll, most Black girls selected white dolls over Black ones. When the test was repeated in recent years, the results were the same.

Muhammad Ali described racial brainwashing this way: “We’ve been brainwashed. Everything good is supposed to be white. We look at Jesus, and we see a white with blond hair and blue eyes. We look at all the angels; we see white with blond hair and blue eyes. Now, I’m sure there’s a heaven in the sky and colored folks die and

BLACKS MUST CONTROL THEIR OWN COMMUNITY

go to heaven. Where are the colored angels? They must be in the kitchen preparing milk and honey. We look at Miss America, we see white. We look at Miss World, we see white. We look at Miss Universe, we see white. Even Tarzan, the king of the jungle in Black Africa, he’s white. White Owl Cigars. White Swan soap, White Cloud tissue paper, White Rain hair rinse, White Tornado floor wax. All the good cowboys ride the white horses and wear white hats. Angel food cake is the white cake, but the devils food cake is chocolate.”

Little chocolate girls are still being peppered with those White-is-beautiful images. Yes, we need to save our Black boys.

But we can’t save our community without saving Black girls, too.

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 Website, www.georgecurry.com. You can also follow him at www.twitter. com/currygeorge and George E. Curry Fan Page on Facebook.

Saturday, March 8, 2014

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COMMENTARY

REMEMBERING SHARPSVILLE AND AFRICAN PEOPLE

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

One of the tragedies of post apartheid South Africa is that too much is being forgotten of the numerous atrocities that occurred during the vicious era of the white supremacist regime. African people should never forget history! It is in this connection that the National Black United Front always commemorates the March 21, 1960 Sharpsville Massacre.

African Liberation Movement forces, around the world, commemorate the Sharpsville Massacre. This will be the 49th anniversary of this tragic event in South African history.

Just as the African in an American Community in this country demonstrated and subjected themselves to arrest in the south during the 1950s and 1960s to protest racist segregation laws, African people in the Sharpsville area of South Africa, in 1960, began organizing to demonstrate against the white supremacist Pass Laws System. The Pass Laws System in South Africa is a method the South African Government employs to “officially” check on the whereabouts of Black people at all times.

Black people had to carry a document much like a passport that must be stamped, before they are allowed any movement in the country.

On December 19, 1959, the Pan African Congress (PAC), a Black conference held in Orlando, Johannesburg, “resolved to embark upon a campaign directed against the Pass Laws which subject the African people to humiliation of constant arrest.” The African American Community is familiar with police harassment and brutality. The Pass Law System in South Africa gives the police unlimited authority in arresting people at will.

During the week of March 20, 1960, the Pan African Congress requested permission to hold a public meeting on Sunday. The request to meet was refused by South African Government officials. The Pan African Congress decided to launch the Pass Book Campaign on March 21, by holding a rally and demonstrated to protest these vicious laws. Unable to hold public meeting, members of the PAC called their members

to meet at the Sharpsville Tennis Court grounds. (Sharpsville is the African location known as Vereeniging.)

According to eyewitness accounts, at about 1:00 a.m. on March 21, “a great number of people had assembled at the tennis court where they were addressed on the objects of the campaign and had explained to them the decision to surrender peacefully to the police for arrest that day.” Further eyewitness accounts explain that, “at 1:30 a.m., a Riot Squad with two security staff cars arrived at the scene of the meeting. Without endeavoring to anybody what the gathering was about, the police started shooting from their vehicles into the air to frighten and disperse the crowd.”

Later that morning, “a great number of armed white people invaded the location and while they were ostensible patrolling the streets, intimidating people with the obvious intentions of causing retaliation so that they might be afforded an excuse to carry out their objective of smashing by brutal force the opposition to the

THE OBAMA LEGACY

By Julianne Malveaux NNPA Columnist President Barack Obama announced My Brother’s Keeper, an initiative to help young Black and Brown men succeed in the East Wing of the White House.

Many present described the announcement of this initiative as “an emotional moment” for President Obama and for many of the others gathered there. Several of the African American men who were present at the announcement took to the airwaves afterwards, talking about how it felt to be in a room where the nation’s first Black president talked about his own background and his identification with troubled young Black men.

The parents of slain teens Trayvon Martin and Jordan Davis were in the room, reinforcing a statement the president made a year or so ago when he said that if he had a son, he would have looked like Trayvon Martin.

While president Obama says he will ask government agencies to work together to create more possibilities for young Black men, he emphasized that the Brother’s Keeper initiative is not a new government program. Indeed, early funding will come from private 6

Saturday, March 8, 2014

foundations. Few specifics of the program have been released, but preliminary activity will include a review of existing programs to determine what works and what doesn’t. Still, the President has used the power of his pen, the phone and his pulpit to raise awareness about the many economic challenges African American men face.

Using the term “no excuses,” President Obama told young men that they had to take responsibility for their own success. That comment gave CNN “journalist” Don Lemon the opportunity to mouth off at Obama critics, to chide his own critics and to demonstrate why he might be a more effective opinionator than journalist. Lemon was one of many, also, to describe Brother’s Keeper as part of the Obama legacy. Many said they expect the President to continue be involved in the empowerment of Black and Brown boys and men.

While I think Brother’s Keeper has tremendous potential, given the socioeconomic status of African American men, there is not yet enough meat on the bones of the announcement to judge. President Obama has three years left in office. Is this as good as it gets?

For all the good he will do with the Brothers Keeper initiative, the

Dr. Julianne Malveaux President may leave a different kind of legacy with his recent set of nominees to the Georgia district court. With six vacant seats on that court, our president has chosen to appoint four Republicans, including two social conservatives. In a state that is 31 percent African American, there is only one Black nominee. These judges are appointed for life. Judicial appointments are a clear part of a legacy.

President Obama has been vocal

about people’s right to vote and disdainful of voter suppression tactics from long lines to voter ID. Attorney General Eric Holder has brought suit against counties and states engaged in various gerrymandering and voter suppression tactics. Why, then, would this President nominate Mark Cohen, who successfully defended Georgia’s voter ID law in court? Despite opposition from Rev. Joseph Lowery, as well as by civil rights veteran and Congressman John Lewis (D-GA), the President has refused to rescind the Cohen nomination. The young men he lifted up in his Brothers Keeper initiative may be the same ones denied the right to vote through voter suppression. Cohen, in his late 50s, may serve as many as two decades on the bench. What kind of anti-civil rights rulings might he make?

Rev. Lowery and Congressman Lewis are among those also opposing former state legislator Michael Boggs, on his conservative legislative record, which includes his opposition to marriage equality, his vote to keep the confederate insignia on the Georgia flag, and his efforts to restrict access to abortion. Through his votes, Boggs has indicated his opposition to the African American community, to

BLACKS MUST CONTROL THEIR OWN COMMUNITY

Pass Laws.” Leaders of the Pan African Congress continued their planned march to the police station in accordance with their decision that they were going to surrender themselves for arrest.

Hundreds of people followed the leaders singing the South African Black National Anthem.

After Mangaliso Robert Sobukwe, the first National President of PAC, and his aides had been arrested, thousands of unarmed Africans gathered at the police station in Sharpsville. The white police fired on the defenseless men, women and children. Sixty Africans were killed on the spot and 178 were wounded. More than 80 percent of those shot were shot in the back as they fled.

It is because of this incessant act of violence that we commemorate the Sharpsville Massacre.

It is important that we continue to analyze and discuss historical events that help us understand the role of history in the liberation of African people. African people must never forget history! Remember the Sharpsville Massacre!

women and to the GLBT community. What kind of votes might we expect from Boggs, who is in his early fifties, in the decades to come. And why won’t President Obama listen to those African American stalwarts who strongly object to this nomination?

Georgia congressman David Scott (D) told TV One’s Roland Martin that these nominations are disrespectful to the nation and to the African American community. The national civil rights organizations have, unfortunately, been silent on this matter. Are they too frightened of losing the president’s goodwill to speak up?

Ten years from now, will we write that the status of African American and Latino boys and men has improved? That Judges Cohen and Boggs have made rulings that have further eroded civil and human rights? A collective Black voice muted by the fact that a community can’t excoriate a white president after giving a Black one a pass? Which is the Obama legacy?

Julianne Malveaux is a DC based economist and author. She is President Emerita of Bennett College for Women. 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!

TROUBLE IN 60620 Little Howie Brookins had better watch himself. It seems some very powerful people is takin’ him as a serious threat to the Irish/Jewish/Rich Folks power structure down town. Now it looks like the Alphabet Boys has got the chief of staff of his 21st Ward office all caught up. They claiming the man was feenin’ for a little green and so they say he borrowed $7,500 in bribes to

turn up a little dirt. In de meantime, Howie is worried and biting his fingernails because he knows how the Cloudy Times and Channel 2 don’t like Black politicians and any day now he could become the next Rod Black-oh-vich or Jesse JUNIOR. Will his chief of staff who claims to have done nothing wrong start wearing the same wire that Commissioner Big Nuts Beavers claimed they wanted him to wear? Only time will tell.

-ImaSPEAKING OF NUTS Mel Reynolds seems to be up to his old tricks of spreading misinformation and confusion wherever he farts. Now he’s all up in Africa trying to help another Alphabet agency find people in Chicago who have ties to Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe—the Black man with the little Hitler moustache. After Reynolds was allegeldy caught look-

with a feeble voice and the other sounds like Paul Robeson.

-ImaCURIE HIGH MESS Did someone at the University of Illinois call up de little Emperor and the school district in order to get Curie High School almost kicked out of the state basketball championship? Was Cliff Alexander the real target? We hear the Fighting Illini wasn’t too happy with how the child faked them out with declaring his intent to go to Kansas after they spent all that time kissin’ his butt. Being a child with style, Alexander called a press conference and had two hats in front of him, he reached for the orange and blue for a second, said “SIKE” and then went with

Cliff Alexander

Mel Reynolds

Howard Brookins help a fake businessman open up a liquor store. I’m not quite sure what’s going on in this city—but if you work for government in any way, assume that anyone is asking you to do something strange for a piece of change is probably working for the government too. We don’t know if his chief did anything wrong, as the man is innocent until Judge Zagel says otherwise; but what’s interesting is the Feds are also alleging that little Howie was present at one of the interactions with the undercover mole. Now no one has accused Brookins—yet—of any wrongdoing, but this allegation sho’ does put a taint on the up and down career of the county’s would-be State’s Attorney. It seems the powers dat be ain’t takin’ no chances with Brookin’s accidentially becoming powerful, so they may have sic’d the Feds on his office to www.chicagocrusader.com

ing at porn on his phone and not paying a whopping hotel bill he was thrown in prison for six long days with people who with a “stench” (he said dat!) and was then deported to South Africa.

He claims that the motives for his latest incarceration was the fact that he was on a secret mission to root out corruption and “expose” people “in Chicago” who are tied to Robert Mugabe. Now either Reynolds has lost his mind; is telling the truth and is a failed government agent; is researching (spying) on people independently, or is high off Night Train. One thing is for sure, twice convicted felon, with a fondness for Catholic school girls, is a strange person.

He was last seen at Target looking creepy (oops we sorry that’s how he always looks with his bald head and drooling lips). What we can say is he sho’ ain’t in Africa spying on white folk. If what he claims is true, then the people he’s probably checking up on got a Hebrew name, another talks

mansion (which is actually free to get in), two newspaper ads in November, and the right to call him Massa Bruce when they get tired of callin’ him Boss Rauner.

Kansas. Folks was hopping mad.

Then he leads his team to the Citywide Championship only to have some snitch call down to the mayor and claim that half the team got “F’s” on dey report card and dat they coach ain’t up to no good. You know the good old city—they immediately punished the children for the deeds of the adults and then quickly reversed themselves after they found out some investigators were about to go through all the academic records of their student athletes to see what other violations might have popped up.

-ImaNO SHAME

Pat Quinn of Negro preachers are praying to de Lawd that they don’t wind up (again) in front of a Springfield panel of investigators who want to know what happened to a bunch of dollar bills what was supposed to go toward anti-violence work.

We all know the anti-violence game ain’t nothing but a hustle.

None of deese folk is ever stopped a bullet or ceased to commit a violent crime. Deese folk only show up AFTER crimes are committed to hold a news conference, be seen with the grieving family and then talking to some random people on the corner with their pants hanging down. We hear the word “impeachment” is being thrown around and that the folk doing it say they will only go this route if the Bald Eagle (Quinn) actually winds up beating the billionaire Bruce Rauner who has purchased the rights of every Negro operative for the promise of $500 and an invitation to the governor’s

One so-called political operative who claims to be a community organizer, business leader, media spokesman, community activist, plumber, DJ, bartender, part-time crackhead, is openly bragging about how he got on the hoe stroll for a lowdown white politician and how he is so happy to pull it down and smear Vaseline back there. He said that he no longer cares because he can’t get a real job with benefits and as long as his hustle is in tack he will do whatever he gots to do to survive. One lady close to dis man claim that all the likka he done swallowed done pickled his mind. A brother in West Englewood said the brother is addicted to “wisdom powder,” and one former coworker claimed, “This (N-word) ain’t worth two dead flies. Who gives a damn what he’s lying about. He probably just talkin’ (s-word) because this (N-word) can’t get no (Dword) job.”

-ImaSTROGER FOR MAYOR This one lady on 83rd Street right off Cottage Grove was (Continued on page 19)

-ImaQUINN MESS Look for de governor to wind up on the hot seat by the legislative branch in Springfield for some shady happenings that got to do with agencies that deal with (Nword S-word). We hear the botched hiring of a baby daddy as the head Negro in charge of DCFS put so much egg on Quinn’s face he is thinking of changing his last name to McMuffin. In de meantime, a group

BLACKS MUST CONTROL THEIR OWN COMMUNITY

Saturday, March 8, 2014

7

COMMUNITY CALENDAR

SECOND SATURDAYS SHOWCASE AT LINCOLN PARK ZOO: This brand-new weekend program offers a unique twist on family-oriented education. Bring the whole crew to the zoo, split up into peer groups focused on the same wildlife topic, then regroup to share and compare your individual experiences. The topics vary each month.

The Saturday, March 8 program, called Zoo Families, offers fascinating avenues of exploration, from visiting zoo babies to learning the science behind animal breeding. It will take place 9 am – 11 am and 1 pm – 3 pm. Price per person: $17 ($14 for zoo members). For more information call 312-742-2056. To register visit http://www.lpzoo.org/education/programs BRIDGEPORT ART CENTER (BAC) SALON: Every second Sunday of the month at 5 pm, artists are invited to participate in Bridgeport Art Center salon, a monthly meeting for resident artists and others to discuss aesthetic, thematic, and philosophical issues related to art. The next Salon will take place on Sunday, March 9, at 5 pm, 1200 W. 35th Street. Some months an artist might present work, talking about the origins and evolution of their own work, and of their intentions, and about their work’s implications.

Other months we might discuss a show in the gallery, or elsewhere, or hear a presentation by a curator or scholar. These meetings will be open to all artists who rent space in the building, with others welcomed too.

For additional information, call 708369-2355.

“ON THE TABLE” AT THE CHICAGO COMMUNITY TRUST: On behalf of The Chicago Community Trust, you are invited to participate in On the Table - a collaborative movement to re-imagine our region’s future and renew our commitment to the communities we share. On Monday, May 12 thousands of Chicago-area residents — from Alsip to Zion — will pull up a chair to discuss the future of our communities, while sharing a meal at small gatherings held in all kinds of locations throughout the region. The mission? To generate new ideas, inspire bold solutions and cultivate relationships and collaborations that advance our communities. On the Table commemorates the 99th anniversary of The Chicago Community Trust. The idea for the Trust was born during mealtime conversations hosted by Chicago banker Albert Harris nearly 100 years ago, during which Harris’ network decided to combine their philanthropies to collectively improve the region. As the Trust prepares for its second century, we hope these On the Table conversations will dissect, discuss, debate 8

Saturday, March 8, 2014

(with civility, of course) and ultimately define specific ways that we can work together to build strong, safe and dynamic communities. In order to make a real, positive impact on our neighborhoods region-wide, we need you. Our goal is to recruit at least 1,000 On the Table mealtime conversation hosts and we are already more than a quarter of the way there. We invite you to join the movement as a host. If you aren’t able to host an event, we would be delighted if you could participate as a guest and attend an On the Table event in your community. Visit OntheTable2014.com to learn more and register your participation for Monday, May 12. We hope you’ll join us.

WOMAN’S HEALTH FESTIVAL: Join ACCESS as they continue on the journey to end breast cancer disparities through education and by providing low-cost to free mammograms and Pap smears to uninsured women on Thursday, March 13, 4 pm – 8 pm. It will take place at the Arturo Velazquez Technical Institute Conference Center, 2800 S. Western Avenue, Chicago IL 60608. Uninsured eligible women will be able to receive referrals for vital health screenings through the STAND program. This free event promises to be an inspiring and educational experience for all women. Please bring your ID, any income check stubs from last month or a letter from your employer, and two pieces of mail to provide proof of address. Entertainment will include Deeply Rooted Dance Theater Emerging Artists Ensemble and talented singer Citlalli. For more information contact Paulina Guzman at 312-526-2087, or at paulinaguzman@accesscommunityhealth.net.

UIC JANE ADDAMS COLLEGE OF SOCIAL WORK 20th KAREN HONIG MEMORIAL LECTURE: On Thursday, March 13, at 4 pm, Victor M. Rios, Ph.D., will deliver a lecture entitled “From “At-Risk” to “At-Promise:” Dignity Enhancement as Intervention in the Lives of Marginalized Youths. It will take place in the Student Services Building, 1200 W. Harrison Street, Rooms A, B, and C, Chicago, Illinois, 60607. Dr. Rios is an Associate Professor in the Department of Sociology at the University of California, Santa Barbara. A reception with refreshments will be held immediately after the lecture. RSVP to Candace Stoakley at 312-996-4928 or email jacswhonig@uic.edu.

RE-EMPLOYMENT SERVICES WORKSHOP: Looking for a job?

Let us help. On Friday, March 14, from 10 am – 1 pm, State Senator Mattie Hunter and the Illinois Department of Employment Security

THE STATE COMPTROLLER Judy Baar Topinka’s office recently honored several women during its African American History Month program, which was “Celebrating Empowered Women.” The honorees are Shelia Morgan President and CEO Chicago Minority Supplier Development Council, Illinois Comptroller Judy Baar Topinka, Marshette Turner Director of External Affairs Office of the Comptroller, Congresswoman Robin Kelly, D. Michelle Flowers Welch Founder and Chairman Flowers Communications Group, Swin Cash WNBA Chicago Sky (left to right). (Photo by Teresa Potasiak) host a Re-Employment Services Workshop. It will take place at Kennedy King College, Mini Great Hall, 6301 S. Halsted Street. To attend, contact Larry Luster at lluster@senatedem.ilga.gov. Also, make sure your resume is on Illinoisjoblink.com.

DOLPHIN PRESENTATIONS TO RESUME AT BROOKFIELD ZOO: While the recent weather in Chicagoland has been frigid, Brookfield Zoo guests can once again enjoy

tropical temperatures at the Seven Seas’ dolphin stadium. The dolphin presentations have resumed. During the three-and-a-half months the presentations were canceled, staff concentrated their efforts on the care and monitoring of two dolphin calves that were born in October 2013. During the new presentations, guests will be able to see several members of the dolphin group, including Chinook, 31; Allie, 26; Spree, 11; Noelani, 10, and Allison, 8. However, Tapeko, 32, and her

calf, as well as a calf that continues to be hand reared and monitored 24 hours a day, will remain off exhibit for a few more months. Regular zoo admission is $16.95 for adults and $11.95 for children 3-11 and seniors 65 and over. Admission to the dolphin presentation is $4.00 for adults and $2.50 for children 3-11. Children 2 and under are free. Parking is $10. For further information, including dolphin presentation times, visit www.CZS.org or call 708-6888000.

Extended Coverage ***

Distracted driving killed more than 3,300 people in America in 2011 and injured nearly 400,000, the National Highway Safety Administration reported. No wonder campaigns are widespread now to stop driving and texting. *** Fact: Sending a text or opening one while you drive takes your eyes off the road for about 4.6 seconds. At 55 miles an hour, that’s like driving the length of a football field—blindfolded!

Milton E. Moses

More smart savings: answer all your insurance questions with one stop 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.

*** Its taken some time, but child safety seats are a fact of life now.

Properly installed, they reduce the risk of fatal injuries by 71 percent for infants and 54 percent for toddlers. *** There aren’t seat belts or car seats for pets yet. That’s why they should be in the back seat, preferably in a harness or cage. Otherwise pets could climb on the driver’s lap or under pedals. *** Smart savings: repair small cracks in a windshield instead of replacing it. It’s faster and often no-deductible covered.

BLACKS MUST CONTROL THEIR OWN COMMUNITY

www.chicagocrusader.com

BUSINESS

CFPB to Mortgage Servicers: The Shell Game Is Over New standards to hold servicers accountable

By Charlene Crowell In a February 19 speech before the nation’s largest association representing real estate finance, Steven Antonakes, Deputy Director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), updated the Bureau’s recent achievements before addressing how new mortgage servicing standards will be implemented.

Since CFPB began operations, the Bureau has: • Returned over $750 million to consumers as of September 2013 and fined $81.5 million to entities that violated consumer laws; • Mandated an additional $2 billion in foreclosure relief; and • Received over 289,000 complaints: an average of 4,900 mortgage complaints per month is second only to those filed on debt collection averaging 5,900 complaints.

Yet the real focus of his address focused on mortgage servicers. Speaking on behalf of consumers, Antonakes said, “When it comes to servicing, consumers have little choice in the matter. After a borrower chooses a lender and takes on a mortgage, the responsibility for

www.chicagocrusader.com

managing that loan can be transferred to another servicer without any so-so from the borrower. So if consumers are dissatisfied with their servicer they have no opportunity to switch over to another provider.”

Although consumers choose a lender, they do not choose a servicer.

That judgment call comes from the originating lender. Mortgage servicers, not loan officers, are responsible for the management of home loans including crediting monthly loan payments.

During the foreclosure crisis, many troubled homeowners became frustrated with mortgage servicers’ delays and sometimes lack of concern. If a mortgage loan was bundled and sold on the secondary market, servicers changed as well – despite homeowners never being given notice of a change in servicers or new operating terms.

As a result, millions of troubled homeowners were forced to seek the attention and assistance of servicers they did not hire, nor paid. Servicers, on the other hand, were more concerned with meeting expectations of investors and lenders rather than customers.

Had servicers been more respon-

Charlene Crowell sive to consumers, the infamous ‘dual-tracking’ process would not have been so prevalent. Dual-tracking was a servicer practice of pursuing foreclosure at the same time that a troubled homeowner was seeking to modify or refinance their loan.

The unfortunate consequence for affected homeowners was that they would learn of a foreclosure filing, not knowing that their servicer pursued dual interests.

CFPB’s Deputy Director chose his

audience well. The nation’s mortgage servicers manage a nearly $10 trillion portfolio for millions of American homeowners. The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) that invited Antonakes to speak represents the entire real estate finance industry in legislative and regulatory issues. Its influence is based on a nationwide network of 44 state associations and 2,200 member companies that together employ 280,000 people across the nation.

To the stakeholders assembled, Antonakes issued a warning that was as clear as it was direct.

“Servicing transfers where the new servicers are not honoring existing permanent or trial modifications will not be tolerated,” said Antonakes. “There will be no more shell games where the first servicer says the transfer ended all of its responsibility to consumers and the second servicer says it got a data dump missing critical documents.”

Continuing he added, “It’s not just about collecting payments. It’s about recognizing that you must treat Americans who are struggling to pay their mortgages fairly before exercising your right to foreclose.

We have raised the bar in favor of

BLACKS MUST CONTROL THEIR OWN COMMUNITY

American consumers and we are ready, willing and able to vigorously enforce that bar.”

Even with Dodd-Frank Reform enacted, many of the forces that opposed Wall Street Reform and Senate confirmation of a CFPB Director continue their assault on the Bureau.

For example, the Consumer Financial Protection and Soundness Improvement Act of 2013 (HR 3193) would actually do the opposite of what its name implies: compromise the CFPB. The legislation would specifically: • Replace CFPB’s single accountable director with a commission with members chosen by party leaders – a well-known recipe for gridlock; • Remove the Bureau’s financial independence in favor of Congressional appropriations; and • Weaken CFPB’s authority by authorizing an outside council to overturn consumer protection rules.

If these changes sound familiar, you’re right. All of them have been attempted before and all have failed. For some naysayers, active opposition to CFPB remains a goal.

(Continued on page 18)

Saturday, March 8, 2014

9

EDUCATION

DuSable Leadership students observer Black History Month Black History Month 2014 gave students from the DuSable Leadership Academy, part of the Betty Shabazz International Charter School, a chance to display their artistic skills to a diverse audience from across the

state.

The DuSable students were selected by the Illinois State Treasurer’s Office to display their art works at the James Thompson Center in observance of Black History Month.

AMINA LOUDEN WAS one of several DuSable Leadership Academy students who recently participated in a Black History Month observance sponsored by the Illinois Treasurer’s Office.

DEVEIN WILSON ACCOMPANIED his classmates from the Du Sable Leadership Academy to the James Thompson Center to view the airport the students completed for a week-long exhibit.

The Betty Shabazz International Charter School is comprised of the Betty Shabazz Academy (K-8), the Barbara A. Sizemore Academy (K-7) and the DuSable Leadership Academy (9-12) The students’ drawings and paintings ranged from contemporary icons

to historical figures including Malcolm X and the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. According to a treasurer’s office spokesperson, that office has been observing Black History with the art exhibits for more than two decades.

She said the goal is “to show the posi-

tive side of students and give them some exposure.”

Over the years, a number of community organizations that focus on students, as well as adult students from the City Colleges of Chicago have been invited to display their art work at the Thompson Center.

DUSABLE LEADERSHIP STUDENTS and art teacher Kwaw Lester pose before the students’ art work that was recently on display at the James Thompson Center. The exhibit was part of the Illinois Treasurer’s Office annual observance of Black History Month.

John FOTOPOULOS for Cook County Judge 15th Subcircuit BRIANNA MOORE STOPPED for a close-up look of one of the more contemporary subjects – Biggie Small – that was part of the annual Black History Month exhibit for visitors and employees at the Thompson Center downtown.

MELYSSA LYONS TOOK a few minutes recently to enjoy one of the most popular paintings by Du Sable students at an exhibit downtown in the state office headquarters.

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KRISTOPHER WHITE, A Du Sable Leadership Academy student, was one of several from the school who was invited to be part of a rotating program that lets students from organizations and schools share their talents.

TASENA HORN APPLIED the skills she honed in her art class to a project that brought DuSable Leadership talent downtown during Black History Month.

John brings: • Trial Experience • Excellent demeanor • Legal knowledge The Chicago Bar Association Judicial Evaluation Committee: “John Spyros Fotopoulos is QUALIFIED for the office of the Circuit Court Judge. Mr. Fotopoulos was admitted to practice law in Illinois in 2000 and is engaged in private practice concentrating in criminal defense, personal injury, and workers compensation. Mr. Fotopoulos has considerable trial practice and has tried a number of difficult cases. Mr. Fotopoulos has an excellent demeanor and possesses the requisite knowledge and ability to serve as a Circuit Court Judge.

BLACKS MUST CONTROL THEIR OWN COMMUNITY

www.chicagocrusader.com

COMMUNITY

Chicago Native Pens Books Series Examining Country’s Past Exposes Hidden Truths in American History The fact that Christopher Columbus, in deed, did not discover America or that all slaves were not freed with the pronouncement of the Emancipation Proclamation, but took several years for the news to trickle down, is, shall we say…old news. Now comes a series of new books, written by educator, speaker, activist and business entrepreneur, Alvin Boyce Munson. The series, titled “COMING CLEAN-Stories of America’s Past; Untold Stories of American History,” blows the veil off text book American history and replaces it with what he calls political and historical occurrences that will shock, appall, tickle and enlighten Americans about their real history.

The books took eight years to research and write and cover the expansive eras 1500 to 2013. “History

been left out in terms of the contributions of non-white groups,” Munson says. “I used that passion not to write a diatribe, but to share my passion for understanding history in order to better the lives of others, especially people of color.” He often states that history is the blueprint of the future, and if we don’t know and understand our history, then we are doomed to repeat it.

The resultant book series appeals to the intellect in all of us — youth, educators, parents — by including numerous omitted incidents and people that shaped this country, for good and bad.

Born Alvin Boyce Munson on September 4, 1956, Munson grew up in Chicago’s Englewood Community, before transplanting himself to Atlanta. He is a successful business entrepreneur and a highly sought-after speaker on issues of history, politics and book publishing.

IMAGES OF THE seven volume book series “Coming Clean: Stories of America’s Past.”

Munson Book Series has always been a passion of mine. I Coming Clean/2 was frustrated, along with many colleagues, about the miss telling of American History. So much has He began his political career with

Fulani, of the independent New Alliance Party. Always an outspoken, involved activist, in 1991, he consequently found himself present during an assassination attempt made on Reverend Al Sharpton’s life. It happened during a demonstration in Bensonhurst, New York, to demand justice for Yusef Hawkins who was murdered there by a gang of White youths.

Munson Book Series Coming Clean/3

Alvin Boyce Munson the Black Muslims as a member of ing engagements on campuses, orthe Fruit of Islam. Then in 1979, ganizing voter registration drives in Munson became a community or- Georgia and working with the New ganizer for ACORN, Association of Alliance Party’s Ballot Access for Community Organizations for Re- groups in various states and many form Now. In 1980, he marched in other political projects across the Miami with Reverend Jesse Jackson, country.

Sr. in support of Haitian political One of his most defining political refugees who were being denied ac- career agendas was working with the cess into the country, contrary to Anti-Klan Network with Reverend their fairer-skinned counterparts— C.T. Vivian, who headed the orgathe Cuban refugees. nization with Lynn Wells (later the When he settled in Atlanta, he name was changed to The Center joined forces with Dr. Joseph Low- for Democratic Renewal). It moniery’s Jobs with Peace, an organiza- tored hate groups, centering on the tion that urged influential politi- Klu Klux Klan, and tried to get the cians to create jobs instead of war. Klan classified as a terrorist organizaDuring those years, he was com- tion (at that time Georgia’s Cobb pletely focused on politics, tackling County had the highest concentrasuch issues as raising the minimum tion of Klansmen-women in the wage, stopping the war-machine, re- country). cruiting young people on college As Georgia chairperson, he led the campuses to become involved in the 1988-1991 campaign run for U.S. political process, facilitating speak- presidential hopeful Dr. Lenora B.

Another defining moment in Munson’s social justice career came in 1993, when he ran for an AtLarge Seat on the Atlanta City Council, District 15. He says he won at increasing awareness, support and politicizing his issues, though he lost at obtaining the seat.

During his activism, he found time to earn his Associate’s degree in Business Administration from Hawaii College and a Humanities degree in 2004 from Bard College.

The “COMING CLEAN” book series was published in September 2013, followed by successful booksigning events and speaking engagements; a second printing is planned this year. You also can watch Munson’s informative lectures on YouTube, search Alvin Munson or Raw American History; read his blog at www.rawamerhistory.wordpress.com and visit his website: www.neweraacademy.net for commentary about and excerpts from his book series. Additionally, he has authored other books: “Bill Clinton; I Promise” in 1993 and his autobiography “Memories of Me; Rest in Pieces” in 2010.

“Lady Day” performance closes Black History Month Africa International House (“AIH”) closed its Black History Month Celebrations with an Art Exhibition reception and musical performance featuring Loretta Lee as “Lady Day” recently at the Harriet M. Harris Recreational Park in Chicago.

For many years, Loretta has been known as an “up and coming,” sultry, smooth and sophisticated jazz vocalist who is progressively taking Chicago by storm. During the course of her musical career, Loretta became best known as “Lady Lee” for her impressionable, breath-taking performance and striking imitation of the legendary singer, Billie Holiday. Additionally, she has performed in numerous capacities at jazz clubs and many other establishments throughout the Chicagoland area including Army & Lou’s Restaurant, Gino’s Steak House, Isaac Hayes Restaurant, Lee’s Unleaded Blues, Navy Pier, Condesa Del Mar, Green Dolphin Street, Ramada Inn, Chicago Racwww.chicagocrusader.com

AFRICAN INTERNATIONAL HOUSE (“AIH”) Board Members (l to r): Jan Austin, Chuck Bowen, Joseph Harrington-Board Chair, Pam Morris, Jess Williams, Gerald Griffin-artist and Leonard Murray attend the organization’s Black History Month celebration at the Harriet M. Harris Recreational Park. quetball Club and The University cated to exposing all people to the Washington Park. The festival at- ipants. For more information call: Park County Club. art and culture of Africa, is gearing tracts thousands for an African (773) 955-ARTS (2787) or visit Africa International House, a up for the 25th African Festival of centered creative, educational and www.africanfestivalchicago.com not-for profit organization dedi- Arts held Labor Day Weekend in entertaining weekend for all particBLACKS MUST CONTROL THEIR OWN COMMUNITY

Saturday, March 8, 2014

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ENTERTAINMENT

By Raymond Ward GOLDEN CONGRATULATIONS: A heartfelt, CONGRATULATIONS, to: John Ridley (Best Adapted Screenplay); Lupita Nyong’o (Best Supporting Actress); and Producers Brad Pitt and Steve McQueen (Best Picture) on winning the Academy Awards for the phenomenal, “12 Years A Slave.”

STREET MUSIC: In the course of his prolific career as a jazz journalist, writing for the Los Angeles Times, the Newark Star Ledger, and Down Beat magazine, among Steve McQueen many other publications, Zan Stewart established himself as one of the best in the business. He won a prestigious ASCAPDeems Taylor Award for his notes to an Eric Dolphy boxed set, and kept up a busy pace over a span of 35 years profiling major jazz musicians and annotating over two hundred albums.

On the side, however, Stewart pursued his own musical muse, playing tenor saxophone in jam session situations and as the leader of his own John Ridley groups. By 2011 he had relocated from New Jersey to the Bay Area with the intention of becoming a full-time jazz musician. The release in March of his first album, “The Street is Making Music,” is the culmination of that goal, and it happens to coincide with Stewart’s 70th birthday.

“I had done my part as a jazz musician and I really didn’t want to write about other people anymore,” explains Stewart, who is now based in Richmond, near Berkeley, California. “So I decided to leave journalism, which can be so demanding. You can’t really think about anything else while you’re doing that. I enjoyed it, but after a while I just wanted to find out who I was as a musician.”

The album contains uncompromising performances of three popular standards, one tune by Bud Powell, two by Charlie Parker, and five of Stewart’s own, including two different takes of his “Gals Round the Hood.” The whimsical album title comes courtesy of a young former neighbor of Stewart’s in West Orange, New Jersey for whom Zan’s practice sessions sounded like “the street is making music.”

Charlie Parker With “The Street is Making Music,” Zan Stewart offers a document of his improbable and inspiring musical journey to date. “It is indeed gratifying to have finally fulfilled a longtime dream by recording this album and revealing who I am as a musician,” he says. “And I am very excited to discover where this action leads and what comes next.” www.chicagocrusader.com

By Elaine Hegwood Bowen, MSJ

Whitaker-produced “Repentance” provides great cast and bloody scenes “Repentance” is a suspense-filled thriller starring Forest Whitaker in one of his meanest roles in recent history. Whitaker plays Angel Sanchez, a construction worker, who has lost his mother to a tragic accident and seeks out a therapist named Tommy Carter, played by

gets out of jail and is in deep financial trouble with drug dealers, and he seeks his help. Tommy can’t help but take on a new client, Angel, in an effort to make a fast buck to turn over to his brother.

However, Angel becomes frustrated with Tommy’s efforts to cure his

comedies and sex-laced offerings featuring Blacks that have been recently released. Epps plays his role well of a “brother trying to get his act together after having been in jail.” It was good to see him outside of a comedic role. With four good Black actors, maybe the money

ARIANA NEAL, AS Francesca, walks with her father, Angel, at the end of “Repentance.”

Anthony Mackie, to help him over- depression, and he decides to take could have been spent on a more come his grief. But Tommy has an him hostage—holding him in his compelling movie. However, it is ulterior motive that turns the thera- basement, torturing him, all the one of a number of recent movies where Whitaker has been involved pist and his family’s lives around. while taking care of his daughter.

It’s a turn of cards and events for as a producer.

Beautiful young actress who played in “Fruitvale Station,” Ariana Neal, Tommy, and Angel reciting some of In the end, all four characters end plays Whitaker’s daughter, Frances- Tommy’s own writings back to him ca, and Ari Nicole Parker plays his that provides levity amid the devas- up in the basement, and Angel is wife. Sanaa Lathan plays Mackie’s tating pain that is being dished out still seeing visions of his mother.

But the one who saves the day, and wife, Maggie, and Michael Epps to Tommy.

“Repentance,” which is set in a few lives, is Francesca, who has a plays Mackie’s brother, Ben. Tommy’s career is hot as a best- New Orleans, did well at the box of- bit of advice and a word for Angel selling, self-help author, and he is fice for a movie in limited release, that finally turns things around. poised to start a book tour to pro- and it contains an entirely Black “Repentance” contains much blood mote his latest book, but his brother main cast. It is a departure from the and depravity and, is in limited re-

FOREST WHITAKER, FAR right, breaks it down for (l to r) Sanaa Lathan, Anthony Mackie and Michael Epps.

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Saturday, March 8, 2014

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ENTERTAINMENT

Celebrating the First Black Stuntmen in Hollywood their contributions are being recognized, and their celluloid legacy is equated by their human legacy of stuntmen and stuntwomen who owe their careers and likelihoods to the men who became the First Black Stuntmen in America. And the legacy lives on.

The successes and triumphs of African-American stuntmen and

By Nonie L. Robinson and Kandace Williams “Painted Down” is a Historical Film Documentary that spotlights and gives honor to a group of men and women who were willing to stand up and fight for something.

Something that most men could only dream of, and often never given the chance to dream of, a career in Television and Film; especially during the Civil Rights Movement and a time in the United States where Blacks were fighting for the right to work and decent pay.

At the time, there were very few African-American actors in the entertainment business, and even fewer stuntmen supporting them. Also a disingenuous practice, being “painted down,” that kept Blacks from working with their would-be superstar counterparts ruled the industry, until a brave few, led by an highly ethical and even braver Bill

Angela Meryl

Jophery Brown

Cosby, stood up and demanded its end.

Largely out of sight and out of mind, these pioneering stuntmen worked hard, and not only fought for jobs, but the right to work, comparable wages and finally the recognition they deserved. Five decades later, their stories are being told,

Calvin Brown

stuntwomen in the late sixties and beyond is something to celebrate, and we highlight their glorious achievements, along with the Black celebrity elite they supported and continue to support, and the iconic film and television presentations that are remembered and often adored, as they are mixed in with

The South Central Community Services organization will host its 29th annual “Puttin on the Hits” show at the Sabre Room in Hickory Hills March 14.

Come out and join many of Chicago’s local celebrities, including sports figures, politicians, and business leaders in support of this charitable event.

The show is considered to have some of the regions’ best lipsynching talent. Some of the artists whose songs will be synched include Michael Jackson, Beyoncé, Prince, Kelly Rowland,

Robin Thicke, Freddie Jackson and many more. The evening also includes dinner and dancing.

Doors open at 6:00 p.m. with dinner starting at 7 p.m. Showtime is 8 p.m. with dancing after the show. Tickets are $75 and are available by calling 773-483-0900 or online at www.scpoth29.event.com.

South Central Community Services, Inc. is a comprehensive human service agency committed to improving the quality of life for individuals and families by providing quality mental health, edu-

cational, socio-economic, and recreational programs and services throughout metropolitan Chicago.

The organization was founded in 1970 by residents of the Chatham and Avalon Park communities, in response to a lack of mental health services for a growing number of children with emotional and behavioral disorders.

These children were being excluded from the public schools on the South Side.

In 1981, SCCHSO was renamed South Central Communi-

our societal structures, pop culture and childhood memories. A few of the stuntmen and stuntwomen who are featured in this project are Calvin Brown, Angela Meryl, Jophery Brown, Annie Ellis and Greg Elam.

Some of the actors who were doubled by the stuntmen and stuntwomen in this film are Bill Cosby, Morgan Freeman, Vanessa L. Williams, Sidney Poitier, Samuel L. Jackson, Gregory Hines, Phillip Michael Thomas, Vivica Fox, and Beyonce .

“Painted Down,” Produced by Nonie L. Robinson (HBO), Shant Tutunjian (Initiative/HBO) and Megan Lurty, will be released for television network airing February 2015 along with the unveiling of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture who will showcase an exhibit honoring the stuntmen and their accomplishments in the History of Television and Film.

South Central hosts annual dinner show fundraiser

Victorie celebrates her famous grandmother, Aretha Franklin The granddaughter of Aretha Franklin, Victorie, performed Tamela Mann’s “Take Me to the King,” a tribute to the Queen of Soul on the 2014 BET Honors recently.

A WELL-ATTENDED event last year, “Puttin on the Hits” is expected to have a larger turn out this year as well as more entertainers. ty Services, Inc. (SCCS). Since youth to senior citizens, are benethen, South Central has become a ficiaries of the services provided major comprehensive social ser- by staff. The primary communivice agency, offering 15 different ties served are Avalon Park, Burnprograms and services from five side, Chatham, Englewood, facilities located throughout the Greater Grand Crossing, Auburn Chicago area. Each year thou- Gresham, Roseland and South sands of residents, ranging from Shore.

Many in the audience were wondering if Victorie is the next Aretha Franklin and they also felt she was the highlight of the show.

Aretha has been giving her oneon-one vocal coaching and she believes Victorie has a big future.

Aretha said, “Victorie is coming along very well. When I went to watch her in rehearsals it brought tears to my eyes.” Aretha’s son Kecalf also performed on the special.

She performed a stirring tribute to Nelson Mandela.

Others on the special included Mariah Carey, Jennifer Hudson, Janelle Monae, Smokey Robinson and host Wayne Brady. www.chicagocrusader.com

AT A RECENT tribute to the Queen of Soul, Victorie Franklin performs along with many other artist during a BET Honors show.

RETURNING TO THE 29TH annual “Puttin on the Hits” fundraiser will be a talented Michael Jackson lip-synching act and many more in support of South Central Community Service, Inc.

BLACKS MUST CONTROL THEIR OWN COMMUNITY

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ARTS AND CULTURE

The CSO announces programming for the 2014-15 season Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO) Music Director Riccardo Muti and Deborah F. Rutter, president of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Association (CSOA), recently announced the programming for the CSO and Symphony Center Presents (SCP) 2014-15 season.

Muti will lead ten weeks of subscription concerts in four residencies with the Orchestra in Chicago, with appearances in September and October, January, February and March and June. In addition, he will lead the Orchestra on a three-week tour of Europe in October and November, and in three performances at Carnegie Hall in January.

Muti’s programming for the 2014-15 season will explore the contrasts between Russian composers Tchaikovsky and Scriabin, who own distinctive styles while sharing a common heritage.

A season-long focus on French composers will cover two centuries, from Berlioz to Pierre Boulez whose 90th birthday will be celebrated during the season. A three-week festival in May led by Esa-Pekka Salonen will focus on 20th century French dramatic and operatic works.

The Austro-Germanic tradition will be represented all season long by the masterworks of orchestral

Riccardo Muti repertoire by Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Brahms, Bruckner and Mahler. The season also features the world premieres of commissioned works by Mason Bates and Anna Clyne in the culmination of their five years as Mead Composers-in-Residence.

Other highlights of the Orchestra’s 2014-15 season include: -A season-opening performance of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9, with soprano Camilla Nylund, mezzo-soprano Ekaterina Gubanova, tenor Christopher Ventris and bass-baritone Eric Owens, conducted by

Maestro Muti -A European tour in October and November that finds the CSO making its debut in Warsaw, Poland, along with a return visit to Paris, an unprecedented weeklong residency in Vienna and performances in additional cities to be announced at a later date.

- Maestro Muti and the Orchestra and Chorus’ return to New York’s Carnegie Hall for three programs on January 30, 31 and February 1 featuring guest pianist Yefim Bronfman performing Brahms’ Piano Concerto No. 2 and Prokofiev’s “Alexander Nevsky” with the Chicago Symphony Chorus and mezzo-soprano Alisa Kolosova. Kolosova and the CSO joined by tenor Sergey Skorokhodov for Scriabin’s Symphony No. 1.

-Artistic Advisor Gerard McBurney’s “Beyond the Score” series will explore the works of Boulez, Brahms and Ravel.

The programs of Symphony Center Presents and the Institute for Learning, Access and Training complement the CSO’s subscription programs and demonstrate Maestro Muti’s and the CSOA’s commitment to supporting young musicians and to serving the greater Chicago community through music.

-Highlights this season include

St. Mark UMC Higher Education Ministry presents Jonita Lattimore in benefit recital The Higher Education Ministry of St. Mark United Methodist Church, 8441 S. St. Lawrence Ave. will present Jonita Lattimore, soprano, in benefit recital “It Takes a Village to Educate a Student,” Sunday, March 16 at 3:00 pm. The Black Tie Optional recital will be performed in the church sanctuary.

Jonita Lattimore has performed to critical acclaim in prestigious venues, including New York’s Carnegie Hall, Washington DC’s Kennedy Center, Houston’s Houston Grand Opera, Vienna’s Musikverein, Paris’ Bastille Opera House, Scotland’s Edinburgh Fes-

Jonita Lattimore

Ravinia’s 2014 season, dubbed “Summer of Love/Season of Stars,” was announced February 27 by Ravinia President and CEO Welz Kauffman. Ravinia’s 110th year features 47 festival debuts, four world premieres and the 78th summer residency of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.

Season highlights include: James Conlon conducts three operas, including Patricia Racette starring for the first time as “Salome,” one of seven evenings cele-

brating 150th birthday Richard Strauss; Joshua Bell headlines annual Gala Benefit with Conlon conducting the CSO; Direct from “Downton Abbey,” Kiri Te Kanawa celebrates her 70th birthday with a premiere; Itzhak Perlman and Cantor Helfgot bring best-selling “Eternal Echoes” to stage; Midori joins Ravinia’s Steans Music Institute (RSMI) faculty and gives two concerts and a mas-

tival, Mexico City’s Belles Artes, and Chicago’s Lyric Opera of Chicago, Symphony Center and Millennium Park. Miss Lattimore is a lifetime member of St. Mark UM Church and an alumna of Kenwood Academy, The Eastman School of Music and The University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana.

Tickets are $100 (Benefactors); $35 General Admission; and $15 (Students) and may be purchased in advance online at r.west.norman53@gmail.com. For further information, call the Church office at 773-846-2992.

Ravinia announces 2014 Season with 130 events June 5 through September

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ter class; The Knights team with Yo-Yo Ma and Dawn Upshaw, who will sing Maria Schneider’s jazz-influenced 2014 Grammy-winner “Winter Morning Walks;” Ravinia favorites Carrie Underwood; James Taylor; Train; John Legend; Heart; Crosby, Stills & Nash; Darius Rucker; Earth, Wind & Fire; Sarah McLachlan; Buddy Guy; Hall & Oates; (Continued on page 19)

CSO Judson and Joyce Green Creative Consultant Yo-Yo Ma collaborating with musicians of the CSO, as well as bringing his international consortium of musicians, the Silk Road Ensemble, in its 15th anniversary, to the Symphony Center stage.

The SCP Chamber Music, Or-

chestra and Piano series further expand the broad spectrum of talent from around the world that comes to Chicago to perform in Orchestra Hall at Symphony Center. The SCP Jazz series enters its third decade in 2014/15; programming details will be announced in April.

JOYCE DiDONATO (Sesto) and Matthew Polenzani (Tito) appear in a scene from Mozart’s ‘opera seria’ ‘La Clemenza di Tito’ composed in 1791 for the coronation of Leopold II of Bohemia, a newto-Chicago production of Lyric Opera of Chicago opened Wednesday, March 5 at the Civic Opera House, 20 N. Wacker Dr. for performances through Sunday, March 23. Conceived and designed by Sir David McVicar whose new production of Dvorak’s ‘Rusalka’ took Chicago audiences by storm when it opened February 22, the cast includes former Ryan Center members Amanda Majeski as Vitellia, Cecelia Hall as Annio, Christian Van Horn as Publio and current Ryan Center artist Emily Birsan as Servilla. ‘Clemenza di Tito,’ is directed by McVicar associate Marie Lambert with costumes by Jenny Tiramani (debut) and lighting by Jennifer Tipton. Movement director is David Greeves (debut) and Michael Black is chorus master. Music director Sir Andrew Davis conducts. For information or tickets, call 312-827-5600 or go to lyricopera.org. Photo/Todd Rosenberg.

United Methodist Women of St. Mark sponsor annual blood drive March 15.

The United Methodist Women (UMW) of St. Mark United Methodist Church, in conjunction with Life Source, will host its annual blood drive on March 15, 2014 from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

The event will be held in Young Malone Fellowship Hall at 8441 S. St. Lawrence Avenue, Chicago.

There is always a need for blood and we invite you to join us as we work to save lives in our community. Life Source serves eight counties in northern Illinois and south central Wisconsin by supplying more than 550,000 units of blood and blood components annually to meet the needs of more than 160 hospitals and home health agencies.

To prepare for donating blood one should eat well and drink plenty of water. A listing of the

BLACKS MUST CONTROL THEIR OWN COMMUNITY

medications you are taking and proper identification consisting of a Life Source or military ID, driver’s license or employee badge with picture and full name are required. A birth certificate and a picture ID that includes your full name will also be accepted.

Potential donors may make an appointment by calling Life Source at 877-543-3768. When you call, use code C767 for St. Mark. Donors will receive a free cholesterol screening and free blood typing. Refreshments will also be available.

Betty Clay and Malissia Fourte are the 2014 Co-Chairs for the blood drive and Beverly Redmond is President of the United Methodist Women. Rev. P. Devon Brown is Senior Pastor of St. Mark United Methodist Church. www.chicagocrusader.com

SPIRITUALLY SPEAKING

A Moment to Super Size Your Thinking

By Effie Rolfe Really Think Big—even bigger than that-because it’s possible.

Most times we are extremely small-minded when it comes to what we can do and even more so when it comes to what God can do. This is such a big world with unlimited possibilities. When I think about the creative genius displayed in song, architecture, science, medicine, social media, technology and the list continues—I am in total awe. If these amazing works are demonstrated by men, what more can God do?

I believe God is the Creator of All, therefore, what we see is merely a fraction of his greatness and power.

Speaking of thinking big, here’s a picture of the money that floats

Effie Rolfe

around in this country. For the past six years, the Federal Reserve Bank has pumped 89 billion dollars a month into the U.S. economy through the process known as quantitative easing. That’s $89,000,000 (billion with a ‘b’) and may I reiterate that is every month since the beginning of 2008. Whoa—that’s a ton of money! My reason for sharing is to let you know the amount of money around you. We haven’t gotten to corporations sitting on piles of cash reserves of over 200 billion—there goes that b word again. When it comes to money—that is a lot of money! Apple is valued at $624 billion and is only one of the fortune 500 companies that we hear about on the stock market. Millionaires like Mark Zuckerberg with Facebook

are popping up everyday to the tune of 100 billion dollars. We haven’t even mentioned the two richest men in the world, Warren Buffett and Bill Gates, and even Oprah Winfrey estimated to be worth 2.5 billion dollars with a yearly salary of $194.5 million a year. Lastly, Steve Harvey rents a pent house in Trump Towers for $20,000 a month. I’m throwing these numbers as a reminder of the cash that is available right now in the ether. The average salary in the U.S. is approximately $46,000 or $34,000 after taxes and deductions. This is not to make you feel uncomfortable but to expand your thinking.

Money is only one aspect of prosperity; there is so much more and we have yet to touch the surface. One of my favorite choirs

sang “I might as well think big, why should anyone think small—I might as well think big—if you’re gonna’ think at all.” If mere mortal men can amass fortunes, everyone can because according to Matthew 19:26 “…with God All things are possible.” Let’s stretch our imagination and think bigger and larger. Once right thinking is put into action—the best is really yet to come!

Are you thinking bigger….? ©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 Crystal Fox stars in “The Haves and The Have Nots,” one of the hottest shows on cable network, and she’s loving it! “The role of Hanna is a confirmation from God. It renewed my faith in myself and in God to say what you do is of value—hands down, I know that God loves me,” expressed Fox. The love has fans tweeting about the show from coast to coast, “I am glad it’s well received—it was a miraculous wonderful experience for my

Crystal Fox whole life,” shared Fox who thought she had missed out. “I had driven across country to Oregon for a play at the Shakespearean Theater. I went right before my birthday on New Year’s Day and was suppose to start working on the third. My friend, T.C. Carson, from Living Single, rode with me and literally on my birthday, I got a callback to L.A. for an audition that I did in August or October for the show. I thought I had missed my opportunity,” she said. www.chicagocrusader.com

The former “In the Heat of the Night” star believes landing the role was divine, “I flew to Oregon and none of my clothes were there so I felt under dressed—but I was sure of this character. This is why I know when something is meant for you—it’s meant for you. There were hundreds of people and they all looked beautiful.

Everything that I felt was not enough, God said you are enough,” said Fox. “It’s the birthday gift that keeps on giving.”

“My character is filled with unconditional love and is not holier than thou. Hanna is very human—a real woman with a blue collar job, real problems and natural hair—which you don’t see on TV, but she doesn’t tolerate foolishness,” shared the North Carolina native. Her flawless portrayal has viewers hooked on every word and prayer, “One person said I hate to admit I love to watch the show. They come directly to me and say you know you look just like a lady named Hanna or they hear my voice and freak out. They tell me how they love me and then begin to reprimand saying—you have got to forgive your daughter,” said Fox, who is also, the niece of the late Nina Simone. “First if they are that excited and passionate that means I did my job; if you don’t see me (Crystal Fox) and flat out believe that I’m this woman from down the street…that means I did my job,” shared the former “In the Heat of the Night” star.

“Two things I reassure them— I’m not Hanna and I love her very much, but it’s a script that Mr. Perry wrote and I obviously connect with the character very well,” she chuckled.

Fox is pleased with the huge rat-

THE CAST OF Tyler Perry’s “The Haves and the Have Nots” (New Season) Left to right: John Schneider, Jaclyn Betham, Renee Lawless, Aaron O’Connell, Tika Sumpter, Crystal Fox, Tyler Lepley, Angela Robinson, Peter Parros, Gavin Houston and Eva Tamargo. (Photo by Jeremy Cowart/OWN) ings, “Mr. Perry knew the show said. It wasn’t overnight—there sponse of the show was from men was going to be successful, but it are highs and lows…it’s a blessing of all ages, I’m shocked that men was new for us.” In addition to and a moment from God.” The look at me like that...they think I the success of the drama, “The advice Fox shares with upcoming look like Hanna but younger. It’s cast loves each other and Tyler actors is to “Remember why you funny—I’m a nervous wreck Perry—he’s giving and just amaz- got into it…I got through the about it,” she said and hopes “Mr. ing to work with. Mr. Perry was so hard times because this was some- Right will really like me and not excited about me and made me thing I couldn’t do without. because I’m an actress. I’m open feel very confident and strong as a Think of the moments that got to receive—but you better come television actor. He said you all you from one point to the oth- correct,” said Fox. are these characters. I want you to er—if they ever happen, they can live in them—whatever you feel happen again as long as your deFox shared a few inside tips these characters need…I want sire is still there,” she shared. about the must see series, “We One thing that will never leave is watch the actual show like the you to do that.” A life changing her southern roots “People would fans…we read it and then practice experience was meeting Lady O. be surprised that I’m one of those our lines,” she said. “I would like “The third day on the set Oprah rare women that still likes to cook to show up for a “Haves and Have showed up and all I could think chitlings—can you believe that?” Nots” party and sit in the back of—I had no make up on. She she asked.

Also, just like Hanna, and watch the audience…it’s gowas standing next to Tyler and her faith is strong, “As an adult ing to be crazy good!” you just appreciated how powerand a believer, I live by this and go ful God can make individuals,” to church on a regular basis,” Fox she recalled.

Congratulations to Rev. Derail said.

However, the one thing that Being on stage hasn’t always Smith, the newly appointed Pasbeen easy, “I have been acting for did catch her off guard were the tor of Cosmopolitan Church of 30 something years and people number of men watching her and Prayer Church founded by the have no idea what it costs,” she the series, “The immediate re- late Dr. Charles G. Hayes—RIP. BLACKS MUST CONTROL THEIR OWN COMMUNITY

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HEALTH

The Black man is missing Part one of a two-part series “He is missing from the health care system. He is less likely to hold a job that provides health insurance. Otherwise, he is underinsured. Despite chronic poverty that cries out for relief, he often slips through the cracks of a frayed social safety net. Medicaid, focused on pregnant women and children, rarely includes him. He bears a disparate burden of disease. He dies early and struggles frequently against structures that render him invisible.”

That reflection, delivered by Keith Elder, flows from the shared

Keon Gilbert

mission he and his colleague Keon Gilbert have embraced: bringing Black men into public conversations about health, health care, and health reform. They say their goal is to spotlight the dire need for more resources focused on Black men.

Elder, PhD, MPH, chairs the Department of Health Management and Policy at Saint Louis University’s School of Public Health. His work moves beyond disparities and dysfunction, expanding the research to expose the breadth and depth of Black men’s health issues from cradle to grave.

Gilbert, DrPH, MPH, MPA, an assistant professor in the department of Behavioral Sciences and Health Education, focuses on outreach, education, and interventions that increase Black men’s access to social capital in order to improve overall health outcomes.

Gilbert’s goal is to redefine Black men’s health—and not just as wellness, illness, or an absence of disease. “Black men should embrace the broadest definition of health, including how health can fuel their educational and economic ambitions, their dreams, and their well-being,” he says.

They are co-authors of two recent studies: “Men’s Health Disparities in Confidence to Manage

Keith Elder Health,” published in the fall 2013 issue of the International Journal of Men’s Health, and “Trust Medication, Adherence and Hypertension Control in Southern African American Men,” which appeared in the American Journal of Public Health in December 2012.

They both credit New Connections—a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) initiative that works to expand the diversity of perspectives informing RWJF program strategy—with helping to enhance their research agendas, and deepening their network of scholars and support.

Elder (a 2009 New Connections alumnus), whose research marked some of the seminal data on Black men’s health status, encouraged Gilbert to seek RWJF support. A current fellow, Gilbert is using his New Connections grant to engage Black men around access to the Affordable Care Act (ACA).

The goal is to understand how to help those without insurance obtain it and to persuade those who have it to use it more often by seeking routine and preventive health care services.

Black Men Missing From Health Care Conversation One of the first hurdles confronting Black men is health coverage. Second, and more fundamentally, many Black men do not

readily access health care even when they are insured. Elder notes that Black men with health insurance are two times less likely to use it than other groups.

“Black men are one of the hardest groups to reach. No one is looking to engage them, and they are just not plugged into the systems,” says Gilbert.

Education and outreach, vital to improved health status, are not isolated from the other challenges to advancing Black men’s health.

“We have to expand the science when it comes to a myriad of processes, from access to health care outcomes,” says Elder. His New Connections research focused on predictors, perceptions, and evaluation of health care quality by Black men in nonemergency medicine.

“Our published research is important, but the people we need to reach aren’t in the academic world,” says Elder. “They are in the barbershop, on the basketball court, and in communities that are medically underserved.”

Pin-A-Sister™/Examinate Comadre™ SPRING WOMEN’S HEALTH FESTIVAL Chicago area women and families are invited to join Access Community Health Network to help end breast cancer disparities through education and screening.

This Pin-A-Sister™/Examinate Comadre™ Spring Women’s Health Festival is free for all attendees and promises to be an inspiring and educational experience for all women. The event will be held at the Arturo Velazquez Institute, located at 2800 S. Western Ave., Chicago, on Thursday, March 13, 2014, from 4:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m.

ACCESS CEO Donna Thompson will acknowledge pastors and faith-based leaders who supported ACCESS’ Reach 2010 initiative.

Clinicians will speak about the impact of Pin-A-Sister™/Examinate Comadre™, and breast cancer survivors will also talk about the importance of getting screened, as we kick off upcoming ACCESS’ Mother’s Day Pin-A-Sister™/Examinate Comadre™ events.

The health festival will feature referrals for free mammograms and Pap smears for eligible women, who can also receive services offered by Tricoci University beauty consultants. There will be free food, education and enrollment as16

Saturday, March 8, 2014

sistance for health care coverage under the Affordable Care Act, as well as entertainment by the Deeply Rooted Dance Theater Emerging Artists Ensemble and Spanish language singer Citlalli.

Free parking will also be available.

This event is sponsored by Access Community Health Network, the Susan G. Komen Chicagoland Area Affiliate, the Illinois Department of Public Health’s STAND Against Cancer program and Clear Channel Communities™.

Local pastors and faith-based leaders who have been involved in ACCESS’ Reach 2010, STAND Against Cancer and Pin-A-Sister™/Examinate Comadre™ programs are encouraged to bring their congregations to schedule an appointment for mammograms and Pap smears and to apply for Affordable Care Act health coverage, which will take place between the hours of 6:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. To RSVP for this event, for more information and to learn about eligibility requirements for both the STAND Against Cancer and Affordable Care Act programs, contact Paulina Guzman at 312526-2087 or via email at paulina.guzman@accesscommunityhealth.net.

BLACKS MUST CONTROL THEIR OWN COMMUNITY

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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

HOUSES FOR SALE

(Cont’d from page 4) the Quinn-Hardiman “race.”

Mr. Hardiman is spending way too much time talking about what he doesn’t like about Quinn instead of telling voters how, if through some miracle he were elected, he would govern.

So we should be prepared to watch Rauner step over the dead political bodies and move into the governor’s mansion in January.

Marvin Steed

CFPB to Mortgage . . .

(Cont’d from page 9) In the meantime, CFPB will continue to adhere to its statutory duties.

As Deputy Director Antonakes concluded, “These profound changes will be good for all Americans, including industry. But please understand, business as usual has ended in mortgage servicing.

Groundhog Day is over.”

Charlene Crowell is a communications manager with the Center for Responsible Lending. She can be reached at Charlene.crowell@responsiblelending.org.

Place a classified ad today by calling (773) 752-2500 HELP WANTED National Business League is looking for a Part Time Teacher to teach Youth Entrepreneurship to Urban Youth. You can call us at 773-304-5005 or mail Resume to National Business League of Chicago, P.O. Box 19388, Chicago, IL 60619

HOUSES FOR SALE

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SPORTS

Curie’s Loss to DuSable was Karma says Critics

By J. Coyden Palmer On the day Chicago celebrated its 177th birthday, the school bearing the name of the city’s founder, Jean Baptise Pointe DuSable, pulled a stunning upset over the number one ranked team in the state in front of a packed gym at King College Prep March 4. The Panthers took down the Curie Condors 88-85 in overtime to put an end to a 12-day drama-filled odyssey for the Condors, who were stripped of their city title for using ineligible players and were being considered to be kicked out of the state playoffs. The Condors found out hours before the game their coach, Mike Oliver, would have his suspension lifted and be allowed to coach. But the starting dynamic duo of guards, brothers Josh

tently throughout the game. McDonald’s All-American, Cliff Alexander, did his best to push Curie over the hump, finishing with 25 points, 15 rebounds and eight blocks. But Alexander fouled out in the last minute of regulation and had to watch the overtime from the bench.

The pro-DuSable crowd taunted the Curie players throughout the game and after. Many were upset the Condors were even allowed to participate and blamed Chicago Public Schools CEO, Dr. Barbara Byrd-Bennett, for not having a backbone along with the Illinois High School Association. Curie had seven players who were academically ineligible for most of the season, but the players played in the games anyway until someone alerted CPS offi-

SOPHOMORE SHOOTING GUARD Devin Gage, #12 of Curie Condors, upset over loss to DuSable Panthers. and Joseph Stamps, were still acade- cials of the situation the day of the mically ineligible along with another city championship game. Rainbow/PUSH Coalition leader, Rev. player.

The stress of the past 12 days was Jesse Jackson Sr. reportedly met with evident on Curie, who started the Byrd-Bennett hours before the game game ice cold and at one point and convinced her to lift the suspentrailed 13-4 in the first quarter. The sion of Oliver, according to several Condors had no answer for the out- sources. Last week Jackson told the side shooting for DuSable (12-11), media the Curie kids should not be who nailed three pointers consis- punished because of mistakes by

DUSABLE PANTHERS CELEBRATE their win over the Curie Condors 88-85 adults as he unsuccessfully pushed to he nor most of the members of his ble for knowing their players status. have the city title restored. Jackson’s team shook the hands of DuSable Teri Sampson, who played for Simeinvolvement played a role in the in players after the game. Instead many on’s championship teams in the 80’s just covered their heads and walked under Bob Hambric, said a coach alpublic’s disdain for Curie.

“Yall can’t call Jesse now. He out of the gym, leaving the DuSable ways knows a players academic stashould have never gotten involved players, who had formed a hand- tus.

“Hambric knew my grades before and just kept his mouth shut,” shake line waiting.

“The kids have to understand its I did,” said Sampson, who attended screamed one DuSable fan near the academics first. If you’re not doing Tuesday night’s game. “I find it hard end of the game.

Jackson was expected to attend the academics it doesn’t matter how to believe that nobody at Curie in a game, but did not come inside the good you are on the basketball position of authority did not undergym even though he was outside court. If we were doing what we stand what was going on with those giving interviews to several televi- were supposed to do from day one, player’s grades.” we wouldn’t be in the situation we CPS officials say the investigation sion stations. into how a number of players with After the game Coach Oliver said were in,” Oliver said.

But many have squarely placed the below average grades were able to the stress of the situation affected him and his players. He did not blame on Oliver and staff at Curie. compete most of the season is ongomake excuses for losing, but neither They say a coach is always responsi- ing.

Ravinia announces 2014 . . .

(Continued from page 14) Counting Crows; and Five for Fighting return; Martin Theatre highlights include world-premiere staging of “The Devil’s Tale;” New 10-punch pass means reserved seats can be just $8 each for the $10 BGH series including such programs as a tribute to Oscar Brown Jr., “Sondheim Reimagined” and Rachel Barton Pine’s complete Bach Sonatas and Parti-

tas Ravinia Associates Board celebrates its 25th anniversary with a call for members born in 1989 and with special events at CSO concerts.

More information can be found on Ravinia’s newly redesigned website at www.ravinia.org.

Donors may purchase tickets for events at the not-for-profit festival now. Public sales will begin April 24.

(Continued from page 7) talkin’ real loud about how Leon’s Barbecue used to be so nasty and how if she had her way Todd Stroger would run for mayor. She claims that even though Stroger basically got run out of public service, he still has enough power in the 8th Ward to beat Rahm

Emanuel should he run for office.

She claims that little Stroger is itching to get “back into the game,” and that “we been meeting about it.” Now this is the same woman that admitted she actually ate at Leon’s Barbecue—so you can get from this item what you like.

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BLACKS MUST CONTROL THEIR OWN COMMUNITY

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