Chicago Crusader 05/11/13 E-Edition

Blacks Must Control Their Own Community

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VOLUME LXXIII NUMBER 3—SATURDAY, MAY 11, 2013

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New affordable housing planned for veterans

By Wendell Hutson A new affordable housing complex set to open June 2014 is being built to prevent more veterans from becoming homeless, said the developer for the project.

“These brave young men and women have sacrificed a great deal to serve our country and they deserve a safe and affordable place to call home when they return.

Hope Manor II will provide our Veterans with the stability and support they need to successfully reintegrate back into civilian life,” said Nancy Hughes Moyer, president and chief executive officer of Volunteers of America of Illinois.

Rates of homelessness are higher among veterans than many other groups, according to the VOA, which estimates that last year in Chicago there are 1,100 homeless veterans.

A groundbreaking took place last week for the 73-unit Hope Manor II development, which is being built on vacant land at 60th and Halsted streets owned by the city of Chicago, according to Gov. Pat Quinn. The city has agreed to donate the

land to VOA. “We have a duty to provide Illinois veterans with the support they deserve after serving our country,” Quinn said. “Veterans often return to a unique set of challenges during the transition to civilian life, and this new community will address their family needs during this time. We must always take care of our Veterans on the home front, just as they have taken care of us.”

Funding for the project facility will be paid for by a $1.9 million federal loan, $3 million tax-increment financing grant from city of Chicago and $190,000 grant from the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, according to Wendy parks, a spokeswoman for the Chicago Housing Authority, a partner in the venture.

The VOA will select eligible veterans from the CHA’s waiting list for Housing Choice Vouchers, said Moyer. And if units are available after the list have been exhausted then a site, waiting list would be started.

But Moyer said veterans currently not on (Continued on page 3)

A GROUNDBREAKING CEREMONY took place last week at 60th and Halsted streets where a 73-unit low-income housing complex is being built for veterans.

Jesse Jackson’s Ties to Africa Pay Off

By George E. Curry NNPA Editor-in-Chief NEWS ANALYSIS PRETORIA, South Africa (NNPA) – When South Africa President Jacob Zuma recently presented Jesse Jackson with the Companions of O.R. Tambo Award – the highest honor a non-citizen of the country can receive – he cited the human rights icon’s “excellent contribution to the fight against apartheid.”

While it represented a personal honor for Jackson, it symbolized the understated – and often underappreciated–role Jesse Jackson and other African Americans have played in bringing minority-ruled White South Africa to its knees.

Over the years, Jackson has been a freewheeling, self-appointed ambassador without portfolio, the recipient of diplomatic courtesies by numerous heads of state yet not being saddled with the restrictions and (Continued on page 3)

REV. JESSE JACKSON (2nd left) is joined by his daughter, Santita and his wife, Jacqueline (far right) when he met with South African President Jacob Zuma. (Photo by George E. Curry/NNPA)

Happy Mother’s Day INSIDE THIS ISSUE

Black Trade Unionists honor four Chicagoans (See story on page 11)

NEWS

Urban League pushes for Black STEM participation Exelon’s Christopher M. Crane delivers keynote address and several local innovators celebrated for blazing a path to address America’s STEM shortage Creating innovative public, private and non-profit partnerships to bolster the number of African Americans prepared to fill future career opportunities in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) was one of several solutions presented at the Chicago Urban League’s annual Summit and luncheon. Held at the Hilton Chicago the Summit, themed STEMing the Barriers to Opportunity, convened more than 600 of Chicago’s civic, business, community and elected leaders.

Despite accounting for 12 percent of the U.S. population and 11 percent of all students beyond high school, according to the National Center for Education Statistics, African Americans in 2011, received just 7 percent of all STEM bachelor’s degrees, 4 percent of master’s degrees, and 2 percent of PhDs. “STEM education has to be accessible to all students no matter where they attend school,” said Andrea L. Zopp, president and CEO of the Chicago Urban League. “We have to level the playing field in our public schools and debunk the myth that African Americans don’t have the capacity to grasp and excel in science and math courses. We must show our children that these skills are attainable and show them examples of people who are doing great things in the STEM fields.”

Currently many STEM positions go unfilled for lack of qualified workers. The U.S. Labor Department reports only five percent of workers are employed in the fields related to science and engineering, making the urgent need for scientists, mathematicians and engineers in the United States a crisis that threatens the nation’s global competitiveness in the very near future.

This challenge is exacerbated in the African American community due, in part, to a lack of educational and training opportunities.

Exelon President and CEO Christopher M. Crane keynoted the luncheon. He told the audience, “We have known for quite a while that the state of STEM education in this country is not good. This is an unsustainable situation for all of us – the U.S. economy, the ability of the U.S. to compete globally, the Chicago business community, and of course, minority kids who aspire to good jobs. The schools, government at every level, community groups as well as business can and must play a role in resolving the problem.”

In addition to generating solutions to the under representation of African Americans in the STEM fields, the Chicago Urban League also highlighted local innovators who are blazing successful pathways for themselves and for those that will follow them.

Receiving special recognition for their dynamic work in the areas of STEM were: Karriem S. Watson, creator of an 8-week STEM summer camp at the University of Illinois at Chicago that exposes high school seniors, first-year medical

ANDREA L. ZOPP, PRESIDENT and CEO of the Chicago Urban League and Christopher M. Crane, president and CEO of Exelon Corporation.

ANDREA L. ZOPP, president and CEO of the Chicago Urban League recognizes local innovators for their dynamic work in the areas of STEM at the Chicago Urban League’s annual Summit Luncheon. students and other grad students to Grosvenor Capital Management, Urban League works for economic, research projects that address health ITW, and Southwest Airlines. educational and social progress for disparities and inequities; Fareeda African Americans and promotes About the Chicago Urban Shabazz, principal of the new strong sustainable communities Richard T. Crane Medical PreparaLeague through advocacy, collaboration tory High School that will help stuEstablished in 1916, the Chicago and innovation. dents optimize their potential by preparing them for STEM careers, exposing them to real-world experiences through partnerships in the nearby medical district; and Dr. Erica Marsh, founder of the Northwestern Medicine Scholars program which encourages top-performing high school students to consider a career as a physician or medical researcher. Dr. Marsh is also a faculty member at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine, and a physician on staff at Northwestern Memorial Hospital.

Three local organizations were also recognized: Project SYNCERE, cofounded by Jason Coleman, Seun Phillips and George Wilson, that partners with Chicago Public Schools and other organizations to offer project-based learning in ro- ANTHONY K. ANDERSON, Chairman of the Chicago Urban botics, renewable engineering and League Board of Directors addresses the audience at the Chicago computer gaming; Starter League, Urban League’s annual Summit Luncheon. created by Neal Sales-Griffin and Mike McGee, that helps technology neophytes learn Web design and development; and Girls 4 Science, a nonprofit that introduces young women to science careers that was created by Jackie Lomax.

“As the nation continues to bounce back from a recession that hit everyone from Wall Street to Main Street—it is our responsibility, as leaders, to ensure that everyone is prepared to participate in the new economy,” said Anthony K. Anderson, Chairman of Chicago Urban League Board of Directors.

“Research proves that, in this new economy, you won’t get far without a firm grasp of one or more of the STEM fields.”

CHRISTOPHER M. CRANE, president and CEO of the Exelon Lead sponsors for the event inCorporation delivers the keynote address at the Chicago Urban cluded: Boeing, Clear Channel MeLeague’s annual Summit Luncheon. dia & Entertainment Chicago,

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BLACKS MUST CONTROL THEIR OWN COMMUNITY

Saturday, May 11, 2013

The Chicago Crusader

NEWS

Organization wants citizens to patrol the CTA One non-profit organization contends that the upcoming Red Line redevelopment project is an opportunity for the Chicago Transit Authority to provide additional safety patrols for neighborhoods located along the train route by hiring local residents.

“Most of the neighborhoods surrounded the Red Line south line [95th Street to Chinatown] are Black. And no one knows the neighborhood better than the residents impacted by this massive project,” said John Paul Jones, chairman of the Sustainable Englewood Initiative.

“That’s why the CTA should train and hire residents to do safety patrol, especially since they terminated their security contract.”

Once the CTA’s contract with Securitas Security Services USA Inc., a security company, ends in July employees will be used to replace the company’s K-9 unit, said Steve Mayberry, a spokesman for the CTA. “Safety and security is the Chicago Transit Authority’s paramount concern during the Red Line South Re-

construction Project, as it is 365 daysa-year. For the last several months, CTA has been meeting with the Chicago Police Department, elected officials, community leaders and others to discuss a myriad of issues related to safety and security, and to develop effective strategies to address it,” explained Mayberry.“Regarding the replacement of Securitas’ services, current Securitas guards at rail stations serve essentially as station attendants—with duties no different than CTA Customer Assistants. (Therefore) CTA employees will replace contracted employees on a one-forone basis, with no reduction in coverage. The CTA employees are bettertrained and better equipped to serve CTA customers.”

The rail agency expects to save $23 million annually from performing security internally. Since 2010 the CTA has paid Securitas over $60 million – averaging about $21 million each of those years for its services, which mainly consist of patrolling its train stations, platforms and aboard trains.

“But what about the neighborhood? The police cannot afford to

(Continued from page 1) myopic focus of U.S. diplomats who take their marching orders from Washington. He is often afforded diplomatic courtesies and his presence usually lead to frontpage stories.

Jackson’s first major encounter with Africa was in 1979 after the death of anti-apartheid activist Steve Biko. A student leader and founder of the Black Consciousness Movement, Biko was arrested at a roadblock in Port Elizabeth on August 18, 1977 and taken in custody under the country’s Terrorism Act. He was tortured and beaten during a 22-hour interro-

gation and died from a brain hemorrhage as a result of repeated injuries to the head. More than 10,000 people attended his funeral. The movie, “Cry Freedom!” was based on his life.

“Jackson first visited South Africa in 1979 following the death of Steve Biko,” the awards program recounts.

“He attracted huge crowds at his rallies in Soweto, where he denounced South Africa’s oppressive system of apartheid.”

Back home, Jackson supported the Free South Africa Movement started

by Randall Robinson, executive director of TransAfrica, and Mary Frances Berry, a member and later chair of the U.S. Commission on

By Wendell Hutson

station a squad car at every Red Line stop during the reconstruction and that’s where people will be standing waiting for a shuttle bus,” added Jones. “Residents could be hired to patrol the bus stops and along State

Street just like CPS [Chicago Public Schools] did when it hired parents as safety patrol guards for all the schools.

You can find one of them standing on every block before and after school to ensure safety.”

Mayberry said while the CTA has met with dozens of community groups to discuss issues in various communities affected by in the Red Line south reconstruction project, “there are no plans to employ any citizen safety patrols.”

Instead, the CTA plans to work with Chicago police to devise a plan for safety patrols in the neighborhoods. At its Wednesday board meeting, the CTA approved funding for new security cameras that would be placed along shuttle bus stops. “[This is] to complement the cameras already in place at all rail stations and on all CTA buses,” Mayberry added.

“I never thought about it but that would be a great way to engage the community in a project that impacts them anyway,” said Rose Lear, 57, who lives in the Burnside neighborhood on the South Side and who boards the Red Line train at 87th Street to go to work. “I mean, I have a job but there are a lot of people who do not but are looking for one, and it’s always nice to work in your own community even if it is for a short while.”

Civil Rights.

The United States’ official policy was to maintain its relationship with South Africa, arguing that “constructive engagement” would be more effective in tearing down the walls of apartheid than direct confrontation.

But the Free South Africa Movement had other ideas, staging daily protests in front of the South African Embassy in Washington and finally getting Congress to enact sanctions under the Comprehensive AntiApartheid Act. College students led corporate and campus disinvestment campaigns and before long, European countries followed the U.S. lead and in 1994,

Nelson Mandela was elected the country’s first Black president.

In an uncanny sense of timing, Jackson was in South Africa on Feb. 11, 1990 when Nelson Mandela walked out of prison after 27 years of confinement. Jackson met with Mandela in South Africa last year and wanted to see him again two weeks ago, but arrangements could not be completed within the short window the human rights leader was in southern Africa. That ended up working to Jackson’s advantage.

An ailing Mandela is believed to be in extremely poor health. And when President Jacob Zuma, an old ANC colleague, visited Mandela at home, it was widely viewed as an exploitive photo opportunity. The backlash was fierce, both in South Africa and abroad, as footage of a distant, unsmiling Mandela was beamed around the world.

In a meeting with Virginia E. Palmer, the Chargé d’Affaires at the U.S. Embassy in Pretoria, Jesse Jackson reminded her of how the U.S. government had been on the wrong side of history in South Africa. Because of the determination of its citizens, however, the U.S. changed its policy and supported majority rule.

“You can say that,” Palmer told Jackson.

Jackson can say a lot of things directly to African leaders, many of whom studied in the United States and have a deep respect for Jackson and the Civil Rights Movement.

“There’s an appreciation of our work here that is significant,” Jackson said in an interview in Johannesburg.

“They identify us with the liberation movement, the anti-apartheid move-

ment, the anti-colonialism movement. I know most of the leaders.

There’s a trust and bond there because we have worked here.”

Last September, that trust and bond led to Yahya Janneh, president of The Gambia, to turn over two Gambian dissidents to Jesse Jackson.

Amadou Scatred Janneh and Tamsir Jassen, who hold dual U.S.-Gambia citizenship, were set free as a result of a direct appeal from Jackson.

Of course, it wasn’t the first time the human rights activist had brought prisoners home. He performed similar feats in Syria, Iraq, Yugoslavia, Liberia and Cuba.

Sometimes Jackson’s accomplishments in Africa are less dramatic, but important nonetheless.

Newly-elected Kenya President Uhuru Kenyatta and his chief rival, Raila Odinga, had not spoken since their divisive election on March 4.

After meeting separately with each man, Jackson encouraged them to meet, put the election behind them, and come together for the sake of the country.

The Standard, a newspaper in Kenya, reported, “…Inquiries within the President’s and Raila’s side revealed that the influential force bringing the two hitherto bitter rivals together was America’s civil rights and towering religious figure, the Reverend Jesse Jackson.”

Jackson concedes that his next mission – trying to narrow the economic gap between Whites and Blacks in Africa – may be his most difficult one.

He said, “What we see increasingly is that Africans are free, but not equal.”

THE SIX- MONTH RECONSTRUCTION of the Red Line south route is set to begin May 19 and end Oct. 18, 2013.

Jesse Jackson’s Ties to Africa Pay Off

New affordable housing planned the list should not panic.

“The best thing for a veteran, who is not on the waiting list to do, is to call us and we’ll figure out what course of action to take,” Moyer said. “This is a public housing project for low-income veterans and their families.

If there are units available after exhausting veterans on the waiting list, we would open up a site list.”

Easier said than done, said veteran Walter Whitman.

“Had I known I would have signed up a long time ago before the list closed. I never thought that would be a requirement to receive veteran’s housing,” said Whitman, 79, who retired from the U.S. Air Force in 1976 after 27 years of service.

And how much rent a veteran pays to live in a studio, one, two, three or four-bedroom unit would vary.

“Rent is based on a veteran’s income. This is an independent living facility so all veterans will need to be able to live on their own with minimum assistance,” she said.

So in theory, a homeless veteran with no income would pay no rent until the VOA could assist the veteran in securing income.

The units would consist of eight studios, 23 one-bedrooms, six two-bedrooms, 30 three-bedrooms, and five townhomes, which would each have four bedrooms. Additionally, the complex would provide social services, such as counseling and job training.

Background checks would be

The Chicago Crusader

BLACKS MUST CONTROL THEIR OWN COMMUNITY

(Continued from page 1)

conducted and while felons are allowed, sex offenders and those convicted of certain drug crimes would be prohibited, which Hughes said is standard when living in public housing.

Charles Woodyard, CEO of the Chicago Housing Authority, joined Gov. Quinn last week at a groundbreaking ceremony. He said more affordable housing is needed for veterans.

“That’s why this project is so important. Hope Manor II will serve as a catalyst for future growth in Englewood and help to meet the critical housing needs of veterans on our CHA waiting list,” Woodyard said. “Our vision is to help create an even stronger community with good, quality schools, convenient access to public transportation, meaningful retail and other amenities.”

Saturday, May 11, 2013

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OPINION

EDITORIAL MOTHERHOOD AND COMMUNITY VIOLENCE Mother’s Day has been celebrated since 1908, and this year marks the 105th year of its observance. It started with Anna Jarvis who, in 1908, held a memorial for her mother in America. Since that time, people all over the world celebrate maternal bonds and the influence of mothers on society, including god mothers, foster mothers, and other primary nurturers.

Motherhood is one of the strongest bonds known among human beings. Though fathers provide important elements to the family structure, motherhood usually offers “unconditional” love. How often have we seen mothers of individuals who have been accused of committing heinous crimes totally supported, without question, by their moms? It does not matter how horrible or how much evidence is provided; many mothers will refuse to believe that their child is guilty.

Mothers are nurturers, and the quality of this element can be passed on from person to person like DNA. Conversely, the lack of nurturing can be devastating, and society as a whole suffers when mothers do not do their job. Unfortunately, in the African American community, the institution of motherhood has been tried and tested almost to the breaking point. First, the drug scourge decimated many segments of the community. It is rumored that some mothers actually sold their children in order to support their crack habits. This pitiful circumstance has had profound repercussions. The rise of thug culture around the distribution of drugs and the attendant violence has had a devastating impact on the Black community in America. It has resulted in homelessness and an incredible number of children caught up in the foster care system.

This last point is particularly galling; just think – people are being raised without the nurturing that can come from loving mothers. The result is that we have a new group of people in the Black community who are being raised with emotional deficits fueled by this lack of nurturing and care. After the smoke clears, if it ever does, it will probably be found that a disproportionate number of crimes are committed by people who, for whatever reasons, were raised without the nurturing that comes from a mother.

This is not to say that foster care is all bad; quite to the contrary. It is good that this safety net exists. Some foster mothers are as close to the real thing as it is possible to get. But even in these cases, children sometimes harbor a sliver of pain based on the knowledge that they were raised without their real mothers. And sometimes, no amount of love coming from a foster parent can banish this pain.

Today, motherhood is being attacked on another front – large numbers of Black-on-Black murders are taxing the institution of motherhood to the limits. Usually, for every Black child that is killed, a mother somewhere is left to grieve. This includes birth mothers, foster mothers, god mothers, and any others who have assumed the primary role of nurturing care givers. This situation is literally re-shaping our society. The attack on motherhood via community violence can end up being the straw that broke the proverbial camel’s back, if something is not done. On a positive note, however, mothers who are fed up with the current situation can ban together in order to stop the senseless murders of their children. This would be a welcome relief and would demonstrate the power that motherhood represents in the development and maintenance of a healthy community. With this said the Crusader wishes a happy and healthy Mother’s Day for all moms!

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Saturday, May 11, 2013

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR The All Stars have it right Dear Editor: Thank you Chicago Crusader for your article last week about the All Stars Project. I was particularly encouraged because I have a had similar idea for quite awhile.

I truly applaud David Cherry, Tio Hardiman and Andrea Hood for understanding that dialogue and research are far more effective than knee-jerk reactions and forming organizations on the spur. I understand that a lot of people want to do something to stem the violence affecting Chicago, but in my opinion, any action must be carefully thought out and planned in order to be effective.

The strategy that the All Star Project will employ makes more sense than any of the efforts we have seen in the past. For anyone who didn’t get a chance to see the story should know that the All Star Project will engage the community at el stops and on busy street corners, primarily on the South Side and downtown.

The participants are going to get the thoughts of everyday people about what can be done to stem violence. This is a different and needed approach. The men and women who don’t seek the spotlight or the television cameras should be heard from because their ideas can be just as valuable as the highly educated or long time activists.

This broad ranging information gathering process can be the kind

of resource that not only the All Stars Project, but many others involved with the non-violent movement, can use. I don’t know but I do hope that the pool of information will be made available on a widespread basis.

Of course, like so many things in our community, this endeavor will have detractors. That is to be expected. The crabs-in-a-barrel mentality will not leave us anytime soon. I pray that the key people involved with the All Stars Project do not become discouraged or disappointed when the naysayers rear their heads.

I am not sure if it is possible to count how many groups have sprung up in response to the spate of killings and shootings in the city.

The experience that Tio Hardiman brings from his role of running CeaseFire tells us that a lot of best practices will be employed by the All Stars Project.

As a community, especially if we are not involved in an ongoing way to quell this violence, we need to get behind the new project and lend whatever support it needs.

Cliff Graham

Let’s support the Freedom Fighters Dear Editor::

ated at an alarming rate, but a disproportionate number of them are wrongfully convicted.

Until very recently, if these men didn’t have the financial resources – which was usually the case – to hire a lawyer, they had to hope one of the organizations that try to get wrongful convictions overturned would come to their aid.

There has been no shortage of news stories over the last couple of years about Black men being released from prison after serving decades for crimes they didn’t (Continued on page 16)

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A friend shared with me a video recently that was truly inspiring and I wanted to let your readers know about it. It is no secret that Black men are not only incarcer-

BLACKS MUST CONTROL THEIR OWN COMMUNITY

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The Chicago Crusader

BEYOND THE RHETORIC

Socialized Medicine is coming through the door

By Harry C. Alford NNPA Columnist “Oh, what wicked webs they weave.” The Affordable Care Act, AKA Obamacare, is starting to raise its ugly “head.” Many of us think the concept is dangerous and costly. What is evolving is that it is the worst thing to ever happen to the US economy. Right now this is clear: The federal government has taken over our healthcare industry. It has taken it over without any expertise or clear strategy. Almost daily new horrors are popping up. My brothers and sisters we are about to emulate Sweden and Canada. Socialized Medicine is coming to America.

According to Steve Forbes, it will add $200 billion per year to our deficit. That is $2 trillion in ten years. Unlike Sweden and Canada where they tax their people at rates exceeding 50% our government is going to fine us and assess fees like never before.

Governments cannot effectively run a healthcare system and, most of all; it violates our principles of Capitalism and Free Enterprise. This belongs in China, Russia or any other nation that still clings to a proven failed system – Socialism.

Harry C. Alford How did we come to this? It was “Romance.” The naïve thought finally we are going to fix our healthcare system. We are going to make it affordable and everyone will have low cost insurance that even allows pre-existing conditions. “We first need to pass the bill and then we go back and read it,” said the former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi. Yes, they were just that dumb about the whole thing. The recession, stimulus and other issues clouded our minds and they bum rushed this macabre law through Congress

and the White House signed it immediately.

Famous writer Richard Grant states, “Many proponents of ‘social justice’ are now shocked that the federal government would use the regulatory power granted to it in the Affordable Care Act to force all employers, including those with church affiliations, to offer health insurance that covers contraceptives and related services, all without co-pay. Suddenly we see people standing up with admonitions to the effect of, ‘When they came for the Catholics we did nothing because we were not…” Yes, this monster forces people to go against its personal religious principles. It is sacrilegious. It is the work of the Devil or Devils.

There is much hypocrisy to all of this. Many of those who have supported this calamity are seeking to avoid it personally. The administration is granting waivers.

Their friends and campaign donors are being allowed to become exempt from Obamacare.

If we fail to act as commanded (enter into the system), we will be coerced into the system. The “individual mandate,” which forces people to buy health insurance or pay a fine, is an integral part of

this recent healthcare reform act.

Businesses with over 30 employees will have to buy insurance for their employees. However, many unions and major corporations such as McDonalds are being granted these waivers. Twenty percent of all the waivers granted so far are given to restaurants, boutiques, hotels, etc. located in the congressional district of Nancy Pelosi. Virtually all the businesses in her district are exempt from the bill she so desperately fought to get passed. It is the epitome of hypocrisy! But yet it gets worse. There is a movement to exempt the entire Congress and their staffers from the law.

These guys pushed this poison on us and now they want a big giant waiver for themselves.

While other congressional supporters of this law work behind the scenes to get around the very bill they claimed to be so good; others are starting to speak out.

Senator Max Baucus (D-MT), Chair of the Senate Finance Committee and a “quarterback” that led the law through the Senate now laments to Kathleen Sibelius, Secretary of Health and Human Services (in charge of implementing the law), “I am very concerned that not enough

is being done so far – very concerned. When I’m home, small businesses have no idea what to do, what to expect, they don’t know what affordability rules are, they don’t know what penalties may apply… A lot of people have no idea about all of this… I just see a huge train wreck coming down, and you and I have discussed this many times and I don’t see any results yet.” Senator Baucus then announced to the press that after 32 years in the Senate he will not run for re-election next year. He feels his active support of Obamacare will cause his constituents to vote him out.

Companies who will be forced to buy insurance for its employees will make hard decisions.

They can reduce their employee workforce to below the 30 employee threshold. They can move out of the country and they could stall expansion plans. All this leads to more unemployment.

GOD SAVE US FROM OBAMACARE. Mr. Alford is the co-founder, President/CEO of the National Black Chamber of Commerce®. Website: www.nationalbcc.org. Email: halford@nationalbcc.org.

South Africa’s Best Kept Secret

By George E. Curry NNPA Columnist JOHANNESBURG, South Africa – When Nelson Mandela and his African National Congress comrades were plotting to overthrow the white minority-rule apartheid regime in South Africa, Lilies Farm in Rivonia, just north of Johannesburg, served as their secret hideout.

Today, 19 years after South Africa made a bloodless transition to a democracy with the election of Mandela as its first Black president, the picturesque land, now called Liliesleaf, is South Africa’s best kept secret.

Arthur Goldreich and Harold Wolpe bought the farm in 1961 to serve as headquarters for the underground Communist Party and as a safe house for political refugees, including Mandela and Govan Mbeki, the father of Thabo Mbeki, who succeeded Mandela as president.

Goldreich and his wife, Hazel, served as the public face of the sprawling residence. To the outside world, they were living a life of affluence with plenty of Black handy men around to make their life easier. But the carefully crafted public perception masked plans to end minority rule by violence. The farm gave birth to MK (UmkhonThe Chicago Crusader

to we Sizwe – the Spear of the Nation), the military wing of the African National Congress.

“From its headquarters the National High Command had planned its campaign of guerrilla warfare, sabotage and violence, Joel Joffe wrote in The State vs. Nelson Mandela: The Trial that Changed South Africa. “It has installed a radio transmitter, known as Radio Liberation, and had made a study of armaments and explosives and produced plans for large-scale production of grenades, time-bombs and other explosives.”

On the carefully manicured land was a large manor house for the owners, with several outbuildings that housed revolutionaries posing as workers.

“I moved in under the pretext that I was the houseboy or caretaker who would look after the place until my master took possession,” Mandela, an attorney, wrote in his autobiography, Long Walk to Freedom. “I had taken the alias David Motsamayi, the name of one of my former clients. At the farm, I wore the simple blue overalls that were the uniform of the Black male servant.”

The groundwork for converting the farm into a museum began in 2002. The restoration project preserved the farm’s original character; approximately 60 percent of the infrastructure uses the original bricks.

A tour of the museum includes a

George E. Curry stop in a room with a 3-D presentation that incorporates video, and photographic images of the ANC leaders and their surroundings. Using two aluminum “navigators,” visitors can look back at various aspects of apartheid. In an adjoining room, an old radio plays the 1960 Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech by ANC President Albert Luthuli, who was honored for leading a non-violent struggle against apartheid.

Across the lawn, in a row of living units, is Mandela’s old apartment.

Inscribed on a rectangular window outside are the words: “Room 12 Nelson Mandela’s Room.”

Before stepping inside, I took a

BLACKS MUST CONTROL THEIR OWN COMMUNITY

deep breath, realizing I was about to walk into history – literally. After pausing, I slowly followed the tour guide inside, where I was suddenly face-to-face with a large photo of a young, dapper, smiling Nelson Mandela. His hair is neatly parted in the middle. The impeccably dressed Mandela is outfitted in a doublebreast suit stylishly finished off with a pocket square.

The only furniture in the room is a desk used by Mandela. The writing on the desk stated, “On 20 April 1964, Nelson Mandela delivered his Statement from the Dock at the opening of the Defence case at the Ravonia Trial.

He chose to not make a statement to avoid being cross examined. He spoke for five hours, clearly presenting his role in the underground movement and his conviction that the Liberation Movement had no choice but to resort to armed struggle against a white government that refused to listen to the grievances of its non-white people…”

The trial was preceded by a July 11, 1963 police raid on the farm that captured 19 revolutionaries. They were charged with sabotage, conspiring to launch a violent revolution against the state, and advancing the cause of Communism. Eight ANC members, including Nelson Mandela who was already in custody at the time of the raid, were sentenced to life in prison. Mandela served 27 years; Walter Sisulu, 26 years and Saturday, May 11, 2013

Govan Mbeki, 24 years.

In the epilogue to Joel Joffe’s book, Edelgard Nkobi-Goldberg noted that documents recovered after the trial showed “…The American CIA and the British M15 kept Liliesleaf under observation. Both secret services had long been actively engaged in these activities at least from the time of Nelson Mandela’s international travels in 1962. They had informed the South African security service about everything that happened during his journey and followed his movements after his return to South Africa. And that might have led to his arrest.”

Regardless of what prompted the arrests, there is no doubt that the Ravonia Trial put South African apartheid on the world’s agenda.

Although the museum is advertised as a tourist spot, it remains one of South Africa’s best kept secrets.

George E. Curry, former editorin-chief of Emerge magazine, is editor-in-chief of the National Newspaper Publishers Association News Service (NNPA.) He is a keynote speaker, moderator, and media coach. Curry can be reached through his Web site, www.georgecurry.com. You can also follow him at www.twitter. com/currygeorge.

5

COMMENTARY

Worrill’s World

By Dr. Conrad W. Worrill

AFRICAN LIBERATION DAY 2013: PART I (Dr. Conrad Worrill, National Chairman Emeritus of the National Black United Front (NBUF), located at 1809 East 71st Street, Suite 211, Chicago, Illinois, 60649, 773-493-0900, Fax# 773-493-9819, E-mail: nbufchic@sbcglobal.net, Web site: nbufront.org)

Dr. Conrad Worrill This is the first of a two-part article on the origin and development of African Liberation Day (ALD).

The celebration of African Liberation Day (ALD) in the United States began in May 1972 in Wash-

ington, D.C. More than 60,000 people participated in this historic event.

In 1973, ALD was decentralized and Chicago sponsored its first ALD celebration in May of that year. Since that time, we have celebrated ALD in various ways, with parades, rallies, and cultural programs.

From the 1980s through 1997, NBUF Chicago Chapter sponsored African Liberation Day / ALD on the Westside, where we marched down Madison Street and culminated with a rally and cultural program in Garfield Park. These ALD events have been very successful and we have been honored to sponsor them. Other groups are now sponsoring African Liberation Day celebrations and activities throughout the United States.

African Liberation Day has become an institution throughout the African world. It is a day when all people of African ancestry should come together. Whether you were born in Ghana, Nigeria, Liberia, Kenya, Ethiopia, South Africa, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Haiti, Jamaica, Mississippi, Alabama,

Georgia, Belize, Bahia, Canada, Cuba, Trinidad, Puerto Rico, Paris, or Chicago, as long as you are Black, you are an African, with a common heritage, and a common set of conditions.

As we prepare to participate in the upcoming weekend of events and activities, we must always remember the origin and development of African Liberation Day. Our ancestor, Kwame Ture, explained, “ALD was founded by Kwame Nkrumah on the occasion of the First Conference of Independent States held in Accra, Ghana and attended by eight independent states. The 15th of April was declared African Freedom Day to mark each year the onward process of the liberation movement, and to symbolize the determination of the people of Africa to free themselves from foreign domination and exploitation.”

Further, the AAPRP (All-African People’s Revolutionary Party) points out that, “On the 25th of May 1963, 31 African heads of state convened a summit meeting to found the Organization of African Unity. They proclaimed May 25th as ALD and called for mass demon-

strations and manifestations in every comer of Africa and the African Diaspora.”

The idea of ALD has its origins in the long history of African people to break free of the yoke of European domination and white supremacy.

This is a time in which we emphasize our oneness as a people with a common past, common set of problems, and a common future.

The capturing of millions of African people, who were placed in slavery and introduced into the western hemisphere as property and commodities, is the backdrop upon which we commemorate African Liberation Day. It was the slave trade industry of the fifteenth, sixteenth, and seventeenth-centuries involving Britain, France, Portugal, Spain, Belgium, and Germany that served as the foundation for these western powers and provided them the margin of profit in getting the greatest return off of their investment. The western world still seeks to keep Africa and African people worldwide in bondage, so they can continue to maximize the greatest return off of their initial investment.

After chattel slavery was abolished in England and the United States, the slave trade industry began to wind down. The former slave-trading nations found themselves no longer needing slaves, but yet stumbled upon the other natural resources of Africa. They began to fight each other over the gold, diamonds, and other mineral and plant resources they were discovering.

This resulted in the calling of the Berlin Conference in 1884, where the European powers united to divide the continent of Africa among themselves. It has been discussed, historically, that those who control Africa, control the world. Therefore, the Berlin Conference was a crowning blow in African history.

The results of this conference led to the carving up of Africa so that France, Britain, Portugal, Spain, Belgium, and Germany controlled separate territories throughout the continent. This became known as the colonial period in African history. The colonial period in Africa, just as the enslavement of African people captured and brought to (Continued on page 16)

Blacks Underrepresented in Immigration Debate

By Julianne Malveaux NNPA Columnist

islation gives H-1B 60 days to find a new job. But why do we have H-1B visas at all. With unemployment over 7 percent, and Black unemployment over 13 percent, surely there are unemployed people who could work effectively in technology companies. Howard University economist Bill Spriggs has written that there are proportionately more African American students majoring in computer science than whites.

Many of these graduates cannot find jobs. Meanwhile, African and Caribbean immigrants get just a small percentage of H-1B visas.

The Immigration Modernization bill will spend $4.5 billion in an attempt to secure the southern border, which will “secure” our country from Mexican immigrants, but ignores the northern border, which makes our country more open to Canadian immigration. Of course, Canadian immigrants are more likely to be white, and thus less feared, than Mexican immigrants. The Congressional Black Caucus is one of many groups that suggest that this $4.5 billion could be more effectively spent, perhaps on STEM education.

The immigration bill is by no means final. The House of Representatives still has to vote on it, and many of them will add amendments and exceptions to take care of their

The Senate’s Gang of Eight have put together an 844-page monstrosity known as the Border Security, Economic Opportunity and Immigration Modernization Act, legislation that President Obama says he “basically approves” of. The crafters of this essentially unreadable bill was put together by Senators Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Robert Menendez (D-N.J.), Chuck Schumer (DN.Y.), Michael Bennett (D-Col.), Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Jeff Flake (RAriz.), John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Lindsay Graham (R-S.C.).

On its surface, the bill provides much-needed relief to many of the 11 million undocumented people who live in our country. The challenge is that it disadvantages some immigrants, especially African and Caribbean immigrants, while helping others.

Further, the Senators crafting the bill put goodies into the bill that only serve to advantage themselves or their states. Senator Lindsay Graham wants more visas for the meat packing industry. Senator Charles Schumer provided special provisions for Irish people with a high school diploma (why?), Senator Marco Rubio, the much touted possible presi-

dential candidate in 2016, asked for more visas for the cruise ship industry, and Senators Michael Bennett wants more visas for workers in ski resorts.

Meanwhile, the legislation would eliminate the Diversity Visa Program, which allows a visa lottery for countries that have low levels (less than 50,000 people) of immigration to the United States. Many African immigrants come here through this program (Ghana and Nigeria each had 6,000 immigrants through this program in 2011; African immigrants are 36 percent of those receiv-

ing diversity visas). Thus, while Senator Schumer pushes for special provisions for Irish immigrants, there is no one on the Senate side pushing for special provisions for African and Caribbean immigrants.

Instead of the Diversity Visa Program, the Senate Bill 744 creates between 120,000 and 200,000 visas on a “merit based” system, which gives highest priority to those who have future employment opportunities.

Because employers do not seek out African and Caribbean immigrants for employees (as they seek out Indian and Chinese employees), the merit-based point system is likely to provide fewer opportunities for those from Africa and the Caribbean. Senator Schumer’s special provision for the Irish carries no stipulation that these people be employed, essentially granting them a pass from the meritbased point system.

Many hi-tech companies use the H-1B visa program on the grounds that there is a shortage of skilled workers in the United States. There is evidence that this claim is specious and that employers prefer foreign workers who they can pay less and control more. The new legislation will prevent employers from holding workers hostage because their continuing employment is necessary in order to keep their visa. The new leg-

6

Saturday, May 11, 2013

BLACKS MUST CONTROL THEIR OWN COMMUNITY

Julianne Malveaux

“pet” causes. Meanwhile, President Obama has been urging Democrats to accept the immigration bill as it is, because too many amendments may jeopardize the bill. For example, Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) would like to propose an amendment that would allow gay Americans to sponsor their partners for green cards. The Judiciary Committee is likely to pass this amendment, but the whole Senate might not pass it.

President Obama has had a bad year, so far. He didn’t get his way on gun control, and he’s been kicked around by an obstructionist House of Representatives. He needs immigration reform to fulfill promises he made to the Latino community during his campaign. But the unwieldy 844-page piece of legislation contains lots of provisions that don’t pass the smell test. It makes it more difficult for African and Caribbean immigrants to become citizens of the United States.

The African American community must take a closer look at this legislation. If Senator Schumer can give 10,000 Irish immigrants the open door, how many Africans and Caribbeans will he make exceptions for? At the very minimum, Congress (Continued on page 16) The Chicago Crusader

THE CHATTERBOX

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!

brutha’s hed hooked up. Charles worked at McDonalds, washing dishes I think and we are all expecting for them to give Charles a reward for what he did, cause he said the reward money that was offered for the victims be given to the victims. Now what Mama on the eve of Mother’s Day would not be proud of their son for that???

-Ima Al Shrpton Joyner Show. We say that Rev. Al ought to know, cause back in the day he almost looked as bad as Charles. So since Charles bees in New York, maybe Rev. Al will take him to his salon and get the

OUR HERO Charles Ramsey from Cleveland is Ima’s hero. He was the one that found those three women and a little girl this week who been missing for a long time.

All of a sudden he was wisked to New York to do the Good Morning America show. Ima understands that folks been laughing cause Charles needs a doo and we heard that Rev. Al Sharpton clarified the difference between a process and a recess on the Tom

The Chicago Crusader

Charles Ramsey

BAYBEE, YOU NEED TO BE HOME SOMETIMES Some might say she sho Is wacky but caint nobody deny Sharon Denise Dixon, yall remember she used to be da alderman in the 24th Ward is entertaining.

Her latest episode, or dumb-asode had her at a west side police station packing heat, like dey aint enough guns in da place already.

Da police didn’t seem to mind her being in the station at first but den they say she overstayed her welcome so they asked her to step outside. Well being the genius she is when she got outside and was pacing she also showed one of the cops out there her piece. Well he invited her back inside and they arrested her.

BLACKS MUST CONTROL THEIR OWN COMMUNITY

Yall remember when this same woman cussed out the police a couple of years ago cause they were investigating somethin and blocked traffic? Well they arrested her ass that time too, especially after she flunked the sobriety test.

100 schools and

Ima’s fave Sharon memory is when she had been in office a few months and held a community meeting. A long, long time resident stood up and told a new alderman she understood that the alderman might be cash-strapped and that is why she took her office allowance and made the basemen of her house the aldermanic office. The senior told da alderman “Baybee, we don’t mind you taking that money and putting your office in your basement, but baybee you need to be home some time.”

NEGROES COMPLAINED

NEGROES COMPLAINED 2. Chicago Public School revised the list to the current 54 and

3. Chicago Public Schools said that the savings from the closings was over-estimated and the savings will be 25% less than expected 4. The special study group said 10 of the 54 schools shold not be closed 5. Special parents group doing independent study said CS is not folowing its own criteria for closures.

-Ima-

Now Ima here’s what I think:

IMA’S MAILBAG

Watch the final list to be between 35 and 40 schools; I betcha that is the number that Rahm probably wanted all along.

Dear Ima: Just work with me Ima as I try to put things together about our schools: 1. Chicago Public Scholos was initially going to close more than

Saturday, May 11, 2013

Let’s see how long Barbara Byrd-Bennett lasts after the new school years starts and she has done Rahm’s bidding.

Marvina Stickler

7

COMMUNITY CALENDAR MARQUETTE BANK EVENTS: On Saturday, May 11, Marquette Bank will host a free kids party at the Marquette Bank, located at 6316 S. Western Avenue in Chicago.

Enjoy family fun, games, prizes and refreshments between 2 pm and 3:30 pm. The event is open to the public. For more information, call 773-918-4610. On Wednesday, May 15, Marquette Bank will host a business networking after-hours event at the Marquette Bank located at 8855 S. Ridgeland Avenue in Oak Lawn. Enjoy an evening of refreshments, a prize drawing and excellent networking opportunities. Businesses are welcome to attend from 5 pm until 8 pm. To register, call 708-5995431. And on Thursday, May 16, an AARP Driver Safety Program course will be held at the Marquette Bank, located at 5700 W. 159th Street in Oak Forest. Participants will learn about safe and defensive driving techniques, new traffic laws and may be eligible for a discount on auto insurance after completing this course. The class will be held from 9 am to 5 pm on Thursday, May 16 and will cost $12 for AARP members and $14 for non-members. The event is open to the public and sponsored by The Marquette Club, a social club for Marquette Bank customers over age 50. For more information, call 1-708-342-8403.

BENEFITS OF MEDITATION AND THE SCIENCE BEHIND IT: Come join in a for real, if unconventional, taste of Chicago on Saturday, May 11th at the University of Chicago’s Gleacher Center downtown for a seminar all about meditation, its health and wellness benefits and why they occur. The Gleacher Center is located at 450 North CityFront Plaza, Chicago, 60611.

From brain cells to health benefits, research on meditation has exploded in recent years. From the mountains of data, a story about how meditation works and why it is beneficial is beginning to emerge. Understanding the story of meditation using an interdisciplinary approach is the purpose of “Yoga and the Brain,” a seminar run by the University of Chicago Graham School on May 11th, from 10 am-4 pm at the Gleacher center.

Back by popular demand they have revised the course to focus on: 1. Psychological and medical benefits of meditation that are supported by medical research 2. Why meditation has these beneficial effects with explanations drawing from medicine, neuroscience, behavioral economics, philosophy of mind and psychology 3. Basic meditation techniques with the opportunity to practice. The instructors are: Abhimanyu Sud MD, FRCP a family physician and Art of Living instructor; Chris Buckle, MD, FRCPC, a Chicagoland neuroradiologist with an interest in cognitive science, and Navaid Abidi, MBA, a quantitative finance expert interested in the relationship be8

tween spirituality and economics.

For more information, call 773702-1722.

HYDE PARK ART CENTER ADULT OPEN ART LAB: On Monday, May 13, from 10:30 am to 2:30 pm, the Hyde Park Art Center hosts an adult student open art lab in the gallery, where participants will be able to draw or sculpt from a live horse model.

Reservations are requested; BYO art materials. The Hyde Park Art Center is located at 5020 South Cornell Avenue in Chicago. For more information call 773-324-5520 or visit www.hydeparkart.org.

ADLER AFTER DARK: On Thursday, May 16, At the Adler After Dark Chicago, you can enjoy cocktails and appetizers against the award-winning view of the Chicago skyline seen only from the Adler Planetarium Chicago. Peruse the exhibitions of the Chicago Adler Planetarium or take in a sky or space show. See Saturn’s rings or Jupiter’s great red spot with your own eyes using the Adler’s telescopes. What to Expect: Of all the Chicago events Adler Planetarium Chicago’s Adler After Dark is definitely one of the most interesting and fun. Who does not find Space fascinating? Food, Drinks, Dancing: The Adler After Dark Chicago has a cash bar, appetizers for sale, and guest DJs that will play music for you to dance to once you have finished checking out some of the other activities at the Adler. At the Adler After Dark Chicago you get unlimited access to the different shows. The Adler Planetarium Chicago has three theatres, all showing different Space related shows. The Doane Observatory is the largest observatory open to the public, and is only available to view at the Adler After Dark Chicago. Inside Knowledge: Adler After Dark Chi- cago is the only time you can peek through the Doane Observatory telescope, the largest telescope in the Midwest accessible to the public. These activities are great for groups and makes for a very original first date. Adler After Dark Chicago has something for everyone! The Adler Planetarium is located at 1300 South Lake Shore Drive in Chicago.

BEHIND-THE-SCENES TOURS AT THE SHEDD: Ever wonder what it takes to make your favorite Shedd exhibits so great, or what the aquarium’s trainers do to keep the animals healthy? Shedd’s Behindthe-Scenes Tours will answer these questions and more! The 50-minute tour gives guests a unique perspective of the aquarium through the eyes of the animal care staff. Guests have the rare opportunity to go behind the galleries to see how nutritious meals are prepared for a wide range of tastes and witness the aquarium at work. Days and times are Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. Times: 11 Saturday, May 11, 2013

am, 1 pm, or 3 pm. Cost: $18 per person, plus admission.

CHICAGO PUBLIC LIBRARY EXHIBITS: Looking for thought-provoking exhibits in Chicago? There are always some engaging exhibits at the Chicago Public Library’s Harold Washington Li-

brary Center, 400 S. State Street.

Come see The Horizon-Guild of Book Workers; The Illustrated Press Exhibition-Home in One Place: A South Side Story & Kathy Has a Question. These exhibits are ONGOING through July 28, 2013 in the Congress Corridor – Ground Level. The exhibits Home in One

Place: A South Side Story and Kathy Has a Question are presented by The Illustrated Press, founded by Chicago journalist Darryl Holliday and graphic artist Erik Nelson Rodriquez. The Illustrated Press is an experiment in journalism consisting of narrative non-fiction stories told (Continued on page 16)

SOCIAL MEDIA: EMPLOYER/EMPLOYEE Relationship,” a half-hour program presented by “Illinois Law,” a cable production of the Illinois State Bar Association (ISBA), will air on Chicago Access Network Television, Channel 21 in Chicago, at 10 p.m. periodically during May. Appearing on the shows are (from left) Martin A. Dolan, of Dolan Law Offices in Chicago; Charles H. Gardner, of Much Shelist, PC in Chicago; program moderator Latham Williams, of Hudson Highland Group, Inc. in Chicago; and Joseph T. Nabor, of Fitch, Even, Tabin & Flannery, LLP in Chicago. The 32,000-member ISBA (isba.org), with offices in Springfield and Chicago, provides professional services to Illinois lawyers, and education and services to the public through a website (illinoislawyerfinder.com), a cable television program (“Illinois Law”), consumer brochures, and distribution of legal information.

Extended Coverage searchers found.

If your car is stolen, it’s important to contact the police as promptly as possible. The sooner they know it is missing, the better the chances of recovery. *** The police need to know the year and make of your car, the model and color, the license plate number and the vehicle identification number—and anything that helps identify the car, from decals, bumper stickers or dents. ***

Milton E. Moses

*** Did you know that we can tailor your auto insurance coverage to your special needs 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.

Smart moves to make your car harder to steal: always lock the car and take the ignition key; use a steering wheel lock, like the Club; have the vehicle ID etched into a window. *** Did you know that one U.S. driver in seven does not wear a seat belt? Yet seat belts halve injury and death rates in accidents. *** More: after an auto accident, those who weren’t wearing seat belts are three times as likely to die in the emergency room as those who were, medical reBLACKS MUST CONTROL THEIR OWN COMMUNITY

The Chicago Crusader

BUSINESS Study Prompt calls for Policy Reforms to Eliminate Racial Wealth Gaps

By Charlene Crowell NNPA Columnist According to a new research report, America’s racial wealth gaps will persist until public policy reforms provide every family the opportunity to build wealth.

Less than Equal: Racial Disparities in Wealth Accumulation, from the Urban Institute’s Opportunity and Ownership project, analyzed data and trends from 1983-2010. Over these years, the average household income of whites remained double that of either Black or Latino families.

But when wealth was considered, the amount of available assets remaining after all indebtedness was deducted, white families’ wealth grew six times that of either that for either Black or Latino families.

“When it comes to economic gaps between whites and communities of color in the United States, income inequality tells part of the story. But let’s not forget about wealth.

Wealth isn’t just money in the bank; its insurance against tough times, tuition to get a better education and

a better job, savings to retire on and a springboard into the middle class.

In short, wealth translates into opportunity.”

The report also found that although the Great Recession of (2007-2009) hit communities of color particularly hard, the type of financial losses varied. With Black unemployment double that of the rest of the nation, Black retirement assets fell by 35 percent during these years. This data suggests that lowerincome Black families withdrew money from retirement savings following a job loss or other adverse events. For Latinos, the average retirement asset decline was 18 percent.

By contrast, the Great Recession years took half of Latino family home equity, compared to an average 25 percent for Black and white families. To better understand this lost wealth, it is relevant to note that in 2010 only half of Black and Latino families owned their homes, while 75 percent of whites were homeowners.

With more assets and diversified income streams, white wealth de-

clined 11 percent during the Great Recession. But Black wealth dropped 31 percent during these same years and Latino families dropped the greatest at 44 percent.

Yet despite these findings, it is equally true that many families of color still desire to own a home and their own piece of America. Their dreams may be deferred, but still re-

growing faster than any other segment.

Businesses and advertisers are paying very close attention to the information I’m sharing with you today.

All of us know by now how critical everything we purchase, watch, read and listen to is for manufacturers and marketers. The same is true for young people. What are their consumer behaviors? How much are they contributing or will they contribute in the future to the consumer bottomline? Nielsen research shows that teens have some real purchasing potential – although at this point, that potential has a lot to do with the earnings of their parents, grandpar-

ents or guardians, since most kids are not yet making the big bucks. Last year, 29% of teens in the U.S. lived in households earning more than $100K. And if you are the parent of teenager(s), you know they are very good at spending our money. Can I get an ‘AMEN’ on that?

I’m sure it comes as no surprise that ownership of smartphones and tablets is growing faster in households with teenagers. There was a 45% jump in smartphone penetration among teens between 2011 and 2012, a 32% increase among young adults 18-24 and 22% among those 25-34. The numbers for laptop penetration are interesting. It seems lap-

Charlene Crowell

mains strong. As the nation’s economy continues to struggle towards prosperity, tightened mortgage lending, higher FHA fees, and continued discussions of federallymandated down payments do not bode well for more families of color reaching the American Dream.

For the Urban Institute, the answer to these growing and disturbing disparities is reconsidering public policies.

“Families of color were disproportionately affected by the recession.

However, the fact that they were not on good wealth-building paths before this financial crisis calls into question whether a whole range of polices (from tax to safety net) have actually been helping minorities get ahead in the modern economy,” according to the study.

Contrasting programs such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (SNAP) as two social safety programs designed to provide basic essentials; the report noted how tax subsidies for homeownership and retirement policies actually help to build wealth.

“The federal government spends hundreds of billions of dollars each year to support long-term asset development. But these asset-building subsidies primarily benefit high-income families, while low-income families receive next to nothing.”

The Urban Institute’s conclusions are strikingly similar to those reached earlier this year by the Brandeis University’s Institute on Assets and Policies.

“The evidence points to policy and the configuration of both opportunities and barriers in workplaces, schools and communities that reinforce deeply entrenched racial dynamics in how wealth is accumulated and that continue to permeate the most important spheres of everyday life,” the Brandeis report stated.

Here’s hoping that those entrusted with policy decisions are listening.

tops are cool with young people until they hit their late 20s – even though laptop ownership has increased in all three young adult age groups (12-17, 18-24, 25-34) over the last year.

We talk a lot in this column about how much time all of us spend in front of the television or watching our video content on one of the many other fun electronic toys we own. That time spent is money – both for the marketers who want to reach us and the program providers who measure and make decisions based on our viewing habits. Teens and young adults, like the rest of us, watch most of their shows and videos the old school way – on television. However, according to Nielsen’s most recent Cross-Platform Report, young consumers under 34 watched more video on the Internet and their mobile devices in 2012 than they did in 2011.

The “under 34” crowd isn’t a monolithic group, though, when it comes to video consumption. Young teenagers lead in watching content on their mobile phones (I can attest to this); 18% more than those 18-24 and 46% more than the next age group, 2535. On the other hand, teens don’t seem to favor watching online, even though laptop ownership is higher in that group. The data shows that in the last quarter of 2012, those in the 18-24 age bracket spent nearly three times more consuming video on the Internet than 12 to 17-year-olds.

The “oldest” of the young demos, the 25 to 34-year-olds, spent the most total time watching video

across all platforms in 2012: 19 hours and 30 minutes more per month than 18 to24-year-olds and 40 hours and 54 minutes more a month than 12 to 17-year-old consumers.

Whenever I speak to youth groups, I always let them know how much of the sweet target they are to marketers. And I think the information I just shared supports this statement.

The youth of today should feel empowered, too. Because not only are they the future, they are the present and marketers are watching.

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

Consumer power has no age limit

By Cheryl Pearson-McNeil NNPA Columnist

I believe our future is in good hands, despite what recent news headlines would have us otherwise believe. You are as familiar as I am with the barrage of negative stories of violence, drugs, teen pregnancy, bullying and other questionable behaviors of today’s youth. No matter where you live in the country, I’ll bet there are legions more of good kids in your city or town who are shining in every area of their lives, excelling in school, giving back in ways both small and large to their communities, sports and other extracurricular activities. In the spirit of full disclosure, I claim my bragging rights as the mother of one of these outstanding young people, my 16-year-oldson.

I always talk about how this nation is becoming more and more multicultural day by day. In fact, in eight years, there will be 170 million multicultural consumers in the United States. This nation is a huge melting pot already, but these forecasted numbers are promising for people of color – especially young people.

According to the most recent U.S. Census, African-Americans, Hispanics and Asians each make up 42% of the youngest demographic age groups: 12-17, 18-24 and 2534. These same groups of young folks are going to be in our shoes as adults in a few decades and their numbers are on the rise. The 18 to 24 year-old demographic is, in fact, The Chicago Crusader

Cheryl Pearson-McNeil BLACKS MUST CONTROL THEIR OWN COMMUNITY

Saturday, May 11, 2013

Cheryl Pearson-McNeil is senior vice president of Public Affairs and Government Relations for Nielsen. For more information and studies go to www.nielsenwire.com.

Got news about your community?

Email it to crusaderil@aol.com

or call 773-752-2500 9

EDUCATION

City Colleges of Chicago graduates largest class in more than 20 years Lieutenant Governor Sheila Simon delivers keynote address at graduation ceremony City Colleges’ largest graduating class in more than two decades celebrated Commencement on Friday, May 3 at the UIC Pavilion. Nearly 4,000 students earned an associate’s degree at City Colleges in 2013—an 80 percent increase since the launch of the Reinvention initiative in 2010 and the highest in more than two decades.

“City Colleges of Chicago marks a tremendous achievement today with a historic number of graduates, many of whom juggled the responsibilities of work and family and overcame serious obstacles to reach this moment,” said Lt. Governor Sheila Simon.

“This day demonstrates the power that a quality, affordable education focused on student success can have to transform lives and communities.”

“All of us at City Colleges are proud of this historic group of

ny to a crowd of thousands of students and their proud families.

As Governor Pat Quinn’s point person on education reform, Simon is working to increase the percentage of working-age Illinois residents who have a college degree. Since taking office, she has highlighted the important role community colleges play in increasing the state’s college completion rate and putting residents on pathway to workplace success.

Truman College student Claudia Guaita joined Simon on stage, representing the Class of 2013 as the Valedictorian Speaker. Guaita, who was born in Chile, earned an associate degree in nursing. After taking a licensure exam this summer, she plans on working with hospice patients as a registered nurse specializing in palliative care. “I am incredibly grateful to this program for accepting me and giving me the chance to realize this dream,” she said. “I know my life mission is to help people find meaning in every experience.”

CITY COLLEGES OF Chicago – Members of the record-breaking Class of 2013.

“City Colleges’ steadily growing number of graduates is a testament to the institution’s rising value,” said Paula Wolff, chair of City Colleges’ Board of Trustees.

“By providing affordable and quality higher education which prepares Chicagoans for additional education and for careers in growing fields, City Colleges is an indispensable part of this city’s future.”

college graduates,” Chancellor Cheryl Hyman said. “Their achievements prove that putting education first pays off, and offer more evidence that the studentcentered reforms we’ve implemented in recent years are providing a solid pathway to further education or a stable career.”

City Colleges’ enrollment and graduation rates are also increasing. It saw a 5 percent increase in credit enrollment across system between 2010 and 2012. A 12 percent graduation rate is anticipated for the class of 2013, up from 7 percent when Hyman arrived and the highest in over a decade.

Simon delivered the keynote address at the graduation ceremo-

Guaita is one of many graduating students whose training and experience are a product of the City Colleges’ College to Careers program. In 2011, Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Hyman launched the nationally recognized initiative that partners City Colleges’ staff and industry leaders to ensure City Colleges’ career programs are aligned with demand in six fast-growing fields. The fields include healthcare, IT, high-tech manufacturing, business, culinary/hospitality and transportation, distribution and logistics (TDL).

City Colleges students come to the college from a diverse range of backgrounds and experiences, all with common goals for career

success and a better future. Iraq war veteran Eric Rice, another member of the Class of 2013, served in the Army for nine years before returning stateside. He thanks Kennedy-King College (KKC) Veterans Services Specialist Meosha Thomas for persuading him to pursue a college degree.

During the last six months, City Colleges has hired full-time veterans specialists like Thomas at all seven campuses. With support from state and federal financial aid programs for veterans that Rice learned about from Thomas at KKC’s new Veterans Services Center, he is receiving an associate degree in construction management.

He plans on continuing his education at a four-year college.

Along with veterans services, in recent years City Colleges has expanded and strengthened other services central to supporting students’ academic and professional goals, and well-being. These services include tutoring, academic advisors, transfer specialists and Wellness Centers. Colleges also form targeted support groups such as the King’s Men, a group launched in fall 2012 to help provide an additional support system for predominately African-American male students at KennedyKing College.

A central goal of City Colleges’ ongoing Reinvention initiative, which launched in 2010, is to increase the number of students earning college credentials of economic value. In April 2013, City Colleges launched Reinvention7, the next phase of the reform effort. Task forces based at the seven colleges will ensure that every student clearly defines their academic and career goal and pursues a smooth path through the institution, maximizing their time and resources.

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BLACKS MUST CONTROL THEIR OWN COMMUNITY

LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR SHEILA Simon gives commencement address.

review and revise CCC programs and practices to ensure students leave CCC college-ready, careerready and prepared to pursue their life’s goals.

The City Colleges of Chicago includes seven colleges: Richard J. Daley College, Kennedy-King College, Malcolm X College, Olive-Harvey College, Harry S Truman College, Harold Washington College and Wilbur

CHANCELLOR CHERYL HYMAN addresses the recordbreaking Class of 2013.

About City Colleges of Chicago The City Colleges of Chicago (CCC) is the largest community college system in Illinois and one of the largest in the nation, with 5,800 faculty and staff serving 120,000 students annually at seven campuses and six satellite sites city-wide. The City Colleges of Chicago is in the midst of a Reinvention, a collaborative effort to

Wright College. The system also oversees the Washburne Culinary Institute, the French Pastry School, two restaurants, five Child Development Centers, the Center for Distance Learning, the Workforce Institute, the public broadcast station WYCC-TV Channel 20 and radio station WKKC-FM 89.3. For more information about City Colleges of Chicago, call: (773) COLLEGE or visit www.ccc.edu.

The Chicago Crusader

COMMUNITY

Black Trade Unionists honor four Chicagoans The Chicago Chapter of Coalition of Black Trade Unionists (CBTU) held its annual awards dinner on Saturday, April 27, at the Lexington House in Hickory Hills, and acknowledged the work of four outstanding citizens in the Chicago- land area. The Rev. Dr. Otis Moss III, Senior Pastor of Trinity United Church of Christ received the Community Service Award; Ester R. Lopez, International Vice President and Director of the United Food and Commercial Workers Civil and Community Action Department was awarded the Congressman Charles A. Hayes award.

Tim Drea, the Illinois Secretary Treasurer was given the Labor

Award and Arthur L. Davis, Sr., retiree from S.E.I.U., local #73 was recognized with the Honorary Award.

The CBTU is an historic change agent for opening union leadership positions to women, African Americans and other minorities. CBTU has an Executive Council, comprising 39 members from 20 different international and national unions that include the National AFLCIO, National NAACP, Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance, A. Phillip Randolph Institute, Coalition of Labor Union Women, Labor Council for Latin American Advancement and Pride at Work.

AUDIENCE MEMBERS AT the Chicago Black Trade Unionists awards ceremony vigorously show their support for the four honorees of the evening.

AWARD RECIPIENT ESTHER LOPEZ (right) is congratulated by her mentor Mary Crayton.

ARTHUR DAVIS (left) was one of four recipients honored by the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists recently as CBTU Chicago President Robert Simpson presented a crystal award.

A LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT award was one of the honors presented during the recent CBTU annual awards dinner. The CBTU has brought together unions from around the world.

The Chicago Crusader

THE REV. OTIS MOSS III receives a Community Service Award from the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists.

BLACKS MUST CONTROL THEIR OWN COMMUNITY

Saturday, May 11, 2013

11

ENTERTAINMENT

The NEW Four-One-One

By Raymond Ward Entertainment Editor

ENTERTAINMENT: CHICAGO STYLE

By Elaine Hegwood Bowen, MSJ

Goodman play “By The Way, Meet Vera Stark” examines Black women in Hollywood

OH LA LA!: Dear Readers....you know how much I enjoy food. Soul Food, Italian Food, Chinese Food, Fast Food....FOOD! Now,The Chicago French Market, located at 131 North Clinton Street in Chicago is planning a month full of exciting occasions for everyone to enjoy. A new vendor, Sam's Gourmet Lasagna and Pasta, will soon be opening along with Little Goat Bread from famed chef Stephanie Izard.

Many vendors will offer the perfect Mother's Day gifts while some will be celebrating other holidays. Spicy Monkey will be holding a drawing in honor of their first year anniversary and the Chicago French Market will help host the West Loop Craft Beer Festival on May 25th.

This May, Chef and owner Stephanie Izard (winner of Bravo's "Top Chef," Season 4) will bring Little Goat Bread to the Chicago French Market. This marks the first time Izard is expanding her Little Goat Bread store beyond the walls of her newly opened West Loop diner, Little Goat.

Little Goat Bread in the Chicago French Market will serve breads in the morning, soup and sandwiches for lunch and freshly-roasted Stumptown Drip Coffee throughout the day. Just like the West Loop location, Little Goat Bread will sell loaves of its artisan breads for take home, including baguettes and a sampling of breads available on the menu at Girl & the Goat, Izard's award-winning restaurant also located in the West Loop.

The Chicago French MarStephanie Izard ket's newest vendor, Sam's Gourmet Lasagna and Pasta, is set to open in May. Chef Samantha Kendall started the restaurant after pursuing a way to help her family eat healthier. Inspiration from her children's favorite meal, lasagna, helped her come up with a variety of different, healthier recipes. After friends and family tasted her creations, they soon encouraged Kendall to expand past the family table.

Sam's Gourmet Lasagna and Pasta is the result of family contributions. Kendall's grandparents, Bertha and Eddie Gallon Sr., provided fresh vegetables and fruit from their own home-grown garden. Simple ingredients became exotic dishes from the teaching of Kendall's aunts.

With the family behind Sam's Gourmet Lasagna and Pasta, Kendall is able to carry on the traditions of her family in a healthy and delicious way.

Each dish is prepared using olive oil and low-fat meats to provide a wholesome, balanced meal of protein, carbohydrates and fiber to create a delicious, healthy meal. Lasagna will be offered in many flavors, such as traditional, vegetarian, spicy vegetable, and lamb and spinach with mango chutney. Other creations include turkey, black bean, BBQ, chilli, smoked turkey, Italian sausage and egg lasagna. They also plan on selling home-made pasta and sauces. Pastas include rigatoni, spaghetti and tortellini, just to name a few. With great home-made sauces like vodka and red sauce, pasta will be sold by the pound.

On Saturday, May 25th, the Illinois Craft Brewers Guild, the Chicago French Market, and the Fulton River District Association will come together to host the inaugural celebration to close out Chicago Craft Beer Week 2013. The city's largest craft beer outdoor block party will commence with a VIP event beginning at NOON, and General Admission running from 1:00 PM until 5:00 PM. The VIP hour will kick-off the day and include one hour of free food provided by participating Chicago French Market vendors, and VIP ticket samplings of rare craft beers.

The General Admission experience will include over 25 craft beers, hours of entertainment and food for purchase. Tickets for this unique experience are now on-sale for $45 and VIP tickets for $65. To purchase tickets, please visit www.brownpapertickets.com/event/378235.

TARON PATTON (Lottie McBride) and Tamberla Perry (Vera Stark) in Pulitzer Prize winner Lynn Nottage’s “By the Way, Meet Vera Stark” directed by Chuck Smith.

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BLACKS MUST CONTROL THEIR OWN COMMUNITY

Saturday, May 11, 2013

By Elaine Bowen Chuck Smith’s Chicago premiere production of “By the Way, Meet Vera Stark”—a sharp toothed satire on 1930’s Hollywood and beyond by Pulitzer Prize winner Lynn Nottage (Ruined)—stars Chicago’s own Tamberla Perry appearing in the lead role, along with other Chicago stage notables Patrick Clear, TaRon Patton, Ron Rains, Kara Zediker, Chiké Johnson and Amelia Workman.

In celebration of the forgotten and overlooked actresses that the fictional Vera Stark represent, the Goodman not only presents the play running through June 2, but also presents a series of films and discussions highlighting AfricanAmerican actresses of the era.

“By the Way, Meet Vera Stark” offers a glimpse into the life of Vera Stark, a headstrong AfricanAmerican actress, whose fledgling film career begins in the 1930s, at a time when her only shot at success lies in stealing small scenes in big Hollywood blockbusters.

Seventy years later, film buffs are left to reflect on the life and legacy of this controversial star, whose eventual fame and fortune came at the price of perpetuating dangerous stereotypes. Lynn Nottage paints a vivid picture of the cultural climate that shaped this mysterious screen queen— and wonders who, in another time, she might have been.

“I’ve always had an incredible fascination with old Black and white films from the 1930s, but I

was always terribly embarrassed by the grotesque and stereotypical ways African Americans were portrayed,” said playwright Lynn Nottage. “I decided to use humor to uncover the painful and passionate journey that they (then and even now) are forced to take in order to ply their trade. Vera is a fictional character I created to draw people into a dialogue about race and representation in early cinema.”

Robert Falls was happy to have Nottage back at the Goodman: “It is my great pleasure to welcome Lynn back to the Goodman and again pair her with Chuck

Lynn’s imagination, but her story is one of an entire generation of artists unknown to most of us, artists whose beauty and talent were lost in the racial marginalization of America in the midtwentieth century. With this production, the Goodman will stage the truth behind the legends of the would-be Vera Stark, and the society that created and then stifled her.”

Visit GoodmanTheatre.org for schedule and ticket information.

“By the Way, Meet Vera Stark” runs through June 2.

Other special events are as follows:

CHIKÉ JOHNSON (Leroy Barksdale) and Tamberla Perry (Vera Stark).

Free pre- and post show discusSmith, whose production of Lynn’s “Crumbs from the Table sions: Arrive early or stay late for disof Joy” remains a highlight of his distinguished career,” said Artis- cussions about the play with members of the Goodman Thetic Director Robert Falls.

“Vera Stark may be a creation of atre artistic team.

Pre-show (7 p.m.): May 17, 24 and 31.

Post-show: May 15, 16, 22, 23, 29 and 30.

Dark Eyes: Visions of Black Women: A month-long “CONTEXT” series of screenings and discussions of films by and about African-American women: Thursdays, May 23, 30 and June 6 at 7 p.m. at ICE Theatres (3300 W. Roosevelt Road). Cocurated by Willa Taylor, Goodman Theatre director of education and community engagement, and Vaun Monroe, associate professor of film at Columbia College and assistant director of “By the Way, Meet Vera Stark.”

The Chicago Crusader

ENTERTAINMENT

Chicago Jazz Festival lineup set Entirely Free Festival Opens at Chicago Cultural Center Mayor Rahm Emanuel recently announced the lineup for the 35th Annual Chicago Jazz Festival as it celebrates a milestone in its new home of Millennium Park on August 29- September 1. The Chicago Labor Day tradition will offer more hours of free music than ever before. Headline performers including Jazz Master Drummer Jack DeJohnnette, the legendary saxophonist Charles Lloyd, pianist and composer Jason Moran and New Orleans sax-

ophonist Donald Harrison with his Congo Nation Tribe Mardi Gras band. The festival is presented by the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE) and the Chicago Jazz Partnership, and programmed by the Jazz Institute of Chicago. Every performance is free.

“We welcome the Chicago Jazz Festival, featuring Chicago talent and prolific Jazz musicians, to its new home at Millennium Park,” said Emanuel. “The city of Chicago has always been proud to foster one of America’s great mu-

Charles Lloyd Quartet

The Chicago Crusader

Donald Harrison sical genres. This heritage festival draws artists and fans the world over, advancing several priorities of the Chicago Cultural Plan including strengthening Chicago as a global cultural destination.”

The Jazz Festival begins at noon on Thursday, August 29 in the Chicago Cultural Center (78 E. Washington St.) with performances in three venues: the Randolph Café, the Claudia Cassidy Theater and Preston Bradley Hall.

Drummer Hamid Drake begins his festival Artist Residency at 5 p.m. at Roosevelt University’s beautifully-acoustic Ganz Hall

BLACKS MUST CONTROL THEIR OWN COMMUNITY

with his Chicago Trio including band mates Ernest Dawkins and Harrison Bankhead. And then later that evening at the Jay Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park, the Festival will celebrate the life and music of Jack DeJohnette. Chicago native DeJohnette returns to his roots and his most important influences by assembling a once-in-a-lifetime reunion for a project he calls “Special Legends Edition Chicago” featuring Muhal Richard Abrams, Larry Gray, Roscoe Mitchell and Henry Threadgill, which begins at 6:30 p.m.

The Festival will begin programming on Friday afternoon, August 30, in its brand new home base in Millennium Park. In another first, the Jazz on Jackson stage will be renamed to honor one of the Chicago’s most important figures in jazz, the late great saxophonist/philosopher Von Freeman, who died last August. Freeman’s place in Chicago jazz history cannot be overestimated. He was not only an exceptional improviser and saxophonist; he was a teacher who taught countless musicians about music, both from life experience and by example. In naming the stage for Free-

Saturday, May 11, 2013

Muhal Richard Abrams man, the Chicago Jazz Festival creates a living memorial and perpetual tribute to a man whose impact has been felt by all who love and listen to jazz.

The two afternoon stages, located on the park’s north and south promenades, will feature music every afternoon, kicking off on Friday at 2 p.m. at the Jazz and Heritage Pavilion (north promenade) and at 2:20 p.m. at the newly named Von Freeman Pavilion (south promenade). On Saturday and Sunday, music begins at noon at the Von Freeman Pavilion and 12:30 p.m. at the Jazz and Heritage Pavilion.

13

WORLD OF MUSIC

By Barbara Wright-Pryor

Lyric Opera of Chicago’s O-K-L-A-H-O-M-A! – many miles better than “OKAY!” Lyric Opera of Chicago’s new production of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “Oklahoma!” was premeired on Saturday, May 4 at the Civic Opera House, much to the delight of audience and critics alike.

Based on Lynn Riggs’ play “Green Grow the Lilacs,”Oklahoma!” was first performed at the St. James Theatre in New York City in 1943, some sixteen years after librettist Oscar Hammerstein II had collaborated with composer Jerome Kern in producing the musical “Show Boat.” When Hammerstein was unable to convince Kern, Richard Rodgers teamed up with him to produce the ground-breaking musical, adding the element of dance to

Choreographer Gemze de Lappe

touring company. De Lappe joined the top-notch production team headed by director Gary Griffin to recreate a version of the original “Oklahoma” production, having choreographed the Oscar Hammerstein and Richard Rodgers masterpiece throughout the United States and internationally, including performances in Canada and Japan.

As the nonagenarian entered the stage to take a bow during the curtain call, she was met with cheers and bravas from the cast and audience alike.

Ashley Brown (Laurey) and John Cudia (Curley)/Photo by Dan Rest the already established format of music and dialogue.

Heading the cast of “Oklahoma!” are Ashley Brown (Laurey Williams) who made her Lyric debut last season as Magnolia in “Show Boat.” Making Lyric Opera debuts are John Cudia (Curley McLain); Tari Kelly (Ado Annie Carnes); Curtis Holbrook (Will Parker); Paula Scrofano (Aunt Eller); Usman Ally (Ali Hakim); and Matt DeCaro (Andrew Carnes). David Adam Moore (Jud Fry) made his Lyric debut earlier this season as Stanley Kowalski in student performances of “A Street-

car Named Desire.” Advance musical preparation was by William Billingham assisted by Maria Honigschnabel. James Lowe (debut) conducted the Lyric Opera Orchestra, that had been reduced in size for these performances.

Lyric’s “Oklahoma!,” orchestrated

by Robert Russell Bennett with original dances by Agnes De Mille and performed by the cast and 36member Ensemble, was choreographed by none other than 91-year old Gemze de Lappe, De Mille’s longtime friend, who first danced in “Oklahoma!” in 1943 as a member of the Broadway hit’s first national

Music Institute of Chicago establishes downtown campus on ‘Boul Mich’ Lake Forest Campus Expands Programming

“Oklahoma!” is highly recommended for the entire family. Matinee and evening performances continue through May 19. For information or tickets, call 312332-2244 or visit lyricopera.org.

CMOP 2012-13 Season ends with pianist Reginald Robinson The Chicago Modern Orchestra (CMOP) and Renee Baker, Founder/Artistic Director, recently announced the final concerts to end the 2012-2013 season. The program, “A Moving Causeway of Celebration” will feature a Renee Baker world premiere and a tribute to the British rock band “Queen.”

Performances are Saturday, May 18, 2013 at 7:00 p.m. at Dominican University, 7900 West Division Street, River Forest, IL and Sunday, May 19, 2013 at 4:00 p.m. at South Shore Cultural Center, 7059 S. South Shore Drive, Chicago, IL. The South Shore Cultural Center finale will be highlighted by a special appearance of internationally acclaimed jazz artist and ragtime composer Reginald Robinson performing his specially crafted sounds in a new three-piece orchestration. Mr. Robinson, as a Chicago jazz artist, holds a singular place in American music. The winner of a MacArthur Genius Career Grant and a leading composer of contemporary ragtime, Robinson was inspired to learn ragtime piano when master trumpeter Orbert Davis and his ensemble performed at Robinson’s elementary school and played Scott Joplin’s “rag” heard on the ice cream trucks that visited the neighborhoods.

The Music Institute of Chicago recently announced strategic expansion and restructuring of its campus system, which currently serves more than 3,000 students.

The 83-year-old institution has entered into a partnership with Fourth Presbyterian Church to open a campus within the Gratz Center, the church’s new addition on Chestnut Street, just west of North Michigan Avenue in downtown Chicago. Nationally known for its commitment to music excellence in worship and also as host to more than 70 concerts a year, Fourth Church is a natural partner in this downtown expansion. The new Music Institute campus, opening in September, will provide high-quality music lessons and classes for children and adults, amplifying the Music Institute’s alreadystrong presence in the city through its programs in the Chicago Public Schools.

Savitri Pai, a Music Institute Trustee, alumna, and Chicago resident, said, “Downtown residents have clamored for access to the Music Institute’s excellent programs for many years. Now people can benefit from the Music Institute’s programs

without having to drive to the northern suburbs.”

In addition to the new Chicago campus, the Music Institute will expand its facilities at the Grove Cultural Campus, 40 East Old Mill Road in Lake Forest. With the closure of its Highland Park campus this summer, the Lake Forest campus will now serve as a dynamic center for lessons, classes, chamber music, and performance for students of all ages.

The Music Institute previously announced the relocation and consolidation of its headquarters, Institute for Therapy through the Arts, Musical Theater, and World Music programs to 1702 Sherman Avenue in the heart of downtown Evanston.

Each campus hub—in Lake Forest, Winnetka, Evanston, and Chicago—will offer a full range of education programming, including private lessons, Suzuki education, early childhood education, chamber music, jazz studies, and adult education classes. Satellite facilities in Lincolnshire and Downers Grove will continue to offer lessons and select programming.

“The Music Institute of Chicago is dedicated to providing the highest quality music education in a supportive and nurturing musical envi-

ronment,” said President and CEO Mark George. “Concentrating our resources at campus hubs allows us to enrich and expand our programming and foster a vibrant and engaging musical community. The new campus structure creates a nexus of teachers and students, from Chicago to Lake Forest.”

The Music Institute of Chicago, founded in a Winnetka farmhouse in 1931 by David and Dorothy Dushkin, is one of the three largest and most respected community music schools in the nation and is a member of the National Guild of Community Schools of the Arts and accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music. The school offers music instruction and classes to students of all ages and every level of experience. Each year, the Music Institute’s world-class music teachers and arts therapists reach more than 10,000 students and clients at campuses in Evanston, Winnetka, Lincolnshire, Highland Park, Lake Forest, and Downers Grove, and through its longstanding partnership with the Chicago Public Schools.

Registration for summer camps, classes, and private instruction is open for all Music Institute campuses. To register or learn more, visit musicinst.org or call 847.905.1500.

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Saturday, May 11, 2013

BLACKS MUST CONTROL THEIR OWN COMMUNITY

Reginald Robinson Other guest artists will include Third Stream String Quartet and Douglas Ewart, reeds and didgeridoo. The complete repertoire to be performed is Ewart: “Red Hills;” Baker: “Red Sandals Octet (World Premiere); Bathory-Kitsz: “L’Estampie du Chevalier;” WJ Raynovich: “Through a Brick Wall” and Robinson: “Orchestrations.”

The South Shore Cultural Center performance is free, and tickets for the Dominican University performance can be purchased at chicagomodernorchestraproject.org/events2/. Additional information may be found by visiting chicagomodernorchestraproject.org

ORGANIST CHRISTOPHER HOULIHAN performs music by Bach, Debussy, Saint-Saens and Liszt Sunday, May 12 at 5 pm at Rockefeller Memorial Chapel, 5850 S. Woodlawn Ave. General admission tickets for the recital are $10 (free for students with ID and since it’s Mothers’ Day, free to anyone who brings their mother) and can be purchased online at brownpapertickets.org or at the door.

More information is available at rockefeller.uchicago.edu. This concert will be webcast live at news.uchicago.edu/webcast/christopherhoulihan-concert-gerrish-organ-performance-series.

Christopher Houlihan

The Chicago Crusader

SPIRITUALLY SPEAKING

Two services set for Bishop Roy A. Holmes

By Chinta Strausberg Two services will be held for Bishop Roy Anderson Holmes, the Presiding Prelate for the Northeastern Episcopal District A.M.E. Zion Church, who passed away peacefully at his home last Saturday, May 4, 2013, in Farmington, CT at the age of 62.

A memorial was held in Connecticut, Wednesday, May 8, 2013, and an international funeral will be at 11 a.m. in Chicago on Monday, May 13. This will be an international service at the Greater Walters A.M.E. Zion Church, 8422 S. Damen Avenue, where Rev. Joel D. Miles is pastor.

Monday’s funeral will be streamed live at: ShineproductionsLLC.com, according to Londa McDaniel, Chairman of the A.M.E. Board of Trustees.

The Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity will hold a tribute from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m., Monday, May 13, 2013, in honor of Bishop Holmes followed by the viewing from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. when the funeral services begin.

Bishop Holmes was born on April 13, 1951 in Greenwood, Mississippi to the late Tommy and Ruby Holmes. He married Lovetta Goodson 36-years ago and the couple had two daughters, Krista M. Holmes and Kimberly M. Strickland.

Bishop Holmes was consecrated the 92nd bishop of the A.M.E. Zion Church on August 3, 2004

and has served in several Episcopal Districts.

In 2012, Bishop Holmes was assigned to serve the Northeastern Episcopal District, which includes: New York, New England, Western New York, the Bahamas Islands and London-Midland.

His pastorates included churches in: Chicago, Illinois, Pittsburg, PA, Elizabeth City, NC and Whitmire, SC. Bishop Holmes has held positions with the AME Zion Connectional Budget Board, the Ministerial Relief, delegate to the General Conference, delegate to the World Methodist Conference, presidents and secretary of the Hood Alumni Association and a life member of the NAACP. Bishop Holmes was also a recipient of the UNCF Alumni Award, Morris Brown College, City of Chicago Honorary Street naming sign in June of 2000 designating “Roy A. Holmes Blvd.,” Who’s Who in Executive and Businesses 2002 and the 2003 Monarch Award in the category of Religion from Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. Bishop Holmes was a graduate of the Morris Brown College and the Hood Theological Seminary.

He received a Doctor of Ministry degree from the Chicago Theological Seminary in 2002.

Reflecting on his mentor, Rev. Joel D. Miles, pastor of the Greater Walters A.M.E. Zion Church, 8422 S. Damen Avenue,

said, “Bishop Holmes was a dynamic leader having led many of our denominational churches.

“He led the Greater Walters A.M.E. Zion Church for 16 years in a tremendous fashion including leading his members and building additions to the current locations. He continued the progressive leadership after he became a bishop in 2004.

“Bishop Holmes led us in a direction to understand that stewardship is a way of life,” said Miles. “It was embraced by all those who followed his leadership and it has made a dramatic change in the way that many approach living now.”

A close friend, Josephine “Mother” Wade, owner of the Hardtimes Josephine’s Cooking Restaurant who has known Bishop Holmes for more than three decades, said, “We loved serving him. I knew Bishop Holmes before he was a minister and after he became a bishop. He did not change. He remained a people’s person.

“Bishop Holmes was a Godfearing man, a dedicated husband, a loving father who adored his girls. He was everybody’s mentors including our cooks.

Everyone loved him.

“Bishop Holmes showed his love in so many ways especially for the homeless,” she said recalling one day when a homeless man came into her restaurant and loudly announced that he was

Bishop Roy Anderson Holmes hungry. “Bishop Holmes told the waitress to feed him and when the man finished and asked if he could have a slice of cake, Bishop Holmes ordered him an entire cake. That was the kind of man he was always reaching out,” said Wade.

She recalled one of Bishop Holmes’ favorite lines when she disagreed with him. “The bishop would say, ‘I’m going to do this and you e-mail.com that, touch your neighbor and tell all your friends,” Wade said.

Bishop Holmes leaves to mourn a wife, Lovetta Jean Holmes, two

daughters, Krista and Kimberly, and granddaughters, Niya Marie, Teirra and a host of friends and family.

Interment for Bishop Holmes will be held at the Mt. Hope Cemetery, 11500 S. Fairfield Ave., Worth Township, IL 60655. In lieu of flowers, the family is requesting donations be made to: The Hood Theological Seminary, 1810 Lutheran Synod Drive,, Salisbury, NC 28144.

For online condolences, please click on: www.carmonfuneralhome.com

PASTOR'S PEN

Let the Word Do Work

By Yancy Bady Associate Pastor Greater St. John Bible Church

must become like sponges. If you set a sponge down in water, it will absorb all it can until it becomes saturated. If there is enough water the sponge, FLOATS. Allow the Word to do the Work to carry you to your destiny! (Phil 2:5), (Luke 2:52), (Matt 17:20) Finally, we will give an Answer to the Word. The answer is your response to the word. Faith is not just hearing the word but, it is doing. True faith will bring about, true action! To hear and not respond is the same as taking a course and failing it. Why did we fail? Because, we did not gain complete understanding of the knowledge we received so, change did not come, learning was not achieved. Once we are Attentive to the Word, Absorb the Word, and give our Answer to the Word, then and only then will change come our way. Change is on the way.

(You can only give an answer when you understand) Let the Word do the Work!

(2 Cor 10:4), (Col 2:2),(Rom 13:10)

Nehemiah 8:8-9 (ASV) 8 And they read in the book, in the law of God, distinctly; and they gave the sense, so that they understood the reading. 9 And Nehemiah, who was the governor, and Ezra the priest the scribe, and the Levites that taught the people, said unto all the people, This day is holy unto Jehovah your God; mourn not, nor weep. For all the people wept, when they heard the words of the law.

The only way the word of God does the work depends completely on the people receiving the word. First, the people must be Attentive to the Word. You must be attentive, aware, and awake to receive all that God has for you when the word is given. (Matt 11:15), (Prov. 18:21), (Joshua 1:8).

Next, we must Absorb the Word that is given. We must re-

ceive what we have heard. When we take in what we have heard, a change begins to take place in the person receiving the word. We

The Chicago Crusader

BLACKS MUST CONTROL THEIR OWN COMMUNITY

Yancy Bady

SOUTH PARK CHURCH honors men with a concert that featured Motown Greats Producer Vanessa Holmes singing "Take Me To The King"; 11-year-old Mae Ya Carter-Ryan with a voice that sounds like a 40-year-old singing "Come Sunday" by Mahalia Jackson, written

by Duke Ellington; Tracey (MeBain) Zackery singing "Order My Steps"; Phillip Paige singing "My Soul is Anchored in the Lord"; the South Park Church Male Chorus singing "Something About the Name Jesus" and the South Park Church Combined Choirs. The church, at 3800 S. King Dr., has been ministering in the Bronzeville community for 78 years and has nurtured thousands of young people to seek a better life and higher education.

Saturday, May 11, 2013

15

HOUSES FOR SALE

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR (Cont’d from page 4) commit.

The video I referred to in the beginning is changing all of that. My hope in writing this letter is that what we see in the video can be expanded to our community. The video is about five former prisoners who have formed a detective agency to review the cases of those claiming they were wrongfully convicted.

The men are in Dallas, Texas and seem to be getting cooperation from law enforcement agencies and the state and county prosecutors. The five men are known as the Freedom Fighters. The authorities gladly accept their help because these men fully understand what it is to be locked away for something you didn’t do.

All five of the men seem to be successfully transitioning back into society and are committed to reducing the number of people who had to endure what they did. Every city no doubt could use an organization like the Freedom Fighters. Given that they are trying to raise $30,000 through Kickstarter to help a filmmaker complete and distribute this documentary, I doubt if these men have fancy offices or any other unnecessary trappings. What they do have is a commitment.

For anyone who doesn’t know, Kickstarter is one of those “crowd-sourcing” web sites. People post a cause that is dear to them and ask others to pledge money by a certain date. Unfortunately for the Freedom Fighters

their date is just a few days away and they have about $6,000 in pledges. But if they don’t reach their goal no one has to turn over any money.

Personally, this is a great way to help mitigate a terrible ongoing problem in our community. We should all commit to $5 or $10

Worrill’s World (Cont’d from page 6) North America, had a devastating impact on Africa and African people. It was not until the early 1950s that the first African country gained political independence in the movement to reclaim Africa. That country was Ghana under the leadership of Kwame Nkrumah who led the Ghanaian people in their fight against British colonialism.

I will continue the discussion of the origin and development of African Liberation Day in my next column. Many groups around the country and the world where African people reside will be hosting ALD Celebrations this year.

Don’t forget to support African Liberation Day activities in your area of the world.

and get our own Freedom Fighters working here. I put in a link about the video if you wan to know more. http://www.kickstarter.co m/projects/936372184/fre edom-fighters-documentary-film Jefrey Hayes

LEGAL NOTICE Notice is hereby given, pursuant to “An Act in relation to the use of an Assumed Business Name in the conduct or transaction of Business in the State,” as amended, that a certification was filed by the undersigned with the County Clerk of Cook County. File No. D13134295 on the 29th day of April 2013 Under the Assumed Name of D.D.C. Distributors, with the business located at 16462 S. Kimbark Ave., South Holland, IL 60473. The true name(s) and residence address of the owner(s) is Dana Hatcher, 16462 S. Kimbark Ave., South Holland, IL 60473.

5/4, 5/11, 5/18

Notice is hereby given, pursuant to “An Act in relation to the use of an Assumed Business Name in the conduct or transaction of Business in the State,” as amended, that a certification was filed by the undersigned with the County Clerk of Cook County. File No. D13134039 on the 11th day of April 2013 Under the Assumed Name of T.R. Jackson High School, with the business located at 223 Lee St., Park Forest, IL 60466. 1519 W. 79th St., Chicago, IL 60620. The true name(s) and residence address of the owner(s) is Thaddeus L. Pitts, 223 Lee St., Park Forest 60466.

4/26, 5/4, 5/11

HOUSES FOR SALE

Blacks Underrepresented (Cont’d from page 6) should restore the Diversity Visa program. The bill is called the Border Security, Economic Opportunity and Immigration Modernization Act. Exactly who will have more economic opportunity?

And is immigration really being modernized when it locks foreign-born Black people out of the process?

Julianne Malveaux is a Washington, D.C.-based economist and writer. She is President Emerita of Bennett College for Women in Greensboro, N.C.

LEGAL NOTICE TO: DEMARCUS PLEDGE AND/OR UNKNOWN FATHER OF A FEMALE CHILD BORN ON THE 26TH DAY OF MARCH, 2012; IN THE STATE OF IOWA. THE MOTHER OF THIS CHILD IS MCKANZIE BREWER. You are notified that there is now on file in the office of the Clerk of Court for Muscatine County, a petition to terminate parental rights in case number JV005647 which asks that your parental rights be terminated as it relates to your child born on the 26th day of March, 2012, in the State of Iowa. For further details contact the clerk’s office. The petitioner’s attorney is Oubonh White, Assistant Muscatine County Attorney, Muscatine County Attorney’s Office, 420 East Third Street, Muscatine, IA 52761, 563-263-0382.

You are notified that there will be a hearing on the petition to terminate parental rights before the Iowa Juvenile Court for Muscatine County, at the Courthouse in Muscatine, IA on the 9th day of May, 2013, at 9:00 o’clock a.m.

You are further notified that unless on or before this time and date of hearing, you appear, or, you serve, and within a reasonable time thereafter file, a written special appearance, motion or answer, in the above-named Court at the Courthouse in Muscatine, IA, judgment by default will be rendered finding your parental rights to be terminated as demanded in the Petition.

You are further notified that you are entitled to be represented by an attorney. If you are unable to employ counsel, you may apply to have counsel appointed by filling out an affidavit of your financial situation. You should do this immediately.

Dates of Publication: 5/4,5/11,5/17

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Jeff Tollenaer Clerk of the Juvenile Court Muscatine County Courthouse Muscatine, Iowa 52761

Saturday, May 11, 2013

COMMUNITY CALENDAR (Cont’d from page 8) through first-hand reportage and finely tuned sequential art. Kathy Has a Question was produced in partnership with Curious City, a co-production of Jennifer Brandel, WBEZ and AIR - the Association of Independents in Radio – with funding from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

BLACKS MUST CONTROL THEIR OWN COMMUNITY

The Chicago Crusader

HOUSES FOR SALE IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS COUNTY DEPARTMENT CHANCERY DIVISION ONEWEST BANK, FSB (D/B/A FINANCIAL FREEDOM, A DIVISION OF ONEWEST BANK, FSB) Plaintiff, -v.COUNTISS PERKINS A/K/A COUNTISS D. WHEELER-PERKINS, UNKNOWN HEIRS AND LEGATEES OF EDDIE LOU WHEELER A/K/A EDDIE L. WHEELER, YOLANDA MCCLINTON, MICHA WHEELER, LUCRETIA WILDER, JOEY MCCLINTON, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA - SECRETARY OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT, UNKNOWN OWNERS AND NONRECORD CLAIMANTS, WILLIAM P. BUTCHER, AS PERSONAL REPRESENTATIVE, LINDA M. NEWSOME, NATISHA WALKER, ARSHA MCCLINTON, DONTEʼ MCCLINTON, DANCE MCCLINTON, DASSUN MCCLINTON Defendants 12 CH 001376 8931 S. CRANDON AVENUE CHICAGO, IL 60617 NOTICE OF SALE PUBLIC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered in the above cause on January 25, 2013, an agent of The Judicial Sales Corporation, will at 10:30 AM on June 4, 2013, at the The Judicial Sales Corporation, One South Wacker Drive 24th Floor, CHICAGO, IL, 60606, sell at public auction to the highest bidder, as set forth below, the following described real estate: Commonly known as 8931 S. CRANDON AVENUE, CHICAGO, IL 60617 Property Index No. 25-01-222011. The real estate is improved with a residence. Sale terms: 25% down of the highest bid by certified funds at the close of the sale payable to The Judicial Sales Corporation. No third party checks will be accepted. The balance, including the Judicial sale fee for Abandoned Residential Property Municipality Relief Fund, which is calculated on residential real estate at the rate of $1 for each $1,000 or fraction thereof of the amount paid by the purchaser not to exceed $300, in certified funds/or wire transfer, is due within twenty-four (24) hours. No fee shall be paid by the mortgagee acquiring the residential real estate pursuant to its credit bid at the sale or by any mortgagee, judgment creditor, or other lienor acquiring the residential real estate whose rights in and to the residential real estate arose prior to the sale. The subject property is subject to general real estate taxes, special assessments, or special taxes levied against said real estate and is offered for sale without any representation as to quality or quantity of title and without recourse to Plaintiff and in “AS IS” condition. The sale is further subject to confirmation by the court. If the sale is set aside for any reason, the Purchaser at the sale shall be entitled only to a return of the deposit paid. The Purchaser shall have no further recourse against the Mortgagor, the Mortgagee or the Mortgageeʼs attorney. Upon payment in full of the amount bid, the purchaser will receive a Certificate of Sale that will entitle the purchaser to a deed to the real estate after confirmation of the sale. Where a sale of real estate is made to satisfy a lien prior to that of the United States, the United States shall have one year from the date of sale within which to redeem, except that with respect to a lien arising under the internal revenue laws the period shall be 120 days or the period allowable for redemption under State law, whichever is longer, and in any case in which, under the provisions of section 505 of the Housing Act of 1950, as amended (12 U.S.C. 1701k), and subsection (d) of section 3720 of title 38 of the United States Code, the right to redeem does not arise, there shall be no right of redemption. The property will NOT be open for inspection and plaintiff makes no representation as to the condition of the property. Prospective bidders are admonished to check the court file to verify all information. If this property is a condominium unit, the purchaser of the unit at the foreclosure sale, other than a mortgagee, shall pay the assessments and the legal fees required by The Condominium Property Act, 765 ILCS 605/9(g)(1) and (g)(4). If this property is a condominium unit which is part of a common interest community, the purchaser of the unit at the foreclosure sale other than a mortgagee shall pay the assessments required by The Condominium Property Act, 765 ILCS 605/18.5(g-1). IF YOU ARE THE MORTGAGOR (HOMEOWNER), YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO REMAIN IN POSSESSION FOR 30 DAYS AFTER ENTRY OF AN ORDER OF POSSESSION, IN ACCORDANCE WITH SECTION 15-1701(C) OF THE ILLINOIS MORTGAGE FORECLOSURE LAW. For information, examine the court file or contact Plaintiffʼs attorney:

The Chicago Crusader

CODILIS & ASSOCIATES, P.C., 15W030 NORTH FRONTAGE ROAD, SUITE 100, BURR RIDGE, IL 60527, (630) 7949876. Please refer to file number 14-1126729. THE JUDICIAL SALES CORPORATION One South Wacker Drive, 24th Floor, Chicago, IL 60606-4650 (312) 236-SALE You can also visit The Judicial Sales Corporation at www.tjsc.com for a 7 day status report of pending sales.

CODILIS & ASSOCIATES, P.C. 15W030 NORTH FRONTAGE ROAD, SUITE 100 BURR RIDGE, IL 60527 (630) 794-5300 Attorney File No. 14-11-26729 Attorney ARDC No. 00468002 Attorney Code.

21762 Case Number: 12 CH 001376 TJSC#: 33-2469 NOTE: Pursuant to the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, you are advised that Plaintiffʼs attorney is deemed to be a debt collector attempting to collect a debt and any information obtained will be used for that purpose.

I530912

BLACKS MUST CONTROL THEIR OWN COMMUNITY

Saturday, May 11, 2013

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HOUSES FOR SALE

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Saturday, May 11, 2013

BLACKS MUST CONTROL THEIR OWN COMMUNITY

The Chicago Crusader

EDUCATION

CPS restructures assessments for K-2 students Reforms Beginning this Spring Come Out of a Rigorous, Months-Long Review of District-Wide Testing Schedules To Maximize Instruction Time in Classrooms After months of outreach to parents, teachers, students and principals and researchers, Chicago Public Schools (CPS) Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Barbara Byrd-Bennett announced a common-sense restructuring of the way CPS administers assessments for grades K2, as part of the district’s efforts to streamline CPS assessment types, reduce redundancies and to maximize time for learning in the classroom.

“Assessments are an important tool for measuring a student’s academic growth and success, but we must be mindful to strike the right balance with instruction time,

which is vitally important for the academic growth and engagement of our students, especially in the early grades,” Byrd-Bennett said.

“After research and conversations with parents, students, teachers, principals and community members, we are embarking on a common-sense restructuring of assessments in grades K-2.”

information for instructional planning.

In the coming weeks, CPS will continue its rigorous evaluation of assessments across grade levels and assessment type.

Starting this spring, CPS is suspending the Northwest Evaluation Association (NWEA) Measures of Academic Progress for Primary Grades (MPG) assessment for kindergarten, first, and second grade students, which were scheduled to take place April 29 - June 7.

Instead, CPS will transition to administering the NWEA Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) assessment for all second-graders during the spring assessment window.

Teachers and principals indicated that administering the MAP test in the spring will provide more useful

Last winter Byrd-Bennett launched an extensive evaluation of all student assessments administered in CPS with the goal of streamlining assessment tools across grades and assessment types to maximize the time used in the classroom for instruction. The most recent announcement includes feedback from 17 different focus groups with educators, parents, students and the community and collected hundreds of online survey responses from teachers. The extensive outreach over the past few months has provided CPS with thoughtful feedback from key education partners on how to change and improve assessments across the District.

Barbara Byrd-Bennett

CHA resident to win prestigious Posse Scholarship Scholarship provides four-year, full tuition awards, sends urban “posses” to colleges in groups to give support, confidence The phone said “restricted,” so Joushlyn Jones’ first inclination was to disregard it.

But something told her to pick it up. So she did.

“They were screaming in the phone, ‘You got the Posse Scholarship! Congratulations!’” said Jones, a Chicago Housing Authority (CHA) resident, of a recent conversation with Posse Chicago. “I ran in the room and told my mom, and she started screaming into the phone. I was like in shock. I

thought it was well-deserved, because I worked really hard. But I was really in shock.”

Jones, a student at Air Force Academy High School, became the second CHA resident in two years to earn a prestigious Posse Scholarship, which provides four-year, full tuition awards and sends urban youth in groups – or “posses” – to colleges so that they have support networks to help them graduate.

She will now attend Agnes Scott College in Decatur, Ga. this fall.

CHA CEO Charles Woodyard said, “Joushlyn Jones is just one example of the many public housing residents who have achieved great things through hard work and dedication. We are very proud to sup-

port Joushlyn at CHA, and I know she is destined for great things as she heads off to college.”

Dominique Jordan-Turner, Director of Posse Chicago, said she is not surprised that two CHA residents have won the scholarship in two years.

“Grit and drive, teamwork, determination, resilience – those are the things that separate Posse scholars from others,” Jordan-Turner said.

“CHA students are the ones that demonstrate those types of qualities. They know how to get things done, to respond in adverse situations and that’s the type of leader we’re looking for.”

Jones’ mother, LaTonya Burris, could not be more proud.

A BLACK SCIENCE teacher from Lindblom Math & Science Academy High School recently received one of the highest honors for teachers – the Golden Apple Award. Elizabeth Cooper was described as one who puts in an unparalleled amount of hard work.

The Chicago Crusader

BLACKS MUST CONTROL THEIR OWN COMMUNITY

Joushlyn Jones “I’m a single mom, so she’ll be the first person to really go to college to attend a college for four years and beyond,” Burris said. “I just want her to succeed.”

Growing up at Lake Parc Place in Bronzeville, Jones lived a productive childhood participating in CHA summer programs, such as the BMO Harris Bank Financial Literacy and Leadership Institute.

“I felt I had to prove something because, coming out of CHA, we’re not expected to do anything,” she said. “I came from an environment where all public housing kids and teachers don’t expect anything from us, to an environment (at the Air Force Academy High School) where they actually did, saying, ‘You’re CHA, so what? You can do it.’”

Capt. Yashika Tippett-Eggleston, the Principal at Air Force Academy High School, said she noticed from day one that Jones was a leader.

“She will not accept mediocrity, Saturday, May 11, 2013

and she’s always been a high achiever,” Tippett-Eggleston said. “I think Joushlyn probably puts more pressure on herself because I don’t think she ever feels like this is good enough.

“She is that student that every teacher wants to have.”

Yasmeen Nanlawala, her trainer within Posse, said she could see Jones in a profession where she helps others.

“I think one of the things that first stood out was that she’s a very warm and caring personality,” Nanlawala said. “What I’ve noticed is that she has a lot of insightful things to share.”

Jones’ road has been long, but she is thankful for this opportunity. She hopes to one day own her own nonprofit foundation for young girls.

“I don’t think I would have been able to get Posse without the help of CHA,” she said. “They showed me they had my back. They showed me I could do it.”

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Saturday, May 11, 2013

BLACKS MUST CONTROL THEIR OWN COMMUNITY

The Chicago Crusader