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Blacks Must Control Their Own Community
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VOLUME LXXIII NUMBER 18—SATURDAY, AUGUST 24, 2013
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Wortham family grateful for new gun law By Wendell Hutson A new gun bill signed into law recently by Gov. Pat Quinn brought tears of joy to the Wortham family whose son, Thomas Wortham IV, was murdered three years ago during a robbery attempt. The Worthams joined Quinn at Nat King Cole Park, 361 E. 85th St. last week as he signed House Bill 1189 which closes the background check loophole for the sale or transfer of a firearm from a private party and requires all eligible firearm owners to report all lost, misplaced or stolen guns to the local police within 72 hours. The park sits across the street from the Wortham’s home and is the same place where 30 year-old Thomas, a Chicago police officer, was shot dead. “Tommy was a good person who fought hard to keep people safe. Had this law been in place sooner perhaps it could have saved his life or the lives of others innocently killed by guns,” Carolyn, his mother said. “Still, we must move forward and do what we can to prevent more people from losing their lives and being shot, and this bill will help do that.” According to the Cook County State’s Attorney office, Thomas was leaving his parents’ home on May 20, 2010 around 11:30 p.m. when four men attempted to rob him. And although Thomas identified himself as a police officer, one of the men shot and killed him.
SEEKING JUSTICE FOR ALL is Thomas Wortham III and his wife Carolyn at an April news conference to announce a lawsuit they filed against a Mississippi pawnshop where a handgun that killed their son, Thomas Wortham IV, was allegedly sold. One man was shot and killed by Thomas’ father, Thomas Wortham III, a retired police officer, and the other three men, Marcus Floyd, Paris McGee and Toyious Tay-
lor, have been charged with murder. In April the Worthams filed a lawsuit against a pawnshop in Mississippi where the handgun that killed their son was al-
legedly sold. “We must do the most we can to keep guns out of the hands of dangerous crimi(Continued on page 2)
Head of Roseland Hospital says facility will not close By J. Coyden Palmer
The man currently in charge of the dayto-day operations at Roseland Community Hospital on the city’s South Side, said the hospital is no longer in danger of closing. Tim Egan, the state-appointed receiver of the health care facility, told a crowd of 300 people earlier this week that because the hospital’s emergency room is so busy, it is required to keep beds for intensive care of surgical recovery patients. Egan said he wanted to end all of the rumors and speculation about the hospital becoming an out-patient facility only. Egan made his comments during a meeting to discuss a myriad of issues affecting Roseland that was held at the Joan & Ray Kroc Corps Center at 1250 W. 119th St. on Aug. 19. Egan, who many people in the crowd were unfamiliar with, said he did not come to the hospital to cut jobs or
Tim Egan
services. He said the Roseland community and greater South Side need the medical facility now more than ever before. “I didn’t come here to cut services, I came here to build services,” said Egan, who was the vice president at Norwegian American Hospital during a 12-year stint there. “I’ve been on the job a month and one of the things that was very clear to me from the very beginning is that we have an emergency room that is booming every day. Our community needs that urgent care unit. In the fight to keep that urgent care center open…you’re always going to need ICU beds and observation beds. So there will be an in-patient component to Roseland Hospital,” said Egan to thunderous applause. It June, the fate of Roseland was up in the air. The hospital’s debt was so bad they were forced to layoff dozens of employees
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
Entrepreneurial programs are worthwhile investments (See story on page 2)
and others had their hours cut. Roseland owes several vendors large amounts of money. Residents, community activists and unionized hospital workers however was organized public demonstrations alerting the community to the situation at the hospital. They called on Governor Pat Quinn to step in and save the facility, which has been in operation since 1924. Quinn responded by ordering an emergency $350,000 allocation under the condition the hospital comes up with a long-term plan. The money came from an existing fund dedicated to public health, community and nonprofit organizations. Wesley Epplin, a policy analyst with Health and Medicine Policy Research Group, said any thoughts of closing Rose(Continued on page 14)
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Entrepreneurial programs are worthwhile investments By Wendell Hutson A West Side church leader said he started to help stimulate Black communities starving for more economic development. Ed Coleman, vice president of the Community Economic Development program at Bethel New Life Church, 4950 W. Thomas St., adds that the 15-week program, which began in December, provides participants advice, guidance and mentoring from business owners eager to
ENTREPRENUR JULIUS MCKINNEY is all smiles now that he owns a truck driving school on the South Side. He said his motivation to open up his own business derived from his participation in an entrepreneur program.
give back to the community. “We are extremely pleased at the progress this program has made in its first year,” Coleman said. “We know there are a good number of residents who have some great ideas of starting their own business or those existing business owners who want more structure or licenses, and we can help them accomplish this while helping many become financially successful and independent at the same time.” Thirty participants made up the first graduating class earlier this year and Coleman said he hopes to produce a second graduating class as well. Thanks to support for various groups and organizations including the state’s Small Business Development Center, 150 people applied to the program. A panel helped whittle the list down to 30 people who ultimately went on to complete the program earlier this year. Those individuals learned the basic concepts of starting up a business, how to find good locations for a business, how to manage finances, and how to market their ideas to potential investors and lenders. Participants had to save up at least $1,500 to invest in their business also but then received a $6,000 grant from Bethel for startup costs. Local banks also supported the program by providing up to $10,000 small business loans to those who qualified. Entrepreneurial programs have helped business owners like Julius McKinney not only become selfemployed, but to also create jobs too.
NOW THAT ARTHUR BROWN works for himself as a mechanic he said he could never go back to working for someone else. In 2010, McKinney founded Full Time Logistics LLC on the South Side following his participation in a free entrepreneurial program. “It (the program) changed my life forever,” McKinney recalled. “Now I make a living doing something I love.” Arthur Brown said he also was able to go into business for himself as a mechanic thanks to an entrepreneurial program. “I used to work at a shop but now I have my own repair shop and I wouldn’t have it any other way,” Brown said.
But unlike other programs Coleman said there is no down side to this one. “We think this is a win-win program not only for the community economy, but for that of the individual investor and business owner at well,” said Coleman. “We have received a great deal of support from local business leaders, chambers of commerce and financial institutions as well’ and we expect to see a number of successful businesses being started up on the West Side as a result of this program.” And at Chicago State University a
different kind of entrepreneurial program is wrapping up. Six finalists were recently chosen for the 2013 Entrepreneurial Idol competition, an annual business plan competition hosted by CSU and co-sponsored by U.S. Sen. Mark Kirk (R-IL). The winner of a $10,000 grand prize business investment was chosen at CSU’s Douglas Hall, Breakey Theater. Over 100 entries from entrepreneurs from across the state were submitted entries, which included a business plan.
Wortham family grateful for new gun law (Continued from page 1) nals,” Thomas III said. Carolyn added they filed the lawsuit because she did not want another family to experience the pain she has endured. “He survived two tours of duty in Iraq, but couldn’t survive the South Side streets of Chicago,” she said. Signing the bill at Cole Park was rewarding, said Carolyn, considering it is where Thomas IV grew up playing and where he served as a member of the advisory council. The Worthams are members of the advisory council and supporters of various youth events held at the park in their son’s honor. On Aug. 23 the annual Peace in the Park After Dark event will be held at Cole Park for youths between 11 and 17 years olds. Youths spend the night in the park in tents and are mentored by Chicago police officers and community activist, according to Maurice Thigpen, a police officer with the Sixth District Chicago Alternative Policing Strategy. “By doing this event, it gives us
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ty,” Raoul said after the bill signing. “I’m proud to have brought together lawmakers with very different perspectives on guns to pass a law that finally moves Illinois toward universal background checks and gives law enforcement a fighting chance against the flood of deadly weapons entering our neighborhoods illegally.” Raoul is also deciding whether to run for governor next year. A victory would make him the state’s first Black governor.
GOV. PAT QUINN talks about House Bill 1189, which he signed into law on Sunday, Aug. 18 at Nat King Cole Park on the South Side. Joining Quinn at the bill signing were (far right) Thomas and Carolyn Wortham, whose son, a Chicago police offer, was shot dead during a 2010 robbery at the park. “Guns are a plague on too This common-sense law will a way to keep his memory alive,” said Thigpen. “And, upon leav- many of our communities,” help our law enforcement crack ing, all children will receive a free Quinn said at the bill signing. down on crime and make our “As I said in my State of the State streets safer.” book bag and school supplies.” The bill was sponsored by state Quinn said tragedies such as the address earlier this year, making Sen. Kwame Raoul (D-Chicago). one the Worthams suffered were sure guns do not fall into the “Gun trafficking is the single motivation enough for him to wrong hands is critical to keepgreatest threat to our public safeing the people of Illinois safe. sign the bill. BLACKS MUST CONTROL THEIR OWN COMMUNITY
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Is Illinois ready to elect its first Black governor? raises enough money or gets enough signatures to be placed on the ballot, he would undoubtedly face questions from voters about his domestic battery arrest this year. In May, he was charged with misdemeanor domestic battery against his wife after she alleged he hit her during an argument. Hardiman maintained his inno-
By Wendell Hutson Voters must soon go to the polls to elect a governor and Tio Hardiman, a community organizer, said he is hoping voters elect him as the state’s first Black governor. The former director of CeaseFire Illinois, an anti-violence advocacy organization, announced last week his candidacy for the state’s highest office after forming an exploratory committee in July. “I just want to let everybody in Illinois know that I’m dead serious about running for governor. I didn’t make this decision overnight,” Hardiman said at a recent news conference officially declaring his candidacy. “There’s a lot of good work that I’ve done as a community activist.” He added that he is now in the process of collecting the 5,000 signatures needed to be placed on the ballot for the Democratic primary set for March 18, 2014. Following the primary a general election will be held Nov. 4. However, Hardiman could face another Black candidate. State Senator Kwame Raoul (D-Chicago) said recently that he plans to make a decision about whether to run for governor by the end of the month. “I give myself 10 days or so to make up my mind,” Raoul said. “This is something that’s spiraling out of my control. I don’t think it does the party or the state any good to let it linger very long.” If elected, Hardiman, 50, said he would push for a Chicago casino, pension reform and convert some prisons into rehabilitation facilities for non-violent offenders.
Public Notice Draft 2013 Title VI Policies
THE FIRST BLACK GOVERNOR of Illinois could be elected in 2014 and Democratic candidate Tio Hardiman said he is hoping to make history next year. Everywhere I go from Chicago to Springfield people have been coming up to me asking me to run for governor, and I may just do that,” added Hardiman. For the second time Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan announced in July that she would not be running for governor despite Democratic leaders quietly urging her to do so. Former U.S. Senator Roland Burris had also sought to become the first Black governor in 1994, but lost the Democratic nomination to the late state Comptroller Dawn Clark Netsch. But times have changed and so have the voters, contends Hardiman, and despite not having any political experience, Hardiman said he is convinced he could be that lone underdog to win big next year. “Politics is all about being able to organize others, listen to the needs of the public and the ability to raise money. Well, I have experi-
ence in all three areas,” Hardiman said. The husband and father said he realizes opponents Bill Daley, former White House chief of staff and incumbent Gov. Pat Quinn may not take his candidacy seriously, but he plans to prove them wrong. “I’m not part of the ‘good ol’ boy’ system,” Hardiman said referring to Daley and Quinn considered to be political insiders. Money will be another obstacle Hardiman must overcome to have a shot at winning, said Brian Ross, a political adviser. “Tio will need to raise at least $20 million to put up a good fight against two, powerful Democrats,” Ross said. “I know he was good at raising funds for CeaseFire but this is not grant money we are talking about here. This is dollars coming from actual voters with their own agenda of ideas that they want from a candidate.” Regardless whether Hardiman
Illinois High Schools now required to have $3 Million Insurance for Athletes By J. Coyden Palmer With the high school fall sports season set to begin soon, schools across the state face a new funding issue. Starting Jan. 1, each high school in the state of Illinois must obtain catastrophic accident medical insurance for its student-athletes with a minimum of $3 million of coverage over a five-year benefit period. On August 5, Governor Pat Quinn signed into law the Rocky Clark Catastrophic Insurance Law. The Illinois High School Association, which is the lead agency for high school sports, understands that many schools could have a problem finding an insurance carrier so they have partnered with Dissinger Reed to find plans schools can use. The IHSA issued the following statement regarding the new law. www.chicagocrusader.com
cence throughout the process and in July the Cook County State’s Attorney Office dropped the charges at the request of his wife, whom Hardiman said supports his candidacy 100 percent. “She supports me all the way. We have gotten past that incident and are back together again,” Hardiman said.
Metra has developed draft policies that will be used to evaluate the impact of major service changes and fare changes on minority and low-‐income populations as required under recent changes made to Federal Transportation Administration guidance on compliance with Title VI of The Civil Rights Act of 1964 by recipients of federal funding through the Federal Transit Administration. Metra seeks public comment on the following proposed policies: • • •
Title VI Major Service Change Policy Title VI Disparate Impact Policy Disproportionate Burden Policy
Metra wants to ensure that its customers and stakeholders are aware of these draft Policies and have the opportunity to provide comment. The draft Policies will be available at the public meetings and will also be available on Metra’s website at: www.metrarail.com. You may attend one of the scheduled public meetings listed below or submit your comments via email to titleVIfeedback@metrarr.com no later than September 5, 2013. Reasonable auxiliary aids or services necessary to afford an individ-‐ ual with a disability an equal opportunity to participate will be pro-‐ vided. Metra meetings are conducted in accessible locations and ma-‐ terials can be provided in accessible formats and in languages other than English. Persons requiring assistance or language accommodation are re-‐ quested to notify Metra of their needs well in advance to provide suffi-‐ cient time to make these accommodations. Requests should be made to Shanta Williams at (312) 322-‐6323. Public Meetings TUESDAY, AUGUST 27, 2013 Lake County Waukegan City Hall 100 N. Martin Luther King Jr. Ave. Waukegan, IL 60085 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.
DuPage County West Chicago City Hall City Council Chambers 475 Main Street West Chicago, IL 60185 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
McHenry County Woodstock City Hall 121 W. Calhoun Street Woodstock, IL 60098 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
THURSDAY, AUGUST 29, 2013 Aurora Transportation Center Inside Lobby 233 N. Broadway Aurora, IL 60507 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 28, 2013 Cook County Metra Board Conference Room 547 W. Jackson Boulevard Chicago, IL 60661 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.
GOV. PAT QUINN shakes the hand of Annette Clark, mother of Rocky Clark moments after the governor signed into law legislation in honor of her son that will require Illinois high schools to have more insurance for all student-athletes. Clark, a former Eisenhower football player in Blue Island, was paralyzed during a game in 2000. He died 10 years laer. “As the athletic/activity insurance partner of the Illinois High School Association, Dissinger Reed has re-
viewed numerous catastrophic plans to satisfy these minimum re(Continued on page 14)
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 2013 South Suburban Cook County Homewood Village Hall Council Chambers 2020 Chestnut Road Homewood, IL 60430 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.
Kane County The Centre of Elgin West Conference Room (use Heritage Ballroom entrance) 100 Symphony Way Elgin, IL 60120 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.
Will County Joliet City Hall 150 W. Jefferson Street, Room #2 Joliet, IL 60432 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Cook County West Cicero Town Hall Community Center, Room 107 4949 W. Cermak Road Cicero, IL 60804 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2013 North Suburban Cook County City of Evanston Civic Center, Room 2404 2100 Ridge Avenue Evanston, IL 60201 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.
BLACKS MUST CONTROL THEIR OWN COMMUNITY
Saturday, august 24, 2013
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EDITORIAL
EDITORIAL MARCH FOR REMEMBRANCE OR BLACK ECONOMIC UNITY THROUGH STRATEGIC TRADE? The year 2013 marks the 50th anniversary of the historic March on Washington wherein Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his "I Have a Dream" speech on August 28, 1963. It was one of the best known speeches given in the history of America. The march took place during a period of serious racial tension in America; civil rights demonstrations were covered by the media and outrageous treatment of demonstrators sparked social unrest. The march was organized by a coalition of civil rights organizations including the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), Congress of Racial Equality (CORE), Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), National Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, and the National Urban League (NUL). This was a time of rare unity in the Black community, and reaped benefits including the passage of Civil Rights legislation. On Saturday, August 24th, Rev. Al Sharpton and the National Action Network (NAN) are spearheading a new march and rally to commemorate the historic one. The rally at the Lincoln Mall begins at 8 a.m. Washington D.C. time, followed by a march to the King Memorial. Originally, the March on Washington was billed the "March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom." Mainstream news outlets reported that 250,000 people attended the march. Though this is nothing to sneeze at, just about everyone who actually attended the march says the number of attendees seemed closer to a million. Fifty years later, however, the African American community is still marching. Interestingly, the commemorative march is taking place during a time when the Black community is experiencing a number of significant set-backs. Today, Blacks are still the lowest on the totem pole when it comes to jobs, and true freedom is nowhere yet in sight, even though there are gains. One of the most visible of these is that the U.S. has a Black president, Barack Obama, something inconceivable during the period when the original march happened. Because the Black community in America is in the midst of a definite struggle and an increasingly racialized atmosphere, it seems feasible to think that the focus of asking for economic parity and jobs should shift to something with more muscle; Black economic unity. We applaud Rev. Sharpton and others for spearheading the anniversary march. Rev. Sharpton has been a tireless warrior for social justice, and the fact that he is heading this effort speaks volumes about his commitment. But white supremacy does not seem to be going away soon, so asking for justice might be whistling in the wind. We might need to change our focus. We need to focus on unity; unity of spirit, of soul, and of course, of cash. We need to wield our economic power in order to make a difference. It is said that the Birmingham Bus boycott was successful because it hit bigots where it hurts the most - in their pocketbooks. With this said, it would be great if the March on Washington 2013 turned its attention away from asking for social and economic justice and re-focused to become a MARCH FOR BLACK ECONOMIC UNITY THROUGH STRATEGIC TRADE. This would make an immediate difference in the plight of Black America. A luta continua. 4
Saturday, august 24, 2013
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR I think they will be back Dear Editor: Even before former Congressman Jesse Jackson, Jr. and his wife were sentenced to prison last week, the speculation was running rampant about their post-prison futures. Some seem to think that a conviction and prison term will knock them out of the (political) box. Those are the people who ignore the fact that this is nothing new. I am guessing but I believe Illinois leads the nation in politicians turned prisoners. Who does not know that half of our governors in the last 40 years have spent considerable time in the lock-up? Chicago could almost field a football team if you add up all of the aldermen who have done time. From where I sit, I believe the Jacksons will be back in the political saddle. I base a lot of that on the ages of the husband and wife team. When their prison days are behind them, both will be in their early 50s. Both will have the skills, but maybe not the license of attorneys, and both will have the backing of Junior’s still powerful father Jesse Sr. Despite their stupid moves with the campaign money both of them are exceptionally intelligent. I also believe their lives and something that looks like their past careers will happen because Black people are so forgiving. I have already heard countless people say that the Jacksons, particu-
larly Junior committed “a victimless crime” and the 30-month sentence was over the top. Please don’t get me wrong. I am not saying for one minute that either of them will hold public office again. But at the same time, I do not believe they are going to be roaming South Shore or D.C. streets homeless. There are probably hundreds of law firms that would welcome the chance to employ either of them – especially Sandi given that she has experience as a top administrator with the Democratic National Committee (DNC). Sure, it will take some time before they stop getting sideways glances and folks stop talking behind their backs. I also believe that the time they have to reflect on their lives and ponder their futures while incarcerated will be beneficial. Darcy McQuerry
Mainstream media is misleading the public
had been shot on the “Safe Passage” route it reinforced my belief that the intent of these editors and reporters is in making things seem more negative in our community than they already are. First of all, the Safe Passage routes were established to move children safely to their schools. When school is not in session they are just regular streets. Safe Passage routes have adults shepherding the students to and from school. It is not considered a safe passage route if school is not (Continued on page 14)
CHICAGO CRUSADER (U.S.P.S. 596080)
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J.L. Smith 6429 South King Drive Chicago, Illinois 60637 773-752-2500 An independent newspaper serving the Southside Westside and Northside, printing the news impartially empowering what it believes to be right and appealling what it believes to be wrong without regard to party politics. Devoted to the Industrial, Educational, SocioPolitical and Educational advancement of Black people. __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Dear Editor:
VOL. LXXIII NO.18 AUG. 24, 2013 _______________________________________________________________________________________
I am not sure what the motivation is, but I do have my suspicions about the daily newspapers here. A lot of times I believe they are hell-bent on taking anything in our community that is neutral or positive and turning it into a negative. I think we have to claim the school closings and subsequent actions as Black issues because most are occurring in our community. So the other day when I read in those daily newspapers that a man
BLACKS MUST CONTROL THEIR OWN COMMUNITY
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COMMENTARY
A Valiant Fight in St. Paul By Harry C. Alford NNPA Columnist In my travels I have met many outstanding warriors. The late Arthur A. Fletcher and Parren J. Mitchell have cultivated the nation’s landscape in terms of economic empowerment. There has been no greater fighter than the late Rev. Louis Coleman in Louisville. The late Earl White had San Francisco changing for the better with each and every step he made. Lumon Ross in Buffalo is still going strong and taking no jive from the gate keepers and opponents of economical equity. You won’t find a stronger warrior than Arnold Baker in New Orleans. The same can be said for Larry Ivory who has earned respect from all elected officials in Illinois – from the Governor on down to precinct officials regardless of political persuasion. There is no one who can possibly mess with Dorothy Leavell (in Chicago) and get away with it. These greats and legions of others give us hope for the future and a better world for our children. Recently, we were informed of another warrior living in St. Paul, Minnesota. Pastor Fredrick Newell is of that same ilk. He has led a
Harry C. Alford fight to change the discrimination against people of color and all of the exploitation it entails in this twin city. The data proves that St. Paul discriminates against people of color and its insistence on feeding an “Industrial Poverty Complex” within its city limits is remnant of Jim Crow. They won’t own up to their vile treatment of Blacks. They insist on a race neutral program called the “Vender Outreach Program” instead of affirmative action. It is a
failure and per the Civil Rights Act, Section 3 of the HUD Act and decisions of the US Supreme Court the city must change. They refuse but Pastor Newell is well on his way to make them change. Pastor Newell is merging proper Disparity Studies (showing negative impact on Blacks), Title VI of the Civil Rights Act complaints and Section 3 of the HUD Act into a rolling assault against those who refuse to stop their discriminating ways. Section 3 requires that recipients of HUD funding (cities, counties, state, public housing authorities, etc.) must set aside 10 percent of all construction contracts to Section 3 Businesses. Also, 3 percent of all other contracts to Section 3 businesses and 30 percent of all new jobs generated from that funding to be Section 3 residents. Any person living under the poverty level or living in public housing is a Section 3 resident. St. Paul’s problem is that they have refused to enforce Section 3, ignored recommendations from Disparity Studies and have denied all decent opportunities for the Section 3 community. Pastor Newell made a very clever strategic move. He has incorporated the Whistle Blowers Program and the False Claims Act into his advocacy.
These tools brought legal action into the “arena.” Federal authorities concluded: “To qualify for HUD grant funds, the City was required to certify each year that it was in compliance with Section 3. The City then made claims for payment, drawing down its federal grant funds. Distribution of funds by HUD to the City was based on the City’s certifications. Each time the City asked HUD for money, it impliedly certified its compliance with Section 3. At best, the City’s failure to take any steps towards compliance while continually telling federal courts, HUD and others that it was in compliance with Section 3 represents a reckless disregard for the truth. We believe its certifications of Section 3 compliance to obtain HUD funds were actually more than reckless and that the City had actual knowledge that they were false. Thus, as of November 22, 2011, HUD, the Civil Fraud Section, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Minnesota all strongly supported intervention in Fredrick Newell’s case, believing it was worthy of federal assistance. There was no documentation that it was a marginal case or a close call.”
Using these two tools, Pastor Newell has proved his case. St. Paul should be paying the Section 3 community over $200 million in damages. Our Justice Department is running games on the matter of damages but they cannot hide that Pastor Newell’s claim has merit. I want you all to read the Official Congressional Staff Report on this matter. It will show you that the Justice Department participated in a betrayal. Please find it via internet http://ow.ly/nW57X . This report proves Pastor Newell’s claim and condemns Assistant Attorney General Thomas Perez betrayal. For this dastardly deed, President Obama has appointed Thomas Perez as Secretary of Labor. Perez avoided the Rule of Law and got a major promotion for it – go figure! We are joining forces with Pastor Newell and will show Black chamber chapters how to emulate the above wherever it is needed. Fredrick Newell is a bona fide hero! Mr. Alford is the co-founder, President/CEO of the National Black Chamber of Commerce®. Website: www.nationalbcc.org. Email: halford@nationalbcc.org.
Why We’re Still Marching By George E. Curry NNPA Columnist For a while, it looked like the 50th anniversary observance of the March on Washington would expose a sharp split in the Civil Rights Movement. Al Sharpton jumped ahead of his colleagues by cornering Martin Luther King III and the two of them announced a March on Washington for Saturday, August 24. Other civil rights leaders were planning events around that time and complained privately that Sharpton and Martin III had locked up key funding from major labor groups, a primary source of funding for the movement. A series of high-profile events – the Supreme Court’s decision in Shelby County v. Holder gutting the heart of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, remanding a University of Texas affirmative action case back to the appellate level for stricter scrutiny and George Zimmerman being found not guilty of second-degree murder in connection with the shooting death of 17-year-old unarmed Trayvon Martin in Sanford, Fla. – left African-Americans and their supporters clamoring for an outlet to express their disgust. Suddenly, the march organized by Sharpton became the focal www.chicagocrusader.com
point. With Sharpton still working on other leaders in the background, urging them to come aboard, the pieces began to quickly fall in place. At this point, it looks like all of the major civil rights leaders – including Marc Morial, president and CEO of the National League; Charles Steele, CEO of Dr. King’s old organization, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC); Jesse Jackson, founder of the Rainbow PUSH Coalition; Ben Jealous, president and CEO of the NAACP, among others – will join Sharpton and King as headliners of the Aug. 24 march. Of course, there are the usual detractors who argue, as conservative talk show host Armstrong Williams does, that we’ve been marching so long that we should have reached wherever we were marching to by now. The reality is that we haven’t reached our destination. Black unemployment has been twice that of whites for the past five decades. The progress made by expanding the Black middle class has been eroded by the Great Recession and Blacks are profiled while walking the streets of New York City or Sanford, Fla. At a panel at the recent National Urban League convention assessing the progress made since the original March on Washington, Al Sharp-
George E. Curry ton said, “You say why march about voting? Well, that’s how we got it the first time. We did not get voting rights at a cocktail sip, trying to have racial harmony sessions. We got it by organizing and galvanizing and the only way we are going to make changes is by organizing and galvanizing.” Let’s not forget that Trayvon Martin’s name became a household word only after marches led by Sharpton, college students and activists around the nation, insisting that George Zimmerman be brought to trial for murder. It’s the combination of marching
and a specific agenda that leads to change. And while we’re on the subject of marches, not everyone marched in the demonstrations of the 1960s. There was not unity among civil rights leaders – Roy Wilkins, for example, was intensely jealous of Dr. King – and many people did not jump on the King bandwagon until after he was assassinated in Memphis and lived thereafter through his “I Have a Dream” speech and on U.S. postage stamps. Unfortunately, there will be two observations of the 1963 March. One on Aug. 24 co-chaired by Sharpton and Martin, III and another one, more of a celebration of Dr. King’s “I Have a Dream” speech, on Aug. 28, the actual date of the original March. President Obama, who has had difficulty in the past uttering Dr. King’s name in public, will speak at the second event organized by Bernice King, the sole surviving daughter of the slain civil rights leader. To those who question the need for another march, they should examine a graphic created by the Economic Policy Institute (EPI) that compares goals of the 1963 March with today’s reality: Goal: We Demand an end to ghettos. Reality: We still live in ghettos. Forty-five percent of poor
BLACKS MUST CONTROL THEIR OWN COMMUNITY
Black children but only 12 percent of poor white children live in neighborhoods of concentrated poverty. Goal: We Demand an End to School Segregation. Reality: Seventy-four percent of Black children attend schools that are 50100 percent non-white, resulting in fewer resources than majority white schools. Goal: We March for Jobs for All. Reality: In 2012, the Black unemployment rate –14 percent – was 2.1 times the white unemployment rate (6.6 percent). Goal: We March for a Living Wage. Reality: The minimum wage of $7.25 an hour, well below the $11.06 an hour a full-time worker needed in 2011 to keep a family of four out of poverty (36 percent of Black workers make poverty-level wages). That’s why we’re still marching. 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 and George E.Curry Fan Page on Facebook. Saturday, August 24, 2013
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COMMENTARY
EDUCATION AND DOING FOR SELF
(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
Throughout most of our lives, African people in America have been told if you get a good education you can get a good job. African people in Africa were
told something similar. If you get a good education your condition in life will improve. In the early part of the twentieth-century until the late 1960s and early 1970s, the thrust was to encourage African people in America to at least get a high school diploma so that they could be eligible for a job in a significant segment of the work force. The explosion of the 1960s Civil Rights and Black Power Movements forced colleges and universities to admit Africans in America to their predominately white colleges and universities in large numbers. Today, African people in America are encouraged to get college education so they can get a good job. The education market has been saturated to the extent that a high school diploma of the 1930s, 40s, 50s, and 60s, in most instances, has the same meaning as a college degree today. That meaning is one of a college degree, qualifying people for entry-level jobs in the U. S. labor market, except for those instances where people have been trained in specialized fields at the undergraduate level. What we hear repeatedly today is that we must concentrate on African people in America read-
ing, writing, and math skills at the elementary and secondary levels so they can compete for the jobs that will be available in U. S. multinational corporations in the twenty-first-century, driven by the world of technology and computers. Many of our ancestors in the eighteenth, nineteenth, and early twentieth-centuries, who were concerned with the issue of education, asked the question— education for what? It is quite clear that the major direction of U. S. educational policy has been to train and educate African people to work for white people. That is, to teach them to read, write, and compute, so they will be prepared to work for us. In a paper written by our great ancestor Dr. Jacob Carruthers several years ago, entitled, “Black Intellectuals and The Crisis In Black Education,” he observed, “When the chattel slave system was destroyed by the Civil War, one of the first acts of the victors was to provide for Black schooling on a wide scale. The northern industrialists through their philanthropic alter egos began finding and establishing Black colleges. These colleges were intended to sit atop a Negro education system.”
Further Dr. Carruthers wrote, “By the turn of the century, even southern whites were making use of this Negro education system to facilitate the transition from the old chattel to a new, but equally effective, system of Black exploitation.” Carruthers explains, “The new system depended upon the cultivation of a Black elite to serve as examples for the masses of Blacks and to demonstrate the rewards of obedience.” The educated Black elite, Carruthers points out, “demonstrated time and time again their ability to do what they had been trained to do. Eventually, a few of them were invited to manage the segregated colleges that were established to train Black teachers. In this manner, a small, educated Negro elite became overseers of the educational affairs of millions of Black people.” This model of education, that continues today, was established by so-called leading white educators in this country who met at Lake Mohonk, New York (a resort area) on June 4-6, 1890, and June 3-5, 1891 to read and discuss papers on what they officially called the “Negro Question.” Again, Dr. Carruthers writes that at the end of the second con-
ference “they had decided that the primary things that Blacks had to be taught were morality and the dignity of labor (i.e., working for white folks).” African people in the United States have a rich tradition of leaders who have taken issue with the white conceptualization of the mission of education of African people in America. David Walker, Henry Highland Garnet, Henry McNeal Turner, Martin R. Delany, and Edward Wilmot Blyden were nineteenth-century advocates that the education of African people should be designed to assist us in doing for ourselves. In the twentieth-century, leaders such as Marcus Garvey, Carter G. Woodson, Elijah Muhammad, and Malcolm X, all spoke and wrote consistently about the need for African people to develop an education program aimed at developing African people “to do for self.” In other words, we are still challenged today to create an education climate that inspires African youth in America to understand that the purpose of education is to develop the skills and historical understanding of the past as it relates to the present and future in (Continued on page 16)
RUSSELL SIMMONS, HARRIET TUBMAN AND THE HISTORY OF MYOPIA By Julianne Malveaux Every time I hear the voice of Russell Simmons, I hear a cool, clean, clear meditative voice, especially on Twitter where he drops his yoga knowledge in a reflective way. I guess he wasn't folding his legs and saying a centered “Om” when he decided to ridicule an African woman. How did his voice distort itself to decide that he would post a You-Tube video on a space where everybody could watch “Harriet Tubman” in a sexual context? How could he, this forward-focused man, decide to demean an emancipation heroine? Choose to demean her by making her a sexual object? Even as he took the offensive tape off his website, please tell me, somebody, what the brother Simmons was thinking? (In my first draft of this column, I called this man a "brother,” but really I mean the brother from another mindset). Harriet Tubman is credited for freeing more than 400 enslaved people. She is credited for pulling a gun on some who ambivalently embarked on the Underground 6
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Julianne Malveaux Railroad, then wanted to turn back to massa. It’s complicated, but no matter how complicated it was, the depiction of Harriet Tubman as a sex object is not only disparaging to a freedom fighter, but to every Black woman who stands
on her shoulders. Nearly twenty years ago, Professor Anita Hill stared down a Senate Committee and spoke of the sexual harassment she experienced from now “justice” Clarence Thomas. The judiciary committee dismissed her claims as “erotomania;” interestingly others who had similar claims were not allowed to testify. Despite the best legal representation out there, Hill was excoriated in the media. From my perspective, her best statement was “they don’t know me” in response to those who used minutia to claim special knowledge of her life and daily living. When you don’t know African American women it is easy and lazy to reduce us into stereotypes. Does Russell Simmons know Harriett Tubman, Sojourner Truth, Ida B. Wells, Anna Julia Cooper, Sadie TM Alexander, and Mary McLeod Bethune? Does he know Coretta Scott King, Myrlie Evers, Betty Shabazz, C. Delores Tucker? Does he know us, or does he simply see us as the fodder of parodies? The Simmons drama is especial-
ly offensive because when we have African American people lifted up, the lifting is mostly about men. Still, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, would not have made it without the enthusiasm of Coretta Scott King. Harriett Tubman saved hundreds of enslaved people, yet her name is rarely lifted when we speak of emancipation. African American women’s role in our history is neither admired nor appreciated. When our brothers call the roll, she is given no credence, unless it is an afterthought. Brother Simmons if you just picked up a history book, you’d find African American women who have made a major difference in our lives and in our movement. Russell, do you know Ella Baker, the stalwart sister who stood beside and behind Dr. King and others to do organizing work? Do you know Professor Joyce Lander who before being an academic was a tireless civil rights worker? Do you know Alice Walker, Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton, Maxine Waters? Or a bit younger, do you know Congresswomen
BLACKS MUST CONTROL THEIR OWN COMMUNITY
Yvette Clark, or Donna Edwards? The work these women have done and continue to do is possible because they stand on the shoulders of Harriett Tubman and our other ancestors. Your apology doesn’t address the mindset that allowed this parody in the first place, the dozens of editors, producers, and assistants who saw nothing wrong with this, and the many Simmons “fans” who laughed at the depiction of a historical figure like Harriet Tubman as a sexual object who used her vagina for “freedom.” It is as if you are laughing at every Black woman who was enslaved and had no choice when “massa” decided to rape her repeatedly. It is as if you do not recognize the painful history of every Black woman who was raped, not only during slavery, but thereafter, when the goal was to keep Black men “in line” by violating Black women. It is as if you put a myopic blinder around your eyes, and chose to ignore history and its resultant pain. Can you imagine (often happened) the violation of a child, a violation so (Continued on page 16) www.chicagocrusader.com
GOSSIPTARY
By Ima Gontellit EDITOR'S NOTE: This column is published as political satire, street gossip and humor, and therefore should not be considered as fact but rather as matter of opinion. None of the items therein are collected by the news gathering staff of the Crusader Newspaper Group. Items forwarded to The Chatterbox are kept confidential unless otherwise requested by the author in writing. For submissions please forward to: AChicagoCrusader@aol.com. Original photography and artwork are permitted. Thank you for reading!
HOLD YO’ MULE A certain “community activist” has been high-tailing it all over the South Side skinning and grinning about how he “helped” send Jesse Jackson, Jr. and his elf-like wife to prison. Seems this high yellow fellow has some kind of inside connection to the Alphabet Boys and from what we hear little Jesse Junior ain’t the only one he’s been tricking and trickin’ on. Way dis redbone tells it is he was one
Sandi and Jesse Jackson Jr. of the main people running around the 2nd Congressional District and the 7th Ward spreading discord throughout the community much like a 2-dollar hoe spreading VD when the sailors go on leave. Say he was de main one calling Fitzgerald’s office downtown giving him bits and pieces of info that help lead to the snaring of the chosen one. What this fellow can’t seem to remember is we all falls short of the glory of de Lawd, and his time be coming round the mountain, too. Dis man has a well-known hatred for all things Jackson—so much so, he don’t even carry 20 dollar bills. He broke every Jackson 5 record he ever had and told everybody in 1988 that Action Jackson was the worst movie ever made in the history of all time. Him say he hate “Messy Jesse” Senior so much that every time PUSH come on TV his manhood goes limp www.chicagocrusader.com
and one of his many girlfriends have to leave him alone until 11:00 a.m. when the show go off the air. Nowadays his lady friends are real happy, because ever since little Jesse got caught up his member been in full working condition—even putting in overtime in the behind of an wellliked attorney who happened to bend over in front of him. Day said, Ima will never be able to tell who actually did what in this Junior mess and part time conspiracy—especially because can’t nobody really believe that this smart-alecky child was dumb up to steal money from his own campaign at the same time he was accusing other politicians from stealing money from they own campaign. Maybe Jesse done it to himself when he began snitching for the feds—a fact he admitted to when this whole thang first came to light. How folk know that the case he got and the sentence he got wasn’t part of a deal he had already made with the government? How folk know his wife wasn’t nothing but a casualty of war? You don’t know what threats the government made to that boy; but what we do know was he was smart enough to take it. Don’t it seem strange that his case was tried in Washington, D.C., and not Illinois where his fund is kept? Ain’t it odd to you that he ain’t been charged with trying to buy a senate seat in the BLACK-OH-VICH case that sent a popular governor to prison for 14 years for trying to sell a senate seat. Ain’t it odd that when all dis come to light his then chief of staff saying in 2008: “He has shared information with federal prosecutors about public corruption during the past several years, including information about Blagojevich and others.” You folks go right ahead and believe the narrative that lady from Scandal (that Junior hired) done spun for you. And Ima gone keep on laughing and shakin’ her nappy, grey head. What we also been hearing round the common room at the Great Byeand-Goodbye Convalescent Home is that folk who dancing on Triple Jay’s grave may want to watch where they’re stepping, less dey fall in. Some are wondering what will be the real fallout from all of the work he and a few other currently wired up politicos have put in for the Justice Department. Some funny stuff been going on lately—and we don’t mean Eddie Murphy funny either. In the meantime, as the younger Jackson does his time, plans are already underway to create a cushy job for him when he is “released back into the wild.” Will it be preaching? Professoring? Advising? Will he take over Operation PUSH that is starting to resemble the inside of a funeral home? Or will he lay low for a few years and take back what was stolen from him—like his congressional seat and dignity. Will
he stay in D.C., which his elf prefers, or shall he come back home and go ape-doo doo on all of the people who turned their back on him when this petty, and sometimes vicious politician turned convicted felon needed those most? Will he become an advocate for the mental health and be the hero of crazy people world wide? This is a wait and see, because this story ain’t hardly over. -IMA-
FIX BE IN BALLED UP EMAIL FOUND IN THE GARBAGE CAN BEHIND CITY HALL: “The race for governor and mayor are fixed and everything is in place exactly as planned. The operatives have their instructions and money. We have silenced the teachers union but we don’t know how long this will hold because our operatives can’t get everyone to go with the program. The oth-
BLACKS MUST CONTROL THEIR OWN COMMUNITY
er operatives at the University of Chicago assures us this will done by the middle of 2014. Just know our team cannot guarantee anything right now and we are not really sure how it will play out. Just know we did our part. We were told last night to start seeing the signs: Look for the unusual persons to announce their candidacy for mayor in the coming (Continued from page 14)
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COMMUNITY CALENDAR
BACK TO SCHOOL PEACE FESTIVAL: The Englewood Community of Chicago has been described as one of the most violent communities in the U.S. But thanks to an aggressive and highly effective campaign by a little known organization called “The Life Builders United, Incorporated,” crime weary residents of Englewood are expressing optimism that a real anti-violence campaign has finally started to take hold. On Saturday, August 24, from 10 a.m. – 6 p.m., there will be a Back to School Peace Festival. It will be held at Life Builders United, 6900 S. Emerald Avenue, Chicago, IL 60621. That optimism of finding solutions to the poverty and violence in Englewood is the motivating force behind “The Life Builders United.” For More information contact: Geraldine Smith at 773504-2125. BLACK STAR PROJECT BACKTO-SCHOOL PARADE AND MILLION FATHER MARCH:Join The Black Star Project for a Back-toSchool Parade in Chicago at 11 a.m. on Saturday, August 24, from 44th and Cottage Grove Avenue to 51st Street. Also, join the Million Father March, where fathers are encouraged to take their children to school, on Monday, August 26. Get involved! For more information, call 773-2859600 or visit www.blackstarproject.org. PSALM ONE, BASSEL ALMADANI & THE SUPERNATURALS AT LINCOLN HALL: On Saturday, August 24, 8 pm, renowned alternative rapper Psalm One will be featured at Lincoln Hall along with Bassel Al-Madani & the Supernaturals, Falldown, Em & Them, and more at Lincoln Hall, 2424 N. Lincoln Avenue in Chicago. For more information, visit www.basselmusic.com. HELP FOR HOMEOWNERS EVENT: Neighborhood Housing Services of Chicago presents a Help for Homeowners Event on Saturday, August 24th, from 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. at Solutions Church, 4818 Southwick Drive in Matteson, IL 60443 (2nd light South of R. 30 off Cicero Avenue, behind Bank of America). Parking is Free. Are you struggling to make mortgage payments? HUD-approved housing experts will help you prepare your application for mortgage assistance and submit it directly to your mortgage company. To register, or for more information, please visit http://ilmha.eventbrite.com or call 773-3294243 to schedule an appointment. BEHIND-THE-SCENES TOURS OF WILD REEF Have you ever wondered what a shark egg looks like? Or how Shedd cares for sharks and rays? Well, Shedd is bringing you behind Wild Reef for the answers. As a 8
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recognized leader in shark care, Shedd takes guests through experts’ daily routines from preparing meals to target training, which involves teaching each species to come to a specific shape or audio cue for feeding, all during the one-hour Behind-the-Scenes Tour. A tour will begin on Sunday, August 25, at 9:45 a.m. Each session is limited to groups of 10 or fewer, and participants must be at least 10 years old. Tickets are available online for the introductory price of $89.95 per person. For more information, visit the Shedd Aquarium’s website. RIO BAMBA FEATURED AT JAZZIN’ AT THE SHEDD: On Wednesday, August 28, Rio Bamba will be featured on the North Terrace of the Shedd Aquarium as part of the ongoing Jazzin’ At The Shedd afterhours annual Wednesday night summer event sponsored by Bank of America. Guests are invited to explore the Shedd’s colorful galleries and soak up the sounds of the region’s hottest urban jazz musicians, while sipping signature cocktails and relishing breathtaking views of the Chicago skyline. Be sure to stay late enough to take in the fireworks show that is put on by Navy Pier every Wednesday at 9:30 p.m. – the best view in the city can be had on the Bill and Stephanie Sick Family Lakefront Terrace at the aquarium. Now in its 19th year, Jazzin’ runs every Wednesday through September 4 and offers guests the opportunity to discover the aquarium’s more than 32,000 animal residents as they explore Shedd’s vibrant Abbott Oceanarium, the wonders of Wild Reef and the pulsating beauties of Jellies. Guests have the option of enhancing their Jazzin’ experience by reserving a seat in the Aqua Lounge, located in the Soundings Café and available to guests 21 years and older. The indoor, air-conditioned lounge features the same breathtaking skyline view during the evening fireworks display, as well as an appetizer buffet, a complimentary cocktail and a private performance by various jazz musicians throughout the season. The lounge is open during each Jazzin’ event from 6 p.m. -10 p.m. Admission to the Aqua Lounge is $52.95. Check availability and purchase tickets online at Ticketmaster.com. AFRICAN FESTIVAL OF THE ARTS: The 24th Annual African Festival of the Arts 2013 will take place over the Labor Day weekend, Friday, August 30 – Monday, September 2, in Washington Park in Chicago. There will be more than 300 vendors, a variety of cultural programs, non-stop entertainment, and more. Singers Brandy and Otis Clay are among the featured performers. Parking is free with in-out privileges. Tickets are $10 in advance, $20 at the gate, $5 for seniors over 65 and children under 12. Also, a $30 daily family pass (2
DAN MCLAUGHLIN, Mayor of Orland Park, was recently welcomed as the new Executive Director of the Builders Association. Dan has an extensive background in association management, construction and business issues that will benefit the Builders Association.The Builders Association is a 107 year old trade organization representing Chicago area general contractors and suppliers. Pictured from left to right are Treasurer Ken Egidi, Pepper Construction Company; Builders Association Executive Director Dan McLaughlin; Chairman Jimmy Akintonde of Ujamma Construction and Vice Chariman Jeff Raday of McShane Construction Company. adults & 4 children under 12) is available, as well as $30 adult 4-day passes. In addition to numerous Chicago and suburban locations, tickets are available online at www.africanfestivalchicago.- com. Experience Africa in Chicago! FREE PICNIC AT MARQUETTE BANK: On Saturday, August 31, Marquette Bank will host a free picnic at the Marquette Bank located at 5400 S. Kedzie Avenue in Chicago. Come meet your neighbors
and enjoy games, prizes and refreshments between noon and 2 p.m. The event is open to the public. For more information, call 773-476-5110 ext. 1476. PROLOGUE HIGH SCHOOL REGISTRATION NOW OPEN: Prologue, Inc., a 40-year-old educational and social service institution that operates four alternative high schools in Chicago, now has ONGOING open registration. Prologue provides a 2nd chance for a first class ed-
ucation at four campuses: Prologue Early College High School located at 1135 N. Cleaver; Joshua Johnston Fine Arts & Design Charter School, 1547-49 W. 95th Street; Winnie Mandela Intergenerational, 7847 S. Jeffrey Blvd.; and Charles Hamilton Houston, 47th & King Drive. The Prologue schools offer high school diplomas that are accredited by the North Central Association recognized by the Illinois State Board of Education. For more information, please call 773-935-9925 or 773-341-2260.
Extended Coverage
Some traffic restrictions save lives. The laws that restrict 16year-old drivers from carrying passengers or driving at night have helped cut fatal accidents substantially, studies show.
and upgraded walk lights.
*** This “graduated driver licensing” (the restrictions are phased out over time) cut fatal accidents by as much as 20 percent. ***
Milton E. Moses
*** Drive safely—and make sure your auto insurance meets your needs. See us at Community Insurance Center, Inc., 526 E. 87th Street, your insurance headquarters. We have been serving the community since 1962. For more information about the services we provide, call (773) 651-6200. You can also reach us via email at: sales@communityinsurance.com or visit the website at www.communityins.com.
Cameras at traffic lights that photograph drivers who run red lights save lives, too. Just knowing the cameras are there makes drivers more cautious. At such intersections, the rate of fatal crashes fell by 24 percent. *** Older drivers are keeping their licenses longer, but they are NOT causing more auto crashes, according to research. *** Detroit reported a drop in injury crashes involving drivers 65 and older after the city upgraded intersections with larger street-name signs, repainted median strips, installed larger and brighter stoplights BLACKS MUST CONTROL THEIR OWN COMMUNITY
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BLACKS MUST CONTROL THEIR OWN COMMUNITY
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EDUCATION
Students develop skills through training program Ready, Set, Work! That’s what 900 in-school youth, ages 16-21, and 250 out-of-school youth, ages 1824, are doing this summer through the Social, Educational, and Employment Development Services (SEEDS) initiative, a collaboration between the Chicago Area Project (CAP), the Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS) and a statewide network of 58 community-based organizations located in 42 of Illinois’ most socio-economically distressed communities. The program runs through September 6. Exactly 600 of those youth are earning and learning in the Chicago Metropolitan Area. The SEEDS initiative provides summer employment and training for at-risk youth in Illinois’ underserved communities hit hardest by the shortage of employment training and placement opportunity, and the prevalence of youth violence. Youth are getting temporary part time, summer employment with not-for-profit community based organizations. These organizations are also providing a range of employment orientation activities including job readiness training, career exploration, job search skills, resume writing, applying for a job, interview skills, workplace skills, financial literacy and violence prevention. The list of participating organizations in the Chicago Metropolitan Area includes: A Knock at Midnight, Ark of St. Sabina, Beacon Hill Community Improvement Association, Beloved Youth Services, Better
Corp, Fathers Who Care, Fellowship Connection Inc., Greater Roseland Community Committee, Greenlight Movement Inc., Harvey Brooks Foundation, Humboldt Park Center for the Performing Arts, Kankakee Youth Intervention Center, La Causa Community Committee, Latino Organization of the Southwest, Lighthouse Youth Center, Living Day Light Corporation, Major Adams Community Committee, Martin Luther King Center, Maywood Park District, Mid Austin Steering Committee, New Mt. Pilgrim Missionary Baptist Church Successful Adults, New Spiritual Light Youth Development, North Lawndale Community Committee, St. Malachay's, Scouting Network, Southland Creative Community Committee, South Shore Drill Team, South Suburban Disproportionate Minority Contact, Struggling Youth Equals, Youth As Resources, Youth Services Committee of the Westside, Wentworth Residents United for Survival and Westside Community Service Organization. Through their host community organizations, many of the youth have also been placed in local businesses and corporations. One example of how the SEEDS program is positively impacting the lives of young people is the work being done by four SEEDS participants at St. Bernard Hospital, 326 W. 64th St. in Chicago. Pierre Howard, 18, Kimani Spain, 21, Marshawn Spain, 19 and Toni
SEEDS PARTICIPANTS PIERRE HOWARD, 18, and Marshawn Spain, 19 are pictured in the St. Bernard Hospital Linen Department with Elaine Kosiek, Director of the Material Management Department, (left) and Ricardo Rodriguez, Supervisor of the Linen Department. Pierre and Marshawn help their departments keep the hospital running smoothly by inventorying, stocking and distributing supplies. assisting the hospital as it transitions its records to the electronic Health Information Exchange that has been mandated by the Federal Government. According to Smith, Toni has been tremendous help to the HR Department. “Give her a task and she knocks it out,” says Smith. “She’s a quick Study.” Toni, who goes to Chicago Bulls College Prep dreams of becoming a pediatrician one day. Because of her summer job at St. Bernard she has become aware of the fact that as a junior in high school, SEEDS GIVES YOUNG people an opportunity to develop work ethics and skills by helping them land summer jobs within several different industries ranging from retail to technology.
SEEDS PARTICIPANTS Toni Thomas, 16, and Kimani Spain, 21, are pictured next to their St. Bernard Hospital supervisors, Ebonie Smith, Lead Human Resources Assistant (left) and Mary Saffo, Health Information Management Department Supervisor (right). Toni and Kimani are helping the hospital transition its records to the electronic Health Information Exchange that has been mandated by the Federal Government. Life For Youth, Bishop Shepard Little Memorial Center, Bush Homeowners and Tenants Association, Casa Aztlan, Career Development, Training and Employment Services, Center for Social Adjustment and ReEntry, Chicago Area Project/CAP Central, Chicago Heights Community Committee, Cicero Area Project, DuPage County Area Project, Elgin Refugee Youth Project, Englewood Street Alternatives Program, Exodus Drum and Bugle 10
Thomas, 16 were placed at St. Bernard through the Chicago Area Project’s Central Office. All of the youth are receiving rave reviews from their supervisors. Kimani and Toni are working in a clerical capacity for Mary Saffo, Health Information Management Department Supervisor, and Ebonie Smith, Lead Human Resources Assistant. Saffo stressed the importance of their work. It’s not just clerical work, she points out. The youth are
Saturday, August 24, 2013
she is eligible to apply for a Hospital’s Health Scholars Program. Saffo has high praise for Kimani, an out-of-school youth who is trying to find direction for his future. “We’re putting a lot of trust in him because everyone cannot have access to this information,” states Saffo. “I’m so amazed at how Kimani is able to pick up and comprehend so well. With each and every task we ask of Kimani, he catches on.” Pierre and Marshawn work for
Elaine Kosiek, Director of the Material Management Department and Odessa Johnson, Manager of the Environmental Services Department. Pierre, a graduate of Harold L. Richards High School, is headed for Northern Illinois University in the Fall for a degree in nursing. Pierre divides his time between assisting the storeroom clerk and working in the linen department. “The best part,” says Pierre, “is getting to know the hospital and getting two different work experiences.” Marshawn mans the phone, does stock inventory and hands out supplies in the Environmental Services Department. “Marshawn is a big asset to our department because we don’t have a secretary,” states Johnson. The most important things about his job, according to Marshawn, are learning receptionist skills and meeting the many people who work throughout the hospital. St. Bernard Hospital Marketing Director Derek Michaels stressed the importance of job experiences like the ones that Kimani, Marshawn, Pierre and Toni are having. “It is about basic professionalism,” says
BLACKS MUST CONTROL THEIR OWN COMMUNITY
Michaels, “and we have to teach them that.” According to Michaels basic professionalism includes showing up on time every day, following through on tasks in a timely manner, knowing how you fit into the bigger picture and proper dress and attitude. Youth participating in the SEEDS are employed for seven weeks and receive $9 per hour. Eligible youth have been placed in age-appropriate, ability-appropriate, and experienceappropriate work sites with identified employers. The young workers took a pre-survey at the beginning of their work experience and a post-survey at the end of their work experience in order to measure improvement in their Work-Readiness. The goals of the SEEDS initiative include: • Increasing exposure to quality information, skills training, and experience in workplace culture; • Job placement; • Financial Literacy enhancement; • Providing employment and ancillary supportive services to youth; • Serving as youth conduit to educational advancement; and • Youth violence reduction. www.chicagocrusader.com
COMMUNITY
Summer of Abundance and Hope helps students get back to school School age children, teens and parents gathered together for a community celebration in the Summer of Abundance and Hope Back to School Event at The Salvation Army Ray & Joan Kroc Corps Community Center. Sponsored by Christ Universal Temple and The Salvation Army Ray & Joan Kroc Corps Community Center, this event was free and open to the public. “It was great working with Christ Universal Temple for The Summer
of Abundance & Hope Back To School Community Health Fair & Gospel Concert, which served over 4,000 people and we’re so appreciative to our donors and sponsors,” said Major David Harvey, Senior Kroc Administrator, The Salvation Army Ray & Joan Kroc Corps Community Center. “It was important our churches worked together to show our neighbors and children how to work together. I ran into so many parents who thanked us over and over again for helping their kids
VOLUNTEERS HANDED OUT free backpacks and school supplies with a smile during the Summer of Abundance & Hope Back to School Event at The Salvation Army Ray & Joan Kroc Corps Community Center.
THE AWARD WINNING gospel group Joshua’s Troop gave a powerhouse performance during the Summer of Abundance and Hope Back to School Event at The Salvation Army Ray & Joan Kroc Corps Community Center.
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start school with supplies that their friends have. Some were from homeless shelters and had been through tough times; this gave them a ray of hope.” The free health fair not only provided free back-to-school physicals for youth, but also a variety of free health screenings for adults, including blood pressure, diabetes and
HIV screenings. Students received backpack and school supplies giveaways while supplies lasted. The event provided fun for the entire family with carnival games, entertainment and food. A rousing and inspirational daylong line-up of popular gospel performers were featured during the free gospel concert, including
BLACKS MUST CONTROL THEIR OWN COMMUNITY
Joshua’s Troop, the Christ Universal Temple Ensemble, The Salvation Army Voices of Victory Choir, and the Christ Universal Temple Praise Sensation. The Salvation Army Ray & Joan Kroc Corps Community Center is proud to provide children with the (Continued on page 16)
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ENTERTAINMENT
By Raymond Ward AN HISTORIC OCCASION: The DuSable Museum of African American History and the Illinois Amistad Commission are pleased to present The 50th Anniversary Celebration of the historic “March On Washington” on Saturday, August 24, 2013, from 1:00 PM until 3:00 PM. The event which commemorates the iconic 1963 Civil Rights March will take place on the grounds of the Museum, which is located at 740 East 56th Place (57th Street and South Cottage Grove Avenue) in Chicago. During this exciting tribute, some of Chicago’s most impactful community leaders and youth organizations will join forces to re-enact Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. the 1963 “March On Washington For Jobs and Freedom,” which was organized by labor leader A. Phillip Randolph and during which the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his historic “I Have A Dream” speech. Scheduled to participate in the Celebration are the following: Lerone Bennett, Jr. Che “Rhymefest” Smith Father Michael Pfleger Brenetta Howell Barrett Lewis Myers, Jr. Reverend Al Sampson Thomas N. Todd Harold Rodgers Mae Ya Carter Ryan Richard Steele Diane Nash Reverend Janette Wilson Gwendolyn Brown Andrea Zopp
Editor Emeritus, EBONY Magazine Spoken Word Artist Clergy Member “Freedom Fighter” Attorney Clergy Member Attorney Coalition of Black Trade Unionists Vocalist National Public Radio “Freedom Fighter” Rainbow PUSH Vocalist Chicago Urban League
In addition, during the event, Musette Henley and Anthony Vaughn of the United States Postal Service will unveil the commemorative “March On Washington” postage stamp. With this 2013 stamp, the U.S. Postal Service memorializes the 50th anniversary of the August 28, 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. Designed by art director Antonio Alcala, this stamp features the work of illustrator Greg Manchess. The 1963 March on Washington stamp is the last of three stamps being issued in 2013 in Civil Rights set. The first in the set commemorated the 150th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation and the second commemorated the 100th anniversary of the birth of Rosa Parks. The Celebration will also feature tours of the Museum and the “Charly Palmer Dream Lives On” exhibition and a special Arts & Crafts area where participants will be able to design and construct their own “protest” signs. The 50th Anniversary Celebration of the historic March on Washington is presented by The DuSable Museum of African American History in association with The Illinois Amistad Commission. Admission to the outdoor portion of event is FREE and all are invited to attend. Admission to the Museum on Saturday, August 24, 2013 will be at the special price of $5.00 per person all day. For more information please call 773-947-0600 or visit our website at www.dusablemuseum.org. The DuSable Museum of African American History gratefully acknowledges the Chicago Park District’s generous support of the Museum. 12
Saturday, August 24, 2013
By Elaine Hegwood Bowen, MSJ
Lee Daniels' The Butler shows Black side of White House Lee Daniels’ The Butler had me near tears, as it is such a fine epic of a movie that covers one man’s long-time employment at the
Forest Whitaker during one of his first services as Cecil Gaines in Lee Daniels' The Butler.
mark after seeing so much misery on the plantation where he had worked as a child, even though he has been warned to be invisible while working in the White House. It was ironic that only butlers who were apolitical were the best fit for the White House, which is filled with politics. On the other hand, Louis is just the opposite as he makes his mark, while joining the Freedom Riders in the South and finally the Black Panthers. It is hard for Gaines to know that his son might be putting himself in harm’s way, but there is not much that he does about it—because he doesn’t want to risk his job. Not until he has an awakening and finally understands just what the rebellious spirit that lives in Louis is all about can Gaines sees the fruits of Louis’ labor. Some of this awakening comes when— while working under the Reagan administration—Gaines see the hatred toward Black men that Reagan exhibited by supporting the apartheid principles of South Africa. In The Butler, every imagin-
White House, as a butler. But it is also a civil rights primer, starting in the cotton fields where Cecil Gaines, the White House butler played by Forest Whitaker, watches as the owner of the land shoots his father in the head, after the landowner had raped Gaines’ mother, played by a demure Mariah Carey. The Gaines’ character for the film is loosely based on the real life accounts of butler Eugene Allen, who came into the public eye through a profile written by Washington Post writer Wil Haygood. Daniels, whose movie Precious earned comedienne Monique an Oscar, has called in all the troops in this movie that covers Gaines’ work for eight presidents—as he began his career in 1952 and retired in 1986. Daniels re-imagines the life of Allen through this employment, where he served administrations Dwight D. Eisenhower through Ronald Reagan. Other cast members include Lenny Kravitz, Cuba Gooding, Jr., Oprah Winfrey, as Gloria,
able, important event in the civil rights movement is shown for all to see, from archived broadcast news reports of the Selma to Montgomery March, lunchroom counter sit-ins, KKK bus burnings, the assassination of Dr. (Continued on page 13)
Gaines’ wife; Terrence Howard, as (what else) a womanizing neighbor of the Gaineses; David Oyelowo as Louis Gaines, whose
TERRANCE HOWARD AND Oprah Winfrey share a cozy moment, while Winfrey's husband, Cecil Gaines, is hard at work as a butler in the White House. father sends him off to Fisk University in Tennessee and who comes back as a member of the Black Panther Party. The opposing dynamic between Gaines and his son Louis is expected, since Gaines is trying to feed his family and make his
BLACKS MUST CONTROL THEIR OWN COMMUNITY
www.chicagocrusader.com
ENTERTAINMENT STYLE
“LEE DANIELS’ THE BUTLER” A Review By Bonnie DeShong Eugene “Gene” Allen was born July 14, 1919 in Scottsville, Virginia. He worked as a waiter before leaving Virginia and heading for Washington, D.C. to work at a Country Club. In the early 1950’s he was hired to work in the pantry of the White House. He did his job well and was promoted to butler. Mr. Allen served under eight Presidents, Harry Truman; Dwight D. Eisenhower; John F. Kennedy; Lyndon B. Johnson; Richard Nixon; Jimmy Carter; Gerald Ford; and Ronald Reagan. It was during Reagan’s administration that he was promoted to maître d’ and remained in that post until he retired in 1986. You should know something about the man that director Lee Daniels and screenwriter Danny Strong have brought to the big screen. However, if it wasn’t for Washington Post Columnist Wil Haygood, we may not have ever known about this remarkable man.
Haygood wrote a Washington Post article in 2008, which brought Allen’s story to light. The film warmed my heart. It took me back in time when I saw my father, a janitor for Sears, Roebuck and Co. for 33 years, and my mother, a domestic worker, so afraid for me and the youth of my day as we wore our afros, threw up our fists and yelled, “We’re Black and We’re Proud!” never realizing the fear they experienced, nor the sights they had seen. “Lee Daniels’ The Butler” is a tribute to a strong, dedicated man who worked hard and did the best he knew how, to support his family and head his household. Forest Whitaker is amazing as Mr. Allen’s fictional character, Cecil Gaines. He plays him with respect. Oprah Winfrey plays Cecil Gaines’ soul mate and love, Gloria. To be honest she smokes a lot of cigarettes and doesn’t really stand out. She caught my undivided attention during the last 5 minutes she is seen in the film. The exchange between her and Mr. Gaines is priceless.
“Lee Daniels' The Butler”...
CECIL GAINES (FOREST WHITAKER) and his wife Gloria played by Oprah Winfrey look out at their community in Washington D.C. as it burns in the aftermath of the 1968 race riots following the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. “Lee Daniels’ The Butler” took in $25 million at the box office during its opening weekend making it the No.1 movie. David Oyelowo plays Louis Gaines. He is the son Cecil just doesn’t understand. He is smart, the first in the family to finish high school and go to college. Why is he doing “sit ins” and putting himself in harm’s way? David gives us different levels with this character and he is wonderful to watch. I will stop here and say SPEND THE MONEY and go to the theater in groups to see “Lee Daniels’ The Butler.” Talk about it afterwards and please don’t be one of those people, who thinks that a movie about a butler is beneath them. It was on the backs of those maids, yard men, and butlers that DAVID OYELOWO PLAYS Louis Gaines the son of Cecil. As made it through the hard times, a college student, Louis challenged his father seeming subthat we are where we are today. servient by becoming involved in the Civil Rights Movement.
Harry Belafonte documentary airs August 25 OPRAH WINFREY AND Forest Whitaker as the Gaineses attend a dinner at the White House--a visit that Gloria Gaines had never thought she would see. (Continued from page 12) King, as well as the atrocities of the Vietnam War, played out in vivid Black and white Westinghouse televisions across the country and particularly in Gaines’ Washington, D.C. home. Other cast members include Jane Fonda as Nancy Reagan, Liev Schreiber as Lyndon Baines Johnson and John Cusack as Pres. Richard Nixon. There are a few scenes with veteran actor Clarence Williams III as the head waiter at a fancy D.C. hotel, where Gaines first gets his start in his dignified service to man. At the end of the day, years after retirement, Gaines is swept up in the euphoria of the first Obama campaign and his entry into office. While Whitaker and Winfrey’s relationship is kind of strained at times, because he is always at work at the White House and she is left to her own devices, www.chicagocrusader.com
“Lee Daniels’ The Butler” shows Black family life at work— through all of the hardships and eventually through hard work at working together. All Gaines wanted to do was to take care of his family. Winfrey delivers a good performance as Gloria, who likes liquor just a bit too much, smokes like a chimney throughout and is just a bit jealous of First Lady Jackie Kennedy. There are many great performances in this movie—with some being touted as Oscar worthy. The soundtrack is also not to be ignored. It would be nice if people from the older generation could grab a kid off the street corner and take them to see this movie—if not for nothing more than the history lesson that they will receive. “Lee Daniels’ The Butler” is showing at theaters across the city.
To commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the March on Washington, TV One will air Sing Your Song, the critically-acclaimed documentary profiling revered African American singer, actor and activist Harry Belafonte, on Sunday, August 25 at 11 a.m. ET. This marks the basic cable network premiere of the 2011 documentary, which charts Belafonte’s life as a rising Black Hollywood star amid the social and political racism plaguing 1960s America, and his emergence as a figurehead of the civil rights movement. “As one of the most celebrated entertainers of the era, Harry Belafonte’s unrelenting support of the 1960s civil rights movement helped to spotlight and give voice to the hardships and prejudices faced by millions of Americans,” said Maureen Guthman, SVP of Program Strategy and Acquisitions for TV One. “We are delighted to bring his story to the wider basic cable audience—both those who were raised on his songs and films, and younger viewers who can absorb the docu-
Harry Belafonte mentary and appreciate Belafonte’s legacy in conjunction with the March on Washington anniversary.” Despite his fame and success as Hollywood’s “King of Calypso,” Belafonte was confronted with the same Jim Crow laws and prejudices that every other Black man, woman and child in 1960s America faced. The film docu-
BLACKS MUST CONTROL THEIR OWN COMMUNITY
ments his resistance to those obstacles, and his transformation into a champion for human rights worldwide–making him one of the truly heroic cultural and political figures of the last 60 years. In addition to Belafonte, Sing Your Song features interviews with Belafonte’s family and notable names such as Tony Bennett, Diahann Carroll, Ruby Dee, Whoopi Goldberg, Quincy Jones, Coretta Scott King, Rep. John Lewis, Miriam Makeba, Nelson Mandela and Sidney Poitier, among many others. Produced by Belafonte Enterprises and S2BN Entertainment Production in association with Julius R. Nasso Productions, Sing Your Song has been presented at numerous film festivals worldwide and has received award honors including Most Popular Film at the 2011 Vancouver International Film Festival, a 2012 NAMIC Vision Award (Documentary) and a 2012 NAACP Image Award (Outstanding Documentary). The film aired on premium cable network HBO in October 2011.
Saturday, August 24, 2013
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NEWS
Rep. Clyburn helps law firm continue diversity record U.S. Representative James Clyburn (D-S.C.) will continue the tradition of a high profile national speaker keynoting the annual diversity celebration for the Barnes & Thornburg LLP law firm. The firm, with offices in Chicago, Washington, D.C., Atlanta, Delaware, Indianapolis, Los Angeles, Minneapolis and Ohio, is hosting the fourth annual dinner that will recognize “Chicago businesses and legal leaders who exhibit personal and professional commitment to diversity, and civil rights,” according to Richard Boykin, partner in the Chicago and Washington, D.C. offices. Those honorees this year include: Illinois Supreme Court Justice Anne M. Burke; Anne Promaggiore, CEO of Commonwealth Edison; and John Rogets, founder of Ariel Investments LLC. The event was recently held at the Palmer House Hilton.
Boykins continued, “We’re honored that Congressman Clyburn is joining us as the keynote speaker for our fourth annual celebration of diversity event. As a national leader, Mr. Clyburn has worked to respond to the needs of America’s diverse communities, and not only does he epitomize the qualities that should be reflected among out nation’s businesses and political leaders, he also represents what this important event is all about.” Clyburn has been a member of Congress since 1993 representing South Carolina’s Sixth District. He is currently assistant Democratic Party leader. From 2007 until 2011, he was House Majority Whip. His presence at the event follows keynote addresses the past three years by other Black congressmen including Danny K. Davis of Illinois, John Lewis of Georgia and Emanuel Clever of Missouri.
U.S. Representative James Clyburn Boykins said the looming 50th anniversary of the March on Washington led to the selection of Clyburn as the keynote. “We needed someone who is synony-
mous with the Civil Rights Movement. He was greatly involved in the Civil Rights Movement and he has been a trailblazer in healthcare. By him being the No. 3 Democrat it gives him great visibility.” Boykins added it was not difficult to get the decision-makers of the 600-lawyer firm to commit to a diversity event. He said from the top management down through the ranks the entire firm is on board “because we all know it is a win-win situation. The firm puts tremendous resources into the event. The firm puts its money where its mouth is. “We think diversity is essential to uplift the country,” he added. He noted that issues such as the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to alter the Voting Rights Act is testament to the fact that civil rights is still a major issue. Boykins is quick to note that sev-
eral other companies and organizations contribute to the success of the diversity event. Chicago Lighthouse for the Blind he said makes custom clocks for each of the awardees. He said the other partners who include, Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Bank of New York Mellon, Crown Imports, Education Management Corp. YWCAMetropolitan Chicago, Illinois Black Chamber of Commerce, all provide financial support. They also participate in the program as speakers and presenters. Boykins said he is unaware of any professional services firm that hosts an annual event like the diversity awards. He added that none of the 150 attendees are asked to pay for their meals. He termed it an event that allows the firm to give back to the community. “This is not an aristocratic event, but a very community-oriented one.”
Head of Roseland Hospital. . .
Illinois High Schools now required . . .
(Continued from page 1) land would have a “catastrophic” health reform. We should not start a effect on the community. He said cascade of hospital closings. Resithe American health care system is dents, workers and employers dein a state of upheaval. With state serve a comprehensive plan for adand local budgets being cut to the dressing community health needs in bone, it is having an impact on cov- a cost-effective basis.” Two years ago Quinn signed legisered services and rates to providers. Epplin described Roseland Hospi- lation making the Roseland comtal as a “safety net institution” that munity a medical district. The medsupplies “healthcare as a human ical district is intended to attract right” to low-income and unin- medically related commerce and research, as well as new business vensured citizens. “When other institutions have tures, to this severely underserved avoided or refused provisions of such community. The creation of a medcare, safety institutions like Roseland ical district provides for the orderly have provided that care,” Epplin creation, maintenance, development said. “There are costs to providing and expansion of health care facilities this value of care…but it is an access and other ancillary or related facilithat we must provide and the costs of ties for the study, diagnosis, and which our society must find some treatment of human ailments and injuries, whether physical or mental, way to pay.” Epplin said even with Obamacare or to promote medical, surgical, and coming in the near future, there will scientific research and knowledge. still be an increase in demand for Roseland is only the second medical health services as the American pop- district in the city of Chicago and the ulation continues to age rapidly. He fourth in the state. Many community residents and said safety net hospitals should not be closed without a thorough exami- political leaders are demanding that nation of community health needs residents in Roseland be given the quality of medical care that those in in the areas they serve. “In the specific case of Roseland we suburban Barrington receive. Egan call for a community health needs as- touted Roseland’s Phillips Microsessment, including discussion with Dose Mammography machine, one other community providers and of only six in the nation, as an examcommunity residents themselves in ple of the potential for high-quality determining what needs to exist,” care. The Crusader wrote about the Epplin said. “Safety net hospitals machine being underused as hospital such as Roseland also serve as com- administrators tried to discover more munity anchors, employment hubs ways to get the word out about the and connectors for people in an im- availability of the technology to the poverished area of our city. Closing community. Egan made a promise hospitals, just like the closing is of to those in attendance. “I’m here to tell you right now that schools should not be done without significant examination of alterna- you will be able to get services in tives.” The greater Chicago area Roseland just as good as you can in needs a comprehensive plan of the Barrington. We have the technolohealth care safety net in the era of gy,” Egan said.
(Continued from page 3) quirements, as well as plans that offer additional coverage and longer benefit periods. The IHSA and Dissinger Reed are pleased to offer these options through Mutual of Omaha.” Rasul “Rocky” Clark was a football player at Eisenhower High School in south suburban Blue Island. During a game in September of 2000, Clark was tackled on a play and left paralyzed from the neck down. The school district had taken out a $5 million catastrophic injury insurance policy to help pay for Clark’s round-the-clock medical care, but it capped in August of 2010, leaving his family in a vulnerable financial position. Clark passed away in January 2012. David Miranda, a spokesperson for Chicago Public Schools, said the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) cen-
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Saturday, August 24, 2013
tral office will pay for costs associated with the new law. CPS has 106 high schools. “We are currently looking at our options under the law: self-insurance, group insurance or a traditional insurance policy,” Miranda said. The new law is meant to cover student-athletes in every sport. However statistical data from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention shows the sports with the highest injury rates is football, cheerleading, lacrosse and wrestling. Football also leads in the category of most severe injuries across the country. Last week in Georgia, 16-year-old De’Antre Turman, an 11th grader at Creekside High School was killed, from his neck vertebrae being broken “due to blunt force trauma” during his team’s practice, according to the Fulton County Medical Examiner’s Office.
(Continued from page 7) year; and look for some strange people to run for the state’s highest chair, a few of those district seats, and even for Congress. Time to take out Davis and Rush ala Todd Stroger, neither can be trusted and their ties are too deeply rooted to the blacks. Media friends are ready to write what we tell them and the Sun-Times will be in the forefront of this all the way. Certain African American clergy now request more money but we are not sure how to proceed. Please advise.” -IMABULLET POINTS Accused domestic violence perpe-
Tio Hardiman trator who was cleared of his name when his wife recanted her horrific accusations, Tio “Ceasefire-Oh No Dey Still Shootin’” Hardiman, is
BLACKS MUST CONTROL THEIR OWN COMMUNITY
Rocky’s Law was sponsored by State representative. Will Burns (D26th) and state senator Napoleon Harris (15th), a former NFL player. Quinn said the law will serve to protect young people in addition to honoring the memory of Clark. “Rocky Clark was a fighter, and this new law – Rocky’s Law – is a tribute to him and all the years he fought to protect young athletes across our state,” Quinn said. Before the signing of Rocky’s Law, there was no minimum requirement by law for high schools on insurance policies. Gov. Quinn said this law will even out the playing field, off the field of play. Even with the passage of the new law, Rep. Burns said there is still no safeguard in place to ensure healthcare providers do not increase costs prior to the five-year cap expiring.
running for governor. Kwame “I Deserve It All” Raoul is running for something, too. Statehouse newbie and political nerd Christian Mitchell is targeted for defeat by 16 people. The City Council Negro, err I mean Black Caucus has been dealt with. A straw horse has started his usual campaign to be the next mayor of Chicago. Dorothy ‘I Have 17 College Degrees” Brown may be running for something other than her seat, too. A short, very dark agent provocateur that helped take down Todd Stroger’s campaign or re-election just got $50,000 and a new TV camera. Monique Davis has gone very quiet after reporting what she was hearing about all of these “innocent bystander shootings.” Enough said. www.chicagocrusader.com
SPIRITUALLY SPEAKING
A Moment to Super Size Your Thinking God. We are made in his image and likeness, thus God has given us access to everything that we can think or imagine (Romans 8:17; Ephesians 3:20). Because we have our heavenly father’s DNA, we are forever creating our world; the world is forever changing; thus, the heart of man is never satisfied. We may
By Effie Rolfe We really do have all we need— we honestly don’t need anything more than what we already have in our possession. Actually, the world and beyond is at your disposal when you ask and believe in faith. Matt 21:21-22 states, “And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.” However, most times when we get this—we want more of that and when we get that we want more of the other. My mother often shared with my siblings and I a phrase she coined ‘your eyes are bigger than your belly’ because she felt we didn’t know when enough was enough. Those childlike characteristics are an innate part of human nature. Life is like being a kid in a candy store—we have unlimited possibilities and opportunities before us everyday as we are heirs to the promises of
never experience all that God has for us because he has given access to all he has to us, which is more than the mind could ever conceive. It is inevitable in our human nature to want more, so let us learn to enjoy and be content with the many blessings that keeps flowing from the deep love God has for us.
Effie Rolfe
The Gospel According to House spreads Christ’s message through House Music By J. Coyden Palmer
www.chicagocrusader.com
© Effie Rolfe is the author of “Supersize Your Thinking,” a media personality and Motivational Speaker. You can contact her at effierolfe.com or on twitter.com/effiedrolfe.
The Crusader Gospel Corner Marvin Sapp gave an anointed performance at Country Club Hills Theater this past Saturday. The Grammy and Stellar Award winner performed several gospel favorites including One Thing Have I Desired, Grace and Mercy, You Alone are God, He Has His Hands on You and Never Would Have Made It. A touching moment was when Sapp shared with the audience, “This date is
Local pastor has millions of listeners for internet radio show
When Chicago native Pastor Angela Anderle first started her internet radio show “Revelation: The Gospel According to House,” she never imagined that a little over a year later, the show would have over three million weekly listeners world-wide. The popularity of the show, which can be heard on Nu Vibe Radio (www.nuviberadio.com), comes as younger Christians seek the word from places other than traditional churches. The theme of the show is to infuse House music and the gospel of Jesus Christ to bring about revelation of the human spirit. For Anderle, an admitted lifelong “househead” who has a degree in divinity from North Park Seminary, she has always liked the music and had a strong spiritual faith. She said fusing the two together was a comfortable fit for her ministry. A longtime member of Trinity United Church of Christ, she said she was greatly influenced by Pastor Emeritus Dr. Jeremiah Wright, who himself is a trained musician. “House music has always had songs with Christian themes in them like Eddie Kendrick’s ‘Going up in Smoke.’ So I guess the show evolved from trying to pick out those themes in a way that will speak to people who have listened to house music not just here in Chicago, but internationally because it has grown so much,” said Anderle, an alumnus of Luther High School South. “That’s how
Do you know who your father is….?
Pastor Angela Anderle the idea came about just by listening to music itself.” Anderle said she grew up under ministers who used Motown or R&B music to get their messages across to people from the pulpit. She said what makes Revelations different is she tries to expound her reach by having a global appeal. “For example when we talk about justice issues and how it relates to the gospel, I don’t try and pick out what is just going on in Chicago,” Anderle said. “I pick out what is going on in Africa or Poland in an attempt to bring us all together and help us realize that we all have similar problems in different magnitudes. It’s not just justice for what is going on in American society, but I try and bring global issues out.” The show’s appeal reaches far beyond Chicago’s borders too. Two of the three million weekly listeners are international fans, Anderle said. She was surprised so many people in places like Poland, Germany and
other European nations would be such big followers of the show. But she believes the world-wide appeal of house music and being able to get it from an easy place like the internet is why her show has grown so fast. “Even though Chicago is the birthplace of house music, it is listened to in so many different countries from Japan, China, Switzerland and others. So when you have such a broad base of people who are already listening to house music and you broadcast from internet radio, which is international, your global base grows rather quickly,” Anderle said. Anderle said what she is trying to do with her show is to give listeners the hope of what the gospel is and how the music people listen to helps their faith or even challenges their faith to become better people as part of humanity and realize we are all international citizens. Anderle has ministered at prisons throughout the state and has helped develop curriculum programs for several not-for-profit organizations in the Chicago area. With a degree in psychology from Tuskegee University, she has worked as an addiction counselor at Jackson Park Hospital. She has also worked with several kids from DCFS system and exposed them to different walks of life to prepare them for adulthood. “Revelation: The Gospel According to House” can be heard every Wednesday and Friday from 6 to 7 p.m. Chicago time at www.nuviberadio.com. The show is listed under the title of Gospel According to House on the website. It can also be heard via podcast at gospelaccordingtohouse.podomatic.com.
Marvin Sapp interesting because I was doing a concert in Houston and the doctors came to me and MaLinda and said there was nothing more they could do. After my wife died, I wanted to quit everything—I was going to call the record label and say don’t worry about my contract. I had a resignation letter for the church and just wanted to stop…” The single father of three is currently working on a television docu-series that demonstrates how he multi-task as a single dad, pastor, businessman and popular recording artist. *** Rev. Floyd James of Greater Rock MBC, 718 S. Independence in Chicago, served as host pastor for the Unity Fest this past Sunday afternoon held outside Independence Boulevard between Harrison and Polk. James, along with several west side pastors from seven churches unified to promote peace and empowerment of community residents; prepare youth going back to school and recognize community service from businesses and individuals. The churches came together and fed hundreds of residents, giving away free clothes, and sponsoring fun events for youth including jumpers, pony and horseback riding, basketball tournaments and martial arts demonstrations, important health screenings, voter registration, organ donation and other information booths. *** The churches that fellowshipped from 12:30 p.m. to 6 p.m.
BLACKS MUST CONTROL THEIR OWN COMMUNITY
were Greater Rock MBC (Pastor Floyd James, Sr.), Gospel Temple COGIC (Pastor Sidney Grandberry), Greater Galilee MBC (Pastor Steve Spiller), Lawndale Interracial (Pastor Jonathan Rodgers), New Tiberia Church (Pastor Oscar Crear), One Lord One Faith MBC (Pastor Joseph Kelly), Spirit of Truth (Pastor Robert Patterson). Presentations and awards were given to Donnella Carter, Principal of Gregory Math and Science Academy, as well as other business owners and students including Walker Harris, Garfield Major and Robert Walker. Before the program concluded, combined prayer was offered over hundreds of youth followed by giveaways to 800 backpacks with school supplies. *** District Elder Maurice Southern and Grace Apostolic Faith Church celebrates 45 years of Ministry on Chicago’s southeast side! For the past six years, Southern has continued the vision of his late father and founder, Suffragan Bishop Cornelius Southern since 2007. The theme for the anniversary is Equipped to Possess and kicks off August 27th through September 1st with services 7:30 p.m. nightly and at 12:15 p.m. on Sunday. Guest speakers include Bishop Noel Jones, Elder David Hollis, Bishop William Hudson, Pastor Spencer Ellis and gospel recording artist and Pastor Wess Morgan. You’re invited to the celebration at 8257 South Exchange Avenue. For details call 773.375.2006 or visit graceapostolicfc.org. *** Congratulations to Probation Challenge and Rev. Harold Bailey on the 34th Annual portrait of Achievers Award this past Friday, August 16th at the Condessa Del Mar in Alsip, Rev Mitty Collier, The Barrett Sisters, Tina Brown and Marshall Thompson of the Chi-Lites were among the guests. LaVarnga Hubbard, the Duchess of Gospel invites you to her 3rd live recording at Sweet Holy Spirit Full Gospel Church, 7 p.m., this Friday, August 23rd. For more information call 773-209-5446.
Saturday, August 24, 2013
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Metra wants your opinion Metra is inviting public review and comment on its proposed Title VI Major Service Change and Fare/Service Equity policies. The intent of the proposed policies are to provide assurance that any
changes in transit service and fares are made in compliance with Title VI, which was enacted as part of the landmark Civil Rights Act of 1964. The Act prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, and
national origin in programs and activities receiving federal financial assistance. In August 2012, the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) released updated guidance on compliance with Title VI for
Many of Chicago’s leading health care institutions will be donating their time and resources at Woodlawn AME Church’s 8th Annual Health Fair on Saturday, August 24 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the church, 6456 S. Evans. The Health Fair’s theme: “Healthy Bodies, Healthy Minds, and Healthy Souls” is hosted by Pastor Robert Bailey and noted podiatric surgeon Dr. Jondelle B. Jenkins. The fair is open to the public and admission is free. More than 600 persons are expected to attend the fourhour health fair that will offer HIV/AIDS Testing, PSA Screenings, Blood Pressure
and Glucose Checks, Basic Health Screenings, and Poor Circulation and Foot Screenings. Also, The Ronald McDonald House Mobile Van, which provides school immunizations, and vision and hearing tests for children returning to school will be available at The Woodlawn AME Health Fair. Participating community sponsors include Mercy Hospital, Loyola Medical Center, The Illinois Department of Health, Dermpath Pathology, Friend and Family Health Center, Alliance Home HealthCare, Advance Physical Medicine, Costco, Illinois Subsequent Pregnancy Project,
Bako Pathology, Vascular Studies, Black Women for Reproductive Justice, The Girl Scouts, Illinois Action For Children, Advocate Trinity Hospital, and Dr. Jondelle B. Jenkins and Associates. Entertainment will include The Jesse White Tumblers and The South Shore Drill Team. A Petting Zoo and Pony Rides will be offered to children. Free backpacks, notebooks, pens, pencils and paper will be provided by Advocates For Adolescent Mothers, The Betty J. Allen Community and Global Outreach Service Center, and The Minerva Dyett Women’s Missionary Society.
Woodlawn AME offers health fair
Summer of Abundance and Hope (Continued from page 11) necessities for the school year and their bright futures. About The Salvation Army Ray & Joan Kroc Corps Community Center The Salvation Army Ray and Joan Kroc Corps Com-
munity Center opened in June 2012 and offers the largest array of educational, sports, arts and supportive programs anywhere in the city under one roof. The Kroc Center is a major catalyst of growth for the community, creating jobs and providing a safe haven for youth sorely in need of the recreational, creative and ed-
ucational alternatives to gangs and violence that the Kroc Center offers. The Kroc Center exposes children and families to different people, activities and arts that were formerly unavailable in the community. For additional details, services and program descriptions, visit www.kroccenterchicago.org.
EDUCATION AND DOING FOR SELF (Continued from page 13) preparation for working for self and the liberation of African people. This is the challenge of the twentyfirst-century — to defeat the one hundred year tradition established by white educational leaders who created curricula for Africans in America designed to prepare them to work for white folks. Our esteemed ancestor,
Dr. John Henrik Clarke reminded us repeatedly, that, “history is the clock that people use to tell their political and cultural time of day. It is also a clock that they use to find themselves on the map of human geography. The role of history in the final analysis is to tell a people where they have been and what they have been, where they are
and what they are. Most importantly, the role of history is to tell a people where they still must go and what they still must be. To me the relationship of a people to their history is the same as the relationship of a child to its mother.” The purpose of education must always be “for us to do for ourselves!”
RUSSELL SIMMONS, HARRIETTE TUBMAN (Continued from page 13) intense that baby girls who dreamed of being mothers were told they could not have children? Russell Simmons, once upon a time, you were the ambassador of a generation. Even now, people are mesmerized by your gentle manner, your quest for 16
peace and spirituality and your practice of yoga and Pilates. Wrap your spirituality around your video and tell us where the two intersect. How could you? Why would you? How dare you? When you diminish our legacy for entertainment purposes, “pulling” the
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video is not enough. You need to work at eliminating a mindset that makes you and others think that the denigration of African American women is okay. Julianne Malveaux is a D.C. based economist and author.
transit providers that receive federal grants. The updated Title VI Circular includes new requirements to establish major service change, disparate impact, and disproportionate burden policies. Transit providers must engage the public in development of these policies and must seek Board approval of these policies. Metra is holding a series of public meetings across its six-county service region to ensure that its customers and stakeholders are aware of the changes and have the opportunity to provide comment. Metra is looking for public comment on the following draft Title VI policies: The Major Service Change policy: establishes Metra’s definition of “major service change;” The Disparate Impact policy: sets a threshold to measure whether or not a proposed fare or major service change creates a discriminatory effect on riders based on race, color or national origin; and The Disproportionate Burden policy: sets a threshold to measure whether or not a proposed fare or major service change creates a discriminatory effect on riders based on poverty status. Public Meetings in the sixcounty Metra service region are scheduled as follows: Tuesday, August 27, 2013 from 9 to 11 a.m. at Waukegan City Hall, 100 N. Martin Luther King Jr. Ave., Waukegan, IL 60085; and from 2 to 4 p.m. at Woodstock City Hall, 121 W. Calhoun St., Woodstock, IL 60098. Wednesday, August 28, 2013 from 9 to 11 a.m. at Metra Headquarters, 547 W. Jackson Blvd., Chicago, IL 60661; from 9 to 11 a.m. at
The Centre of Elgin, West Conference Room, 100 Symphony Way, Elgin, IL 60120; from 2 to 4 p.m. at Cicero Town Hall, Room 107, 4949 W. Cermak Rd., Cicero, IL 60804; and from 2 to 4 p.m. at West Chicago City Hall, City Council Chambers, 475 Main St., West Chicago, IL 60185. Thursday, August 29, 2013 from 9 to 11 a.m. at the Aurora Transportation Center, 233 N. Broadway, Aurora, IL 60507. Tuesday, September 3, 2013 from 9 to 11 a.m. at Homewood Village Hall, Council Chambers, 2020 Chestnut Rd., Homewood, IL 60430 and from 2 to 4 p.m. at Joliet City Hall, 150 W. Jefferson St., Room #2, Joliet, IL 60432 . Thursday, September 5, 2013 from 9 to 11 a.m. at the City of Evanston Civic Center, Room 2404, 2100 Ridge Rd., Evanston, IL 60201. The draft policies will be available at the public meetings and will also be available at www.metrarail.com. Comments may be made in person at the public meetings, or via email at titleVIfeedback@metrarail.com. Comments must be received no later than September 5. Reasonable auxiliary aids or services necessary to afford an individual with a disability an equal opportunity to participate will be provided. Metra meetings are conducted in accessible locations and materials can be provided in accessible formats and in languages other than English. Persons requiring assistance or language accommodation are requested to notify Metra of their needs well in advance to provide sufficient time to make these accommoda-
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR (Continued from page 4) in session. reporters and editors need So for anyone to report to be more responsible. It is that a man was shot along a bad enough they don’t hire safe passage route not only enough Black people to adis inaccurate it is irresponsi- equately cover the Black ble. The story looked as community, the non-Black though it was saying safe people they send don’t unpassage is not safe. We have derstand the community. no idea yet how safe these Thank God for the Black ways to school are because Press. we are weeks away from Vivian Terry students using them. News
ADOPTION Considering adoption? Mixed-race Asian single mother with African-American son seeks to adopt a second child. Warm, stable home with laughter and learning. Bilingual Spanish and English. Ask for Suniti's profile at Family Resource Center, (800) 676-2229, (773) 334-2300 or email: adoption@f-r-c.org
BLACKS MUST CONTROL THEIR OWN COMMUNITY
tions. Requests should be made to Shanta Williams at (312) 322-6323.
HOUSES FOR SALE IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS COUNTY DEPARTMENT - CHANCERY DIVISION HOUSEHOLD FINANCE CORPORATION III Plaintiff, -v.SHEILA E. BOONE AKA SHEILA BOONE Defendants 12 CH 37520 7654 SOUTH HONORE STREET Chicago, IL 60620 NOTICE OF SALE PUBLIC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered in the above cause on July 3, 2013, an agent for The Judicial Sales Corporation, will at 10:30 AM on October 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 7654 SOUTH HONORE STREET, Chicago, IL 60620 Property Index No. 20-30-414038-0000. The real estate is improved with a single family residence. The judgment amount was $123,443.10. 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. 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. 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, or a 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 and the legal fees required by The Condominium Property Act, 765 ILCS 605/9(g)(1) and (g)(4). In accordance with 735 ILCS 5/15-1507(c)(1)(h1) and (h-2), 765 ILCS 605/9(g)(5), and 765 ILCS 605/18.5(g-1), you are hereby notified that the purchaser of the property, other than a mortgagee, shall pay the assessments and legal fees required by subsections (g)(1) and (g)(4) of section 9 and the assessments required by subsection (g-1) of section 18.5 of the Illinois Condominium Property Act. 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, contact Plaintiffʼs attorney: Anthony Porto, FREEDMAN ANSELMO LINDBERG LLC, 1807 W. DIEHL ROAD, SUITE 333, NAPERVILLE, IL 60563, (866) 402-8661 For bidding instructions, visit www.fal-illinois.com.. Please refer to file number F12090250. THE JUDICIAL SALES CORPORATION One South Wacker Drive, 24th Floor, Chicago, IL 606064650 (312) 236-SALE You can also visit The Judicial Sales Corporation at www.tjsc.com for a 7 day status report of pending sales. FREEDMAN ANSELMO LINDBERG LLC 1807 W. DIEHL ROAD, SUITE 333 NAPERVILLE, IL 60563 (866) 402-8661 E-Mail: foreclosurenotice@fal-illinois.com Attorney File No. F12090250 Attorney ARDC No. 3126232 Attorney Code. 26122 Case Number: 12 CH 37520 TJSC#: 3316323 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. I551164
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HOUSES FOR SALE
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BLACKS MUST CONTROL THEIR OWN COMMUNITY
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SPORTS
New field at Mandrake Park being put to good use By J. Coyden Palmer A new $1.2 million artificial turf football/soccer field that opened this spring in the Kenwood community is bringing joy to children and adults alike in the community of middle-class workers. Built with public and private funds, the Tom Luczo Athletic Field at Mandrake Park, 900 E. Pershing Road, is part of the Take-the-Field initiative, a program to build 12 artificial turf athletic fields throughout Chicago by next spring. Since its opening in May, the field has hosted several youth athletic events. Residents said the most important aspect of the field’s existence is it is available to and used by community members daily. Many are using the four-lane track to jog or walk, while children in the community play football and soccer. “There are a lot more people in the park on a daily basis than there ever has been, which I think it is great to see because a park is a big part of bringing a community together,” said Sharnele Amos, a former member of the Mandrake Park Advisory Council and a longtime member of the community. Mayor Rahm Emanuel has said he believes parks are a vital part of communities. Chicago has been criticized for its poor infrastructure and lack of facilities when it comes to recreational activities. Emanuel said the Pritzker Traubert Family Foundation has played a major role in upgrading much of the citys’ park’s infrastructure. “The dedication of the Tom Luczo Athletic Field as one of the Take the Field investments, will give our children and families a chance to develop athletically and artistically among neighbors and friends,” said Emanuel. “I am grateful for all these investments
in our neighborhoods so our kids have a brighter future where they can work together, play together, learn together and grow together.” The field is dedicated to Tom Luczo, who lived on the South Side. After studying labor law and the U.S. labor movement, he became a champion for workers’ rights. Since its opening, the field and track have been used on a daily basis even after the sun goes down as Luczo field is equipped with lights. The park closes at 9 p.m. and Chicago police patrol the area heavily, according to Amos. One of the critics concerning a lack of facilities in the Black community has been Chicago Crusader columnist Conrad Worrill, a former track athlete in high school, who said he wants to see the sport grow. Worrill and others have suggested for years that the city build more outdoor track facilities to engage community youth in the sport and give adults access for outdoor activities. In
MAYOR RAHM EMANUEL joined community youth during the opening of the Tom Luczo Field at Mandrake Park in the Kenwood community earlier this year.
A CHILD RUNS across the field playing on the new state-of-the-art Tom Luczo Field at Mandrake Park Tuesday evening.
RESIDENTS OF KENWOOD walk around the track for exercise on a daily basis at Mandrake Park (Photos by Patrick Pyszka / City of Chicago) www.chicagocrusader.com
2008 he and others formed Friends of Track and Field, whose mission is to revitalize the sport in the Public League. Michael Kelly is the General Superintendent and CEO of the Chicago Park District. He said he recognizes there is a need to upgrade many of the facilities in the district. He said the new turf fields can be used nearly yearround, something that is necessary in a climate as harsh as Chicago’s. He said while turf fields are more expensive to build, in the long-run taxpayers get a better value as the maintenance costs are much lower and the facility can be used more. He, along with Chicago Park District President Bryan Traubert, say a beautiful park also helps to keep crime down as it is a place in the community where people can feel good and improves community
BLACKS MUST CONTROL THEIR OWN COMMUNITY
morale. “These projects are expensive, but worth it, and I think that was a selling point to a lot of people that we approached, that this would have a real impact for kids,” Traubert said. “And what it does is, the community says, this is our park, this is our neighborhood,” added Kelly. “It has turned into so much more than just originally what we set out to do, which was, we’re going to have a kid just get out of the house, run around, play a little soccer, play a little football, into a family-friendly environment where the community rallies around it.” For Amos and other residents, they said the new field is a source of pride for the community. In addition to athletic events, it has also hosted a gospel festival and other events. Amos said the city spoke with residents who live directly across the street from the field to get their input throughout the construction process. She said lights on fields and stadiums in Chicago have always been a point of contention. But she said residents felt safer with having lights at the field, in addition for the kids to be able to have night games. “Since we have the lights they can play outside a lot longer once daylight saving time ends in the fall,” Amos said. “Plus with all the rain we’ve had and the drainage that was built in underneath the field, the kids can keep right on playing. We haven’t even started the fall football and soccer seasons yet and there is something going on over there every day. It’s just such a good thing to see…kids playing outside in the city.”
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