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Blacks Must Control Their Own Community
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VOLUME LXXIII NUMBER 28—SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 02, 2013
PUBLISHED SINCE 1940
25 Cents and worth more
Film recounts pain of schools boycott By Wendell Hutson It was 50 years ago that Margret Stone kept her daughter home from school after realizing she was not getting the same edu-
cation as white children also attending Chicago Public Schools. “Once I saw that my daughter’s school was without textbooks, students crammed into small spaces to learn and over-
crowded classrooms I knew I had to do something drastic if I wanted my child to have a chance at becoming successful in life,” recalled Stone, 80. “And I am glad I took her out of school until changes were
THE 1963 SCHOOLS BOYCOTT was recently remembered by more than 100 Black parents and others during a showing of a new documentary at the DuSable Museum of African American History.
made for the benefit of student learning. It was the best decision I made in my life.” The moment Stone described occurred October 22,1963 when thousands of Black parents protested what they described as horrible conditions for students. A documentary showcasing the protest was recently shown to more than 100 Black parents at the DuSable Museum of African American History “You would think after 50 years we would have gotten it done,” said Gordon Quinn, who started filming as a student at the University of Chicago when parents kept 250,000 students home from public schools to protest the conditions at schools. The 20-minute rough cut of Quinn’s “63 Boycott” film outlines the frustration of parents, whose students were taught using second-hand books in trailers erected in school parking lots to relieve overcrowded classrooms. “The protests were never about mixing Black and white children in the same classroom as much as it was about receiving a fair and quality education,” said Timuel Black, a Chicago historian. “Black kids were treated as second-class citizens even though their parents pay taxes too.” The boycott led to the resignation of former CPS Superintendent Benjamin Willis. Former community activist Lorne Love spoke at a recent town hall meeting at the Lawndale Community Church on the West Side. She insisted that the boycott’s (Continued on page 3)
Black ministers question silence on domestic violence By J. Coyden Palmer Two local Black ministers recently questioned the role of the Black Church and its overall reticent attitude towards the issue of domestic violence in the community as the awareness month for the issue ended. The Rev. L. Bernard Jakes, pastor of West Point Missionary Baptist Church, has been the most outspoken critic of the Black Church on the subject and has a ministry dedicated specifically to domestic violence. Last week West Point hosted a series of
COMING NEXT WEEK Be sure to get the Crusader’s Nov. 9 Issue when we will examine the shrinking number of Black TV anchors in Chicago
events to bring awareness to the issue, including dedicating their Sunday worship service to domestic violence awareness. But Jakes said the Black Church as a whole is afraid to confront the issue head-on because there are men sitting in church pews committing domestic violence. “Most people that don’t want to talk about domestic violence are either victims or perpetrators as it relates to men,” Jakes said. “Most men fall under the scope of being a perpetrator. So as a perpetrator, the last thing you want is to talk about that of which you are indulging in. Domestic Violence is something that is thought out, it is planned, it is controlled, and it’s complete manipulation.” Jakes added that people are more comfortable with talking about breast cancer, which shares the month of October with domestic violence for its awareness campaign, because cancer is a disease that anyone can get and domestic violence is a behavior that can be controlled. He said (Continued on page 16)
WEST POINT MISSIONARY Baptist Church leader Rev. L. Bernard Jakes, along with Pastor Keith Gordon of Love of Christ Baptist Church, say the Black Church as a whole needs to do more to address the issue of Domestic Violence.
NEWS
New Olive-Harvey transpo center promises 150 jobs New Facility Reinforces City Colleges’ Focus on Preparing Students for Jobs in Growing Industries and is Part of Larger $524 Million Capital Improvement Plan The City of Chicago along with the City Colleges of Chicago (CCC) are banking on estimates there will be more than 110,000 transportation, distribution and logistics jobs in the region in the next decade. The news prompted a $45million collaboration that will result in the state’s only Transportation, Distribution and Logistics (TDL) Center with a recent ground breaking ceremony. Mayor Rahm Emanuel said “this new facility will supplement Olive-
Harvey College’s transportation, distribution, and logistics-focused curriculum to prepare students for a career in an in-demand, high growth industry,” adding “this is the latest example of how City Colleges is aligning students directly with 21st century jobs, since a quality education is the most important stepping stone when moving up the economic ladder.” The new campus is part of City Colleges of Chicago’s five-year $524 million capital plan, which will invest across the seven-college system. The Olive-Harvey expansion project will be funded by $31.6 million from the State of Illinois and $13.2 million from City Colleges and is being administered by the Illinois Capital Development Board, which
THE FUTURE OLIVE-HARVEY Transportation, Distribution and Logistics Center shows the facility in this artist’s rendering that will open on the South Side campus in 2015.
CITY COLLEGES OF CHICAGO Chancellor Cheryl Hyman (center) is flanked by Mayor Rahm Emanuel (left) and Ninth Ward Alderman Anthony Beale (right) to turn over the earth for what will be the only Transportation, Distribution and Logistics Center in the state at a community college.
oversees state-funded, non-road construction projects. “The TDL Center will employ numerous skilled laborers during construction and prepare thousands of students for high paying, in demand careers once it is complete,” Governor Pat Quinn noted. “In addition, we will seek a LEED Silver designation for the center, which is a testament to the building’s energy-efficient, environmentally-friendly design.” Part of the capital investment plan will also be financed by $250 million in tax-exempt bonds. Two major international credit rating agencies, Standard & Poor’s and Fitch, rated City Colleges’ bonds as AA stable
and AA- stable, respectively. The strength of investor interest in the bond sale allowed City Colleges to reduce its borrowing cost from preliminary pricing levels by nearly $2.6 million to save taxpayers money. CCC Chancellor Cheryl Hyman described the new facility as “the premier training ground for Chicagoans interested in pursuing a vast and diverse array of careers in transportation, distribution and logistics. CCC has partnered with TDL industry leaders to make sure CCC students have access to real-world scenarios and are taught by experts. About 20 of the 150 jobs at the (Continued from page 16)
The Modern Slavery and Apartheid
Depth of African American knowledge was stunning for Europeans By Shaka Barack Never did the Europeans dream that after being satisfied that they had not only enslaved Africans and colonized the continent of Africa, but that they also colonized the minds of hundreds of millions of Africans. Yet in the African Diaspora 40 years ago, Blacks left America as African Hebrews, for Liberia and later migrated to Israel, having forged relationships with men like President Robert Mugabe in mineral rich Zimbabwe. Never did they imagine that Blacks would be discussing, not just diamonds and gold rings and bracelets but gold, diamonds, chrome, tin, and nickel mines that they come out of; and the heavy equipment used to take them out of the mines whether on the surface or underground mines. They never dreamed that a people that was sup posed to be trapped into civil rights and integration by civil rights and integration leaders would be discussing, the water and environment, material sci2
ence, and biomedical engineering. Brothers like Prince Asiel Ben Israel and Gregory Turner discuss subjects such as clinical investigation, food, agricultural and biological science, mathematics and computer science in the interest of Africans at home in Africa and abroad. This Pan Africanism has awakened the consciousness of Africans that will never go back to sleep, no matter what is done to persecute them or to turn others over to the lynch mob (courts) and label them criminals. The
Saturday, November 2, 2013
Benjamin Banneker
fact is, when looking for crime and criminals, slave owners and the government that backed them were criminals participating in a crime against humanity. Colonization was a crime, carried out by the criminals like Christopher Columbus, and the Spanish conquistador Hernan Cortes, who conquered the Aztecs of Mexico. Francisca Pizarro, who conquered the Incas of Peru was a criminal. In Africa white men stole our land and now that we are organizing to better understand our motherland and our brothers and sisters in Africa, they tell us that it’s a crime and we are the criminals. Let us remind the white world that you can fool all the people some of the time, some of the people all the time, but you can’t fool all the people all of the time. The Honorable Marcus Mosiah Garvey paid a price when he promoted the slogan, “Africa for the Africans, those at home and those abroad.” Prince Asiel Ben Israel and Gregory Turner, and President Robert Mugabe reminds us
Edward “Ned” Hector
BLACKS MUST CONTROL THEIR OWN COMMUNITY
that Marcus Garvey was not persecuted, framed, indicted, convicted, sentenced, imprisoned and deported in vain. Today Africans are stepping off the proverbial treadmills of socalled progress in America to seek real freedom that is based on a reconnection to mother Africa, its unimaginable wealth, and the combined intellectual capacity of the African world. As Brothers and Sisters, the Africans in America have talents to offer Africa. It is common knowledge that they work as carpenters, electricians, carpet layers, masons, plasterers, painters and decorators, landscapers, plumbers, pipefitters, truck drivers and welders. We are also artists and architects, explorers and navigators. In U.S. history an African named York was with Lewis and Clark that helped find a route from the east to the Pacific Ocean in 1806. A hundred years later in 1909 an African, Matthew Henson was with Robert Peary that opened up the gateway to the North Pole. (Continued on page 17) www.chicagocrusader.com
NEWS
Jesse Jackson, Jr. begins life as an inmate Former Congressman Jesse Jackson, Jr., the South Side Democrat who at one time was touted as a possible presidential candidate, continued his fall from grace recently when he entered a North Carolina prison to begin serving a 30-month sentence. According to a federal Bureau of Prisons spokesperson, Jackson was assigned to a minimum-security camp – an all-male facility with no fence, dorm style living and more privileges. The eight-term legislator, who resigned last November, joins a long list of more than two dozen Illinois public officials who have been incarcerated – most for crimes involving public funds. Ironically, Jackson’s predecessor, Mel Reynolds, also served time at the same facility. What is certain about Jackson’s future is he will do the majority of his sentence at Butner Federal Correctional Complex in the famed North Carolina Research Triangle bordered by the cities of Chapel Hill, Durham and Raleigh. Jackson, husband of former Seventh Ward Alderman Sandi Jackson, may have his Butner time shortened by being sent to a halfway house or on home confinement near the end of his sentence. Jackson experienced a snafu when he attempted to check in early at the prison earlier this week. He was not allowed to enter on the first day, but a day later on October 29; he was processed into the facility. Jackson, 48, was sentenced to 30 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to misusing more than $750,000 in campaign funds for a number of personal and home purchases for his Washington, D.C. and Chicago homes. His wife will serve a one-year sentence upon Jackson’s re-
lease for filing false tax returns. The son of the civil rights icon whose name he bears is a licensed attorney but the former warden of Butner said Jackson will serve himself well to avoid the prison law library. According to Art Beeler, “inmates will try to get other inmates involved in their cases, especially if they think they have some sort of pull. He can’t get caught up in that nonsense at all,” the ex-warden noted. Jackson is one of 332 inmates at this camp. There are four other lowsecurity facilities within the institution, including a medical center. Following his guilty plea, Jackson’s attorneys petitioned the court to assign him to a facility where he could be treated for depression and bipolar disease he was treated for after resigning from Congress. The executive assistant at Butner said like all inmates Jackson received a blanket, pillowcase, pillow and two sheets; as well as underwear, socks, khaki shirts, pants and soft-soled shoes. Orientation for newcomers can last as long as two weeks. Whatever job Jackson lands in Butner will pay a maximum of $290 per month – money that can be spent on items such as soft drinks for 80 cents each, herbal tea for $3.35, 40 cents for earplugs; a four-pack of toilet paper for $2.65 and $18.85 for sweatpants. One of Jackson’s attorneys issued a news release identifying several prominent national personalities who are on Jacksons’ visiting list. They include: the Rev. Otis Moss, Jr.; U.S. Representative and Chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus Marcia Fudge; Pastor of Saddleback Church and author of the best-seller, A Purpose Driven Life
JESSE JACKSON, JR., former Congressman from Illinois’ Second District, will spend most of the next 30 months at this North Carolina minimum-security prison outside of Raleigh. Jackson voluntarily began serving his sentence almost one week earlier than scheduled. Rick Warren; U.S. Representative His attorney’s news release provid- FIC Butner Medium Satellite Camp; Hank Johnson of Georgia; and crisis ed Jackson’s mailing address as: Jesse P.O. Box 1000; Butner, N.C. communications expert Judy Smith. Jackson, Jr.; Reg. No. 32451-016; 27509.
Community group wants city budget to include TIF By Wendell Hutson Community groups and unions are urging the Chicago City Council to include $500 million in tax increment financing (TIF) funding before approving the $8.9 billion budget Mayor Rahm Emanuel recently proposed. “We need to look at TIF reform in a real way, because there are a lot of our tax dollars there,” said Amisha Patel, executive director of the Grassroots Collaborative, at a recent City Hall news conference. “It’s not gonna be a part of the mayor’s budget address, but it’s a huge sort of shadow budget.” The city’s next fiscal year begins January 1. According to the most recent data released by Cook County Clerk
David Orr, Chicago collected $457 million in TIF funds in 2012 — money kept separate from the city budget and for the most part administered by the mayor for capital improvement projects. Chicago has 400 TIF districts. TIF is a special funding tool several municipalities across the country use to build and repair infrastructure remediate land, and refurbish vacant properties. The tax dollars within a TIF area remain in that specific neighborhood and are not circulated to schools districts or other taxing agencies. During his recent budget address last week, Emanuel explained how he was able to present a balanced budget without raising certain taxes. “This budget will mark the third year in a row that we have balanced
the city’s finances without raising property, sales or gasoline taxes. For the third year in a row, we’re actually adding money to the rainy day fund and I just signed an executive order ensuring we do it every year going forward,” the mayor said. “(And) for the third year in a row, we don’t employ any gimmicks or raid long-term reserves to balance the budget, as has been done in the past,” added the mayor. “To balance our budget for the past three years without any increase in property, sales or gas taxes was only possible by changing the way Chicago does its business.” In the past some Black aldermen have cited city figures that there are $1.7 billion in TIF funds, $1.5 bil(Continued from page 16)
Film recounts pain of schools boycott (Continued from page 1)
origins began long before 1963. “We need to understand that there is a background to this discussion other than what is being said about the boycott. The boycott really started when the first slaves were put into ships and brought here,” she said. Love recalled marchers protesting the infamous ‘Willis Wagons’ named after Benjamin Willis, who, Love said upheld many of the school district alleged segregationist practices. Those practices, according to Love, included Willis’ refusal to relocate Black students from their overcrowded schools to those enrolling white kids, where the classrooms were nearly empty. Instead mobile trailers were built as classrooms for Black kids on the schools’ parking lots. “They began to build schools for these students who were as they called them, Willis Wagons,” www.chicagocrusader.com
Love said. “People came from all over and even chained themselves to prevent the bulldozers from creating these buildings.” Grady Jordan, 77, said he too remembers the school district as being racist during the 1960s and that led him and 200,000 parents and students to lead marches and protests against unfair educational opportunities. And since “Freedom Day” as it is often referred to by Blacks, Jordan, a former CPS teacher and a panelist at the town hall meeting, said not much has changed with public education in Chicago. “What they need to realize is that you can not have schools without students,” he said. “I came to Chicago from Mississippi in 1961 and what is done in our community is done without thought to the Black folks,” Jordan said. Contemporary education ac-
A DOCUMENTARY SCREENING of the 1963 Chicago Public Schools boycott was recently shown to more than 100 Black parents at the DuSable Museum of African American History. A panel discussion followed the screening. Clips of the documentary are tivists praised the bravery of par- were subjected to fierce criticism ents in ’63, who chained them- that they did not care about chil- available online at www.63boycott.kartemquin.com. selves to trailer classrooms and dren.
BLACKS MUST CONTROL THEIR OWN COMMUNITY
Saturday, November 2, 2013
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EDITORIAL
EDITORIAL MAIDS, BUTLERS AND SLAVES Some African Americans have been lamenting the fact that a lot of modern American films, especially those that have been hot at the box office, center around African American roles featuring maids, butlers and slaves. The most recent critically acclaimed films have been The Help, starring Viola Davis; The Butler, starring Forest Whitaker, Django, starring Jamie Fox and most recently, 12 Years a Slave, starring Chiwetel Ejiofor. This last one is achieving great buzz, and some are even whispering the word "Oscar." 12 Years a Slave is an authentic depiction of an experience had by Solomon Northup, a free Black man living in the north (New York) who was kidnapped by two white scoundrels who offered him a bogus opportunity of making big bucks in a traveling circus. Northup was a successful professional musician who was married and with two children. On one fateful night, his companions encouraged him to imbibe lots of alcohol. Northup became extremely inebriated and eventually passed out. Upon awakening, he found himself bound in chains, and from that moment on, until his liberation 12 years later, he lived as a slave. 12 Years a Slave provided us with a unique depiction of that unsavory institution. It showed its extremes: from slave owners with a modicum of humanity, to those who were extremely cruel. It also depicted villainess whites as well as those who were liberators. Brad Pitt was a key player in helping Solomon regain his freedom. The movie had several twists and turns, and provided viewers with the opportunity to witness the experience of a free Black man who became a slave, who was ultimately freed and who wrote about his experience. The Help and The Butler were both excellent films depicting African Americans as servants. Django was somewhat of a cartoon that presented implausible, but cathartic violence meted out by a free Black man who got revenge on the whites who held his wife captive. Interestingly, the only one of these films directed by an African American was The Butler, which was done by Lee Daniels. It is understandable that some African Americans would be off put by the continual depiction of African Americans as menial laborers. These situations existed, nevertheless, and are fundamental parts of Black history. Moreover, there is no need to be ashamed about these recent films because, in each one, African Americans were depicted as having a certain dignity. Of course, they suffered very real cruelties, but they endured and triumphed in the end. Our youth need to see these images; they need to know from whence many have come. They need to see the struggle that has had the end result of them being able to purchase Nikes, iPads and cell phones. They need to see strength and dignity in action. These films, if viewed properly, can provide this perspective. On the other hand, Will Smith produced a very excellent science fiction film, After Earth, which had an innovative plot that highlighted a very special relationship between a father and his son. It bombed at the box office! Barely a kind word was said by members of the Black community about this film. If we want Black movie diversity, we must support diverse efforts! We must vote with our pocket books. A luta continua. 4
Saturday, November 2, 2013
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Hooray for Art Turner Dear Editor: I am so glad to see State Representative Art Turner is taking up the mantle for the minimum wage. Trying to take the minimum wage from $8.25 to $10.65 over the next couple of years is overdue. Quantities of everything are getting smaller and prices keep going up. To keep people at the current wage stifles their abilities. They are making a little more than $17,000 per year. Even with supplemental income programs wage earners in this category are subjected to an existence of poverty and can’t fully participate in our money-first society. Many employers, especially in the retail arena, maintain that they will not be able to keep the current level of employees if the minimum wage is raised. I think this is a crock simply because the employers want to maximize profits by raising prices. So it is OK for them to get as much as the market will bear, but it is not OK for the workers to earn enough to have warm, safe and decent living accommodations? The business people don’t seem to understand that raising the minimum wage means more discretionary money for the low-wage earners to spend at most businesses. Of course there are some decent white people who understand it is wrong to continue to financially oppress people, and it is especial-
ly rewarding to see Black people such as Turner and his counterpart in the State Senate Kimberly Lightford step up and understand people need more to meet life’s basic necessities. I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that Barbara Flynn Currie is a co-sponsor of Turner’s bill. Granted, only one state, Washington, has a higher minimum wage than Illinois. However, the tax rates in Chicago and Cook County mean people living in those two places are paying more for goods and services than their counterparts in other states. The government for whatever reason has allowed the minimum wage to lag behind inflation for decades. That is another reason we need this bump to $10.65 sooner rather than later. I am encouraging everyone to contact their state representative and support Turner’s bill – HB 3718. It is time for us to do better. Greg Poole
Sorry Pat, it is a dumb idea Dear Editor: Alderman Pat Dowell wants us to pay $25 to register our bicycles. I don’t know if I heard of a dumber idea. I get her point and the mayor’s point that the city is in a financial hole and needs to check between the sofa cushions for every penny we can find. At the same time though, those
BLACKS MUST CONTROL THEIR OWN COMMUNITY
searches need to make sense and a $25 registration fee for a bicycle certainly doesn’t. It is hard to understand why Pat Dowell of all the aldermen is the one proposing this. She has a background in urban planning and one would think has an understanding of what works and doesn’t. Maybe she sees this as thinking outside the box. You know the phrase extreme times call for extreme measures? The $25 fee is not the measure. The alderman right now has no (Continued on page 9)
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COMMENTARY
It is going from Bad to Really Bad By Harry C. Alford NNPA Columnist I have never seen so much venom, evil and dishonesty coming from a presidential administration as the one we have now. The agencies appear to be incompetent and evasive. When they get exposed, they try to cover it up by being more incompetent and evasive. It is like the Mafia playing Keystone cops and doing very poorly. Our great nation is being shamed before the entire world and it certainly hurts anyone who has a love for our land. Many of us shake our heads and shed a few tears. How did we get like this? Our justice department was the first to be exposed with its botched “Fast and Furious” operation. They released hundreds of illegal weapons and let them get into the hands of drug traffickers. It resulted in the deaths of some of our border guards. Hundreds of Mexican citizens also were murdered by these weapons. They have been trying to cover up this sinister plot. Why did they do it? They assumed there would be a public outcry about the use of assault weapons and they could impose Gun Control on our citizens even
Harry C. Alford though the 2nd Amendment forbade it. What an evil scheme that has caused the unnecessary deaths on both sides of our southern border. How about the cover up in Benghazi? A U.S. Ambassador and three career State Department employees are murdered by Al Qaeda and dozens are wounded and put into hiding so that the truth about what happened will not be exposed. Like “Fast and Furious” there is a
complete cover up at the White House and no regard at all for the slain and wounded. We have an IRS that has been turned into a political hit task force. Operatives at the IRS headquarters in DC visit the White House on an ongoing basis to receive orders to block groups and persons of a particular political persuasion from receiving certain tax status. It is strictly an attack on the freedom of speech and choice. It’s like “Damn the Constitution, let’s hurt them.” Never have we seen such vicious, organized attacks by our government on our citizens. The Department of Energy became a “Piñata Party” for hustlers seeking grants. Those who contributed to the Obama Administration and paid multiple visits to the White House were showered by billions of dollars for research projects they couldn’t possibly perform. Solyndra is a classic example of this. Millions of dollars in political contributions and dozens of White House visits gave this inept operation nearly a billion dollars in a grant they couldn’t perform. Such acts became a clear scheme of “pay to play” just like they do in Chicago.
Our White House became their White House as they shut down public tours for citizens wishing to visit our national capital. It is just plain mean - blocking senior citizens and young students from visiting the pride of our republic. It’s like America, the land of the free, is under siege by nonreligious, socialistic evil doers. Recently, we have come to find that we are spying on just about everyone around the world. Our National Security Agency, NSA, has been listening in on our phone conversations, swiping our emails, and other cryptic and sick things. They have actually tapped the emails and phone calls of the President of Brazil. Brazil is supposed to be our friend. So is France and Germany but this administration acts as if no one should be trusted. The fact is to the world’s view, we can’t be trusted. They have even tapped the cell phone of Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel. She is not laughing. Brazil’s president cancelled a big deal they had with our Boeing Airlines and replaced it with France’s Air Bus. I’m sure some of our major corporations will receive the same fate from Prime Minister Merkel. Yes, this anti-capitalistic administra-
tion is hurting our economy and laughing all the way. America, the most admired nation in the world, has plummeted in prestige. Oh yes! What about that Obamacare? The biggest but most hated project of all had its launch October 1. It has been a total failure and we haven’t seen the worst yet. In their own corrupt way they selected a Web Master via a sole contract (no open competition or explanation why they are being selected). This Canadian corporation had recently been fired by the government of Ontario, Canada for incompetence. So what, this is about how much money they gave to the last campaign and how many White House visits they made. They quoted the cost of the project to be $60 million but in the end they ripped off over $700 million and the dumb website doesn’t even work. Just another example of the most corrupt, incompetent administration America has ever experienced. Save us Lord! Mr. Alford is the co-founder, President/CEO of the National Black Chamber of Commerce®. Website: www.nationalbcc.org. Email: halford@nationalbcc.org.
‘Entitlement Programs’ Serve Elderly and Poor By George E. Curry NNPA Columnist Republicans have made it clear that their next budget goal is to slash so-called entitlement programs. Democrats have failed to explain to the public that the misnamed programs are valuable and prevent millions of Americans, many of them elderly or children, from living in poverty. The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP) issued a report last week that found: “Social Security benefits play a vital role in reducing poverty. Without Social Security, 22.2 million more Americans would be poor, according to the latest available Census data (for 2012). Although most of those whom Social Security keeps out of poverty are elderly, nearly a third are under age 65, including 1 million children. Depending on their design, reductions in Social Security benefits could significantly increase poverty, particularly among the elderly.” The report explained, “Almost 90 percent of people aged 65 and older receive some of their family income from Social Security. Without Social Security benefits, 44.4 percent of elderly Americans would have incomes below the official poverty line, all else being equal; with Social Security benewww.chicagocrusader.com
fits, only 9.1 percent do. These benefits lift 15.3 million elderly Americans — including 9.0 million women – above the poverty line.” Medicare has proven equally as effective. Yet, Republicans like to pretend that the U.S. is quickly moving toward an entitlement society. However, CBPP issued a report last year titled, “Contrary to ‘Entitlement Society’ Rhetoric, Over Nine-Tenths of Entitlement Benefits Go to Elderly, Disabled, or Working Households.” It stated, “More than 90 percent of the benefit dollars that entitlement and other mandatory programs spend go to assist people who are elderly, seriously disabled, or members of working households — not to able-bodied, working-age Americans who choose not to work. This figure has changed little in the past few years.” It stated, “The claim behind these critiques is clear: federal spending on entitlements and other mandatory programs through which individuals receive benefits is promoting laziness, creating a dependent class of Americans who are losing the desire to work and would rather collect government benefits than find a job. “Such beliefs are starkly at odds with the basic facts regarding social programs, the analysis finds. Feder-
George E. Curry al budget and Census data show that, in 2010, 91 percent of the benefit dollars from entitlement and other mandatory programs went to the elderly (people 65 and over), the seriously disabled, and members of working households. People who are neither elderly nor disabled — and do not live in a working household — received only 9 percent of the benefits. “Moreover, the vast bulk of that 9 percent goes for medical care, unemployment insurance benefits (which individuals must have a significant work history to receive), Social Security survivor benefits for the children and spouses of deceased workers, and Social Security benefits for retirees between ages 62
and 64. Seven out of the 9 percentage points go for one of these four purposes.” The research also shatters another myth, the idea that entitlement programs shift resources for the middle class to the poor. “The data show that the middle class receives approximately its proportionate share of benefits: in 2010, the middle 60 percent of the population received 58 percent of the entitlement benefits. The top 20 percent of the population received 10 percent of the benefits; the bottom 20 percent received 32 percent of the benefits.” Even with a sluggish economy, Congress seems unwilling to support those on food stamps, now called SNAP – Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. Under the 2009 Recovery Act, recipients received a 13.6 percent temporary boost in benefits. However, that provision is set to expire on Nov. 1, resulting in a $80 a month loss for a family of four. That means SNAP benefits will average less than $1.40 per person per meal in fiscal 2014. Instead of continuing to help those in dire need, House Agriculture Committee Chairman Frank Lucas (R-Okl.) introduced legislation in September cutting SNAP by at least $39 billion over the next decade. To his credit, President Obama has suggested a more balanced ap-
BLACKS MUST CONTROL THEIR OWN COMMUNITY
proach, with cuts being matched by closing some of the loopholes for the wealthy. According to the Tax Policy Center, the top fifth of the population receives 66 percent of taxexpenditure benefits, the middle 60 percent of the population receives a little more than 31 percent of tax-expenditure benefits, the bottom fifth receives just 2.8 percent of tax-expenditure benefits and the top 1 percent of the population receives 23.9 percent of tax-expenditure benefits. And the report pointed out, “That’s more than eight times as much as the bottom fifth of the population, and nearly as much as the middle 60 percent of the population.” It’s time for President Obama and Democratic leaders to show that they can stand up to Teapublicans more than once. 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, November 2, 2013
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COMMENTARY
EDUCATION AND DOING FOR SELF Dr. Conrad Worrill, Director/Professor, Carruthers Center for Inner City Studies (CCICS) located at 700 East Oakwood Blvd, Chicago, Illinois, 60653, 773-268-7500, Fax: 773-268-3835 E-mail: c-worrill@neiu.edu, Web site: www.ccicschicago.org, Twitter: @CCICS_ Chicago.
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 twentiethcentury 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 a 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 entrylevel 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 reading, 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, Car-
ruthers 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 socalled 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 conference “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 nineteenthcentury 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 preparation for working for self and the liberation of African people. This is the challenge of the twenty-first-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!”
Look Who’s ‘Lazy’ and ‘Crazy’ By Julianne Malveaux NNPA Columnist Voter suppression is alive and well, especially in the state of North Carolina, where a Republican official, Don Yelton, proved himself to be at best intellectually limited, and at worse, downright crazy. While discussing North Carolina’s new voter ID law, Yelton made some absurd and incendiary statements. “The law is going to kick the Democrats in the butt. If it hurts a bunch of college kids [that are] too lazy to get up off their bohonkas and go get a photo ID, so be it. If it hurts a bunch of whites, so be it.” Yelton continued, “If it hurts a bunch of lazy Blacks that want the government to give them everything, so be it,” What is wrong with this man? Has he no decency? He tipped his hand by telling the world 6
what he really thinks, and indicating what the so-called voter ID laws are really about. These laws are about suppressing likely Democratic votes. They are about racism and racist attitudes. These attitudes don’t belong in these United States of America 150 years after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation. Who the heck is Don Yelton, anyway? He’s a local North Carolina precinct chair who initially answered questions about his interview with some belligerence. “I’ve been called a bigot before,” he said before adding that his best friend is Black. Then he goes on to talk about the “n” word, saying that if African Americans can use the word, then so can he. Of course, Yelton was reprimanded by his party. He ended up resigning over his comments. But no one reprimanded Mitt Romney over his 47 percent comments, and no one has reprimanded the many Republican
Saturday, November 2, 2013
Dr. Julianne Malveaux racists who cling to the past because they are frightened of our multicultural future. I am waiting for someone to tell me that Yelton is “just one person” and that his views do not represent those of the Republican Party. I’m also waiting for ants to eat snakes. I am certain that Yel-
ton has used these kinds of comments before. Is this the first time he has been reprimanded? To apply the word “lazy” to students and African Americans is disingenuous, racist, and insulting. Yelton seemed careful, though, not to ignore senior citizens, some of who might be challenged to get new ID. Yelton’s comments are especially revealing of the contempt that some elected officers have for their constituents. Now that Republicans control both houses of the North Carolina legislature, some feel free to say what they really think. This is not a North Carolina problem. Many states want to suppress the vote with new voter ID laws, fewer polling places, and other methods of keeping voters away from the polls. These efforts to “kick Democrats in the butt” by attacking likely Democratic voters ought to mobilize voters to outmaneuver and outvote these people who are so crazy that they
BLACKS MUST CONTROL THEIR OWN COMMUNITY
call others lazy. The lazy comment is connected to racist stereotypes. Somebody needs to remind Yelton that the plantation and sharecropping systems that North Carolina’s economy rested on for at least a century was staffed by “lazy” people who were constantly being ripped off for their labor. Shame on Don Yelton for being crazy enough to call hard working students and African Americans lazy. Shame on the Republican Party that he purports to represent. And shame on the state of North Carolina for its attempt to suppress the vote. Shame, too, on the other states around the nation who, like North Carolina, who have made voter suppression a priority. Julianne Malveaux is a Washington, D.C.-based economist and writer. She is President Emerita of Bennett College for Women in Greensboro, N.C. 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!
IT BEGINS Moments after de prison guard scratched his scalp and rejected the early entry of little Jesse Jackson, Jr., the former Illinois congressman, convicted of stealing from himself, the disgraced bipolar leader was finally accepted into his North Carolina prison cell.
D.C. house and not the one in Chicago? We expect him to repent, preach at Operation PUSH for a little while, and then return to his throne in the 2nd Congressional District—whether Robin Kelley likes it or not.” -ImaSTILL NO INDICTMENT A preacher who is under federal investigation, something that’s been well reported in de news, is still running around Woodlawn and the rest of the South Side keeping up mess. Now folk in his organization are watching their backs and doing what they can to find a new job. Other preachers only talk to him while he’s naked and in a shower because they are afraid they are being recorded. Not to be stopped, this closely watched man of de Lawd, is bragging about all the new Obamacare contracts he’s fixing to get? Go figure. -ImaTHREAT ADVERTED We hear the 2014 threat to West Side baritone Danny K. Davis has been adverted, if only temporarily. He can breathe a sigh of relief and thank the Campaign for a Better Chicago for keeping its word. -ImaNO CANDIDATE IN SIGHT
Jesse Jackson Jr. He will see the light of day in 2015, more than a year after the little Emperor Rahm Emanuel is re-elected as the meanest mayor in Chicago’s history. We hear Jackson, Jr., is taking it like a man, and is very happy that he will not have to serve time anywhere near Terre Haute, Indiana, which is too close for comfort for him. By no means, does he want the W.V.O.N. family renting buses to travel to visit him and give him a piece of their interesting minds. While he stews away, learning blues harmonica and how to wash dishes, his political allies are busy preparing for his return to glory in Chicago politics. One is quick to point out, “even though he’s a convicted felon, he can still run for his old office when he gets out. Why else you think he chose to sell his www.chicagocrusader.com
federal job, people in his 4th Ward are organizing right now to replace him. They say he is “arrogant,” “mean,” and “has a problem with poor people.” They say despite his height, which appears to be near 4 feet 2 inches tall, he walks around like he’s 6 foot 5. Burns has voted lock-step with his mayor, who has made it no secret he has a Negro problem. At any rate, his constituents, which range from super wealthy, to paycheck-to-paycheck, to just plain ole po, ain’t showing him no kind of love.
That’s what a rag tag group of anti Rahm Emanuel people are complaining about in front of open windows and not-so-closed doors. Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle, is making it clear that she will just be 90-days into her new term as the HWIC (and the “w” stands for
-Ima-
Toni Preckwinkle woman) in the county when the mayor’s election takes place. Ain’t no way she can circulate petitions and raise enough money to win both seats lak dat. Plus the deal done already been cut. Even though Preckwinkle would win by a landslide and become the first Black woman mayor in the city’s history—she’s deciding to take a pass at that history making event, because she’s being instructed to do so. Preckwinkle, they say, is busy trying to amass huge political power. She will need it when she runs for governor in 2018. While the rag tag militants keep running up and down the street trying to find people to run, their other big hope in the teachers union leader, Karen Lewis, is fading fast. Many of them were angry and confused as to why she did not show up at their big UIC rally called “Takin’ it All Back,” or something like that. We hear some of her biggest supporters were mad that their lady, who once called Rahm a “murder mayor,” snubbed her nose at them when they clearly staged the entire event to showcase her potential. One teacher who don’t like her at all said to somebody, “That’s what she do—don’t show up. She sold out the Black teachers and she’s selling out these community groups. She didn’t even show up on the first day of school when all this madness happened. She stayed home and played sick. More than 3,000 Black teachers have been fired since she’s been president. I wouldn’t vote for her if SHE was the dog catcher.”
Tio Hardiman
PAT DOWELL STOP …being a puppet for City Hall. You know Negroes watch the most cable TV in de town. How come you want to raise our bills. Now we don’t mind you charging all those white folks for those bikes and roller skates they got, cause they sho’ got a lot of ‘em. But stop letting the Fifth Floor mess you up—otherwise, we might be looking at Ebony Tillman as a credible choice. -ImaANGRY WOMEN One group of women has been organized to speak up whenever
gubnetorial candidate Commence Fire Tio Hardiman opens his mouth. These women are all part of some sort of women-beaters survivors group and they claim that Hardiman should get out of the race before they are forced to denounce him for his alleged bad behavior toward his wife. Folks recall that days before the man announced he wanted to lead Illinois; she called the po-po on him claiming he tried to give her a pumpkin-head. Though she recanted her allegations later, she never quite said she was lying about her call to 9-1-1- either— leaving it out there that Mr. Hardiman and “Mister” from the Color Purple might have something in common.
-ImaHUNK OF BURNING LOVE
Rahm Emanuel
Alderman Will Burns had better watch his back. While he’s quietly waiting for “his turn” at a BLACKS MUST CONTROL THEIR OWN COMMUNITY
Saturday, November 2, 2013
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COMMUNITY CALENDAR
WINNING WORDS INITIATIVE OF THE UCHICAGO CIVIC KNOWLEDGE PROJECT: Are you a concerned K-12 teacher who would like to enrich your school with philosophy? Are you a concerned parent who would like to know more about how your child’s school could improve its offerings in the humanities? Are you a concerned philosopher or student of philosophy who would like to see more philosophy at the K-12 levels? Then please be sure to RSVP for the UChicago Civic Knowledge Project’s big Winning Words Initiative conference on Saturday, November 2nd! The Winning Words Initiative is a Midwest resource network aimed at helping teachers, schools, and students gain better opportunities to do pre-collegiate philosophy. All are welcome—teachers, parents, students, administrators, and more! We honor our teachers, who can earn professional development credits for participating (and win some special raffle prizes). To RSVP, go to: http://civicknowledge.uchicago.edu/wwinitiative.shtml and hit the RSVP link, or e-mail rschultz@uchicago.edu or call 773-834-3929 ext. 1. THAPELO INSTITUTE PRESENTS DIABETES AND YOUR HEALTH: We all know someone who has diabetes. However, many people don’t know that diabetes is preventable and controllable. So we encourage you to come out and take full advantage of the FREE health screenings and information that will be available on Saturday, November 2, from 9 am - noon at Prince Hall Masonic Lodge, 809 East 49th Place. This year’s featured speaker will be Dr. Monica Peek who was featured in the October 2013 issue of Diabetes Forecast, the National Magazine of the American Diabetes Association. For more information call the Mebain Media Group at 708-5336558 or visit www.thapelo.org. THE FIRST WORLD’S FANTASY AWARD WINNER OF AFRICAN HERITAGE... DR. NNEDI OKORAFOR: If you’re looking for an enjoyable afternoon out with your friends or significant other, one of the best places you can go is a Reading and Book Signing with a highly esteemed award winning author who is one of AfriWare’s favorite authors, Dr. Nnedi Okorafor! Dr. Okorafor is a novelist of African-based science fiction, fantasy and magical realism. The Reading and Book Signing will take place on Sunday, November 3, 3 pm - 5 pm at Carter G. Woodson Library, Auditorium, 9525 S. Halsted, Chicago, IL 60628. This will be a fun-spirited intellectually invigorating event in a relaxed atmosphere on Sunday afternoon from 3 pm to 5 pm. There is 8
no cost for this event and it’s a great way to meet a local gem from the community. This will be a book enthusiast’s haven featuring her latest “Kabu-Kabu” along with her other best sellers, “Zahrah, the Windseeker” (Wole Soyinka Prize for African Literature), “Who Fears Death” (World Fantasy Award), The Shadow Speaker” (Parallax Award), and Akata Witch (Best Book of the Year). Dr. Okorafor’s work is stunningly imaginative. You’ll wonder if her book is a flotation device once you get caught up in the rapture of her stories. Come and celebrate someone who has made a great contribution to our literary heritage! Purchase your books through AfriWare at the book signing and receive priority position in line for Dr. Okorafor’s autograph. CHICAGO PARK DISTRICT OFFERS FREE PROGRAMS TO U.S. VETERANS & ACTIVE MILITARY AND A VETERANS RESOURCE FAIR SERIES: In the spirit of “serving those who have served” the Chicago Park District offers free programming to all U.S. Veterans and active military personnel, as well as a series of Veterans Resource Fairs that aim to connect military veterans and their families to benefits in areas such as disabilities, education, employment, family and children services, housing, legal and mental health services. “We are honored to support our veterans and active military personnel,” said Michael P. Kelly, General Superintendent and CEO of the Chicago Park District, “and encourage them to explore the park district’s free programming and offerings for veterans, and to offer suggestions on how we can further assist them and their families.” Upcoming Programs include Free Sports Night for Veterans & Active Military at Kosciuszko Park, 2732 N. Avers Avenue, on Tuesdays, November 5 through December 3, 2013. This is a five week Tuesday night sports program at Kosciuszko Park Gym beginning November 5 for veterans and active military to play a different pick-up sports game each Tuesday. Registration begins at 6:30 pm with programs scheduled from 7 pm - 9 pm. All games are free of charge; veterans should bring a copy of their DD214. For more information, call 312-745-1958 or 312-745-2062. AMAZON NATURAL LOOK INSTITUTE REGISTRATION NOW OPEN FOR WINTER CLASSES! Are you in the Natural Hair Care business and wish to take your clientele to the next level? Do you have natural hair and just wish to maintain it yourself? Learn the secrets to maintaining healthy, beautiful Locks & Twists. With over 30 years of experience Amazon Natural Look Institute wants to share with you the fun-
Saturday, November 2, 2013
ED MCELROY, HOST of “The Ed McElroy Show,” recently interviewed Commissioner Keri Steele of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago and Mayor James Sexton of Evergreen Park. That show will air at 8 p.m. on Tuesday, November 5 and again on Tuesday, November 12th on Comcast Channel 19. McElroy is Past National Commander of Catholic War Veterans, U.S.A. Pictured left to right is Commissioner Keri Steele, Ed McElroy and Mayor James Sexton. damental essentials and cutting edge techniques it takes to be the best in the Natural Hair Care Industry. Upcoming classes include: Fundamentals of Hair Locking - a deposit of $225 is due by Wednesday, November 6, and the classes will be held Sundays, 11 am to 5 pm. Fundamentals of Hair Braiding: a deposit of $225 is
due by Wednesday, November 6, and classes will be held on Saturdays, 11 am to 4 pm. Call 773-2560500 or register online today at www.amazonsaloninc.com. FREE BUSINESS NETWORKING EVENT AT MARQUETTE BANK: On Thursday, November
7, Marquette Bank will host a business networking after-hours event at the Marquette Bank located at 2500 S. Eola Road in Aurora. Enjoy an evening of refreshments, door prizes and networking opportunities. All businesses are welcome to attend from 5 pm until 7 pm. To register, call 708-364-2691.
Extended Coverage Halloween can be fun, but make sure your youngsters are fully prepared before going out in the dark (take little ones early.)
devices. ***
*** Costumes should be flame-retardant, loose enough for warm clothes to be worn under them and short enough that kids won’t trip over them. Face makeup is usually safer than masks that can interfere with vision.
Milton E. Moses
Your safety is our concern. We’re the insurance protection people 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) 6516200. You can also reach us via email at: sales@communityinsurance.com or visit the website at www.communityins.com.
*** For kids old enough to go out without an adult, establish routes clearly in advance, staying within familiar neighborhoods. All children should carry identification, older ones a cell phone. *** Set clear rules: stay out of strangers’ houses without an accompanying adult; come home at a set time (make sure they wear watches); no candy eaten until parents inspect it; and no playing in traffic. *** Equip the youngsters to navigate safely in the dark. Put fresh batteries in flashlights or other lighting BLACKS MUST CONTROL THEIR OWN COMMUNITY
www.chicagocrusader.com
BUSINESS
Consumer group urges states to enact protections from debt collectors National Consumer Law Center’s 50-State Review: ‘Horse and Buggy Laws Need Reform By Charlene Crowell An old adage advises that ‘one man’s pain is another man’s gain’. As consumers nationwide struggle to recover financially from the Great Recession, this adage is also a truism. Across the country, creditors and debt collectors are taking advantage of archaic laws to extract payments that satisfy court judgments for consumer debts. Depending upon a given state’s exemption laws, garnished wages are not the only option available to creditors. Many state laws have left loop holes that allow bank accounts, autos, or even household goods to be seized. Now a new research report by the National Consumer Law Center (NCLC) urges states to protect consumer wages and property from aggressive debt collection by creditors and debt buyers. The report also comes at a time when many consumers’ finances remain fragile. No Fresh Start: How States Let Debt Collectors Push Families into Poverty, reveals how these outdated state laws have failed to keep pace with the nation’s economy and its technology. Laws that remain a relic
Charlene Crowell of yesteryear include a Delaware exemption that protects a sewing machine owned and used by a seamstress; or a Vermont law that exempts one cow, two goats and three swarms of bees from being taken to satisfy a judgment. Other exemption laws that protect wages or other personal property have not changed to reflect inflation, protecting less than $500 in personal property in some states. “It’s a travesty when outdated state
laws protect farm animals and their feed but not a living wage, a working car, and a bare bones checking account,” said Robert Hobbs, NCLC deputy director. “This report is a wake-up call for states to update their exempt property laws and stop putting millions of families at risk.” The inadequacies in state exemption laws only make matters worse for consumers with judgments against them for debts not owed, already paid, or others too old, or the result of identity theft. When creditors and debt buyers obtain wrongful judgments against consumers, they are then able to take advantage of the obsolete exemption laws to extract money from consumers who never owed them in the first place. In 2012, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) received more than 125,000 consumer complaints about debt collection -- more than any other industry and representing almost 25 percent of all consumer complaints it received. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is charged to regulate larger debt collectors by enforcement of the Fair Debt Collection Act. This law makes it illegal for debt collectors to
use deceptive, unfair and abusive tactics to collect debts. The Federal Trade Commission also shares monitoring and enforcement of the law. The NCLC report ranks each state with letter grades measuring how well consumers were protected by five specific standards: • Preventing debt collectors from seizing so much of the debtor’s wages that the consumer is pushed below a living wage; • Allow the debtor to keep a used car of at least average value; • Preserving the family’s home – at least a median-value home; • Preventing seizure and sale of the debtor’s necessary household goods; and • Preserving at least $1200 in a bank account so that the debtor has minimal funds to pay essential costs such as rent, utilities and commuting expenses. The report found that no state met all five standards and only two came close: Massachusetts, which recently modernized its exemption laws and Iowa. Conversely, Alabama, Delaware, Kentucky and Michigan were rated an “F” for their exemption laws that
allowed debt collectors to seize nearly everything a debtor owes. States rated “D-” were Arkansas, Georgia, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Utah and Wyoming. NCLC proposes states update their laws with remedies that include protecting wages, family housing and necessary household goods and transportation; close loopholes that enable some lenders to evade exemption laws; protect retirees from destitution; and allow a reasonable amount of money on deposit. Model language for state legislation is available at www.nclc.org/mffpa. “By updating their exemption laws, states can prevent debt buyers from reducing families to poverty. These protections also benefit society at large, by keeping workers in the work force, helping families stay together, and reducing the demand on funds for unemployment compensation and social services,” states the report. Charlene Crowell is a communications manager with the Center for Responsible Lending. She can be reached at Charlene. crowell@responsiblelending.org.
Multiple Screen Viewing By Cheryl Pearson-McNeil NNPA Columnist Today, of course, when we talk about what we watch, that does not necessarily mean just television or the big screen. We have the choice of watching content (e.g. movies, TV, shows and videos) on a number of our cool devices whenever we feel like it. We have the choice of watching this content on a number of cool devices whenever and at times wherever we choose. We have our computers (African-Americans are 10% more likely to spend time on the internet searching for information on electronics than the total population); smartphones (71% of us own smartphones compared to 62% of the total population); and television of course (Blacks watch 37% more television that the total population, which is the most of any other group). Although how we watch continues to evolve, what we watch remains consistent, as Nielsen’s latest report on Black consumers, Resilient, Receptive and Relevant: The African-American Consumer 2013 Report, details. We prefer shows and movies that star or feature people who look like us – even though they might not always act like the average Black person (When was the last time you threw a drink in somewww.chicagocrusader.com
one’s face or tried to pull someone’s wig off?). Marketers who want to reach African-American audiences and a piece of our $1 trillion buying power should be paying close attention. We’re loyal television fans. Our watch activity breaks down to seven hours and 17 minutes of viewing a day, compared to five hours and 18 minutes of viewing time a day for the total population. And, ladies, we watch more than the guys, especially those of us in the 18-49 age range. It’s no surprise that Blacks prefer cable. Since many cable shows and casts offer more diversity than network programs, eight of our Top 10 TV shows air on cable networks. The two exceptions are ABC’s Scandal, starring, Kerry Washington, and FOX’s long-running singing competition variety show, American Idol. If you are a true Gladiator, then I know you tuned in to watch Scandal’s third season premiere earlier this month. Not only did Olivia Pope and company rack up 10.5 million viewers; the show helped us introduce a new measurement – Nielsen’s Twitter TV Ratings. Scandal’s premiere was that week’s top-tweeted show with almost 713,000 tweets, reaching a Twitter audience of 3.7 million. It tied with VH1’s Love & Hip-Hop Atlanta 2 as our top rated show earlier this
campaigns. We also like to watch movies. We go to the movies with the same frequency as every other consumer group, about 6.3 times a year. As with TV, we favor films with characters that look like us. Action/adventure movies, however, are the exception. We tend to gravitate to that genre more than other groups, regardless of the cast’s ethnicity. These were the top five grossing movies among AfricanAmericans, featuring Black casts from September 2012 to June 2013: Django Unchained (Jamie Foxx, Kerry Washington, Samuel L. Jackson) $163 million; 42 (Chadwick Boseman) $94 million; Cheryl Pearson-McNeil summer on June 30. Blacks love Twitter, with those of us between 18-34 spending 11% more time on the social chat site than 35-44 and 45-64 year olds combined. Twitter TV conversations have grown since last year. From the same period a year ago, there has been 38% more tweets related to live TV – 190 million tweets in 2012 grew to 263 million tweets in 2013. There’s also been an increase in Tweeters as well – from 15 million in 2012 to 19 million in 2013. By offering these metrics, Nielsen gives marketers yet another outlet to reach you in their
Flight (Denzel Washington) $94 million; Tyler Perry’s Temptation (Jurnee Smollett-Bell, Vanessa Williams, Brandy) $52 million; The Call (Halle Berry, Morris Chestnut) $52 million; Nielsen research shows that 51% of us are receptive to product ads that run in movie theaters and 87% of us are receptive to movie trailers and previews. We’re almost finished breaking down this year’s report, but if you just can’t wait until the next column, download the report at www.nielsen.com. And, don’t forget, I want to hear from you! Talk to me and let me know what you think. Let’s keep the conversation going.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR (Continued from page 4) idea how many bikes are sold and forceable. This one is not. used in the city. So how can she My family has a total of six bicypredict/estimate how much rev- cles-including one that has training enue the registration fee would wheels. Surely, Pat Dowell doesn’t bring? The Chicago Police Depart- expect us to turn over $150 to City ment doesn’t have the personnel to Hall. I recall reading in the Crusadknow who has or hasn’t registered er a few weeks back that some aldertheir motor vehicles, and that is a lot men were leading bicycle tours easier to track than who has a bike through their wards. Now I see it in the garage or basement. was just a ploy leading up to this. It Her recommendation for this reg- is time for Pat Dowell and other istration fee is like too many other elected officials with dumb money poorly researched ideas that come grab ideas to go back to the drawing from government. Before one in- boards. troduces any idea, that person Al Troone should know if the measure is en-
BLACKS MUST CONTROL THEIR OWN COMMUNITY
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EDUCATION
Chicago author visits Roosevelt U. to read from latest book Audrey Petty, editor and author of the recently released High Rise Stories: Voices from Chicago Public Housing, came to Roosevelt University recently to read from her works as a part of the university Masters of Fine Arts in Creative Writing Program Reading Series. A native of the Hyde Park neighborhood, Petty received gripping firstperson accounts of former residents of Chicago’s iconic public housing projects through interviews. High Rise Stories describes life in the
now-demolished high-rises. These stories of community displacement and poverty in the wake of gentrification give voice to those who have long been ignored, but whose hopes and struggles exist firmly at the heart of our national identity. High Rise Stories features the account of a previous resident of the former Cabrini-Green housing project named Sabrina, whose sister was shot in the head in her family apartment when she was caught in the middle of a turf-related shoot-
AUDREY PETTY SIGNS a book during a creative writing series reading event on Oct. 24 at Roosevelt University.
DLS names Shelby Spence Meteor of the Month De La Salle Institute recently announced that Shelby Spence has been named the Meteor of the Month for September at the Insti-
Community, Service, Social Justice and/or Association. Spence, a South Loop resident, maintains a 4.647 grade-point average in the Honors
DE LA SALLE – INSTITUTE CAMPUS Minister Emily Vogel congratulates honor student Shelby Spence, as does De La Salle Institute Campus principal Jim Krygier
tute Campus for Young Men. In a joint initiative between the school’s Campus Ministry and its City of De La Salle student government, nominations are received from faculty and staff highlighting students who are motivated and enthusiastic about the school’s Lasallian mission inside and outside of the classroom. Specifically, nominees are students who stand out among their peers by having demonstrated one or more of the Lasallian Principles of Faith, 10
Program and is ranked No. 8 in the 152-member Class of 2014 at De La Salle’s Institute Campus. Outside of the classroom, Spence is a member of the National Honor Society, as well as the Peer Mediation group and varsity football team. De La Salle congratulates Spence on his achievements and wishes him every future success.
Saturday, November 2, 2013
“HIGH RISE STORIES: Voices from Chicago Public Housing” is the title of Audrey Petty’s latest book and following a reading at Roosevelt University she was joined by the National Public Housing Museum’s curator Todd Palmer (left) and board member Brad Hunt, who is also a Roosevelt University professor, dean and leading expert on Chicago public housing. ing. However, because ambulances residents tenfold but is equally suc- Review; her essays have appeared refused to come to Cabrini-Green, cessful as a significant work of in Colorlines, The Southern Reand the elevators were out of order, American urban history,” stated view, Oxford American and more. The reading was presented by the Sabrina’s father and then-pregnant Booklist magazine. Petty is an associate professor of MFA in Creative Writing Program, mother had to carry her sister down 13 flights of stairs to rush her to the English at the University of Illinois Roosevelt’s Oyez Review literary at Urbana-Champaign. She writes magazine and the National Public hospital. Petty has received a vast amount fiction, poetry and creative nonfic- Housing Museum in Chicago. For of praise for High Rise Stories and tion. Her stories are published in more information, contact Christfor giving members of former such journals as African American ian TeBordo at cte. The National Museum of PubChicago public housing communi- Review, Story Quarterly, Callaloo, ties a chance to tell their story. and The Massachusetts Review lic Housing co-sponsored the “This book accomplishes its mis- and her poetry is featured in Crab event with Roosevelt University. sion to give voice to public-housing Orchard Review and Cimarron bordo@roosevelt.edu.
CPS gets $2.25 million P.E. grant from feds The U.S. Department of Education (USDOE) has awarded Chicago Public Schools (CPS) a competitive $2.25 million grant under the Carol M. White Physical Education Program (PEP), which will provide $750,000 annually over three years to help support the district’s efforts to expand physical education (PE) and professional development for P.E. teachers and strengthen health and nutrition education programming. The funds represent a welcome addition to CPS’s efforts to promote greater student health and wellness through its Healthy CPS initiative, which is part of the City’s Healthy Chicago agenda. “We’re proud to be recognized for our commitment to increase physical education activities and nutrition awareness among all our students,” said CPS CEO Barbara Byrd-Bennett. “These funds will greatly expand CPS’s efforts to promote both healthy eating and physical education, while better supporting P.E. teachers who provide this critical education to our students.” CPS received this competitive grant due to its work recognizing the integral relationship between academic achievement and health, and in turn, the critical role of phys-
ical activity in health outcomes. CPS has been able to increase P.E. time in part because of the Full School Day (FSD) implemented prior to the start of School Year 2011-2012. The FSD increased the length of the school day from 5.75 to 7 hours at the elementary school level, providing more time for instruction. Additionally, the prep periods during which many schools schedule P.E. were increased from 45 to 60 minutes. At the high school level, the length of course periods increased, which maximizes the time available for physical activity during P.E. classes. PEP grants are intended to assist school districts with initiating, expanding or enhancing P.E. and nutrition education programs, including after-school programs, for students in grades K-12. The PEP program is aligned with and supports First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move! Active Schools initiative to get kids moving 60 minutes a day before, during and after school. PEP applicants were invited to align their proposals with seven “design filters” for creating engaging, high-quality physical activity programs. Applicants could also receive points for focusing their efforts on the persistently lowest-achieving schools in their area.
BLACKS MUST CONTROL THEIR OWN COMMUNITY
With these funds, the CPS Office of Student Health and Wellness (OSHW) will undertake the following efforts to advance and institutionalize the changes to the CPS physical and health education program that the OSHW has already begun to address: • Increased quantity: Implement 30+20+10 program (30 minutes of daily P.E., 20 minutes of daily recess and 10 minutes of classroom physical activity breaks) at a minimum of 100 elementary schools within three years by providing technical assistance and training. Launch four years of daily P.E. at all high schools. • Increased quality: Develop infrastructure and tools to support teachers such as a curriculum map, assessments and corresponding equipment. Provide on-site coaching to PE teachers. Build technological infrastructure to collect and assess student fitness levels. • Professional Development: Provide regular high-quality, relevant professional development tailored to the needs of P.E. teachers. • Health/nutrition education: Coordinate and strengthen health education throughout the District with a focus on integrating nutrition education throughout the school day (Continued on page 17) www.chicagocrusader.com
COMMUNITY Founders Day 2013:
Celebrating the Birthday & Legacy of Dr. Margaret Burroughs The DuSable Museum of African American History will honor the life and legacy of its Founder, Dr. Margaret Taylor Goss Burroughs (1915 – 2010), during a day-long event entitled, “The African Violet of Chicago.” The event will take place on Sunday, November 3, 2013 from 12:00 p.m. (noon) until 5:00 PM at the Museum which is located at 740 East 56th Place (57th Street and South Cottage Grove Avenue) in Chicago. The day-long celebration will include: performances by: Maggie Brown; spoken word artist, Ayesha Jaco; the Move Me Soul Dance Troupe; and classical musician Andre Washington. Also the film, “What Shall We Tell Our Children” will be screened; arts and crafts activities for children will be available; DJ X-Ray will perform and participants who have been impacted and inspired by Dr. Burroughs will present anecdotal tributes. In addition the recipient of the 2013 Dr. Margaret Burroughs Scholarship will be announced. This tribute scholarship awards $2500 to an African American single mother pursuing educational opportunities. Margaret Taylor Goss Burroughs
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(November 1, 1915 – November 21, 2010) was a prominent African American educator, artist, writer, activist, poet and co-founder of the DuSable Museum of African American History. During her lifetime she also helped establish the South Side Community Art Center and Chicago’s Lake Meadows Art Fair. Burroughs was born in St. Rose, Louisiana and her family moved to Chicago when she was five years of age. She attended Englewood High School and earned teacher’s certificates from Chicago Teachers College in 1936 and 1939. In 1948 she earned her Master’s in Fine Arts from The Art Institute of Chicago. Dr. Burroughs taught at DuSable High School from 1946 to 1969 and from 1969 to 1979 was a Professor of Humanities at Kennedy King College. Margaret and her husband Charles co-founded what is now called The DuSable Museum of African American History in 1961. Originally known as the Ebony Museum of Negro History and Art, the Museum made its debut in the living room of her home at 3806 South Michigan Avenue, where she served as Executive Director for the
were started by ordinary folks.” “Founders Day 2013: The African Violet of Chicago” is partially supported by a CityArts Grant from the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs & Special Events. The DuSable Museum also gratefully acknowledges the Chicago Park District’s generous support of the program. Admission is FREE to all and for a complete listing of activities and participants please visit www.dusablemuseum.org, or telephone 773947-0600. About The DuSable Museum of African American History
Dr. Margaret Burroughs first ten years of existence. The Museum moved to its current location in 1973 and today is the oldest Black History Museum in the United States. She was always proud of
the institution’s ‘grass-roots’ beginnings often stating, “…we’re the only one that grew out of the indigenous Black community. We weren’t started by anybody downtown; we
BLACKS MUST CONTROL THEIR OWN COMMUNITY
The DuSable Museum of African American History is one of the oldest institutions of its kind in the country. Our mission is to collect, preserve and display artifacts and objects that promote understanding and inspire appreciation of the achievements, contributions and experiences of African Americans through exhibits, programs and activities that illustrate African and African American history, culture and art. For more information on the Museum and its programs, please call (773) 947-0600 or visit us at www.dusablemuseum.org
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ENTERTAINMENT
By Elaine Hegwood Bowen, MSJ By Raymond Ward HE ORIGINAL: I know a lot of you are fans of the legendary Geoffrey Holder’s, Tony Award-winning musical “The Wiz” which starred Stephanie Mills and featured the hit song, “Ease On Down The Road” ... and some of you are fans of the film version with Diana Ross and Michael Jackson. However, this year celebrates the 75th anniversary of “the original!” “The Wizard of Oz.” The Wizard of Oz is one of the most famous American films of all time. A product of MGM in 1939, the film’s innovative use of Techni-
Stephanie Mills color changed the black and white world of cinema forever. The iconic song “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” won an Academy Award for “Best Original Song” while actors and actresses playing munchkins, witches and lost girls from Kansas were rocketed to stardom. Seventy-five years later, it is consistently rated as one of the best films of all time in both critics’ polls and the American Film Institute’s annual list. Now in celebration the 75th anniversary, comes a new tell-all, “The Making of the Wizard of Oz” (Chicago Review Press, soft cover, $18.95) by dedicated film historian and author Aljean Harmetz, who is also the author of “On the Road to Tara: The Making of Gone with the Wind.” The book features a celebrity forward by the original Wicked Witch of the West (“I’ll get you my pretty...and your little dog too”) herself, Margaret Hamilton and will entertain fans of the film by unearthing stories about its production, cast and crew including: The casting process and alternate considerations for the roles of Dorothy and the Wicked Witch of the West; Margaret Hamilton A breakdown of MGM’s $2,000,000 budget, including an $8,000 tornado simulation that failed to start; and behind-the-scenes looks at the props, costuming, set and make-up departments. Dispelling studio rumors and documenting the movie-making industry in its golden era, The Making of the Wizard of Oz is a tribute to a beloved film and the creative minds responsible for its enduring success. The Making of the Wizard of Oz is available at bookstores everywhere. 12
Saturday, November 2, 2013
3Arts shines spotlight on 10 Chicago beacons
CAULEEN SMITH, Ronnie Kuller, Irena Knezevic, Kelli Simpkins, Robert Schleifer, Lisa Kaplan, Vershawn Sanders-Ward, Marta Garcia, Mierka Girten and Michel Rodriguez pose for photo. (Photography by C. Saville.) M.F.A. from UCLA School of The Chicago arts community Theater-Television-Film. Recent thrives throughout the year. projects include “17,” a series of Whether you prefer the fine arts hand screen-printed wallpapers through live performances, art that ruminate on sound; and gallery offerings or dance recitals, if “Black Utopia LP - A Cauleen one looks for it, it can be found. A Smith movie” - vinyl records aclocal organization that has been incompanied by 35mm slides feavolved in this area for years recently turing lectures and rehearsals of bestowed its annual unrestricted Sun Ra and his arkestra. $15,000 awards to artists from variSmith says that when she learned about the award, she immediately thought of her most pressing need. “I think in images,” she said, “and I could see my brand new laptop,” while adding that the next year or so will reveal what she does with the rest of her award. “I want to create a sustainable lifestyle by inVershawn Sanders-Ward vesting in long-term projects that shawn Sanders Ward; instrumental- can support my work.” ists Lisa Kaplan and Ronnie Kuller; Smith’s arts interests began in teaching artists Marta Garcia and California. “I was very lucky to atRobert Schleifer; actors Mierka tend public schools in California Girten and Kelli Simpkins; and vi- when the citizens were proud to sual artists Irena Knezevic and pay taxes that invested in educaCauleen Smith. tion. My little school had an excelTwo 2012 recipients, Jazz great lent music program, and every kid Dee Alexander and dancer Nejla Y. was able to take an instrument Cauleen Smith Yatkin delivered remarks and a per- home to practice. Orchestra, quarous genres. 3Arts announced ten re- formance, respectively, at the cere- tets, jazz band, it taught me so cipients of its 6th Annual 3Arts mony, which was held at the Muse- much,” Smith said. “Music is Awards, presented to women artists, um of Contemporary Art. math, so it helped there; music enartists of color and artists with disWinners, choreographer Vershawn courages listening and empathy; abilities working in the performing, Sanders Ward and visual artist playing music with others generteaching and visual arts. Cauleen Smith shared some in ates the ability to cooperate and The winners are able to use the sights into their careers with the work collectively for a single goal. I funds according to their individual Crusader. long ago stopped playing an inneeds and priorities. The 2013 reSmith received her B.A. from the strument, but now as a practicing cipients are: dancer Michel Ro- School of Creative Arts at San Frandriguez and choreographer Ver- cisco State University and her (Continued on page 17) BLACKS MUST CONTROL THEIR OWN COMMUNITY
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ENTERTAINMENT
Judge Mathis starts grocery giveaway Since money is tight this Fall, the nationally syndicated, realitybased court show “Judge Mathis,” now in its 15th season, gives viewers a chance to fill up their shopping carts at the grocery store like never before. “Judge Mathis” is giving away a grand prize of $1,000 in free groceries and $200 daily grocery gift cards with the “‘Judge Mathis’ Grocery Giveaway,” the show’s biggest grocery giveaway to date. The “‘Judge Mathis’ Grocery Giveaway,” begins Monday, November 4 and runs through Wednesday, November 27. Viewers can tune in to “Judge Mathis” every weekday (check www.judgemathistv.com for syndicated/local listings and rules) and watch for the on screen “word of the day.” Then, viewers can go online
to www.judgemathistv.com or text 20284 to enter the “word of the day” for a chance to win the grand prize of a $1,000 grocery gift card or a daily prize of a $200 grocery gift card. Viewers can enter daily (one online entry and one text entry per person/per day) and the more they watch the show and pay attention to the details, the more chances they have to win. All correct answers are entered into a daily drawing for a chance to win one of 18 $200 grocery gift cards. All correct answers will also have a chance to win the grand prize of a $1,000 gift card! Tune in weekdays to “Judge Mathis” Monday, November 4 through Wednesday, November 27 (check judgemathistv.com for syndicated/local listings and
rules) for your chance to win big at the grocery store! About “Judge Mathis” Inspired by Judge Greg Mathis’ own gang-to-gavel story, “Judge Mathis” is a nationally syndicated, reality-based court show presided over by former Detroit-area District Court Judge Greg Mathis. Mathis’ decisions are legal and binding. “Judge Mathis” is produced by and Syndicated Productions and Telepictures Productions, an industry-leading and Emmy Award-winning producer of syndicated programming, and distributed by Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution. Originating from Chicago, “Judge Mathis” Season 15 premiered Monday, September 9.
Judge Greg Mathis
Chicago Urban League honoring Louis Gossett, Jr. and Rev. Jesse Jackson Two long-standing icons in the Black community and the human rights fight will be named recipients of the Chicago Urban League’s Edwin C. “Bill” Berry Civil Rights Award at the league’s 52nd annual Golden Fellowship dinner November 9 at the Hilton Chicago, 720 S. Michigan Ave. This year’s gala, themed The Power of Opportunity: Moving Chicago Forward, is co-chaired by E. Scott Santi, president and CEO of ITW, and Gregory D. Wasson, president and CEO of Walgreens. Entertainment for the evening will be provided by legendary music
eradicate racial discrimination. In 1977 Gossett won an Emmy award for his role in the landmark television miniseries “Roots.” In 1983 he won a best supporting actor Academy Award and a Golden Globe for
group The O’Jays. The evening will be hosted by Chicago comedian Damon Williams. A sellout crowd of more than 1,700 of Chicago’s business, civic and elected leaders is expected at the dinner. Throughout his outstanding career, Gossett has touched the lives of generations of moviegoers and currently uses his celebrity status to www.chicagocrusader.com
Fellowship Dinner has been a highly anticipated gathering of diverse leaders who are committed to the success of Chicago’s African American communities as an integral part of the success of the city as a whole. Lead sponsors for the 52nd Annual Golden Fellowship Dinner are ITW, Loop Capital, Walgreens, Grosvenor Capital Management, L.P., McDonald’s and PNC.
Established in 1916, the Chicago Urban League works for economic, educational and social progress for African Americans and promotes strong sustainable communities through advocacy, collaboration and innovation. For more information, visit www.thechicagourbanleague.org.
Get ready for a holiday show that’s like no other. It’s all about Scrooge in this hilarious and heartwarming reconstruction of the classic Christmas ghost tale. Spirited jokes and holiday music chronicle a journey from self-hatred to love as Scrooge faces his past, present and future and learns the wealth of family in the Chicago premiere of “If Scrooge Was a Brother.” Written by Ekundayo Bandele and directed by Kemati J. Porter, the show runs through December 29, 2013. Show times are 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 3 and 7 p.m. Sundays at eta Square, 7558 S. South Chicago Ave. General admission is $30, with student, senior and group discounts. Be sure to ask about “Family Fridays.” Subscriptions to the 2013-14 season are also still available through December 31, 2013. For tickets and information, call 773-752-3955 or visit www.etacreativearts.org. Playwright Ekundayo Bandele poses the question, “What if Scrooge was a Brother? How would Black culture, which has shifted, splintered, and, in some cases, faded to white, change the dynamics of this famous story?” He continues, “This is the question that I set out to answer, exploring the various characters that make up today’s Black community, which swings
from pervasive poverty all the way to great successes like Mr. Obama’s election as president.” Director Kemati J. Porter adds, “If Scrooge Was a Brother is a joyous celebration of transformation that reminds us that the spirit of Christmas is best expressed through personal sacrifice and change. As we quickly approach a new year, a lesson from this play is: extend an open hand and help someone on their journey. The spirit of Christ-
mas is not just a day, it is a lifetime.” Cast for “If Scrooge Was a Brother” are Reggie Glover (Scrooge), Joseph Shaw (Bob Cratchet), Tierra Whetstone (Mrs. Cratchet/Ghost of Christmas Past), Aaron Norman (Fred/Young Scrooge), Christa Bennett (Tina/Ghost of Christmas Future), Aaron R. Mitchell (Marley/Ghost of Christmas Present), La’Ren Vernea (Belle/Ida), and Akilah Perry (Fran/Harriet). Jimiece J. Gilbert is the female understudy.
eta presents If Scrooge Was a Brother
Jesse Jackson Sr.
Louis Gossett Jr.
About the Chicago Urban League
Johnson Rice, Chairman of Johnson Publishing Company; Ho- locaust survivor and Chicago civilrights activist Hank R. Schwab; legendary actresses Cicely Tyson and Phylicia Rashad; equal rights trailblazers Rev. Addie L. Wyatt and the Rev. Willie T. Barrow, and former Chicago Urban League president James W. Compton. Since its inception the Golden
his portrayal of a tough drill sergeant in “An Officer and a Gentleman.” In 2006, Gossett founded the Eracism Foundation with the mission of eradicating racism through cultural diversity, education, and violence reduction initiatives. Jackson, one of the nation’s foremost civil rights, religious and political figures, will also accept the Edwin C. “Bill” Berry Civil Rights Award that night. Named for the man who led the Chicago Urban League from 19561969, Edwin C. “Bill” Berry was a key leader in the civil rights movement in Chicago. The award is given annually to leaders who make a mark on the nation through hard work, perseverance and creativity. Previous award winners are: Linda
SCROOGE (REGGIE GLOVER) and the Ghost of Christmas Past (Tierra Whetstone).
BLACKS MUST CONTROL THEIR OWN COMMUNITY
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ARTS AND CULTURE
Ford Targets HBCU students with Community Challenge By Michelle MatthewsAlexander Are you a student attending a Historically Black College and University who’s interested in giving back to both your community and your university? If so, Ford is inviting you to enter the Ford Community Challenge Competition for Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU). The competition, which was developed in partnership with Ford Motor Company and the Ford Motor Company Fund will award up to $75,000 in scholarships, university, and community grants to the first-place student team and its project. The Ford HBCU Community Challenge is an extension of one of the Ford Fund’s signature educational programs, The Ford College
Community Challenge. The new program, conducted in partnership with the “Tom Joyner” and “Rickey Smiley Morning Shows,” encourages HBCU students to design community projects that address pressing local needs. The program’s theme is “Building Sustainable Communities.” As part of the program, students are encouraged to creatively address a tangible, unmet community need that touches at least one of these four areas: Mobility, Alternative Energy, Sustainability/Water and Systematic Approaches to Meeting Community Needs. Scholarships will be awarded to the student team, and community grants will be awarded to nonprofits to support implementation of the winning projects. The four teams with the best ideas will be flown to Ford World Head-
Tom Joyner quarters in December to present their ideas for final judging. “We are thrilled to be able to continue in our efforts to support students attending HBCUs with the
launch of this program,” said Shawn Thompson, manager, Ford Multicultural Marketing. “This program will allow students to make a difference in their education, schools and ultimately their communities.” Interested students can learn more about and enter the competition by visiting www.blackamericaweb.com/hbcuchallenge or www.rickeysmileymorningshow.com/hbcuchallenge between now and Nov. 10. “Ford Fund is committed to empowering future leaders through community programs,” said Pamela Alexander, director Community Development, Ford Motor Company Fund. “We are truly excited to partner with the Tom Joyner and Rickey Smiley morning shows to bring this new and innovative initiative to the HBCU community. We are eagerly looking forward to
Rickey Smiley receiving and reviewing the ideas this fall. ” So, what are you waiting for? Be sure to enter the competition today.
Black Is, Black Ain’t The Renaissance Society will present the Black Is, Black Ain’t Book Launch and Symposium on Sunday, December 8, at 2 p.m. at the University of Chicago’s Kent Hall, featuring panelists Thelma Golden, Bennett Simpson, Huey Copeland, Kellie Jones and Hamza Walker. Using the book launch of Black Is, Black Ain’t as the occasion, this symposium’s cast of curators, critics and scholars will reflect on a series of seminal exhibitions from Black Male at the Whitney Museum of American Art in 1994 through Blues for Smoke currently at the Wexner Center for the Arts, and the context in which they were mounted—from the riots ensuing in the wake of the Rodney King beating to Obama’s presidential election. The Renaissance Society’s Associate Curator and Education Director Hamza Walker will kick off the December 8 event with a keynote, after
which each panelist will briefly present, before joining a panel discussion moderated by Copeland. The event is presented with support from The Center for the Study of Race, Politics and Culture at the University of Chicago. Black Is, Black Ain’t is a hardcover 192-page book that features a collection of essays using the artworks in the 2008 Renaissance Society exhibition of the same title as starting places for discussion about the changing rhetoric of race in American culture. Contributing essayists include Huey Copeland, Darby English, Greg Foster-Rice, Amy Mooney, Kym Pinder, Krista Thompson and Kenneth Warren. The book also functions as an exhibition catalogue and includes photo documentation of all of the works in the exhibition. The group exhibition Black Is, Black Ain’t, curated by Hamza
Walker, explored an evolution in the discourse of race from an earlier emphasis on inclusion to a recent shift to racial identity being simultaneously rejected and retained. The exhibition brought together works by 26 Black and non-Black artists whose work together examines a moment where the cultural production of so-called “blackness” is concurrent with efforts to make race socially and politically irrelevant. In 2009, the exhibition traveled to the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit and the H&R Block Artspace at the Kansas City Art Institute. Kent Hall is located at 1020 E 58th St, on the University’s main quadrangle. All of The Renaissance Society’s exhibitions, lectures, musical performances and additional programs are free and open to the public. For more information please visit www.renaissancesociety.org or call 773-702-8670.
“A…My Name is Alice” On Stage at Governors State University This November, you could be one of an intimate group of audience members to witness the return of a true cultural gem – a production from the newly reinstated Theatre and Performance Studies Program at Governors State University. The program, under the direction of GSU’s Dr. Patrick Santoro, kicked off its public performance schedule last April with two sold-out performances of Anne Sexton’s Transformations. Securing a seat to the fall production of “A…My Name is Alice,” on November 6 – 8, promises to be an equally coveted treat. “A…My Name is Alice” is a musical revue conceived by Joan Micklin Silver and Julianne Boyd. Playful, funny, sophisticated, and insightful, it consists of a series of songs and 14
sketches portraying women of all ages and types in a variety of situations and relationships. Alice made its OffBroadway debut in 1983 and offers us a glimpse into the historical fight for gender equality while also asking us to consider women’s experiences and how they have shifted in the last 30 years. The play features a cast of staff and students from GSU and community members. Cast members are Killeen McClowry, of Frankfort; Aarika Hughes, of Monee; Lorell Jones, of Chicago; Lois Nemeth, of Chicago Heights; Deirdre L. Webb, of Chicago Heights, with Music Direction by Dr. Stacy Eckert, Choreography by Megan Lindsay and Stage Management by Joshua Young. Director and Assistant Professor of
Saturday, November 2, 2013
Theatre and Performance Studies at Governors State University, Dr. Patrick Santoro said, “I’ve wanted to direct “A…My Name is Alice” since the 90s when I was first introduced to one of its songs—“The Portrait”— that poetically tells the story of a woman lost in the world remembering her mother. Around the same time, I encountered one of the revue’s scenes—“Hot Lunch”—that captures the exchange between a woman on the street and a male construction worker (also played by a woman) where things go hysterically wrong. I enjoy the fact that “Alice” is both a comedy and a drama, a work that presents a multifaceted look at women’s experiences. While “Alice” will spend much of its time making you laugh, it will also provide more
touching moments.” “A…My Name is Alice” will be presented for three nights only, on Nov 6, 7 and 8, at 8 p.m. Tickets are just $10 for the public and $5 for students. Patrons will be seated on the stage, with performers up close, so only 90 people will be admitted per night. To purchase tickets, or for further
BLACKS MUST CONTROL THEIR OWN COMMUNITY
information, contact GSU Center’s box office at CenterTickets.net or call (708) 235-2222. The box office is open Monday through Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and two hours prior to performances. GSU Center for Performing Arts is located on the campus of Governors State University, 1 University Parkway, University Park. www.chicagocrusader.com
SPIRITUALLY SPEAKING
A Moment to Super Size Your Thinking By Effie Rolfe A true friend is like a book, the inside is better than the cover. Unfortunately, too many people never get a chance to experience the real person because we never get past the surface. While I thank God for friends, I know that God is the ultimate true friend who looks past our cover into the inner heart (1 Samuel 16:7). If God only looked on the outward appearance, some of us would never have a remote chance in life. Thanks to God that Christ is the quintessential friend that embodies unconditional love extending far beyond
the superficial into a lifelong relationship. My former pastor used to always say that friends come to bless your life—correct and protect your life. These persons you have attracted into your inner circle and whom God has strategically given you are there for a reason, season or a lifetime. It’s important to remember that in order to have a great friend you must first show yourself friendly (Proverbs 18:24). So while they are in your life—it’s equally important to honor your friends, as they are required to honor you. A favorite adage states to ‘never look down on someone unless you are picking them up.’ Many
New pastor blends humor and spiritual message By Monifa Thomas On one recent Sunday during the 9:30 a.m. service at St. Mark United Methodist Church, the Rev. P. Devon Brown preached a sermon about people “on the down low.” He wasn’t talking about the more common use of that term - men having relations with men while married to women. But rather, people who have no trouble praying to God at church, but otherwise, keep their faith a secret to their loved ones. Along the way, Brown peppered his sermon with a tad of pop cul-
Rev. P. Devon Brown ture, lots of humor and even more references to the Bible - mixing Beyonce in the same sermon with Nicodemus — to make the point that God is jealous and “wants to be your main squeeze.” That mixture of humor with a more serious message is something of a trademark for Brown, St. Mark’s senior pastor since July after Rev. Dr. Jon E. McCoy was reappointed to a United Methodist Church in Hinsdale, IL. “I’m very intentional about that, partly because I’m just silly,” he laughed, “But also because I feel more comfortable when I can be relaxed up there. And I hope that loosens other people up, too.” Judgwww.chicagocrusader.com
ing by the laughter and the “hmmmmm” agreeing that’s often heard from the audience during Brown’s sermons, it seems to be working. Brown is no stranger to St. Mark. He was an associate pastor at the church from 1992 to 1995. He was born in Fresno, California and raised in Portland, Oregon, but he said their family “moved around a lot with” his father, Lee P. Brown, who was a police administrator and professor. Eventually, he wound up in Atlanta to attend Morehouse College, where he graduated with honors. “When I got to Morehouse College, I had an eye-opening experience about our people and the civil rights movement,” Brown said. “I felt a call to do something for our people, which led me eventually to what I’m doing now, being a pastor.” Brown said although before then, he had never anticipated becoming a pastor, he became a Christian in 1980. Three years later, he accepted a call to ministry. Brown met his wife, the former Sharon Ards, in 1988 at Payne Chapel A.M.E Church in Houston.” I was preaching at a church and someone invited her to come along and hear me speak. “St. Mark is a very active church,” he said. In addition to keeping sermons “engaging and entertaining,” Brown said he hopes to continue attracting new members and keep them coming by having existing members yolk with new members early on to “help them get to know people in the church and plug them into places where they feel comfortable.” Another of his goals at St. Mark, once he gets settled, is to reach out to the community and “make sure we’re doing everything we can beyond the walls of our church,” he added. (Continued on page 17)
Effie Rolfe times when you look down on other people—remember people are not looking up to you. It’s senseless to look down on folk, backstab or walk over people because ultimately whatever you sow to others is what comes back to you creating a boomerang ef-
fect. While I may not be a close friend—it’s OK to be friendly even if at a distance. Uncertainty is a dominant presence in life and in a moment’s notice good fortune can be snatched away into oblivion. That job of 20 years can vanish months before retirement, a tsunami of setbacks might require use of the cash saved for a rainy day and life can be upside down. Let’s make a habit of being kind to others, warm, rendering a smile and whispering a silent prayer. It doesn’t cost you a thing but it returns great dividends. The bottom line is you’re gonna’ need somebody ‘to look beyond your faults and see your needs.’ During your life’s journey, it’s important to have true friendship that transcends the cover. Before passing any judgment or holding a microscope, the Williams Brothers song reminds us to Sweep Around Your Own Front Door before you sweep around mine. You might recall Jim Baker and how Jimmy Swaggart went public to criticize him. A few months later, Swaggart was also
in a scandal after confessing to being in hotel room with a prostitute. Unfortunately, the church was not so forgiving and he ultimately fell from grace. He’s never fully recovered from the scandal—reports indicate before his fall from grace, the tele-evangelist received donations of $500,000 a day. This example is not to criticize or rehash the past, but to serve as a reminder that the natural eye may never see the secrets of the heart. Which one of us doesn’t want God’s gentleness— so be gentle to others? I have learned to give the grace and mercy to others that I so desperately desire in my own life. At all costs, it makes so much more sense and everybody benefits. Have you honored your friendship today….? ©Effie Rolfe is the author of “Supersize Your Thinking,” a Media Personality and Motivational Speaker. You can visit my website: effierolfe.com or follow me at twitter.com/effiedrolfe.
The Crusader Gospel Corner He’s Pastor of the Indiana Avenue Pentecostal Church of God and one of the most powerful men in ministry, who recently celebrated his 90th birthday on October 2, when friends, family and church members gathered to demonstrate an outpouring of love during his birthday dinner at Apostolic Church of God. “It makes me feel uncomfortable when people talk about me—I don’t know what they’re saying or who they are talking about. When I made 23 years old, it came to me that I would live to be 100 years old. The Lord has been good to me,” said Bishop Charles Davis. Close family members call him ‘Papa Chief’ and longtime clergy and friends affectionately refer to Davis simply as “Chief,” “That was a nickname somebody gave me because they said I was too bossy back in the early 70’s,” said the Indiana Avenue Pentecostal pastor. “When I was in the Army they said that when you give a command, say it like you mean it—I don’t want you to misunderstand what I mean because I’m gonna’ tell you,” shared the Mississippi native. Davis is not a man of just words, he walks the walk with action and shared with me his heart’s desire to do the will of God, as well as continue being a blessing to the community. “We should make an impact religiously and socially. It’s not about the titles, so you don’t have to call me
Bishop Charles Davis Bishop Davis…it doesn’t bother me—my name is Charles Davis. I want to do something to help the people,” he said. Soft spoken and laid back, Chief reflected about the struggles of growing up on a farm his family didn’t own, picking and chopping cotton. “I guess I wasn’t a good Negro, I would get on the truck going to the field and they didn’t want me to come back. My Auntie worked for a doctor, so I worked in the doctor’s office and filled prescriptions. The doctor would say ‘Charles take this bottle and fill it up’—he had all the medicines in his office…I did a lot of things,” he said. Also, in between going back and forth between Mississippi and Chicago, Bishop attended school and served three years in the United States Army. “I came back in 1940, it was very difficult to find a job in Chicago during World War II— people
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think that being in Chicago was easy but it was the most segregated city, more so than down south. I grew up on 43rd and St. Lawrence and couldn’t go across Drexel to the theater because they would run you away.” It was in Chicago that he discovered his calling to the ministry, “I didn’t want to be a preacher and had a phobia about preaching. I didn’t want to be a young people’s leader. Sister Anderson asked, ‘did you pray to the Lord and “I said yes, whatever you want me to do I want to be available. Even now I say, show me what you want me to do today…show me how to deal with people. It wasn’t a means of livelihood, I had a job, house—my wife, Geraldine and I had two cars. I didn’t pastor for money—I wanted to serve God. At first, I didn’t want to do it, but then I did it for the service of the Lord and to do the best I can do. I just wanted to be saved. I went to upholstery school and received a certificate from the Army, did wood finishing and I was going to start a business but now I see God didn’t want me to do it,” said Chief. Under Bishop Davis’ leadership since 1970, the Indiana Avenue Pentecostal Church of God has become a beacon of light in the Bronzeville community. The church has purchased several properties and lots to build homes, a community center and (Continued on page 17)
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NEWS
New Olive-Harvey transpo center promises 150 jobs (Continued from page 2) TDL are construction jobs designated for qualified applicants from the South Side area near Olive-Harvey, especially residents of the Eighth Ward and the Tenth Ward. Seats have been reserved for qualified residents without prior training in a special construction-training program offered at City Colleges’ Dawson Technical Institute and ten scholarships have been awarded. Applicants are still encouraged to apply. The facility will include automotive and diesel engine laboratories, an engine dynamometer, classrooms, simulated driving facilities, a testing center and vehicle bays, among other features. To give students hands-on training in the industry, the facility will also feature a high-tech central store warehouse environment that will act as a supply chain hub to efficiently provide office supplies to City Colleges’ seven campuses, six satellites and District Office. The project is targeting LEED Silver certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. “The central store will provide a practical, real-world training ground for students by integrating operations with the curriculum by teaching students how to take orders, how to fill them, and how to do so in a timely manner,” continued Chancellor Hyman. “Our students will learn the key concepts of logistics and supply chain management needs in an organization that is the largest community college system in the state with thousands of employees and students.” FGM Architects and construction
manager Gilbane Building Company have been contracted for the project. Demolition of temporary buildings on the construction site was completed earlier this year. Current TDL programs at City Colleges include logistics (including warehousing and supply chain management), commercial driver training, forklift, automotive technology and public chauffeur courses (taxi and limousine). A brandnew TDL pathway begins with an adult education bridge program and includes stackable basic and advanced certificates and an associate degree. The pathway, designed with input from College to Careers industry partners, allows students to return to the classroom to advance their education and career without credit loss, and articulates to bachelor degree programs. Additional information on the TDL Center project is available here http://www.ccc.edu/colleges/olive-harvey/menu/Pages/tdl-centerproject-overview.aspx). For information about construction jobs, please call 773-916-6001. About City Colleges of Chicago The City Colleges of Chicago (CCC) is the largest community college system in Illinois and one of the largest in the nation, with 5,500 faculty and staff serving 115,000 students annually at seven colleges and six satellite sites city-wide. CCC is in the midst of a Reinvention, a collaborative effort to review and revise programs and practices to ensure students leave CCC collegeand career-ready. Its internationally
MAYOR RAHM EMANUEL explains to an audience recently the impact the new $45 million will have on the state and the local community. About 150 jobs will be created by the center’s presence. renowned College to Careers initia- Harvey College, Harry S Truman the Center for Distance Learning, tive partners with industry-leading College, Harold Washington Col- the Workforce Academy, the public companies to prepare Chicagoans lege and Wilbur Wright College. broadcast station WYCC-TV for careers in growing fields. The system also oversees the Wash- Channel 20 and radio station The City Colleges of Chicago in- burne Culinary Institute, the WKKC-FM 89.3. For more inforcludes seven colleges: Richard J. French Pastry School, two restau- mation about City Colleges of Daley College, Kennedy-King Col- rants, two cafes, a banquet facility, Chicago call 773-COLLEGE or lege, Malcolm X College, Olive- five Child Development Centers, visit www.ccc.edu.
Community group wants city budget to include TIF (Continued from page 3) lion of which has been “allocated,” but for projects not fully specified by the mayor. “That’s a real problem. When did the vote happen on that budget?” Patel said. “The whole city budget is $7 billion, so $1.5 billion is significant money. “This is a massive budget in the City of Chicago, and there is no public process for it,” she added. The Grassroots Collaborative, Patel said, will spearhead its campaign by supporting an ordinance proposed by Ald. Bob Fioretti (2nd) to audit TIF funds and redistribute any surplus to government agen-
cies, primarily Chicago Public Schools. The Rules Committee meets irregularly, did not meet last month and has no meeting yet scheduled ahead of the November City Council session. “We’re ready to put some heat on those aldermen,” Patel said, both those who signed the TIF ordinance and Rules Committee Chairman Ald. Michelle Harris (8th), who did not return calls seeking comment. “That’s the thing about moving things to Rules, is that’s the end of the conversation,” Patel said. “So that’s our focus, certainly through
the budget cycle.” Fioretti cheered the effort to “mobilize around this critical issue,” adding, “The TIF surplus funds should be put back where they belong, in our public schools.” He added that other progressive legislation, such as the privatization transparency ordinance sponsored by Ald. Roderick Sawyer (6th), should also be freed from being “buried” in Rules Committee. The Grassroots Collaborative includes neighborhood groups like Action Now and the Brighton Park Neighborhood Council, as well as union groups including the Chicago Teachers Union.
Black ministers question silence on domestic violence (Continued from page 1) while breast cancer is just as serious of a topic in the community, there is no face that can be viewed as the culprit as there is with domestic violence, which cuts across all racial, gender, sexual orientation, economic, age and religious genres. He said the Black Church knows this and has intentionally ignored the issue. “What continues to be our problem in the Black Church is we don’t speak truth to power,” Jakes said. “We don’t address those things that are really relevant and prevalent to the people that are in the pews. We’d rather talk about those things that get them excited about gaining material things, but we rarely meet them where they are in their private lives. You have over 20 percent of your congregation out there in those pews that are dealing with domestic violence.” Jakes said he was disappointed with the turnout of 40 people last week during a 45-minute screening of the film “Portrait of Abuse: An 16
American Epidemic.” It was followed by a discussion period with Dr. Kristina Peterson, a domestic violence counselor; Deaconess Erica B. Davis, who leads the Domestic Violence Ministry at West Point and actors from Roosevelt University who did domestic violence role play scenarios. Jakes said the small turnout shows just how uncomfortable the community is with discussing the topic of violence in the household. He said a few years ago he preached about the biblical story of Tamar, the daughter of King David, who was raped by her stepbrother and was then shamed by her father afterwards who ostracized her. Her natural brother eventually killed the stepbrother. Jakes said the story made people very uncomfortable as many got up and walked out midway through while others wept in the pews. He said the experience strengthened his resolve on domestic violence and he is committed to keeping the issue at the forefront of
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his ministry. Pastor Keith Gordon of Love of Christ Baptist Church said he rarely hears domestic violence addressed in the Black pulpits. He said he has discussed the topic of sex trafficking and alluded to it in sermons because that is the “new sin in our culture” and young girls are being prostituted by younger and older men for profit and street status. He said he believes much of the problem centers around religious leaders not understanding what is happening in their community, along with domestic violence wrongly being considered an accepted part of family life. “Many Christians believe it is a private thing,” Gordon said. “Many believe that in the Biblical times that it was a common thing happening and was accepted. Even in our Black culture (during slavery), it was just believed that it was just part of marriage. Some would whitewash or rationalize it to say ‘at least he works and brings home a check; he’s not chasing other women; not on drugs
or in jail.’” In the past Gordon’s church has partnered with domestic violence shelters, providing food and clothing. Gordon said many people incorrectly believe incidents of domestic violence will “blow-over” or get better over time and do not realize how many women are rendered homeless because of abuse. He added many ministers are not properly trained Biblically or professionally to handle the challenges that come with domestic violence victims and perpetrators within their congregation. “Until it hits someone personally and someone important and significant in the congregation, I believe unfortunately it will continue to remain a back-shelf issue,” Gordon said. For Davis, she along with Petersen said there are more people who have been victims of domestic violence than people realize. Petersen told the audience she was a victim, even at a time when she was counseling oth-
BLACKS MUST CONTROL THEIR OWN COMMUNITY
ers. Davis testified that people often do not look like what they have been through. Davis said the thing people can do most to help victims is to stand by their side but also stand their ground and let them know the behavior is not right. She said on average it takes victims six or seven times of leaving and coming back before they can finally break ties with their abuser. She said having a strong family and social support structure, along with counseling during and after the abuse ends is a key to moving forward and having a healthy life. Davis said dealing with a friend or family member immediately after abuse has taken place requires the person supporting them to remain calm, rationale and reassuring. “Recent victims of crime and trauma usually have to be calmed down repeatedly. Emotions come in waves,” Davis said. “Reassure them they are safe. Stick by them through the entire process even if that means going to the police station and showing up to court with them.” www.chicagocrusader.com
NEWS
The Modern Slavery and Apartheid (Continued from page 2) In the movie the ‘The Gladiator,’ when the Emperor Commodus was killed by General Maximus, in real life it was an African Septimius Severus, born in today’s Libya, that succeeded Commodus as Emperor of the Romans. Some historians place the first African Pope or Bishop of Rome, Pope Victor I (died 199) on the scene, around the same time as Septimus. In 1777, the African woman Hannah Till cooked for the troops of General George Washington during the American Revolution, in the winter, at Valley Forge. Among the 5,000 African troops, that served Washington, Edward “Ned” Hector, was an artilleryman and teamster. Africans are composers, mathematicians, au-
Pope Victor I thors, and philosophers. The African and greatest classical composer, Ludwig van Beethoven’s (Dec. 16, 1770) mother was a Moor, or Muslim African. Benjamin Banneker, born 1731, a descendant of the Dogon, of Mali Africa was a mathematician, and astronomer, who made the first clock, and almanac, and assisted in drawing up
the boundaries of Washington, D.C. Like this author, Banneker also argued in a letter to Secretary of State, Thomas Jefferson, that Africans such as himself were just as smart, and capable as whites. Marcus Garvey wrote, “Africa has produced countless numbers of men and women, in war and in peace whose lustre and bravery has outshone that of any other people.” Lastly, whatever Africa needs the African Diaspora can help, whether it’s in the field of astronomy, biology, chemistry, earth science, genetics, medicine or physics, and with dual citizenship we could be presidents. Shaka Barak is president of the Marcus Garvey Institute, P.O. Box 1723, Oak Park, Il 60304 708-6135132
CPS gets $2.25 million . . . and the school building. The USDOE’s Office of Safe and Healthy Students manages the PEP grants and supports efforts to create safe schools, ensure the health and well-being of students, teach students good citizenship and character, respond to crises and prevent drug and alcohol abuse. All PEP grant recipients must implement programs that help students make progress toward meeting their state standards for PE. In addition, these programs must undertake 1) instruction in healthy eating habits and good nutrition, and 2) physical fitness activities that include at least one of the following: • Fitness education and assessment to help students understand, improve, or maintain their physical well-
The Crusader Gospel Corner (Cont’d from page 15) more. “I couldn’t do what I was doing for myself and let this church be like it was—I talked to Congressman (Danny) Davis, we own all of the property. Everything was so expensive, the city didn’t own the lots so I couldn’t get anything for $1—the owners owned it and it cost a lot of money. I was not going to build in 1979 because interest was too high, I saved the money, the Lord blessed us and we are doing pretty good—nothing to
boast about,” he said, “I’m the third Pastor—this is Bishop E’s father’s church and then Elder Aikens.” In addition to being pastor, he is also Diocesan of the Sixth Episcopal District of the Pentecostal Assemblies of the World, encompassing the state of Illinois, “We have over 60 churches—I came back to Chicago when Bishop Brazier died.” Davis recalled his 80th birthday celebration and remarks from his longtime friend and late Pastor of Apostolic Church of
God, “Bishop Brazier told me Chief, I didn’t know that many people liked you. I want to thank everyone that came to my birthday and not when I’m in a coffin. I wish I could repay them but I want to say thanks to everyone for the sacrifice to be there and I wish for them longevity as well,” he said. Also during the dinner, he gave accolades to his lovely wife, “If I seem young, it’s because of my wife (Jessie). My first wife was Geraldine, we got married in 1955 and she
died in 1998. Me and Jessie got married in November in 2004.” The young 90-year-old has no plans for retirement, “I thought about it, but when could I do it? I had in mind retiring when I accomplished things—I want to build houses, a school that’s why we bought the property. Just like a merry go round—you don’t know when you can jump—what would be the safety point?” On behalf of Chicago, may God continue to grant you long life.
artist I still use all of these skills, and it is probably no coincidence at all that a great deal of my work and research revolves around AfricanAmerican music.” She explained a bit about her visual works. “Everything I make can be discerned by anyone who cares to spend enough time looking at it or engaging it.” These installations are meant to evoke responses to the environment, so to speak, and urge people to react. “I believe that people can come together to reshape the materials around them into things and ideas that enable
(Continued from page 12) progress and growth. Art is essential in this endeavor.” Ward, dance scholar and choreographer, is the Founder and Artistic Managing Director of Chicago’s Red Clay Dance Company. She holds a M.F.A in Dance from New York University and is proud to be the first recipient of a B.F.A in Dance from Columbia College Chicago. Her work has been presented at festivals throughout the country and the world, including Toubab Dialaw, Senegal, and Kampala, Uganda. She received a 2009 Choreography Award from Harlem Stage NYC for the creation of her
solo work, NEW WORLD AFRIK- AN, which premiered in November 2010 at the Dance Transitions Festival in Kampala, Uganda. Ward has served as an adjunct faculty member and teaching artist with many organizations and institutions in Chicago, and projects include a choreographic collaboration with Ugandan choreographer Jonas Byaruhanga, which will premiere at the Pritzker Pavilion next spring. The first word that came to Ward’s mind when she learned of her award was “confirmation.” She said that a few months ago, she had
stepped out on faith. “I had always worked other jobs to support myself while still making my art, but in August I left a very secure fulltime job to follow my artistic vision full time,” she said. “As nerve racking as it was, I knew it was time. God had spoken this to me, and I just had to stand on His promise to supply me with everything I needed to follow my passion. So when Esther [Grimm, 3Arts Executive Director] called, it was confirmation that I had made the right decision.” Ward says that dance is universal, whether you are in Chicago or across the world. “Dance or motion is used as
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BLACKS MUST CONTROL THEIR OWN COMMUNITY
(Continued from page 10) being, • Instruction in a variety of motor skills and physical activities designed to enhance the physical, mental, and social or emotional development of every student, • Development of and instruction in cognitive concepts about motor skills and physical fitness that support a
lifelong healthy lifestyle, • Opportunities to develop positive social and cooperative skills through physical activity participation, and • Opportunities for professional development for P.E. teachers to stay abreast of the latest research, issues, and trends in the field of P.E.
The Crusader Newspaper Group is interested in our readers’ ideas, thoughts and opinions, whether you’re in Chicago, Northwest Indiana or any part of the U.S. we encourage you to send a letter to the editor at crusaderil@aol.com. Please limit your letters to 200 words.
New pastor blends . . . (Continued from page 15) 9:30 am, and 11:15 am. For About St. Mark United more information, visit www.Methodist Church stmarkumcchicago.org. St. Mark United Methodist LEGAL NOTICE Church, the largest AfricanNotice is hereby given, pursuant to “An Act in to the use of an Assumed Business Name American church in the relation in the conduct or transaction of Business in the United Methodist Northern State,” as amended, that a certification was regisby the undersigned with the County Clerk Illinois Conference, was tered of Cook County. Registration Number: on October 24, 2013 Under the Asfounded on the South Side D13136033 sumed Business Name of WHOLESALE DIof Chicago in 1893. The RECT 2 YOU with the business located at 7807 South Bishop, Chicago, IL 60620. The true mission of St. Mark is to help name(s) and residence address of the owner(s)/is: Darronte Lofton, 7807 South persons grow in their rela- partner(s) Bishop, Chicago, IL 60620. tionships to God through 11/2, 11/9, 11/16 faith in Jesus Christ, to one HOUSES FOR SALE another, and to the larger community, as it implements ministries that make known the Kingdom of God on earth. All are welcome to attend church services held every Sunday at 7:30 am,
a means to explore and express ideas and emotions that we all experience but aren’t always comfortable verbalizing or writing down for fear of judgment.” She added: “Our life journeys are very similar, despite our physical or cultural differences, and dance performances can pull communities together, because we can see these common threads in all our lives.” For Smith and Ward and the other eight 2013 awardees, 3Arts is proud to help make their lives a bit easier. For more information on 3Arts, visit www.3arts.org or call 312-443-9621. Saturday, November 2, 2013
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SPORTS
KKC men’s soccer player garners regional recognition Freshman forward Taiwo Idowu of the Kennedy-King College men’s soccer team (1-12-0), was voted to the National Junior College Athletic Association All-Region IV Team after a vote by region coaches on Oct. 14. In 12 regular-season games, Idowu, who also saw time as a midfielder, led the Statesmen with nine goals and 21 points and tied for team-high honors with three assists. He accounted for 53 percent of the team’s 17 goals and 43 percent of its 49 points. Idowu, a Sullivan High School graduate, contributed to Kennedy-King College’s point production in eight outings, including the Carl Sandburg College game Sept. 13th when he scored twice and provided an assist. He also had two goals against Kishwaukee College on Oct. 12th. “This is a well-deserved honor for Taiwo,” said Kennedy-King head coach Wes Dapkus. “Taiwo is a difference-maker and gamechanger. He has a nose for the ball and is in the right spot at the right time. Taiwo is very talented, but
he’s also the hardest working player – both offensively and defensively – on the field.” Along with his success on the field, Idowu is also committed to his academics at Kennedy-King College, pursuing an associate degree in nursing. About City Colleges of Chicago City Colleges of Chicago is the largest community college system in Illinois and one of the largest in the nation, with 5,800 faculty and staff serving 115,000 students annually at seven colleges and six satellite sites city-wide. City Colleges of Chicago is in the midst of a Reinvention, a collaborative effort to review and revise City Colleges programs and practices to ensure students leave City Colleges college-ready, career-ready and prepared to pursue their life's goals. City Colleges of Chicago offers intercollegiate athletics at six colleges: Richard J. Daley College (men’s and women’s soccer, men’s and women’s basketball), Kennedy-King College (men’s soccer, men’s and women’s basket-
KKC MIDFIELDER TAIWO IDOWU had two two-goal games this season. The Sullivan High School grad has been described as the hardest working player on the field. ball), Malcolm X College (men’s man College (men’s soccer, men’s the National Junior College Athsoccer, volleyball, men’s and and women’s basketball) and letic Association (NJCAA). For women’s basketball), Olive-Har- Wilbur Wright College (men’s and more information about City Colvey College (men’s and women’s women’s basketball). City Col- leges of Chicago, call: (773) COLbasketball, baseball), Harry S Tru- leges of Chicago is a member of LEGE or visit www.ccc.edu.
DLS’s Khalia Powell concludes award-winning tennis season De La Salle Institute’s Khalia Powell recently concluded a tennis season in which she reached a variety of milestones.
Christian Education begun by St. John Baptist de La Salle. Founded in 1889, its mission has been, and is, to foster a desire for excellence in education. Young people from a variety of ethnic and economic backgrounds are given the opportunity to fully develop their abilities so they may be active, contributing members of our complex changing society.
In the Illinois High School Association state tournament, Powell placed 12th as an individual, winning five of her seven matches before losing in the consolation quarterfinals. Powell, a senior, also guided the Meteors to a sevenway tie for 26th place as a team. In singles play on the season, Powell finished 11-0 overall and 8-0 in the Girls Catholic Athletic Conference. She had a total record of 20-3 and set the school record for most wins in a season by an individual. Powell of Woodlawn was the GCAC champion at No. 1 singles, also was named to the AllState Team and is the first female tennis player from De La Salle to qualify for the state tournament three times. As a team, De La Salle placed third in the GCAC and fourth in the IHSA St. Ignatius Sectional De La Salle congratulates head tennis coach Rolando Danzine, Khalia Powell and all the members of the tennis program on all their achievements this season and wishes them every future success. De La Salle Institute is an independent Catholic secondary school rooted in the tradition of www.chicagocrusader.com
De La Salle – Institute Campus for Young Men, 3434 S. Michigan Ave. Chicago, IL 60616
DLS KHALIA POWELL recently became the first player from De La Salle High School to qualify for a state tournament three times. The Woodlawn resident was the Girls Catholic athletic Conference top-rated singles player.
De La Salle – Lourdes Hall Campus for Young Women, 1040 W. 32nd Pl., Chicago, IL 60608
St. Frances de Sales advances to title match The St. Frances de Sales girls volleyball team handily defeated Providence-St. Mel 25-28 and 25-16 recently and advanced to the Class A regional championship game. The Pioneers were led by Stephanie Galan and Keara Cunningham who had eight kills and four blocks. One of the blocks thwarted a Providence-St. Mel surge early in the second game. Galan had 14 assists and seven kills. Late in the second game she
recorded her key dig when St. Frances was already ahead. Erika Galan, younger sister of Stephanie, had seven assists, three aces and three kills. Several other St. Frances players were instrumental in the wins, including Bianca Garcia with six digs and two aces; Mayra Munoz had eight digs, six service points and four kills. Jensen Hunt registered a service ace and three kills. Jailin Burchette had two kills.
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THE ST. FRANCES DESALES championship bound volleyball team is one victory away from becoming the regional champions. Saturday, November 2, 2013
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