12 19 2012

SESQUICENTENNIAL

VOL. 61, No. 50

December 13 - 19, 2012

www.tsdmemphis.com

75 Cents

Pastors for Pre-K The New Tri-State Defender

“In the present, the college is fiscally sound, more now than all the years Iʼve been affiliated with the college as a student, a member of the board of trustees, and now as president.” – LOC President Johnnie B. Watson (Photo by Karanja A. Ajanaku)

The LeMoyne-Owen College at 150 Good morning, Mr. President!

Part I

Special to The New Tri-State Defender

by Marcey Evans

(Marcey Evans graduated from The LeMoyne-Owen College Summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts in Humanities/ Journalism degree in December 2007. This conversation with LOC President Johnnie B. Watson is the first segment of a two-part look at the college as it celebrates its sesquicentennial.)

Marcey Evans: The LeMoyne-Owen College has been around for 150 years! Wow, that’s amazing. But I want to start with the nuts and bolts. How many years have you

been LeMoyne-Owen’s president?

President Johnnie B. Watson: Since August 2006. I was interim president for two years and was unanimously selected president in 2008. I’m glad they (college’s board of trustees) kept me around that long!

ME: So they didn’t have to think hard about that decision – unanimously?

President Watson: It was unanimous, the interim appointment, as well as the (presidential) appointment at the college. When you’re unanimously selected by your board, you don’t go in with problems. So I didn’t inherit a divided board and that was a good thing.

ME: That makes the job easier, but you still had your work cut out for you. You had a great board behind you but your leadership was noteworthy, to say the least.

President Watson: It was cut out for us because the college was in trouble. The college was in so much trouble that the accrediting agency, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, put us on probation for fiscal instability. We just didn’t have any money in the bank. At that time, we Marcey had a cumulative deficit Evans of $1.5 million. We no longer have a cumulative deficit. We have a composite score. A composite score is what institutions use to lend you money.

ME: Is it measured on a scale?

President Watson: The highest is 3.0, and we have a 2.9. (It’s a financial stability scale.)

The United Negro College Fund, UNCF, conducted a study of its member institutions and, of the 38 member institutions, LeMoyneOwen ranked eleventh in fiscal health. So, by all criteria, we’re fiscally on our feet. And that’s a statement for any historically black college to make.

SEE COLLEGE ON PAGE 6

The Rev. Brandon Walker felt a tug on his heart as he and the Rev. DeAndre Brown moved among the children at Ross Elementary School on Tuesday. The two pastors were on hand to draw the public’s attention to the “positive impact of high-quality early education.”

“I am a product of Head Start and I personally know the value of an early education,” Pastor Walker told The New Tri-State Defender.

“Looking at the faces of the students in Mrs. Renita Armstrong’s prekindergarten class was second to none. I listened as they told me what they wanted to be when they grow up.

Some said police officers, others said doctors, and one African-American boy said he wanted to be the president of the United States.”

As he left the classroom, something came to Walker’s mind.

“No one in the room said they wanted to be unemployed, homeless, on drugs, or locked up in prison,” recalled Walker of Shepherding the Next Generation-Shelby County. “No one desires to be in any of those situations, but yet the research shows those are the harsh realities of many who did not have access to a highquality pre-k program with a highquality teacher.”

Representing more than 100 faith leaders across Shelby County who are members of the nonprofit Shepherding the Next Generation, Walker and Brown called on state and local policymakers to maintain and increase investments in high-quality pre-kindergarten programs.

At a press conference, the two pastors were joined by Sam O’Bryant, a Community Engagement Manager with the Memphis City Schools Foundation, and Laura McNary, a TEM 5 Professional teacher, who teaches kindergarten at Ross Elementary School.

Following the remarks, the pastors read to children in three of the pre-k classrooms.

“Long-term studies show that atrisk children who attend high-quality pre-kindergarten are more likely than non-participants to succeed in school, SEE PRE-K ON PAGE 6

- INSIDE -

• Holiday parties, yes; pity parties, no! See Religion, page 8.

• Author tackles Memphis’ “greatest football player.”

See Entertainment, page 11.

New pastor recommended for Mississippi Boulevard

by Deborah Powell Alexander dpowell@tri-statedefender.com

The Rev. Jason Lawrence Turner – senior pastor of Community Baptist Church of New Haven, Conn. since 2006 – has been recommended to become the new senior pastor of Mississippi Boulevard Christian Church.

Turner will be introduced to the Mississippi Boulevard Christian Church (MBCC) congregation on Jan. 13. MBCC East will merge with the MBCC Bellevue location for the 10 a.m. service when Rev. Turner will deliver the sermon.

A congregational meeting will follow the Jan. 13 service to determine whether Rev. Turner will be ap-

Members of Mississippi Boulevard Christian Church listen intently as the announcement is made about the recommendation of the Rev. Jason Lawrence Turner for the churchʼs senior pastor position. (Photo by Deborah Powell Alexander) pointed as the new senior pastor. If approved, Turner would succeed Senior Pastor Dr. Frank A. Thomas.

The announcement about Turner came during a congregational meeting at the church on Monday evening, Dec. 10. The Pulpit Com-

mittee reported that after an intense search and review of several hundred applicants for the position of senior pastor, the committee selected three candidates who met all the criteria.

Committee members interviewed and visited each candidate, and de-

The Rev. Jason Lawrence Turner and his wife, Bridgett Nicole Turner. (Courtesy photo)

cided to recommend only one to the Church Council and congregation for a final decision.

A letter from Glen J. Stewart, regional minister and president of SEE PASTOR ON PAGE 6

Financial literacy program gets South Memphis focus

“Bank On Memphis” – a financial literacy program that debuted in 2011 – has been fine-tuned and given a sharper focus.

The program’s relaunch is a collaboration that features Mayor A C Wharton Jr. and David Lenoir, Shelby County Trustee. Wharton and Lenoir are moving forward with the program thanks to a $10,000 contribution from Regions Bank. The funds are directed toward the costs of outreach, including a renewed mar-

keting push.

The South Memphis area now is the focus of “Bank On Memphis,” which begin in March 2011. At the time, the focus was countywide, with an eye toward reaching an estimated 96,000 unbanked or underbanked residents.

What’s the goal?

At the core, “Bank On Memphis” is designed to detail the banking process and its benefits. The mission includes finding ways to lower barri-

ers that the poor encounter in depositing money. Another element is trying to reduce the numbers of people who opt for more expensive fi-

nancial options – such as title loans and payday loans – when lower-interest financing choices are available.

“Bank On Memphis” will work with Wharton’s Innovation Delivery Team, which is funded by the Bloomberg Foundation. The innovation team has targeted a reduction of gun violence and the growth of small, locally-owned businesses in SEE UNBANKED ON PAGE 7

• Tigers on a roll with Louisville lurking. See Sports, page 14.

MEMPHIS WEEKEND

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

SUNDAY

H -59o - L-49o Part l y Cl oud y

H- 6 1 o - L - 4 9 o Few Sho wers

H- 6 2 o - L - 4 3 o C l ou dy

REGIONAL TEMPS LITTLE ROCK NASHVILLE JACKSON, MS

Friday H-59 L-48 H-59 L-45 H-65 L-49

Saturday H-67 L-45 H-55 L-53 H-68 L-58

Sunday H-62 L-41 H-61 L-48 H-67 L-47

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December 13 - 19, 2012

Tri-State Defender

NEWS

Tri-State Defender

Page 3

December 13 - 19, 2012

Polls show Obama has more public support in fiscal cliff talks CNN

by Ashley Killough

As President Barack Obama and House Speaker John Boehner hash out a deal to avert the fiscal cliff, new polls indicate the president has more support from the American public than his political opponent.

Nearly half of Americans – 49 percent – say they approve of Obama’s handling of the negotiations, while a quarter say Boehner is doing a good job, according to a new ABC News/Washington Post poll released Wednesday.

At the same time, 42 percent say they disapprove of the president’s performance, compared to 49 percent who disapprove of Boehner’s role in the talks.

The White House and Congress are in the midst of a pressing, end-of-the year deadline to find a deficit-reduction deal before a large amount of tax increases and spending cuts kick in at the start of next year.

The sum could make a significant dent on the economy, with some experts predicting another recession as a result.

Officials familiar with the deal confirmed Tuesday that the two men had spoken over the phone following a new counter-offer proposed by the GOP that same day. The new offer came one day after the White House gave its own new proposal, which included a new revenue number of $1.4 trillion, down from the $1.6 trillion that the Obama administration originally proposed.

The president has adopted a public strategy that includes making campaign-style stops to sell his proposal to the American people. That’s in addition to holding meetings with business and labor leaders, a tactical move to build pressure on Congress through the public.

According to the poll, Obama seems to have more support from his own party than Boehner does from the GOP. Eighty percent of Democrats approve of the president, while only 38 percent feel the same way about Boehner.

Meanwhile, a new Bloomberg National Poll indicates that nearly two-thirds of the public, including nearly 50 percent of Republicans, think that because Obama recently won re-election, he has a mandate to oversee certain provisions during his second term, including an increase in tax rates for the very wealthy.

The poll lines up with other surveys out this month that indicated the same feeling among a majority of Americans.

Sixty-five percent say Obama should raise rates for households making more than $250,000 a year, and nearly as many people – 64 percent –

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say the president’s re-election means he should protect Social Security from major budget cuts. Sixty-two percent of Americans say he also has a mandate to protect Medicare from fundamental change.

However, Boehner and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell urged the president Tuesday to name serious cuts to entitlement programs, say-

ing true deficit reduction will mostly come through slashing the budget.

A third poll shows that six in 10 Americans think the major elements of the fiscal cliff would have a negative impact on the country. If Congress fails to pass a deal, a strong majority of Americans say that the resulting tax increases would have a bad effect on the

economy, according to the Gallup survey released Tuesday.

Sixty-nine percent say the automatic spending cuts that will trigger at the beginning of the year say they will be harmful, while 64 percent say major cuts in defense spending will have a negative impact.

For the ABC News/Washington Post poll, 1,018 of

adults were interviewed by telephone from December 5 through December 9. The poll has a sampling error of plus or minus four percentage points.

In the Bloomberg National Poll, 1,000 adults were interviewed by telephone from December 7 through December 10, with a sampling error of plus of minus 3.1 percentage points.

For the Gallup survey, 1,069 adults were questioned by telephone from December 8 through December 9, with a sampling error of plus or minus four percentage points.

(CNN Political Editor Paul Steinhauser and CNN Senior Congressional Producer Deirdre Walsh contributed to this report.)

Page 4

John H. Sengstacke Publisher (1951 - 1997)

The Mid-Southʼs Best Alternative Newspaper

A Real Times Newspaper

OPINION

Tri-State Defender

December 13 - 19, 2012

• Bernal E. Smith II President / Publisher • Dr. Karanja A. Ajanaku Executive Editor

Israel, Gaza and the need for an AfricanAmerican voice

by Bill Fletcher and Angela Gilliam

Republicans are driving in the wrong direction

Kasandra Perkins and her daughter. (Photo: Facebook)

What about Kasandra?

By now, it’s old news that Kasandra Perkins was murdered by Kansas City Chiefs football player Jovan Belcher, who was her boyfriend and the father of her daughter.

By now we’ve read about how great a teammate Belcher was, how dedicated to his girlfriend and daughter. We’ve read his hardscrabble story of moving from the University of Maine, hardly a football powerhouse, to a coveted slot in the NFL. Belcher has been humanized, even enshrined, as his friends have talked about him not having a violent bone in his body.

What about Kasandra?

It has been disturbing that the news focused mostly on Jovan (yes, I know, he was the famous one), with a focus on Kasandra only later in the week. Her friends said they did not want her life to be overshadowed by the sympathetic coverage of Jovan.

While Jovan Belcher was clearly a troubled man, the bottom line is that Jovan Belcher murdered Kasandra Perkins. Not just shot her, he murdered her. And then he killed himself.

Yes, this is a tragedy, but it is also a murder, so let’s not use euphemisms, let’s just call it what it is.

The news reports that Belcher was angry because Kasandra Perkins went to a concert and came home at about one in the morning. But another report says that he was parked outside some other woman’s house in the middle of the night. Go figure.

What do we know about Kasandra Perkins?

The 22-year-old woman from Texas aspired to be a teacher and was studying at a local community college. She had a 3-month-old child, Zoey. She made friends easily and worked with other wives and girlfriends of Chiefs players. She enjoyed going out with friends. There is probably lots more to her story, but it has been scantily reported.

Nobody knows what goes on in a relationship except those who are in it. So it is also disturbing to see Belcher’s friends take to the media to describe the relationship as troubled and to suggest that Kasandra is at fault for her own murder. According to some, she provoked her own murder by staying out late at night.

Guess what? Belcher’s mother was caring for their infant. Sounds like a control issue to me.

Too often, men beat and even kill women when they step outside their sphere of control. Women are beaten or killed because they didn’t cook dinner, because they raised their voice, because they chose to spend time with friends or family, because, because. This violence does not know race, class or gender, though different groups have different levels of violence. While 1.5 million women experience domestic violence annually, African-American women are 35 percent more likely than white women to be battered.

Without mentioning names, the Kansas City Chiefs called for a moment of silence for victims of domestic violence during the game that Jo-

Tri-State Defender Platform

1. Racial prejudice worldwide must be destroyed.

2. Racially unrestricted membership in all jobs, public and private.

3. Equal employment opportunities on all jobs, public and private.

4. True representation in all U.S. police forces.

5. Complete cessation of all school segregation.

6. Federal intervention to protect civil rights in all instances where civil rights compliance at the state level breaks down

van Belcher did not play. With football as the focus, they did not have the grace to mention Kasandra Perkins by name. It would have made a difference if they had. Despite the fact that Belcher Julianne was a member of Malveaux the KC team, there is a villain Kasandra and a victim in Perkins isn’t this incident. the only woman This type of viwho has been olence is such an that the murdered by a epidemic Violence Against husband or Women Act boyfriend.

(VAWA) was passed in 1994.

According to the Department The act established an office in of Justice, the Department three women of Justice works are killed by to prevent violence, and allospouses or partners every cated $1.6 billion to work on vioday. lence against women issues, including strengthening existing state laws and raising awareness of this issue.

Now the law is up for reauthorization, and some Republicans are holding it up because they do not agree with protections for Native American women, immigrant women, and people in same-sex couples. We know that VAWA is effective. Since its passage, intimate partner violence has dropped by about 60 percent, but it didn’t save Kasandra Perkins. If nothing else, her brutal murder reminds us why this act is so important.

Jovan Belcher had a temper, drank heavily, and had at least eight guns.

Some say he had suffered multiple head injuries playing football. That’s no excuse for a murder so brutal that he shot Kasandra nine times. And the stories about his supposed nonviolence is contradicted by some of his college behavior, including punching through a window when he was frustrated by a girlfriend who did not want to see him. This man was a serious candidate for anger management!

Kasandra Perkins isn’t the only woman who has been murdered by a husband or boyfriend. According to the Department of Justice, three women are killed by spouses or partners every day. I don’t want to hear about the tragedy of football player Jovan Belcher. I want to mourn Kasandra and the many women like her. And in her name, and in the name of others, we must all fight to get the Violence Against Women Act renewed.

(NNPA columnist Julianne Malveaux is a Washington, D.C.based economist and writer. She is President Emerita of Bennett College for Women in Greensboro, N.C.) DISTRIBUTION: Tri-State Defender is available at newsstands, street sales, store vendors, mail subscription and honor boxes throughout the Greater Memphis area. No person may, without prior written permission of the Tri-State Defender, reprint any part of or duplicate by electronic device any portion without written permission. Copyright 2012 by Tri-State Defender Publishing, Inc. Permission to Publisher, Tri-State Defender, 203 Beale Street, Suite 200, Memphis, TN. 38103. Back copies can be obtained by calling the Tri-State Defender at (901) 523-1818, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays.

I am constantly amazed by the lack of any meaningful, insightful postelection analysis on the various media outlets (radio, TV, newspapers).

You would think that everyone is hanging out at the same places because all the analysis seems to be the same: “Republicans have to find a way to garner more of the Hispanic vote.”

So, if I am to believe these socalled analysts, the black vote is irrelevant and non-existent. The black vote is rarely mentioned as being important to either party. Democratic analysts treat the black vote as just a given – Blacks will vote Democratic.

Therefore, there is no need to discuss them. In other words, they are taken for granted. On the Republican side, the black vote is simply ignored and considered a waste of time as I was told in no uncertain terms by some in the Mitt Romney camp.

This is what the so-called experts are missing: According to the Census Bureau, there are about 50 million Hispanics in the U.S. Approximately 12 million are believed to be in the country illegally. So, that leaves 38 million Hispanics who are Americans. Of the 38 million, approximately 40 percent are voting age population (VAP). Therefore there are about 15 million Hispanics that are eligible to vote.

Hispanics are approximately 16 percent of the nation’s population, but only 10 percent of eligible voters.

Even worse, only 7 percent vote. The Hispanic population of eligible voter is smaller than any other group (VAP). The VAP for whites is more than 77 percent, for Blacks 67 percent, and for Asians 52 percent.

Approximately 69 percent of black VAP and 58 percent of Hispanic VAP are registered to vote; there are more than 7 million people in each group of VAP who are not registered to vote. According to the Pew Hispanic Center, more than 25 million blacks were eligible to vote in November.

For whites, the figure was 152 million. Each group alone was larger than the Hispanic electorate.

As you know, Hispanics are an ethnic group, not a race. And they can self-identify as either black or white.

Even in reaching out to Hispanics, some GOP handlers are ignoring the fact that there are black Hispanics So, all the hype about the power of the Hispanic vote is just that – hype.

Raynard Jackson

But, the bigger message to the Republican Party is: Stop picking various demographic groups to be your flavor of the month. Go after all the votes in earnest.

And while they are at it, pay more attention to the black vote. It’s simple arith-

metic.

When you understand the story of the Cadillac car, you will then understand the opportunity the Republican Party is in danger of blowing. If Republicans continue to have leadership that views the black vote as a waste of time, then the party will go down the path the Cadillac was on.

What saved Cadillac was new leadership that busted down the door to the corporate suite and basically demanded a change in policy toward the black community. That change of policy saved Cadillac from extinction just as a change of policy can save for the Republican Party from walking down a similar path.

But who is that leader? Who is willing to kick the door down and demand a change in policy? Is it current party chairman, Reince Preibus? Is New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie? Is it Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal? Or is it us? Is it that man in the mirror?

What are we black Republicans willing to do to force change upon our party? I have tried but I can’t do it alone. Who is prepared to join me?

Who is willing to stop looking for validation from whites within the party? Who is willing to forego being invited to “the Christmas party” just for the photo-op?

These questions will be answered by early next year. Time is not on the side of the Republican Party. The car is in the mechanic’s shop; but what Republican mechanic (i.e. leader, consultant, or operative) can take a 20th century car and convert it into a 21st century Cadillac?

(Raynard Jackson is president and CEO of Raynard Jackson & Associates, LLC., a Washington, D.C.-based public relations/government affairs firm. He can be reached through via www.raynardjackson.com.)

WEB POSTS

From our online readers at www.tsdmemphis.com

Titans tap ‘Coach of the Year’ Edition: TSD Digital Daily POST: Congratulations to Rodney Saulsberry for (being selected) the 2012 Titans High School Football Coach of the Year. You did the great job. Keep it up......

Perfect ending for Whitehaven Edition: Dec. 6-12, 2012 POST: …these guys suck. The refs cheated the whole game!

POST: We are proud of the hard work and winning ways of the Whitehaven High School football team.

Congrats to the new state champs.

Bankruptcy: Chapter 13; Wage earner advantages Edition: Nov. 22-28, 2012

POST: This is great information for everyone to read. Very clear and very informative. Even people who don’t see themselves as being in financial trouble at the moment should still read this. I don’t think people realize all the options and procedures that are available to people in financial difficulty.

Bankruptcy & Chapter 7: ‘Fresh start’ Edition: Nov. 15-21, 2012 POST: This article is what people should be reading if they are worried about bankruptcy. If people are worried, then make yourself prepared for what is coming. As well as bankruptcy worries there’s the worries of repossession. Getting reliable repossession information can be a huge nightmare as well, similar to finding reliable bankruptcy information.

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(NNPA) – We, as African Americans, simply could not remain silent when word broke of the Israeli bombings of Gaza. Along with Cornel West and others, we circulated a petition condemning the aggression and demanding an end to the occupation.

While most of the mainstream media immediately jumped to the defense of Israel, the African-American political establishment remained silent about the entire episode.

We cannot cede our voices on foreign policy to others. African Americans have a moral and economic stake in the outcome of the IsraeliPalestinian conflict. The United States sends 8.5 million tax dollars a day to Israel. Both former US President Jimmy Carter and past South African President Nelson Mandela, among others, compare the occupation of Palestine with South African apartheid.

The most recent Israeli government attack on Gaza was an example of brutal violence. The power relationship between Israelis and Palestinians is asymmetric. That’s another way of saying, “Israelis hold disproportionate strength over Palestinians.” Not only does Israel possess one of the strongest military establishments in the world, but that country is also a nuclear state, retaining at least one hundred nuclear weapons as well as delivery capability.

On the other hand, the Palestinian rocket fire that is highlighted in the media is no match for Israel’s military power. The lopsided casualties – six Israelis and conservatively more than 150 Palestinians killed – tell the story. It is as if the Pittsburgh Steelers were “defending themselves” against a pre-Kindergarten ankle biter football team.

Gaza has been blockaded ever since the people there voted in 2006 for Hamas to lead them. The blockade causes significant scarcity of medical supplies and treatment, food, and greatly restricts movement of Palestinians. Despite global protests that such actions constitute “collective punishment” and under the Geneva Convention are unlawful, the Israeli government has carried out horrendous military assaults on Gaza resulting in widespread devastation, food insecurity and over,1000 mostly civilian causalities in the 2008 air strikes alone.

In the immediate case, there have been military clashes between Israeli government and various Palestinian groups in Gaza. What was extraordinary about the circumstances leading to the November 2012 crisis was that a cease fire had been negotiated between Israel and Hamas.

The cease-fire, mediated by Egypt, was broken within two days by the Israeli assassination of the Hamas military commander, Ahmed alJaabari, quickly followed by Israeli air strikes. Most of the victims of the strikes have once again been civilian, and disproportionately children.

Though a new cease fire was arranged through the assistance of the Egyptian government, underlying problems remain. Israel has officially ignored all United Nations resolutions calling for their withdrawal from the Occupied Territories, and refuses to permit Palestinians the internationally recognized “right of return” to lands from which they were driven beginning in 1947. Thus, more and more Palestinian land is devoured in ways that are reminiscent of the treatment of the indigenous peoples of North America and the black majority in apartheid-era South Africa.

The Obama administration has had an opportunity to break from the past U.S. unconditional support for Israel and strike a more balanced stance that could play a meaningful role in negotiating for a lasting and just peace in the Middle East. Unfortunately, the Obama administration immediately endorsed the actions by the rightwing Israeli government. Instead, the U.S. should cease providing military assistance to Israel and stop the economic aid that permits Israel to thumb its nose not only at the Palestinians and the United Nations but most of the world’s people as well.

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NATION / WORLD

Tri-State Defender

December 13 - 19, 2012

FAMU lands on probation CNN

by George Howell Florida A&M University, under fire in the hazing death of a drum major and over its finances, was put on probation for one year by an accrediting agency, officials said Tuesday (Dec. 11).

FAMU expects more details of the sanction within the next week, the Tallahassee institution said in a statement.

Administrators learned from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges that FAMU’s accreditation is in jeopardy. The loss of accreditation would put thousands of students at risk of not being eligible for federal financial aid.

The regional accrediting agency has expressed concerns about academic policies, student rights, the control of finances and the institutional

environment, according to FAMU. It asked the university to provide information about policies that protect students when they participate in university-sanctioned events.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement separately investigated alleged “financial irregularities” involving the marching band.

“It is important to emphasize that FAMU remains an accredited institution, even while under the probation sanction from SACSCOC,” interim university President Larry Robinson in a statement. “We are committed to addressing the areas of concern, and ensuring that FAMU is compliant with all SACSCOC accreditation standards.”

The probation comes as a Florida circuit court judge weighs whether to dismiss a civil lawsuit brought by the family of drum major Robert

‘Drum major’ inscription gets the boot

WASHINGTON (CNN) – The controversial “drum major” inscription on the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial on the National Mall in Washington will be removed rather than replaced under a plan announced Tuesday by federal officials.

Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said in a news release that the move followed consultation with a “range of stakeholders” who concurred with the decision.

Initially, plans called for the quote to be corrected. But the original sculptor, Lei Yixin, said removal was the best way to ensure the structural integrity of the memorial, the National Park Service said.

The site features a commanding 30-foot statue of King, arms folded across his chest, emerging from a “Stone of Hope.”

The quote in question – one of more than a dozen on the site – is inscribed on one side of the stone. The abbreviated and paraphrased version of the line sparked controversy in 2011 when acclaimed poet and author Maya Angelou said it made the civil rights leader appear to be arrogant.

The line reads: “I was a drum major for justice, peace and righteousness.”

In fact, King’s original words, from a 1968 sermon at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, were: “If you want to say that I was a drum major, say that I was a drum major for justice. Say that I was a drum major for peace. I was a drum major for righteousness.

And all of the other shallow things will not matter.”

Angelou said that leaving out the “if” changes the meaning.

Champion Jr., 26.

Champion died in November 2011 after being beaten on a bus in Orlando, Florida, after a football game at which the school’s famed marching band performed.

The hazing was part of a ritual known as crossing the bus, in which pledges attempt to run down the center aisle from the front door of the bus to the back while being punched, kicked and assaulted by senior members, band members have said.

In September, FAMU responded to the lawsuit by filing court documents saying that the institution was not responsible for Champion’s death. The school asserted that Champion broke the law and school policies when he willingly took part in the hazing that killed him.

“My reaction is that the school did not take the responsibility to keep my son safe,” Robert Champion Sr. said.

The plan announced Tuesday will be submitted to the Commission of Fine Arts and the National Capital Planning Commission in January for their review, according to the Interior Department.

The news release included a comment from Bernice A. King, King’s youngest daughter and CEO of the King Center in Atlanta.

“We are grateful that Secretary Salazar’s office and the National Park Service has taken such care to maintain the spirit and appearance of such an important monument to our country’s history and my father’s memory,” she said.

The memorial will remain open to visitors during the work, but some of the statue will be covered at certain times.

The project will begin in February or March, after the annual King birthday observance.

Nelson Mandela (Photo by Yazbek/Nelson Mandela Foundation)

Mandela treated for lung infection (CNN) – Nelson Mandela’s current hospitalization is due to a lung infection, authorities said Tuesday (Dec. 11).

Doctors were treating Mandela and he was responding to treatment, a statement from President Jacob Zuma’s office said.

Mandela, 94, was hospitalized over the weekend at a Pretoria facility but the exact nature of his ailment had not been released.

Tuesday’s statement said he had a recurrence of a previous lung infection.

The global icon and former South African leader spent 27 years in prison as retribution for fighting racial segregation in South Africa.

He became president in 1994, four years after he was freed.

Michaela Angela Davis looks to ‘Bury the Ratchet’ NewsOne

by Hannington Dia During an interview with television personality Jacque Reid last week, writer and image activist Michaela Angela Davis announced a new campaign, “Bury the Ratchet,” aimed at improving the depictions of African-American women in mainstream media.

The “Bury the Ratchet” campaign specifically targets African-American women who live in Atlanta, Ga., because of reality shows such as “The Real Housewives of Atlanta.” According to Davis, when people encounter African-American women from Atlanta, “the first image

that comes to mind is m e a n , gold-digg i n g women. It has bec o m e completely evident that there has been a Michaela Angela Davis brand of women from Atlanta that are adverse to what most of these women are like.

Which is why Davis is starting this campaign, “The goal is to get the spotlight off the ratchetness and on the successful women in Atlanta.”

Consequently, Davis will

launch a symposium at Spelman College in March 2013, where she will engage other African-American leaders in analyzing how reality television is harming AfricanAmerican culture. “Bury the Ratchet” will then pool its resources into creating a public service announcement showing how young African-American women feel about their depictions in the media.

But can this really help change what women think of these reality programs without removing them from the air?

Davis seems confident it can.

“We want to change the mind of young women who absorb these images,” she said. “The first thing we are doing is giving them a voice.”

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Christian Church in Tennessee Disciples of Christ, shed light on the selection process.

“A part of the process is to propose one candidate to the Church Council and the congregation of the church. This is done because it has been found that to put more than one name before the congregation often divides a congregation,” Stewart wrote. “Secondly, strict confidentiality is needed by

COLLEGE

NEWS

pastors being interviewed. The presentation of multiple candidates would make confidentiality impossible.

“Further, Rev. Frank the reason A. Thomas this pulpit committee has been called to find your next pastor is because we trust these people and we trust that

God will work through them to find the right person to lead our congregation. I know you thrust every member of this committee just as I do.”

Rev. Turner attends Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School in Rochester, N.Y. and anticipates a Doctor of Ministry in May 2014. He’s a graduate of Yale University Divinity School, where he received his Masters of Divinity in May, 2006. Turner also has Bachelor of Arts degree (magna cum laude) (May, 2003).

CONTINUED FROM FRONT

ME: I’m in amazement right now, trying to take it all in because I was a student when the morale slumped. We (students and faculty) all had our eyes on you. You really had your work cut out for you and we wondered how you were going to meet the challenges that we knew you faced. One thing I can say as a former student under your presidency, you came in with transparency that we were not familiar with.

President Watson: You could write this story without interviewing me! (Laughs)

ME: (Laughs) Yes, we were all watching. Things were different before you but when you came, you opened your doors.

You had an open-door policy and we were amazed by that.

As journalism students, we were talking and we wanted to come into your office and ask some questions! So, how did you face those numbers – the deficit? What was your plan?

President Watson: I give the board credit for selecting me because I had experience.

Having served as a superintendent of a large urban school system, I had a whole lot of political experience and a whole lot of battles under my belt. As a member of the board of trustees at the time, I was also aware of the problems on the campus. One was the faculty.

The faculty had taken a vote of “no confidence” in the president and vice president and, being aware of that, my first day on the job I met with the president of the faculty organization and asked the president of the faculty organization to appoint two faculty members to serve on the president’s cabinet. That was unprecedented.

Other presidents, who had been college presidents longer than I had, told me it wouldn’t work… My leadership style is one of shared decision-making.

I truly believe in participatory management.

ME: I want to put a pin in that – shared decision-making and participatory management.

I’m sure they (faculty) had a lot to say. At first, when they felt like they didn’t have a voice, we felt their energy in the classroom. I think it reflects when a person feels as though they’re not being heard. We (students) didn’t know what was going on, but we could feel something. So how did adding faculty to your cabinet turn the tide?

President Watson: My slogan was “A part of – not apart from.” That’s a slogan I use to start almost every campus meeting, letting everyone know that they’re a part of – not apart from – the decisionmaking process.

Also, I am accessible to students. A former student contacted me once for a recommendation and visit. She said she heard I was very accessible and came to test it.

The secretary told her, “He’s free now. Would you like to walk in?” She walked into my office and we had a conversation. The word gets around. Students know they can come in and sometimes they come in very frustrated, but I listen, even when I have to direct them back to their department chair. Many times, they’ll say they’ll drop it, after talking to me.

Sometimes, people just want the opportunity to vent and to interact with the top person.

My work style is such that I have time to do that. When you look at my desk, you won’t see my desk cluttered with papers that belong on someone else’s desk.

ME: But how? How do you do that?

President Watson: I’ve learned how. When I became superintendent, I made the decision to visit every school in

Tri-State Defender

December 13 - 19, 2012

The senior college of 1908 (Courtesy photo)

NEXT: The state of the college: A look at The LeMoyne-Owen College today from faculty, student and alum perspectives. the system each year that I was superintendent. So, I had to plan my work. When I get the morning’s mail, it will usually be on the proper desk by the evening’s mail. People don’t mind doing their jobs, if you give it to them in a timely manner. Some administrators get information that needs to be routed to someone else, but they won’t route it. They will have it two weeks and send it to the (correct) person 24 hours before it’s due. I’m not going to do that. If it gets on my desk today and I’m in the office, it will get off my desk today.

ME: (Laughs) You make is sound so simple.

President Watson: Look how long I’ve been doing it!

(Laughs) I learned a lot from Dr. Willie Herenton and his leadership style, when I worked as deputy superintendent for Memphis City Schools.

I did the day-to-day operations of the system… I really acquired the skills by the volume of the work. I had to move it quickly. So, I give him credit for entrusting me with that opportunity…

When you think about the past of LeMoyne-Owen College, we have had some trying situations. We have had a yellow fever epidemic, we have had a major race riot, we’ve had students arrested during the sit-in demonstrations of the late 1950s and early 1960s, we have survived two world wars, we have survived the Great Depression, we survived a major fire, and certainly – like most historically black colleges and universities – we have had to endure times when our fiscal health was not as good.

Before the days of integration, we didn’t have a problem raising money as much as we do today. I worked at Rhodes College as a professor for eight years. In that time, not a single person asked me, “Why does that predominately white institution still need to exist?”

Every year I’ve been president of LeMoyne-Owen College and I approach people for money, I have to justify the existence of this historically black college…

As a student, LeMoyneOwen prepared me so well that I became superintendent of one of the largest urban school districts in the country and returned as the eleventh president of the college. That summarizes our past.

ME: One thing that I really appreciated about LeMoyneOwen was that I learned about my history as an African American. I learned about those things when I stepped on this campus. So when you talk about the relevance of LeMoyne-Owen, I see how you could build a case from here to anywhere. But you listed some things I had no clue about. I didn’t know about a yellow fever epidemic. That is amazing to me! Students being arrested?

President Watson: Our students were leaders. They were on the front lines of the Civil Rights Movement… But as a result of the past, I can truly say that our present is very good. It’s prosperous… I’m pleased to report today that we have money in the bank.

ME: In addition to money in the bank, financial gifts have been given to the college recently, not to mention the new dormitory under construction.

You can see what you’ve been saying; it’s tangible. So, in your presidential assessment, where would you say the college is today, in the present?

President Watson: In the present, the college is fiscally sound, more now than all the years I’ve been affiliated with the college as a student, a member of the board of trustees, and now as president.

We just had a reaffirmation visit from SACS and I couldn’t be more pleased. The recommendations were things we could easily address. We had zero findings in our audit we submitted to SACS. We are also building a residence facility that hasn’t been built in years on this campus, which will hold more than 336 students. Also, another thing that built morale was a raise given to faculty. When they offered me the presidency and salary, I told the board that was unacceptable to me. I requested around $28,000 less.

Once they readily approved that, I asked them to match it and said I wanted to give a one-time bonus to faculty and staff, who have not had raises in years.

ME: I have never heard of anything like that.

President Watson: I truly believe that when you’re blessed, you should give something back. They received $500 per person. It was meaningful. Also, we gave a threepercent salary raise and this

Rev. Turner is the youngest son of Donzetta Webb Turner and the Rev. James C. Turner, Sr., who is the pastor of Nashville’s New Hope Baptist Church, where Turner was baptized, licensed and ordained into the ministry.

He also has two older brothers in the ministry, the Rev. James Turner II and the Rev. Charles Turner. In August, 2011 Pastor Turner wed “the love of his life and best friend,” the former Bridgett Nicole Bush, a graduate of Fisk University and the Uni-

year, we have given four percent raises across the board.

That’s the “present” of the college. Robert Lipscomb, the board, and I have been a good team to bring revenue into the college... So, the present state of the college is healthy, extremely healthy. We’re no longer on life support at this college. We don’t need anyone to bail us out now; we need support to help us continue to grow the college.

ME: Another thing I’ve seen is that enrollment has grown.

President Watson: It has grown from 550 in 2006 to more than 1,000 students today… I’m acutely aware that our students can attend any other institution of higher learning. But what do we have to offer? It’s a fact that students are nurtured at historically black colleges. I’ve loved interacting with students. Last year, we had a student to die, unfortunately. The family wanted a representative from the college, and I let them know that I would represent the college. They were so pleased that they stopped to embrace me…

I truly have a vested interest in this college. I grew up across the street from the college in the LeMoyne Gardens Housing Projects with five sisters. All five of my sisters attended the college and became educators, so this school means a lot to me.

ME: What are you hearing from students? What is the morale like? What is staff saying? How do they feel?

President Watson: Now, faculty says we don’t have anything to fight. Our president has made us a part of. One of the board members told me that I’m making it hard for the next president. I said that if the new president doesn’t treat everyone with respect and dignity, it should be hard for him or her.

I come to work because I want to come. When you come to work because you love coming to work, it makes a big difference. When you have a board of trustees who are not fighting you but working with you, it makes all the difference in the world. I don’t have to battle with the board of trustees or the faculty organization. We work together.

ME: What are your goals for the future of the college?

Where do you see it going from here?

President Watson: My goals for the college are established by the board of trustees, but I really see nothing but continued growth for the college because I know the board will not bring in another president and let him or her go backwards. It’s just not going to happen. The faculty, staff, and student body are not going to let it happen.

So, the future for LeMoyneOwen College is bright. I’m projecting that this college will be around another 150 years because there is still a need for historically black colleges.

versity of Tennessee, College of Law. She is a former assistant district attorney in Nassau County, New York and a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. The Turners are expecting their first child in January.

Outgoing Senior Pastor Frank Thomas spoke briefly after the announcement about Rev. Turner on Monday evening.

“I will probably say this on December 30th as my final words as your Senior Pastor: ‘Now I am turning you over to

God. A marvelous God whose gracious work has made you into what God wants you to be. And who gives you everything you could possibly need in this community of holy friends.

“This is to say thank you for allowing me the privilege to serve. I leave this place with joy and thanksgiving and blessings. I love you!’”

A farewell retirement Black Tie Gala for Thomas and his wife, Dr. Joyce Thomas, will be held on Dec. 16 at the Hilton Memphis Hotel.

Pictured (l-r): Pastor DeAndre Brown, Laura McNary, Pastor Brandon Walker, Sam OʼBryant (Courtesy photo)

PRE-K

CONTINUED FROM FRONT

go to college, be married and be employed,” said O’Bryant.

The pastors acknowledged that many Tennessee parents face challenges raising their children.

“Many families may lack resources, knowledge, or a spouse’s support to raise their children towards lives of health, opportunity and values,” said Rev. Brown, director of Memphis ministry Lifeline to Success. “One way to strengthen those families and transform lives is through high-quality prekindergarten.”

Walker thanked the Shelby County school board for embracing pre-kindergarten.

“It’s a tremendous initiative that we wholeheartedly appreciate, and we want to see that commitment fulfilled. We urge state and local policymakers to continue to

make the funding available for low-income kids throughout Tennessee so they, too, can reap the rewards of prek.”

Quality pre-k and quality teachers go hand-in-hand, said Walker.

“In order for pre-k to have a positive impact, it must be a high-quality program, which means highly effective teachers throughout the grades,” he said.

“So we support the county’s new school board in moving forward with efforts to have most effective teachers in every pre-k to 12 classroom, and we celebrate those teachers, which is why we are here today.”

NOTE: Shepherding the Next Generation-Shelby County, formerly called Clergy United for the Memphis Schools, is a project of Shepherding the Next Generation, a national group of pastors and ministry leaders committed to speaking out on behalf of children at risk.

Pastor Brandon Walker reads to a pre-k class at Ross Elementary School.

(Courtesy photo)

BUSINESS

Tri-State Defender

Page 7

December 13 - 19, 2012

ON OUR WAY TO WEALTHY

Certification: The MMBC Continuum In the local market, various diversity certifications are offered by several entities, including The Mid-South Minority Business Council Continuum, where Erica Powell is director of Member Registration.

Carlee McCullough, Esq.: Mrs. Powell thanks for taking the time to share your experiences and knowledge with us. Tell us a little bit about yourself and how you became interested in expanding and promoting economic opportunities for minorities and women in business?

Erica Powell: I’m a native Memphian and graduate of Whitehaven High School. I’ve always had a true passion for helping others and The MMBC Continuum has positioned me to play an even greater role that promotes economic inclusion for minority and women owned businesses.

CM: Tell us about the Uniform Certification Agency.

EP: The Uniform Certification Agency (UCA) was formed in 1994 under the auspices of The MMBC Continuum. UCA is the certifying arm of The MMBC Continuum and handles the certification process for minority and women owned businesses.

CM: What is a certified Minority and/or Women-Owned Business Enterprise (M/WBE)?

EP: A business that has gone through a formal certification process to substantiate that it is at least 51 percent legitimately owned, operated and controlled by an ethnic minority or women.

CM: Why is certification important for M/WBEs? EP: It assures corporations that have contract opportunities or other purchasing dollars allocated for minority and women owned businesses that those dollars are spent with true minority and women owned businesses. It levels the playing field and avails M/WBEs the chance to come to the table and offer solutions to major corporations via their products and/or services.

Our organization services a membership of major corporations including the who’s who in Memphis: FedEx, International Paper, and Memphis Light Gas & Water to name

UNBANKED

CONTINUED FROM FRONT

South Memphis and two other Memphis areas.

Under-banked ‘pie’ weighted most by African Americans

According to a new report by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), in 2011 more than 37 million American households were either unbanked or under-banked.

African-American households represent 34 percent of all under-banked consumers, the highest percentage among demographics surveyed.

When under-banked African-American and Latino households are combined, these two communities of color comprise over 60 percent of the nation’s under-banked households.

Unbanked Hispanics households use alternative financial services (AFS) more actively than any other racial or ethnic group.

Carlee McCullough

Erica Powell

a few. These corporations are seeking scalable M/WBEs that can provide for their specific business needs. Corporations need strategic partners who can help them become more efficient, profitable and reduce their cost. UCA is a conduit for certified businesses that have the capacity to service the needs of major corporations and those who have the potential to grow to scale.

CM: How does a business owner decide which certification is more beneficial for his or her company?

EP: As a business owner, first and foremost identify your target customer(s). Once identified, find out what it takes to do business with those customers. This would help the business owner make an informed decision about which certification would be most beneficial, if at all. The truth of the matter is that certification does not benefit every business and just because your company is certified it does not guarantee that you will automatically be awarded business.

CM: How long does the certification process take?

EP: The process can take up to 90 days, which is dependent upon the paperwork being submitted in a timely manner. To prevent delays, UCA tries to work closely with the applicant to address any questions and concerns to assure that they submit all the necessary documentation to complete the application process.

CM: What are some common misconceptions about becoming a certified M/WBE firm?

EP: There are some who believe that they are guaranteed contract opportunities once certified without having to competitively bid on the opportunity. At the end of the day, cor-

FDIC defines a household as “unbanked” if no one in the family has a checking or savings account. “Underbanked” households are those that have a checking or savings account but rely on AFS to transact personal business.

Another new FDIC finding is that the use of prepaid debit cards is growing, particularly among two types of consumers – those who have never banked and the previously banked.

From 2009 to 2011, use of prepaid debit cards by consumers who have never held bank accounts nearly doubled from six to 11 percent. Previously banked consumers’ usage grew from 19 to 27 percent.

Beyond racial disparities, unbanked and under-banked consumers find that AFS are more convenient, easier to access, and present lower barriers to qualification than traditional banking. Ease of access was most often mentioned by consumers as the deciding factor in their choices. The second most frequent reason unbanked and under-banked consumers chose AFS was that banks either did not

porations expect a quality product/service, competitive pricing and timely delivery regardless of minority status or certification. There is also the misconception that the only requirement for certification is to be a minority or woman. A business has to meet this requirement but they also have to prove that they manage and control the day-to-day operation, which is based on federal regulations adapted by the UCA under 49CFR Part 26 and The MMBC Continuum.

CM: How much does it cost to apply for certification?

EP: There is a $300 non-refundable application processing fee for new applications and $125.00 to renew your certification annually.

CM: What support does UCA offer after a firm becomes certified?

EP: Once a firm is certified through the UCA they become a member of The MMBC Continuum. The MMBC Continuum offers a number of networking opportunities to connect with major corporations and other M/WBE firms, loan services and a working capital fund for construction related industries, Technical Assistance Development Pool (TADP) which offers training seminars and referral resources, the Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) Business Center is a resource for businesses in high growth industries or firms with $1 million dollars in revenue and a host of other services geared to help businesses grow jobs and take their businesses to the next level.

CM: What advice would you provide for small businesses?

EP: Don’t be afraid to be innovative and create a space in an untapped market or an underserved industry where your business has the potential to truly thrive and be on the cutting edge. There are opportunities in healthcare, manufacturing, exporting and other high growth industries that can take your business to the next level. What better time than now to seize the opportunity.

(For additional information about the certification process with The Mid-South Minority Business Continuum, call 901-525-6512 or visit www.mmbc-memphis.org.)

“Usurious payday loans and overdraft fees are clearly predatory products. No wonder so many consumers simply opt out completely. These findings really uncover how far afield big bank practices are from serving the needs both families of color and/or low-income communities.”

Uriah King

make small-dollar loans or the consumers did not qualify.

More than half of 2011’s underbanked consumers felt purchasing non-bank money orders or using a non-bank check-cashing service was more convenient than bank services.

Unbanked consumers agreed by more than 29 percent.

On a state-by-state basis, FDIC’s analysis found the highest incidence of unbanked consumers in the South: Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma and Texas. Of these states, the highest percentage of unbanked consumers was Mississippi

MONEY MATTERS

FDIC bank closures: Is your money safe?

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) recently closed nine banks in one day. The closings boosted the number of failed U.S. banks this year to 115. Given that, and the recent turmoil at CIT Group, you might be worried about the safety of your money in financial services and investment companies.

What advice do financial planners have for Americans who are worried about the money they have in banks and brokerage accounts?

Here’s what FPA member Sam Hull, CFP®, CPCC, a partner with Whitewater Transitions, had to say: Investment accounts at all major brokerage houses and broker/dealers are covered by Federal law through the Securities Investor Protection Corporation (SIPC). This insurance against failure or bankruptcy covers stocks, bonds, mutual funds, exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and other assets (but not futures or commodity contracts) held up to $500,000 per account, including a $100,000 limit on cash. Money market funds are considered funds, not cash. Most major brokerage houses & broker/dealers also have large amounts of private insurance above and beyond SIPC amounts. Check with your firm to determine their coverage limits.

In addition, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has tough rules about keeping the broker/dealers funds separated from the customer’s investments. If the broker goes belly-up like Lehman Brothers, your money should remain intact. In the unlikely event of a brokerage failure, SPIC will transfer your securities to another firm. If for some reason that can’t be done, SIPC will try to rebuild your portfolio, even buying new shares for you. If that can’t be done for some reason, they will give you cash.

The bad news: all this takes time and thus gives you lots of time to worry.

SIPC does not cover Ponzi schemes or other investment fraud perpetrated by an adviser. If you have the bad luck (or bad sense) to be taken in by a Madoff-type scam, this is not covered by SIPC. Most major broker/dealers do have their own policies to cover fraudulent activities. For example, if you lose cash or securities from your account due to unauthorized activity, they will reimburse you for the cash with more than 15 percent.

FDIC’s metro area data revealed that Texas’ most populous city, Houston, had the highest percentage of under-banked consumers with more than 28 percent. Other metro areas with 20 percent or higher numbers of under-banked consumers were: Austin, Texas; Baltimore, Md.; Kansas City, Mo.; Little Rock; New Orleans; and Rochester, N.Y. Commenting on these findings, Uriah King, vice-president for state policy with the Center for Responsible Lending (CRL) said, “Payday loans are no easy fix. Borrowers have to take out loan after loan just to stay afloat.”

Earlier CRL research has found that payday loans lead to long-term debt. The payday industry’s $27 billion annual loan volume is largely derived by “loan churning,” the practice of taking out a new loan in order to pay an earlier one. Payday loans’ debt cycle generates $3.5 billion in fees alone each year, and the typical borrower is in debt for 212 days of the year.

or shares of securities you lost.

However, if a broker goes bust and your investments are missing from your account, the SPIC will replace them up to the half milCharles Sims Jr., CFP lion dollar maximum. But they won’t compensate you for any losses in value that may have occurred while the securities were missing. It is your responsibility to file a claim with SPIC for missing assets within six months.

So what can you do to protect yourself?

1. Make sure your investment accounts are held in custody by a brokerage firm or broker/dealer – not by your investment adviser or financial planner.

2. Make sure that your brokerage house or broker/dealer is a member in good standing with the SPIC. 3. Check to make sure your trades and other transactions are made through that entity and not some unrelated subsidiary that is not covered by SIPC. 4. Make sure your account is registered by default as a cash account and not defaulted to a margin account. Margin accounts make you just another creditor of the brokerage house.

5. Read the fine print of your account registration form. Don’t authorize your broker to use your account assets for any purpose you don’t authorize. The default language allows them to lend your stock (and charge a hefty fee) to short sellers, hedge funds, corporate raiders and buyout funds without offsetting collateral in house.

6. Ask questions until you are satisfied with the answers and don’t be put off by fast talk or complicated jargon. It’s your money.

A Certified Financial Planner can help you better understand your savings and investment accounts. Visit www.fpanet.org/PlannerSearch.

(Charles Sims Jr. is president/ CEO of The Sims Financial Group.

Contact him at 901-682-2410 or visit www.SimsFinancialGroup.com.)

Other CRL research on overdraft fees found that most debit card transactions were triggered by an average expenditure of $20; but the typical fee charged for each overdraft is $34.00 per transaction. As a result, each year overdraft fees cost consumers $23.7 billion.

It could be argued that the increase in prepaid card usage is related to the high overdraft fees charged after consumers receive their monthly bank statements.

“Usurious payday loans and overdraft fees are clearly predatory products. No wonder so many consumers simply opt out completely. These findings really uncover how far afield big bank practices are from serving the needs both families of color and/or low-income communities,” said King.

(This story reflects a report by NNPA columnist Charlene Crowell, a communications manager with the Center for Responsible Lending. She can be reached at: Charlene.crowell@responsiblelending.org.”)

RELIGION

Page 8

Tri-State Defender

December 13 - 19, 2012

RELIGION BRIEFS ‘Messiah’ – version No. 72 at First Baptist Church-Lauderdale

The Historic First Baptist Church, Lauderdale presents its “Seventy-Second Rendition of George Frederic Handel’s Oratorio ‘Messiah’ on Sunday (Dec. 16).

The annual cultural event is free and begins at 6 p.m. at the church at 682 South Lauderdale St. The tradition features the host choir and musicians being joined by Memphis professional and amateur vocalists. The performance will also include organ accompaniment and a string ensemble.

Carl E. Johnson Jr. is the director, with Yvonne Cleveland-Holmes, minister of music/coordinator/pianist.

The host pastor is the Dr. Noel G. L. Hutchinson Jr. For more information, contact Yvonne ClevelandHolmes at 345-2926.

BRIEFLY: THE Tennessee Headquarter Jurisdiction COGIC First Ladies Association presents a Christmas Gala on Saturday (Dec. 15) at 5069 Sanderlin Ave., beginning at 6 p.m.

BRIEFLY: Beulah Baptist Church, 2407 Dr. W. C. Holmes Avenue (Douglas Ave.), will celebrate its 108th Church Anniversary on Dec. 16 at 9:30 a.m. The theme: “Serving God’s People with

Open Hearts, Open Minds and Open Doors.” The guest speaker will be Dr. Jay Earhardt-Brown, president of the Memphis Theological Seminary. Members of the congregation with 50 or more years will be honored. The Rev. Anthony D. Henderson is the host pastor.

BRIEFLY: The Holy City Church of God in Christ Sanctuary Choir will be in a one-night revival on Dec.16, beginning at 7:30 p.m. at the church located at 3208 James Rd. Linda F. Brewer is choir president. The pastor is Supt. Jerry W. Taylor.

BRIEFLY: Showtime Entertainment and Strong Cloud Management & Entertainment present the first Christmas Gospel Music and Comedy on Dec. 23 at Ebenezer Missionary Baptist Church on John Paul Drive (off Lamar and 240).

Admission is free, with donations requested for local charities. Organizers also will be collecting toys for distribution Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital.Featured artists will include child gospel rapper “D3”,Yung Titan, singers Kayla Padgett, and Wendy O. There will also be comedy from Stephon Smith and BET’s own Spank E. Doors open at 5 p.m., with the show at 7 p.m. For more information, contact Showtime Entertainment at 901493-0336 or S.C.M.E. at 901-257-9773.

An annual treat…

LIVING THE LIFE I LOVE

Holiday parties, yes; pity parties, no!

Dear Lucy: This Christmas season is so hard for me. I lost my mother this year and I just cannot imagine this Christmas without her. I have sisters and brothers who feel the same.

What can I do or say to break this awful depression that we are all in? We have tried everything and we are so tired and sad. Thanks.

– DS

Dear DS: Thank you for the question as there are so many with the same question about handling the absence of loved ones on big holidays such as Christmas. I have experienced this and here is what I learned.

How long and how we mourn is a decision, a choice.

When my husband died, I cried and put my emotional life on hold for seven years!

Imagine that. I cried every day for seven years. One day I realized that this was my choice...not his. He would never have chosen this behavior for me. It was an insult to the happy, generous person he was. It is all about choosing where, when and how I remember him.

From there, I began to focus on remembering my life with him in the context of not missing him, but in rejoicing over all of the things I learned from him. Instead of longing to have him present in the flesh to have “do-overs” of all of those

s w e e t memories, I began to visualize myself creating a gift package of t h e s e memories a n d putting Lucy them on a Shaw safe shelf in my heart. Now, when I pull them out to remember, it is like opening a little present from him that I know is always there to cherish and remember with gladness rather than tears.

I also stopped comparing my present to my past. I realized that I was filtering my present through a lens of the past with statements like “if only Harold was here” “Harold would know what to do” or “I wouldn’t have to do this if he was still here.” I had to decide to be fully present in the now. It was OK to consider what he might do or say to help me in my decision-making. But it was not OK to press a pause button and get stuck in unproductive sadness.

Don’t let holiday parties turn into pity parties. I didn’t ignore my loss on the holidays. However, I no longer allowed my loss to be the highlight of the holiday. I celebrat-

ed as I knew he would celebrate if he was present.

And that brings me to anther point. I had to change my language. I stopped saying “I lost my husband.” We lose cats, dogs, rings and watches. We don’t lose people! I began to know that every experience with my husband was still alive and present within me and that nothing could ever take them away. I continue to cherish them, to speak of them with joy and laughter, to speak of his strengths as well as the quirks that sometimes seemed like weaknesses.

Most of all, I allowed myself to remember him with joy and thanksgiving...no “buts” or “if only’s.” My sadness simply cannot change the fact that he is no longer here in the flesh.

And finally, I had to dig deeply and identify any guilt or unforgiveness I was holding towards myself in relation to him. I had to stop imagining all of the things I could have or should have thought, said, or done differently. I had to give myself full credit for having done my best according to what and how I knew to do at the time. I had to choose to forgive myself, stop criticizing myself and get on with using anything I learned to bless the living-right now. I allowed myself to take credit for the good I did, the good I

shared and the good I became by simply knowing and loving this person.

I think we feel so obligated to grieve during holidays that we sometimes forget the purpose of the season. The Christmas season, in particular, is a celebration of life. It is a celebration of hope, salvation, goodness, joy, enthusiasm and deliverance. It is the time to honor the very gift of life.

Those we are blessed to love and share our lives with are wonderful gifts from on high, and so are we. Gods gifts are eternal. His best gifts, I believe, are also invisible. They are held in our hearts.

Happy holidays as you make a choice to celebrate Life!

Lucy

(You can watch Lucy on Channel 17 (Comcast) every Thursday at 10:30 am. (Send your questions to her by U.S. mail to: Heartworks4U, LLC; 4646 Poplar Ave. Ste 201, Memphis, TN 38117 or by email to lucy@heartworks4u .com. Get your free gift at http://www.heartworks4u .com/) (For help with the feelings that get in the way of prayer and peace of mind, get Lucy’s new book, “BE NOT ANXIOUS.” Order it directly from her at 901-907-0260 or from her website.)

The St. John Community Chorale performed “A Christmas Festival” during the Twenty-Third Annual Christmas Cantata at St. John Baptist Church last Sunday (Dec. 9). Sponsored by The New Era Club, the event featured Rosetta H. Peterson, director, David A. Caudill, organist, Joy M. Plunkett, pianist, Harrison Moffatt, violinist, and narrator Stan A. Bell. (Photo by Tyrone P. Easley)

PRAISE CONNECT -A WEEKLY DIRECTORY OF MINISTERS & CHURCHES-

METROPOLITAN BAPTIST CHURCH Dr. Reginald L. Porter Sr., Pastor

767 Walker Avenue Memphis, TN 38126

ASSOCIATE MINISTERS

901-946-4095 fax 948-8311

Rev. Davena Young Porter Rev. Linda A Paige Rev. Luecretia Matthews SCHEDULE OF ACTIVITIES

SUNDAY Sunday School .....................8:30 am Morning Worship Service ....10:00am

WEDNESDAY Bible Study .........................10:30 am Mid-Day Prayer Meeting .....12 noon Evening Prayer Meeting........7:00pm FRIDAY Cable Channel 17 ............... 8:00pm

Dr. & Rev. Mrs. Reginald Porter

TEMPLE CHURCH OF GOD IN CHRIST

672 So. Lauderdale 38126 P.O. Box 314 Memphis, Tn 38101 Phone (General) 774-1572 Pastor: 775-0740 Secretary: 775-1909

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.

WEEKLY SERVICES

Sunday Sunday School 9:00 a.m.

Morning Worship 10:30 a.m.

Night YPWW 5:00 p.m.

Night Service 6:00 p.m.

Tuesday Night Prayer 6:00 p.m.

Bible Study 7:15 p.m.

Wednesday Choir Rehearsal 7:00 p.m.

Friday Morning Prayer 9:00 a.m.

Night Service 7:30 p.m.

BROADCASTS 9:30 a.m. Sunday WDIA - 1070 AM

No Telecast Service

Dr. David Allen Hall Pastor

— Proverbs 1:7

“The Founder’s Church”

First Pastor: Senior Bishop C.H. Mason

Greenwood Christian Methodist Episcopal Church 3311 Kimball Ave. Memphis, TN 38111 (901) 744-7531 (901) 744-7664

Worship Services

THE BLVD Ea s t 6 7 4 5 Wo l f R i v e r B o u l e v a r d @ Kir by Pa r k wa y (i n t he Cla r k Ope r a M em phis Ce nt e r ) Me mp h i s T N 3 8 1 2 0

Dr. Frank A. Thomas Senior Servant

Sunday Sunday School Worship Service

Clarence Kelby Heath Wednesday Pastor

Noon - 1 p.m.

6:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.

9 a.m.

10:30 a.m.

ST. ANDREW A.M.E. CHURCH 867 SOUTH PARKWAY EAST Memphis, TN 38106

(901) 948-3441

Early Morning..........7:45 AM Church School..........9:45 AM Morning Worship......11:00 AM Bible Study For Youth and Adults Tuesday - 7:00 PM “Spirit, Soul, and Body!”

AM 1070 WDIA Sundays, 10:00-10:30 AM

TV Cable Access Broadcast Tuesdays, 7:30 PM, Channel 17 Website:www.saintandrewamec.org

Child Care Center (901) 948-6441 Monday-Friday 6 AM- 5:30 PM Emergency Food Pantry Rev. Kenneth S. Robinson, Pastor & Clothes Closet Rev. Marilynn S. Robinson, Co-Pastor Wednesday 6 PM-8 PM

“Ministering to Memphis-Spirit, Soul and Body”

Tri-State Defender

RELIGION

December 13 - 19, 2012

LEGACY: Dr. Rose Rita Dorsey Flowers Minister Joe “Uncle Joe” Hunter, founder and program director for G.A.N.G., Inc., a youth enrichment ministry, knows the value of “mothers” and he counts Dr. Rose Rita Dorsey Flowers among his top three.

“Mama Rita was G.A.N.G., Inc.’s first board member, and she is the reason G.A.N.G., Inc. was allowed to use space in the North Frayser Community Center,” said Hunter in an email in which he asked for prayers from Dr. Flowers’ family.

“So all the children G.A.N.G., Inc. or Uncle Joe has touched were blessed due in part because of my other Mother, Dr. Rita Dorsey.”

Dr. Flowers, the long-time chair of the criminal justice department at Shelby State Community College (Southwest Tennessee Community College), died Saturday (Dec. 8). She was 62.

Education was synonymous with Dr. Flowers, a graduate of Booker T. Washington H i g h School.

Dr. Rose Rita Her eduDorsey cation Flowers portfolio included a bachelor’s degree from Stillman College and two master’s degrees from Memphis State University (University of Memphis.) She earned her doctorate at the University of Mississippi.

A member of Delta Sigma Theta sorority, she held numerous positions at Shelby State, influencing many – inside and outside of the college

– along the way. She once served as civilian commander of the Memphis Police Department’s training academy.

Dr. Flowers’ many roles included leading the MPD Juvenile Violence Abatement Team, executive commander of community policing and a stint as deputy director for parks and recreation.

Dr. Flowers, a member of New Sardis Baptist Church, was married to Albert Flowers. She also leaves two daughters, Melanie Dorsey and Kimberly DorseyCrochrell; two sisters, Barbara Black of Memphis and Lorraine Lockett of Charlotte, N.C., and two grandchildren.

Services will be at 11 a.m.

Thursday (Dec. 13) at New Sardis Baptist Church, 7739 Holmes, with burial in the church cemetery.

N.J. Ford & Sons Funeral Home has charge.

Page 9

COMMUNITY

Page 10

Tri-State Defender

December 13 - 19, 2012

TSD Holiday Parade this Saturday

The TSDmemphis.com Holiday Parade – sponsored by The New Tri-State Defender – is set for Saturday, Dec. 15.

The parade, which signals the return of a tradition to the downtown area, originally was set for last Saturday, but was reset after thundershowers put a damper on plans.

TSD President and Publisher Bernal E. Smith II said the

BRIEFS & THINGS

Community meeting set for Humes Middle School

parade, which will begin at 9:30, will go on this Saturday rain or shine.

The parade will be the inaugural parade to travel the recently designated Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue and will be in support of Olympic Cares Toy Drive. In addition, it will feature special recognition for the state champion Tigers of Whitehaven High

School. Whitehaven’s football team won the TSSAA state title in Division 1, 6A in Cookeville, Tenn., on Dec. 1.

“The way they represented the city and the excitement they brought to the city deserves to be recognized,” said Smith, who also is a Whitehaven graduate.

The parade will begin at the intersection of Fourth St. and

Beale Street, head west on Beale to Second St., proceed south on Second St. to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Ave., then east on MLK to Third St., head north on Third St. to Beale Street Alley, and then east back to Fourth St., where it will culminate.

Downtown has not had a holiday parade downtown in several years. Smith said

many in the community have been looking forward to the return of just such an event.

“It is always great to bring kids and families out to celebrate during this time of year and what better place to do it than the heart of downtown and historic Beale Street where our offices just happen to be.”

Organization and lining up for the parade starts at the cor-

ner of Fourth and Beale streets at 8 a.m. Christmas songs and entertainment will flow as the participating groups and floats are lined up for the now 9:30 a.m. start.

Early arrival is encouraged.

For more information on how to participate in the parade, contact Nina Johnson at 901-679-8545, or call the TSD offices at 901-523-1818.

One Memphis Operation Christmas Basket

Memphis City Schools will host a public hearing at Humes Middle School on Monday ( Dec. 17) from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m.

The hearing is to discuss the proposal to close Humes Middle School and “repurpose it for innovative academic programming.” The community is encouraged to attend to provide feedback and comments to members of the Shelby County Board of Education.

Humes is located at 659 N. Manassas.

MCS indicates that additional meeting dates will be forthcoming.

Empowerment training session on tap for homeowners and teens

Rep. G.A. Hardaway is partnering with the Memphis Alumnae Chapter of Delta S i g m a T h e t a Sorority and Shelby County Trustee D a v i d Lenoir to sponsor a community empowerment seminar at G.A. the HickoHardaway ry Ridge To w n e Centre on Saturday (Dec. 15).

The 6th Annual Home for the Holidays event is designed to connect residents in the area with lender representatives and HUD-approved counselors to inform homeowners of their rights and promote financial literacy.

Home for the Holidays: A Housing and Economic Empowerment Collaborative is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. at the Hickory Ridge Towne Center, 6075 Winchester Rd. “Homeownership helps create a sense of empowerment in the community,” said Hardaway. “This encourages civic engagement and gives people a stronger stake in their neighborhoods and schools.”

There will also be a seminar devoted to empowering teenagers in grades 6-12. It will feature workshops on education, health and wellness and financial literacy from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

“It is vital that we promote smart habits among citizens at an early age,” said Hardaway.

“By giving our kids the tools to be responsible citizens early on, they are more likely to live longer, stay out of debt, and be productive members of society.”

For more information, contact Sean Braisted at 615-7411100, ext. 44424, or online at sean.braisted@ capitol.tn.gov.

Boys & Girls Club ready to open in Oakhaven

It’s time to open the Boys & Girls Club Oakhaven Branch.

One hundred members have been signed up in anticipation of the opening.

An open house is scheduled for Monday (Dec. 17) at 3910 Tchulahoma Rd. from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The ribbon cutting is set for 1 p.m.

For more information, contact Executive Director Evelyn Young at 901-249-5724.

BRIEFLY: The Southside Class of 1976 is preparing for its 37th Class Reunion, June 13-16, 2013 New Orleans.

Contact us at SouthsideScrapper76@gmail.com

Billed as the largest Christmas Food Basket event in the Mid-South, One Memphis/Operation Christmas Basket will distribute 5,000 food baskets to needy families on Saturday (Dec. 15) from 8 a.m. to noon at the Cook Convention Center.

Mayor A C Wharton Jr. greets a helping hand during a pre-event on Wednesday. (Photos by Chris Hope)

Gayle Rose and Team Max will be on point for Operation Christmas Basket, with plenty of representation from Mayor Whartonʼs office and the Memphis Grizzlies, among other others. Basket recipients have been selected by community partners and must present a card to received baskets.

THOUGHT YOU SHOULD KNOW

Tennessee voters prefer health care exchange run by the state

NASHVILLE – A new poll from Vanderbilt University shows that Tennessee voters prefer that the state run the online health care exchange required by the federal Affordable Health Care Act, with Republicans more adamant about the issue than voters as a whole.

That sentiment reflected by the Vanderbilt Poll conflicts with the actions of Republican Gov. Bill Haslam. On Monday, Haslam informed the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that Tennessee is declining to create and run the exchange, an online marketplace where state residents can shop for health coverage.

Haslam’s move means the federal government will step in and do it.

“If a health care exchange must be created, the voters of Tennessee place more trust in the state than the federal government to do it,” said John

Geer, Gertrude Conaway Vanderbilt Professor of Political Science and co-director of the Center for the Study of Democratic Institutions at Vanderbilt.

“And Republicans are even more trusting of the state to run the health care exchange than Democrats. That may be a surprise to some, but it makes sense since Republicans have long had more faith in state governments than Democrats.”

The online exchange question was one of more than 45 asked of 829 registered voters using landlines and cell phones from Nov. 27 to Dec. 9 by the Vanderbilt Poll.

Among all Tennesseans, 53 percent wanted the state to run the exchange and just 33 percent the federal government. Seventy-three percent of Republicans wanted the state to run the health care exchange, compared with 31 percent of Democrats and 59

percent of independents.

The poll, conducted by Princeton Survey Research Associates International, has a margin of error of plus or minus four percentage points.

Voters were also asked about a wide variety of other issues likely to impact the legislature during its next session, which begins in January.

(The database of findings will be available online at the website of the Center for the Study of Democratic Institutions at Vanderbilt. ) “Elections can only reveal which candidates voters prefer,” said Josh Clinton, associate professor of political science and co-director of the Center for the Study of Democratic Institutions at Vanderbilt.

“The Vanderbilt Poll gives us a unique opportunity to explore what the voters think about the many important issues that confront our state and country. The poll offers

extraordinary insights into what voters think and care about.”

Among the findings: Tennesseans overwhelmingly want elected leaders to work with members of the opposing party even if it means they need to compromise on their values and priorities.

Tennesseans give high marks to their U.S. senators and Gov. Haslam.

Tennesseans are prepared to support tax increases for wealthy Americans, but not an increase in the eligibility age for Medicare.

Tennesseans continue to see the economy as the top priority of the state, with education and health care vying for second place. Social issues such as guns, immigration, and gay rights are a distant fourth.

Tennesseans strongly support charter schools.

Tennesseans rate their local public schools higher than they

do public schools in general.

Tennesseans believe public school teachers are not paid enough money.

Tennesseans narrowly support allowing individuals to carry guns in their vehicles while on their employer’s private property.

Tennesseans overwhelmingly oppose having the state tell private entities how to operate and favor private entities being free to make their own policies.

Tennesseans favor letting citizens choose judges rather than the governor, but nearly a third of the state has not thought much about this issue.

Tennesseans overwhelmingly oppose adopting “closed” primaries.

(For more information, see the Center for the Study of Democratic Institutions website at http://www.vanderbilt. edu/csdi/.)

ENTERTAINMENT Tri-State Defender, Thursday, December 13 - 19, 2012, Page 11

WHAT’S HAPPENING MYRON? Trey Songz, Miguel, Elle Varner & more!

Trey Songz, Miguel and Elle Varner are coming to Memphis.

Not sure if this is your thing, but your kids probably already knows this. If you only recognize one name out of the three, you can Myron ask them who the Mays other two people are, because they know. You can also ask them if they would like to see them in concert.

They’ll say yes. In other words, they really want to go.

Two of the biggest songs to be released this year were Elle Varner’s “Refill” and Miguel’s “Adorn.” Turn on the radio now, one of the two is bound to be on. Well, maybe not, but you get my point. They are really hot right.

And the headliner (Songz) is a pretty big draw himself. I mean, who wouldn’t want to check out this show? Well…maybe no one under 21, but it gives me a wonderful idea.

Allow me to share…

Parents, don’t you think you deserve a break? Of course you do!

Here is an opportunity to get a nice relaxing day off for a change. Well, here’s your chance to get a few of those household tasks crossed off your list.

Go ahead, make your list. Have them wash the car, rake the leaves, wash the dishes, baby sit their younger siblings. Then reward them with a ticket to this show. You will be amazed at how much productivity is generated at you house as a result.

But act fast, the show is Dec. 29 at the Landers Center. Tickets are on sale at the Landers Center box office, all Ticketmaster outlets and online at ticketmaster.com.

Patti Labelle

Philadelphia native Patti Labelle is known for her classic rhythm and blues sound that only she can deliver.

She has a voice that is easily recognizable by generations of music lovers. Now in her fourth decade of performing, she is coming to Gold Strike Casino in Tunica to share her latest project, “The Gospel According to Patti Labelle.” The show is Jan. 19 at 8 p.m. Tickets are on sale now at all Ticketmaster outlets and Ticketmaster.com.

Nutcracker at Hattiloo

The Hattiloo Theatre presents “The Nutcracker” play by the Children’s Theatre on Saturday (Dec.15) and Dec. 22. There will be performances at noon and 3 p.m. each day. The Hattiloo Theatre is located at 656 Marshall Avenue. For ticket information, call 901-525-0009 or visit hatilloo.org.

Downtown Myron

The 2012 Holiday Party Tour Edition The holidays are in full swing and it seems like everyone is still in the holiday spirit, including me! The Christmas cheer is exploding all over the city and when it does I’m probably there.

This week. I hung out at the Mid South Minority Business Council Continuum’s holiday party at their offices on Madison Avenue. Shouts out to Luke Yancey and the staff at MMBC for hosting another great event. He and his staff are top notch.

I also hung out at Mercedes Benz of Memphis and enjoyed the wonderful first-class party put on by Leadership Memphis. If you have ever gone through one of the programs offered

by Leadership Memphis, you know that this is always a great way to round out the year. Executive Director David Williams and the fine staff at Leadership Memphis provided another night of networking and great food, as they do every single year.

I’m looking forward to keeping the party going on Thursday (Dec. 13) as The Memphis Music Foundation presents the Memphis Music Community Holiday Party at the Blues Foundation located at 421 South Main from 5:30 p.m. until 8 pm.

On Wednesday, Dec. 19, the Memphis Chapter of the National Black MBA’s are planning to party it up at Alchemy, located at 940 Cooper, from 6 p.m. until 9 p.m.

Then on Dec. 20, The Redwing Group will be celebrating the holidays at Metro 67 located at 67 Madison, at 5:30 p.m. This should keep me busy for another week right?

(Got an event you’d like for me to cover or attend? Email me at Myron@whatshappeningmyron.com)

The Xavier Cordell Crawford Story

‘1st Down & 100 Years to Go’

Xavier Crawford at home with his trophies.

Author details the rise and fall of Memphisʼ ʻgreatest football playerʼ kajanaku@tri-statedefender.com

by Karanja A. Ajanaku

or Kelvin Cowans, aka Six~Four, his latest literary effort is book number three. It follows (the e-book) “The Most Evil Person I Ever Met: My Time in Prison with Lemaricus Davidson” and “Eye For an Eye,” which he sold out of his trunk after starting it while incarcerated.

It’s been a tough ride, said Cowans of the endeavor to produce “1st Down & 100 Years to Go. The Xavier Cordell Crawford Story.”

“The book is about the greatest football player to ever come out of Memphis, Tenn.,” said Cowans.

F

TSD: The greatest by whose standards?

Kelvin Cowans: “You know what, once I started reviewing and researching and going to the archives in the library … and started looking at his exploits, I say it is him. I didn’t know this, but once I saw all the facts, it’s X-man.

TSD: Is it a story about his football exploits?

KC: It’s about the good, the bad and the ugly.

I did not want it alone to be about his rape charges or about his football prowess. He didn’t come here raping people and high on drugs, and Kelvin he didn’t come here running touchdowns. He Cowans came like we all came here, as a child. I thought it was my job to tell the entire story and I let you draw your own conclusions.

TSD: Who is Xavier Crawford?

KC: Wow! Today? Xavier Crawford is a man who has been convicted of multiple crimes. He is also a man who has a bipolar disorder that he was diagnosed with. He’s also a man who some people may say was misunderstood, or taken advantage of as a kid…

TSD: Who was he?

KC: He was just a kid who loved football. That’s who he was….he had a talent. God gave him a gift. That gift took him a long way, and along the way, of course, sometimes kids with gifts are approached by adults who have influence over them in many different areas, and it’s just not good for where he was going. Like I say in the book, one of the people happens to be his own father.

TSD: In what way relative to his father, without giving too much away (from the book)?

KC: I can’t give too much away. There are about 20 Memphis secrets in there that are going to just wow people…But I will speak on that because (he and) his twin brother, Travis,…spoke on his dad in depth. And the truth of the matter was he was nowhere around when they were growing up. As soon as his (Crawford’s) name starting hitting the local newspapers and he started being on TV, here comes pop, the local wrestler, who had been living right around the corner from them, but he’s not in their life until the headlines hit.

TSD: Did you speak to the dad? Or did you encounter him?

KC: I did encounter him and, honestly to say, it was not a good encounter. It was a phone call made from Ms. Pat Vander Schaaf’s home to me about the book and about what should and shouldn’t be in it. I had to quickly remind him that this is not wrestling, this is real life. Realize that you are talking to me for real. In real life, there are real consequences.

TSD: You mention a name that a lot of our readers will recognize, Pat Vander Schaaf (former Memphis City Council member). What is her role in this book?... What should our readers now going in?

KC: What you should know going in is that Pat Vander Schaaf is a very smart woman. She is a woman who had held her own for all the time she was at the Memphis City Council. She headed up a lot of things, she told me, as far as the citizens of Memphis are concerned. You also need to know this is someone who in her latter days, I would say fell in love with a man 30 years younger than her.

And although we would expect that 28 years on the Memphis City Council would come with 28 years of code of ethics, it didn’t this time….This is all in the book. It is so in depth about their relationship.

You’re talking about someone who had him arrested many times …but she would also go and bond him out.

TSD: How in the world did you come to be writing this book?

KC: I have a friend who called me out of the blue one day …and I detail this in the prologue of how it fell in my lap. …she called and asked if I had ever heard of the X-man. I’m a life-long Memphian, of course I’ve heard of the X-man. I said, “yeah.” She said, “Do you know anything about his recent troubles?” I said not really…She said, “Would you be willing to do his story?” I said give me a minute, and I got on Google…. She knew him through somebody, one way or another.

After I went through Google, I told her there was only one

Football wasnʼt the only sport Crawford tried. (Courtesy photos) way…this man would have to, have to give me all rights and power of attorney to deal with this story. It’s a tree with so many limbs.

TSD: You’ve got the actual power of attorney from him?

KC: In one week, Xavier signed the power of attorney to the book rights, the book story’s direction and all rights involved for me to do the story.

TSD: He is mentally competent to do that?

KC: Yeah, as far as I was concerned. I’ll tell you another nugget.

He signed it in less than a week and sent it back to me, and I began my interviews. I had never met Xavier Crawford and I didn’t go down to 201 Poplar until after he signed the contract. After he signed it, not ever having met him and not knowing him, I had to get somebody to verify his signature. Guess who verified it? Pat Vander Schaaf….I have a lot of respect for her, don’t get me wrong.

I’m just telling the story. I’m no different than the 10 o’clock news anchor…

Cowans said he interviewed Crawford on at least three occasions at 201 Poplar. The remaining contact was via letters and letters Crawford wrote to family members. He made personal contact with others in the book.

TSD: How long did it take you to write it?

KC: It took me about five months to write.

TSD: How are you publishing it?

KC: The book is being published by me, 32 Degrees Publishing, and printed by InstantPublisher in Collierville…I am the sole proprietor?

TSD: How will you deal with the proceeds?

KC: What Xavier told me was to make donations to battered and abused women, find things like that to make donations to. He wasn’t so concerned about the money as he was about the story that can help youth…The book details what can go wrong. It is a cautionary tale of the gift you must not only be thankful for, you must respect the gift that you are given.

NOTE: Beginning Dec. 19, “1ST Down & 100 Years to Go” can be purchased at: The Booksellers at Laurelwood; 387 Perkins Rd. Ext.; Memphis, TN 38117; 901-683-9801.

Author Six~Four can be reached at (theuniversityof64@hotmail.com) or (www.twitter.com/@SixFour1)

ENTERTAINMENT

Page 12

December 13 - 19, 2012

OPENING THIS WEEK

Kam’s Kapsules:

Weekly Previews That Make Choosing a Film Fun

Special to The New Tri-State Defender

by Kam Williams

For movies opening Dec. 14, 2012

BIG BUDGET FILMS

“The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey” (PG-13 for epic battle scenes and scary images) Peter Jackson (The Lord of the Rings trilogy) directed this adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien’s fantasy novel about a human-like creature with furry feet (Martin Freeman) who is prompted by a wizard (Ian McKellen) to embark on an epic with 13 dwarfs to wrest control of a lost kingdom from the clutches of a fearsome dragon. With Richard Armitage, Ken Stott and Graham McTavish.

INDEPENDENT & FOREIGN FILMS

“Any Day Now” (Unrated) Courtroom drama, set in the Seventies, about the custody battle waged between the state and a gay couple (Alan Cumming and Garret Dillahunt) trying to adopt a boy with Down syndrome (Isaac Leyva) abandoned by his mother. Cast includes Frances Fisher, Gregg Henry and Don Franklin.

Rapper Chuck D. in “Let Fury Have the Hour” (Photo courtesy of CAVU Pictures)

“Consuming Spirits” (Unrated) Animated adult drama revolving around the exploits of a trio of intimate strangers living in a mythical Rust Belt town nestled deep in the Appalachian Mountains. Voice cast includes Robert Levy, Nancy Andrews, Chris Sullivan, Judith Rafael and Mary Lou Zelazny.

“Jason Becker: Not Dead Yet” (Unrated) Documentary demonstrating the indomitability of the human spirit about a once-promising rock & roll prodigy who is still making music 22 years after being diagnosed with Lou Gehrig’s disease.

“Let Fury Have the Hour” (Unrated) Counter-culture documentary chronicling how a generation of outspoken artists began challenging the status quo in reaction to the rise of conservatism in the Eighties. With appearances by comedian Lewis Black, rapper Chuck D., playwright Eve Ensler and novelist Edwidge Danticat.

“The Loving Story” (Unrated) Civil rights documentary recounting the events leading up to the U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark decision in Loving vs. Virginia, the historic 1967 case declaring interracial marriage legal under the 14th Amendment’s Equal Protection Clause. Featuring archival footage of Chief Justice Earl Warren, Associate Justices Douglas, Brennan, Black, Fortas, Harlan, Clark, White and Stewart, and of plaintiffs Mildred and Richard Loving.

“Save the Date” (R for sexuality, profanity and brief drug use) Romantic comedy about a young woman (Lizzy Caplan) who turns to her

sister (Alison Brie) for support when she rushes into a rebound relationship right after declining her boyfriend’s (Geoffrey Arend) marriage proposal. With Mark Webber, Martin Starr and Melonie Diaz.

“Saving Grace B. Jones” (R for violence and brief sexuality) Tatum O’Neal plays the title character in this psychological thriller, set in Missouri in the Fifties, about a couple (Michael Biehn and Penelope Ann Miller) whose quiet life turns chaotic when the husband’s sister comes to live with them after being released from a mental asylum. With Piper Laurie, Lib-

erty Smith and Evie Thompson.

“Trashed” (Unrated) Eco-documentary, narrated by Jeremy Irons, examining the extent of the global pollution problem.

“Yelling to the Sky” (Unrated) Dysfunctional family drama about a bi-racial 17 year-old (Zoe Kravitz) forced to fend for herself in a rough neighborhood due to an absentee mother (Yolonda Ross) and a father (Jason Clarke) given to violent mood swings. With Gabourey Sidibe, Tim Blake Nelson, Antonique Smith and Adam Tomei (Marisa’s brother).

Tri-State Defender

HOROSCOPES

Dec. 13 -19, 2012

ARIES Mental fog lifts and you are sharp as a tack once again. You’ll be making decisions about partnerships and joint finances. A very happy week is in store.

TAURUS Exercise prudence this week in your handling of personal funds. Let your mind wander into the future and you’ll receive the happy answer that you are looking for. Time shared with a partner this week will be very enjoyable.

GEMINI Work with a partner or colleagues goes exceptionally well this week. You receive praise for a job well done! Feel free to change your mind regarding a personal issue. News from a distance arrives.

CANCER Pay attention to the details in your big bright beautiful picture this week. You’ll handle everything that comes up if you keep your focus sharp. A grand social event is in store for the week.

LEO Things are going your way in wonderful ways this week. Happy news may arrive from a distance, and on the home front, a romantic question may be answered. Friends are glad to be with you. All in all, a very pleasant week! Enjoy!

VIRGO Your social life gives big rewards during the week. However, give attention to e-mail contacts. Don’t be afraid as your mental horizon expands into new areas.

LIBRA Your relationships can receive a big boost from a trip that beckons. Business is also highlighted. Your strong mental energy is sustained through the week. Work it out by talking it out.

SCORPIO Get in touch with those who can help you achieve your goals. Place the accent on initiative. Romance, passion and work are singing in harmony this week and this week.

SAGITTARIUS Joy this week comes from love. You are especially attractive. Stage your week so that you spend time around people you want to attract. It is easy for you to bring harmony into your relationships. Your ability to communicate is greatly enhanced. Use it to your best advantage.

CAPRICORN Are you spending money with little or nothing to show for it? This is because you’re looking for something that money can’t buy. Now is a good time to spend some of your emotional currency, and don’t be cheap. You’ll create a situation in which people will work hard to please you.

AQUARIUS You may like to go to war, but avoid an argument with a friend; it will slow down all the wonderful progress you’ve been making.

Your patience will be tested this week, stay on task.

PISCES Skip it! Don’t sweat the small stuff, it’ll only bring you down. Don’t run around inside your own head this week. Focus your awareness outside on something beautiful.

Compromise is a key idea this week.

Source: NNPA News Service

HEALTH

Tri-State Defender

CHEF TIMOTHY

Healthy living and moments of choice

by Chef Timothy Moore Ph.D, N.M.D, C.N. Special to The New Tri-State Defender

Do your days sometime feel like a blur?

Are you just racing against the clock to keep up with all the daily chores or projects before you each day: taking and picking up the kids before and after school, grocery shopping, answering emails and postal mail, paying those dreaded bills, and meeting all those deadline at work and at home as placed before you each day?

When thinking to yourself, do you ever feel there is not a moment of calm in your life?

The hustle of each day seems to always weigh you down but, thankfully, a window of opportunity seems to appear just when you need it the most.

I am often asked, “How do you cope when you’re not happy with yourself or your life, which at times appears to not have any meaning?”

My response to them: “Life is full of meaning and you must discover your purpose in that life. Sometimes we must work to uncover (the) purpose that will determine our destiny.”

These moments in time always seem to linger in the subconscious mind as if to say: “What if I was to act on how I feel about life and not give into pressures around me, knowing that I’m in control of my future and that only I can determine my outcome for great success?”

When making lifestyle changes in regard to staying healthy, we are only able to accomplish our desired changes by following a roadmap towards better health. We cannot give energy to negative factors, family, friends, associates or anyone who tries to destroy our dream.

The moment has arrived for you to take charge! Today has to be the beginning of your new life as it relates to your mind, body and sprit.

If you were to examine your present circumstances and truly ask yourself why you stay sick, exhausted and stressed out – you might begin to understand what is truly at the root of your ill health. When you go to the doctor, they try to appease, pacify, and prescribe for you because the information you discuss makes it appear you are lost in space.

The human body is funny but fragile and we feel pain and aches that occur on a daily basis. We are constantly searching for the magic shot or miracle pill to solve or render the problem cured but often times it actually gets worse before it ever gets better.

We are the only ones who can make that needed change to bring

back happiness into our life on a daily basis, instead of being swept away in the moment as if in a time warp.

Case in point: a recent discussion with a client, Jasmine, who was burdened with weight issues.

“I’ve tried diet Dr. Timothy every known to man Moore and with a few of them, I’ve had some success in losing some inches,” she said. “Over time every time the weight regains.”

For Jasmine, this has become very stressful. It’s a life-threatening issue as it relates to her health, placing her at-risk for developing an early onset of high blood pressure, diabetes, lupus, cancer and a lot of other autoimmune diseases.

As I listened to Jasmine, I realized that she was not alone in this dilemma. Millions of individuals fight this struggle everyday, trying to lose unwanted pounds that seem to never leave their bodies. They hide under new and bigger clothes.

In each case, a closer look into the mirror reflects a person they don’t really want to see.

This is where the stress and the emotional toll begins to set in. With it comes all those negative factors from people, clouding the conscious mind with doubt.

Our success begins within – wanting a better quality of health, which will provide a better and more satisfying life.

Recognizing the blurred appearance and disappearance of some of the best moments of your life can open your eyes to the realization that a dietary lifestyle change will enhance your total well being. This simple change has been proven many times over to our society.

After visualizing the change, you are ready to make the leap in real time. All it takes is one second to choose and one minute to begin.

Congratulations on taking those wonderful first steps.

(Dr. Timothy Moore teaches nutrition, heart disease and diabetes reversal through a plant-based lifestyle. He is a professional speaker, wellness coach and personal plant-based chef. He is the author of “47 Tips To Reverse Your Diabetes.” He can be reached by email at cheftimothy@cheftimothymoore.com, visit him at www.cheftimothymoore.com or follow him at www.twitter.com/cheftimmoore.)

Ouch! Holiday health hazards abound CNN

December 13 - 19, 2012

by Jacque Wilson

(CNN) – Kathleen Taylor was hanging lights on her house in Wimberley, Texas, the week before Thanksgiving in 1998. Reaching to put up a giant yellow star on the end of the eave, Taylor felt the ladder she was on start to wobble.

Glancing down, she saw her 3year-old daughter playing below.

“I just panicked,” she says.

Worried the ladder would fall on the toddler, Taylor jumped off, landing unnaturally on the front part of her left foot. The foot was swollen for days, and Taylor remembers hobbling around through the holidays, certain she had a hairline fracture.

Taylor’s story isn’’ unusual. In November and December 2010 (the latest data available), more than 13,000 people were treated in hospital emergency rooms due to injuries related to holiday decorating, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.

Dr. Shawn Evans, an emergency medicine physician at Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla in Southern California, says falls are “hands down the most common reason why we’ll see folks this time of year.”

Usually these injuries fall into one of three categories, Evans says: older men or women who are putting up lights outside and hurt their head or neck; middle-aged men who’ve had a couple of drinks while decorating and injure their shoulders or wrists; and kids who are trying to assist and end up with head lacerations or concussions.

Evans remembers one horrifying incident from years ago: A man who was hanging decorations on his house eve slipped and managed to get his neck tangled in a string of lights.

“His feet were on the ladder. The ladder could have slipped; he could have hung himself,” he says. Fortu-

nately the man was rescued by a neighbor, but the accident left a ligature mark across his throat.

It’s not always decorations that pose a danger during the holidays. Each year, fires kill approximately 400 Americans and cause more than $990 million in damage, according to the U.S. FireAdministration. Christmas trees are often the first item ignited, the National Fire Protection Association says.

If you’re buying a live tree this year, make sure to check it for freshness by looking at the color (it should be green, not brown) and needles (they shouldn’t break when bent or fall off branches easily), according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission. And always place a tree away from heat sources like an air vent or fireplace. If you choose an artificial tree, look for a “fire resistant” label, the CPSC says.

Candles are another fire hazard.

The CPSC recommends using flameless candles if you have young children or pets, and placing real candles away from materials that will catch on fire easily. Make sure to extinguish all candles before going to bed at night.

Evans says the second most common injuries his staff sees during the holiday season are caused by “alcohol-and ...” accidents: alcohol and a motor vehicle; alcohol and an altercation; alcohol and cooking knives.

Inappropriate presents – or those that aren’t well-thought out – can also put people at risk. Some of the most hazardous gifts have wheels, Evans says. From kids who can’t wait to test out their new bikes to adults who can’t wait to test out their new motorcycles, head and spinal injuries are often seen in the ER around the holidays.

Doctors also see gun and knife-related injuries post-Christmas. Recipients eager to show off their new gifts are often reckless with the safety of themselves and those around them, Evans says.

Legal notices

ALL INTERESTED BIDDERS The Board of Education of the Memphis City Schools will accept written bids for HVAC Upgrade at John P. Freeman School.

Visit our website for additional information: http://mcsk12.worldspice.net/ procurement/index.php?mylink=1 Questions concerning bid/RFP should be addressed to Rennaʼ Green, (901) 4165833 or emailed to greenr@mcsk12.net.

Thank you for supporting Memphis City Schools.

Jacqueline Saunders, Director Procurement Services LEGAL NOTICE TO BIDDERS Upper/Inner Structure Seismic Upgrades REBID Memphis International Airport MSCAA Project Numbers 07-1235-06 Sealed bids for the Upper/Inner Structure Seismic Upgrades, MSCAA Project No. 07-1235-06, will be received by the Staff Services Division of the MemphisShelby County Airport Authority (MSCAA), 3505 Tchulahoma Road, Memphis, Tennessee 38118, until 2 P.M. on Thursday, February 7, 2013, and immediately thereafter will be opened and publicly read.

BIDS WILL NOT BE RECEIVED AT ANY OTHER LOCATION. The scope of work generally consists of seismic retrofit upgrades to the Upper/Inner Structure. Scope of work includes, but is not limited to, fiber reinforced polymer column wraps, steel fabrication and installation, structural concrete installation, deep foundations, electrical modifications, traffic control, and other efforts as necessary.

Bid Documents may be obtained and found on our website (www.mscaa.com) on or after Monday, December 17, 2012. Bid documents may be examined at the following locations in Memphis, TN: Builderʼs Exchange Plans Room, McGraw-Hill Construction Dodge Plans Room, Memphis Area Minority Contractorʼs Association, Mid-South Minority Business Council, National Association of Minority Contractors, and Renaissance Business Center Bid Room. Information regarding obtaining bid documents, addenda to these documents and any other additional information may be found on our website (www.mscaa.com).

All Respondents are hereby notified that all updates, addenda and additional information, if any, shall be posted to the MSCAA website and Respondents are responsible for checking the MSCAA website up to the time of the Bid opening.

A MANDATORY Pre-Bid Meeting will be held Wednesday, January 16, 2013, at 9:00 AM Local Time at the Airport Project Center, 4225 Airways Boulevard, Memphis, TN 38116. Only Prime Contractors who attend the Pre-Bid Meeting will be permitted to submit a bid.

The MSCAA hereby notifies that it will review and award contracts in accordance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, 42 U.S.C. 2000d to 2000d-4a and Title 49, Part 26, Code of Federal Regulations, Department of Transportation, Subtitle A, Office of the Secretary, Part 21, Nondiscrimination in Federally Assisted Programs of the Department of Transportation issued pursuant to such Act. MSCAA further notifies all Bidders that it will affirmatively ensure that in any contract entered into pursuant to this advertisement, Disadvantaged, Minority and Women Business Enterprises (D/M/WBE) will be afforded full opportunity to submit bids in response to this invitation and will not be discriminated against on the grounds of age, race, sex, color, national origin, creed, religion, sexual orientation or disability in its hiring and employment practices, or in admission to, access to, or operation of its programs, services and activities. The D/M/WBE participation goal for this contract is 13% in accordance with the requirements of the Contract Documents. This project is Federal Grant Funded. Therefore, the only participation that will be counted toward meeting this goal will be participation by certified DBEs, the owners of which have been certified as having a personal net worth less than $1.32 million. MBE and WBE participation is encouraged but may NOT be counted toward the goal.

Each bid must be by a contractor licensed in Tennessee and accompanied by a 5% Bid Guarantee. In accordance with TCA §62-6-119, the Bidder, and where applicable, one contractor/subcontractor performing electrical, plumbing, heating, air conditioning, ventilation or masonry work must have its license number, expiration date of the license, and that part of the classification applying to the bid shown on the outside of the envelope containing the bid. Failure to supply all information on the outside of the envelope will result in the return of the unopened envelope to the Bidder. The successful Bidder will be required to execute a Performance Bond and a Payment Bond, each in the amount of 100% of the Contract Price. Liquidated damages for delay in contract completion shall be as stated in the Contract Documents.

No Bidder may withdraw an opened bid within the defined period following actual bid opening without MSCAAʼs consent.

Award will be made to the lowest and best responsible qualified Bidder, if any contract is awarded. MSCAA reserves the right to reject any or all bids and to waive any informalities, technicalities or omissions therein. MSCAA also reserves the right to reject bids from bidders that have pending litigation or claims with MSCAA, or if such bid includes a proposed subcontractor or supplier that has pending litigation or claims with MSCAA, if MSCAA determines, in its sole discretion, such litigation or claims may adversely affect the ability of the parties to work efficiently and effectively under this contract, or for any other reason as determined by MSCAA. Any such bid will be returned to the bidder. See Instructions to Bidders in the project specifications for a further description of this and other reservations of rights.

MEMPHIS-SHELBY COUNTY AIRPORT AUTHORITY

By Larry D. Cox, President & CEO NOTICE TO BIDDER(S) Sealed bids will be received by the Shelby County Government in the Department of Housing, 1075 Mullins Station Road, Memphis, Tennessee 38134 until 9:30 a.m. on Thursday January 3, 2013 as shown below: MULTIPLE AND ENTIRELY DIFFER-

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ENT REHABILITATION JOBS ARE CONTAINED IN THIS BID NOTICE. BIDDER(S) MAY ELECT TO BID ON ANY OR ALL OF THE JOBS IN THE NOTICE. SEALED BID SBI-000194 DUE: THURSDAY, JANUARY 3, 2013 Rehabilitation of Owner-Occupied Housing Units throughout Shelby County some of which may require the use of lead based paint safe work practices and techniques, and Detailed specifications for items above may be obtained in the Shelby County Department of Housing at the aforementioned address. All bids will be opened and publicly read by the Shelby County Government at the time mentioned above at the Department of Housing, 1075 Mullins Station Road Memphis, TN 38134, (901) 2227600.

As a condition precedent to bidding, each bidder must apply and qualify for a Vendor Number and Equal Opportunity Compliance Eligibility Number prior to the submitting your response. Your EOC number must be displayed on the outside of your envelope for each bid submission.

As a condition precedent to being awarded jobs involving Lead Based Paint, contractors must be certified through EPA as an RRP contractor and/or show proof of application to EPA for said certification and be certified through the State of Tennessee as a Lead Based Paint Firm. Proof of licensing at time of bid submission is required by the Shelby County Department of Housing.

The label, which is attached to the specifications shall be completely filled out and attached to the bid submission envelope.

You must display your current E.O.C. Eligibility Number or your Locally Owned Small Business (LOSB) Number on the outside of your envelope and a copy of all licenses and insurance policies must be included in your submitted bid package. Unless the label is completely filled out and your current E.O.C. Eligibility Number is noted thereon your bid may be returned to you unopened. Should your label be lost or misplaced, please note the appropriate information in the lower left-hand corner of your envelope. The Department of Housing encourages participation from WBE, MBE, LOSB, and Section 3 Contractors under these rehabilitation programs.

The Shelby County Government reserves the right to reject any or all bids and to waive any informalities therein.

By order of MARK H. LUTTRELL, JR., MAYOR SHELBY COUNTY GOVERNMENT Jim Vazquez, Administrator REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS Legal Notice Janitorial Services Proposal Number 13-0014 Request for Proposals (“RFP”) for providing Janitorial Services will be received by the Memphis-Shelby County Airport Authority (“Authority”) at Staff Services Division, Memphis International Airport, Administration and Support Facility, 3505 Tchulahoma Road, Memphis, TN 381182718 until 11:00 a.m. local time, February 11, 2013.

INSTRUCTIONS TO PROPOSERS The response to the Request for Proposals shall be submitted in a sealed envelope or container. Each envelope or container must be clearly marked on the outside with the following: 1) Request for Proposals, Janitorial Services, 2) RFQ Number 13-0014, and 3) Your company name and address. No proposals will be accepted after the stated deadline. A complete Request for Proposals packet with submittal instructions, additional data, and response format may be obtained on our website www.mscaa.com. All individuals, firms and other entities (“Proposers”) are hereby notified that all updates, addenda and additional information, if any, shall be posted to the MSCAA website and Proposers are responsible for checking the MSCAA website up to the time of the RFQ submission deadline.

The selected Proposer will provide Janitorial Services to the Memphis-Shelby

Page 13

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County Airport Authority at the Memphis International Airport Complex.

A mandatory pre-proposal conference will be held at the Memphis-Shelby County Airport Authority, Project Center, 4225 Airways Boulevard, Memphis, TN on January 10, 2013 at 10:00 a.m. local time, with a tour of the facility to follow immediately thereafter. Only those attending will be allowed to submit a proposal.

The Authority reserves the right to reject any or all proposals to this Request for Proposals in whole or in part and to waive any informalities, technicalities, or omissions therein. The Authority also reserves the right to reject any Proposal when a parent, subsidiary, affiliate, or predecessor in interest of the Proposer has pending litigation or claims with the Authority, or if any Proposals include a proposed subcontractor or supplier that has pending litigation or claims with the Authority, if the Authority determines, in its sole discretion, such litigation or claims may adversely affect the ability of the parties to work efficiently and effectively under this Contract, or for any other reason as determined by the Authority. Any such proposals will be returned to the Proposer. All Proposers must use forms provided by the Authority.

The Authority hereby notifies that it will review and award bids/proposals in accordance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, 42 U.S.C. 2000d to 2000d-4a (the “Act”) and Title 49, Part 26, Code of Federal Regulations, Department of Transportation, Subtitle A, Office of the Secretary, Part 21, Nondiscrimination in Federally Assisted Programs of the Department of Transportation issued pursuant to such Act. The Authority further notifies all respondents that it will affirmatively ensure that in any contract entered into pursuant to this advertisement, Disadvantaged Minority/Women Business Enterprises (“D/M/WBEs”) will be afforded full opportunity to submit bids in response to this invitation and will not be discriminated against on the grounds of age, race, sex, color, national origin, or disability in its hiring and employment practices, or in admission to, access to, or operation of its programs, services, and activities, in accordance with the Business Diversity Development Program (“BDDP”) promulgated under the October 1994 Disparity Study for non-discrimination in non-federally assisted programs commissioned by the Memphis-Shelby County Intergovernmental Consortium, as amended.

The D/M/WBE participation goal for this contract is 35% in accordance with the requirements of the D/M/WBE documents.

Memphis-Shelby County Airport Authority Larry D. Cox, A.A.E. President

NOTICE TO BIDDER(S) Interested parties must download the solicitation directly from the Countyʼs website, unless otherwise indicated in the solicitation invitation. Please visit the Countyʼs website at www.shelbycountytn .gov. All solicitations are listed under “Purchasing Bids.”

DUE FRIDAY, JANUARY 11, 2013 AT 2:30 PM SEALED BID SBI-000193 2013 STATE AID ASPHALT RESURFACING PROJECT Pre-Bid Conference: A pre-bid conference will be held at 9:00 AM, Friday, January 4, 2013 at the following location: Shelby County Roads and Engineering Department, Conference Room, 6449 Haley Road, Memphis, TN 38134.

Shelby County is an equal opportunity affirmative action employer, drug-free with policies of non-discrimination on the basis of race, sex, religion, color, national or ethnic origin, age, disability or military service.

THE RIGHT TO REJECT ANY AND ALL BIDS IS RESERVED By order of MARK H. LUTTRELL, JR., SHELBY COUNTY MAYOR SHELBY COUNTY GOVERNMENT

Tri-State Defender Classifieds get results!

SPORTS Tri-State Defender, Thursday, December 13 - 19, 2012, Page 14

Grizzlies fall to Hawks and multiple factors Special to The New Tri-State Defender

by Kelley Evans

It’s safe to say that it was not the general consensus that the Memphis Grizzlies (14-4) would go the rest of the 82game season without losing another game.

Saturday (Dec. 8) proved that the early season is still early, and that the Grizzlies are going to have times when they just fall short.

The Atlanta Hawks, leading the league in fast-break points, swooped down and snapped the Grizzlies’ five-game home winning streak 93-83 at the FedExForum in front of 17,612 fans. The Hawks scored 15 fast-break points compared to five by the Grizzlies.

“It was a lot of factors tonight,” said Grizzlies head coach Lionel Hollins. “We played tired, we thought tired and we only had 15 assists. We didn’t share the basketball. We didn’t shoot it well or shoot

free throws well. We looked like a team that was tired.”

The Grizzlies went into halftime 47-41. They started the second half with a Zach Randolph layup. But things started to turnaround quick. With 5:07 left in the third quarter and Memphis leading by five (5853), Atlanta went on a 20-0 run, which led to a 15-point cushion. Atlanta outscored Memphis 32-13, with guard Lou Williams notching 13 points during the period.

“They (Hawks) are quick,” said Hollins. “We couldn’t get to the paint, we missed shots, we turned the ball over and they just ran back on us.”

Hawks forward Josh Smith led all scorers with 24 points followed by Williams off the bench with 21. Al Horford recorded his fifth consecutive double-double, with 19 points and 14 rebounds.

Both teams were coming off back-to-back games, with Memphis defeating the New Orleans Hornets (96-89) the night

before at New Orleans Arena.

The Grizzlies’ lack of execution on offense in the second half cost them the ball game.

“Sometimes you don’t come out the way you wish and nothing was falling for us,” said Grizz center Marc Gasol. “ We know that teams really get out there to play us, especially at home. Teams are looking at us as a big, strong team that is consistent and knows how to play the game. We have got to prove it again. Once you stop proving that every night, you are not as good.”

Gasol and Randolph both finished with 18 points.

“We’ve got to chalk it up and put this behind us,” Randolph said. “It is a lesson learned. We have got to come out and play. We had a good first half. Well, an OK first half. The second half we didn’t come with a lot of energy.

You have got to find other stuff to do if you’re not scoring, you’ve got to grab enough

rebounds, play defense. We have got to figure it out. It is a lesson learned.”

Randolph maintained his NBA lead in double-doubles, finishing with 13 rebounds.

Gay contributed 17 points and nine rebounds, but he shot 7 of 25 from the field. He did keep alive his streak of scoring at least 14 points in every game this season.

Hawks head coach Larry Drew said the Grizz do a really good job of playing a physical game.

“They run you off cuts, they’re big, and they do a really good job of controlling the paint,” said Drew. “I was concerned that it could possiblly wear us down, but our guys did a phenomenal job in executing our game plans.”

The Grizzlies are now on a three-game road stint in hunt of their 15th win of the season, starting with the Phoenix Suns and will return home on Dec. 17 to face the Chicago Bulls.

(Rudy Gay had a tough shooting night (7 of 25) against the Hawks, still scoring 17 points. (Photo by Joe Murphy)

Tigers on a roll with Louisville lurking Special to The New Tri-State Defender

by J.R. Moorhead

The True Blue Nation of the University of Memphis got what it came for as the Tigers’ dominated the Austin Peay Governors on the way to the U of M’s 150th victory since play began at the FedExForum.

Over 15,000 fans gathered last Saturday (Dec. 8) as the Tigers took on the in-state opponent Austin Peay.

Memphis started slowly, but again junior transfer Geron Johnson came off the bench and provided the spark the Tigers needed. Johnson filled up the stat sheet, finishing with 14 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists, and 4 steals. More importantly, the energy that he brings to the court seems to be contagious.

Make room for Tarik Black in the outstanding-game category. So far this year, Black has been a disappointment for Memphis. Against the Governors, Black proved that he should be in the mix, recording 18 points (leading scorer for the game) and 6 rebounds (5 on offense). If he continues to play at this level, Black could soon return to the starting lineup.

With the victory, Memphis extended its winning streak to four games and stepped into a full-week break, allowing for more study time in advance of semester exams.

Although, finals aren’t the only big test the Tigers have this coming week.

On Saturday (Dec. 15), a rivalry with old roots is revisited as the No. 5-ranked Louisville Cardinals come to town. Head coach Josh Pastner and the Tigers will have their hands full when legendary coach Rick Pitino and his squad take the floor at 1:30 p.m.

When asked if he has any plans or strategies that Memphis will look to deploy this weekend, Pastner answered, “Simple is powerful.” He continued, “I’m not trying to out coach myself.”

The point Pastner is trying to make is that there isn’t a secret weapon or plan; it’s just about playing the best basketball for forty minutes. But with all the hype surrounding this long-time rivalry, it’s hard to not look for storylines.

A “W” against Louisville would be not only be a signature win for Memphis, it would also be the first victory against a top-25 team for the Tigers with Pastner at the helm.

Over the last four games Memphis has looked like a team on a mission. The early season losses in the Bahamas left a sour taste in the Tigers’ mouths. Added in with the negativity from elements of the media, Memphis is out to prove the critics wrong.

If the Tigers prevail against a long-time rival and top-5 team, they could do just that.

Pastner might have put it best.

“It’s more about Memphis than Louisville,” he said.

D.J. Stephens blocks the shot of Austin Peayʼs Chris Horton.

Tarik Black (right) reaches for the ball held

by Corey Arentsen of Austin Peay.

(Photos by Warren Roseborough)

SPORTS

Tri-State Defender

Tigers fell to a screen-heavy offensive team, the University of Arkansas Little Rock, 56 to 44. Head coach Melissa McFerrin said the team’s effort was good.

“I was please with our effort and I thought we played hard,” McFerrin said. “They (UALR) just weren’t going to let Nicole Dickson get a look at the basket. But that’s what Nicole’s life is going to look like from now own.”

McFerrin said while UALR doesn’t do a lot of things offensively, the team does well

A “good” effort was not enough for the Tigers to overcome UALR. (Photo

by Kelley Evans)

Loss to Illinois is fourth straight for U of M women Special to The New Tri-State Defender

by Kelley Evans

The University of Memphis women’s basketball team (35) has been looking for a win after starting the season off strong.

Sunday (Dec. 9) was not the day.

The Tigers fell to Illinois (54) 73-65 at the Elma Roane Fieldhouse. Though the final points and the stat of four straight losses may not show it, the team has shown some improvement since losing two key players to injuries.

Three Tigers scored in double figures. Ariel Hearn set a career high with 18 points, followed by Nicole Dickson with 11 points and seven rebounds. Asianna Fuqua-Bey pitched in 10 points.

In the last three losses, Memphis struggled in the first half. The slow starts have placed the Tigers in a predicament, falling too far behind to make up ground despite second-half fights.

Sunday’s game was different. The Tigers fought to stay afloat in the first half, with Hearn leading the way. Trailing 14-10 in the first half, Devin Mack drained her first

Page 15

December 13 - 19, 2012

three to pull the Tigers within one. The Tigers went into the second half down by four (3329).

With under 1:30 left to play in the game, senior transfer Jamila Ajanaku banked in a three-pointer, followed by a lay-up. The five points was the most she has scored in her short Memphis stint.

Memphis committed 23 turnovers, which led to 29 Illinois points. The Tigers scored 16 points off of 22 Illini turnovers.

Karisma Penn led the Illini with 21 points and nine rebounds, followed by Ivory Crawford with 17 points.

Memphis scored 30 points in the paint and 14 secondchance points.

Illinois scored 34 points in the paint and led by as many as 17 points.

Dickson led the Tigers with seven rebounds, two blocks and four steals. Hearn and Dickson each led in assists with three.

Last Friday (Dec. 7), the

with what it does do.

“Our two starting point guards are freshmen and they have exactly seven games of college experience behind them. It’s going to come slowly but we will get better,” said McFerrin.

“It would be great if we could throw some magic dust out and create another player, but that’s not going to happen.

We’ve lost our two starting guards and nobody’s going to throw a pity party for us. We just have to get better with what we have.”

Dickson said the Tigers had a “really good effort” against the UALR. “Everybody came out and played hard. I felt like somebody was on me at every moment. I didn’t have a free breath. It’s something I’ve got to adjust to. We had pretty lackadaisical turnovers and that’s something that we can fix.”

The Tigers return to action on Friday (Dec. 14) against Alabama A&M at the Elma Roane Fieldhouse, with tipoff set for 7 p.m. (CT).

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December 13 - 19, 2012

Tri-State Defender