2 20 2013

VOL. 62, No. 7

February 14 - 20, 2013

www.tsdmemphis.com

75 Cents

Crime keys ‘Operation Take Back’ The New Tri-State Defender

by Tony Jones

A long-awaited chance to vent at the Memphis Police Department?

No, that wasn’t the idea behind the Operation Take Back town hall meeting hosted Tuesday night by the Memphis chapter of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and the Rainbow PUSH Coalition.

Convened at Mt. Moriah East Baptist Church, 1248 Haynes St., the meeting put Mayor AC Wharton Jr. and MPD Director Toney Armstrong in position to respond to citizen concerns and hear recommendations about police conduct, policies and procedures.

It also afforded an opportunity to move toward a deeper understanding

of recent incidents that resulted in fatal shootings by police officers.

The meeting had been postponed, twice. First because of the fatal shooting of MPD officer Maritoya Lane on Dec. 14, and a second time due to inclement weather. The Rev. Dr. Dwight Montgomery, SCLC Memphis president, termed the session a success. SCLC and Rainbow PUSH, he said, are now committed to creating a regular series of meetings throughout the city and county.

One issue that still has to be addressed is citizen recommendations forwarded to the mayor’s office this past fall, said Montgomery.

“On Oct. 13 we sent a list of recommendations compiled from citizens, and that was not addressed at

The Rev. Dwight Montgomery (left), president of the Memphis SCLC, and Police Director Toney Armstrong at a town hall meeting where Montgomery said violence is “eating up our kids and we have to come together and put a stop to it.” (Photo by Tyrone P. Easley)

‘Game Over!’

SEE CRIME ON PAGE 2

Past perfect…

Accused, jailed and acquitted, Southwest player makes comeback

Artifacts such as these are on display at the Benjamin L. Hooks Library as part of Dr. Carnita Atwaterʼs African American History Month exhibit. See the TSDʼs African American History Month special section, pages 7-10. (Photo by Shirley Jackson)

Special to The New Tri-state Defender

by Kelvin Cowans

As I entered the gym of Southwest Tennessee Community College on Union Ave., I could hear the basketballs bouncing on the hardwood floors. The stopping-and-going sounds made by the sneakers were sharp and precise as the Saluqis players moved in rhythm.

This was pre-practice, where some of interim coach Kevin Whitted players show up early – for the betterment of the team – to work on the individual things they haven’t perfected yet. Free throws, left-handed layups, catch-and-shoot three pointers all help the team.

I was here to interview Marshun Newell, who at one point sat behind bars facing 65 to 100 years with no parole, if convicted as accused. I quickly got the feeling that everything had made its way back into place in his life. I’d never met anyone who had ever had a million-dollar bond and is now a free man.

A bond that large reflects that authorities have definitely got the right man, right?

“I originally had a $250,000 bond for especially aggravated robbery,” said Newell, “but then I was recharged with aggravated assault and deployment of a fire arm and aggravated arson. so that’s when my bond was increased to a million dollars.”

I wanted to know what happened, to the best of his knowledge.

“Well, on the million dollar bond charge I didn’t have any knowledge of what had happened, nor have I ever had any intention of doing anything of that nature. I was completely shocked that I had a million dollar SEE COMEBACK ON PAGE 2

- INSIDE • Need for prom dress yields business solution. See Business, page 5.

• Math teacher picks up from football player’s handoff. See Community, page 6.

Beyoncé

• Beyoncé: I feel a lot more like a woman. See Entertainment, page 13.

TSD Women of Excellence gala set for April 27

ʻIn the end, I have learned to cherish life more and focus on the things that matter the most.ʼ – Marshun Newell (Photo by Kelvin Cowans)

Country nudged to the left is Obama’s vision ANALYSIS

SEE WOMEN ON PAGE 2

CNN

by Rebecca Sinderbrand WASHINGTON – The heart of President Barack Obama’s speech Tuesday was the same focus on jobs and middle-class economic uncertainty that’s driven every State of the Union of his presidency.

But that was far from the only ground he covered.

The president reeled off a laundry list of small-bore proposals: He called on Congress to hike the minimum wage to $9 an hour and invest $50 billion on rebuilding roads and bridges. He proposed universal preschool for 4-year-olds and linking some federal grant decisions to research schools on their ability to keep tuition costs in check.

And he urged Congress to put his full gun control agenda up for a vote.

Nearly every idea in his speech had a couple of things in common:

The New TriState Defender will honor and recognize the significant achievements, contributions and work of outstanding African-American women from the Greater Memphis community Bernal E. during its sixth anSmith II nual Women of Excellence Brunch and Awards Celebration at the Memphis Botanic Gardens on April 27.

“Women have long been the backbone of our community, contributing significantly to our growth and progress,” said TSD President/ Publisher Bernal E. Smith II. “They deserve a day of recognition and reward for all they do and for all they mean to us.”

The Women of Excellence Awards salute honorees who are in the forefront of all sectors from politics and public service to business and entertainment. Each woman should pos-

MEMPHIS WEEKEND

President Obama delivers the annual State of the Union address before a joint session of Congress. (CNN photo) Virtually all of them are core Democratic priorities presented in language that delighted the base. None of them were shoot-for-the moon ambitious. They were either old ideas repackaged or markedly modest new ones. And few if any of them are likely to become a reality under the current Congress – nobody in the chamber Tuesday night, including the president himself, thought otherwise.

In a sharp contrast to his first ad-

dress to Congress four years ago, the president paid lip service to bipartisanship, but he made clear that it was a luxury, not a driving priority. He invited Republicans to join him in a bipartisan effort... to back the Democratic policy vision.

If the speech came across more like a wish list than an action plan with a good chance of making it past SEE OBAMA ON PAGE 3

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

SUNDAY

H -47o - L-32o A .M . C l o u d s

H- 4 3 o - L - 3 0 o P a r tl y C l oud y

H- 5 3 o - L - 4 1 o S unn y

REGIONAL TEMPS LITTLE ROCK NASHVILLE JACKSON, MS

Friday H-52 L-33 H-48 L-27 H-60 L-34

Saturday H-47 L-29 H-39 L-22 H-50 L-32

Sunday H-60 L-40 H-45 L-33 H-57 L-39

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CRIME

CONTINUED FROM FRONT

the meeting and we were displeased with that, but overall it was a great success,” said Montgomery.

“The director was able to respond to citizens whose family members were unfortunately killed by police officers, and I hope we brought some understanding and light to their situations.”

“It was extremely important to have this meeting,” says City Council member Wanda Halbert, who attended the first part of the meeting before leaving for another commitment, said it was important that the session took place.

“It is important that we build and maintain a good relationship with the police department, but there is much more to this problem,” said Halbert.

“There are four recommendations I brought to the meeting from a community perspective: (1) a plan to address violence in urban neighborhoods; (2) ex-offender

WOMEN

CONTINUED FROM FRONT

sess demonstrated success within her field of endeavor, be a positive role model whose contributions encourage others, and be active in commu-

NEWS

programs, especially entrepreneurship and training; (3) being more aware of our officers’ health and welfare, making sure they are not bringing problems from their personal lives into their duty lives; (4) paying attention to our youth.

We’ve even reduced community center staff and services and cut summer jobs; (5) gangs and drugs have become out of control, especially with young African-American males. What is the city going to do to apply our tax dollars better in addressing these problems.”

Halbert voiced a point of view echoing through several quarters of the African-American community.

“We are not holding ourselves and our family members accountable for what they should and should not be doing,” she said, “and we are not holding our elected leadership responsible for applying our tax dollars where it makes a difference.”

In television snippets following the meeting and in prior interviews, Armstrong

has repeated this theme. “A lot of the problems were are facing with street violence stems from issues in the home.

Parents have got to become more accountable and pay more attention to their children’s actions.”

Armstrong’s COPS and CityWatch programs fall in line with what Montgomery said SCLC and Rainbow PUSH are planning.

“Our goal is to take this process and put it in service throughout as many communities that are willing,” said Montgomery.

“We are going to the Baptist Ministerial Association and reaching out to others in the faith-based community to get involved and schedule regular and consistent meetings at their churches with the local precinct captains, get out and form neighborhood watches, go door to door if we have to,” he said.

“We have got to do something about all this ridiculous violence. It’s eating up our kids and we have to come together and put a stop to it.”

nity service or organizational involvement.

Each candidate must be a local (Greater Memphis area) African American woman executive, business owner, or community leader.

“We look forward to a robust number of nominations and to

selecting another phenomenal group of women to recognize for their service and steadfast commitment to excellence,” said Smith.

The WOE gala event will begin at 10 a.m. The champagne brunch will feature a live art auction, a musical trib-

COMEBACK

CONTINUED FROM FRONT

bond and that I had been incarcerated for an entire year for it,” said Newell.

“I was falsely accused by a friend from my neighborhood’s sister who said I did something I didn’t do. I was actually taken into custody on my way to basketball practice and the detectives told me what I was charged with. I told them that I was totally unaware of the event’s that had happened, but it didn’t matter to them. I quickly touched based with my coach, at the time that was Verties Sails, and told him what happened about me being arrested.”

How did that go?

“It went well because he never believed that I was capable of doing what I was charged with,” said Newell.

“So as my time behind bars began to get longer and our basketball season was starting, I stayed in contact with him to check on things with the team.

Then later when I went to trial, he testified for me as a character witness. He let them know that I was not that kind of person.”

The other people involved in the crime, were they college students or were you the only one?

“No, I was the only one. You see the first crime was between my brother and a friend of mine who got into it, which ledd up to him getting shot and paralyzed. So the fact that it was my brother, he wanted to make it seem like I was in on that, but I wasn’t. That’s how the entire mess got started. He started telling people that me and my brother had robbed him.”

Did you rob him Marshun?

“No.” OK, so tell me about the arson?

“Well, about a month after I got out on bond about the robbery case, I was accused of this arson crime because the same guy’s house got shot up and set on fire and everybody was saying it was me. But it wasn’t me at all. I don’t do stuff like that.”

You have a lot of tattoos and you’re a black man, you kind of tall, imposing and you knew the victim. So this crime could fit, right? Are you in a gang, Marshun? Is your brother in a gang?

“It can’t fit because I didn’t do it. And no sir, we are not in a gang.”

I spoke with your lawyer, attorney Kamilah Turner – highly intelligent woman. She had nothing but glowing things to say about you. In fact, she’s the reason that I’m sitting here with you today. It’s highly improbable that an attorney pushes an ex-defendant’s cause unless he had made big money for the attorney. She has done so based soley on the great young man she believed she was defending.

“Yes, I was very frustrated when I met with her, but I put my trust in her. She knew I wasn’t the person they were saying I was. I knew she was going to do a good job and she

Tri-State Defender

February 14 - 20, 2013

“While being incarcerated I had such limited space to myself. They treat you like you really donʼt matter.” – Marshun Newell (Photo by Kelvin Cowans)

did,” Newell said.

“This wasn’t easy because I had to really hold my peace because the prosecutors were saying so many mean things about me that I knew wasn’t true. They had even went back to my old Myspace page from five years ago and was trying to show the jury how horrible of a person I was. They introduced childish things that we all do or say at that age. I just shook my head.

“They play a whole lot of games,” said Newell. “I just wish that they would look at individuals closer and get to know them before charging them with stuff. People lose a lot of time and life fighting false allegations. I never been to jail, I don’t have a juvenile record, That’s not me. It didn’t work anyway because in the end I got a not-guilty verdict.

The game was over.”

I asked how the experience had changed his life.

“While being incarcerated I had such limited space to myself. They treat you like you really don’t matter. During this time I lost the only caregiver I ever known, as my grand-

mother passed away, and that was hard,” Newell said.

“In the end, I have learned to cherish life more and focus on the things that matter the most.

I had so much time to think and it has made me a role model to the people of my neighborhood.

You have to be a real strong person to handle incarceration.”

What your books look like?

How’s basketball?

“I have a 2.4 grade point average, but I’m shooting for higher as I get ready to attend a four-year college next year. In basketball I play the guard position and I’m doing pretty good. I average 19 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 steals and I may just win player of the year. I’m in the running for it.”

You have anything you would like to say to the prosecutors or the people that falsely accused you. Either way, here’s your chance?

“Nah.” Now that’s maturity. Your life is saying enough young man.

(Kelvin Cowans can be reached at (kelvincowans @hotmail.com)

City Councilwoman Wanda Halbert said Memphis residents must be accountable “for what they should and should not be doing” relative to crime and violence and start holding elected officials responsible “for applying our tax dollars where it makes a difference.” (Photo by Tyrone P. Easley)

ute and a special guest speaker, who will be announced soon.

“As always, we are expecting a sold out crowd, so we encourage you to purchase your tickets and tables early,” Smith said.

Tickets are $65 and tables of ten are $600. For more infor-

mation, contact the TSD at 90523-1818, visit tsdmemphis. com, or email events@tri-statedefender.com.

It’s all about honoring and uplifting African-American women “who have consistently made a difference in the lives of others and in making Memphis a better

place to live,” said Smith.

“We invite the community to join us in celebrating the TSD 2013 Women of Excellence.”

All nomination forms must be received by March 8 at 5 p.m. Find forms online at www.tsdmemphis.com and on page 16 of this edition.

Tri-State Defender

NEWS

February 14 - 20, 2013

Fugitive ex-LAPD cop drama apparently over

RIVERSIDE, California (CNN) – Authorities said Wednesday they are reasonably sure that the body found inside the burned cabin near Big Bear Lake, California, is that of Christopher Dorner, the rogue ex-cop who had been pursuing a vendetta against his fellow officers.

Although the description and behavior of the man who was killed are consistent with Dorner, officials “cannot absolutely, positively confirm it was him,” San Bernardino Sheriff John McMahon. “Our coroner’s division is trying to confirm the identity through forensics.”

Authorities say Dorner launched a guerrilla war against the Los Angeles Police Department over what he considered his unfair dismissal in 2009.

A sheriff’s detective who was fatally shot Tuesday by the

OBAMA

CONTINUED FROM FRONT

the House, that’s because it was. Just laying the exhaustive string of liberal policy priorities seemed to be the point – a companion to the ideological offensive in his inauguration speech.

The top priority Tuesday wasn’t necessarily jobs, or guns, or climate change, or voting rights. It was the sum of all those parts, a liberal vision that Obama clearly hopes will nudge the country in that direction.

“It is our unfinished task to restore the basic bargain that built this country – the idea that if you work hard and meet your responsibilities, you can get ahead,” the president said.

“It is our unfinished task to make sure that this government works on behalf of the many, and not just the few.”

The framing in Tuesday’s speech was designed to help the president score two wins:

man presumed to have been Dorner was identified as Jeremiah MacKay, 35, a 15-year veteran who was married with a 7-year-old daughter and a 4month-old son.

Another officer was wounded and expected to make a full recovery, McMahon said. The two men were ambushed Tuesday when they responded to a report of a vehicle stolen by a suspect matching Dorner’s description.

The suspect fled into a nearby vacant cabin, which caught fire after police shot tear gas canisters into it, McMahon said.

“We did not intentionally burn down that cabin to get Mr. Dorner out,” McMahon said.

It wasn’t clear when a formal identification could be made of the charred remains.

Four people were fatally shot, allegedly by the 33-yearold former Navy officer.

in the long term, a progressive legacy, and in the short run, an advantage in the budget battles and debt ceiling drama.

With the GOP laying responsibility for a looming sequester at the White House door, the president pointed to Republicans’ emphasis on the need for entitlement reform as proof that they’re laying the burden for deficit reduction on cops and teachers and seniors instead of “the wealthiest and most powerful.”

“Deficit reduction alone is not an economic plan,” he said.

“A growing economy that creates good, middle-class jobs – that must be the North Star that guides our efforts.”

It’s a message designed to resonate with working-class voters, and the Republican Party’s standard-bearer for the evening, Sen. Marco Rubio, countered with a mirror-image appeal to the same demographic.

“Mr. President, I still live in the same working-class neighborhood I grew up in. My

Dorner had vowed to kill police officers to avenge what he called his unfair termination. He was fired after accusing his training officer of kicking a suspect during a July 2007 arrest, a complaint the LAPD concluded was unfounded.

In a manifesto announcing his planned rampage, Dorner said nothing had changed in the LAPD since its scandals of the 1990s, the Rodney King beating and the Rampart police corruption case. Those allegations have struck a chord with some who say that, despite the four killings, Dorner was seeking justice.

LAPD Chief Charlie Beck announced Saturday that the department would re-examine its proceedings against Dorner “to reassure the public that their police department is transparent and fair in all things we do.” neighbors aren’t millionaires.

They’re retirees who depend on Social Security and Medicare,” Rubio said. “I don’t oppose your plans because I want to protect the rich.

I oppose your plans because I want to protect my neighbors.”

The approach was much the same as the president’s, an ideological vision unweighted by grand, ambitious plans to make it a reality.

In fact, for an exhaustive speech, Obama’s State of the Union was notably short on some key specifics.

The White House has so far brushed off calls for a price tag for the proposals in Tuesday’s speech, promising a full accounting when the president sends his next budget to Congress. But in the end, the policy details may be less important than the political timing. The White House and congressional Republicans remain locked in a brutal message war over the sequester, now just over two weeks away.

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John H. Sengstacke Publisher (1951 - 1997)

The Mid-Southʼs Best Alternative Newspaper

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Hadiya Pendletonʼs funeral drew mourners of all ages, including teens wearing sashes declaring their love for her. Michael Ward, 18, and Kenneth Williams, 20, on Monday were each charged in her death. Ward – on parole for a gun violation – told police he shot Pendleton when he and Williams were out to get revenge on rival gang members. (Photo: Worsom Robinson/Real Times News Service)

African-American teens, gun violence and the specter of empty rhetoric

The death of Hadiya Pendleton, a 15-year-old honor student at King College Prep High School on Chicago’s South Side, is finally receiving the national attention that it deserves.

An honor student and majorette in her school’s marching band, Hadiya had recently participated in President Obama’s inaugural parade in the nation’s capital.

After leaving school on Jan. 29, Hadiya was shot and killed in a park after she and friends sought shelter under a canopy when it began raining. She was killed about a mile from Obama’s Chicago home. Hadiya’s father, Nathaniel Pendleton, summed up his loss this way: “They took the light of my life…She was destined for great things and you stripped that from her.”

First Lady Michelle Obama, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and presidential adviser Valerie Jarrett attended Hadiya’s funeral on Saturday.

Her mother, Cleopatra CowleyPendleton, was a guest of the Obamas at Tuesday’s State of the Union address. The president is scheduled to visit Chicago on Friday where he will deliver a major address on gun violence that is certain to contain a mention of Hadiya.

It’s fitting that Obama return to his adopted hometown to make his case against deadly violence.

According to statistics analyzed by the Chicago Reporter, more young people are killed in Chicago than any other city in the nation. More than 530 people under 21 years old have been killed since 2008 – most of them in black and brown neighborhoods – while hundreds of others have been injured. According to the newspaper, nearly 80 percent of youth homicides occur in 22 black or Latino neighborhoods on the city’s South, Southwest and West sides, even though those communities represent only one-third of Chicago’s population.”

Young people are not only the victims of gun violence – they are usually the ones who pull the trigger.

“From 2008 through 2012, nearly half of Chicago’s 2,389 homicide victims were killed before their 25th birthday. In 2011, the most recent year for which the data were available, more than 56 percent of individuals who committed murder were also under 25. One-third of Chicago residents are under 25, according to 2011 Census estimates,” the Chicago Reporter states.

“And despite various police strategies and community efforts, things are getting worse. Last year, 243 people under 25 were killed in Chicago.

That’s an 11 percent increase over 2011 and a 26 percent jump from 2010.”

Chicago homicides are not limited to the youth.

The Reporter also noted, “In 2012, not only did Chicago lead the nation in homicides, it witnessed nearly 100 more murders than New York City, even though the Big Apple has three times as many residents. And Chicago witnessed 215 more murders than Los Angeles – home to more than a million more people.”

OPINION

Tri-State Defender

February 14 - 20, 2013

Because of highly-publicized mass murders – including shooting deaths at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Conn.; a movie theater in Aurora, Colo; Fort Hood, Texas and Virginia Tech George E. – much of the Curry gun debate has centered on reducing or eliminating access to assault weapons and high-capacity magazines.

While those are laudable goals, some police chiefs have pointed out that handguns kill far more people than assault weapons.

In its latest report titled, “Black Homicide Victimization in the United States: An Analysis of 2010 Homicide Data,” the Violence Policy Center reported: “For homicides in which the weapon used could be identified, 83 percent of black victims (5,073 out of 6,149) were shot and killed with guns. Of these, 72 percent (3,658 victims) were killed with handguns. There were 617 victims killed with knives or other cutting instruments, 219 victims killed by bodily force, and 162 victims killed by a blunt object.”

Overall, blacks are more than six times more likely to be homicide victims than whites.

Citing FBI crime reports, the Violence Policy Center observed, “…In 2010 there were 6,469 black homicide victims in the United States.

The homicide rate among black victims in the United States was 16.32 per 100,000. For that year, the overall national homicide rate was 4.42 per 100,000. For whites, the national homicide rate was 2.66 per 100,000.”

In addition to the need to address handgun violence, President Obama, Congress and law enforcement officials should acknowledge that violence is a serious problem and more often than not, the victim knew or had a relationship with the person who killed them.

“For homicides in which the victim to offender relationship could be identified, 70 percent of black victims (2,146 out of 3,058) were murdered by someone they knew. Nine hundred twelve victims were killed by strangers,” the Violence Policy Center report stated.

If this country is serious about curbing murders, it must focus on tragic deaths, such as the murder of Hadiya Pendleton and 20 young kids in Newtown, Conn. But it must also deal with handguns and the murder of people who have or have had a relationship with their killer. Otherwise, all the tough talk on reducing violence is empty rhetoric.

(George E. Curry is editor-in-chief of the National Newspaper Publishers Association News Service (NNPA.) He can be reached via www.georgecurry.com. Follow him at www.twitter.com/currygeorge.)

Whole Foods exec must think we’re whole fools

There is a Whole Foods store about three blocks from my home, and around the corner from my gym. I am enamored by the displays of produce, the red peppers contrasting the yellow ones, the kale, chard, and collard glistening from their morning sprinkle. I love the way the fish gleams back at you, char and salmon, swordfish and tilapia. When I walk over to the prepared food, I grin at the ways the veggies are layered with cheese, crumbs, and so much more. They have sandwiches that I identify with, ingredients that I salivate about.

And now I must declare that I would rather drink muddy water or sleep in a hollow log than to indulge in whole foods.

I am utterly appalled that Whole Foods CEO John Mackey described Obamacare as “fascism.” Fascism is an incendiary word that speaks totalitarianism, or dictatorship, and it descries it in a pejorative way.

Whatever dissent there may be about Obamacare, the fact is, enough members of Congress voted for it to make it a law.

John Mackey, what were you thinking when you called Obamacare (a term I proudly embrace) totalitarian and fascist? Is President Obama so mesmerizing that he forced opposing members of Congress to vote for his plan?

I had mixed feelings when the store also known as Whole Pay-

check swooped into my neighborhood. People earn less hourly than the price of a pound of cheese.

Most folks, though, were happy to have jobs. Happy, that is, until they complained Julianne about the terms Malveaux and conditions of their work. I really didn’t pay much attention, but there was a niggling sense that something was wrong Some of the workers grumbled outside the store. If you asked if they could help you, they were emphatically negative. I can understand folks preferring to keep their jobs than to put it out there for justice. But from the swing of the head, the cut of the eye, it was clear that all has not been good at Whole Paycheck.

Unease translated into disease for me. How dare John Mackey decide to flip his lip without a script to describe national health care as “fascism?” He seems to be trying to start a fight, to diminish a president, to ignore that vote of Congress, to put President Obama in a context that he does not deserve to be in.

Fascism? One dictionary describes fascism as “a right wing nationalist ideology or movement with

an hierarchical structure that is opposed to democracy and liberalism.”

How did President Obama get in this mix?

CEO John Mackey, unsupportive of Obamacare (as many business leaders are) chose to take opposition to another level, and decided that “fascism” was a great way to frame his ire. Then he said it didn’t matter, that his word choice was careless, that his ignorance would not affect his corporate profit, that he simply misspoke.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said to support evil is to embrace evil, is to be evil. This is an evil I can gleefully walk away from. Mackey says that it doesn’t matter that conscious people won’t support his store. He may have a point. But I’m giong to take my little $200 a week elsewhere and I know others who will do the same thing. John Mackey, your words have been duly noted.

If my words are irrelevant, keep shopping at Whole Paycheck and supporting oppression. If you agree with me, send John Mackey a note via Libba.Letton@wholefood.com or Kate.Lowery@wholefoods.com.

To use a term like “fascism” in the context of public policy is ugly and unacceptable. To cooperate is to be complicit.

(Julianne Malveaux is a Washington, D.C.-based economist and writer.)

Reviving rejected anti-consumer arguments

In recent days, public debate over the leadership of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has been reminiscent of the adage: “The more things change, the more they remain the same.”

In these still early days of the 113th Congress, those who in 2010 adamantly opposed Dodd-Frank financial reform and the creation of an independent consumer-focused bureau are trying to revive their same rejected arguments. Legislation has been introduced along party lines to reverse many of the pro-consumer reforms enacted in 2010. Further, a bloc of 43 U.S. Senators advised for the second time their refusal to accept or reject any CFPB director nominee.

A February 1 letter to the president said in part, “We will continue to oppose the consideration of any nominee, regardless of party affiliate, to be the CFPB director until key structural changes are made to ensure accountability and transparency.”

An equally strong but opposite view of the Richard Cordray renomination is held by Sen. Jeff Merkley, a Democrat from Oregon.

On February 6, he said, “Predatory mortgages and other tricks and traps of the financial system have devastated too many working families.

The CFPB was created with the support of a super-majority of senators to take on these egregious abuses and ensure that all Americans are protected from unfair and deceptive practices.”

“The senators blocking Cordray must ask themselves a fundamental question,” said Merkley. “‘Does fi-

nancial fairness for working families matter?’ I think it does. Financial fairness is essential for successful families.

Financial fairness is a family value.”

CFPB was deCharlene liberately deCrowell signed to independently serve all consumers rather than be subjected to partisan pranks and chicanery.

For example, a single director empowered to write rules and monitor a range of financial services facilitates swift and corrective action in the consumers’ interests. CFPB opponents prefer a commission with members chosen by party leaders.

Yet in a recent commentary, Nancy A. Nord, a commissioner with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and its former acting chair, expressed serious concerns with commission governance.

“A well-informed administrator with sole accountability for decisions is a better way to achieve underlying policy goals, rather than hoping for clear-headed bi-partisanship,” wrote Nord. “My experience at the CPSC indicates that commissioners’ independence is more hope than reality. In non-unanimous votes, crossing party lines is rare.”

In addition to a director’s leadership, CFPB’s independence is also assured by its budget not being subject to annual congressional appro-

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priations. CFPB opponents have called for this financial independence to end. If CFPB’s budget were to become subject to the annual appropriations process, the door would be opened to potential and ongoing punishment by the largest banking industry lobbies and their allies in Congress. Dodd-Frank reform showed far-sighted wisdom by enabling unhindered decisions and actions taken in the public interest.”

Most importantly, consumers have shown overwhelming support for CFPB. A 2012 poll of consumer sentiment by the Center for Responsible Lending showed that more than eight out of 10 consumers of color polled favored a strong CFPB. Further, consumers of color expressed the strongest support for CFPB. Earlier CRL research documented how African-American and Latino families lost approximately $1 trillion from the foreclosure crisis – the brunt of 10.9 million homes that went into foreclosure from 2007-2011.

For our communities, the financial stakes in the CFPB debate could not be higher. No community could hope to survive a second trillion loss.

It is time to stand up, speak out and insist on preserving the hardfought consumer protections with the same vigor that defied those who tried to deny our voting rights in 2012.

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

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

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 2013

by Tri-State Defender Publishing, Inc. Permission to Publisher, TriState 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.

BUSINESS

Tri-State Defender

Page 5

February 14 - 20, 2013

ON OUR WAY TO WEALTHY

Dressed to impress Part I

The look of a sharp-dressed gentleman means he is about business. Couple that polished appearance with knowledge, opportunity and execution and you have success.

Reginald French, Stephon Coleman and Thomas Nolan – local businessmen and fraternity brothers – consistently present that dressed-to-impress look.

French is a technology firm owner, recipient of the 2012 Kappa Man of the Year award, and a philanthropist who has worked diligently with Kappa Alpha Psi and St. Jude on Sunday of Hope. Coleman is an executive with FedEx. Nolan is an artist, firefighter, and most notably a culinary artist.

Carlee McCullough: Tell us a little bit about yourself?

Reginald French: Currently, I am an entrepreneur with a focus on the technology sector. I also run the Fatherhood Foundation, where we mentor young black boys from single parent homes. I am married with one daughter who is a student in the public school system. I consider myself a champion for community service and the people.

Stephon Coleman: I’m 49 years old and I have been fortunate to be married for 22

years old to Tia Burks. I have two sons, Sgt. Quinton L. Coleman currently serving in Afghanistan, and Stephon F. Carlee McCullough C o l e m a n II, a student at the University Of Memphis. I have been employed with FedEx Express for the past 27 years. I participate in mentoring our youth, giving them an understanding of their life today and aspirations for tomorrow.

Thomas Nolan: I am a married family man. Additionally, I am an artist, culinary artist, and a firefighter for 18 years. I am a graduate of LeMoyneOwen College. I enjoy traveling to explore exquisite eateries with international influence. I love going to MLB baseball games, preparing food, and visiting art galleries.

CM: When did you realize you had a flair for fashion?

RF: I was blessed that my dad spent a lot of time with me on how to tie a necktie and shine shoes. Plus, we stayed in church, so a suit is something that I was wearing a lot as a kid

and it carried into my adult life.

My parents were big on manners, attitude and appearance.

SC: I’m not sure that I have so much of a flair for fashion.

I just listen to the professionals. When I was growing up my parents were both in banking and I always saw my dad dressed appropriately for whatever event he attended…(He) would tell me it did not “matter what everyone else wore, we are going to dress appropriately.”

TN: I realized that I had a flair for fashion when attending college in the early ’80s on the campus of LeMoyneOwen College. This nice female complemented me on my attire, which consisted of the only pair of jeans that I owned which were so full of holes and colorful paint from the studio splashed all over the denim that I had paired them with a starched white polo dress shirt and ostrich skin cowboy boots. I have the less-is-more approach as it relates to fashion.

CM: Has maintaining a polished and stylish look benefitted you professionally?

RF: I think it shows a sense of professionalism and seriousness. However, I think one’s attitude should mirror their dress. It’s not enough to just look good, also to treat people in a good manner.

MONEY MATTERS

The risk of a ‘flight to safety’ As the financial crisis grew in severity from 2006 to 2008, U.S. investors moved more than $1.5 trillion into money market mutual funds as a “flight to safety.” Over the next two years, cash flowed out of these funds almost as quickly as it flowed in when investors rushed to purchase growth-oriented securities in the recovering stock market.

Stability vs. growth

Money market funds are mutual funds that invest in cash-alternative assets, usually short-term debt. They seek to preserve a value of $1 per share, which is why they may be appealing when investors fear potential loss.

However, money market funds typically offer low yields that have dropped to near zero in the current interest-rate environment.

Because of this low growth potential, shifting a large percentage of assets into money market funds to help avoid the risks associated with market volatility may result in a different kind of risk: the risk that your investments might not keep pace with inflation and could miss out on an opportunity to grow.

Consider the recent recession.

On March 5, 2007, the S&P

500 – a b r o a d measure of the U.S. stock market – s stood at 1,374.12.

Two years later on March 5, 2009, the Charles Sims Jr., CFP index hit its lowest point during the recession when it closed at 682.55. On March 5, 2012, three years after the low point, the index was at 1,364.33 and trending upward.

Investors who stayed the course throughout this fiveyear period could have weathered the economic crisis and been poised to take advantage of any potential future market gains. By contrast, investors who sold assets when the market was near its low point may have experienced losses; and then by shifting those proceeds into money market funds, these investors might have missed out on potential growth when the market rebounded.

A useful financial tool

Money market funds could help you create a portfolio that is appropriately allocated based on

your risk tolerance and needs. In addition, you might use money market funds on a temporary basis to hold proceeds from the sale of assets until you are ready to reinvest. Money markets also provide a place to hold emergency savings.

Although money market funds could play a helpful role in your financial strategy, it’s important to understand their limitations.

NOTE: Money market funds are neither insured nor guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency. Although money market funds seek to preserve the value of your investment at $1 per share, it is possible to lose money by investing in such a fund.

Mutual funds are sold only by prospectus. Please consider the investment objectives, risks, charges, and expenses carefully before investing.

The prospectus, which contains this and other information about the investment company, can be obtained from your financial professional. Be sure to read the prospectus carefully before deciding whether to invest.

(Charles Sims Jr. is president/ CEO of The Sims Financial Group. Contact him at 901-682-2410 or visit www.S imsFinancialGroup.com.)

Where the rich people live (CNNMoney)

by Steve Hargreaves Despite all the talk of urban revitalization, suburbs still have a denser concentration of rich people than cities.

In America’s suburbs, just over 6 percent of the households have incomes that put them in the top sliver of American earners, according to a study released Monday by the U.S. Census Bureau. In city centers, less than 5 percent of households made the cut.

Not surprisingly, the study found that rich people tend to live near major population centers.

The Bridgeport-StamfordNorwalk area of Connecticut, a region just north of New York City that’s home to many a hedge fund, has the highest concentration of wealthy households in the country — 17.9% of those in the area bring in more than $191,469 per year. That compares to 5% of households nationwide, according to the Census Bureau.

Southern Connecticut was followed closely by the techheavy San Jose-SunnyvaleSanta Clara region in California that’s known as Silicon

The area of Connecticut just north of New York City — including Bridgeport, seen here – has the highest concentration of rich people living there. (Credit: Mayor of Bridgeport) Valley. The Washington, D.C.Arlington-Alexandria area came in third.

At the opposite end of the spectrum are mostly rural regions. Two statistical areas with the same name tied for having the lowest concentration of rich people – Danville, Ill., and Danville Va. – at 1.1 percent. Pine Bluff, Ark.; Steubenville, Ohio-Weirton, W.Va.; and Muskegon-Norton Shores, Mich. rounded out the

bottom five.

Areas that fell outside the norm included regions in the country currently undergoing an energy boom. Counties near North Dakota’s Bakken Shale, Colorado’s Niobrara and Texas’ Eagle Ford all had high concentrations of wealth.

The study did not take into account cost of living, which can significantly reduce or boost buying power in an area.

Reginald French

SC: Yes, it has. A year or so after the interview of the first management job I was hired for at FedEx, the person that hired me told me that when I walked through the door I pretty much had the job because of my attire. At that point they decided if I did a good job with the interview questions I was going to be the person they would hire.

TN: Absolutely. I have to wear several different attires.

It depends on what hat I’m

Stephon Coleman

wearing for that day of the week. By that I mean, being a visual artist and my artistic state of mind will incline me to dress causal, chic and funky, because of the relaxing atmosphere that art galleries generates. When I’m on duty as a firefighter or a personal chef where I’m in the public eyes, I’m in my navy blue duty uniform or a stylish chef jacket. I take pride in a spotless professional and fresh presentation every day, which

Thomas Nolan

means a lot when it comes to serving the public. It gives a person a sense of trust and confidence when doing business with them or serving them in any capacity.

NEXT WEEK: Dress to Impress, Part II. (Contact Carlee McCullough, Esq., at 5308 Cottonwood Road, Suite 1A, Memphis, TN 38118, or email her at jstce4all@aol.com.)

COMMUNITY

Page 6

Tri-State Defender

February 14 - 20, 2013

WHERE ARE THEY NOW?

CHEF TIMOTHY

Math teacher picks up from football player’s handoff Special to The New Tri-State Defender

by Kelvin Cowans

(This is the first installment in a periodic column updating readers on the fortunes of former students from Memphis-area schools.)

If I told you that 1+1= 2, you’d agree. If I told you that 2+2= 4, you’d say right on. If I told you that 4+4= 8, you’d say OK, now make your point.

Our simple addition here is 100 percent correct, but I’m not handing out any cookies. Why? Because I see another law at work. The one where 1+1 just may equal millions.

That’s the way Christopher Ryan Marve sees it. He’s an educator, and educators – the ones who are really serious about their profession – must see it this way.

A Vanderbilt University graduate (2011) and a product of Teach for America, Marve, who went to high school in Memphis at White Station, now teaches math to seventh graders at Lead Academy in Nashville. At Vandy, Marve played SEC football, which for many translates – or adds up – to a high-percentage shot at

playing professionally. If not the NFL, definitely somewhere.

“Well I decided to forgo my opportunity to play in the NFL to fight the new fight, said Marve. “FootChristopher ball was what I Ryan Marve did, it’s not who I am. I had successes in football through high school back at White Station and college where I played linebacker, but I lost my passion for it.

“So since I’m not the kind of person to do anything half-heartedly, I renewed my focus in another area,” said Marve. “I then decided to make my life one of service.”

Q&A

Kelvin Cowans: Who influenced your life in this manner? I understand you’re educated, but there’s a hint of wisdom or experience and diversity in your conversation. There’s a lot to you.

Christopher Ryan Marve: …(My) parents, who have meant the world to me, helping mold me into the man I am today, spiritually and otherwise…academics always came first with them. My parents settled for nothing less.

Other than them, I have to go all the way back to Hickory Ridge Middle and my 8th grade math teacher, Mrs. Mildrek Clark. You could see the passion that she had for teaching.

She was every bit of 4-foot -1 but she was the most intimidating person you will ever come across. She loved what she did and everybody respected her. When Mrs. Clark said do something you did it. She was and is one of the most inspiring teachers of mine. I’m even in contact with her today and I’m still scared. She inspired me to do this.

Now I’m pushing my kids like she pushed me. I believe that I can pour into these kids lives and they will pour into someone and that person will pour into someone and it will keep going from there. If you can reach one, it could turn into millions.”

KC: How do you feel about the education in America? What are we not doing? Where should our focus be?

Eat your veggies & be careful how you cook ’em

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

Christopher Ryan Marve, who played football at White Station High School and Vanderbilt University, said, “Football was what I did, itʼs not who I am.” (Courtesy photo)

CRM: America is not where it should be. Our public education system is beyond behind where we are supposed to be. We are not even in the top ten in the world. We need to understand education is coming to the forefront of everything we do, our very existence.

We have dropped the ball collectively when it comes to education.

It’s not fair to point at one aspect of it. All kids can learn, rich and poor.

(Kelvin Cowans can be reached at ( kelvincowans@hotmail.com)

iTEEN REPORT

Need for prom dress yields business solution Special to The New Tri-State Defender

by Deidra Shores

The world of consignment has many faces and one of the newer ones is bringing something a little bit special to the table.

Belle of the Ball Prom Dress Consignment, LLC is an entry point into the Mid-South for beautiful and inexpensive prom dresses. I spoke with the owner, Rashida Patterson, to trace the idea of Prom Consignment to its roots.

Patterson took me back to 2010 and the search for a dress for her daughter’s pageant. Mother and daughter kept running into problems. The main one was Deidra that they couldShores n’t find “The Dress” that stayed within “The Price.” Like most parents who pay for a daughter’s dress, Patterson didn’t want to spend an extreme amount of money on a something that might only be worn once.

Belle Of The Ball Prom Dress Consignment was born out of the search for a solution.

Patterson runs the home-based business on the weekends. She says that’s when most people have the time to shop for special-occasion attire. It’s not a solo operation, though. Volunteers pitch in and help to keep a fun and relaxed atmosphere.

Even her youngest daughter is in the mix, helping out and modeling dresses as one of the “Belles That Cares” – a group of girls that model Patterson’s clothes, orchestrate dresscollect drives and spread the word about the Belle Of The Ball Outreach Dress Program.

I know firsthand about the Belle That Cares program because I’m a part of it. Patterson has designed the program to give back in a fun, unique and exciting way high school seniors awarded the opportunity to purchase dresses for $20.13 at an annual program event.

Two sobriety roadside checkpoints planned

The Shelby County Sheriff’s Office will be teaming up with the Germantown Police Department to conduct two Sobriety Checkpoints within Germantown city limits on Friday (Feb. 15).

The first checkpoint will be conducted at Poplar/Kirby from 11 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. and the second will be conducted at Poplar/West from 1:30 a.m. to 3 a.m. Shelby County.

Impaired driving kills more than 16,000 people and injures 305,000 others every year in the United States. Twenty-seven percent of those killed in motor vehicle crashes on Tennessee’s highways during 2011 involved drivers or motorcycle operators with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .08 (the legal limit) or above at the time of their deadly crash.

Officers will evaluate drivers for signs of alcohol or drug impairment.

Rashida Patterson created a solution for those who want “The Dress” within “The Price.” (Courtesy photo) The Belles aren’t just models.

They are, said Patterson, “models with a purpose.” Her goal is to have a Belle That Cares model represented in numerous local schools followed by extending her Outreach and Consignment programs to other cities.

With February designated Teen Dating Violence Awareness month,

Belle Of The Ball will hold a Teen Brunch on Feb. 23 to promote teen awareness and prevention of teen violence. Other events in the works are “Bullying Awareness” for middle school students on March 23, and an Easter Dress Drive to donate and receive an Easter Dress and basket.

Admissions to Patterson’s events

BRIEFS & THINGS

Officers will target those who operate a vehicle while impaired and take corrective actions for other violations observed while ensuring the protection of all motorists.

The checkpoint will be 100 percent funded with federal grant dollars in the amount of $200,000. The project is funded under an agreement with the Tennessee Governor’s Highway Safety Office.

BRIEFLY: Susan L. Taylor, Editor Emerita of Essence Magazine and founder of National Cares Mentoring Movement, will be the keynote speaker when the Memphis Branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) will host its annual Freedom Fund Gala at the Memphis Cook Convention Center on March 20. For more information about then gala, contact the Memphis Branch of the NAACP at 901521-1343.

BRIEFLY: The Third Annual “Taffi Crawford Memorial Lun-

cheon” will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday (Feb. 16) at Brown Missionary Baptist Church, 980 Stateline Rd. Luncheon tickets are $20, with your donation benefitting the YWCA Abused Women’s Shelter. Call Evette Porter at 901-485-3733 for more information and to reserve tickets.

BRIEFLY: On Monday evening (Feb. 18), the Family Safety Center will host a $5 fundraiser on “Memphis Music Monday” at the Hard Rock Café. Musical performances, social networking, support for survivors, and a really great time await those who attend this musical event that also raises awareness of abuse and teen dating violence prevention.

Call Johnnie Walker at the Memphis Music Commission, 901-576-6850, for details.

BRIEFLY: The Brooks Museum is offering free admission on Saturday (Feb. 16), with Angels & Heroes Family Day scheduled for 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Engage with Opera Memphis’ Black Roots of Opera, a cele-

are often only the donation of a gently used formal to the Belle Of The Ball Outreach Dress Program.

(Follow Belle Of the Ball Prom Dress Consignment, LLC on Facebook and Twitter for more details about their Dress Outreach Program and Consignment opportunities.)

bration of the career of AfricanAmerican baritone singer Robert McFerrin. Learn about the art of embroidery with artist Jennifer Sargent.

Create your own works of art in activities led by art education students from the University of Memphis.

And be inspired in the interactive gallery! For more information about these and other events visit www.brooksmuseum.org.

BRIEFLY: Memphis City Schools will host a public hearing at White’s Chapel Elementary on Thursday, Feb. 21 from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. The purpose is to present a Preliminary Impact Report detailing past and current trends and conditions and to discuss the possibility of merging various student populations. The community is encouraged to attend to provide feedback and comments to members of the Shelby County Board of Education (SCBE). If approved by the SCBE, Westwood Elementary will receive students from White’s Chapel Elementary.

“Eat your vegetables” are words we have heard the majority of our lives. They came from grandparents and parents. We still hear those words today.

However, the vegetables come to us in different ways now. They come in the form of processed foods, Dr. Timothy dried foods, and, in most cases, they Moore aren’t veggies in a package, just a picture on the box.

There are great benefits to eating vegetables. They are essential for a healthy lifestyle and provide needed nutrients. They also include vitamins and minerals, plus fiber and phytochemicals that are important to strengthening the body’s overall immune system.

Although it’s important to choose healthy vegetables, you don’t have to become a fanatic about what to eat.

It’s what you habitually choose to eat that makes the difference, not the occasional mishaps. So stop worrying about every little piece of food that goes into your mouth. Eating well on a regular basis is far more sustaining in the long-term than splurging once in a while on a special salad or plate of veggies on the side.

Did you know that colorful, delicious, natural vegetables are low in calorie density and have been used to help prevent several chronic diseases? As Americans, we must change our diet, and doing so will change our lives forever.

The way you eat your vegetables is not the problem. It is how you prepare them and how they’re cooked that result in the majority of the nutrients being lost in the actual food preparation. If these same vegetables are eaten raw or slightly steamed, the nutrients and fiber will still be intact, which allow the body to absorb all the essential minerals required to help maintain good health.

What is causing so many of us not to appreciate and enjoy fresh vegetables? You either love them or hate them. In most cases, the love or hate stems from someone who doesn’t like veggies. So you lose focus even before trying them.

What you eat today depends on your survival, because the body requires nutrition. However, when you’re facing an emotional set back or when some unpleasant event is disrupting your life in some way, you’re subject to eat unhealthy and unbalanced meals. That’s because your eyes often decide what foods you eat.

In a recent study published by scientists at England’s Oxford University, 32 percent of vegetarians are less likely to be admitted to the hospital or die from cardiovascular heart diseases than those who continue to consume a diet of meat and fish.

Too many people are puzzled and lost when it comes to food selections.

With so much information in the public domain about health and nutrition, I would venture to say that some of it is very misleading and affects our overall health. In retrospect, a cancer diagnosis was once as low as one in 30. Today it’s one out of three. What changed was the way food is processed.

If you’re deciding on a lifestyle change or a total body makeover, you must understand this includes altering your mind, body and spirit. I’m sure a drastic change such as this can be frustrating just trying to figure out which direction to take when choosing the right foods to eat.

The hardest part individuals face while changing their diet is not seeing any results after trying so hard to get into shape. Remember, it may have taken years for your body to lapse into ill health. Now it’s going to take some time to reverse your illness.

Eating vegetables in a raw or gently cooked state on a regular basis is a big step in reducing the time that’s needed to regain your health. In fact, if you are able to, eat all whole foods – just the way nature intended – which comes complete with vitamins, minerals, amino acids, natural sugars, fiber and enzymes. Drink plenty of pure water too.

It’s time to take back your life and start using the power that is yours to create a very healthy, physically fit body and a peaceful, stress-free life.

(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@cheftimothy moor.com, visit him at www.cheftimothymoore.com or follow him at www.twitter.com/cheftimmoore.)

Tri-State Defender

AFRICAN-AMERICAN HISTORY MONTH

Page 7

February 14 - 20, 2013

The Extraordinary

Bold Souls of African Kinship

The exhibit includes slave shackles (rattles) from Ghana and some bought at estate sales throughout the South.

Exhibition kajanaku@tri-statedefender.com

by Karanja A. Ajanaku

r. Carnita Atwater is a force. “The Extraordinary Bold Souls of African Kinship Exhibition” is evidence of what she can muscle up.

A native of Clarksdale, Miss., Atwater has traveled to myriad parts of the world in search-and-retrieval mode, always on the look out for pieces to add to her artful narrative history of African and AfricanAmerican people.

You don’t have to travel out of the city to get a glimpse for yourself. In celebration of African American History Month, two versions of her exhibition prowess are on display at the Dr. Benjamin L. Hooks Central Library and the Cossitt Library down.

“I’m an African American that loves her African heritage,” said Atwater, taking time out from greeting visitors at the Hooks Library exhibit.

Her declaration of heritage has roots anchored in a childhood experience.

“When I was a little child in Sunday school I had a Sunday School teacher that talked to me about Martin Luther King and Malcolm X, Marcus Garvey and Ida B. Wells. She integrated black history into my Sunday School class,” Atwater recalled.

Fast forward and you find Atwater, whose doctorate is in gerontology and public health administration, on a college campus as a dean of medical studies.

When she looked in the books and the curriculum for the discipline she noticed something missing – African Americans.

“That gave me the idea to open up a black inventors museum,” said Atwater.

“Then I opened up the Buffalo Soldiers museum. Then it went to the Tuskegee Airmen’s museum. I opened these museums up because of the lack of information in the books.”

You don’t open a museum without doing research, a lot of it, and Atwater did. There was a lot of collecting, preserving artifacts and travel “all over the world,” including Italy, Germany, Spain and countries in Africa.

“I have never accepted even one dollar from the government,” said Atwater. “All of these artifacts were purchased through my money. That’s how serious I am about African American history.”

Is she independently wealthy?

“No, I’m independently smart,” said Atwater, whose father was a cardiologist and her mother a midwife/nurse.

The rewards often are on the faces of the children who discover things they’ve never known and people they’ve never heard of. “When the fascination comes over their faces it makes my heart just full of joy,” she said.

Twenty storage places house her 350,000-plus artifacts. She is focused on opening “the first African American History Museum” and is searching for a permanent building downtown. Last year she tried to buy historic Clayborn Temple but lost out to the City of Memphis. On Feb. 19, she plans to be at the City Council to publicly register her interest in the old police department building.

Wherever she lands, it will be big enough for a life-size model of MiddlePassage slave ship.

Giving The New Tri-State Defender an impromptu tour, Atwater paused at a collection of lip plates gathered in Ethiopia.

“This is a form of beauty to an African woman,” she said. “The larger the lip plate, the more money she gets when she gets married.”

There are African hats, various forms of currency and shackles.

“I know in America we are trying to alleviate this history (of slavery),” said Atwater. “This is part of our history. Even the Civil War, I embrace the Civil War. That’s part of our history. It may be painful, we may not like it, but it’s part of our history, part of America. We need to learn so we will not make the same mistake over.”

The exhibit includes slave shackles (rattles) from Ghana and some bought at estate sales throughout the south. Many African Americans find it painful to take it in, she said.

D

“Iʼm an African American that loves her African heritage,” said Dr. Carnita Atwater. (Photos by Shirley Jackson)

The rewards of her work are often on the faces of the children, said Dr. Atwater.

“I tell them our history did not start with slavery. We have a rich heritage of history, kings and queens. A little bit of it is being shamed of this history. I’m trying to enlighten them and teach them that we don’t have to be ashamed of slavery. We had strong ancestors. We should learn from them.”

Is there a connection between knowing your history and being able to generate wealth in 2013?

“Yes,” said Atwater, whose first business was a lawn service at age 12. “I’m a true living example of that. “When you know yourself, then you have to have a plan of action to get from point ‘A’ to point ‘B’.

We also as African Americans need to make sacrifices. We are the greatest consumers “That’s why I collect these artifacts. I know myself and where I want to be, not only in 2013, but I have made preparations so that in 2050 I will be financially secure.

That’s not to say I’ve not been through the storms of life. But I know how to bounce back and regroup.”

She leaves TSD readers with this African History Month thought: “Always preserve your history and do not be ashamed of it. If you do not know your past, you do not know your future.”

The Baby Dolls: A modern celebration of AfricanAmerican history Page 8

Lip plates are “a form of beauty to an African woman,” said Dr. Atwater.

Brindalyn Foster called Dr. Atwaterʼs exhibition “elegant” and said it gave her a point of reference for her knowledge base. The exhibit runs through Feb. 28. An exhibit at the Cossitt Library runs through March 28.

An interview with Lee Saunders, AFSCME's first African-American leader Page 9

Isaac Burns Murphy, one of the greatest jockeys of all time Page 10

Page 8

AFRICAN-AMERICAN HISTORY MONTH February 14 - 20, 2013

Tri-State Defender

Farrakhan on Lifetime movie’s ‘mis-education’ The New Tri-State Defender

Minister Louis Farrakhan has declared anew that “I did not kill Malcolm X.” That declaration is part of Farrakhan’s response to the release of “Betty and Coretta” – a movie airing this month on the Lifetime channel.

The film’s executive producer is nine-time Grammy Award winner Mary J. Blige, who stars as Dr. Betty Shabazz, the widow of El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz (widely known as Malcolm X). Academy Award nominee Angela Bassett stars as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s widow, Coretta Scott King.

According to Lifetime, the film endeavors to tell “the dual real-life stories of Coretta Scott King (Bassett) and Dr. Betty Shabazz (Blige) as they

create an unbreakable lifelong bond after their husbands’ tragic assassinations.”

In an interview in the FinalCall.com News, the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan responds to assertions about him in the movie, the motives of those involved, and his thoughts about Blige’s motives.

Question: “So how do you finally feel being exposed that you killed Malcolm X?” HMLF: I did not kill Malcolm X. Before too long, you will really find who is “exposed” – and it is those who want to put on me what no court, no judge, no jury, could put on me. And if my enemies had a chance to bring me before the courts, and put me in prison for such a crime, they would have done it a long time ago! No, I am not “exposed”.

But the wickedness of those

behind my slander will be thoroughly exposed!

Question: “Lifetime is already telling us what we already know about you. You confessed to this on “60 Minutes,” so this show is only a repeat. You’re guilty, right?”

HMLF: I am not guilty of killing Malcolm X. What I said on “60 Minutes” was extracted from a 4-hour interview with Mike Wallace and Attallah Shabazz.

Asked about Blige, Farrakhan gave this reply: “Mary J. Blige is my friend! And nothing that’s in this movie has diminished my love and respect for her.”

In a commentary, Richard B. Muhammad, editor in chief of the Nation of Islam’s Final Call newspaper, says, “Movies are

fiction, not fact and fiction comes from the minds of people with motives, aims and agendas. It would be a critical mistake to miss take the Lifetime movie “Betty and Coretta” as fact and a critical error to accept it and its wicked mischaracterizations of Nation of Islam Minister Louis Farrakhan as anything other than lies and misrepresentations.”

Muhammad says the women involved in the movie, including Blige, are not the enemy. He says they are actresses who are likely doing their best to portray two black women important to the struggle of Black America.

“But the enemy remains those forces against Black liberation and in particular members of the Jewish community who have fought Min. Farrakhan since his 1984 defense of Rev.

Angela Basset (left) as Coretta Scott King and Angela Bassett as Dr. Betty Shabazz in “Betty and Coretta” (Photo Credit: Jan Thijs via lifetime.com) Jesse Jackson for remarks made about Zionists, Israel and Palestinians while running for president,” writes Muhammad.

“From that opening salvo the Jewish onslaught has been relentless and largely unproductive in moving the Black masses away from Farrakhan.

And at one time it was easy for these Satanic demons to use the ‘Farrakhan Litmus’

test to scare away Black leaders, politicians and activists but it is a little harder today – though sadly some still kowtow to Jewish masters.”

(Read the FinalCallNews.com interview with Minister at http://www.finalcall. com/artman/publish/Minister_Louis_Farrakhan_9/article_9616.shtml)

A modern celebration of African-American history CNN

by Shaina Negron

The week before Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans in 2005, Millisia White came back to her native city on a trip for work. She stayed behind to help her family recover and has been home ever since.

“When something you are so familiar with is threatened to be lost forever, you cling to what’s familiar,” said White, who moved back from Atlanta.

For White and her brother, that meant bringing back a century-old New Orleans practice of masking, or masquerading, which was nearly vanishing.

That year, she founded the New Orleans Society of Dance and incorporated into the dance company a cultural legacy series of dance performance that would revive tradition of the Baby Dolls – with a modern twist.

“We wanted to do something representing this tradition and what it meant and symbolize it in some form.”

The Baby Doll practice start-

ed about 1912, when groups of women in New Orleans’ red light district poked fun at society’s stereotypes of women by marching in street parades dressed as dolls. It grew into a tradition centered on dance and paired with jazz bands of the popular music of the era.

Groups of women embraced the attitude of freedom and the pageantry of the Baby Doll street parades, but their focus grew over the decades. They organized and began serving their community through groups called “social aid and pleasure clubs.”

“These were just people who were very much of their community,” said Karen Leathem, a historian with the Louisiana State Museum.

“They tried to help their neighbors during an era of segregation and limited opportunity for all people of color.”

However, by the 1980s and 1990s, only a handful of groups were masking as Baby Dolls.

Several neighborhood groups like the Million Dollar Baby Dolls and the Ernie K-

The New Orleans Baby Doll Ladies dance ensemble marches in the Zulu parade on Mardi Gras day on February 21, 2012. (Photo: Shaina Negron/CNN) Doe Baby Dolls were active in the new millennium. But by 2005, the Baby Doll practice seemed as if it was about to be forgotten in Katrina’s wake.

White had heard about the Baby Doll tradition as a child.

“It’s synonymous with dance and with women,” she said.

White’s revival produced the Baby Doll Ladies, with

costumes, face paint, music and dances that are modern takes on the Baby Dolls of the past. Rather than using a live band, her brother DJ Hektik plays mixes of hip-hop and jazz for their choreographed performances.

But White also wanted to bring back the community focus central to the Baby Doll

tradition.

By partnering with local schools and cultural organizations, the Baby Doll Ladies connect with youth through education and outreach programs.

“Mainly, our focus has been creating creative movementbased workshops and motivational assemblies,” she said.

Led by the fully costumed Baby Doll Ladies ensemble, the group takes students from the history of jazz to modern hip-hop. The kindergarten12th grade workshops bring a cultural history lesson to inner city youth, many of whom don’t know the history of New Orleans’ treasured music and cultural practices. ‘‘We just take it from scratch with them, introducing the culture, the significance of all that’s positive about the African-American tradition.”

Sine their debut at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival in 2009 and the Zulu parade during Mardi Gras 2010, the Baby Doll Ladies have grown from a dance ensemble to an organization of women inspired to do good in

their community.

“It evolved from a promiscuous background to neighborhood groups mimicking that behavior,’ White said, ‘to now, women of excellence.”

With a group of Honorary Baby Doll Ladies, the group is has more than 40 members this year.

Each of the women inducted into the group uses her time and talents to further the Baby Doll Ladies’ mission.

For White and others, the legacy of the revival was in safeguarding the history of the tradition. ‘The first responsibility that we really felt was the need to preserve it,’ she said. ‘I couldn’t think past the museum.’

White helped curate the first Baby Doll exhibit at the Presbytere with a group of historians and authors. Working with Baby Doll elders and the descendants of Baby Dolls, the exhibit shares their stories and traditions with artifacts in the museum.

As their membership grows, the Baby Doll Ladies hope their mission to reach their community through the practice will grow as well.

Tri-State Defender

COMMENTARY

African American History Month’s powerful question NNPA News Service

by Lee A. Daniels

I have a rule about this month. If it’s February, I know that somebody somewhere has given an interview or written an article declaring America no longer needs Black History Month.

And, sure enough, the conservative National Review Online of Feb. 4 has given us the article Lee A. of one Charles W. Daniels Cooke. Its title is succinct – “Against Black History Month: This month is Black History Month. Let’s hope it’s the last.”

That snarky comment is revealing, isn’t it? Even if you’re opposed to Black History Month, no one would credibly think there’s any chance that this month’s, or next year’s, or the year after that’s, or … you get the picture … would be the last Black History Month American society commemorates?

It’s not a serious comment, of course, and it indicates we’re not going to get a logical argument from Cooke.

But then, that’s not entirely Cooke’s fault.

That’s because there is no logical argument against commemorating Black History Month. Indeed, now it’s more important than ever that we plumb the facts and complexities of African-American history.

This is not a matter of “segregating” American history into racial and ethnic enclaves. It is a matter of acquiring a fuller understanding of American history by not pretending that considering American history primarily through that of white Americans is the only approach that counts.

Indeed, it’s clear that Carter G. Woodson, the great scholar who established Negro History Week in 1926, had two goals in mind. One was to enable African Americans to see that blacks had a rich history before their capture and transport to the Americas; and that pursuing the truth of the black experience in America was the only way to construct an America worthy of its ideals.

Cooke’s article follows the usual scheme of the attack on Black History Month. He asserts that the undertaking was necessary before the 1960s, when de jure and de facto segregation ruled the land. Now, however, it’s outlived its usefulness and in fact is harming the ability of all Americans to gain a shared understanding of American history. Black History Month should be eliminated and the Black American experiences should be integrated into schools’ regular curriculum.

“If there is still too little ‘black history’ taught in America’s schools,” Cooke writes, “or if ‘black history’ is being taught incorrectly – then we should change the curriculum. If black Americans remain unfairly in the shadows, then the solution is to bring them out, not to sort and concentrate them by color.”

This is an argument built on sand. For one thing, Cooke cites no actual examples of the supposed sins of Black History Month – no examples of schools or school systems where Black history is taught only in February and ignored in the curriculum the rest of the year. No examples of colleges where black studies courses ignore the impact of the other currents of American society. No examples where in either elementary and secondary schools or colleges there is what he calls the “equally absurd” repetitive focus on heroic Black figures.

These attacks on Black History Month ignore many things: They ignore how deeply black history has already been “integrated” into broader examinations of American history, as even a cursory perusal of popular and scholarly books would indicate. They ignore how complex and searching explorations of black history have become – as a forthcoming documentary airing next week on the Public Broadcasting Service on Whitney M. Young, Jr., the charismatic leader of the National Urban League from 1961 until his untimely death in 1971, will show.

Most of all, they ignore why over the last four decades other sub-groups of Americans have adopted the “special month” model.

Cooke does list some of these: Women’s History Month, South Asian Heritage Month, Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month, Haitian Heritage Month, Jewish American Heritage Month, Caribbean-American Heritage Month, National Hispanic Heritage Month, National American Indian Heritage Month, and Alaskan Native Heritage Month.

Revealingly, he merely lists them, ignoring the implications of their founding, and the fact that, just like Black History Month, their establishment was approved by acts of Congress, and signed by Republican and Democratic presidents. In fact, just as Black History Month does, they underscore valid – and widespread – educational practice of focusing on particular facets of a broad topic and the widespread social-group practice of closely examining their particular experience in America.

And they do something else. They all echo the question that Carter G. Woodson’s Negro History Week, now Black History Month set before the nation more than 80 ago.

That question was never more powerfully expressed than in the penultimate line posed

by Curtis Mayfield and The Impressions in the title track of their 1969 album, “This Is My Country:” “Shall we perish unjust,” the song asks, “or live equal as a nation.”

(Lee A. Daniels is a longtime journalist based in New York City. His latest book is “Last Chance: The Political Threat to Black America.”)

AFRICAN-AMERICAN HISTORY MONTH

Page 9

February 14 - 20, 2013

Labor and African American History An interview with Lee Saunders, AFSCMEʼs first African American leader

by Jenée Desmond-Harris Desmond Harris The Root

The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees is America’s largest union, and Lee Saunders is the first AfricanAmerican president in its 80-year history.

According to Saunders, while AFSCME’s members are only 16 to 18 percent black, its ties to the African-American struggle for economic equality run deep.

On the 45th anniversary of the Memphis Sanitation Strike of 1968, The Root spoke to him about the significance of the landmark civil rights event in the labor movement’s history, the import of his organization’s efforts for the AfricanAmerican community and what he hopes to see from President Obama’s second term.

The Root: You’re AFSCME’s first AfricanAmerican president. What does that say about where the union is and where we are as a country?

Lee Saunders: I think that we have obviously made gains over the years. You have an African American as president of the United States, and our union reflects what the overall society reflects. Maybe this could not have been done 15 or 20 years ago, but I think the members understood the purpose of having a fighter – of having someone who believes in public service, who came up from the ranks of public service – and they chose a candidate I believe who they thought was best qualified to do the job.

TR: What have been some of your biggest successes and struggles as president?

LS: We’re in trying times. I’ve been with the union for 36 years, and I think that we’re faced with as troubling a time as we’ve ever been faced with as a union – the attacks on public services, the attacks on pension, the attacks on the collective bargaining rights that we have enjoyed, the attacks on working families whether they belong to a union or not.

And there is a power play going on in this country right now, and it’s about those who have the wealth – the top 1 or 2 percent – who want that wealth at the expense of the other 98 or 99 percent of Americans who are trying to play by the rules every day. So we’ve been advocates for working families, by being advocates for programs that support working families at the federal and state level, and by being fighters every single day.

TR: In what ways is the work you do particularly relevant to the African-American struggle for economic equality?

LS: I think if you look at the history of the union movement, especially in the public sec-

Lee Saunders: “We've got to be just as vocal if not more vocal.” tor, we were closely linked with the whole civil rights struggle and the economic struggle of African Americans in this country. Dr. King traveled to Memphis supporting 1,300 sanitation workers who were on strike for better wages and benefits, and wanted dignity and respect on the job. And he was successful in linking the importance of civil rights, labor rights and economic rights, and that’s the history, essentially, of our union.

If you look at the impact that the Great Recession had on African-American families, you’ll see that the gulf between wages earned by African Americans and wages earned by whites has grown. You’ll see that home ownership has declined within the black community because of the Great Recession. So our families and our neighborhoods and our communities are suffering.

And I believe that one of the ways we can rebuild our communities is to have a stronger labor movement in this country. I believe the labor movement is responsible for building up the middle class, and the middle class is under attack right now. And because the middle class is shrinking, there’s a direct correlation with the fact that the labor movement is shrinking – the number of people that we represent, both in the public and private sector.

I think it’s extremely important for AFSCME this month, being Black History Month, to talk about the link that exists between the labor movements and the civil rights movement, the fight for economic justice and the fight for human rights.

TR: On the anniversary of the Memphis Sanitation Strike, what are some of the lessons from that event that you think are still relevant today?

LS: I think that in many cases, we’re fighting the same fight. We’re fighting to promote the important services that our members perform.

We’re fighting for dignity and respect on the job. We’re fighting for decent wages and getting a decent retirement.

Those are the same kinds of things that our members fought for in Memphis and that our members fought for in Wisconsin where we were born, and we have people right now in 2013 who are fighting to take those rights away from us. To take collective bargaining away from us – to lower our standard of living, lower wages, take away our pensions. We’ve got to be just as vocal if not more vocal, just as militant and just as aggressive in making our voices heard in everything we do across the country.

TR: What do you most want from President Obama in his second term?

LS: I think he’s already doing it ... he’s standing up and using the presidency as a bully pulpit to support the needs of working families.

He’s taking on that top 1 or 2 percent. And he’s got to be very, very strong as far as protecting Medicaid, Social Security and programs that working families rely upon and depend upon.

And he’s doing just that. He’s trying to level the playing field.

Yeah, there’s nothing wrong with being wealthy, there’s nothing wrong with being rich, but it shouldn’t be at the expense of others.

What we’ve got to do, and what he’s attempting to do, is to rebuild that middle class and support working families so that they have a shot to achieve the American dream.

(Jenée Desmond-Harris is The Root’s staff writer and White House correspondent.)

The Tri-State Defender provided a much-needed view of the Memphis Sanitation Strike that brought Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to Memphis in 1968. These replicas of front pages are on display at the offices of The New Tri-State Defender.

BOOK REVIEW

Belated props for an up-from-slavery hero Special to The New Tri-State Defender

by Kam Williams

“This is the story of Abraham H. Galloway (1837-70), a fiery young slave rebel, radical abolitionist, and Union spy who rose out of bondage to become one of the most significant and stirring black leaders in the United States during the American Civil War. A freedom fighter in what the New Orleans Tribune, the first AfricanAmerican newspaper published below the Mason-Dixon Line, called “a Second American Revolution,” Galloway burned with an incandescent passion against tyranny and injustice.

His war was not the one that we are accustomed to seeing in history books, however, Galloway’s war had little to do with that of Grant or Lee, Vicksburg or Cold Harbor. It had nothing to do with states’ rights or preserving the Union.

Galloway’s Civil War was a slave insurgency, a war of liberation that was the culmination of generations of perseverance and faith. It was, ultimately, the slaves’ Civil War.” – Excerpted from the Foreword (pg. xi)

Anybody who’s seen Quentin Tarantino’s movie “Django Unchained” knows that the incendiary adventure represents a refreshing first step in terms of questioning the enduring stereotype of African-Americans as having been docile during slavery. Though carefully cultivated by both Hollywood and the history books, nothing could be further from the truth

than that very demeaning image of black folks generally accepting their lowly lot.

Case in point, Abraham H. Galloway, a runaway who joined the Union during the Civil War before serving as a spy and leading thousands of his brethren out of human bondage.

The product of the mating of a slave with an itinerant white sailor who didn’t own her, their biracial baby as an infant became the property of a master only seven years older than himself.

Abraham’s childhood was typical for an African-American boy in the ante bellum South, as he “commonly witnessed slave women beaten, abused, and sexually humiliated in public.”

So, it should come as no surprise that, as a young man, he and a friend, Richard Eden, would stowaway on a ship headed for Philly.

What is amazing, however, is that after successfully finding their freedom, they would secure pistols and venture back below the MasonDixon Line to emancipate brothers and sisters they had left behind. And during the Civil War, when the North was in dire need of troops, Galloway personally delivered 4,000 recentlyfreed ex-slaves across enemy lines to form an all-black regiment eager to fight for the Union against the racist Confederacy.

In the spring of 1864, this unsung hero was welcomed to the White House by President Abraham Lincoln who readily acknowledged the debt of gratitude he was owed by the nation.

A riveting portrait of a real-life African-American icon belatedly being given his proper due in the annals of U.S. history.

“The Fire of Freedom: Abraham Galloway & the Slavesʼ Civil War”

by David S. Cecelksi The University of North Carolina Press Hardcover, $30.00 348 pages, Illustrated

Page 10

AFRICAN-AMERICAN HISTORY MONTH February 14 - 20, 2013

Tri-State Defender

THOUGHT YOU SHOULD KNOW

One of the greatest jockeys of all time NNPA News Service

by Jason Lewis Isaac Burns Murphy is one of the greatest jockeys ever, and it can be argued that he is in fact the greatest.

By Murphy’s calculation, he won 628 of his 1,212 starts in a career that lasted from 1875 to 1895. The 44 percent winning percentage is the best of all time, and is a record that is nearly impossible to beat. In later years his count number was recalculated, changing his numbers to 530 wins in 1,538 rides, putting his win rate at 34 percent, which is still outstanding.

Murphy was born on a farm near Frankford, Ky., in 1861.

His father was a bricklaying free black man and his mother worked as a laundrywoman.

While fighting in the Civil War for the Union Army, his father died in a Confederate prisoner-of-war camp. Shortly after, Murphy’s mother moved their family to Lexington, Ky., to live with her parents.

In Lexington, Murphy’s mother worked at the Richard and Owings Racing Stable, where he would go to work with her. A black trainer named Eli Jordon noticed Murphy’s interest in race horses, and began to train him for his first race, when Murphy was only 14 years old.

Murphy won his first race in 1875 at the Lexington Crab Orchard. A year later he had won 11 races at Lexington’s Kentucky Association track.

The following year he placed fourth in his first Kentucky Derby race. By 1879 he was a star in the sport with a win at

the Travers Stakes in Saratoga Springs.

In 1884, Murphy won the first of his three Kentucky Derby victories. Later that year he won the Chicago American Derby, which was the most prestigious horse race in the nation at the time.

Murphy won the American Derby four times, one shy of the record for that race. He was also the first jockey to ride three Kentucky Derby winners. In the 1891 Kentucky Derby he rode “Kingman,” who was owned and trained by Dudley Allen, the only black racehorse owner to train a Kentucky Derby winner.

Also in 1884, Murphy won the Kentucky Derby, the Kentucky Oaks, and the Clark Handicap. No other rider has won all three of those races in

the same year.

In 1890, Murphy cemented himself as the greatest jockey of that time when he defeated Ed “Snapper” Garrison, who was a white rider. There was a heated debate over which rider was the best in the sport, with most black people picking Murphy, and most white people picking Garrison.

Over the course of his racing career Murphy received an average salary of close to $20,000 per year. At the time he was the highest paid athlete in the United States, and he lived in a mansion in Lexington.

Murphy died of pneumonia in 1896 at the age of 36, a few months after he retired from the sport. He was buried in an unmarked grave in African Cemetery No. 2 in Lexington and was pretty much forgotten

until Frank B. Borries, Jr., a University of Kentucky press specialist, found Murphy’s grave after a three-year search.

Murphy’s remains were moved next to the Man o’War burial site at the Kentucky Horse Park.

The National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame was created in 1955, and Murphy was the first jockey inducted.

Since then the National Turf Writers Association has given the Isaac Murphy Award to the jockey with the highest winning percentage for the year in North American racing. Also, the Isaac Murphy Handicap is held annually at Arlington Park in a suburb of Chicago.

(Special to the NNPA from the Los Angeles Sentinel)

Over the course of his racing career, Isaac Burns Murphy received an average salary of close to $20,000 per year.

At the time, he was the highest paid athlete in the United States.

RELIGION

Tri-State Defender

Page 11

February 14 - 20, 2013

LIVING THE LIFE I LOVE

A call for humility at National Prayer Breakfast In discussing his faith at the National Prayer Breakfast, President Obama made a call for humility – a trait which, he noted, Washington could embrace more fully.

“In a democracy as big and as diverse as ours, we will encounter every opinion,” he said. “ “And our task as citizens – whether we are leaders in government or business or spreading the word – is to spend our days with open hearts and

open minds; to seek out the truth that exists in an opposing view and to find the common ground that allows for us as a nation, as a people, to take real and meaningful action,” President Obama said.

“And we have to do that humbly, for no one can know the full and encompassing mind of God. And we have to do it every day, not just at a prayer breakfast.”

Source: WhiteHouse.gov

No valentine?

6 things you should know

President Barack Obama addresses the National Prayer Breakfast at the Washington Hilton in Washington, D.C., Feb. 7, 2013. (Photo: Pete Souza)

Could the next pope be from Africa?

(CNN) – Hours after Pope Benedict XVI’s resignation announcement Monday, speculation was surging over who might be his successor – and what part of the world the new pontiff could be from.

The 118 cardinals who will pick the next pope are also in the running for the job. Those cardinals are from around the globe, but more than half of them hail from European nations, according to Vatican statistics.

Worldwide, the demographic trends among the Roman Catholic Church’s nearly 1.2 billion members show a different breakdown, with the church seeing only a trickle of new members in Europe while membership numbers have grown significantly in Africa, according to Vatican statistics.

So this time around, could the pope be from Africa, where growth has surged significantly, or from Latin

Soul talk…

America, a longtime bastion for t h e church?

“It’s always one of those exciting things. I Cardinal Peter bet there will be a Turkson line in Vegas, there probably already is,” said Randall Woodard, an associate professor of theology at Saint Leo University. “Especially based on the growth of Catholicism and ... the geographic shifts that have taken place, a lot of smart money would be on Africa or Central America.”

Some stressed that the pope’s geographic background shouldn’t be a factor.

“All of the questions about nationalities are nonsense,”

said Michael Sean Winters, a visiting fellow at the Institute for Policy Research and Catholic Studies. “There are 118 men and all of them have gotten to know one another. ... Their questions are going to be ‘who can we see in that chair?’”

One top contender for the papacy could be Cardinal Peter Turkson of Ghana. The 64-year-old cardinal currently heads the pope’s council for justice and peace and has experience working with people of different faiths, said Woodard, the managing editor of the International Journal of African Catholicism.

“He would be able to respond to global needs and ... the reality of what the face of Catholicism is,” Woodard said.

While people outside the church may focus on nationalities and race, within the church’s top ranks cardinals have “a very global vision,”

The Rev. Bartholomew Orr, senior pastor of Brown Missionary Baptist Church, preached during the two-day revival that focused on youth last week at Cornerstone Church, where the Rev. Eugene Henson is the host pastor. (Photo by Tyrone P. Easley)

he said.

“The pope has to be the visible shepherd of 1 billion Catholics in the world,” said Bishop Thomas Paprocki of Springfield, Illinois. “I don’t think going into the conclave the pope has to be of a certain nationality.”

Pope Benedict, who is 85 years old, said Monday that he will resign at the end of the month “because of advanced age.”

Cardinals will meet to choose Benedict’s successor sometime after his official resignation on February 28, the Rev. Federico Lombardi, a Vatican spokesman, said at a news conference.

“Before Easter, we will have the new pope,” he said.

Benedict won’t be involved in the decision, Lombardi said. But his influence will undoubtedly be felt. Benedict appointed 67 of the 118 cardinals who will make the decision.

Dear Lucy: It’s here again.

Valentines Day. The TV and movie theaters are paying homage. The department stores, the TV, radio and all other advertising mediums are on it too. Young love, old love, freaky love, miraculous love. It’s all there, just tune in. But I have not had a Valentine in years and don’t expect to find one between now and Valentine’s Day. I know I can spend time with friends, by myself, watching the love movies and God knows what. But how do I handle just one more “love” holiday by myself.

– No Valentine

Dear No Valentine: I have spent a lot of Valentine’s Days by myself too. I also have lots of wonderful, successful friends who also don’t claim to have a sweetheart on this day. Some are widowed, divorced, single by choice, too busy to date, just can’t find that right guy or girl, or in between sweethearts. Some of my friends are happy about being unattached and some are not. There are hundreds of reasons for being by oneself any and every day.

But here is how I think about it: 1. It’s just a day. So I handle it the same way I handle every other day without the sweetheart that the TV, Hallmark or the movie says I should have.

I won’t look for the card, the candy, the flowers or the date that won’t happen. If I want any of that I’ll just mosey out and get it for myself or go out with friends. I will remember me today the same way I remember and honor myself everyday.

2. I remember that this is a made up, retailers holiday.

That means it is designed to do whatever will maximize sales of some particular products. Some of the same thing happens at Christmas, Easter, Father’s Day and Mother’s Day. Yet, in the end, only I get to decide how to feel about the day. There is nothing about any day that should make me feel less than God’s beloved creation. Nothing made up can be allowed to make me ever feel alone, sad or unimportant.

3. I remember that I can always pick up the phone and call everyone I know and wish them a wonderful, love-filled day.

PRAISE CONNECT

4. If I can carve out the time, I can go and visit the ones I know who didn’t ask to be alone on this d a y. . . the Lucy ones livShaw ing in places where every day is a reminder of not having the luxury of mobility, phones, texting, paid light bills, hot meals and other expressions of love and security.

5. I will respect and be happy for all of those people who have sweethearts, get flowers, candy, cards, even diamonds!

I will sincerely rejoice for them.

6. Remember that in 24 hours it will be just another day again. In fact, I will remember that in some countries they don’t even celebrate this holiday!

All we ever have is NOW. And just in case I do get a sweetheart or just some folks I love, I give them the very best of my own way of expressing caring every moment that I can. I do it knowing that it will come back to me in whatever way I need it the most.

And another thing, if I really do want a sweetheart, I remember to never stop hoping and believing that the right one is somewhere out there hoping for me too. And whatever or however I want him to be, I spend my time developing those same qualities in myself.

Happy Valentines Day to all, 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.heart works4u.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.)

-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

I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.

—Revelation 1:8

ST. ANDREW A.M.E. CHURCH

To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven.

—Ecclesiastes 3:1

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”

Page 12

February 14 - 20, 2013

Tri-State Defender

ENTERTAINMENT Tri-State Defender, Thursday, February 14 - 20, 2013, Page 13

WHAT’S HAPPENING MYRON?

OPENING THIS WEEK

Kam’s Kapsules:

Weekly Previews That Make Choosing a Film Fun

‘Many Thousands Gone’ more than a stage play

Although the month is a little shorter than the rest of them and Valentine’s Day takes a lot of the attention during the month of February, it’s still African American History Month.

And there’s still a Myron lot to get out of Mays it…even in 2013.

African American History Month is much more than just hearing that famous speech Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. made right here in Memphis. It’s much more than Rosa Parks not giving up her seat on the bus. There were many years of history even before then. As African Americans, our history in this country began with “slavery.”

“Many Thousands Gone,” the critically acclaimed stage play returns for African American History Month on next weekend. The play shines the spotlight on the life of the Negro slave, telling the story of strength in adversity and hope for freedom.

Produced and directed by Pastor Dwayne Hunt, it combines a stirring score of Negro spirituals with declamation and dance to offer an accurate depiction of the day-to-day struggles to adapt and survive on Southern slave plantations.

“We started the production in 1990 as a choir musical for Black History Month and it has evolved into what it is today”, said Hunt, who is also senior pastor of Abundant Grace Fellowship Church.

“Although it takes place in a church, it’s a ‘theatrical production’ rather than a “church event.”

“Many Thousands Gone” has inspired many outside of the city as well those who have see it in states such as Missouri and Illinois. While entertaining, the play is also educational and has also made its way into Academia.

“We have performed the play at various schools and universities.

Some schools have even made it a part of their curriculum” said Hunt.

“Many Thousands Gone” runs for multiple shows on Friday, Feb. 22, through Sunday, Feb. 24, at Abundant Grace Fellowship located at 1574 E. Shelby Drive. You can purchase tickets at Abundant Grace or Fellowship or online at www.ManyThousandGone.org or you may call (901) 789GRACE (4722). Discount tickets are available for groups of 12 or more.

With a nod to American History Month, the legendary Bobby Rush will reveal his remarkable life story through his music during a special event at Chowtime, located at 4207 Hacks Cross Road, on Feb. 22nd. The evening begins at 9:30. Tickets are $45 for reserved seating and $35 general admission. Food is included with ticket price and there will be an open bar. And if you book a table, you get a picture with Bobby himself!

Bobby Rush at Chowtime

Author Zane will be in the city this weekend for the grand opening of the Book Lovers Lounge. While she goes by one name, Zane has her hand in myriad ventures, including novels, her Cinemax television show, “The Sex Chronicles,” as well her publishing company, which she uses to release the works of other writers.

The event is a book signing and a meet & greet. The Book Lovers Lounge is located at 4780 Riverdale, Suite 8, and the event takes place on Feb. 16 from 3 p.m. until 6 p.m.

Zane to Memphis

Here’s a last minute Valentine’s Day idea. “Let’s Talk About Love” is a night of food, fun and fellowship with a focus on open, candid, thought provoking conversation between the sexes. Check it out Valentine’s Day from 7 p.m. until midnight at the Memphis Central Train Station located at 545 South Main Street.

Hosted by Comedian TIMBO. Admission: $20/ person, $30/couple.

And as your Valentine’s Day continues, don’t forget to make plans to see Will Downing and Lalah Hathaway at the Cannon Center this Sunday (Feb. 17). Get your tickets through Ticketmaster and the Cannon Center Box Office.

Special to The New Tri-State Defender

by Kam Williams

For movies opening Feb. 15, 2013

BIG BUDGET FILMS

“Beautiful Creatures” (PG-13 for violence, sexuality and scary images) Supernatural fantasy, set in a sleepy South Carolina town, revolving around the budding romance between a high school sophomore (Alden Ehrenreich) and a mysterious new classmate (Lena Duchannes) who’s identical to the girl of his dreams.

Stellar supporting cast includes Oscar-winners Jeremy Irons and Emma Thompson and nominee Viola Davis, along with Emmy Rossum.

Beyoncé: I feel a lot more like a woman CNN

eyoncé’s path to motherhood was rocky, but now that she’s mom to one-year-old Blue Ivy, the entertainer says her life has opened up.

“I feel like I have something that has grounded me so much more,” Bey tells Vogue in its March issue, which features her on the cover. These days, she says, baby Blue has become her “road dog. She’s my homey, my best friend.”

And it sounds like they’ve had that bond since day one. The 31-year-old singer admits that she was fearful leading up to the delivery, but when that day finally came she felt peaceful.

With her loved ones there with her, she was able to “really let go and really appreciate every contraction,” during which she visualized Blue “pushing through a very heavy door.”

“I had a very strong connection with my child,” Beyoncé says. “I imagined this tiny infant doing all the work, so I couldn’t think about my own pain. ...

We were talking. I know it sounds crazy, but I felt a communication.”

Vogue warns that 2013 is going to be the Year of Beyoncé, which has already kicked into gear with last month’s inauguration and the Super Bowl halftime show on February 3. Her documentary, “Life Is But A Dream,” will debut this weekend on HBO, and her upcoming world tour, “The Mrs. Carter Show,” is set to kick off in the spring.

She’s signed on for a headlining gig at this year’s Essence Festival and has an upcoming interview with Oprah Winfrey on OWN this Saturday, not to mention the new album she’s working on.

The forthcoming songs will reveal a more “sensual ... empowering” side of Beyoncé, one she says she has fully embraced after giving birth.

“Right now ... I really understand the power of my body,” she tells Vogue.

“I just feel my body means something completely different. I feel a lot more confident about it. Even being heavier, thinner, whatever. I feel a lot more like a woman. More feminine, more sensual. And no shame.”

by Breeanna Hare

B

Let’s Talk About Love

Next week, I’ll get you ready for The Black Expo that weekend, as well as the Will and Lalah concert.

Until then, that’s what’s Happening!

Parting shot

Feb. 14-20, 2013

ARIES You have more of a flair for communication this week than usual.

Keep your words diplomatic but effective if your opinion is called for.

A relative seeking advice will be glad they asked you.

TAURUS Don’t sweat the small stuff this week. You have a keen eye for the big picture, and you’ll be most productive if you ignore the petty this week. Your home is very happy tonight! Count your blessings!

GEMINI Your energy level remains high; be careful not to overdo it but enjoy the wonderful feeling of your physical self as much as possible. A phone call from a friend who lives far away will brighten your week and inspire

“Escape from Planet Earth” (PG for action and mild crude humor) Animated sci-fi adventure, set on a planet populated by blue aliens, where a lowly nerd (Rob Corddry) has to rise to the occasion after his superhero sibling (Brendan Fraser) becomes ensnared in the trap of a diabolical villain (William Shatner) bent on world domination.

Voice cast includes Ricky Gervais, Sarah Jessica Parker, Sofia Vergara, Jane Lynch and George Lopez.

“A Good Day to Die Hard” (R for profanity and violence) Fifth installment in the high-octane action franchise finds former, NYPD detective John McClane (Bruce Willis) venturing to Russia where he teams up with his CIA Agent son (Jai Courtney) to crack a terrorist plot threatening the stability of the Free World. With Sebastian Koch, Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Cole Hauser.

“Safe Haven” (PG-13 for violence, sexuality, threatening behavior and mature themes) Lasse Hallstrom directs this adaptation of the Nicholas Sparks romance novel of the same name about a mysterious newcomer (Julianne Hough) to a tiny North Carolina town who reluctantly comes to trust a widower (Josh Duhamel) with the dark secret that’s been haunting her for years. Featuring Cobie Smulders, Irene Ziegler and Red West.

INDEPENDENT & FOREIGN FILMS

“The Berlin File” (Unrated) In-

“The Jeffrey Dahmer Files” (Unrated) Docu-dramatic biopic revisiting the events surrounding the arrest of Jeffrey Dahmer (Andrew Swant) in the summer of 1991, ending the cannibalistic necrophiliac/rapist/serial killer’s reign of terror in Milwaukee which claimed the lives of 17 boys and young men.

“Like Someone in Love” (Unrated) Romance drama, set in Tokyo, about a prostitute with a heart of gold (Rin Takanashi) who develops a love connection with a widower (Tadashi Okuno) over the course of a couple of days. With Ryo Kase and Denden. (In Japanese with subtitles)

“No” (Unrated) Historical drama, nominated for an Academy Award in the Best Foreign Film category, recounting the recall referendum effort spearheaded in Chile in 1988 by an advertising executive (Gael Garcia Bernal) which led to the fall of President Pinochet from power. Costars Alfredo Castro, Antonia Zegers and Luis Gnecco. (In Spanish with subtitles)

“Saving Lincoln” (Unrated) Buddy biopic chronicling Abraham Lincoln’s (Tom Amandes) close relationship with Ward Hill Lamon (Lea Coco), the longtime bodyguard who was conspicuously absent from the President’s box the night Honest Abe was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth (Jonathan Roumie) at Ford’s theater. With Penelope Ann Miller as Mary Todd Lincoln, Peter O’Meara as General Ulysses S. Grant and Eamon Hunt as Stephen Douglas.

“Shanghai Calling” (PG-13 for profanity and sexual references) Romantic dramedy about an ambitious American attorney (Daniel Henney) who falls in love with a relocation specialist (Eliza Coupe) after she finds him a luxury apartment upon his transfer to China. With Zhu Zhu, Geng Le, Alan Ruck & Bill Paxton. (In English and Mandarin with subtitles)

Viola Davis in “Beautiful Creatures.” (Photo by John Bramley/Warner Bros. Pictures)

HOROSCOPES

you with travel plans.

CANCER Things are busy this right now, and you love it! You feel very much as if you are at the center of life. Children will be a topic of conversation. Make plans to enjoy a special week with your honey.

LEO You can fly through the week if you keep your level of cooperation high. By this week’s end, you’ll have many plans, romantic and otherwise for the time period . Be patient at the workplace and things will go fine.

VIRGO You may feel as if you’ll never get everything done that’s asked of you, but stay steady and on course, take things one step at time, and you’ll be amazed at what you accomplish. Celebrate with a special friend.

tricate espionage thriller about a double-crossed, North Korean spy (Jung-woo Ha) who ends up on the run with his wife (Gianna Jun) as the focus of an international manhunt after an illegal arms trade gone bad.

With Seung-beom Ryu, Numan Acar and Werner Daehn. (In Korean and English with subtitles)

LIBRA It’s a great week for catching up on chores and leftover tasks from last week. You’ll also have the opportunity to spend some time thinking about the direction you want your life to flow toward.

SCORPIO Communication vibes are highlighted, and you are in your element.

Many ideas will be presented, and everyone will be very receptive and agreeable to what you say. Romantic interests are easily pursued this week. Smile on!

SAGITTARIUS Love and romance vibes are all around you this week! They will soothe your spirit and uncoil your tensions resulting from having too much work to do. Delegate some of the minor tasks so that you can do your best at the big stuff. Have a lov-

ing, lovely week.

CAPRICORN Financial matters are highlighted during working hours. Everything to do with your money, or money under your care, goes smoothly. Another party invitation arrives. . . say YES! AQUARIUS If you are finding it hard to concentrate on a project at work, begin imagining it successfully completed.

Work steady and stay calm this week.

This week is a good time for personal inventory.

PISCES 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.

Source: NNPA News Service

Page 14

ENTERTAINMENT

CLASSIFIEDS

Tri-State Defender

February 14 - 20, 2013

TRI-STATE DEFENDER CLASSIFIEDS 203 Beale Street, Suite 200 Memphis, TN 38103 PH (901) 523-1818 FAX (901) 578-5037 HOURS: Mon-Fri 9am - 5pm

DEADLINES; Display ads Monday 5 p.m.

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For additional information contact Sales Dept. at (901) 746-5201 or email: advertising@tristatedefender.com

Regional Medical Center Memphis (The MED) on 2/27/2013. The 68,700 sf renovation includes Drywall, Paint, Demo, Flooring, Millwork, Tile, and Acoustical.

Flintco is an equal opportunity employer.

In keeping with the Fair Business Program, we encourage and invite bids from all Eligible Business Enterprises, including WBE, MBE, SDB, SBE, and HBE companies.

Fax bids by noon on 2/27/2013 to 901-3728989.

NOTICE TO BIDDER(S) REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS DUE: FRIDAY, MARCH 8, 2013 AT 4:00 PM Shelby County Government, Tennessee, an Equal Opportunity, Affirmative Action Employer, seeks to retain the services of a qualified consulting firm to provide professional services related to the following: “GREENLINE LENOW EXTENSION” (RFQ# 13-002-39) By order of MARK H. LUTTRELL, JR, MAYOR SHELBY COUNTY GOVERNMENT

ALL INTERESTED BIDDERS The Board of Education of the Memphis City Schools District will accept written proposals for Athletic Insurance.

Visit our website for additional information: www.mcsk12.net Departments, Procurement Services link, click on Bids & RFPs. Questions concerning proposals should be addressed to Procurement Services at (901) 416-5376.

Thank you for supporting Memphis City Schools.

Jacqueline Saunders, Director Memphis City Schools – Procurement Services

LEGAL NOTICE TO FURNISHERS OF LABOR AND MATERIALS TO PRO-SITE CONSTRUCTION, LLC FOR SIDEWALK IMPROVEMENTS ALONG HOLMES ROAD SAFE ROUTES TO SCHOOLS CONTRACT NUMBER CA1214394 Notice is hereby give that SHELBY COUNTY is preparing to make settlement with PRO-SITE CONSTRUCTION, LLC for necessary and related work for the construction of SIDEWALKS ALONG HOLMES ROAD/SAFE ROUTES TO SCHOOLS All persons holding claims against the Contractor, PRO-SITE CONSTRUCTION, LLC or their agents for materials or labor entering into the construction of this project must file itemized notice of such claim (two copies) with the original copy sworn to before a Notary Public. This notice to be received at the office of Clifton Davis, Administrator of Purchasing, Suite 550, 160 North Main, Memphis, Tennessee 38103, on or before March 27, 2013 in order to obtain the advantages afforded to claimants by legal statute.

Respectfully submitted, Clifton Davis Administrator of Purchasing Shelby County Government NOTICE TO FURNISHERS OF LABOR AND MATERIALS TO: Shelby Electric Co., Inc. Locally Managed Project Agreement No.: 090195 PIN No.:112891.00 Federal Const. Proj. No.: STP-M-9417 (4) State Const. P.E. No.: 79LPLM-F1- 147 COUNTY: Shelby The Town of Collierville, Tennessee is about to make final settlement with the contractor for construction of the above numbered project. All persons wishing to file claims pursuant to Section 54-5-122, T.C.A. must file same with the Director of General Services, Town of Collierville, 500 Poplar View Parkway, Collierville, Tennessee 38017, on or before 03/07/2013.

LEGAL NOTICE TO BIDDERS Automatic Door Replacement MEMPHIS INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT 2491 Winchester Road, Suite 113 Memphis, Tennessee 38116 MSCAA Project Number 10-1305-00 Sealed bids for Automatic Door Replacement, MSCAA Project No. 10-130500, will be received by Staff Services Division, Memphis-Shelby County Airport Authority (MSCAA), 3505 Tchulahoma Road, Memphis, Tennessee 38118 until 2:00 P.M. local time on March 12, 2013.

BIDS WILL NOT BE RECEIVED AT ANY OTHER LOCATION. The scope of work generally consists of installation of 32 automatic doors (16 sets) located on both the concourse and apron levels of Terminals “A”, “B and “C” at the main terminal building. Work efforts include, but are not limited to, automatic door removal and re-installation. Alternate one includes lighting/HVAC fixture replacement and ceiling tile/grid replacement as required. The Contractor shall provide professional services as necessary to secure the required building permits and approvals from the governing agencies. Maintenance of airport site security, in accordance with MSCAA and FAA regulations, are specifically included.

The Bid Documents may be obtained and found on our website (www.mscaa.com) on or after Thursday, February 7, 2013. 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 addi-

GENERAL INFORMATION Some categories require prepayment.

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ADJUSTMENTS; PLEASE check your ad the first day it appears. Call 901-523-1818 if an error occurs. We can only offer in-house credit and NO REFUNDS are issued.

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tional 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 on Tuesday, February 19, 2013 at 1:00 PM local time at the Main Terminal Building in Terminal “A” Baggage Level, located at 2491 Winchester Road, Memphis, TN. Immediately following the meeting a tour will be available of the project site.

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 8% in accordance with the requirements of the Contract Documents.

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 or heating ventilation 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

PUBLIC NOTICE THE MEMPHIS URBAN AREA METROPOLITAN PLANNING ORGANIZATION In compliance with federal regulations 23 CFR 450, the Memphis Urban Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) is proposing twenty-eight (28) amendments to the FY 2011-2014 Transportation Improvement Program (TIP). One (1) TIP amendment was associated with an Air Quality Short Conformity Determination Report: Amendment 9 and the remaining twenty-seven (27) TIP amendments were included in an IAC Exempt Packet.

The public is hereby given notice that these documents are available for review 8:00 AM until 4:30 PM Monday through Friday in the offices of the Memphis MPO located at 125 N. Main Street, Room 450, Memphis, TN 38103 or for download from the Internet at: www.memphismpo.org. The English and Spanish language copies are also available for public review in the library systems of Shelby, Fayette, and DeSoto counties. Written public comments on the amendments will be accepted through Wednesday, February 27, 2013.

Comments may be submitted to Pragati Srivastava, Memphis MPO, 125 N. Main Street, Room 450, Memphis, TN 38134 or via email at Pragati.Srivastava@ memphistn.gov. The Memphis MPO Transportation Policy Board (TPB) will hold a public hearing on Thursday, February 28, 2013, 1:30 PM, at the UT Health Science Center, Student Alumni Building, 800 Madison Avenue, Memphis, Tennessee, 38103 to accept oral comments and take action on the proposed items.

It is the policy of the Memphis MPO not to discriminate on the basis of age, race, color, national origin or disability in its hiring or employment practices, or in its admissions to or operations of its program, services, or activities. All inquiries for Title VI and/or the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), or for persons with disabilities that require aids or services to participate either in the review of these documents or at the hearing may contact John Paul Shaffer at 901-576-7130, fax (901) 576-7272; or email John.Shaffer@memphistn.gov to make accessibility arrangements no less than five days prior to the February 28, 2013 Transportation Policy Board meeting.

This notice is funded (in part) under an agreement with the State of TN and MS, Departments of Transportation.

SPORTS Tri-State Defender, Thursday, February 14 - 20, 2013, Page 15

Melrose fans Trenisha Jones and April Smith tried to cheer on their team in the AAA City Championship.

(Photo by Christopher Hope)

MIAA crowns champions at FedExForum Special to The New Tri-State Defender

by Christopher Hope

With city titles on the line, as well as bragging rights, the Memphis area AA and AAA teams walked into FedExForum in hopes of exiting as MIAA City Champions last Saturday.

The crowd was a little scarce at the start of the Mitchell vs Trezevant game that tipped off around 5:45 pm. Mitchell wasted no time in setting the tone, jumping out to an early lead and was up 21-9 after the first quarter. The Tigers went on to defeat the Bears 73-59 for the AA crown.

Gavin Robinson was named MVP for the Tigers.

“It feels real great (to get the win). I never thought we’d win,” said Robinson. “It feels great to be named the MVP, but I’m not worried about that right now. I’m just worried about district, regional, sectional and going to state.”

In the Mitchell Tigers locker room, coach Faragi Phillips shared some thoughts with his team.

“Look guys, this is my first city championship as a coach. I appreciate all of you and I don’t take it for granted,” said Phillips. “I’ve been successful in doing this and I know I’m blessed. Blessed to have coached guys like you all and talk about you guys till I turn blue in the face. I love you guys.

Let’s enjoy it and get ready for our district tournament.”

The Tigers’ plans for celebration included meeting Sunday morning at the school to catch a bus to one of the player’s church for morning worship.

“Anytime you’re invited to hear the Word, we don’t wanna take that for granted ever,” said Phillips.

Ridgeway over Central (Girls)

The game between Ridgeway and Central was a reminder that there always is competition on and off the court. The two schools’ cheerleaders challenged each other as well. Both squads were very vocal as their star players started to light it up.

Central’s Tia Wooten was virtually unstoppable as her name was repeatedly called out on the FedExForum’s speakers after made baskets.

However, Ridgeway’s star, Brandi Beasley, refused to go home with a lost. She became electric in the second half, finding her 3-point range and finishing with 20 points and six assists as Ridgeway defeated Central, 69-53, to become the MIAA girls AAA city champion.

Ridgeway tops Melrose (AAA Boys)

The lower section of FedExFourm swelled with fans for the boy’s AAA game featuring Melrose and Ridgeway. As expected, the Orange Mound community made its presence known by bringing energy to pump up their team.

Ridgeway’s DeSean Dockery quickly unsettled the Melrose fans by starting the game on fire. He scored 13 points in the first quarter as the Roadrunners pocketed a 69-58 victory.

“We had to come out here and make up for the lost last night (Friday against Southwind) and everybody came out here and played good team defense and just got the win,” said Dockery, the game’s MVP. “We just wanted to win for

Reason to rock…

Ridgewayʼs Roadrunners were too much for Melrose in the MIAA AAA Boys Championship. (Photo by Christopher Hope)

Former University of Memphis Tigers guard Tyreke Evans is used to receiving a warm welcome from fans at FedExForum, but his 20 points were not enough to keep the Grizzlies from defeating the Kings 108-101. (Photos by Warren Roseborough)

Grizz ride good chemistry flow into All-Star break Special to The New Tri-State defender

by Kelley Evans

Rakisha Curry (left) of Booker T. Washington and Tiara Williams of Soulsville battle for the loose ball.

(Photo by Warren Roseborough)

our coach and our school and for the city of Memphis.”

Ridgeway head coach Wesley Henning made the goal for the team perfectly clear.

“It’s good to get this win. It’s a good thing for bragging rights, but we’re worried about post season,” said Henning.

“We want that big gold ball.”

In addition to back-to-back games, Ridgeway also had to get up early to take an ACT test prior to Saturday night’s championship game.

“Playing those double games really got to our legs,” said Henning.

“I try telling the kids those are the games you gotta win. In

state, it’s gonna be like that.”

Other games (girls) Manassas turned back Oakhaven 54 to 51 for its third consecutive AA title.

Booker T. Washington took the Class A crown for the second year in a row, with a 4638 victory over Soulsville.

Other games (Boys)

Booker T. Washinton defeated Memphis Academy of Health Sciences 63 to 48, capturing its second consecutive Class A title. It was the first city championship game for MAHS.

The University of Memphis Tigers blew out UCF 93 to 71 at the FedExForum on Wednesday, affording the bench ample opportunity to weigh in on the teamʼs good fortune. (Photo by Warren Roseborough)

The Memphis Grizzlies head into the All-Star break with a 33-18 record after a win over the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday – their third straight home victory.

The 108-101 victory at FedExForum leaves the Grizzlies undefeated this season (16-0) when scoring 100 points.

Lately, it’s all been about team chemistry.

The chemistry has gotten better,” said Grizzlies head coach Lionel Hollins.

“Chemistry is something that you deal with all season long. It’s not just something that you build at the beginning of the season. It’s something that you constantly have to deal with because it’s just the nature of individuals, and human being’s egos and everything else gets in the way.”

Since acquiring Austin Daye, Ed Davis and Tayshaun Prince, Memphis’ assists have improved, with 142 assists over 227 field goals. And opposing teams players say Memphis is still are a hard team to beat with new players.

The Kings (19-33) entered the game hungry for a road win, but they just couldn’t quite match Memphis’ offensive force.

The Grizzlies went into the halftime break ahead only two points. The third quarter got away from the Kings as Memphis outrebounded them.

The Grizzlies were 54 percent from the three-point line while Sacramento was only at 21 percent by the end of the third.

Marc Gasol led all scorers with 24 points and 12 rebounds – all defensive. Mike Conley scored 22 points and had seven assists. Tony Allen, who is usually a defensive machine, has been a needed spark on offense recently, finishing with 19 points.

“The last few games he’s been scoring a few points and he’s made shots, he’s gotten to the basket, he’s made good decisions,”

Hollins said. “Tony has been playing outstanding.”

Allen said he hired a shot doctor to help him work on his shot.

“Every day I get a chance, I work on my shot. I stay in the gym and make sure my body is alright.”

Kings center Demarcus Cousins finished with 23 points. Former University of Memphis star guard Tyreke Evans racked 20 points, with Jason Thompson adding 15.

“I just think they physically outplayed us,” Cousins said. “They really took advantage of that in the second half and we just couldn’t bounce back. They’re a tough team to beat.

“They share the ball a lot better (since the new acquisitions),” said Cousins. “It’s just a balanced floor.

They’re a tough team to guard because it’s a threat at every position on the floor now, even with the second unit.”

As for the All-Star break, Hollins said he told the guys to be safe and stay out of trouble.

“Every year there’s a five-day break,” Hollins said. “It’s been going on since they started the AllStar game; there’s nothing you can do about it.”

The Grizzlies will face the Detroit Pistons on the road on Tuesday (Feb. 19).

NOTES:

The Memphis Grizzlies Charitable Foundation and Soulsville Foundation announced that Staxtacular 2013, the largest fundraiser of the year for the Stax Music Academy, surpassed all past records in attendance and money raised. About 550 people attended the Jan. 26 event, with about $135,000 raised via sponsorships, ticket sales and auctions.

Tony Allen will be featured in a SportSouth special, “Driven: Tony Allen – A Day in the Life.” The special will debut on Saturday, Feb. 16. The 30-minute television special, which highlights Allen’s game day routine, will air four times on SportSouth from Feb 16-23.

Page 16

February 14 - 20, 2013

Tri-State Defender