February 26, 2015

February 26 - March 4, 2015

VOL. 64, No. 7

www.tsdmemphis.com

Wrong about Sherra Wright?

75 Cents

TSD exclusive: NBA star Lorenzen Wright’s ex-wife, Part 1

ined this level of pain. Still, before we make it to the stage of “Acceptance,” we’re going to need some questions answered.

If we are wrong about Sherra Wright, we need to talk to Sherra Wright.

by Kelvin Cowans

Special to The New Tri-State Defender

As we approach the fifth-year anniversary of the unsolved murder of Lorenzen Wright, one of Memphis’ beloved basketball sons, we are reminded of the blueprint of how a heart breaks.

Wright courted us at Booker T. Washington High School by powerfully dunking on opponents with ease then letting out that Memphis roar signaling that “I’m a beast.” We got engaged to him when he decided to play at Memphis State (now the University of Memphis); yeah, we blushed knowing that it would be a local wedding.

After being selected seventh overall in the 1996 NBA Draft by the Los Angeles Clippers and later personally choosing to return home to play for the Memphis Grizzlies, our marriage with him was complete.

He was a household name around these parts and just as important to the social fabric of the city as the other nationally known beloved sons.

With all of his basketball prowess and heart-felt community involvement, he’d often put his money where the people hurt and we concluded that “Happily Ever After” would be the last three words to this story, no matter when it ended.

We were wrong!

On July 28, 2010, Wright’s decomposed body was found in an East Memphis field. He had been shot at least five times and an autopsy showed just how little was left of

Author Sherra Wright-Robinson the once 6’11” 260-pound manchild weighed a mere 71 pounds when he took his last breath. Since his death, many have turned pointed fingers at Sherra Wright-Robinson.

Lorenzen and Sherra dated for 19 years, were married for 12 years and divorced 5 month’s before his murder. Local media, national media, social media and every barbershop and beauty shop and doughnut café visitor in the city knows that she was the last one to seem him alive. However, does that make her a part of his murder?

As the community Wright grew up in, we collectively continue through the five stages of grief from this heartbreak because we never imag-

Lorenzen and Sherra dated for 19 years and were married for 12 years. In June of 2006, they renewed their vows. (Courtesy photo)

Kelvin Cowans: You have been perceived as a gold digger. Are you a gold digger and were you out to trap a younger Lorenzen Wright for his fortune and fame?

Sherra Wright-Robinson: No, I’m not a gold digger and I wasn’t out to trap Lorenzen for his fame. He had no money or fame when we met.

I had blessings on my life as far back as a child. My parents were married and my father was a prominent businessman and my mother didn’t work but took care of the home and the children. I idolized her and I followed that blueprint. My father was a hardworking man who left a legacy behind for his children. So there is nothing further from the truth than me being a gold digger.

I’ve always been blessed. I’ve always had what the world would call a lot, and that was one of the things that attracted Lorenzen to me. In my mother’s passing (cancer) I’d been left a house, vehicle, money and an insurance policy. When we met I felt like Lorenzen was in search of something; something that could be grounding for him because he came from absolutely, positively nothing.

SEE WRIGHT ON PAGE 2

SPECIAL REPORT: RAPE IN THE BLACK COMMUNITY

Rape and the myth of ‘the strong black woman’

by Jazelle Hunt NNPA News Service

WA S H I N G TON – For 20 years, Sharita J. Lee was numb.

She did not cry.

She did not love the men she dated.

The only emotion she could muster was rage.

But she recently caught wind It took Sharita of the storm of J. Lee close to sexual assault al- two decades legations involv- to truly break ing Bill Cosby, her silence America’s favor- about the sexite TV dad. One ual assault that by one, more than turned her life 30 women lodged upside down. charges against the comedian, some dating back 45 years. And one by one, their revelations were met with skepticism, personal attacks on the accusers, and even outright scorn.

“Until then, I had thought about (my assault), but I didn’t have any emotion about it,” Lee recalled. “I wouldn’t have felt anything until I read that article,” Lee said.

After reading the article about comedian Hannibal Buress’ jab at Bill Cosby, Lee scrolled to the comments section. She couldn’t believe how many people questioned why these women were coming forward decades later.

Appalled, she opened her laptop, and penned all the gory details of her rape and its aftermath for the world to see.

Her account was published on a blog just before Christmas.

The topic of rape has not only been revived by the controversy surrounding Bill Cosby but also by misbehavior in other segments of society. For example, dozens of high-ranking military officers have been fired for rape or having inappropriate sexual affairs with women within and outside their command.

Rape on college campuses has received wider coverage following a series of high-profile campus rapes, including one at the United States Military Academy at West Point. The Department of Education announced last May that it is investigating 55 colleges for mishandling complaints of sexual violence, a figure that has since risen to 90.

Last month, two Vanderbilt University football players were found

About this series A woman is raped every two minutes in the United States.

According to the U.S. Justice Department, nearly one of every five African-American women – 19 percent – are raped each year.

Many experts suspect those figures severely understate the problem. For example, research by the Black Women’s Blueprint, Inc., a New York City-based civil and human rights organization of women and men, reports that 60 percent of African-American women have been sexually assaulted by the time they are 18 years old.

Whatever the actual number, too often, the victims – including a surprising number of males and young girls – suffer alone.

Efforts to discuss the abuse are usually met with disbelief or a feeling that such behavior should be quietly swept under the rug, as though ignoring the problem will magically make it disappear.

As a matter of policy, news organizations generally withhold the names of rape victims. But African-American women in particular are beginning to break this silence, bravely coming out of the shadows to publicly reveal their names and faces and share their painful stories in hopes of exposing and ending this all-toocommon violence.

This series by NNPA Washington Correspondent Jazelle Hunt examines rape in the African-American community and the long path toward healing. guilty of raping an unconscious fellow co-ed and two more former football players are awaiting trial. And Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston, a former Heisman Trophy winner, has been dogged for more than a year amid allegations that he raped a FSU student in December 2012; an attorney for the student announced plans to sue the university.

Most Americans do not know as much about rape as they think.

According to the Department of Justice: SEE RAPE ON PAGE 2

Assistant Shelby County D.A. Bridgett Stigger makes a point during the Stand Your Ground Panel Discussion that also featured (l-r) MPD Deputy Chief Gerald Perry, National Civil Rights Museum employee William Young, and Rodrequies Thompson, a mentor for Juvenile Intervention Faith-Based Fellowship. (Photo: Brittney Gathen)

Stand-your-ground panel probes #BlackLivesMatter and more

by Brittney Gathen

Special to The New Tri-State Defender

In Memphis and various parts of the country, many of the 2015 African American History Month observances have – in myriad forms – dealt with issues associated with the deaths of unarmed African Americans at the hands of police. So it was Tuesday at the University Center on the campus of the University of Memphis.

Billed as a Stand Your Ground Panel Discussion, strict adherence to that topic would have guided participants and attendees along a path examining the controversial legal statutes that remove the duty to retreat before using force in self-defense. Jointly sponsored by the University of Memphis chapters of the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) and the NAACP, the discussion was moved along a broader course.

Students suspended at ‘alarmingly high’ rate in Memphis, report says

by Daarel Burnette Chalkbeat Tennessee

More than 40 percent of all African-American middle and high school students in Memphis were suspended at least once during the 2011-12 school year – an “alarmingly high” rate compared to other districts across the nation, according to a new statistical analysis released Monday by the Center for Civil Rights Remedies.

Despite the troubling data, the district made incremental progress in decreasing its number of suspended students and narrowing the gap between the rate of suspended white and African-American students, the study’s researchers note.

In 2011-12, the former Memphis City Schools suspended one out of every 10 elementary school students, a 1.5 percent decline from 2009-10. In middle and high schools, almost 38 percent of students were suspended in 2011-12, a 3 percent decline from 2009-10.

While the racial gap in suspensions also narrowed slightly, it remains wide – especially for students who are male, have a disability, and attend a middle or high school. Overall, the analysis shows that African-American students in Memphis were about three times as likely as white students to be suspended in 2011-12. During the same school year in middle and SEE SUSPENDED ON PAGE 3

NABJ president Jasmine Morton said that the purpose of the event was to extend the discussion beyond the stand-your-ground laws, which many first heard of in association with the death of 17-year-old Florida teen Trayvon Martin, who was killed by neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman in 2012.

“Our topic is mainly about police SEE PROBES ON PAGE 3

MEMPHIS WEEKEND

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

SUNDAY

H-47o - L-36o

H-59o - L-44o

H-35o - L-24o

Mostly Sunny

REGIONAL TEMPS LITTLE ROCK NASHVILLE JACKSON, MS

Partly Cloudy

Rain

Friday Saturday Sunday H-36 L-22 H-46 L-35 H-54 L-40 H-33 L-21 H-44 L-31 H-56 L-46 H-49 L-33 H-60 L-48 H-72 L-57

February 26 - March 4, 2015

Page 2

NEWS

RAPE

The children: Back row (left to right) – Lamar, 15; Loren, 17; Lorenzen Jr., 19; Shamar, 15. Front Row – Sofia, 8; Lawson, 10. (Courtesy photo)

WRIGHT

CONTINUED FROM FRONT KC: We’re approaching the five-year anniversary of Lorenzen’s murder and you were the last person to see him alive.

Did you murder Lorenzen?

Did you orchestrate his murder? Do you know who murdered him? You want to get it off your heart right now. I’m just saying that we’re all fully aware that there was a million dollar life insurance policy payable upon his death. That’s a million motives, Sherra.

SWR: No, I absolutely did not. One thing that people don’t know is that I received more money in our divorce than I did in his life insurance policy. This is a policy that was placed into a child support trust fund, which I made him take out for the kids sake, which was part of the divorce settlement. Money could’ve never been the motive for me to do something as evil as that to Lorenzen or anyone.

I loved Lorenzen and after our divorce we were still friends and we still had six children to raise and I would never take their father from them. People talk down about people because they don’t know them. When they hear bad stuff they spread it because they can. You hardly ever hear people uplifting strangers unless they’re a celebrity or something like that.

They just don’t know me.

KC: Who are you today?

SWR: Foremost, I am a mother and I’m good at what I do. I have six beautiful children and we created a certain life style for them and I’m trying my best to carry that on to make sure that these kids have everything they want and need. I am a day-to-day mom: I do basketball tournaments, I car pool, I do ACT workshops, homework and dinner.

I am also a wife and a minister. My husband (Reginald Robinson) is a wonderful individual and we will celebrate our one-year anniversary this March. He’s a protector and he’s a role model for the boys. He works for the Shelby County Sheriff’s Department and he’s a really big and strong man and makes us feel secure with just his presence.

You have to admire a man that will take on a wife and six kids that are not his and all he said was, “Come on, I got you.”

As far as ministry, I accepted my call to preach in April 2012 at Mt. Olive #1 Missionary Baptist Church. I’d felt for a long time that God had a call on my life as I had already taught Vacation Bible School for the last ten years.

God began pulling on me even harder surrounding the events of Lorenzen’s death and when he does that we have to ask the Lord why and he will let you know that he has something for you to do. So that is one good thing that came out of something so terrible.

KC: Looking back at your divorce from Lorenzen, is there anything that you can say that led to your divorce from him?

SWR: Yes, there were a lot of things that led to our divorce. There began to be a change in him. They were not changes that I was willing to be a part of. There was a lot of deceit, lies, secrecy, women, chaos and unanswered questions.

KC: So you’re telling me that there are tons of things that we didn’t know? This community was married to him long before you.

SWR: There are some things you guys will never know because you didn’t live with him.

You were his community; I was his wife. I know a different Lorenzen than you guys know,

The New Tri-State Defender

Cover of Sherra

even my kids don’t know him like I did. There were certain things that we kept from them that happened in our home.

I’m not saying that he was a bad person. I’m just saying that he started off one way and that was the man I married, but then he changed and it didn’t create a good situation for me to stay in and I knew God had more for me.

KC: I understand where you’re coming from but to that I have to raise you one.

We can’t find reports of this Lorenzen that you’re speaking of. And what do we do with the local media (reps) who often came to the door of your mansion with sharp tongues but nevertheless court-documented papers detailing things that could be viewed as suspect on your behalf? They scream that you are not above reproach and this story is even “48-Hours” mystery worthy.

They have made the local public eat your possible involvement as if a slab of ribs from the backside of Beale St. SWR: I used to watch the news all the time. However, after this happened I stopped watching so much. When I saw how they transformed the story and chopped the story and even my comments, it made me really upset. One of the things that stand out in my mind clearly was when somebody said in an article that before this event happened we don’t even know anything about this girl, like who is she.

That bothered me that the first time they would try to find out who I was would be when they are trying to tie me to a murder of somebody I’ve spent half my life with; somebody that I loved more than myself. That was so hurtful.

When I think about his parents or our friends and associates who have sat down to eat in our home to take sides so quickly and blame me, I was outdone. But the way the news depicted it, I guess they felt they had no other choice.

I wanted to protect my kids from all of these crazy things.

My children are with me all the time and they know their mother. They know my character. They were there the night before he went missing when he came by the house.

They were there the next night when he came by, which was

the last time anyone seen him.

We all went through the separation of our marriage, divorce and him coming up missing and being found dead together.

KC: You’ve just released a book titled “Mr. Tell Me Anything” and I had the blessing of an early copy and thank you. It contains over 230 pages and I read it in one day. This book is an unbelievable read full of deception, physical abuse and soul-stirring emotions from beginning to end. It’s a fictional story centered around a character by the name of Sharon Roberson, who dates and marries the man of her dreams, who becomes this larger-thanlife knight in shining armor who is drafted into the NBA, where privately he becomes her worst nightmare. If Sharon Roberson was a real person and was kin to you, would she be your mom, auntie, sister or cousin?

SWR: She would be my identical twin.

Excerpt: “Mr. Tell Me Anything” Chapter 11: “Miss Fifteen Hundred” “All her (Sharon Roberson) mind could do was drift back to the day she was laid out on the floor of their Georgia mansion. How did she get there?

He had struck her so hard that gravity had taken it’s role.

“So there she was, children all present, laying face up with a head concussion…

Mind you, he had only struck her three times before that.

But neither of his previous offenses ended with her hitting the ground. They all had one thing in common though… they started with his infidelity coming to light. But the night she hit the stony floor was different. The violence had escalated.

“In fact it was so different she had thought only to escape when she was capable of standing to her feet.

“She thought to ‘Leave for Good’ after he left for his road trip of course.”

(“Mr. Tell Me Anything” available at www.iamsherra. com.)

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

CONTINUED FROM FRONT • Somewhere in America, a woman is raped every 2 minutes; • 22 percent of victims were younger than age 12 when they were first raped, and 32 percent were between the ages of 12 and 17; • 25 percent of girls and 17 percent of boys are sexually abused before the age of 18; • 70 percent of rape and sexual assault victims know their attacker prior to the assault and • Of college women questioned, about 90 percent of rape and sexual assault victims knew their attacker prior to the assault.

It took Sharita Lee close to two decades to truly break her silence.

Two decades ago, she was a 20-year-old New Orleans native serving her country as a member of the U.S. Navy.

She had joined the military to distance herself from home, where her stepfather physically abused her mother, who was battling alcoholism.

But she returned to New Orleans immediately when she learned her grandfather was on his deathbed. During her visit, she ran into a childhood friend at her uncle’s house, and the two caught up. A few hours passed as they laughed and reminisced on the couch.

Then, Lee got the call that her grandfather had died.

Abruptly, in the middle of condolences and small talk, he lunged at her. In a fluid flurry, he grabbed her legs and pulled her toward him. He pinned her knees to her chest. She shoved him. Unmoved, he yanked the back of her pants up to her thighs. He was a foot taller and outweighed her by 100 pounds. She was stunned.

“I would’ve never thought, prior to that moment, that that was something he had

done before, but it happened so fast,” she said. “I couldn’t even say ‘what happened,’ I just felt him go in. In my mind I’m thinking, ‘Wow, is this happening, are you serious?’”

Afterward he got up, apologized, kissed her, and left.

She didn’t move. She couldn’t speak. When he was gone, she got up, cleaned up, and cried.

Then she carried on as if nothing had happened.

“Every time I think of my grandfather, that comes to mind,” she says. “My grandfather died, but I was supposed to go and see him that night. And I didn’t go because I was dealing with my friend. And that friend raped me. It’s like, oh my God, if I had been where I was supposed to be – you know, all the would’ve, should’ve, could’ves.”

‘I realized I hit rock bottom’ At the time, Lee told exactly one person: her then-boyfriend, when he came to visit her on the Navy base after her grandfather’s funeral.

“He responded by calling me a whore. He said I invited it, and cheated on him, purposely,” Lee recounted. They argued all night and ended the relationship. The reaction pushed her into stoic silence.

“I never told anyone else,” she said. “That was the first time I actually went that far, and for his reaction to be the way it was…I felt humiliated but I also felt unworthy.”

Slowly, she lost her bearings.

“I became very promiscuous. I put myself in the mind of a man. However they thought that they could handle a woman, is how I began to handle them,” she says. “I know I was angry and bitter for some time. I was drinking a lot – try to couple that with being in the military – and I was having sex a lot.”

Her pain hardened to numb-

ness, then curdled into a bad temper, worsening as years slipped by and hardship bubbled up. There was the birth of her first child and a young and unhappy marriage and then divorce at 25.

“I was 28 when I first sought therapy. I went for depression, because my brother was murdered. I was having anxiety attacks, but I couldn’t cry over it,” said Lee. “I realized I’d hit rock bottom in my emotions, or lack thereof. I knew I was to my limit with not dealing with anything.”

The path to healing Today, Lee is the only person in her immediate family who has sought professional help as part of dealing with her trauma.

“People are afraid to go to therapy – my mom is afraid, in my opinion, that she is going to hear the absolute truth.

It’s facing your truth, I think, that’s hard for people. “… The biggest thing for me was allowing myself to deal with whatever hurts I had buried. I had to have healing in my own home. I told my husband and my sister things…I’m not a writer, but I wrote…dealing with my mother, stepfather, and my father, writing letters to them…. As time went, I felt better,” Lee says.

“It’s like, OK, I was raped. But as I get older and realize it’s affecting my relationships…what are you going to do to change it? You have to go find help for that. Because ultimately, you’re a prisoner in your own mind, and in your own heart.”

NEXT WEEK: other victims

Rape’s

(The project was made possible by a grant from the National Health Journalism Fellowship, a program of the University of Southern California Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism.)

The New Tri-State Defender

February 26 - March 4, 2015

NEWS

you a target. If a person has a certain prejudice against you, I don’t really think they care what you have on.”

Teaching young people about the reality of living in America is a better alternative to critiquing their physical appearances,” said Young.

“I think we should go after really teaching our children the reality of living in America from a historical context, and show them that it’s still a lot of things against them.”

PROBES

CONTINUED FROM FRONT brutality and racial profiling,” Morton said. “ It is not so much about stand your ground laws, but it’s making a statement that those who are subjected to racial profiling should stand up for themselves and fight back for equality. Stand your ground laws are usually what gets people out of trouble when they harm (or) usually murder someone based off of biases and discrimination.”

With the broaded context, the panelist weighed in, also delving into the #BlacksLivesMatter movement, young people and stereotypes.

Panelists included Bridgett Stigger, assistant district attorney general for the Shelby County District Attorney General’s office; Rodrequies Thompson, a mentor for Juvenile Intervention Faith-Based Fellowship (JIFF); Deputy Chief Gerald Perry of the Memphis Police Department; and William Young, a National Civil Rights Museum employee. Darrion Garrett of the University of Memphis Student Veterans Organization was the moderator.

MPD’s Perry spoke to the need of balancing the right to self-defense with the wisdom of trying to avoid violence.

“I feel that every individual has the right to defend themselves, but as far as standing your ground, not retreating and all of that, I’m of the point that you should try to avoid violence,” Perry said.

“If you’re confronted with somebody and your life is not in imminent danger, just walk away.”

Tennessee was among 22 states with stand-your-ground laws, according to a 2013 report by the National Urban League, Mayors Against Illegal Guns and VoteVets.org.

Since the fatal shooting of Trayvon Martin, legislators in at least 11 states – including Florida – have introduced legislation to repeal or scale back their stand-your-ground laws.

Tennessee’s version of the law states that “a person who is not engaged in unlawful activity and is in a place were the person has a right to be, has no duty to retreat before threatening or using force in-

Black Lives Matter

Rosie Bingham, vice president of student affairs at the University of Memphis, urged those attending the Stand Your Ground Panel Discussion to be powerful and to do good for the world. tended to likely cause death or serious bodily injury if: (a) the person has a reasonable belief that there is an imminent death or bodily injury, (b) the danger creating the belief of imminent death or bodily injury is real or honestly believed to be real at the time and (c) the belief of danger is founded upon reasonable grounds.”

Stigger reflected on application of the law as it comes into play with her job at the Shelby County D.A.’s office.

Although she does have discretion in application, Stigger said the law does present difficulties if a person did use necessary force, adding that in asserting self-defense, you can only use the amount of force that is necessary.

“When a person is using force that is necessary to ward off danger, then you don’t have many choices,” Stigger said.

In examining such situations, Stigger said that she’s had to keep her personal feelings separate from the professional proceedings. “(If) there’s a situation were there’s a person of my race and a person of another race,

Page 3

Moderator Darrion Garrett guided panelists through a range of aspects associated with the announced topic and prompted a stimulating probe of physical appearance and protection from police brutality. (Photos: Brittney Gathen) I can’t look at it as, ‘Oh, he’s black. I really don’t want him to go to jail because he was trying to protect himself.’ If he was using too much force, I can’t take those things into consideration.” Stigger said.

‘The reality of living in America’ In his role as moderator, Garrett noted that there seem to be similar physical characteristics in victims of police brutality. He asserted that in addition to being black and of a certain stature, there is similarity in dress, particularly with items such as hoodies or athletic gear.

Prompted by a question from Garrett, Young said physical appearance doesn’t necessarily provide protection from prejudice.

“I don’t think that what you wear necessarily protects you from what can possibly happen to you,” Young said. “I don’t think a necktie will save you, and I don’t think wearing a hoodie or athletic gear will necessarily make you a target more so than a suit will make

The acquittal of George Zimmerman in the death of Trayvon Martin in 2013 gave rise to the #BlackLivesMatter movement, which – in part – is “a call to action and response to the virulent anti-Black racism that permeates our society.” The group’s demands include the demilitarization of local law enforcement across the country and support of the passage of the End Racial Profiling Act (ERPA), which would prohibit the use of profiling on the basis of race, ethnicity, national origin or

religion by law enforcement agencies.

Young said #BlackLivesMatter is a necessary movement but not a new one.

Civil rights era protests and events have provided a “blueprint” of how to affect change, said Young. Events during that era helped influence legislation, such as the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which outlawed discriminatory voting practices in the South, he pointed out.

“I really believe that the Black Lives Matter movement is going to gain traction. It is going to be something that makes America wake up,” Young said.

Stigger said the African-American community must apply the black lives matter phrase to itself, if the #BlackLivesMatter movement is to be successful.

“One of the issues I have with the Black Lives Matter movement is we’re only saying it to white people, but we need to be saying it to each other,” Stigger said. “Until we can show that we have love and compassion for our own people, no one will take it se-

riously.”

From the audience

Attendance was sparse, with Patricia Lee, chairperson for the Umoja Foundation in Memphis, among those on hand. Asked about her takeaway from the discussion, Lee said it was the importance of the elders investing in the youth. She expressed her desire for the Umoja Foundation to be able to do more with youth going forward.

University of Memphis student James Davies said events such as the panel discussion are necessary for people to grow.

“These types of events are not only important, but substantial to the growing and education that we all come to college for,” Davies said, openly wishing there had been more of a turnout.

“With all the black organizations and stuff that we have here, you would think it would be a packed crowd…I find it kind of disheartening for us black people to not show up to things like this.”

February 26 - March 4, 2015

Page 4

OPINION

John H. Sengstacke Publisher (1951-1997)

The Mid-South’s Best Alternative Newspaper Powered by Best Media Properties, Inc.

The New Tri-State Defender

Cherishing the history that’s in your attic

FLASHBACK: 2005

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

It matters: Media representation of black lives

“Indirectly and sometimes quite directly, the media perpetuates racism, classism, ageism and disgust both within in and outside of the black community.”

by Cherisse A. Scott

Special to The New Tri-State Defender

Three and a half years ago I moved back to Memphis to begin a new chapter in my life. I was home, and I was here to work with my community to engage, educate and empower all of us, together.

I remember those days vividly. Excited to share my new venture with the community, I was eager to challenge the conventional narrative concerning low-income black women, our families and our investment in the communities we live in. I wanted to teach people about the Reproductive Justice framework, its origin in human rights, and why we need it in the broader conversation around women’s health and human rights in the state of Tennessee.

A good friend and I wrote a press release, sent it out, and waited. We hoped the press would take interest in our work, given that we were in the belly of our civil rights legacy, the place where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. triumphed and also where he lost his life for a cause bigger than himself. I wanted to honor and continue a legacy of building power among those most marginalized by a system which overlooks garbage men and the needs of their families, yet still expects its trash to be disposed of.

As we had hoped, one of our local media outlets took interest and scheduled an interview with me at our office. Hair? Check. Make-up? Check.

The reporter arrived. She seemed to be in her late twenties. A nice white woman who seemed fairly interested in my comments and then asked me why I was doing this work.

I explained that like many women, especially African American and other women of color, for many years, I wasn’t knowledgeable about my body and made my reproductive health choices based on impulse, and misinformation. Further, because I couldn’t afford healthcare, some decisions caused me to tow the line of poverty for my son and myself.

However, this work was my opportunity to help other women in similar situations have the access, education and information available to them so that their decisions would be more informed and their decisions of whether to have a child or not have a child could be made with dignity and with the necessary social supports in place first as to avoid the hard road I have traveled.

I remember her asking me specifically if I had started this work while enrolled in welfare and I explained that I had not, though I had used governmental assistance in the past, as a means of survival for myself and my son. Overall, the interview went pretty well and I was feeling confident, until the news ran later that evening.

The news report I saw that night was so far from the story I’d told the reporter. At the outset, the camera cut away to a black woman’s feet, in house shoes, walking down the street pushing a stroller. The woman’s hair was in a sleeping headscarf and it was the middle of a day while she pushed the baby to their destination.

The reporter falsely asserted I was on food stamps when I founded my organization, SisterReach, which is over three years old now. My triumphant moment had been reduced to the stereotypical narrative of black women being lazy and having to pull ourselves up by the fictitious bootstraps it is assumed that we ALL have

access to.

Let me pause here and say, there is no shame in needing government safety net programs.

These programs are designed to help Americans in need of food, housing, or fiCherisse nancial resourcA. Scott es when they go through hard times for myriad reasons. I am not ashamed to say that I needed help. However, no part of my story or the story I shared with the reporter included me in house shoes, a sleep headscarf or pushing my then 4th grader down a Memphis street.

Nevertheless, that is what she reported.

Black mothers are often depicted this way in the media. This has led to a narrative that justifies calling us lazy welfare queens and legislating the validity of our choices to be, or not be, mothers. The reporter told my story with a narrative that perpetuates stigma and shame in our community.

More dangerously, it is the narrative we can’t seem to shake, no matter how hard we try or how tough our skin is. It was the same type of reporting which vilified a local black female business owner a little over a week ago whose staff stopped a criminal from entering her daycare and possibly placing the children and staff in harm. The business owner stated repeatedly how her staff executed their safety plan and protected all involved. However, this is not what the media story reflected, calling into question the staff’s professionalism.

The media has played an important role on how Black America is viewed.

Too often, the lives of black Americans are reduced to negative images in which young black men in hoodies are to be feared and black women in headscarves and house shoes are seen as a drain on the system. Indirectly and sometimes quite directly, the media perpetuates racism, classism, ageism and disgust both within in and outside of the black community.

This creates divides amongst us all, but most importantly it is a false representation of who we are.

It doesn’t have to be this way. We can call for the media to serve as an ally and advocate for our communities. These representations have consequences on the lives and livelihoods of our community members.

I learned that the business owner of the midtown daycare lost some of her parent’s trust who then pulled their children out of her daycare, which has served children in Memphis and their families for over 20 years.

Black women’s stories should reflect the dignity and professionalism, passion and commitment that makes it clear who we really are.

Bad media is deadly. The real, and positive stories about the lives of Black Americans are critical to changing societal views and understanding about who we are, a proud people with rich history, culture and beauty. What better time to begin offering a more balanced and informed narrative about black bodies than during the month set aside to celebrate our contributions, our spirit and our excellence.

(Cherisse A. Scott is founder and CEO of SisterReach.)

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New study fills in the gap on African-American girls When asked what her teachers think of her and her peers, one black girl responded, “They like, can’t be trusted, or they are loud and rowdy, ghetto, and stuff like that. Ignorant.”

Subjective stereotypes such as these often lead teachers and school administrators to over-discipline black girls. At times these stereotypes push them out of school altogether and onto a path of criminalization and low-income jobs, ultimately creating a lifelong opportunity gap for black women.

“Black Girls Matter: Pushed Out, Overpoliced and Underprotected,” a report released recently by the African American Policy Forum (AAPF) and Columbia Law School’s Center for Intersectionality and Social Policy Studies takes a step toward shedding light on the crisis facing black girls.

Although it is now well known that black men and boys confront racial obstacles throughout American society, there is little awareness of the pressing needs of black women and girls. “Black Girls Matter” begins to fill that gap by examining the impact of punitive disciplinary policies on African American girls in New York City and Boston public schools.

Its findings reveal that black girls and other girls of color experience discriminatory disciplinary policies, and disproportionately high suspension and expulsion rates. Like their male counterparts, black girls are substantially more likely to be subjected to school discipline than their female peers. In fact, the disparity in disciplinary punishments between black girls and white girls is greater than the one between black and white boys in some settings. Across the nation, black girls are six times more likely to be suspended than white girls, whereas black boys are three times more likely to be suspended than white boys.

In New York City during the 2011-2012 school year, 90 percent of the girls expelled were black, and none were white. In Boston, black girls were 10 times more likely to be suspended than their white female counterparts, while black boys were 7.4 times more likely to be suspended than their white peers. So while black boys face higher rates of suspension and expulsion in terms of absolute numbers, black girls in some contexts face a greater racialized risk.

Alarming statistics such as these highlight the need for the inclusion of girls of color in the discourse around racial justice. They make it clear that both African American boys and girls confront serious racial barriers, including failing schools, unwarranted forms of criminalization, and impoverished communi-

FLASHBACK: 2011

ties. Moreover, compared to all girls, Black girls have the worst rates of suspension, juvenile detention and homicide; and the gender-specific ways in which they experience sexual harassPriscilla ment, pregnancy Ocen and other familial burdens are seldom focused upon in the quest for racial justice. Our report, “Black Girls Matter,” reverses this silence by amplifying the voices of girls regarding their experiences in school.

One girl interviewed recalled being expelled from school when she was arrested at 16-years-old. Following the expulsion, she was out of school for two years. Another remembered when a father went to his daughter’s teachers because another student was sexually harassing her.

But instead of stepping in to protect the girl, the teachers’ response was, “good, take her out, she attracts too much attention from our boys.”

These girls shared their memories of teachers funneling them into the school-to-prison pipeline, and the tacit acceptance of sexual harassment against black girls. Narratives like these are critical in creating systemic solutions to the issues black girls face on a day-to-day basis.

These persistent voices call for us to listen to their needs and to create responsive policies.

Despite the evidence, however, the dominant public discourse on racial justice in the United States consistently leaves out women and girls. “Black Girls Matter” brings their hardships to the forefront in a work that is grounded in their own words and experiences. These hardships cannot be pushed to the margins anymore. Systemic racism impacts all black Americans, and going forward the experiences of our sisters need to count for just as much as those of our brothers.

This is precisely why resources such as “Black Girls Matter,” which is anchored by conversations with black girls, are so important. Our girls are in crisis too, and targeted action to address realities confronting girls of color in post-apartheid America cannot wait.

(NNPA guest columnist Priscilla Ocen is an associate professor of Law at Loyola Law School, Los Angeles, where she teaches courses on criminal law, race, gender and the law and family law. She is also a co-author of the report “Black Girls Matter: Pushed Out, Overpoliced and Underprotected.” She can be reached on twitter @pannocen.)

We gather together this month to lift up the names that have been frequently lifted, to call the roll of those African Americans who have made a difference. While some names are the tried and true Julianne names of imMalveaux portant leaders, we need to pay as much attention to the legacies of those whose lives and contributions have been swallowed.

Madame CJ Walker’s life and legacy is no secret. There is a woman who shares her name though, and she is rarely lifted up when the roles of African-American women in our nation’s history are mentioned. Maggie Lena Walker, with a second grade education, established Penny Savings Bank in Richmond, Va. She was the first African-American woman to establish such a bank. Through the Great Depression, and through bank regulation shifts, some version of Penny Savings Bank existed until the early 21st Century. This woman’s contribution has been overshadowed because it is easy to ignore her contribution to history.

Madame CJ Walker garnered public attention, and few realize that she was not the first to do “black hair.”

Annie Malone developed a thriving hair care business in St. Louis and surrounding areas. According to some sources, she had at least two dozen training schools in the early 20th Century. Some say she mentored Madame CJ Walker. Many acknowledge that her hair care educational foci were a model for Madame Walker. Did Walker, more flamboyant and better connected, establish a place in history while Annie Malone and Maggie Lena Walker could not? What does it say about African-American history when the glitz and glitter are substitutes for sacrifice and substance?

Far too often, we expect leaders to embrace and lift up our African-American history. And far too often, we ignore the history in our attics. We forget the uncle who was a member of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, independent union of sleeping car porters and maids established in the 1920s to advocate for their rights. We forget the aunt who was a domestic worker in New York City. We remember the cousin who was a teacher in Mississippi, Alabama, or Louisiana (the last states to desegregate schools), but we have never explored the sacrifices she made to manage such a segregated environment.

We glorify those whose names are represented in the headlines. We ignore those whose contributions, albeit important, hover on the sidelines.

We know that we stand on mighty shoulders, but we are unwilling and sadly sometimes unable to call their names.

These are the names we must call.

We call them when we pour libation.

We call their names and say “ache.”

Our next responsibility is to lift their names up, to claim them as the postal workers, the civil rights workers, and the activists. Our next responsibility is to remind ourselves and those around us that we don’t have to have a name to have “cred.”

We call their names when we read Howard Zinn’s “A Peoples History of the United States” that exemplifies “the people’s history,” not the celebrity history. We own our history and affirm our connection to it, when we own the papers in the attic.

As I move around during this African American History Month, people tell me stories that they need to tell others. There was the uncle who took his horn through the “chitlin circuit” backing up major artists, and leaving the circuit when the pull of family took him home. These are the revolutions that will not be televised, the stories that will only be told when we tell them.

We need to tell them year round.

It is a travesty of history to reduce an accounting of our heritage to a one-month commemoration of the history that defines our nation.

When we are unable to recount the occurrences of Tulsa and Rosewood, of the Red Summer of 1919 and the Poor People’s Campaign, we allow our history to be swallowed and appropriated.

Commemorate African-American History Month, if you will. Attend the gatherings at your churches and colleges. And then go home and pull the history out of the attic. If you are a citizen of the world, race notwithstanding, you have some hidden history in your attic.

When you share your family stories, you take ownership in an African-American History Month that is not about those named, but those unnamed who have made a critical difference in our lives.

(NNPA columnist Julianne Malveaux is an author and economist based in Washington D.C.)

The New Tri-State Defender

NEWS

SUSPENDED

CONTINUED FROM FRONT high school, more than half of African-American males with disabilities were suspended at least once.

Administrators with Shelby County Schools, which now oversees the former city district under a 2013 merger, were not immediately available Monday to comment on the report.

The analysis was based on federal data reviewed by the Center for Civil Remedies, which advocates for children of historically disenfranchised groups. Comparing student suspension rates for every district in the nation, the center identified the former Memphis City Schools among individual districts with the most egregious records. Nationally, it found that American children are losing almost 18 million

days of instruction due to suspensions.

“The question we’re asking here is, ‘Are we closing the school discipline gap?’” said Daniel J. Losen, the center’s director and one of the researchers for the project.

“For the first time, we can answer that question in a really meaningful way.

And the answer is, ‘A lot of school districts are closing the gap in a profound way, but not enough to swing the national numbers.’”

Losen says U.S. educators and educational leaders are legally and morally obligated to address the issue. “We conclude that our nation cannot close the achievement gap if our educators ignore the discipline gap,” he said.

The study comes as the federal government attempts to crack down on disparities between the suspension and expulsion rates of Af-

February 26 - March 4, 2015

Page 5

rican-American and white students. The rates have soared in recent years as district-wide “zero tolerance” policies were implemented and removed students from the classroom for infractions such as possession of marijuana or talking back to a teacher.

Studies show that suspensions have a disproportionately negative impact on a student’s academic prospects, since students who aren’t in the classroom are more likely to miss crucial lesson plans.

Teacher biases are another factor in student suspensions, according to research.

The suspension rates barely budged when economic data was removed, meaning teachers are as likely to suspend an African-American student whose parents are low-income as they are an African-American student whose parents are middle class.

High suspension rates in the former Memphis City Schools kept students out of the classroom at an “alarmingly high” rate, according to a new analysis of data released in 2014 by the U.S. Education Department.

TENNESSEE CLERGY FOR EDUCATIONAL CHOICE & SCLC MEMPHIS CHAPTER Petition Drive In Support of Educational Choice

SCLC Memphis Chapter has initiated a Petition Drive In Support of Educational Choice. Currently, we have garnered the support of over 25,000 who have signed the petition.

The strategy has been to send workers out into various communities and shopping centers acquiring signatures for the petition. Pastors have been getting members of their congregation to sign the petition as well. SCLC Memphis will continue to call upon pastors and concerned parents and community member across the state of Tennessee to sign on to the petition drive and join us in a press conference in Nashville, TN. The purpose will be to present the Petition Supporting Educational Choice to the Governor and the Legislature and appeal of the people for the passage of the Opportunity Scholarship Program (OSP) this session.

Parents with financial means have options, those with limited financial means do not. An educational choice program like an Opportunity Scholarship Program (OSP) shifts power to low income parents. The OSP, for the first time, will give parents of limited means the power to do what is best for their children.

• The Opportunity Scholarship Program should be given to all low income Tennessee families. Access to quality education should not be limited to chil- dren of wealth families.

•

Low income families should have more power, not less, and our children should have more options, not fewer.

Please join our coalition of ministers, representing approximately 50,000 congregants, which has been following the debate regarding education policy in the General Assembly with great interest. We strongly support the passage of voucher legislation, Senate Bill 0999 (SB 0999) / House Bill 1049 (HB 1049). This is the Opportunity Scholarship Bill (Voucher Bill) we are supporting in Tennessee, sponsored by Sen. Todd Gardenhire and Rep. Bill Dunn. We look forward to standing alongside you and those elected officials who will put our Tennessee children first and foremost.

If you agree, please add your name to the other 25,000 who have signed the petition, and take the added step of contacting your legislator, sharing it with your friends and having them contact their legislator in support of passing the Opportunity Scholarship Program (SB 0999 / HB 1049).

Thank you for your interest.

Warm Regards, Dr. Dwight Montgomery Pastor, Annesdale Cherokee MBC President, Memphis Chapter, SCLC 901.488.4798 | sclcmemphis@yahoo.com

February 26 - March 4, 2015

Page 6

The New Tri-State Defender

NATION

African Americans by the numbers (PRNewswire-USNewswire) – With African-American History Month as the context, the U.S. Census Bureau has created a by-the-numbers picture of African Americans.

Throughout the portrait, the reference to the black population is to single-race blacks (“black alone”) except in the first section on “Population.” In that section the reference is to black alone or in combination with other races; a reference to respondents who said they were one race (black) or more than one race (black plus other races).

Education 83.7 percent: The percentage of blacks 25 and over with a high school diploma or higher in 2013.

19.3 percent: The percentage of blacks 25 and over who had a bachelor’s degree or higher in 2013.

1.7 million: Among blacks 25 and over, the number who had an advanced degree in 2013.

3.0 million: Number of blacks enrolled in undergraduate college in 2013 compared with 2.6 million in 2008, a 17.5 percent increase.

Population 45 million: The number of blacks, either alone or in combination with one or more other races, on July 1, 2013, up 1.0 percent from July 1, 2012.

74.5 million: The projected black, either alone or in combination, population of the United States (including those of more than one race) for July 1, 2060. On that date, according to the projection, blacks would constitute 17.9 percent of the nation’s total population.

3.7 million: The black population in New York, which led all states as of July 1, 2013. Texas had the largest numeric increase since 2012 (78,000). The District of Columbia had the highest percentage of blacks (51.0 percent), followed by Mississippi (38.1 percent).

1.3 million: Cook County, Ill. (Chi-

Voting 17.8 million: The number of blacks who voted in the 2012 presidential election. In comparison to the 2008 election, about 1.7 million additional black voters reported going to the polls in 2012.

cago) had the largest black population of any county in 2013, and Harris, Texas (Houston) had the largest numeric increase since 2012 (18,000).

Holmes, Miss., was the county with the highest percentage of blacks in the nation (83.2 percent).

Serving the nation 2.2 million: Number of black military veterans in the United States in 2013.

The Justice Department on Tuesday announced that there would be no federal prosecution of George Zimmerman, the civilian neighborhood watch volunteer who fatally shot unarmed teenager Trayvon Martin in Sanford, Fla.

66.2 percent: Percent of blacks who voted in the 2012 presidential election, higher than the 64.1 percent of non-Hispanic whites who did so. This marks the first time that blacks have voted at a higher rate than whites since the Census Bureau started publishing statistics on voting by the eligible citizen population in 1996.

Income, poverty and health insurance

$34,598: The annual median income of black households in 2013, compared with the nation at $51,939.

27.2 percent: Poverty rate in 2013 for blacks, while nationally it was 14.5 percent.

84.1 percent: Percentage of blacks that were covered by health insurance during all or part of 2013. Nationally, 86.6 percent of all races were covered by health insurance.

Families and children

61.8 percent: Among households with a black householder, the percentage that contained a family in 2013. There were 9.8 million black family households.

45.7 percent: Among families with black householders, the percentage that were married couples in 2013.

1.3 million: Number of black grandparents who lived with their own grandchildren younger than 18 in 2013. Of this number, 45.2 percent were also responsible for their care.

Jobs

28.1 percent: The percentage of civilian employed blacks 16 and over who worked in management, business, science and arts occupations, while 36.3 percent of the total civilian employed population worked in these occupations.

February 26 - March 4, 2015

The New Tri-State Defender

Page 7

BUSINESS

ON OUR WAY TO WEALTHY

Wendell Donelson: Perfectly fit for catering As a self-professed foodie, it is my passion to enjoy food that looks great and tastes even better. Some people do it better than others. One of them is Wendell Donelson, who has mastered the task of catering by learning from the best. With almost two decades of culinary experience, Chef Donelson’s feasts frequently look too good to eat. Join us as he explains why.

Carlee McCullough: How did you get into the catering business?

Wendell Donelson: My passion for cooking was discovered in the USAF. After being discharged from the Air Force I was blessed to gain a cooking position at the Peabody Hotel Memphis. I worked in banquets (in-house catering) for 7 of my 9 years there working my way up from a cook to a banquet chef.

I eventually started taking on catering jobs for family and friends.

C.M.: Why did you decide to do catering rather than the restaurant business?

W.D.: I decided to pursue catering versus a restaurant because there wasn’t as much overhead in catering. Catering is the better fit for me because that is where I have the most experience. Catering also allows me and my staff to be a part of the most memorable events of our clients’ lives.

C.M.: What inspired you to get into the catering business?

W.D.: I was inspired once I saw that I had a God-given talent. There was a light bulb that went off. I said if I can do

this for a company, I can do this for myself.

This was the beginning of my journey.

C.M.: How did you decide Carlee on your lo- McCullough, cation?

Esq. W. D . : My wife and I literally stumbled upon a blessing.

My wife and I made what we thought was a wrong turn down DexWendell ter Road, Donelson not knowing that we were divinely led by God. We noticed a rent sign that hung in the window of a closed restaurant. We prayed in faith and sensed a peace within ourselves. We knew it was the place for us.

C.M.: How do you balance work and home?

W.D.: Balancing can be extremely tough. I don’t think I have mastered it yet.

It is a work in progress. One vow I made to myself is that I wouldn’t be accessible 24 hours a day. When I leave for the day I try to cease all business activities and spend time with my family. There are exceptions of course. But you must have a cut off.

Salmon dish C.M.: What are the necessary elements that go into a successful business?

W.D.: The recipe for a successful business is God, prayer, integrity and excellence.

C.M.: How would you describe your overall vision?

W.D.: Our vision is to serve the corporate (for-profit & non-profit), governmental, educational and social sectors with integrity and excellence while looking for opportunities to serve the bread of life.

C.M.: What is next for Donelson’s Catering?

W.D.: We are considering opening a lunch spot for our next venture.

C.M.: What type of functions do you like to do most?

W.D.: We enjoy doing all functions. If we had to choose it would be corporate events and weddings because we are

afforded the opportunity to be innovative and creative.

C.M.: As a business owner, what is the greatest reward?

W.D.: Our greatest reward is when our clients are raving about the success of their event, the professionalism of our staff and the absolutely delicious food we served.

C.M.: All businesses experience ups and downs. How have you survived in the industry for almost two decades?

W.D.: God, Faith, Prayer, Diligence, Integrity, Faithful Clients and Word of Mouth.

C.M.: Do you have any advice for someone looking to get into the catering business?

W.D.: I would advise anyone looking to get in the catering business to first get hands on training. I am partial to catering companies and upscale hotels as good training grounds. They will

MONEY MATTERS

Tax season never ends for the self-employed April 15 is the income tax filing deadline for U.S. taxpayers, but it’s not the only date that matters to business owners. Estimated tax payments for a given tax year are typically due in four equal installments: April 15, June 15, and Sept. 15 of the current year, and Jan. 15 of the following year.

There are nearly 28 million small businesses in the United States, which means many entrepreneurs and freelancers don’t have an employer that withholds taxes for them.

That’s why sole proprietors, S-corporation shareholders, and other self-employed individuals who expect to owe $1,000 or more in federal taxes when they file their returns must make estimated tax payments. This involves a fair amount of guesswork, but calculations are typically based on the previous year’s tax liability.

Even employed individuals who receive income from other sources, including in-

vestments, could be subject to estimated tax payments if they will owe $1,000 or more after salary withhold- Charles Sims ing.

Jr., CMFC, Making LUTCF accurate quarterly tax payments on schedule can help you avoid interest penalties for underpayment and keep you from falling behind with the IRS. Stopping the clock Unfortunately, penalties begin accruing as soon as you miss one quarterly payment.

The IRS charges interest daily until you catch up. The annual rate, currently 3 percent, is subject to change each quarter.

For planning purposes, keep in mind that underpayment penalties usually do not apply in the following two situations.

If your withholding and estimated tax payments add up to at least 90 percent of your tax liability.

If your withholding and estimated tax payments are at least 100 percent of the previous year’s tax bill, or 110 percent if your adjusted gross income exceeds annual thresholds ($150,000 in 2013).

Thus, employed taxpayers could help reduce or eliminate interest charges by increasing their salary withholding enough to offset estimated payments.

If your income tends to be higher at the end of the year, you may want to use the “annualized method” instead of making four equal payments.

This way, estimated payments correspond to your cash flow, so you won’t face big installments on earlier due dates be-

Saturday, February 28 • 12 pm (noon) - 3 pm at Southland Mall directly off Elvis Presley Blvd. in Whitehaven Methodist South Hospital invites you to enjoy a day of dance performances, celebrate heart health and learn simple ways to be heart healthy.

Bring the entire family to enjoy exciting dance performances like: African Ballet by Collage Dance Collective Fun Dance Routines by Grizzlies Grannies & Grandpas • SubRoy Studios • Line Dancing Sassie Seniors of Memphis • Ballet on Wheels T.L. Williams Academy of Dance • Dance With A Swing (Jazz) • Funk N’ Feet (Tap) Mystic River Middle Eastern Dance • Mistress of Ceremonies: Mayzelle Moore

You can take advantage of FREE cholesterol screenings • FREE glucose screenings FREE blood pressure screenings • FREE hands only CPR instruction FREE giveaways • FREE fashion show For more information, call 901-516-3580 or visit www.methodisthealth.org Methodist South Hospital is proud to be the only official HeartCaring® hospital in Tennessee.

fore you can pay them.

The specific rules regarding estimated tax payments are fairly complex. Before you take any specific action, be sure to consult with your tax professional.

(Charles Sims Jr., CMFC, LUTCF, is President/CEO of The Sims Financial Group.

Contact him at 901-6822410 or visit www.SimsFinancialGroup.com.)

Steak dish normally have more exposure than restaurants. Catering and restaurants are two different worlds. Catering is cooking in volume and restaurant is a la carte.

C.M.: Any closing remarks?

W.D.: It has been a journey of victory and defeat, success and failure, but I wouldn’t trade the freedom and satisfaction of self-employment for a 9 to 5. When you are an entrepreneur pursuing your passion, the sky is the limit.

To sum it all up, God has been

the one to uphold Donelson’s Catering for 12 years and counting.

Donelson’s Catering is located at 8225 Dexter Road, Suite 107, Memphis, TN 38016. He can be reached at (901) 757-4300, by email at events@donelsonscatering. com or log on to www.donelsonscatering.com.

(Contact Carlee M. McCullough, Esq. at 901-7950050; email – jstce4all@aol. com.)

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February 26 - March 4, 2015

The New Tri-State Defender

RELIGION

Andrew Knox & New Change galvanized the audience in their tribute to Shontelle Norman-Beatty.

Billy Rivers and The Angelic Voices of Faith show why they’re a formidable gospel choir in the MidSouth.

Rousing farewell concert is a testament of love to Shontelle Norman-Beatty

by Wiley Henry

whenry@tsdmemphis.com

Gospel recording artist Shontelle Norman-Beatty was spirit-filled Monday evening as some of her friends in gospel music bid her farewell in a rousing concert at Shiloh Church of Memphis in the Raleigh-Frayser community.

A longtime gospel singer native to Memphis, Norman-Beatty and her husband, Apostle Andre T. Beatty, are relocating to Houston, Texas, and “stepping out on faith.”

He’s accepted a pastoral assignment, the singer said.

Celebrated for her searing vocals, Norman-Beatty and her musically gifted brother – gospel recording artist Shea Norman – are widely known in the industry. Norman-Beatty, however, has carved her own niche, her friends attested Monday (Feb. 23).

“I will continue my music career and I’ll still work on songs. But God knows best right now,” said Norman-Beatty, noting that her music ministry will be put on hold temporarily until she and her husband are settled.

The gospel singer, however, yielded to her fellow gospel greats as they cranked out one spirited selection after another. The musical tribute thus flowed throughout Shiloh and reached a feverish pitch more than once. Norman-Beatty herself was awash emotionally.

Special guests included gospel recording artists Andrew Knox & New Change, a group led by Knox, Shiloh’s minister of music; the Rev. Darrel Pettis, pastor of Mt. Pisgah Baptist Church in Olive Branch, Miss.; and the consummate Billy Rivers and The Angelic Voices

12 years as pastor...

The Rev. Jerry D. Taylor Sr., pastor of Greater Love Baptist Church, 4439 Hacks Cross Rd., celebrated his 12th pastoral anniversary Sunday, Feb. 22, with his wife Charlena Taylor. “I wouldn’t take nothing for my journey’s end,” he said. “God will give you supernatural strength to endure, empower, and enrich His people as they go and grow in and outside the ministry.”

(Photo: M.J. Branch)

Shontelle Norman-Beatty and her husband, Apostle Andre Beatty, and son, Ryan, make their grand entrance at Shiloh Church of Memphis, the concert venue. (Photos: Wiley Henry) of Faith, the minister of music for Golden Gate Cathedral.

The Rev. Chris Williams of the group Perfection and Christian Anderson also saluted Norman-Beatty in song, while 4 Given performed their own tribute. With Donte Everhart revving up the audience in his role as emcee

and Pettis adding to the mix a monetary offering for the couple, the tribute proved to be a “blessed” sendoff.

Sitting next to her husband on the first pew, Norman-Beatty was overwhelmed and imbued with love and admiration shown by her friends.

The powerful singer, whose silky voice perme-

RELIGION NEWS

‘Strut-N-Style’ slated for Parkway Gardens Parkway Gardens United Presbyterian Church, 1005 E. Shelby Dr., is hosting an event at the church on Saturday, March 21, from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m., entitled “Strut-N-Style.”

The admission is $10.

The event is designed to bring “joy for the heart and peace for the mind,” the organizers said.

Participants with be privy to an evening of beauty and fashion. Relaxation and fun are the purpose for this event.

Booth rentals are available as well: $25 per booth. Checks should be payable to Park-

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. – Hebrews 11:1 (KJV)

ates venues here and worldwide, was delighted as well when her father, the Rev. James A. Norman, offered his heartfelt sentiments.

Rev. Norman is the pastor of St. James Church of God in Christ in Grand Junction, Tenn. He also serves as superintendent of the Bolivar (Tenn.) district under Bishop Brandon B. Porter, the prelate of the Tennessee Central Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction of COGIC. Judith Norman, Norman-Beatty’s mother, could not be present at the tribute, her father noted in his remarks. Besides Shea and Shontelle, the Normans have two other children: Sharisse Norman, a former American Idol contestant, and James VohShallen Norman.

Norman-Beatty and her sister have worked and toured with a number of noted artists in the genres of gospel, soul, blues, R&B, and hip-hop, such as Ludacris, Bobby Rush, Erykah Badu, the North Mississippi Allstars, and Three Six Mafia.

“My dad got me started in music,” said Norman-Beatty, 40, once the minister of music at his church. “Music was what I always wanted to do and be a part of. I’ve been singing since I was 2 and professionally since 2000.”

The farewell concert, said Norman-Beatty, does not end the long-standing relationships that she’s forged with friends in Memphis and the local gospel greats who came to Shiloh to celebrate her ministry and to wish her Godspeed.

Houston will reap the benefits of Norman-Beatty’s arrival, her father said.

(For bookings, Shontelle Norman-Beatty can be reached at shontellenorman@gmail.com)

way Gardens United P.W. The deadline for rentals is March 14. For more information, call (901) 248-9148.

The Rev. Brian Henderson is the host pastor.

New Wine Church to hold grandopening Sunday New Wine Church International in Columbus, Ohio, is “planting” a second church in Memphis in the Ridgemont Plaza, 3774 Raleigh-Millington Rd. The grandopening for New Wine Church Memphis is Sunday, March 1, at 1:11 p.m.

The Rev. Charles E. Bond Jr. serves as senior pastor at both

locations.

The mission of New Wine Church International is “to help you explore your relationship with God and improve those meaningful relationships in your family life.

Join us each Sunday and experience the warmth of faith and the strength of our community.

Where our works speak louder than our words!”

Rev. Bond, the 7th of seven children of Mr. and Mrs. Charles E. Bond Sr., is the author of “Every Woman Should Know Her C.U.P (Calling. Uniqueness. Purpose) Size.” It is a resourse tool for women ages 12-80, the pastor said.

ENTERTAINMENT The New Tri-State Defender, February 26 - March 4, 2015, Page 9

WHAT’S HAPPENING MYRON?

C.J. ‘Superstar’ Morgan – worthy of praise and our support If you grew up a radio fan in the ’80’s like me, you were into such local DJs as Herb the K, “Jimmy Smith,” “Melvin ‘A Cooking’ Jones,” “Bobby O’Jay,” “Stan Bell” and, of course, “C.J. ‘Superstar’ Morgan.” I listened to all of those guys religiously.

As an eighth-grader at Wooddale Jr. High, before it morphed into Wooddale Middle School, I would start each day with C.J. Morgan. I was just beginning to exercise my independence by getting up in the morning without my mother having to beat on my door.

My rise-on-my-own-and-shine transition was made easier by hearing “C.J. Morgan…Superstaaarrr!”

If that is new to you, just Google the theme from “Jesus Christ Superstar” and let your imagination take it from there.

This guy had such a great personality that I could not help but like him.

He gave me something to look forward to. I knew my day was gonna be OK, if I tuned in to C.J. that morning.

Anticipating the madness, I knew to expect him to say or do something over the top. And when he was really being silly, there was the lady in background telling him, me and a host of listeners that “C.J. Morgan, you a fool!”

Years later, C.J. exited Memphis and resettled in New Orleans to head up the morning show at WQUE-Q93, where he was a fixture for over two decades before being replaced by the “Steve Harvey Morning Show.” A couple of years ago, C.J. came home, landing at WLOK with the “CJ & Company Morning Show.”

As in love with his craft as ever, C.J. has been hampered by health-associated hurdles. Recently, he suffered a third stroke and also is dealing with income issues often associated with such health challenges.

On Monday, March 2nd, the Memphis & Shelby County Music Commission is hosting Memphis Music Monday, which is held every first and third Monday from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Hard Rock Café. However, this upcoming edition of Memphis Music Monday is very special because it is also a benefit for C.J. as well.

I personally invite each of you to come out and show your love and support for someone who has helped many of us get out of bed and get our mornings started at some point in our lives.

For more info, call the Memphis Music Commission at 901-576-6850.

I’ll be there and I hope to see you there as well.

So Myron… what’s next?

A couple of weeks ago, I announced my departure from my longtime radio gig at WRBO. On Sunday, March 1st, I will be making a formal announcement regarding what that “next” is for me. I’m excited and you will be too.

So, be on the lookout for the big news. And if you miss it, I’ll be sure to tell you all about it right here on next week.

Until then…that’s what’s happening.

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

(Get the weekly 411 in your inbox!

Sign up for the “What’s Happening Myron Newsletter” at www.whatshappeningmyron.com.)

(Photo: Ronnie Booze)

Stax students tap protest music to shape Black History Month salute

by Tony Jones

Special to The New Tri-State Defender

“The Art Of Healing” – as Stax Academy’s Grammy-nominated artistic director Justin Merrick explains – is an entirely original production largely shaped by the collective vision of the Academy’s students.

“I think anyone that sees this show will be greatly surprised by the depth of this year’s program. I know I have been,” said Merrick, helping to set the backdrop for the show, which gets underway at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday (Feb. 26th) at Minglewood Hall.

Without a doubt, Stax/Soulsville’s annual Black History Month program has become a must see event on the city’s cultural calendar. At $10 per ticket, you’d be hard pressed to find a better bang for your buck if you plan to go out this weekend.

The theme of this year’s show is protest music, and it came directly from the students, says Merrick. From planning, tech and stage input, more than 100 students participate in the production.

“The conversation around the show has actually been going on all year. It was inspired by what happened in Ferguson. We did a couple of workshops discussing racism, sexism, feminism, classism and it grew from there. The students started to create their own artistic products expressing

their thoughts,” said Merrick.

“And it was not just music, but visual also, and it was powerful! That’s what you’re going to see on stage, the students’ thoughts and ideas. As artistic form, protest music is not a black thing, it’s not a white thing, it’s an American thing. The right to be able to speak up and protest about what you think is wrong and needs change is what built this nation.”

His own eyes were opened by the depth of the students’ concerns.

“It dawned on me while we were working on it that the show can really be identified as a reflection of the new neo-civil rights movement,” Merrick said.

“The kids wanted to make a statement about what is really going on in their world—what they think the Trayvon Martin and Mike Brown incidents really mean and how the music of the ’60s and ’70s really addresses those issues. It’s a call to action from a diverse viewpoint intended to foster conversation so we can become more action oriented in our approach to society.”

And while there are those who think the current generation’s fascination with virtual reality is turning them into little greed machines, Merrick said he’s feeling the opposite.

“Thought provoking music is what’s hip now.

It’s mostly still underground but it’s what’s happening in our students’ minds, and you know with the Internet they have this conversation with kids everywhere. People call this generation the new millennials and they’re starting to pay attention to what’s really going on around them.

“And because of the age range we have here, it’s Generation X meets Generation Y meets the New Millennials. If you think all they’re thinking about it foolishness, you’re in for a big surprise.”

Technically, this week was the 24-hour, whocares-if-you’re-tired, tweak-this, know-this, last-minute-polish push before the curtain opens. Resoundingly so, if you’ve seen any of Merrick’s shows.

“It really gets to be fairly easy because we have so much talent here, just like this city has always been. It’s been such an enlightening process for me,” he said.

“Social media gives us a chance to educate ourselves outside the classroom. So the students were really bringing the stories to me. Because of their input I am able to pull back a bit and just help shape their ideas into the presentation.”

Merrick sees the upcoming show as a learning opportunity for Greater Memphis.

“Celebrating black history in a city like Memphis is just a powerful notion that I think is something that people shy away from, both black and white. But this is a gentle way to pull back the sheets and celebrate the city’s legacy and what it really means.”

What Lucious Lyon has taught Terrence Howard about the man he can be

by Nsenga K. Burton, Ph.D The Root

Terrence Howard is back on television and loving every minute of it.

The man who is as well-known for his tremendous acting ability (“Lee Daniels’ The Butler,” “Ray,” “Hustle & Flow,” “The Best Man,” “Pride”) on-screen as he is for his difficult life offscreen is back on the small screen as Lucious Lyon, the patriarch of a musical empire in Fox’s ratings juggernaut “Empire.”

Howard is no stranger to television, having starred in HBO’s award-winning miniseries “Lackawanna Blues” and ABC’s “Their Eyes Were Watching God,” both based on iconic literary works. His last foray into network television on the short-lived television series “Law & Order: Los Angeles” made many wonder if Howard would ever return to television in a weekly series.

The Root caught up with Howard at SCAD Atlanta’s aTVfest to talk about why he decided to return to TV, and what it’s like playing the media mogul and working with Taraji P. Henson again.

The Root: What brought you back to TV? Terrence Howard: This world we’re living in today—there is no distinction between whether you’re onstage, film, or on TV. I’ve played the movie star, or attempted to be a movie star and all of that. The work that I find on this show is more challenging than 90 percent of the roles in film, and that’s what you want as an artist. You want to continue to be challenged. Every week I’m challenged to see if I can keep up with Lee’s (“Empire” creator and executive producer Lee Daniels) imagination. With Lee’s creativity and Danny’s (Danny Strong, writer and executive producer) broad view of how he sees the world, I find myself growing as an artist in this place.

C.J. ‘Superstar’ Morgan

Theme: ‘The Art of Healing’

TR: What’s your favorite and least favorite thing about playing the character of Lucious Lyon?

TH: I love the fact that Lucious is unapologetic about who he is, and that Lee has given him a backbone of pure determination. I love that about him. What I don’t like about him is his inability to connect with the people that really mean the most to him. He’s definitely trying to reach some of his people but cannot connect with people he should.

That’s what I also love about him. I love that

Terrence Howard attends the premiere of Fox’s “Empire” Jan. 6, 2015, in Hollywood, Calif. (Photo: Jason Kempin/Getty Images) you struggle with trying to connect and that you can’t, because it’s the human condition. Not everybody is like us. We can connect. There are people that are like him, that simply can’t, and you are portraying that. It’s really hard for me not to connect. So when I see a character not doing it, it’s beautiful.

TR: Lucious was pretty brutal to Jamal when he was a child. Can or should Jamal ever forgive Lucious?

TH: I don’t think Jamal has to forgive him because Lucious has never asked him to forgive him for who he is. When I was a kid, my dad—every father, like I’m sure everybody whether you’re white, black, Spanish, Indian, whatever—every father has said, “I brought you into this world. I’ll take you out of it.” Along the way, Lucious hasn’t pushed Jamal, put anything on him that someone else hasn’t put on him.

There’s always going to be an equal amount of pressure placed on everyone in society. If Lucious hadn’t been that way with him, Jamal may not have survived the environment that they grew up in. Jamal learned a valuable lesson—he learned what the devil looked like.

TR: How has being a part of the “Empire” cast changed you?

TH: I love the fact that I have grown, not just as an actor but as a creative being. To see past this moment that has bled into my personal life

and influenced the person that I want to be in the future is humbling. I’m someone that is brutally honest about myself and others—it’s who I am, you know. You either like it or you don’t. And I spent so many years trying to please everybody around me and I was becoming fake, which I didn’t realize. Now, I know that being who I am is OK. TR: What’s it like to work with Taraji P. Henson again?

TH: She’s like my wingman. What Taraji and I have realized is that we really know and understand each other. She reminds me of my aunt, my father’s sister, who is the funniest and wittiest and most honest person that I’ve ever known. Taraji says I remind her exactly of her father.

It feels like we have been a million things to each other a thousand times over in different lifetimes. We’ve been brother and sister, we’ve been father and daughter, we’ve been son and mother, we’ve probably been husband and wife in so many different lifetimes that there’s this accumulated love and disappointment and hope that we feel for each other. I hope that another actor can find someone that complements them and challenges them as much as she challenges me and I try to challenge her.

(Nsenga K. Burton, Ph.D., is editor-at-large at The Root and founder of the award-winning news blog the Burton Wire. Follow her on Twitter.)

Page 10

February 26 - March 4, 2015

ENTERTAINMENT

The New Tri-State Defender

FILM REVIEW

Romantic romp just worth the watch, if …

by Kam Williams

Special to The New Tri-State Defender

Will Smith stars in “Focus,” about a veteran grifter who takes a young, attractive woman under his wing, but matters get complicated when they become romantically involved.

(Courtesy photo)

by Kam Williams

Special to The New Tri-State Defender

For movies opening February 27, 2015 BIG BUDGET FILMS “Focus” (R for profanity, sexuality and brief violence) Will Smith stars in this crime caper about a con man who meets his match when he falls for a femme fatale (Margot Robbie) trying to bilk the same billionaire (Rodrigo Santoro) in Buenos Aires. With BD Wong, Gerald McRaney and Laura Flannery.

“The Lazarus Effect” (PG-13 for terror, intense violence and some sexual references) Horror flick revolving around medical researchers who come to regret discovering a way to revive the dead after bringing back to life the fiancée (Olivia Wilde) of a grieving colleague (Mark Duplass). Ensemble includes Donald Glover, Evan Peters, Sarah Bolger and Bruno Gunn.

INDEPENDENT & FOREIGN FILMS “’71” (R for graphic violence, disturbing images and pervasive profanity) Historical drama, set in Belfast, Northern Ireland, about a British soldier’s (Jack O’Connell) desperate effort to survive after he‘s severely beaten during an IRA riot and separated from his unit.

With Richard Dormer, Jack Lowden, Sam Reid and Martin McCann.

“Ana Maria in Novela Land” (Unrated) Escapist fantasy about a slacker having a re-

ally bad day (Edy Ganem) whose fortunes suddenly change when she magically switches places with the star of her favorite TV soap opera after a lightning strike. Featuring Mercedes Mason, Luis Guzman, Sung Kang and Tamara Taylor. (In English and Spanish with subtitles) “Bluebird” (Unrated) Introspective character study set in a frozen town in Maine where a guilt-ridden, school bus driver (Amy Morton) can’t sleep since making a mistake that led to a tragic accident. Co-starring John Slattery, Louise Krause, Emily Meade, Margo Martindale and Adam Driver.

“Deli Man” (PG-13 for profanity) Foodie documentary taking a guided look at the history of Jewish delicatessens in the U.S. as seen through the eyes of Ziggy Gruber, 3rd generation owner of a shop in Houston.

“Eastern Boys” (Unrated) Homoerotic drama revolving around a young refugee (Kirill Emelyanov) from Eastern Europe who passes himself off as a gay escort in Paris where he’s picked up by an unsuspecting sugar daddy (Olivier Rabourdin) looking for a good time.

With Edea Darcque, Camila Chakirova and Bislan Yakhiaev. (In French, English and Russian with subtitles) “Everly” (R for sexuality, nudity, profanity, torture and graphic violence) Salma Hayak stars in the title role of this revenge thriller as a prostitute out to bring down the empire of the brutal pimp (Hiroyuki Watanabe) who forced her into the profession. Cast includes Jennifer Blanc, Caroline Chikezie, Uros Certic and Ga-

briella Wright.

“The Hunting Ground” (Unrated) “No means no” expose’ chronicling the exponential rise of date rape on college campuses all across America.

“Kung Fu Elliot” (Unrated) Martial arts documentary about kickboxer-turned-wannabe matinee idol Elliot “White Lightning” Scott’s attempt to become Canada’s first, homegrown action hero, much to the chagrin of his impatient fiancée.

“Maps to the Stars” (R for profanity, sexuality, graphic nudity, disturbing violence and drug use) David Cronenberg directs this dysfunctional family drama examining a Hollywood dynasty’s desperate quest for fame and fortune, including a TV psychologist (John Cusack) whose stage mom spouse (Olivia Williams) is managing the career of their child star son (Evan Bird). With Julianne Moore, Mia Wasikowska and Robert Pattinson.

“The Widowmaker” (Unrated) Chilling tale of greed uncovering the conspiracy of silence surrounding heart disease and the practice of cardiology.

“Wild Canaries” (Unrated) Brooklyn-based whodunit revolving around a just-engaged couple (Sophia Takal and Lawrence Michael Levine) who suspect foul play when their elderly neighbor (Marylouise Burke) mysteriously drops dead inside her rent-controlled apartment. With Alia Shawkat, Jason Ritter and Kevin Corrigan.

Jess Barrett (Margot Robbie) is an aspiring con artist who picked the worst guy to steal a wallet from when she settled on Nicky Spurgeon (Will Smith). She had no reason to suspect that he was a third generation flimflam man descended from a grandfather who ran a crooked poker game in Harlem back in the day.

Nicky was more curious than infatuated when he accepted the seductive stranger’s invite up to her hotel room after sharing drinks at a bar in midtown Manhattan. So, he was ready when an accomplice (Griff Furst) posing as her berserk husband burst in brandishing a fake gun.

Rather than hand over his wallet, Nicky calmly laughs and schools the two in the flaws of their little shakedown, such as not waiting until he was naked to try to rob him. Jess is so impressed that she not only confesses, but begs him to take her on as a protégé, giving him a hard luck story about having been a dyslexic foster kid.

Nicky agrees to show her the ropes, and even invites her to join his team of hustlers about to descend on New Orleans where they plan to pickpocket plenty of unsuspecting tourists.

They’re also set to hatch an elaborate plan to fleece a wealthy compulsive gambler (BD Wong) of over a million dollars.

Though Jess proves to be a fast learner and the plot is executed without a hitch, Nicky is reluctant to include her in his next operation after they become romantically involved. Instead, he moves on alone to Argentina, where he hopes to bilk a racing car mogul (Rodrigo Santoro) of a small fortune.

The plot thickens when Jess is already draped on the arm of the playboy billionaire by the time Nicky arrives in Buenos Aires. Is she in love with the handsome Garriga or simply staging her own swindle? Will she expose Nicky as a fraud or might she be willing to join forces with her former mentor?

Co-directed by Glenn Ficarra and John Requa (“Crazy, Stupid, Love”), “Focus” is an overplotted, cat-and-mouse caper which ostensibly takes its clues from the cleverly-concealed classic “House of Games” (1987). But where that multi-layered mystery was perfectly plausible, this frustrating homage unnecessarily ventures from the sublime to the ridiculous, thereby sabotaging any chance that its promising premise might be played out in serious fashion.

Nevertheless, co-stars Will Smith and Margot Robbie generate enough chemistry to steam up the screen and make the farfetched romantic romp just worth the watch, provided eye candy alone can do for you in lieu of credulity.

Good (2 stars) Rated R for profanity, sexuality and brief violence Running time: 104 minutes Distributor: Warner Brothers Pictures

February 26 - March 4, 2015

The New Tri-State Defender

CLASSIFIEDS

THE NEW TRI-STATE DEFENDER CLASSIFIEDS 203 Beale Street, Suite 200 Memphis, TN 38103 PH (901) 523-1818 FAX (901) 578-5037 HOURS: Mon.-Fri. 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.

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CUSTOMER REPRESENTATIVE NEEDED!

Description: Customer Representative needed to help reduce my work load.

Computer skills needed good with organization. You will be well paid. Salary/ Weekly: $505 Interested person(s) Should contact: rhonda.ferguson2000@outlook. com for more info and wages.

Legal Notices

LEGAL NOTICE Request for Qualifications RFQ Number 15-0012 Human Resources Consulting Services

Responses for this Request for Qualifications (RFQ) for providing Human Resources Consulting Services will be received by the Memphis-Shelby County Airport Authority (Authority), Staff Services Division, Memphis International Airport, Administration and Support Facility, 3505 Tchulahoma Road, Memphis, TN 38118-2718 until 11:00 AM local time, April 15, 2015. No Responses will be accepted after the stated deadline. Responses will not be received at any other location.

INSTRUCTIONS TO RESPONDENTS The response to the RFQ shall be submitted in a sealed envelope or container.

Each envelope or container must be clearly marked on the outside with the following: 1) Request for Qualifications, Human Resources Consulting Services, 2) RFQ Number 15-0012, and 3) Your company name and address.

No responses will be accepted after the stated deadline. A complete Request for Qualifications Packet with submittal instructions, additional data, and response format may be found on our website www. mscaa.com on or after March 2, 2015.

A mandatory pre-proposal meeting will be held at the Authority’s Administration and Support Facility located at 3505 Tchulahoma Road, Memphis, TN 38118 on March 11, 2015 at 10:00 AM. Only those attending will be allowed to submit a response.

All Respondents are hereby notified that all updates, addenda and additional information, if any, shall be posted to the Authority website www.mscaa.com and Respondents are responsible for checking the Authority website up to the time of the RFQ submission deadline.

The Authority reserves the right to reject any or all responses to this RFQ in whole or in part and to waive any informalities, technicalities, or omissions therein. The Authority also reserves the right to reject any response when a parent, subsidiary, affiliate, or predecessor in interest of the Respondent has pending litigation or claims with the Authority, or if any response includes a proposed subcontractor or supplier that has pending litigation or claims with the Authority, if the Authority determines, in its sole discretion, such litigation or claims may adversely affect the ability of the parties to work efficiently and effectively under this RFQ, or for any other reason as determined by

Page 11

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Rates are non-commissionable and are quoted at the net rate. No refund for early cancellation.

For additional information contact Sales Dept. at (901) 746-5201 or email: advertising@tsdmemphis.com the Authority. Any such response will be returned to the Respondent. All Respondents must use forms provided by the Authority.

The Authority hereby notifies all Respondents that it will review and award bids/ proposals in accordance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, 42 U.S.C. 2000d to 2000d-4a (the “Act”) and Title 49, Part 26, Code of Federal Regulations, Department of Transportation, Subtitle A, Office of the Secretary, Part 21, Nondiscrimination in Federally Assisted Programs of the Department of Transportation issued pursuant to such Act. The Authority further notifies all Respondents that it will affirmatively ensure that in any contract entered into pursuant to this advertisement, Disadvantaged Enterprises (DBEs) will be afforded full opportunity to submit bids/proposals in response to this invitation and will not be discriminated against on the grounds of age, race, sex, color, national origin, or disability in its hiring and employment practices, or in admission to, access to, or operation of its programs, services, and activities, in accordance with the Business Diversity Development Program (BDDP) promulgated under the September 2008 Disparity Study for non-discrimination in non-federally assisted programs commissioned by the Memphis-Shelby County Intergovernmental Consortium, as amended. The DBE participation goal for any contract awarded as a result of this RFQ is 5% in accordance with the requirements of the RFQ documents.

The Authority shall give a preference to businesses located in the County of Shelby, State of Tennessee in awarding contracts and making purchases whenever the application of such a preference is reasonable in light of the valuation points/ dollar-value of the proposal/bid received in relation to such valuation points/expenditures and pursuant to the terms and conditions that are outlined in the adopted policy as amended.

Memphis-Shelby County Airport Authority Scott A. Brockman, A.A.E. President and CEO NOTICE TO BIDDER(S) Shelby County Government is soliciting written proposals on a competitive basis for Construction Services to Furnish and Install Exterior Identification Signage for Peggy Edmiston Administration Building, 1075 Mullins Station Road, Memphis, TN 38134. Information regarding this RFP is located on the County’s website at www.shelbycountytn.gov. At the top of the home page, click on the links “Department,” “P” for the Purchasing Department and “Bids” to locate the name of the above-described RFP. Copies of project

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REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL DUE MARCH 10, 2015 AT 4:00 PM RFP 15-002-27 FURNISH AND INSTALL EXTERIOR IDENTIFICATION SIGNAGE @ PEGGY EDMISTON ADMINISTRATION BUILDING, 1075 MULLINS STATION ROAD A VOLUNTARY pre-bid conference will be held at 10:30 AM, Monday, March 2, 2015 at Peggy Edmiston Administration Building, Room W-263, 1075 Mullins Station Road, Memphis, TN 38134.

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

THE RIGHT TO REJECT ANY AND ALL BIDS IS RESERVED By order of MARK H. LUTTRELL, JR., SHELBY COUNTY MAYOR SHELBY COUNTY GOVERNMENT NOTICE TO BIDDER(S) Shelby County Government is soliciting Seal Bids for the provision of Construction Services to provide streetscape improvements at the intersection of Brooks Road and Elvis Presley Boulevard. The Seal Bid is located on the County’s website at www.shelbycountytn.gov, click the link “Department” at the top, then P for the Purchasing Department, then click on the link “Bids.” Bidders are required to download the information for submittal.

DUE MONDAY, March 23, 2015 AT 2:30 PM SEALED BID #SBI-000305 STREETSCAPE IMPROVEMENTS INTERSECTION OF BROOKS ROAD AND ELVIS PRESLEY BLVD. Voluntary Pre-Bid Conference: A prebid conference will be held at 9:00 AM, March 6, 2015 at the following location: Shelby County Roads, Bridges and Engineering Conference Room, 6449 Road, Memphis, TN 38134.

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

THE RIGHT TO REJECT ANY AND ALL BIDS IS RESERVED By order of MARK H. LUTTRELL, JR., SHELBY COUNTY MAYOR SHELBY COUNTY GOVERNMENT NOTICE OF PROPOSED SALE OF REAL PROPERTY

BY SHELBY COUNTY GOVERNMENT Notice is hereby given, pursuant to T.C.A. § 67-5-2507, that Shelby County Government has received an Offer to Purchase for the following property: 1. Purchaser: Gilmer Temple Trustees Tax Parcel # 02403900000190 Tax Sale # 1002 Exhibit # 169 Price Offered: $2,700.00

Terms: Cash Additional Offers to Purchase, of at least ten percent (10%) higher, may be submitted within Ten (10) days of the initial publication of this notice. If additional offers are received during this ten (10) day period, all prospective Purchasers must attend a Public “Bid Off” at 10:45 a.m. on March 19, 2015, to be held in the Shelby County Land Bank Office, to determine the highest and best offer. The property shall thereafter be sold to the prospective Purchaser making the highest and best offer without warranties of any sort.

SHELBY COUNTY LAND BANK 584 ADAMS AVENUE, MEMPHIS, TN 38103 MIKE BLACKWELL (901) 222-2581 NOTICE OF PROPOSED SALE OF REAL PROPERTY

BY SHELBY COUNTY GOVERNMENT Notice is hereby given, pursuant to T.C.A. § 67-5-2507, that Shelby County Government has received an Offer to Purchase for the following property: 1. Purchaser: Gilmer Temple Trustees Tax Parcel # 02403900000190 Tax Sale # 1002 Exhibit # 169 Price Offered: $2,700.00

Terms: Cash Additional Offers to Purchase, of at least ten percent (10%) higher, may be submitted within Ten (10) days of the initial publication of this notice. If additional offers are received during this ten (10) day period, all prospective Purchasers must attend a Public “Bid Off” at 10:45 a.m. on March 19, 2015, to be held in the Shelby County Land Bank Office, to determine the highest and best offer. The property shall thereafter be sold to the prospective Purchaser making the highest and best offer without warranties of any sort.

SHELBY COUNTY LAND BANK 584 ADAMS AVENUE, MEMPHIS, TN 38103 MIKE BLACKWELL (901) 222-2581 NOTICE OF PROPOSED SALE OF REAL PROPERTY

BY SHELBY COUNTY GOVERNMENT Notice is hereby given, pursuant to T.C.A. § 67-5-2507, that Shelby County Government has received an Offer to Purchase for the following property: 1. Purchaser: Larry Hooker Tax Parcel # 03703100000240 Tax Sale # 0903 Exhibit # 1526 Price Offered: $3,400.00

Terms: Cash Additional Offers to Purchase, of at least ten percent (10%) higher, may be submitted within Ten (10) days of the initial publication of this notice. If additional offers are received during this ten (10) day period, all prospective Purchasers must attend a Public “Bid Off” at 9:30 a.m. on March 20, 2015, to be held in the Shelby County Land Bank Office, to determine the highest and best offer. The property shall thereafter be sold to the prospective Purchaser making the highest and best offer without warranties of any sort.

SHELBY COUNTY LAND BANK 584 ADAMS AVENUE,

MEMPHIS, TN 38103 MIKE BLACKWELL (901) 222-2581

NOTICE OF PROPOSED SALE OF REAL PROPERTY

BY SHELBY COUNTY GOVERNMENT Notice is hereby given, pursuant to T.C.A. § 67-5-2507, that Shelby County Government has received an Offer to Purchase for the following property: 1. Purchaser: Jesse Simpson Tax Parcel # 05001400000410 Tax Sale # 0803 Exhibit # 324605 Price Offered: $1,925.00

Terms: Cash Additional Offers to Purchase, of at least ten percent (10%) higher, may be submitted within Ten (10) days of the initial publication of this notice. If additional offers are received during this ten (10) day period, all prospective Purchasers must attend a Public “Bid Off” at 9:00 a.m. on March 20, 2015, to be held in the Shelby County Land Bank Office, to determine the highest and best offer. The property shall thereafter be sold to the prospective Purchaser making the highest and best offer without warranties of any sort.

SHELBY COUNTY LAND BANK 584 ADAMS AVENUE, MEMPHIS, TN 38103 MIKE BLACKWELL (901) 222-2581

NOTICE OF PROPOSED SALE OF REAL PROPERTY

BY SHELBY COUNTY GOVERNMENT Notice is hereby given, pursuant to T.C.A. § 67-5-2507, that Shelby County Government has received an Offer to Purchase for the following property: 1. Purchaser: Tania Isby Tax Parcel # 07508700003580 Tax Sale # 0404 Exhibit # 12452 Price Offered: $300.00

Terms: Cash Additional Offers to Purchase, of at least ten percent (10%) higher, may be submitted within Ten (10) days of the initial publication of this notice. If additional offers are received during this ten (10) day period, all prospective Purchasers must attend a Public “Bid Off” at 9:00 a.m. on March 19, 2015, to be held in the Shelby County Land Bank Office, to determine the highest and best offer. The property shall thereafter be sold to the prospective Purchaser making the highest and best offer without warranties of any sort.

SHELBY COUNTY LAND BANK 584 ADAMS AVENUE, MEMPHIS, TN 38103 MIKE BLACKWELL (901) 222-2581

NOTICE OF PROPOSED SALE OF REAL PROPERTY

BY SHELBY COUNTY GOVERNMENT Notice is hereby given, pursuant to T.C.A. § 67-5-2507, that Shelby County Government has received an Offer to Purchase for the following property: 1. Purchaser: Brian Darnell Jefferson & Marcia Mannie Tax Parcel # 04205600000200 Tax Sale # 1002 Exhibit # 847 Price Offered: $4,050.00

Terms: Cash Additional Offers to Purchase, of at least ten percent (10%) higher, may be submitted within Ten (10) days of the initial publication of this notice. If additional offers are received during this ten (10) day period, all prospective Purchasers must attend a Public “Bid Off” at 11:00 a.m. on March 17, 2015, to be held in the Shelby County Land Bank Office, to determine the highest and best offer. The property shall thereafter be sold to the prospective Purchaser making the highest and best offer without warranties of any sort.

SHELBY COUNTY LAND BANK 584 ADAMS AVENUE, MEMPHIS, TN 38103 MIKE BLACKWELL (901) 222-2581

African-American History Month Calendar 2015 As African-American History Month winds up its final week, a variety of events are set for Greater Memphis and the region.

Created Equal Film Series: Feb. 26 – “Freedom Riders” at the National Civil Rights Museum, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

The C.H. Nash Museum at Chucalissa: An event focused on African-American women from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday (Feb. 28th).

The guest speakers are Bertha Looney (former Memphis State Eight) and Major Georgia B. Harris, Retired United States Air Force (Vietnam War era). Additionally, there will be a film chronicling the presidential candidacy of Shirley Chisholm, as well as a photo exhibition of the Civil Rights era.

Location: 1987 Indian Village Drive (near T.O. Fuller State Park). For more information: 901-785-3160.

Cossitt Branch Library, 33 South Front St.: “Sammy Davis, Jr., the Truth” will be at the library throughout February.

The Lemoyne-Owen College: Feb. 28 – National TriO Day Celebration. For more information: http://www.loc.edu.

The Medtronic African Descent Network: The Rev. Dr. Kenneth S. Robinson will be awarded the inaugural Medtronic Trailblazer Honor for 2015 during a program set for noon to 1 p.m. on Feb. 26 at the Medtronic

Spinal, 1800 Pyramid Place.

Memphis Brooks Museum of Art: On Feb. 26 at 7 p.m., curator and activist photographer, Matt Herron, will give a talk related to the the exhibit “This Light of Ours: Activist Photographers of the Civil Rights Movement,” which opened Feb. 14 and features 157 black-andwhite images by nine activist photographers from 1963-67. Numerous events are planned to coincide with the exhibition, including a free community day, a secondary exhibition with three local artists - Marcellous Lovelace, Frank D. Robinson and Siphne Sylve - and a photography exhibition running currently at the National Civil Rights Museum featuring images by Ernest Withers

from the Brooks’ permanent collection. For more information: www. brooksmuseum.org.

Slave Haven Underground Railroad Museum at 826 No. Second St.: Feb. 28 – Young Artists Market: Memphis Talented Black Artists, featuring artist/entrepreneur Maurice Bridges, owner of Mo’s Bo’s; artists’ exhibits. Admission: $10 adult, $8 students (ages 4-17); Group rates available. Reservations: call Heritage Tours at 901-527-3427 or email: heritagetours@bellsouth.

Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) Memphis Chapter Feb. 26 – SCLC Memphis, along

with pastors of the Tennessee Clergy for Educational Choice, will hold a press conference calling on Gov. Bill Haslam and Tennessee Geneeral Assembly to pass the Opportunity Scholarship Program” legislation this legislative session. Time: 8 p.m.; Location: Nashville, state Capitol.

Feb. 28 – SCLC Memphis, parents, students and pastors meet with members of the Shelby County Legislative Delegation concerning educational choice. Time: 1 p.m.; Location: Annesdale Cherokee MBC. University of Memphis: Feb. 27 – Closing Ceremony with Arthur S. Holmon, UC Bluff Room, 1 p.m.; SAC Cinema “Lincoln” in the UC Theatre, 7 p.m.; Feb. 28 – Personal Branding Conference, University Center.

2015 LIVING LEGENDS AND TRAILBLAZERS

LEFT PHOTO: New Sardis Baptist Church honored Memphis’ living legends and trailblazers Sunday, Feb. 22, during the church’s Black History Month program. The legends and trailblazers were awarded a plaque for their contributions. Some of them included (left to right) Dr. Herman Henning Jr., Yvonne Madlock, Gina Neely, Percy Wiggins and Modeane Thompson. Erma Clanton (standing next to the Rev. Dr. L. LaSimba M. Gray Jr. and his wife Mary Gray) founded the awards in 2003. RIGHT PHOTO: The Lee sisters, known widely for their activism and frequent arrests during the civil rights movement, were also awarded plaques for their work in the “movement.”

(Photos: Tyrone P. Easley)

The New Tri-State Defender

February 26 - March 4, 2015

Page 12

The New Tri-State Defender

LEGACY

February 26 - March 4, 2015

Page 13

COMMUNITY

‘Father’ to many, Barron McGlothin passes at 53

by Wiley Henry

whenry@tsdmemphis.com

The pastor of New Beginning Ministries, Bishop Bettye Alston was among those saluted on Feb. 12th during the 28th Annual Dr. Henry Logan Starks Scholarship Dinner & Awards Ceremony at the Hilton Memphis. Bishop Alston died Tuesday.

(Photo: Tyrone P. Easley)

Dr. Bettye J. Alston – ‘Always uplifting’ The New Tri-State Defender Staff

Dr. Bettye J. Alston lived her life in a humble manner that reflected sincerity, loyalty, devotion and the belief that the joy of living was a thing to be shared as widely – and as often – as possible.

The pastor of New Beginning Ministries, which she founded 25-plus years ago, Bishop Alston was the owner of Inside & Out Wellness Center and President/CEO of New Beginning Counseling Center. She died Tuesday at age 76.

On Feb. 12th, Bishop Alston, a graduate of Memphis Theological Seminary, was among those MTS saluted during its presentation of the 28th Annual Dr. Henry Logan Starks Scholarship Dinner & Awards Ceremony. As he often did, Tyrone P. Easley, freelance photographer for The New Tri-State Defender, was there capturing her images.

“She was an extraordinary personality and a magnet of positivity,” said Easley, who was in the TSD office attending to paperwork associated with his photos of the Starks ceremony when he learned of Bishop Alston’s passing. He dropped his pencil and bowed his head.

Later, he said, “She kept something going that was always uplifting. She was a people-pick-upper.”

So many would agree!

The widow of renowned minister the Rev. Neasbie Alston, Bishop Alston was 41, single and a minister in the AME Church when she married Rev. Alston, who was a 58-year-old widower and a Baptist church minister, on Nov. 29, 1980. Rev. Alston died in 2012 at age 90. Their family included eight children and a host of grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

“Our prayers are with the family of Dr. Bettye Alston. She and her late husband, Neasbie, were a power couple in the local religious community,” said Mayor A C Wharton Jr. “After his death a couple of years ago, she continued to be a strong force for good.

Bishop Alston will be missed.”

A registered nurse and certified counselor, Dr. Alston earned her Ph.D. in counseling psychology, a doctorate of ministry from St. Paul School of Theology, and a masters degree in divinity. She retired as director of nursing education from The Regional Medical Center (now Regional One Health).

Wellness on every level was a big deal to Dr. Alston, who moved earnestly to make it so for others, helping many with weight loss and fitness and demonstrating an ongoing concern about the prevention of childhood and adult obesity. She had owned the Inside and Out Wellness Center at 1024 S. Cooper since April 2000.

A member of the Leadership Memphis class of 1991, Dr. Alston was a proud soro in Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. The longtime owner of Miss Be Nea’s House Of Fashions, her many hats included being an author, having penned “Building Bricks Without Straw. The Impossible Mission.” This online description of the literary work provides some insight into its author: “A personal vision and mission enhancement that will help the reader become committed to succeed in any and all pursuits and endeavors. It is an excellent how to book with a Christian perspective. The book begins as a network marketing how to book from the view of a senior citizen who had no knowledge of what to do and how to do it. The task of building a team appeared to be impossible until the writer prayed and God revealed the way to success.”

A Melrose High School graduate, she was consecrated Bishop in 2007 and was the recipient of numerous honors and awards, all of which she accepted with noted humility. Although some knew she had been contending with illness, word of Bishop Alston’s passing was jarring nonetheless. Her Facebook page reflects how so many felt about her.

“A force of nature has moved on...A star in the sky has turned to light another way...I will forever miss Bishop Bettye J. Alston,” posted the Rev. Rosalyn Regina Nichols. “I walk the path she blazed. I am able because she came my way.”

After the salute at the Dr. Henry Logan Starks Scholarship Gala, this revealing exchange unfolded on Facebook: Crystal Brown to Bishop Bettye J. Alston: “Congratulations on your vision continuing to be fulfilled with Memphis Theological Seminary’s … Dr. Henry Logan Starks Scholarship Gala. …

Now, OAN, where did you get those STOCKINGS???!!!???”

Deborah Thomas: “Baby, she was too sharp!!!!”

Crystal Brown: “......than a TACK!!!!”

Bishop Alston: “….y’all are just too kind. Thank you. You must love me. LOL” Crystal Brown: “Yes ma’am.”

(Services were pending at TSD deadline.)

The man affectionately known as “Baba” was kind, affable, civil and never forgot where he came from. He even assured his mother that he would make her proud some day.

Barron Keith McGlothlin made good on that promise.

He’d become a consummate educator, businessman, executive, events planner, community servant, church worker, family man, and managed some of the industry’s top gospel artists.

“I mostly raised him without a father,” said Paralee Cager.

“He never forgot the struggle that I had to go through. He loved me and always tried to see about me.”

McGlothlin loved God, too, and never forgot the church, said Cager, struggling with grief after losing a second son in less than two years. Darron McClothlin, her eldest, died in June 2013.

On Friday, Feb. 20, McClothlin was found unresponsive in a running Cadillac Escalade in an unlit area not far from the Memphis International Airport.

There were no signs of foul play, Memphis police said. The cause of death is still pending.

McGlothlin was 53.

Despite the circumstances surrounding her son’s death, Cager said, “I love my son. If I could change things, he would be with me today. God lent him to me for awhile and came back to pick up one of the best.”

McGlothlin loved his family, too, his brother said. Although 11 years separated them, “his passing was an eye-opening experience,” said the Rev. Fredrick Cager, senior pastor of True Authority Church in Cordova.

“A piece of my life is gone…a piece of the world is gone,” said Rev. Cager, who was left with the responsibility of tending

his brother’s personal affairs. “I miss him, but I haven’t had the opportunity to grieve. I haven’t had the time to register that he’s passed.”

Reflecting on what his brother meant to him, Rev. Cager said, “My family was raised in poverty in North Memphis. He was the first to go to college, the first to leave Memphis, the first to branch outside the restraints (of poverty). So I attribute to him the things I’ve received (in life) by watching him.”

McGlothlin was always enlarging his territory, his brother said – for example, as an executive staff member of the Church of God in Christ’s International Music Department, as the administrative aide and business manager to the late national recording artist O’landa Draper, and as a productive member of Greater Community Temple COGIC. “He served in many capacities such as events planner, director of Community Relations, director of our annual 10-week summer camp called ‘Camp Porter,’ where he hired certified

instructors and others to provide a safe, fun and educational haven for children ages 4-15,” said Bishop Brandon B. Porter, GTC’s senior pastor and jurisdictional prelate of COGIC’s Tennessee Central Jurisdiction.

Bishop Porter also said that McGlothlin was responsible for coordinating the church’s annual picnic and worked very closely with the community benevolent outreach ministries that delivered food, clothes, toys, etc., to thousands of families in need.

The Rev. Ricky Floyd, pastor of The Pursuit of God Transformation Center, said, “On the first day Baba and I met, we instantly became family and friends.”

That was 3 ½ years ago, said Floyd, when Kingdom Alliance Entertainment presented McGlothlin, Tracy Bethea of 95.7 Hallelujah FM, and Floyd with a “Kingdom Shaker and Mover Award” for their work in advancing the “Kingdom.”

Over the course of their friendship, the clergyman noted that McGlothlin helped his son with his rapping career and

Omega-3 results show local need to eat more seafood

by Wiley Henry

whenry@tsdmemphis.com

If the level of Omega-3 fatty acids in your red blood cells is at 8 percent, there is an 80 to 90 percent risk reduction of sudden cardiac death than someone whose Omega-3 level is around 2 to 3 percent.

Omega-3 fatty acids are key to good health. However, of the more than 300 people who tested in October at the Church Health Center, 64 percent were in the low 2 to 3 percentile.

The grim report is an indication that Memphians do not eat enough seafood that contains the necessary amount of Omega-3 fatty acids to ward off a number of serious diseases and reduce the risk of heart attacks.

“Memphis has the highest incidents of heart disease,” said Linda Cornish, executive director of the Seafood Nutrition Partnership (SNP), a nonprofit based in Washington, D.C., which raises awareness about the essential nutritional benefits of eating seafood.

SNP chose Memphis and Indianapolis as pilot cities to launch its public health education campaign to encourage more people to eat at least two servings of seafood each week as recommended by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Dietary Guidelines.

Participants also were encouraged to take the Healthy Heart Pledge for four months and given samples of salmon, tuna and Omega-3 capsules.

Antionette Marmon had never liked salmon and certainly didn’t like the way it looked until she decided to make a meal of it for she and her husband.

“It was really, really good,” said Marmon, 57, a health fair recruiter, who took the pledge and tested to determine the per-

CELEBRATING 107 YEARS

Claribelle H. Weaver was honored for 75 years of service as Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. celebrated 2015 Founder’s Day at First Baptist Church-Broad on Sunday (Feb. 22).

Barron Keith McGlothlin (second from right), aka “Baba,” was seated next to Gospel star Dottie Peoples during the Billy Rivers and The Angelic Voices of Faith 35th Anniversary at Golden Gate Cathedral last August. (Photo: Wiley Henry)

helped his other son grow his graphic’s business.

He also worked with notable gospel singers such as Perfection, 4 Given, Change, Josh Bracy, The Clark Sisters, Dottie Peoples, Yolanda Adams, Kurt Carr, Kathy Taylor Brown, Crystal Rucker, and others.

Gwendolyn Turner, co-founder of the Angelic Voices of Faith, remembers having dinner with McGlothlin at a restaurant where the general manager offered to define McGlothlin’s nickname.

“He said baba in his country means father,” said Turner, using the meaning to reference McGlothlin’s multifaceted career and his intense relationship with friends and loved ones.

“Baba fathered so many of us,” she said. “He fathered us in how to treat each other; he fathered us in the ways of business; and he fathered us in music ministry. There was no one he would not help, advise, or counsel.”

McGlothlin used those inherent qualities to advance the thinking of his students in Memphis and Shelby County Schools as well, which earned him the honor of being an “Outstanding Black Educator” and “Teacher of the Year.”

“He was very smart,” his brother said.

McGlothlin’s absence is causing hearts to break.

“Our faith in God will help us get through this,” said Teresa McGlothlin, an aunt.

Visitation is Friday, Feb. 27, from 5-7 p.m. at Greater Community Temple COGIC, 5151 Winchester Rd. The funeral is 11 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 28, also at the church, followed by the interment in Southwoods Memorial Park, 5485 Hacks Cross Rd. N.J. Ford and Sons Funeral Home has charge.

Actress (and AKA) Loretta Devine was a special guest and rendered a musical selection during the celebration presented by the Beta Epsilon Omega, Beta Tau, Epsilon Epsilon and Mu Epsilon chapters. (Photos: Tyrone P. Easley)

Joan Franks, a member of the Church Health Center, gets her blood tested for its percentage of Omega-3 fatty acids. (Photo: Lauren Evans/The Carter Malone Group) centage of Omega-3 fatty acids in her red blood cells.

“People take their health for granted,” she said. “Anytime you can take a test for free, there is no reason not to do it.”

Vickie Johnson, an event management consultant, took the test as well to ascertain her percentage of Omega-3 fatty acids, but wasn’t too enthusiastic when she got the results.

“It showed I needed an increase,” said Johnson. “It was about 3 percent.”

“Most Americans have 2 to 3 percent of Omega-3 fatty acids in their red blood cells,” said Cornish. “Eighty percent of Americans don’t follow the USDA guidelines and 20 percent of them eat seafood at least twice a week.”

Those who were tested in October and pledged to eat more seafood are scheduled to be retested Thursday (March 5) at the Benjamin L. Hooks Central Library between 5:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.

“We’re inviting people who were tested in October to come back to be retested,” said Cor-

nish. “It’s an indicator of whether you’re eating enough seafood or not.”

“I think it’s a great opportunity to get retested to find out what’s going on in my body,” said Marmon.

Studies have been conducted to determine the benefits of increasing one’s Omega-3 fatty acids in the blood to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and other maladies. Memphis, however, is not foreign to studies of one kind or another.

In 2012, for example, one third of the population in Memphis was considered obese, according to Newsweek magazine, which listed Memphis as the fattest city in the nation. High blood pressure and diabetes are also prevalent among Mid-Southerners.

Johnson was previously diagnosed with high blood pressure and is taking the prescribed medication for it. “I’m no longer taking the medication,” she said.

Johnson had concerns about her health prior to participating in the seafood campaign; however, she felt it necessary to take the pledge. She’d been eating sea-

food at least 3 to 4 times a month, but increased her consumption after receiving her score.

“I was eating fish and shrimp,” she said. “Now I eat more tilapia, and I increased my tuna intake as well. I either grill it bake it or put it in the oven.”

A divorcee, Johnson has two adult daughters. She encourages them to eat healthy as well.

“My younger daughter, who is in college, is more aware of Omega-3,” she said. “We’ve had discussions about it.”

Marmon said eating healthy and increasing the percentage of Omega-3 in her blood is an important step – not just for herself, but for women in particular. “It is extremely important for females.

As you get older, you have to maintain your body.”

Early detection is everything, she added.

Cornish said help is available for women who want to learn more about heart health and eating healthy. “We want to make every day heart healthy,” she said. “ We want more people to sign up for the healthy heart pledge by going to the website www.seafoodnutrition.org.”

Because there has been a good reception in Memphis and Indianapolis, Cornish said the SNP would launch a 3-year national campaign in October and add six more cities to encourage more people to eat more seafood.

Marmon said she and her husband have eaten fish at least once a week before Memphis was chosen as a pilot for SNP’s public heath campaign.

“I don’t have a problem with increasing it to twice a week,” said Marmon, who is also using the Omega-3 capsules as a supplement.

“I’m taking 1,000 milligrams and I will continue to take them,” she said.

For life-long service…

Judge D’Army Bailey was presented the Service of Honor Award

by Bishop K.D. Johnson, pastor of New Macedonia Church, during the observance of African American History Month. (Photo: Tyrone P. Easley)

SPORTS

The New Tri-State Defender, February 26 - March 4, 2015, Page 14

Titans restructure front office, vice president resigns NASHVILLE (AP) – The Tennessee Titans executive vice president in charge of administration and facilities has resigned and will be replaced by two other officials as part of an overhaul of the team’s front office.

The Titans announced Tuesday that Don MacLachlan resigned effective immediately after 24 seasons with the franchise.

President and CEO Tommy Smith, who took over in October 2013 after team founder Bud Adams died, said in a statement that he has been monitoring the team’s operations over the past year.

“We know there also is a great deal of work ahead of us to improve our organization,” Smith said. “Over the last year, one of my primary objectives was to monitor how things have been operating within the team. This offseason, we have decided to make changes in a number of areas from both a personnel standpoint and a structural standpoint.”

Smith made a coaching change in January 2014, bringing in Ken Whisenhunt.

The Titans went 2-14 in Whisenhunt’s first season and have had only one winning season since last making the playoffs in 2008.

The Titans have sold out every game since moving into LP Field for the 1999 season, but getting fans to use those tickets have been a struggle in recent years with the team losing on the field.

Stuart Spears, who has been with the franchise for 28 years, has been promoted from vice president of business operations and sales to chief revenue officer. Bob Flynn, who worked for the NHL’s Nashville Predators since 2008, is in charge of facilities and game day operations. Flynn also spent four years as general manager of the Nashville Kats in the Arena Football League.

Smith said they are interviewing to add more people.

“This is not an easy process, but these changes will reflect a shift in our approach and hopefully will result in making our fans proud,” Smith said.

He thanked MacLachlan for his years of work for the franchise, especially the team’s relocation from Houston in 1997 and transition to the Titans in 1999. MacLachlan had been in charge of almost all the Titans’ non-football operations including marketing, ticketing, community relations and broadcasting.

The Titans also confirmed Marty Collins, senior director of ticketing, was fired two weeks ago as part of the changes.

2 prep coaches suspended for encouraging teams to lose game MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (AP) – Two Tennessee girls basketball high school coaches have been suspended for trying to get their teams to lose a game in an attempt to avoid the top-ranked squad and improve their chances of advancing in the state tournament.

Rutherford County Director of Schools Don Odom announced Wednesday that Smyrna’s Shawn Middleton and Riverdale’s Cory Barnett wouldn’t be permitted to coach at their schools or at any other Rutherford County Schools athletic program during the 2015-16 school year.

Odom said Smyrna principal Rick Powell already had decided to remove Middleton as coach.

In a statement, Odom also said the school district “apologizes to the Riverdale and Smyrna High basketball players and parents for the lack of leadership” exhibited by the coaches. He also apologized to the citizens of Rutherford County “because of the embarrassment generated locally and nationally for teams motivated to throw a game.”

“Good athletic coaches possess skills that maximize the players’ skills, strategize winning game plans, instill self-discipline, and impart the value of teamwork to reach a common goal,” Odom said. “Players also learn skills that build integrity and character, primarily by how their coach models before them. In these last two areas, we failed last Saturday evening.”

Odom also said the two coaches wouldn’t be eligible for the coach stipend pay during the 2015-16 year, which totals $8,393 each.

Smyrna and Riverdale were banned from the playoffs Monday.

Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association executive director Bernard Childress wrote that the teams “made a mockery” of Saturday’s game with intentional turnovers off various violations and missed free throws. The game’s referee reported he stopped play ordering the coaches not to make a travesty of the game with a Smyrna player about to shoot at the wrong basket.

Smyrna (21-8) won the game 55-29 Saturday against Riverdale (22-8), a program that won its third state title in four years in March 2013 with a 58th straight win. The winner was on track to play Tennessee’s defending Class AAA champion Blackman (25-2).

All Star games need 3Rs: review revamp and reestablishment

by Howard Robertson and Larry Robinson Back in the day, University of Memphis students and fans started their home court harassment of opposing basketball teams during team introductions. The entire student section would open newspapers in front of their faces, then each time an opposing player’s name was introduced they’d express their disinterest in perfect unison by yelling “Who cares” or “Big deal” or “Go home.”

We believe those are the same sentiments that many NBA and NFL fans currently have about the NBA All Star and the NFL Pro Bowl games. It’s definitely time for a serious review of these games’ relevance and appeal as well as some revamping.

Frequently on “A Little R&R on Sports” the co-hosts take two different and distinctive paths to arrive at the same conclusion. It happened again with the recent NBA All Star game. While Larry was in Manhattan taking it all in live, Howard was checking it out in south Memphis on the couch in the den with his 87-year-old mother. Two far different vantage points yielded the same consistent conclusion.

That conclusion is (cue Sam Cooke) “…but I knooow, a change gotta come, oh yes it will.”

First of all, we NBA fans

need to realize we aren’t “all that and a bag of chips” in terms of sports viewership. Of the Top 50 Most Wa t c h e d Sporting Larry Events of Robinson 2014 there was not one single NBA game included. The Top 50 was almost literally all football. The list was overwhelmed by NFL games, one college football game and three FIFA World Cup matches. Plus, there were eight Olympics broadcasts. Excluding NFL and Olympics from the list, just five NBA Finals games show up.

The 2015 NBA All-Star game attracted 7.2 million viewers, a 4 percent drop from the 7.5 million viewers in 2014. Comparably in 2014, 15.3 million viewers watched the Kentucky Derby, 11.3 million watched the MLB All-Star Game and 10.9 million watched The Masters. So quantitatively, basketball’s best doesn’t even command as much audience as horseracing’s best, baseball’s best or golf’s best.

Regardless if you saw it from the den couch (like Howard) or from Madison Square Garden

(like Larry), this game left much to be desired.

Everybody k n o w s the game is largely meaningless in terms of stats, standings and reHoward cords. But Robertson don’t mail it in. As an All Star player, act like it means something if nothing more than pride and bragging rights. The game looked completely contrived and whenever the West would roll out to a big lead, they’d downshift their defense and rebounding long enough to allow the East to catch up and keep it interesting.

The players showed out but they didn’t show up.

The NFL Pro Bowl has its’ problems too. The 5.6 household rating the 2015 game garnered was the lowest in 8 years and that was despite their efforts to fix it and make it more appealing to fans. The Pro Bowl should be the swan song of the NFL season as opposed to the Super Bowl. It would extend the season a couple more weeks before the pro football drought and dearth begins for millions of football junkies. It also gives the non Super Bowl players a

more fitting and dignified transition into the off season after being summarily dismissed and the end of the season or in the playoffs. What’s up with this non-conferenced format?

You’ve got AFC fans and NFC fans, NFC stars and AFC stars, so why should they be melded into innocuous, unrecognizable teams? Fans need distinguishable teams. Then, how seriously can fans take a game with celebrity captains? It’s an all-star game, not a reality show. Team Irvin (Michael) and Team Carter (Cris) ain’t happening.

Lastly, if the NBA and NFL are truly serious about revamping and reestablishing their all star products, then air them in primetime on one of the big four networks (NBC, CBS, ABC or FOX). ESPN, TNT and TBS are nice but there’s a reason major events are aired on major networks. So Mr. Silver and Mr. Goodell, if you’re serious about change here are some recommendations. If you’re not, just keep doing what you’re doing. (“A Little R&R on Sports” podcasts can be downloaded from: IHeart Radio, ITunes, Google Play or randronsports. com. In Memphis, tune to AM 990 KWAM, 10 Saturday mornings or stream R&R live Saturdays 10 a.m. CDT on sportsbyline.com.)

Judge: police justified in seizing cash, new truck from NFL player The American Civil Liberties Union calls it “policing for profit.”

The legal term is “civil forfeiture.” But whatever the terminology, Florida police used the controversial legal process to seize $200,000 and a brand new truck from an NFL player who was arrested on drug charges.

Letroy Guion was pulled over at a traffic stop for swerving, and the money and truck were seized under Florida’s Contraband Forfeiture Act. When a judge reviewed Guion’s case, he stated that there was probably cause for the seizure, noting that Guion was traveling down a “drug corridor” and that the fact that he was “carrying such a large amount of money itself is strong evidence that currency was intended to be furnished in return for drugs.”

Under the law, property can be seized if it is believed to be tied to a crime. A judge can then decide if the seizing agency keeps the property.

“People who deal drugs, they have no rules and a lot of money. Police departments, sheriff’s offices, they have a lot of rules and not a lot of money,” says Starke Police Chief Jeff Johnson, noting that forfeiture money and property always goes to good use. For example, Johnson would like to use Guion’s money to replace police cars that are over a decade old.

Florida law dictates how the money can be spent: “If the seizing agency is a county or municipal agency, the remaining proceeds shall be deposited in a special law enforce-

Letroy Guion (No. 98) of the Green Bay Packers celebrates a win against the Minnesota Vikings on Nov. 23, 2014 at TCF Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minn. (Photo: Hannah Foslien/Getty Images) ment trust fund established by the board of county commissioners or the governing body of the municipality. Such proceeds and interest earned therefrom shall be used for school resource officer, crime prevention, safe neighborhood, drug abuse education and prevention programs, or for other

law enforcement purposes, which include defraying the cost of protracted or complex investigations, providing additional equipment or expertise, purchasing automated external defibrillators for use in law enforcement vehicles, and providing matching funds to obtain federal grants.”