VOL. 62, No. 15
www.tsdmemphis.com
April 11 - 17, 2013
TV’s Judge Joe Brown jumps into Juvenile Court Clerk race with two feet Special to The New Tri-State Defender
by Tony Jones
Television star Judge Joe Brown attended a fundraiser recently at the Bruce Turner Law Office to kick off the campaign of Shelby County Commissioner Henri Brooks, who is running for Juvenile Court Clerk. Brown is also supporting the expected candidacy of current City Court Judge Tarik B. Sugarmon, who confirms there is a “99.9” percent chance that he will seek the Juvenile Court Judge position. Voters will make the final selection for the offices in the next general election scheduled for 2014. No primary has been scheduled so far. Brown’s appearance at Brooks’
fundraiser came on the heels of the announcement that the immensely popular “Judge Joe Brown” show was being shut down due to a contract dispute with CBS Television. His television career grew from his roots as a judge here in Memphis. “Actually, I had no intent on running because I thought Shep Wilbun (former Juvenile Court Clerk) would be running, but we spoke and he is not going to contest the seat, so I decided to step in,” said Brooks. “I see this as the last leg of a terribly long fight to try to protect our children from a system that is totally in need of change,” said Brooks. Determined to “protect our children’s constitutional rights,” Brooks, who has been a consistent voice for change at Juvenile Court, noted
Judge Joe “changes made on Brown paper” and expressed disappointment at what she has seen since 2007. “Since this is my final term as County Commissioner (limited to two consecutive 4year terms), I did not want to see the challenge go Henri unmet,” said Brooks Brooks. “I’ve been fighting for kids since I was a school teacher. We need SEE JUDGE ON PAGE 3
75 Cents
Don’t go for the hype about show’s demise, says Judge Joe Brown Special to The New Tri-State Defender
by Tony Jones
CBS Television Distribution issued a press release at the end of March announcing that the “Judge Joe Brown” court reality program was being terminated because of a salary dispute with the show’s namesake and star, former Memphis attorney and judge, Joe Brown. “Judge Joe Brown” has been the consistent No. 2 program in the syndication market for more than a decade, with “Judge Judy” the topslot holder. According to CBS, the ratings for “Judge Joe Brown” began to dip last year, down 17 percent over the previous year, and dipping 15 percent in the key 25-54 female demographic. Newer episodes and reruns will continue to run on Fox in many major
markets, but unless Brown and CBS renegotiate, the show – as its viewers know it – is finished. In his signature “I don’t bow” Memphis style, Brown says “C YA!” He tells The New Tri-State Defender that he now is moving to launch his own independent platform.
Tony Jones: Hollywood is famous for its voodoo economics, with such big stars as Kevin Costner and even the author of “Forrest Gump” claiming they are owed for major projects. What is your problem with CBS’s distribution team? Judge Joe Brown: I decided to cut CBS loose because they weren’t acting right. According to FCC filings, CBS announced net profits for the last 15 quarters. As a matter of fact, they were SEE TV ON PAGE 3
Rose Jackson Flenorl will keynote TSD’s WOE gala
Rose Jackson Flenorl represents the heart of the FedEx Corporation and she will deliver the keynote address at The New Tri-State Defender’s Women of Excellence gala on April 27. Manager of Social Responsibility at FedEx Corporation, Flenorl will speak at the Women of Excellence (WOE) Champagne Brunch and Awards CeleRose Jackson bration at the Memphis Botanic Flenorl Gardens, 750 Cherry Road. A previous WOE honoree, Flenorl is among 250 outstanding AfricanAmerican professionals and community leaders who have been honored by the TSD. All are distinguished by their civic contributions and career achievements. Flenorl manages FedEx Corporation’s award winning Global Citizenship operation, on strategic programs and relationships with national and international community outreach organizations. In that role, she directs corporate resources toward initiatives in the areas of disaster relief, child pedestrian and road safety, environmental sustainability, education, and diversity. A graduate of the University of Mississippi, Flenorl was the first African-American female named to the student Hall of Fame. She was inducted into the Alumni Hall of Fame in 1998 and in 2008 served as presiSEE WOMEN ON PAGE 3
MEMPHIS WEEKEND
FRIDAY
SATURDAY
SUNDAY
H- 6 2o - L - 4 4o Su nny
H- 6 6o - L - 5 1o Mo st l y Sun ny
H- 7 5o - L - 6 3o Partl y Cl o udy
REGIONAL TEMPS LITTLE ROCK NASHVILLE JACKSON, MS
Friday H-65 L-45 H-63 L-42 H-73 L-45
Saturday H-67 L-51 H-66 L-46 H-77 L-51
Sunday H-75 L-63 H-79 L-60 H-77 L-66
‘Installation and Inauguration’ …
Church of God in Christ Presiding Bishop Charles E. Blake Sr. leads the way during the Service of Installation and Inauguration at Temple of Deliverance COGIC, 369 G. E. Patterson Ave., on Monday (April 8) evening. Blake, the General Board and General Officers were the centers of attention. (See related photos on Religion, page 6.) (Photo by Tyrone P. Easley)
New loan policies fail African-American students in college NNPA
For the children...
First Lady Michelle Obama delivers remarks on youth empowerment at a “Joint Luncheon Meeting: Working Together to Address Youth Violence in Chicago,” hosted by Mayor Rahm Emanuel in Chicago, April 10, 2013. (White House photo: Chuck Kennedy)
- INSIDE -
• Obama budget breaks Social Security pledge. See Opinion, page 4. • The business of the arts. See Business, page 5. • Cancer survivor Tracy Randall sings ‘It Feels Good (To Be Alive)’. See Religion, page 6. • Women’s Foundation taps 6 for Annual Legends Award. See Community, page 11.
WASHINGTON – Like thousands of African-American college students, Bethanie Fisher, a psychology major at Howard University, depended heavily on the Parent Loan for Undergraduate Students program that allows parents to borrow the full amount of college tuition and fees. During, the 2007-08 school year, an estimated 33 percent of undergraduate students that earned degrees at Historically Black Colleges and Universities received Parent PLUS loans, double the rate of all undergraduate students nationwide. “My mom, my dad, my aunt and my uncle would all apply every single year,” said Fisher. In August of 2008, Fisher’s freshman year at Howard University, her uncle agreed to help her pay tuition. When he died suddenly of lung cancer at the end of her sophomore year, everything fell apart. No one else in Fisher’s family met the standards for the Parent PLUS loans and now with stricter rules, her dreams of earning a degree from Howard University or any university are quickly evaporating. After scraping together enough money for a third year at the Washington, D.C. school, Fisher, a Detroit native, ran out of
time and money. Now she must come up with almost $15,000 to pay the balance that she owes before she can take another class at Howard. Money that neither her mom nor her barely-there father could afford. Fisher’s estimate is that with tuition plus room and board and living expenses, she spent more than $20,000 a year to attend Howard. “On paper it says that my mom makes a lot of money,” Fisher said. “But who has that much money to spare every single year in a single parent home?” Fisher is not alone. Thousands of African-American college students cobble together scholarships, loans and grants to earn college degrees. As President Obama champions education as the key to America’s future on the world stage, critical changes to federal financial aid programs threaten to close the curtain on the academic careers of thousands of African-American college students. In 2011, the Education Department made changes to a number of federal student loan programs in an effort to curb the number of loan defaults that were piling up when parents couldn’t pay. When the federal government SEE FUNDING ON PAGE 2
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largely cut out the banks in the student loan process, they also changed the rules for students and parents. And it is those sudden rules changes that are creating havoc. Now parents seeking the loans can be disqualified for past defaults, bankruptcies, or tax liens within five years of applying for the loan. Parents need a near spotless credit history now, a dream in itself in today’s tough economy. “If you make it harder to get a student loan, if you have families that are less able to pay for a college education, less able to survive, (then) what you’re doing is cutting off the future and you’re also putting a particular burden on historically Black colleges and universities,” said Mary Frances Berry, professor of American Social Thought and history at the University of Pennsylvania and former Assistant Secretary of Education. “Whoever decided to make these policy changes, they need to sit down and think about how the goals that they have for higher education are absolutely irreconcilable with what they’re doing with the budget.” And the changes could not have come at a worse time for HBCUs. Black colleges also struggle to reconcile dwindling enrollments with their efforts to enrich the lives of their students. Some have been forced to reduced programs and cut staff sizes. “What we have here is a situation where we’re getting sliced at the federal level and we’re getting diced at the state level,” said Lezli Baskerville, president of the National Association for Equal Opportunity in Higher Education (NAFEO), a member organization representing HBCUs. “Given the federal cuts and the disproportionate loss of wealth, the bursting of the housing bubble, which disproportionately impacted African Americans, it signals a calami-
NEWS
Tri-State Defender
April 11 - 17, 2013
tous situation.” In September 2012, a group led by William R. Harvey, president of Hampton University and chairman of the president’s Board of Advisors on HBCUs, sent a letter to Education Secretary Arne Duncan detailing the disparate impacts the loan changes have had on HBCUs. “At Benedict College last year, 926 students (30 percent of those who applied) were deemed eligible and received Parent PLUS or FEFL loans totaling $13,567,321. This year, only 237 students (only 9 percent of those who applied) were deemed eligible and received such loans, totaling $3,754,938,” Harvey wrote. The group also challenged the Department of Education’s use of extenuating circumstances in determining a student’s eligibility for a PLUS loan. “There are no more extenuating circumstances than the grossly disproportionately high unemployment rate in the communities from which our students come and DoED’s failure to phase in or give notice of the new interpretation and implementation of the regulation regarding evaluating credit history. “These actions are actively working against President Obama’s goal of having the highest proportion of college graduates in the world by 2020, and the Administration’s commitment and our nation’s dire
need to increase the number of African American college graduates,” stated the letter. The Atlanta Journal Constitution reported last October that “Morehouse College says it will furlough faculty and staff and make other budget cuts because of a drop in enrollment.” Because of the Department of Education’s new loan policies, loan rejections jumped from 25 percent to 65 percent at Clark Atlanta University in Atlanta. CAU President Carlton Brown issued a statement saying a 13 percent drop in enrollment forced the school to cut travel and slow the hiring process for new faculty and staff. Recent changes in the Parent Loan for Undergraduate Students left many students in bad straits similar to Fisher. The new rules shut out kids that had previously been admitted during the spring semester. According to Cynthia Warrick, interim president of South Carolina State University in Orangeburg, more than 1,000 students were denied Parent PLUS loans this academic year, leading to the lowest enrollment numbers in five years at the small school. On a campus of less than 5,000 students, losing that amount affected all aspects of campus life. “This semester we cut cost spending and had to layoff employees. We had to tighten
our belts,” said Warrick. In October 2012, the school clipped $8 million from their budget. “We’re still struggling with the numbers,” said Warrick. South Carolina State quickly depleted their needbased grants and was forced to turn students away, some with “B” averages, but not good enough to earn scholarships. “The loan programs are the only way these kids can get to college,” said Warrick. “It’s almost as if they’re telling the kids, ‘We don’t want you to go to college.’” Johnny Taylor, president and CEO of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund said that the Department of Education should consider a grandfather-clause for students who have relied on PLUS loans in the past and were just recently denied due to the changes. “It makes no sense to let these students leave school without a degree or without a way to pay back the loan,” said Taylor. “If you already invested two years into a student it’s silly to cut him off now. If the kid goes home without a degree, he’s going to default.” Taylor said that his group is working with the Department of Education to seek a resolution that will save the academic careers of nearly 14,000 students that were affected by the PLUS loan changes this year alone. They’re also working with the Congressional Black Caucus and some Re-
publicans on Capitol Hill, just in case their efforts at the executive branch-level stall Taylor said that if it takes a lawsuit to resolve this issue, his group is fully prepared to take that next step. “I remember Thurgood Marshall challenging ‘separate, but equal,’” said Taylor referring to the landmark 1954 Supreme Court decision in Brown vs. Board of Education that reshaped the future of education in the United States. “If he hadn’t been willing to challenge ‘separate, but equal’ we would still have it.” After sitting out for a semester and a last-ditch effort to get back into school for the spring 2013 semester, Fisher decided to move back home in February, ending her academic career at Howard University prematurely. “To hear your friends complain about going to class when you’re just dying to sit in someone’s class, I just can’t do that anymore,” said Fisher. The Detroit-native said she needs to pay the $15,000 balance before Howard University will release her academic transcripts so that she can attempt to transfer credits to a school closer to home. “It hurts more than anyone will ever know,” said Fisher. “If they weren’t going to let me finish, they shouldn’t have let me start.” NOTE: This is the first of two stories.
Memphis debaters prep for national tourney
Memphis high school debaters Nigel Greer and Earl Johnson III from Overton High School, and Madison Inman and Wynter HaleyScott from Middle College High School will represent the Memphis Urban Debate League (MUDL) at The Urban Debate National Championships in Washington, D.C. April 20-21. The students won the right to represent Memphis by placing first and second respectively in the MUDL City Championship Tournament held at Craigmont High in March. They will be accompanied by their coaches – Anne Duvall (Overton) and Marion Crooks (Middle College). Also making the trip to the national tournament is Dwight Fryer, director of Memphis Urban Debate League,. The tournament will be held on the campus of Georgetown. Each team will compete in five preliminary rounds of debate on April 20th. Teams reaching the octo-finals will then reconvene on April 21st for a single-elimination process. While in Washington D.C., arrangements the students and coaches are scheduled to visit with Tennessee Senators Bob Corker and Lamar Alexander at their offices on Capitol Hill. For more information, visit www.memphisdebate.org.
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more than someone that can operate the machine, we have to make sure we have someone in there that is not afraid to defend the rights of our children.” With an eye toward unity, Sugarmon said he checked with Judge Ernestine Hunt-Dorse before moving ahead with plans to run. Hunt-Dorse has twice sought the position. Brown said he wanted to be involved in the Juvenile Court Clerk race because, “There’s a travesty that’s going on down there that is not just civil, it’s criminal. But more than just
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the highest profits in CBS history. The executives gave themselves lucrative raises, bonuses and stock options and told the regular working people that make the product (that) they were broke. They offered me a 50-50 split and wanted me to take an IOU for money they already owed me, or at least part of it, and that wasn’t going to sit very well. In the meeting I told them exactly what they were making and what their pay increases were and they said, “How did you find that out?” Just be smart and do your research.
TJ: Five million (dollars) a year still feels sounds like a nice chunk of change from this end. Judge Brown: I have not been on salary for many years. They wanted to give me a raise. But I have my own company, Celebretunity. We will be producing movies, talk radio and production. The ink is already dry on several deals we will be announcing later. We have a very eclectic group and are discussing deals around the world, including a deal with the city and police department in Miami, South America and Russia…. we may even continue to do “Judge Joe Brown” with a lot more integrity and a lot more of what people have come to expect of me, but it will be produced by Celebritunity.
TJ: You’ve had a good run. Judge Brown: We have been number one overall, day or night, and in the syndication market we were number two in
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dent of the national Alumni Association. Peers, family, friends and community leaders will salute the 2013 amid food, inspiration, fashion and entertainment. Rodney Dunigan, news anchor for ABC24, will serve as Master of Ceremony and will guide a morning filled with performances by the critically acclaimed band Prosody, along with other special guest performances. Ticket and table reservations are first come, first serve.
WOE 2013 Honorees
Frances Anderson, Affiliate Broker, Crye-Leike Realtors Tracy Bethea, Asst. Program
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April 11 - 17, 2013
their treatment of minority children, this business of privatizing the whole operation has a huge impact on what goes on down there.” Saying his heart is still in Memphis, Brown says he keeps updated on local issues. “For example, if you keep a child down there for 48 hours, the state pays for four days, they reimburse the corporate entity for a week. If they send the child to a facility that keeps them for four days, the state pays for two whole weeks. It’s sickening,” he said. “You get this turnstile situation where the corporate entity gets to use the children as pawns in their corporate gain.”
the daytime. We should have been number one, but CBS didn’t like my message. Their agenda is that there should be no standards and that’s the type of message you get from them. It’s nihilistic, no point in it. They want African Americans to glorify the worst of dysfunction. You always see the worst of the “hood” and everybody that’s supposed to be a star glamorizing “the hood,” and you get stuff like Tyler Perry’s Madea, or whoever that big fat woman is (that) he likes to portray. That kind of stuff is wrong for us. It’s dysfunction glorified.
TJ: Mr. Brown! Shouldn’t someone in your position be more diplomatic? Judge Brown: (Joking) Diplomatic is don’t let me smack you upside your head. Diplomacy is supposed to be for the people and for the benefit of the people. What goes is that the people who are most important are never treated diplomatically, especially when it comes to real information and the truth. In my last election I established a record landslide victory. I got 72 percent of the vote. My opponent’s mother “owned” The Commercial Appeal (newspaper) and they spent more than the congressional and mayoral candidates and he still only got 28 percent of the vote. Pull the record. It was never properly reported. The TV stations didn’t cover me for the rest of the night because they didn’t want to report it because it was me. I’m not diplomatic, but when I’m wrong, I admit it. I’m no hypocrite. I apologize when I’m wrong, but they couldn’t deal with that. Director/Music Director, 95.7 Hallelujah FM/Clear Channel Gwen Bonner, Chief Operating Officer, St. Francis Hospital Bartlett Cynthia Bowen, Employment Director, Star Placement Specialists Mary Bright, Officer of Contract Compliance, City of Memphis Marilyn Brooks, Teacher/Freshman Dean, Trezevant High School Peggy Brown, Owner, Peggy’s Healthy Home Cooking Kerri Campbell, Project Manager, Mayor’s Innovation Delivery Team Chermale Casem, Chief Operating Officer, Seedco Dr. Menthia P. Clark, Principal, Memphis Business Academy Gerrie Currie, Hope Federal Credit Union
Juvenile Court Judge Curtis Person, a Republican, has served since 2006. The current Juvenile Court Clerk is Joy Touliatos. The TSD was unable to reach either Person or Touliatos before deadline for comment, including whether they plan to seek re-election. In March, the U.S. Justice Department’s Western District Office, based here in Memphis, won a guilty plea from Juvenile Court’s former psychiatric counselor, who was linked to $500,000 in fraudulent health care billing. The case followed an extensive earlier investigation that concluded that among many questionable practices, Juve-
nile Court had a history of negative treatment of AfricanAmerican youth. The official summary notes that Person and his staff were cooperative and had begun to initiate reforms. The DOJ investigation followed efforts led by Brooks starting in 2009. Endorsing Brooks and Sugarmon brings Judge Brown full circle. His crusading style of justice actually began in Juvenile Court when legendary Juvenile Court Judge Kenneth Turner held the reins. “I was asked by the sheriff to clear a backlog of cases,” said Brown. “Some people had been under arrest for more than two years. I issued a subpoena to
Turner but he thought he was too important to respond to the subpoena, so I ordered him arrested and they handcuffed him and brought him before me. “So they complained to the Court of the Judiciary (and) had a civil hearing and all of the judges ruled in my favor, except one. It eventually went to the Tennessee Supreme Court and they said my remarks were intemperate. But they also had issues with that individual (Turner) and cautioned me that I should tone down my behavior because there were young attorneys there and it would inspire them to be more free with their remarks than they should,”
Brown said. “The place had just been integrated not more than a year, and here I was a young, black attorney from Los Angeles with a big afro. So you know how that went over. That man was calling … black kids pickannies and it didn’t sit well with me from day one.” Brown said the work he witnessed done by Judge Sugarmon’s father, Russell Sugarmon, also contributed to his decision to get involved with the Juvenile Court Clerk race. “He was the referee down there over child support and for years he was the only person you could count on to deliver justice,” said Brown.
Marking 45 years...
Various causes were represented by marchers who commemorated the 45th anniversary of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on April 4. The marchers, who started at AFSCME's labor headquarters at Beale St. and Danny Thomas, ended up at the National Civil Rights Musuem. (Photo: Warren Roseborough) Cynthia Daniels, President, Memphis Urban League Young Professionals Yolanda Draine, Sr. VP Human Resources, First South Credit Union Michelle Fifer, APN/CRNA, Medical Anesthesia Group/Morgan Cares Sheila Floyd, Co-Pastor, The Pursuit of God Church Telisa Franklin, Television Host, MUTV1/Juneteenth Donzaleigh Frazier, IT Specialist, U.S. Department of Housing Urban Development Mary Freeman, Director – Government Relations, Baptist Hospital Janeen Gordon, Weekend Anchor/On-Air Personality, WMCTV5/103.5 WRBO Rosalyn Gray, VP & Sr. Investment Officer, First Tennessee Bank Tiffanie Grier, Career Placement Director, Boys & Girls
Club of Memphis Veora Harris, Agent, Shelter Insurance Cynthia Hazell-Cutchin, Director, FedEx Forum and Media Marketing, Memphis Grizzlies TJ Jefferson, Owner, Fresh Touch Publicity Catherine Johnson, Retired Educator, Memphis City Schools, Pilgrim Rest Baptist Church Kela Jones, Development Manager, Memphis Urban League Selena Jones, IT Specialist, IRS Gail Kerr-Moore, Finance Supervisor, Shelby County Government Virzola Law, Associate Pastor, Mississippi Boulevard Christian Church Dr. Tommie Matthews, Associate Pastor/Author, Morning Star Church
Dr. Brenda Partee Morris, Anesthesiologist Ella Mosby, Pastor & Founder, The Word in Life Christian Church Carla Norton, Minister, Mississippi Boulevard Christian Church Crystal Oliver, Managing Director-HR Svcs., FedEx Express Elle Perry, Coordinator, The Teen Appeal Ayoka Pond, Director of Public Research, Baptist Memorial Health Care Angela Rixter-Kelley, Owner/Instructor, The Tea Room Charm & Finishing School Cynthia Sharp, Account Executive, ABC24/CW30 Dorothy Jean Smith, Office Manager, Robert J. Smith, MD Nicky Sparrow, Director of Sales, Clear Channel Radio Dorchelle Spence, VP Pub-
lic Relations and Communications, Riverfront Development Corp. Sugar Stallings, Radio Show Host, AM990-KWAM CBS Talk Radio Pearl Street, Philanthropist Faye Stroud, President, Owner & Creative Director, STROUDMark Photography Tish Towns, V.P. of Government Relations/Public Policy, The Regional Medical Center Sabrina Ward, Chief Partnership Officer, Greater Alternative Surplus Solution Kesha Whitaker, Communications and Development Mgr., Women’s Foundation of Memphis Regenna Williams, Administrator, BNI Home Health Agency Rosalind Withers, President/Board Chairman, Withers Collection Museum Gallery
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John H. Sengstacke Publisher (1951 - 1997)
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OPINION
Tri-State Defender
April 11 - 17, 2013
• Bernal E. Smith II President / Publisher • Dr. Karanja A. Ajanaku Executive Editor
‘No one can change the change’
Obama budget breaks Social Security pledge Even before President Obama released his budget proposal this week for the next fiscal year that begins Oct. 1, preliminary details about his plan to effectively cut Social Security cost of living increases caused a firestorm among supporters who now feel betrayed. Under the plan, Obama would shift the way federal benefits are indexed from the Consumer Price Index (CPI) to the “chained” CPI, gradually reducing benefit payments. Without getting overly technical, the chained CPI – a way of indexing living costs – has grown on average by about 0.3 percentage points per year more slowly than the official CPI. Social Security actuaries assume the gap between the two CPIs will continue to average 0.3 percentage points per year in the future; Former Clinton Labor Secretary Robert Reich said in a MoveOn.org press release that “Social Security is not driving the deficit, therefore it should not be part of reforms aimed at cutting the deficit.” He added, “The chained CPI, deceptively portrayed as a reasonable cost-of-living adjustment, is a cut to Social Security that would hurt seniors.” White House officials point out that the chained CPI would not affect initial Social Security benefits because they are based on wages. It is the subsequent cost of living increases that would be affected. According to an analysis by the Associated Press, Social Security benefits for a typical middle-income 65-year-old would be about $136 less a year under the new indexing. At age 75, annual benefits would be $560 less. At 85, the cut would be $984 a year. While that might not seem huge to some, it represents a significant loss of income from the elderly living on a fixed income. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) shares Reich’s outrage. “If Obama is serious about dealing with our deficit, he would not cut Social Security – which has not added one penny to the deficit,” Sanders said in a statement posted on his website. “Instead, he would support legislation that ends the absurdity of one out of four profitable corporations paying nothing in federal income taxes. He would also help us close the offshore tax haven loopholes that enable large corporations and the wealthy to avoid paying $100 billion a year in federal taxes.” Social Security payments and COLAs are not limited to the elderly. According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, approximately 6 million children under age 18 (8 percent of all U.S. children) lived in families that received income from Social Security in 2011. That includes children who received their benefits as dependents of retired, disabled, or deceased workers as well as those who live with parents or rela-
tives who received Social Security benefits. Democrats are irked that Obama is breaking a pledge he made in 2008 not to cut Social Security. And regardless of how he couches it, that’s the George net effect of his E. Curry action. “You can’t call yourself a Democrat and support Social Security benefit cuts,” said Stephanie Taylor, cofounder of the Progressive Change Campaign Committee. “… The president has no mandate to cut these benefits, and progressives will do everything possible to stop him.” Critics note that any “savings” from the chained CPI would go into the government’s general fund, not the Social Security Trust Fund. Therefore, it does nothing to “strengthen” Social Security. “It’s not the president’s ideal approach to our budget challenges, but it is a serious compromise proposition that demonstrates that he wants to get things done,” White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said Friday. As I have noted in this space before, Obama is an “Apprentice Negotiator.” We saw that in 2012 when Republicans goaded him into extending the Bush tax cuts. In a failing effort to garner Republican support, Obama keeps offering up programs cherished by progressives, sometimes before the negotiating begins. President Obama’s new proposal also calls for placing a 28 percent cap on tax deductions and other exclusions. Because the change would raise taxes of the wealthy, GOP leaders are expected to reject the plan. Social Security provides monthly benefits to more than 50 million retired workers and workers with disabilities, their dependents, and their survivors. Obama faces considerable opposition from his own party, largely because of the importance of the popular retirement program. “Social Security benefits play a vital role in reducing poverty,” observed the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities. “Without Social Security, 21.4 million more Americans would be poor, according to the latest available Census data (for 2011). Although most of those whom Social Security keeps out of poverty are elderly, nearly a third are under age 65, including 1.1 million children.”
(George E. Curry is editor-in-chief of the National Newspaper Publishers Association News Service (NNPA.) He can be reached via www.georgecurry.com. You can also follow him at www.twitter. com/currygeorge.)
Unemployment and Dr. King’s agenda
Coming the day after the 45th anniversary of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the new unemployment numbers show that unemployment is still high – and remains much higher for African Americans. Even though the black unemployment rate fell by .05 percent this month, it still sits at nearly 13.3 percent, nearly double the overall rate. As our country grows more diverse, we must also acknowledge that economic inequality is closely tied to race, due to decades of past and ongoing discrimination. And this inequality undermines the racial progress that we have achieved…. In the last year of Dr. King’s life, he was organizing the Poor People’s Campaign. He endorsed the Freedom Budget … a document that insisted that smart investments in our most vulnerable citizens will spur economic growth. Unfortunately, this plan never moved forward. But its message proved prophetic, and Dr. King’s economic agenda is still relevant today. A strong and sustainable economic recovery requires an economic climate in which all Americans – regardless of race or class – can expect hard work to be rewarded with a steady job. This is not a partisan issue – it is an American issue. And Congress needs to act now.
Earlier this year, the National Black Leaders Coalition came up with solutions for fixing the current unemployment crisis. They included implementing important parts of the American Jobs Benjamin Todd Jealous Act to revitalize urban areas; funding the Urban Jobs Act to create youth jobs programs; and increasing the minimum wage. These policies echoed King’s recommendations 45 years earlier. In 1962 Dr. King said, “There are three major social evils in our world today: the evil of war, the evil of economic justice, and the evil of racial injustice.” Fifty years later, we need to recognize that inaction is not a policy option; it has been tried; and it hasn’t worked. Let’s try something new. Let’s recommit ourselves to Dr. King’s economic principles and advance an economic agenda that bridges our nation’s divides and fosters an economic recovery in which all can benefit. (Benjamin Todd Jealous is president and CEO of the NAACP.)
Hopping on the gay rights bandwagon
You can call it the “bandwagon effect,” or “political opportunism,” or, the “wake-up-call effect,” or, less cynically, an old American tradition. Whatever you call it, in the last month it seems everybody and their momma in the political arena has been expressing support for gay rights and same-sex marriage. The support has come from opposite ends of the political spectrum: from Ohio Republican Senator Rob Portman, who also revealed that his son is gay, to former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, who said she was free to speak her mind now that she has left office. Even the Republican National Committee seemed in its white paper exploring the causes and implications of the Party’s decisive defeat last November to call for a softening of the GOP’s hard line on gay rights and same-sex marriage lest it find itself in “an ideological cul-de-sac.” Martin Luther King, Jr., whose commitment to justice for all got him killed 45 years ago this month, would be pleased. We do know which side this man, who was becoming ever more “militant” in his willingness to challenge the country’s fierce dynamic of exclusion, would be on today. Of course, it’s not literally true that the opposition to gay rights has melted away. We can still expect plenty of venomous rhetoric and obstructionist legislative tactics from right-wing clerics, conservative officeholders (and wannabes) and pundits, and the conservative talk-show confederacy. But the signs are unmistakable that the American public’s support-to-opposition ratio on the multifaceted issues of gay rights has shifted significantly. For example, a Washington Post–ABC News poll conducted last month found that a record 58 percent of Americans now support same-sex marriage, a finding the paper called “a remarkable – and remarkably fast – turnaround in American public opinion” on the issue since 2010. The poll’s findings were underscored by the two cases involving same-sex marriage the Supreme Court took up last month: One concerns California’s 2008 voter-enacted Proposition 8, which bars samesex marriage in the state. The other involves the 1996 federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), which forbids federal recognition of same-sex marriages performed in the nine states and the District of Columbia where it is legal. Regardless of how the court rules on these cases – expectations are that the justices will issue narrow rulings effectively gutting both laws – full civil rights for gay and lesbian Americans will become a reality much sooner rather than later. The fact that this marked shift in public opinion about same-sex marriage became apparent at the moment
of another calendar-driven commemoration of King’s prophetic mission helps illuminate the similarities between the Black freedom struggle and the gay rights movement. It’s perfectly Lee A. clear now that the Daniels gay rights movement is this era’s “gateway” tolerance issue – that it is the movement whose successes are most critical at this moment to advancing tolerance and equal opportunity in American society. That isn’t to say gay rights has pushed into the background the struggle for full equality of black Americans – or of white women and other people of color. Rather, it’s to acknowledge what hindsight has made apparent: Because the issue of gay rights has been the most contentious issue of tolerance for the past two decades, the advances gays and lesbians have made in gaining their rights, and the recognition of those rights by their fellow Americans have broadened the boundaries of tolerance for all. That last point goes to the core of the common bond between the black freedom struggle and the gay rights movement. Both groups were so stigmatized, so disregarded, so exiled from the American mainstream that they, separately and in different eras, had to forge an extraordinary, decades-long movement to change the thinking about them as a critical minority of Americans. That shift the respective movements engineered led to the social and political breakthroughs for them and, importantly, for other groups. Just as the gay rights movement benefited from the inspiration and the practical successes of the black freedom struggle of the last 50 years, so now black Americans are benefiting from the gay rights movement’s expanding the “space” for greater tolerance in American society. Of course, what has happened on the same-sex marriage front over the past month hardly means that struggle is finished. Black Americans can point to an entire catalogue of breakthroughs stretching back to Emancipation; yet, their struggle for full citizenship goes on. So it will be with the gay rights movement. To be sure, this is a watershed moment for the movement. But, as with the black freedom struggle, it will be some time yet before justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream. (NNPA columnist Lee A. Daniels is a journalist based in New York City.)
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Tri-State Defender Platform
1. Racial prejudice worldwide must be destroyed. 2. Racially unrestricted membership in all jobs, public and private. 3. Equal employment opportunities on all jobs, public and private. 4. True representation in all U.S. police forces. 5. Complete cessation of all school segregation. 6. Federal intervention to protect civil rights in all instances where civil rights compliance at the state level breaks down
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The state of equality and justice in America is shameful, especially since the election of President Barack Obama. Unlike many of my friends who think America is going to Dr. E. Faye hell in a hand Williams, Esq. basket, and have given up thinking things will get better for those who’ve been marginalized for so long, I still have hope for a better day. When Barack Obama was running for President of the United States, a close friend told me, “Mark my word. When Senator Obama is elected, some people will go absolutely crazy, and after he’s re-elected, they will go mad!” His rationale was that the average white person had never had the opportunity to wake up every morning and see on television a brilliant black man who was the most powerful man in the world! Unless they were wed to FOX News and the O’Reilly, Hannity, Beck,Von Sustern programs, they would learn so much about us – so many good things they had refused to acknowledge before. So many of our people are brilliant in what they do, but never had a fair chance to be seen in a positive light in their daily newspapers or on mainstream television or heard on major radio stations. Now, here we are after the Obama victories. He’s there every single day! The madness really swung into high gear with the Tea Party, Michelle Bachman, Sarah Palin, Senator Ted Cruz and a whole lot Some make every effort to of others. Some I didn’t mention send black because they people to the were already on back of the bus, the list of what most of us have send immigrants of come to know as the “crazies,” color back to such as Rush from wherever Limbaugh and they had come, his horrible ilk. send gay people Black women like our First Laback into the dy, Michelle closet, and Obama, had not force women to often been seen go back to the on the evening news, except kitchen! when they were there crying over a son or daughter who’d been shot or accused of being involved in some kind of wrongdoing. Now, here she was –beautiful, smart, “Mom in Chief,” presiding over social events for world leaders and their first ladies. She was dealing with real American challenges, such as military families and childhood obesity. She was out making speeches and inspiring women of all backgrounds. With people who could not stand all these positive scenes and unbelievable accomplishments, insanity set in. Instead of grinning and bearing the strides America was making, they began trying to set us back to what they called “the good ole days.” Some make every effort to send black people to the back of the bus, send immigrants of color back to from wherever they had come, send gay people back into the closet, and force women to go back to the kitchen! They began talking about taking back their country as though they didn’t take it from the Native Americans and as though immigrants and enslaved people had done nothing to build this country. Many in the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate tried to block every thing President Obama supported, even if they had supported the same things in the past. They were tone deaf to the phrase, “Where there is no justice, there will be no peace!” With a President who truly tried to make all levels of government look like America by appointing women, Hispanics, Asians, gays and lesbians, Democrats and Republicans and being totally inclusive of all of us, those who’d gone mad did not understand that you cannot put a genie back in the box. We may be going through a rough period as far as progress on equality and justice, but I still believe there are enough good people who will work through their prejudices and biases with which they were reared as they understand that those of us who’ve previously been left out, won’t turn back. I still have hope. No one can change the change for which we’ve worked so hard.
(Dr. E. Faye Williams is national chair of the National Congress of Black Women. This article is written in commemoration of the 50th Anniversary of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. For more information, visit www.lawyerscommittee.org.)
BUSINESS
Tri-State Defender
Page 5
April 11 - 17, 2013
ON OUR WAY TO WEALTHY
The business of the arts by Carlee McCullough
Special to The New Tri-State Defender
This month, “On Our Way To Wealthy” probes the business of the arts. Cities across the country are seeking to strike a balance between the budgets required for public safety – such as fire and police – and those allotted to the arts. The need for solid, well-financed fire and police departments is generally recognized. However, the need for a strong arts community often requires more justification. Cultural centers clearly offer value to all communities regardless of the levels of crime and poverty. Neither the size of your bank account nor your educational background is the sole factor when measuring appreciation of the arts. Frequently, children are exposed to the arts and discover their God-given gifts. According to First Lady Michelle Obama, the Obama administration has long been committed to exposing young adults to the richness of our nation’s cultural heritage. She wants to show them they can have a future in the arts community – whether it’s a hobby, a profession, or simply as an appreciative observer. As upwardly mobile individuals decide where to settle down and label a city home, they consider the social, economic, environmental, educational, medical and spiritual options offered by a community. People want to be happy, healthy and financially secure in their environment. That picture includes diverse art galleries, museums, theatres, dance companies, orchestras, restaurants, concerts and plays. Local governments have invested in the arts to provide a
view of our past, a window into the future, and to bolster the overall plan to attract big business. Music, literature Carlee art McCullough and stimulate an economy via employment opportunities and revenues generated from ticket sales.
Music
No one doubts that Memphis has talent since the contributions of our legends have been documented extensively. Memphis sounds are so well established that this month the president and the first lady hosted a tribute concert dedicated to Memphis musical traditions. The future? That remains to be seen. While we continuously dwell on our past for tourist dollars, we must invest in our future so that the cycle of prosperity continues during our children and grandchildren’s lifetime. From the musicians to the record label and the producer to the videographer, the residual benefits of a hit record are incredible for an entire community. The business of music is real and should be treated as a business.
Artists
Artists George Hunt, Brenda Joysmith, Twin, Jared Small and Danny Broadway are all committed to sharing their gifts with the world. While their ages appear to cross generations, their talent is timeless.
by Martha L. Perine Beard Special to The New Tri-State Defender
Justin TImberlake, center, shares a laugh with other musicians on the stage during First Lady Michelle Obama's interactive student workshop event: “Soulsville, USA: The History of Memphis Soul,” in the State Dining Room of the White House, April 9. Pictured with Timberlake, from left, are: Sam Moore, Mavis Staples, Charlie Musselwhite and Ben Harper. (White House Photo: Lawrence Jackson)
The business of art ranges from the art gallery to independent artists promoting and selling the product of their talents. Memphis definitely got this one right during the Trolley Night Tour, which provides great entertainment and foot traffic into the art galleries on South Main Street. The tour is an example of a public-private partnership that works well.
Authors
We are so fortunate to have several writers’ conferences in the Mid-south. Memphis is home to some talented and nationally recognized local authors. From romance novels to children’s books, local authors have found creative ways to get their books to market. Whether creating their own publishing companies, using the services of independent publishers or aligning themselves with national publishing companies, local authors
are committed to extending the power of their words. The look to de so by placing their products in the stream of commerce by whatever means necessary.
Plays
From the four-time Tony Award winning musical “Memphis” to the many plays produced by Tyler Perry, plays are big business. Actors use them to jumpstart stalled careers and hone their crafts. While the actors receive paychecks, they are not alone. So do the venue operators, stagehands, security, musicians, producers and set designers – just to name a few. The economy benefits tremendously from the circulation of money. (Contact Carlee McCullough, Esq., at 5308 Cottonwood Road, Suite 1A, Memphis, TN 38118, or email her at jstce4all@aol.com.)
In Zimbabwe, learning Chinese is a lucrative investment by Tonderayi Mukeredzi
Ni hao, Chinese for “hello,” or ting bu dong, meaning “I hear you, but I don’t understand,” are two expressions one often overhears today in Zimbabwe’s capital. It is one of the results of tenacious efforts by governments, private companies and individuals across Africa, but in Zimbabwe particularly, to learn the Chinese language and understand China’s culture. Learning Chinese as a second or third language has been a global trend in the last few years. In Africa, the rapid increase of Chinese investments and trade (China is currently the continent’s biggest trading partner) has spurred the trend. Zimbabwe’s government has been very deliberate in enhancing its bilateral relationship with China. It launched the Look East Policy in 2003 to give priority to investors from China, Japan, Singapore and other countries from that region. As a result, trade between China and Zimbabwe has been growing exponentially – China is now the biggest buyer of Zimbabwe’s tobacco. Although learning Chinese dates back to Zimbabwe’s liberation struggle in the late 1960s and 1970s when freedom fighters went to China for military training, the trend has now accelerated significantly, and for different reasons.
Confucius Institute
To spread the Chinese language and culture, the government of China is utilizing a concept called Confucianism. Confucius was a great Chinese philosopher and educator born in 551 BC. The Chinese believe that his thoughts have tremendously influenced Chinese culture and even had an impact other cultures. Chinese people refer to Confucius as “a greater teacher.” Zimbabwe leads the rest of the continent in the training of local teachers of Chinese, having integrated the Confucius Institute into the University of Zimbabwe’s academic structures in 2007, as part of an expanding network of about 400 Confucius Institutes worldwide. The program has
largely been successful, and the university is poised to export surplus teachers of Chinese to other countries as well. Professor Pedzisai Mashiri, the inaugural director of the Confucius Institute at the University of Zimbabwe, says that one of the institute’s goals is to promote the Chinese language and culture in Zimbabwe. Because the government is yet to integrate Chinese into the national curriculum for primary and secondary schools, schools that host Confucius classes offer the Chinese language as an extracurricular activity. More than a thousand students have received such language training through the institute since 2009. A few others are completing studies in China and will join the university soon.
A skill that pays
Observers say there has been a rising demand from organizations and individuals seeking to learn Chinese. Clarence Makoni, the founder of the Cendel Language Bridge, a private company that provides translations, interpretation and foreign language instruction, told Africa Renewal that there are huge benefits in learning foreign languages. Chinese, he says, is by far the most sought after. “If you look at the rate at which the Chinese are coming into this country,” says Makoni, “you do not need to be a prophet to tell who is going to be the most significant employer in a few years to come…..All the people we train are snapped up by companies as soon as they finish their courses, and they are paid very handsomely.” He adds that the ability to speak another major language
Top 10 credit tips
besides English is a great selling point in the marketplace. A Chinese-speaking interpreter can rake in a monthly salary of Z$5,000, while a bilingual secretary with the same capabilities can claim up to Z$3,000 – earnings deemed at the top range in Zimbabwe. Laston Mukaro, a language consultant and lecturer at the University of Zimbabwe’s linguistics department, says that although his job grading has not yet changed, he is now earning much more after learning Chinese. “It makes sense to learn Chinese now other than for the reason necessitated by the government’s Look East Policy,” he says. “Chinese is one of the United Nation’s official languages and if you look at the way China is expanding into the world, you can do better if you speak their language.” Mukaro also earns a lot of money from exchange programs between China and Zimbabwe. In addition, he frequently consults for the local Confucius Institute. Other benefits include his current work on a handbook for translating between Chinese and Shona, one of Zimbabwe’s main indigenous languages. “For those who travel to and do business with China a lot, and are privileged to tap its diverse tourism, then learning Chinese is practically obligatory and has immense benefits,” he says with enthusiasm.
More expansion ahead
Professor Mashiri says there are plans to open at least five more Chinese teaching points in other parts of the country, and to construct a Confucius Institute building at the University of Zimbabwe. The Chinese Embassy in Zimbab-
we has also promised to build a cultural centre to strengthen cultural cooperation between the two countries. The world is now a global village, requiring people to understand each other’s culture and languages, says Levi Nyagura, the University of Zimbabwe’s vice-chancellor. “We want to see Zimbabwean students get jobs in China. We will continue to work hard to institutionalize the Chinese language, as we have done with the other major world languages.” There are also suggestions for introducing Chinese into the national curriculum. “The net effect,” argues Professor Mashiri, “is to have the teaching and learning of Chinese cascade from university to secondary and primary schools.” (Source: Africa Renewal, News Report, Tonderayi Mukeredzi, courtesy of New America Media)
April has been declared Financial Literacy Month in Memphis and the rest of the nation. This special, Martha L. monthPerine Beard long observance should cause us to reflect more intently on financial literacy, which has received significant attention as a result of the Great Recession. The loss of personal wealth by many households brought to the forefront the fact that too many adults, including those who are about to leave for college or enter the workforce, lack basic knowledge of financial topics. This issue is of particular concern here because the Greater Memphis area in February was rated as having the lowest overall consumer credit score in the United States by Trans Union Credit Report Company. In addition, the City of Memphis has one of the largest amounts of unbanked and underbanked residents in the country. The Memphis Branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis recognizes that people need personal finance knowledge and skills to make informed financial decisions. In that light, here is a Top 10 list of smart habits and tips related to credit. 1. Establish credit by paying bills regularly and on time; contact a creditor if a payment is going to be late. 2. Establish credit by opening and using a checking or savings account at a bank or credit union. 3. Establish credit by acquiring a credit card, making
small purchases with the card and paying the entire balance each month. 4. Avoid using pre-paid credit cards. 5. Avoid nontraditional financial providers, such as payday lenders and car-title lenders. 6. Know the interest rate and fees for any type of credit arrangement – they can have a significant impact on your monthly payment. 7. Understand compound interest – not only are you charged interest on your credit card balance, but also on accrued interest. As a result, if you aren’t making payments on your credit card or you are only paying the minimum balance, you will pay significantly more for your purchases. 8. Your credit score is like your work history – it follows you wherever you go. A poor credit score can keep you from renting an apartment, buying a home or getting a job. 9. Know the five things that determine your credit score (payment history, amount of your current debt, the length of your credit history, the amount of new credit that you have obtained and the types of credit that you have). 10. Get your credit report every year, and check for errors. Obtain your truly free credit report from annualcreditreport.com. By making a conscious effort to use this Top 10 list, both your personal financial IQ and your credit score should improve by this time next year. For additional information about financial literacy, visit the St. Louis Fed’s web site, www.stlouisfed.org/educatio n_resources. (Martha L. Perine Beard is the Memphis Regional Executive for The Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. Email her at Martha.L.Perine@stls.frb.o rg or call 901-579-2400 (w).)
RELIGION
Page 6
Tri-State Defender
April 11 - 17, 2013
LIVING THE LIFE I LOVE
Be the ‘I Am” that you are
Dear Lucy: I have a coworker who is very religious. She is always evangelizing and bragging about how blessed she is. That’s fine for her, but I don’t want to be made to feel like I am somehow less than she is just because she walks around beating up people all in the name of The Lord. Frankly, she uses God’s name in vain by always telling us that “the Lord doesn’t like this or that” or that bad stuff in our life is God mad at us. How do I deal with this? – Tired of it!
Dear Tired: Recently I have been exploring weight loss programs and read a little tidbit (from a guy named Tony Horton) about what you should do when first starting a diet program. Here is what got my attention: “(Life) has peaks and valleys, ups and downs, lessons and celebrations. This is how we grow and learn...Stop lying to yourself and everyone else about what you’re doing, what you’ve done and what you’re going to do. Stop telling others about your hard workouts and clean diet while pretending that what you are saying is true. If it is true, guess what, we’ll know it. Reality is the ability to accept your present situation and love who you are through the process.” So why would I talk about weight loss in answer to your question? Many of us get excited about new and wonderful directions in our lives. Living is an evolutionary process, “from glory to glory.” Whether we are learning to love again, to do a job well, to live a more peaceful, healthy or wealthy life, we like to talk about it. Sometimes we take the track of “faking it ’til we make it.” There is nothing wrong with evangelizing. But like anything else, our truth will show up and show out in the end. Evangelizing that works best is the kind where we are a living testimony. A part of that testimony is being thoughtful and respectful of others. “From the rising of the sun unto the going down of the same, the Lord’s name is to be praised.” God told Moses that His name is “I Am that I Am.” We carry that same name. Each time we open
o u r mouths and begin a sentence with the words “I am...” W e have the opportunity to Lucy either Shaw praise God and set great and holy truths into motion when we use the name that has been shared with us, or, we can follow this powerful name with words of lack, limitation, fear, worry, jealousy, judgment, condemnation, and all sorts of negativity that shows up eventually as our own life circumstances. What can you do about your co-worker? Refrain from judgment. Thank her for her obvious concern. Let her know that you are also working your salvation out and that you carefully choose to whom, when and how you talk about that. Most important, let your own use of “I Am...” be filled with praise in the form of those words and actions that are kind, gentle, loving, truthful and encouraging for you and anyone around you. When your co-worker begins to speak of her blessings, begin to make a mental list of your own. As you practice conscious gratitude, all anger or frustration with her will melt away. Make of yourself a living testimony of patience, forgiveness and loving-kindness. And then perhaps one day someone will come to you and ask how you got to be so blessed! Lucy
Cancer survivor Tracy Randall sings ‘It Feels Good (To Be Alive)’ Special to The New Tri-State Defender
Lavish Records artist Tracy Randall isn’t supposed to be here. In 2006, Randall – a graduate of The LeMoyne-Owen College – was diagnosed with acute blastic leukemia. After aggressive rounds of chemo and radiation therapy, his doctors gave up and in February 2007 told him to go home and prepare to die. “The doctor told me to get my affairs in order because he didn’t know if I had 3 months or 6 months to live,” Randall recalls. He left the office that cold, rainy afternoon and started walking. “I began to pray and talk to God not about me but about my family and their survival because I’m the breadwinner,” says Randall, who walked and talked right past the 42nd
Street subway where he usually caught the train. “By the time I got to 96th Street this voice said, ‘ Yo u ’ r e going to be okay.’” Tracy Randall Randall fought his illness with his renewed faith and improved his diet. He also began an expensive medical therapy that isn’t covered by insurance. “I don’t want people to think that I no longer have the illness,” Randall says. “I have pain and depression. There are times that I don’t sleep for days because I am afraid to sleep. However, my faith has grown tremendously. I am still
growing and I still get mad and ask God, ‘why me?’ Yet, He touched my soul and I am still here.” It’s against this backdrop that Randall wrote his new radio single, “It Feels Good,” a bouncy track guaranteed to make the stiffest body move. “I opened up my eyes and thanked God for a new day,” he sings on the up-tempo beat. “I’ve been blessed in so many ways if I wanted to write `em down there wouldn’t be enough pages.” The song is the latest single from Randall’s sophomore CD “Troubled Times” that features 14 tracks of what he calls Rhythm & Gospel. “It’s gospel music,” Randall explains. “But it has that urban R&B beat.” Randall just wrapped a new concept video on the track and has now impacted pop radio with
“I Am All You Need,” debuting at No. 36 on the Top 40 Main chart this week with almost a 50 percent increase in spins. The Lake Charles, La. native grew up on a musical diet of Donny Hathaway and Stevie Wonder. After completing his undergraduate degree at The LeMoyne-Owen College in, Randall was signed to the Isley Brothers’ T-Neck/Island Records label. After Universal/Polygram took over the company in 1999, he left to start Lavish Records. In 2007, Randall released his first gospel CD “Sinners Have Souls Too” in 2007 and has done a lot of behind the scenes work in the music industry. He co-wrote four songs on Shaggy’s Grammy Award nominated “Summer in Kingston” CD that reached No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Reggae Albums chart in 2012.
Bishop Porter on ‘Board’… Bishop Brandon B. Porter, pastor of Greater Community Temple COGIC, was installed as a member of the General Board. (Photos: Tyrone P. Easley)
Duty calls…
Elder Charles H. Mason Patterson, the pastor of Pentecostal Temple Institutional Church of God in Christ, was installed as Church of God in Christ national treasurer of the during the Service of Installation and Inauguration on Monday at Temple of Deliverance COGIC. He is the son of the late Bishop J. O. Patterson Jr. and the great-grandson of COGIC founder Bishop Charles H. Mason.
(You can watch Lucy on Channel 17 (Comcast) every Thursday at 10:30 am. (Send your questions to her by U.S. mail to: Heartworks4U, LLC; 4646 Poplar Ave. Ste 201, Memphis, TN 38117 or by e-mail to lucy@heartworks4u.com. Get your free gift at http://www.heartworks4u.com/) (For help with the feelings that get in the way of prayer and peace of mind, get Lucy’s new book, “BE NOT ANXIOUS.” Order it directly from her at 901-907-0260 or from her website.)
PRAISE CONNECT -A WEEKLY DIRECTORY OF MINISTERS & CHURCHES-
METROPOLITAN BAPTIST CHURCH Dr. Reginald L. Porter Sr., Pastor
767 Walker Avenue Memphis, TN 38126
ASSOCIATE MINISTERS
901-946-4095 fax 948-8311
Rev. Davena Young Porter Rev. Linda A Paige Rev. Luecretia Matthews SCHEDULE OF ACTIVITIES
—Revelation 1:8
SUNDAY Sunday School .....................8:30 am Morning Worship Service ....10:00am
WEDNESDAY Bible Study .........................10:30 am Mid-Day Prayer Meeting .....12 noon Evening Prayer Meeting........7:00pm FRIDAY Cable Channel 17 ............... 8:00pm
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.
I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.
— Proverbs 1:7
Dr. & Rev. Mrs. Reginald Porter
ST. ANDREW A.M.E. CHURCH
I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all. —Ecclesiastes 9:11
867 SOUTH PARKWAY EAST Memphis, TN 38106
(901) 948-3441
Early Morning..........7:45 AM Church School..........9:45 AM Morning Worship......11:00 AM Bible Study For Youth and Adults Tuesday - 7:00 PM “Spirit, Soul, and Body!” AM 1070 WDIA Sundays, 10:00-10:30 AM
TV Cable Access Broadcast Tuesdays, 7:30 PM, Channel 17 Website:www.saintandrewamec.org Child Care Center (901) 948-6441 Monday-Friday 6 AM- 5:30 PM Emergency Food Pantry & Clothes Closet Wednesday 6 PM-8 PM
Rev. Kenneth S. Robinson, Pastor Rev. Marilynn S. Robinson, Pastor
“Ministering to Memphis-Spirit, Soul and Body”
Tri-State Defender
April 11 - 17, 2013
Page 7
ENTERTAINMENT A ‘creative risk’ pays off
Tri-State Defender, Thursday, April 11 - 17, 2013, Page 8
Brad Paisley & LL Cool J team up for ‘Accidental Racist’
(CNN) – Brad Paisley and LL Cool J broach sensitive topics in their new collaboration, “Accidental Racist,” and it’s left some critics hoping the entire song was an accident. The track is part of Paisley’s new album, “Wheelhouse,” and was sparked by the reaction the country star said he received after he wore a shirt with the Confederate flag on it to showcase his adoration for the band Alabama. “I was called a racist on Twitter for that,” Paisley told The Tennessean. “That was the beginning of this song: Me thinking, ‘Am I a racist? Is that all it takes?’” And so, with “Accidental Racist,” Paisley Brad and LL Cool J are Paisley hoping to launch a dialogue about prejudice, the South and it’s history with race relations. Paisley sings from the perspective of “a white man coming to you from the Southland, trying to understand what it’s like not LL to be,” as the Cool J lyrics say. The song paints the picture of a guy “Dear Mr. who walks into a White Man, I Starbucks wearwish you ing a shirt like understood one Paisley himwhat the world self has worn, and finding that is really like it was like walkwhen you’re ing an elephant living in the into the room. hood.” “Just a proud rebel son with an old can of worms, looking like I got a lot to learn,” Paisley croons. “I’m proud of where I’m from, but not everything we’ve done, and it ain’t like you and me can rewrite history. Our generation didn’t start this nation.” LL Cool J takes another point of view, rapping, “Dear Mr. White Man, I wish you understood what the world is really like when you’re living in the hood. Just because my pants are sagging doesn’t mean I’m up to no good; you should try to get to know me, I really wish you would.” Chris Willman, who wrote the book “Rednecks and Bluenecks: The Politics of Country Music,” told The Tennessean he found the song “pretty radical,” but Gawker saw it differently, likening it to an “11th grade A.P. History project.” Salon found it “bizarre,” and to The Hairpin, “the song itself is a lyrical disgrace filled with awkward non-apologies and faux-pensiveness over the history of racism in the south.” Paisley has explained that he doesn’t think they “answer the questions in this song,” perhaps chiefly because he says he doesn’t “know the answers.” But, he told Entertainment Weekly, “Accidental Racist” isn’t a stunt. “At this point, after all these albums and all these hits, I have no interest in phoning it in, and I think that (the song) comes from an honest place in both cases, and that’s why it’s on (‘Wheelhouse’) and why I’m so proud of it ... This isn’t something that I just came up with just to be sort of shocking or anything like that. I knew it would be, but I’m sort of doing it in spite of that, really.” Instead, he created it “because it just feels more relevant than it even did a few years ago,” he said. “I think that we’re going through an adolescence in America when it comes to race. You know, it’s like we’re almost grown up. You have these little moments as a country where it’s like, ‘Wow things are getting better.’ And then you have one where it’s like, ‘Wow, no they’re not.’ “... This is a very sensitive subject, and we’re trying to have the discussion in a way that it can help.” Paisley’s album “Wheelhouse” arrived April 9.
Danielle Jones is crowned the winner of the Miss Black and Gold Scholarship Pageant sponsored by the Nu Eta Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.
Miss Black and Gold Scholarship Pageant goes to Danielle Jones Special to The New Tri-State Defender
by Brittany Jackson
Danielle Jones took what she described as a “creative risk” during the talent portion of “The Ascension to the Throne” – the 2013 Miss Black and Gold Scholarship Pageant hosted by the Nu Eta Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. With violin comfortably in place, Jones played a violin dubstep (a genre of electronic dance music) piece by Lindsey Sterling. “It pushed me out of my comfort zone to first play a solo, and then to memorize the music,” said Jones of Rhodes College. The gamble paid off, helping Jones emerge from five “Nubian Princesses” to secure the title of Miss Black and Gold Scholarship at the pageant held in Christian Brothers’ University Theatre last Sunday (April 7). In addition to creative and performing arts, the pageant featured intellectual expression and evening gown/ swimwear competition. It also signaled that the Nu Eta Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. is back on campus at CBU and Rhodes College after a 25-year hiatus. “The Nu Eta Chapter has recently been rechartered during the Fall 2012 semester, making this our first Miss Black and Gold Scholarship Pageant,” said Ronald Bené Woods, chapter president, in his formal greeting.
“It has been a lot of hard work but for a good purpose. I would like to personally thank our pageant contestants and their families, as well as a special thank you to Ms. Jessica Pollard, our Pageant Coordinator.” Amaris Judson of Rhodes College, and Kiara Suggs, Jessica Ramey and Adama Sow, of Christian Brothers University, joined Jones in the battle for the “throne.” The pageant competition included interviews with the judges, grade point average, amount of ads sold and response to this question: “What do you think the local government could do to help decrease Memphis’ unemployment rate, which is reportedly 18 percent above the national average?” The pageant, which was chaired by Christopher Perkins, began with a viewing of the pageant’s promotional video, followed by an opening dance, with the contestants introducing themselves at the end of Beyoncé’s “End of Time.” Ramey weighed in with an interpretive dance that went head-to-head with Sow’s cultural-dancing performance, Suggs’ dramatic presentation from “Four Colored Girls,” Judson’s recital of Maya Angelou’s “Still I Rise” poem, and Jones’ instrumental solo on the violin. Sow won Miss Congeniality, as voted by her peers. Judson was the 2nd Runner-up for Miss Black and Gold. Suggs won the Most Ads Sold Award and was the pageant’s 1st runner-up. As the pageant neared its conclusion,
Pushed out of her comfort zone by the challenges of a violin dubstep arrangement, Danielle Jones did her thing and came up a winner. (Photos: Shirley Jackson)
everyone had an opinion about who would be crowned the pageant and scholarship winner. “Participating in the Miss Black and Gold Scholarship Pageant has been a grueling yet fulfilling experience and going on to win is extremely thrilling,” said Jones. “ As our coordinator (Pollard) kept reminding us, the winner would be the first Miss Black and Gold for the Nu Eta Chapter of Rhodes College and Christian Brothers University who are now active after 25 years,” said Jones. “Over the course of more than two months, I have gotten to know the other four contestants, to enjoy their characters and respect their strengths as we all persevered through the late night practices. I feel humbled to have won competing against those lovely ladies. Winning best talent feels incredible.” For Jones, the next step is regional competition in November. Kiarra Scruggs competes in the swimwear competition.
ENTERTAINMENT
Tri-State Defender
Page 9
April 11 - 17, 2013
OPENING THIS WEEK
Kam’s Kapsules:
Weekly Previews That Make Choosing a Film Fun
Snoop Lion (left) and Mac Miller in "Scary Movie 5." (Photo: Peter Iovino/Dimensi on Films) Special to The New Tri-State Defender
by Kam Williams
For movies opening April 12, 2013
BIG BUDGET FILMS
“42” (PG-13 for epithets, ethnic slurs and mature themes) Civil rights drama chronicling Jackie Robinson’s (Chad Boseman) historic breaking of baseball’s color barrier in 1947 upon being signed to a major league contract by the Brooklyn Dodgers’ general manager, Branch Rickey (Harrison Ford). With Nicole Beharie, John C. McGinley and Lucas Black. “Scary Movie 5” (PG-13 for profanity, drug use, cartoon violence and crude humor) Latest installment of the horror spoof franchise revolves around a happily-married couple (Ashley Tisdale and Simon Rex) with a newborn who suddenly find themselves stalked by a diabolical demon. Ensemble cast includes Charlie Sheen, Lindsay Lohan, Mike Tyson, Terry Crews, Bow Wow, Katt Williams, Heather Locklear, Darrell Hammond and Jasmine Guy.
INDEPENDENT & FOREIGN FILMS
“American Meat” (Unrated) Solutions-oriented documentary examining the state of the U.S. meat business from the point-of-view of farmers working in the industry.
“The Angel’s Share” (Unrated) Ken Loach directed this bittersweet tale of redemption, set in Scotland, about a petty criminal (Paul Brannigan) who promises to turn over a new leaf after his girlfriend (Siobhan Reilly) has a baby. With John Henshaw, Gary Maitland and Jasmin Riggins.
Faith-based drama about a spoiled-rotten rich kid (Cody Longo) who comes to appreciate his many blessings while vacationing in India where he witnesses the sex-trafficking of lower caste girls. With John Schneider, Walid Amini, Cassie Scerbo and Justin Baldoni. (In English, Hindi and Telugu)
“Into the White” (R for profanity) Strange bedfellows saga, set in Norway during World War II, about five, downed fighter pilots, three German, two British, who team-up to survive the harsh elements in the wilderness. Cast includes Rupert Grint, Florian Lukas, David Kross, Stig Henrik Hoff and Knut Joner. (In English, Norwegian and German with subtitles)
“This Ain’t California” (Unrated) Cold War documentary highlighting the exploits of a trio of popular skateboarders who had their heyday in East Germany back in the Eighties. (In German with subtitles)
“Disconnect” (R for sexuality, profanity, violence, graphic nudity and teen drug use) Serendipitous cyber thriller exploring themes ranging from bullying to the invasion of privacy from the perspective of people desperate to make a human connection in today’s totally wired world. Starring Jason Bateman, Paula Patton, Hope Davis and Kasi Lemmons.
“It’s a Disaster” (R for profanity, sexual references and drug use) Apocalyptic comedy about four couples who get together for Sunday brunch only to find themselves stuck together in a house as the end of the world approaches. Featuring America Ferrara, Julia Stiles, David Cross, Rachel Boston and Jeff Grace. “Not Today” (PG-13 for mature themes)
“Paris-Manhattan” (Unrated) Romantic romp, set in Paris, revolving around a lonely, Woody Allen-obsessed pharmacist (Alice Taglioni) whose frustrated father (Michael Aumont) tries to play matchmaker by introducing her to a burglary alarm technician (Patrick Bruel). Support cast includes Marine Delterme, Louis-Do le Lencquesaing and Marie-Christine Adam, with a cameo by Wood Allen. (In French with subtitles)
“To the Wonder” (R for nudity and sexuality) Terrence Malick directed this romance drama, set in Oklahoma, about a couple (Ben Affleck and Olga Kurylenko) whose relationship is on the rocks, with him taking up with a childhood friend (Rachel McAdams) while she cries on the shoulder of a Catholic priest (Javier Bardem) questioning the wisdom of his vow of celibacy. With Charles Baker, Romina Mondello and Darryl Cox. (In English, French, Spanish and Italian with subtitles)
HOROSCOPES
April 11–17, 2013
ARIES When you are guided by spirit, you’ll find that you are working, living, and breathing in tune with the universe. What a great feeling! You’ll be a source of peace and blessings for all that you encounter this week. TAURUS Remember that you are an intensely physical sign, and you need to move your body in order to relax. Take a walk, go for a swim, play tennis, or scrub that kitchen floor. However you choose to move, you’ll liberate your spirit and relax at the same time. Get going! GEMINI It’s a week tailor-made for your energies, so get out there and let every perfect moment flow toward you. You’ve got an abundance of pleasant feelings why not spread them around? CANCER Success is a series of small steps. The baby steps you take each week toward your dream will move you closer and closer to your vision. Keep taking those little steps and expect to hear some good news about a big project. LEO Expect some surprises this week. You’ll be very happy about at least one of them. Stay flexible and you’ll be in the right place at the right moment, every moment. You’ll want to celebrate at home tonight. VIRGO A burst of enthusiasm will carry you through the early part of the work week, and with a positive outlook, you’ll be very happy with what you’ve accomplished at the end of the week. Have a heap of fun! LIBRA An older female may extend something valuable to you, and you’ll be very glad about what you receive. Possibilities seem endless this week, and you’ll want to refresh your outlook about a particular project that suddenly looks lucrative again. SCORPIO The possibility exists that you’ve temporarily overlooked a powerful way of increasing your income. Still your mind and let your spirit guide you toward a perfect solution to a vexing situation. SAGITTARIUS Personal finance stays in focus this week, and you’ll be looking at new ways of creating and managing wealth. If you keep your mind open to the flow of abundance, you’re sure to be happily surprised this week. CAPRICORN Lots of love and good vibrations are in the air this week. You’ll be whole-heartedly open to a proposal that involves something very important to you. Keep your energy constructive and positive. AQUARIUS This week’s vibration seems to have only a single point for you, and that is to get out and have some fun with friends. You could use the relaxation, so leave your chores undone and go have a good time! PISCES Don’t underestimate the power of persuasion. Continue to persevere and stay adamant with your ideas and pursuit. The universe is balanced, so your efforts will pay off. Learn to positively distract yourself as you wait and continue to let your enthusiasm rise about all negative feelings. Source: NNPA News Service
Page 10
SPORTS
April 11 - 17, 2013
GRIZZ TRACK Employment
Employment Opportunities Choctaw Transportation Company recruits individuals regardless of race, creed, disability, veteran status, color, religion, national origin, sex, age or genetic information with various skills as job opening occur. We are and Equal Opportunity Employer and make every effort to employ minorities and females. May Apply At: Choctaw Transportation Company 2353 Hwy. 104 W. Dyersburg, TN 38024 EOE/M/F/V/D
Tony Allen of the Grizzlies is fouled and pushed out of bounds by Micheal Kidd-Gilchrist of the Bobcats. (Photos: Warren Roseborough)
Employment Opportunities Ford Construction Company recruits individuals regardless of race, creed, disability, veteran status, color, religion, national origin, sex, age or genetic information with various skills as job opening occur. We are and Equal Opportunity Employer and make every effort to employ minorities and females. May Apply At: Ford Construction Company 2353 Hwy. 104 W. Dyersburg, TN 38024 90 Fiberglass Rd. Jackson, TN 38302 1697 W. Hwy. Troy, TN 38260 EOE/M/F/V/D
Legal notices
Request to any parties holding an interest in this vehicle contact (901)275-5637. 1994 Ford F250 VIN 1FTHX26F4RKB09892
Dexter Pittman of the Grizzlies somehow manages to save this loose ball as it is about to go out of bounds.
John Leuer of the Grizzlies pump fakes Bismack Biyombo of the Bobcats up in the air and into a foul on this play. Leuer scored 11 points as the Grizzʼs reserves helped Memphis roll in the final frame.
Four more to go in regular season for Grizzlies
With four games left in the regular season after knocking off the Charlotte Bobcats Tuesday night, the playoff-bound Memphis Grizzlies possess a hard-earned 53-25 record. The Grizz came on strong in the fourth quarter against Charlotte, with some players who have played sparingly getting a chance to log minutes before the FedExForum crowd. Newcomer John Leuer came off the bench to score 11 points and help spark the second unit, which came up big in the 94-75 victory. Memphis’ last four games: Fri., April 12 – At Houston, 8 p.m. Sat., April 13 – At FedExForum, 8 p.m. Mon., April 15 – At Dallas, 8 p.m. Wed., April 17 – At FedExForum, 8 p.m.
D/M/W/BE Construction Business Opportunity Invitation to Bid Montgomery Martin Contractors is seeking bids from certified minority subcontractors and suppliers for the Hotel Chisca Selective Demolition Project in Memphis, TN. All bids are due no later than 2:00 PM CST on April 16, 2013. Bids should be faxed to Montgomery Martin Contractors, Attn: Estimating Dept. at 901-374-9402. MWBE certifications must be submitted with your bid. If you have any questions, please contact Mark Thoss at 901-3749400. Bid documents may be obtained by purchase from Memphis Reprographics by calling 901-590-4862. Bid Documents will also be available for viewing at the MMC planroom or downloaded from iSqFt.com. LEGAL NOTICE TO BIDDERS – REVISED Jet Bridge Relocations (A25/A27) – Construction Memphis International Airport MSCAA Project Number 13-1359-01 Sealed bids for the Jet Bridge Relocations (A25/A27) – Construction, MSCAA Project No. 13-1359-01, will be received by the Staff Services Division of the MemphisShelby County Airport Authority (MSCAA), 3505 Tchulahoma Road, Memphis, Tennessee 38118, until 2:00 PM Local Time on Thursday, April 25, 2013, and immediately thereafter will be opened and publicly read. BIDS WILL NOT BE RECEIVED AT ANY OTHER LOCATION. The scope of work generally consists of relocations of three existing passenger boarding bridges at Memphis International Airport. Work efforts include, but are not necessarily limited to, removal and relocation of existing passenger boarding bridges, installation of one new passenger boarding bridge tunnel, and modifications to an existing building including architectural modifications, electrical modifications, plumbing modifications, structural modifications, and other efforts as required. Bid Documents may be obtained and found on our website (www.mscaa.com). Bid documents may be examined at the following locations in Memphis, TN: Builderʼs Exchange Plans Room, McGrawHill Construction Dodge Plans Room, Memphis Area Minority Contractorʼs Association, Mid-South Minority Business Council, National Association of Minority Contractors, and Renaissance Business Center Bid Room. Information regarding obtaining bid documents, addenda to these documents and any other additional information may be found on our website (www.mscaa.com). All Respondents are hereby notified that all updates, addenda and additional information, if any, shall be posted to the MSCAA website and Respondents are responsible for checking the MSCAA website up to the time of the Bid opening. MSCAA issued the original Legal Notice via its website on Monday, March 11, but failed to publish the Legal Notice in print. For that reason, this Revised Legal Notice is being published for the benefit of the print audience who meet special criteria: (1) if you did not receive the original Legal Notice, (2) if you are a Prime Contractor who intends to submit a bid, and (3) if you did not attend the original Pre-Bid Meeting (conducted on Wednesday, March 27), MSCAA has scheduled a Second MANDATORY Pre-Bid Meeting for Thursday, April 18, at 9:00 AM Local Time at the Airport Project Center, 4225 Airways Boulevard, Memphis, TN 38116. Only Prime Contractors who attend a Pre-Bid Meeting will be permitted to submit a bid. This meeting is NOT required for Prime Contractors who attended the original Pre-Bid Meeting. If you meet the above criteria and wish to attend the Second MANDATORY Pre-Bid Meeting, you must pre-register your attendance by 4:00 PM Local Time on Tuesday, April 16, by contacting MSCAA Staff Services at (901) 922-8078. If no one who meets the above criteria pre-registers for the meeting, it will not be conducted. The MSCAA hereby notifies that it will review and award contracts in accordance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, 42 U.S.C. 2000d to 2000d-4a and Title 49,
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Part 26, Code of Federal Regulations, Department of Transportation, Subtitle A, Office of the Secretary, Part 21, Nondiscrimination in Federally Assisted Programs of the Department of Transportation issued pursuant to such Act. MSCAA further notifies all Bidders that it will affirmatively ensure that in any contract entered into pursuant to this advertisement, Disadvantaged, Minority and Women Business Enterprises (D/M/WBE) will be afforded full opportunity to submit bids in response to this invitation and will not be discriminated against on the grounds of age, race, sex, color, national origin, creed, religion, sexual orientation or disability in its hiring and employment practices, or in admission to, access to, or operation of its programs, services and activities. The D/M/WBE participation goal for this contract is 10% in accordance with the requirements of the Contract Documents. This project is Federal Grant Funded. Therefore, the only participation that will be counted toward meeting this goal will be participation by certified DBEs, the owners of which have been certified as having a personal net worth less than $1.32 million. MBE and WBE participation is encouraged but may NOT be counted toward the goal. Each bid must be by a contractor licensed in Tennessee and accompanied by a 5% Bid Guarantee. In accordance with TCA §62-6-119, the Bidder, and where applicable, one contractor/subcontractor performing electrical, plumbing or heating ventilation work must have its license number, expiration date of the license, and that part of the classification applying to the bid shown on the outside of the envelope containing the bid. Failure to supply all information on the outside of the envelope will result in the return of the unopened envelope to the Bidder. The successful Bidder will be required to execute a Performance Bond and a Payment Bond, each in the amount of 100% of the Contract Price. Liquidated damages for delay in contract completion shall be as stated in the Contract Documents. No Bidder may withdraw an opened bid within the defined period following actual bid opening without MSCAAʼs consent. Award will be made to the lowest and best responsible qualified Bidder, if any contract is awarded. MSCAA reserves the right to reject any or all bids and to waive any informalities, technicalities or omissions therein. MSCAA also reserves the right to reject bids from bidders that have pending litigation or claims with MSCAA, or if such bid includes a proposed subcontractor or supplier that has pending litigation or claims with MSCAA, if MSCAA determines, in its sole discretion, such litigation or claims may adversely affect the ability of the parties to work efficiently and effectively under this contract, or for any other reason as determined by MSCAA. Any such bid will be returned to the bidder. See Instructions to Bidders in the project specifications for a further description of this and other reservations of rights. MEMPHIS-SHELBY COUNTY AIRPORT AUTHORITY By Larry D. Cox, President & CEO PUBLIC NOTICE THE MEMPHIS URBAN AREA METROPOLITAN PLANNING ORGANIZATION In compliance with federal regulations 23 CFR 450, the Memphis Urban Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) is proposing six (6) amendments to the FY 2011-2014 Transportation Improvement Program (TIP). Two (2) TIP amendments were associated with an Air Quality Short Conformity Determination Report: Amendment 10 and the remaining four (4) TIP amendments were included in an IAC Exempt Packet. The MPO will also be presenting the 2014-2017 TIP Project List and the Air Quality Conformity Determination Reports for Shelby and Desoto Counties for approval. The public is hereby given notice that these documents are available for review 8:00 AM until 4:30 PM Monday through Friday in the offices of the Memphis MPO located at 125 N. Main Street, Room 450, Memphis, TN 38103 or for download from the Internet at: www.memphismpo.org. The English and Spanish language copies are also available for public review in the library systems of Shelby, Fayette, and DeSoto counties. Written public comments on the amendments will be accepted through Monday, April 22, 2013. Comments may be submitted to Pragati Srivastava, Memphis MPO, 125 N. Main Street, Room 450, Memphis, TN 38134 or via
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email at Pragati.Srivastava@ memphistn.gov. The Memphis MPO Transportation Policy Board (TPB) will hold a public hearing on Thursday, April 25, 2013, 1:30 PM, at the UT Health Science Center, Student Alumni Building, 800 Madison Avenue, Memphis, Tennessee, 38103 to accept oral comments and take action on the proposed items. It is the policy of the Memphis MPO not to discriminate on the basis of age, race, color, national origin or disability in its hiring or employment practices, or in its admissions to or operations of its program, services, or activities. All inquiries for Title VI and/or the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), or for persons with disabilities that require aids or services to participate either in the review of these documents or at the hearing may contact John Paul Shaffer at 901-576-7130, fax (901) 576-7272; or email John.Shaffer@memphistn.gov to make accessibility arrangements no less than five days prior to the April 25, 2013 Transportation Policy Board meeting. This notice is funded (in part) under an agreement with the State of TN and MS, Departments of Transportation.
LEGAL NOTICE TO BIDDERS Sealed bids will be received at the Office of the City of Memphis Purchasing Agent, Room 354, City Hall, 125 N. Main, Memphis, TN 38103, until 2:00 PM CT, Friday, May 3, 2013, for furnishing the City of Memphis with the following: FOR THE DIVISION OF: ENGINEERING City of Memphis RFQ # 3191 . FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF: STP – Railroad Sign and Marking Improvements at Various Locations Federal Project No.: STP-M-9409 (142) State PIN: 113006 Location(s): Various Locations throughout the City of Memphis 1. The Prime Contractor and all Sub Contractors must pre-qualify with the Department of Transportation in accordance with Section 54-5-117 of the “Tennessee Code Annotated” and Tennessee Department of Transportation Rule 1680-5-3 prequalification of contractors before biddable proposals will be furnished. 2. The City of Memphis hereby notifies all bidders that a 25% Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) goal has been set for this project and must be met or exceeded. All contractors identified as a Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) must be on the Tennessee Uniform Certification Program (TNUCP) List at the time of the bid opening. 3. The City of Memphis hereby notifies all bidders that it will affirmatively insure that in any contract entered into pursuant to this advertisement, disadvantaged business enterprises will be afforded full opportunity to submit bids in response to this invitation, and will not be discriminated against on the grounds of age, race, color, religion, national origin, sex or disability in consideration for an award. 4. The City of Memphis is an equal opportunity affirmative action employer, drugfree with policies of non-discrimination on the basis of race, sex, religion, color, national or ethnic origin, age, disability or military service. For additional information contact Mary Bright, (901) 636-6210, City of Memphis, Contract Compliance Office, 125 N. Main St, Memphis, TN 38103 5. “Certification by each bidder must be made with respect to nondiscrimination in employment.” 6. A Bid Bond is required. 7. All bids must include, on the outside of the bid envelope, the name of the project, the bid due date and the bid opening time. Plans, Specifications and attendant deposit information available, until the time set for opening bids, from: Janet Prejean, (901) 636-2462, City of Memphis, Construction Inspections, 2599 Avery Avenue, Memphis, TN 38112. Award of contracts will be made on the basis of the lowest and best bids as determined by the City of Memphis. “Best Bid” shall be defined as the responsive quotation, that meets the contract documents, including, if applicable, any DBE Participation Goal as set out in this specification. THE RIGHT TO REJECT ANY AND ALL BIDS IS RESERVED Notice of intent of award will be issued after review of all opened bids. Any protest of award must be filed in writing with the Purchasing Agent within ten calendar days of the intent of award announcement. By Order of the Mayor of the City of Memphis, Tennessee. A C WHARTON, JR., MAYOR ERIC S. MAYSE, CITY PURCHASING AGENT
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COMMUNITY
Tri-State Defender
Page 11
April 11 - 17, 2013
CHEF TIMOTHY
Women’s Foundation taps 6 for Annual Legends Award Six women whose work embodies the mission of the Women’s Foundation for a Greater Memphis will be honored at the group’s Annual Legends Award Reception on Tuesday (April 16). The Women’s Foundation for a Greater Memphis (WFGM) was founded 18 years ago. It’s mission is to “encourage philanthropy and foster leadership among women and support programs that enable women and children to reach their full potential.” This year’s honorees are: Rosie Phillips Bingham, Ph.D.
Dr. Rosie Phillips Bingham, the first African-American to serve as Vice President of Student Affairs at the University of Memphis, is a prolific writer, presenter and leader in the field of psychology. Kathy Buckman Gibson
As Chairman of the Board at Buckman Laboratories International, Inc., Kathy Buckman Gibson succeeded her father, Robert Buckman, as head of the company that her grandfather, Stanley J. Buckman, created in 1945. She has devoted much time and attention to improving education and the local
economy, as well as the arts. Carolyn Chism Hardy
A Memphis business executive for 30 years, Carolyn Chism Hardy started Hardy Bottling Company in 2006, becoming the first AfricanAmerican female to own a major brewery with the ability to manufacture over 100 million cases. Hazel G. Moore
The sole proprietor of Hazel’s Hair Fashion, Hazel G. Moore has spent more than 40 years as a cosmetology professional and licensed instructor. For 20 years, she has served on the Tennessee Board of Cosmetology.
Rosie Phillips Bingham
Kathy Buckman Gibson
Barbara U. Prescott, Ph.D.
Dr. Barbara U. Prescott has worked on the front lines to improve the education system for 30 years. She is executive director of PeopleFirst Partnership, the education and talent component of Memphis Fast Forward. A former school board member, Dr. Prescott was elected chair of the Transitional Planning Commission, which was designed to create the plan for the merger of Memphis City Schools and Shelby County Schools.
Barbara U. Prescott
Rachel Shankman
Munich, Germany and brought to the United States at an early age, Shankman in 1991 joined the staff of Facing History and Ourselves, later becoming senior director.
At A Glance: Carolyn Chism Hardy
Rachel Shankman
Hazel G. Moore
The first woman president of Beth Sholom Synagogue, Rachel Shankman is the daughter of Holocaust concentration camp survivors. Born in a displaced persons camp in
The Legends Award Reception will be held at The Columns at One Commerce Square, 40 South Main St., from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., April 16. The 2013 Annual Tribute Luncheon and Symposium will be held from 11:30 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. on Friday, April 26, at the Cook Convention Center, 255 N. Main. The featured speaker will be Shoshana Bean, Broadway actress/recording artist. For more information, visit www.wfgm.org or call 901-5789346.
LENS & LINES
With a relative dealing with a health challenge, Ada Anderson (right) sought information that might help. Also pictured, Linda Gregory. (Photos: Shirley Jackson)
Community Awareness Day at Greater Lakeview MBC targets information gap Special to The New Tri-State Defender
by Shirley Jackson
Joyce Glasper has a sense of what families want and need when a loved one nears the end of life. She shares that information regularly, just as she did at Greater Lakeview Missionary Baptist Church’s Community Awareness Day last Saturday (April 6). Glasper reaches out to those in need through Crossroads Hospice. She was among the service providers extending information during the awareness event held at the church at 191 East Holmes Road, where the Rev. Joe E. Hayes is pastor. In her exchanges, Glasper emphasized the importance of making hospice patients comfortable. She also talked about helping families understand the need to let relatives in hospice choose to do things that are really special to them. VEthel Patterson, who helped organize the Community Awareness Day, knows the value of Glasper’s knowledge. Crossroads was there when her family needed hospice
care for her mom. The situation was not easy, said Patterson, who credits Crossroads for being there and helping her accept the end-of-life experience. Other presenters provided de-
tails about a range of services and programs, including in-home health care service, Medicare and the role a car club can play when it comes to meeting community needs.
Sondra Guy speaks with Joyce Glasper of Crossroads Hospice about endof-life services.
Healthy eating – a guard against unhealthy drugs by Chef Timothy Moore Special to The New Tri-State Defender
We can put a man on the moon, elect an African American as president, legalize same-sex marriage and smoke pot in some states without breaking the law. But we have not reined in the high cost of healthcare, even though President Obama signed the Dr. timothy Affordable Care Moore Act into law. Tens of millions of Americans have some type of medical ailment – such as stroke, high blood pressure, diabetes or cancer. We continue to get sicker and fatter as a nation because of unhealthy diets, dehydration and a lack of physical exercise. The skyrocketing healthcare prices we are paying each year are mindboggling. We’re spending over $2.6 trillion annually on healthcare, and that amount is increasing daily. There are many healthcare challenges facing us today. Mental illness is one of them; genetically modified foods are another. Yet, you didn’t hear much about either one when the president’s healthcare bill was being sliced and diced by his detractors and scrutinized by some of his supporters. And then there is ADHD, a kind of mental illness that affects one in every 55 individuals. This illness is spiraling out of control and there is no super cure to help rid the afflicted of his/her mental and emotional challenges. Eating healthy is one thing, but crossing the threshold into mental illness can be difficult to treat without medication. As a vegan and raw chef, I’ve dealt with clients who’ve grappled for years with illnesses that were both mental and physical. There is hope, however. If you just eat the right food, you’d be able to avoid some of the debilitating diseases and illnesses that can shut down the body – and the mind. While the big wigs in the food industry are not providing the right types of food for us to eat and to stay healthy, it still is not all that difficult to eat healthy, drink plenty of water and exercise to stay in shape. “Just do it!” to borrow Nike’s slogan. Your journey to health and wellness will begin when you switch to a plant-based diet. That means you’d have to eat plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables to get your energy level up. No problem, right? What if you’re on medication? So what! Take the meds and continue to eat healthy. If you eat healthy and change your lifestyle, you’ll think, act and feel better. If you’re suffering with diabetes, high blood pressure, lupus, obesity, ADHD and high cholesterol, you may be able to rid your body of one or more of those illnesses. A plant-based lifestyle just may make this very much possible to achieve. Since a lot of people are battling high cholesterol, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the pros and cons of taking statin drugs to lower cholesterol levels. The most popular brands that I can think of are Lipitor® (atorvastatin), Zocor® (simvastatin) and Crestor® (rosuvastatin). The statin drugs work as designed. For example, if your cholesterol level is at least 350 mg/dL to 400+ mg/dL, your doctor may prescribe one of the statin drugs to bring down your cholesterol to a safe level. But in some cases, patients are prescribed these drugs when their cholesterol level is slightly over 200 mg/dL. Now here’s what doctors won’t tell you after prescribing statin drugs: There are a number of short-term and long-term side effects, such as liver damage, an increase in blood pressure and type II diabetes, short- and long-term memory loss, renal failure and an increase in cataracts, the formation of some cancers, suppression of the immune system, muscle weakness and arthritis and bone pain. Statin drugs should be used as a last resort. It would be best to eat healthy to avoid taking medication, particularly the ones with the most dangerous side effects. Switching to a plant-based diet will keep you healthy and, in most cases, away from the doctor’s office.
(Dr. Timothy Moore teaches nutrition, heart disease and diabetes reversal through a plant-based lifestyle. He is a professional speaker, international wellness coach and personal plant-based chef. He is the author of “47 Tips To Reverse Your Diabetes.” He can be reached by email at cheftimothy@ cheftimothymoore.com, visit him at www.cheftimothymoore.com or follow him at www.twitter. com/cheftimmoore.)
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April 11 - 17, 2013
Tri-State Defender