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