5 21 2014

VOL. 63, No. 19

May 15 - 21, 2014

www.tsdmemphis.com

75 Cents

Common Core a ‘crystal stair’ for one Memphis school Exploring the Common Core experience at Cornerstone Preparatory School Whoopi Goldberg: “This is the thing: If anybody hits you, you have the right – I know that many people are raised in a very different way – but if a woman hits you, to me, you have the right to hit her back.”

(Photo: Ilya S. Savenok/Getty Images)

Is it ever OK for a man to hit a woman back?

Whoopi Goldberg says Jay Z had every right to hit Solange back The Root

by Yesha Callahan

Over the past several days, the topic of Jay Z and Solange Knowles fighting in an elevator has ruled the Internet. Most people have wondered what provoked Knowles to attack Jay Z. Other people commended Jay Z for doing what was right and not retaliating against her with a few kicks and punches of his own.

But one media personality believes that any man, including Jay Z, should be able to hit a woman back during a fight.

Whoopi Goldberg, co-host of “The View,” doesn’t have any double standards when it comes to violence. During Tuesday’s episode of the ABC talk show, Goldberg said Jay Z had every right to defend himself and hit Solange back.

“I think Solange was quite ready for him to do whatever he was going to do,” Goldberg said. “This is the thing: If anybody hits you, you have the right – I know that many people are raised in a very different way – but if a woman hits you, to me, you have the right to hit her back.”

Barbara Walters then asked Goldberg if that’s the case even if it’s a woman hitting a man.

“If I slap a man, he has every right to slap me back,” said Goldberg.

Imagine if Jay Z had slapped Knowles back! The media spin on the situation would have been totally different. More than likely, the funny memes wouldn’t exist, and we’d probably be discussing Jay Z being hauled off to jail, in addition to the issue of domestic violence against women.

But should a man actually hit a woman back, as Goldberg suggests?

Considering the physical differences between a man and a woman, most of us would say that a man has a greater physical advantage. But others, like Goldberg, would say that you should be allowed to defend yourself regardless of the sex of the other person involved.

Not everyone is on Goldberg’s side, and she’s definitely receiving her fair share of side eyes on social media for the comments. For example: Rozliana  @cintaroz: “Whoopi’s SEE HIT ON PAGE 3

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In the last school day before Mother’s Day, 8-year-old Frankie Munthe was eager to share his interpretation of “Mother to Son” with his classmates. He explained that it’s about “roadblocks,” referring to the poem’s first line: “Well, son, I’ll tell you. Life for me ain’t been no crystal stair. It’s had tacks in it, And splinters, And boards torn up, And places with no carpet on the floor – Bare.”

Written in 1922 by Langston Hughes during the Harlem Renaissance and now regarded as a classic work, the poem is commonly taught in schools, but students may not encounter it until after junior high or even college. However, the introduction of Common Core State Standards in Tennessee has afforded even elementary school teachers the flexibility to use curriculum in ways that foster critical thinking skills and require students to explain and defend their observations.

“I find that they can feel and identify with that poem,” Graham Farnsworth, Frankie’s teacher said of his second grade class, “and things that are higher level. Did they hit that poem like they would in a college class? No. But did they get things out of it? I can still teach the standards but also get them to learn a little bit of something about their history and our history as Americans.”

Farnsworth said he was excited as Frankie drew from a sociology segment months earlier to comment on

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Students at Cornerstone Preparatory School contemplate Langston Hughesʼs poem, “Mother to Son.” (Photo: New America Media) the status of African Americans addressed in Hughes’s poem. One of only four Hispanic students at the predominantly African-American Cornerstone Preparatory School,

Frankie first attended kindergarten at Lester School, physically located at the same site. Lester was targeted as an underachieving school by the state and brought under the state’s

Achievement School District, modeled on the Recovery School District in Louisiana. Within five years, the ASD’s goal is to move schools rated within the lowest five percent to within the top 25 percent.

Diana Bey, the Curriculum Development Instructor at Cornerstone, explained that Frankie’s family moved the year after kindergarten, so he spent virtually his entire first grade at another school. Yet, with an open enrollment policy under ASD, Frankie’s mother decided that he would spend his last three days of first grade year attending Cornerstone, just enough days to deem him eligible to return for second grade.

Frankie’s mother decided to re-enroll her son at Cornerstone based on the hope that Bey, who had been Frankie’s kindergarten teacher, would be able to train Cornerstone’s other teachers to transmit the love of learning and high expectations to which Frankie had grown accustomed in her class. An experienced teacher who had home-schooled her children, Bey said she was “doing Common Core before there was a Common Core.”

Though Frankie now commutes, his sincerity in valuing his attendance at Cornerstone speaks to the evident success of a school that faced, and still faces, a difficult transition for some of its students.

Cornerstone came to a community that wanted to retain the legacy of Lester, one of its few anchor institutions, a community that was leery of its school being taken over by CorSEE SCHOOL ON PAGE 2

A first: AfricanAmerican executive editor at the New York Times Pultizer Prize winner Baquet takes over The Root

by Stephen A. Crockett Jr.

Cooking up a good time…

With the annual Memphis in May Festivalʼs World Champion Barbecue Cooking Contest set to serve up a heaping quantity of savory smells and plenty of creations to satisfy taste-buds, Mayor A C Wharton Jr. gets into the mix with a team ready to represent the Office of the Mayor. The VIP reception was held Wednesday night at Beale Street Landing, where it was hosted by John Freeman. (Photo: Tyrone P. Easley)

Insufficient Vitamin D linked to prostate cancer in African-American men NNPA News Service

by Jazelle Hunt

MEMPHIS WEEKEND

FRIDAY

New America Media

by Khalil Abdullah

The relationship between melanin and vitamin D – the nutrient that sunlight provides – may explain why African American, Caribbean, and men of African ancestry have the highest rates of prostate cancer than anyone in the world, according to a new study.

The study by a team of researchers at Northwestern University, which appears in this month’s issue of Clinical Cancer Research, finds that vitamin D deficiency is associated with increased risk of diagnosis among black men – but not among white men.

“Our report is the first to describe the association of vitamin D deficiency and outcomes of prostate biopsies in high-risk men with an abnormal (blood test or clinical exam),” the study states. “If vitamin D is involved in prostate cancer initiation or progression, it would pro-

vide a modifiable risk factor for primary prevention and secondary prevention to limit progression, especially in the highest risk group of African-American men.”

Among American men, prostate cancer is the most common cancer, and the second leading cause of cancer deaths. One in seven American men will develop it in their lifetime. However, African-American men are 60 percent more likely than whites to be affected, according to the American Cancer Society. Although the mortality rate is among the lowest of all cancers, it is more than twice as high for African-American men than white men. (The incidence of prostate cancer is low among Latino and Asian men).

It’s especially a concern for men over 50, as the risk of onset rises steadily over time; cancer (in general) is the number one cause of death for African-American men age 65 to 84 in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease

Control and Prevention.

The study tested the vitamin D levels of nearly 700 men in the Chicago area undergoing their first prostate biopsies, which is the usual recommendation after an abnormal test result or clinical exam. Researchers found that while severely low vitamin D levels were associated with more aggressive tumors, across race, African-American men with even moderately low vitamin D levels had higher odds of being diagnosed after that initial biopsy. There was no similar link among the white men studied.

Vitamin D primarily allows the body to absorb calcium, but it also plays a role in regulating cell growth and creation. Although the nutrient can be found in a handful of foods – most significantly in fatty seafood, such as wild-caught salmon – the body primarily creates its own vitamin D by absorbing sunlight.

SEE PROSTATE ON PAGE 3

Dean Baquet will become the first AfricanAmerican executive editor at the New York Times, replacing Jill Abramson who leaves the top position unexpectedly. The news apparently stunned New York Dean Times staffers Baquet who did not see this move coming.

On Wednesday, 6 things to Arthur Sulzberger know about Jr., publisher of Dean Baquet the New York Times and chairSee man of the New Page 3 York Times Company, first told senior staff of the changing of the guard and then informed the full newsroom around 2:30 p.m., the New York Times reports.

While the reason for the change was not immediately made clear, Baquet seems a fitting choice to lead the newspaper with his being a Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter and a former editor of the Los Angeles Times.

“It is an honor to be asked to lead the only newsroom in the country that is actually better than it was a generation ago, one that approaches the world with wonder and ambition every day,” said Baquet, who at the time of his appointment was serving as the newspaper’s managing editor.

Baquet, 57, was born in New Orleans and has worked in the newspaper industry for more than 25 years, beginning in 1980 with his hometown paper, the States-Item, before it merged with the Times-Picayune, Businessweek.com reported.

In 1984, he joined the Chicago SEE BAQUET ON PAGE 3

NEWS

Page 2

Tri-State Defender

May 15 - 21, 2014

SCHOOL

CONTINUED FROM FRONT

nerstone, a new institution with which they had no familiarity.

“We had a really rough year, 2012-13,” Lisa Settle, Cornerstone’s principal acknowledged, “first year in the building; first year in the neighborhood.” Settle said the school expended a lot of effort to communicate to parents, “but we could have done more.” She understands that “parents had a really strong connection to the school as many of them had attended.”

As a parent herself, Settle also empathizes with the dayto-day reality of education.

“We have their children eight hours a day.” Still, she said the community has had to face facts. “We’ve got fifth graders.

Some of them couldn’t read.”

Settle said everyone knew Common Core was coming. For the school’s current kindergarteners and first grade students, the Common Core instructional methodology with classroom teachers trained under Bey’s critical eye, it is the only educational reality most have ever known. A classroom visit to any grade level easily dispels the notion that the children are not up to the Common Core challenge.

In Katelyn Woodard’s fifth grade class, for example, math instruction that started with division word problems crackled with energy as students vied not only to come up with the correct answer, but to explain the process and theory that underlay their calculations. Woodward said that Common Core requires more planning than she had done prior to its introduction, but once in the classroom, “I’ve never had kids so engaged.”

Bey said Woodard’s experience is regularly shared by other teachers, some of whom are awed “watching second graders solve problems that high school geometry or algebra students might see in their first weeks of school.”

All of Cornerstone’s kindergarteners and first graders are now at reading level and above, a baseline that translates into putting its five-year achievement goals within reach. Yet, though every child has a personalized education plan, one which assesses the academic deficiencies that need to be shored up, obstacles still remain.

One of only four Hispanic students at the predominantly African-American Cornerstone Preparatory School, 8-year-old Frankie Munthe Frankie drew from a sociology segment months earlier to comment on the status of African Americans addressed in Langston Hughesʼs poem, “Mother to Son.” Observing the class that day was Cornerstoneʼs principal, Lisa Settle (background). (Photos: New America Media) Diana Bey, the Curriculum Development Instructor at Cornerstone, was an experienced teacher who had homeschooled her children. Bey said she was “doing Common Core before there was a Common Core.”

For one, teachers had to prepare students to take the Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program, or TCAP, which measures academic progress as well as work through the introduction of Common Core State Standards. Principal Settle explained that the way “TCAPquestions are asked is very different” and teachers have had to use Common Core as a broad framework for instruction while still having to be cognizant of the need to prepare students to do well on the state exams. “We’ve had to teach both ways.”

Still, academically struggling students present a thorny dilemma. Settle said that the Achievement School District does not “socially promote” students to the next grade; they must earn advancement. A few students had already been “retained” or repeated the same grade. Settle has a watch list and is constantly in touch with the parents of those students, an outreach that supplements parent-teacher conferences as well as the notes teachers send home to parents about the need to

Lisa Settle, Cornerstone Preparatory School principal acknowledged that, “We had a really rough year, 2012-13 … first year in the building; first year in the neighborhood.” The school expended a lot of effort to communicate to parents, “but we could have done more.”

strengthen a child’s specific areas of study.

“We have teachers who do phenomenal things, but even if we have teachers who grew students three grade levels – which is astronomical – you’re still at third grade competency and you’re going into sixth grade,” Settle explained.

Frankie, who speaks mostly Spanish at home with his mother, has made the other watch list as one of approximately 31 students comprising what Settle soon anticipates will be Cornerstone’s first gifted and talented program.

Bey, on the other hand, has no lack of confidence that her teacher corps will be ready next year as Cornerstone absorbs Lester’s sixth grade class. While many schools look askance at young or new teachers, Bey welcomes Common Core as a way to stimulate them despite her demanding training regimen. “I have conversations with teachers about what our future looks like as instructors and it’s so exciting.

I can just see the life blood come into them.”

NEWS

Tri-State Defender

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May 15 - 21, 2014 PROSTATE

CONTINUED FROM FRONT

Dean Baquet, then-editor-in-chief of the Los Angeles Times, and reporter Sumi Khan at the International Womenʼs Media Foundationʼs 2005 Courage In Journalism Awards on Nov. 2, 2005 in Beverly Hills, Calif. (Photo: Vince Bucci/Getty Images)

BAQUET

CONTINUED FROM FRONT

Tribune, where four years later he led a three-member team that would win a Pulitzer Prize for in-depth investigative reporting on corruption among the Chicago City Council.

According to Businessweek.com, Baquet left the Tribune in 1990 to join the New York Times and over the next decade served in several positions: first as a metropolitan reporter, then special projects editor and as a deputy metropolitan editor. He would leave a national editor position at the Times in 2000 to join the Los Angeles Times. There, Baquet served as editor and executive vice president of Los Angeles Times Communications LLC until November until 2006 when he rejoined the New York Times as chief executive of the newspaper’s Washington bureau.

“There is no journalist in our newsroom or elsewhere better qualified to take on the responsibilities of executive editor at

this time than Dean Baquet,” Sulzberger said in announcing Baquet’s appointment.

“He is an exceptional reporter and editor with impeccable news judgment who enjoys the confidence and support of his colleagues around the world and across the organization.”

Abramson, “He is an who had been exceptional appointed to position in reporter the 2011, was the and editor first woman serve at the with impec- to helm of the cable news New York Times. The judgfor ment...” reason Abramson’s abrupt departure was not made clear, with Sulzberger only attributing it to “an issue with management in the newsroom.”

In a statement to the newspaper, Abramson said, “I’ve loved my run at the Times. I got to work with the best journalists in the world doing so much stand-up journalism.”

Dean Baquet: 6 things to know

1. He’s no stranger to the New York Times. Baquet, 57, was the newspaper’s managing editor – a role he’d held since 2012. From 1995 to 2000, he was national editor of the New York Times. Between those two stints at the NYT, he served as editor of the Los Angeles Times.

2. He was fired from the Los Angeles Times after refusing to make extensive staff cuts ordered by its publisher.

3. He’s a Pulitzer Prize winner. He earned the honor for investigative reporting (in the form of a piece on corruption in the Chicago City Council) back in 1998. He’s also taken home the Peter Lisagor Award for investigative reporting and the William H. Jones award for investigative reporting.

4. He believes a great newspaper acts as a watchdog. “I think a great newspaper is, first and foremost, responsive to its readers. I think a great newspaper prints the truth. I think a great newspaper’s aggressive. I think a great newspaper ... acts as the watchdog for the region that it covers ...” he said in a 2006 interview with PBS. 5. But he was once accused of blocking a story about government surveillance of Internet traffic.

6. He’s hopeful about the future of journalism. Baquet said Wednesday, “It is an honor to be asked to lead the only newsroom in the country that is actually better than it was a generation ago, one that approaches the world with wonder and ambition every day. The talented journalists of the New York Times make it the greatest news operation in history and I look forward to working with them to deliver the world’s most engaging and enterprising journalism.”

Melanin, which naturally blocks the sun’s ultraviolet (UV) rays, alters this process.

“The darker the color of the skin, the less effective sunlight is in producing vitamin D in skin,” says Dr. Donald Trump, president and CEO of the Roswell Park Cancer Institute, the first cancer center in the nation. (Trump was not involved in this particular study). “An African-American person is more likely to have lower levels of vitamin D than a European person, because the same amount of sun exposure doesn’t generate the same amount of vitamin D for darker skin as it does for lighter skin.”

Additionally, people who are overweight are more likely to have low vitamin D levels. According to 2011 data from the Office of Minority Health, 70 percent of African-American men 20 years and older are overweight or obese. The National Cancer Institute asserts that studies have shown obese men to be at greater risk for aggressive prostate cancer than men at a healthy weight.

“The fatter I get, the lower my vitamin D level goes, because it gets absorbed into body fat instead of my blood.

That could be one possible explanation for the (racial) disparities in data,” Trump said.

“So maybe vitamin D is just a surrogate or marker for obesity. You see a few of these confounding factors in the vi-

HIT

CONTINUED FROM FRONT

statement is a mess. You can defend yourself without hitting back. There’s no rights involved. Just saying” Bim Adewunmi @bimadew: “*side-eyes Whoopi Goldberg so hard I briefly travel back in time*” This isn’t Goldberg’s first time coming out in defense of a man hitting a woman. During the infamous Chris Brown assault of Rihanna, Goldberg seemed to be on Brown’s side once he attempted to rehabilitate himself.

“He is doing what he needs to be doing. He’s done every-

tamin D literature.”

Although the association between vitamin D and cancer has already been discovered and is still being explored, this study takes a targeted look at how this link manifests differently between African Americans and whites. There is still controversy in the medical community regarding how significant this link is, or if it has real-world treatment orprevention implications.

Further complicating matters, a study released last year in the New England Journal of Medicine asserts that African-American people generally do have sufficient vitamin D levels – it’s just a different, more readilyavailable form than the one measured by the standard test.

“We know a lot about the fact that in a lab test tube or animal, the active form of vitamin D can moderate, slow, or stop prostate tumor cells, and at high doses can even kill them. We don’t know yet whether treating people with vitamin D will reduce the chance of getting (cancer),” Trump said.

He recommends a vitamin D-level test for his patients who are diagnosed with prostate cancer. In his experience, at least 70 percent diagnosed men are deficient, and he does prescribe supplements.

“We don’t know for sure that it makes a difference, but I believe it does” Trump said. “I think there is a distinct possibility that low vitamin D levels might contribute to the severity of prostate cancer in African-American men – but we don’t have proof of that at the moment.”

thing that was asked of him, and Rihanna’s forgiven him,” Goldberg said during an episode of “The View” from 2012.

“This is a young man that’s out there, trying to do what he’s supposed to do,” she continued.

“Nobody knows what happened, so all you haters out there, just find something else to hate until you get all the facts.”

It’s obvious that Brown was of the same school of thought as Goldberg – that if a woman allegedly hits you, then you can hit her back.

(Yesha Callahan is editor of The Grapevine and a staff writer at The Root. Follow her on Twitter.)

Page 4

OPINION

Tri-State Defender

May 15 - 21, 2014

John H. Sengstacke Publisher (1951 - 1997)

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

Expansion of opportunity, but contracted ambition

JUST SAYING...

There is still power in owning land in America

A recent ruling by federal Judge Paul Friedman settled a long running discrimination lawsuit brought by black farmers against the federal government. While some did receive a level of compensation for discrimination by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), far too many were either left out, shut out or missed deadlines for decades of struggle against the practices of deliberate, indefensible injustice.

Although the litigation stretched over 30 years, the story never received a great deal of publicity or public attention as a large segment of Americans waited for the justice they deserved. Some lost their land; some died…waiting. Another chapter in the history of the struggle and survival for former enslaved African Americans.

Did you know that by 1920, just 55 years out of slavery, African Americans had managed to acquire at least 15 million acres of land? A remarkable achievement! Owning land was a source of pride, respect and power.

No group of people has fought, sighed, cried and died to acquire land more than Africans Americans.

Earning a living from the land was never an easy task, but former slaves happily embraced the opportunity to be free to work their own land. Fast forward to 2014 and African Americans are extremely land poor, holding only about three million acres today.

It is an issue we should all be concerned about. Land ownership still represents real power and independence in America.

It was always an uphill struggle for African-American landowners.

Through the turbulent years of Reconstruction into the 20th century, race prejudice was a major barrier to getting the resources needed by AfricanAmerican landowners to prosper.

Thousands were forced from their land due to violence and intimidation.

Some simply threw up their hands and walked away, leaving their property to be scooped up by unscrupulous white landowners at tax sales.

Those who refused to give in to harassment and intimidation faced other obstacles that put them at a disadvantage in a competitive marketplace.

For generations the U.S.D.A methodically discriminated against black farmers by refusing to give them loans to make their land productive.

Denied loans to purchase seed, equipment and supplies they couldn’t compete with white farmers. This was one of the major reasons for the loss of land by African Americans.

After many years of petitioning the courts and Congress for relief, there was an historic breakthrough. In 1998, a Federal Court in Washington issued a ruling in a class action lawsuit (Pickford vs. Glickman) setting a precedent for some financial relief for black farmers. Totaling over $1 billion dollars, it was, at that time, the largest civil rights damage award against the U.S Government in history.

Congress, the Department of Justice and the USDA were included in the case. However, confusion and a lack of publicity by the government left many eligible farmers out of the settlement. The government finally admitted the discrimination but the awards will in no way sufficiently compensate for the hardships and millions of acres of land.

Another threat to land ownership and retention by African Americans is due to heir property. Far too many African Americans pass on without leaving a will, resulting in property being divided between numerous relatives. And when other family members die without a will, the land is at greater risk as the number of owners increase. If only one of the owners decide, or is coerced by a land developer, to sell his or her share, even a small share, a forced sale can result in all of the property being sold at auction. The problem of heir property must be addressed by our legislators.

And every African-American family should make preparing wills and having estate planning discussions a priority now and for future generations.

John Zippert, with the Federation of Southern Cooperatives Land Assistance Fund, realizes that many African Americans who abandoned land in the south still have bad memories of agriculture and rural situations that may cloud their judgment.

“Part of it is they want to get away from that legacy of history, instead of realizing this is a very valuable resource; for timber production, hous-

ing and commercial development in addition to farming,” says Zippert.

The numbers clearly reflect the mass migration of African Americans that left the farm for towns and cities across Robin the nation. It’s esBrown timated that only about 30,000 African-American families make farming their main occupation in 2014. Jerry Pennick, recently retired from the Federation of Southern Cooperatives Land Assistance Fund, says although the average age of African-American farmers today is over 60 years, some young people are taking a second look at opportunities on the land.

“I’ve found that as I transition out of my work at the fund, I’ve experienced more interest on the part of young people,” said Pennick. “That’s one of the things I plan to do in my retirement is to investigate and chronicle this activity.”

The Federation of Southern Cooperatives Land Assistance Fund has been active in championing the cause of African-American farmers for over 46 years. Pennick says more young African Americans are not only studying and The numbers land agriculture, clearly reflect but they are the mass migra- looking at politics tion of African the of it, includAmericans that ing federal, and loleft the farm for state cal policies towns and cities that regulate across the na- farming is tion. It’s estimat- stillThere power in owning land ed that only America. about 30,000 in Owning new African-Ameri- cars, stocks, can families bonds and uildings make farming bwill result in their main occu- d e p r e c i a over a pation in 2014. tions period of years. The odds are that the value of land will increase. It could be a favorable chance for those looking for low risk investments. Planting trees (lumber) is a good long-term investment. Purchasing land and renting it out to adjacent or other farmers is another investment opportunity. Several western states advertise rich farm land for sale cheap to be leased to local farmers; might just be worth considering.

I don’t expect to see a mass migration back to the land (although some say it could be a great move towards establishing our rightful place as a family and community in America). A lot of African-American people have progressed and moved into the middle class while others enjoy a level of wealth and a better life than they would have reaped working the land. New technology was the driving force behind most African Americans who weren’t land owners leaving farming. Uneducated and lacking skills they comprise the masses of African-American people still struggling in generational poverty and hopelessness.

Yes, we have seen the bright lights, danced, sang and partied hearty in the cities. No turning back now. But some of our young people just might realize there’s value in something as fundamental as being a landowner. Worth thinking about wouldn’t you say?

Lets’ not let our new intellectual foundations prevent us from looking back and seeing that we are standing on the shoulders of our ancestors. In spite of the hostility and the social and economic restrictions, they were steadfast, and they built some mighty strong and righteous land ownership foundations for us in a hateful, vitriolic environment. Just Saying!

(Robin Brown’s “Just Saying” is a periodic column featured in The New Tri-State Defender. He is a veteran, award-winning journalist, who also has experience in public relations, marketing and advertising and government relations. He has served as media director for several political campaigns. An actor/playwright, he can be contacted at 901-728-4768.)

Donald Sterling

What Donald Sterling got right about African Americans

In life, much like in the NBA, playing a reactionary defense can often result in overplaying your position and ultimately losing the game itself.

As we continue to wonder at the media train wreck that Donald Sterling’s life has become, too many will lose sight of the possibility that some truth may be buried in the morass of his most recent comments and his direct attack on Magic Johnson.

To be clear, Donald Sterling is, by multiple definitions, a racist.

He talks about African-American people (including his players) as if they were inherently subordinate to him. But more importantly, he has carried out discriminatory practices in his business as a landlord in Los Angeles. This second version of American racism is what matters most. That is, what Sterling thinks or says about people of color is of less consequence than what he does to people of color, even if his actions are a result of what he may or may not think of people.

Earvin “Magic” Johnson is without a doubt one of our truly great American athletes. He, Julius Erving and Larry Bird helped to usher in the modern era of the National Basketball Association. He helped make the NBA playoffs must-see television.

When he was diagnosed with HIV, Johnson responded by retiring from basketball and then establishing the Magic Johnson Foundation. The MJ Foundation has done extraordinary work in raising awareness about HIV and AIDs and continues this mission in conjunction with new efforts to economically revitalize urban communities and provide opportunities for access to college for underprivileged youth.

That said, who determines what constitutes the appropriate metric for giving back to (in this case) the African-American community?

Sterling suggested that while those successful in the Jewish community regularly give back to their own communities, those who are successful in the black community do not match their Jewish counterparts in these terms or in the ways in which they contribute and give back to the communities from which they come.

To be honest, and only in this instance, Sterling has only said what I have heard so many more experienced older African-American folks say in private contexts. Now, maybe Magic Johnson has passed some unknown litmus test for what exceptional, successful black folks must do in order to be considered “good” with how much they have given back

to the AfricanAmerican community, but the issues of social justice and community engagement do not begin and end with Magic.

Sterling’s comparison of Jewish and AfricanJames American giving Braxton likely offended Peterson many people watching and/or listening to his latest and hopefully his last interview. But before we rush into a reactionary defense, we must first survey the terrain of successful African-American people in business, athletics and entertainment and have an honest assessment of whether or not their contributions to our community are sufficient.

Clearly, for many of the challenges in the African-American community in the 21st century, there are only substantive policy-oriented solutions. However, given the enormous wealth of the most successful African-American athletes, entertainers and business moguls, it seems apropos to demand that they do more – including Magic Johnson.

In fact, the challenges of the African-American community – eroded public school systems, mass incarceration, and persistent institutional racism – require a concerted effort on the part of policy makers, activists, organizers, educators, etc. But when we compare our current crop of African-American athletes to those from Civil Rights era – Muhammad Ali, Althea Gibson, Bill Russell, etc., wide is the schism between their activism and the activism of those who today have many more resources and platforms at their disposal.

The truth is we need Magic to do even more than what he has done; we need African-American athletes to take more stands on issues that matter to our community – not just the ones that directly affect them or their families.

And although it may be difficult to do so in this defensive moment, we have to demand more from our most economically successful, because their contributions and their voices are sorely needed in these times.

Source: theGrio

(Follow Dr. James Peterson on Twitter @DrJamesPeterson.)

FLASHBACK: 2013

Tri-State Defender Platform

1. Racial prejudice worldwide must be destroyed.

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

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

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

5. Complete cessation of all school segregation.

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

DISTRIBUTION: Tri-State Defender is available at newsstands, street sales, store vendors, mail subscription and honor boxes throughout the Greater Memphis area. No person may, without prior written permission of the Tri-State Defender, reprint any part of or duplicate by electronic device any portion without written permission. Copyright 2013 by Tri-State Defender Publishing, Inc. Permission to Publisher, Tri-State Defender, 203 Beale Street, Suite 200, Memphis, TN. 38103. Back copies can be obtained by calling the Tri-State Defender at (901) 523-1818, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays.

S t e f e n Lovelace in an article in The New Tri-State Defender entitled “Where are all the black baseball superstars?

(April 17-23, 2014, p. 13) argues that it is baseball’s lack of Randolph a true magnetic Meade Walker black superstar that has contributed to the diminishing interest young African Americans have in playing the sport. Certainly this is a thesis worth considering.

Black participation in Major League Baseball has reached an alarming accelerated decline. According to the article, opening day rosters in 2014 only had 8.3 percent players who identified themselves as African American. This compares to the peak year of 1975 when 27 percent of the race was represented.

While Lovelace’s thesis is fertile food for thought, I believe there is a broader issue that needs consideration. Based on many oral surveys that I have witnessed, most black adolescents and teenagers when asked what they wanted to be in life responded by stating a NBA player or a rapper.

It seems that as opportunities have expanded, the dreams and aspirations of African-American youngsters have shrunk. So many youngsters have pigeonholed themselves into limited slots. Thus, it is not just an aversion to playing baseball that is problematic. There is a narrowing focus on life period. We need to expand our youth’s horizons.

FACEBOOK FAN OF THE WEEK

Name: Roquita Coleman

Roquita Coleman is this weekʼs TSD Facebook Fan of the Week! She is a Memphis native, who received her degree in Education from the University of Memphis, and has worked as a Solution Manager for CN Rail.

Coleman lives by this quote: “If you can help, help...if you canʼt help, do no harm.”

She enjoys traveling and is fluent in speaking Spanish. She also loves sports, especially the Dallas Cowboys and the Memphis Grizzlies.

Thanks Roquita Coleman for excelling in Memphis and for being a part of the TSD Facebook family!

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NEWS

Tri-State Defender

Page 5

May 15 - 21, 2014

‘Debt Relief & Reparations for HBCUs’

The conference was held on the campus of Tennessee State University and organized to save HBCUs from budget shortfalls, to restore Africana Studies on HBCU campuses, and to keep the focus solely on educating African-American students Special to The New Tri-State Defender

by Wiley Henry

The enslavement of African Americans in the United States is an atrocity that Orlando Matthews abhors and doesn’t mind talking about. He spoke about that desolate period in human history during a recent two-day conference and community town hall meeting in Nashville on “Debt Relief & Reparations for HBCUs.” The conference was held on the campus of Tennessee State University and organized to save Historically Black Colleges and Universities from budget shortfalls, to restore Africana Studies on HBCU campuses, and to keep the focus solely on educating African-American students.

Though Matthews was one of several conference facilitators, there were others of note, including U.S. Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.), who conducted workshops during the community town hall meeting at Ray of Hope Community Church and emphasized the urgency for reparations to keep HBCUs solvent to avoid going defunct.

The focus of Matthews’ discussion, however, oscillated between the birth of reparations, the early proponents of reparations (or government recompense for crimes against humanity), and the movement in Tennessee.

“The United States is guilty of crimes against humanity,” said Matthews, pointing to the book “My Face Is Black Is True: Callie House and the Struggle for Ex-slave Reparations,” which he used as a point of reference in his dis-

A two-day conference and community town hall meeting was held recently in Nashville on “Debt Relief & Reparations for HBCUs.” Participants included U.S. Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.), a workshop facilitator; Camille Mabry, a senior at Tennessee State University and graduate of Woodale High School in Memphis; and Orlando Matthews, a longtime proponent of reparations and workshop facilitator. (Courtesy photo)

cussion.

“The early reparations struggle in Tennessee was led

by Mr. I.H. Dickerson and Mrs. Callie House, who lived and worked in Nashville in the late 1800s,” said Matthews, a longtime proponent of reparations and community activist.

House, an ex-slave, “mulatto,” widowed washerwoman and mother of five, lived in Nashville and died 70 years before the advent of the

civil rights movement. She was the ringleader of a movement in Nashville that demanded justice and reparations for ex-slaves for centuries of unpaid labor.

Dickerson also was active in reparations for ex-slaves.

He and House headed the National Ex-slave Mutual Relief, Bounty and Pension Association, but were investigated by the United States Bureau of Pension for their part in an alleged scheme to

In support of the NILE…

Shelby County Public Defender Stephen Bush was the keynote speaker during the Seventh Annual Motherʼs Day Banquet hosted by Mothers of the NILE (National Institute for Law & Equity), Inc. last Thursday (May 8th) at First Baptist Church-Broad.

He was introduced by Veronica Coleman-Davis, president and CEO. The theme was “Juvenile Justice: A New Day.” (Photo: Tyrone P. Easley)

Graduation day…

Corry Middle School held its graduation last Friday (May 9th) and the happy attendees included graduates Carnisea Allen and Tia Allen. Pictured (l-r): Daisy Bradford, Allen, Nelson and Margaret Toler. (Photo: Tyrone P. Easley)

defraud “ignorant” blacks.

The movement that House and Dickerson led in Nashville, which preceded Marcus Garvey’s United Negro Improvement Association and African Communities League, was the precursor to the civil rights movement and recently Conyers’ unsuccessful attempt to get a reparations bill passed in Congress.

Conyers first introduced bill H.R.40 – Commission to

Study Reparation Proposals for African Americans Act – in January of 1989. He has reintroduced the bill in every Congress “and will continue to do so until it’s passed into law.”

The conversation about reparations eventually segued into the struggle to keep the country’s more than 100 HBCUs on solid financial footing. Matthews said many of them are under attack due to funding shortages and changes in legislation – particularly the dismantling of affirmative action in some states.

“In the last 10 years, they’ve brought in white presidents and white students into these HBCUs in the name of diversity,” said Matthews, a 2001 delegate at the World Conference Against Racism in Durban, South Africa.

Matthews was one of 400 delegates to address the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade as a crime against humanity. He termed the financial hemorrhaging of HBCUs as the government’s change in policy to merge HBCUs into the mainstream of higher education in order to comply with uniform admissions standards.

Have black colleges and universities thus outlived their usefulness? Matthews pointed to past atrocities against African Americans and said HBCUs are still relevant today. Other conference speakers and workshop facilitators agreed.

Dr. Abdul Alkalimat, who teaches Africana Studies at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Campaign, titled his discussion, “Reparations and the Mission Essential Need for Africana Studies at HBCUs.” Dr. Raymond Richardson, a

professor in the mathematics department at TSU, followed with the topic, “The Maryland HBCU Case Verdict and Its Implications for HBCUs in Tennessee.”

In the Maryland HBCU case, U.S. District Court Judge Catherine Black issued a 60-page ruling last year that said in part there was no discrimination in the state’s capital expenditures between HBIs (historically black institutions) and TWIs (traditionally white institutions). This was a blow to the HBIs (the plaintiff), who sought more money per student vs. TWIs (the defendant) from the state of Maryland.

In his spiel to the workshop participants, Conyers continued advocating for African Americans to receive reparations and debt relief for the nation’s HBCUs. The conference and town hall meeting were dedicated to House; the late Jackson, Miss., mayor Chokwe Lumumba; the late Dr. Harold R. Mitchell, who taught speech pathology and audiology at TSU; and the late Edward H. Wisdom Jr., director of Management Information Systems for 37 years at TSU. The dedication read: “They gave the last full measure in the struggle for truth, love, education, justice and reparations for the sons and daughters of ‘Mother Africa.’”

Sponsors included Save TSU Community Coalition (STCC), Nashville Black Covenant Coalition (NBCC), African American Cultural Alliance, HERU Fraternity Inc. & Het-HERU Sorority Inc., Tennessee State University College of Liberal Arts – Department of History, Political Science, Geography, and Africana Studies.

BUSINESS

Page 6

Tri-State Defender

May 15 - 21, 2014

ON OUR WAY TO WEALTHY

Toyota’s Colon nets top honor from Grambling

Princess Woodard is a walking advertisement for the business opportunities in being a virgin hair retailer. (Courtesy photo)

Fierce Hair for the fierce female

Smart, sassy and enterprising, Princess Woodard is well suited for the business opportunities in virgin hair, which has become the next big thing. A recent graduate of law school, she has already been a business owner for three years, focusing on importing virgin hair from abroad. With attention to detail and an eye for the bottom line, Woodard is poised for success as she shares her story of the hustle of hair.

Carlee McCullough: Tell me about yourself.

Princess Woodard: My name is Princess Woodard. I am a native Memphian and a recent graduate of the University of Memphis’ School of Law. I have been a virgin hair retailer since 2011.

CM: What is the name of your business and how did you get into the weave business?

PW: The name of my company is Fierce Hair. For over ten years I have been a weave purchaser and wearer, repeatedly spending hundreds of dollars on “over the counter” processed weave. I have purchased virgin hair – 100 percent human hair from one living donor – for personal use since 2010.

I realized that the virgin hair was more durable, could be worn for 6 to 12 months, and more affordable than “over the counter” weave. After personally using virgin hair for over a year, I decided to become a retailer and provide a premium option for women

like me who were tired of throwing a w a y money on “over the counter” weave.

CM: In your opinion what does it take to run a business?

PW: You must know your product, know your market and focus on providing great customer service.

el work?

PW: Through a website portal, I offer premium virgin hair for women that seek quality, exclusivity and affordability when purchasing weave.

CM: How does a potential client book your services or purchase products?

PW: All virgin hair can be purchased directly from my website at www.FierceVirginHair.vpweb .com. The site has a mobile version, allowing clients to order directly from their mobile devices. Custom wigs can be ordered via email at fiercevirginhair@gmail.com.

Carlee McCullough

C How your ness

M : does busimod-

CM: What product and services do you offer?

PW: I offer 100 percent human hair in a variety of ethnicities, textures, and lengths.

I also make custom wigs with the virgin hair.

CM: What type of weave do you carry?

PW: I carry six ethnicities of virgin hair: Brazilian, Indian, Peruvian, Malaysian, Cambodian and Filipino. All hair is available in a variety of textures and lengths.

CM: How do you decide what type of hair to sell?

PW: Each ethnicity differs in density, luster and coarseness. I have personally used each ethnicity and believe that each ethnicity offers a different look. Having options allows a woman to achieve the unique look she desires.

CM: If you had one piece of advice to give to someone just starting a business, what would it be?

PW: Be knowledgeable about your business.

CM: What challenges have you experienced along the way?

PW: Virgin hair comes in a wide range of pricing and quality. It can occasionally be difficult getting clients to understand that superior quality will not be as cheap as some options, but it will be a better investment because it will last longer.

CM: How did you go about building your client base?

PW: I am a walking advertisement. I take pride in my hair. People see my hair and often inquire. I started with friends and family. I now promote on social media sites

such as Facebook and Instagram.

Grambling State University has awarded James Colon, vice president of African American Business Strategy at Toyota Motor Sales, Inc., an honorary doctorate degree – the most prestigious degree the historically black university offers.

Colon netted the honor at the 2014 Spring Commencement ceremony (May 9th). Grambling recognized Colon for his commitment to diversity in the automobile industry and long-term support of historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs), and the academic achievement of young African Americans.

At Toyota, Colon is responsible for engaging Hispanic and AfricanAmerican businesses and media, and optimizing relationships with important external Hispanic and African American groups.

Under his leadership, the automaker implemented the Toyota Green Initiative designed to educate and encourage students on HBCUs to live environmentally conscious lifestyles.

Nearly 5,000 people have made the Promise Pledge to live green, and 28 HBCUs have participated in the Green Campus Contest.

“I am honored to have received this degree from one of the most respected and distinguished historically black colleges and universities in the nation,” Colon said.

“When an institution of

higher education confers an honorary degree, it believes that the recipient reinforces its values, its mission. Grambling’s vision is to be a distinguished institution that produces accomplished graduates who go on to compete and succeed in a global market.

“In short, Grambling believes in being the best and producing the best – to help the world be the best it can be. I, along with Toyota, share in that mission every day and will continue to do so.”

Colon joins an elite group of African-American influencers and history makers who have received honorary doctorate degrees from Grambling, including: the late singer Whitney Houston; scholar/author Dr. Cornel West; and, Democratic political strategist and pundit Donna Brazile.

In addition to his responsibilities at Toyota, Colon serves on the boards of his alma mater, Manchester University in Indiana and Clark Atlanta University.

He is a member of The United Negro College Fund Los Angeles Leadership Council. He was also appointed to the board of the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation two years ago, where he supports the organization’s mission by contributing to developing leaders, informing policy and educating the public.

Source: PRNewswire

CM: What business development strategies worked best?

PW: I only do custom orders. I do not keep hair in bulk. Custom orders allow clients to get exactly what they are looking for and only takes 3-4 business days to arrive from overseas. As a small business, doing custom orders allows me to reduce my overhead because money does not go out until it comes in.

CM: What emerging trends do you see affecting you industry in the next five years?

PW: Weave is big business.

Virgin hair has enabled individuals like myself to enter the hair industry and allows women of color to shop with a woman of color in an industry benefitting greatly from people of color while having few representations of people of color on the business side.

CM: Any closing remarks?

PW: Remember I have FIERCE hair at FABULOUS prices. This hair is not for the average girl…only a FIERCE female. Thank you for the opportunity to share my business.

(For additional information contact: Princess Woodard at fiercevirginhair@gmail.com.)

(Contact Carlee McCullough, Esq., at 5308 Cottonwood Road, Suite 1A, Memphis, TN 38118, or email her at jstce4all@aol.com.)

Toyotaʼs James Colon receives his honorary doctorate degree from Grambling State University. (Courtesy photo)

Frontier to add DC service at MEM Frontier Airlines announced Tuesday morning that it is adding four weekly flights between Memphis International Airport (MEM) and Washington Dulles Airport (IAD), beginning Sept. 8.

The flights will run on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. In making the announcement, Frontier cited strong passenger response to its initial flights between Memphis and Denver, which began

in March.

“This is a key development in our efforts to expand our frequent and affordable air service at MEM,” said Scott Brockman, President and CEO of the Memphis-Shelby County Airport Authority.

“Washington DC is one of our most popular destinations, and these flights provide our passengers with a new low-cost option.”

Visit FlyFrontier.com for the full schedule.

RELIGION

Tri-State Defender

Page 7

May 15 - 21, 2014

LIVING THE LIFE I LOVE

From ‘Mr. Irresponsible’ to ‘Precious One’

The 34th Spring Seminar of Mission Possible: Christian Outreach Service Mission was a road trip to Birmingham for these Memphis participants. (Photos: Courtesy of Dorothy Bracy Alston)

Birmingham’s ‘living history’ greets Mission Possible’s 34th Annual Spring Seminar

by Dorothy Bracy Alston The New Tri-State Defender

Operating on a shoestring budget, the 34th Spring Seminar of Mission Possible: Christian Outreach Service Mission (COSM) is one its participants will long remember.

Philanthropist and founder Thelma Nelms was inspired to take this year’s conference (April 25th-26th) to historic Birmingham, Ala. It proved a rewarding decision, followed by a weekend of successive “miracles.”

Beginning with the kick-off at the historic Sixteenth Street Baptist Church, seminar attendees settled in for a moving opening ceremony in the church fellowship hall. It was there on Sunday, Sept. 15, 1963 at 10:22 a.m. that the church became known around the world when a bomb exploded killing four young girls and injuring more than 20 others attending Sunday School.

“You are here by divine appointment for a divine assignment, in His divine order,” Nelms said repeatedly.

Nelms original decision to go to Birmingham was to honor “Mother” Edna Sanders, evangelist and prayer warrior, who was saluted with a $1,000 humanitarian award. Sanders is credited with leading thousands of people to salvation and commitment to Christ.

Along with meeting Sanders, Memphis seminar participants were delighted to meet other celebrated figures and revel in the history those civil rights icons live with on a daily basis.

The Rev. Dr. Carolyn Maull McKinstry, who was present

Mission Possible founder Thelma Nelms (left) and Mother Edna Sanders, an evangelist and prayer warrior credited with leading thousands of people to salvation and commitment to Christ. in 1963 on the day of the bombing, was one of those appointments. McKinstry was also honored by Mission Possible at the conference’s luncheon.

Other contributors to the seminar’s success included: Thomas L. Wilder Jr., pastor of another historic Birming-

ham church, Bethel Baptist Church, where in 1963 there were three church bombings but no fatalities, and the Rev. Arthur Price, Jr., current pastor of Sixteenth Street Baptist Church.

Connections and friendships were developed, resulting in an invitation by Pastor

The decision to take Mission Possibleʼs Annual Spring Seminar to Birmingham proved rewarding.

Pictured (lr): Martha Bouyer, Mother Edna Sanders, Dr. Carol McKinstry, an unidentified attendee, and Thelma Nelms.

Wilder for Mission Possible to bring its 2015 Spring Seminar back to Birmingham with Bethel Baptist as becoming the host site. Additionally, Dr. McKinstry and Martha Bouyer, president of the Sixteenth Street Church Foundation, will be Mission Possible guests on May 23rd-25th during a weekend of receptions and retreats. The invitation only-event begins with a Reconciliation Breakfast and Sunset Retreat on Friday; followed by a Retreat Day on Saturday; and culminating with “A Rap with Civil Rights Experts” on Sunday.

(Dorothy Bracy Alston is a consultant, journalist, author, freelance writer and, adjunct English professor.

Visit Dorothy’s blog at http://www.CisbaAssociates.blo gspot.com; follow her on Twitter @dbalston, Facebook at www.facebook.com/dorothybra cyalston, email her at DBAlston@hotmail.com or call 901570-3923.)

Dear Lucy: I am 16 years old and I live at home with my parents and little sister who is 12. My Auntie reads your article and told me to write to you. I used to have ADD and took Ritalin. I got sick of it and don’t take it any more.

Don’t have a lot of crazy, stupid, impulse stuff anymore but there is one thing that I can’t seem to fix. It drives me and my parents nuts. I am simply not a responsible person. Most of the time what I get fussed about is not being responsible. I get mad at them and mad at myself. Any tips?

– Mr. Irresponsible Dear Precious One: I refuse to address you as “Irresponsible.” And I urge you to never, ever talk ugly to yourself with negative labels. The greatest power we each have is the ability to choose how we will think. And the most important thoughts are the ones we think about ourselves!

Take a look at that word, “responsible” and “responsibility.” They both have in them two of the same words...respond and able or ability. So a great place to start on your road to recovery from a habitual way of being is to first ask this question. “Am I capable of responding?” That is all it means to be responsible.

“What does it take for me to be able to respond?”

Responsibility is a choice we make, moment to moment. We cannot go to sleep on the job of learning how to do it. Responsibility is a learned skill.

None of us are just naturally responsible. We grow into it, learning to be proud of our capabilities one at a time. And then we nurture our skills and repeat them until they become second nature to us. It also helps when we can notice how others around us excel at responsibility.

Some of the things that make us capable can be identified in the following ways. You can ask yourself these questions after the fact or the moment you are given a task to do or an expectation to fulfill. Just remember that the first and most important questions are these: “Do I choose to do this task; am I worthy of the trust to do it; is this task worthy of me?” Notice that I did not say “Do I want to do it, but rather, Do I choose to do it.” There are many things we don’t

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

No Cross...

No Crown

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

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

WEDNESDAY Bible Study .........................10:30 am Mid-Day Prayer Meeting .....12 noon Evening Prayer Meeting........7:00pm

FRIDAY Cable Channel 17 ............... 8:00pm

Dr. & Rev. Mrs. Reginald Porter

“Cast your burden on the LORD, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved.”

– Psalm 55:22

Attend the church of your choice

Attend the Church of your choice

want to do.

B u t there a r e many things in life that we c a n choose to do Lucy simply Shaw b e cause they add value to our lives and others.

Is this something I know how to do?

If I don’t know how, how fast can I learn it and where or from whom?

Can I tell the truth about my ability? If I don’t know how, I need to keep it real and let my lack of ability be known as well as my willingness to learn.

Are there some special boundaries that need to be set for this task? Like, honestly assessing how long it may take, that it may take me and someone else to complete, when must it be finished?

Am I allowed to be creative with this?

What are the consequences of failure? If I fail, who will be affected and how?

Now here is a very special step: Stop and take the time to imagine what it will FEEL like when you have successfully demonstrated your ability to respond in a positive way to this request. Dream into it. Can you feel the pride, the pat on the back, the congratulations, the personal strength it brings? Spend a few minutes feeling it real.

Now get started!

Keep working it until responding with ability becomes your new habit...choosing to respond with all of your capabilities, both old and new.

Give yourself time and you can fix this.

Let me know how it works out.

Lucy

(Check out Lucy Shaw’s website at http://www.heartworks4u.c om. Send your questions to lucy@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 901907-0260 or go to her web s i t e www.heartworks4u.com.)

I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

—Phillipians 4:13

ENTERTAINMENT Tri-State Defender, Thursday, May 15 - 21, 2014, Page 8

STUFF HAPPENS, THEN WHAT?

Smoking teenager, clingy friend and a husband’s turn into a homebody Dilemma: I caught my 16 year old smoking my cigarettes. I scolded and punished him for a month. The second day he asked me Yvette if cigarettes George are so damaging why do I smoke them. He said he thought it looked cool. Was I wrong?

Response: No, I don’t think so. He is a minor, lives under your roof and must abide by your rules. Back in the day, we did as we were told. In today’s society, children do as they see us do or imitate others. You need to quit smoking in front of your son or stop cold turkey.

Show him that you aren’t a hypocrite. I would also shorten his punishment; use this as a teaching and bonding moment for you both.

Dilemma: My neighbor is a good friend and very loyal. She is just very clingy. I can’t mention anything I’m going to do without her inviting herself along. I don’t want to hurt her feelings but I’m beginning to avoid her calls. She thinks if I go out without her I’m betraying our friendship. How can I tactfully tell her that I want to hang out with other people, too?

Response: Sometimes, you have to be blunt in a nice manner. It is better to start off with a compliment before discussing what she may perceive as a negative and sensitive subject matter. Tell her how much you enjoy her company but that there are times when you will hang out with other friends. Let her know that it does not reflect on your friendship. Encourage her to hang out with other people, get a hobby or volunteer. It sounds like she is very lonely and her life revolves around you. She needs to put on her big girl panties and get a life.

Dilemma: My husband and I have been married six weeks and he has changed dramatically. We dated for 18 months and he wined and dined me the entire time. Now he never wants to go out nor have people over.

I enjoy entertaining and we used to be the “it” place for football games, parties and BBQ’s.

I don’t know what happened.

He just became a homebody and coach potato over night. I tried talking to him; he just promises to get better but never does. What should I do?

Response: You need to talk again. Explain to him how important entertaining is to you.

He had to realize you were a “people person” before you married him. You need to make clear to him how divisive this could become. Depending on whether you are willing to totally accommodate your husband’s personality change, more than likely it will tear your relationship apart.

The two of you must compromise and come to an understanding about your recreational activities. It’s hard to believe that he changed so suddenly, you need to delve into the reason. It sounds like there’s something deeper going on. Did you leave something out? Not to say people don’t change but overnight, I believe there’s more to the story.

(Stuff Happens, Then What? is an advice and relationship column that answers questions about life issues, situations and challenges. Send questions and dilemmas to StuffHappensThenWhat@yahoo.com. All parties will remain anonymous.)

HERGROOVE 2014!

‘A Celebration Of Womanhood’

Women from throughout the Tri-State area gathered Saturday at the Landers Center in Southaven to celebrate each other, support local business-

es, enjoy performing art talents, keynote speakers and breakout mentor sessions.

The female exposure event also included a mother-daugh-

ter fashion show, an all female talent showcase, a teen summit and more. And it all unfolded with the backdrop of Motherʼs Day weekend.

Maricia Sherman and her husband, Phillip Sherman, engineered the celebration, which was billed as “celebrating every woman, every groove.”

Karma struts into the Landers Center, filling the HERGROOVE celebration up with a sound that is growing in popularity. (Photos: Tyrone P. Easley)

Crystal “The Sax Lady” Brown brought her smooth jazz sound to the celebration.

Kym Franklin delivers the “Lady Motivator” welcome.

Maricia Sherman draws winners for the array of free giveaways that helped accent the HERGROOVE celebration.

Rihanna leaves Def Jam and signs with Jay Z’s Roc Nation

(NNPA) – After almost a decade with Def Jam, our Barbadian rebel, Rihanna, has reportedly decided to part ways with the record label.

RiRi has of course thought this entire decision out and has already inked a new deal with Jay Z’s Roc Nation label. Although she was not signed to Roc Nation (record label home to J. Cole and Rita Ora to name a few), Rihanna has been managed by the label for the duration of her career.

Despite rumors, there is no bad blood between Def Jam and RiRi; and there should not be. Rihanna released SEVEN majorly successful and lucrative albums for the label! So we are sure that she has done more than fulfill her quota at the label.

With her latest career move, Rihanna has proven once again that she takes notes from her mentor, Jay Z. Last month, Jay partnered Roc Nation with one of music’s largest corporations, Uni- Rihanna and Jay Z are now in versal Music Group.

Don’t expect to see Rihanna celebrating with her new label star decided to deactivate it hermates on her infamous Instagram self, or the risqué topless photos page, though, as it has been deac- from her LUI Magazine shoot vitivated! We’re not sure if the pop olated Instagram’s terms and

business together.

caused the app to deactivate her page altogether. Either way, we’re excited to hear some new music from RiRi with her new

home team!

(Special to the NNPA from the Houston Forward-Times.)

ENTERTAINMENT

Tri-State Defender

Page 9

May 15 - 21, 2014

BOOK REVIEW

OPENING THIS WEEK

‘The Book of Jeremiah: The Life and Ministry of Jeremiah A. Wright Jr.’

Kam’s Kapsules:

Weekly Previews That Make Choosing a Film Fun “Half of a Yellow Sun,” starring Chiwetel Ejiofor and Nandie Newton, chronicles the story of 2 sisters who recently returned from their English educations to a country torn to pieces

by Nigeriaʼs Civil War. (Courtesy photo)

Mandarin and English with subtitles)

Special to The New Tri-State Defender

by Kam Williams

For movies opening May 16, 2014

BIG BUDGET FILMS

“Godzilla” (PG-13 for intense violence and scenes off destruction) Epic eco-adventure finds the legendary monster reborn and rising to restore balance in the titanic force of nature while humanity stands defenseless. Ensemble includes Bryan Cranston, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Sally Hawkins, David Strathairn, Elizabeth Olsen, Juliette Binoche and Ken Watanabe.

“Million Dollar Arm” (PG for mild epithets and suggestive content) Fact-based drama recounting how sports agent J.B. Bernstein (Jon Hamm) traveled all the way to India to recruit some of the Subcontinent’s top cricket pitchers to play major league baseball back in the U.S. Featuring Bill Paxton, Alan Arkin, Aasif Mandvi, Lake Bell and Suraj Sharma.

(In English and Hindi with subtitles)

INDEPENDENT & FOREIGN FILMS

“50 to 1” (PG-13 for suggestive material and a bar fight) Fact-based drama chronicling the road trip from New Mexico to Kentucky undertaken by a posse of cowboys when their crooked-footed horse miraculously qualifies for the Derby. Starring Skeet Ulrich, William Devane and Christian Kane.

“Ai Weiwei: The Fake Case” (Unrated) Reverential biopic about Ai Weiwei, the Chinese artist and political dissident imprisoned and placed under house arrest for his uncompromising commitment to human rights. (In

“The American Nurse” (Unrated) Healthcare documentary following five dedicated nurses working in fields ranging from nursing homes to hospice care to prisons to home visitation to obstetrics.

“Cyber-Seniors” (Unrated) Heartwarming documentary about reluctant retirees who learn to surf the ‘net with the help of computer-savvy teen mentors.

“Don Peyote” (Unrated) Stoner comedy about an unemployed slacker (Dan Fogler) who embarks on a mind-bending drug binge after convincing himself that the end of the world is imminent. Ensemble cast includes Anne Hathaway, Annabella Sciorra, Josh Duhamel, Wallace Shawn, Jay Baruchel and Topher Grace.

“Half of a Yellow Sun” (R for violence and sexuality) Screen adaptation of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie‘s best-selling novel, set in the Sixties, about a pair of Western-educated twins’ (Anika Noni Rose and Thandie Newton) readjustment to their native Nigeria during a turbulent, post-colonial period marked by tribal civil war. With Chiwetel Ejiofor, Dominic Cooper and John Boyega.

“Horses of God” (Unrated) Islamic fundamentalism is the subject of this docudrama chronicling events in the lives of the terrorist responsible for the 2003 suicide bombings in Casablanca. Co-starring Abdelhakim Rachi, Abdelilah Rachid and Hamza Souidek. (In Arabic and French with subtitles)

“The Immigrant” (R for nudity, sexuality and some profanity) American Dream deferred drama, set in Manhattan in 1921, about a young Polish immigrant (Marion Cotillard)

pressed into prostitution by a charming pimp (Joaquin Phoenix) soon after passing through customs at Ellis Island. Cast includes Jeremy Renner, Angela Sarafyan and Jicky Schnee.

(In English and Polish with subtitles) “Next Year in Jerusalem” (Unrated) Right of return documentary about eight nursing home residents who embark on a transformational trip of a lifetime to Israel.

“A Night in Old Mexico” (Unrated) South of the Border saga about a cranky, cashstrapped curmudgeon (Robert Duvall) who embarks a final wild adventure with his grandson (Jeremy Irvine) rather than quietly retire from his ranch to a trailer park. With Angie Cepeda, Luis Tosar and Joaquin Cosio.

“A Short History of Decay” (R for profanity and sexual references) Romantic comedy about a just-dumped writer (Bryan Greenberg) from Brooklyn who finds love again when he relocates to Florida to care for his ailing parents (Harris Yulin and Linda Lavin) suffering from a stroke and Alzheimer’s. Support cast features Emmanuelle Chriqui, Kathleen Rose Perkins and Rebecca Dayan.

“A Touch of Sin” (Unrated) Four discrete crime sagas, set in present day China, each revolving around random acts of violence. Cast includes Wu Jiang, Lanshan Luo, Li Meng, Baoqiang Wang, Jia-yi Zhang and Tao Zhao.

(In Mandarin, Cantonese and English with subtitles) “Wolf Creek 2” (Unrated) Slasher sequel, set in the Australian Outback, where a British tourist’s (Ryan Corr) plans for an idyllic vacation go terribly awry when he’s abducted by a sadistic serial killer (John Jarratt) who drags him to a dungeon. With Shannon Ashlyn, Philippe Klaus and Gerard Kennedy.

Susan Williams Smith, an author, ordained minister and former mentee of Jeremiah A. Wright Jr., presents an honorable and comprehensive picture of Wright as a man, an African-American, a patriot, scholar, and pastor in her new book – “The Book of Jeremiah: The Life and Ministry of Jeremiah A. Wright Jr.” Smith first met Wright when she was a student at Yale Divinity School. She had heard him preach a stirring sermon, but it was at a dinner with him and the president of Yale that evening that she “became fascinated with this man and his work, and knew his ministry was something of which I wanted to be a part.” She asked Wright then and there if she could become an intern at his church, Chicago’s Trinity United Church of Christ.

With some help from the United Church of Christ denomination, Smith was able to serve at Trinity, first as an intern, then as associate pastor upon her graduation from Yale. After Trinity, Smith went on to pastor a church in Ohio for 22 years. When Wright and Trinity were maligned during the debacle of the 2008 election, Smith recalled, “I felt in my spirit a need to at least try to tell the story and to embrace those who had embraced me, by writing this book.”

Smith clearly points out several things “The Book of Jeremiah” is not: it’s not a biography of Wright (he was reticent about granting interviews for it); it’s not a history of Trinity; and it’s not about the relationship between Obama and Wright.

It is, however, an attempt to show what Wright’s ministry was, by showing what he preached and why, connecting his words to the historical and cultural context out of which he and those to whom he preached came. She compares and relates his prophetic voice with the prophetic voices of biblical and modern-day prophets, in the hope of revealing the true Wright, the man she knows, to whom there is much more than a couple of 30-second sound bites.

RichardA. Wing, senior minister at First Community Church in Columbus, Ohio, offers praise for the book.

“Smith has brought witness, honor, and gratitude to Wright, her mentor,” said Wing. “He is among the most misunderstood people in our time. Today’s persistent covert racism warns us of that which seems never to go away, even with our best efforts. Read this book and weep, swear if you must, and then get going. We have work to do.”

“I applaud this outstanding work,” said Frank Thomas, Nettie Sweeney and Hugh Th. Miller Professor of Homiletics at Christian Theological Seminary in Indianapolis.

“The overarching and monumental significance of its contributions is that the African American church will not allow one of its princes to be defined by sound-bite media and cable news narratives. We love and respect the ministry and lifelong contribution of Wright. Let the truth be told!”

“The Book of Jeremiah: The Life and Ministry of Jeremiah A. Wright, Jr.”

by Susan Williams Smith ISBN 978-0-8298-1935-9 Paperback $20 Source: BlackNews.com

Anika Noni Rose: The “Half of a Yellow Sun” interview Ladies’ Detective Agency.” I’ve also been to Morocco and a bunch of other places. But it was my first time in Nigeria. It was intense and I loved it, but it was a lot of hard work, because we were bringing a style of shooting that country wasn’t familiar with. So it was really a learning set, and a learning environment, because the City of Calabar certainly wasn’t ready for what we were bringing. But everybody was welcoming and stepped up to the plate, and it was a great time. …

Special to The New Tri-State Defender

by Kam Williams

Tony Award winner Anika Noni Rose stars alongside Denzel Washington in the Broadway revival of “A Raisin in the Sun.” Her outstanding performance has not only earned her critical acclaim but also a Tony award nomination.

She recently starred as Whoopi Goldberg’s daughter in the madefor-TV movie, “A Day Late and a Dollar Short.” On the big screen, Anika starred as Lorell Robinson in “Dreamgirls,” which went on to receive an AFI ensemble award, as well as SAG award nomination for outstanding cast.

Born in Bloomfield, Conn. (Sept.

6, 1972), Anika won the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical for her role in “Caroline, or Change.” She received her MFA from American Conservatory Theater and holds an honorary doctorate from Florida A&M University.

Here, she discusses her new film, “Half of a Yellow Sun,” co-starring Thandie Newton and Chiwetel Ejiofor.

Kam Williams: What interested you in making this movie?

Anika Noni Rose: I read the book when it came out, and I loved it! That book really excited me and moved me. And I read a lot! I remember thinking back then that it would make an amazing film. So, I was beyond thrilled when the call came asking whether I might be interested.

KW: I have a lot of questions for you from my readers. Editor/Legist Patricia Turnier asks: “Is your character Kainene very close to the character in the novel or were a lot of liberties were taken in the script?”

ANR: She’s very close to the character in the novel. I tried to keep

Anika Noni Rose

her as tight to what Chimamanda (author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie) described as possible. The only differences, I think, are the physical differences between our bodies, and there’s nothing I could do about that. (Laughs)

KW: Patricia also asks: “Did you need a coach to capture the Nigerian accent? How challenging was it to sound authentic?”

ANR: The answer is “Yes,” but the coach was British, because they mention in the book that she has an English accent.

KW: Was that the first time you visited Africa?

ANR: No, I’ve been to Africa many times. I spent six months in Botswana shooting “The No. 1

KW: Harriet Pakula-Teweles says: “The novel ‘Half of a Yellow Sun’ tells a gripping, but often very gritty, story. How does the film maintain the integrity of the story without potentially turning off the audience with visual details of the atrocities and suffering – especially given the stream of rather remarkable films like ‘12 Years a Slave,’ ‘Hotel Rwanda’ and ‘Django Unchained?’”

ANR: I think you’ll just have to see it, Harriet, to know how it affects and moves you. Anytime you depict war, it’s difficult to watch humanity debase itself in atrocious ways. But I think a good job was done.

KW: Attorney Bernadette Beekman asks: “Did you read the N.Y. Times article about the super-rich 1 percent in Lagos? How do you feel about the kidnappings of hundreds of young girls in Nigeria? Do you feel that the issues addressed in the film from 50 years ago still have had a ongoing effect on Nigeria?”

ANR: That’s a lot to answer. I don’t think the issues in the film were dealing with Boko Haram.

That’s a completely different situation. In terms of the 1 percent, and the have’s and have not’s, the film does show some of that.

KW: Professor/author/filmmaker Hisani Dubose says: “I’d like to know how long your journey has been to get where you are and how hard was the transition for you from Broadway to film?”

ANR: I have been acting professionally since 1997. I didn’t feel that the transition was extraordinarily difficult, style-wise. The first film I did was not a great film, but I had a great time, and I learned a lot about things that were important to me, primarily, “Where is the camera right now?” and “What is the angle?” The big film I did was “Dreamgirls,” where I was lucky to be able to bring Broadway to the screen. But I did not feel like there was a huge difference between how I do what I do onstage and onscreen KW: Troy Johnson says: “I had the opportunity to see you recently, during a presentation you and several other actors from the new Broadway production of ‘A Raisin in the Sun,’ which was hosted by WYNC in New York City. What was the most interesting experience you’ve had so far doing this show?”

ANR: Audiences seem to think of it as a black play, which it is. But it is also universal. What’s been phenomenal is having the lights come up at the end and seeing that the people moved by the play are from all different backgrounds. That proves the relevance of this piece today for everyone. …

KW: Librarian Larry Williams would also like to know how you prepared for “A Raisin in the Sun.” “Did you go to Chicago to get a sense of the neighborhood where it is set?”

ANR: No, although I’ve been to the Southside of Chicago before.

But this is a completely different time, so I don’t know whether a vis-

it would’ve been more helpful than just looking at pictures from the actual period. I just read the script over and over, and watched a lot of interviews with Lorraine (author Lorraine Hansberry). I listened carefully to what she had to say about her characters, and utilized that as much as possible. And I read her autobiography, too.

KW: What’s it like working opposite two great actors recently, Denzel in “Raisin,” and Chiwetel in “Half of a Yellow Sun.” ANR: I’ve been lucky, because I’m working with a slew of great actors, LaTanya Richardson and Sophie Okonedo are also on the stage and Thandie Newton’s in the film.

So, it’s been really wonderful and a great journey, because these are terrific people I enjoy working with.

KW: Does it ever make you nervous to hear that a certain celebrity is in the audience? Were you excited when the Obamas came to see “Raisin?”

ANR: I don’t like people to tell me who’s in the audience. It doesn’t make me nervous, but it will always affect a show and how you take in whatever’s going on around you.

So, I never want to know. However, when the Obamas were there, the energy in that theater was fabulous.

The audience was cheering before we even started. It was really invigorating! It had me jumping up and down backstage. We did a phenomenal show, and the Obamas came backstage during intermission, and they were just lovely.

KW: When you look in the mirror, what do you see?

ANR: Me! (LOL) A girl from Connecticut who’s living life, and trying to do the best she can, and who’s feeling blessed and full and striving!

COMMUNITY

Page 10

Tri-State Defender

May 15 - 21, 2014

BRIEFS & THINGS

COMMENTARY

A new tool to improve Memphis neighborhoods

UTHSC to graduate 672 health care professionals

The University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC) will graduate 672 health care professionals during its commencement ceremony, which will be held May 30th at 1:30 p.m. in the FedExForum Chancellor Steve J. Schwab, MD, will preside over the ceremony. UT System President Joe DiPietro will confer the degrees and give the charge to the graduates.

The 672 graduates are from all six of the UT Health Science Center’s colleges and break down this way: 185 – College of Allied Health Sciences; 74 – College of Dentistry; 23 – College of Graduate Health Sciences; 157 – College of Medicine; 107 – College of Nursing; 126 – College of Pharmacy.

This year’s graduating class includes 75 African-Americans, 12 Latino-Americans, and 147 graduates who came from out of state. In addition, this graduating class comprises 411 women and 261 men.

Sixteen of the out-of-state dentistry graduates are Arkansans who earned their doctoral degrees from the UT College of Dentistry. Arkansas has no dental college.

To watch the events live, use the following link, which works best in Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox browsers: http://www.uthsc.edu/studentl ife/graduation/decgraduation. php BRIEFLY: The Memphis Beat the Odds Foundation will honor six young people and one adult during its 21st annual banquet at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday (May 15th) at Lindenwood Christian Church at 2400 Union Ave. For more information, including how to purchase tickets online, visit memphisbeattheodds.org.

BRIEFLY: Shelby County Schools’ newest addition, the Maxine Smith STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) Academy, will host an open house for prospective students and their families on Thursday (May 15th) beginning at 5:30 p.m. at the Salvation Army Kroc Center at 800 East Parkway South.

BRIEFLY: The Tennessee Department of Human Services (DHS) is partnering with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Shelby County Schools to kick off the 2014 Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) at 3 p.m. Thursday (May 15th) at Peabody Park, 712 Tanglewood St. The SFSP provides free meals and snacks to children of low income, ages 18 and under, when school is out for the summer. The event will feature food, music, guest speakers and SFSP information. In 2013, 91 sponsors served more than 4 million meals at over 2,100 feeding sites statewide. Only 12.6 percent of eligible children have accessed the program. For more i n f o r m a t i o n , http://www.tn.gov/humanserv /SFSP/index.shtml.

BRIEFLY: Magnolia Elementary School at 2061 Livewell Circle will host a community job fair on May 19th from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The event for parents and members of the community. The purpose is to provide available resources necessary to achieve success. There will be representatives from various businesses/industries on site to accept applications and interview potential applicants. Applicants should be dressed professionally and be prepared to provide a copy of their résumé. For more information, contact Patricia Lee, Family Service Specialist at Magnolia Elementary, at 901416-4578.

BRIEFLY: Cornerstone MBC will host “Women in White” at 3 p.m. on Sunday (May 18th) at 765 S. Parkway E. The guest speaker will be Pearly Love of Mt. Moriah Baptist Church of Eads, Tenn., where Dr. Larry Love Sr. is pastor. Other guests include Cornerstone C.O.G.I.C. of Earl, Ark., and Pastor Carrie Mae Paige. The host pastor is Dr. Eugene Henson. For more information, call 901-5039882.

Special to The New Tri-State Defender

by Sen. Reginald Tate

Local artist Terry Lynn, one half of TWIN, adds the signature on the “Collaboration” mural that he and his twin brother, Jerry Lynn, designed for the newly renovated lobby at Methodist South Hospital. (Courtesy photo)

Twin brothers’ mural a picture of ‘Collaboration’ for Methodist South Special to The New Tri-State Defender

by Brittney Gathen

Methodist South Hospital recently hosted a ribbon cutting and consecration ceremony to celebrate the completion of its lobby and first floor renovations. The 9,500-square-foot renovation project cost $2 million and took approximately 10 months to complete and no two people were happier to be involved than local artists Terry Lynn and Jerry Lynn.

The Lynns, a.k.a. TWIN, contributed a mural they painted titled “Collaboration,” with Terry Lynn putting words to what was clearly obvious: “We are excited to be a part of Methodist South’s redesign and opening celebration.”

The mural, said Lynn, “represents the collaboration of physicians, healthcare leaders, and staff who make this hospital a vital part of the Memphis – and particularly Whitehaven – community.”

The mural is not the first artistic piece that TWIN has created. According to Lynn, the brothers have

Time to say thanks…

been drawing since they were kids and have been professional artists since 1994. Their work has been featured in venues such as the Dixon Art Gallery, the Brooks Museum of Art, David Lusk Gallery and the Dorothy Jean Gallery.

Despite successful artistic careers and a shared passion for art, Lynn said being artists wasn’t the original career choice for either brother.

“We initially planned to major in architectural technology and become architectural engineers, but after the art started to become an income maker, we realized that it was something that we could actually make a living doing,” Lynn said.

The native Memphians are fueled by inspiration.

“Our inspiration comes from our surroundings – just growing up in the Mid-South,” Lynn said, noting that the brothers “grew up a little in Whitehaven, then we moved to North Memphis.”

Family inspiration also was key.

“Just hearing those stories from our parents and grandparents about struggles and things that they went

through as children, and also the good times they shared (and) childhood stories that we heard growing up, was an initial inspiration,” said Lynn. “As we grew and became mature as artists, we just started to create our own stories, and it all led to our continued growth as artists.”

Lynn also said he and his brother are inspired by artists such as Memphis’ George Hunt and by the music of Memphis, including gospel, jazz and blues.

Through art, Lynn looks to serve as a source of inspiration for others.

“I hope to just inspire, inspire the youth. As an artist, I think that’s one of the most important things that you can do is give back by doing the best work that we can and serve as an inspiration to those who aspire to be artists themselves and make somebody’s day a little bit brighter.”

As for the overall renovation project, including the mural, “Sometimes we judge a book by its cover,” said Jay Robinson, Methodist South Hospital CEO. “This new look will complement the services we provide for our patients and families.”

The Memphis-Shelby County Education Association hosted the 35th Annual National Teacher Day Banquet last Friday at the Hilton Memphis. The event, featured awards and recognition, entertainment, a keynote by Se7en, The Poet, and this special moment for M-SCEA President Keith Williams.

Also pictured: former school board member and teacher Sara Lewis (left) and Myrtle Malone of Gordon Elementary School. (Photo: Tyrone P. Easley)

As state lawmakers, the issues we talk about at the Capitol in Nashville tend to tackle statewide problems, with ideas for all of Tennessee, from Memphis to Sen. Reginald Tate Kingsport.

But this year, we passed a different kind of law, one that will lead to some positive changes right in your own neighborhood.

Unfortunately, some of our neighborhoods in Memphis aren’t as great as they can be. The Neighborhood Preservation Act gives older, established neighborhoods here in Memphis a way to reinvest and revitalize.

What this law does is adapts an idea that’s common in newer neighborhoods but hasn’t been available in older and more established areas. If you’ve ever been in a homeowner’s association, you’ll know what I’m talking about.

In those newer neighborhoods, homeowner’s associations are there to maintain high standards for the look and feel of a place, with an eye toward preservation and protecting from blight and crime.

The new law sets up a way for older neighborhoods to organize a neighborhood preservation nonprofit corporation. The nonprofit corporation would not be limited to just residential homes; churches or other nonprofit entities could be included as part of the joint collaboration.

Those that do set up a nonprofit corporation, by filing their 501-3-c paperwork with the Tennessee Secretary of State, would first register their plat to show which properties are included with the county register of deeds. The entity would then be eligible for other state money for improvements and community resources, because of their nonprofit status.

Funding for improvements would also be generated by monthly dues.

Any funds collected from neighborhood members could only be used to fix up property and protect from blight and crime, and uses would need to be approved by a vote of two thirds of neighborhood members. The members could also pool their money to purchase vacant properties within their plat – residential or commercial, and in turn sell or lease the property to generate more funds with which to further improve their neighborhood.

Now is an especially good time to look for ways to improve our neighborhoods, given the direction of our city and state.

In the past, cities have grown by annexation, when the city expands out into unincorporated parts of the county. Just recently the cities of Lakeland and Southwind-Windyke have considered annexing nearby rural areas for new tax revenue to pay for the services those cities provide.

Memphis has annexed before in similar fashion, but recently our mayor announced a new approach to growth that focuses on revitalizing established parts of the city rather than continuing to grow outward into the county.

In the past, that outward growth has swallowed up city resources, but today we see a movement back to improving the established areas that made our city great.

That means the success of our established neighborhoods is more important than ever. When our neighborhoods succeed, so does our city.

If you’re interested in working in your own neighborhood to set up a neighborhood preservation nonprofit corporation under the new law, please don’t hesitate to contact my office if you have any questions.

(State Sen. Reginald Tate represents part of Shelby County in the General Assembly.)

Tri-State Defender

Legal Notices

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 four (4) amendments to the FY 2014-2017 Transportation Improvement Program (TIP). One (1) TIP amendment was associated with an Air Quality Short Conformity Determination Report: the remaining three (3) TIP amendments were included in an IAC Exempt Packet. The MPO will also present the Fiscal Year 2015 Unified Planning Work Program, the Memorandum of Agreement between Mississippi Department of Transportation and the Memphis MPO for TIP Amendments and Adjustments, and an amendment to the Roadway Functional Classification System.

The public is hereby given notice that these documents are available for review 8:00 AM until 4:30 PM Monday through Friday in the offices of the Memphis MPO located at 125 N. Main Street, Room 450, Memphis, TN 38103 or for download from the Internet at: www.memphismpo.org. The English and Spanish language copies are also available for public review in the library systems of Shelby, Fayette, and DeSoto counties. Written public comments on the amendments will be accepted through Wednesday, May 28, 2014. Comments may be submitted to Pragati Srivastava, Memphis MPO, 125 N. Main Street, Room 450, Memphis, TN 38103 or via email at Pragati.Srivastava@memphistn.gov. The Memphis MPO TPB will hold a public hearing on Thursday, May 29, 2014, 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

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May 15 - 21, 2014

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

NOTICE TO BIDDER(S)

Sealed bids will be received by the Shelby County Government in the Department of Housing, 1075 Mullins Station Road, Memphis, Tennessee 38134 until 9:30 a.m. on May 29, 2014 as shown below: MULTIPLE AND ENTIRELY DIFFERENT

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GENERAL INFORMATION: Some categories require prepayment. All ads subject to credit approval. Tri-State Defender reserves the right to correctly classify and edit all copy, or to reject or cancel any ad at any time. Only standard abbreviations accepted. Copy change during ordered schedule constitutes new ad & new charges. Deadlines for cancellation are identical to placement deadlines. Rates subject to change.

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TRI-STATE DEFENDER assumes no financial responsibility for errors nor for copy omission. Direct any classified billing iinquiries to 901-523-1818.

REHABILITATION JOBS ARE CONTAINED IN THIS BID NOTICE. BIDDER(S) MAY ELECT TO BID ON ANY OR ALL OF THE JOBS IN THE NOTICE. SEALED BID SBI-000269 DUE: May 29, 2014

1. Rehabilitation of Owner-Occupied Housing Units throughout Shelby County some of which may require the use of lead based paint safe work practices and techniques; and 2. Lead Based Paint Hazard Reduction Jobs.

Detailed specifications for items above may be obtained in the Shelby County Department of Housing at the aforementioned address. All bids will be opened and publicly read by the Shelby County Government at the time mentioned above at the Department of Housing, 1075 Mullins Station Road Memphis, TN 38134, (901) 222-7600.

Classifieds NOW ACCEPTS

Call The New Tri-State Defender @ 901-523-1818

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

As a condition precedent to being awarded jobs involving Lead Based Paint, contractors must be certified through EPA as an RRP contractor and/or show proof of application to EPA for said certification and be certified through the State of Tennessee as a Lead Based Paint Firm.

Proof of licensing at time of bid submission is required by the Shelby County Department of Housing.

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

You must display your current E.O.C. Eligibility Number or your Locally Owned Small Business (LOSB) Number on the outside of your envelope and a copy of all licenses and insurance policies must be included in your submitted bid package.

Unless the label is completely filled out and your current E.O.C. Eligibility Number is noted thereon your bid may be returned to you unopened. Should your label be lost or misplaced, please note the appropriate information in the lower left-hand corner of your envelope. The Department of Housing encourages participation from WBE, MBE, LOSB, and Section 3 Contractors under these rehabilitation programs.

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

By order of MARK H. LUTTRELL, JR., MAYOR SHELBY COUNTY GOVERNMENT

Jim Vazquez, Administrator

NOTICE TO FURNISHERS OF LABOR AND MATERIALS

TO: McCrory Electric Company STATE PROJECT NO.: 79028-3564-54

CITY CONTRACT NO.: 29144 FEDERAL PROJECT NO.: STP-M-NHE57 (47) TDOT PIN.: 112873 COUNTY: SHELBY COUNTY Surface Transportation Program Poplar Avenue / Germantown Road Signal Coordination

The City of Memphis, Division of Engineering is about to make final settlement with the contractor for construction of the above numbered project. All persons wishing to file claims pursuant to Section 54-5122, T.C.A. must file same with Bonnie Good, City of Memphis Manager of Construction Inspection, 2599 Avery Avenue, Memphis, TN 38122, on or before JUNE 30, 2014.

Municipal School Districts

The Municipal School Districts are seeking qualified vendors to bid on all Food Products and Food Services Supplies. All interested parties will meet at 10:00 A.M., Central Time, Tuesday, May 27, 2014, with Marsha Landstreet, School Nutrition Supervisor, at Collierville Town Hall, 500 Poplar View Parkway, Collierville, TN 38017. General Terms, Special Bid Conditions, Bid Specifications and Deliveries will be discussed. Municipal School Districtsʼ Bids and Request for Proposals are available to download at the following website: http://www.bartlettschools.org.

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SPORTS Tri-State Defender, Thursday, May 15 - 21, 2014, Page 12

The “Make The Right Call” NFL sports camp will look to build on its first-year success.

NFL sports camp at Whitehaven aims for real value Concussion discussion part of the session

Special to The New Tri-State Defender

by Tony Jones

The “Make The Right Call” NFL sports camp slated for the Whitehaven High School football field on Saturday (May 17th) is designed to be more than just the usual punt, pass and kick event.

That’s according to the organizer, Gene Robertson III, who envisions that as the case both for the pro athletes giving their time to the event and the kids and parents planning to attend.

The camp is free to boys and girls ages 10-14 years of age. Registration begins at 8 a.m., with on-field drills in fundamentals, specific position techniques and healthy toning techniques all on the teaching agenda. A free lunch will be offered, coupled with a mentoring symposium crafted to expand the childrens’ minds about the possibilities sports can bring.

The roster of NFL players confirmed for attendance include the Tennessee Titans’ Zach Brown, along with Darren Bates (St. Louis Rams), Marlon Brown (Baltimore Ravens), Bruce Carter (Dallas Cowboys) and Dwayne Harris (Dallas Cowboys).

“My company, Genetic Sports Marketing and Events, specializes in creating community service events that are designed to grow our clients’ potential marketing base by creating events that have real value for the community,” says Robertson.

With the camp now in its second year, Robertson says his experience as a student athlete at Whitehaven was the inspiration. After earning several scholarship offers, he chose to attend the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he graduated with a degree in exercise and sports science.

“My guidance counselor Ms. (Georgia) Barry and Coach (Rodney) Saulsberry made sure I was on top of my books even more so than my responsibilities on the field. And not just me, that’s how we rolled at Whitehaven,” said Robertson.

“We were always taught to aim high, which means a pro career, but to make sure we do our best to let our interest in sports open up other doors for us. That’s what I want these kids to learn. Apply yourself, dream big, but get the education opportunities being good in sports can bring.

“Don’t just go to college as a sightseeing trip. Set sights and achieve them and you can afford to plan for life,” he said.

“Concentrating on sports has been a tremendous benefit for me, and the guys I know in the sport want to share their success with the community.”

An important part of the weekend schedule will be the Concussion Awareness Luncheon on Friday (May 16th) at the Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital Community Room. Sponsored by State Rep. G.A. Hardaway, Robertson is inviting parents and coaches involved in Little League football to attend.

Supported by the experts from the hospital staff that will be speaking at the luncheon, Hardaway is studying the affects of concussions in young children, with the potential intent of crafting legislation to address the matter.

On-field drills in fundamentals, specific position techniques and healthy toning tips are all on the teaching agenda.

Gene Robertson III (right), organizer of the “Make The Right Call” NFL sports camp, and the Tennessee Titansʼ Zack Brown, who will be among the pros sharing their experience and advice. (Courtesy photos)