6 11 2014

VOL. 63, No. 22

www.tsdmemphis.com

June 5 - 11, 2014

SUPERINTENDENT DORSEY HOPSON

75 Cents

POLITICS 2014 INSIDE

ʻHow … as a Christian, should I determine who to vote for?ʼ

The Rev. Hubon “Dutch” Sandridge

The Rev. Dr. Kenneth T. Whalum Jr.

Bishop Edward H. Stephens Jr.

See Opinion, page 4.

Bishop Brandon B. Porter

Ministers in the hunt for votes Leadership for a new era of public education Part II besmith@tri-statedefender.com

by Bernal E. Smith II

(With his first year as superintendent now a matter of record, Shelby County Schools Supt. Dorsey Hopson reflected on the historic first year of the merged district with TSD President and Publisher, Bernal E. Smith II. Here is Part II of that wide-ranging conversation.)

Bernal E. Smith II: You have spoken publicly about the need to be sure that all of the students and schools in the bottom five percent of state achievement have some intentional treatment designed to raise student achievement. Would you update us on the effort to meet this need?

Supt. Dorsey Hopson: I think the focus really has to be on chronically underperforming as opposed to just the bottom five percent. At the end of the day, I’m not comfortable and you wouldn’t be comfortable either, with sending your child to a school in the bottom 10 percent much less five percent. We are considering a number of strategies. But the most important is trying to make sure that every classroom, no matter what school, has an effective teacher in it.

So the personnel policies and practices we have are implementing are to ensure that the principals have what is called, “mutual consent.” In other words, every teacher in that building knows what they are responsible for, wants to be there, and the principal has to want them there. That has been a huge shift culturally. We used to do a lot of forced placement, a lot of transfers, just because … so just making sure that the principal has the right to hire who they want to, and the teachers, when they go somewhere, want to be there. That has been a huge change in philosophy and practice.

We are also doing some very exciting things in the iZone, which specifically serves bottom five percent schools. A lot of that has to do with extended school days. The board recently passed the purchase of a $5 million investment for blended learning devices. We are piloting in 16 schools to provide every child in those schools a laptop or other device with the curriculum on it. So they can SEE HOPSON ON PAGE 12

MEMPHIS WEEKEND

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

SUNDAY

H- 8 4o - L - 7 2o H- 8 7o - L - 7 3o H- 8 3o - L - 6 9o Scattered T-Storms Isolated T-Storms Scattered T-Storms REGIONAL TEMPS LITTLE ROCK NASHVILLE JACKSON, MS

Friday H-87 L-72 H-82 L-65 H-87 L-72

Saturday H-86 L-71 H-86 L-69 H-89 L-71

Sunday H-83 L-68 H-85 L-67 H-87 L-71

Special to The New Tri-State Defender

by Wiley Henry

With the Democratic Primary for the Ninth Congressional District about two months away, ministers in dueling camps are taking a stand, leaving those in tune with their spiritual guidance to determine if that influence should extend to the voting booth.

While such division is not new, some are suggesting that this time around the stakes are higher for African Americans in the district represented by incumbent Steve Cohen since 2006.

In May, more than a dozen ministers convened near the National Civil Rights Museum to announce their

The search for fertile ground in the Ninth Congressional District

support for Atty. Ricky Wilkins, who – along with community activist Isaac Richmond – is challenging Cohen in the Aug. 7th primary.

The names of a contingent of ministers backing Cohen were detailed recently in a widely circulated announcement, making it clear that they have a different perspective on what is needed in the district going forward.

So, while Greater Community Temple Church of God in Christ Bishop Brandon Porter is urging voters to embrace Wilkins and give

“change a chance,” the Rev. Hubon “Dutch” Sandridge, pastor of Thomas Chapel Baptist Church, insists Cohen’s record of service and his political pedigree make him the clear choice.

“You can’t take a novice and put him in a congressional seat,” said Sandridge, referring to Wilkins, former chairman of the Memphis Housing Authority. “He does not have a record to stand on. He doesn’t have the political record that can touch Steve Cohen’s record and years of service. Just saying I’m a black man

doesn’t have anything to do with leadership.”

Noting the dozen-plus ministers who were named in the recent release and others that he asserts support him privately, Cohen, said, “I am proud that such a distinguished and diverse group of men and women have endorsed my candidacy.”

For some clerics, making public declarations in support of one candidate over another is par for the course. They argue that their involvement in the political process is no more than an extension of their duties in and away from the pulpit.

Bishop Edward H. Stephens Jr., senior pastor of Golden Gate Cathedral, said politics in its purest form SEE MINISTERS ON PAGE 3

As first Working Families Summit looms, White House holds special briefing President Obama to host June 23rd event NewsOne

by D.L. Chandler

Memphis on my mind…

The many faces of mega-star Kevin Hart were on display in Memphis this week as the comedian/actor made a two-day stop to promote his latest movie, “Think Like A Man Too.” See Entertainment, page 8. (Photo: Shirley Jackson)

Where’s the black political conversation on climate change?

New America Media

by Charles D. Ellison President Barack Obama might be the only black person on the planet who cares about climate change.

Well, not really, but close – the illfated climate-change debate is as white as late-night talk shows. It’s that way for a number of reasons: from who funds either A Memphis call side of the for clean en- heated climate ergy policies, conversation to that just carbon allegations environmentalpollution stan- ists routinely dis black perdards spectives on the topic. Most See Page 5 egregious is a pervasive lack of urgent black political action on the subject.

On Monday the administration of the first black president, who is also the first president to seriously tackle climate change, announced ambitious Environmental Protection Agency rules that cut carbon emis-

Dr. Neil Degrasse Tyson, the host of “Cosmos,” says humans are burning coal to power and imperiling our civilization.

(Photo: http://www.cos mosontv.com) sions by 30 percent through 2030.

That’s huge.

Still, only 24 percent of the general population feels the same. Even within the context of climate change’s devastating and disproportionate impact on communities of color, black

politicos won’t follow the president’s lead on the issue. The Congressional Black Caucus didn’t say if it would, at the very least, take a look at the rules SEE CLIMATE ON PAGE 5

As part of President Barack Obama’s ongoing jobs agenda and focus on bolstering the middle class, his administration has been hosting a series of events leading up to the firstever White House Summit on Working Families to be held later this month.

The summit will take place on June 23rd in Washington, D.C., at the Omni Shoreham Hotel and will be hosted by President Obama. Details of the summit were Wednesday during a media roundtable.

Senior administration officials unveiled key economic and data points in addressing the needs of middleclass families those strugSenior adminis- and gling to achieve tration officials work-life balThe unveiled key ance.

White House economic and Summit is part data points in of President “Year addressing the Obama’s Of Action,” needs of mid- where he has to use dle-class fami- promised his pen and his lies and those phone to push struggling to forward on isthat conachieve work- sues cern the life balance. growing needs of Americans.

During the media briefing, the Obama Administration officials noted that 21st Century workforce ideals differ greatly from times past. Increasing the need for workplace fairness, benefits that help, and equal pay between the genders all play a role in how development in this arena is currently playing out, they said.

Meanwhile, President Obama has not been shy in promoting science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education in today’s classroom, with the idea this will be the arena where the top jobs are created. The Summit will examine the viability of STEM and also look at other industries to see where development needs to occur.

The officials also shared a number of best practices that businesses and organizations can apply to retain exSEE SUMMIT ON PAGE 3

NEWS

Page 2

Tri-State Defender

June 5 - 11, 2014

AN OPEN LETTER TO MEMPHIS

Colon cancer education – a grassroots appeal

by Dr. Phillip R. Bowden

Special to The New Tri-State Defender

“It’s gross.”

“It’s embarrassing.” “ It’s not exactly dinner table conversation, if you know what I mean…”

Those are just a few of the statements I hear when I ask Memphians why our community doesn’t talk about getting a colonoscopy. The truth is this: a colonoscopy isn’t gross.

It isn’t embarrassing.

It’s discreet, simple, and life-saving.

F o r twenty years, I’ve been fortun a t e enough to Dr. Phillip work at the R. Bowden grassroots level to educate our city about the importance of a colorectal screening.

I’ve personally given over 200 speeches. My small practice has provided colon cancer education at over 1,000 events. I’ve partnered with the Memphis Grizzlies’ Community Health team, local political leaders, dozens of churches and businesses, and countless community leaders. I’ve even released an Emmy-nominated commercial to spread our message.

When I go to the grocery store or jog through the park, local Memphians confirm that they’ve heard my messages.

They recite the statistics, applaud Mid-South Gastro’s efforts, and even thank me for my commitment. Many even go on to tell personal stories of family members who didn’t get screened until it was too late. Then I ask one question.

Have you been screened?

It’s at that point that the mood shifts.

“I’m going to, Doc. I’m scared. I’m going to get mine next year.”

It’s heart wrenching. Ninety percent of colon cancer can be prevented. African Americans are most likely to die from colon cancer because we’re

most likely to receive a latestage diagnosis. My community knows this. You all tell me these stats on your own. Yet, year after year, so many members of our city put off protecting their health.

That’s why this year, I changed March’s “Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month” to “Colorectal Cancer ACTION Year.” I don’t want to see any more Memphians die from colorectal cancer. Not one. I don’t want to meet another neighbor in the grocery store who claims to know the seriousness of colon cancer while doing nothing to prevent it.

My fellow physicians, staff, and even our Mayor AC Wharton Jr. have joined Mid-South Gastroenterology Group’s

Healthy Shelby launches hypertension campaign with coach Lionel Hollins

The kick off of “140/90: Living Life Under Pressure,” a new hypertension awareness campaign encouraging African-American men to maintain a healthy blood pressure, will be June 21st.

During the event hosted by Healthy Shelby, attendees will have the opportunity to meet the campaign spokesperson, Lionel Hollins, former head coach for the Memphis Grizzlies and founder of Lionel Hollins Charities. They can also participate in blood pressure screenings, exercise demonstrations, cooking classes, and receive information on how to better manage hypertension.

Heart healthy food will be provided as part of the free educational event, which will run from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at The Kroc Center, located at 800 E. Pkwy S., Memphis. The campaign is geared toward African American men but everyone is welcome to attend.

In Shelby County, hypertension is higher than in the rest of the state and the nation. A recent national study of hypertension “hot spots,” showed Memphis ranked #1 among the 50 largest U.S. metropolitan areas. Nationally, hypertension affects 1 in 5 adults. In Shelby County more than a third (36 percent) of area residents have been diagnosed with high blood pressure.

Studies have shown that African Americans are more likely to have high blood pressure than their white or Mexican-American counterparts.

African Americans also develop it at an earlier age, leaving them at a higher risk for other chronic illnesses such as heart disease, stroke, congestive heart failure, and kidney disease.

The “140/90: Living Life Under Pressure” campaign specifically seeks to reach African-American males to encourage them to take charge of their health by getting screened, exercising, modifying their diets, and, if necessary, taking medication to control their blood pressure.

The desired impact of the campaign is long-term, sustained improvement in the control and management of hypertension and a reduction in strokes and heart attacks in the African-American community.

Hollins was diagnosed with hypertension in his 20’s while playing in the NBA and has relied on blood pressure medication, exercise, and a healthy diet to help him keep it under control.

“Hypertension runs in my family so I am very familiar

with it. As an athlete and now a coach, I have to be very deliberate in my efforts to maintain a healthy blood pressure. I can share my testimony and relate to others who are fighting the same battle. This is a great campaign and a great opportunity for me to continue to make a difference in this community,” said Hollins.

Healthy Shelby Project Director, Dr. Debra Bartelli, said, “High blood pressure has become so common in our community and many people don’t manage it properly. If left unattended, the results can be debilitating or even deadly….

“It doesn’t have to be this way,” she said. “If we can get more men to see their health care providers regularly and adhere to recommended treatment we can keep more men alive to be there for the people who need them the most.”

Five other African-American men, who are appropriately called Hollins’ starting

lineup, have volunteered to assist. The starting five include legendary STAX Records songwriter and artist David Porter; Founder and President of the Southern Heritage Classic, Fred Jones. Jr.; Nike Director of Community and Business Relations, Willie Gregory; radio personality/DJ and stroke survivor Jeff Leff; and Pastor of Mississippi Boulevard Christian Church the Rev. Jason Turner.

“This is a group of successful, highly visible men who are well-respected in the Shelby County community.

Some of them are battling hypertension as well but each understands the importance of taking care of yourself and they want to use their voice and position for the greater good,” said Hollins.

For more information about the “140/90: Living Life Under Pressure” campaign, visit www.healthymemphis.org or call 901-684-6011.

grassroots campaign to not only educate Memphians about the risks of not knowing but also encourage you to take the first step and schedule an appointment.

If you’re over 50 years old and of average risk, there’s no reason for you to not have your colonoscopy. If you’re an African American, you’re more susceptible to an aggressive form of colorectal cancer; you must be screened by age 45. If you have close family members who have been diagnosed with colon cancer, you will have to be screened even earlier.

This isn’t the time to read about colon cancer, shudder at

the statistics, and then do nothing. This is the time to accept responsibility and take action.

If you or someone you know needs to be screened, don’t wait.

Schedule your colonoscopy now.

(Dr. Phillip R. Bowden is the medical director of Mid-South Gastroenterology Group, located in Midtown and East Memphis. He leads the Colonoscopy Now initiative, a yearlong campaign to get 100 percent of qualifying Memphians screened for colon cancer.

Learn more about Dr. Bowden and the Mid-South Gastroenterology Group at DoctorBowden.com.)

Tri-State Defender MINISTERS

NEWS

CONTINUED FROM FRONT

has the ability to move people. He encourages his members to get involve and vote for the candidate of their choice.

“The church is the voice for our community…the megaphone and mouthpiece…to get information out.

You can’t complain if you don’t exercise your right to vote,” said Stephens, a prominent Wilkins supporter.

Stephens, who joined other ministers in the May public showing of support for Wilkins, reiterated that he has nothing against Cohen. It would be good for African American kids to see an African American occupying the congressional seat in Washington, he said matter-of-factly.

“Cohen is a good man, but AfricanAmerican people don’t have representation,” said Stephens, using as a hypothesis a non-Hispanic representing the Hispanic community. “Why would a black person represent the Hispanic community? Another Hispanic understands the community better.”

After introducing Cohen at the opening of his East Memphis campaign headquarters Saturday (May 31st), the Rev. Dr. Kenneth T. Whalum Jr., pastor of The New Olivet Baptist Church, railed against Cohen’s detractors, who he said maintain that a “Jew” cannot represent a predominately African-American district.

“It’s the height of disingenuous presentation to suggest that a Jew cannot effectively represent black people,” said Whalum, a former school board commissioner. “Black preachers get in the pulpit every Sunday, every Wednesday in Bible study, and preach and teach about how a Jew has been effectively representing us in heaven for 2,000 years.

“I just think it borders on stupidity,” he said. “Steve has been an excellent representative before he went to Congress.”

Wilkins, who has said “diversity of representation” should be appealing and valued by people regardless of their political affiliation, has emphasized his academic pedigree and his public and private career.

“There is a lot more to Ricky Wilkins than just being a black man,” he said the morning of the endorsements by the ministers. “I just happen to be a black man.”

Whalum says race is the issue, offering this context: “Black people have been in charge politically for decades, yet the masses of black folks are worse off now than they were when Boss Crump was in office. That’s the race issue to me.”

Page 3

June 5 - 11, 2014

SUMMIT

CONTINUED FROM FRONT

The Rev. Dr. Kenneth T. Whalum Jr. (left), who introduced U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen at his East Memphis campaign headquarters on May 31st, said, “Steve has been an excellent representative before he went to Congress.” (Photo: Wiley Henry)

Greater Community Temple Church of God in Christ Bishop Brandon Porter (left) is urging voters to embrace Atty. Ricky Wilkins and give “change a chance.” (Photo: Karanja A. Ajanaku)

perienced and valuable employees. There was a discussion about workers from both genders who say they need to earn more, lending credence to the assertion that fair compensation promotes productivity.

Greater work-family balance also was discussed, with one especially candid official sharing the story of how she handled single motherhood and balanced her career. She told those present that she was fortunate to have an employer that was sympathetic to her responsibilities as a parent.

That story prompted another official to add that both men and women say they want more time with their children and jobs that support the strengthening of families while also allowing a space for career ascension.

With a June 9th “Working Fathers” event looming at the White House prior to the Summit on Working Families, questions were directed at the briefing officials from those seeking to assess how men are looking at work-family balance.

Men are coming forward in a way like never before, the Obama Administration officials said, with some male workers asking for longer paternity leave to support their spouses and children during infancy. But for some men, it still is customary to shun the idea of paternity leave and not take time off, one briefing official said.

Race was not a prevalent topic at the briefing, although one official referenced some slow growth in certain office cultures that will have an effect on people of color.

Page 4

OPINION

Tri-State Defender

June 5 - 11, 2014

John H. Sengstacke Publisher (1951 - 1997)

The Mid-Southʼs Best Alternative Newspaper

Powered by Best Media

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

The Congressional Black Caucus rift

FLASHBACK: 2006

JUST SAYING...

Reparations for the injustice of ‘cheating’

There is one word when spoken

by African Americans that is sure to provoke a range of troubled emotions in most white Americans; the word is “reparations.” They simply think it’s totally unreasonable for African Americans to even think they deserve compensation in any way for 300 years of forced free labor combined with brutal, inhumane atrocities that can only be described as the greatest crime against humanity ever experienced.

The psychopathy was to completely invalidate the humanity of African people. This was followed by another 100 years plus of incomprehensible cruelty and oppression under a system called Jim Crow laws. These issues are like festering wounds that continue to impact and effect people of African ancestry in America.

I was encouraged to read a recent article (“Debt relief & reparations for HBCUs,” by Wiley Henry) in this newspaper about the effort to focus the issue of reparations as long overdue compensation for struggling black colleges and universities. It is one of the most logical and reasonable methods to compensate descendants of enslaved African Americans. In my opinion, no African American should have to pay for an education, at any level.

Not one dime! Other ethnic groups receive free education; African Americans are most worthy for this compensation as one method to help make amends for historic and on-going socio-economic injustice.

I spent several years addressing the issue of reparations while working for the City Council in Chicago.

Spearheaded by Alderman Dorothy Tillman of the 3rd ward, we launched a major effort to put the issue on the national agenda. We were successful in getting the Chicago City Council to overwhelmingly support the issue, thus becoming the first city in the nation to hold an official hearing on the issues of slavery and reparations.

I wrote the original resolution.

The subsequent ordinance that passed overwhelmingly by the Council was not just a cursory ordinance. It required companies doing business with the City to research their records to determine whether it had roots in buying or selling human cargo. Failure to do so could cause them to lose their contract.

We were successful in getting 12 other cities to pass similar legislation. We subsequently established regional chapters around the country in the North, South East and West. The historic annual National Reparations Convention expanded the struggle. Black professionals and scholars joined other individuals and organizations that have labored for years to keep the issue alive.

The very mention that African Americans deserve to be compensated is abhorrent and unacceptable to those who misunderstand what the movement is about, including some African Americans. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. addressed the issue when he said, “America owes us a debt…America gave us a check that came back marked insufficient funds.”

Every descendant of enslaved African Americans deserves to be compensated. I am always amazed when I hear white Americans raise questions such as, Why are so many blacks languishing in poverty? Why are so many blacks unemployed?

Why do blacks comprise the largest number of people in jails and prisons? After all these years since emancipation why haven’t blacks closed the gap with whites economically?

The answers are complicated.

Yet, for those who know and understand the history of this nation the answers aren’t so difficult to grasp.

For hundreds of years African Americans were objects of the most pervasive, effective and thorough program of social engineering in history. Combined with the realization that there was no sanctuary for them, they had to accept humiliation, violence and governmentsanctioned oppression. Denied the chance to be educated or use their creativity in any form of independence, they were totally dependent on others for survival.

It is not enough that we legally ended slavery, we must repair the historical and contemporary damage that continues to devalue black

Robin Brown

life. Someone equated it to a man who won a fortune cheating another man in a poker game. One day he confessed and said he was sorry and wouldn’t cheat anymore. If he were really sincere, he would have returned the money. To apologize

is not enough.

African Americans require reparation to repair the injustice done by the “cheating.” There is an established precedent for paying reparations for people injured: Japanese Americans interned during World War II, several Indian tribes and various European countries were forced to pay reparations to Holocaust survivors Whites continue to benefit from the free labor African Americans were forced to “give” to the development and progress of this nation.

Through the years whites were able to pass wealth to their heirs in the form of land, stocks, bonds, insurance, etc. Moreover, descendants of whites have more and effective support groups and programs available to them if they need assistance. For generations, blacks had only poverty to leave to their heirs as they struggled to survive in a hostile “free” environment. Even whites that were opposed to slavery supported the wretched institution through the purchase and support of products and goods produced by enslaved African Americans.

The idea of reparations deserves to be enjoined in a national debate.

How can we seriously discuss racial equality without considering reparations for descendants of enslaved African Americans? It’s absurd!

Most people think when the issue is raised that we’re proposing that all blacks should get a check in the mail. There are many methods to compensate for so many years of incomprehensible cruelty and deliberate injustice. Still, I would not arbitrarily take that idea off the table considering the many banks, insurance companies and other institutions that built their wealth on slave trading). One example: JPMorgan Chase & Co. admitted that slaves were used as collateral on mortgages, and that slaves were also owned by the banks.

In addition to free education, reparations should also extend to economic development, start up loans and grants for Africans Americans to open businesses (often provided for other ethnic groups and new arrivals in America) free health care, land, housing etc.

Of course many descendants of enslaved African Americans have grabbed the brass ring and are doing well in 2014. But drive around your city and others and see how people are living in neighborhoods we use to refer to as “across the tracks” and you’ll understand that the masses of African Americans still languish in poverty and hopelessness. In this land of plenty, how can we continue to ignore thousands of our children still going to bed hungry. The United States Department of Agriculture estimates that almost 16 million children live in households without a daily supply of sufficient food.

And not all those children are people of color.

I believe reparations must eventually be made part of the national discourse, and I would hope the HBCUs would join the struggle to organize workshops and conferences to teach and expand the process. Without it, African Americans are still in a race where everyone else had a superior advantage to begin running when the starting gun was fired. African Americans were told to count to 300 before they could begin the race. …I’m 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.)

‘How…as a Christian, should I determine who to vote for?’

We find ourselves in an interesting election cycle once again, and one of the perennial highlights is the march to the African-American churches and clergy. Elected officials and candidates, who never set foot in a worship service, all of a sudden clamor to find willing clergy that allow them to stand in front of a congregation.

Jesus gets pushed aside, if for a moment, so that political aspirations can be entertained. And when the smoke clears, pastors endorse candidates.

Much has been made recently over endorsements. One of my colleagues, in this space, affirmed the need to be involved in the political process but stopped short in affirming specific, endorsed support from pastors. He felt that our job was to educate. Another colleague said, “It’s disingenuous for a group of Black Christian preachers to say that a Jew can’t effectively represent Black folks in Congress. A Jew has been effectively representing us in Heaven for 2,000 years. #HushSitDownAndStudy”.

I’ve had conversation with the first colleague, and while I agree with much of what he said, we must always be ready to move from theory to application. In other words, after we teach, we then must act. Because of our conversation, I’m having this dialog with you through this medium to connect the two.

The second colleague shaped his comment around false information, for no one said – neither candidate or those present – that Congressman (Steve) Cohen could not effectively serve because he’s Jewish. By the way – I was there; the second colleague wasn’t. Mr. (Ricky) Wilkins kept race and religion out of the conversation.

He even said, “If you like Steve Cohen, you’ll love Ricky Wilkins.” I pray that we as clergy won’t create smoke or fire where it is unnecessary.

In the time I have left, let me get to where we are going. As you read this, I’m sure you have at least two questions. One is, “Does my political choice, as a Christian, have any bearing on my salvation?” The second question is, “Should my pastor be able to support particular candidates?” And here is an extra question: “How then, as a Christian, should I determine who to vote for?”

The truth is that Christians fall across the political spectrum, from Republicans to Democrats. If you read Scripture closely, you will see that there is no “political affiliation” requirement. That also carries over to candidates. Supporting a candidate is a choice, and every voter has a right to his or her choice. Following this line of thinking, every pastor has a right to support a candidate. This also means, however, that the parishioner can either follow or not follow their pastor’s lead on this issue.

Many times, due to the relationship, a parishioner will heed the guidance of a pastor in most things. It then is up to us as pastors to prayerfully lead

as we make all decisions, even secular ones.

This brings us to the last question. The answer to this one brings proper perspective on it and the others.

The Bible in Jeremiah 29:5-7 The Rev. Dr. says, “Build Noel G. L. Hutchinson Jr. houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce. Marry and have sons and daughters; find wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, so that they too may have sons and daughters. Increase in number there; do not decrease. Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile.

Pray to the LORD for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.”

(NIV) The text implies active participation in one’s community. As a Christian, we should be concerned about our community in every aspect. From education to crime, from economic development to job growth and quality of life, the Christian – and the church – must help to shape both conversation and action. In addition, a part of the Old Testament witness was looking out for the poor, and being fair and just in one’s dealings.

When one looks at this, he or she should then look at the candidate whom they feel best embodies this ideal and vote for him or her.

If the candidate is an incumbent, you must ask how their action – or inaction – has affected their constituents, and how their decisions have affected the prosperity of those whom they serve. If the candidate is a challenger, they must be able to tell you how will they address those issues.

And every candidate must know the job description of the seat they seek.

This consideration should also go for political affiliation. For me, after I examined both parties, the Democrats, for me, came closest to my Christian beliefs because, among several things, of their consideration of the “least of these.”’

I suggest that when we view the newspaper through the lens of the Bible, while looking at our context, we can make credible choices. We must also do our own research on the candidates. It isn’t that time consuming, but it is necessary, for in this way, we can separate fact from fiction.

One thing is certain – to not choose a candidate and not to vote is a choice. The difference is that you let someone else make the choice for you.

(The Rev. Dr. Noel G. L. Hutchinson Jr., is pastor of First Baptist Church Lauderdale, an author and a television show host.)

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Tri-State Defender Platform

1. Racial prejudice worldwide must be destroyed.

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

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

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

5. Complete cessation of all school segregation.

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

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The Congressional Black Caucus, the allDemocrat coalition of AfricanAmerican lawmakers, is undergoing somewhat of a crisis of conscience these days, with members now going Daryl after each other Gale in public, much to the delight of Republicans.

At its core, the issue is over the Dodd-Frank Act, the set of banking regulations set forth following the 2008 financial collapse. Wall Street, with the help of Republicans, would like to unravel the legislation, allowing banks and financial institutions to return to the bad old days of the freewheeling excesses that nearly bankrupted the country.

Expectedly, the anti-regulation crowd joined the fray, and even a pro-business group calling themselves the New Democrats has lent their support to gutting Dodd-Frank.

Less expectedly, though, has been the support of several members of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC).

Naturally, other caucus members were horrified, considering the fact that their constituents not only bore the brunt of the financial collapse – many of them still looking for work or trying to save their homes from foreclosure – but in many cases were blamed for the collapse itself. If you’ll recall, Minnesota’s resident wingnut Michelle Bachmann and other members of her party as much as accused black folk of causing the financial meltdown by taking those high-risk mortgages.

CBC members Gwen Moore, Gregory Meeks, David Scott, Lacy Clay and Terri Sewell have linked arms with their opponents across the aisle, pushing for measures that would undermine Dodd-Frank’s rules on financial derivatives, the contracts at the heart of the 2008 crisis. This has angered other members, who while publicly chastising their colleagues, stopped short of naming the obvious reason for the seeming abandonment of their core constituents.

But you already know the reason, and you probably also understand why caucus leadership hasn’t said the word out loud.

Money.

The banking industry has hundreds of lobbyists, whose sole purpose is to influence lawmakers to vote favorably for their cause. These lobbyists throw truckloads of money at legislators, either legally through generous campaign contributions, or more clandestine means like the proverbial brown envelope stuffed with cash.

And when you think about it, going after black lawmakers is a logical move. Campaign contributions are hard to come by in the black community, and politicians desperate to fill their coffers are often forced to take contributions they’d rather reject.

But even that excuse doesn’t hold water when we’re talking about taking money to vote against the interests of the people who voted you into office.

And before we get all high and mighty here, we should take a moment to localize the issue. Not long ago, the Pennsylvania Attorney General named four sitting state legislators as targets of an undercover sting in which they pocketed cash and gifts from a government informant posing as a lobbyist.

While the lobbyist did ask for votes on the Voter ID issue, it was fairly understood that black lawmakers would have voted no anyway, cash or no cash. But what if the quid pro quo required was a vote the legislator would not have made otherwise? Can we honestly believe they’d take the money and still vote against the lobbyist’s request?

Years ago, when there were precious few blacks in public office, the one goal of the black community was to get people who look like us in positions of power. No one could have predicted that as time went on, those now-powerful blacks would succumb to the same temptations as their white counterparts.

But politicians have to raise money to remain in office, and no one wants to lose an election because they were outspent.

It’s clearly time to re-examine that original goal. It’s not only important to get black people into public office, but to elect the sort of black people who will keep the community first, no matter the temptations. It won’t be easy, and no one is immune to the lure of hard cash, but if our collective agenda is to advance, it must be through legislators who never forget where they come from, and who they work for.

The future of Black America depends on it.

(Daryl Gale is the city editor of The Philadelphia Tribune.)

Tri-State Defender

NEWS

Page 5

June 5 - 11, 2014

A Memphis call for clean energy policies and just carbon pollution standards

Support for clean energy policies and just carbon pollution standards for existing power plants will be the centerpiece of a press conference and roundtable discussion at the Benjamin L. Hooks Main Library on Thursday (June 5th) beginning at 10:45 a.m.

Congressman Steve Cohen will join the NAACP, the Sierra Club and Southern Alliance for Clean Energy and community leaders at the event, which begins at 10:45 a.m.

Key community members are expected to make statements about the NAACP’s “Just Energy Policies, Reducing Pollution and Creating Jobs” report, which assesses energy policy in Tennessee through a civil rights lens, and provides analysis of the state’s energy sector policies based on the environmental and economic impacts.

According to the report, Tennessee lags behind other states in the adoption of wind and solar power and energy efficiency. Moving to clean, just energy policies are pitched as the way

CLIMATE

CONTINUED FROM FRONT

– nor does it list climate change as an issue of focus (leaving it to the multicultural Congressional Progressive Caucus). There are no press releases popping about the White House National Climate Assessment or that recent EPA drop from big civil rights organizations like the National Urban League or the NAACP – even though the NAACP sports a convenient Climate Justice initiative.

Black lawmakers – state, local and federal – aren’t into climate change, even if their cities are sinking in it. A Mayor Michael Nutter in Philly or a Mayor Vincent Gray in Washington, D.C., might yell “green spaces” and “bike lanes,” but that’s reverse dog-whistle politics in the hunt for white votes. Mayor Kasim Reed missed a golden opportunity to talk about Atlanta’s spectacular snow disaster back in January as a climate-change issue, choosing instead to whine about it in a series of press conferences.

In a recent Economist-YouGov poll, however, blacks felt more personally affected by headlining climate-change events than whites and Latinos did: Twenty percent of African Americans, compared with 12 percent of whites and 10 percent of Latinos, were impacted by Superstorm Sandy; and 17 percent of blacks were affected

by Hurricane Katrina, versus 8 percent of whites and Latinos. More black folks also felt impacted by tornadoes than did whites and Latinos.

Black perceptions of climate-change danger shouldn’t stun the imagination. Climatic weather events frequently blast populations of color. Cities in Florida, Louisiana, New Jersey, New York and North Carolina are drowning under rising sea levels. Chicago, St. Louis, Kansas City, Mo., and elsewhere are the hardest hit by heat waves.

Reducing carbon pollution is just as much a people-of-color imperative as it is for everyone else. A study from the Environmental Justice and

to create jobs, lower electric bills and improve the public’s health.

Speakers will also address the June 2nd release of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s first-ever proposed nationwide limits on carbon pollution from existing power plants.

Organizers point out that last month the government released its third National Climate Assessment that “documented the extent to which climate change already is adversely impacting Tennesseans.”

Following the press conference, the coalition will host a roundtable discussion. The agenda will include ways the Memphis metropolitan area can get involved in promoting renewable energy technologies, like wind and solar power, and better efficiency to create jobs and grow the local economy.

Area residents also will be urged to get behind the EPA’s proposed standards to stop the carbon pollution that the agency sees as driving climate change.

Health Alliance for Chemical Policy Reform, entitled “Who’s in Danger? Race, Poverty, and Chemical Disasters”, found “an association between lower average housing values, incomes, and education levels and greater black, Latino, and low-income populations living within chemical disaster ‘vulnerability zones’ ... across the U.S.” Your favorite urban radio host won’t push a full string of segments on it. Maybe reverend finds a Sunday Bible verse on it ... maybe not.

You’d have better chances of finding air underwater than waiting on the few black cable networks to cover it. Of the countless high-profile rants and roundtables pushing black thought leaders and celebrity sidekicks, you’d be as lucky to hit the lottery as to hear a loaded talk on the environment.

Neil deGrasse Tyson on Cosmos and a Morgan Freeman Science Channel voiceover are as close as we get to prominent black voices – other than the president’s – on the state of the planet. Clearly, climate change is not an issue du jour tantalizing the African-American zeitgeist.

What’s understood is that a ragged economy, along with high unemployment and underemployment, looms large as the great American political and economic concern. Still, not much else matters if we don’t have life-sustaining basics like air to breathe and unflooded land to live on.

Even better, we could lead the charge for a vibrant, job-building economic model based on climate-fixing innovations and course corrections. We can’t be most likely to be affected by climate change and yet least interested in making noise about it. The opportunity is there. Let’s stop missing it.

(Charles D. Ellison is a veteran political strategist and regular contributor to The Root.

He is also Washington correspondent for the Philadelphia Tribune and chief political correspondent for Uptown magazine. Follow him on Twitter.)

Answering the call…

The Rev. Keith Norman (center), pastor of First Baptist Church-Broad, has been named vice president for government affairs – a new position at Baptist Memorial Health Care.

Also pictured: Jason Little (left), the new chief executive officer at Baptist, and Greg Duckett, senior vice president and corporate counsel. (Photo: Tyrone P. Easley)

ProudOnTV expands with three new partners ProudOnTV (POTV) continues to build alliances in Memphis, with the California-based technology company’s roster now featuring three new partners – Memphis Girls Basketball, Peer Power/East High School and Dress for Success Memphis.

The addition of its new partners comes on the heels of the announcement that Memphis will be the company’s primary anchor city as well as the news of the Corporate Challenge Partnership with St. Jude.

The Memphis Girls Basketball team is comprised of young women from the Girl Scouts, Heart of the South and Sacred Heart. The team won the citywide Dream Tournament in April before advancing to the state level on May 17th. POTV will provide Memphis Girls Basketball with a comprehensive website as well as an integrated social media network. The public site will contain private channels for the participants and their families.

Peer Power is a non-profit organization that recruits highperforming high school and college students to tutor younger public school students in a variety of subjects to im-

prove their standardized test scores and college or job readiness. POTV will provide them and the schools they serve with the company’s business solution, Be.ME , which creates a private social sharing network platform that will help the organization better engage with supporters, funders, the schools they service, parents, students, teachers and the greater Memphis Community.

POTV will also implement the Student Empowerment Program, which promotes and supports the students’ development in the areas of entrepreneurship and technology, also serving as an online educational portal; students learn to become innovators rather than simply consumers. POTV is providing an upcapped sponsorship opportunity, which will keep the school(s) from incurring any expenses.

Dress for Success Memphis is designed to empower lowincome women who are looking to reenter the workforce.

Operators provide suiting for job interviews in addition to resume workshops and skills training. ProudOnTV will partner with them via the Women’s Empowerment Program – Success in Working Initiative, which is an online learning and

mentoring platform, accessible only to DFS Memphis clients, mentors and staff.

POTV will contribute to the program by helping facilitate professional development training and mentoring through video streaming and live broadcasts, interfaces similar to Skype and by providing online access to employment services, virtual employment fairs, the clothing boutique and mock interview training. The partnership will officially launch on June 6th at the graduation of the first class of 2014, where POTV will be used to raise awareness of the project among current and potential donors and subsequently encourage giving.

Kati Thomas, chief business development officer of ProudOnTV, is optimistic about continuing the company’s growth.

“The Internet and in particular social media has become the Wild West; it is hard to contain and protect information.

Our solutions will come to help many more families and businesses feel more at ease about sharing memories and information in a secure environment. We are flexing our technological muscle for the greater good!”

BUSINESS

Page 6

Tri-State Defender

June 5 - 11, 2014

ON OUR WAY TO WEALTHY

The Business of fashion – Part Il A successful designer must be innovative and task risks.

James Davis of L.R. CLOTHIER embodies those characteristics and more. He is pushing the envelope by building a fashion business in Memphis, which is truly risky business. Here is the conclusion or our conversation with Davis, who has persevered and proven that fashion can thrive in Memphis.

Carlee McCullough: How would you describe your artistic and creative style?

James Davis: At L.R. CLOTHIER our house style is contemporary classics. Your wardrobe is an investment and that is how we approach our clients. Trends are great, but they come and go so quickly.

For example, it’s much more fitting (no pun intended) to have a 3-button suit model, as compared to a 4-button front.

That jacket model will be here forever, yet you can adjust the lapel opening or stance, giving it more of your own personality. There can be different options on the color pic stitching. This gives you that designer’s flare. Italian influences have always been the foundation. The best tailoring

and fabrics are woven in Italy and that is reflected in many of our designs.

Carlee McCullough

James Davis

C.M.: What are the components to bringing a concept to market?

J.D.: K n o w your business, know your product, know the dem a n d , know your target audience.

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

J.D.: It’s a wonderful feeling, just knowing that your level of success ultimately is dependent solely upon you.

You define your ceiling.

C.M.: What’s most chal-

lenging as a business owner in “Memphis?”

J.D.: The most challenging aspect of being a business owner in Memphis? Well, Memphis hasn’t quite become that dynamic melting (pot) yet.

So it is not easy for others to understand your vision, drive or even being a business owner as a whole. One reason cities like Dallas or Atlanta are thriving like they are is they’ve had an influx of people from all over, bringing with them a myriad of brain power and innovative thinking. There are a lot of “pockets” of people in Memphis, so be sure you know how to mix in and network. lenging as a business owner overall?

J.D.: Having the mindset to know your business model will come with adjustments. The component that will drive aspiring designers and business people to quit is not having proper funding. Every business takes some type of significant investment.

Doesn’t mean you have to have a large sum of money, but know how the funding will come.

NAWBO Memphis President Kim Heathcott (left) and AJI Sports Bar owner Santosh Iyer discuss business acceleration with Startcoʼs Andre Fowlkes. (Photo: (Kim Garmon/Ancora Studios)

Special to The New Tri-State Defender

Creating more women- and minority-owned businesses is the hole Memphis needs to plug in the digital age. In a nutshell that’s the message entrepreneurial guru Andre Fowlkes delivered recently at a lunch meeting of the Memphis chapter of the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO).

Fowlkes, who has a Wall Street background, is the creator of StartCo, a business designed to help people launch real companies, even if the business dream is just an idea so far. After his presentation, several attendees said it helped them pinpoint a major hole in the city’s economic outlook and shed light on some challenges they are facing in the development of their business plans.

“In 2012 we were consid-

C.M.: What’s most chal-

C.M.: Any closing re-

(Contact James Davis, president of L.R. CLOTHIER, at 901-347-8669.

Visit www.lrclothier.com (new updates on Sunday). Email: info@lrclothier.com.)

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

COMMENTARY

Controlling the money

“Let me issue and control a nation’s money and I care not who writes the laws.”

– Mayer Amschel Rothschild.

Turbo-charging business ideas for the new Memphis

by Tony Jones

There’s this store that closed downtown. I met with the owner and asked, “What happened?” He said, “My clients were all going east, relocating their practice.” I was wondering why he didn’t move. Other people can offer good opinions and ideas, even if they aren’t directly part of your business or industry. Never become isolated in your thinking.

C.M.: What’s your overall goal in this industry?

J.D.: The goal is to see the L.R. CLOTHIER brand continue to evolve. We’ve had a good amount of reach locally, now we’re looking to begin to expand into other regional markets, like Nashville, Atlanta and Dallas. In three to five years, the plan is to have a L.R. CLOTHIER store in two additional cities, with one store carrying the women’s collection, Lunden Renee.

marks?

J.D.: I just want to say live your life with no regrets for having tried something that you wanted to do. Listen to that voice deep within yourself, then apply the things on the outside to make it all come together.

Your road to success may have some bumps and stalls along the way. Don’t allow that to make you quit. Notice I say “make you quit” because when you have a true passion and vision, quitting is not your option, making adjustments can exist.

Unlike in traffic, there are no stop signs, just caution lights, arrows and signs of falling rocks or danger up ahead. Pay attention. If you think you see a STOP sign, it’s really just a mirage – keep going. Thanks to The New Tri-State Defender for this opportunity. God Bless.

ered the poorest city in America. When you look at 2013 we were the most unemployed. When you look this year we’re the most economically segregated city. These are statistics we want to change and we feel that if we can increase the output of entrepreneurs we can help set the stage for that going down the road,” said Fowlkes.

“We no longer have industries that set the stage for 20, 30 or 40 years. It used to be how the car industry went is how our economy went. I think that the financial crisis taught us that we really need to look at how we are building businesses today.”

Fowlkes then turned to the importance of creating more women- and minority-owned businesses as the hole Memphis needs to plug in the digital age.

“One of the reasons we wanted to reach out to NAWBO was that we realized that most of the people that were walking

through our doors were white males and we need to do a better job of including women and minorities,” Fowlkes said And the city, he said, needs to improve its outreach as well because, “They do play a major part in moving Memphis forward.”

NAWBO Memphis President KimHeathcott,CEOofClarionSecurity (www.clarionsecurity.com), said Fowlkes’ luncheon focus was timely.

“It was perfect,” said Heathcott. “We are expanding our goal to propel women socially, economically and politically, so it was right on the mark.”

Santosh Iyer, owner of AJI Sport Bar & Grill (3689 Lamar), said, “Minorities here need that type of support, and structure that he (Fowlkes) is providing. It’s the right type of support Memphis needs.

People are always talking about ideas. He showed how you put them forward.”

I often wonder if most black people in America really understand the across-the-board impact economics has on our daily lives. Or, have we just been beaten down so badly that we have fallen into a state of apathy when it comes to our collective pursuit of economic empowerment?

The above quote by Rothschild always reminds me of the kind of nation and world in which we reside. It also makes me even more aware of black folks’ economic position in this country, and our lack of emphasis on what’s really important vis-à-vis real power.

What are the messages being given to black people by many of our leaders? Well, they run the gamut from “civil rights” to “voting rights” to “gay rights” to “immigration reform” to someone calling one of us or all of us a name we don’t like. Many unsuspecting blacks are riled about issues that do not and will not affect us one iota when it comes to being able to obtain power for ourselves; and we spend an inordinate amount of time caught up in nonsensical discussions that only keep us from devoting ourselves to self-empowerment.

Maybe we are simply unwilling to “pay the cost to be the boss,” as B.B. King likes to say.

Or, maybe the “cost of doing business” is just too high for us.

Maybe we just want to continue to buy everything and anything other folks make and distribute rather than do those things for

ourselves.

Maybe we are just content to be the primary consumers in this nation.

The engine of the U.S. economy is fuJames eled by Clingman consumption, which is 70 percent of our Gross Domestic Product (GDP), and that does not include purchases of new housing. Our current GDP is more than $15 trillion. Do the math and see how much is being spent on goods and services.

Doesn’t it make sense for black people to be producing and selling much more than we do presently? With an aggregate annual income of more than $1 trillion, we could carve out a few niches in the business world and make a veritable killing.

We are so hung-up on meaningless and powerless political discussions, and instead of mimicking even the smallest measure of what Rothschild said, we obviously keep thinking the politicians are going to take care of us.

But they keep telling us things that will not move us forward economically. When it comes to economic advocacy, where is our voice in Washington?

Let’s be honest. Over the past 50 years, black people have cast millions of votes. We have helped elect thousands of black public officials – and white ones, too. In 2012, black people voted at a higher rate than other minor-

ity groups and by most measures surpassed the white turnout for the first time.What has that gotten us, as it pertains to what Rothschild said? Suppose for the past 50 years we had cast our “little green ballots,” as Booker T. directed us, to build our own economic infrastructure and support system. Had we done that, we too could say it does not matter who “writes the laws;” we would be true political powerbrokers.

Take reparations, in whatever form you support. What politicians in D.C. are seriously advocating for what Louis Farrakhan called, Reparatory Justice? John Conyers’ bill has been languishing for decades now. The president says he does not support reparations for black people, so where does that leave us?

How about the political talking heads on TV? Are they devoting a serious amount of time talking about economic empowerment for black people, or are they just trying to get us to vote a certain way?

Wake up, black folks! The cost of doing business requires commitment and sacrifice. The Rothschild’s were ruthless and unethical, but they knew that economics runs politics. We can build an ethical and moral economic foundation, but we have to jettison our current way of thinking and take on an economic mindset.

(NNPA columnist Jim Clingman, founder of the Greater Cincinnati African American Chamber of Commerce, is an adjunct professor at the University of Cincinnati and can be reached through his Web site, blackonomics.com.)

RELIGION

Tri-State Defender

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June 5 - 11, 2014

Pastor Jamal H. Bryant: ‘These Hoes Ain’t Loyal’

by NewsOne

During a sermon full of homophobia, sexism and misogyny, Pastor Jamal H. Bryant of the Empowerment Temple in Baltimore, Md. told his congregation how he really feels about some women.

“These hoes ain’t loyal!” he thundered from the pulpit as the congregation stomped and cheered and co-signed the statement.

Bryant pulled the words from the Chris Brown song of the same name.

Some of the lyrics are as follows: When a rich n***a want ya And your n***a can’t do nothing for ya

These hoes ain’t loyal These hoes ain’t loyal Yeah, yeah, let me see Just got rich Took a broke n***a b***h I can make a broke b***h rich But I don’t f**k with broke b****s Got a white girl with some fake t****s I took her to the Bay with me Eyes closed, smoking marijuana Rolling up that Bob Marley I’m a rasta She wanna do drugs, Smoke weed, get drunk She wanna see a n***a trapped She wanna f**k all the rappers

Not exactly something one would expect a “pastor” to be referencing in agreement.

The “Man of God” doesn’t stop there, he also had words for “baby mamas” and “sanctified sissies.”

With this level of misogyny permeating the “Word,” it’s little wonder that black women are leaving the church in droves.

In an interesting (and completely unsurprising twist), Bryant’s infidelity to his now ex-wife was exposed last year, which led to a highly publicized divorce.

Perhaps Pastor Bryant should worry about his capacity for loyalty and sexually responsibility before trying to tear down women.

Can we get an amen?

Pastor Jamal H. Bryant, of the Empowerment Temple in Baltimore, Md.

Memphis Interfaith seeks help to combat world hunger

Memphis Interfaith, a local nonprofit that promotes understanding among various faith traditions and cultures, is inviting other non-profits and the public to join in a global initiative to help feed hungry families.

“Relieve Hunger, Spread Peace” is an initiative launched by Memphis Interfaith to help package and ship

50,000 meals to hunger relief centers, child development centers, orphanages, medical clinics and other centers that cater to the needs of the impoverished throughout the world.

“We are excited to see an initiative such as this one launched from Memphis,” said the Rev. Elaine Sanford, executive director, HER

Faith Ministries, an organization that works with homeless and needy women and children.

“Feeding the needy should be everybody’s problem. It is heartening that families in our country do not typically face the kind of abject poverty and starvation that we see in other nations. However, we must admit that, even in America,

we still have people who do get enough to eat or who eat whatever they can afford. The City of Memphis could benefit by participating in a world relief effort such as this,” she said.

Volunteers will assemble the food packages on Sunday (June 8th) beginning at 2 p.m. at Pleasant View School, 1888 Bartlett Road

in Memphis. The food will consist of rice, soy, dehydrated vegetables, vitamins and other food items. The food items will be provided by an international organization that feeds the hungry called, “Stop Hunger Now.” The packages will be shipped to agencies around the world.

“We sincerely hope that

Memphians will turn out in large numbers to support this global initiative,” Sanford said.

Individuals or organizations that want to volunteer should visit the “Stop Hunger Now” web site at www.stophungernow.org, or contact Memphis Interfaith at: http://memphisinterfaith.org/e vent/stop-hunger-now/.

Black church group urges African Americans to withhold contributions to NPR

by Target Market News

The National Black Church Initiative, a faith-based coalition of 34,000 churches, called on all African Americans May 27 to withhold donations to National Public Radio after it cancelled “Tell Me More,” its only program featuring an African-American host, and regularly addressing issues and concerns of the black community.

NPR announced a week ago that it was canceling “Tell Me More” as part of a series of cuts to address the network’s long-standing budget deficit.

The announcement included the elimination of 28 positions throughout NPR. NBCI president, Rev. Anthony Evans, conveyed the group’s position in a letter to NPR CEO, Jarl Mohn.

“The weekday NPR program was a strong voice on issues of race, identity and faith, and host Michel Martin was a crucial voice for the Black

Church community… The show represents a shining light for African American broadcasters, and serves a much-needed role of minority voices in the media. NPR has abandoned the African American community, and we must turn a deaf ear to you.”

The letter from Rev. Evans went on to say “as a result of this cancellation, NBCI has urged its 15.7 million members to not consider donations to NPR, and to stop donations that are currently underway. The Black Church cannot be expected to donate to a station who has failed minority voices in America.”

NPR announced earlier that “Tell Me More” host Michel Martin, and executive producer Carline Watson, are remaining at the network and that their reports will “appear on the network’s primary newsmagazines, online and in public events.”

There was no immediate reaction from NPR to the announcement from NBCI. Jarl

Mohn, a former MTV and E! network executive, was just recently named NPR’s new CEO and is scheduled to take office this summer.

The demise of “Tell Me More” is the third for programs created to appeal primarily to NPR’s African-American listeners. Commentator Tavis Smiley took his show to a rival public broadcaster after clashes with NPR over how much money the network spent to market his program. His show’s successor, “News and Notes” went off the air in 2009.

According to its Website, The National Black Church Initiative (NBCI) is a coalition of 34,000 African American and Latino churches, 15 denominations and 15.7 million African American churchgoers working to eradicate racial disparities in healthcare, technology, education, housing, and the environment.

NBCI’s mission is to provide critical wellness information to all of its members, congregants, churches and the public.

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

Michel Martin the host of NPRʼs “Tell Me More.”

(Courtesy Photo)

Attend the Church of your choice

I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

—Phillipians 4:13

ENTERTAINMENT Tri-State Defender, Thursday, June 5 - 11, 2014, Page 8

ALL OVER TOWN!

Movies, BBQ and a lot of Hart

“Youʼre going to walk away with a message, a message thatʼs universal,” said Kevin Hart at the Memphis premiere of his latest film release. (Photos: Shirley Jackson)

Coming soon: Hattiloo Community Grand Opening After a successful two-year capital campaign that resulted in $4.2M raised from over 200 sources, Hattiloo, the black repertory founded by Ekundayo Bandele in 2006, is set to open its newly constructed theatre in Overton Square.

The free – first come/first-serve – Community Grand Opening will unfold from 8 a.m. to midnight on June 28th at the theatre at 37 South Cooper.

A 150-seat flexible theatre, 56seat black box theatre, lobby that can accommodate up to 100 people, and a well-outfitted backstage and office amenities make up the new 10,000plus square foot building. The Community Grand Opening, sponsored

by FedEx and The Mustang Fund, includes free performances from various groups, including Ballet Memphis and Cazateatro and will reflect the theatre’s diverse history.

There are also private tours for Hattiloo subscribers and donors.

Here is the schedule for the Community Grand Opening: 8 a.m. – 9 a.m.

Continental Breakfast & Tour Donors & subscribers only

10 a.m. – 11 a.m.

Black Box Children’s Theatre Performance Open to the public

Main Stage Danza Azteca Quetzalcoatl Water Tower Pavilion on Broad Ave. Bridging Souls Productions Open to the public

The Malco Paradiso was transformed into a coveted red carpet event for the premiere of “Think Like A Man Too” and the appearance by Kevin Hart.

Special to The New Tri-State Defender

by Ashley Grandberry Who wouldn’t enjoy a night out at the movies? Memphians are no exception and we certainly enjoy a good movie night event when the star of the film, Kevin Hart, is expected to make an appearance.

On Monday, June 2nd, the Malco Paradiso was transformed into a coveted red carpet event for the premiere of “Think Like A Man Too” and the appearance by Hart.

Among the notables on hand before he arrived were legendary rapper MJG, who was promoting his recent solo project entitled “Too Pimpin,” dynamic drummer, Carlos Sargent, as well as Linn Sitler, Memphis & Shelby County Film Commissioner.

Mayor AC Wharton Jr. took his turn on the red carpet, pausing to express his belief that Memphis is “rich with talent” and that events such as the movie premiere shine a brighter light on what the city has to offer.

Hart’s arrival was eagerly anticipated and he did not disappoint, sharing his thoughts and reflections on a range of subjects.

On ‘Think Like A Man Too’

“(This) movie is so much better than the first one and it’s so much funnier than the first one, and more importantly … you’re going to walk away with a message, a message that’s universal,” said Hart, introducing the film with confidence.

Addressing the stigma placed on films with predominately black casts, Hart said he believes that it is his job to erase that stigma.

“We don’t do black movies anymore, we make good movies, ” he said, noting that the original “Think Like a Man” made 90 million dollars at the box office, proving that the movie doesn’t just appeal to one ethnic group.

Why he chose Memphis

Mayor AC Wharton Jr. said events such as the movie premiere shine a brighter light on what the city has to offer.

“I pride myself on being ground-breaking and pushing the envelope and trying to do things that people don’t expect me to do,” said Hart.

“The reason why I came to Memphis is because Hollywood doesn’t necessarily bring things to this city. I felt it was my job to bring things to the cities that don’t usually get these things.”

BBQ – the way to this Hart!

Excuse the pun but we Memphians do love BBQ and seemingly Hart also.

The afternoon after the Memphis premiere hundreds of area residents and dozens of press representatives ventured to A&R BBQ on Elvis Presley Blvd to get a glimpse of the comedian as he served 97 citizens with complimentary BBQ sandwiches.

Alerted to the mega-star’s planned outing via newscasts and social media, those who made it were treated to Hart at his impromptu best. Clearly at home in the setting, he dished out photo-op after photo-op, at one point taking matters into his hands, snapping a selfie for a fan.

Thanks Mr. Hart for your seemingly inexhaustible energy, boundless patience, positive presence and a fun-filled film.

Smooches!

(For questions, or if you would like Ashley Grandberry at your next big event, email inthemail@tri-statedefender.com.)

Noon – 1 p.m.

Lunchbox tours Donors & subscribers only

2 p.m. – 3:15 p.m.

Panel discussion – BAM! Black Arts in Memphis Open to the public 4 p.m. – 5 p.m.

Performances by Magician Kim Edmonds, Ballet Memphis, & Cazateatro In the Black Box Theatre Short film by Indie Memphis Open to the public

6 p.m. – 7 p.m.

Cocktail tour with Hattiloo’s founding artistic director Ekundayo Bandele Donors & Subscribers Only

8 p.m. – 9 p.m.

Performances by Hattiloo Company, Opera Memphis, & Out Loud Artistry Open to the public 10 p.m. – Midnight Concerts by Jam & Damion Pearson Open to the public (For more Information, visit www.hattiloo.org. Contact: Sameka Johnson 901-502-3486.)

On Tuesday, hundreds of area residents ventured to A&R BBQ on Elvis Presley Blvd to get a glimpse of mega-star Kevin Hart as he served 97 citizens with complimentary BBQ sandwiches. (Photos: George Tillman Jr.)

‘Think Like a Man Too’ (Review) Special to The New Tri-State Defender

by Ashley Grandberry

As a moviegoer, I give this “Think Like A Man” sequel two very enthusiastic and ecstatic thumbs up.

“Think Like A Man Too” refutes the sequel curse because it is – as Kevin Hart promised – much better than the original film. It is filled with the same stars from the first adaptation, along with an equal role for newcomer, Wendi McClendon-Covey, who plays Tish, the wife of Bennett, portrayed by comedian Gary Owen.

The setting is the ever-exciting and may-

hem-filled Las Vegas, where both the women and men journey to participate in the nuptials of Michael (Terrance J) and Candice (Regina Hall). Early on, the scenery promises what the film delivers – that this will be eventful from start to finish.

Las Vegas is filled with activity and so is “Think Like a Man Too.” Just when your attention gets a bit settled, another blast of action, laughter or shock arises. No matter if you’re crippled in laughter by Cedric’s (Kevin Hart) dancing in his underwear or stunned by his cell phone identification of his wife as “Galzilla,” the laughter never stops.

As the laughter continues, so does the ac-

tion by both the women and men in their quest to give the bride and groom a night they’ll never forget. There are segments that will make you think and others that will give you a sense of awe. By the end of the film it’s likely that you will have decided that this will be a movie that you’ll never forget.

Steve Harvey created a literature staple in the relationship aisles of Barnes and Nobles with “Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man: What Men Really Think About Love.” And this cinematic adaptation is colossal, with numerous celebrity cameos.

Do yourself one favor this summer by making plans to see this movie. It’s that good!

ENTERTAINMENT

Tri-State Defender

June 5 - 11, 2014

Page 9

OPENING THIS WEEK

Kam’s Kapsules:

Weekly Previews That Make Choosing a Film Fun

Special to The New Tri-State Defender

by Kam Williams

For movies opening June 6, 2014

BIG BUDGET FILMS

“Edge of Tomorrow” (PG-13 for profanity, intense violence and brief sensuality) Infinite loop sci-fi starring Tom Cruise as the recently-deceased soldier called upon to travel back in time repeatedly to defend the planet against a bloodthirsty race of aliens bent on world domination.

With Emily Blunt, Bill Paxton and Brendan Gleeson.

“The Fault in Our Stars” (PG-13 for sexuality, brief profanity and mature themes) Screen adaptation of John Green’s #1 best-seller about the bittersweet romance which blossoms between a terminally-ill teenager (Shailene Woodley) and a patient in remission (Ansel Elgort) she meets at a cancer support group. With Willem Dafoe, Laura Dern, Nat Wolff and Mike Birbiglia.

INDEPENDENT & FOREIGN FILMS

suality) Romantic comedy, set in Brooklyn, about an aspiring comedienne (Jenny Slate) who’s left reeling by being fired, dumped and knocked up until she meets a perfect gentleman (Jake Lacy) on what promises to be either her best or worst Valentine’s Day ever. With Gaby Hoffmann, Richard Kind, Polly Draper and Cindy Cheung.

“Ping Pong Summer” (Unrated) Coming-of-age comedy, set in 1985, revolving around a 13 year-old kid (Marcello Conte) who becomes obsessed with hip-hop and table tennis during a vacation spent with his family in Ocean City Maryland. Costarring Susan Sarandon, Amy Sedaris and Judah Friedlander.

“Rigor Mortis” (Unrated) Haunted house horror flick set in a Hong Kong tenement tower whose creepy occupants include zombies, ghosts and vampires. Ensemble includes Anthony Chan, Siu-Ho Chin, Kara Hui, HoiPang Lo and Richard Ng. (In Cantonese with subtitles)

“The Sacrament” (R for “2 Autumns, 3 Winters” (Unprofanity, violence, disturbrated) Romantic dramedy about a ing images and brief drug 33 year old bachelor (Vincent use) Macabre horror flick Macaigne) who divides his time about a fashion photographer between wooing a cynical (Kentucker Audley) whose woman (Maud Wyler) he meets search for his missing sister while jogging in the park and car(Amy Seimetz) leads to a ing for his BFF (Bastion Bouillon) after a stroke. With Thomas Marianne Jean-Baptiste stars in “The Moment,” director Jane We- supposedly utopian comBlanchard, Audrey Bastien and instockʼs movie about a worldly photojournalist fighting for her mune with a charismatic guru (Gene Jones). Featuring Joe Pauline Etienne. (In French with sanity in this neo-noir psychological thriller. (Courtesy photo) Swanberg, Kate Lyn Sheil, subtitles) ers are the focus of this eye-opening expose il- AJ Bowen and Derek Roberts.

“Borgman” (Unrated) Jan Bijvoet stars in lustrating the expanding influence of rich in“Supermensch” (R for nudity, profanity, the title role of this psychological thriller as a dividuals on American elections in the wake hobo who destabilizes the upper-class family of the Supreme Court decision in Citizens sexual references and drug use) Mike Myers that befriends him. Support cast includes United liberalizing the amount of money cor- makes his directorial debut with this reverHadewych Minis, Jeroen Perceval and Alex porations can contribute to political cam- ential documentary highlighting the career of Shep Gordon, the legendary super agentvan Warmerdam. (In English and Dutch with paigns. turned-Buddhist who managed the careers subtitles) “The Moment” (Unrated) Psychological of such music icons as Pink Floyd, Luther “Burning Blue” (R for profanity, sexuality thriller about a photographer (Jennifer Jason Vandross, Alice Cooper and Teddy Penderand graphic nudity) Out of the closet drama Leigh) in a tumultuous affair who lands in a grass. about a couple of Navy pilots (Trent Ford and mental hospital following the mysterious dis“Trust Me” (R for profanity) Hollywood Morgan Spector) whose lives and careers are appearance of her troubled boyfriend (Martin turned upside-down when their forbidden love Henderson) only to be befriended there by a satire chronicling the cutthroat competition affair becomes public knowledge. Featuring fellow patient who bears an uncanny resem- between two agents (Clark Gregg and Sam Rob Mays, William Lee Scott and Tammy blance to her missing beau. With Marianne Rockwell) to sign a budding young starlet Jean-Baptiste, Alia Shawkat and Meatloaf.

(Saxon Sharbino). With Felicity Huffman, AlBlanchard. lison Janney, William H. Macy, Niecy Nash, “Obvious Child” (R for profanity and sen- Amanda Peet and Molly Shannon.

“Citizen Koch” (Unrated) The Koch broth-

Brenda Buford-Shaw

Downtown fixture Brenda BufordShaw moving piano studio to Bartlett Memphis-area piano music instructor Brenda Buford-Shaw is moving from her Downtown studio, where she has been a fixture for 24-plus years.

The transition will be marked with an Open House reception on Sunday (June 8th) from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the new location at 5705 Stage Rd. in Bartlett.

A consistent presence in the Downtown Memphis community, Buford-Shaw operated from the Lincoln American Tower at 100 N. Main building, and only moved because of renovation work at her longtime business home.

Buford-Shaw says she will miss working from Downtown, having grown up minutes away. The Memphis native received her Music Education degree from Langston University in Oklahoma.

“When I first moved here I asked around for piano lesson teachers and her name popped right up as the go-to person,” said Deirdre Daw. “She has taught over the years thousands of children, adults and seniors throughout Memphis and is a true Memphis music institution. “ Daw echoes what many others have noted, pointing out that Buford-Shaw, instills not only musical knowledge but a community-service attitude. She raises money through concerts for St. Jude, MADD, the Food Bank, the Alzheimers Center and many others.

“She teaches the whole person through her example of dedication to those in need and (through) her integrity,” said Daw. “Though my daughter has stopped taking lessons, we love her and keep in touch. We have been helping her move her music studio from downtown and hanging her beloved students’ photos from floor to ceiling back the way she had it before.”

The student images will share space – just as they did Downtown – with numerous plaques of gratitude from the City of Memphis, the State of Tennessee and various other civic institutions.

NOTE: On June 18th, a group of BufordShaw’s students will perform at Amro music at 6 p.m. to gather donations for the Alzheimer’s Day Services Center.

COMMUNITY

Page 10

BRIEFS & THINGS

Memphis SBDC executive director lands coveted ‘State Star Award’

Rory Thomas, executive director of the Tennessee Small Business Development Center (TSBDC) at Southwest Tennessee Community College, is the recipient of the 2014 State Rory Star Award, Thomas which recognizes a top performer from each state who makes significant contributions to their state and embodies a strong commitment to small business.

“The Tennessee Small Business Development Center program is celebrating its 30th year of providing Tennessee businesses with a wide range of business counseling and training services. Each year we recognize individuals in our statewide organization who demonstrate excellence and a sincere commitment to helping our business men and women succeed in business,” said Dr. Patrick Geho, state executive director – TSBDC Lead Center at Middle Tennessee State University.

Since being named as executive director of the Memphis SBDC in May 2013, Thomas has introduced innovative programs and brought new resources to the area to prompt economic growth.

“I am honored to use my talents to empower current and future business owners and leaders who have the ability to create tremendous economic impact in our communities,” said Thomas. “This is truly a team award because it starts with our great staff and all of our valuable strategic partners in the area.”

Thomas will be recognized at a special awards reception honoring the 2014 State Stars on Sept. 9th in Grapevine, Texas, in conjunction with the America’s Small Business Development Center Network (ASBDC) 34th National Conference.

Tri-State Defender

June 5 - 11, 2014

Fred Johnson – Memphis Training Camp for Dads Hall of Famer Special to The New Tri-State Defender

by Alisha Tillery

(Every year, fathers – biological and non-biological – are honored for their impact on their families and the community and placed in the Memphis Training Camp for Dads Hall of Fame.

The New Tri-State Defender will highlight past award recipients in the series, “Where Are They Now?”)

It’s been three years since father and community figure, Fred Johnson, received the Hall of Fame Award at the inaugural Memphis Training Camp for Dads. Then, he was raising his daughter, Jasmine, who was a bright and talented freshman at Wiley College. He’d raised her as a single dad after his wife passed away in 2011 when Jasmine was just a year old.

Despite challenges, Johnson continues to give and remains a father figure in the community. Today, he serves on the Community Advisory Board at St. Jude Children’s Hospital and is a coordinator for WATCH D.O.G.S. (Dads of Great Students) at Rozelle Creative and Performing Arts Elementary School, his daughter’s former school.

Johnson is also a mentor to a teenage boy as a special request of his mother. Seeking wisdom from God and support from his church family and community have been keys in his journey.

“The role of the father in the community is to be an active participant in the healthy development of his family,” Johnson says.

A great dad, he adds, should demonstrate and

Fred Johnson (Courtesy photo)

live out values that help to build a strong family foundation, which include love, spirituality, compassion, respect and trust.

Attending the Training Camp for Dads allowed Johnson to tap into new resources, as well as make a connection with other fathers.

“I got confirmation by seeing fathers get

recognition for the work they are doing in the community,” he says.

On June 14th, Mayor A C Wharton Jr. will host the 4th Annual Memphis Training Camp for Dads at the University of Memphis Fogelman Executive Center. Another awesome father will be awarded, and nominations are being accepted for unsung heroes who make a difference, big or small, in their families and communities. Individuals, as well as men’s groups in churches and faith-based organizations and fraternal and civic groups are encouraged to attend.

Fathers from across the city will gather to receive parenting information and tools from a men’s perspective on various subjects, including Internet safety, how to build father-daughter relationships and even.

Etan Thomas (www.etanthomas.com), author of “Fatherhood: Rising to the Ultimate Challenge,” will deliver the keynote address in the closing luncheon.

Thomas is known for his career in the NBA. His passion is encouraging fathers to be present and active in their families.

Johnson, like Thomas, knows the impact of connecting with other men to share and receive new information in parenting.

“The training camp encouraged me through listening to the testimonies of other fathers sharing their real life stories and allowed me to gain further knowledge about the issues of fathers,” he says.

Memphis Training Camp for Dads is free and open to the public, with workshops beginning at 9 a.m. To register or nominate a father for the Hall of Fame award, visit www.memphistn.gov/fatherhood.

SRVS nets CQL accreditation

SRVS, Tennessee’s largest provider of services for people with disabilities, has been awarded the four-year national Person-Centered Excellence Accreditation from The Council on Quality and Leadership (CQL).

CQL is an internationally recognized accreditation body and not-forprofit leader in the definition, measurement, and improvement of quality of life for people with disabilities.

The person-centered approach empowers people who receive support to make choices in how they live their lives, where they work, where they live and how they create a community.

“The accreditation process reaffirms SRVS commitment to providing a high level of engagement with the people we support through quality person-centered experiences,” said SRVS Executive Director Tyler Hampton. “By engaging people and understanding what is important to them, we empower lives and support transformation within people.”

SRVS (pronounced serves) supports 860 people with disabilities through an array of programs that include a state-of-the-art learning center, residential, employment and clinical services. From its 80,000 square foot headquarters and a nearby campus, SRVS administers seven distinct programs: SRVS Learning Center, SRVS Industries, SRVS Community Employment Services, SRVS Community Living, SRVS Family Support, SRVS Elderly and Adult Disabilities Services and SRVS Clinical Services. The agency also operates the SRVS/Tipton County Enhanced Learning Center in Covington.

For more information, contact Diana Fedinec, public relations manager, 901312-6801 or diana.fedinec@srvs.org.

BRIEFLY: Stax Fresh Trax! “The hottest and freshest” listening session in Memphis returns Thursday evening at 6 p.m. at the Stax Music Museum, Studio A, at 926 E. McLemore. Free admission. For more information: www.MEMPHISMUSIC.org BRIEFLY: An anti-bullying rally is set for June 13th from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Fullview Missionary Baptist Church at 7100 Memphis-Arlington Rd. in Bartlett. The Vacation Bible School event will feature Shelby County District Attorney Amy Weirich and representatives from the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office and the Bartlett Police Department. For more information, call 901-3770341.

BRIEFLY: On June 21st, Memphis Kwanzaa International in association with the University of Tennessee presents a Community Health Fair at the Memphis Kwanzaa Center at 1549 Elvis Presley Blvd. from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. For more information, contact Dr. Kaia Naantaanbuu at 901210-1218 or Regina Hughes at 901230-3455.

It’s not too early to dream!

Mt. Vernon Christian Academy held its graduation last Friday, saluting a class of 12.

The program included recitations of the “Lordʼs Prayer,” the “Pledge of Allegiance, nursery rhymes and the books of the Bible, in addition to a Spanish conversation and the presentation of diplomas. (Photos: Tyrone P. Easley)

LEGACY: E. Laura Owens

Mrs. E. Laura Owens, owner of N. H. Owens & Son Funeral Home and widow of the late Noble H. Owens Jr., died Sunday at Methodist University Hospital.

A retired 30-year schoolteacher from Memphis City Schools, Mrs. Owens passed away with daughters Cheryl and DeNobra “Dena” Owens by her side.

Mrs. Owens was born in Georgia. For 60 years, she was an active member of St. John Baptist Church on Vance Avenue and Memphis’ Phi Delta Kappa Sorority for teachers for which she was a founding member.

Her passion for God, family, students, colleagues, church, friends, community and animals will be carried forth by all who cherished her, said a family spokesman. She leaves “her love, teach-

ings and legacy of service to others” to her daughters, as well as to a host of relatives, friends and business colleagues.

On Sunday, June 8th, visitation and a Phi Delta Kappa presentation is scheduled from 3 to 5 p.m. at Princeton Avenue Baptist Church in Binghampton, 468 Scott Street, across from N. H. Owens & Son Funeral Home, which has charge.

On Monday, June 9th, the funeral service will be held at noon at St. John Baptist Church, 640 Vance Avenue. Prior to the funeral, a visitation is also scheduled from 10 a.m. to noon at the church. Burial will take place after the service at Memorial Park Cemetery, 5668 Poplar Ave. A reception follows at St. John Baptist Church.

Mrs. E. Laura Owens

COMMUNITY

Tri-State Defender

June 5 - 11, 2014

Page 11

TPC Southwind shares tournament tips

TPC Southwind – the PGA TOUR’s only private golf club in the state of Tennessee and host to the PGA TOUR’s FedEx St. Jude Classic, has released a set of tips on how spectators can get the most out of every tournament. The advice comes as the FedEx St. Jude Classic tournament unfolds through June 8th.

“As a venue designed to host TOUR-sponsored events, we consider ourselves experts at navigating tournaments and want to ensure our guests are truly able to enjoy them,” said Michaelyn Morgan Bradford, head golf professional of TPC Southwind.

Here is the tips list:

In the mood for fun…

The Classic Summer Movie Series opened another season at the Orpheum last week (May 30th) with a double feature – “Night of the Living Dead” and “Zombieland.” That was more than enough inspiration for those who – appropriately attired – took the celebration to the streets. (Photo: Shirley Jackson)

Court puts clamp on Sistahs Succeed 2 Showcase Special to The New Tri-State Defender

by Carlissa Shaw, Esquire

Christina Stevison, the daughter of the late Sisterhood Showcase organizer Tina Birchett, has been granted a temporary restraining order (TRO) by Chancellor Arnold B. Goldin against the founders and promoters of the Sistahs Succeed 2 Showcase.

The defendants named in the lawsuit include Sistahs Succeed 2, Inc., Minerva P. Little, Spirit Magazine, Deidre Malone, and The Carter Malone Group, LLC. A court may order a TRO when a hearing or complaint clearly shows that immediate and irreparable injury, loss, or damage will result if the court does not stop the action from occurring. In this case, Chancellor Goldin decided that the new Sistahs Succeed 2 Showcase was too similar to the Sisterhood Showcase.

Goldin’s order stops the defendants from using the name Sistahs Succeed 2 Showcase after June 8th.

The Sistahs Succeed 2 Showcase was scheduled for June 7-8 at the Memphis Cook Convention Center. On Wednesday afternoon it was announced that the Sistahs Succeed 2 Showcase will now be a one-day event on June 7th.

A release about the change said the showcase will “still be a day dedicated to empowering and entertaining women in the Mid-South.”

Morris Chestnut will make a guest appearance at the showcase for meet and greets and to sign autographs.

Tickets are still available online for the Sistahs Succeed 2 Showcase and will be sold at the Cook Convention Center box office on Friday from noon until 6 p.m. for $15. Those who have already purchased tickets for Sunday will be able to use them for Saturday.

The long-running Sisterhood Showcase was held annually on the early June weekend. It was organized by Birchett, who founded Grace Magazine. Birchett died last August.

The TRO expressly enjoins the owners of Sistahs Succeed, Inc. from using the logo of the female head associated with the Showcase. The Sisterhood Showcase logo is the silhouette of a female head adorned with short natural hair, gold earrings, and a gold necklace. The logo for the Sistahs Succeed 2 Showcase is the silhouette of a female head adorned with short natural hair without earrings and necklace.

Participants in the Sistahs Succeed 2 Showcase should expect to see signs with the following disclaimer: “Sistahs Succeed 2 Showcase is not affiliated with or associated with Sisterhood Showcase” as ordered by the court.

The last clause of Goldin’s order directs the defendants to place all revenues and ticket sales into an escrow account set up by attorney Robert Spence, the attorney for Sistahs Succeed 2 Inc. The funds can only be used to pay expenses incurred in the ordinary course of business and must be approved by either the attorney for the Sisterhood Showcase or the Court.

Carlissa Shaw, Esquire

Doctor, doctor…

Dr. Newton Jackson Ford II was the guest of honor during a graduation celebration held at the DoubleTree Hotel at 5069 Sanderlin Ave. last week. Ford graduated from Meharry Medical College in Nashville. The celebration was filled with family and friends. (Photo: Tyrone P. Easley)

FACEBOOK FAN OF THE WEEK NAME: Dwayne Hampton

Dwayne Hampton is this weekʼs TSD Facebook Fan of the Week! He is a Memphis native and proud alumni of Southside High School as well as The University of Memphis.

Hampton is a newlywed and enjoys traveling, Bruce Lee films and Old School R&B. He also loves sports, especially the Tennessee Titans and Memphis Grizzlies.

Thanks Dwayne Hampton for excelling in Memphis and for being a part of the TSD Facebook family!

1. “Check out the merchandise tent early in the week and don’t forget to pick up your ‘Hush Y’all’ (our version of ‘Quiet Please’) sign before they’re all gone.”

2. “Keep an eye out for property maps and pairings guide as you enter the grounds and make a plan for the players or groups you’d like to see throughout the day.”

3. “Plant yourself on the most difficult hole on the golf course – you will learn from the pros how to play difficult shots and/or use proper course management. Holes 9, 11, 12 and 18 at TPC Southwind are particularly good ones to watch for this.”

4. “Watch players warm up. It’s a great way to get close and see how good the pros really are when they are hitting shot after shot exactly how they want to. ”

5. “Find a spot on a hill between two and three holes. This way, you can watch players teeing off on one hole and another group coming up on a different green. Hole 12 offers a great vantage point to catch action on 12, 13 and 17.”

6. “The course is often less crowded on the front 9, so you can often get much closer to the action. The course will get more crowded the later it gets in the day, so find a good spot before its filled with other spectators.”

7. “Buy your FedEx St. Jude Classic souvenir off the 18th green. This is a perfect location to get your favorite PGA TOUR player to autograph your merchandise.”

8. “Find the fairway landing zones of your favorite holes and you can beat the traffic to watch your favorite player hit their approach to the green. Recommendations include 12, 15, 17 and 18.”

9. “Whether you choose to follow a group or your favorite player, travel from green to tee for the best viewing spot along the rope line.”

10. “Watch everyone on the leaderboard tee off on No. 1, then walk all 18 holes backwards to see everyone on the field, plus the entire course. Great exercise, great golf!”

11. “Experience the Michelob Party Tent on hole 12. It is only open Saturday and Sunday. A $10 cover gets you $1 beer all day.”

12. “Look at stjudeclassic.com to see when outside events are happening.”

13. “Come hungry so you can eat the Memphis fare: Barbecue from Hog Wild and Pronto pups!”

The FedEx St. Jude Classic tournament stretches through June 8th at TPC Southwind. (Courtesy photo)

NEWS

Page 12

Tri-State Defender

June 5 - 11, 2014

Our biggest challenge and what I challenge the staff to do next year and always is to stay focused on student achievement.

– Superintendent Dorsey Hopson chance to better serve the students.

HOPSON

CONTINUED FROM FRONT

take it home and have access to their curriculum 24 hours a day. We are focusing a majority of those devices in the schools that have been chronically underperforming.

BES: Is this elementary through high school or a combination of ages/grades?

Supt. Hopson: It is mostly elementary and middle. We are doing it as a pilot program. We went out to Huntsville, Ala. a few months ago to shadow their program. They’ve implemented a similar initiative and they’ve seen tremendous gains. Los Angeles Unified Schools has also implemented a similar program. We went out there to review their implementation and they too have seen tremendous gains.

What want to do is to intentionally pick a select group of schools, pilot it, and then measure hopefully strong results, and ultimately expand it throughout the district. Increased technology, more flexibility and aligned hiring practices, and extended days where appropriate are just some of the strategies we are using.

BES: So that (implementing the new technology program and allowing kids to take the devices home) brings up the issue of safety. There are threats of damage, theft and even physical harm to students carrying expensive devices. How is the district addressing that issue?

Supt. Hopson: You ask a great question. We obviously get a chance to learn from the mistakes that Huntsville and L.A. and other places have made. All of the devices have a disabling and locating system on them. So if they are stolen or lost, the people that own the device can find out where it is. We are going to have a full professional development training session with the teachers on how to use it. The parents have to sign an agreement. We’ve reached out to the police department and the district attorney’s office to coordinate with them a campaign message to let folks know that you don’t want to be caught stealing one of these devices. If somebody gets one, it will be worthless.

And because of the contract we have with the provider, they assume the risk of that.

We know that people are going to break them. People are going to try to steal them. People are going to try to misuse them. But even given that risk, the reward to our young people is extremely high and outweighs the downside. If you are a kid and you are struggling with a subject, you can leave class and go home and work on it at your own pace. Conversely, if you are a high flyer, you can get way down the curriculum on your own and essentially challenge yourself or be challenged to do more.

The research and actual results of implementation in other places have been outstanding. In 2014, kids are using iPhones and computers, and it is just the next wave on the way we need to educate these kids and the way they are comfortable receiving information.

BES: So the next big thing in terms of educational issues and language is the whole Common Core implementation. You have acknowledged that in Tennessee we are generally going to start off very low compared to other states in Common Core assessments.

Have you been able to sort of refine or assess that as it relates to Shelby County in terms of where we are going to end up or what we will look like relative to Common Core once fully implemented?

Supt. Hopson: Well, I think that the state has done a remarkable job of training principals and teachers to be ready for Common Core. I think our professional development department has done a really good job of getting the folks ready. And in some schools, Kate Bond comes to mind, they have already been teaching the Common Core standards.

So I think that as with anything, when you raise the standards or raise the bar, you probably will see a dip in achievement. But I don’t think that’s a bad thing. I think that we need an honest assessment as to how our kids are doing nationally. And I don’t think you will find anybody that will argue with the premise that we want to challenge our kids with more rigorous standards. So I think that like all districts across the country, we will have challenges with implementation, but with proper training and preparation we will be ready.

BES: OK. So, this upcoming school year, we will see even more changes within the Shelby County public school system. We’ve got suburban school districts coming online.

Talk about that challenge for the district and what that looks like going forward.

Supt. Hopson: Our biggest chal-

“Whether we are sweeping floors or making decisions on million dollar contracts, it has to be done to support schools.” – Supt. Dorsey Hopson.

BES: Ultimately that sounds ideal, however, in many instances you still end up with empty and blighted buildings. Has there been any discussion with the City of Memphis, non-profit leaders and other community leaders about how to repurpose the buildings so that you don’t have additional blight and issues that are crated around having empty, boarded up facilities in the heart of communities?

Supt. Hopson: That’s an excellent question. And I have met with Mayor (A C Wharton Jr.) and Robert Lipscomb (director of Housing and Community Development) on at least three occasions now. They are collecting and reviewing the data and we are about to roll out a city repurposing plan, because the same thing that is going on with the schools is going on with the fire stations and police stations and community centers. We have all of these facilities that are essentially right on top of each other. …

“So a plan is under way and I think people will be excited about it. What we have discussed and what I have been assured of is when this next wave of closures comes about, we are going to have a whole lot more support from the city. They have mentioned “no blight” zones anywhere within two miles of the school – obviously a drug free zone, a crime free zone, as well.

BES: What about overall safety and security for the students in and around schools?

Supt. Hopson: We’ve got a great relationship and a coordinated effort with both the Memphis Police Department and the Shelby County Sheriff. I know that earlier this year a lot of focus was on instances where kids were bringing weapons to school, but I want to commend our security personnel in conjunction with the MPD and the Sheriff’s Department. They had a great year. We do almost weekly briefings for both entities, and they have people specifically assigned to every type of crime that could affect the schools both in and around schools. Whether it’s gangs, whether it’s drugs or truancy or whatever – there is a lot of coordination that goes on behind the scenes between the MPD and the Sheriff’s Department.

“Our biggest challenge and what I challenge the staff to do next year and always is to stay focused on student achievement.” – Supt. Dorsey Hopson. (Photos: Bernal E. Smith II)

lenge and what I challenge the staff to do next year and always is to stay focused on student achievement. The thing to talk about this year was the busses and operations and general transition, and we’ve done that. I think it was a very successful year by all accounts. But we have got to get back to focusing the discussion on student achievement.

Our board adopted a real ambitious goal based on our recommendation that we call the 80, 90, 100 Plan, which essentially means we want 80 percent of our kids (not 20 or 25) to be college or career ready. We want 90 percent of our kids graduating and in those college or career ready kids, we want 100 percent of them to be involved in some sort of post-secondary opportunity. That is the focus and primary challenge for us. We are aligning everything that we do to that. Now the focus is having our full strategic plan developed by December. We are laying the road map to establish the vision, culture, priorities and goals not only for next year but for the next five to ten years even in an ever evolving environment.

BES: You’ve helped lead the district through the initial merger yet you have another range of transitions in play. The landscape of public education now includes charter schools, ASD (Achievement School District), and the soon to be opened suburban districts. Public education looks much different than ever before with little to no chance of reverting to days past.

There is the lingering proposition of vouchers that may be passed at some point given the make-up of the state legislature. How do you view this volatile and ever-changing environment as the leader of SCS? What is the unique position/role for SCS in the midst of that ever-changing landscape?

Supt. Hopson: I start from the premise that I just want there to be great schools. I don’t care who’s operating them. If you have got a school that was run by MCS or SCS for years and couldn’t get it done but have a charter that can come in and get it done for the kids, then I don’t care who operates it. But knowing where we are, I have to be mindful of the need to carefully plan for the staff and operations of the schools that we are responsible for. I have a very positive working relationship with Chris Bar-

bic at ASD, a good relationship with charter operators.

So my statement to them is, “We have to work with a singleness of vision to improve the overall quality of education for ALL kids in Memphis and Shelby County, particularly for kids in the lower socio-economic class because that’s where we have failed previously.” If they can come in and do it better, I am willing to work with anybody. But we have to make sure we have a uniform framework – school performance framework – for all schools whether it’s an SCS school or an ASD school or a charter school.

Once we build a performance framework we can better help students and parents to be more successful in the ultimate goal of educating the student.

I’ve challenged our team that we need to have a legitimate report card for all schools. If I am a parent, I ask, “What’s best for my kid?” We must set a fairly uniform criteria and framework for guiding students and parents on what the success map looks like.

Frankly, there is competition from all the different kinds of educational options that challenges everyone to step it up. Consider our iZone schools and they outperformed everybody in the state. And I expect them to do it again this year. So, it is a brave new world, but it is one that I’m excited about because at the end of the day if it raises student achievement throughout the county, I am all for that.

Conversely, just like we close poor performing schools that we operate, I think you will see us being aggressive about the charter schools. If they are performing poorly, we will look to close them as well. We don’t want them to have schools just for the sake of having schools no matter what label is on them. It is ultimately about student achievement/success.

BES: Since you’ve opened the door regarding school closure, I’ll walk on through it. Certainly it is a hot-button issue that becomes emotional, particularly for people in the neighborhood communities being directly impacted.

What’s your approach to closing those schools and addressing legitimate issues brought up by parents and community leaders regarding the negative impacts of school closings. You have passionate people fighting for schools like Northside, Westwood and Carver among others saying, “SCS, don’t close my school. You’re hurting our

kids and our community.” How do you respond?

Supt. Hopson: That has, by far, been the toughest issue that we have had to deal with. Even before I became superintendent it was a gutwrenching issue. It is something that people all across the country are grappling with. … (If) we are honest about our student enrollment, our facilities, what’s going on with the ASD and charter schools – if we are honest about that, then the data clearly says that we are going to need to close some more schools. I think that part of the strategic planning process will be to look at what areas are underpopulated or oversaturated with schools, particularly poor performing schools, and then we will come up with another plan by the end of the year as to what other schools need to be closed.

There are very legitimate concerns that people are passionate about: A. That’s my school. B. That’s in my neighborhood. C. Don’t board up that building and bring that blight to my community. D. Why are all the schools being closed in the AfricanAmerican community? You know, all those issues are dead-on, and it evokes passion. But what I am equally passionate about is the ultimate best development opportunity for the child. If I’m a kid and I’m going to a school that is one-third utilized or less … I can’t have a robust program of work, AP classes, and many extra-curricular activities that make a good school a great one or a bad one good. You can’t have a good sports team – there’s insufficient support for the school overall – then I am equally passionate about us not providing those students…

For example, in North Memphis when considering the decision to close schools I drove down Chelsea and around Vollintine…literally you had Klondike, Vollintine, Caldwell, Guthrie, and Gordon Elementary Schools within a two mile radius of each other – all under-enrolled, several of them underperforming. That’s just not a recipe for success. We combined the schools and made sure they got more resources, more technological support and more administrative support. If you combine the schools and create a better opportunity, as opposed to trying to keep five halfempty schools, you surely have an opportunity for better results, a

BES: Along those lines, is the school system prepared at the highest level for the phenomenon of school shootings and those kinds of situations?

Supt. Hopson: The Sheriff’s Department has a great active shooter(s) training simulation. I know that the MPD is trained and all our security folks are trained. God forbid that it should ever happen, but the training is there and it is in place. I hope it is something that we never have to experience, but I am confident that if there is an active shooter spotted in and around a campus, they will be prepared for it.

BES: In wrapping up, what’s at the heart of your vision for SCS? Talk about your vision for the future of public education in Shelby County.

What does this district look like in 5 years?

Supt. Hopson: The heart of the vision is us creating the best structure to create circumstances for kids to change their lot in life, particularly in impoverished kids. And I start there. I don’t want to end there. Oftentimes we always talk about the poor performing schools, but we have so many high performing schools and high performing students. We don’t want to leave them behind. But I think that what we have to do is have all of our focus on making sure we get to where we need to be in terms of 80, 90, 100.

We also have to change the culture of central office. Because somewhere along the line, I think that some people forgot that central office is here to support the schools. Not the other way around. We’ve got to be nimble and flexible and customer service oriented in everything we do. Whether we are sweeping floors or making decisions on million dollar contracts, it has to be done to support schools. We need to be supporting our principals so that our principals can be supporting teachers so that they can change teacher practices to lead to better student results….

If I can get us on the right track with that and help us stay focused on what needs to happen every year ... by 2025, we will be 80 percent college and career ready, 90 percent graduation, 100 percent post secondary opportunities. …

(A) lot of times with big school districts, we have the flavor of the day and let’s try this, let’s try that, but I just want us to be focused on what needs to happen to achieve that vision.

Strategies change and come and go, but we stick with the goal and stick with the premise, I think we can have some extraordinary things here within Shelby County Schools. That is my expectation, extraordinary results.

Tri-State Defender

Legal Notices

Request for Proposals

The Shelby County Board of Education will be accepting written proposals for Provision of Head Start Services.

Visit our website for additional information: www.scsk12.org-Departments, Procurement Services link, click on Bids & RFPs.

Questions concerning proposals should be addressed to Procurement Services at (901) 416-5376.

Thank you for your interest and responses.

Shelby County Schools – Procurement Services

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COMMENTARY

Iconversations on ‘A Little R&R on Sports’

Iconversation is the name of the interview segment on “A Little R&R on Sports,” our weekend nationally syndicated sports entertainment show. Of course, we thought it was a clever and unique word blend name that would get listeners’ attention and set us apart. We suppose it has done that, but the best thing it did was Howard to inspire much more subRobertson stance in the segment than we ever imagined.

Initially and probably like most of you, within our own perceptions, we fell right into the Sports Center definition of icons, which essentially is exclusive to sports legends and tremendously high profile sports personalities. So, in our first few months we’ve had Iconversations with: NY Knicks great Alan Houston, Larry Sports super agent David Robinson Falk, WNBA star Tamika Catchings, Detroit Tigers Pres./GM Dave Dombrowski, NBA Hall of Famer Mitch Richmond, former NBA player and coach Lionel Hollins and perhaps you’ve heard of Julius “Dr. J.” Erving.

The great guest lineup continues with this

This weekʼs (June 7th) Iconversation on ʻA Little R&R on Sportsʼ features Major League Baseball Hall of Famer Ken Griffey Jr.

week’s (June 7th) Iconversation, featuring Major League Baseball Hall of Famer and legacy Ken Griffey Jr. That’s not too shabby for any sports show, but particularly one that’s less than six months old.

No one will argue with their iconic status in the celebrity sense and their accomplishments in their respective sports are very well documented, but that’s really not the true meaning of the word.

An Icon is defined as a picture, an image, a symbol or a representation. Somehow our interviews have fostered a level of comfort and trust high enough for these legends of the game to talk about their preferences for being “Icons

of Humanity” rather than simply “Icons of Celebrity.” For them, it’s not at all about stats, awards, accolades or money…been there, done that and got the shoe contract.

For Alan Houston, he’s proud to be an iconic husband, father and son. Tamika Catchings is proud to be an iconic example, particularly to hearing impaired people, of the heights that can be achieved despite a hearing disability. David Falk is an iconic friend with long, close and strong relationships with some of the greatest athletes and coaches of all time. Lionel Hollins is an icon of balance. He’s a complete person, able to put everything in proper perspective. Julius Erving is an icon of style and class. As a grandfather of five and a living legend, Doc is the picture of contentment at this age and stage of life.

The Iconversation segment in our pilot show featured a lady named Judith Black Moore and her 6’9”, 257 lb. son, Tarik Black, a former University of Memphis standout, who at that time was getting ready to play his final year of collegiate basketball at Kansas. Iconic, you may ask?

Definitely. Judith and Tarik are icons (picture and representation) of a mother and son totally

engaged in navigating the crazy, cutthroat, competitive world of big time college recruiting.

But there’s a positive twist to this story because thanks to Judith’s savvy and Tarik’s smarts…four years of college yielded: four years total playing experience with two Top 25 programs; four NCAA tournament appearances, two degrees (bachelors & masters) and most importantly, options just in case the dream of a career in the NBA ends up no more than that, a dream. We believe R&R listeners want to hear iconic interviews like that too.

So remember, we’re all iconic in some way, shape or form. We all have an image. We all present a picture and are a representation of something to someone in whatever we do. And as for us at “A Little R&R on Sports,” we’re going to keep introducing you to I”cons of Humanity and Celebrity.” (“A Little R&R on Sports” is a nationally syndicated radio show heard on hundreds of radio affiliates and digital platforms. In Memphis, listen every Saturday morning at 9 a.m. on 790 AM ESPN Radio.)

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