7 16 2014

VOL. 63, No. 27

www.tsdmemphis.com

July 10 - 16, 2014

75 Cents

‘Sick’ police and a city on alert Special to the New Tri-State Defender

by Dr. Sybil C. Mitchell

TSD opens nominations for Best in Black Awards

Each summer since 2012 Memphians have had a chance to weigh in on naming the “best” across a wide spectrum of business and individual categories. Their choices reflect answers to questions such as these: Who has the best hot wings in Memphis? What about Soul food?

What is the Best Barber Shop in Memphis? Who’s the best personal trainer? Best Choir? Best Radio Personality? How about Beauty Salon?

What Nail Salon tops all others?

By way of the third annual Best In Black Awards hosted by The New TriState Defender, the public again has the opportunity TSD and Social to nominate subseChange With A and quently choose Twist partner to their favorites reach younger based upon experivoters. See their ences and opini o n s .

Page 3 Nominations, which are now open, will close on July 18th. Voting kicks off on July 21st and ends at midnight on August 5th.

The dynamic portal and website – www.bestinblackawards.com – has been designed to extend the BIB Awards concept to the community.

The public is invited to visit the website and nominate businesses in over 50 BEST categories.

A few changes have been made this year. Only the top 5 businesses nominated in each category will go on the online ballots for which the public can vote their favorites. This means that the number of nominations that a business receives makes a difference. It is the first cut and only the top 5 in each category will move on to the voting round.

“It’s a creative way to poll the community about the individuals, businesses and organizations that they most support while identifying those with the best brands and reputations,” said Bernal E. Smith II, owner of Best Media Properties and President and Publisher of The New Tri-State DeSEE BEST ON PAGE 2

MEMPHIS WEEKEND

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

SUNDAY

H- 9 2o - L - 7 2o P a r tl y C l oud y

H- 9 4o - L - 7 4o P a r tl y C l ou dy

H- 9 2o - L - 7 2o Partl y Cl o udy

REGIONAL TEMPS LITTLE ROCK NASHVILLE JACKSON, MS

Friday H-93 L-73 H-94 L-70 H-91 L-73

Saturday H-96 L-74 H-92 L-70 H-95 L-73

Sunday H-96 L-73 H-85 L-66 H-94 L-73

First came the rumors, not of a strike but some type of work stoppage. Then the “blue flu” action by disgruntled Memphis police hit over the July 4th holiday weekend, setting off protest fireworks that have many Memphis-area residents on elevated alert and wondering if there is a big boom ahead.

The word coming out of a highprofile meeting Wednesday at the Benjamin L. Hooks Library was that key parties were talking. And while myriad things apparently were trotted out for discussion, the day ended with hundreds of “sick” police officers off work and concern mounting about whether Memphis firemen might follow suit.

By Tuesday, the number of officers calling in sick had topped 550, over 25 percent of the total force. A wound had opened, and the city was bleeding blue. That number report-

What will the firefighters do?

edly had dipped on Wednesday, but still amounted to about 23-plus percent. The police complement is 2,218.

At issue are administration-recommended and City Council-approved budget reductions wiping out most retirees’ health care subsidies and hiking the premiums by 24 percent of former employees and those now on the job.

Mayor A C Wharton Jr. has said that “there was no pride” in reducing benefits and that he was “open to alternatives.”

“It’s a good thing, I suppose, that

they are willing to consider some alternatives to cutting our health benefits,” Charles Morris, commander of the MPD SWAT unit, told The New Tri-State Defender.

“But every time this city gets in some kind of financial crisis, the mayor and city council always want to put it on the backs of city employees. This is nothing new. It’s a pattern, and we want people to recognize what’s going on.”

Morris, who has been off since March because of a motorcycle accident, supports the sick-out and other protests being staged by city employees and their

families.

“Mike Williams, who is president of the Memphis Police Association, continues to represent us well and stay on message,” said Morris. “The city of Memphis is not broke. The priorities are broken. What this administration spends money on is broken.”

Williams was part of the Wednesday session at the Main Library that also included George Little, Wharton’s chief administrative officer; Police Director Toney Armstrong; Alvin Benson, director of the Fire Department; Firefighters Union President Thomas Malone, and City Councilman Myron Lowery.

Since the June 17th vote to cut pensions of retirees and current city employees, Williams has used various venues and modes to tout the message that the “city is not broke.”

The Memphis Police Association website is being used as a platform to SEE POLICE ON PAGE 3

10 years in prison for New Orleans’ former mayor Ray Nagin The Root

by Breanna Edwards

Brownsville’s new mayor…

William “Bill” Rawls Jr., the first African American elected mayor of Brownsville, Tenn., took the oath of office Tuesday, with his son, Terry J. Rawls, given the all-important task of holding the Bible. Judge Jim Haywood administered the oath. (Photo: Warren Roseborough)

LEGACY: GLYNN JOHNS REED

At home on ‘the edge’ Special to The New Tri-State Defender

by Wiley Henry

There wasn’t much that Glynn Johns Reed didn’t do when it came to promoting cultural awareness and providing a template for business owners and entrepreneurs to showcase their products. Her efforts led to the birth of the Juneteenth Freedom & Heritage Festival, the It’s All About Raleigh newsletter, and the Black Pages New Orleans business magazine.

Reed was known for motivating people and empowering them as well. She understood the importance of celebrating her ethnicity and the African-American culture, often introducing herself in the “movement” community as Ayola, her “freedom name.”

Reed continued networking and creating opportunities for herself and others in Memphis and New Orleans until a debilitating illness slowed her down. She died Sunday, July 6 at her home in the Raleigh community. She was 66.

Reed had a reputation that spread from Memphis to New Orleans, where she’d lived for two decades.

She fell in love with the city and be-

Juneteenth Freedom & Heritage Festival founder Glynn Johns Reed, who died Sunday (June 6th) at age 66, loved her culture and “teaching people about it.” (Courtesy photo)

came an integral part of its cultural scene and business community.

Those who knew her and her storied career, whether in Memphis or New Orleans, reflected on what she meant

Farewell to the rhythm man – Mabone ‘Tennie’ Hodges

to them.

“Glynn Johns Reed was deeply devoted to the Memphis community.

She gave of herself in a way that inspired us all to want to do more,” said Mayor A C Wharton Jr. “In her specific work to celebrate and mark our history, she was a phenom. And while her presence will be missed, her impact will long be felt.”

For State Rep. Antonio “2-Shay” Parkinson, who represents District 98, which encompasses the Raleigh/Frayser community, Reed was a source of education and inspiration.

“I finished high school in Texas (linked to the birth of the Juneteenth celebration) and didn’t know anything about Juneteenth. I got my education in regards to Juneteenth from Glynn,” he said.

“She was an inspiration and a big supporter in everything I did from a leadership standpoint,” said Parkinson, who credits Reed for inspiring him to launch the annual Block Party for Peace in the Raleigh community.

He also took over as publisher of the It’s All About Raleigh newsletter after Reed moved on to focus on reSEE REED ON PAGE 2

Former New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin found out at his sentencing on Wednesday that he will spend approximately the next 10 years of his life in prison, USA Today reports.

Then-New The businessOrleans Mayor man-turnedRay Nagin politician, who is expected to turn himself in at a federal prison in early September, was also ordered to cough up $82,000 for charges related to fraud and bribery.

Nagin’s crimes involved accepting money, free vacation trips and even free granite for his family business from other businesses looking to work in the city or interested in helping out with recovery projects in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. He was found guilty in February on 20 out of 21 counts in the wide-reaching scheme.

The Associated Press reported that Moments before sentencing, a subdued Nagin made a brief statement, thanking the judge for her professionalism.

“I trust that God’s going to work all this out,” The AP quoted him as saying as he exited the courtroom with his wife, Seletha, other members of his family and friends.

Still, Nagin received a relatively lenient sentence, given guidelines more in the range of 15-20 years, USA Today notes. According to the news site, the prosecution, on behalf of the government, also pointed to similar corruption convictions that drew harsh sentences, such as former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick’s whopping 28year sentence.

“Nagin’s widespread and corrosive breach of the public trust – lasting through much of his tenure in office – equals even the worst of these state and local corruption cases,” U.S. Attorney Matthew Coman wrote, according to the report.

However, Nagin’s lawyer Robert Jenkins pleaded for a light sentence, pointing toward Nagin’s otherwise pristine record as a first-time offender.

“Mr. Nagin has been a devoted father, husband and supportive child to his parents and greatly cares for the well-being of his family and is their caretaker,” Jenkins argued, reportedly calling a 20-year sentence a “virtual life sentence.”

Christopher Brooks, a former Memphian now living in Los Angeles, Calif., writes about the birth of TSD.

This guitarist helped to grow Memphis soul music.

Supporters aim to take advantage of early voting.

See Opinion, page 4

See Entertainment, page 8

See Community, page 11

‘I was there for, the first issue’

Brooks standing tall in Juvenile Court Clerk quest

NEWS

Page 2

Crystal Chopin, who didn’t realize until recently the extent of her mother’s reputation and didn’t understand the vigor that she would summon to get things accomplished.

But what Chopin did know was that her mother was “unapologetically herself.”

“She was honest and loved her culture. She also loved teaching people about it,” said Chopin. “Now I can continue the legacy.”

“For me, it was about blackness,” Reed once explained to a reporter. She ended the interview with her favorite quote from author Stephen Hunt: “If you’re not living on the edge, you’re taking up too much space.”

Glynn Johns Reed’s wake will be held Friday (July 11th) from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Bellevue Frayser, 3759 N. Watkins.

The funeral will be held at the church on Saturday at 1 p.m.

The burial is Monday at West Tennessee State Veterans Cemetery, 4000 Forest Hill/Irene Road. The time has not been determined.

REED

CONTINUED FROM FRONT

launching the quarterly Black Pages New Orleans business magazine, which she first started in 1984. That was the year New Orleans’ businessman Vernes Keeler Sr., president and CEO of V. Keeler and Associates, Inc., first met Reed.

“She was an impressive African-American female starting a magazine,” said Keeler, recalling Reed’s tenacity. “She was always consistent, a person committed to African-American businesses.

Whatever commitment she made, you could count on her keeping it.”

Reed operated an office in New Orleans while living in Memphis. She commuted several times during the month. Keeler said the business community missed her after she moved back to Memphis in 1991. Earlier this year, he provided Reed with free office space in the building that houses his company.

“It was a joy to have her in my office,” said Keeler, who graces the cover of Reed’s last issue. “She’s going to be missed.”

A native Memphian, Reed graduated from Douglass High School in 1966, Tennessee State University in 1971, and shortly thereafter left for New Orleans.

Apart from publishing the Black Pages, Reed launched the Message Board Telephone Answering Service, taught aspiring models at the Barbizon School of Modeling and managed the agency as well, performed in over 50 television commercials and movies, signed on as a member of the Screen Actor’s Guild, and was the first African-American concierge hired at the Hyatt Regency Hotel next to the Superdome.

It was all about New Orleans, said Arthur Reed, who married Glynn Johns in 1994.

“Glynn loved all things New Orleans and was very dedicated to the Douglass community. That’s why Juneteenth stayed in Douglass Park.”

That was the year the newlyweds first trekked to New Orleans by car and braved an ice

Tri-State Defender

July 10 - 16, 2014

“For me, it was about blackness,” Glynn Johns Reed once explained to a reporter. (Courtesy photo)

storm that was wreaking havoc on Memphis.

“We were driving on ice from Memphis to Grenada on I-55. It was down to two lanes and trees were falling,” Reed recalls. “When we got to Grenada, the sun came up and stayed out. That’s the way our relationship was.”

Bennie Nelson West, executive director of the Memphis Black Arts Alliance, said their mutual love for celebrating the African-American community and its heritage was the core of their friendship. She’d known Reed since the late 1970s.

Their relationship was strengthened, she said, when “we shared experiences at the Memphis Black Arts Alliance with our 1984 and 1985 Beale Street Juneteenth Celebration and when I helped her launch the Juneteenth Freedom &

Heritage Festival in Douglass Park.

“Our latest joint venture was last year at the Historic Daisy on Beale, where we celebrated the 1st Juneteenth Jazz-AF!RE in conjunction with the National Juneteenth Jazz Observance Foundation and the 20th anniversary of Glynn’s Juneteenth festival in Douglass Park.”

After being gone from Memphis for so many years and returning home, Reed found time to teach inner-city preteens, teens and young adults the importance of etiquette and social grace at her own Ms. Glynn’s Charm and Finishing School.

“She always looked for avenues to reach the youth. She wanted to leave a legacy for African-American young girls…and her children,” said

BEST

CONTINUED FROM FRONT

fender.

The top three vote-getters in each of the 25 top categories (based on total number of votes cast) will be invited to the Best in Black Pre-Awards VIP Reception (at Dorothy Mae’s at the Ernest Withers’ Gallery on Beale Street) and the Best in Black Awards Show, which is set for the Cannon Center on Aug. 30, beginning at 7 p.m.

The Best in Black Awards Show will feature local Memphis talent between the presentations of the most popular Best in Black Award categories.

“In a city like Memphis, which has at least a 70 percent African-American population, a robust business, non-profit and entrepreneurial community, and a deep well of culture and history, creating this sort of platform, was something that was truly long overdue,” said Smith.

“I’ve observed similar platforms done by other publications in the area and they all seem to consistently – for the most part – exclude the majority of AfricanAmerican-owned companies, which are mostly service and retail-related businesses. It is our intention to grow this dynamic annual ‘contest’ and event in which the Greater Memphis community can both anticipate and participate each year.”

Current event sponsors include Ford Motor Company, Cigna, and Memphis 10 Magazine. Additional sponsorship and advertising opportunities are still available.

“This has proven to be an incredible platform for acknowledging individuals and businesses that the community recognizes as the best,” said Smith. “This has swiftly become one of Memphis’ premier events!”

(For more information, visit www.facebook.com/BestinBlackAwards; www.tsdmemphis.com; and www.facebook.com/tristatedefender.)

NEWS

Tri-State Defender

#901Choice2014 – a social media targeted forum

TSD and Social Change With A Twist partner to reach younger voters

Following a May primary that saw just 17 percent of registered voters participate, including only 4 percent of voters between the ages of 18 and 35, The New Tri-State Defender (TSD) and Social Change with a Twist (SCWT) decided to collaborate to produce a unique platform for voter engagement.

Making use of social media reach and engagement, #901Choice2014 (hashtag901Choice2014) is designed to touch younger potential voters and to attract them to at least tune in via social media platforms, if not attend the actual candidates’ forum.

The live political forum, which will include candidates from local, state and federal elections, is set for Thursday (July 10th) for 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Visible Music College at 200 Madison Ave. “The concept is to have a robust flow of tweets, Facebook posts, Instagram posts and others during the entire event, sharing the comments, brief candidate presentations and more importantly allowing for questions to come from the social media audiences to the candidates,” said Rhonnie Brewer of SCWT. “We really want to engage the younger people that are looking for a reason to vote for someone but to this point haven’t had a point of engagement that resonated with them.”

Bernal E. Smith II, President and Publisher of TSD, called the collaboration exciting.

“It is important for us to provide a platform by which candidates get their message out, but even more important to reach and engage the voters and younger audiences that seem to have tuned out of the voting process. This is extremely important as we reach the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.”

Smith also shared his outlook for the event.

“We are excited about the August response from the candidates to participate in the forum (and) are hoping for an equally dynamic participation from potential voters both in person and online,” he said. “We have a DJ, on-air personalities and free food, all to create a unique atmosphere targeting non-traditional voters.”

Brewer summed up the upcoming event this way: “We really want the 18- to 35-year-old demographic to challenge these candidates whether they come out to the event or simply participate online from the comfort of their smartphones. This is their opportunity.”

Admission is free, with free food also on the menu.

Page 3

July 10 - 16, 2014

TSU goes digital with book bundle initiative NASHVILLE – (TSU News Service) – Tennessee State University will be on the digital cutting edge this fall semester when it begins offering electronic textbooks as part of a book-bundle initiative aimed at lowering the cost of traditional “paper” books.

The plan, announced during the recent Tennessee Board of Regents meeting held at the University June 20, will allow freshman and sophomore students to buy “e-books” for general education classes, saving students between $435 to $735 per semester.

According to Dr. Alisa Mosley, associate vice president of Academic Affairs, a large number of students enrolled in classes repeatedly do not purchase textbooks due to lack of funds, delay in receiving funds, or simply hold back on buying them for weeks.

“Many of our students would go weeks before they even purchase a textbook, which in turn hurt them in the classroom,” said Mosley. “This new program allows students to have books the first day of class and gives them the ability to be successful since they will have the required materials.”

POLICE

CONTINUED FROM FRONT

expose what is characterized as imprudent spending by city officials. A chart on a page entitled “Wake Up Memphis” lists the following projects and tax money allocated to each: Bass Pro/Pyramid-$215 million; Downtown Boat Dock-$40 million; River Boats-$22 million; Madison-Cooper Garage-$18 million.

An additional $58 million is listed on two private business interests and improvements to Elvis Presley Boulevard.

Williams is also seen on several video recordings asking pointed questions concerning the whereabouts of the pension money.

“Police and firefighters pledged

Under the new program, students will pay a flat fee of $365 per semester that is included in their tuition and fees, and have access to the required digital textbooks for classes taken. The fee includes all textbooks in the general education core for students taking 12-16 semester hours. For students who want print copies of books, they will be available for an additional $15-30 charge.

“The savings are incredible to our students,” added Mosley.

“The average cost of books alone ranges between $800 to $1,100 per semester. We are meeting the needs of our students and giving them the necessary tools to be successful.

Studies have shown that students who have their books are more engaged and more successful when they have access to materials and do far better in their academic career.”

Electronic books, or e-books, are gaining popularity among college-aged students and educators, including those at TSU. While e-books currently account for only 6 percent of textbook sales at university bookstores, that number is growing, but primarily in certain disciplines.

TSU is offering e-books for

to pay an additional $500 million to shore up the pension fund, plus it gained another $500 million over the past year,” said Williams in one recording. “Why is the pension fund unsound. Something is askew.”

This week’s volley of action and response between police and city administration reflects a long simmer to a slow boil, beginning, some say, with the 4.6 percent salary cut of city employees on August 5, 2011.

“That was devastating for all of us,” said Memphis firefighter William Ratcliff. “That took my salary down $5-6,000. And a lot of my friends on MPD were really hurting, too,” he said.

“Now healthcare subsidies for city retirees are being eliminated.

Employee health care premiums

all general education classes, and it is the only university offering the book-bundle initiative in the Tennessee Board of Regents higher education system.

“When we started this project, we were told by numerous book publishers that this had never been done before,” added Mosley. “This was a massive undertaking to implement. We specifically decided to go with the digital books not only as an alternative to more costly traditional paper books, but also to meet students in the digital age.”

Like many students today, Lauren Thomas uses her mobile tablet to not only stay connected, but also read everything from the newspapers and magazines to checking her email and scrolling through the Internet. It’s a device that the TSU Mass Communications major can’t live without.

“These mobile devices are always with us, so the idea of being able to read your class assignments directly from your tablet is a great idea,” said the SGA vice president. “I only wish we had this program when I was an underclassman.”

Thomas recently had the opportunity to demonstrate the

will go up 24 percent. That’s even more money out of our pockets. I believe that this administration is trying to push us toward Obamacare.”

The salary cut was implemented as a strategy to stave off more layoffs in 2011. About 50 city employees were laid off earlier in the year. Had pay cuts not been instituted, city officials said 400-500 employees would have had to be eliminated to balance the budget.

Fast-forward to last month’s City Council vote and the stage apparently was set for the onset of the “blue flu.” Shelby County Sheriff’s deputies have been used in maintaining public safety during the troubling shortage of officers.

Police Director Armstrong has said he understands why officers

e-books to members of the Tennessee Board of Regents during their two-day meetings at the University, showing them the ease of using a mobile device or tablet for reading textbooks.

“They were very impressed with how easy it was for students to navigate the system, from signing in, to reading and highlighting text,” she added. “I think they saw the need and the value in the initiative.”

The book-bundle program will be implemented in two phases this fall starting with freshmen and sophomores taking general education courses.

Phase II will include juniors and seniors and focus on upper division and core courses required for their majors.

The program, according to Mosley, is already receiving attention from other institutions.

“Some of our sister institutions are already asking how they can implement the same program,” said Mosley.

“We really are on the cuttingedge with this program. We want to remove any barriers that would impede students from being successful and this is just another way TSU is on the forefront of higher education.”

are upset. The cuts are hitting them hard in the pocketbook.

Meanwhile, there are signs that city employees may be gaining ground on the public-opinion front.

“If you ask me, I think we should have found some way to not touch those benefits, especially the retirees,” said Opal Herring, a South Memphis resident.

“Your income is fixed, and every dollar has to be stretched. It’s almost like they don’t really care what happens to these people and their families.

“How about they cut some of their big salaries and shave some off their healthcare? Those at the top can afford it. The whole thing was just wrong, and the mayor and city council ought to be ashamed of themselves.”

Page 4

John H. Sengstacke Publisher (1951 - 1997)

The Mid-Southʼs Best Alternative Newspaper

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OPINION

Tri-State Defender

July 10 - 16, 2014

Time to stop asking whether women can have it all

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

‘I was there, for that first issue’ (This letter from Christopher Brooks, a former Memphian now living in Los Angeles, was written to The New Tri-State Defender President/Publisher Bernal E. Smith II. In it, Brooks, who helped birth The TriState Defender, bridges the gap between then and now.)

Dear Mr. Bernal E. Smith II,

Sir, first, you don’t know me, so please allow me a brief introduction.

I was rambling through some of my old collections of documents, books, etc. I came across a November 10th, 2011 edition of the Tri-State with a front page, 2-column spread with a caption, “The ‘Defender’ at 60.” I remember that day (of the first edition) and have recalled it many times in that span between then and now.

Ms. Aretta Mitchell, the Tri-State circulation manager and I drove down to the station in her Ford station wagon and picked up the first edition of the papers as they were being off-loaded onto the ground. We went back to the office, a converted residence, with a basement, where I placed the first 25 copies of the edition on the ground floor. We had put in place the planks that would elevate (and) keep the packages dry. That was the beginning of the morgue and it was my responsibility to add to the stacks each week, until I left in 1954, after graduating from St. Augustine High School, and proceeding to Lakeland Air Force Base, Texas.

I began recalling names associated with my life from the age of 10 or eleven when I was a Memphis World paperboy, living in the Lemoyne Gardens projects. It was during that time I met Mr. Lewis. O. Swingler . . . generally shortened to L. O. (former Editor of the Memphis World and the first editor of the Tri-State Defender).

During my years at the Tri-State, the “South’s Leading Negro Newspaper,” some of my treasured images are those of Mr. Swingler, typing with two or three fingers as fast as Ms. Grafton, the office manager, would with 10. Mr. Alex Wilson, a major historical figure of the time, was probably 6’2” or 3 with a strong but never loud voice, typing with two fingers, or cutting and pasting copy for page layouts. There was an early morning radio news program initiating from one of the offices called ”The Negro in the News.” I’ve forgotten the reporter/newscaster, but for emphasis and punctuation he used one of those old-fashioned telegraph keys used by Walter Winchell, which he used to structure his stories.

(Forgive me; I don’t believe you are old enough to have experienced Walter Winchell.) Our reporter was let go after a relatively short run of it.

There was the representative from the Chicago Defender, phone number, CA5-5656, who periodically came down to the Tri-State. He was always well dressed, and generally asked me to go and get him a box of Corona cigars. On the first occasion I went down to a hotel on Main Street, walked in the front door and toward the counter where I saw the tobacco stand. I was stopped and told I was not allowed in the area. I explained that all I wanted was a box of Corona cigars. I was told that if I wanted to go to the counter, I would have to come in the back door. I was about 56 steps from the counter.

I went outside around to the back.

I was always given a $10 tip for running errands. At the time I was probably making about $15 a week for

cleaning and errand running for Tri State. I saw a man in the alley and asked if I could get him to go in and get the box.

I would give him $5. He was out in 2 minutes, smiling as if Christopher he had won a big Brooks (Cour- one. I always had tesy photo) a problem with back doors.

That’s another story.

The Chicago Defender representative was later killed when he stepped out of a small private aircraft and walked through a front propeller. Actually, I don’t believe he completed the walk through!

Mr. Swingler had a green Packard and often had occasion to have me with him. He got a new one after I left for military service.

There was Elizabeth Grafton and her sister, the wife of one of the first Negro policeman in the city. There was a Ms. Cora Lawrence. She was the first woman of my late teenage crush. She gave me a soft sweet kiss as I left to enter the Air Force, later moved to Saskatchewan, Canada and also sent me a little letter while I was in Boot Camp. Norman Hudson, one of the photographers of that time, was my uncle.

A few years ago I was in Memphis and wanted to go by the Tri-State office. I eventually found it, a small building, which was open with one or two people on site. I walked in for a moment. It was a heartbreaking, heart-stopping moment. The paper had grown old. It reminded me of “old” people I knew as a child, attending Metropolitan Baptist Church, as they were sitting quietly in a back pews, discussing “Old Man Joseph who died last week. He was old, you know. Gettin’ way up in his 50s.”

As we walked back toward the car, my wife asked, “Are you OK!” “Yes,” I answered, as I felt that little cramp for a moment on the side of my chest just under a rib. Over time I would check the Tri-State online.

Then I stopped.

A week or so ago I was speaking with some of my siblings, who still are in Memphis, and I asked them if they ever read the Tri-State. It seemed as if had just drifted into the past for them. I then decided to take another look at the website and was awe-stricken.

I have spent all my professional life since 1965 in Information Technology. I know what it takes to create a good website. Tri-State made the cut! I was so proud of it. It has the appearance and functionality of a top-tier newspaper, periodical, etc.

My complements go out to your development team. This time a year or so ago, it was a black and white posting with a focus on religion, some local social filler and . . . Today, it makes me wish I was there when it started again.

The next time I am in Memphis, I will make a point to drop by your offices, and let your people know that I WAS THERE, FOR THAT FIRST ISSUE, ON DAY ONE, AT THE FIRST HOUR IN NOVEMBER 1951!

Best regards Sir, and my compliments to TRI-STATE DEFENDER! Christopher Brooks Los Angeles, Calif.

FACEBOOK FAN OF THE WEEK Name: Pamela Lane

Pamela Lane is this weekʼs TSD Facebook Fan of the Week!

Lane is the owner of The Urban Connection. She enjoys staying fit and yoga and is also a proud Mom. Thanks Pamela Lane for excelling in Memphis and for being a part of the TSD Facebook family!

Yes, immigrant kids are fleeing violence, but so were kids in Chicago last weekend

Incensed by President Barack Obama’s plan to deport thousands of immigrant children who have arrived in the U.S. illegally in recent months, activists have taken to the streets to chide the president. Many protests have included children. At one, a young boy can be seen carrying a sign that reads, “No deportation of children fleeing violence and poverty.”

I, too, care about children facing violence and poverty, and that’s why I support the Obama administration’s plan to expedite deportations.

This weekend, 82 people were shot in Chicago, the president’s hometown – 16 died. But don’t feel bad if you didn’t know this. Recent media coverage of the child border crisis has dwarfed coverage of many of the very real problems Americans are already grappling with, particularly low-income Americans of color.

The shootings that took place this week were concentrated on Chicago’s South Side, which consists predominantly of African Americans, including plenty of children. And while the Obama administration has made enormous policy strides for some disenfranchised groups, it has struggled to address the policy and economic needs of poor black Americans.

Gay Americans have benefited from his commitment to seeing the end of “Don’t ask, don’t tell” and passionate support for same-sex marriage. Young Americans who have spent their lives living here illegally, known as Dreamers, are benefiting from the work permits the president authorized via Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or his DACA order, despite the failure of Congress to act on their behalf. But prior to the launch of Obama’s My Brother’s Keeper, the administration had frequently been criticized for its lack of specific initiatives that were targeted toward improving the lives, particularly, of African Americans.

Why? The most common speculation tends to be best summarized by two words: “limited capital” – both budgetary and political.

Which is what makes it frustrating that some expect the president to expend his limited capital helping children who are not his responsibility at the expense of children who are.

On Tuesday the president requested $3.7 billion to address what is quickly morphing from an immigration crisis to a disaster. While much of the funds will be spent on border security and deterrence, at least $1.8 billion will be spent on caring for the children here illegally. That number is only to cover the needs of children here temporarily. The costs would skyrocket if they remained here permanently.

Although there is a great deal of hyperbole and exaggeration often used in discussions of the costs of illegal immigration to the American economy, even the lowest numbers are high. AcKeli Goff cording to FactCheck.org, which debunks partisan-fueled policy and data inaccuracies, the lowest credible estimate for the costs to the American economy posed by those here illegally is $1.9 billion, while the highest that has been cited is $19.3 billion. Either way, once you are discussing billions of dollars, you are not talking about an insignificant amount of money.

And that money could be used elsewhere, including to help American children already living here who are facing violence and poverty on a daily basis, such as those facing staggering violence in Chicago.

A 2013 survey of law enforcement found that an overwhelming majority of agencies believe that their efforts have been hampered by federal budget cuts. According to the findings, “Not only have programs been reduced or eliminated, but many respondents reported reduced staffing levels and pay or hiring freezes. Sixty-four percent of law enforcement agencies reported reductions in staffing due to the cuts, while that number climbed to 65 percent for juvenile justice and prevention programs and 72 percent for corrections departments.” The survey also found that 43 percent of cuts to the programs of those surveyed were in the double digits.

Yet despite the fact that our government is struggling to fund initiatives that could protect children already in this country, the president is still being pressured to take responsibility for the futures of thousands of additional children. That isn’t fair to the president, and most of all, it isn’t fair to our children. I have long supported allowing Dreamers – children brought here illegally who have spent their entire lives here – a path to college and citizenship. But the fact is, if we are complicit in allowing thousands of additional children to follow them here and remain here, soon we will not be able to provide any resources for Dreamers or any other American children, and that would be irresponsible and un-American.

(Keli Goff is The Root’s special correspondent. Follow her on Twitter.)

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Can women have it all? If you’re a working woman, you’ve read your fair share of inconclusive articles that seek to answer this sphinxlike mystery.

This topic comes up as a national Demetria L. discussion with Lucas only slightly less frequency than those “why women – never men – are soooo single” articles.

This time the question of women having it all is cocktail conversation fodder once again thanks to an admission by PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi at the Aspen Ideas Festival, where she said that she didn’t think women could have it all – whatever “all” means, because despite the abundance of these conversations about women having it, I’ve never been quite sure what “all” actually is. Anyway, Nooyi’s perspective echoed the sentiment of that very popular Atlantic magazine cover story from 2012, “Why Women Still Can’t Have It All.” The title clearly explains the gist of the article.

Here’s what Nooyi told folks in Aspen: “I don’t think women can have it all. I just don’t think so. We pretend we have it all. We pretend we can have it all. My husband and I have been married for 34 years. And we have two daughters. And every day you have to make a decision about whether you are going to be a wife or a mother. In fact, many times during the day you have to make those decisions. ... We plan our lives meticulously so we can be decent parents. But if you ask our daughters, I’m not sure they will say that I’ve been a good mom. I’m not sure.

And I try all kinds of coping mechanisms.”

So back to what “all” is. It sounds a lot like striving for unattainable perfection. Here we have a woman who, from the outside looking in, has the elusive “all,” or at least what I thought, but was never sure, was always being talked about when women – only women, never men – engaged in these “having it all” discussions: a great career, a mate she’s married to and a kid (or two). Nooyi is the head person in charge of a global brand, PepsiCo – friggin’ Pepsi! She’s been married for 34 years and has two children. And this very accomplished, long-married mom doesn’t think she has it all?

Something’s wrong here. But the problem isn’t with Nooyi; it’s with a culture that has screwy expectations of women who work. They’re too damn high. Women are striving to reach some unattainable superwomanlike existence in which they’re all at once like the definitive mother Clair Huxtable to their kids, catering to their man like Beyoncé and displaying Oprah-like genius to their employer.

While I’m with the whole overachiever motto of “Shoot for the moon because even if you miss, you’ll still be among the stars” philosophy, I also know that one person trying to be three different people is exhausting, and Sybil ended up in an institution trying to do something like that.

Perhaps I’ve missed the conversations about men having it all, but I’m certain that this “all” – this expectation to do everything perfectly – is not asked of men. Nobody wonders how a man juggles his family life and his career, or whether he will be able to fulfill his duties as president because of his grandfather obligations.

Maybe it doesn’t happen because men automatically get everything by virtue of their male anatomy, or perhaps they are not held to the same standard. It seems that men just get to be contently flawed and enjoy Superman as a comic book hero instead of as a model of manhood that everyone with a degree and a penis should be striving for. Women, whether they work or not, need the same leeway.

Instead of trying to have it all and be perfect – largely a marketing gimmick to make women insecure and buy more stuff (see The Beauty Myth for this argument in detail) – women might just be better served by cutting themselves some slack.

Women might also do even better to recognize that “all” doesn’t come all sparkly and wrapped in a neat bow the way it does at the end of a Hollywood movie.

Life is sometimes messy and hectic and conflicted because that’s what life is. You’re not doing it wrong if you’re overwhelmed; it just means you’re living, and probably fully. Enjoy it and do the best you can.

(Demetria L. Lucas is a contributing editor at The Root. Follow her on Twitter.)

NATIONAL OPINION

Tri-State Defender

Page 5

July 10 - 16, 2014

What the book ‘Place, Not Race’ doesn’t get Thereʼs still a place for race-based Affirmative Action

The Root

by Blair L.M. Kelley

I vividly remember the affirmative action debates that raged on my campus when I was a college student in the early ’90s.

Many of our debates centered on Stephen L. Carter’s “Reflections of an Affirmative Action Baby.”

To me, Carter was a person who had benefited from his inclusion in formerly all-white spaces who had suddenly turned on my generation as we were attempting to set down our own roots in a wider, post-civil-rights America.

Others felt that we were taking advantage of something we had not earned.

I read Carter’s book as a betrayal. Not only had I earned my scores and achievements, but I also felt as though I more than deserved a place at the University of Virginia, precisely because of its history: My “home” in the “academical village” was literally built by my ancestors.

This centurieslong history enriched my quest to learn everything I could at a university that had once barred black Americans and women.

So as I read Georgetown law professor Sheryll Cashin’s new book, “Place, Not Race: A New Vision of Opportunity in America,” I felt a familiar kind of disappointment. Cashin, the child of civil rights activists and a selfdescribed “affirmative action baby,” now frames affirmative action as a dying and failed approach to achieving racial equity.

She sees political alliances with white Americans as essential – so much so that given that most white Americans are against affirmative action, she argues that the policy must be changed. According to her, policies that consider race as a factor in college admissions have not done enough to alleviate poverty, and she insists that af-

firmative action has faltered because it has left white Americans outside a coalition of people concerned with improving education Blair L.M. for the Kelley poor.

Except that she never solidly makes her case.

Relying on personal anecdotes about her life among the black upper middle class in Washington, D.C., rather than on statistics or clear definitions,

Cashin says that the black middle class, not the black working class, are the main beneficiaries of affirmative action. Given the success that she sees among black middle-class kids – but citing, among others, AfricanAmerican royalty like Blue Ivy Carter and the Obama girls – she insists that members of today’s black middle class no longer need access to programs that factor diversity in the admissions process.

Instead Cashin calls for an end to affirmative action as we know it and argues that students of all racial backgrounds from poorer school districts should have greater access to higher education. That diversity of place, not race, should be the determining

It’s time to stop asking whether women can have it all

We need to fix a culture that has screwy expectations of women who work The Root

by Demetria L. Lucas

Can women have it all? If you’re a working woman, you’ve read your fair share of inconclusive articles that seek to answer this sphinxlike mystery. This topic comes up as a national discussion with only slightly less frequency than those “why women – never men – are soooo single” articles.

This time the question of women having it all is cocktail conversation fodder once again thanks to an admission by PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi at the Aspen Ideas Festival, where she said that she didn’t think women could have it all – whatever “all” means, because despite the abundance of these conversations about women having it, I’ve never been quite sure what “all” actually is.

Anyway, Nooyi’s perspective echoed the sentiment of that very popular Atlantic magazine cover story from 2012, “Why Women Still Can’t Have It All.” The title clearly explains the gist of the article.

Here’s what Nooyi told folks in Aspen: “I don’t think women can have it all. I just don’t think so.

We pretend we have it all. We pretend we can have it all. My husband and I have been married for 34 years. And we have two daughters. And every day you have to make a decision about whether you are going to be a wife or a mother. In fact, many times during the day you have to make those decisions. ... We plan our lives meticulously so we can be decent parents. But if you ask our daughters, I’m not sure they will say that I’ve been a good mom. I’m not sure. And I try all kinds of coping mechanisms.”

So back to what “all” is. It sounds a lot like striving for unattainable perfection. Here we have a woman who, from

Photo: (Thinkstock)

the outside looking in, has the elusive “all,” or at least what I thought, but was never sure, was always being talked about when women – only women, never men – engaged in these “having it all” discussions: a great career, a mate she’s married to and a kid (or two).

Nooyi is the head person in charge of a global brand, PepsiCo – friggin’ Pepsi! She’s been married for 34 years and has two children. And this very accomplished, long-married mom doesn’t think she has it all?

Something’s wrong here.

But the problem isn’t with Nooyi; it’s with a culture that has screwy expectations of women who work. They’re too damn high. Women are striving to reach some unattainable superwomanlike existence in which they’re all at once like the definitive mother Clair Huxtable to their kids, catering to their man like Beyoncé and displaying Oprah-like genius to their employer.

While I’m with the whole overachiever motto of “Shoot for the moon because even if you miss, you’ll still be among the stars” philosophy, I also know that one person trying to be three different people is exhausting, and Sybil ended up in an institution trying to do

something like that.

Perhaps I’ve missed the conversations about men having it all, but I’m certain that this “all” – this expectation to do everything perfectly – is not asked of men. Nobody wonders how a man juggles his family life and his career, or whether he will be able to fulfill his duties as president because of his grandfather obligations.

Maybe it doesn’t happen because men automatically get everything by virtue of their male anatomy, or perhaps they are not held to the same standard. It seems that men just get to be contently flawed and enjoy Superman as a comic book hero instead of as a model of manhood that everyone with a degree and a penis should be striving for. Women, whether they work or not, need the same leeway.

Instead of trying to have it all and be perfect – largely a marketing gimmick to make women insecure and buy more stuff (see The Beauty Myth for this argument in detail) – women might just be better served by cutting themselves some slack. Women might also do even better to recognize that “all” doesn’t come all sparkly and wrapped in a neat bow the way it does at the end of a Hollywood movie.

Life is sometimes messy and hectic and conflicted because that’s what life is. You’re not doing it wrong if you’re overwhelmed; it just means you’re living, and probably fully.

Enjoy it and do the best you can.

(Demetria L. Lucas is a contributing editor at The Root, a life coach and the author of “A Belle in Brooklyn: The Go-to Girl for Advice on Living Your Best Single Life” and the upcoming “Don’t Waste Your Pretty: The Go-to Guide for Making Smarter Decisions in Life & Love.” Follow her on Twitter.)

factor.

I agree with Cashin’s proposal to draw more children of the working class into the college environment. The problem is, such a program already exists: It’s called Upward Bound. Already a long-standing and successful program that draws on underserved students of all backgrounds, Upward Bound provides some of the tools and assistance that students from working-class backgrounds need to be successful in the four-year college environment. And I wish that Cashin had written an extended call to expand that program – or to create something else like it – instead of calling for an end to race-conscious affirmative action.

She might mean well, but Cashin’s Place, Not Race is really the softer side of a decadeslong assault on affirmative action policies in higher education. From the Bakke decision in the late ’70s to former University of California Regent Ward Connerly’s state-by-state campaigns of the 1990, as well as new books like Richard Sander and Stuart Taylor Jr.’s “Mismatch: How Affirmative Action Hurts Students It’s Intended to Help, and Why Universities Won’t Admit It,” the public is left thinking that affirmative action has failed to make a substantive difference other than harming white students slighted out of their admission chances.

Contra Cashin, I think what this moment calls for is for all of us to remember the historical roots of affirmative action, along with the contemporary concerns that should keep us focused on protecting the policy gains of our civil rights past.

We should remember that segregation was about black success, not black failure. Laws barring African Americans from full inclusion in society were designed to remind us that we were second-class, no matter our level of achievement. Affirmative action was not about poverty; it was about access and opportunity.

It’s also important to recall that affirmative action had its roots in the 1964 Civil Rights Act, which not only upended racial segregation but also laid the groundwork for African Americans and women of all races to be included as students in institutions where they had been systematically barred. Despite the wave of sentiment against affirmative action over the past four decades, the scholarship demonstrates that the inclusion of women and minority students on college campuses has made a positive impact.

The black middle class that Cashin believes no longer needs assistance is the most fragile middle-class population in the nation.

And it’s important to remember not to take today’s gains for granted. The black middle class that Cashin believes no longer needs assistance is the most fragile middle-class population in the nation. A recent Pew study revealed that not only is social mobility difficult for the African Americans who are the working poor, but nearly half of the children raised in middle-class households in the 1960s ended up as poor adults. If black middle-class students are left out today, they could end up having less than their parents did.

So just as I believed 20 years ago that it isn’t time to end affirmative action, I still see it as a necessary remedy today.

As another self-described affirmative action baby, Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, wrote in Schuette v. Coalition to Defend Affirmative Action, “The way to stop discrimination on the basis of race is to speak openly and candidly on the subject of race, and to apply the Constitution with eyes open to the unfortunate effects of centuries of racial discrimination.”

We need to build a coalition of people who recognize that the effects of generations of racial discrimination haven’t disappeared, and the best way forward should not include abandoning existing avenues to opportunity.

(Blair L.M. Kelley is an associate professor of history at North Carolina State University and the author of the awardwinning book Right to Ride: Streetcar Boycotts and African American Citizenship in the Era of Plessy v. Ferguson. Follow her on Twitter.)

BUSINESS

Page 6

Tri-State Defender

July 10 - 16, 2014

ON OUR WAY TO WEALTHY

The SugaShack – ‘make-shift funky’ & ‘soulfoul good’ The nightlife in Memphis is diverse, even though some think it is not on par with other metropolitan cities. Amid that backdrop one local group of club owners is laboring to place Memphis back on the map for juke joints.

Located in the basement of Bon Ton Restaurant on Monroe, the SugaShack is every bit of a flashback in time to when music was “real” – and so were the singers. During my visit I was treated to an amazing tribute to Stevie Wonder.

The conductor for our journey to the SugaShack is Larry Springfield.

Carlee McCullough: Thank you for taking the time to share with our readers your experience and knowledge.

What is the SugaShack?

Larry Springfield: My pleasure! SugaShack is a makeshift funky, soulful good time. It’s the quintessential juke joint, a modern day speakeasy.

C.M.: What prompted you to go into the nightclub business?

L.S.: I’ve always wanted to have one and I’ve been working them all of my adult life as a performer. But it came to me out of necessity. I needed a job or a source of income and the gentleman who contracted me

to work his clubs approached me with the opportunity. He showed me the space that we’re in now and as soon as I saw it I Carlee McCullough was all in.

He made me an offer I couldn’t refuse. So with a little vision, sweat equity, and capital. It was a no-brainer.

C.M.: Who is a part of your team and how does the dynamic work?

L.S.: Tommy Peters, the owner of B.B. King’s Blues Club, and I are the owners.

I’ve worked for him for years and now he’s my partner!

Tommy is what I call a silentbut not-so-silent partner. I also have two gentlemen, with whom I do concerts, shows and other events, Hulesy Britt and Rick Farwell. They help run and promote the club.

With Tommy’s expertise in the night club and restaurant business and our success as promoters, it seems like a natural transition. All of us have our area of expertise that makes us a good team.

C.M.: Where did you get

The SugaShack is every bit of a flashback in time to when music was “real” – and so were the singers.

(Courtesy photo)

clubs in Memphis have the same music being played by different bands. We feel it very necessary to change up the song selection often. We showcase the music of a soul superstar by making that artist the theme for the night or weekend.

It has been well received so far.

Larry Springfield

the name SugaShack?

L.S.: Isn’t it cool? I’m a huge Marvin Gaye fan and if you’ve ever seen the album cover for the record “I Want You,” there’s an Ernie Barnes painting that’s the face of the cover. In the painting is a banner that says, “Welcome to the Sugar Shack.” Years ago I told myself that if I ever had a night club that I would name it SugaShack, with just a little

change in the spelling.

C.M.: What is the concept of SugaShack?

L.S.: We offer a place where the true adult audience loves to come and enjoy themselves in a festive, fun and safe atmosphere. We believe that our place is a true intimate performance venue that puts you up close and personal with the soul of Memphis. Most of the

MONEY MATTERS

What are the basic types of life insurance?

One of the best ways to protect against the financial consequences of a primary wage earner’s premature death is life insurance. However, only about 6 out of 10 Americans actually own life insurance and half believe they do not have enough. However, choosing from the many types of life insurance policies that are available can be a difficult process. A few main categories are described here to help you search for a life insurance policy that is appropriate for you.

Keep in mind that the cost and availability of insurance depend on factors such as age, health, and the type and amount of insurance purchased. Before implementing a strategy involving insurance, it would be prudent to make sure that you are insurable.

Term life insurance

Term life insurance is the most basic and usually the most affordable. Policies can be purchased for a specified period of time. If you die within the time period defined in your policy, the insurance company will pay your beneficiaries the face value of your policy.

Policies can usually be bought for one- to 30-year time spans. Annual renewable term insurance usually can be renewed every year without proof of insurability, but the premium may increase with

each renewal.

Term insurance is useful if you can afford only a lowcost option or you need life Charles Sims insurance only for a Jr., CFP certain amount of time (such as until your children graduate from college).

Permanent life insurance

The other major category is permanent life insurance. You pay a premium for as long as you live, and a benefit will be paid to your beneficiaries upon your death. Permanent life insurance typically comes with a “cash value” savings element. There are three main types of permanent life insurance: whole, universal, and variable.

Whole life insurance. This type of permanent life insurance has a premium that stays the same throughout the life of the policy. Although the premiums may seem higher than the risk of death in the early years, they can accumulate cash value and are invested in the company’s general investment portfolio. You may be able to borrow funds from the cash value or surrender your

policy for its face value, if necessary.

Access to cash values through borrowing or partial surrenders can reduce the policy’s cash value and death benefit, increase the chance that the policy will lapse, and may result in a tax liability if the policy terminates before the death of the insured. Additional outof-pocket payments may be needed if actual dividends or investment returns decrease, if you withdraw policy values, if you take out a loan, or if current charges increase.

Universal life insurance.

Universal life coverage goes one step further. You have the same type of coverage and cash value as you would with whole life, but with greater flexibility. Once money has accumulated in your cash-value account, you may be able to vary the frequency, as well as the amount, of your premiums. In fact, it may be possible to structure the policy so that the invested cash value eventually covers your premium costs completely. Of course, it’s important to remember that altering your premiums may decrease the value of the death benefit.

Variable life insurance.

With variable life insurance, you receive the same death protection as with other types of permanent life insurance, but you are given control over how your cash value is invested.

You have the option of investing your cash value in stocks,

bonds, or money market funds.

The value of your policy has the potential to grow more quickly, but there is also more risk. If your investments do not perform well, your cash value and the death benefit may decrease. However, some policies provide a guarantee that your death benefit will not fall below a certain level. The premiums for this type of insurance are fixed and you cannot change them in relation to the size of your cash-value account.

Variable universal life is another type of variable life insurance. It combines the features of variable and universal life insurance, giving you the investment options as well as the ability to adjust your premiums and death benefit.

Variable life and variable universal life are sold by prospectus. Please consider the investment objectives, risks, charges, and expenses before investing. The prospectus, which contains this and other information about the variable life or variable universal life insurance policy and the underlying investment options, can be obtained from your financial professional.

Be sure to read the prospectus carefully before deciding whether to invest.

(Charles Sims Jr., CFP, is President/ CEO of The Sims Financial Group. Contact him at 901-682-2410 or visit www.SimsFinancialGroup.co m.)

C.M.: What type of live music does the SugaShack present?

L.S.: The kind that takes you back, the kind that makes you remember when. Most of the artists we feature are no longer here. So we would like to give you as close to a live performance by that artist as you can get. You can’t put a price on great memories C.M.: Who is your ideal customer?

L.S.: Any lover of great Soul music. And I do mean any!

C.M.: What is next for the team and SugaShack?

L.S.: Anything is possible.

We look forward and plan to bring not-so-well known soul and jazz acts to the club like Gregory Porter, Allen Stone, Foreign Exchange and others.

We don’t mind collaborating with other promoters to get some kind of weekend festival here. But right now we are concentrating on making SugaShack a place that is known for true soul music in Memphis.

C.M.: Any closing remarks?

L.S.: I’d just like to invite lovers of Soul music out to give us a test drive. I promise they won’t be disappointed.

The SugaShack is located at 150 Monroe. For more information, call 901-352-1927; go to www.sugashackmemphis.com; or visit SugaShackmemphis on Facebook and Twitter.)

The Black Business Association of Memphis will feature TVʼs Judge Glenda Hatchett at its 2014 BENNY Awards Luncheon on Friday (July 11th).

BBA annual luncheon to feature TV’s Judge Hatchett

TV’s Judge Glenda Hatchett will deliver the keynote address as the Black Business Association of Memphis (BBA) hosts the 2014 BENNY Awards Luncheon on July 11th from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Holiday Inn University of Memphis.

BENNY is an acronym for Black Entrepreneurship and Networking Needs You. The BENNY Awards are held annually and honor service and retail businesses, corporations and business professionals who have reached new heights, provided exemplary service, business opportunities, or leadership “to further the vision of minority entrepreneurship, empowerment, business development or community service.”

The BBA, a 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization, was founded in 1974. It is supported by the City of Memphis Department of Housing and Community Development.

The BENNY Awards recognizes superior achievement in business by minority and women owned businesses and by supportive corporations.

Judge Hatchett presided over the syndicated show, “Judge Hatchett,” which ran for ten seasons. She is the founder of Parent Power Now, an online parenting network, and is also the author of two national best-sellers: “Dare to Take Charge” (Center Street) and “Say What You Mean, Mean What You Say” (HarperCollins).

Hatchett has previously served on the board of sirectors of Gap, Inc. the Hospital Corporation of America (HCA), The Service Master Company, and Boys and Girls Clubs of America. Presently, she is on the board of advisors for the Atlanta Falcons Football Organization. Hatchett resides in Atlanta with her two sons.

RELIGION

Tri-State Defender

Page 7

July 10 - 16, 2014

RELIGION BRIEFS New Sardis slates look at ’64 Civil Rights Act – 50 years later

How does God want us to deal with racism?

From the viewpoint of The Rev. Dr. L. LaSimba Gray, the 50th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 seemed to pass as silently as a ghost.

The pastor of New Sardis Baptist Church said the historic event indeed may have been “a ghost to much of America, especially those who have no memory of segregation, Jim Crow, colored water (fountains), colored rest rooms and colored seating sections on public busses.”

Gray sees a tremendous teaching moment.

What was the impact for African Americans?

What are the implications for the future?

On July 23rd, New Sardis is hosting a dinner and discussion, with dinner served at 6 p.m. in the Family Life Center. The discussion will begin at seven o’clock in the sanctuary.

Among the panelists confirmed are County Commissioner Walter Bailey, Judge D’army Bailey, and Dr. Erma Clanton. Other panelists will be named later.

The event is free, with youth organizations particularly encouraged to attend. If dining, RSVP by calling 901-754-3979.

Family Bible records now available online

Visitors to the website of the Tennessee State Library and Archives (TSLA) can now access family Bible records previously available only to patrons visiting TSLA’s building.

Over the past few years, TSLA volunteer Cinamon Collins scanned more than 1,500 family Bible records held at TSLA. Most of the records were photocopied from privately-held family Bibles and preserved at TSLA by archivists and librarians.

A new database on the TSLA website allows researchers to browse the records in their entirety, and a search function will ultimately include all of the thousands of names written in the unique documents.

“I am thrilled that the State Library and Archives and our volunteers have worked to make these resources accessible to all Tennesseans,” Secretary of State Tre Hargett said. “The information recorded in TSLA’s collection of Bible records is not only helpful for genealogy, but also a wonderful display of history at a very personal level.”

BRIEFLY: Castalia Baptist Church at 1540 Castalia St. will host the Pastor’s and Wife’s 16th Anniversary Celebration on Sunday (July 13th), beginning with an 8 a.m. service featuring Dr. Eric Winston, pastor of Mt. Zion Baptist Church. At 11 a.m., the guest speaker will be Dr. Edward Parker, Pastor of Berean Baptist Church. The Rev. Dr. Randolph Meade Walker is the host pastor.

BRIEFLY: The Eighth Annual Iftar Interfaith Dinner promoting unity and understanding will be held from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Sunday (July 13th) at The Esplanade, 901 Cordova Station Avenue in Cordova. The annual event is where Muslims, Christians, Jews, Buddhists, Jain, Hindus and other people of faith come together to promote goodwill, diversity and understanding. This year’s theme is: “Ramadan: Relieve Hunger, Spread Peace.”

BRIEFLY: The Southern Christian Leadership Conference Memphis Chapter in cooperation with the Memphis Baptist Ministerial Association is sponsoring an Education Forum on July 15th at Greater Mt. Moriah Fellowship Hall, 1098 S. Wellington. Special guests include: Shelby County Schools Supt. Dorsey Hopson; Dr. W.W. Herenton, former Memphis City Schools superintendent and charter schools operator; Malika Anderson, chief portfolio officer, Achievement School District; Michael Benjamin, national director, American Federation for Children Grassroots Advocacy & Outreach. Moderator: Art Gillian, president/ general manager, WLOK. For more information: The Rev. Dwight Montgomery, president, SCLC Memphis Chapter, 901-488-4798; sclcmemphis@yahoo.com

New book focuses on racism.

In his new book “The Truth about Racism, Its Origins, Legacy and How God Wants Us To Deal With It,” Dr. Philip Asante sets out to uncover the truth about racism by providing a scientifically-supported perspective into the origins of racist ideology.

Asante, the son of a Dr. Philip black African father and Asante white English mother, explores contributions from both Christianity and the theory of Evolution.

“Whether you believe in creation or evolution, all humanity is related,” Asante said.

“The subject of racism is, of course, controversial and continuous in society and in the church.”

Deeply passionate about ending modern racism, Asante draws on research and Scripture in explaining how the Bible was “deliberately misinterpreted and abused in order to justify slavery, segregation, colonialism and apartheid.”

With a doctorate in biblical studies, a master’s degree in business administration and a bachelor’s degree in pharmacy, Asante re-

FIRST SERVICE

The Rev. Y.C. Cox Jr. leads a procession to the Advocate Fellowship Baptist Church (right) to worship for the first time in the new sanctury on Sunday, July 6th. The church is located at 834 Flynn St. in the South Memphis community. (Photos: Tyrone P. Easley)

PRAISE CONNECT 21 years of service...

The Rev. Vernon L. Horner and first lady Barbara Horner (left) celebrated their 21st anniversary Sunday, July 6th at Greater New Bethel Missionary Baptist Church, 316 George Ave. The guest speaker was the Rev. Albert Harwell (right), pastor of Melrose Missionary Baptist Church. (Photos: Tyrone P. Easley)

-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

sides in South Wales with his wife and two grown children. His book intends to look at the background to racism based upon skin color and truly understand its origins.

Among the questions Asante tackles: What part has the Church played in it and why?

How much does racism owe to the “Theory of Evolution?”

Can racism ever be justified by Christian involvement?

Is racism supported by Scripture or is it simply sinful, divisive and evil?

Is racism a stumbling block to finding faith in God? Does racism make people question the existence of God? How does it affect mankind and the Church?

What message does it send out to the non Christian secular world?

Does racism separate mankind?

Does it split the Church, which is the Body of Christ?

Is the Church doing enough to combat the issue of racism?

And does racism ultimately offend God and if so, what should the church be doing to curb its cancerous impact on Humankind?

Attend the church of your choice

Attend the Church of your choice

I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

—Phillipians 4:13

ENTERTAINMENT Tri-State Defender, Thursday, July 10 - 16, 2014, Page 8

WHAT’S HAPPENING MYRON?

Memphis makes room for comedy

Myron Mays

Farewell to the rhythm man –

Mabone ‘Teenie’ Hodges

If there was ever a void in Memphis when it comes to comedy, it doesn’t exist anymore.

No more waiting for the occasional comedy show to come to the Orpheum or Cannon Center.

Big laughs can now be found in Memphis as often as

“weekly”.

Perignon’s Restaurant & Lounge, located at 2818 Coleman Road, has been very successful with “J. Young Presents Saturday Night Laughs,” which commands quite a following every first Saturday of each month.

Jason Young, Saturday Night Laughs promoter, wanted a night that couples could prepare in advance for and serve as a date night for married couples. “I would love for SNL to be that event where people reconnect their lives to laughter with one another because it’s good for the soul.”

Big names in comedy such as Tyler Craig, Pierre and J.J. Williamson have all made their way through Perignon’s at some point. Even comedienne and actress Cocoa Brown from Tyler Perry’s Single Mom’s Club has headlined multiple shows there…and they all did well. Columbia, S.C. comedienne Barbara Carlyle is set to headline the next show on Saturday Aug. 2nd.

Evidence clearly shows that there is a market for comedy in Memphis, which is why comedian and radio personality Prescott Gilliam and his partner Mike Ware of Heritage Entertainment decided to open a club totally dedicated to comedy, something that has been missing in Memphis for quite some time.

Chuckles Comedy House is located at 1770 Dexter Springs Loop in Cordova. It just opened for business a few weeks ago and has featured the likes of Don “DC” Curry as well as Sinbad with comedian D.L. Hughley being the next comedian to grace their stage.

He can be heard locally on 1035 WRBO each afternoon from 2-6 p.m. weekdays and will be headlining 5 big shows July 11th-13th.

In addition to the live comedy shows, Chuckles also features Karaoke on Tuesdays as well as open mic on Wednesday. So if you think you have some talent or you just wanna prove that you don’t, you might wanna check them out on those nights as well.

Chuckles & Perignon’s not only provide the city with nightlife choices, they also provide opportunities for local comedians to shine as well. Local performers such as Caszell Williams, A.C., Timbo and CleatisAllen Jr. and others can be found performing at these spots or even hosting shows on a regular basis.

Get the latest on Saturday Night Laughs at www.jyoungpresents.com or call (901) 373-9952. For more information on Chuckles Comedy House, call them at (901) 421-5905 or visit them online at www.chucklescomedyhouse.com.

Here’s what’s happening…

PJ Morton at the New Daisy

Get your tickets to see PJ Morton of Maroon 5 live, Friday July 11th at the New Daisy, 330 Beale Street at 8:00 p.m. Tickets start at $25 and are available at www.eventbrite.com by searching “PJ Morton Live.”

Tuesdays & Thursdays at Prive’

Prive’ Restaurant and Bar is one of the hottest spots to hit the city of Memphis. I’m sure you’ve heard “something” about it by now. But if you haven’t gotten a chance to check it out yet, here are a couple of good opportunities to see what the hype is all about.

Each Tuesday evening from 5 until 10 p.m., El Mac presents Neo Soul Sessions featuring the music of Shenea & 4Soul with Cigars provided by Cloud 9.

It’s an evening of good food, good music and a plush, soulful atmosphere.

Then on Thursday evenings, Fresh Ideas & Associates presents “Prive Thursdays” from 5 until 10. It’s a great evening for networking and socializing that features $7 food items as well as $7 Supreme Adults Beverages.

Prive’ is located in East Memphis at 6980 Winchester Road at Riverdale. It is a great place to socialize, network and dine any day of the week. There’s no cover on either Tuesday or Thursday evenings, and they both feature happyhour specials from 5 until 7 p.m. If we don’t support it, it goes away…right?

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

Mabone “Teenie” Hodges

Hodgesʼ daughter Valencia Harris (left) Ric, and daughter Shonte Stokes.

Special to The New Tri-State Defender

by Tony Jones

Scores of music industry friends and fans came out on Saturday (July 6th) to a memorial celebration at the Gibson Guitar Factory to honor one of the most gifted musicians of the classic Memphis soul era, Mabone “Teenie” Hodges.

Hodges, who died in June, was one of 11 kids born to Rosie and Leroy Hodges Sr., a musician who gifted his kids with his talent and drive. Just as Motown’s core house band became known as The Funk Brothers, several of the Hodges brothers earned their own moniker as the house band for the Hi Records label.

Teenie Hodges set the rhythm, playing guitar on countless seminal hit albums and singles. With Hodges’ brothers Leroy Jr. on bass, Charles on organ and keyboards, and Fred on piano, Al Jackson set the beat. Howard Grimes would play drums after Jackson’s death.

Executive producer Willie Mitchell’s brother James often joined on saxophone.

Capped off by regular backing vocalists Rhodes, Chalmers and Rhodes, the team created a string of No. 1 hits that are a fixture of the classic soul music era.

It was the song “Love And Happiness” on Al Green’s pivotal “I’m Still In Love With You” album that cemented Teenie Hodges in the hearts of soul music fans worldwide. Additional hit record credits included “Oh Me, Oh My,” “Here I Am (Come and Take Me),” “L-O-V-E (Love),” “Full of Fire,” and “Take Me To The River.”

With the Hodges brothers “in the pocket” as always, it’s no exaggeration to assert that “Love And Happiness” and the album it was featured on, “I’m Still In Love With You,” was the pinnacle of soul music that helped Green and Hi Records to ascend.

The album cover’s artwork took Green from the country-boy-in-the-city image to a hip sophisticated white-suit-in-a-Caribbean setting. With a sly grin, the look introduced an incredible depth of songwriting, stamping Green as a true superstar.

It was “Love And Happiness” that sealed the album’s instant Hall-of-Fame fate. After

Lawrence “Boo” Michell

business was all blur.

“I was on the road with Ann Peebles when the album came out, and I think we were in Los Angeles, after we had been to Europe. The hits were coming back to back and me and Von were working to death!”

Yvonne Mitchell added: “The album and “Love And Happiness” came out of a time Daddy had taken us all over to Lake Hamilton in Arkansas. They were writing songs and working me and Lo to death. I was cooking and she was cleaning. They would go to Hot Springs (Arkansas) to the horse races and then at night they would be writing. And there was no television after 10 o’clock.

“After they got the songs together, Daddy and I mixed the album at the studio. We Sheila Hodges, Tennieʼs daughter, and his son, started on a Sunday and didn’t leave until Wednesday.

Mabon Lewis Hodges ll.

After “(I Can’t) Get Next To You,” they had No. 1 records for seven years…so we didGreen’s a cappella kick-off to Teenie’s simple, quest-opening lick, the Hi Rhythm boys n’t sleep much back then. I was handling loaded up to the bridge, where Green fa- Daddy and Al’s publishing, plus Ann Peemously percolates “hey, hey, hey.” The song bles, Otis Clay, Syl Johnson, and O.V. instantly became a house-party favorite Wright. It was a whirlwind all over the world!” throughout Black America.

Teenie’s brother Leroy Hodges wrapped it Archie Turner “Hubby” Mitchell – Willie Mitchell’s stepson and Teenie Hodges’ all up with his reflection.

“I was really honored by the care and sinroommate and band member – had this to cerity of the tribute to my brother. My parsay: “He lived with us so we came up together ents had 11 kids in all, and nearly all their and we were all tight. That’s what made it sons were musically inclined. I have one work. Listen to that music. It was just a nat- brother, Leslie, who also played with us. All ural feeling. “Love And Happiness” could of the ones that played keyboard often have been a gospel or an R&B song. It just played on Daddy’s piano. We played with so expressed joy. And Teenie and his brothers many talented artists and great people – The were just in there, man. He was the king of Detroit Emeralds, Little Milton, Denise LaSalle, Ann Peebles, so many. I’d be wrong rhythm, and they were just real.”

“Simply Beautiful,” he added, alluding to to say any one song or set was my favorite.

“I even got to do some recording with Bilthe Green-penned song “Simply Beautiful.”

Willie Mitchell’s daughter Lorraine ly Eckstine. But just being with my brothers Mitchell said Teenie’s meteoric rise in the was the best.”

Showtime at the Hattiloo begins with ‘Once On This Island’

Once On This Island’ is billed as a “highly original and theatrical adaptation of the popular fairy tale ‘The Little Mermaid’ and it’s booked as the grand opening performance for the Hattiloo Theatre at Overton Square.

With book and lyrics by Lynn Ahrens, and composed by Stephen Flaherty, “Once On This Island” begins July 18th and runs through Aug. 3rd.

“We really want to open our doors wide to all of Memphis and Shelby County,” said Ekundayo Bandele, Hattiloo’s founder and artistic director.

After several years on Marshall Ave. near Downtown, the Hattiloo is set to write the next chapter of its history from its multi-million dollar new building at 37 S. Cooper. A Community Grand Opening was held June 28th.

Sponsored by Laurelwood Shopping Center and Teach for America Memphis, “Once On This Island” is described as almost nonstop song and dance.

The show tells the story of Ti Moune, a peasant girl who rescues and falls in love with Daniel, a wealthy boy from the other side of her island. When Daniel is returned to his people, the fantastical gods who rule the island guide Ti Moune on a quest to test the strength of her love against the powerful forces of prejudice, hatred and death.

During its run, Thursday, Friday and Saturday shows will begin at 7:30 p.m., with a Saturday matinee at 2 p.m. that features free onsite childcare of children 3 to 12 years old. Pay-What-You-Can Thursday will be July 24, with a 7:30 p.m. show time.

Tickets for the special Thursday performance must be purchased in person or by phone at 901-525.0009. Theatre tickets are $30 for general admission and $22 for subscribers.

For more information, visit tickets@hattilootheatre.org.

Breyanna Tillman star in “Once On This Island.” (Photo: courtesy)

ENTERTAINMENT

Tri-State Defender

Page 9

July 10 - 16, 2014

E-BRIEFS

OPENING THIS WEEK

Kennedy Center program set for teachers at The Orpheum theatre

Kam’s Kapsules:

The Orpheum Theatre, in partnership with Shelby County Schools (SCS), will provide a week of teacher professional development training as part of its acceptance into the nationally recognized John F. Kennedy Center’s Partners in Education program.

Taught by Kennedy Center teaching artists, workshops focus on how educators can take the arts into their classrooms as a means to teach all subjects more effectively.

The professional development training consists of a Level 1 course and, for the first time in the Orpheum’s history, an advanced Level 2 course for teachers who have previously completed 40 hours or more of teacher professional development with the Orpheum. Between the two tracks, approximately 80 local educators are registered to attend, and each track is a three-day workshop.

The Partners in Education Program is a three-year renewable contract between The Kennedy Center, The Orpheum Theatre, and SCS. The Orpheum and SCS was one of 12 selected teams of arts organizations and school systems from across the nation to participate in the Partners in Education Institute, joining 93 teams from 42 states and the District of Columbia already participating in the program, now in its 23rd year.

Weekly Previews That Make Choosing a Film Fun

Jay-Z will be headlining the Budweiser annual festival “Made in America” Labor Day weekend in Los Angeles this year. (Courtesy photo)

Special to The New Tri-State Defender

by Kam Williams

For movies opening July 11, 2014

BIG BUDGET FILMS

“Dawn of the Planet of the Apes” (PG-13 for intense violence and brief profanity) Eighth installment in the storied sci-fi franchise finds burgeoning nation of geneticallyaltered primates threatened by a band of humans who survived the devastating virus unleashed a decade earlier. Ensemble cast includes Gary Oldman, Keri Russell, Andy Serkis, Jason Clarke and Judy Greer.

INDEPENDENT & FOREIGN FILMS

“Affluenza” (Unrated) Class conscious drama, set in 2008, about a social-climbing, pot-smoking shutterbug (Ben Rosenfield) who abandons his humdrum life to hang out in the Hamptons with his gorgeous cousin (Nicola Peltz) and her clique of privileged friends.

With Steve Guttenberg, Greg Sulkin, Grant Gustin and Samantha Mathis.

“As It Is in Heaven” (Unrated) Shaken faith drama about a cult leader’s (Chris Nelson) struggle to hold onto his flock following the failure of his recently-deceased predecessor (John Lina) to predict the end of the world.

Cast includes Luke Beavers, Sylvia Boykin

BCTC series with varied companies

and Meredith Cave.

“Boyhood” (R for profanity, sexual references, and teen drug and alcohol abuse) Coming-of-age drama, shot in Austin, Texas over the course of a dozen years, tracing the life of a toddler (Ellar Coltrane) well into his teens. Written and directed by Richard Linklater, and co-starring Patricia Arquette, Ethan Hawke and Lorelei Linklater. (In English and Spanish with subtitles)

“Honour” (Unrated) Fatwa thriller, set in London, revolving around a hit man (Paddy Considine) hired to track down the Muslim runaway (Aiysha Hart) who has incurred the wrath of her family by dating a Punjabi guy (Nikesh Patel). Featuring Faraz Ayub, Shubbham Saraf, Harvey Virdi and Ben Bishop.

“Land Ho!” (R for profanity, sexual references and drug use) Road trip comedy about a couple of geriatric buddies (Paul Eenhoorn and Earl Lynn Nelson) who venture to Iceland to recapture their youth in a bawdy adventure of a lifetime. With Alice Olivia Clarke, Karrie Crouse and Elizabeth McKee.

“A Long Way Down” (R for profanity) Screen adaptation of the Nick Hornby bestseller of the same name about four suicidal strangers (Pierce Brosnan, Toni Collette, Aaron Paul and Imogen Poots) who meet on a rooftop on New Year’s Eve where they decide to form a blended family instead of jumping.

Supporting cast includes Sam Rosamund Pike and Zara White.

Neill,

“Made in America” (Unrated) Ron Howard was afforded the cinematic equivalent of an all-access backstage pass to shoot this Budweiser concert flick headlined by JayZ and also featuring Kanye West, Jill Scott and Janelle Monae. (In English and Spanish with subtitles)

“Rage” (Unrated) Vigilante thriller about an ex-con (Nicolas Cage) who decides to take the law into his own hands with the help of a couple of buddies (Max Ryan and Michael McGrady) when his teenage daughter (Aubrey Peeples) is abducted by Russian mobsters.

With Danny Glover, Rachel Nichols and Peter Stormare.

“Road to Paloma” (R for profanity, nudity, sexuality, violence, rape and drug use) Jason Momoa wrote, directed and stars in this chase thriller as a Native American fugitive from justice who finds himself on the run across the desert after avenging his mother’s murder.

With Lisa Bonet, Tye Alexander and Henree Alyse.

“Underwater Dreams” (Unrated) Overcoming the odds documentary about a team of undocumented immigrants attending an Arizona high school who enter their submersible robot in a NASA-sponsored competition against colleges students from MIT and other leading colleges.

Bluff City Tri-Art Theatre Company, on hiatus for its 9th Season, will present a series of other artistic organizations productions in August that will include the work from two companies.

Honeybaby Productions will present a drama one week followed by a comedy on the next week from Peace & Love Productions.

Both companies will feature the works of two noted female playwrights.

“Long Time Since Yesterday” – The Honeybaby Productions artistic work – will run for weekend. The P.J. Gibson drama gives revealing glimpses of six women after the burial of a friend, only to discover disturbing truths they are not prepared to embrace. Directed by the founder, Erick Brooks, the play unfolds with a series of flashbacks, which provide a suspenseful evening for adult audiences.

Peace & Love Productions, founded by seasoned actresses Lazora Jones and Precious Morris, mounts Lorees Yerby’s “Save Me A Place at Forest Lawn” the following weekend.

Ruby O’Gray directs with Jones and Morris taking on the roles. Here’s the plot: Two lonely elderly ladies lunch together in the same cafeteria each day. Realizing that death is upon them, they share their past lives and speak of their imminent demise with wisdom and humor.

Both plays will be held at TheatreWorks located at 2085 Monroe Ave. “Long Time Since Yesterday” will run Friday and Saturday, Aug. 15th and 16th, at 8 p.m. and Sunday, Aug. 17th at 3 p.m.Tickets are $20/$15 for seniors, students and military w/ I.D. Call 901-529-7454 for tickets.

“Save Me A Place at Forest Lawn” will run Aug. 22-24. Friday and Saturday shows are set for 7:30 p.m. with the Sunday show at 3 p.m.

Tickets are $15/ $12 for seniors, students, and military w/ I.D. For tickets call, 901-463-7267 or 620-1857.

Page 10

CLASSIFIEDS

Tri-State Defender

July 10 - 16, 2014

Legal Notices

LEGAL NOTICE TO BIDDERS

Sealed bids will be received at the Office of the City of Memphis Purchasing Agent, Room 354, City Hall, 125 N. Main, Memphis, TN 38103, until 2:00 PM CT, Friday, July 18, 2014, for furnishing the City of Memphis with the following:

FOR THE DIVISION OF: PUBLIC WORKSCity of Memphis RFQ # 3246

FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF: PW01181

Federal Project No.: STP-M-NHE-57(42) State PIN: 110296.00

Location(s): SR-57 (US-72) (Poplar Avenue), from East of Sweetbriar to I-240

State Project No: 79LPLM-F3-029

1. The Prime Contractor and all Sub Contractors must pre-qualify with the Department of Transportation in accordance with Section 54-5-117 of the “Tennessee Code Annotated” and Tennessee Department of Transportation Rule 1680-5-3 prequalification of contractors before biddable proposals will be furnished.

2. The City of Memphis hereby notifies all bidders that a 30% Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) goal has been set for this project and must be met or exceeded. All contractors identified as a Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) must be on the Tennessee Uniform Certification Program (TNUCP) List at the time of the bid opening.

3. The City of Memphis hereby notifies all bidders that it will affirmatively insure that in any contract entered into pursuant to this advertisement, disadvantaged business enterprises will be afforded full opportunity to submit bids in response to this invitation, and will not be discriminated against on the grounds of age, race, color, religion, national origin, sex or disability in consideration for an award.

4. The City of Memphis is an equal opportunity affirmative action employer, drugfree with policies of non-discrimination on the basis of race, sex, religion, color, na-

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tional or ethnic origin, age, disability or military service. For additional information contact Mary Bright, (901) 576-6553, City of Memphis, Contract Compliance Office, 125 N. Main St, Memphis, TN 38103

basis of the lowest and best bids as determined by the City of Memphis. “Best Bid” shall be defined as the responsive quotation, that meets the contract documents, including, if applicable, any DBE Participation Goal as set out in this specification.

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Notice of intent of award will be issued after review of all opened bids. Any protest of award must be filed in writing with the Purchasing Agent within ten calendar days of the intent of award announcement.

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Plans, Specifications and attendant deposit information available, until the time set for opening bids, from: Janet Prejean, (901) 636-2462, City of Memphis, Construction Inspections, 2599 Avery Avenue, Memphis, TN 38112.

Award of contracts will be made on the

THE RIGHT TO REJECT ANY AND ALL BIDS IS RESERVED

By Order of the Mayor of the City of Memphis, Tennessee.

A C WHARTON, JR., MAYOR CITY PURCHASING AGENT

LEGAL NOTICE

COMMUNITY

Request for Qualifications RFQ Number 15-0001 Investment Management Services

Responses for this Request for Qualifications for providing Investment Management Services will be received by the Memphis-Shelby County Airport Authority (Authority), Staff Services Division, Memphis International Airport, Administration and Support Facility, 3505 Tchulahoma Road, Memphis, TN 38118-2718 until 11:00 AM local time, August 1, 2014. No Responses will be accepted after the stated deadline. Responses will not be received at any other location.

INSTRUCTIONS TO RESPONDENTS

The response to the Request for Qualifications (RFQ) shall be submitted in a sealed envelope or container. Each envelope or container must be clearly marked on the outside with the following: 1) Request for Qualifications, Investment Management Services, 2) RFQ Number 15-0001, and 3) Your company name and address.

No responses will be accepted after the stated deadline. A complete Request for Qualifications Packet with submittal instructions, additional data, and response format may be found on our website www.mscaa.com on or after July 9, 2014.

A mandatory pre-proposal meeting will be held at the Authorityʼs Administration and Support Facility located at 3505 Tchulahoma Road, Memphis, TN 38118 on July 16, 2014 at 10:00 AM. Only those attending will be allowed to submit a response.

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

The Authority reserves the right to reject any or all responses to this Request for Qualifications in whole or in part and to waive any informalities, technicalities, or omissions therein. The Authority also reserves the right to reject any response when a parent, subsidiary, affiliate, or predecessor in interest of the Respondent has pending litigation or claims with the Authority, or if any response includes a proposed subcontractor or supplier that has pending litigation or claims with the Au-

thority, if the Authority determines, in its sole discretion, such litigation or claims may adversely affect the ability of the parties to work efficiently and effectively under this RFQ, or for any other reason as determined by the Authority. Any such response will be returned to the Respondent. All Respondents must use forms provided by the Authority.

The Authority hereby notifies all Respondents that it will review and award bids/proposals in accordance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, 42 U.S.C. 2000d to 2000d-4a (the “Act”) and Title 49, Part 26, Code of Federal Regulations, Department of Transportation, Subtitle A, Office of the Secretary, Part 21, Nondiscrimination in Federally Assisted Programs of the Department of Transportation issued pursuant to such Act. The Authority further notifies all Respondents that it will affirmatively ensure that in any contract entered into pursuant to this advertisement, Disadvantaged Enterprises (DBEs) will be afforded full opportunity to submit bids/proposals in response to this invitation and will not be discriminated against on the grounds of age, race, sex, color, national origin, or disability in its hiring and employment practices, or in admission to, access to, or operation of its programs, services, and activities, in accordance with the Business Diversity Development Program (BDDP) promulgated under the September 2008 Disparity Study for non-discrimination in non-federally assisted programs commissioned by the Memphis-Shelby County Intergovernmental Consortium, as amended. The DBE participation goal for any contract awarded as a result of this RFQ is 0% in accordance with the requirements of the RFQ documents.

The Authority hereby notifies all Respondents that effective July 1, 2013 the Authority shall give a preference to businesses located in the County of Shelby, State of Tennessee in awarding contracts and making purchases whenever the application of such a preference is reasonable in light of the dollar-value of the proposal/bid received in relation to such expenditures and pursuant to the terms and conditions that are outlined in the adopted policy as amended.

Memphis-Shelby County Airport Authority Scott A. Brockman, A.A.E. President and CEO

What’s John Leake doing in Russia?

Lausanne Collegiate School graduate was awarded a National Security Language Initiative for Youth (NSLI-Y) scholarship The State Department annually offers approximately 625 students the chance to study Russian, Arabic, Chinese, Hindi, Korean, Persian, or Turkish overseas through NSLI-Y. Students are chosen through a rigorous selection process. The 625 scholarship winners were culled from 3,600-plus applications.

NSLI-Y’s aims included increasing the number of Americans who can engage with native speakers of critical languages.

“We think it’s important to learn languages that aren’t commonly taught because these are languages, in many instances, that are going to be critical in the present and the future for American citizens to know,” Pogue said. “Whatever fields students are hoping to find themselves studying and working in, we think that a knowledge of critical languages and cross-cultural understanding is very important.”

Participants in the Russian summer program receive a minimum of 120 language class hours and stay with host families.

Special to The New Tri-State Defender

by Brittney Gathen

Who would’ve thought that a childhood fascination with Russian culture would eventually morph into an opportunity to study in Russia? Yet, that’s exactly what happened to a recent Memphis high school graduate.

John Leake, a graduate of Lausanne Collegiate School, was awarded a National Security Language Initiative for Youth (NSLI-Y) scholarship by the U.S. Department of State. That is why he is in Yaroslavl, Russia right now studying Russian language and culture during a six-week adventure that ends Aug. 4th.

“Ever since I was a child, I have always loved Russia,” Leake told The New Tri-State Defender before leaving for the Russian stay that began June 21st.

“I first fell in love with Russia when I was seven years old because that was the first time I watched the 1997 animated movie, “Anastasia,” which was loosely based on the myth of the survival of Tsar Nicholas’ youngest daughter in July 1918. The movie sparked my fascination with Russian culture and history. In addition, I remember asking for a comprehensive book on Russia for Christmas when I was a child.

“As the years passed, I began to learn more and more about Russia, and despite its sometimes brutal topics, I found myself wanting to visit the former land of the Tsars and totalitarian states,” said Leake. “But I soon realized that in order to truly understand Russia’s rich history and tradition I would need to learn the language because it would be a window into true Russian culture.”

Launched in 2006, the NSLI-Y program is funded by the U.S. Department of State and provides meritbased scholarships for eligible high school students to learn less commonly taught languages via summer and academic-year overseas immer-

Q&A with John Leake

John Leake: “Ever since I was a child, I have always loved Russia.” (Courtesy photo) sion programs.

“In general, what we’re looking for in candidates for the program are students who are interested in language study and those that are prepared for an overseas experience; students in high school who are perhaps already thinking beyond what they see as possibilities for their career, and how language study can fit into that,” said

Bart Pogue, the senior program officer for NSLI-Y. Pogue said that the program also looks for students who possess maturity, curiosity and a good sense of humor – the kinds of characteristics that makes one able to deal with the frustrations of living in a foreign country for a certain amount of time.

The New Tri-State Defender: How did you find out about the scholarship program? Why did you decide to apply for the program?

John Leake: Last summer, I was surfing the Internet for study abroad opportunities that I could pursue the summer after I graduated high school.

I wanted an opportunity that was lowcost or fully funded. It didn’t take me long to find NSLI-Y and after some research and talking with past participants I decided to apply. My main reasons for applying were that I wanted to study Russian language and culture and the program was fully funded by the U.S. Department of State.

TSD: How do you plan on using what you’re going to learn in this program over the summer to help you in your future career? What career do

you want to pursue? In addition to learning Russian, what else do you hope to get out of your trip to Russia?

JL: I plan on using what I learn this summer by applying it to a career in international affairs. I want to pursue a career in international affairs and mostly likely want to work for the Foreign Service or the United Nations. I also want to go to law school.

In addition to learning Russian, I hope that this trip will tell me whether or not I would like to pursue a career abroad.

TSD: What college will you be attending? And do you plan on studying Russian in college? What will your major be?

JL: I will be attending New York University in the fall and I plan on studying Russian. I am currently undecided on my major, but I am leaning towards International Studies or Anthropology.

TSD: In your opinion, why is it important for students, such as yourself, to learn foreign languages?

JL: I believe that students should learn a foreign language because it helps them learn another culture and it helps them reflect on their native language and culture by assessing the differences as well as the similarities.

I also think it makes students more competitive in the job search if they know another language.

TSD: Are you interested in learning any other foreign languages? If so, which ones?

JL: I took Spanish all through high school and I will continue studying the language in college, along with Russian. I am also interested in learning Arabic and French.

TSD: Is there anything else you would like to add?

JL: If high school students are interested in learning another language and culture, I would highly recommend applying for his program. Plus, it’s free!

Obama Administration makes room for a University of Memphis graduate Special to The New Tri-State Defender

by Nona N. Allen

Chimene Okere

Chimene Okere has had an interesting journey. Upon his graduation from Lane Tech College Preparatory in Chicago (2010), he went on to attend Depaul University, completing his freshman year before transferring to the University of Memphis. He never envisioned all of the transfers leading to a position in the Obama Administration.

Customarily, each U.S. President appoints students to non-career positions within their administration.

The full-time positions are entry level and within the executive

branch. As a result of President Obama’s desire to diversify the pool of students selected to the program, The University of Memphis was selected to send students of color for interviews.

As a result of Okere’s participation in an internship program during the summer of 2013, he was deemed a good candidate for an interview by the student affairs office and his resume was forwarded to the Presidential Personnel Office. Okere got the interview and was chosen from hundreds of applicants from mostly Ivy League Universities to fill one of the 50 to 70 full-time positions. He will work in the Office of Capital Access for the Small Business Administration

(SBA).

“Our goal is to increase opportunities for financial resources to small business owners. Specifically, we are targeting individuals in under-served communities, such as women, African Americans, Hispanic and Latinos, veterans, the elderly, and other people of color,” Okere said. “Within the next few months I hope to be responsible for the expansion of economic opportunities towards individuals that are typically discriminated against in financial markets.”

Okere offered his thoughts on how his appointment could benefit Memphis.

“In the past, the SBA provided large loans in the hundreds of thou-

sands of dollars to business owners despite the demand for smaller loans in the tens of thousands. Recently, the SBA has increased the volume of loans in more concise packages. This has led to more jobs in the small business sector of the economy,” he said.

The Memphis SBA has been noted for its work with Taylor Brown Apothecary, reflecting a small-business emphasis that Okere believes could lead to more jobs in the small business sector and a boost of the area’s overall economy.

Okere’s position will last at least until the end of the Obama Administration, but the way he rolls, you just never know where he may land.

COMMUNITY

Tri-State Defender

BRIEFS & THINGS Motley Internal Medicine to host diabetes forum at Methodist-South

Dr. Todd Motley, principal physician and owner of Motley Internal Medicine, has announced plans and the schedule for a free community forum this Saturday (July 12th) on the topic of Comprehensive Diabetes Prevention & Awareness.

Motley’s wife and business partner, Dr. Ann Marie Motley, along with renowned podiatrist Dr. Frank Ognibene and diabetic nutritionist Annette Caple will share life-saving information with nearly 100 forum participants.

Also on the agenda will be information about overall “prevention” and Type-2 diabetes among children by eye specialist Stan Pike, and Jill Collins, an expert in diabetic education and diet.

“We really want to share a practical understanding of preventive medicine in the disease of diabetes,” said Dr. Todd Motley.

The Comprehensive Diabetic Seminar and Forum is free to the public and takes place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the newly renovated MethodistSouth Hospital on Wesley Drive in Whitehaven. Radio host Tony Nichelson will moderate the forum.

This is the fifth seminar and forum hosted by the Motley team. Other topics have covered a variety of topics, including domestic violence prevention and registration for the Affordable Care Act. For more information, contact Dr. Todd Motley or Vicky Bonner, at Motley Internal Medicine at 901-332-2277

Kwanzaa in July celebrates family and culture

The Slave Haven Underground Railroad Museum at 826 North Second St. is the venue for Sunday’s (July 13) Kwanzaa in July, 1 p.m. – 8 p.m. Presented by Mid-South Kwanzaa, Inc., the theme is “Celebrating Family Community and Culture.”

Kwanzaa (Swahili for first fruit of the harvest) is a panAfrican, cultural holiday that is observed in the United States from Dec. 26 – Jan. 1.

Dr. Ruby Payne, an educator and recently retired principal of Hanley Elementary, is president of Mid-South Kwanzaa, Inc. Kwanzaa in July is free to the public. For more information, contact Osupa-Moon at 901-237-1705.

BRIEFLY: Support the arts while lounging on the lawn at the Levitt Shell on Thursday (July 10th) from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Shell Out for the Arts includes wine, beer and dinner by Fratelli’s in a private VIP area before and during the Chubby Carrier and the Bayou Swamp Band concert. Admission: $25 for adults; free for children 12 years and under.

Proceeds support arts organizations and artists throughout the community.

BRIEFLY: Professional Assertive United Sisters of Excellence (P.A.U.S.E) will host a car wash on Saturday (July 12th) from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Shell Gas Station at 4585 Poplar Ave. The proceeds will go towards funding the annual retreat of the group whose mission is to “unite the women at the University of Memphis of all races, creeds, and economic backgrounds while developing and educating them to become campus, professional, and community leaders.” Visit the P.A.U.S.E. fundraising website at http://www.gofundme.com/ aqfjcw. For more information: bgathen@memphis.edu.

BRIEFLY: Registration Day for the 2014-15 Shelby County Schools year is July 29th, with the first day of classes set for August 4th.

Parents should register students at their assigned school. For details, visit www.SCSFactsFirst.com, where the available information includes school start times, transportation assignments, important policies and more.

Page 11

July 10 - 16, 2014

Brooks standing tall in Juvenile Court Clerk quest ʻNow can we finally focus on the issues,ʼ say supporters

Special to The New Tri-State Defender

by Tony Jones

“It’s time to quit playing games and focus on the issues, fixing what’s wrong with Juvenile Court,” said Michael Todd, an organizer of a group called Men For Henri Brooks.

Brooks wants to be Juvenile Court Clerk. Now that the Shelby County Commission has voted to accept a recent Chancery Court ruling that the commission’s move to oust her was based on flimsy evidence alluding to her not living in the district, supporters such as Todd are shifting into fullspeed-ahead gear.

With early voting set to begin July 18th at the Election Commission office Downtown and July 21st at the satellite sites, Todd has swiftly corralled more than 50 community members so far.

“And we need more. We are hoping to fill a minimum of five buses on the first day of early voting. We’re fighting to keep the public, and especially the African-American community focused on her We “And we need message. need to redirect more. We are our focus.”

Janis Banks, hoping to fill a Brooks’ camminimum of five paign manager, buses on the amplified on Chancery first day of ear- the Court ruling. ly voting. We’re “The judge that the fighting to keep ruled county cannot the public, and move to fill her especially the seat because has been African-Ameri- there no vacancy can community proven. They have to focused on her now convene a promessage.” ceeding to prove whether she voluntarily removed her residence from the district.”

Brooks has less than two months before she will be retired from her seat after serving the maximum terms allowed each commissioner. Fellow commissioner Terry Roland pushed the assertion that Brooks lives in Cordova rather than her commission district most vociferously.

Telling county Attorney Ginny Bozeman, “I think you need to do some more work,” Chancellor Kenny W. Armstrong ruled that the commission must hold a thorough investigation before it could declare the seat vacant and move to fill it.

“You have to ask where are they engaging in these current actions. It’s about the Juvenile Court Clerk’s race,” said Banks. “The commissioner has exposed constitutional violations and there are activities going on at the court that some people there are afraid to be brought out about child support payments, how money is still being taken out of fathers’ checks after payment orders have been terminated, why are so many juveniles being transported ending up at 201 Poplar (the Criminal Justice Center) and much, much more.”

Brooks has hammered away on the theme that the office needs to be more accountable.

“People wander around seeking information and too many of the officials there just sit and watch. People are already intimidated when they go down there, so I want to make it more

Shelby County Commissioner Henri Brooks outside the courthouse where a Chancery Court judge ruled that the County Commission had not established it had done was necessary to show that she did not live in the district. (Photo: Gary S. Whitlow)

user friendly. And it’s important to treat all people seeking information with dignity and respect.”

Juvenile Court’s Chief Administrative Officer Larry Scroggs says change is underway. He pointed to one program in particular that he said was in motion before the Department of Justice determined – after a pro-

longed push for intervention by Brooks – that Juvenile Court was not providing children due process, had racial disparities in the administration of justice and was responsible for confinement procedures that were unsafe.

Scroggs said he and Juvenile Court Judge Curtis Person found themselves

on the same page while in the state legislature in the 80s.

“Once he took the office here we began working toward implementation of these thoughts. The prime example of that was the adoption of the Foster Care Permanency Claiming Act. He was the Senate sponsor and I was the House sponsor in 1998. It was instrumental in changing the time it took to have children placed in foster care.”

According to Scroggs, “Presently, the best way to put it is that we have partial compliance. That means you have a policy and practice in place but you haven’t done it long enough.

We’re five years in so far. For instance, collecting and reporting data has proven extremely difficult. It is a work in progress.”

It is important to note, said Scroggs, that when the court requested additional funding from the Shelby County Commission to implement some of the changes, including costs for the reporting software, Brooks was among those who did not support funding increases to do so.

“Before the findings were released I had begun to reach out to the Annie Casey Foundation concerning their Juvenile Detention Alternative Initiative (JDAI) to have Memphis and Shelby County included. JDAI focuses on reducing the number of kids detained so only the most serious offenders are detained,” said Scroggs.

“It took me three years to get the designation, which was finally granted in January 2012. It’s in about 39 states and 200 districts. They made some exploration on the state level but found they couldn’t get any traction in middle and east Tennessee. So they came back to us and designated the juvenile court here as a national model for the state, with the goal of expanding it to the rest of the state, if we are successful here. I think that was a huge achievement.”

Scroggs says that at the same time the court sought and was granted accreditation by the American Correctional Association. “We’re the only publicly operated detention center in the state to have the designation.”

A third development, Scroggs said, “was that we were one of twelve courts engaged in the National Council of Juvenile Court Judges Model Court program. So as I think about your question (of how Brooks’ decade-long crusade spurred positive changes), it seems to me clear that external pressure and concern meshed with internal desire and interest in reaching for those things. We recognized that those three things dealt with the basis of juvenile justice.”

And, said Scroggs, “In 2009 we engaged with the administrative departments of the Tennessee Supreme Court, the Department of Children Services and the American Bar Association to focus upon dependency and care and foster children. It took about nine months, maybe a year, leading to us revamping our foster care review system. We went from one board that operated intermittently to 21 boards with over 200 volunteer members. We greatly needed improvement in that area.”

Although there is no argument that Brooks clearly was a source of “external pressure” for change at Juvenile Court, Scroggs noted the affect of a change in presidential administrations.

“When the Obama administration came in, it went forward,” he said.

OPINION

Is TVA moving from coal to gas?

TVA is making decisions about the future of the Allen coal-burning power plant right now. This urgent issue requires immediate action in our community. Yes, they provide us electricity, but there is a cleaner safer way than burning coal.

The problem

A long time coming…

The Wilmington Family was held July 4-6 and it included a birthday celebration for Minnie M. Jiles, who celebrated her 100th birthday. Standing next to her is Quentin Wilmington, age 96. The reunion featured visits to numerous local sites, including the National Civil Rights Museum. (Photo: Tyrone P. Easley)

TVA released a draft environmental assessment outlining plans to retire the Allen coal-burning power plant in Memphis and to replace it with a natural gas-fired plant. TVA recently hosted a public open house event (July 8th) at the Amtrak Train Station Boardroom to discuss their plans with the public. The Sierra Club, the NAACP Memphis Branch, and the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy were on hand to share their organizational views on the TVA’s proposed plan to convert the plant from coal to natural gas.

The Allen coal plant is the biggest toxic polluter in Shelby County, and letting it run into the future means more health-threatening pollution

will be spewed into our air every day.

Shelby County already has some of the worst air quality in the region. Air Rita Harris pollution levels here regularly exceed safety limits set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

We support TVA’s decision to retire the old and inefficient coal plant, and not spend over $500 million to keep the plant running in the future. But, TVA doesn’t have to trade coal for natural gas, another expensive fossil fuel, which pollutes our air.

The best path forward is replacing the Allen coal plant with energy efficiency measures and a portfolio of clean renewable energy sources, including wind and solar. Investments in these clean energy technologies will protect the health of our families, lower energy bills, create

high-paying jobs, and promote new economic opportunities in our region.

What you can do

We need your help! A 30-day public comment period on TVA’s proposal is now open, and will close August 5th . The entire draft Environmental Assessment can be found at http://www.tva.com/allen-ea.

Comments can be submitted in writing by fax at 865-632-3451 or o n l i n e at http://www.tva.com/allen-ea.

The final decision on the future of the Allen coal plant will be voted on by the TVA Board of Directors at an upcoming meeting, perhaps as early as August 21. You can make a difference in our energy future by getting involved.

Work with us to move Memphis beyond coal and toward reliable, clean sources of energy.

(For more information, contact Rita Harris – rita.harris@sierraclub.org or call Sierra Club at 901-3247757.)

SPORTS Tri-State Defender, Thursday, July 10 - 16, 2014, Page 12

COMMENTARY

Concussions a greater problem for African-American youth NNPA News Service

by Jazelle Hunt

Texas Rangers 1st baseman takes it off for ESPN the Magazineʼs Body Issue. (Photo: ESPN)

Prince Fielder poses nude, and #HuskyTwitter salutes him The Root

by Yesha Callahan When you think of an ESPN the Magazine cover model, the first thing that might pop into your head is a six-pack, muscles and a chiseled body. But this year the magazine’s annual Body Issue celebrates the not-so-common bodies in sports.

On the cover of the latest issue, out July 11, you’re going to see Texas Rangers first baseman Prince Fielder in all of his husky glory.

And guess what? There’s nothing wrong with that.

Fielder is appearing on one of six covers for ESPN the Magazine’s Body Issue.

Prince Fielder The first baseman, who’s listed at 5 feet 11 and 275 pounds, is shown being photographed in several poses in a behind-the-scenes video posted to ESPN.com. And yes, some of them are not safe for work, so don’t click that link too fast.

Fielder’s goal is to dispel the notion that large folks can’ be athletic.

“Just because you’re big doesn’t mean you can’t be an athlete,” Fielder told ESPN. “And just because you work out doesn’t mean you’re going to have a 12-pack.”

Hell, some of us just want a three-pack.

Fielder doesn’t have the typical baseball player’s body, and he’s fine with that.

“Obviously, I’m a big guy. But I also need to feed myself with the right things,” he said. “I have a chef now, so it’s definitely easier to make sure that I’m getting full off of the right foods. If I don’t stay on it, it can get out of control.”

In honor of Fielder’s positive body image, the husky population on Twitter, who are thick and proud, created the #HuskyTwitter hashtag.

Take a look at a few of the funniest tweets:

Prince representing for US!! #HuskyTwitter RT @BaseballBros: Prince Fielder’s ESPN body issue. You’re welcome. pic.twitter.com/O7BcQ8UuYZ – New Testament (@KooolAidPapi) July 8, 2014

WASHINGTON – Despite the flurry of news about NFL lawsuits over concussions, the problem affects far more athletes at the high school and junior high school level, according to federal government statistics.

In 2009 alone, nearly 250,000 youth age 19 or younger were treated in emergency rooms for sports and recreation-related injuries that included concussions, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports. Between 2001 and 2009, the rate of such visits rose 57 percent.

Concussions occur when the brain is shaken violently against the skull. Although concussions are the most common brain injury, widespread awareness and concern about this issue in the world of student athletics is fairly recent.

But it is especially relevant for African-American communities, particularly young men most likely to die from traumatic brain injuries, the CDC says. And according to data from research nonprofit, Child Trends, 50 to 60 percent of African-American high schoolers were on a sports team in 2011.

In severe or untreated cases, they can cause brain damage, seizures, emotional distress, and death – in fact the CDC estimates that 5.3 million U.S. citizens are living with disability as a result of a traumatic brain injury (or TBI, an umbrella term that includes concussions).

“From an athletic trainer perspective concussions have always been a big concern. Coaches seemed to think that injuries increased because (athletic trainers) were there, but really it’s that awareness is increased,” says Jennifer Rheeling, a veteran athletic trainer in D.C. Public Schools and chair of the Sports Medicine Advisory Committee for the D.C. State Athletic Association.

“In the last five years particularly with the NFL starting to talk about it, and the lawsuits, has helped immensely now that people get it on a mainstream level. What they thought was just getting their bell rung was really a concussion.”

On the most diligent and well-resourced student teams, players take baseline tests – a battery of motor skill drills and survey questions to record their individual peak cognitive health – and have athletic trainers who check for signs of decline. If a concussion is suspected, a player does another test to compare those results to his or her baseline. The ImPACT Concussion Management program is currently the program of record for these tests among school athletic programs.

But according to Dr. Vernon Williams, neurologist and medical director of the Sports Concussion Institute, a lack of access to care compounds the (now fading) problem of awareness. ImPACT, for example, costs a minimum of $400 per year for 100 baseline tests and 15 post-injury tests for one school. Meanwhile, many schools and school districts, largely populated by black and brown children, routinely have to make cuts to balance their budget.

“We have coaches who understand the need, but they have different resources. For example, we know baseline testing for people in contact collision sports can help evaluate when people get injured,” Dr. Williams explains. “But it’s uncommon for people to have access to state-of-the-art baseline testing. Players, school systems, and parents don’t have access to those funds. But we can still implement treatment using creative measures.”

Currently, Dr. Gary Harris, who specializes in computer engineering and serves as associate provost for Research and Graduate Studies at Howard University, is working with engineering students and the Bison football team to devise an inexpensive concussion monitoring system, using an open source platform. (“Open source” is a tech industry term that means the equipment and information to create this system is public as opposed to proprietary, so as to encourage others to innovate and improve on the idea).

The project uses a computer chip attached inside the helmet that measures impact up to 100 gs of force. For reference: a sneeze is about 2 or 3 Gs of force on the human body; an F16 fighter jet barrel roll exerts 7 to 9 Gs; a car crash at 45 mph is about 60 Gs. Concussions usually happen with collisions between 80 and 120 Gs. The chip records the force of impact for every collision – it can be programmed to transmit this information wirelessly, say, to a cell phone app. Or, it can be downloaded from the helmet using a USB cable. It can also be programmed to send an alert when a hit exceeds a certain threshold.

“You can have an entire team’s list where you know all their shock, trauma, and incidents on file,” says Dr. Harris. “We still don’t know the threshold of force for brain damage, we don’t know how many hits it takes, but the first thing we have to do is collect the data.”

Dr. Gary Harris hopes to improve the way the Howard University Bison football team combats concussion using this “Lilypad” Arduino chip to measure impact during games. (Photos: Courtesy Howard University.)

Each of these chips costs approximately $30.

Technology is also being used to improve care and outcomes in the aftermath of serious concussion cases. Interactive Metronome, a health tech company that creates neurological research-based brain training programs and activities, is one example. The activities are designed around “brain timing” – the ability to clap to a beat, for example. As users play games and do activities that test their reaction time, those brain cell connections are repaired and strengthened. Originally (and primarily) used to improve motor skills and cognitive function in children with ADD/ADHD, the program is beginning to see success with TBI rehabilitation.

“We fit into concussions in a new way, which is helping out when those (post-concussion) symptoms don’t dissipate,” says Nick Etten, vice president of Strategy and Business Development at Interactive Metronome. “There’s a lot of emphasis on technology these days – it’s really important in the world of concussions and cognitive rehab. We’re starting to understand that there was a big void in information.”

Technology has helped improve identifying and treating concussions; on the prevention front, sports health care professionals now have the backing of the law. In all 50 states, a student athlete must be immediately removed from play if a concussion is suspected, and cannot return to practice or play without medical clearance. Some states also mandate that a student must remain free of symptoms or remain on the injured list for a set period of time, even if they gain medical clearance immediately.

But there are still holes in preventing these injuries.

“There’s clearly benefits to legislation in terms of drawing attention to the issue of concussions and having some foundation across the board with how they should be managed,” says Dr. Williams. “I think there are some variables…related to who should be allowed to clear players.”

He and Rheeling have both seen athletes on under-resourced teams get clearance from an emergency room resident, for example, in contrast with athletes who take a concussion test against their baseline with their team’s athletic trainer. They’ve also seen instances of students underreporting their symptoms, coaches resisting care recommendations, and parents being lax in monitoring their child’s rest after a concussion.

Emerging laws are attempting to add another layer of protection by regulating the number of weekly practices involving rough contact drills, thus reducing exposure to collisions and risk of concussion. Trainers, coaches, parents, and athletes can also receive guidance through resources such as the American Academy of Neurology online Sports Concussion Toolkit, and organizations such as the Sports Legacy Network.

“We’re at the end of the beginning as relates to concussion management. We’re learning more every day and the process will continue to evolve,” says Dr. Williams. “We’re out of the phase of explaining what a concussion is, identifying symptoms…. It’s no longer an unrecognized epidemic, we’re aware of the issues and that (a concussion) has to be managed effectively.”

Proud member of #HuskyTwitter – Detroit O (@BlameOtis) July 8, 2014

That skinny dude you like doesn’t have a warm pillow on his abs for you to lie down on after a long day. #HuskyTwitter – Detroit O (@BlameOtis) July 8, 2014

A handsome face and a gut RT @Da1nOnlyCMart: What are the qualifications for #HuskyTwitter?

– Ugly Betty (@Pinky_Balboa) July 8, 2014 i’m an avid lover of the gents at #HuskyTwitter. come let me make you a plate & rub you down w/ coconut oil.

– Boss Lady. (@filthycharm) July 8, 2014

There was even one person brave enough to put his huskiness on display:

At the lake. Rare shot of some of my tattoos. Basking in my husky gloray. #HuskyTwitter pic.twitter.com/p5W1xg1Iic – Dwayne David Paul I (@DwayneDavidPaul) July 8, 2014

To Fielder and all the other husky men of the world, we salute you and your huskiness.

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

The computer chip within this helmet tmeasures impact up to 100 Gs of force.