8 21 2013

VOL. 62, No. 33

www.tsdmemphis.com

August 15 - 21, 2013

In 1973 at the Afro American Police Associationʼs first banquet, Clifton Dates Jr. (right), then vice president, presents an award to legendary Memphis principal Louis B. Hobson.

(Photo: Ernest C. Withers courtesy of Rome Withers and Withers Photography.)

Still relevant says Afro American Police Assoc.

40th Anniversary weekend offers chance to reflect Special to The New Tri-State Defender

by Tony Jones

CEO Aaron Arnold of Music is My Business, LLC will keynote the Memphis Urban League Young Professionals Empowerment Conference Luncheon at the Hilton Memphis on Saturday (Aug. 17).

Grounded in the belief that a sound police department is at the core of any municipality, members of the Afro American Police Association (AAPA) are rock-solid sure that the group – now 40 years old – is still vitally relevant for the sake and safety of the City of Memphis.

This weekend, the AAPA will celebrate its 40th Anniversary.

President Chris Price says the AAPA’s unity is still fed by its founders’ commitment.

While racism is less of an overt influence, the current AAPA leans heavily on its history to maintain its commitment and morale.

“The steps that James Bolden and his colleagues took to level the playing field within a very unfair police department was nothing less than amazing,” said Price. “We must always remember the great sacrifice of

75 Cents

those who put their necks on the line so (that) we today may reap many benefits.

“I want to challenge all who understand the struggle to not fade away because you are where you

want to be in this department, but to reach back and lend a hand to those standing behind you,” he said. “Help hold the foundation together that othSEE POLICE ON PAGE 3

Who is Aaron Arnold? besmith@tri-statedefender.com

by Bernal E. Smith II

Dynamic by any standard, an unconventional path towards success has defined and opened doors for Aaron Arnold – the under-30 CEO who will keynote this weekend’s Memphis Urban League Young Professionals Empowerment Conference.

For those in need of a snapshot, consider this description: a young millennial innovator, risk taker, CEO, MC and party host, producer, trendsetter, inspirational speaker, entrepreneur and lifestyle expert.

Some might have called him crazy a few years back when he left a wellpaying executive position with one of the top five PR firms in the world to work for free as an intern at Sean “Diddy” Combs’ Bad Boy Records.

Feeling burned out and dissatisfied with his career and having a burning passion for music, the Chicago (south side) native embraced the demanding task of working with “Mr. Combs” (as he respectfully refers to the hip hop mogul). And in the words of Robert Frost, “that has made all the difference.”

Arnold has since launched his own company and been featured in/on leading media outlets across the country. During a live interview, CNN hailed him as a “Young Person Who Rocks” – a person under 30 who impacts and inspires the world.

Man of note…

Randy Wade helped Diane Higgs coordinate a tribute to her husband, the late Judge W. Otis Higgs Jr., at the Memphis Botanic Gardens on Aug. 10-11. Sylvia Love, who attended the event Monday, zeroes in as Wade points out Judge Higgs in this photo. Related photo on Community, page 12. (Photo: George Tillman Jr.)

Cut mandatory minimum drug sentences? Yes says Holder

Corporate guy to ‘Bad Boy’

A Florida A&M graduate, Arnold is personable, frank and direct about his experiences, his business, taking risks, and his upcoming visit to Memphis.

“I was miserable! I was making good money but miserable,” Arnold said in describing his emotions just before making the decision to leave his last PR job.

SEE ARNOLD ON PAGE 3

MEMPHIS WEEKEND

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

SUNDAY

H- 8 0o - L - 6 5o P a r tl y C l oud y

H- 8 1o - L - 6 6o P a r tl y C l ou dy

H- 8 4o - L - 6 7o Iso. T-Storms

REGIONAL TEMPS LITTLE ROCK NASHVILLE JACKSON, MS

Friday H-81 L-63 H-79 L-65 H-86 L-66

Saturday H-83 L-63 H-78 L-65 H-87 L-67

Sunday H-86 L-66 H-82 L-66 H-88 L-69

by Dan Merica and Evan Perez CNN

Jail time...

Former U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. was sentenced to 30 months in prison on Wednesday, August 14. See related stories page 4 and 6. (Photo: CNN)

- INSIDE -

• The road to retail: Oo! D…Good Sauce. See Business, page 7.

• J.U.G.S. – 60 years of good works. See Community, page 12.

• Soulsville instructor gains Grammy attention. See Entertainment, page 10.

• Football is BACK! Titans kick off preseason. See Sports, page 13.

WASHINGTON – The Justice Department will no longer pursue mandatory minimum sentences for certain low-level, nonviolent drug offenders, Atty. Gen. Eric Holder said Monday, noting the nation is “coldly efficient in jailing criminals,” but that it “cannot prosecute or incarcerate” its way to becoming safer.

“Too many Americans go to too many prisons for far too long, and for no truly good law enforcement reason,” Holder told the American Bar Association’s House of Delegates in San Francisco.

He questioned some assumptions about the criminal justice system’s approach to the “war on drugs,” saying that excessive incarceration has been an “ineffective and unsustainable” part of it.

Although he said the United States should not abandon being tough on crime, Holder embraced steps to address “shameful” racial disparities in sentencing, the budgetary strains of overpopulated prisons and policies for incarceration that punish and rehabilitate, “not merely to warehouse and forget.”

Holder invoked President Barack Obama, saying the two had been

"You don't have to be a former public defender to know It only makes good sense to stop digging when you find yourself in a hole.

Thousands of lives have been unnecessarily destroyed because the ‘cookie cutter’ mandatory minimum sentence as a punishment, did not fit the crimes in every case.

– Mayor AC Wharton Jr. • Pardon power and compassionate release. See page 5

talking about the issues and agreed to try to “strike a balance” that clears the way for a “pragmatic” and “commonsense” solutions to enhance public safety and the “public good.”

The centerpiece of Holder’s plan is to scale back prosecution for certain drug offenders – those with no ties to large-scale organizations, gangs or cartels. He said they would no longer be charged with offenses that “impose draconian mandatory SEE SENTENCING ON PAGE 6

Page 2

August 15 - 21, 2013

Tri-State Defender

Tri-State Defender

POLICE

CONTINUED FROM FRONT

ers built so you can stand on.

Remember that if the walls of our association ever fall, let it not be because the brick you were holding was weak.”

In addition to Bolden, the AAPA’s founders were Clyde Buford, Clifton Dates Jr., Charles Logan, Curtis Mull and Van Fields. And everyone connected to the organization credits U.J. Toney as one of the members who kept the fire burning while anchoring its mission.

A concluding church service this weekend at Mt. Vernon Baptist Church-Westwood will return the AAPA to the original founding spot. It is there, according to Vice President Tyrone Currie, that the church’s pastor, the Rev. James Netters (who also

ARNOLD

CONTINUED FROM FRONT

“I remember talking to my mom and she told me, ‘You should never do anything for a paycheck alone, you’re young enough; you’ve got to figure out what you want to do.’ I made up my mind to leave after that.”

In a wide-ranging conversation with The New Tri-State Defender, Arnold explained that he never imagined actually being in the “music space,” bowing to what called to him.

Having admired what Combs had done in the business, he pursued and secured an internship with Bad Boy Records.

“It changed my life. I look at it as if I didn’t work for free.

The experience that I got most people would have paid for. In fact, if I hadn’t taken that chance, I probably wouldn’t be talking to you right now or coming to Memphis to speak at the MULYP conference.”

Breathing again and ‘Passing Go!’

Arnold acknowledged that he gets one question a lot: How did he prepare himself to go from high income to no in-

NEWS

Page 3

August 15 - 21, 2013

made history as the city’s first elected black councilman), presided over the group’s official inception, along with the Rev. Samuel Billy Kyles and the Rev. Jesse Jackson.

Founding member Dates is known to many in Memphis for building his former company, CDA Security, into one of the largest and best-known African-American businesses in the city.

“It was 1968. I was in the Air Force, serving as a Load Commander on a C-133, flying supply missions into Thailand and Vietnam. I had been doing that for about ten years. Because of the aftermath of Dr. King’s assassination, there was a serious recruit program for the police department that allowed me to discharge early if I joined the police department.

So I did,” said Dates. come and still hold it all together?

“I want to save the answer for when I speak on Saturday,” he said. “However, I will say this – faith and commitment.

I’m not a super-religious person but I am spiritual, and I can say I’ve been blessed. Whenever something hit the fan, and a lot of things did, and I was down to my last penny or last breath – something would happen, and I got to breathe again.

“I would take those as signs that this was meant to be. It was where God meant for me to be,” he said. “It was like playing monopoly. I was still on the board, and things would look real bleak. I’d be down to my last, but something would always happen and I would ‘pass go’ – re-up to make it through to another day. I kept ‘passing go,’ barely, but I did it.”

Music is his business!

During his 18-month stint with “Diddy” and Bad Boy, Arnold launched his company, Music Is My Business. He describes it as a fully integrated music company with three components: MIMB Music/Publishing (which houses artists, producers, djs), MIMB Television/Film/Ani-

There was a lot of ugliness dressed in MPD blue in those days. Dates and his co-horts fought back in a manner that would have a long-term affect.

“The seven of us that came together to form the AAPA wanted to create a method for communication to the department’s upper echelon. You still had discriminatory practices as a daily fact in the department and everywhere else,” said Dates.

“We tried to do something to stop the police brutality against people in our community and to bring the community together to educate ourselves on how not to become a victim.”

Dates said a real benefit has been the value-added effect the AAPA created for female officers trying to build careers with MPD. “Just being women, they

bring something different and smarter to the table. Women are so much more thoughtful, having more of a grasp with how to deal with the world, less of the (macho) overreaction when dealing with people,” he said.

“The AAPA brought a lot of issues to the table and caused the command to react. I was no different from the regular black man or the other black officers – there were incidents. But I was raised to hold my head high and have always tried to do so. That is the goal of the AAPA and its members.”

AAPA 40th Anniversary Weekend line-up

Friday, Aug. 16 – Meet and Greet, 6 p.m.-1 a.m.. AAPA Office, 1391 Ferguson.

The Afro American Police Association is still standing 40 years after its founding. (Photo courtesy of the AAPA) Saturday, Aug. 17 – AAPA Black-Tie Gala honoring founders, accomplishments and trailblazers; Airport Conference Hotel, 2240 Democrat

Quick hitters with Aaron Arnold besmith@tri-statedefender.com

by Bernal E. Smith II The New Tri-State Defender: What are the top three things that drive your success?

Aaron Arnold: Faith, commitment and having fun!

TSD: What’s your advice on haters?

AA: If you have no haters, you’re doing something wrong, or you’re not doing enough or both!

TSD: Are you a member of a Greek letter fraternal organization?

AA: I’m a ‘Que,’ a proud member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc.

mation and MIMB Brand Management.

Diversity marks the company’s approach to business. It has produced music for television and artists, including Grammy artist Chris Brown, Sony Australia artist Jessica Mauboy, Travis Porter, celebrated country writer Jeffery Steele, Faith Hill, Tim McGraw, Trace Adkins, Miley Cyrus and Montgomery Gentry, ESPN, and the Cartoon Network.

Arnold and his company

TSD: Connection to Memphis and or Tennessee?

AA: I’ve been to Memphis like three times before with friends and fraternity brothers and my dad is from Chattanooga.

• GQ Magazine’s “The Gentleman’s Fund” nominated Arnold for his contributions to the United Nations World Food Program.

• VH1’s reality show “I Want to Work for Diddy” included Arnold in spotlighting some of Diddy’s past assistants and how they used the experience to transcend in their careers • Inc. Magazine featured Arnold as a case study consultant and the CEO of one of “America’s Smartest New Companies led by people under 30.

At A Glance:

have become a go-to team for reaching the young, cool and hot! They’ve consulted for ESPN, McDonalds, Heineken, The United Nations’ World Food Organization, MTV’s Making The Band platinum selling artists Danity Kane, Grammy Award winner BryanMichael Cox and various agencies in New York, Atlanta and Chicago.

Journey to legacy

Following numerous ap-

pearances and interviews on national platforms, a mentor encouraged Arnold to take the show on the road, going to Harvard, USC and other places to share his message of following one’s passions, social entrepreneurship and innovation.

Along the way, he began to redefine his purpose and approach to business.

“My true passions are music and helping people follow their dreams. At first I questioned if people would want to hear me

Rd.; 6 p.m.-9 p.m.

Sunday, Aug. 18 – Worship service at 10 a.m. at Mt. Vernon Baptist Church-Westside, 620 Parkrose.

speak, but I realized that I could inspire (and) help people by sharing my story. It’s real for people, because I’ve lived it, been through, it and still going through it as I work to build my brand and my company. Now I embrace it, and I take each opportunity that I have seriously. Because if I don’t deliver, it hurts my brand, my business and ultimately my pockets.”

Arnold said he’s really trying to redefine entrepreneurship and the entrepreneurial spirit.

“When I go speak at these universities, like Harvard and other schools that I couldn’t get into coming out of high school, I go in breaking down stereotypes and stigmas – creating paradigm shifts. My message is it’s not where you start or even the obstacles you face, but what you do along the journey to get to your place of destiny,” he said.

“And you must enjoy the journey as much as you do the results. As I continue to grow and do my thing in business, it’s my desire to continue to inspire others. That’s really what my legacy is about.”

(Bernal E. Smith II is President/Publisher of The New TriState Defender.)

Page 4

OPINION

Tri-State Defender

August 15 - 21, 2013

John H. Sengstacke Publisher (1951 - 1997)

The Mid-Southʼs Best Alternative Newspaper

A Real Times Newspaper

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

SPECIAL REPORT

Upcoming Washington march should again focus on jobs NNPA News Service

by Freddie Allen

WASHINGTON – Civil rights leaders will march on Washington, D.C. on Saturday, August 24 to observe the 50th anniversary of the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom where Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his famous “I Have a Dream” speech. Now economists, labor groups and community stakeholders want to make sure that the Black jobs crisis gets top billing on the agenda.

Some researchers say that the economic agenda of the 1963 march was largely forgotten as Blacks won hardfought victories for voting rights and anti-discrimination policies in public and the workplace.

“There has been an incomplete representation of the Civil Rights Movement. On one hand people struggled tremendously, people fought, people died and we did have tremendous success, because of the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom,” said Algernon Austin, director of the Race, Ethnicity, and Economy Program at the Economic Policy Institute.

“We did get the Voting Rights Act and the Civil Rights Act, in part, because of the pressure from the 1963 March on Washington. Unfortunately, some historians have focused just on the success and have ignored everything else.”

Austin made his comments during a recent panel discussion on the forgotten history of the March on Jobs and Freedom during a symposium coordinated by the Economic Policy Institute, a Washington, D.C.-based think tank focused on the economic needs of low- and middle-income families.

“The Unfinished March,” a report by the Economic Policy Institute, authored by Austin, detailed a number of goals outlined during the 1963 march that have been largely left behind. According to the report, organizers knew that the civil rights Blacks gained would be diminished without economic opportunities that had the power to lift millions of Blacks out of poverty.

According to the EPI report, “The organizers of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom also demanded decent housing, adequate and integrated education, a federal jobs program for full employment, and a national minimum wage of over $13.00 an hour in today’s dollars.”

Today, many Blacks still live in poverty, attend poorly funded, mostly segregated schools, and suffer unemployment rates that are twice as high as Whites.

Austin said that many of the struggles that Blacks are facing today are connected to the economic inequality and the disempowerment of the American public and that the influence of money and lobbyists in politics is making a bad situation worse.

“Clearly the government is dysfunctional, by design, in some respects,” said Clarence Lang, associate professor of African and African American studies at the University of Kansas at Lawrence. “I don’t know that the federal government, at this point in history, is the vehicle for the kinds of changes that we might be envisioning.”

Ultimately, it falls on everyday Americans to drive that change starting in their own communities.

“You have to fight where you’re standing. Whether that’s in Kansas or New York state or Michigan, we have to begin to build and dig where we stand,” said Lang.

And like Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., some economists believe that the fight for economic equality needs a strong labor movement.

“When workers had a voice, they had a way of making sure that the pie was going to be divided up a little more fairly,” said William Spriggs, chief economist for AFL-CIO, an umbrella group for labor unions in the United States.

Spriggs said that, since the 1970s, more of the pie goes to profits and in-

Tri-State Defender Platform

1. Racial prejudice worldwide must be destroyed.

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

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

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

5. Complete cessation of all school segregation.

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

terest, and less goes to workers.

As the pie shrinks, workers fight amongst themselves over a smaller and smaller pie.

“We’re not creating a smaller pie. We have to point to the right Algernon people who are Austin creating a smaller pie,” said Spriggs. “We need the government to take the side of those of us who are earning our pay versus those of us who are speculating on Wall Street and betting on horses.”

Pushing the labor movement as a change agent may be a tough sell for today’s workers, who participate in unions with less frequency than generations past.

Even though 13.1 percent of Black workers are union members, the Labor Department reported that the union membership rate for all workers was just 11.3 percent in 2012. In 1983, the membership rate was 20.1 percent.

Spriggs also suggested that Wall Street titans pay for cleaning up the whole mess, not just the mess that let them get their jobs back and their bonuses back and then argue for tax cuts. Spriggs called for a “financial transaction tax” targeting the more perilous gambles made by Wall Street investors.

“We saved AIG that was bankrupt, we can save Detroit that’s bankrupt,” said Spriggs. “And if the AIG [employees] that caused the downturn in the first place can get a bonus, because it said in their contracts that they had to get a bonus, then Detroit city workers can get a pension, just like it said in their contracts.”

Like other panelists, Spriggs suggested that some of employment disparities may be beyond current policy reform.

“While an outcome of the 1963 march was the establishment of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, it wasn’t enough,” said Spriggs. “What people need to think about with the Trayvon Martin case is understand what that jury was saying about young Black men.”

Spriggs continued: “Once you really understand what that jury was saying about young Black men, do you really have to ask why do young Black men have a hard time getting a job?”

Roger A. Clay Jr., former president of the Insight Center for Community Economic Development, said that the fear of Black men and Black boys goes back hundreds of years.

“The simple answer is people are afraid of us,” said Clay. “Generally, the fear is not based on experience and it’s not based on fact.”

Clay continued: “On this topic I’m not that optimistic, because I think the fear is so deep- seated, it really is going to be hard to turn that around.”

The fact is Labor Department reported that Blacks 16-19 years old faced a 41.6 percent unemployment rate and less than 30 percent were either employed or looking for work in July, compared to 20.3 percent jobless rate and a 37 percent labor force participation rate for Whites. Black men still suffer the worst unemployment rate among all adult worker groups.

“Even though some of the panelists expressed doubts about the ability of lawmakers, civil rights leaders and everyday Americans to come together to solve the problems surrounding economic inequality some were more optimistic.

“We are clearly moving beyond our evil past into a time where we will be very different,” said Angela Glover Blackwell, founder and CEO of Policy Link, a research group that advocates for economic and social equity. “We will get there, it is inevitable, but the old guard is afraid of losing and the last gasp can be a dangerous time and that’s exactly where we are right now.”

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

Jackie Jackson: A mother’s love

On Wednesday, Aug. 14, former Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr. was sentenced to prison in connection with using campaign funds for personal use. Dozens of letters were sent to the judge on his behalf, but none more touching than the one written by his mother, dated May 28.

She began by noting, “I am Jacqueline Jackson, the mother of five children, one of whom I am writing about, my son Jesse Jackson, Jr.” Her letter shed light not only on her son’s problems growing up in his famous father’s shadow, but provided a peek into the family’s early struggles. “…My husband was granted a Rockefeller Scholarship to attend Chicago Theological Seminary.

With a family of almost three in 1964, we arrived at McGifford House on Woodlawn Avenue in Chicago. By the time my son was born, my husband was attending school and organizing the Kenwood Oakland Community Organization (K.O.C.O) and was its first Executive Director (an unsalaried position),” Mrs. Jackson wrote.

“Because of the success of this organization, and based on the recommendation of Rev. James Bevel, my husband was hired to work for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference for $75. If my memory serves me correctly, that was his weekly salary. To sustain our family, we were given food baskets by our Pastor, Rev. Clay Evans and the members of Fellowship Missionary Baptist Church, where my son Jesse Jr. chose later to be baptized. I learned to provide the other necessities by frequenting resale shops, lawn sales, learning to preserve and can foods, and sewing and mending things that did not fit. But most of all, I learned to express my appreciation and gratitude for the kindness of others.”

Just as her family struggled in the

early stages, so did Jesse Jr., Mrs. Jackson wrote.

“Contrary to the belief of many who only see us as we are today from a televised perspective, Jesse Jr. was not born with a silver George spoon nor was he E. Curry born privileged.

Jesse Jr., my second child and my eldest son, was born during the turbulent sixties, the period of terrible hatred for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and those who followed Dr. King and the principles of non-violence he espoused. Our son, Rev. Jackson’s namesake, inherited his friends and enemies. As a child, Jesse Jr. held jobs waiting tables, cleaning floors and other odd jobs.

Growing up in the shadow of his father, Jesse Jr. has always tried desperately to live up to the expectations we have had for him. I think perhaps too hard, he has tried.”

And she recalled that Jesse Jr. was not always successful.

She wrote, “I recall how disappointed Jesse Jr. was when he discovered he could not enter high school without repeating the 9th grade. My husband finally convinced him to accept this as his challenge. Rev. Jackson said, ‘Sometimes you must go down to come up’ and Jesse Jr. prevailed. He completed his undergraduate studies in three years, received a Juris Doctor degree and received his Master’s degree in Theology. His passion for the word of God led me to believe and hope he would find his niche in Theology. However, he chose public service, the United States Congress, and we are proud of his choice and the good he accomplished during his 17 years of perfect attendance and sterling voting record.”

She recalled when Jesse Jr.’s ill-

ness was made painfully clear to her.

“I received a call from my daughter Santita, who requested that I check on Jesse Jr. because she was concerned for him,” Mrs. Jackson recounted. “Sometime during the last weeks of June 2012. I did as she requested, and found my son grossly underweight and in poor health. He asked that I take him to the office because he had an upcoming vote. When I took him to his Capital Hill office to prepare for the vote, the office was in total disarray, which was most unusual for my son.

A security guard approached me and said, ‘Please take care of Jesse. Last week he collapsed on the floor of the House and was taken to the hospital by ambulance.’ My heart sank.

“No one had shared with me my son’s condition. I called my husband. We told our son to ‘come with us. We are going to get help for you.’ He did not offer any resistance, which made us know his condition was dire. Everything that has happened since that day is public record. My son is much better now.”

She closed her letter with this paragraph: “My mother says, ‘there is always some good in all things.’

There was a transforming moment during the horrific trial experience.

As my son Jesse Jr. faced the judge, he turned around to look for his father’s support just as he did when he had to repeat the 9th grade. His lips shaped the words, ‘I love you and I am so sorry.’ I shall never forget that moment because my heart leapt. I then realized the joy and love that sustains all mothers. I love my son.

May God guide your decision.”

(George E. Curry is editor-inchief of the National Newspaper Publishers Association News Service (NNPA.) He can be reached via www.georgecurry.com. Follow him at www.twitter.com/currygeorge and George E. Curry Fan Page on Facebook.)

Politics gets its own Cheerios ad The Root

by Keli Goff Earlier this year, Cheerios generated extensive media attention – and countless racist comments online – for becoming the first major American brand to feature a mixed-race family in a television advertisement.

Now, an ad for a political campaign is poised to be just as groundbreaking, and potentially controversial.

This (past) weekend, television advertisements began airing starring the teenage son of New York City mayoral candidate Bill de Blasio.

De Blasio is white, his wife, Chirlane McCray, is black, and their son, Dante, sports a sizable Afro in the ad, in which he makes the case for why he believes his father is the best candidate for mayor.

While he touches upon a number of issues, including affordable housing, the ad’s most powerful moment comes when he talks about his father’s position on stop and frisk. The controversial practice has drawn extensive criticism from civil rights advocates who point to studies showing the NYPD disproportionately stops young, black and Latino men as proof that the practice is inherently discriminatory. The practice has been under renewed scrutiny now that the issue of racial profiling has sparked national conversation in the wake of the shooting death of unarmed teenager Trayvon Martin in

Bill de Blasio campaign ad (www.billdeblasio.com)

Florida and President Obama’s acknowledgment of his own experiences with racial profiling.

Watching a young, black teenager discuss stop and frisk, it is impossible not to be reminded of all of the young, black men who face such issues every day, and hearing him give credit to his white father for being a leader on the issue may just turn the heads of some progressive voters, particularly progressive voters of color.

But what is also likely to turn voters’ heads is the novelty of the ad.

As previously covered on The Root, while multiracial families are among the fastest growing demographic groups in the nation, they remain a rarity among political candidates. The most well-known interracial political couples are among those who served in appointed or nominated roles, such as Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas and

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his wife Ginni, who is white, and former Secretary of Defense William Cohen, who is white and whose wife, Janet Langhart, is black.

While still rare in the political sphere, families like the de Blasios represent the changing face of America, as evidenced by the immense popularity of the Cheerios ad. The de Blasios were so elated by the ad they emailed supporters to say, “As an interracial couple, we sometimes felt conspicuous – which was painful,” Chirlane McCray wrote. “If you’re in love with someone, you’re in love with someone ... That’s why the Cheerios ad is so refreshing.”

It’s likely the ad featuring their son will join the Cheerios ad as a major cultural turning point for mixed race families.

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

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NEWS

Tri-State Defender

The new definition of homelessness The City of Memphis and its surrounding areas are faced with a real fiscal and social dilemma that promises to get worse before it gets better. Simply, that dilemma is this: how will local government address and serve the growing community of homeless citizens?

It is imperative that we first define “homeless.” The traditional definition and the images that arise in the minds of most people is that of the man or woman living on the street, pan-handling for money, and digging through dumpsters for food. This image no longer fits the contemporary reality of homelessness.

Today’s homeless often go to work but are unable to keep a roof over their heads. Many are victims of foreclosure and oftentimes are unable to keep the utilities on in their homes. Indeed the new homeless Memphian is one that awaits eviction at any moment and has no idea where the evening meal for the family will come from.

The United States Census Bureau indicates that in 2010 there were approximately 684,000 people living inside the boundaries of Memphis.

Statistics reflect that over 10 percent of the citizenry is unemployed. When we couple the reality of the Memphis employment market with these statistics, the stark reality of 68,000 working age Memphians being unemployed and going deeper and deeper into the abyss of debt, facing higher utility bills, and having to go upon eviction is threatening our local economy more than ever.

As more and more families find themselves facing homelessness, the City of Memphis Housing and Community Development agency is sitting on $130 million in capital improvement funding that remains unused. During the 2013 budget hearings, Director Robert Lipscomb went unchallenged on the question of where to best use capital improvement funds.

Several urban development projects were discussed, such as monies to improve Whitehaven and a parking garage for the Cooper Young District. However, there was absolutely no discussion on using a portion of

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August 15 - 21, 2013

those funds to eradicate or even red u c e homelessness by any definition.

Citizens are entitled to baJavier sic serBailey vices that are provided through tax dollars, whether they are homeless or not. The man living on the park bench and the family with no utilities are entitled to the same basic governmental services as the family living comfortably in upper-middle-class Memphis.

Therefore the duty falls upon local government and its leadership to identify the homeless, including those persons who are without the basic necessities of life, in order to provide them with police protection, fire protection, library services, basic health care, and other services that many of us enjoy. The public schools must identify those children that are from homeless families, so that Title I monies can be properly budgeted and they too can receive the appropriate services from tax dollars.

Many question whether these homeless persons of whom I speak are contributing to this society so as to justify their participation in such programs. Approximately 30 percent of such programs are funded through sales taxes.

Homeless people buy food and goods, and when they do they pay the same 9.75 percent sales tax that you and I pay.

At present local government officials are not scraping the surface of this issue. The Memphis City Council has the power and legal authority to commandeer the CIP funds closely held by Director Lipscomb and to use a portion of those funds to address the plight of the homeless. As a city we are only as strong and as progressive as the least of us.

(Javier Bailey, a former Memphis attorney, is the CEO and Senior Business Consultant at Javier Bailey Capital Group, Inc.)

Pardon power and compassionate release

President Obama and his administration have, at times, made bold use of executive authorities and powers to help the powerless, from granting deferred action to DREAM Act beneficiaries to providing some relief from crushing student loan burdens. Atty Gen. Eric Holder’s announcement this week of a smarter, fairer, and more just approach to the prosecution of non-violent offenses, including the possession of small amounts of drugs, is another example of President Obama’s willingness to align our nation’s policies with our ideals, the goals of our justice system, and our laws.

But the President remains surprisingly reluctant to use his pardon and commutation power. Thankfully, he still has the opportunity to help those who need it most and leave an even larger legacy of justice.

Criminal sentences reflect a society’s values but as our values change, many of those sentences unfortunately remain on the books and people still serving them suffer needlessly – and those unjustly long sentences unfairly and unequally harm people of color and minority communities.

In his “Letter from a Birmingham Jail,” Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. argued that “one has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws.”

With this in mind, President Obama should use his legal authority under the Constitution, and his moral responsibility in the spirit of Dr. King, to “disobey” unjust sentences and make them right through his pardon power.

To date, President Obama has pardoned only 39 people and commuted one sentence, far fewer than most of his recent predecessors. Meanwhile, our prisons are packed with non-violent offenders serving excessive sentences, particularly for drugs, simply because Congress wanted to look tough on crime.

The public is awakening to the fact that this policy is tak-

ing us in the wrong direction.

F o r t y years of the drug war have proven to be a failure and not only we Congressman are Steve Cohen throwing away the lives of millions of people who pose no risk to society, but we are also wasting precious resources through our vast prison industrial complex.

We can do better and, while Atty. Gen. Holder’s decision to seek smarter sentences is a step in the right direction, the President should do more. He should lead the way.

There is one thing that may be holding him back: the Pardon Office at the Department of Justice (DOJ) is currently headed by a holdover from the Bush Administration who has been admonished by the DOJ’s Inspector General for withholding and misrepresenting information to the President. He should be immediately replaced by a highly respected figure in the legal field, someone who would see the job as an opportunity to restore liberty to those who have long since paid their debt to society, not one who sees denying justice as his mission.

As I have said directly to the President, this new leader of the Pardon Office also ought to create a special Compassionate Release Review Board (CRRB) to con-

duct a systematic review of the sentences of all current prisoners and recommend worthy candidates for pardon or commutation. As part of this review, a CRRB would also consider broad classes of offenders serving unjust sentences that no longer align with our national values and policies.

For example, in the 1980s, tough new sentences were imposed on crack cocaine, leading to a 100:1 disparity compared to powder cocaine. Congress recognized the injustice of this law, including the racial disparities in sentencing it created, and in 2010 President Obama signed the Fair Sentencing Act, which greatly reduced the disparity. Yet because the law was not made retroactive, thousands of individuals who were sentenced prior to 2010 remain in prison, serving sentences that have now been repudiated by the public policy of this nation – public policy that the President himself signed into law.

Similarly, the American people have changed their attitudes towards marijuana, and a majority now supports legalization, but the laws on our books have yet to catch up, leaving too many people in prison waiting for Congress to act.

This is not only a matter of fairness. Considering the historic fiscal constraints we face, releasing prisoners who pose no risk to society and who have served the bulk of their sentences would help save precious resources. Acting to reduce prison overcrowding and unnecessarily

long prison sentences would save a significant amount of taxpayer money. This is an issue that should bring liberals and conservatives together.

In his recent inspiring speech at Morehouse College, President Obama urged the graduating class to defend the powerless. He also spoke of the special obligation he felt to “help those who need it most, people who didn’t have the opportunities that I had – because there but for the grace of God, go I – I might have been in their shoes. I might have been in prison. I might have been unemployed. I might not have been able to support a family. And that motivates me.”

The President can channel this motivation into a historic opportunity to give a second chance to people who have paid their rightful debt to society. He can create a CRRB to evaluate existing sentences in light of our shifting policies and values and recommend release where justice no longer calls for an offender’s confinement. The Constitution grants him unlimited, unfettered authority to grant pardons and commutations.

While Atty. Gen. Holder’s recent announcement will hopefully prevent the unreasonably long incarceration of countless Americans, President Obama can – today – use the pardon power to reduce unjust sentences and right some of the wrongs being faced by those already in our criminal justice system. I urge him to use it fully, compassionately, and without delay for justice delayed is most certainly justice denied.

Page 6

SENTENCING

CONTINUED FROM FRONT

minimum sentences.”

They now “will be charged with offenses for which the accompanying sentences are better suited to their individual conduct, rather than excessive prison terms more appropriate for violent criminals or drug kingpins.”

The changes are effective immediately.

Lessening the use of mandatory minimums – sentences that require a “onesize-fits-all” punishment for those convicted of federal and state crimes – could mark the end of the tough-on-crime era that began with strict antidrug laws in the 1970s and accelerated with mandatory minimum prison sentences and so-called three-strikes laws.

The attorney general linked the effort to rethink mandatory minimum sentencing for drug crimes to key issues.

Racial disparities

Holder said “unwarranted disparities are far too common” in the criminal justice system, reminding his audience that Obama alluded to some of the issues in remarks he made after the acquittal of George Zimmerman in the death of Trayvon Martin last month, giving voice to African-American concerns that “there is a history of racial disparities in the application of our criminal laws – everything from the death penalty to enforcement of our drug laws.”

Holder said the nation “must confront the reality” that once “people of color” are in the criminal justice system, they “often face harsher punishments than their peers.”

He called it “unacceptable,” “shameful” and “unworthy” of the U.S. legal tradition.

Prison overcrowding

Holder said the U.S. prison population has grown by almost 800 percent since 1980,

NEWS

Tri-State Defender

August 15 - 21, 2013

and federal prisons are operating at nearly 40 percent above capacity.

“Even though this country comprises just 5 percent of the world’s population, we incarcerate almost a quarter of the world’s prisoners. More than 219,000 federal inmates are currently behind bars,” he said, noting that almost half are serving time for drug-related crimes and have substance abuse problems.

Moreover, he said 9 million to 10 million more people cycle through America’s local jails each year. And roughly 40 percent of former federal prisoners – and more than 60 percent of former state prisoners – are rearrested or have their supervision revoked within three years after their release.

It was not immediately clear whether Holder’s announcement would have any impact on people already in prison.

Economic, social burden

Holder said overcrowding at the federal, state and local levels is “both ineffective and unsustainable.” He said it imposes a significant economic burden – totaling $80 billion in 2010 alone – and it comes with “human and moral costs that are impossible to calculate.”

Legislation to lessen the use of mandatory minimums, Holder said, would ultimately save the United States billions.

Although Obama administration officials say the changes they are pursuing will not require congressional approval, some unlikely pairs of lawmakers have united to push for criminal justice changes.

Democratic Sen. Patrick Leahy of Vermont and Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky have worked together to allow judges to depart from mandatory minimum sentences when circumstances merit. Democratic Sen. Richard Durbin of Illinois and Republican Sen. Mike Lee of Utah have un-

dertaken similar efforts.

In recent years, there has been a rise in support among conservatives for reforms to the criminal justice system.

While more flexible approaches to crimes have long held support among liberal Democrats, the fear of being tarred as weak on crime by Republican opponents has long caused moderate Democrats, particularly those running for president, to avoid the issue.

In addition to changes to mandatory minimums, Holder called for expanding the use of “compassionate release” from jail for those who “pose no threat to the public.”

He also said the Justice Department is taking steps to identify practices for enhancing the use of drug treatment and community service programs as alternatives to jail.

Holder also said he has asked federal prosecutors to develop new guidelines for determining when federal charges should be filed and when they should not.

“I’ve also issued guidance to ensure that every case we bring serves a substantial federal interest and complements the work of our law enforcement partners,” he said.

Holder additionally directed prosecutors to create comprehensive anti-violence strategies for badly afflicted areas.

The American Civil Liberties Union praised Holder’s approach, calling it an important step toward ending federal prison overcrowding and creating a “fairer criminal justice system.”

Laura Murphy, director of the ACLU’s Washington legislative office, said in a news release, however, that although Holder’s announcement “is an important first step,” Congress also must act to change laws that “lock up hundreds of thousands of Americans unfairly and unnecessarily.”

(CNN’s Carol Cratty and Jessica Yellin contributed to this report.)

‘Manned up’ Jesse Jackson Jr. going to prison

by Dan Merica. Larry Lazo and Leslie Bentz CNN

WASHINGTON – Former U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr., once a rising Democratic star whose political fortunes imploded over the use of campaign finances to support lavish personal spending, was sentenced to 30 months in prison on Wednesday.

“I misled the American people,” Jackson, 48, said before U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson imposed the term, which also included an order for restitution and community service.

The ex-Illinois lawmaker’s wife, Sandi, received a 12month sentence for her role in her husband’s misuse of roughly $750,000 in campaign funds over several years.

“I don’t have to tell you this is a very sad day and a very difficult case,” Judge Jackson said, calling it an example of organized and joint misconduct and a violation of the public trust.

“You knew better,” she said.

As the judge read her sentence, Sandi Jackson wept. Her husband smiled slightly when he received his punishment, which was less than what the government sought.

The pair pleaded guilty in February to various charges – Jackson to one count of conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud, and false statements; and his wife to filing false tax returns.

After the hearing, Jackson acknowledged his failings and hoped for a renewal.

“I still, believe in the power of forgiveness. I believe in the power of redemption. Today I manned up and tried to accept responsibility for the error of my ways,” he said before climbing into a waiting vehicle.

Vacations, furs and memorabilia

A smooth politician and the

son of a civil rights leader and one-time political heavyweight, the younger Jackson admitted to using campaign money to pay for things such as vacations, furs and Michael Jackson memorabilia.

In a statement read in court, Jackson said he wanted to be held accountable for his actions and he knew what he did was wrong.

He also asked the judge to not punish his wife for what he said “was a subset of what I did.”

“I ask that my kids not suffer from my actions,” Jackson said of his two children, 9 and 13. “If probation is not available to my wife, give me her time.”

Jackson’s lawyers reiterated that sentiment and asked the court for an 18-month sentence for Jackson and probation for his wife.

“This is not Madoff,” Reid Weingarten, Jackson’s lawyer, said in court, referring to notorious Wall Street swindler Bernie Madoff. “There was no Ponzi scheme.”

Sandi Jackson sobbed through part of her courtroom statement and said she “put her family unit in peril” for filing false tax returns.

“I stand before you today asking for mercy,” she said.

“My heart breaks every day with the pain it’s caused my babies. I ask the court for mercy.”

Prosecutors had sought a four-year sentence for Jackson and 18 months in jail and restitution of $168,550 for his wife.

“This is a sad day that involves a waste of talent,” prosecutor Matthew Graves said.

“They were in the top 10 percent of household earnings in the United States. There’s just no need for this kind of conduct.”

Graves said that Jackson did not “deserve credit” for his job as a congressman.

“That’s what he was paid to do,” he said.

Jackson’s lawyers pointed to his record in Washington – one they said was good – in arguing for a lighter sentence.

The judge said the sentencing guidelines were excessive and that apologies expressed appeared genuine. She also cited helpful cooperation.

“The real remorse you’ve shown is palpable in this courtroom,” she said. “There’s no question you’ve suffered. Your remorse is real.”

After sentencing, the judge gave the couple a few minutes to discuss who wanted to serve their sentence first.

Jackson will begin his sentence around November 1 at a prison camp in Montgomery, Alabama, the judge said.

Jackson requested the location.

“I ask for Alabama so I can be as far away from everybody for a while as I can be,” he said. “I want to make it a little inconvenient for everybody to get to me.”

In addition to jail time, Jackson must repay in full the money he misused, while his wife was ordered to make restitution of $22,000.

Jackson and his wife also were ordered to perform community service.

Jackson in Congress until 2012

Jackson served in the House of Representatives from 1995 until 2012, when he took a medical leave of absence and never returned.

He was succeeded by Democratic Rep. Robin L. Kelly, who won a special election this year to fill the vacancy in the Illinois 2nd Congressional District.

Jackson’s lawyers later stated he suffers from bipolar disorder.

Outside the courtroom, Jackson Sr. told reporters that his son was “unbelievably sick” a year ago, but is now doing better.

“I don’t know how I missed so many signs,” the elder Jackson said.

(CNN’s Carol Cratty, Athena Jones, and Kevin Liptak contributed to this report.)

BUSINESS

Tri-State Defender

Page 7

August 15 - 21, 2013

ON OUR WAY TO WEALTHY

The road to retail: Oo! D…Good Sauce

®

Recently I tasted a sauce that was so good that I wanted to put it on everything.

Already I have tried it on tacos, fish, steak, barbecue, hamburgers, chicken, lamb and French fries. The true treat was getting to know Mr. Pitchford, who has taken the family sauce and perfected it.

He started the Pitchford Sauce Company, LLC and this is his story.

Carlee McCullough: Tell me about yourself.

Mr. Pitchford: In the past, my life has been one of struggle like so many others. With God I was able to persevere and overcome. I am steadily evolving as a person and as a business person. As it relates to my professional life, I have done heating, air conditioning, ventilation (HVAC) and plumbing in many capacities and for many clients. But as of recently, I am the founder and creator of Oo! D…Good Sauce®.

CM: Why did you want to start a business?

MP: In my family, f o l k s worked a job most of their lives and when they retired, they still had a problem Carlee McCullough p a y i n g their bills.

I decided that I wanted something different by working for myself.

I could make more money providing a service or a product than I could punching a clock. So I started my business in HVAC and had it for many years. Now I am in the sauce business.

CM: How did you decide to start Pitchford Sauce Company, LLC? MP: I made it up in my mind that I wanted a product in the stores. So I invented some items that received great reviews. I made the sauce as a hobby and people loved it. To

city schools. My mother would make sauces when I was little and I would help. I started off making barbeque sauce. I would work with her in the kitchen. So she would make sauces and I would perfect them. So the sauce started with my mother.

CM: Please describe Oo! D… Good Sauce®.

MP: Oo! D…Good Sauce® is sweet, spicy and delicious.

Barbecue chicken with OO! D…Good Sauce®

be honest the sauce wasn’t my focus until the people that tasted it persuaded me that this was the way to go.

CM: How did you stumble upon the recipe?

MP: My mother was a cook years ago. She worked for the

CM: When did you get the idea to make it into a business?

MP: From years of work in HVAC my legs begin to give a little. After years of climbing in basements, attics, and ladders this began to take its toll on my knees. I was pursuing my other invention when the demand for Oo! D… Good Sauce® began to increase.

Thus a business was born. As long as I can believe it I can achieve it.

CM: How did you come up with the name?

MP: When we first started

out people would ask for a bottle of “that good sauce.” So as time went on people would say let me have a bottle of “D good sauce.” Then my baby daughter got the bottle and tasted it.

She liked it so much that when we went to get the bottle from her, she pulled it closer to her and said “Oo! D… good sauce.” From that point on the name “Oo! D… Good Sauce®” was made permanent.

CM: What are your plans for the sauce?

MP: We are close to having the sauce in retail stores. Currently we are waiting on two labels. Ultimately our goal is to grow this company into an international company with Oo! D…Good Sauce® distributed worldwide.

CM: How did you create the labeling and contents for retail?

MP: My brother introduced me to Mr. Ingram, a local chemist in the market place, that helped me with the labeling and contents in order to prepare for retail. Mr. Ingram

also made sure that I started off right with the services of a great lawyer and accountant.

CM: What has inspired you to do this?

MP: I wanted my independence as a business owner.

CM: How can people buy the sauce today?

MP: Within a short few months, you will be able to purchase it in the stores.

However, now you can purchase it online at www.OODGoodSauce.com.

CM: Any last words?

MP: There are two ways to become successful in this country. You must provide a service or a product. I had my time offering my services in HVAC. But now my calling is providing a product, Oo! D… Good Sauce®. A lot of people make it, why not me!

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

MONEY MATTERS

Shunning stocks may come with a cost

From March 2009 – when the stock market hit bottom during the financial crisis – through December 2012, investors withdrew almost $400 billion more from equity mutual funds than they added to them. During the same period, the S&P 500 gained more than 100 percent, leaving many frustrated investors in its wake.

The flight from stocks during the depths of the recession was not surprising, but 2012 saw the biggest migration from stock funds during the last five years. Yet the average equity fund, with reinvestment of dividends, gained 14.6 percent in 2012. Of course, past performance does not guarantee future results.

The tide seems to be turning

in 2013, with net investment of almost $20 billion in domestic equity funds during the first two months.

Perhaps Charles Sims Jr., CFP it’s a good time to examine the role of stocks or stock funds in your portfolio.

Not all equities are created equal

A conservative investment strategy may be appropriate if

you are retired or nearing retirement, but avoiding stocks altogether could prevent your portfolio from keeping pace with inflation or offering the growth potential you may need. Equity mutual funds offer a wide variety of choices that could help you balance risk and reward. Here are five basic categories to consider, in ascending order of typical risk.

• Balanced funds mix stocks and bonds and generally seek to conserve investor principal, pay current income, and pursue long-term growth of principal and income.

• Equity income funds seek a high level of income by investing primarily in stocks of companies that consistently

Myron Mays goes App

Radio personality and “What’s Happening Myron” entertainment columnist Myron Mays is now an App. Well, more precisely, Mays has just released the WHM Mobile App. “It’s a pretty good tool if you want to be connected to what’s happening in Memphis,” said Mays.

“I just added a Black Business directory to it and starting this Friday (Aug. 16), I will also have a small business resource feature as well.

You can of course keep up with the Book Club happenings, listen to all of my radio shows and access all of the latest concerts and events.”

The WHM Mobile APP was created with the recognition that the radio industry landscape has and is changing, Mays said.

“For the most part, it’s not enough to be a radio personality anymore. There used to be a time where you could make a really good living doing radio. Those days are gone because the opportunities are few due to automation and syndication. The local guys are being phased out slowly,” said Mays.

“I decided to take control of my brand and create a multimedia platform where I can encompass all aspects of media, not just radio.

That way, if radio goes away, I don’t.

The new app is crafted to help Mays’ followers stay informed 24-7 about business, entertainment and a wide range of other information.

“I just partnered with the Southern Heritage

Classic to create a SHC feature that lists all of the events surrounding the game. It’s on Android and I-Phone and it’s free. This will be a very useful tool that people will not only download but will use as well,” he said.

pay high dividends. Growth is a secondary objective. The amount of a company’s dividend can fluctuate with earnings, which are influenced by economic, market, and political events. Dividends are typically not guaranteed.

• Growth and income funds seek to combine long-term capital growth and current income. These funds strive to invest in the stocks of companies that have experienced increased share values and a solid dividend-paying record.

• Growth funds seek capital growth by investing in the stocks of well-established

companies, typically without considering dividend income as a significant factor. The potential for greater reward comes with a greater degree of investment risk.

• Aggressive growth funds seek maximum capital growth by investing primarily in small- and mid-cap stocks.

The prices of small-cap and mid-cap company stocks are generally more volatile than large company stocks, so the risk is greater than in funds emphasizing larger companies.

Many types of funds in each

of these categories might be used to attain the desired balance for your portfolio. Of course, all mutual funds entail risk, and there is no guarantee that a fund will achieve its stated objective. The return and principal value of mutual funds fluctuate with changes in market conditions. Shares, when sold, may be worth more or less than their original cost.

(Charles Sims Jr. is president/ CEO of The Sims Financial Group. Contact him at 901-682-2410 or visit www.

SimsFinancialGroup.com.)

RELIGION

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Tri-State Defender

August 15 - 21, 2013

LIVING THE LIFE I LOVE

Learning to walk on ‘a different street’

Dear Lucy: I am trying so hard to get my life together. But I am sick and tired of people criticizing me.

Every time I think things will get better, someone close to me will lie to me or let me down. I am a good person and I try to help the people I love but nobody is helping me. Everybody says they want me to do better but nobody is willing to stick with me.

– It’s not my fault

Dear Blameless One: There was more in your letter that we don’t have room to print. Life is a journey with lots of core lessons to be learned.

Some of us take longer than others to learn certain things. Two core lessons

are Self-Respect and Self-Responsibility.

Here is a story I like written by Portia Nelson called “Autobiography in Five Short Chapters”: “I walk down the street. There is a deep hole in Lucy the sidewalk. I Shaw fall in. I am lost, I am hopeless. It isn’t my fault. It takes forever to find my way out.

“I walk down the street. There is a deep hole in the sidewalk. I pretend I

Baby ‘Messiah’ needs a new name, Tennessee judge rules

possibility of taking another path.

Sometimes this is made difficult because there can be a period where we have to choose another street.

That means we have to leave all of the people and familiar cracks on the old street. But it also means that we get to see that we have what it takes to do something new and enriching to our souls.

Often, changing our lives means temporarily leaving behind old, familiar relationships that slow us down. It doesn’t mean we don’t love the people or what they stand for. It just means that we have to learn to walk on a different street. And I also bet that there is someone just waiting on that other street to encourage you

in a new walk.

Be blessed, Lucy

(Check out Lucy Shaw’s website at http://www.heartworks4u.com. You may send your questions to her by U.S. mail to: Heartworks4U, LLC; 4646 Poplar Ave. Ste 201, Memphis, TN 38117 or by e-mail to lucy@heartworks4u.com.)

(For help with the feelings that get in the way of prayer and peace of mind, get Lucy’s new book, “BE NOT ANXIOUS.” Order it directly from her at 901-907-0260 or go to her web site www.heartworks4u.com.)

‘A Legacy of Faith’ rolls on at Cummings Street Baptist

CNN

by Marlena Baldacci Young Messiah, the “happiest baby in the world,” according to his mother, is blissfully unaware that a judge ruled that his birth name promises to offend many in his Tennessee community.

His mother, Jaleesa Martin, and father, Jawaan McCullough, who are not married, couldn’t agree on a last name for their baby, now 7 months old. That’s why they ended up in the courtroom of Child Support Magistrate Lu Ann Ballew.

But the judge shifted the attention to the baby’s first name, and said it should be changed.

“She just plainly came out and said, ‘I’m going to change his first name,’ because she didn’t like it,” Martin told CNN’s Chris Cuomo on Wednesday.

In her ruling, Ballew wrote: “‘Messiah’ is a title that is held only by Jesus Christ” and that naming him this “places an undue burden on him that as a human being, he cannot fulfill.” Her ruling also noted the large Christian population in the Tennessee county where the child was born.

Speaking to CNN affiliate WBIR, Ballew, wearing earrings in the shape of a cross, said this was the first time she had ordered a name change.

Martin, whose family is Baptist, said there was no religious motivation behind her pick; rather she’d heard the name on one of her favorite TV shows and thought it’d be a good name for her son. She also wanted another “M” name to go with her other two sons, Mason and Micah.

CNN could not reach McCullough for comment.

The parents were given one hour to pick a new name, and Ballew told them that if they couldn’t reach a decision then she would “give him the name that she wanted him to have,” Martin said.

The judge’s pick: Martin DeShawn McCullough.

Martin said that she’ll keep calling her son Messiah and that she

don’t see it. I can’t believe I am in the same place. But it isn’t my fault. It takes forever to find my way out.

“I walk down the same street. There is a deep hole in the sidewalk. I see it is there. I still fall in...it is a habit. It is my fault. I get out immediately.

“I walk down the same street.

There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.

I walk around it.

“I walk down a different street.”

Self-respect begins when we are able to look at ourselves as strong and capable of finding our way. We find our way best when we can take responsibility for the trip. Even when what we see is unpleasant or unfavorable, we still have the power to stand still and open ourselves to the

Special to The New Tri-State Defender

Young Messiah, the “happiest baby in the world,” according to his mother, Jaleesa Martin, is blissfully unaware that a judge ruled that his birth name promises to offend many in his Tennessee community. (Photo: Martin Family)

has heard from supporters all over the country. She’s also upset about reports she is being attacked online as a bad mother.

The Tennessee American Civil Liberties Union is following the case, saying it supports Martin and calling the judge’s ruling unacceptable.

“The bench is not a pulpit, and using it as one, as this judge did, violates the parents’ rights and our sense that people of all faiths will be treated fairly in the courtroom,” Executive Director Hedy Weinberg said.

According to U.S. Social Security Administration statistics, Messiah was the fourth-fastest growing name for boys in the United States from 2011 to 2012. It ranks at Number 387, between the decidedly traditional names Scott and Jay. “I’m sorry that you have your own beliefs, but you have no right to change my child’s name,” Martin said of Ballew.

Ballew declined CNN’s request for comment. Martin has appealed the court’s decision; it will go before the Cocke County chancellor next month.

The Sunday (Aug. 11) worship service at Cummings Street Baptist Church was filled with excitement as it was announced that the Eugene Waller Scholarships would be presented. While the students had been notified, the congregation was unaware of the recipients.

Many of those attending commented that they were proud to see young African-American men engaged in positive pursuits. The students themselves seemed happy and motivated to fulfill the late Rev. Waller’s vision for “a powerful, educated, informed leadership to serve God and man!”

The 2013 Eugene Waller Scholarship recipients were: Tommie Biles, Myles Brooks, Andre Cleveland, Randall Hill, Victoria Neal, Ciara Oliver, Quentin Payne and Quinton Shaw.

The annual event also included the presentation of awards to members of longstanding.

Peggy W. Faulkner, who presented the Eugene Waller Faithfulness Award and the Aurelia Waller Virtuous Woman Award, said she had a really “warm, fuzzy” feeling while doing so.

“My brother and I began giving these awards three years ago with the intention of spotlighting some of the older members who have been in the trenches with Cummings Street all of our lives and even before,” said Faulkner.

“It was our goal also to acquaint our many new members with the people who have been the foundation of the church.”

This year, the “foundation” honorees included Frank Leigh, Ann Brewer, Lottie Strong and Eddie Irions. Faulkner said they personify the “virtues of stewardship and service by their willingness to give of their resources and talents to further the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ.”

All sponsors and supporters of the scholarship fund received a scroll

Peggy W. Faulkner presented the Aurelia Waller Virtuous Woman Award to Ann Brewer. (Photo: Tyrone P. Easley)

PRAISE CONNECT

with scriptures about faith, a pen with the Missionary Society’s name

on it, and a CD of one of Rev. Waller’s sermons on faith.

-A WEEKLY DIRECTORY OF MINISTERS & CHURCHES-

METROPOLITAN BAPTIST CHURCH Dr. Reginald L. Porter Sr., Pastor

767 Walker Avenue Memphis, TN 38126

ASSOCIATE MINISTERS

901-946-4095 fax 948-8311

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

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

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.

I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all.

— Proverbs 1:7

—Ecclesiastes 9:11

ST. ANDREW A.M.E. CHURCH 867 SOUTH PARKWAY EAST Memphis, TN 38106

(901) 948-3441

Early Morning..........7:45 AM Church School..........9:45 AM Morning Worship......11:00 AM Bible Study For Youth and Adults Tuesday - 7:00 PM “Spirit, Soul, and Body!”

AM 1070 WDIA Sundays, 10:00-10:30 AM

TV Cable Access Broadcast Tuesdays, 7:30 PM, Channel 17 Website:www.saintandrewamec.org Child Care Center (901) 948-6441 Monday-Friday 6 AM- 5:30 PM Emergency Food Pantry & Clothes Closet Wednesday 6 PM-8 PM

Rev. Kenneth S. Robinson, Pastor Rev. Marilynn S. Robinson, Pastor

“Ministering to Memphis-Spirit, Soul and Body”

ENTERTAINMENT Tri-State Defender, Thursday, August 15 - 21, 2013, Page 9

WHAT’S HAPPENING MYRON?

“Lee Daniels’ The Butler” to spice mind-expanding weekend

I always enjoy watching previews of upcoming films when I’m in the movie theatre. One I’ve become intrigued with is “Lee Daniels’ The Butler.”

The film opens Friday (Aug. 16) Myron at the box office, Mays with a local nonprofit – Comrades N Community Inc. – holding an advance screening at the Malco Stage Cinema in Bartlett (7930 Highway 64) on Thursday at 7 p.m.

The screening honors domestic service workers and is connected to the “Those Who Labor Among Us Awards” set for Sept. 28th. Recipients at the awards show will receive the Helen King Award. King was the first African American Housekeeping Supervisor at the Peabody Hotel in 1963. The Awards Ceremony will benefit the Church Health Center.

Nationwide Insurance, located at 1985 Madison Ave., distributed passes earlier in the week. There may be more passes available on Thursday. Check with Beverly Watkins Bradshaw at 901-6915966.

And if you have somehow avoided all media for the last few weeks, here is a rundown: The film is based on the real life story of Eugene Allen, an African American who worked as a butler in the White House for 34 years. During his tenure, he worked under eight presidents and saw some of the most important aspects of American History unfold first hand. He served as head butler before retiring in 1986.

Forrest Whitaker plays the role of Allen, whose name has been changed to Cecil Gaines in the film.

This was done to make him more of a character in the Civil Rights Movement. The cast also includes Oprah Winfrey and Mariah Carey. John Cusack and Robin Williams are among the actors who are portraying the presidents.

Lee Daniels, whose first film was “Monsters Ball” is directing what could be an Academy Award favorite in 2014. In 2009, Daniels received a Best Oscar nomination as a part of a whopping six nominations for “Precious”.

Here’s What’s Happening

This weekend, the Memphis Urban League Young Professionals hold their first Empowerment Conference. It begins at 6 Friday evening at the Hilton Memphis at 939 Ridgelake Blvd.

The conference will offer leadership development opportunities for Memphis-area young professionals.

Saturday night includes “Mixology,” which will feature live music, local DJs, decadent pastries and lavish foods provided by local chefs. This part unfolds at 409 South Main in Downtown from 9 until 2am…yes, 2 a.m.

For more information on all of the events, ypempowerment2013 .eventbrite.com.

Take a couple of hours and join me for the What’s Happening Myron Book Club event at Memphis Nites, 3299 Kirby Parkway, from 4 p.m. until 6 p.m. The latest book is “Love, Honor and Betray” by Kimberla Lawson Roby. This Rev. Curtis Black Series is getting really interesting. If you’ve read the book, stop by.

If you haven’t read the book, stop by anyway! We’d love to have you.

The food at Memphis Nites is very good. There might even be some greens somewhere in the vicinity.

You just never know.

Next week, the Universoul Circus makes its way back to Memphis.

You know it’s always fun and exciting, right? I’ll be there and I will have plenty of details next week.

Parting shot

For the latest on all upcoming events, just download the What’s Happening Myron App on your Android or I-Phone. Until then, that’s what’s happening.

(Got an event you’d like for me to cover to attend, just email me at Myron@whatshappeningmyron.com)

Justin Merrick: “As anyone that has seen our kids can testify, we have a terrific set of talented and hard working students here and it is such a gratifying experience working with them.” (Photo: Shirley Jackson)

Mr. Merrick, you’ve got mail!

Soulsville instructor gains Grammy attention Special to The New Tri-State Defender

by Tony Jones

It started with a couple of emails that Soulsville Music Academy instructor Justin Merrick thought were spam. Man, was he wrong!

The emails actually conveyed the news that Merrick had been named one of nine finalists for a Grammy Award as Music Educator of the Year. Soulsville’s Chief Creative Officer Kirk Whalum – a multiple Grammy Award winner – stepped in to bridge the information gap.

“Much later a letter had come for me in my mailbox at the office,” said Merrick, a Maryland native. “Mr. Whalum brought it to my attention during a meeting and that’s when it all definitely became real.”

The gifted young teacher’s work shone through an original nominee pool of more than 30,000 potential nominees, narrowed down to a final group of 200. The winner will be announced during the leadin ceremonies at next year’s Grammy Awards.

The news about Merrick comes during the Stax Museum’s 10th Anniversary. Earlier this year, Mayor A C Wharton Jr. and Shelby County Mayor Mark H. Luttrell Jr. both designated 2013 as the Year of Stax.

Merrick and a troupe from the Soulsville Academy performed at the Sunflower River Blues and Gospel Festival in Clarksdale, Miss. last Sunday (Aug. 11). During a rehearsal break prior to the performance, Merrick shared more thoughts with The New Tri-State Defender.

“I’m just now realizing how incredible it is that I could receive a Grammy for this great opportunity that I have. As anyone that has seen our kids can testify, we have a terrific set of talented and hard

working students here and it is such a gratifying experience working with them,” he said.

“Music education is not a field where you expect to get any (public) accolades for your work. … I was shook when I saw the comments that the students and parents forwarded to NARAS (National Association of Recording Arts and Sciences). I was brought to tears.

Not because of the award, but to read that my work was appreciated.”

Merrick said he is being gifted by the talent, energy and commitment brought by those around him.

“We work countless hours trying to make a difference. I spend most of my weekends going to church with the kids. A lot of times I can’t even sleep when we have a performance scheduled because I’m anticipating seeing what we’re going to be doing the next day.

We really have something special here,” he said.

“I never anticipated coming to Memphis at all when I was at college, nothing against us, it’s just that it wasn’t on my (career) radar when I was in college. And for all this to happen, I really don’t know what to say. I’m really a student of the culture here and that’s what we teach, how Memphis is genetically linked to the music industry.”

And the opportunities are still here, he said.

“I’m in a consortium now with (renowned Stax composer) David Porter and he’s introducing us to amazing people like Earth, Wind and Fire and others of serious experience levels. Plus, Mr. Whalum’s presence? Wow!” Merrick envisions creating a performance linking Stax and the importance of Memphis music to the upcoming 50th anniversary of the March on Washington.

“It’s all interconnected, and Stax was a shining example of the times for what it meant and what it still means.”

Now that’s he’s truly locked in as a Memphis soul brother, the most important question is this: “has he learned how to cook pinto beans and cornbread?”

“Yes sir!” he laughed.

‘Three Kings’ wow separately and one at a time TGTʼs new album set for release next week Special to The New Tri-State Defender

Angela Jackson

Tyrese, Ginuwine and Tank – now starring as the trio group TGT – are having fun and enjoying success while out on the road promoting their new album, “Three Kings.”

Set to hit stores next Tuesday, August 20, R & B lovers can pre-order on iTunes.

Widely recognized as the R&B group of 2013, TGT delivered a highly-anticipated show at the Orpheum Theatre earlier this month.

And they did so amid rumors that they had not been getting along; more about that later.

The sold-out Memphis show opened with Elgin Baylor Lumpkin, aka Ginuwine, who has been busy with family life and solo touring. He perfromed his hit, “In Dem Jeans,” rocked other hits like “So Anxious” and “My Whole Life Has Changed” and wrapped up with the hit single that put him on the map, “Pony.”

I spoke with him after the show, asking about his family. “Everyone is great,” he said, flashing a smile.

“I’m a grandfather now!”

Prior to the show, TGT took pic-

Courtesy photo

tures and signed autographs with a few lucky fans in a small, intimate setting. The concert seemed an extension of that pre-show setting. The lights were dimmed. The three stars talked to the ladies and Tyrese and Ginuwine ventured into the audience to woo fans. Tank stayed on stage, removed his shirt and revealed his six-pack abs while singing accapella.

“I was so glad to hear real R & B music with a live band,” said Dawn Cherie’ Okley.

A full band kept up with Tank,

who serenaded the audience with “Please Don’t Go,” “Sex Music” and other hits. Lorita Armstrong, who traveled to Memphis from Jackson, Miss. to see TGT, said during Tank’s performance she lost her balance and fell over a little bit and wasn’t drunk.

“The girl next to me thought I fainted! I was really excited,” she said.

Tyrese was up next, comanding the stage with presence as the crowd cheered him on. He thanked his fans

for being by his side since day one.

He named several projects and hit songs that went all the way back to the movie, “Baby Boy” and the Coca Cola commercial that put him on the map, literally!

During one point of the show, he asked a security guard not to bother his fans, as hyped women tried to touch his hand as he poured his soul out singing “Stay.”

Memphis blogger and CEO of Xclusive Memphis, Laquita Jones, said R&B has been reborn with TGT “These guys really put on a great show.”

TGT paid homage to the R& B artists who paved the way for them with tunes by Jodeci, Marvin Gaye and even Mary J Blige. All three stars performing together was the best part of the show, with a highlight being their radio hit, “I Need.”

After the concert, there was another meet and greet…another opportunity for fans to take pictures, get autographs and hugs!

I spoke with TGT’s management team and broached the rumors about the trio not getting along. Not true, I was told.

It seems that there was an incident on the tour bus when Tyrese wanted the air condition on and Ginuwine and Tank did not. The air conditioner was turned off because majority rules.

And right now, TGT rules!

ENTERTAINMENT

Page 10

August 15 - 21, 2013

OPENING THIS WEEK

Kam’s Kapsules:

Weekly Previews That Make Choosing a Film Fun

Special to The New Tri-State Defender

by Kam Williams

For movies opening Aug. 16, 2013

BIG BUDGET FILMS

“Jobs” (PG-13 for drug use and brief profanity) Ashton Kutcher portrays Steve Jobs in this reverential biopic revisiting the early years in the incomparable career of the visionary entrepreneur and Apple founder. Supporting cast includes J.K. Simmons, Matthew Modine, Lesley Ann Warren and Dermot Mulroney.

“Kick Ass-2” (R for sexuality, graphic violence, crude humor, pervasive profanity, and brief nudity) Two-fisted sequel finds the original’s crime-fighting, pint-sized heroine (Chloe Moretz) forming a new team of masked vigilantes to take on an ally-turned-super villain (Christopher Mintz-Plasse). With Jim Carrey, Aaron Johnson, Clark Duke, Donald Faison and John Leguizamo.

“Lee Daniels’ The Butler” (PG-13 for violence, sexuality, smoking, profanity, ethnic slurs, mature themes and disturbing images) Forest Whitaker stars in the title role of this father-son saga, set against the backdrop of the African-American struggle for Civil Rights, recounting the real-life story of a butler who served in the White House under eight presidents. A-list cast includes Oscar-winners Whitaker, Cuba Gooding, Jr., Jane Fonda, Vanessa Redgrave, Robin Williams and Melissa Leo, as well as nominees Terrence Howard and Oprah Winfrey

“Paranoia” (PG-13 for profanity, sexuality and violence) Espionage thriller about a rising corporate superstar (Liam Hemsworth) who finds himself caught in the middle of a deadly game of cat-andmouse being played by a couple of rival billionaire CEOs (Gary Oldman and Harrison Ford). With Richard Dreyfuss, Amber Heard and Lucas Till.

INDEPENDENT & FOREIGN FILMS

“Ain’t Them Bodies Saints” (Unrated) Fugitive drama about an outlaw (Casey Affleck) who makes a daring escape from a Texas prison in order to be with his gun moll (Rooney Mara) and the young daughter (Kennadie Smith) he’s never met. With Ben Foster, Keith Carradine and Nate Parker.

“Austenland” (PG-13 for sexual innuendo) Keri Russell stars in this romantic comedy about an eligible “Pride and Prejudice” fanatic who travels to a Jane Austen theme park in search of Mr. Right. With Jennifer Coolidge, Jane Seymour and Bret McKenzie.

“Cutie and Boxer” (R for nude images) Spousal abuse biopic chronicling the stormy, 40-year marriage of eccentric NYC artists Ushio and Noriko Shinohara.

“The Happy Sad” (Unrated) Bifurcated Brooklyn drama about two young couples, one, black and gay (Leroy McClain and Charlie Barnett), the other, white and heterosexual (Cameron Scoggins and Sorel Carradine), whose lives serendipitously intertwine as they explore their sexual identity. Featuring Maria Dizzia, Jamie Harrold and Sue Jean Kim.

“The Patience Stone” (R for profanity, sexuality and violence) Female empowerment flick, set in war-torn Afghanistan, revolving around a woman (Golshifteh Farahani) who finally summons up the courage to share a lifetime’s worth of frustrations with a husband (Hamid Djavadan) left paralyzed and in a vegetative state by a bullet

in the neck. With Hassina Burgan, Massi Mrowat and Faiz Fazli. (In Persian with subtitles)

“Spark: A Burning Man Story” (Unrated) Back-to-nature documentary offers a revealing peek at the challenges involved in staging an annual, week-long gathering of 60,000 free-spirited hippies in a temporary city erected on a windswept Nevada desert.

“Standing Up” (PG for bullying, brief smoking, mild epithets and mature themes) Screen adaptation of “The Goats,” Brock Cole’s young adult novel about two kids (Chandler Canterbury and Annalise Basso) forced to fend for themselves after being stripped naked and stranded on an island by fellow summer campers. With Val Kilmer, Radha Mitchell and Keith Flippen.

“This Is Martin Bonner” (Unrated) Paul Eenhoorn stars as the title character of this unlikely-buddies drama about a newcomer to Reno, Nevada who forges a friendship with a recent parolee (Richmond Arquette) he helps while volunteering at a non-profit charity. With Sam Buchanan, Robert Longstreet and Demtrius Grosse.

Tri-State Defender

HOROSCOPES

Aug. 15-21, 2013

ARIES A surge in your personal power enables you to slay any dragons that you happen to meet this week. If you keep your attention on your own personal dragons, you’ll be advancing your own best self by knocking out some less than healthy habits. Use the force for good!

TAURUS Here’s a chance to get to the bottom of an issue that’s been bothering you for quite some time. This week you’ll feel objective enough to focus on the situation, and not the person who may unwittingly have caused the situation. Go for it!

GEMINI Information flows smoothly to and from you this week. You are in your element as communications come and go. You’ll learn much as you listen and observe others. Be easy on yourself this week.

CANCER Someone may try to push your buttons this week. Don’t let it get on your nerves. You have the power to focus your attention on positive thoughts and ideas. They will prove much more worthwhile in the long run than a shortterm blow-out with an unequal adversary.

LEO Conclusions can be reached; but don’t jump to them. Things are working out in your best interests. Ignore any negative attitudes and stay focused on your goals and plans. You are winning!

VIRGO This is a perfect week for some fun. You know how to have fun and it’s calling you out to play. Say what you need and the rest will follow in perfect order! Have a good time!

LIBRA You may receive some news that trouble you, but recognize what you can and can’t do about the situation. As powerful as you are, you are still not required to do everything for everyone. Do what feels most loving.

SCORPIO Your leadership skills are shining this week, so get out there and glimmer with good vibrations. Others are looking to you for guidance and as a path to follow. Let your journey through the week provide a good model.

SAGITTARIUS You are brilliant this week as you gather materials and resources together for an important project. There’s a good probability for wonderful news late in the afternoon. Ride the vibes and be gentle with your own feelings.

CAPRICORN A date or meeting that is unexpectedly cancelled may make someone very unhappy. Recognize that all things work for good, and that a better solution is being provided in the space between what you think you want and what you are getting.

AQUARIUS Serenity is yours as you realize you can get what you need. It’s coming and you deserve it!

Take a few quiet moments this week to listen to your inner voice. It will give you a powerful hint about what activities you should be pursuing right now.

PISCES In all of the hustle and bustle of the week this week, take some time to observe the Now. There’s a great deal to be thankful for! A great idea could come to you when you are out with friends.

Source: NNPA News Service

Tri-State Defender

HEALTH

CHEF TIMOTHY

Take the gluten-free challenge and give me a shout Special to The New Tri-State Defender

by Chef Timothy Moore

We have made the decision to begin and maintain a healthier lifestyle choice. We go to the gym, eat a proper diet and do all the right things to help us get and stay in great physical shape. Still, we face a dilemma – gaining more weight instead of losing it.

We just don’t get it. What is going on?

What if the food manufacturers that we have grown to trust have set us up? What if they use an ingredient that’s known to create hunger and turn off that part of the brain that regulates if we’re satisfied or our stomachs are feeling full?

The “secret ingredients” that are causing millions of individuals to have health problems are commonly known as wheat and wheat gluten.

Wheat is a cereal grain cultivated worldwide and the key ingredient used in the majority of food consumed daily by millions of Americans. The whole-grain is a concentrated source of vitamins, minerals and proteins; the refined grain is mostly a starch item.

This grain has been used for centuries, showing up today in hundreds of baked goods, processed foods, chips, cakes and pies, breads and almost everything that’s manufactured and labeled edible.

Food industry claims notwithstanding, it’s misleading

to blanketly say that we need to eat more whole-grains.

Regular consumption of these whole-wheat grains has caused us to spend millions of dollars on problems relating to obesity, heart disease, high-blood pressure, irritable bowel syndrome, emotional issues, acid reflux, body rashes and rheumatoid arthritis.

The key to overcoming illness caused by wheat intake is to just stop consuming products containing wheat. This suggestion will be difficult for some.

Dr. Timothy So, here is my challenge: go Moore gluten-free for 14 days. If you stay the course, I guarantee you will feel great and lose weight with not much effort.

(Dr. Timothy Moore teaches nutrition, heart disease and diabetes reversal through a plant-based lifestyle. He is a professional speaker, wellness coach and personal plant-based chef. He is the author of the new best selling book “47 Tips To Reverse Your Diabetes.’’ He can be reached by email at cheftimothy@cheftimothymoore.com or visit him at www.cheftimothymoore.com or www.twitter.com/cheftimmoore.)

Men’s Health Network and Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Release the “Kappa Health Challenge” App

WASHINGTON – Men’s Health Network (MHN) in partnership with the Health & Wellness Committee of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity have launched the “Kappa Health Challenge” smart phone app.

The free app can be downloaded by I-phone, I-pad, Itouch and I-pod users through the AppStore. The app is mainly directed towards fraternity members, but it can benefit all men in learning more about their health.

“In an effort to expand the impact of the ‘Healthy Kappas – Healthy Communities’ program, we approached the Men’s Health Network to combine our efforts to improve the health of our Fraternity. We came up with a tool that everyone could use – the idea of a Smartphone App was formed,” said Edward R. Scott, II D.M.D., chairman, Health & Wellness Committee, Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. “Good health should be a national priority that applies to every person and community. My hope is that all who have smart phones will download and take advantage of the technology – Good luck and good health!”

To use the Kappa Health Challenge app the user would need to create a personal health profile, including infor-

CLASSIFIEDS

August 15 - 21, 2013

mation, such as weight, height, birth date, and numbers for cholesterol, blood pressure, and diabetes. Next, the user can start a game by choosing to play a Facebook friend, play by username, or play Elder Diggs (one of the late revered founders, Elder Watson Diggs, who contributed in great ways at building the fraternity from its inception).

In collaboration with MHN it was established that the game categories will contain conditions that are pertinent to men’s health and health prevention: blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes, mental health, oral health, cancers and STIs/HIV. The fraternity also included a Kappa History category.

“With the launch of the ‘Kappa Health Challenge’ app, we now have an opportunity to reach and educate more men, young and the not-so-young ones alike,” said Janet Matope, MHN community outreach director.

“Through taking on the health challenge, the app users will become more aware of their own health and will be provided with information on general health risks. We hope the newly gained knowledge will result in taking better care of themselves and improving their health. ”

Page 11

TRI-STATE DEFENDER CLASSIFIEDS

DEADLINES; Display ads Monday 5 p.m.

Classified ads Monday 5 p.m.

HOURS: Mon-Fri 9am - 5pm

For additional information contact Sales Dept. at (901) 746-5201 or email: advertising@tristatedefender.com.

203 Beale Street, Suite 200 Memphis, TN 38103 PH (901) 523-1818 FAX (901) 578-5037

Employmnet

First Baptist Church, Lauderdale has an immediate opening for an individual as a part-time sanctuary choir director. All qualified applicants with resumes, both internally and externally will be interviewed.

Resumes may be mailed or submitted to the church office, 682 S. Lauderdale Street, Memphis, TN 38126 or faxed to 901-523-0576, by August 30, 2013. Dr. Shelley White-Means, Chair, Sanctuary Choir Director Search Committee.

Legal notices

ALL INTERESTED BIDDERS The Shelby County Board of Education will accept written proposals for Alert Notification Communications System.

Visit our website for additional information: www.scsk12.org Departments, Procurement Services link, click on Bids & RFPs. Questions concerning proposals should be addressed to Procurement Services at (901) 416-5376.

Thank you for your interest and responses.

Jacqueline Saunders, Director Shelby County Schools – Procurement Services ALL INTERESTED BIDDERS The Shelby County Board of Education will accept written proposals for Budget Development Software.

Visit our website for additional information: www.scsk12.org Departments, Procurement Services link, click on Bids & RFPs. Questions concerning proposals should be addressed to Procurement Services at (901) 416-5376.

Thank you for your interest and responses.

Jacqueline Saunders, Director Shelby County Schools – Procurement Services PUBLIC NOTICE THE MEMPHIS URBAN AREA METROPOLITAN PLANNING ORGANIZATION In compliance with federal regulations 23 CFR 450, the Memphis Urban Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) is proposing to adopt the 2014-17 Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) and Air Quality Conformity Determination Reports for Shelby and Fayette Counties, amend the 2040 Long Range Transportation Plan (LRTP), amend the 2013-14 Unified Planning Work Program (UPWP), and

RATES: Rates are non-commissionable and are quoted at the net rate. All rates are flat rates.

amend the FY 2011-2014 Transportation Improvement Program (TIP). These items will be addressed over the course of two separate meetings.

The public is hereby given notice that these documents are available for review 8:00 AM until 4:30 PM Monday through Friday in the offices of the Memphis MPO located at 125 N. Main Street, Room 450, Memphis, TN 38103 or for download from the Internet at: www.memphismpo.org. The English and Spanish language copies are also available for public review in the library systems of Shelby, Fayette, and DeSoto counties. Written comments may be submitted to Pragati Srivastava, Memphis MPO, 125 N. Main Street, Room 450, Memphis, TN 38134 or via email at Pragati.

Srivastava@memphistn.gov with a deadline of August 28, 2013 for items on the agenda of the August 29, 2013 meeting, and a deadline of September 11, 2013 for items on the agenda of the September 12, 2013 meeting.

The Memphis MPO Transportation Policy Board (TPB) will hold a public hearing on Thursday, August 29, 2013, 1:30 PM, at the UT Health Science Center, Student Alumni Building, 800 Madison Avenue, Memphis, Tennessee, 38103 to accept oral comments and take action on the following proposed items.

1. Approval of the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) between Tennessee Department of Transportation and Memphis MPO 2. Amendment to the 2013-14 UPWP 3. Amendment to the 2040 LRTP 4. Amendments to the FY 2011-14 TIP The Memphis MPO Transportation Policy Board (TPB) will hold a public hearing on Thursday, September 12, 2013, 3:00 PM, at MATA Central Station, 545 South Main Street, Memphis, Tennessee, 38103 to accept oral comments and take action on the proposed items.

1. Amendments to the 2040 LRTP 2. Adopt the 2014-17 TIP and Air Quality Conformity Determination Reports It is the policy of the Memphis MPO not to discriminate on the basis of age, race, color, national origin or disability in its hiring or employment practices, or in its admissions to or operations of its program, services, or activities. All inquiries for Title VI and/or the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), or for persons with disabilities that require aids or services to participate either in the review of these documents or at the hearing may contact John Paul Shaffer at 901-576-7130, fax (901) 576-7272; or email John.Shaffer@memphistn.gov to make accessibility arrangements no less than five days prior to each respective Transportation Policy Board meeting.

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

Page 12

COMMUNITY

Tri-State Defender

August 15 - 21, 2013

LeMoyne-Owen College nets $1.7 million grant

Tea with the Queens honorees Josephine Bridges (l) and Dr. Sarah Chandler during the 2013 J.U.G.S. convention. (Courtesy photos)

J.U.G.S. 60 years of good works Special to The New Tri-State Defender

The year was 1953 and two Memphis teachers – Josephine Bridges and Dr. Sarah Chandler – were in their twenties when they founded a group called Just Us Girls.

Now the women’s organization is known as Justice, Unity, Generosity, Service International - J.U.G.S. And this year, Memphis was the host site for “A Diamond Celebration” – the group’s 60th anniversary.

“We renamed it Justice, Unity, Generosity, Service after we started having charity balls and needed a more serious name,” said the 81year-old Bridges, who conceived the plan to improve the lives of children using a small group of committed women.

Today, the organization has more than a dozen chapters across the country and in Nassau, Bahamas.

Dr. Chandler said neither she nor Bridges had any idea that J.U.G.S would endure so many decades.

“We really didn’t put any thoughts like that into it,” said Chandler, 83. “We were dealing with issues at that time, particularly for unwed mothers and children’s charities. We were all school teachers and we saw the plight of the children. We couldn’t solve all the problems, but somebody had to do something.”

The Memphis Chapter hosted the 44th International Convention of J.U.G.S. on June 26-30 at the Memphis Marriott East. It included the members-only Tea with the Queens honoring Bridges and Chandler at the home of Judge Jayne Chandler; a get-acquainted event called “60 Shades of Blue” at the home of Joe and Estella Greer; as well as “A Diamond Celebration” black-tie gala

and the “Lady Sings the Blues” Champagne Brunch and Community Awards Luncheon at the hotel.

More than 100 people attended the gala. Among them were Ruth McKinnie LaValle of St. Louis (Dr. Chandler’s sister) and chapter members from Atlanta, Baltimore, Detroit, Columbus (Ga.), Nassau (Bahamas), St. Louis, and Memphis. Three couples celebrated wedding anniversaries – Rhodis and Willie Thompson, Denise and Jerry Moore, and Rhonda and David Porter. Jerome Chism and the MTown Band, also featuring James Sexton, Courtney Clark, Courtney Taylor and Deon Lofton, performed.

The awards luncheon celebrated the life and music of Billie Holiday.

The Sunny Side Up Band performed, with Joanne Joyner in the role of the renowned jazz singer.

Many of the luncheon-goers adorned their hair with flowers, a tribute to “Lady Day,” who was known for her signature gardenias.

All J.U.G.S. wore white. And, Josephine Bridges was among those modeling furs from Fur Vault at Macy’s. Narrator Cliff Stockton weaved history and legend with the songs.

Four awards were given out. Ruby Bright, Middle Baptist ChurchWhitehaven and Cargill Inc. accepted community service awards for their work on behalf of children.

Charlotte Foster received the Marie Bradford Service Award. The award acknowledges Bradford, the only one of the original eight charter members who has actively participated for 60 years. It is bestowed on a deserving member with 15 years of continuous participation. Foster, who has served as VP, secretary and treasurer, was inducted into the Memphis Chapter in 1994.

All J.U.G.S. chapters raise funds for college scholarships and philanthropic children’s causes. For example, the Memphis Chapter with just 17 members has donated over $1 million to various charities in the Memphis Community. The most recent recipient being The Bridges-Chandler Kids Café at Girls, Inc., where hungry kids get fed as a result of the generosity of J.U.G.S., Inc. Led by President Florence Hervery, they announced a $5,000 donation to Girls Inc. during the June 29th luncheon. The International Chapter headed by President Valerie Long, also a Memphis Chapter member, presented Girls Inc. with a $1,000 check. The local chapter also gave a $2,000 college scholarship to Rico Bratcher of Oakhaven High School while the International Chapter gave a $2,000 scholarship to Clivana Burse of Overton High School.

Other chapters, some with as few as eight members, do as much.

Most recently, the Detroit Chapter contributed washers, dryers and a playground to a boys and girls home. They also purchased a furnished apartment for a homeless family. Detroit’s Lenore Evans said, they annually give out sizeable four-year scholarships and students need only prove they are still in school.

The Columbus Chapter provides scholarships to graduating seniors, supports the local Ronald McDonald House, other organizations and a community center while sending at least three kids to camp each summer.

As Rev. Lester Basken of Middle Baptist-Whitehaven noted in his acceptance speech: “The more you give of yourself, the bigger you become.”

J.U.G.S. sisters gathered at the 44th International Convention in Memphis.

The LeMoyne-Owen College has won a five-year $1.7 million National Science Foundation grant for its new Historically Black Colleges and Universities Undergraduate Program (HBCU-UP) implementation project. The funded project is the College’s “Moving Forward – Steps to Graduate School” program.

Congressman Steve Cohen visited the LOC campus last Friday (Aug. 9) to help the college announce the achievement.

“I’m glad that we have made this important investment in our students at LeMoyne-Owen College,” said Cohen. “This effort to build on the school’s alreadyproven projects will go a long way towards preparing undergraduates for successful careers in good-paying fields.”

Dr. Cheryl Golden, LOC vice-president and chief academic officer and principal investigator for the project, said the goal is to prepare AfricanAmerican students for graduate schools in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields to pursue research careers.

“We have devised activities that are designed to increase the retention of students in STEM fields, increase the number of STEM majors who graduate in four years or less, and increase the percentage of graduating seniors who pursue graduate school,” she said.

Scholars in the program will matriculate through a rigorous curriculum, receive mentoring in steps to graduate school admission, gain substantial research experience and present their research at regional and national scientific conferences.

The campus research projects include molecular biolog-

ical studies aimed at 1) developing prevention strategies and/or novel therapeutic protocols for the treatment of diarrhea or chronic intestinal inflammation and 2) biochemical research synthesizing, testing and introducing new aluminum chelating ligands that may aid in the diagnosis of aluminum accumulation and treatment of aluminum toxicity.

LeMoyne-Owen College President Johnnie B. Watson says grant funding is crucial if the college is to continue to improve its curriculum to meet the emerging needs of the workplace.

“We are a small college with a mighty legacy of preparing leaders in medicine, education, political science and theology,” said Watson.

“Grants help us to continue our legacy by providing crucial funding that enables us to launch innovative programs that uniquely prepare our students for success.”

Accomplished students interested in majoring in STEM fields at LeMoyne-Owen College will be invited to participate in a pre-college summer academy program next summer where they will participate in academic enhancement training and will be considered for participation in the Moving Forward – Steps to Graduate School program. Dr. Delphia Harris, professor of chemistry and chair for the Division of Natural and Mathematical Sciences, will serve as co-principal investigator and will be responsible for project’s implementation.

Interested students should call the Division of Natural and Mathematical Sciences at 901-435-1395 to learn more.

Cato Johnson elected THEC chairman

The Tennessee Higher Education Commission – the public policy coordinating body for the state’s public higher education system – has unanimously elected Cato Johnson as its new chairman.

“I look forward to helping the commission reach its goal of increasing the educational attainment beyond high school so that more Tennesseans with college degrees can make positive contributions to our workforce needs,” said Johnson, who served as vice-chairman last year.

“I want to thank Cato for his work on the Tennessee Higher Education Commission (THEC),” Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam said. “I look forward to working with him as chair, and I appreciate his willingness to serve Tennessee in this new capacity.”

THEC consists of 9 universities, 13 community colleges and 27 Tennessee Colleges of Applied Technology throughout the state and approximately 252,000 students attend each year. The commission makes higher education budget recommendations for over $1.2 billion in state funding as well as a current capital bud-

get of approximately $400 million.

“Tennesseans need and deserve citizens who step up for their best Cato interests, Johnson and understand how important education is to the well-being of our state,” Richard Rhoda, THEC executive director said. “Cato Johnson provides that understanding and the leadership to do just that.

Johnson, who has served on THEC for five years, said higher education – always an important issue – is even more so “during these challenging times.”

The 15-member board includes Mayor A C Wharton Jr., Tennessee State Secretary David Lillard and Secretary of State Tre Hargett.

Johnson, who lives in Bartlett, is the senior vice president of Corporate Affairs for Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare.

It’s right that we remember

With photos and memorabilia, Diane Higgs put together a twoday tribute to her husband, the late Criminal Court Judge W. Otis Higgs Jr., at the Memphis Botanic Gardens on Aug. 10-11. Higgsʼ pioneering spirit led him on a publicly chronicled journey from lawyer to law enforcer to judge to pastor. (Photo: Tyrone P. Easley)