8 22 2012

VOL. 61, No. 33

August 16 - 22, 2012

www.tsdmemphis.com

75 Cents

Medicare & Ryan Special to The New Tri-State Defender

by Tony Jones

Chavis Carter (Courtesy photo)

Prayer vigil Monday for teen shot while handcuffed Special to The New Tri-State Defender

by Tony Jones

Memphis and Mid-South residents are invited to attend a public rally Monday, Aug. 20 at 6:30 p.m. at the National Civil Rights Museum to express support for the family of Chavis Carter. Jonesboro, Ark. police claim he committed suicide while handcuffed in the back seat of a police cruiser.

Carter, who was arrested July 29, used a .380-caliber Cobra semi auto-

matic handgun to fatally shot himself, police assert, after he was apprehended on an outstanding drug charge warrant. Officers said Carter, 21, could have hidden the gun while not handcuffed and waiting to be officially charged.

U.S. Justice Department officials attended a community meeting in Jonesboro Tuesday night to hear citizen concerns about Chavis’s death, and about how the African-American

With Wisconsin Sen. Paul Ryan now saddled up to ride shotgun as Mitt Romney’s GOP running mate, the Democratic Party flak already is coming fast and heavy.

A Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee email fundraiser bluntly sounds the Democrats’ alarm: “Romney and Paul Ryan are dead set on slashing senior’s Medicare benefits to pay for more millionaire tax breaks…”

Here in the Memphis area, Shelby County Republican Party Chairman Justin Joy is ever ready with his comeback.

“That’s just not accurate,” counters Joy, referring to how Democrats are framing the Medicare debate.

“There is a real difference and that is in the fact that Romney’s plans were created for people within his own state, while Obamacare has to address the issue on a national scale.

It is a fact that Medicare must be repaired if we are going to preserve it for future generations. I think Paul Ryan is a great selection as V.P.” According to present budget projections, Medicare is on track to be-

‘By God’s design’

SEE CARTER ON PAGE 2

Wisc. Sen. Paul Ryanʼs wants to raise the Medicare minimum age from 65 to 67 and replace the current funding system with a voucher plan for recipients under 55. His new status as Mitt Romneyʼs GOP running mate has raised his profile and intensified the spotlight on the future of Medicare. (Photo by Tony Alter)

come bankrupt by 2024. Still, Joy has some heavy lifting in his future if he is to get 40-year GOP member Vivian Berryhill to see the divisive Medicare issue as he does. “Junk,” she says of both parties’ Medicare plans.

“We all know Medicare is going broke, but their proposals are really first cousins,” said Berryhill, founder and president of the National CoaliSEE RYAN ON PAGE 3

TSD issues call for Men of Excellence

Self-described as “just a street kid from the Lower Ninth Ward,” Dr. Fred Luter has emerged from a family tree devoid of preachers to become the first African American to serve as president of the Southern Baptist Convention, the worldʼs largest Baptist denomination. He preached Wednesday at Bellevue Baptist Church. (Photo by Warren Roseborough)

‘Writing new chapters’ in Southern Baptist history Special to The New Tri-State Defender

by Dr. Sybil C. Mitchell “So the Thursday after I was elected, I get a call and a voice on the other end says. ‘This is the White House, and the President would like

MEMPHIS WEEKEND

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

H- 8 7o - L - 6 4o H- 8 2o - L - 6 4o Scat. T-Storms Mo st l y Sun ny REGIONAL TEMPS LITTLE ROCK NASHVILLE JACKSON, MS

Friday H-92 L-69 H-81 L-64 H-89 L-71

SUNDAY

H- 8 4o - L - 6 2o Partl y Cl o udy

Saturday H-83 L-65 H-83 L-63 H-84 L-71

Sunday H-86 L-63 H-85 L-61 H-85 L-68

to speak with you.’ So I come to the phone, and I think it’s one of my buddies playing a joke. I get to the phone, and I say, ‘Who is this?’ And someone says, ‘This is the White House. Would you please hold for the President?’ “‘Yeah, right,’ I say. Sure enough, “Hail to

the Chief” begins to play, and the President picks up the phone and says, “So, Dr. Luter, how does it feel to be the most popular president in the United States?”

That is the moment Dr. Fred Luter knew that the Southern Baptist Conference (SBC) presidency was a big deal.

Prior to his historic election as the first African American to service as president of the SBC, Dr. Luter was your average mega-church pastor. He took the helm of Franklin Avenue Baptist Church in New Orleans back in 1986, SEE BAPTIST ON PAGE 6

The Olympics prove consumerism is a professional sport NBC emerges as a winner NNPA News Service

by Cheryl Pearson-McNeil If you’re one of the millions of viewers who watched the Olympics recently, you’re not alone. Nielsen research shows that the all-important, mega-produced opening ceremony in London garnered a stunning 40.7 million total U.S. viewers (African Americans made up 3 million of those watching), annihilating all previously held records for a summer Olympics broadcast.

Not surprisingly, Americans are

far more likely to tune in when the games are happening on home turf.

Until now, Atlanta’s Olympics opening ceremony in 1996 attracted the largest number of viewers with roughly 40 million.

As much as we want to think of the Olympics exclusively as the world’s foremost sports competition – and it is – that can catapult participants into national and even international fame (which it can), it is also a marketing bonanza for sponsors, advertisers and marketers. So, while millions of us watched with bated breath to see which of our stellar athletes or teams would ascend the podium to accept the gold, silver or bronze medals, billions of dollars

were spent and/or made to capture our attention as we did all of that watching.

And you thought consumerism wasn’t a professional sport.

NBC’s closing ceremony telecast was the week’s most-watched show, drawing 31 million viewers. Riding the The Olympics wave, NBC ascended to second place for the broadcast year in both total viewers and adults ages 18 to 49, as it closed to within one-tenth of a rating point of Fox, which finished atop the 18-to49 demographic.

It’s interesting to note that NBC fared so well with its Olympic covSEE OLYMPICS ON PAGE 3

The New Tri-State Defender’s fourth annual Men of Excellence Reception and Awards Celebration is set for Sept. 28, with the window for nominations, which is now open, closing on Sept. 4.

A nomination form appears in this week’s TSD (page 8). A nomination form can also be downloaded from our website, www.tsdmemphis.com.

The community is encouraged to submit deserving candidates for this year’s class, said TSD President/ Publisher Bernal E. Smith II, who emphasized the active role the community will play in helping to identify the most deserving for 2012.

Through its annual Men of Excellence recognition, the TSD acknowledges that AfricanAmerican men have contributed much toward shaping America’s history and the history of Memphis, often against considerable odds. And today, many AfricanAmerican men are in the forefront of myriad sectors from politics and public service to business and entertainment. The New Tri-State Defender will acknowledge these men for their contributions to the region, the community and to the business world.

More details are included with the nomination form. All nominations must be received by Sept. 4 at 5 p.m. by mail to Tri-State Defender, 203 Beale St., Suite 200, Memphis, TN. 38103; or by fax to 901-578-5037.

- INSIDE -

• Should President Obama do more for African Americans?

See Opinion, page 4.

• Economic Development Forum has healthcare focus.

See Business, page 7.

• Stax Museum to commemorate Wattstax 40th.

See Entertainment, page 12.

• Chef Timothy takes good health message to Indiana Expo. See Health, page 14.

• Middle school football: It’s on! See Sports, page 15.

Page 2

NEWS

August 16 - 22, 2012

Teresa Carter (center in shades), the mother of Chavis Carter, at one of the vigils that have been held for her son since he died in Jonesboro Police custody. (Courtesy photo)

CARTER

CONTINUED FROM FRONT

community there is treated.

“I met the young man’s aunt and I tried to console her,” Kareem Ali, the chief organizer of Monday’s planned rally, told The New Tri State Defender on Wednesday evening.

“She said, ‘Y’all don’t stop fighting! Don’t stop fighting! It was the moment when I knew we had to help this family.”

Ali, who by self-description is a community activist and a concerned member of a Nation of Islam study group based in Southaven, Miss., said the Memphis rally was organized at the request of Carter’s mother, Teresa Carter. Prayer vigils already have been held in Tunica, Miss. and Jonesboro. Ali said the National Civil Rights Museum represents sacred ground that he hopes will help draw a large number of citizens to support

the family’s drive for an exhaustive inquiry in the case.

“I was introduced to his mother by friends of his in Southaven that were not able to attend the vigils in Tunica and Jonesboro. We need the citizens of Memphis to come and show support for the young man’s family and to send a message.”

The family’s attorney, Russell Marlin, told the Associated Press that Carter was “a healthy, happy guy. There’s no reason to think he would have killed himself.”

Jonesboro police created a video to show how the slight (5’, 8” 160 lbs.) Carter could have maneuvered to shoot himself. Ali said many community observers view the video as a “cover-up.”

Jonesboro Police Chief Michael Yates told the AP, “It’s obvious they did miss the weapon on the first search. It is like, since he was placed into the car unhandcuffed the first

time, that he had an opportunity to stash the weapon in the car. The second search, which was more thorough and inclusive, did not disclose the weapon either.”

According to Jonesboro police, film, audio and witnesses back up their claim that neither of the arresting officers fired a shot. Ali said pressure is needed to force a fully transparent investigation.

The FBI is monitoring the case and Jonesboro police are conducting an internal investigation, but Ali says there is little trust in the hometown process, especially after police released their video version of what might have happened.

George Grant, the retired dean of the Arkansas State University library, said the police department should not be reaccredited until a thorough investigation of Carter’s death is completed. Of the city’s 145-person police force, three are African Americans.

Tri-State Defender

Tri-State Defender

OLYMPICS

CONTINUED FROM FRONT

erage even though much of it was tape-delayed to run in primetime, which some analysts believe underscores the growing power of sports programming. It’s the excitement, the feeling of power and the awe that attracts audiences to the Olympics. You can’t help but feel patriotic when you see the red, white and blue. You get to know the Olympians as if they were your best friends.

You want to continue to tune in to cheer them on.

Let’s talk about what those numbers mean. We all know that the cost of everything continues to climb over the years.

Check out the increase in a 30second U.S. commercial spot during the opening ceremony: In 1988, for the Seoul

RYAN

CONTINUED FROM FRONT

tion of Pastors’ Spouses (NCPS).

“The president wants to take out $700 billion and transfer it out of the program into Obamacare. Ryan’s proposal is to take out $500 billion to $700 billion out of the program with the intent of balancing the budget. We need to cut entitlements but not in a way that will hurt the middle class, seniors and poor people,” said Berryhill, who recently used The New Tri-State Defender’s OpEd page to voice the Pastors Spouses’ plea for Medicare program protection.

“But the real problem with it is that the senators and congressmen are exempt from Obamacare. They won’t be affected by any of this in anyway, so forget them,” said Berryhill.

“Why would you have people that are not going to be affected making decisions? We need to take it out of their hands, create a national citizens roundtable and take the direction from the citizens because they know what will work in their individual households.”

Weeks before the Paul-Ryan factor became a heightened element in the presidential election, one direct-fromthe-people approach regarding Medicare and Social Security already was underway and had surfaced in the Memphis area.

The American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) initiated its “You’ve Earned A Say” tour to talk with those concerned about the state of Medicare and Social Security and to hear what they think should be done for the future.

The tour is designed to empower people “…with unbiased, straightforward and accurate information about proposed changes – without all the political jargon and spin.”

In Memphis, a tour stop was held at the Benjamin L. Hooks Library on June 29. About 200 pre-registered, with about 180 showing up. Andrea M. Neely, AARP’s Tennessee Multicultural Outreach Director, organized the Memphis-area gathering, saying afterwards that the “level of energy” was exactly what she wanted.

“We want to ensure the solvency of Medicare and maintain its promise of secure, stable health care coverage for those who’ve spent most of their lives paying into this system,” Neely said on Wednesday.

“Older Americans already are struggling to pay costs not covered by Medicare. They should not have to carry an additional burden.”

According to AARP, Tennessee has 831,000 Medicare users and more “You’ve Earned A Say” sessions are planned to hear from them.

(This story includes a report from the TSD’s iTeen Reporter, Asia Jones.)

NEWSPAPER LOCATIONS

NEWS

Page 3

August 16 - 22, 2012

Olympics, a 30-second commercial cost $155,000.

In 2000, advertisers in the Sydney opening ceremony shelled out $275,000 for a 30second spot.

In 2008, the cost climbed to $320,000 a spot for Beijing’s opening ceremony.

A spot in the 2012 London Olympics opening ceremony jumped up to – are you sitting down – as much as $725,000 per commercial.

Nielsen analysis shows that with some $1 billion in ad sales and another $200 million in local TV and digital ad rev-

enue, NBC and its family of networks, the U.S. broadcaster that aired the Olympics, may actually break even with its $1.28 billion investment into the London games. NBC also owns the rights to the next four Olympics, having spent $4.38 billion for a package that extends through 2020.

The televised games provide an opportunity for a parade of brands to tap into your inner most yearnings while you are feeling patriotic, or inspired or emotional, or all three. What mother among us – who hasn’t given up our early mornings,

late evenings and full weekends and holidays to drive, cheer and coerce our own little athletes toward glory – could tear our eyes away from the commercial that celebrated mothers globally?

Talk about powerful stuff.

My eyes were glistening as my own memories of similar mornings flitted across my mind as I watched moms across the world jostling their little ones out of bed and getting them off to practice, returning home later, to do laundry and cook and clean with the company’s products.

My 6’4” basketball-playing son looked on incredulously as the tears trickled down my cheeks as I watched the spot.

His 16-year-old cynicism collapsed into three words: “Really Ma?! Really?”

But you know what? I don’t expect him to understand why that particular commercial resonated with me. Because likewise, I don’t feel any connection when my non-athletic self watches a sweaty, hoopster guzzle down energy drinks in a spot that highly resonates with him.

And, that my dear fellow

consumer is the true sport of advertising – connecting an audience to a product. When a marketer does that successfully, we, as consumers, repay them with our own form of a gold medal – we purchase the product. But, just like we demand of any Olympian – be sure advertisers earn the status we give them.

(Cheryl Pearson-McNeil is senior vice president of public affairs and government relations for Nielsen. For more information and studies, visit www.nielsenwire.com.)

Page 4

John H. Sengstacke Publisher (1951 - 1997)

The Mid-Southʼs Best Alternative Newspaper

A Real Times Newspaper

OPINION

Tri-State Defender

August 16 - 22, 2012

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

Romney makes clumsy attempt to enlist African Americans

Should President Obama do more for African Americans?

And if he does, what are the political risks versus rewards?

ANALYSIS

New America Media

by Earl Ofari Hutchinson

President Obama has been hearing one persistent grumble from the moment he entered the White House.

And that’s that he has not said and done enough to boost African Americans.

Earl Ofari It’s been nothHutchinson ing more than a low intensity grumble for two simple reasons. One is that African Americans backed him in near record numbers in his 2008 presidential drive. They will back him again in November in vote numbers that will equal or come close to those they gave him four years ago.

The other reason is that many blacks are disgusted and outraged that Obama has been the victim of a relentless and unprecedented battering by legions of bloggers, websites, talk show jocks, Tea Party leaders and followers, and assorted racist and fringe hate groups. This has made the overwhelming majority of African Americans even more determined to circle the wagons and back him. That means keeping their grumbles about his efforts on behalf of African Americans to themselves.

But Obama still has to remind African Americans on occasion that he’s not the African-American president but the American president. He did it again recently in an interview.

And he went a slight step further to reassure that his low-keyed record of aiding African Americans in education and business through selected programs, initiatives and funding is a record he’s proud of. The explicit message is that I don’t have to put my blackness on parade or wear it on my shoulders to push programs that aid blacks.

Yet, that still begs one, really, two questions. They are: Should Obama do even more for African Americans? And if he does, what are the political risks versus rewards?

The crisis problems of poor African-American communities are astronomical. A high crime and murder rate, near Great Depression-level jobless rate among young AfricanAmerican males, a disproportionate number of African-American uninsured, chronic failing inner city schools, and home foreclosures that hit African Americans harder than any other group.

The problems are so great that the Congressional Black Caucus, and a handful of other African-American activists, have taken occasional shots at Obama demanding that he drop the president-of-all-the-people stance, and do more than the quiet, even cautious, initiatives that directly benefit some African Americans, and that he frontally attack some of the draining problems of poor African Americans.

A compelling case can be made for Obama to be more aggressive in earmarking specific programs and initiatives for African Americans. He took a step in that direction with his recent African-American Education initiative. That included actually labeling it as such.

But Obama has walked a shaky racial tightrope from the moment he declared his presidential candidacy

Need I say it again?

Show me the money!

(Cloves C. Campbell is chairman of the National Newspaper Publishers Association and publisher of the Arizona Informant) President Barack Obama (White House Photo by Pete Souza)

in 2007. The danger was that as a relatively new and untested AfricanAmerican presidential candidate, if there was so much as a hint that he’d make race a factor in the campaign his presidential candidacy would be DOA. The memories, suspicions and fears of many whites were too great of the perceived race-tinged politics of Al Sharpton or Jesse Jackson.

It wasn’t just Obama’s cross to bear, though. For a quarter century before Bill Clinton won the White House in 1992, Democratic presidential candidates have had to bear the racial cross. During that period Democrats were regarded and reviled by conservatives as the party that tilted to and pandered to minorities. The backlash was swift and devastating.

Blue collar and rural white males deserted the Democrats in droves. Their sprint to the GOP became the reliable trump card for Reagan, Bush Sr. and George W. Bush’s White House wins.

In the South, the result was even starker. The Democrats and the GOP directly reversed roles. The Democrats went from a lily white, segregationist party to a liberal-to-moderate near-black majority party. The GOP became just the opposite; it morphed into an ultra-conservative, strongly evangelical, white male dominated party.

Clinton slightly broke the Democrat’s slide among whites, particularly white males. But he had to reverse gears and tout a strong defense, the war against terrorism, tax reform for the middle class, pro- business solutions to joblessness and, most importantly, tiptoe around civil rights and poverty issues. Democratic presidential candidates Al Gore and John Kerry followed the Clinton blueprint to the letter during their campaigns. If either had won, the likelihood is they would not have made these problems priority items in their White House tenure.

Obama is tugged hard by corporate and defense industry lobbyists, the oil and nuclear power industry, government regulators, environmental watchdog groups, conservative family values groups, conservative GOP senators and house members, foreign diplomats and leaders. They all have their priorities and agendas and all vie hard to get White House support for their pet legislation, as well as legislation that threatens their interests.

This has demanded a cautious, conciliatory, and above all, a race-neutral presidency during his first four years.

While Obama can, and at times in his own way, has not ignored the plight of the African-American poor, it demands that he continue to take the same cautious approach on race in his fight to keep the presidency.

(NNPA columnist Earl Ofari Hutchinson is an author, editor, political analyst and radio talk show host.

Follow him on Twitter: http://twitter.com/earlhutchinson.)

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Last week I penned an article titled “Show Me The Money.” The article questioned whether the “Black Vote” was being taken for granted by the Obama campaign (as evidenced by) the small amount of resources allocated to the Black Press and other black entities.

I also stated that the Romney campaign allocated zero dollars to the Black Press and other black entities that I was aware of. Recently, as of this writing, I have had several conversations with various staff members from the Obama For American (OFA) campaign. Each voiced their displeasure with the tone of my article and questioned my position on the issue.

Conversely, I have still not received one reply from the Romney Campaign at all. That leads me to believe that the Romney Campaign is not taking the Black Vote for granted….they just don’t care about the Black Vote period!

Let’s make sure we are putting my position in the proper perspective. At no time did I say that black folks are not supporting our President. At no time did I say that the Black Press did not support our President. At no time did I say that we will not support our President. What I did say and ask was, as we are less than 100 days out, “Show Me The Money.” We know how the Romney Campaign feels about the Black Vote, actions speak very loudly. When Romney can go to the NAACP conference and boldly state that the first act he would make as president of the United States of America is to repeal “OBAMACARE,” it is obvious that his campaign does not care about the Black Vote. That position has been crystal clear for months. If you care to argue that point…I’ll bet you $10,000 dollars I’m right.

With over $3 billion dollars being Readers weigh www.tsdmemphis.com

spent, I questioned why our newspapers were not being used for advertising. What I was told was that the audience our newspapers reach was not the demographic of the campaign. They believed their reCloves C. sources would be Campbell better utilized by targeting younger blacks that are more inclined to use digital, social media and other electronic means of communication. I believe that our newspapers touch all areas and also offered those platforms in our proposal. Let’s keep it real.

The Black Press has been and continues to be the most trusted source for news for black folks for over100 years. When any events of significance have occurred in the black community, the Black Press has always been and continues to be the most trusted source by black folks!

Our member publications reach 19.5 million black readers each week. No other information outlet can make that statement. Our members, our history, our legacy and our publishers stand by the credo of Black Press. It states: The Black Press believes that America can best lead the world away from racial and national antagonisms when it accords to every person regardless of race, color creed, full human and legal rights. Hating no person, fearing no person, the Black Press strives to help every person in the firm belief that all are hurt as long as anyone is held back.

Let’s put this to an end right now.

Black folks, young and seasoned, read black newspapers every week.

We – the Black Press – will continue to support the President, his campaign and his administration. But don’t get it twisted, we will ask the questions when they need to be asked. Need I say it again…?

WEB POSTS

in

on

The ‘Black Vote’ again taken for granted Edition: Aug. 9-15, 2012

(Cloves C. Campbell, chairman of the National Newspaper Publishers Association and publisher of the Arizona Informant, writes that the campaign war chests for President Obama and Mitt Romney total almost $3 billion. Noting that as of the writing of his column not one dollar had been spent in the “Black Press,” Campbell says “Show me the money.”)

POST: Of course the “Black Vote” is taken for granted. Over 98 percent of African Americans voted for President Obama because he was a Democrat and black. And they will do so again in 2012 for the same reason, despite the fact that unemployment

in the black community is at an historic high and that Mitt Romney is much more qualified to be President than President Obama. Want campaign advertising $$s to flow in from both parties? Stop being a monolithic voting block.

– James A. Sdoia

POST: This is crap. This is why black people cannot be taken seriously. How about the millions of white people who do not live in a swing state? They get zilch in the way of attention. Candidates, put their money where it is needed, not where people want it. Nobody get’s their assed kissed in elections. Unless the candidate needs you MORE than you need them, you will not get attention...and James, shut up. Just as many voted for him because he was black as voted against him because he wasn’t white.

– ouroneamerica

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IN THE MAIL

Tri-State Defender Platform

1. Racial prejudice worldwide must be destroyed.

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

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

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

5. Complete cessation of all school segregation.

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

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When Mitt Romney addressed the NAACP during their national convention, I thought his speech was horrible and quite a waste of time because he said nothing that Raynard would be of any Jackson interest to the black community.

Most people, of all political stripes, thought my analysis was right on the mark. But not those in the Romney campaign. They would have been upset if anyone had been as critical of the candidate, but I think they were especially perturbed that this unflattering portrait was being painted by a longtime black Republican.

It got under their skin so much that one of Romney’s senior communications advisers, a black female I am acquainted with, attempted to discredit my analysis in a series of private emails to me.

In her email, she claimed that, “some of his (Romney’s) most senior policy and communications people are black.” I asked her to name them, but she never did. I will let you draw your own conclusion. She even thought it would be good for us to sit down and talk about the campaign, so I accepted her offer, but she still hasn’t gotten back to me with a date.

The campaign made a clumsy attempt to reach black voters by releasing a ridiculous video titled, “We Need Mitt Romney.” It was sent out

by Romney aide, Joshua Baca, National Coalitions director for the campaign. The video was poorly written and poorly produced. The video featured a series of blacks who stated, “We need Romney.”

They never explicitly defined “we” but we got the message – it was clearly meant to impress black voters.

Still, they never made the case for why a vote for Romney would benefit the black community. This was a mindless, ineffective video. The people speaking were never identified.

The Romney camp just grabbed some no-name people and put them in front of the camera. It’s embarrassing.

Even the names of supposedly “most senior policy and communications” blacks on the Romney campaign staff are nowhere to be found on Romney’s campaign website.

There is a full section targeting the Hispanic vote, even a section in Spanish. Yet, nothing there’s targeting the black community. That speaks louder than anything campaign flunkies can say.

This is what happens when you have no capable blacks around to advise you and work on a campaign. If a non-black such as Baca is in charge of coalitions, then why has he not reached out to experienced black operatives such as Shannon Reeves, Allegra McCullough, David Byrd, Aaron Manaigo, Francis Johnson, Ada Fisher or James House?

The few blacks Romney may have around him are all functional people and, by definition, they follow orders – they don’t give orders. That is what I mean when I talk about being in a position of power: Can they authorize an expenditure of money?

Can they get an event on Romney’s schedule? Or, can they get a private meeting with Romney?

I would much rather the Romney campaign simply tell the black community straight-up that they have no interest in our vote..

I find this senior adviser’s response to my column illustrative of everything that’s wrong with the Romney campaign. They are totally incapable of giving direct answers to the most basic of questions. Who are the blacks that are supposedly on the campaign? Why are there no blacks on the campaign website? Is Romney ever going to meet and speak with black Republicans?

Contrast failure to reach out to blacks with his courting of conservatives, which culminated in his decision to pick Paul Ryan as his vice presidential running mate. Some political strategists, realizing the presidential race will turn on which candidate can best attract independents, had urged Romney to select someone who could appeal to that segment of the electorate. But Rush Limbaugh, the Weekly Standard and the Wall Street Journal all wanted Ryan. And that’s who they got because Romney did not want to offend any group he felt that was important to him.

It is clear that blacks simply are not important to the Republican standardbearer. When it comes to blacks, when all is said and done, there is nothing said and nothing done.

(Raynard Jackson is president & CEO of Raynard Jackson & Associates, LLC., a Washington, D.C.based public relations/government affairs firm. He can be reached via www.raynardjackson.com.)

Tri-State Defender

NATION

August 16 - 22, 2012

Temple killings: a teachable moment for Sikh youth New America Media

by Viji Sundaram FREMONT, Calif. – Manat Kaur is in many ways a typical 14 year old, indistinguishable from others her age in her usual outfit of sneakers, jeans and T-shirt. But when asked, the soon-to-be high school freshman makes it a point never to hide her Sikh identity.

“Why should I? I am proud of it,” Kaur asserted, as she sat on an outdoor bench at her local Sikh temple, or gurudwara, last week, her head covered with a scarf.

Two days earlier, on August 5, Wade Michael Page, a white supremacist, allegedly walked into a Sikh temple in Oak Creek, a suburban community of Milwaukee, and randomly fired at the congregation. Six people died in the shootings and three were critically injured.

Page himself died in the rampage, reportedly from selfinflicted gunshot wounds.

The shootings reverberated from the small community of Oak Creek to the rest of the nation and beyond, including India. Rajwant Singh, chairman of the Washington, D.C.based Sikh Council on Religion and Education described the killings as “hitting the core of the community.”

In fact, Sikhs in the United States have been far too frequently targeted post 9/11, when hundreds became victims of hate crimes they say were driven by individuals mistaking them for Muslims, blamed for the 9/11 attacks that claimed upwards of 2,700 lives.

But like Manat, other youth say that while Wisconsin has once again shattered their sense of security, it has made them more determined than ever to educate the mainstream community about who they are. They say the Wisconsin tragedy, like 9/11, has become a teachable moment for them.

Simran Kaur, 32, of the national Sikh advocacy group, The Sikh Coalition, said that following 9/11, her group, as well as other Sikh organizations, fielded “thousands” of complaints from Sikhs relating to workplace discrimination, hate crimes and racial profiling, as well as reports from Sikh parents about their children being bullied in school. That, in turn, galvanized Sikh advocacy groups like hers to launch programs to educate students and teachers about what Sikhism is all about, she said.

Additionally, over the last decade, a number of Sikhs have published books about the religion and its history, and the community is trying to get schools nationwide to include in their curriculum courses on Sikhism.

“We don’t want to appear as an a-historical entity on the American landscape,” said Amandeep Singh, 29, a council member of the Sikh Student Federation.

Founded in India in the 15th century, the monotheistic religion has around 26 million followers worldwide, including around 300,000 in the United States to which they began migrating in the 19th century. As farmers, cab drivers and professionals, they have long contributed to the U.S. economy.

Baptized Sikhs are required to wear their five articles of faith – unshorn hair, a comb, a steel bangle, a sword and a special type of under garment.

They are also required to cover their hair with a turban.

In the days following 9/11, Sikhs in the United States became targets of hate crimes. In fact, just a day after the attacks, a Sikh gas station owner in Mesa, Ariz., was shot to death.

That, and other killings and threats against Sikhs, resulted in the formation of at least two U.S.-based Sikh advocacy groups, The Sikh Coalition and the Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund (SALDEF).

Following the 9/11 attack, a few Sikh men shaved off their beards and discarded their turbans in order to look less conspicuous.

“But those were Sikhs already sitting on the fence, who were already thinking of shedding their identity,” asserted Manjit Singh, a SALDEF board member.

This time, though, most Sikhs, especially younger ones, are interpreting the Wis-

While the Wisconsin mass shootings once again shattered their sense of security, many Sikh youth say it has made them more determined than ever to educate the mainstream community about who they are. They say the Wisconsin tragedy, like 9/11, has become a teachable moment for them. (Photo by Sukirat Kaur) consin killings in a “rational way, using the incident as an opportunity to empower themselves,” Singh observed.

Indeed, as 23-year-old Ragini Momi, a junior in the cinema department at San Francisco State put it: “It could happen to any community,” she said, noting: “It has brought us closer together, and because of that we feel stronger.”

And, she added: “It gives me more strength to let people

know all about us.”

And at least one youngster, moved by the outpouring of support from members of the non-Sikh community, said that if a tragedy like Wisconsin were to happen in any other community in the United States, she would be there for them.

“I would show my support,” said Sukirat Kaur, 18, at a vigil on the shores of Lake Elizabeth in Fremont, “without any hesitation.”

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BAPTIST

CONTINUED FROM FRONT

transforming the fledgling 50member congregation into an 8,000-member phenomenon.

Dr. Luter was the featured guest preacher Wednesday evening at Bellevue Baptist Church during its “Awesome Wednesday Nights in August.”

Every year, the usual Sunday night service is held on Wednesdays. It is a common practice among Southern Baptist Churches, according to Dr. Luter, with most churches sponsoring “Awesome Monday Nights in August.”

Since his election two months ago, Dr. Luter has been on a whirlwind circuit around the country, preaching and teaching in his new role as the denomination’s national president.

“We’re a church, open to all people, welcoming new members of all races, creeds, and walks of life,” he said.

“We want to be relevant as people of God, striving to make a difference through the gospel of Jesus Christ. The Southern Baptist Church is writing new chapters in its history.”

SBC & history

The SBC is the world’s largest Baptist denomination, boasting 45,000 churches with more than 16 million members.

It was founded in 1845 at a regional Baptist annual meeting.

Southern members split from northern Baptists after being restricted from sending missionaries to spread the gospel.

Slaveholding states were being penalized, and many of the southern Baptist members were slaveholders.

After the Civil War ended two decades later, AfricanAmerican congregations founded independent regional, state and national conventions.

The predominantly AfricanAmerican National Baptist Convention is the second largest Baptist convention.

As early as the 1940’s, the SBC had sought to shed its race-tinged origins. Later in the 20th century, the denomi-

NEWS

Tri-State Defender

August 16 - 22, 2012

nation reached out to new members among minority groups. Although most member churches are in the southern region, there are member churches all across the country.

In 1992, Dr. Luter became the first African American elected to the executive board of the Louisiana Baptist Convention. Three years later, the SBC issued a formal apology for slavery, Dr. Luter sitting on the commission appointed to draw up the document.

The zenith of his career was a unanimous vote, also historic, to the president’s office.

“I’m just a street kid from the Lower Ninth Ward,” said Dr. Luter, noting that he was no heir-apparent to ministry.

There were no preachers in his family tree.

“If you knew my family, you would know why there were no preachers,” he said. “My parents were divorced when I was six years old. My grandparents were divorced. There was a cycle of divorce in my family. I told the Lord that I wanted to break that cycle. I wanted to break it for my children.”

Dr. Luter and his wife, Elizabeth, have one son, 27, and a daughter, 30. His son serves as Youth and Young Adult Pastor at Franklin Avenue Church.

At Bellevue Baptist Church, the “Awesome Wednesday Nights in August” service was an opportunity to greet the new president of the Southern Baptist Convention. (Photos by Warren Roseborough)

‘Unopposed’

During last year’s annual conference, Dr. Danny Akin, president of the Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, N.Car., made it publicly known that he was nominating Dr. Luter as SBC president at this year’s annual meeting.

Dr. Luter had just won an impressive election to the organization’s second-highest office, 1st Vice President. True to his word, Dr. Akin made the nomination official this past June. He called Dr. Luter a “much-loved and much-respected pastor who can be elected on his own merits, regardless of color.”

So many aspects about the historic election have convinced Dr. Luter that “it was a God-thing.”

“Usually, there are three or

Dr. Steve Gaines, pastor of Bellevue Baptist Church.

will never forget it.”

The SBC: What’s ahead?

Elizabeth Luter, wife of SBC President Dr. Fred Luter.

four candidates for president on the ballot,” said Dr. Luter.

“But this year, no other nominations were made. I ran unopposed, and that almost never

happens. I believe it was by God’s design – the right person at the right time. I was elected right there in New Orleans, my hometown. I am so blessed. I

While there is great prestige in serving as SBC president, there is very little power associated with the post, according to Dr. Luter. The president has the authority to make appointments in the national convention, but each church operates

largely as an autonomous body.

“My office does not interfere with individual governance issues of local churches,” said Dr. Luter. “Mine is a position of influence. And that influence is exercised through the appointments I will make during my two-year term. Our governing statutes prohibit women from taking traditional leadership positions, but many Southern Baptist churches have ordained ministers serving on staff. There are even churches that have women pastors. Those kinds of decisions are made by local church bodies.”

For Dr. Luter, the highest priority now is to understand why the SBC membership numbers are dropping.

“There have been fewer new members, fewer baptisms; our numbers are down about 1 percent. I must figure out why, and began to take steps to remedy this decline,” he said.

“We as a church must become more relevant in the lives of people. People need relevant solutions to their issues – spiritual, material and physical. I believe we can offer that kind of relevance in today’s Southern Baptist church.”

BUSINESS

Tri-State Defender

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August 16 - 22, 2012

2012 Economic Development Forum has healthcare emphasis “Minority” businesses looking for growth opportunities need look no further than the healthcare industry, where – according to the U.S. Department of Labor – you will find 13 of the nation’s 20 fastest-growing jobs. And they are among the best paying jobs in the country.

That scenario helps explain the healthcare emphasis that the MidSouth Minority Business Council Continuum (MMBC) has built into the 2012 Economic Development Forum set for Aug. 27-29 at the Memphis Cook Convention

Center.

Myriad healthcare leaders will discuss the future of healthcare and the potential impact on minority economic development during the CEO/Presidents Roundtable on Aug. 29, beginning at 8:30 a.m.

Lisa Kranc, Autozone’s senior vice president for marketing, customer satisfaction, will facilitate the panel discussion. The panelists are: Gary L. Shorb, president/CEO, Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare; Stephen C. Reynolds, president/ CEO, Baptist Memorial Health Care; Reginald W.

Coopwood, MD, president/ CEO, The Regional Medical Center at Memphis; and Andrea R. Price, FACHE, president/ CEO, Mercy – Northern Region.

The forum’s overall theme is “The Continuum Begins: The Evolution Towards Market Efficiency in the Macroeconomic Environment.” Other seminars include: The Power of Diversity & Inclusion in a Changing Economy; The New Normal: Developing Staying Power – Through Solutions & Efficiencies; Emerging Markets: Capturing the $ of the New

Gary L. Shorb

Consumer; and 2GMBE: Developing a New State of Mind for Business Growth.

“Thought leaders” featured during the conference will include Dr. Leonard Greenhalgh, professor of management, Dartmouth College Tuck School of Business; Cheryl Pearson-McNeil, Nielsen’s senior

ON OUR WAY TO WEALTHY

Family Business:

Carlee McCullough, Esq.: Tell us a little bit about the Eskridges.

Reginald Eskridge: We are husband and wife law firm. I am from Memphis and a graduate of Hamilton High School, Southwest Tennessee Community College (Shelby State Community College), the University of Memphis, and Southern University Law Center.

Janelle Eskridge: I am originally from Lafayette, La., and I’m a graduate of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette and Tulane Law School.

CM: How did you become interested in the legal field?

JE: My interest began early with an interest in public service and later I developed an interest in corporate business law.

RE: I started with a music business and production background and used law to supplement my music career.

CM: What areas of law do you practice?

JE: Business, personal injury and entertainment law.

CM: Are there any challenges in working together as husband and wife?

JE: The major challenge is

Reginald W. Coopwood

Andrea R. Price

vice president for public affairs and governmental relations, NNPA columnist (including contributions to The New Tri-State Defender); and Lisa Price, the founder of Carol’s Daughter.

To register and for schedule information, visit www.mmbc-memphis.org or call 901-525-6512.

MONEY MATTERS

The ABCs of business structure

Husband & wife = Eskridge Law Firm

T h e challenges of working together as husband and wife have been conquered

by Reginald and Janelle Eskridge of Carlee the EsMcCullough k r i d g e Law Firm.

The Eskridges have successfully balanced home and work for over 20 years, providing their clients with professionalism, dedication and experience. Here they share their blueprint for success.

Stephen C. Reynolds

learning to separate work life from family life. We tend to devote more time to client matters because we talk about legal matters all hours of the day, even while on vacation. If an issue or an idea about a case strategy comes up, we tend to discuss the issues involved, always trying to find the best solution for our clients. We really never stop thinking about legal matters.

CM: Who has been your inspiration as lawyers?

RE & JE: While there are countless persons who have inspired us, too many to name, some include the many civil rights leaders who paved the way for us to obtain an education, those who opened doors that were previously closed to people of color. In the legal community, so many attorneys paved the way, like Chancellor Walter Evans, Judge John Donald and Judge Russell Sugarman, and the late Benjamin Hooks, just to name a few.

In addition, Mayor (AC Wharton Jr.) and Mrs. Ruby Wharton, who as a husband and wife, maintained a successful law firm for many years and who have spent time to mentor to us and continue to inspire us as the firm continues with its rich legacy that includes second generation Whartons. Clive Davis, a renowned entertainment lawyer and music executive is also an inspiration.

Finally, our clients inspire us and drive us to be the best that we can be, challenging us to find solutions for the problems and situations they face.

Helping a client launch a new business is exciting, in that we can not only help that client fulfill their dream, we can also watch the new business grow and develop and hopefully

provide opportunities for their communities.

CM: Is now the best time to become an entrepreneur or launch a law firm?

JE: “Now” is always the best time to follow your passion. Failure to do so can tend to crush the spirit. However, plan, plan, plan to see what you are going to need to be successful in launching your firm or business venture. Be sure to get your plans in place before you start. We’ve all heard the adage, “A failure to plan is a plan to fail.”

CM: Any closing remarks?

JE & RE: We want to thank you and the Tri-State Defender and (president/ publisher) Mr. Bernal E. Smith II, publicly, as we have expressed to you privately, that your column is so important in that you speak to perspective business entrepreneurs and bring them the ideas and procedures to get started in business, in addition to inspiring them to pursue their dream by viewing the success of others you highlight in your weekly articles.

The minority community for too long has depended on others for jobs and their welfare and in some ways they are missing out on that part of America that understands that America is “in business.”

Small business is the engine that runs our country. A man that knows how to fish will never be poor and he can in turn help others learn to fish.

Thank you again for your inspiration.

(For additional information about the Eskridge & Eskridge Law Firm please visit www.eskridgefirm.com.)

(For more information, visit www.fathersonautobody.com.)

A small business can adopt a number of business structures for tax and legal purposes. Each has its own advantages and disadvantages.

Sole proprietorships, partnerships, and limited liability companies (LLCs) are fairly basic forms of ownership, whereas corporations are significantly more complex.

There are two primary types of corporations in the United States. C and S corporations may provide broader legal protections, but usually must meet more demanding legal requirements. Some states also recognize benefit corporations, a new legal structure that tends to appeal to “social entrepreneurs.”

A corporation is a separate legal entity from its owners, a distinction that explains why shareholders generally cannot be held liable for a corporation’s debts.

Tried and true

Introduced in 1958, S corporations were originally intended to offer tax relief to small, privately held companies. S corps share many of the formal corporate requirements as C corps, including articles of incorporation (and

o t h e r document filings), a board of directors, an annual meeting, corporate minutes, a n d shareholder Charles Sims Jr.,CFP votes on major decisions. S corps are limited to one class of stock and a total of 100 shareholders.

The primary difference between C and S corporations has to do with taxation. C corps may be subject to corporate income tax at both the federal and state levels, and any earnings distributed to shareholders as dividends are taxed again at personal income tax rates. S corp profits and losses are “passed through” to shareholders, who are taxed at individual income tax rates. Both types of businesses must file annual tax returns.

Idealistic newcomer

Seven states have passed benefit corporation laws in

the last two years, and at least four others are considering them. Normally, corporations are legally required to act in such a way as to ensure the greatest profitability for shareholders, which can result in legal or ethical challenges for some socially conscious firms. A benefit corporation’s status may compel the board of directors to consider the social and/or environmental implications of some decisions.

When choosing an ownership structure for your new or growing business, it’s important to weigh the potential costs and benefits of the various options and consult with your tax or legal professionals. Your firm’s unique needs and characteristics may also influence your decision.

(Charles Sims Jr. is President/ CEO of The Sims Financial Group. Contact him at 901-682-2410 or visit www.SimsFinancialGroup.co m. The information in this article is not intended to be tax or legal advice, and it may not be relied on for the purpose of avoiding any federal tax penalties. You are encouraged to seek tax or legal advice from an independent professional advisor.)

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August 16 - 22, 2012

Tri-State Defender

COMMUNITY

Tri-State Defender

Page 9

August 16 - 22, 2012

In Memphis, Allison Leslie sees a place for ‘Aspire’ Special to The New Tri-State Defender

Allison Leslie is new to Memphis. In neighborhoods that will house schools assigned to the still evolving Achievement School District, her name tends not to register – yet.

Leslie has been tapped as the executive director of the Aspire Public Schools Memphis region. She is a 12-year veteran of Aspire Public Schools (APS), which the Achievement School District (ASD) has embraced to manage select schools in the Memphis market beginning in August 2013.

Allison Leslie

Since the June announcement that the Californiabased APS would extend into Memphis, Leslie has been sowing seeds that she projects

will yield success.

“I am currently building a team of professionals to work with me to learn as much as we can about the needs of the

families and children in Memphis,” said Leslie, a San Francisco native, who graduated from the University of California San Diego with degrees in Spanish, literature and writing. “We will also spend the majority of our time this year building relationships and sharing with the community what makes Aspire unique.”

Through partnership with the Achievement School District, Aspire will open and operate 10 public charter schools, the first schools Aspire will oversee outside of California.

In the Achievement School District, it has a partner charged with helping Ten-

nessee schools in the bottom five per cent of student achievement move up to the top 25 percent in five years.

Aspire operates 34 charters schools in California. In those schools, 85 percent of the students are African-American and Hispanic and 80 percent low-income. In 2010, 2011, and 2012, 100 percent of Aspire graduating seniors earned acceptance to a four-year college or university.

“We have assumed responsibility for a school before – a school that wasn’t performing,” Leslie said. “We have also opened schools where the students who were zoned to

that school are the students who are eligible to attend rather than having an open enrollment approach….This process we’re going through this fall is new for us.”

During her Aspire tenure, Leslie has served as lead teacher, principal, instructional coach and director. Under her leadership as principal of an Aspire Public School in California, the school’s English Language Arts scores grew from 38 percent proficient to 56 percent; and Math grew from 67 percent to 80 percent.

“I selected Allison to lead our expansion to Memphis be-

cause we needed someone who could take the core components of our current successful model, and tailor it to the needs of the Memphis community,” said James Willcox, CEO of Aspire Public Schools. “Alli has the experience required to effectively build the Memphis program and ensure each of our students has access to a high quality public education that prepares them for college.”

(For more information, visit www.apsirepublicschools.org or call 901-205-9443 or email m e m p h i s @ aspirepublicschools.org.)

BRIEFS & THINGS

Empowerment for area women is a conference away

VeMaShe’ Enterprises and Ordinary People Magazine will host the 2012 Women’s Empowerment Conference…

Empowering Lives! Empowering Dreams! Empowering Good Health!

The two-day conference is set for Aug. 24-25 at Holy Nation Church of Memphis, 3333 Old Brownsville Rd. in Bartlett. A meet-greet session will be from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Aug. 24, with the conference from 8 a.m. to noon on Aug. 25.

Designed to empower women in all aspects of their lives, the topics and speakers include: Thinking Out of the Box – Peggie Russell; From the Trunk to Entrepreneurship – Nicole Gates; Professional Office Etiquette – Bernita Killebrew; Health and Wellness – Sheila Easterling-Smith; Home Ownership – Laura Edmonson; Social Media-Pros and Cons –Yolonda Spinks; and Conquering Your Fears – Lamantra Cox. Registration is $25 and includes a box lunch. Register online at: http://opmwomen empowermentconference. eventbrite.com/

Workshop set on Social Security disability process

A free workshop titled “Social Security Disability: The Application and Appeals Process” will be held from 2:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Sept. 16 at the Benjamin L. Hooks Central Library, 3030 Poplar Ave. The speaker will be C. Greg Cates, Ed.D, chief operating officer of Advanced Case Development (ACD). ACD helps individuals with disabilities navigate through the Social Security disability process. Cates’ experience includes providing evaluations and testimony for the Social Security Administration for more than 25 years.

Reserve up to four free seats to attend the event on Eventbrite at http://dimansinceac2.eventbrite.com/.

For more information, call DI’MANS, Inc. at 901-396-6300.

Educators’ Night Out

A select group of educators and one educational program will be spotlighted during Educators Night Out at the Memphis Sounds lounge, 22 N. Third St., on Tuesday (Aug. 21) from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.

The education salute is sponsored by Businesses United to Recognize Educators and is held every third Tuesday of each month The August honors go to Denise Kelly, Sharpe Elementary School; Stan Bell, Wooddale High; Meryl Isabel, auxiliary staff; Margaret McKissick, Avon Lenox High; the STEM program and John P. Freeman Optional School; and William H. Sweet.

Admission is free, with $2 parking available.

BRIEFLY: The UniverSoul Circus 2012 production entitled “US” – featuring Shaolin Kung Fu acrobats from China, bone-breaking contortionists with hop-hop flair from Guinea, and hilarious acrobatic comedy from South Africa – will perform from Aug. 28 thru Sept. 3 at Hickory Ridge Mall. Tickets are available via www.ticketmaster.com or by calling 1-800-745-3000.

BRIEFLY: The College of Medicine at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC) will welcome students, family and friends at its annual White Coat Ceremony, symbolizing the students’ entrance into clinical practice. The ceremony is FROM 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Friday (Aug. 17) at Mississippi Boulevard Christian Church, 70 North Bellevue.

BRIEFLY: Students, parents and community members are invited to join the Chimneyrock Parent Teacher Association (PTA) for its Community Interest Night from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at Chimneyrock Elementary School, 8601 Chimneyrock Blvd. in Cordova. The event is an opportunity to connect parents with various organizations in the Chimneyrock community. For more information, contact Jess Wellington, Chimneyrock PTA President, at 901-405-1301.

Meet Kenneth T. Whalum IV...

Dr. Kenneth T. Whalum Jr. (right), pastor of The New Olivet Baptist Church, christened his first grandson, “The IV,” during last Sunday morningʼs service. The six-month-old is being held by his mother, Crystal Whalum, as his dad, Kenneth T. Whalum III (second from right), looks on. “Itʼs not very often a baby is dedicated in the same pulpit where his granddaddy pastors and his great-granddaddy pastored. Please just let me enjoy this moment,” said Dr. Whalum. (Photo

by Stroudmark Photography)

The Rogersʼ house before the home-makeover

The Rogersʼ house after the home-makeover

Family’s need, faith and candor yield home-makeover support

by Bernadette Shinault-Davis

Special to The New Tri-State Defender

Kenneth and Yolanda Rogers joined Believers Unite! Worldwide Church eight months ago. She had no job, he didn’t make enough to support his wife and three children and the family desperately needed a place to call home.

Yolanda Rogers said she decided to face life’s challenges head on and chose to share her family’s story during a Sunday service.

“I was not ashamed of our testimony and I stepped out on faith,” she said.

“God has strengthened us through our struggles, God won’t put on you more than you can bear,” said Kenneth Rogers, reflecting on his personal struggles with a suicide attempt, drugs, depression and infidelity. “We stayed faithful even through my addictions (and) I never left the church.”

The Rev. Andrews R. Smith, pastor of Believers Unite! Worldwide Church, chose the next Sunday to tell his congregation of a plan to help the Rogers family.

“Yolanda and Kenneth have felonies. I knew it would be hard for them to finds jobs and a place to stay. Nobody really wants to rent to you or hire you when you are a felon,” Smith said.

“Kenneth had a warrant out for his arrest for child support issues. I told him to turn himself in, which he did,” said Smith. “I told him he could not move forward with his past hanging around. He must make a new start. Kenneth wanted a better life for his family. He walked up to a police officer and turned himself in. That was courage to me. He is now one of the ministers in our church and is our outreach leader.”

The church – along with the help of the community – found Yolanda Rogers a job and located a house for the family.

“When believers come together so much can happen,” said Smith. “Our community is invincible when we pool our resources and work together.”

Kenneth Rogers, whose wages now have been increased, said the congregation made him feel wel-

Mark Goodfellow, owner of Itʼs All Good Auto Sales, gifted the Rogersʼ with a car as part of the familyʼs makeover. Pictured (lr): Kenneth Rogers, Yolanda Rogers, Jeremiah Rogers (7), Goodfellow, Diamond Rogers (17) and Dominique Summerall (21). comed and loved. Smith, he said, is “a doer.”

Grateful for the roof overhead and anchored by faith, Kenneth and Yolanda Rogers moved forward, fortified with the belief that the Andrews R. future might acSmith tually lead to them having furniture of their own one day.

“We have never had our own furniture, we used to rent furniture,” said Yolanda Rogers. “We continued to believe and waited on God.” During a recent visit to the Rogers’ home, Smith noticed the house was barely furnished.

“They were sleeping on the floor, had no refrigerator and no stove,” said Smith. “I went to God after visiting the family and knew what God wanted us to do. So my wife and I put a plan into place.”

The plan included assigning rooms in the Rogers house to be furnished by church members.

“This is what the body of Christ is supposed to do,” Smith said. “It’s part of our church’s Operation A.C.T.S. project (taken from the Book of Acts, 4:32-35). “We not only want to help our church family,

we want to help anyone in need.”

Sarah Watson, one of the church’s members, said Yolanda Rogers’ testimony touched her.

“I told pastor Smith I wanted to help but I had other financial obligations and little to contribute,” said Watson, who was reminded that, “If you don’t have money to give, give from your heart, encourage them, and give out of yourself.”

Watson took on the responsibility of furnishing the Rogers’ dining room and kitchen, drawing upon her family experiences for inspiration. Both of her parents were hearing impaired. Despite the challenges, her father continued to work and help in the community.

“We are going all out like it is a new home,” she said of the effort to aid the Rogers family. “I am treating it like my home.”

On July 28, the Rogers’ home was fully furnished with donations from Believers Unite! Worldwide Church and local businesses in the community.

“I thank God for my church family, pastor and church members….God is truly good,” said Yolanda Rogers as she stood next to the family’s new car donated by Mark Goodfellow.

“We are here to be a blessing,” said Smith. “That is what Operation A.C.T.S is all about. We are ready to do it again.”

Time to celebrate 75 years at St. Augustine Catholic Church St. Augustine Catholic Church, 1169 Kerr, will celebrate its 75th anniversary Friday, Aug. 24 through Sunday, Aug. 26.

The parish, whose congregation is predominantly African American, celebrated its first Mass in a building at 903 Walker Ave. on Aug.28, 1937.

Representatives of the Catholic nuns order of the Blessed Virgin Mary, who taught at the parish’s elementary and high schools, and former Franciscan and Paulists priests who served the parish will participate.

A special Mass will be said at 9 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 25.

The Mass will be concelebrated by the former priests, Monsignor Albert Kirk and current pastor Father Tony Clark with the Homily by former pastor Father Frank Coens. Following the Mass, a state historical marker commemorating the parish’s founding will be unveiled at 10 a.m. outside the

church and current St. Augustine Jubilee School.

U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen, Shelby County Mayor Mark H. Luttrell Jr. and Memphis Mayor AC Wharton Jr. will be among the special guests for he unveiling, which will be followed by the parish’s annual community festival from 10:30 a.m. to 3

p.m. The festival will include a donation of children’s books to St. Augustine School and the distribution of free school supplies to the school and neighborhood children.

Another special Mass commemorating the 75th anniversary will be said at 10 a.m. Sunday, Aug. 26,

which will be followed by a 75th anniversary luncheon beginning at 1 p.m. at the Holiday Inn-University of Memphis, 3700 Central.

(For more information, contact Freda Martin at 756-4820 or e-mail: freda1908@bellsouth.net.)

RELIGION

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Tri-State Defender

August 16 - 22, 2012

LIVING THE LIFE I LOVE

Embrace the overflow and go with what you know

Dear Lucy: I have tried everything I know to lose weight. Diet, exercise, books, you name it. Why is it so hard? I find myself looking at other women and even men in comparison. I have gotten to where I am happy just to see someone bigger than me. I feel ashamed of my thinking and because I can’t get the weight off. I used to have an hourglass figure and now I look like a big plastic tumbler!

– QB

Dear QB: This is such a worn out conversation. It’s in our face at the grocery checkout, every talk show, every few Google ads, every doctor visit...it’s just everywhere.

If you will notice, every major change in the world today is about the need to shift our thinking. We seem to have come to a place where we are being asked to equalize, to find a new balance; a balance between having what we need and having enough. Is that not what the global economic crisis is all about?

So this shift is showing up, screaming at us from every quarter. What is the shift really about? To me, it is about humanity taking on a new way of thinking, being and doing.

We are being Lucy challenged to Shaw learn how to live out of the overflow in a spirit of love.

Look around you, there is an overflow of money, food, fat, churches and schools. At the same time there is an overflow of poverty, anger, jealousy and fear. It’s the imbalance that makes us afraid and unable to live out of the overflow in a positive way.

We get so distracted on the side of what we cannot do that we forget about what we do know how to do, what we do know how to be and what we already have.

I have been trying to lose 10 pounds for one whole year. Just 10 pounds! I have watched my weight shift, my body change, a different Lucy forming. I was watching a movie recently about a group of middle-aged couples and noticed that they all looked like me. They all had problems: physical, mental, emotional, relationship and marriage problems, spiritual problems.

Like most movies, there was a moral to the story and a pretty good ending. But something in me snapped relative to all that I have put myself through over 10 pounds. I don’t know how much you want or maybe even think you need to lose. But suddenly, I knew that was not the point. I realized that this thing had become a threat to my ability to love myself.

Jesus tells us to love ourselves so that we can love our neighbor. Paul tells us to avoid comparing ourselves among ourselves. I had become so self critical over my inability to lose the weight that I forgot how grateful

I am for this awesome garment that my Soul made to cover itself.

It is such an awesome garment!

My arms are bigger, but I can still reach out and embrace life, my face is fuller and so I have more to smile with. My torso is wider and I have more to stretch with. My real obligation is to love, care for and cherish my Soul’s garment. It serves me well and I will continue to serve it well with adequate exercise, thoughtful and responsible eating and guilt-free praise of it.

As I live in the overflow of a body grown a bit bigger with the prosperity of regular meals, I can consciously miss a few meals every now and then. I can sit down to a meal knowing that I am already full to overflowing and eat in moderation without guilt or fear that my food will harm me. I can trust that I am indeed fearfully and wonderfully made and be joyful and privileged to cooperate with Grace.

Relax, QB. Reclaim your balance.

Let go of the stress of not being

enough. Live in the overflow of Grace. Begin each day, looking in a full-length mirror talking sweetly to yourself with words that reaffirm how much you love yourself and how grateful you are for such a wonderful garment to cover the great soul that you are. Do this faithfully for 14 days and see how your attitude begins to shift. Do it for 100 days and watch your weight stabilize! I am doing it with you.

Lovingly, 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.)

RELIGION BRIEFS

Choir reunion extravaganza at Mt. Vernon-Westwood

The Millennium Choir of Mt. Vernon Baptist ChurchWestwood will celebrate Annual Choir Emphasis Month and present a choir reunion musical extravaganza beginning at 3 p.m. Sunday (Aug. 19) at the church at 620 Parkrose Ave. All former choir members are invited to participate in the extravaganza. The focus will be “Lifting Up the Name of Jesus.”

The Rev. Dr. James L. Netters, is the host pastor, along with the co-pastor, the Rev. Melvin D. Watkins.

Mance Aytchan is the minister of music.

For more information, call the church office at 901785-1612; or email dove@mt-vernon.org.

Millington’s Mt. Sinai MBC to host revival

Holy Ghost Revival Weekend will be observed Aug. 24-26 at Mt. Sinai Missionary Baptist Church at 4097 Lucy Rd. in Millington.

The guest speaker will be Dr. Chima Nnorom, associate minister of Zion Hill Christian Fellowship Church in New Iberia, La. The themes he will explore include these questions: What did Jesus Christ say about the Holy Spirit? Is He real today?

The services on Aug. 24-25 begin at 6:30 p.m., with Sunday, Aug. 26 service to begin at 11:15 a.m.

The host pastor is Elder Joe Johnson. For more information call 901-872-0711.

BRIEFLY: Greater Middle Baptist Church presents the Male Chorus Anniversary Concert on Aug. 25 at 7 p.m. in the church at 4982 Knight Arnold Road (Knight Arnold and Clearbrook). It will be the 35th anniversary of the Male Chorus and the evening’s program will feature a broad range of music from standards to contemporary gospel. The artistic director is Savoyd Beard, who has played in the White House Band for several presidents, with world renowned musicians and with many churches in the region. He has also released CDs entitled “Back to My Roots” and “Jazz to Jesus.”

BRIEFLY: Pastor Elliot R. Shelton Sr. and the Promise Land Church will celebrate 102 years of service on Sunday (Aug. 19) at 10 a.m. Promise Land Church is located at 3430 Overton Crossing.

BRIEFLY: Success-N-Life Ministries – and Apostle Cedric Canada and Lady Janise Canada – will host the “One Day Conference” beginning at 10 a.m. Aug. 26 at the Wingate Hotel, 2270 N. Germantown Parkway in Cordova. The special guest evangelist is Darrian Hill.

BRIEFLY: “Rock for Love 6,” the sixth-annual Church Health Center benefit concert, is set for Sept. 69 at the Hi-Tone, Overton Square and the Levitt Shell.

Bands set to perform include Booker T. Jones, Larry Raspberry and the High Steppers, with members of the original Gentry’s, Star & Micey and more. For more information, visit ChurchHealthCenter.org/ RockforLove.a

Biblical studies…

Dr. Samuel Turner Jr., president of the Brewster Theological Clinic and School of Religion, and his wife, Elder Sharon Turner, with the 2012 graduates. Commencement exercises were held Aug. 12 at St. John Baptist Church, 1656 Pendleton Ave., where the Rev. Dr. James Delaney is the pastor. (Photo by Tyrone P. Easley)

PRAISE CONNECT -A WEEKLY DIRECTORY OF MINISTERS & CHURCHES-

A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.

—John 13:34

METROPOLITAN BAPTIST CHURCH

767 Walker Avenue Memphis, TN 38126

ASSOCIATE MINISTERS

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

Dr. Reginald L. Porter Sr., Pastor

901-946-4095 fax 948-8311

(901) 948-3441

Early Morning..........7:45 AM Church School..........9:45 AM Morning Worship......11:00 AM

Rev. Davena Young Porter Rev. Linda A Paige Rev. Luecretia Matthews

Bible Study For Youth and Adults Tuesday - 7:00 PM “Spirit, Soul, and Body!”

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

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

TV Cable Access Broadcast Tuesdays, 7:30 PM, Channel 17 Website:www.saintandrewamec.org

Dr. & Rev. Mrs. Reginald Porter

THE BLVD Ea s t 6745 Wol f Ri v e r B oule v a r d @ Ki r by Pa r k wa y ( i n t he Cl a rk Ope r a Me mphi s Ce nte r ) Me mp h i s T N 3 8 1 2 0

Dr. Frank A. Thomas Senior Servant

“Ministering to Memphis-Spirit, Soul and Body”

TEMPLE CHURCH OF GOD IN CHRIST

672 So. Lauderdale 38126 P.O. Box 314 Memphis, Tn 38101 Phone (General) 774-1572 Pastor: 775-0740 Secretary: 775-1909

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

WEEKLY SERVICES

Sunday Sunday School 9:00 a.m.

Morning Worship 10:30 a.m.

Night YPWW 5:00 p.m.

Night Service 6:00 p.m.

Tuesday Night Prayer 6:00 p.m.

Bible Study 7:15 p.m.

Wednesday Choir Rehearsal 7:00 p.m.

Friday Morning Prayer 9:00 a.m.

Night Service 7:30 p.m.

BROADCASTS 9:30 a.m. Sunday WDIA - 1070 AM

No Telecast Service

— Proverbs 1:7

Dr. David Allen Hall Pastor

“The Founder’s Church”

First Pastor: Senior Bishop C.H. Mason

To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven.

—Ecclesiastes 3:1

Greenwood Christian Methodist Episcopal Church 3311 Kimball Ave. Memphis, TN 38111 (901) 744-7531 (901) 744-7664

Worship Services Sunday Sunday School Worship Service

Clarence Kelby Heath Wednesday Pastor

Noon - 1 p.m.

6:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.

Child Care Center (901) 948-6441 Monday-Friday 6 AM- 5:30 PM Emergency Food Pantry Rev. Kenneth S. Robinson, Pastor & Clothes Closet Rev. Marilynn S. Robinson, Co-Pastor Wednesday 6 PM-8 PM

9 a.m.

10:30 a.m.

I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.

—Revelation 1:8

Tri-State Defender

RELIGION

August 16 - 22, 2012

Pat Brunson-Ware sings a farewell tribute to her son, Bertram Lenard Brunson, during services at Christ Missionary Baptist Church. (Photo by Tyrone P. Easley)

Legacy: Bertram Lenard Brunson Pat Brunson-Ware said goodbye to her son – Bertram Lenard Brunson – last Saturday (Aug. 11), singing a song in which the words “have a good time” seemed to be amplified.

For Brunson-Ware, the years have yielded some tough times since her son was maimed and critically injured (September, 1991) while in the custody of the Shelby County Sheriff’s department. Mr. Brunson was 22 when he was hog-tied and beaten, living for over 20 years in a coma. He died Aug. 2.

In 1994, a civil rights violation lawsuit was won on the behalf of Mr. Brunson, who suffered anoxic brain damage from the excessive force. For 17 years, Shelia Diane Jeffries, his “second mom,” was his private-duty sitter. She affectionately called him “Bobby.”

A mother’s memory

“Every since the age of three you have always wanted to be a man for me and just as you turned twenty-one I was sure that your man-life had just begun,” Brunson-Ware wrote in the homegoing program. “But 40 days into twentytwo, oh my God what did ‘they’ do to you.”

She recalled the “wonderful little boy” who fell in love with the kindergarten teacher at Prospect Elementary school, broke his arm playing little league football, set track records in Shelby Youth Sports, and kept a sketch pad handy.

Mr. Brunson graduated from Hamilton High School in 1987, and his mother noted how proud she was to see him take “the walk.” He received higher education at The LeMoyne Owen College and State Technical Institute (now part of Southwest Tennessee Community

College). He worked for the Racquet Club and as a skycap at Memphis International Airport.

The decision to seek nursing home care for Mr. Brunson was a difficult one for Brunson-Ware, who wanted to carry for him herself. She candidly shared her worry in the written program, describBertram ing the feelings of guilt.

Lenard “But even now I recall Brunson the words of Lois Jean Streeter telling me, ‘…don’t let anyone make you feel guilty about placing Bert in a nursing home, you do what’s best for your child.’ I believe I did.”

The hardest thing, however, was saying goodbye, Brunson-Ware wrote.

“I thank God for allowing us this time together.”

He leaves his parents Patricia Brunson-Ware (Lionel) and John L. Brunson (Diane); three sisters, Shavetres Beamer, Ashley Mays and Tierrani Brunson; grandparents, the Rev. Angus Brunson Sr. and Jo Willie Brunson, Annie Mae Hill, Sylvester and Georgia Powell; his uncles, Angus Brunson Jr. (Ann) and Morris Brown, an aunt, Gloria Brunson-Barber.

The homegoing celebration was held at Christ Missionary Baptist Church, 480 South Parkway East, where the eulogy was delivered by the Rev. Gina M. Stewart, the host pastor.

Harrison’s Funeral Home, Inc., Orange Mound Chapel, had charge, with burial in Elmwood Cemetery.

Page 11

ENTERTAINMENT Tri-State Defender, Thursday, August 16 - 22, 2012, Page 12

WHAT’S HAPPENING MEMPHIS? Author-driven literacy festival gets Sept. debut

Multi-award winning Christian fiction author, Shelia E. Lipsey, has taken a giant leap of faith in an effort to help people from all walks of life focus on the importance of literacy by creating the Black Writers And Book Clubs (BWABC) Literacy Festival to be held Sept. 14-15 on the campus of The LeMoyne Owen College (LOC).

“The mission of the festival is to provide encouragement, support, and information to anyone desiring to learn more about the wonderful world of reading along with the gift to write stories that inspire others to read,” said Lipsey.

The BWABC Literacy Festival has partnered with Literacy Mid-South and LOC LeMoyne Owen College to bring the event to Memphis.

“As a writer, author, mother, and grandmother, literacy is extremely important to me. It is such a passion that I wanted to do something in the city of Memphis to help bring this important issue to the forefront.”

Local elementary and high schools are encouraged to contribute essays about the importance of literacy. Participating students will be eligible to win prizes from a Kindle e-Reader to a basket of books.

The 2012 BWABC Literacy Festival include writing workshops, and a literacy forum hosted by Literacy MidSouth and the Benjamin Hooks Library. There also will be book signings, author panels, and the opportunity to network with publishing professionals and authors.

For more information, call 901672-2653 or email bwabc1@ gmail.com. The website is www. bwabcliteracyfestival.com.

Find BWABC on Facebook at www.facebook.com/bwabc; or follow via www.twitter.com/bwabclitfest.

Hattiloo & ‘The Classics’

George and Martha’s relationship is defined by drunken verbal abuse.

One evening, Martha invites a young couple for a nightcap. As the night progresses, the young couple gets caught up in George and Martha’s need to hurt each other.

That’s the storyline to Edward Albee’s classic, “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf,’ which will open at the Hattiloo Theatre on Aug. 30 and run through Sept. 16 under the direction of Kristi Steele.

In association with the play, Hattiloo also will be the venue for a free panel discussion titled “The Classics & The Black Community” from noon to 2 p.m. on Sat., Aug. 25. The Hattiloo is located at 652 Marshall Ave. Show times for the play are 7:30 p.m. on Thursdays through Saturdays and 3 p.m. on Sundays. Ticket prices range from $10 to $25. A pay-what-you-can performance is set for Aug. 29 at 7 p.m.

Box office hours are 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. For tickets, call 901-525-0009.

For more information, visit Hattilootheatre.org.

Memphis Music & Heritage Festival

Queen of the Blues Denise La Salle – known by many as the “Queen of the Blues – will headline the Center for Southern Folklore’s Memphis Music & Heritage Festival, which is set for Labor Day Weekend.

The annual two-day event will feature over one hundred performances by regional music makers, artists, cooks, dancers and talkers. And it’s all free.

La Salle will appear along with Joyce Cobb, Kate Campbell, Star & Micey, Darrell Petties and SIP, Billy Gibson, Danza Azteca de Memphis, Los Cantadores, Marcela Pinilla, Sonny Burgess and the Pacers, J. M. Van Eaton and many more.

The festival will unfold downtown on Main Street from Peabody Place to Union Ave. It will run from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Sept. 1 and from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Sept. 2.

Founded in 1972, the Center for Southern Folklore is a cultural organization documenting and celebrating the music and traditions of Memphis and the Mid South. This is the 26th Memphis Music & Heritage Festival that the Center has produced.

For more information, call 901215-4439.

BRIEFLY: Music superstar Candi Staton and The New Olivet Sanctuary Choir will team up to remake the soul-stirring hit “You Got The Love.”

All are invited to attend a live taping of the song’s video this Sunday (Aug. 19) at The New Olivet Baptist Church, 3084 Southern Ave. R&B/pop balladeer Peabo Bryson will perform. Admission is free.

Doors open at 5:30 p.m., with the taping to begin at 6 p.m.

NOTE: TSD columnist Myron Mays is taking a break. His column – “What’s Happening Myron?” – returns with next week’s edition

Harold Melvinʼs Blue Notes – (l-r) Rufus Thorne Jr., John Morris, Donnell Gillespie and Anthony Brooks – have an Aug. 25 concert date at Minglewood Hall during the annual UNCF (United Negro College Fund) Black Tie Gala. (Courtesy photo)

Blue Notes step on with Melvin’s legacy Special to The New Tri-State Defender

by Jeremiah Short

When Harold Melvin and The Blue Notes’ founder, Harold Melvin, died in 1997, many thought it was the end of the legendary group. They were mistaken. The group pressed on with the remaining members: Donnell “Big Daddy” Gillespie, Anthony “Tony” Brooks, Rufus “Fuss” Thorne, and John Morris.

After Melvin’s passing, the ensemble reorganized, renaming the group Harold Melvin’s Blue Notes. On tour, Harold Melvin’s Blue Notes continued to perform trademark hits such as: “Wake Up Everybody,” “If You Don’t Know Me By Now” and “The Love I Lost.” McFadden and Whitehead – and not Gamble and Huffs as many have long believed – wrote the majority of those hits.

The Blue Notes have capitalized on a market that still craves live, soulful and original music. One of their next stops will be in Memphis for “Hank Aaron Celebrity Sports Weekend,” which is slated for Aug. 24, 25

and 27.

The Aug. 25 performance at Minglewood Hall in Midtown will take place during the annual “UNCF (United Negro College Fund) Black Tie Gala,” which gets underway at 6 p.m. All the proceeds from the gathering go to the UNCF and The Lemoyne-Owen College, an HBCU (Historically Black College and University).

For Blue Notes singer Tony Brooks, who attended an HBCU (Tennessee State University, 1969-1970), the event has extra meaning, in part because of his fondness for Hank Aaron.

“Hank Aaron…was a great athlete…(and) he was good person,” said Brooks. “You find some athletes today that don’t care about people. They are great athletes…but they don’t have any social consciousness.

It’s been diluted by the fact that they make so much and are being put in a different class.”

The Blue Notes have always prided themselves on being socially conscious, coming from an era where those with a voice were expected to care about important issues.

“We were militant.…We wanted change

and we wanted it now. That’s why we wore our Afros out,” Brooks said about the mentality of entertainers during his era.

“When I started out there were certain places we couldn’t go to and there were certain venues we couldn’t play in. Actually, when we started there were schools we couldn’t go to…that is why I went to Tennessee State.”

Although the Blue Notes no longer have Melvin, there is a living connection. His widow, Ovelia Melvin, and daughter, Trudy Melvin, are co-managers of the quartet. The younger Melvin loves working with the group because she feels it keeps her close to her father.

“It’s ecstatic! That’s why I like traveling with the group so much. I like the feedback I get when they find out I’m his daughter.

It’s like having him here with me, even though I know he’s not here,” said Melvin, explaining what it feels like helping carry on her father’s legacy.

“I know he’s very proud of me and also them for carrying on the name and keeping the group working.”

Brooks said he feels the former lead singer still with him on the stage.

“He’s still around….I can still feel him kicking me in the leg, telling me to step right,” said Brooks with a slight chuckle.

In a music culture that often seems to celebrate artists more for their Twitter and reality show exploits, Harold Melvin’s Blue Notes have stayed relevant the old fashion way – by performing and letting their talent do the talking.

Stax Museum to commemorate Wattstax 40th Anniversary with panel discussion Special to The New Tri-State Defender

On Aug. 20, 1972, something happened in Los Angeles that remains unmatched in American history. More than 112,000 African Americans gathered in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum for a seven-hour concert that became a cultural phenomena known as Wattstax, hosted by Stax Records.

Now, 40 years later, on August 20, the Stax Museum of American Soul Music is commemorating the event’s 40th anniversary by presenting “Conversations With: Wattstax 40th Anniversary Discussion.” The special panel discussion and Q&A session will feature some of the musical artists, behind-the-scene planners and audience members who were there on that day.

The event is open to the public and takes place from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Admission is $5 for Stax Museum members, $10 non-members and includes refreshments. Participants will include William Bell, members of The Temprees and the Soul Children, Stax Records publicity director and former Soulsville Foundation CEO Deanie Parker, Deborah Manning (who will sing “Lift Every Voice and Sing”), musical director Lester Snell, Lee Sain, Wattstax organizer and former Stax Records owner Al Bell. The panel will be moderated by Memphis radio personality Henry Nelson.

The date also marks what would have been the 70th birthday of the concert’s star, Isaac Hayes, and that will be acknowledged.

Wattstax was an event of soul music and soul solidarity – a peaceful and vivid celebration of self-expression and self-respect, with a positive and empowering message for a community trying to rebuild itself after an era of a mass rebellion that took place in 1965. At the time, it was the second largest gathering of African-Americans in history, second only to the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.-led March on Washington in 1963.

“This was one of the most significant cultural events of the 20th century,” said Stax Museum spokesman Tim Sampson. “As far as we know, this panel discussion is one of the few, if not only, events in the country to commemorate this anniversary. The Stax Museum is proud to be able

The Bar-Kays do their thing at the legendary Wattstax concert in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on Aug. 20, 1972. (Courtesy photos)

Former Stax Record owner Al Bell (right) on stage at Wattstax with the Rev. Jesse Jackson.

to mark this day in history.”

Earlier this year in conjunction with the anniversary, the Stax Museum opened a special exhibit of large-format photographs and other memorabilia from the concert. It remains on display through April 15, 2013. The museum co-sponsored a screening of the documentary, “Wattstax: The Living Word” at the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art. And the Stax Music Academy’s month-long Summer Music Experience focused on Wattstax, culminating in reenactment concerts in Memphis, Boston and Westport, Conn.

(For more information, contact Tim Sampson, 901-485-8735 or tim.sampson@ soulsvillefoundation.org, or visit www.staxmuseum.com.)

ENTERTAINMENT

Tri-State Defender

Page 13

August 16 - 22, 2012

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 August 17, 2012

BIG BUDGET FILMS

“The Expendables” (R for pervasive graphic violence) Bombastic beefcake sequel features a reunion of the crack team of mercenaries for a death-defying adventure to avenge the murder of one of their own at the hands of a bloodthirsty rival (Jean-Claude Van Damme). Matinee idol ensemble includes Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bruce Willis, Jason Statham, Chuck Norris, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, Terry Crews, Liam Hemsworth and Yu Nan.

“The Odd Life of Timothy Green” (PG for mature themes and mild epithets) Fanciful fairytale about a young boy (CJ Adams) who miraculously sprouts out of the ground in the garden of a childless couple (Joel Edgerton and Jennifer Garner) desperate for a baby. With Rosemarie DeWitt, Odeya Rush, Dianne Wiest, David Morse, Ron Livingston and Common.

Jordin Sparks and Whitney Houston in “Sparkle” (Photo by Alicia Gbur/Sony Pictures)

“ParaNorman” (PG for scary action, mature themes, rude humor and mild epithets) Animated adventure about a misunderstood ghoul whisperer (Kodi Smit-McPhee) whose ability to communicate with the dead comes in handy when witches, ghost and zombies descend on his quiet hometown. Featuring voice work by Anna Kendrick, Casey Affleck, John Goodman, Tempestt Bledsoe and Jeff Garlin.

“Sparkle” (PG-13 for violence, profanity, drug use, smoking, mature themes and domestic abuse) The late Whitney Houston makes her final screen performance in this remake of the musical drama, set in the Sixties, about three sisters’ (Jordin Sparks, Tika Sumpter and Carmen Ejogo) whose singing group becomes Motown’s latest sensation only to have sudden fame tear their close-knit family apart. With Mike Epps, Derek Luke, Cee-Lo Green and Omari Hardwick.

INDEPENDENT & FOREIGN FILMS

“The Awakening” (R for violence, nudity and sexuality) Haunted house horror flick set in the wake of World War I at a British boarding school where a professional skeptic (Rebecca Hall) summoned to debunk recent ghost sightings as a hoax instead gets the surprise of her life when she encounters real supernatural phenomena for the first time. With Dominic West, Imelda Staunton and John Shrapnel.

“Beloved” (Unrated) Romance drama about a pretty Parisian hooker (Ludivine Sagnier) who falls head over six-inch stilettos for a dashing doctor (Radivoje Bukvic) only to learn that he has a wife back in Czechoslovakia. With Milos Forman, Catherine Deneuve and Paul Schneider. (In French, English and Czech with subtitles)

“Brother, Can You Spare a Dollar?” (Unrated) Unsentimental retrospective celebrates the guts and glory of the Depression Generation while speculating about the prospects of America’s post-industrial economy.

“Chicken with Plums” (PG-13 for drugs, smoking, sensuality and violent images) Maudlin, character-driven drama, set in Teheran in the Fifties, about an inconsolable violinist (Mathieu Amalric) who loses the will to live after his wife (Golshifteh Farahani) destroys his beloved instrument during a heated argument. Cast includes Edouard Baer, Maria de Medeiros and Eric Caravaca. (In French and English with subtitles)

“Codependent Lesbian Space Alien Seeks Same” (Unrated) Sci-fi comedy about the cross-species romance between a shy, greeting card

Jesse Eisenberg and Tracy Morgan in “Why Stop Now?” (Photo by Jacob Hutchings/IFC Films)

store clerk (Lisa Haas) and a woman she has no idea might be from another planet (Susan Ziegler). With Jackie Monahan, Cynthia Kaplan and Dennis Davis.

“Compliance” (R for profanity, sexuality and nudity) Fact-based drama about a prank caller (Pat Healy) pretending to be a police officer who tricks the manager (Ann Dowd) of a fast food restaurant into conducting a strip search of a cashier (Dreama Walker) unfairly accused of stealing. With Bill Camp, Philip Ettinger and James McCaffrey.

“Cosmopolis” (R for violence, profanity, graphic sexuality and frontal nudity) David Cronenberg directed this adaptation of the Don Delillo novel of the same name chronicling a very eventful day in the life of a miserably-married, self-destructive billionaire (Robert Pattinson) With Paul Giamatti, Juliette Binoche, Samantha Morton and K’naan.

“Robot & Frank” (PG-13 for profanity) Unlikely-buddy comedy about a retired cat burglar (Frank Langella) who comes out of retirement to pull one last heist with the help of the cyborg (Peter Sarsgaard) purchased by his children (James Marsden and Liv Tyler) to look after him. Support cast includes Susan Sarandon, Jeremy Strong and Bonnie Bentley.

“Why Stop Now?” (Unrated) Road comedy about an aspiring piano prodigy (Jesse Eisenberg) who finds his car commandeered by his mother’s (Melissa Leo) miffed drug dealer (Tracy Morgan) on the day of his big audition. With Isiah Whitlock, Jr., Sarah Ramos and Tanya Wright.

HOROSCOPES

August 16-22, 2012

ARIES Creativity comes from a deep source. Take the chance to pursue creative goals. Others will understand later. You and a child can come to an unmatched understanding. Speak truth and let the chips fall where they may.

TAURUS Listen carefully and follow good advice that will come from someone you’ve often regarded as foolish. You run into difficulties with one of your projects; don’t worry, it’s only temporary.

How you manage your mind will affect the eventual outcome.

GEMINI If there is someone or something that you’re avoiding don’t panic if you find you must confront what you’ve been hiding from. Wait for things to work themselves out. Time solves more problems than you ever can.

CANCER Be flexible. Yes, you. There are many ways to be right and your lover or friend will have come up with one that is different from yours.

You‘ll be asked to compromise this week or you just have to give in. Remember you sometimes have to give a little to get a little.

LEO Use your natural magnetism to get to someone who might be hard to reach. If you have a problem that you need to get off your chest tell a relative or friend, don’t hold it inside.

Where’s the party? Find it. You need a social setting to make the magnetism work best.

VIRGO Even if you can’t be with someone you care for, call that person or send a Soul Vibration to let them know you care. You’ll feel better and so will the person. Take time to meditate on the good things life has in stored for you.

LIBRA A person is only as good as their word. If you have made any promises recently remember to follow through. People will be counting on you. Any dissatisfaction you feel might come from not doing what you told someone that you would do.

SCORPIO If you’re not sure about a business deal ask someone who knows. Asking questions now can help avoid mistakes in the future. The love that you have been looking for is right in front of you. Your ability to see it improves this week.

SAGITTARIUS Your ability to display enormous grace under enormous pressure will be tested this week.

Use your gifts this week to transcend petty criticism. Consider the source and know that you are doing just fine.

CAPRICORN You can expect a message from a distance to arrive this week and you’ll be happy to hear it.

The spirit is easily lifted if you remember that you only have to imagine your world the way you want it to be. Create a happy reality!

AQUARIUS You’re likely to be efficient and productive this week. Even if you work hard you’ll get satisfaction from a job well done! Use your talents to create some free time for yourself. Take a vacation or hang out at home with someone special.

PISCES Matters relating to health need attention. Prevention is more valuable than cure. Rest and eat well this week. Your stress will be lower by knowing that you do not have to fix a relationship that has gone sour. Feel your independence and ability to travel alone.

Source: NNPA News Service

HEALTH

Page 14

CHEF TIMOTHY Today, 61 percent of adults in the United States take at least one drug to treat a particular illness. And at least one out of four seniors take at least five medications daily. Why so many drugs? People are not eating healthy.

A good diet is the keynote to good health Chef Timothy takes good health message to Indiana expo

by Chef Timothy Moore Ph.D, N.M.D, C.N. Special to The New Tri-State Defender

This month at the Indiana Black and Minority Health Expo, I delivered the keynote address before a group of people eager to learn more about the benefits of eating a nutritious diet and how it plays an important part in preventing and reversing many of the health problems that continue to plague our community.

The group was receptive to the information, as much as I was eager to present it to them via facts, figures and illustrations. During and after my keynote, I discovered that the inquisitive group needed information in its simplest form on how to improve their overall health and prevent the onset of such health problems as obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes and cancer.

Here’s what I told the group: One in three people is obese; 1,500 people die each day from cancer; and one in two African-American children will become diabetic. In this day and time, we’re continuously bombarded with falsehoods. One such falsehood is food that’s on the market and advertised daily as good for us. It’s just the opposite, in my opinion. And with some certainty, I can say some of the food is life threatening.

Health care costs in the United States averaged about 2.6 trillion dollars in 2010. That’s 10 times the cost of health care in 1980. In some

cases, employers are dismissing individuals who are reportedly abusing the health care system. They say it is costing them more money to keep health insurance for their employees. It’s a problem that affects tens of millions.

President Dr. Timothy Barack Obama’s Moore health care reform program is not a cure-all, but a step in the right direction. It insures that those who need health care the most are given a leg to stand on when health problems arise. The lack thereof only magnifies the problem for those who fail to maintain a good diet of fresh fruits and vegetables.

If good health is the aim, there must be a lifestyle change. I’ve received countless emails and calls over the years from people who have tried to change their lifestyle to prevent or reverse their health problems.

It’s sad to say, but some of those emailers and callers admitted surrendering to family and friends who unthinkingly beguiled them into staying on the path to ill health.

Failure to take care of one’s health leads unequivocally to ill health and eventually a catastrophic disease.

With the cost of health care escalating and becoming a burden to those who suffer the most, it is no wonder that tens of millions have no other recourse but to succumb to ill health.

That’s why drug manufacturers are

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Tri-State Defender

August 16 - 22, 2012

continually manufacturing new drugs to combat America’s growing health problems.

Today, 61 percent of adults in the United States take at least one drug to treat a particular illness. And at least one out of four seniors take at least five medications daily. Why so many drugs? People are not eating healthy. They’re missing those key ingredients for good health: fresh fruits and vegetables.

There is no joy in living on prescription drugs, I told the group at the Indiana Black Minority Black Health Expo. They understood what is needed if they want to rid their bodies of sickness and diseases: They must eat the right food, drink plenty of water and exercise. Stagnation is a killer.

What I shared with them, like eating healthy to reverse many of their health problems, was spot-on. I left them with choices and encouraged them to strengthen their resolve to do better. As I was speaking, I noticed a twinkle in the eyes of several people and a smile on their pensive faces. It as an indication, I surmised, that the group was ready to forge a new path to good health.

(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 “47 Tips To Reverse Your Diabetes.” He can be reached by email at cheftimothy@ cheftimothymoore.com, visit him at www.cheftimothymoore.com or follow him at www.twitter.com/cheftimmoore.)

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August 16 - 22, 2012

Ready to rumble…

Baseball in DC: More than the ball is white Regular readers of this column know that I am a “born again” baseball fan. I grew up on baseball in New York but lost interest during my teen years. In 2000, I reconnected with baseball through a reintroduction, of sorts, to the work of the late, great Curt Flood, the St. Louis Cardinals outfielder who took on Major League Baseball over their system of indentured servitude called “the reserve clause.”

As a resident of the Washington, D.C.-area, I was excited when Major League Baseball returned to the District.

Even though I grew up on the New York Mets and remain a Mets fan, I adopted the Washington Nationals as my second team. While the Nationals remain my second team, and as much as I love attending baseball games, I find myself increasingly uneasy with the culture of the games and the atmosphere that is created.

First, Nationals Park is located in an area that has been fundamentally redeveloped, right next to the Anacostia River. It is an impressive but strange social island in the District of Columbia. At game time, masses of white people swarm into the area and into the stadium. Buses drop off loads of people, more than likely traveling from the suburbs. And then, just as quickly, after the game they are gone, except those staying around to drink and party.

Second, there is very little that takes place during the games that acknowledges black people. Don’t get me wrong. There are the mandated “Jackie Robinson Day” events that celebrate the desegregation of Major League Baseball.

And there are certainly black people working there, at least at the ticket counters, food service and as ushers. But when you look up at the screens during the breaks between the innings, you rarely see anything that has to do with us.

Here’s an example: There is

an employee of the team who travels around the stadium with a camera team to film human interest moBill ments.

Fletcher Jr. There is a contest that he has with three randomly chosen individuals who are all supposed to perform in one way or the other and gain the applause of the crowd, i.e., whoever is the most impressive gets the loudest applause and, therefore, wins. In the years that I have attended Nationals games I can probably count on two hands the number of times that I have seen a black contestant. Additionally, when the camera focuses on people in the stadium, you rarely see one of us of color.

Another example: The players. The focus of the media is largely on the white players.

Consequently, the heroes inevitably are the white players, be they Ryan Zimmerman or Stephen Strasburg, or another Caucasian. Again, don’t get me wrong. I think that these guys are outstanding players but there is something about the way that they have been worshiped by Washington, D.C. Nationals media and fans that makes me uneasy. There are plenty of reasons to celebrate these players but what about African American and Latino players?

All of this unfolds in what, at least for the moment, remains a predominantly African-American city. Nevertheless, at a Nationals’ game it is easy to feel invisible.

(Bill Fletcher, Jr. is a senior scholar with the Institute for Policy Studies. He can be reached at papaq54@hotmail.com.)

The MIAA middle schools football season is underway. Chickasaw (gold) steamrolled Oakhaven 32-0 at Kirby Stadium on Tuesday (Aug. 14). (Photo by Andre Mitchell.)

Middle school football jamboree – 10 minutes and visions of glory Special to The New Tri-State Defender

by Andre Mitchell

One 10-minute period – that’s all the football teams in the Memphis Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA) middle school, seasonopening jamboree were given as they tried to lay claim to who at least looks like they might be a formidable opponent and/or “the team to beat.”

Fairgrounds Stadium played host for the 2012 version of the annual event last Friday and Saturday (Aug. 10-11).

Plenty of parents, coaches, administrative staff and football fans alike came out to catch a glimpse of what their team looks like so far. It was good to witness what seemed like several thousand folks throughout the stadium, with a few clusters of supporters cheering from outside the stadium as well.

The jamboree got underway with Chickasaw defeating Kate Bond (6-0) in the first of 16 scrimmages that concluded with Georgian Hills, the defending city and state champs, taking on Bellevue and the game ending in a tie.

Although the several of the

scrimmages ended without either team scoring, that certainly will not be the rule in the coming weeks. If your schedule permits, I strongly encourage you to attend a middle school football game or two this season. Watch and see that it is fun, exciting and doesn’t cost nearly as much as going to a college or pro game.

Seriously, as long as our young student-athletes take care of their business at school, in the classroom, stay healthy and out of harm’s way, then it will be a phenomenal season in deed.

Here are the Jamboree scores: Chickasaw 6, Kate Bond 0 Kate Bond 0, Lester, 0 Grandview 0, Airways 8 Kirby 0, Hamilton 6 Colonial 8, Airways 0 Lester 0, Hickory Ridge 0 Cypress 0, Corry 0 A.M. Walker 8, Hickory Ridge 0 Craigmont 14, Oakhaven 0 Fairview 0, Wooddale 8 Kingsbury 0, Raleigh-Egypt 14 MAHS 0, American Way 0 Lanier 0, Havenview 0 Southside 0, Ridgeway 14 White Station 6, J.P. Freeman 0 Georgian Hills 0, Bellevue 0

MIAA RIVARLY MONTH:

Sept. 1, Crump Stadium 4 p.m. – Vance Middle vs. Hamilton Middle 5:30 p.m. – Corry Middle vs. Geeter Middle 7 p.m. – Chickasaw Middle vs. J.P. Freeman Middle Sept. 15, Halle Stadium 2:30 p.m. – Ridgeway Middle vs. Wooddale Middle 4 p.m. – A.M. Walker Middle vs. American Way Middle 5:30 p.m. – Havenview Middle vs. Colonial Middle 7 p.m. – Kirby Middle vs. Hickory Ridge Middle

Sept. 22, Crump Stadium 2:30 p.m. – MAHS Middle vs. Oakhaven Middle 4 p.m. – Lanier Middle vs. Riverview Middle 5:30 p.m. – Cordova Middle vs. Bellevue Middle 7 p.m. – Snowden Middle vs. White Station Middle

Sept. 29, Melrose Stadium 2:30 p.m. – Corry Middle vs. Airways Middle 4 p.m. – MAHS Middle vs. Southside Middle 5:30 p.m. – Grandview Middle vs. Georgian Hills Middle 7 p.m. – Craigmont Middle vs. Raleigh Egypt Middle

(Jamboree scores and “Rivarly Month” information provided by MIAA.)

NOTES

Be on the lookout for MIAA’s “Rivalry Month” happening every Saturday in September, (with the excep-

tion of Sept. 8, Southern Heritage Classic Weekend). Rivalry Month equals high impact games involving some “must-see” traditional, neighborhood-pride games.

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Tri-State Defender