March 5 2015

March 5 - 11, 2015

VOL. 64, No. 8

www.tsdmemphis.com

75 Cents

Selma-bound Memphians ready to roll

by Wiley Henry

whenry@tsdmemphis.com

Elaine Lee Turner didn’t need words to describe the pandemonium that broke out on U.S. Route 80 in Selma, Ala. However, those who reported the news on March 7, 1965, and thereafter, were calling that moment in history “Bloody Sunday.”

On that fateful day, more than 600 civil rights marchers were pummeled with billy clubs and tear-gassed in a horrendous show of force by state and local lawmen hell-bent on stopping the determined marchers from crossing the Edmund Pettus Bridge

Elaine Lee Turner

into neighboring Montgomery.

Turner, a 20-year-old junior at LeMoyne College that year, wasn’t there on Bloody Sunday, but was disturbed nonetheless by those horrific images of wanton injustice at the behest of law en-

forcement.

“They just wanted the right to vote,” said Turner, who heeded the

TSD reporter to chronicle trip

call from Dr. Martin Luther King however, still tug at Turner every Jr. to join the nationwide throng of now and then. freedom fighters for a third attempt On Sunday (March 8th), Turner, to march from Selma to the owner of Heritage Montgomery’s state cap- Let’s march from Tours of Memphis, will itol.

Shelby County return to Selma with a Although the 54-mile busload to commemorate Selma-to-Montgomery (Ala.) to D.C. See Bloody Sunday and to reMarch for voting rights Opinion, page 4. enact that pivotal moment ended tragically the first in history 50 years ago time, Turner was among the sea of that led to the Voting Rights Act of freedom fighters making their pres- 1965. ence felt and their demands known.

A reporter from The New Tri-State Those images of Bloody Sunday, Defender will also be among the

No federal case in Ferguson

by Tony Jones

Special to The New Tri-State Defender

by Eric Tucker Associated Press

WASHINGTON – The Justice Department on Wednesday cleared a white former Ferguson, Mo, police officer in the fatal shooting of an unarmed African-American 18 year old, but also issued a scathing report calling for sweeping changes in city law enforcement practices it called discriminatory and unconstitutional.

The dual reports marked the culmination of months-long federal investigations into a shooting that sparked protests and a national dialogue on race and law enforcement as the tenure of Attorney General Eric Holder, the first African-American person to hold that office, draws to a close.

In pairing the announcements, the Obama administration sought to offset Attorney community disappointment over General Eric Holder the conclusion that the shooting of Michael Brown Jr. was legally justified with a message of hope for Ferguson’s majority-African-American citizens. Officials announced 26 recommendations, including training officers in how to de-escalate confrontations and banning the use of ticketing and arrest quotas, for the police force and municipal court.

Holder called the federal report a “searing” portrait of a police department that he said functions as a collection agency for the city, with officers prioritizing revenue from fines over public safety and trouncing the constitutional rights of minorities.

“It is not difficult to imagine how a single tragic incident set off the city of Ferguson like a powder keg,” Holder said.

Ferguson Mayor James Knowles III said the city had cooperated with the Justice Department and has made some changes, including a diversity-training program for city employees. But the Rev. Al Sharpton, the chief eulogist at Brown’s funeral, countered that Knowles’ remarks – during a six-minute news conference SEE FERGUSON ON PAGE 3

MEMPHIS WEEKEND SATURDAY

SUNDAY

H-43o - L-30o

H-46o - L-32o

H-36o - L-16o Sunny

REGIONAL TEMPS LITTLE ROCK NASHVILLE JACKSON, MS

Partly Cloudy

SEE SELMA ON PAGE 2

Local Democrats vow to look ahead as recent past stirs concern by some

Heavy criticism of city’s practice of law enforcement

FRIDAY

group to offer a unique perspective via Twitter feed, photos and news stories to reflect the journey from Memphis to Selma and back.

The pre-march rally will start at Brown Chapel AME Church, the site of the now famous march in 1965.

Marchers will also cross the Edmund Pettus Bridge from Selma and return for a rally at the foot of the bridge to salute the “foot soldiers.”

In 1965, Turner was stirred to action before the fight for justice, freedom and equality was beginning to gain traction. She is still just as spry,

AM Clouds

Friday Saturday Sunday H-38 L-19 H-49 L-31 H-53 L-31 H-40 L-15 H-47 L-29 H-46 L-31 H-48 L-33 H-56 L-35 H-58 L-37

C.J. Morgan, you’re a ‘Superstar’…

Radio personality Stan Bell (left) says C.J. ‘Superstar’ Morgan was the inspiration that drew him to a career on the radio airwaves. He was among those who saluted Morgan on Monday (March 2nd) as the Memphis & Shelby County Music Commission hosted its weekly Memphis Music Monday at the Hard Rock Café. This week’s performance served as a benefit for Morgan, who recently suffered a third stroke and is dealing with income issues often associated with such health challenges. (Photo: Tyrone P. Easley)

Wrong about Sherra Wright?

TSD exclusive: NBA star Lorenzen Wright’s ex-wife, Part 2

by Kelvin Cowans

Special to The New Tri-State Defender

After recently (Feb. 19th) celebrating a small-but-important victory in the matter of visitation rights versus her former mother-inlaw, Deborah Marion (Lorenzen Wright’s mother), Sherra Wright-Robin- The Rev. Sherra son revealed yet Wright-Robinson. another angle of the story of her ex-husband and the late NBA star.

The murder of the Memphis native son remains painfully unsolved as we approach the fifth anniversary of the hometown hero, who had become a multi-millionaire at age 25.

Sherra Wright-Robinson: Deborah (Marion) basically dragged me back in court yet again, but this time it was in an effort to have visitation rights for my children, her grandchildren. I have no problem with her seeing his children, I never have. What I think that she should ask her self is do they want to see you. They are of ages to where they can tell me, “Mom, I want to go see grandmother,” and two of them can drive to her home if they wished; so that’s not the issue.

The issue is that the public does not know that this is all about her trying to position herself about some money as it pertains to what their father left them. The judge promptly threw the case out due to jurisdiction issues also commenting that the father is deceased and that I was the mother and it’s actually hard to believe that we are here. What was sad was that after he made his ruling she yells out “Just who is going to give me my hundred dollars back.” That was how much it cost her to drag me into court.

Kelvin Cowans: We have mourned with this family and notably Ms.

Lorenzen and Sherra at his prom in Oxford, Miss. (Courtesy photo) Deborah as she has appeared on many news outlets seeking answers and justice for her son’s murder. Can you not sympathize that that those children are all that’s left of her son and she’d like them to be around.

SWR: Absolutely, and again I repeat that the door has always been open. Still, just who takes family to court in this manner that means well?

Your son had to live with his grandma growing up because of your unstable life style. He didn’t even have

a decent pair of shoes when I met him and as long as he was an ATM for all of you, you loved him. So after life would have its way and he was snatched from us in a horrible and sudden manner, then you feel that someone has to pay for your ATM being gone.

And since I was the last one to see him alive you have decided that I will do. When you have signed a $55-milSEE WRIGHT ON PAGE 2

Allegations associated with the resignation of Shelby County’s Democratic Party chairman has heightened the focus on the party’s bi-annual convention, which is set to unfold March Bryan 14th at First Carson Baptist ChurchBroad.

That focus from observers notwithstanding, David Cambron, interim chairman, says recent issues facing the party following the resignation of Bryan Carson will have no effect on convention.

The 2015-17 Shelby County Democratic Party Executive Committee will have 29 committee members, and one chairman. The newly selected officers are to be announced two weeks later on March 28th.

Cambron and others from the party expect to go to the Registry of Election Finance next week “to address the areas of concern and where we have had problems in the past.”

But for now, the convention is being pointed to as the party’s main focus.

Held every two years, any registered voter can participate in the convention, which will select the governing body. Those attending are urged to bring their voter registration card or to know their precinct number and the district number of their state representative.

The convention is split into two phases. Phase One is setup to register voters as a ward or precinct delegate.

Phase Two is when the qualified delegates cast their votes.

The process clearly has taken on additional public interest with Carson’s sudden resignation. His departure followed a series of fines from the state and allegations of financial mismanagement during his tenure.

The New Tri-State Defender requested an on-the-record interview with Carson but he had not agreed to such by the TSD print deadline.

The state office overseeing political finance and expenditures is the Registry of Election Finance. It’s Bureau of Ethics and Finance has levied three $500 fines against the party so far. The office’s website update lists the Shelby County Democratic Executive Committee as again being an agenda item on January 14, 2015, but no report of the minutes has been posted.

Democratic Party insiders say the triple fine and concern about the lack of availability of financial disclosure reports led to a no-confidence vote in Carson by the party’s Steering Committee. An internal audit has been reported as showing Carson could not document 63 withdrawals totaling $8,437.89. Of that amount, the reported audit determined $6,091.16 could not be accounted for. If warranted, the Ethics and Finance bureau could levy a fine against the party up to $10,000.

Carson has responded that the mixup was due to work overload from running point as the chair, and also having to serve as the party’s treasurer. His election as chairman in 2013 brought palpable excitement to the local party, with many expecting him to bring a fresh perspective. He is the son of well-known former party chair SEE DEMOCRATS ON PAGE 3

March 5 - 11, 2015

Page 2

NEWS

Sherra Wright-Robinson and Chaundrea Nicolle, publisher of Wright-Robinson’s book, “Mr. Tell Me Anything.” (Courtesy photo)

WRIGHT

CONTINUED FROM FRONT lion contract for playing basketball and later sign a living will that leaves zero dollars to your mom or your father and everything to your ex-wife and kids, then you have to know there will be fights in court.

KC: In your book (“Mr. Tell Me Anything”), you have a chapter titled “Draft Night” and the main character, Sharon, gets confirmation about some things about Mr. Tell Me Anything’s family. Can you share that in your own words?

SWR: Here Sharon was being flown into New York to attend the biggest night of Mr. Tell Me Anything’s life, seated at the round table with his family on NBA Draft night.

We were at Madison Square Garden in a room full of tons of important, powerful, wealthy and respected people and his family gets in a fight in the restroom. He hadn’t picked up not one paycheck and some of them were in there screaming at each other at the top of their lungs.

story that will help women in the long run. There will also be a Part 2 to it as well.

KC: I’ve read the book and it’s tougher than a long southern winter. We’ve seen major league sports teams and endorsement companies separate themselves from athletes behind these types of episodes.

SWR: Sharon Roberson was an NBA wife, so she has a jury of her peers already. They’re different; they live in mansions every time they move. She’s not alone, they’re out there, wearing heavy makeup to hide the bruises, a beautiful smile to protect the image of the money, shopping sprees sponsored by guilt and reading this book privately, crying. Many of them are Image Builders.

KC: One day there will be breaking news running across our television screen as they report the arrest of the killer or killer’s of Lorenzen Wright. Will you be up there in handcuffs, mug shot and breaking our hearts yet again?

SWR: No, never! When it says arrest in Lorenzen Wright’s murder, I will say, “Thank you Jesus!”

KC: What was the dispute about?

SWR: His grandmother had believed that his father’s wife was already receiving and spending money behind everybody’s back. So KC: Will you she was yelling at Lorenzen Wright with his son, share with us Lorenzen Wright Jr., in 1997. her to take her new your favorite ring off and cut the Scripture? mirror with it if it’s costume jewelry SWR: Romans 8:28 “And we as you say and not real. It was em- know that in all things God works for barrassing. You know, people have a the good of those who love him who saying that however a thing starts is have been called according to his how it’s going to end and that’s ex- purpose.” actly what happened.

Excerpt from ‘Mr. Tell Me AnyChaundrea Nicolle (Publish- thing’ er of “Mr. Tell Me Anything”): Chapter 5: ‘Stacked’ A lot of people will believe what they hear in the media and not what “They (His Family) had surprisingthey know to make sense. Sherra ly warmed up after six years and five is nothing like what people make million dollars! Maybe this could her out to be. Just as Lorenzen was work out. All they need now is six there for her, she was also there for million dollars next time and I (Shahim. When he didn’t have, she had ron) will take formal cooking classit. She is a great mother and has al- es. She gagged, no wait maybe he’ll ways been. I wouldn’t believe in a get ten million and I will become a million years that she had anything personal chef. Anything to make him to do with his murder. There is no happy, she thought, as she let out a point to any of it. little screech. His (Mr. Tell Me Anything) dad caught it and cut his eyes KC: Why was it important that you at her as she gave him the I don’t republish this book? ally like you either grin. Give me a CN: I saw the vision that Sherra break here.” had and I could see the greatness in her and I wanted to assist her any (Sherra Wright-Robinson is the way I could to bring it to life. This ex-wife of former NBA star Lorenzen is one of the best books I’ve ever Wright and the CEO and founder of come across. What you will notice is Born to Prosper Ministries and Womthe strength of the character, Sharon en Resurrected. Her book, “Mr. Tell Roberson, as the story unfolds. You Me Anything,” can be purchased at will quickly see that life, love, loy- www.iamsherra.com.) alty isn’t a common understanding of people, even with someone you’re (Kelvin Cowans can be reached at married to. This is a long and deep kelvincowans@hotmail.com.)

SELMA

CONTINUED FROM FRONT dedicated and duty-bound to make life better for African Americans in 2015. The trip to Selma, she said, is a reminder of how far African Americans have come.

“It’s hard to describe my feelings now,” said Turner, who was arrested numerous times in the ’60s for participating in the civil rights movement. Many of her siblings were arrested a number of times as well, which caught the nation’s attention as a family of freedom fighters.

“In reflecting on the beatings and severity in 1965 Selma, we won our rights,” said Turner, “but some of them are being challenged today.”

African Americans, she said, should not put aside their marching shoes. “We still have to march to maintain the rights that we fought so hard for. We have to be the guardians of those rights and not take them for granted.”

Turner alluded to today’s justice system and its inability to admin-

ister justice in the recent wave of police-associated deaths involving young African-American men. Cases in point: Michael Brown Jr., Eric Garner and Tamir Rice.

“We’ve fought for a lot of rights, but there is still trouble in our justice system,” Turner said. “We just have to continue the struggle.”

The New Tri-State Defender

The New Tri-State Defender

March 5 - 11, 2015

NEWS

FERGUSON

CONTINUED FROM FRONT

#MemphisLivesMatter…

The Memphis Association of Black Journalists and The Links, Incorporated, Bluff City (TN) Cluster hosted the #MemphisLivesMatter forum at the National Civil Rights Museum last Friday (Feb. 27th. The multi-panel event included this panel on “The Importance of Protest,” featuring (r-l) Madeleine C. Taylor, executive director, Memphis Branch NAACP; Brad Watkins, executive director, Mid-South Peace & Justice Center; and Terri Lee Freeman, the NCRM president. MABJ President Richard Thompson said, “Ultimately, our goal was to have an event that (was) as a conversation starter and I think we accomplished that….We tried to give people a more multidimensional way to look at the whole “Black Lives Matter” movement as it applies on a local level.” (Photo: George Tillman Jr.)

DEMOCRATS

CONTINUED FROM FRONT Gale Jones Carson.

Notably, Carson engineered the best campaign announcement that the Democrats have in many years when it was announced that renowned television judge Joe Brown would run for Juvenile Court Judge, leading a ticket with popular grassroots advocate and now former Shelby County Commissioner Henri Brooks. The ticket faded in a meltdown that some have said the party should have foreseen.

Interim Chair Cambron said it’s all the ebb and flow of politics. As first vice chairman, he was next in line to fill the chairman’s position upon Carson’s resignation.

“The fact that we are moving forward and taking steps to address any deficiencies that might have been uncovered strengthen the party,” said Cambron.

He does not plan on occupying the chairmanship long.

“I am definitely not running for the chairmanship. Right

now my responsibilities are to work through some of the issues that were uncovered in the review that we did of the finances and to organize the caucus for the convention.”

Cambron’s wife, Diane, conducted the initial accounting report. Noting that he is not part of the auditing process, he said, “There was a review audit of the last four to five months of (financial) activity. The report has been delivered, there were some recommendations, and there are still some open areas that are being researched.”

Of the fines, he said, “Those have been paid. Right now there are no outstanding fines.”

Cambron said a Democratic Women of Shelby forum held this past Sunday (March 1st) indicated where party stalwarts currently stand.

“It was specifically to talk about looking at things as they go forward. There will be people upset about what has happened, but we are welcome to and open about new people to be involved in the process,” he said.

Page 3

Inspired by his own “disgust” when President George W. Bush was re-elected, Cambron said his own story is an example of what those who claim disgust with politics should do.

“I read an article that said ‘don’t mourn, organize,’ and that’s what got me involved in the party. I was just so disgusted with him winning that second term.”

Incoming Registry of Finance Chair Norma Lester confirmed by email that the “Shelby County Democratic Party is on the agenda for next week. We will determine at that time if an audit or additional fines will be assessed.”

She also was diligent to clarify her own position with the party and the state office.

“I am also a member of the party Executive Committee. I do not serve in an officer capacity. That is pretty much a mute point now in that a new committee will be elected and other than the convention there will be no other activity by existing committee members.”

where the mayor took no questions – were “mostly evasive, insignificant, and showed a total failure to address the need for a change in leadership at the police department.”

The decision not to prosecute Darren Wilson, the white officer who was cleared in November by a state grand jury and has since resigned, had been expected. To win a federal civil rights case, officials would have needed to prove that Wilson willfully deprived Brown of his rights by using unreasonable force.

Instead, the report found no evidence to disprove Wilson’s testimony that he feared for his safety during the Aug. 9 confrontation. Nor were there reliable witness accounts to establish that Brown had his hands up in surrender when he was shot, Justice Department lawyers said.

One of Wilson’s attorneys, Neil Bruntrager, said his client was satisfied with the outcome.

Brown family lawyer Benjamin Crump said the family was not surprised but disappointed.

Brown’s uncle, Charles Ewing, said he believed Wilson was “getting away with it.”

“I really was hoping they would have come up with better findings because this whole thing just does not add up,” Ewing said.

While nights of protests over Wilson’s actions drew hundreds of protesters in recent months in Ferguson, only about 30 braved sub-freezing weather to gather Wednesday night outside the suburb’s police station, at times blocking traffic in defiance of police warnings to clear the road.

While the federal government declined to prosecute Wilson, it found the shooting occurred in an environment of systematic mistreatment of African Americans, in which officials circulated racist emails without punishment and African-American residents were disproportionately stopped and searched without cause, fined for petty offenses and subjected to excessive force.

The report found its lack of racial diversity – only four of 54 commissioned officers are African American – undermined community trust. It also said the city relied heavily on fines to raise revenue and issued arrest warrants for minor infractions

including jaywalking and late fees. The confrontation that led to Brown’s death began when Wilson directed him and a friend to move from the street to the sidewalk.

The Justice Department identified multiple examples of what it called a discriminatory criminal justice system. Among them: One African-American woman spent six days in jail because of a parking violation. A lawful protest was broken up with a police warning of “everybody here’s going to jail.” And an African-American man sitting in a car with tinted windows was accused without cause of being a pedophile by an officer who pointed a gun at his head.

Between 2012 and 2014, African-American drivers were more than twice as likely as others to be searched during routine traffic stops, but 26 percent less likely to be carrying contraband.

The report also included seven racially tinged emails, including some from city officials who remain employed, that did not result in punishment. The writer of one 2008 email stated that President Barack Obama wouldn’t be in office for long because “what black man holds a steady job for four years.” Knowles, the mayor, said one employee was fired and two others are on leave over the emails.

The report’s recommendations, if accepted by city officials, could lead to an overhaul

of basic police and court practices. Those include improving officer supervision, better recruiting, hiring and promotion, new mechanisms for responding to misconduct complaints and a new system to reduce fine amounts.

Federal officials on Wednesday described Ferguson city leaders as cooperative and seemingly open to change, saying there were already some signs of improvement. The city, for example, has eliminated bond requirements for many municipal offenses and has extended a program that allows individuals to have warrants recalled and assigned a new court date.

In the last five years, the Justice Department has investigated roughly 20 police departments over alleged civil rights violations. Some have led to the appointment of independent monitors and have been resolved with negotiated agreements in which the police department commits to major changes in its practices.

Federal officials say they hope to avoid a court fight with Ferguson to force change.

“It is time for Ferguson’s leaders to take immediate, wholesale and structural corrective action,” Holder said.

(Associated Press writers Jim Suhr and Jim Salter in St. Louis and Alan Scher Zagier in Ferguson contributed to this report.)

Greater Pleasant Hill Missionary Baptist Church 3077 Johnson Avenue – Memphis, TN 38112 Phone: (901) 452-8742

Pastoral Vacancy Announcement Greater Pleasant Hill Missionary Baptist Church is prayerfully seeking a full-time pastor called by God to be the spiritual and administrative leader of the congregation.

The candidate must be a born again, baptized believer in Jesus Christ. The ideal candidate will be a leader with sound biblical doctrine as listed in 1 Timothy 3:1-7 and Titus 1:69. The successful candidate will be responsible to God and the church to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ, to preach and teach the Bible, to provide Christian leadership, and to engage in pastoral care of the congregation.

Interested candidates should submit the following: 1. Cover letter, Updated and complete resume, Detailed listing of ministerial and pastoral experiences, Copies of diplomas, degrees, ministerial license, and ordination certificate 5. Four references: Two (2) from pastors/clergy, One (1) from lay person, One (1) personal (should not be a family member) All documents should be submitted to: The Pastoral Search Committee of Greater Pleasant Hill Missionary Baptist Church – P. O. Box 111366, Memphis, TN 38111-1366 - All documents must be received between February 15, 2015 and March 15, 2015.

March 5 - 11, 2015

Page 4

OPINION

The New Tri-State Defender

Black girls carry extra burdens to stay in school

John H. Sengstacke Publisher (1951-1997)

The Mid-South’s Best Alternative Newspaper Powered by Best Media Properties, Inc.

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

The change has got to come

Tennessee is becoming a major player on the national scene when it comes to desirable places to live.

I came here 25 years ago and even back then I was excited coming with the Saturn Corporation in Springhill.

I had lived in Louisiana all of my life. Born and raised in Shreveport, I spent a summer in New Orleans with my oldest brother and fell in love with everything about that. When I moved to Tennessee I fell in love all over again. I love this state as much as I do my home state, and they both have something in common – racial polarization that hurts their brands.

The racial divide that we see as Tennesseans is prevalent throughout the country from top to bottom, inside out and sea to shining sea.

We don’t even try to hide it anymore, cloaking it in our politics and drenching it with heaping doses of religious platitudes. We somehow justify the notion of separate and unequal, even if it’s destroying us as a nation that needs to come together rather than being torn apart by banality and futility.

The righteous have the unrighteous outnumbered, honestly, if we could all come together and just talk about this. Weren’t we all impressed with the number of comments made by conscious whites during “the whitest Oscars” in modern times? There were voices being lifted up to speak to the issues of race, gender and religious injustice all over the place. I do have to admit however, that I was saddened that “Selma” was virtually snubbed, even though John Legend and Common won for their song, “Glory,” and made the most moving statements on a night of many moving statements.

Juxtaposed against such sentiments was Tennessee House Majority Floor Leader Sheila Butt calling for the establishment of a “Council of Christian Relations and a NAAWP in this country.” Called out on her racist comment, Butt tried to deflect the blowback by stating that what she obviously had been stating really wasn’t what her critics were implying. She’s still trying to convince us that she was not advocating for the “National Association for the Advancement of White People (NAAWP),” insisting that her “WP” actually stood for “Western People.”

Her remark about “western people” (which I am convinced was intentionally meant to be religious and racist)

was in response to comments made by the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the largest Muslim civil liberties organization in the U.S. CAIR asserted that Republicans as a whole Rev. Rodney should learn more about true Islam Beard and reject “Islamophobia,” pointing out that evil and radical Islamists are not in the majority of the Islamic belief system.

Intermingled with all of this is the fact that the most famous and prolific Ku Klux Klan leader of our time started the NAAWP in Louisiana years ago, and no one forgot that.

Butt knows hateful racial dialogue is what her base feeds upon and that the narrative for them is quite clear even though they are fighting a losing battle.

I wonder where the outrage is from the righteous, or if we understand that old ugly rhetoric and its detriment to our state as a whole. The kind of business dollars, integrity and respect that we need to attract to our state won’t happen as long as we allow ourselves to be portrayed in the manner that too many of our government officials and leaders seem bent upon.

What Ms. Butt suggested existed before her comments, exists now, and will be around until we say “enough is enough” and put an end to the racial madness that affects everything.

There was already an NAAWP established in addition to the one that began in my old home state. It has expanded itself and is called the 1 percent, the Republican Party and the Tea Party. It has even engulfed some (not many) conservative churches whose core is not based on actual godly values such as healthcare, immigration, feeding the hungry, housing the homeless, social justice, and educating the ignorant, but rather deeply held notions of color and class superiority.

I say enough is enough. The change has got to come.

(The Rev. Rodney Beard is pastor of The Living Word Community Church in Nashville and president of The National Action Network for Greater Nashville. Contact him at pastorbeard@comcast.net.)

Children need early exposure to a strong language & literacy environment Kindergarten readiness is essential to promote future success. Cultivating early language and literacy development for a young child is a huge component of ensuring that he begins elementary school prepared and eager to learn.

Extensive research shows that a child’s early experiences indirectly and directly affect future academic and life outcomes. Throughout life, the ability to use words effectively and to understand their purpose and meaning is a fundamental academic and interpersonal skill.

Research shows that starting at birth, children begin to acquire oral language skills (talking, listening, and understanding) that shape their foundation for learning. A child’s first teachers are his parents – the more you talk, read, and interact with your infant or toddler the better off he will be. Engaging in these activities not only increases his potential to succeed, but also provides an early competitive advantage.

Numerous studies indicate that children who develop a strong vocabulary (ability to recognize, speak, and understand words) before entering kindergarten are better positioned to excel, and perform higher than their peers. Therefore it is critically important for parents to play an active role in promoting language and literacy development for their children in the first years.

According to The Urban Child Institute, talking with children and reading to them helps to build their vocabulary, stimulating oral language development and effectively enhancing kindergarten readiness skills.

Aside from talking and reading, actively listening to your child plays an important role, too. Active listening encourages confidence in his own attempts to use words to communicate feelings and emotions, to accept and follow basic directions, and to make sense of the behaviors that other children and adults exhibit around him.

Data released by The Urban Child Institute shows that children in strong home literacy environments score as much as 25 points higher

on standardized cognitive and language assessments, compared to children with few home learning opportunities.

Naturally, in young children, oral language development (awareness of Tarrin words and comMcGhee prehension) occurs before reading skills can flourish. To create a strong home literacy environment that nurtures language and reading skills development, it’s never too early to begin taking, singing, and reading to your baby.

The pre-kindergarten years offer a wealth of opportunities for you as a parent to get a head start on providing your child with strong language and literacy skills. No matter what type of education your child will receive before kindergarten, it is of vital importance to maintain a home environment that consistently fosters her zest for learning.

Early signs of healthy language and literacy development that influence kindergarten readiness include a child’s ability to: know her first and last name and her parent’s first and last names; recognize letters (both lowercase and uppercase) and numbers (up to 10); and to communicate emotions and needs (like hunger, pain, happiness) through words.

The responsibility to equip a child with the academic skills needed to excel in life does not rest solely with kindergarten and elementary school teachers. Parents who are intentional about promoting language and literacy development before school begins prepare their child for a lifetime of success.

(The New Tri-State Defender has partnered with The Urban Child Institute to make sure every child has the best chance for optimal brain development during the critical first three years of each child’s life. This is one in a series of stories and columns.)

Selma Mayor George Evans during a recent visit to the National Civil Rights Museum. (Photo: George Tillman Jr.)

Let’s march from Shelby County (Ala.) to D.C. After ceremonies wrap up Sunday in Alabama commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Selma-to-Montgomery March and the signing of the 1965 Voting Rights Act, a group of die-hard demonstrators will re-enact the full march.

“We are re-enacting the full 54mile March this year,” Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) President Charles Steele announced at a press conference in Montgomery.

“The March will begin in Selma on Sunday, March 8th, with the Commemoration of Bloody Sunday, and will conclude on Friday, March 13th, with an 11:00 a.m. event on the steps of the Alabama State Capitol in Montgomery.”

At the news conference, Alabama State Sen. Hank Sanders (D-Selma) correctly noted, “The right to vote is being challenged at every turn.

From voter photo ID (modern day poll tax), proof of citizenship to register (modern day literacy test) and reduction in voting and voter registration days to the Shelby County v. Holder decision gutting the 1965 Voting Rights Act and more, Americans are losing the right to vote, which so many people sacrificed their lives and blood to secure.”

In Shelby V. Holder, by a margin of 5 to 4 in June 2013, the U.S. Supreme Court voted to gut Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act, which required jurisdictions with a proven history of racial discrimination to pre-clear any election law change with the U.S. Attorney General or the U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C. The case grew out of a decision

by Calera, a small city in Shelby County, Ala., to implement a redistricting plan that led to the defeat of the city’s lone African-American City Council member. Under the plan, a district that was 71 percent African American was redrawn so that its African-American population was reduced to 23 percent.

The plan was never submitted for pre-approval.

According to the Brennan Center for Justice at the New York University School of Law, more than 40 bills have been introduced in 17 states that would restrict access to registration or voting.

In view of these politically motivated efforts to suppress the African-American vote in particular, I am hereby proposing a Shelby County, Ala. to Washington, D.C. March, with the goal of getting Congress to protect the integrity of voting in the U.S. Just as the Selma-to-Montgomery March led to the passage of the 1965 Voting Rights Act, a Shelby County to D.C. March could pressure Congress to act again to protect the sacred right to vote.

The march would kick off in Calera, about 30 minutes south of Birmingham, and address the relevant voting issues along the march route.

After Calera, Ala., the next stop would be in Georgia, where marchers could express support for proposed legislation that would expand opportunities for eligible citizens to vote, and provide for or expand the electronic transfer of voters’ infor-

mation between state agencies.

In South Carolina, demonstrators could support a bill that would relax voter ID or citizenship laws and legislation that would make it easier for people George E. with disabilities Curry to cast a ballot.

Crossing into North Carolina, demonstrators can join an effort to overturn the Voter Information Verification Act, a voter suppression bill signed into by Republican Gov. Pat McCrory. The controversial measure requires government-issued voter ID, ends same day voter registration, bans Sunday voting and discontinues pre-voter registration for 16- and 17-yearolds. Several organizations, including the NAACP State Conference of Branches, have sued to overturn the law.

Marchers might want to spend some extra time in Virginia before moving on to D.C. to oppose a bill that would restrict access to registration and voting and support a competing one that would increase access to voting, oppose a bill that would require proof of citizenship (such as a birth certificate) to register or to vote, support proposed legislation that would expand early in-person voting, back a proposed legislation to reduce waiting times for voting, endorse a bill to expand opportunities to vote by absentee ballot, support a bill to protect voters from having their name wrongfully removed from voting lists, and back a proposed bill to increase the likelihood of contested provisional ballots being counted.

In Washington, demonstrators should underscore the embarrassing reality that D.C. is the only capital of a democratic country in the world that does not enjoy voting representation in its national legislative body or true home rule.

I am glad we’re commemorating the 50th anniversary of Bloody Sunday and passage of the 1965 Voting Rights Act. But after the celebration, it’s time to undo the damage the Supreme Court and largely-Republican state legislatures have done to the landmark voting legislation.

The Brennan Center report stated. “This year, the courts – including the U.S. Supreme Court – are again poised to rule on voter ID and other election laws. Courts failed to block a number of restrictive laws last year, and without clear limits, states appear ready to move forward with harsh new measures.”

We must block those measures.

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

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Whitney Richards Callathes – a young person navigating the difficulties she confronts as a woman of color and an undocumented immigrant completing her education – has an added reLisa sponsibility. She Gissendaner is the primary caretaker for her incarcerated uncle. Whitney shared her story about how this additional burden has affected her life at a town hall meeting held last October hosted by the African American Policy Forum (AAPF) and Girls for Gender Equity. She explained: “(This) adds undue pressure in our own lives, right? Potentially pushing us out of school, forcing us to get second, third jobs, and working late into the night, while we are still responsible for caretaking, right? And often times, it isn’t considered or looked at as a burden or gendered form of oppression because we are expected to do it, right? It’s women’s work. It’s supposed to be a labor of love…and even when we ask for help, there is often little help to be provided.”

On top of experiencing racial inequities that parallel the ones confronting men and boys, women and girls of color face unique challenges because of their gender. Whitney’s story illustrates how gender-specific factors function to exacerbate the effects of systemic forms of racism.

Yet, traditional conceptions of racial justice consistently ignore these sorts of concerns.

In response to the erasure of these concerns, AAPF released Black Girls Matter: Pushed Out, Overpoliced and Underprotected last month. It sheds light on the barriers to success that black and other girls of color encounter in the New York and Boston public schools. Toward this end, it assesses the impact of excessively punitive disciplinary policies on girls of color.

In so doing, it demonstrates that the racialized risks associated with unduly harsh disciplinary measures and the school-to-prison pipeline are real and substantial obstacles for girls as well as boys.

The report pushes back against the popular narrative that only boys of color are seriously at risk. It illuminates the gender-specific obstacles such as pregnancy, sexual harassment, and caretaking responsibilities that can disastrously undermine the performance of girls in school. These concerns, however, are largely absent from the public discourse on the challenges confronted by youth of color.

One of the greatest impediments facing girls trying to stay in school is pregnancy. Pregnancy and teen parenting often disproportionately affect the lives of teen mothers, and can dramatically alter how their teachers and fellow students treat them. One girl interviewed for the AAPF report noted that “you can be the father of three in the 9th grade, and at the end of the day no one really cares, but if you’re a girl, you know, those children are with you, they are seen.”

The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy found that because of the additional responsibilities of childcare, only half of teen mothers finish high school by the age of 22, compared to 89 percent of girls overall. The report reveals a lifelong income gap for those without high school diplomas that is greater for women than for men.

Another major risk facing girls of color in and outside of school is sexual abuse. A 2011 study by Black Women’s Blueprint found that close to 60 percent of black girls are victims of sexual assault by the age of 18. But, schools often fail to appropriately respond to or prevent this form of abuse….

When even your teachers and school officials treat you with profound disrespect, black and other girls of color may come to see themselves as unworthy of success. While white girls living in poverty may also experience some of the same societal ills, they do not face the same debilitating racial stereotypes. Our challenge, then, is to assure that all girls are viewed with respect and nurtured in a way such that they come to understand that they are worth investing in.

To accomplish this objective, we must lift up the voices of these girls, listen to their stories, and center their concerns at the heart of our vision of racial justice – a vision that should be inextricably linked to innovative large scale programmatic initiatives that target the concerns of our girls as aggressively as those developed to meet the needs of our boys.

(Lisa Gissendaner is the Young Scholars Program coordinator for the Office of Diversity and Inclusion at Ohio State University and a member of the Canton, Ohio Board of Education.)

The New Tri-State Defender

March 5 - 11, 2015

Page 5

NEWS

African Americans underrepresented at all levels of politics – still!

by George E. Curry NNPA Editor-in-Chief

WASHINGTON – Although African Americans have made tremendous improvement in holding elected office since passage of the 1965 Voting Rights Act, they remain underrepresented at the federal, state and local levels, according to a report scheduled to be released Tuesday (March 3rd) by the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies.

“Based on the most recent data, African Americans are 12.5 percent of the citizen voting age population, but they make up a smaller share of the U.S. House (10 percent), state legislatures (8.5 percent), city councils (5.7 percent), and the U.S. Senate (2 percent),” the report said.

The 38page report titled, “50 Years of The Voting Rights Act: The State of Race in Politics,” was produced for Spencer the center Overton by four prominent political scientists: Khalilah Brown-Dean, Zoltan Hajnal, Christina Rivers and Ismail White.

Joint Center President Spencer Overton said in a message introducing the report, that there is a heated debate over: How much progress have we made since 1965? How much more work is there to do?

He said, “These are contested questions, subject to ideology and opinion. A study published in Perspectives on Psychological Science, for example, shows that on average whites and African Americans differ on the amount of racial progress we have made, with whites now believing anti-white bias is more prevalent than anti-black bias. We have elected an African American president, but studies have shown that some government officials are less likely to respond to inquiries from citizens with seeming-

New report: ‘50 Years of The Voting Rights Act: The State of Race in Politics’

“Based on the most recent data, African Americans are 12.5 percent of the citizen voting age population, but they make up a smaller share of the U.S. House (10 percent), state legislatures (8.5 percent), city councils (5.7 percent), and the U.S. Senate (2 percent),” according to a new report by the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies. ly black or Latino names. The questions are also at the core of many ongoing debates about voting rights in the U.S. Supreme Court and Congress, as well as in many states, counties, and municipalities.”

What is not contested is that the Voting Rights Act of 1965 changed the political landscape for African Americans, with the number of African-American elected officials leaping from fewer than 1,000 in 1965 to now more than 10,000.

The change was particularly dramatic in the South, where 55 percent of African Americans live.

“Since the 1870s, white elected officials in many parts of the South had used violence, literacy tests, interpretation tests, poll taxes, and other devices to exclude African Americans,” the report recounted. “The Justice Department filed 71 voting rights lawsuits in the Deep South before 1965, but cases were typically complex, time-consuming, and expensive. When a court struck down one type of

discriminatory device, local officials simply erected a different device that effectively excluded most African Americans.”

Selma, Ala. and surrounding Dallas County was typical. Deploying rigged tests about the U.S. Constitution and a requirement that voters be in “good character,” as defined by white registrars, a white minority was able to suppress the African-American majority.

In 1965, more than half of Dallas County was African American. Of the county’s 15,000 voting-age African Americans, only 156 were registered to vote.

By contrast, two-thirds of voting-age whites were registered in the county. Throughout Alabama, only 19.4 percent of African Americans were registered.

In neighboring Mississippi, just 6.4 percent of African-Americans were registered.

As part of a massive voter registration campaign in 1965, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) and

local residents launched a Selma-to-Montgomery March to dramatize the lack of access to the ballot box.

On April 7, in what became known as “Bloody Sunday,” peaceful marchers in Selma were savagely beaten by Alabama State Troopers and local policemen as they attempted to walk across the Edmund Pettus Bridge to begin the 54-mile journey to Montgomery, the state capital.

The merciless beating of children, the elderly and adults was beamed in homes throughout the nation and provided the momentum for President Lyndon B. Johnson to sign the Voting Rights Act into law four months later.

“Only in the wake of the Voting Rights Act did black voter registration in the South begin to approach that of whites. Five years after the passage of the Act, the racial gap in voter registration in the former Confederate states had closed to single digits. By the start of the 1970s, the black/white registration gap across the Southern states was

little more than 8 percentage points,” the report stated.

“In Louisiana, the gap between black and white voter registration rates decreased by nearly 30 percentage points from 1960 to the end of 1970s, and it continued to decrease over the next three decades. By 2010, black registration rates in the state of Louisiana and many of the other former Confederate states had exceeded white registration rates for the first time since Reconstruction. The Voting Rights Act had delivered a Second Reconstruction.”

In fact, in four of the 12 presidential elections since 1965, African-American Southerners turned out at the polls at a higher rate than their White counterparts. Nationally, African-American turnout exceeded white turnout in the 2012 presidential election and possibly in 2008, according to the report.

Activists credit much of that progress to the Voting Rights Act requirement that jurisdictions that previously discriminated against African-Americans had to pre-clear voting changes in advance with federal authorities.

However, the Supreme Court’s decision in Shelby took away that tool and there is a measure pending in Congress that would reverse some of the damage. A House bill sponsored by “Bloody Sunday” veteran John Lewis (D-Ga.) and Jim Sensenbrenner (R-Wisconsin) would update the act.

“The proposed legislation would apply preclearance to jurisdictions with a record of voting rights violations within the previous 15 years, would make it easier for courts to block discriminatory rules before they are used in elections and harm voters, and would require disclosure of voting changes nationwide,” the report stated.

Efforts to expand the African-American vote is also under attack in others quarters as well. The Joint Center report cited moves to purge voters, requiring proof of citizenship, requiring voter ID, felony disenfranchisement and restricting voting registration drives.

The report also addressed the elephant in the room – race.

“In urban local elections, race is a more decisive factor than income, education …religion, sexuality, age, gender, and political ideology. The 38-point racial gap exceeds even the 33-point gap between Democratic and Republican voters,” the study said.

According to the report, African Americans “were the least advantaged group in America in terms of policy outcomes.”

Not all of the problems were external. The issue of low African-American voter turnout, especially in local elections, is a major challenge that warrants further study, the report said.

It noted, “ …In 2014, when there was great unrest over a police officer’s killing of Michael Brown, African Americans made up 67 percent of residents of Ferguson, Missouri. In 2012, a solid 100 percent of Ferguson precincts went for President Obama, but during Ferguson’s municipal off-cycle elections voters selected Ferguson’s Republican mayor and six city council members, all of whom except one were white.”

The report shatters the notion that we’re living in a post-racial society.

“Despite discussions about the declining significance of race, over the past few decades, racial divides along partisan lines have actually grown. African Americans have increasingly favored Democrats, and recently Latinos and Asian Americans have become more loyal to the Democratic Party as well. The shift to the left has been particularly pronounced for Asian Americans,” it said.

“On the other side, whites have moved slowly and unevenly – but inexorably – to the Republican Party. Fifty years ago, the Democratic Party dominated the white vote. Today, nationwide, whites are more apt to favor the Republican Party.”

It concluded, “Division is a normal and healthy part of democracy, but when a core dividing line in a nation becomes so closely aligned with race and ethnicity, larger concerns about inequality, conflict, and discrimination emerge.”

March 5 - 11, 2015

Page 6

NATION

The New Tri-State Defender

The MOVE bombing 30 years later PHILADELPHIA – During the Fox Rothschild Center for Law and Society’s 16th Annual Law and Society Week (Feb. 23-27) at Community College of Philadelphia, panelists took on a topic that has haunted the City for decades: What were the lessons learned – and the lessons yet to be learned – from the deadly MOVE bombing on May 13, 1985?

The goal was to foster a better understanding of the aftermath of the two clashes between the MOVE Organization and the Philadelphia Police Department (PPD) in both 1978 and 1985, and explore the lingering effects it has had on America’s fifth largest city.

“Knowing our history, including controversial, messy history, is the duty of every citizen,” said Kathleen M. Smith, J.D., Fox Rothschild Center director. “By looking at MOVE, the confrontations and the history, we do come away with a deeper understanding of our society and ourselves. This is not an easy topic, but it’s a critically important one and one which the Community College of Philadelphia is uniquely positioned to take on.”

This year marks the 30th anniversary of the confrontation.

In 1985, MOVE and the police made headlines after PPD authorities dropped an explosive device onto the roof of MOVE’s home in an attempt to end an armed standoff. The explosion and ensuing fire killed 11 people (five children, six adults) and destroyed more than 60 homes in the 6200 block of Osage Avenue in West Philadelphia.

Hundreds of people attended the College’s MOVE-related panels throughout the week, including Ramona Africa, MOVE’s minister of information and the only living survivor of the 1985 bombing.

The most spirited discussion unfolded during a Feb. 25 panel featuring Africa, “Let the Fire Burn” authors Randi and Michael Boyette, and Jason Osder, filmmaker of “Let the Fire Burn.” It was moderated by Temple University Journalism Professor Linn Washington, who covered both the 1978 and 1985 events for media outlets worldwide.

Africa described the MOVE Organization, which still exists and today has a website, as a “revolutionary organization.”

She took exception with those

“This was an attempt, a plan, to kill…. Not to arrest, but to kill,” Ramona Africa said at a Community College of Philadelphia panel discussion exploring lessons learned from the confrontations between MOVE and the Philadelphia Police Department. (Photo: Matthew Hall) who have labeled the group, over the years, as violent and cult-like.

Africa said the fault for the 1985 confrontation lies squarely with the Philadelphia Police Department and City of Philadelphia officials who sought to eliminate the entire MOVE Organization.

“This was an attempt, a plan, to kill,” Africa said. “Not to arrest, but to kill. You don’t need to go past the fact that a bomb was dropped on our home, a bomb that ignited a fire…When we realized that our house was on fire, we attempted to get ourselves, our children, and our animals out of that blazing inferno. We were met with a barrage of police gunfire that forced us back into the house several times…They (the police) came out there to Osage Avenue with a plan to kill, not to arrest.”

No representatives of former Philadelphia Mayor Wilson Goode or the Philadelphia Police Department were in attendance at this week’s sessions.

However, Goode historically took exception to MOVE’s characterization of the actions.

He was adamant the city had no other choice. “As Mayor of this city I accept full and total responsibility,” Goode said on the evening of May 13, 1985. ‘‘There was no way to avoid it. No way to extract ourselves

from that situation except by armed confrontation.”

Panelist Randi Boyette noted that clashes between citizens and police still exist today, and have escalated with the recent killings of unarmed African-American men by police in Ferguson, Mo., and Staten Island, N.Y. Some participants, and audience members, wondered how the lessons of MOVE could inform today’s police-community debate.

The MOVE discussion was eye-opening for many of the College’s students in the audience, including those who had not been born when the group’s clashes with police took place.

“I think many of the students are touched because Philadelphia is our home and the fact that something as awful as that happened in our city is a tragedy,” said Fiona O’Neill, a Culture Science & Technology major. “I hope that we’ve learned that violence doesn’t result in anything good and that fighting with each other isn’t a way to solve problems…I think that what we have learned is that people need to be more accepting of one another.

We are all entitled to our rights and beliefs.”

The MOVE Organization is a Philadelphia-based, Black liberation group founded in 1972 by the late John Africa. In 1978, Philadelphia police officers had

their first clash with MOVE when police raided the group’s Powelton Village home, resulting in the imprisonment of nine MOVE members and the death of police officer James Ramp.

None of the nine was identified as the person who fatally shot Ramp.

Eight MOVE members remain in jail today as a result of the 1978 incident. One of the so-called MOVE Nine, Phil Africa, died in a Pennsylvania prison in January 2015.

On another panel featuring journalists who had covered MOVE as the tragedy unfolded, panelists said the local media have made efforts over the past decades to probe deeper into this conflict and to provide fresh insights into how things went so wrong.

Members of the media panel said they had heard complaints from Osage Avenue neighbors against MOVE’s behavior and lifestyle for months leading up to the 1985 incident. None felt used by government officials, as Ramona Africa charged this week, to create a negative public impression of the MOVE Organization.

Bill Marimow, executive editor of the Philadelphia Inquirer, said the Inquirer probably should have paid more attention to what was happening to the Osage Avenue neighborhood in the years leading up to the bombing.

“The fact that we didn’t pay attention to that consistently, in my opinion, probably created less pressure on first the (William) Green (mayoral) administration and then the Goode administration to address the

issues prior to the tragic events of May 13, 1985,” he said “In my opinion, it (the 1985 MOVE bombing) was the most significant urban tragedy and public policy travesty in my lifetime and in the last century,” said Marimow, who was an Inquirer reporter on that date. “It was a total disaster, in my opinion, in terms of public officials’ responsibility to protect citizens and their well-being.”

Chivonne Green, an Architecture and Interior Design major at the College, said she attended the various Law and Society Week events to learn more about the 1985 MOVE confrontation.

She was only four years old in 1985, but said the discussion on the 1978 and 1985 MOVE confrontations provided some greater insights into the issues of today.

“I hope what students got the most out of this was an understanding of different perspectives,” she said. “Not just looking at it from the MOVE perspective, not just looking at it from the public figures’ pointof-view, but looking at it from all sides and being able to come up with a rational decision about what could have been done differently and what could happen moving forward.”

(For more information: http://onamove.com/.)

March 5 - 11, 2015

The New Tri-State Defender

Page 7

BUSINESS ON OUR WAY TO WEALTHY

Beer, wine and spirits make good business ‘cents’ Businesses come in many types, shapes and sizes. One of the more costly businesses to enter successfully is one with liquor as a focus. The liquor business has various categories that are specialized and unique. Depending on the interests and budget of the entrepreneur, entry into the business can be as a liquor store, liquor brand, winery, or brewery, to name a few. Regardless of the category, this type of business requires major research and commitment to learn the rules of this heavily regulated industry. Non-compliance can result in heavy fines, fees and the potential loss of licensing.

Liquor store Traditionally liquor stores have been considered recession proof. People tend to drink when they are happy and drink when they are sad, which results ultimately in sales regardless of the customers’ mood. The profitability of a liquor store frequently depends on a number of factors including location, location, and location. As previously mentioned, a license is required. Proximity to entities

such as church, school or another liquor store is critical to whether a license can be issued at all.

M o s t l i q u o r Carlee McCullough, stores are cash based Esq. businesses and therefore are subject to crime such as robbery and theft from employees. So the owner has to be hands on or at the very least have someone trusted to manage the business. Although the hours will be long, the reward can be great.

Liquor branding In most jurisdictions, producers of alcohol sell only to wholesalers who then distribute to liquor stores and restaurants. Liquor branding these days has become synonymous with celebrities. It seems that musicians are no longer selling records and music. They are pushing products such as liquor. From Sean “Diddy”

brand. But in order to be successful, people have to know the product is available.

Winemakers

Combs to Ludacris, alcohol has become a top business interest for entertainers.

Diddy has promoted Ciroc Vodka and has now created a joint venture with tequila brand DeLeon. Rapper Ludacris is the proud co-owner of Conjure Cognac. But no one has done it better than Bethany Frankel, best known as one of the feisty Real Housewives of New York. Fortune Brands’ Beam Global purchased her Skinnygirl Cocktails company for an estimated $100 million.

Creating a brand requires

not only a creative idea and a product that the public desires, but start-up capital and a large promotions budget as well.

People connect with a story and it helps to sell your product when the story is clear and identifiable.

Without the platform of celebrity to brand the liquor, creativity and positioning become all the more important.

Remember this industry is heavily regulated, including the advertising. Marketing the brand can become just as costly as the development of the

A snip of the future…

Agency Owner Ezekeil Hudson recently hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony for his new Allstate Insurance office at 53 Monroe Ave. (Courtesy photo)

MONEY MATTERS

Catch up for a more comfortable retirement

Seven out of 10 workers aged 50 and older are confident that they will have enough money to cover basic expenses in retirement.

When it comes to the prospect of living comfortably in retirement, however, the percentage expressing confidence drops to 53 percent — and only 14 percent are “very confident.”

If your retirement account balance is lagging and you are 50 or older, you can give your savings a boost by taking advantage of catch-up contributions that are available for IRAs and employer-sponsored retirement plans.

In 2014, the IRA federal contribution limit is $5,500.

Investors 50 and older can also make a $1,000 catchup contribution for a total of $6,500. An extra $1,000 might not seem like much, but it could make a big difference by the time you’re ready to retire (see chart).

You have until the April15, 2015, tax-filing deadline to make IRA contributions for 2014. Of course, the sooner you contribute, the more time the funds will have to pursue potential growth.

The 2014 contribution limit for most employer-sponsored retirement plans — including 401(k), 403(b), and 457 plans — is $17,500. Investors aged 50 and older can also make a $5,500 catch-up contribution for a total of $23,000. However, some employer-spon-

s o r e d plans may have maxi m u m s that are lower than the federal contribution limit, so be sure you understand your Charles Sims p l a n ’ s Jr., CMFC, rules. UnLUTCF like the case with IRAs, 2014 contributions to employer-sponsored plans must be made by the end of the year, so now would be a good time to adjust your contributions to take advantage of the catch-up opportunity.

Contributions to a traditional IRA are general-

ly tax deductible (income limits apply to active participants in employer-sponsored retirement plans); your contributions and any earnings accumulate tax deferred. Distributions from traditional IRAs and most employer-sponsored retirement plans are taxed as ordinary income. Early withdrawals taken prior to age 59½ may be subject to a 10 percent federal income tax penalty. Generally, required minimum distributions from tax-deferred plans must begin once you reach age 70½.

(Charles Sims Jr., CMFC, LUTCF, is President/CEO of The Sims Financial Group.

Contact him at 901-682-2410 or visit www.SimsFinancialGroup.com.)

There is no quick and fast entry into the wine business.

Once land has been secured and the seeds planted, the vines are poised to bear fruit. Hopefully the grapes are suitable for wine as planned. Unfortunately, it may take more than one season to secure the first crop.

The equipment to turn grapes into wine can be costly if done on a large-scale commercial level in a production facility. In sum, the “built in” budget needs to accommodate several years of little to no income as the grapes are processed into wine.

Remember, licensing is required and approval of the label for the bottle can be a long and cumbersome.

Private labeling While not as time-consuming as winemaking, private labeling, which is simply placing your label on another manufacturer’s wine, is another alternative. The time to enter the market place is cut signifi-

cantly because the entrepreneur will not have to endure the time period between planting, production and bottling.

Although private labeling may drive the “per unit” cost up, the initial investment should not be as severe.

Brewery

Microbreweries are growing in popularity. Sears and specialty shops sell personal home brewing kits. Although it is a big jump from home brewing to commercial brewing, the few who’re bitten by the bug take the hobby and turn it into a thriving business.

Brewing beer requires constant cleaning of floors, tanks, hoses, kegs, glasses, and drains due to the fermentation and packaging process.

Additionally, note-taking and pristine record keeping is a must in order to document the subtle changes in recipes that result in big changes in taste.

So, if alcohol is of interest, there is money to be made with a substantial investment.

(Contact Carlee M. McCullough, Esq. at 901-7950050; email – jstce4all@aol. com.)

March 5 - 11, 2015

Page 8

The New Tri-State Defender

RELIGION

CHURCH NEWS Castalia to kick off concert and Annual Women’s Day Castalia Baptist Church, 1540 Castalia Rd., will present a musical concert Friday, March 6, entitled “An Evening with the Altos” starting at 7 p.m.

Those to be featured in concert include Minister Melvina Martin, Jewel Moody, Anna Waters, and the Rev. Jerrian Moody Harris. Castalia’s Music Minsitry will also perform.

Castalia also will host its Annual Women’s Day on the following Sunday. Morning worship will begin at 8 a.m..

Evangelist LaKenna Booker, 2nd St. John Baptist Church in West Memphis, Ark., will be the guest speaker.

The morning service begins at 11 a.m. Dr. Cozette Garrett of Mississippi Blvd. Christian Church is the guest speaker.

Dr. Randolph Meade Walker is the host pastor.

I

Celebrating achievement...

On Saturday, Feb. 28, the Rev. Aaron Litzsey hosted a Black History Achievement Luncheon at The Word Church at 3852 Park Ave. It was, he said, a celebration of 30 public school students in our area that school principals recommended who have overcome great adversity at young ages, but yet are striving for academic excellence. The theme is ‘From Tragedy to Triumph.’ While these children do not attend our church, I believe these children are worth our ministry’s time, support, and encouragement.” (Photos: George Tillman Jr.)

Celebrating Thomas Chapel’s ‘past and present heroes’

n recognition of Black History Month, Thomas Chapel Missionary Baptist Church hosted an Honorary Trailblazer Banquet on Feb. 28 at 5 p.m. at Memphis Botanic Garden. The event celebrated the contributions of the church’s past and present heroes.

The honorees arrived in style by limousine, were escorted down the red carpet and treated to a well-deserved night of

honor and recognition by family members and friends. U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen of the 9th Congressional District Office also presented Congressional Certificates of Recognition to the honorees for their community service. Shelby County Tax Assessor Cheyenne Johnson was also in attendance.

The honorees of the evening were: the Rev. Roger Adams Jr., Maggie Carpen-

ter, Lorine Crisp, Harriet Dodson, Herman Johnson, Nettie Murrell, Lola Norry, Adine Paylor, Shirley Reid, Mattine Robertson, Willie Mae Thompson Rogers, Margaret Sherrod, Estella Snider, Doris Chambers Taylor, Mary Frances Thornton, and Odie Williams. These honorees have dedicated over 600 years of service to Thomas Chapel.

The Rev. Hubon P. Sandridge Jr. called

Left to right: Lorine Crisp, Odie Williams, the Rev. Hubon P. Sandridge Jr., Mary Sandridge, Willie Mae Rogers, Mattine Otis Carruthers and his wife Mary Lee, program co-chair. (Courtesy photos) Rogers, and Adine Paylor.

Congressman Steve Cohen, First Lady Mary Sandridge (cochair) and the Rev. Hubon P. Sandridge Jr.

Right to left: the Rev. Hubon P. Sandridge Jr., First Lady Mary Sandridge, Doris Taylor, Mary Thornton, Shirley Reid, Margaret Sherrod, Rosetta Adams, and Roger Adams Jr.

Jimmy Chambers and his wife Ressie, chairperson.

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. – Hebrews 11:1 (KJV)

the event “a grand occasion” and stated that the church is charged with teaching and showing love. He often quotes John 15:12, which reads, “This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.”

The event was chaired by Ressie Chambers and co-chaired by first lady Mary Sandridge and Mary Lee Carruthers.

Mrs. Harriet Dodson and Congressman Steve Cohen.

ENTERTAINMENT The New Tri-State Defender, March 5 - 11, 2015, Page 9

Award-winning artist eyes a legacy of healing

by Brittney Gathen

Special to The New Tri-State Defender

While visiting Washington, D.C. in 1995, local artist Frank D. Robinson Jr. was injured in a bus accident and unable to work for three to four months. He didn’t mope around in sorrow, choosing instead to use art as an outlet, with the help of a unique form of materials – trash.

“Art supplies cost a lot of money – canvas, paint, etc. So, I started using things out of the trash and my artwork became my art therapy for healing,” Robinson said.

“Throughout the years, it has been the one thing that’s kept me sane and kept me going. I think it’s a great beauty in taking things that are discarded and creating something from that.”

Twenty years after the accident, one of Robinson’s works has earned him the Emmett O’ Ryan Award for Artistic Inspiration, which is given to an artist whose original work indicates continued artistic significance.

Memphis“Everybody The b a s e d has Metropolitan annually something Bank gives the to heal award to a artist from, and local in honor of I’m just Ryan, who an avid trying to was art collector manifest and founding member of the that bank. through T h e emphis artwork.” M B r o o k s Museum of Art nominated Robinson for the award, which comes with a $2,000 cash prize for the recipient and $500 for the nominating organization.

“It is important to us at Metropolitan Bank that we honor Emmett O’ Ryan’s memory and his contribution to the bank and to the arts,” Phillip May, the bank’s president, said in a press release. “We are grateful to the organizations that each year help to make the Emmett O’ Ryan Award a reality. We also are grateful for all of the artists who submitted outstanding work and the impact that their works of art has on enhancing the quality of life in our community.”

Robinson’s winning artistic work is titled “Trust Your Struggle.” The works a part of a series titled “The Year of Healing.”

“Everybody has something to heal from, and I’m just trying to manifest that through artwork,” Robinson said.

Questions are part of the mental tapestry that forms in Robinson’s mind as he creates his works: “Can art heal?”

“Can art make a difference?”

“Can one piece make a difference?”

“Can one show make a difference?”

With “Trust Your Struggle,” Robinson sought to address personal pain, diabetes and mental illnesses.

He did the piece for a show at Caritas Village, a Binghampton community center that offers art, music and theater programs. Robinson was the artist-in-residence there from 2006 to 2014 and still maintains a studio and

therapy With this award-winning piece titled “Trust Your Struggle,” local artist Frank D. Robinson Jr. sought to address personal pain, diabetes and mental illnesses. It is part of a series called “The Year of Healing.”

“I think my work plays a central part in the black lives matter (movement.)”

(Photo: Facebook)

The artist in his studio.

mentors kids.

His father served as inspiration for the series that features “Trust Your Struggle.”

“A lot of it has to do with my dad,” Robinson said. “My dad has some health issues, so I’ve become a caregiver (and) my whole family has become caregivers for him. A lot of the work is talking about my dad.”

In addition to addressing healing in his artwork, Robinson is using artistry to address what increasingly is known as the “black lives matter movement.”

“I think all artists should do something dealing with it because I think it affects everybody – white, black, green and yellow,” Robinson said. “I think my work plays a central part in the black lives matter (movement.)”

Robinson’s body of work includes pieces dealing with Michael Brown Jr., the 18-year-old killed by then Ferguson, Mo. police officer Darren Wilson last year, Eric Garner, a Staten Island man killed by officer Daniel Pantaleo last year, and slain Florida teen Trayvon Martin, who was killed by neighborhood watchman George Zimmerman in 2012.

As an artist, Robinson thinks one should touch on everything that’s around you.

“Folks should be able to look back 50 years from now and see what’s going on in my work from 2014, 2015 and beyond,” he said. “I think it’s my duty as an artist to touch on all those subjects.”

The award-winning Robinson is also the owner of his own art business, Frank D. Originals, located at “Folks 3673 Hillridge.

The holder of should be a bachelor’s able to look degree in back 50 graphic design from the years from University of now and Memphis and a master’s of see what’s fine art from the School of going on Art Institute in my work of Chicago, he started the from 2014, business in 2015 and 1989 while attending the beyond.”

University of Memphis These days, Robinson keeps busy with several art shows. He has a show opening at the Brooks Museum of Art on Saturday (March 7th) and running through May. The show is titled “Artists/ Activists” and features him along with Siphne Sylve and Marcellous Lovelace.

He also has two shows – “My Life Has Value” and “We Wear the Mask” showing at Prairie View A&M University in Texas until March 23 before it opens at Tougaloo College in Mississippi.

Other upcoming shows include a group show with Stax in June and then a show titled “The Year of Healing” at the Memphis Seminary.

Although Robinson wants to leave his mark as an artist, he also wants his legacy to be more personal.

“I would like to be a great person in the arts, and I want to do great things in the arts, but the legacy that I want to leave is that I would rather be (remembered as) a good person,” Robinson said.

“Hopefully it will be a legacy of healing through my work.”

From drugs to books and beyond

by Paula Anderson

Special to The New Tri-State Defender

Drug hustler turned book hustler visits The LeMoyne-Owen College

Kevin Shird was saved by going to prison. Imagine living life worrying about dying each day. Such was Shird’s reality as a drug trafficker in Baltimore.

Growing up on the streets was a turbulent time for Shird. At 16, he decided to sell heroin. The only “skill” he had at that time, it put food on the table. His self-described “world of dysfunction” yielded $20,000 a day and had him paranoid all the time.

He went from selling marijuana to cocaine and then on to heroin. Parttime drug selling led to full-time hustling, which meant dropping out of high school. After witnessing a murder in a nightclub five years later, Shird realized he had become numb to violence.

“At one point, a friend of mine told me he wanted to kill someone,” he recalled. “I didn’t know what to do, whether to tell the person or not. I found out days later, the guy was dead.”

Shird shared his thoughts and reflections during a talk at The LeMoyne-Owen College last week. His message was clear and straightforward: don’t put your life in other people’s hands. He says he made bad choices and now is traveling to HBCUs teaching drug prevention.

His recent book, “Lessons of Redemption,” chronicles his trials and tribulations.

The day that began his road to redemption was the day federal drug

Former drug trafficker Kevin Shird’s turnaround story is detailed in “Lessons of Redemption.” He signed copies recently at The LeMoyne-Owen College. (Courtesy photos). agents placed him in a chokehold during a $60,000 drug deal. The person he considered his only true friend had set him up to take the fall. “It was the betrayal that was the turning point in my life,” Shird said.

That arrest led to a 12-year prison sentence. Just like Malcolm X used prison to transform his life, so did Shird.

“I know I would have been dead if my friend Jesus had not set (me) up.”

Shird rechanneled the pain of that betrayal into studying business management, accounting and marketing. He compared his drug selling business to “target marketing.” He realized that he was already using these business principles. As a high-school dropout, this changed his whole perspective on education.

Prison, said Shird, provided the solitude he needed to think about life

Saying he made bad choices, Kevin Shird travels to HBCUs teaching drug prevention. His recent book, “Lessons of Redemption,” chronicles his story. and “quiet the mind.” In “Lessons of Redemption,” he recalls a graduation speech he made while in prison. He tells his fellow inmates, “It’s time to take the mask off.” They applauded the message during “one of the few times I ever felt appreciated while I was in prison.”

His major focus today is helping chil-

dren of addicted parents. He and R&B singer Mario formed a non-profit organization called The Mario Do Right Foundation. Shird, stresses that addiction is a disease.

“Addiction can be a powerful thing,” he said with first-hand knowledge.

Growing up with a chronically alcoholic father, he made sure he did not repeat his father’s mistakes.

“I drink cranberry juice while others drink alcohol,” he said.

Shird didn’t do drugs, choosing to sell them even though he knew he was “selling poison” and destroying other people’s lives.

President Obama recently invited him to the White House to speak during National Recovery Month.

“I was so excited. I couldn’t believe I was going to meet Obama.”

But, there was a problem: the Secret Service informed him that he failed the background check and could not be admitted. His past came back to haunt him.

But, like his life, things turned around.

“They gave me a one-time exemption,” said Shird, who shared his life story with anti-drug advocates from across the country.

With his enterprise behind him, Shird says, “I’m still a hustler. I’m just hustling books now.”

(“Lessons in Redemption” is now available in paperback now and sold in bookstores and online.)

Page 10

March 5 - 11, 2015

ENTERTAINMENT

The New Tri-State Defender

‘Disney in Concert’ tickets on sale now Amro to sponsor ‘Instrument Petting Zoo’

“Bad Asses on the Bayou,” an action comedy film that will debut simultaneously in theatres as well as video-on-demand, is writer/ director Craig Moss’ third installment starring Danny Glover and Danny Trejo. (Courtesy photo)

by Kam Williams

Special to The New Tri-State Defender

For movies opening March 6, 2015 BIG BUDGET FILMS “Chappie” (R for violence, profanity and brief nudity) Sci-fi thriller set in a futuristic totalitarian state patrolled by repressive police androids where a renegade robot (Sharlto Copley) reprogrammed for good represents the last hope for humanity. With Hugh Jackman, Sigourney Weaver and Dev Patel.

“The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel” (PG for mild epithets and suggestive material) Dame Judi Dench, Bill Nighy, Celia Imrie, Maggie Smith, Penelope Wilton and Dev Patel reprise their roles in this sequel which finds the proprietor (Patel) of India’s preeminent Old Folks Home pursuing his dream of opening another boarding house. Additions to the cast include Richard Gere, Tamsin Grieg and David Strathairn.

“Unfinished Business” (R for risqué sexuality, graphic nudity, profanity and drug use) Buddy comedy revolving around a trio’s (Vince Vaughn, Tom Wilkinson and Dave Franco) business trip gone awry at European ports of call ranging from a fetish convention to a global economic summit. Featuring Jil Funke, David Akinloye and Heidi Philipsen.

INDEPENDENT & FOREIGN FILMS “Bad Asses on the Bayou” (R for vio-

lence, profanity, sexuality and nudity) Danny Trejo and Danny Glover reprise their roles in this sequel to Bad Ass 2 set in Baton Rouge where the aging tough guys take the law into their own hands to rescue a pal’s (John Amos) daughter kidnapped for ransom (Loni Love).

Rob Mello, Sammi Rotibi and Jimmy Bennett.

“Earth’s Golden Playground” (Unrated) Gold Rush documentary highlighting the present-day resurgence of mining among prospectors searching for the mother lode up in the Yukon.

“Faults” (Unrated) Psychological thriller about desperate parents (Beth Grant and Chris Ellis) who hire a disgraced deprogrammer (Leland Orser) to rescue their daughter (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) from the clutches of a mind-controlling cult. With Jon Gries, Nicholas Tucci and Leonard Earl Howze.

“An Honest Liar” (Unrated) Retrospective about magician-turned-skeptic The Amazing Randi’s career spent debunking hoaxes, pseudoscience and claims of paranormal activity.

Featuring Aice Cooper, Uri Geller, Penn Jillette, Bill Nye and Michael Edwards.

“Kidnapping Mr. Heineken” (R for pervasive profanity) Fact-based drama recreating the 1983 abduction in Amsterdam of the heir (Anthony Hopkins) to the mammoth beer fortune. Cast includes Sam Worthington, Jim Sturgess and Jemima West.

“The Lesson” (Unrated) Survival saga about a cash-strapped schoolteacher (Margita

Gosheva) who resorts to desperate measures to provide for her family. With Ivan Barnev, Ivan Savov, Stefan Denolyubov and Ivanka Bratoeva. (In Bulgarian with subtitles) “Merchants of Doubt” (PG-13 for brief profanity) Screen adaptation of Naomi Oreskes and Erik M. Conway’s best-seller of the same name, a cautionary documentary warning about the profusion of pundits-for-hire who create confusion by posing as impartial experts who dispute the conventional wisdom about global warming, pollution and the pharmaceutical industry.

“October Gale” (Unrated) Crime thriller set in a remote cottage on an island where a recently-widowed doctor (Patricia Clarkson) cares for a mysterious stranger (Scott Speedman) who washed ashore with a gunshot wound while trying to evade the shooter (Tim Roth) seeking to finish him off. With Callum Keith Rennie, Aidan Devine, Billy MacLellan and Eric Murdoch.

“Two Men in Town” (R for profanity) Unlikely-buddies drama, set in New Mexico, about the friendship forged between a Muslim ex-con (Forest Whitaker) and his idealistic parole officer (Brenda Blethyn), much to the chagrin of a border town sheriff (Harvey Keitel).

Supporting cast includes Luis Guzman, Ellen Burstyn and Dolores Heredia.

“A Year in Champagne” (Unrated) Second installment in alcohol trilogy, and sequel to A Year in Burgundy, explores everything you always ever wanted to know about the bubbly brew from France.

“Disney in Concert: Magical Music from the Movies” will play at the Orpheum Theatre on March 28th at 7:30 p.m. and March 29th at 2 p.m.

Presented by Kroger and produced through a partnership between The Orpheum Theatre and The Memphis Symphony Orchestra, proceeds from the special engagement will benefit The Memphis Symphony Orchestra (MSO).

Tickets are on sale now.

In addition to the concert of Disney favorites, Amro Music has announced that it will host a complimentary “Instrument Petting Zoo” prior to the Sunday, March 29th matinee. Children will have a hands-on opportunity to experience the joys of making classical music before seeing the region’s top musicians in action.

“The ‘Instrument Petting Zoo’ is a gateway to a lifelong appreciation of music,” says Erin Kaste, MSO personnel manager. “We’ve noticed that when children have a chance to experiment with the music, to explore the notes, to feel an instrument in their hands, they just start to get it. They know they’re learning in a way that lets them participate creatively, and they can’t get enough.”

“Disney in Concert” combines the MSO’s talents with the famed Walt Disney Studio songbook, live singing and clips from classic Disney films. The concert will feature popular hits such as “Let It Go” from “Frozen” and iconic songs such as those that punctuate “Beauty and the Beast,” “The Little Mermaid,” and “Mary Poppins.” “‘Disney in Concert’ offers the music that audiences know and love presented in a whole new way,” says Roland Valliere, MSO president and. “If you’ve been attending our concerts since the beginning, this is the show for you. If you’ve never been to the Symphony before, this is the show for you.”

After production expenses, proceeds from the special engagement will benefit The MSO’s mission. Under Music Director Mei-Ann Chen, MSO “strives to enrich the lives of our diverse community through exceptional music and dynamic programs.” The nonprofits’ goal is to raise $150,000.

“I think it’s so important that we reach beyond our doors to do our part in supporting fellow arts organizations,” says Orpheum President and CEO Pat Halloran. “This incredible partnership between the Orpheum and the Symphony is just one example of how organizations can work together to strengthen our arts community as a whole. We hope that our success will encourage other arts groups to look for similar opportunities.”

Tickets to “Disney in Concert” are available online at www.orpheum-memphis.com, The Orpheum Box Office (901-525-3000), the ticket counter at The Booksellers at Laurelwood, and all Ticketmaster centers (901-743-ARTS).

Tickets start at $25 for both performances.

The Orpheum Theatre and Memphis Symphony Orchestra recognizes Kroger for its generous support as the event’s presenting sponsor.

In honor of Kroger, patrons are encouraged to bring canned food or monetary donations for the Mid-South Food Bank.

For more information regarding sponsorships or donations, please call 901-537-2500 or email development@memphissymphony.org.

March 5 - 11, 2015

The New Tri-State Defender

Legal Notices Request for Proposals The Shelby County Board of Education will be accepting written proposals for an ERP ASSESSMENT. Visit our website for additional information: http://www.scsk12.org/uf/procurement/bids.php Questions concerning this proposal should be addressed to Wendy Partee, Procurement Services via email, parteews@scsk12.org.

Thank you for your interest and responses.

Shelby County Schools – Procurement Services ALL INTERESTED BIDDERS The Shelby County Board of Education will accept written proposals (RFP) for Compensation Administration Software.

Visit our website for additional information: http://www.scsk12.org/uf/procurement/bids.php Questions concerning this RFP should be addressed to Victoria Locklyn at (901) 416-5401 or emailed to locklynve@ scsk12.org Thank you for supporting Shelby County Schools.

Cerita Butler, Director Procurement Services Shelby County Schools Nutrition Services currently has Part-Time Job Openings in over 150 school cafeterias. Eligible candidates will be required to….

• complete an online employment application via www.scsk12.org – under “Careers”.

• be scheduled for fingerprinting for background check purposes (DCS check as well).

• complete 3 days of training and accept an assignment.

• be available for work between the hours of 6:00 am and 2:00 pm, daily.

• have reliable transportation to get to the many different locations all over the district.

• Food Service experience is desired.

Candidates will work during regular school hours and will enjoy weekends, holidays, and summers off.

REQUEST FOR STATEMENT OF QUALIFICATIONS Legal Notice MSCAA Project No. 15-1389-00 to provide Aeronautical Obstruction Evaluations Memphis International Airport Memphis, Tennessee Statements of Qualifications for furnishing Aeronautical Obstruction Evaluations, as hereinafter set forth, will be received by Staff Services Division, Memphis-Shelby County Airport Authority (MSCAA), 3505 Tchulahoma Road, Memphis, Tennessee, 38118, until 2:00 PM local time on Thursday, April 2, 2015. Use the above address for all means of delivery. A complete Information Package with submittal instructions, additional data, selection criteria and response format may be found on our website (www.mscaa.com) on or after March 4, 2015.

The scope of services shall include all work associated with providing complete services required to document the status of runway approach surfaces, for all runways in the Memphis-Shelby County Airport Authority jurisdiction, including the runways at Memphis International, General DeWitt Spain and Charles W. Baker Airports, as defined by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in Federal Air Regulation (FAR) Part 77. Acceptable methods of data collection include ground based terrestrial photography and surveying techniques, digital and scanned aerial film imagery, matrix and push-broom digital airborne sensors, small- and medium-format metric cameras, close-range imagery, orthophotos, LiDAR, synthetic aperture radar, RPC satellites, or other technologies.

The overall contract with MSCAA will be for an initial one year period with options for renewal for four additional periods of one year each.

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

The MSCAA hereby notifies that it will review and award contracts in accordance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, 42 U.S.C. 2000d to 2000d-4a and Title 49, Part 26, Code of Federal Regulations, Department of Transportation, Subtitle A, Office of the Secretary, Part 21, Nondiscrimination in Federally Assisted Programs of the Department of Transportation issued pursuant to such Act. MSCAA further notifies all Bidders that it will affirmatively ensure that in any contract entered into pursuant to this advertisement, Disadvantaged Business Enterprises (DBE) will be afforded full opportunity to submit bids in response to this invitation and will not be discriminated against on the grounds of age, race, sex, color, national origin, creed, religion, sexual orientation or disability in its hiring and employment practices, or in admission to, access to, or operation of its programs, services and activities. The DBE participation goal for this contract is 10% in accordance with the requirements of the Contract Documents. This project is Federal Grant Funded. Therefore, the only participation that will be counted toward meeting this goal will be participation by certified DBEs, the owners of which have been certified as having a personal net worth less than $1.32 million.

This project might be funded with Federal and/or state grants. A Notice to Proceed will be issued once funding is established.

The MSCAA reserves the right to reject any and all responses in whole or in part to this solicitation, and is under no obligation to award this project to any of the firms or teams of firms responding to this request.

MEMPHIS-SHELBY COUNTY AIRPORT AUTHORITY

By Scott A. Brockman, A.A.E., President & CEO LEGAL NOTICE Request for Qualifications RFQ Number 15-0012 Human Resources Consulting Services Responses for this Request for Qualifications (RFQ) for providing Human Resources Consulting Services will be received by

Page 11

CLASSIFIEDS

THE NEW TRI-STATE DEFENDER CLASSIFIEDS 203 Beale Street, Suite 200 Memphis, TN 38103 PH (901) 523-1818 FAX (901) 578-5037 HOURS: Mon.-Fri. 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.

DEADLINES: Display ads Monday 5 p.m.

Classifieds ads Monday 5 p.m.

RATES: Standard rates: $9.50 per line for 1 column ad.

Rates are non-commissionable and are quoted at the net rate. No refund for early cancellation.

For additional information contact Sales Dept. at (901) 746-5201 or email: advertising@tsdmemphis.com the Memphis-Shelby County Airport Authority (Authority), Staff Services Division, Memphis International Airport, Administration and Support Facility, 3505 Tchulahoma Road, Memphis, TN 38118-2718 until 11:00 AM local time, April 15, 2015.

No Responses will be accepted after the stated deadline. Responses will not be received at any other location.

INSTRUCTIONS TO RESPONDENTS The response to the RFQ shall be submitted in a sealed envelope or container.

Each envelope or container must be clearly marked on the outside with the following: 1) Request for Qualifications, Human Resources Consulting Services, 2) RFQ Number 15-0012, and 3) Your company name and address. No responses will be accepted after the stated deadline. A complete Request for Qualifications Packet with submittal instructions, additional data, and response format may be found on our website www.mscaa.com on or after March 2, 2015.

A mandatory pre-proposal meeting will be held at the Authority’s Administration and Support Facility located at 3505 Tchulahoma Road, Memphis, TN 38118 on March 11, 2015 at 10:00 AM. Only those attending will be allowed to submit a response.

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

The Authority reserves the right to reject any or all responses to this RFQ in whole or in part and to waive any informalities, technicalities, or omissions therein. The Authority also reserves the right to reject any response when a parent, subsidiary, affiliate, or predecessor in interest of the Respondent has pending litigation or claims with the Authority, or if any response includes a proposed subcontractor or supplier that has pending litigation or claims with the Authority, if the Authority determines, in its sole discretion, such litigation or claims may adversely affect the ability of the parties to work efficiently and effectively under this RFQ, or for any other reason as determined by the Authority.

Any such response will be returned to the Respondent. All Respondents must use forms provided by the Authority.

The Authority hereby notifies all Respondents that it will review and award bids/ proposals in accordance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, 42 U.S.C. 2000d to 2000d-4a (the “Act”) and Title 49, Part 26, Code of Federal Regulations, Department of Transportation, Subtitle A, Office of the Secretary, Part 21, Nondiscrimination in Federally Assisted Programs of the Department of Transportation issued pursuant to such Act. The Authority further notifies all Respondents that it will affirmatively ensure that in any contract entered into pursuant to this advertisement, Disadvantaged Enterprises (DBEs) will be afforded full opportunity to submit bids/ proposals in response to this invitation and will not be discriminated against on the grounds of age, race, sex, color, national origin, or disability in its hiring and employment practices, or in admission to, access to, or operation of its programs, services, and activities, in accordance with the Business Diversity Development Program (BDDP) promulgated under the September 2008 Disparity Study for non-discrimination in non-federally assisted programs commissioned by the Memphis-Shelby County Intergovernmental Consortium, as amended. The DBE participation goal for any contract awarded as a result of this RFQ is 5% in accordance with the requirements of the RFQ documents.

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

Memphis-Shelby County Airport Authority Scott A. Brockman, A.A.E. President and CEO NOTICE OF PROPOSED SALE OF REAL PROPERTY

BY SHELBY COUNTY GOVERNMENT Notice is hereby given, pursuant to T.C.A. § 67-5-2507, that Shelby County Government has received an Offer to Purchase for the following property: 1. Purchaser: Torian Moore Tax Parcel # 02606600000200 Tax Sale # 0903 Exhibit # 1861 Price Offered: $4,250.00

Terms: Cash Additional Offers to Purchase, of at least ten percent (10%) higher, may be submitted within Ten (10) days of the initial publication of this notice. If additional offers are received during this ten (10) day period, all prospective Purchasers must attend a Public “Bid Off” at 9:45 a.m. on March 26, 2015, to be held in the Shelby County Land Bank Office, to determine the highest and best offer. The property shall thereafter be sold to the prospective Purchaser making the highest and best offer without warranties of any sort.

SHELBY COUNTY LAND BANK 584 ADAMS AVENUE, MEMPHIS, TN 38103 MIKE BLACKWELL (901) 222-2581 NOTICE OF PROPOSED SALE OF REAL PROPERTY

BY SHELBY COUNTY GOVERNMENT

BEER PERMITS Flat Rate: $30 GENERAL INFORMATION: Some categories require prepayment.

All ads subject to credit approval. The New Tri-State Defender reserves the right to correctly classify and edit all copy or to reject or cancel any ad at any time. Only standard abbreviations accepted. Copy change during ordered schedule constitutes new ad & new changes. Deadlines for cancellation are identical to placement deadlines. Rates subject to change.

ADJUSTMENTS: PLEASE check your ad the first day it appears. Call (901) 523-1818 if an error occurs. We can only offer in-house credit and NO REFUNDS are issued.

THE NEW TRI-STATE DEFENDER assumes no financial responsibility for errors nor for copy omission. Direct any classified billing inquires to (901) 523-1818.

Notice is hereby given, pursuant to T.C.A. § 67-5-2507, that Shelby County Government has received an Offer to Purchase for the following property: 1. Purchaser: Curtis Webb Tax Parcel # 0760880C000770 Tax Sale # 0901 Exhibit # 3580 Price Offered: $2,000.00

Terms: Cash Additional Offers to Purchase, of at least ten percent (10%) higher, may be submitted within Ten (10) days of the initial publication of this notice. If additional offers are received during this ten (10) day period, all prospective Purchasers must attend a Public “Bid Off” at 9:00 a.m. on March 24, 2015, to be held in the Shelby County Land Bank Office, to determine the highest and best offer. The property shall thereafter be sold to the prospective Purchaser making the highest and best offer without warranties of any sort.

SHELBY COUNTY LAND BANK 584 ADAMS AVENUE, MEMPHIS, TN 38103 MIKE BLACKWELL (901) 222-2581 NOTICE OF PROPOSED SALE OF REAL PROPERTY

BY SHELBY COUNTY GOVERNMENT Notice is hereby given, pursuant to T.C.A. § 67-5-2507, that Shelby County Government has received an Offer to Purchase for the following property: 1. Purchaser: Victor Macias Tax Parcel # 03803000000310 Tax Sale # 0903 Exhibit # 1310 Price Offered: $3,150.00

Terms: Cash Additional Offers to Purchase, of at least ten percent (10%) higher, may be submitted within Ten (10) days of the initial publication of this notice. If additional offers are received during this ten (10) day period, all prospective Purchasers must attend a Public “Bid Off” at 9:30 a.m. on March 25, 2015, to be held in the Shelby County Land Bank Office, to determine the highest and best offer. The property shall thereafter be sold to the prospective Purchaser making the highest and best offer without warranties of any sort.

SHELBY COUNTY LAND BANK 584 ADAMS AVENUE, MEMPHIS, TN 38103 MIKE BLACKWELL (901) 222-2581 NOTICE OF PROPOSED SALE OF REAL PROPERTY

BY SHELBY COUNTY GOVERNMENT Notice is hereby given, pursuant to T.C.A. § 67-5-2507, that Shelby County Government has received an Offer to Purchase for the following property: 1. Purchaser: Valerie Campbell Tax Parcel # 04702000000800 Tax Sale # 1002 Exhibit # 952 Price Offered: $5,000.00

Terms: Cash Additional Offers to Purchase, of at least ten percent (10%) higher, may be submitted within Ten (10) days of the initial publication of this notice. If additional offers are received during this ten (10) day period, all prospective Purchasers must attend a Public “Bid Off” at 8:00 a.m. on March 24, 2015, to be held in the Shelby County Land Bank Office, to determine the highest and best offer. The property shall thereafter be sold to the prospective Purchaser making the highest and best offer without warranties of any sort.

SHELBY COUNTY LAND BANK 584 ADAMS AVENUE, MEMPHIS, TN 38103 MIKE BLACKWELL (901) 222-2581 NOTICE OF PROPOSED SALE OF REAL PROPERTY

BY SHELBY COUNTY GOVERNMENT Notice is hereby given, pursuant to T.C.A. § 67-5-2507, that Shelby County Government has received an Offer to Purchase for the following property: 1. Purchaser: Dean Hammond Tax Parcel # 02606800000070 Tax Sale # 1002 Exhibit # 252 Price Offered: $6,750.00

Terms: Cash Additional Offers to Purchase, of at least ten percent (10%) higher, may be submitted within Ten (10) days of the initial publication of this notice. If additional offers are received during this ten (10) day period, all prospective Purchasers must attend a Public “Bid Off” at 10:30 a.m. on March 26, 2015, to be held in the Shelby County Land Bank Office, to determine the highest and best offer. The property shall thereafter be sold to the prospective Purchaser making the highest and best offer without warranties of any sort.

SHELBY COUNTY LAND BANK 584 ADAMS AVENUE, MEMPHIS, TN 38103 MIKE BLACKWELL (901) 222-2581 NOTICE OF PROPOSED SALE OF REAL PROPERTY

BY SHELBY COUNTY GOVERNMENT Notice is hereby given, pursuant to T.C.A. § 67-5-2507, that Shelby County Government has received an Offer to Purchase for the following property: 1. Purchaser: Teatrice Williams Tax Parcel # 05011900000280 Tax Sale # 0703 Exhibit # 9475 Price Offered: $1,200.00

Terms: Cash Additional Offers to Purchase, of at least ten percent (10%) higher, may be submitted within Ten (10) days of the initial publication of this notice. If additional offers are received during this ten (10) day period, all prospective Purchasers must attend a Public “Bid Off” at 10:00 a.m. on March 25, 2015, to be held in the Shelby County Land Bank Office, to determine the highest and best offer. The property shall thereafter be sold to the prospective Purchaser making the highest and best offer

without warranties of any sort.

SHELBY COUNTY LAND BANK 584 ADAMS AVENUE, MEMPHIS, TN 38103 MIKE BLACKWELL (901) 222-2581 NOTICE OF PROPOSED SALE OF REAL PROPERTY

BY SHELBY COUNTY GOVERNMENT Notice is hereby given, pursuant to T.C.A. § 67-5-2507, that Shelby County Government has received an Offer to Purchase for the following property: 1. Purchaser: Wesley Wright Tax Parcel # 03104300000210 Tax Sale # 1002 Exhibit # 560 Price Offered: $10,800.00

Terms: Cash Additional Offers to Purchase, of at least ten percent (10%) higher, may be submitted within Ten (10) days of the initial publication of this notice. If additional offers are received during this ten (10) day period, all prospective Purchasers must attend a Public “Bid Off” at 9:00 a.m. on March 27, 2015, to be held in the Shelby County Land Bank Office, to determine the highest and best offer. The property shall thereafter be sold to the prospective Purchaser making the highest and best offer without warranties of any sort.

SHELBY COUNTY LAND BANK 584 ADAMS AVENUE, MEMPHIS, TN 38103 MIKE BLACKWELL (901) 222-2581 NOTICE OF PROPOSED NOMINAL CONSIDERATION CONVEYANCE OR SALE OF REAL PROPERTY

BY SHELBY COUNTY GOVERNMENT Notice is hereby given, pursuant to T.C.A. § 67-5-2509(d), that Shelby County Government has received a Request for a Nominal Consideration Conveyance to acquire the following property: The Potter’s House Tax Parcel #01305500000020 Tax Sale #99.05 Exhibit #764 List Price: $4,000.00 Terms: Cash Additional requests for Offers to Purchase may be submitted within Ten (10) days of the initial publication of this notice. If additional Offers to Purchase are received and found acceptable, all prospective Purchasers will be notified and the property will be re-advertised based upon the acceptable offer. If no additional acceptable Offers to Purchase are received, the property will thereafter be conveyed to the above purchaser for Nominal Consideration as approved by the Shelby County Board of Commissioners “AS IS -WHERE IS” without warranties of any sort.

SHELBY COUNTY LAND BANK 584 ADAMS AVENUE, MEMPHIS, TN 38103 MIKE BLACKWELL (901) 222-2581 NOTICE OF PROPOSED SALE OF REAL PROPERTY

BY SHELBY COUNTY

GOVERNMENT Notice is hereby given, pursuant to T.C.A. § 67-5-2507, that Shelby County Government has received an Offer to Purchase for the following property: 1. Purchaser: Kenneth G. Cole Tax Parcel # 06904900000060 Tax Sale # 1002 Exhibit # 1445 Price Offered: $4,500.00

Terms: Cash Additional Offers to Purchase, of at least ten percent (10%) higher, may be submitted within Ten (10) days of the initial publication of this notice. If additional offers are received during this ten (10) day period, all prospective Purchasers must attend a Public “Bid Off” at 9:45 a.m. on March 25, 2015, to be held in the Shelby County Land Bank Office, to determine the highest and best offer. The property shall thereafter be sold to the prospective Purchaser making the highest and best offer without warranties of any sort.

SHELBY COUNTY LAND BANK 584 ADAMS AVENUE, MEMPHIS, TN 38103 MIKE BLACKWELL (901) 222-2581

NOTICE OF PROPOSED SALE OF REAL PROPERTY

BY SHELBY COUNTY GOVERNMENT Notice is hereby given, pursuant to T.C.A. § 67-5-2507, that Shelby County Government has received an Offer to Purchase for the following property: 1. Purchaser: Kenneth G. Cole Tax Parcel # 06900800000250 Tax Sale # 1002 Exhibit # 1425 Price Offered: $3,600.00

Terms: Cash Additional Offers to Purchase, of at least ten percent (10%) higher, may be submitted within Ten (10) days of the initial publication of this notice. If additional offers are received during this ten (10) day period, all prospective Purchasers must attend a Public “Bid Off” at 9:30 a.m. on March 25, 2015, to be held in the Shelby County Land Bank Office, to determine the highest and best offer. The property shall thereafter be sold to the prospective Purchaser making the highest and best offer without warranties of any sort.

SHELBY COUNTY LAND BANK 584 ADAMS AVENUE, MEMPHIS, TN 38103 MIKE BLACKWELL (901) 222-2581

NOTICE OF PROPOSED SALE OF REAL PROPERTY

BY SHELBY COUNTY GOVERNMENT Notice is hereby given, pursuant to T.C.A. § 67-5-2507, that Shelby County Government has received an Offer to Purchase for the following property: 1. Purchaser: John Edward Lemmons Tax Parcel # 07521800000050 Tax Sale # 85.1 Exhibit # 8674 Price Offered: $200.00

Terms: Cash Additional Offers to Purchase, of at least ten percent (10%) higher, may be submitted within Ten (10) days of the initial publication of this notice. If additional offers are received during this ten (10) day

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Vice President and General Manager, Memphis, Tennessee Nexstar Broadcasting Group is seeking an experienced broadcasting professional for an exciting General Management opportunity of its broadcast and digital operations in Memphis and Jackson, Tennessee (DMA#50 and DMA #176). The Vice President and General Manager will have full oversight of Nexstar Broadcasting’s Memphis operations; ABC (WATN-TV), CW (WLMT-TV), associated secondary channels MeTV/MyNetwork and all digital assets through localmemphis.com as well as FOX (WJKT-TV) in Jackson, Tennessee. This is a rare and exciting opportunity to join the fastest growing broadcast group in the country and oversee an exceptional operation with new facilities and state-of-the-art broadcast and digital operations, which has provided a complete transformation and revitalization of all local content.

Located in the heart of the Mid-South and on the Mississippi River, Memphis is the largest city in Tennessee and the 20th largest city in America. The market reaches into the states of Arkansas and Mississippi and is home to three Fortune 500 companies: FedEx, AutoZone, and International Paper, as well as the internationally recognized, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Memphis is known as the birthplace of ‘Blues’, ‘Rock N’ Roll’ and some of the most famous musical pioneers including Elvis Presley. Memphis is also identified as a basketball town, through the top-ranked NBA Grizzlies and University of Memphis Men’s Basketball teams.

We seek a stakeholder in our Memphis and Jackson operations, who is engaging, promotes good citizenship and will capitalize on the potential of our new operations and overall programming assets with a positive impact on our employees, advertisers and the multiple communities we serve.

The successful candidate will need to demonstrate prior results as a General Manager, overseeing broadcast and digital operations with associated success in running sales driven organizations that developed revenue across multiple platforms, as well as promoted teamwork within all station departments. In addition, a track record of success in maintaining a focus on the bottom line, and a broad range of programming experience with an emphasis on localism is necessary.

If you have the appropriate experience, a determination to succeed and want to come work in ‘One of America’s Most Fun and Affordable Cities’ while living in a community with rich heritage, original music, professional sports and Mid-South hospitality, then forward your resume regarding your professional history and qualifications.

Please apply online: http://nexstar.hirecentric.com/jobs/78518.html Nexstar is an Equal Opportunity Employer About Nexstar Broadcasting Group, Inc. Nexstar Broadcasting Group is a leading diversified media company that leverages localism to bring new services and value to consumers and advertisers through its traditional media, digital and mobile media platforms. Nexstar owns, operates, programs or provides sales and other services to 107 television stations and 37 related digital multicast signals reaching 56 markets or approximately 15.6% of all U.S. television households. Nexstar’s portfolio includes affiliates of NBC, CBS, ABC, FOX, MyNetworkTV, The CW, Telemundo, Bounce TV, Me-TV, and LATV. Nexstar’s 56 community portal websites offer additional hyper-local content and verticals for consumers and advertisers, allowing audiences to choose where, when and how they access content while creating new revenue opportunities.

Pro-forma for the completion of all announced transactions Nexstar will own, operate, program or provides sales and other services to 110 television stations and related digital multicast signals reaching 58 markets or approximately 18.0% of all U.S. television households.

March 5 - 11, 2015

Page 12

period, all prospective Purchasers must attend a Public “Bid Off” at 1:30 p.m. on March 27, 2015, to be held in the Shelby County Land Bank Office, to determine the highest and best offer. The property shall thereafter be sold to the prospective Purchaser making the highest and best offer without warranties of any sort.

SHELBY COUNTY LAND BANK 584 ADAMS AVENUE,

The New Tri-State Defender

CLASSIFIEDS MEMPHIS, TN 38103 MIKE BLACKWELL (901) 222-2581 NOTICE OF PROPOSED NOMINAL CONSIDERATION CONVEYANCE OR SALE OF REAL PROPERTY

BY SHELBY COUNTY

GOVERNMENT Notice is hereby given, pursuant to T.C.A. § 67-5-2509(d), that Shelby County Government has received a Request for a Nominal Consideration Conveyance to acquire the following property: The Potter’s House Tax Parcel #0130350000002C Tax Sale #0902 Exhibit #31 List Price: $10,000.00

Terms: Cash Additional requests for Offers to Purchase may be submitted within Ten (10) days of the initial publication of this notice. If additional Offers to Purchase are received and found acceptable, all prospective Purchasers will be notified and the property will be re-advertised based upon the acceptable offer. If no additional acceptable Offers to Purchase are received, the

property will thereafter be conveyed to the above purchaser for Nominal Consideration as approved by the Shelby County Board of Commissioners “AS IS -WHERE IS” without warranties of any sort.

SHELBY COUNTY LAND BANK 584 ADAMS AVENUE, MEMPHIS, TN 38103 MIKE BLACKWELL (901) 222-2581

SOULFUL SENIORS OF THE MID-SOUTH

Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated – Phi Lambda Omega and Omicron Chi chapters – presented the 14th Annual Pat Gill Performing Arts Scholarship Showcase in the Bryan Campus Life Center at Rhodes College last Saturday (Feb. 28th). Whitehaven High School’s Devron Ard and his family celebrate his first-place finish in the Soulful Seniors of the Mid-South competition. Kylan Owens (above right) of Whitehaven placed third, with Kristen Paxton of Germantown High second. (Photo: George Tillman Jr.)

March 5 - 11, 2015

The New Tri-State Defender

Page 13

COMMUNITY

GRAD (Graduation Really Achieves Dreams) was made especially welcoming for 60 young females last Saturday morning (Feb. 28th) during its second girls-only conference. (Photo: Sitoria Townsend)

‘I Love Me Conference’ like a big hug for middle-school girls

by Sitoria Townsend

Special to The New Tri-State Defender

“I love me” – a declaration that some young women find too unreal to make – was the driving force behind last Saturday’s “I Love Me Conference,” which focused on middle-school girls and the need to help them recognize, embrace and cherish their worth.

GRAD (Graduation Really Achieves Dreams) Academy, which daily serves 327 students at 1880 Prospect, was made especially welcoming for 60 young females last Saturday morning (Feb. 28th) during its second girls-only

conference.

Keyundah Coleman, GRAD Academy principal, says the school partners with Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.’s EMBODI Conference in an outreach to young men and “saw fit we do something for the young ladies as well.”

The conference was put together to address the trends and problems that young women are faced with everyday, including sex, mental/physical health and peer pressure. Coleman hopes that the girls who attended will be more aware of what opportunities are ahead of them and gain a greater sense of self.

Keynote speaker Terri Gordon noted the desire to “change everyone” before her address.

“But my goal today is to at least get one…. I’m a shower. So, I’m going to give them my mistakes, show them how I made them, tell them how hard it was to fix them, and how to get back on your feet.”

Dr. Stephanie Hill, head coordinator, showed her excitement, as she moved about purposefully prior to the conference’s kick-off.

“Today is all about the girls, we having been working diligently to make this a special experience for each and every one of them,” said Hill. “We

have 16 workshops for the young ladies to partake in today, ranging from yoga to help with breathing, all the way to teen sexual health.”

As the girls eagerly waited for the conference to begin, returnees were overheard telling first-timers about their experiences last year and what to expect from the day’s activities. Dekena Ervin, a GRAD Academy sophomore, was one of those experiencing the conference for the second time.

“The teachers (at GRAD Academy) really do care about you and your success, which is why I attend the conference,” said Ervin.

“I personally have a lot of strong women in my family, but I don’t often get the chance to be surrounded by women who are entrepreneurs, doctors and things of that nature,” she said.

Like Ervin, Lewis calls GRAD Academy home, sharing the extra mile so many go to help her.

“My family has dealt with struggles, one being my father.

At one point he had put us out and we were homeless for almost three months”, said Lewis. “The teachers, counselors and principals helped me out so much and gave me clothes, food, whatever I needed.”

BRIEFS & THINGS

AKA regional set for Memphis March 12-15 Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated will gather in Memphis March 12-15 for its 83rd South Eastern Regional Conference. Among the areas of focus will be how to solidify growth and maximize program and service initiatives, engage in collaborative efforts and enhance leadership skills.

More than 3,000 members representing 101 chapters across the states of Alabama, Mississippi and Tennessee will convene at the Memphis Cook Convention Center to attend the four-day meeting.

“We are looking forward to hosting a wonderful 83rd South Eastern Regional Conference in the historic city of Memphis, as well as connecting, communicating, collaborating and celebrating with our members and the community,” said Mary B. Conner, Alpha Kappa Alpha’s South Eastern Regional Director.

“For 107 years, Alpha Kappa Alpha has impacted communities across the globe. The international service programs we are currently implementing continue to make a positive impact on families, youth, and the environment and builds on our long tradition of ‘service to all mankind.’”

The conference will start Thursday evening, March 12 with a public meeting and reception honoring several individuals in the local business and community and concludes Sunday, March 15 with an ecumenical service.

Throughout the conference, members will focus on the sorority’s 2014-18 International Program – Launching New Dimensions of Service – and receive information and training on how to best implement the service initiatives in communities across the region. The five areas of focus are: 1) Educational Enrichment; 2) Health Promotion; 3) Family Strengthening; 4) Environmental Ownership; and 5) Global Impact.

In addition, Alpha Kappa Alpha members will host one of the sorority’s national community service projects in Memphis – One Million Backpacks – in which thousands of backpacks and school supplies will be collected and distributed to children in Greater Memphis.

“The ultimate mission of Alpha Kappa Alpha is to provide ‘service to all mankind’ and we realize that students who have the appropriate learning tools have a greater chance at success in school,” said Conference Chairman Minty Rich Ballard, retired financial and client services senior department head with State Street Corporation, Ballard.

“We are excited to work with other partners in the Memphis area to collect and distribute backpacks and schools supplies to children.”

Charlotte Anderson, a certified registered nurse anesthesiologist at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, serves as the conference co-chairman.

“Growing up in a family where my father was abusive to my mother and her leaving to become a single-parent, my older sister getting pregnant at 15 and me becoming an aunt at nine, it can be very emotional because I can have a lot on my shoulders at times,” said Ervin. “But the facilitators here always give me words of encouragement and motivation…. GRAD Academy is my home.”

Kyla Lewis, sophomore at GRAD Academy Memphis, says she absolutely loves her school, which fueled her excitement about the conference and what it offered.

Greater Harvest COGIC plans centenarian salute

Juienne Briscoe-Reed’s protest of segregation at the old Bry’s Department Store in Downtown Memphis is etched in her memory and captured in a photograph by the late Earnest C. Withers. (Photo: George Tillman Jr.)

‘I’ll never forget that day’

Segregation protester lives with the memory

Greater Harvest Church Of God In Christ, 3509 Boxdale at Winchester Rd., this Sunday (March 8th) will celebrate the 100th birthday of its lifelong member, Earnestine Petty Brown, who was born in Memphis on March 8, 1915.

Brown, who joined South Fort Pickering COGIC at age 15, currently serves on the Greater Harvest Mother’s Board. A celebration dinner is set with the church’s membership and Brown’s family members beginning at noon in the church’s J. R. Mangum Fellowship Hall.

Brown worked as a nursing assistant at John Gaston Hospital and later retired at The Regional Medical Center at the age of 65. She is the daughter of Bessie and Elder Earnest Petty, who pastored Mt. Olive COGIC, and is one of nine children, four of which are still living.

Married to Elder Lonnie Brown, she has one daughter, two grandchildren, nine great-grandchildren and one great-great grandchild.

“I am blessed to be alive, and I thank God for keeping me all these years,” Brown said of her upcoming 100th birthday.

Nominations for Juneteenth Urban Music Awards The Juneteenth Urban Music Awards is scheduled June 18 at Hilton Memphis, 939 Ridge Lake Blvd. Some of the MidSouth’s most talented individuals and groups will be honored.

The one-of-a-kind award is a

testament of the bedrock of talent that put Memphis on the international map as a city teeming with greatness, said Telisa Franklin, the Festival’s executive producer.

Nominations are sought for “the best of” or your “favorite” in the following categories: Best Spoken Word Artist; Best Comedian; Best Neo Soul Artist; Best Rock Group; Best Dance Group/ Company; Best Producer; Best R&B Song; Best R&B Artist; Best R&B Performer; Best Gospel Song; Best Gospel Artist; Best Gospel Performer; Best Blues Song; Best Blues Artist; Best Blues Performer; Best Hip Hop/ Rap Song; Best Hip Hop/Rap Artist; Best Hip Hop/Rap Performer; Producer of the Year; Artist of the Year; Song of the Year; Comedian of the Year; Spoken Word Artist of the Year; and Dance Group/ Company of the Year.

Please cast your vote by March 15 for “the best of” or your “favorite” to be on the official pre-ballot. When you are done casting your vote, please share it on social media so others can do the same.

For more information about the Juneteenth Urban Music Awards, call Telisa Franklin at (901) 281-6337.

BRIEFLY: Mary Mancini, chair of the Tennessee Democratic Party, will be in Memphis on March 5th as the final stop scheduled on her state wide listening tour. Mancini’s listening tour stop will be held at IBEW Local 474, 1870 Madison from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

by Brittney Gathen

Special to The New Tri-State Defender

Fifty-five years ago, Juienne Briscoe-Reed made up her mind to protest segregation in Memphis, zeroing in on Bry’s Department Store at the corner of Main St. and Jefferson Ave. The building is gone now but Briscoe-Reed is still around, willing and able to tell her story.

On Saturday (Feb. 28th), Briscoe-Reed was at The Withers Collection Museum & Gallery on Beale St. So was the prized photo that shows her in protest mode carrying a picket sign with this message: We have FOUGHT TOGETHER Let Us BREAK BREAD TOGETHER “My mother, who was president of Jack and Jill at the time, was at Goldsmith’s turning in her credit card, along with the other Jack and Jill mothers,” Briscoe-Reed said. “On that same day, there were at least four of us who were a part of the NAACP youth group that did the picketing at Lowenstein’s, Goldsmith’s and Bry’s.”

Holding up the photograph that forever links her with the old Department Store and the old ways associated with it, Briscoe-Reed shared chilling details with those who came down to the gallery to see and hear her.

“Shortly after this picture was taken, a KKK guy knocked me off the sidewalk, and I ended up having to go to get stitches put in my head,” she said.

Briscoe-Reed’s presence at The Withers Collection Museum & Gallery was part of a project called “Meet Our History,” said Rosalind Withers, president and board chairman, noting that the photograph by her late father, renowed photographer Earnest C. Withers, is a favorite of visitors to the Museum & Gallery.

“We get many people from around the world asking about this image,” she said. “They love this image. It is one of our most popular request.”

For Briscoe-Reed, the image of that day is forever etched in her memory.

“I’ll never forget that day,” she said.

“We can now eat where we want, but there’s certain places you still wouldn’t dare go because there’s still some real hostility here in Memphis, probably more than any other place that I’ve ever lived.”

Earnestine Petty Brown, who was born in Memphis on March 8, 1915, will celebrate her 100th birthday with fellow members of Greater Harvest Church Of God In Christ on Sunday. (Courtesy photo)

SPORTS The New Tri-State Defender, March 5 - 11, 2015, Page 14

TRACKING THE TIGERS

The University of Memphis Tigers played tough but lost 74-72 to Tulsa on Saturday (Feb. 28) at the FedExForum. (Photos: Warren Roseborough)

Austin Nichols, the Tigers’ star player this season, reinjured his ankle attempting to block a shot and his absence severely impacted Memphis’ chances to pull off the upset of Tulsa.

Grizz effort – more of it – needed to ward off woes evident in recent stretch

by Kelley D. Evans kdevans@tsdmemphis.com

Is basketball simply a game of chance? Or is it a skilled pool of talented entertainers performing for the fans night in and night out to attain honor as well as lead a team to a fulfilling win?

It’s both. However, there is a chance a basketball player will hit or miss a basket and a chance the team will win or lose. In either case, effort has to be the center of focus.

The Memphis Grizzlies lost focus and dropped three of their last six games since returning from the All-Star break prior to their dramatic win over the Rockets in Houston Wednesday night.

A perceived lack of effort during that stretch reduced their chances of winning in traditional Grizzlies fashion, yet the team still held on to the second seed in the West. The 102-100 victory over Houston pushed them 2.5 games in front of the Rockets.

The most recent example of the Grizzlies’ woes – lack of urgency, slow defense, poor perimeter shooting, poor offensive execution and a lack of cohesiveness – was evident on Tuesday night (March 4) when the Utah Jazz topped the Grizz 93-82. The loss came as Memphis played without four key players and amid some controversy.

Tony Allen was suspended, and both Zach Randolph

Dante Exum of Utah comes up with the loose ball as JaMychal Green of the Grizzlies looks on in a game Memphis lost 93 to 82 at the FedExForum on Tuesday night.

(Photos: Warren Roseborough) Marc Gasol finished with 17 points and eight rebounds in the Grizzlies’ losing effort against Utah. He was huge on Wednesday (21 points and the winning shot) as Memphis rebounded with a down-to-wire 102-100 win over the Rockets in Houston.

and Beno Udrih have been those games coming up.” ill. Another integral player, Since the All-Star break, Vince Carter, has been up- Calathes ranks third in the graded to questionable after NBA with 2.60 steals per missing 13 games with a game among those with a left-foot tendon injury. minimum of three games “If we have a sense of ur- played. He is accomplishing gency for an entire game, this despite playing only we can be hard to beat,” 14.5 minutes per game. said Grizzlies head coach The players all agreed Dave Joerger. “We have to that something has to be have a lot more urgency to done to pick up the pace of us.” winning.

“We’ve just been out of “Just get back to defense character the last four or first,” Grizz forward Jeff five days,” Green said. “I added Griz- “We’ve just been out think we’re rezlies’ point of character the last lying too much guard Mike on offense. It’ll Conley. “If our four or five days.” be back. I think defense isn’t we’re passing – Mike Conley up shots and clicking, our offense tends not looking to suffer from for shots right it; and it’s harder to score. away. We just have to stay If we can get our defense to- aggressive and not wait for gether and get back to what someone else to make a we do, I think everything play.” else will come together.”

One game at a time, he This time of the year is al- said. ways a sprint to the finish, According to Allen, dethe floor general said. fense has to be a priority Allen’s suspension was early in games. He agreed first listed as a team viola- with Joerger that urgency tion. Later, it was learned must be a No. 1 goal. that his absence was as“I’m always worried sociated with an alterca- about how we finish,” Altion during practice with len said the day before his teammate and locker room suspension. “I just think we neighbor Nick Calathes. should have more of a sense None of the Grizz players of urgency on the defensive commented on the matter end. I truly believe when and Calathes turned his at- we’re getting stops and tention to the Jazz lost. making it tough on those “We’ve got to play bet- guys in pick and roll and on ter,” he said. “That’s the the ball that opens up our main thing. Obviously, we offense.” are missing (players), but He said the best part that shouldn’t mean any- about the NBA is waking up thing. We have good enough and going to the next game players to win that game and and improve.

Getting African-American athletes to use African-American agents

by Everett L. Glenn NNPA Guest Columnist

Noted sports columnist William Rhoden penned an article a month ago in the New York Times under the headline, “Diverse Representation for Players, Without Regulation.” It examined what he called “one of the more intriguing concepts to emerge” (during Super Bowl festivities): the suggestion that there should be an initiative for players, especially those in the league’s African-American majority, to consider African-Americans as they pick agents and lawyers.

In Rhoden’s opinion, the thought that such an initiative could persuade African-American players to consider African-American representation has to do with “trust, familiarity and, in some cases, a mentality of questioning the ability of African-American agents.”

He wrote, “Arizona Cardi-

nals linebacker Lorenzo Alexander said he was pragmatic when it came to selecting an agent.

“I’m tryEverett L. ing to get Glenn the best guy, black or white,” he said.

“If I’m trying to find who has the best leverage for me, I’m going to go wherever that may be – who has the most power, who has the most relationships.”

Alexander added, “A young black guy may be awesome, but if he doesn’t have the connections and the relationships needed for me to leverage myself, then I can’t go with him.”

My experience tells me that the real problem is the misconception that agents are the ones who wield the pow-

er. A player’s skill level (as perceived by team personnel professionals), performance and character are the three determinative factors in the entire process. Talent rules, and agents go along for the ride.

Period.

Beyond that, individual team needs, depth (or lack thereof) at a particular position and adaptability to a team’s offensive or defensive scheme are the only other variables that factor into the draft flow. The college coaching and medical staffs are the only outside source consulted by teams.

As a result, the top agents identify and recruit solely from among the players rated in the top 10-15 at their position. A player not projected to be drafted need not worry about being bombarded with pitches from agents. There is no “magic dust” to draw attention to a player and no “power” or “relationship” that can overcome a lack of skill or character. The evaluations are so complete that draft prog-

nosticators such as Mel Kiper can practically predict the flow of the draft in advance.

Don’t get me wrong, there is a useful role for a player agent that would include ensuring that the client have at least a working knowledge of their various duties, obligations and benefits under the collective bargaining agreement. A skilled agent can also help a client identify and develop their non-athletic competencies with much more focus and strategy. Access to and contact with the nonleague business, educational and political contacts could also prove helpful in the player’s transition. .

Unfortunately, the most “value” agents bring to the table is financing the player’s decision to forego his final semester in school to prepare for the combine. According to Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis, “the one that just kills me is that they spend three or four years with a strength coach on a college campus

and as soon as the season’s over they go somewhere else to some guy who doesn’t know them from a hole in the wall and pay this guy a bunch of money. It doesn’t make any sense at all. It used to be that they had to pay for it and now it’s part of the agent deal.

They’ve cultivated a whole industry out of it. It doesn’t make sense.”

According to Lewis, “When it comes to evaluating talent in the draft, the film doesn’t lie.”

As a pioneering sports agent/attorney, I have had a front-row seat observing how white agents and even the few experienced African-American agents/attorneys make the process of transitioning from college to professional sports seem overwhelming and complicated as a way to justify their existence, retention and compensation.

The top athlete agencies collectively manage more than $10 billion in player contracts. Those firms represent

the vast majority of NBA and NFL players, and practically all of the stars and superstars.

Even so, according to Sports Illustrated, by the time former NFL players have been retired for two years, nearly 80 percent of them “have gone bankrupt or are under financial stress because of joblessness or divorce.” Within five years of retirement, SI reports that approximately 60 percent of former NBA players are broke.

The two most amazing meltdowns in recent sports history, involves Allen Iverson and Antoine Walker, who reportedly lost a combined $320 million.

So despite their perceived “power” and “influence,” white agents have not been able to stop the bleeding. It would wiser for an athlete to consider an agent’s skills and character, not the color of his or her skin.

(Everett L. Glenn, an attorney and former sports agent, can be reached at eglenn@ thensa.org.)