GOOD NEWS FROM THE CHURCH AND COMMUNITY
March 2011
www.thepositivecommunity.com
$2.95
Women of Power Lillian Roberts Union Leader DC 37 “…Every morning I wake up to the reality of what a tremendous responsibility it is to make the right decisions…”
Sheila Oliver NJ State Assembly Speaker “…You need to hear the voices of all people…”
How To Preserve Church History Practical advice on collecting and storing precious documents
PRINCE His Faith and Philanthropy Superstar’s spirituality brings joy in giving back
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H7015_MKT11_02 File & Use 01112011
New York Theological Seminary salutes and congratulates The Rev. Dr. W. Franklyn Richardson Senior Pastor, Grace Baptist Church Mt. Vernon, New York
our distinguished honoree and
2011 URBAN ANGEL
Urban Angel
8th Annual
Awards Gala
Tuesday, April 5, 2011 Gotham Hall 1356 Broadway @ 36th Street New York, New York 10018
Silent auction and reception 6:00 pm Dinner 7:00 PM semi-formal attire For additional information, contact Karen Leahy: 212-870-1203/kl.nyts@gmail.com Visit our online auction at www.biddingforgood.com/nytsauction NYTS| 475 Riverside Drive, Suite 500 | New York, NY 10115 | (T) 212.870.1211 | (F) 212.870.1236 | www.nyts.edu | online@nyts.edu
MARCH 2011
CONTENTS 36
32 LILLIAN ROBERTS’ LIFELONG LEGACY OF WORKERS’ RIGHTS
&also inside The Blood Speaks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 In Perspective . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 My View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Making Bold Moves. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Fitness Doctor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 Gospel Train . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 The Way Ahead . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69 The Last Word. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
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SHEILA OLIVER: NJ’S MOST POWERFUL LEGISLATOR
Features Preserving Your Church Heritage. . . . . 52 Prince’s Philanthropy Helps NY Children . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57 Carolina Flowers Continues 50 Years of Tradition . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Harris Haith Receives Blessing and Gives Back . . . . . . . . . . 41 Changing the Color of the Practice of the Law. . . . . . . . . . . . 21
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Newark Leadership Roundtable Series Presents:
Preparing Students for Successs in the 21st Century Streaming live on the web
AN EDUCATION ROUNDTABLE Saturday March 26th • 9am-1pm “...a holistic, dynamic approach in our quest for the real components of a quality education —an educational ideal”
Moderator Richard Roper
“What must we do—in our schools, our homes and our churches to awaken and foster a real thirst for knowledge and wisdom among young people?” Positive Community Editorial February 2011
EVENT SPONSORS:
General Baptist Convention of New Jersey, Inc.
Go to www.thepositivecommunity/nlrs.com to register for broadband webcast
Roll Call for PC_Oct_10.qxd:Roll Call for PC Document.qxd 1/14/11 9:10 AM Page 1
GREAT
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R C OLL
MAKE THE DIFFERENCE!
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TO PROGRESS
he clergy organizations, churches, community businesses and institutions listed below have committed to the purchase of at least 50 magazines per month at $1.00 each (one-third of the cover price) or support this publication through the purchase of advertising. Find out more by calling 973-233-9200 or email rollcall@thepositivecommunitycom
Abyssinian B.C., Harlem, NY
Friendship Baptist Church, Harlem, NY
New Zion B.C., Elizabeth, NJ
Rev. Dr. Calvin O. Butts III, Pastor
Rev. James A. Kilgore, Pastor
Rev. Kevin James White, Pastor
Businesses & Organizations
Archdiocese of New York
General Baptist Convention, NJ
Newark Dist. of AME Church, Newark, NJ
Brother Tyrone Davis, Office of Black Ministry
Rev. Dr. Guy Campbell, President
Howard Grant, Presiding Elder
125th St. BID
Berean B.C., Brooklyn, NY
Grace B. C., Mt. Vernon, NY
Paradise B. C., Newark, NJ
African American Heritage Parade
Rev. Arlee Griffin Jr., Pastor
Rev. Dr. Franklyn W. Richardson, Pastor
Rev. Jethro James, Pastor
African American Muslims for Interfaith Relationships (AAMIR)
Bethany B.C., Brooklyn, NY
Greater Allen Cathedral, Queens, NY
Paterson’s Pastor’s Workshop, Paterson, NJ
Rev. Dr. David Hampton, Pastor
Revs. Floyd and Elaine Flake, Co-Pastors
Rev. Dr. James Kuykendall, President
Bethany B.C., Newark, NJ.
Greater New Hope Missionary B.C., NYC
Shiloh B.C., Plainfield, NJ
American Heart Association, Northern, NJ
Rev. Dr. M. William Howard, Pastor
Rev. Joan J. Brightharp, Pastor
Rev. Dr. Gerald Lamont Thomas, Pastor
Birdel’s Tapes & Audio, Brooklyn
Beulah B.C., Newark, NJ
Greater Zion Hill B.C., Harlem, NY
St Luke B.C., Paterson, NJ
Carver Federal Savings Bank
Rev. Gerald L. Dickson, Pastor
Rev. Dr. Frank J. Blackshear, Pastor
Rev. Kenneth D.R. Clayton, Pastor
City National Bank
Black Ministers Council of NJ
Harlem Congregations for Community Improvement (HCCI)
St. Albans, NY COGIC
Rev. Reginald T. Jackson, Exec. Director Calvary Baptist Church, Garfield, NJ Rev. Calvin McKinney, Pastor Canaan B. C. of Christ, Harlem, NY Rev. Thomas D. Johnson, Pastor Childs Memorial COGIC, Harlem, NY Bishop Norman N. Quick, Pastor Christian Love B.C., Irvington, NJ Rev. Ron Christian, Pastor Community B.C., Englewood, NJ Rev. Dr. Lester Taylor, Pastor Community Church of God, Plainfield, NJ Rev. Dr. Shirley B. Cathie., Pastor Emeritus Concord B.C., Brooklyn, NY Rev. Dr. Gary V. Simpson, Pastor Empire Missionary B.C., Convention NY Rev. Washington Lundy, President Fellowship Missionary B.C., Newark, NJ Rev. Kippie C. Brown, Pastor First B.C. of Lincoln Gardens, Somerset NJ Rev. Dr. DeForest (Buster) Soaries, Pastor First Baptist B.C. of Teaneck, NJ
Lucille McEwen, President & CEO Manhattan District AME Churches, NY Rev. Harold Rutherford, Presiding Elder Masjid Imam Ali K. Muslim, Newark, NJ Imam Akbar Muhammad Metropolitan B.C., Newark, NJ Rev. Dr. David Jefferson, Pastor Evening Star B.C., Brooklyn, NY Rev. Washington Lundy, Pastor Mother A.M.E. Zion Church, Harlem Rev. Dr. Gregory Robeson Smith, Pastor Mt. Neboh Baptist Church, Harlem, NY Rev. Dr. Johnnie Green Jr., Pastor Mt. Olivet Baptist Church, Harlem, NY Rev. Charles A. Curtis, Pastor Mt. Olivet Baptist Church, Peekskill, NY Rev. Adolphus Lacey, Pastor Mt. Pisgah B.C., Brooklyn, NY Rev. Dr. Johnny Ray Youngblood, Pastor
St. James AME Church, Newark, NJ Rev. William L. Watley, Pastor
Rev. James E. Booker Jr., Pastor
Greater Harlem Chamber of Commerce Inner City Broadcasting Medgar Evers College NAACP New Jersey* NAACP, NY State Conference*
St. Matthew AME Church, Orange, NJ
New Brunswick Theological Seminary
Rev. Reginald T. Jackson, Pastor
New Jersey Performing Arts Center
St. Paul Community B.C., Brooklyn, NY
New York Theological Seminary
Rev. David K. Brawley, Pastor
New York Urban League
The Cathedral Int’l., Perth Amboy, NJ
Newark School of Theology
Bishop Donald Hilliard, Pastor
Razac Products Co., Newark, NJ
The New Hope B.C., Newark, NJ
Schomburg Center
Rev. Joe Carter, Senior Pastor
The Bozeman Law Firm
Thessalonia Worship Center, Bronx, NY
The College of New Rochelle
Rev. Dr. Shellie Sampson, Pastor
The United Way of Essex and West Hudson
United Black Clergy of Westchester, Inc.
University of Medicine & Dentistry of NJ
Rev. Dr. Franklyn W. Richardson, Pastor
WBGO-88.3FM
Walker Memorial B.C. Bronx, NY
WKMB-1070AM
Rev. Dr. J. Albert Bush Sr., Pastor World Gospel Music Assoc., Newark, NJ Dr. Albert Lewis, Founder
Rev, Conrad B. Tillard, Pastor
Antioch Baptist Church., Brooklyn, NY
New Jerusalem B.C., Queens, NY
Essex County College, NJ
Mildred Crump, Newark City Council St. John AME Church, Harlem, NY
Nazarene Congregational Church Brooklyn, NY
Rev. Marilyn Monroe Harris, Pastor First Bethel Baptist Church, Newark, NJ
Rev. Ben Monroe
American Diabetes Association
Rev. Robert M. Waterman, Pastor
THANKS FOR YOUR SUPPORT!!!
Rev. Dr. Calvin Rice, Pastor
H. Grady James III, Pastor
“The Positive Community magazine does outstanding work in promoting the good works of the Black Church. All churches and businesses should subscribe to and advertise in The Positive Community. Please support this magazine, the only one that features good news about the black community.”—Rev. Buster Soaries, General Baptist Revival, May 20, 2010
REV. JOHNNY RAY YOUNGBLOOD THE “BLOOD” SPEAKS
Rev. Youngblood is the pastor of Mt. Pisgah Baptist Church in Brooklyn
The Paradigm Tragedy of the Times (When the citizenry becomes the enemy)
“W
ar and rumors of wars” is a biblical phrase that tells us of the signs of The End—Judgment Day. Well, we all know that we can hardly turn on the radio or TV or read a page and not hear of some war. War has been described as man's inhumanity to man and has been around for a long time. It has been said that one answer to how to end wars quickly or never begin them in the first place is to “let the men who start wars fight them and see how long they will last.” Yes, Afghanistan, Iraq, the threat of Iran, recent conflicts in Egypt, Tunisia, Libya, the various sub-Saharan Africa conflicts and the ongoing battles between Israel and its Arab neighbors—these are all indisputable expressions of “man's inhumanity to man.” The content of the Judeo-Christian faith is that the transition of the world, from war to peace, will be characterized by studying war no more and by the beating of swords into plowshares and spears into pruning hooks. I have come to recognize that these conflicts are indeed politically motivated, but economically supported and sustained, and even profitable. But more so, the baseline cause of war is that the citizenry is declared the enemy. What is a nation to do when those in power target the rest as the threat—the enemy; the woman to be raped, the man to be enslaved and humiliated and the children to be criminalized and abused? What is going on when big business becomes the iron fist in the government glove? What is going on when
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alleged democracy will dictate the spending of billions on imprisonment and stutter-step on millions for education? What is going on when, in the words of Arnold Toynbee, “culture becomes overly mechanized” wherein machines replace men and paper chases become the task of law to both create and pursue? When the little man becomes the punching bag, the accused, the problem in the mind and heart of the “big man,” all is not well. When the citizen becomes the enemy, oppression is embryonic and when oppression is fully manifested, its name is slavery. My book of faith tells me that when we have done the good, the better and the best for the “little ones,” we have honored the Creator, God of the Universe. So, I guess when we do not honor God; when we do not honor the existence and the will of God, then consequently, we declare ourselves God and we create our own house of cards universe. People must again become the priority. Nurturing, protecting and maturing children are the most profound, promising and pointed ways of showing the love of Jesus Christ, especially in a Christian land. I think that one diagnosis of our present predicament is that “The fathers have eaten sour grapes and the children's teeth are set on edge” Ezekiel 18:2 (NIV). As Thomas Jefferson once said, “Indeed I tremble for my country when I think that God is just: and that His justice cannot sleep forever.”
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PROJECT SAFE SURRENDER 2011 THE CHURCH AND THE COURTS SERVING THE COMMUNITY
BE SET FREE FROM YOUR C-SUMMONS/WARRANTS!!!
C-SUMMONS/WARRANTS DEFINED: Unlawful Possession of Alcohol Under 21 Consumption of Alcohol on Street • Aggressive Solicitation Unlawful Possession of Handcuffs • Littering Prohibited Offensive Matter in Street • Animal Nuisance Dog Unleashed • Failure to Have a Dog License Spitting Prohibited • Trespass • Disorderly Conduct Loitering • Unlawfully in Park After Hours Failure to Comply with Sign in Park
Friday & Saturday • April 22nd & 23rd 9AM-5PM
MT. PISGAH BAPTIST CHURCH 760 DEKALB AVE., CORNER OF TOMPKINS AVE.
ANTIOCH BAPTIST CHURCH 828 GREENE AVE., BETWEEN LEWIS & STUYVESANT AVE.
718-388-3900 EXT. #46 ASK FOR ANITA ALEXANDER
HOTLINE TO THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY’S OFFICE
718-250-3888
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March 2011 The Positive Community
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ANTOINETTE ELLIS WILLIAMS Ph.D. IN PERSPECTIVE
Antoinette Ellis Williams, Ph.D., is Associate Professor of Women’s & Gender Studies at New Jersey City University and Assistant Minister in Newark.
Time to Rise Up! n February 11, 2011 after 17 days of protest and resistance a regime fell. Not just any regime but arguably the largest and most critical Arabic ally to the United States and Israel in the Middle East— Egypt. President Mubarak stepped down after the uprising initially led by youth that soon after became a populist movement, forced him to leave. Ciitizens tired of police brutality, unemployment and limited prospects of a full life in Egypt organized and mobilized on Facebook and Twitter to change their lives. Reportedly, African American Civil Rights actions and songs of the 1960s inspired them—“We Shall Overcome.” The people of Egypt in a relatively peaceful mass movement forced the Mubarak regime to topple in less than three weeks. I remember my time in Egypt in the mid 1990s. I interviewed women from Cairo, Alexander, Luxor, and Aswan on their thoughts on American women, dating, family and freedom, among other subjects. I was struck then by their strength, clarity of purpose and critical analysis of their lives, country and America. It is this same strength, clarity and critical analysis that led to the historic events taking place in Egypt. Egypt’s success shows us one method of how freedom is won. The power of our voice has been lost in many African American poor, urban and rural communities. We have become complacent and numb with our toys (iPods, iPads, etc.) and yet we, too, have been victims of police brutality, unemployment and limited prospects for our future. But where is our revolution? Where is our voice? Our schools face enormous challenges, jobs have moved overseas; decisions are made behind closed doors without the benefit of public resistance in the guise of balancing budgets, and much of the military budget is left intact. According to our constitution, our government and country are based upon “we, the people,” not we, the corporations. Our voices must rise again if our children and grandchildren are to thrive. The threats of city and state shutdowns keep us quiet and on the sidelines. People of God, it is time to stand up and be free.
O
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Old Testament scripture tells us that Israelites were led out of Egypt to freedom. Now Egyptians are freeing themselves from a pharaoh’s bondage. We do not know the future of Egypt or the effects events will have on the region, but what we do know from the biblical playbook that there will be trials, wilderness experiences are par for the course, the people will grumble and tests are guaranteed. But ultimately, God is in control—He holds the future and He is still God. Egypt is a reminder that we the people still have the capacity, the power, and the ability to make change. Hope is faith lived out in action. This is not the time for Christians to remain silent or simply play the reactionary voice of cowards, because thankfully, due to our faith and hope, we have a teaching moment— an opportunity to build on what others around the world are doing— to fight for freedom. We have the chance to once again mount up with wings of eagles and soar. Our children must see—they watch the events—and know that we the people are called to peacefully rise up against our oppressor and speak truth to power. www.thepositivecommunity.com
Embrace Embrace TheThe Power Power & Celebrate & Celebrate YourYour Inner Inner Spirit Spirit at theat the
10th1ANNIVERSARY 0th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION CELEBRATION of the of the
Sister Sister to Sister: to Sister: One in One theinSpirit the Spirit
Empowerment Empowerment and Health and Health Conference Conference & Expo & Expo
Saturday, Saturday, April April 16, 16, 2011 2011 8am8am - 4pm - 4pm
Harlem Harlem Stage atStage AaronatDavis AaronHall Davis on the Hallcampus on the campus of City College of City College West 135 West Street 135&Street Convent & Convent Avenue Avenue • NYC • NYC
Registration: Registration:
$50.00 $50.00 for adults for•adults $25.00 • $25.00 for college for students college students w/ID w/ID
Includes:Includes: Networking Networking Continental Continental Breakfast, Breakfast, Catered Lunch, Catered Lunch, Health Screening, Health Screening, Conference Conference Gift Bag,Gift Literature Bag, Literature & Live Entertainment. & Live Entertainment.
Featured Featured Speakers: Speakers:
FEATURING: FEATURING: Judge Judge Karen Mills Karen Francis Mills Francis
Cheryl Wills Cheryl Wills Elaine Meryl Elaine Brown, MerylMarsha Brown,Haygood, Marsha Haygood, Rhonda Joy Rhonda McLean Joy McLean Anchor, NY1 Anchor, NewsNY1 News Co-authors, Co-authors, The Little The Black Little Book Black of Success: Book of Success: Author, Die Author, Free Die Free Laws of Leadership Laws of Leadership for Black Women for Black Women
TicketsTickets are available are available at the Box at the Office BoxatOffice Westat 135 West Street 135&Street Convent & Convent AvenueAvenue New York, New New York, York New 10031 Yorkor 10031 call 212.281.9240 or call 212.281.9240 ext. 19 or ext.2019 or 20 For information For information on becoming on becoming a vendor a vendor please call please 917.668.4284 call 917.668.4284
For more Forinformation more information visit visit
www.sistersoneinthespirit.org www.sistersoneinthespirit.org
REV. THERESA NANCE MY VIEW
Rev. Nance is pastor of The Church by the Side of the Road in Passaic, NJ. She is also a radio talk show host and documentary filmmaker.
LISTEN TO THE POSITIVE COMMUNITY HOUR ON WKMB 1070 AM HARVEST RADIO, MONDAYS, 1:30–2:30 P.M. WITH HOST THERESA NANCE.
Where Did Our Love Go?
“V
anity, thy name is woman.” So says the Bard (William Shakespeare). However, this well-known phrase may not be applicable to women of color who haven’t had a great deal of time to be vain, shallow or superficial. Granted, I’m sure there are some black women who fit that description, but for the most part, the “sistas” have been putting foot to the pedal, so to speak, to take care of business, even if the business should have been a two-fold arrangement. Life may not have been a crystal stair for black women back in the day, but they held their heads high and kept it movin’. This is Women’s History Month, don’tcha know? And the so-called weaker sex has made strides, had success, and been phenomenal women, thank you, while keeping their clothes on at all times. What a great feat! What a commendable legacy! What a change hither and yon! I teach at an area community college and
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recently asked a black female student a question regarding the homework. Her reply, “I was drunk last night and didn’t do it.” Yeah, it spawned a laugh or two but I was, shall we say, annoyed. You see, the uh, “lady” thought she was saying something to make herself look good and couldn’t be convinced that a mother of three should have offered a better response. She more or less conceded that she was in school because the Board of Social Services gave her the choice to receive employment training or upgrade her skills. She opted for the latter. No problem. But there’s something missing in a number of our young women and young girls that has nothing to do with looks, style or social savvy. We recall the life of the late Dorothy Height not simply because she was a force to be reckoned with concerning civil rights, she was also class personified and never, but never, made us ashamed. We love the late Fannie Lou Hamer not because she stood at the gate of the Democratic National Convention in Atlantic City and asked, “Is this America?” but also because this downhome sharecropper carried herself with dignity and grace until she died. Look, I was both young and stupid. But somehow the crass, hardcore personas weren’t part of my circle of girlfriends and acquaintances because we loved being feminine. In fact, we thought we were a classy bunch of broads. Where did our love—for ourselves—go? Many women like Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm, Anna Hedgeman, Marie Lewis (my mother), writer Paula Giddings, Newark Councilwoman Mildred Crump and countless other black women paid a price for some of us to be where we are while all the cards were simultaneously stacked against them. I won’t sit still and say nothing about a black young woman going to school on financial aid (which is fine) and forgetting that sometimes one of us can represent all of us. It ain’t fair. But it is life.
www.thepositivecommunity.com
New York State Minority Legislators Caucus Weekend
N
ew York State Association of Black, Puerto Rican, Spanish and Asian Legislators, Inc. convened its 40th Annual Legislative Conference in Albany, New York on Friday, February 18th through Sunday, February 20th, 2011. In addition to the conference seminars and workshop, the weekend included a Business/Career Expo, Craft Exhibition Fair and Youth Summit.
Seated L-R: Roy Hastick, CEO, Caribbean-American Chamber of Commerce (CACCI); Dr. William Pollard, president Medgar Evers College (MEC) Standing L-R: George Hulse, senior VP, Healthfirst; Elinor Tatum, publisher, New York Amsterdam News; NYS Senator Kevin Parker
L–R: April Tyler; NYC Councilman Robert Jackson; NYS Assemblywoman Annette Robinson
L–R: Audrey Weaver and Joy Flynn
L–R: Dorcedious Davis with Congressman Charles Rangel Photos: Wali Amin Muhammad
L–R: Realtor Reece McEwen; Atty. Lucille McEwen, president Harlem Congregations for Community Imporvement (HCCI); Dr. Gregory Smith, pastor Mother A.M.E. Zion Church and Kevin Wardally, Bill Lynch Associates.
L–R: Zenaida Chapa and James Harding both of MTA Entrepreneur Ronnie Holly (far right) sponsors an annual bus ride for students to expose them to the political process
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www.thepositivecommunity.com
Money Business, Money & work
First Annual Circle of Achievement Awards Gala a Huge Success The African American Chamber of Commerce of New Jersey, Inc.
A
BACK; L–R: Harry C. Alford, President/Co-Founder, National Black Chamber of Commerce; Kay DeBow-Alford, Co-Founder, NBCC; David N. Dinkins, Former Mayor of NYC; John E. Harmon, Sr., President/CEO, AACCNJ; Hosea Johnson, Chairman of AACCNJ; Bishop David G. Evans, Bethany Baptist Church; Micheal V. Roberts, JD, Chairman and CEO, The Roberts Company FRONT; L–R: Jeannine F. LaRue, VP Public Affairs, Rutgers University; Roger W. Ferguson, Jr., President/CEO, TIAA-CREF
ACCNJ held its First Annual Circle of Achievement Awards Gala on Saturday, February 19th at the Hyatt Regency in New Brunswick. The lineup featured at the event, represented the best in class in the fields of Business, Politics, Community and Education. Each Speaker provided inspiration and enlightenment. “The room was packed, every member of the audience appeared to be tuned into every word from each Speaker. It was just electrifying and symbolic of what a Black History program should be about. We are poised more now than ever to execute our mission, and fully engage the mainstream in an effort to strengthen New Jersey’s economy,” says John E. Harmon, Sr., president/ CEO of AACCNJ. “It was one of the best Chamber events Kay and I have participated in since our Annual Convention in Houston, last summer,” said Harry C. Alford, President of National Black Chamber of Commerce.
www.thepositivecommunity.com
March 2011 The Positive Community
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Brooklynite Teri Coaxum honored during Black History Month program by Borough President Mary Markowitz
Teresa “Teri” Coaxum Appointed SBA Regional Advocate
Will Work Closely With the Small Business Community
Photo: Wali Amin Muhammad
T
eri Coaxum is the new Regional Advocate for the Office of Advocacy’s Region II, covering the states of New York and New Jersey, the U.S. Virgin Islands and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. She will be the Office of Advocacy’s direct link to small business owners, state and local government agencies, state legislators, trade associations, and small business organizations. “We are proud to have Teri Coaxum join our team,” said Chief Counsel for Advocacy Winslow Sargeant. “She understands the importance of partnership and listening to those we serve.” Prior to her appointment, Coaxum was the deputy state director (from 2004 to 2010) for New York Senator Charles Schumer and advised the senator on issues ranging from economic development to job creation. From January 2001 to August 2004, she served as an administrative
manager in the Kings County District Attorney’s office, where she coordinated a community development arm to begin economic empowerment, job readiness, and technological advancement. She has a master’s degree in business administration from Metropolitan College of New York. She also has a master’s degree in public administration and a Bachelor of Arts degree in criminal justice from John Jay College of Criminal Justice. The Office of Advocacy of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is an independent voice for small business within the federal government. The presidentially appointed Chief Counsel for Advocacy advances the views, concerns, and interests of small business before Congress, the White House, federal agencies, federal courts, and state policymakers. For more information, visit www.sba.gov/advo, or email. Ms. Coaxum at Teri.Coaxum@sba.gov
Honorees Honorees
Honorees david n. dinkins Honorees
david n. dinkins Honorees former mayor new york david n.mayor dinkins former ofof new york city city Honorees
david n.mayor dinkins former of new york city Honorees david n.mayor dinkins former of new york city Honorees david n. dinkins former mayor of new york city allen james Honorees david n. dinkins former mayor of new york city allen james allen jamesn. Honorees executive director, addicts rehabilitation center david dinkins former mayor of new york city allen james executive director, addicts rehabilitation center center david n. dinkins Honorees former mayor of new york city executive director, addicts rehabilitation allen jamesn. executive director, addicts rehabilitation center david dinkins former mayor of new york city allen james executive director, addicts rehabilitation center s. dale Bruce former mayor of new york city allen james david n. dinkins Honorees executive director, addicts rehabilitation s. dale Bruce Sr. viceallen president, community preservationcenter corporation james executive director, addicts rehabilitation center s. dale Bruce former mayor of new york city Sr. vice president, community preservation corporation allen james executive director, addicts rehabilitation center s. dale Bruce s. dale Bruce david n. dinkins Sr. vice president, community preservation corporation allen james executive director, addicts rehabilitation center s. dale Bruce Sr. vice president, community preservation corporation dr. william m. addicts james rev. formerSr. mayor of new york city rehabilitation executive director, center s. dale Bruce vice president, community preservation corporation allen james Sr. vice president, community preservation corporation dr. william m. james rev. Pastor emeritus metropolitan united Methodist church s. dale Bruce Sr. vice president, community preservation corporation william m. addicts james rehabilitation rev. dr.s. executive director, center Pastor emeritus metropolitan united Methodist church dale Bruce Sr. president, corporation dr.s. william m.community james preservation rev.vice james allen Pastor united Methodist church dale metropolitan Bruce Sr. vice president, preservation corporation dr.emeritus william m.community james rev. Pastor emeritus metropolitan united Methodist church stephanie b. weldon executive director, addicts rehabilitation center Sr. vice president, community preservation corporation dr. william m. james rev. s. dale Bruce dr. william m. james rev. Pastor emeritus metropolitan united Methodist church stephanie b. weldon Board member, green hope services for women, inc. dr.emeritus william m.community james preservation rev.vice Pastor metropolitan united Methodist church stephanie b. weldon Sr. president, corporation Board member, green hope services for women, inc. william m.metropolitan james rev. dr. emeritus united Methodist Pastor emeritus metropolitan united Methodist church church stephanie b. weldon s. dale BrucePastor Board member, green hope services for women, inc. william m. james rev. dr.emeritus Pastor metropolitan united Methodist church stephanie b. weldon panache supper club member, green hope services for women, inc. Sr. vice Board president, community preservation corporation Pastor emeritus metropolitan united Methodist church stephanie b. weldon william m. powell james rev. dr. panache supper club Board member, green hope services for women, inc. 2110 adam clayton boulevard stephanie b. weldon panache supper club Board member, green hope services for women, inc. Pastor emeritus metropolitan united Methodist church 2110 adam clayton powell boulevard stephanie b.b.weldon New York city stephanie weldon panache supper club Board member, green hope services for women, inc. adam clayton boulevard william m.weldon james rev. dr.2110 stephanie b. New York city panache supper clubpowell Board member, green hope services for women, inc. 2110 adam clayton powell boulevard New York city PastorBoard emeritus metropolitan united Methodist church panache supper club member, green hope services for women, inc. Board member, green hope services for women, inc. stephanie b. weldon 2110 adam clayton powell boulevard thursday, april 14, 2011 New York city panache supper club 2110 adam clayton boulevard thursday, april 14, 2011 Board member, green hope services for women, inc. New York city reception 6:00 pm ▪powell dinner and program 7:00 pm panache supper club
2110 adam clayton thursday, april 14, 2011 New York city stephanie b. weldon reception 6:00 pm ▪powell dinnerboulevard and program 7:00 pm panache supper club 2110 adam clayton powell boulevard thursday, april 14, 2011
New York city reception 6:00 pm ▪powell dinner and program 7:00 pm Board member, hope services for women, inc. panache supper club 2110 adam clayton thursday, april 14, 2011 panache supper club black tiegreen New York city reception 6:00 pm ▪ dinnerboulevard and program 7:00 pm thursday, april 14, 2011 black tie city New York reception 6:00 pm ▪ dinner and program 7:00 pm 2110 adam clayton powell boulevard 2110 adam clayton powell boulevard thursday, april 14, 2011 black tie reception 6:00 pm ▪ dinner and program 7:00 pm panacheblack supper New York city thursday, april 14, 2011 For ticket information call and 212-281-4887 tie club reception 6:00 pm ▪ dinner program 7:00 pm New York citypowell thursday, 14, 2011 2110 adam clayton boulevard For ticket information call 212-281-4887 black tie april reception 6:00 pm ▪ dinner and program 7:00 pm For ticket information call 212-281-4887 black tie reception 6:00 pm ▪ dinner and program 7:00 pm New York city thursday, 14, 2011call 212-281-4887 For ticket information black tie april reception pm ▪ dinner program 7:00 pm For ticket information call and 212-281-4887 black tie 6:00 thursday, april 14, 2011 For ticket information call 212-281-4887 black tie 14, thursday, april 2011 For ticket information call 212-281-4887 reception ▪ dinner and212-281-4887 program 7:00 pm7:00 pm black tie pm reception 6:00 pm ▪ call dinner and program For6:00 ticket information For ticket information call 212-281-4887 black tie For ticket information call 212-281-4887
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For ticket information call 212-281-4887 The Positive Community March 2011
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WILLIAM S. PARRISH, JR. MAKING BOLD MOVES
William S. Parrish, Jr. is President & CEO of Noble Strategy, LLC
Build Business, Give Freely and Become Rich! hile we all have our own definition of success, which might include growth, profits and financial freedom, most entrepreneurs are driven by the contribution they can make in their marketplace or on others. Yes, we are willing to work hard to establish viable businesses so we can make money and become profitable, but if you manage your focus, your faith and the by-products of your success, you will have a lot more to offer than just the money you’ve made. Your passion for what you do inside your business will ultimately create profits that will allow you to be passionate about the things you do outside of your business, allowing you to stand up for others as part of a new business strategy. Perhaps you chair a fundraising effort for a local school or lead the effort to garner donations for your church’s building fund. As an entrepreneur, the success you have in your vocation makes way for your ability to advocate. Even though I’m working very hard to build my business, I do devote my resources, time and talents to building other institutions that matter to me. One of the greatest joys I experience is serving as chairman for my fraternity’s Black History Month program each year. Our program, Black Wealth Initiative, is focused on creating exposure for financial literacy, entrepreneurship and generational wealth accumulation in traditionally underserved communities. As a business owner and community leader I feel especially grateful to be able to spearhead this committee. We work tirelessly to bring
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“. . . if you manage your focus, your faith and the by-products of your success, you will have a lot more to offer than just the money you’ve made.” www.thepositivecommunity.com
about change and improve the financial literacy and condition of the people in our community. I also enjoy the opportunity to work with and gain support from friends whom I support and who reciprocate. This support usually comes from business owners or service providers willing to devote company and/or personal resources and time to assist in helping to create awareness for community causes. Similarly the total support of my firm is given to such tasks. Something seemingly as simple as bringing well dressed professionals to a Saturday morning school event to speak with students about entrepreneurship makes a huge impact in the lives of the kids who are ultimately shaping our communities each day. Providing positive role models for young people through your business connections, resources and relationships can drive efforts to stabilize communities in ways that yield a tremendous return on your time and investment. One meaning of the phrase “being rich,” is “being willing to freely distribute gifts.” The meaning most people associate with the phrase is the opposite, i.e., getting all you can from others. They spend valuable time attempting to “get over.” However, even during the most frantic pursuits of success, if you are willing to freely distribute your gifts to others, whether it is your time, money or resources, you can and will create a positive effect on others that will be multiplied and returned to you. Make your case and build your business strategy by leveraging your resources to stand up and support those who are making a difference in the lives of others. If nothing else you will be richer for your giving and someone will be better off because of your contribution. You no doubt will make a huge impact and might very well be surprised by how well you do financially as a by-product of how well and how much you give freely. I challenge you to try it...it’s time to make a bold move!
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Harlem Dowling West Side Center Ride into History
Harlem Dowling Executive Deputy Director Karen Dixon (far right) along with youth participants and chaperones of its Bridge to Adulthood trip
Black History Trip to Civil Rights Museum
H
arlem Dowling West Side Center for Children and Family Services took its youth participants on a field trip to Memphis, Tennessee during Black History Month, to visit the historical Civil Rights Museum. Harlem Dowling Deputy Director Karen Dixon chaperoned the trip, which is part of the agency’s Bridge to Adulthood program and its mission to inspire its adoles-
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cent population to greatness by exposing them to their roots and history. More than 15 excited young participants boarded the coach bus for the long journey to Memphis where they visited the museum and participated in panel discussions on the history and evolution of the Civil Rights Movement. Upon their return, participants wrote papers and shared their experience with their peers.
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Caribbean Airlines and Air Jamaica: Two Brands, One Airline Photos: Donovan Gopies
Air Jamaica interim General Manager Will Rogers
Congresswoman Yvette Clarke with Jamaica Consul General to New York Genevieve Brown Metzger
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uests were whisked away from the cold and rain to the sunny island of Jamaica, where tropical foods, delicious fruity cocktails, and white sandy beaches were just waiting to be sampled. Well, there was a bay and a beach , but it was Russo’s on the Bay in Howard Beach, Queens, New York and the food and cocktails were delicious and plentiful if not tropical. As for the rest, it was on the hearts and minds of those who gathered to hear the plans for Caribbean Airlines and its merger with Air Jamaica. The merged airlines will be operating under the theme, ‘One Caribbean airline, two brands.
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Ann Marie Campbell introduces Brooklyn Deputy Borough President Yvonne Graham
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Family, Church & Community Minded
Serious Injury • Wrongful Death • Closings • Wills & Trusts • Estates Real Estate Sales & Purchase • Commercial & Residential Immigration • Family Law • Commercial Business Representation
Bruce L. Bozeman Attorney at Law 914-668-4600 6 Gramatan Avenue Mount Vernon, NY 10050
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Free Initial Consutation on Personal Injury & Wrongful Death Claims
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Reflections: Changing the Color of the Practice of Law Black Lawers Honored
I Photos: R.L. Witter
n celebration of Black History Month, the Metropolitan Black Bar Association (MMBA) and the Kings County District Attorneys Office hosted a program at the Kings County Supreme Court building in Brooklyn to honor trailblazers in the field of law. Each distinguished barrister has had a long and distinguished career, most for over 50 years. They are:
Ozro Thaddeus Wells Sr. (O.T.) was admitted to practice law in New York in 1959. He has been recognized as a living legal legend by the National Bar Association and the Northeast Black Law Students Association. While president of the National Bar Association, Wells served on the advisory committee that selected the prosecutor of the Watergate affair. He is counsel at the law firm of Donaldson, Chilliest & McDaniel, LLP. Godfrey Murrain began his private practice in 1955 and was a private practioner for over five decades specializing in tax law. Though he is retired, he is still active in the legal community participating in several bar associations and community organizations.
Shirley Stewart Farmer was admitted to the New York State bar in 1963. She continues in private practice today. Farmer helped organize the mid-Manhattan branch NAACP and was instrumental in consolidating the Harlem and Bedford -Stuyvesant Lawyers Associations into the Metropolitan Bar Association and served as its first president. A singer, Ms. Farmer’s love of the law is equally balanced by her love of music. At the event Hon. Sylvia Hinds Radix, administrative judge for Civil Matters, 2nd Judicial Department, gave opening remarks welcoming the MBBA to the Kings County Supreme Court. Hon. Charles J. Hynes, Kings County District Attorney and Hon Alvin M. Yeards, chair of the MBBA Board of directors spoke briefly. Joseph M. Drayton, MBBA president gave the closing remarks; Mark Pollard, chair of the Brooklyn Division MBBA served as master of ceremonies. —JNW
Jeff Leon Greenup began his career in law in 1954, primarily practicing criminal defense and civil rights litigation. He represented Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his supporters in Florida on a number of cases involving voter registration. Helen Gordon Bailey grew up in the Morrisania section of the Bronx, graduated from PS 42, from Evander Childs High School, Hunter College and Brooklyn Law School. She chose to begin a general law and real estate practice after being admitted to practice in 1950. She at first practiced with her husband, Joseph Bailey and later joined the firm of Gordon and Wilkins. She continues in private practice in Harlem. Hon. William C. Thompson Sr. was admitted to practice law in New York in 1955. He was a New York State senator, New York City councilman and Supreme Court justice, an associate justice in the Appellate, term assistant administrative judge and associate justice of the Appellate Term. At the age of 86 Judge Thompson is hale and hearty and is active in the law as counsel to Ross & Hill.
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The path to your first home. The State of New York Mortgage Agency (SONYMA) offers first-time homebuyers: • 30- or 40- year fixed interest rates that are typically below market; • Financing up to 97%; • Flexible underwriting guidelines; • Down payment assistance (higher of $3,000 or 3% of the loan amount or up to $10,000); • No points; • No financing add ons.
For more information, call
1-800-382-HOME (4663) or visit www.housing.ny.gov
March 2011 The Positive Community
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shoulders with mourning families who could not afford flowers. It is this rich history that Young was so determined to preserve that he willingly gave up touring as a drummer to run the business when it became his turn. “This history made me a very proud individual,” Young declared. “To be a part of a business that black men and women worked hard for and built together was very meaningful to me. I was proud to ride up Seventh Avenue and see the name Carolina. It made the difference in the things I did and how I behaved.” Young, a celebrated drummer who played with Jimmy Hendrix and Ray Charles, could have simply made the decision to walk by his own light when he was called back home to run the business. But without hesitation he shouldered the responsibility of keeping the business in the family and honoring the legacy of his grandfather and father. Samuel Young, Sr. came to New York from South Carolina as a way of saving his life. “My grandfather came here because my great-grandmother sent him away when he knocked a white man down,” Phil Young, 3rd generation Young recalled. “The man was an insurowner of Carolina Flower Shop Too ance collector who came to the house and called my great-grandmother by her first name. My grandfather thought that it was an insult and threw him out of the house. My family knew that the Klan would be coming for him that night so they sent him to New York by freight train.” In New York, Samuel found work in Manhattan’s flower district where he learned the ins and outs of the flower business. Subsequently he opened his own shop along with his wife Ophelia. According to Phil, his grandfather named the shop Carolina as a way of establishing camaraderie with the many other people who were migrating from North and South Carolina. It worked. The place became a hub of activities and fostered strong ties with churches and funeral homes. Young’s father, Samuel Young Jr. took over the shop when his grandfather died in the 80’s. However, his tenure was shortlived. When his father died about a year later, Young returned from touring and took over the helm. The transition was seamless since Young grew up in the shop. “My grandfather was a BY GLENDA CADOGAN hard task master. His mantra was, ‘nothing comes to a sleeper s an infant he made his first steps walking toward his but a dream.’ We had to be up before sunrise and as children, grandfather who was standing in the doorway of the fam- my brother and I started learning the business. Our first lesson ily flower shop. As an adult, Phillip Young now runs was how to sweep the floors. Once we mastered that we graduCarolina Flower Shop, the family business located in the heart ated to cleaning the basement and the buckets, going out on of Harlem, USA. The shop, which was established by Young’s deliveries, greeting customers and cutting and stemming flowgrandfather, Samuel Young, Sr. in 1939, is now a Harlem insti- ers. I remember how honored I felt the first day one of my tution. Carolina is credited for putting the recognizable garde- aunts said to me, ‘now go make a corsage.’” Though Young was more than equal to the task of running nias in Bille Holiday’s hair and serving legendary figures the the business, there were the unexpected challenges that can likes of Duke Ellington, Miles Davis, Edward G. Robinson, only come from being in charge. Soon after taking over the Lucille Ball, Malcolm X and Adam Clayton Powell. The oldest shop he learned that there is truth to the adage that “he who’s black-owned flower shop in Harlem, Carolina became a veritable community center where the rich and the famous rubbed
Carolina Flower Shop Too
70- year–old family business hopes to thrive for generations to come
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in the kitchen feels the heat.” “I remember thinking that I would buy only the best and freshest flowers I can find,” he said. “One day I got a delivery of fresh flowers. I used some pieces and made a beautiful funeral arrangement. I was so proud of it. The next day I received a call from the customer saying that the flowers were terrible; they were all dead by the time they arrived. I was shocked. Subsequently I learned that the big mistake I made was—I did not revive the flowers. The flowers had travelled thousands of miles on an airplane and though they were
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fresh when I got them, they still needed to be revived before going into an arrangement.” This lesson was one quickly learned and never repeated. But the challenge of dealing with emotions is one that Young still faces each and every day. “Running a flower shop is not just about selling flowers,” he explains. “The flower business deals with emotions. It’s like a daily rollercoaster ride. One day a customer comes in who just had a baby. They walk out and someone walks in and says, ‘Mr. Young, my husband was killed on his way home from work.’ Before they can leave, you have to get back on the happy horse to serve someone who just fell in love. But that same day you may also have to deal with the guy who has been running around and say to you: ‘Mr. Young, my wife is gonna’ kill me. Make me an arrangement to get me home.’ It’s like being a psychiatrist.” Being on this constant cycle is something Young accepts as a challenge of the trade. His solution, “I pray,” he said. “When the going gets tough I am quick to get down on my knees. But I also live in the belief that God put me here for a reason.” After 50 years in its original location, the shop moved lower down the boulevard and Young called it Carolina Too. “This was my way of letting people know that it was the same Carolina that started over 70 years ago.” What distinguishes Carolina from other florists is the fact that they are what Young called, “floral sculptors.” So even as the flower shop business withers under the weight of the present day economy, Carolina hopes to flourish. Their excellence in floral design and personal service coupled with long-standing relations with the area churches and funeral homes makes Young hopeful that the business will thrive for generations. Standing in the wings ready and willing to assume the reins when his times comes, is Young’s 13-year-old son, Elias. Even in the face of daunting economic challenges, patrons of the establishment are also hoping that young Elias will get his turn. In this way, they are assured of a fourth generation neighborhood florist who will listen to their stories … and give them beautiful flowers as well.
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A better New York for all A message from CSEA President Danny Donohue
CSEA is proud to join with Lillian Roberts and our brothers and sisters in District Council 37 in renewing our commitment to a better New York for all.
On the line every day.
CSEA members are your family, friends and neighbors doing every kind of job in every part of New York.
We’re family, friends and ne Budget cuts and the attack on public servicesdoing are unprecedented, unfairthat and the work matters
unbearable. CSEA believes there can and should be better choices.
SMART | DYNAMIC | CARING | D
First, keeping people working must be Job 1. No politician can create jobs by laying people off. It’s bad for the economy and it destroys lives. Second, New York cannot address a massive deficit with one hand tied behind its back. It’s fiscally irrational to try to only cut the way out while ignoring corporate welfare, business loopholes and cutting taxes for the wealthiest New Yorkers. Third, New Yorkers need budget choices we can be proud of... for all. It’s not right to prey on the sick, the elderly, students. Education, health care and safety should not be the first places to cut. Everyone wants to cut waste in government. Nothing wrong with that… but public opinion takes a very different turn when people recognize the necessary People working services and the people they know and rely on to deliver them are what’s at risk.
a better New Yo
We need a better New York for all. That means fair for all, help for all and sacrifice from all. 8642_PosCommAd.indd 1
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On the line every day. We’re family, friends and neighbors doing the work that matters. SMART | DYNAMIC | CARING | DEDICATED
People working together to make a better New York for all.
8642_PosCommAd.indd 1
3/7/11 12:50 PM
UFT African Heritage Committee
Anthony Harmon, chairman AAHC
Malika Giddens of Bedford Academy HS surrounded by UFT officials
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he venerable Hazel N. Dukes, president of the New York State Conference NAACP, Carrie Jackson, Urban Assembly School for the Performing Arts and Tammie Miller, Chair of the United Federation of Teachers Home Childcare Providers Chapter, were honored at the Eighth Annual Dinner Dance of the African Heritage Committee (AHC) of the United Federation of Teachers. The event, which was held on February 4 at Antun’s in Queens Village, NY, celebrates the efforts and achievements of teachers, students and others who strive to make this a better world for all, like Hazel Dukes who was honored for her lifetime commitment to human and civil rights and received the committee’s prestigious Frederick Douglass Award. Tammie Miller received the Trailblazer Award. Tammie left the corporate world in 2003 to work in Early Childhood Education. Her passion for educating children and her determination to improve the profession inspired Tammie to take an interest in working with the United Federation of Teachers and others to form a union for providers. She answered that call to leadership by working with the United Federation of Teachers and others to help
UFT President Michael Mulgrew presents award to Hazel Dukes, president NYS NAACP Conference
NYC Comptroller John Liu
organize, negotiate and ratify the first collective bargaining agreement in history between the home childcare providers and the State of New York in January of 2010. Carrie Jackson received the Mary McCloud Bethune Award, for her excellence in the classroom as a special education teacher. Students, Malika Giddens of Bedford Academy HS in Brooklyn and Kim Danielle Smith of the HS for American Studies at Lehman College in the Bronx, were awarded scholarships named for the UFT’s
late Armando Blassee and Helen Doughty, respectively. Anthony Harmon chair of the African Heritage Committee, the UFT’s longest established ethnic committee, which, was organized to help promote cultural awareness within the labor movement. The committee hosts educational, enrichment and celebratory activities throughout the year to which all union members are invited. These include Kwanzaa celebrations, Harlem Week, museum visits and study events, and many others.
AAHC members
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UNITED FEDERATION
OF
TEACHERS
Education: the civil rights issue of today United Federation of Teachers • A Union of Professionals 52 Broadway, New York, NY 10004 212.777.7500 www.uft.org Officers: Michael Mulgrew President • Michael Mendel Secretary • Mel Aaronson Treasurer • Robert Astrowsky Assistant Secretary • Mona Romain Assistant Treasurer Vice Presidents: Karen Alford • Carmen Alvarez • Leo Casey • Richard Farkas • Aminda Gentile • Sterling Roberson
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Workers’ Rights are HUMAN Rights
By Lee A. Saunders, Secretary-Treasurer, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), AFL-CIO
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t a time when we should be pulling together to create jobs and find real solutions to our economic problems, some politicians are trying to settle old scores. In Wisconsin, Ohio and several other states, Governors who claimed that they would focus on jobs and restoring the middle class proposed laws that would have the opposite effect. They are trying to eliminate collective bargaining rights for teachers, police officers, sanitation workers, social workers, librarians, and the many other public-service workers who do the jobs on which every community depends. They are cutting jobs and lowering the salaries and benefits of those who can keep their jobs. That’s just not right. These politicians – funded by wealthy benefactors – argue that collective bargaining has led to rich contracts and benefits for public-service employees. They are blaming public employees for budget problems they did not create. They hope that by making emergency medical technicians, snow plow operators and the like the villains, the true culprits on Wall Street will get off scot-free. But their heavy-handed strategies to silence working men and women
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have energized working people and account for nearly 20 percent of the our allies in the human rights and employees of state and local governfaith community. We are fighting ments. That means that any attempt together just as we did at the height to take away their rights to collecof the civil rights movement. Rallies tive bargaining is a direct attack in Madison, Wisconsin have turned on African American families and out as many as 70,000 people. Encommunities. That’s why civil rights thusiastic protests have been held organizations across the country across the country in support of have joined this battle. workers’ rights. When Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Why has this fight engaged so accepted the Nobel Peace Prize in many people? Because they know 1964, he said: “I have the audacity to 1968, Rev.real Martin Luther King, died whileeverywhere defendingcan AFSCME san that we In need to find solutions believeJr.that people to our problems instead of attacking have three meals a day for their bodin Memphis who were fighting for their dignity and the right to organize unions that fight for working men ies, education and culture for their service workers are under attack again. In states across the country, the m and women. Americans know that minds, and dignity, equality and who the provide vital services their neighbors communities are being s unions built middle class and for freedom for theirand spirits.” the middle class is the backbone of All of us who believe in the blamed for an economic crisis that is not of their making. It’s time for po our economy. It’s no coincidence American Dream must commit ate jobs instead ofhas playing politics. It’stotime for all“audacious” of us to stand with th that as union membership ourselves the same decreased, the gap between the belief. And that belief must compel workers who stand on the front lines. wealthy and the workers has grown us to stand up to any attempt to wider than it has ever been. take away workers’ rights or weaken Unions set a strong pay standard the unions they’ve fought so hard that even nonunion employers to build. There is too much at stake follow. Take, for example, a high for us to be silent. school graduate whose workplace is not unionized, but who works in an industry that is 25 percent unionized. According to the Economic Policy Institute, that worker is paid 5 percent more than similar workers in less unionized industries. What’s more, a recent study indicated that African Americans AFSCME’s 1.6 million members provide www.thepositivecommunity.com the vital public services that make America happen and advocate for prosperity and opportunity for all working families.
In 1968, Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. died while defending AFSCME sanitation workers in Memphis who were fighting for their dignity and the right to organize. Today, public service workers are under attack again. In states across the country, the men and women who provide vital services for their neighbors and communities are being scapegoated and blamed for an economic crisis that is not of their making. It’s time for politicians to create jobs instead of playing politics. It’s time for all of us to stand with the public service workers who stand on the front lines.
AFSCME’s 1.6 million members provide the vital public services that make America happen and advocate for prosperity and opportunity for all working families.
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New York City’s Mayor Declares War on Public Day Care 16,500 Children’s Slots to be Terminated
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n February 17, New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg announced massive cuts in his proposed city budget that would permanently reduce the number of children attending New York City’s system of privately-run, city-subsidized day care centers by close to 17,000. That’s in addition to cuts that are already going into effect. Six day care centers serving more than 400 children have closed in February. Another nine day care centers serving more than 500 children will close end the end of June. Thousands of kids have been deprived of day care services that help begin their education and often help parents hold down jobs. Less than a third of the children who qualify for day care have access to the program. Since 2002 Bloomberg has closed or co-located 38 day care centers and the total will be 53 by this July. That’s a reduction of close to 3,500 children receiving day care services. This does not include the Mayor’s plan to eliminate almost 17,000 slots. New York City has the largest and most comprehensive public child care system in
the nation. Even today after massive closures by the Bloomberg Administration, there are some 320 pubic day care centers and some 150 federally-funded Head Start centers, the envy of child care advocates across the country. It should be the city’s pride and joy. It almost compares to some of the more progressive child-friendly systems in Europe. Throughout the United States, public child care is almost non-existent and quality day care is expensive and unobtainable for many working parents. The Mayor announced untested day care projects in 2010, when implemented, will undermine public day care giving way to for-profit child care corporations which many parents cannot afford. This predominantly female workforce, many of whom are of color and heads of households has been unionized for over 30 years and receives benefits, including health care and pensions, that this Mayor wants to eliminate. He refuses to negotiate their contract which expired over four years ago.
The leadership of Day Care Employees Local 205, District Council 1707 AFSCME has clear demands for the New York City Council to assist members in their fight with the Bloomberg Administration: Reject the Mayor’s elimination of 16,500 children from public day care; Reject unproven Project Full Enrollment and EarlyLearn projects which only harms the day care system and provides little or no quality improvement; And tell the Mayor to settle the four-year old contract with the members of Local 205.
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HE’S THE “EDUCATION MAYOR” – So why does Mayor Bloomberg want to reject 16,500 children from New York City Public Day Care when he’s sitting on a $2 Billion Surplus?
Nobody knows that answer but Mike Bloomberg and his staff. And they are not talking.
But we can respond. We can make a difference. Tell Mayor Bloomberg don’t eliminate 16,500 children from safe, affordable and quality day care. Tell him today that working families need that service to go to work. Our children need public day care to succeed. Help us by contacting Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and tell him New York’s working families need public day care.
WRITE: Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, City Hall New York, NY 10007 PHONE: 311 (or 212-NEW-YORK outside NYC) FAX:
(212) 312-0700
E-MAIL: http://www.nyc.gov/html/mail/h
Day Care Employees Local 205, District Council 1707 AFSCME 101 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10013 212-219-0022
Labor of
LOVE
Lillian Roberts’ Lifelong Commitment to Workers’ Rights illian Roberts believes she was born a mother though, at 83, she has no biological children. She looks back at her life and accomplishments with a great sense of satisfaction, however, and declares: “My living has not been in vain. I know I have fulfilled my life’s mission.” As executive director of DC 37, AFSCME, AFL-CIO — New York City’s largest public employee union—the 125,000 members and the 50,000 retirees she represents are as dear to her as if they were her own children. And like a dutiful mother, she makes daily sacrifices for the good and welfare of all “her children.” “I have 125,000 children,” says Roberts. “And every morning I wake up to the reality of what a tremendous responsibility it is to make the right decisions on their behalf. So I go to sleep with a prayer and when I awake at 4:00 a.m. I think of how I’m going to get the message out that day. How am I going to articulate the pain that ‘my children’ are feeling today?” Some days the answers are clear. Other days they redefine her direction because
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By Glenda Cadogan
she is willing to go as far as she has to in an effort to bring relief to her members. Soft-spoken and with a beautifully seasoned face, the legendary Roberts is a force to be reckoned with across any negotiating table. She may not have the brawn of the typical union leader but she certainly has the savoirfaire. Along with the political will and a sincere desire to make a difference, this has made Roberts a larger than life figure on the battlefields in the world of labor unions. “I don’t get into battles I don’t think I can win,” she explained. “If you have a problem, you should have a proposed solution. Therefore, I am always planning.” Roberts was raised on the rough and tumble South side of Chicago and her difficult childhood continues to inform her work. Her leadership is rooted in those lessons she learned while growing up on welfare and later by her efforts as a nurse’s aide fighting for better working conditions. “It was never a good feeling being on public assistance,” she recalled. “It was a feeling of helplessness. I was the second of five children and I knew www.thepositivecommunity.com
PROFILE what it meant to be poor. I never knew what it was like to go to into a department store to shop. So very often I would ask myself, ‘why am I here? Was I brought here to suffer? Why was there a whole world of people who looked like me and also had nothing?’” she questioned. “I just couldn’t understand it.” Roberts said she was “a sad little girl who felt inferior.” But in even in her despair, her heart cried out for answers. Desperate and poverty-scarred, she found those answers by observing her mother, whom she describes as “one of God’s Angels…My mother preached sharing and being kind to others. She would share our family’s welfare packages with neighbors who were denied public assistance because they did not have children. At the time I did not realize that these experiences were informing my life’s work. I prayed to God and promised that if I ever got in a position to help other people that I would do all in my power to spare them from suffering the kind of humiliation I went through. This is what I felt would make my life worthy.” Her mission began taking shape as neighbors in the large tenements in which she grew up would ask Roberts for help with writing their letters to the welfare department. It was further defined at her first job as a nurse’s aide at Chicago University Hospital. “There were a group of immigrant housekeepers who were being terribly abused by a supervisor,” she said. “It was so painful. So when the union shop steward was slow to take action, I decided to speak up for them.” With the tenacity of a skilled negotiator and the determination of a prize fighter, Roberts took the workers’ contract in hand and chal-
Lillian Roberts joins AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka, Exec. V.P. Arlene Holt-Baker and other labor leaders in 2010 Wall Street March when thousands protested the greed that threw the nation’s economy into a tail spin. www.thepositivecommunity.com
“I have 125,000 children,” says Roberts. “And every morning I wake up to the reality of what a tremendous responsibility it is to make the right decisions on their behalf. lenged the actions of management. She won. The supervisor backed down and the employees requested Roberts as their shop steward. “At that time I did not know that this was my calling. I think I found out about two husbands later when I had to give up both marriages because the rights of my members took precedence over matters of the heart.” In 1965, after her sister was murdered, Roberts moved her mother and three nephews to New York City. Her assignment was to build up the DC 37 Hospitals Division, a responsibility she handled handsomely. Three years later she was elected associate director of the union. In 1981, she became the first African-American woman to be named New York State Commissioner of Labor and eventually in 2002, she returned home to DC 37 as its executive director. Fueled and sustained by her mother’s prayers, Roberts took on Herculean challenges and made them seem like child’s play. She established the DC 37 Education Fund—the largest union-based adult education program in the country. The program, which offers union members a four-year degree program at the College of New Rochelle, has become a model for unions nationwide. In addition, she developed the union’s Municipal Employees Legal Services program and the Personal Services Unit, which offers counseling to those with personal problems. “My inspiration comes from my belief that I am my brothers’ and sisters’ keeper,” she stated. “I have had a difficult life and my aim is to make sure that the poverty I suffered is alleviated in the lives of others. So to me a union is not just about wage and working conditions. It is about making sure that people have access to all the help they need to address their day-in, day-out concerns.” But every champion has their battle scars. For Roberts, one of her deepest wounds came in 1969 when she was jailed for two weeks for leading a strike against three mental hospitals. She called the “illegal” strike in response to New York Governor Nelson Rockefeller’s refusal to allow hospitals workers to join the union. She continued on next page March 2011 The Positive Community
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LILLIAN ROBERTS continued from previous page
was slapped with a 30-day sentence but released two weeks later after public outcry. In 1950’s America, being a woman in the hard-edged union movement was not a task for the faint-hearted. But poverty scars set aside, Roberts let it be known that she was not to be taken for granted. “There were very few women working in the movement when I started,” she explained. “And though I was frequently ignored, it did not bother me. At meetings they would talk to the men as though I was not in the room. But I listened because I knew that sooner or later, they would find out that I was going to have an impact on the subject and the outcome. So I refused to sweat the small stuff.” With anti-union sentiments now sweeping the country, Roberts added her authoritative voice to the dialogue and did so with the sobering intellect of an elder. “People need to realize that unions take chaos and turn it into
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presentations. Without unions there will be confusion and riots because people eventually get frustrated when they are not heard. As a union leader, all I’m doing is articulating workers’ frustrations in a controlled voice.” Accolades are often showered on her for the decades of contributions in her field. She has been called “the most powerful back person in American Labor” and named one of the 30 Most Influential Black New Yorkers. However, Lillian Roberts is content being remembered simply as someone who made a difference. “When people mention my name I want them to remember that I tried to make a better day for everyone, especially welfare recipients and mothers struggling with their children. When people call my name, I wish that they would say, ‘she contributed to making a better tomorrow.’”
www.thepositivecommunity.com
Everyday Heroes
We Serve New York
DC 37 Executive Board
Lillian Roberts Executive Director
Clifford Koppelman Secretary & Acting President
Oliver Gray Associate Director Henry Garrido, Associate Director
Maf Misbah Uddin Treasurer
New York City’s largest public employee union with 125,000 members and 50,000 retirees District Council 37, AFSCME, AFL-CIO • 125 Barclay Street, New York, NY 10007
Possessing the Power NJ’s Assembly Speaker listens to the people and practices the art of compromise By g.r. mattox
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rowing up, Sheila Oliver wasn’t like most kids her age. A listener rather than a talker, she traces what led her to a life of civic involvement to an advice column she wrote for her fifth-grade paper called “Tell it to Sheila.” It was there that her awareness of human interest situations and people’s problems began to grow. When other boys and girls were playing ball, jumping rope and roller skating in the streets of Newark, NJ, she was rooted in front of the television, absorbed by the 1961 Bay of Pigs invasion wondering if there would be war on Cuba. Watching TV, she also learned about the struggles of Fannie Lou Hamer, who, barred from being seated at the 1964 Democratic National Convention, nonetheless fired a shot heard around the world of national politics, being fearless
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enough to speak for representation, voting rights and equality in front of the convention’s credentials committee. She was also inspired by people like Donald Payne, who, long before he became a congressman, was organizing the young people in the community. Congressman Payne described her as a person interested in learning; she says she learned how to convene and run a meeting from him. “Being exposed to these things I began to understand you need to hear the voices of all people,” Oliver said last year on becoming Speaker of the New Jersey Assembly. “And as I matured, I began to understand that not only is it important to hear the voices of all the people, you also need voices of all kinds to articulate the needs of people from the many communities that make up our state and country.” Sheila Oliver, who represents the 34th Legislative District, which includes Clifton, East Orange, Glen Ridge, Montclair and Woodland Park, made history when she became the first black woman to become Speaker, a fitting milestone for a woman who lives and breathes a life of service. Her long career in civic involvement began when she worked for non-profit social service organizations after graduating cum laude from historically black Lincoln University and earning a master’s in planning and administration from Columbia. After several political appointments, her pubic service experience kicked into high gear with her election to the Essex County Board of Freeholders while serving on the East Orange Board of Education. Sarah Francis, a senior citizen living in East Orange who has been a member of the Democratic County Committee for many years, met her when she first ran for Freeholder and remains one of her most loyal boosters and supporters. “Sheila is very concerned about her job and the people she serves,” Francis says. “She takes everything seriously and if she can help you, she will.” After an initial bid for the Assembly in 2001 she became assistant administrator for Essex County and won an Assembly seat in 2004. Prior to becoming speaker, she served as deputy speaker pro tempore, assistant majority leader and co-chaired the Bipartisan Leadership Committee. She is a member of the Legislative Services Commission. Speaker Oliver has sponsored 42 legislative bills including one establishing the “Healthy Workplace Act,” another providing for automatic expunging of criminal records under certain circumstances, and co-sponsored 48 more. These include the “Anti-Bullying Bill of Rights Act,” one raising the age requirement of compulsory school attendance from 16 to 18 years old and another raising the personal needs allowance for lowincome persons residing in certain facilities. With her long career of civic involvement, she says her first year as speaker was “interesting.” She’s making good progress on her intention to visit all 40 legislative districts in the state, recently holding a legislative forum at Bethel AME Church in Morristown. She says these meetings have sensitized her to the concerns of those in the southern part of the state, many living in small towns who feel forgotten because they feel that the big cities and their interests have dominated political decision making. continued on next page www.thepositivecommunity.com
POSSESSING THE POWER continued from previous page
Prepared for the many public policy issues in the state house, she had to hone her skills in her new position working within a bipartisan government and a combative administration. “It kind of reminds me of much of what you see in Washington, with the president coming from one party and the speaker of the House coming from another party,” she said. That was something I did not anticipate, particularly with the type of personality of our current governor. “I think overall my first year has certainly been challenging,” she continued, noting that while she has been forging relationships in the Legislature since 2004, getting to know her colleagues as speaker took the relationship to a another level. Although confident in her level of expertise and knowledge base, she was an unknown variable to many in political leadership across the state. “I think I surprised a lot of the political players in terms of their underestimation of my capabilities,” she observed, “and I believe that is because they had never seen an African-American woman in a role like this in New Jersey. Without question the State House is a male-dominated environment.” One thing that excites Oliver about being speaker is the opportunity to create the legislative agenda. “When you’re a member of the legislature you serve on the committees and have the opportunity to chair a committee, but as a legislative leader you get to set the agenda. It provides you with an opportunity to possess the power to really change the course and direction of people’s lives, power to be used in service to others.” Last year went stood toe-to-toe with the governor in his pronouncement that he was “reining in the cost of government” by cutting $30 million out of the budget for the recipients of general assistance—those unmarried, childless adults who were unemployed and had no source of income. “Living in the community I live in, having worked a career in human services delivery, I knew that if that rug was pulled out from under people who depend on that—and that’s the only thing they have — it would be devastating. Being able to walk into a governor’s office and say that under no circumstances would I move a budget that cuts this funding was probably the high point of the year.” Oliver strives to employ the art of compromise rather than combativeness in her work; transparency rather than backroom deals, and refuses to denigrate her office by engaging in name calling. What she has done is operate a more inclusive majority caucus—79 members have hands-on involvement in moving the legislative agenda. “There’s no such thing as win or lose;” she said, “when you do that, who gets hurt? The people. Anyone who knows government knows that government works best when all the stakeholders are able to have a seat at the table.”
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inspirational message from Presiding Elder Nicholas Tweed, Manhattan District, AME Church. Theodore R. Green, Councilman, City of East Orange and Kasoundra E. “Soni” Clemons, Psalmist, Union Chapel AME Church were presented with the Parade Founder John Thomas Selfless Service Award. Uplifting performances were provided by the Praise Ensemble of Second Baptist Church, Roselle, NJ and the Central Assembly of God Praise Dancers. One hundred fifty invited guests attended the Unity Banquet, an explosive cultural program which featured African dance by Zawadi
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Heritage Award Presented To Professor Charles Ogletree
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Unity Banquet
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18th Annual Tribute to Black History Month
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he African American Heritage Parade Committee recently held their 18th Annual Tribute to Black History Month at the Newark Airport Renaissance Hotel and a Unity Banquet at the Newark Airport Marriott Hotel. These events served as the kick off for this year’s milestone 45th Anniversary Celebration during which the African American Heritage Parade Committee will host the First Statewide Black Heritage Parade. This year’s Parade and Festival are being dedicated to the Crispus Attucks Society founding organization of the event. The Interfaith program was highlighted by an
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45th Anniversary Heritage Parade Celebration 2011
School of African Dance, libation by Dr. Rosalind Jeffries, prayer by Dr. Ralph T. Grant, song by Lady Rose and Minister Steve and the screening of the trailer for the documentary Presumption of Guilt by Foremost Films and Nocane Inc whose founder Hafiz Farid addressed the gathering and congratulated author Professor Ogletree. Professor Charles Ogletree, author of the best seller was brought into the room by video conferencing to receive a Heritage Award for his dedicated work for our “freedom, race, justice and equality.” Paul Kalamaras, executive vice president of anchor sponsor Investors Savings Bank gave a word from a proud sponsor. Vice President Wendall Steinhauer and Secretary-Treasurer Marie Blistan were in attendance to represent premier sponsor NJEA.
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ConfErEnCE 2011 • NormaliziNg loss • april 18-19, 2011 Join us @ ESSEX COUNTY COLLEGE, Newark, NJ For a detailed agenda please visit the website: http://www.echoesgriefcenter.org/Normalizing-Loss-Press-Release.html or contact Beverley Henderson Hartsfield: (973) 675-1199 or (973) 271-9977 or Eric Nixon: (973) 449-6424 • Email: bhendhart@aol.com
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www.thepositivecommunity.com
Health
Photo Credits?
Bill McCreary, retired newscaster introducing Harris Haith
P r e v e n t i o n , T r e atm e n t & C u r e
Successful Fight Against Kidney Disease Serves as Inspiration to Help Others Harris Haith Establishes Fund Assisting Low-Income Kidney Disease Patients at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital
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arris Haith’s triumphant journey from kidney disease to kidney transplant recipient began when he was managing the late Super-Middleweight Boxing Champion Steve “Lightning” Little. Haith regularly trained with Little and considered himself in top physical shape. He was totally unaware that his blood pressure was dangerously high, when he landed near death in a Las Vegas hospital with acute kidney failure. Haith’s uncontrolled high blood pressure had caused severe damage to his kidney and at the young age of 42 doctors informed him he would have to undergo dialysis. Following a seven-year battle with kidney disease, Haith received a kidney transplant at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (RWJUH) on April 1, 2008 after several misses with potential matches. It was during his seven years as a dialysis patient that Haith became determined to not only survive his ordeal, but serve as an advocate for other patients. Keeping his commitment, Haith has established a fund that will provide financial support to low-income kidney disease patients at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (RWJUH). On Thursday, February 17 at RWJUH, Haith formally announced his plans to donate 10 percent of the net profits from the book he has written, as well as from the www.thepositivecommunity.com
Harris Haith with his fiancée, Gale Parker and Dr. David Laskow, chief of The Transplant Center at the announcement of the fund and a book signing at Robert Wood Johnson Hospital University Hospital.
upcoming film adaptation. Haith’s book Growing up Laughing with Eddie Murphy, is based on his “hilarious childhood adventures” growing up around comedian and film star Eddie Murphy and his family in Roosevelt, New York. Parts of Haith’s book were used in the making of the Arts and Entertainment Television Network’s Biography: Eddie Murphy. And if you think you know the name Harris Haith from somewhere, you probably do. Billed as “The Total Entertainer,” Harris has had a long career in show business as a manager and performer in clubs, and on recordings and television. Although his primary goal is to provide financial support for kidney disease patients who lack adequate health insurance to cover the cost of their ongoing care, Haith also hopes to increase awareness about the impact of kidney disease on the African American community and the need for more Continued on page 45 March 2011 The Positive Community
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NJ Mother Survives 3 Open Heart Surgeries by Age 30
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ike many women, Pamela Coleman of Whitehouse Station, NJ, always wanted to be a mother. She just never imagined her desire to have a child would nearly take her own life. Born with a congenital heart defect, Pam underwent her first openheart surgery at just seven years old. In her teen years, she had another surgery to replace her aortic valve. That’s when she received the bad news.“I was told that I would never be able to have children because of the stress it would put on my heart.” As the years passed, Pam’s heart remained weak, but her desire for children grew stronger. At age 30, her urge to be a mother intensified. She underwent extensive testing and her doctors cleared her to carry children. Pam was thrilled when she learned that she was pregnant—but that happiness didn’t last long. Just eight weeks in, she started to experience problems and doctors placed her on bed rest for the duration of her pregnancy. Pam’s big day came early and she felt more fear than joy. “I thought I was having pregnancy symptoms—I was having trouble breathing, couldn’t lie down comfortably and had sudden weight gain. I just didn’t feel right.” Pam was experiencing heart failure—her doctors found a clot, putting her at severe risk for a stroke. Experts were called to plan a complex series of surgeries to deliver her baby and save her life. “I was in complete shock and I didn’t know if my baby would survivor or if I would be there to raise him.” After an emergency c-section, the baby survived, but Pam found herself back in surgery 24 hours after giving birth to replace her aortic valve. “After 10 days, I finally got to meet my son,” said Pam. From that moment on, she knew life would be different. These days, Pam lives an active lifestyle and arranges her schedule around her exercise regime, teaching her son and the women in her life about the importance of good health.
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Pam is an ambassador for the American Heart Association Go Red For Women movement which is a national initiative supported by Macy’s and Merck to raise awareness about cardiovascular health in women while raising funds to support life saving research, research that led to some of the procedures that helped save Pam’s life. “I Go Red for the chance to save one life… for the chance to give someone hope.” For more information about the Go Red For Women movement, visit www.goredforwomen.org.
Newark Beth Challenge On February 3, 2011, Mayor Cory A. Booker, the Newark Municipal Council, Deputy Mayor of Neighborhood Engagement Margarita Muñiz, Municipal Council President Donald M. Payne, Jr., Acting Director of the Department of Child and Family Well-Being L’Tanya Williamson, Newark Beth Israel Medical Center Director of Wellness Barbara Mintz, MS, RD, Newark YMCA COO Michael Bright, Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey Corporate Responsibility and Community Relations Director Jonathan Pearson, members of the Let’s Move! Newark Council and other community partners joined with Newark municipal employees for a press conference to launch the “Newark Beth Challenge,” in the City Hall First Floor Rotunda.
L–R: Michellene Davis, sr. vice president for Government Relations and Policy Development, Saint Barnabas Health Care System; Municipal Council President Donald M. Payne, Jr.; Darrell Terry, vice president of Newark Beth Israel Medical Center; Mayor Booker, and Barbara Mintz, founder of The Beth Challenge of Newark Beth Israel Medical Center.
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3/2/11
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Living Well Saturday, March 26, 2011
9:00 am – 10:00 am Health Screenings Cholesterol, Diabetes & Blood Pressure
Master of Ceremonies
10:00 am – 11:45 am Vignettes & Panel Discussion
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12:00 pm - 2:00 pm Lunch & Award Ceremony
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Healthful Blessings Aetna unveils calendar featuring faith-based health initiatives making a difference for African Americans
Aetna Chairman/CEO Ronald A. Williams
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ou probably have seen them. If you’re lucky, you may even have gotten one of the beautiful African American History Calendars (AAHC) that Aetna has published for the past 30 years. More than 300 African Americans—men and women—have been profiled for their accomplishments and service to others during that time. In past years, the calendar has featured high achievers in numerous fields including business, government, health care, education, athletics, arts, entertainment, and nutrition. Some have been celebrities, others unknown but celebrated for the work that they do in their communities to make this world a better place for all of us. At a reception at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in February, Aetna unveiled their 2011 calendar, which focuses on the work of individuals and groups that use their faith-based perspectives to improve the health and wellness of their members and their families and communities in places near and far.
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Dr Howard Dotson, chief of the Schomburg Center
Safiya Abdul Khaaliq, Essential Living for Muslim Women iInc: Breast Health Initiative of Atlanta Georgia (AAHC October 2011)
Several of those profiled in the calendar, past and present, were in attendance at the reception joining Aetna Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Ronald A. Williams in the unveiling of the 30th anniversary edition. For more information and to view the Heathful Blessings calendar online go to www.aetnaafricanamericanhistorycalendar.com www.thepositivecommunity.com
HEALTHFULL BLESSINGS Continued from previous page Dr. Norma Goodwin, (May 2008 calendar); Chaunda Ball and Dionne Polite both of AARP
Rev. Dr. Fred Lucas, senior pastor at Brooklyn Community Church and president/CEO Faith Center for Community Development wrote the foreword to the AAHC
Photos: Wali Amin Muhammad
Michael Graves, son of Earl Graves, founder of Black Enterprise
Will Brown, Jr. and Jeff Burns, vice chairman John H. Johnson School of Community
Sr. Pastor Dr. Arlee Griffin and First Lady Angela Griffin of Berean B.C. Brooklyn Berean Community and Family Life Center (AAHC February 2011)
KIDNEY FUND
Continued from page 41 people, not just African Americans, to become organ donors. “So many poor and low-income patients can’t afford their medication after surgery, and in some cases, they die,” Haith explains. “By donating a portion of the sales of my book and income from my upcoming movie, I want to make sure they have a fighting chance for survival.” Haith adds, “There are many misconceptions surrounding organ donation, but I and many others like me are living proof of the miracle that can result from the generosity of others. I want to make sure that other people like me are able to receive the ‘ultimate second chance’ of a life-saving organ transplant. “I felt like I needed to be an advocate for individuals not strong enough to defend themselves,” Haith recalls. “It was important for me make others aware of the problems that people suffering from kidney failure face. “I received what seemed like 10 calls before, but I didn’t get the kidney each time,” Haith recalled. “The eleventh time, the transplant coordinator called me on April Fool’s Day while I was on dialysis and she told me they had a potential kidney for me. I couldn’t believe it.” Haith still has not met the family of the individual who donated his kidney, but he has a simple message for them. “I am trying to do all I can to be worthy of the sacrifice your loved one made,” Haith says. “I want to live a life that would make your loved one proud.” www.thepositivecommunity.com
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KAHLIL CARMICHAEL THE FITNESS DOCTOR
Kahlil Carmichael is the Pastor and Founder of It Is Well Living Church located in Central, New Jersey. He is the CEO of the Fitness Doctor Inc., a Fitness Rehabilitation and Wellness Consultation company. To contact Kahlil to become spiritually and physically fit visit www.livewellfaith.com or call 732-921-3746
The Strength of a Woman here is nothing like the strength of a woman! I am amazed to see a mother raise children—keep them occupied, educate and mold her children to be positive contributors to society. It takes great power to raise children— never mind the muscle needed to continue working on oneself while engaged in this task. I applaud you and I honor you! There but let me pose this question to you beautiful, strong women who have literally carried our community. Why don’t you evoke the inner strength that has sustained and lifted you to heights unimaginable and direct that energy towards your health? I sincerely believe that if you mothers, grandmothers, aunties, sisters, daughters and friends would focus and make a commitment to improve your health despite your challenges, you could reach all of your health and fitness goals. I have not met a woman who does not mention Michelle Obama and her toned and muscular arms. How does our First Lady do it? Strength training with weights and bands. Here are some benefits of weight training for women. • Increased Metabolic Rate—Strength training increases your metabolic rate by increasing the calories you burn on a daily basis. The more calories you burn, the more chance you have to drop body fat. • Increasing and Restoring Bone Density —Strength training prevents and fights osteoporosis. • Increased Lean Muscle Mass—Lifting weights as part of a regular strength training routine will not cause women to bulk up. With that said, for every pound of lean muscle mass that you have, you burn 35-50 calories per day! If you have 10 pounds of lean muscle mass then you burn between 350-500 calories. If you have 20 pounds you burn between 700 and 1000 calories per day! This is one of the biggest benefits of strength training for women. • Injury Prevention—Strength training strengthens our muscles and tendons. The stronger we are the less chance of an injury. This is especially important as we grow older. • Improved Balance—Strength training builds a strong foundation. Strengthening our legs and core section means an increase in overall balance and coordination. • Decreased Risk of Coronary Disease—Strength training can reduce your blood pressure and decrease your cholesterol levels. • Aids in Rehabilitation and Recovery—Strengthening the muscles around our joints is one of the best ways to prevent and
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recover from an injury. • Enhanced Performance in Sports, Exercise and Life In General— We can perform our favorite activities with more ease and less pain. We are able to increase our health and mental state from a regular strength training routine. • Aging Gracefully—With less falls and less injuries we are able to age gracefully. Our lean and toned bodies create a warm and strong persona. Enhancing our muscles and reducing body fat are prime ways to prevent sagging body parts too • Feeling Better and Looking Better—I don’t think it is much of a secret that we all want to look great. We are all searching for ways to look young. Strength training is a vital part of a fitness routine. A toned body is but one factor to looking great. The other is purely mental. There are so many positive mental benefits of strength training for women. We feel accomplished, secure, and strong after a strength session I would love to see you implement weights into your regimen. You can do it; just draw upon your inner strength, visualize yourself achieving your goals, and pray to the Father for guidance. As always I am here to help in any way I can. You can email me at thefitnessdoctor@aol.com or visit www.thefitnessdoctor.com. I am excited about your success in health! Eat healthy, exercise consistently, and live well!! Fitness tips courtesy of Strength Training for Women THE FIT COMMUNITY Every Friday at 5:30 a.m. WLIB It Is Well Broadcast
Sundays, 2 p.m. American Heart Hypertension Program United Methodist Church Brooklyn, NY
Sunday, March 27 at 11:00 AM Holistic Bible Fellowship Springfield, NJ Disclaimer: The information contained in this column is of a general nature. You should consult your physician or health care professional before beginning any exercise program or changing your dietary regimen. www.thepositivecommunity.com
Deborah thought breast cancer would slow her down. team at RWJ hadslow different ideas. Deborah thoughtThe breast cancer would her down. The team at RWJ had different ideas.
Breast cancer runs in Deborah’s family, but it doesn’t run her life. To her it’s a treatable disease, not a life sentence. When faced with having a mastectomy after several rounds of chemotherapy and radiation, Deborah looked to her daughter for guidance, her mother for inspiration and the combined academic RWJ right treatment to save her life. Breastcancer cancerteam runsfor inthe Deborah’s family, but it doesn’t run her life. To her it’s a treatable disease, not a life Genetic testing identifi the biological threadafter thatseveral joinedrounds motheroftochemotherapy daughter to granddaughter. sentence. When faced withedhaving a mastectomy and radiation, Yet, despite their to familiarity with for the guidance, disease, Deborah, like for other women diagnosed with breast cancer, Deborah looked her daughter her mother inspiration and the combined academic wondered she would nd the strengthtoto silence her fears about survival. Headed by her oncologist RWJ cancerifteam for the firight treatment save her life. Dr. Genetic Michael testing Nissenblatt, theedteam Robert Wood University Hospital and The Institute identifi the atbiological threadJohnson that joined mother to daughter to Cancer granddaughter. of Jersey, part of UMDNJ-Robert WoodDeborah, Johnson Medical the with cancer and,cancer, at the Yet,New despite their familiarity with the disease, like otherSchool, womenremoved diagnosed breast same time,ifperformed innovative surgical TRAM flap procedure her wondered she wouldanfind the strength to technique silence hercalled fears aabout survival. Headed to by reconstruct her oncologist breast by harvesting her own tissue.at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital and The Cancer Institute Dr. Michael Nissenblatt, the team Today, Deborah uses her experienceWood as a cancer survivor supportremoved other women diagnosed of New Jersey, part of UMDNJ-Robert Johnson MedicaltoSchool, the cancer and, atwith the breast cancer to realizeanthat, with thesurgical right team by your side, breast cancer isn’t the tolonely nightmare same time, performed innovative technique called a TRAM flap procedure reconstruct her they For her, isn’t an obstacle as much as an opportunity to help others through the breastimagine. by harvesting her cancer own tissue. challenges surgery,uses radiation and chemotherapy. Today, of Deborah her experience as a cancer survivor to support other women diagnosed with Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital oneyour of America’s hospitals, where, others breast cancer to realize that, with the right teamis by side, breastbest cancer isn’t the lonelywhat nightmare call miracles, we simply call great medicine. they imagine. For her, cancer isn’t an obstacle as much as an opportunity to help others through the challenges of surgery, radiation and chemotherapy. Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital is one of America’s best hospitals, where, what others call miracles, we simply call great medicine.
RWJcancer.org 1-888-MD-RWJUH RWJcancer.org 1-888-MD-RWJUH
The Heart of Academic Medicine
Principal Teaching Hospital for UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School • Flagship Hospital for The Cancer Institute of New Jersey Core Academic Medical Center for the Robert Wood Johnson Health System and Network
The Heart of Academic Medicine
Principal Teaching Hospital for UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School • Flagship Hospital for The Cancer Institute of New Jersey Core Academic Medical Center for the Robert Wood Johnson Health System and Network
Newark Ministers’ Conference Speaking/Preaching Series
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Rev. Evans, Rev. Elizabeth Campbell and Rev. Allen S. Potts, pastor, Greater Abyssinian Baptist Church, Rev. George Martinez, pastor of Mt. Calvary Baptist Church, Newton, NJ with Rev. Granville Seward, Mt. Zion Baptist Church, Newark Photos: Wali Amin Muhammad
lineup of dynamic guest speakers/ preachers was at the center of the “African American History Month” series sponsored by the Baptist Ministers’ Conference of Newark & Vicinity each Monday during the month of February at Promised Land Baptist Church in Newark. Rev. Dr. Therman Evans, pastor of Morning Star Community Christian Center in Linden NJ ( Feb. 7); Rev. Dr. Demetrius Carolina, pastor, First Central Baptist Church, Staten Island, NY (Feb. 14); Rev. Dr. Albert Morgan, pastor, Union Baptist Temple, Bridgeton, NJ (Feb. 21); and Rev. Dr. James H. Evans, founding pastor of St. Luke Tabernacle Community Church in Rochester, NY (Feb. 28); each gave lively, inspired sermons. The program chair for the series was Rev. George Martinez, BMCNV 2nd vice president. Rev. Elizabeth Campbell, pastor of Rising Mt. Zion Baptist Church in Montclair, NJ is president. The conference meets each Monday for fellowship at Promised Land Church. Rev. Ernest L. Chamblee is the host pastor.
L-R: Carlos Sanchez and Tyesha Picahardo, Horizon NJ Health representatives with Rev. Elizabeth Campbell
SEATED L-R: Reverends Elizabeth J. Campbell, president and Shirley A. Rucker, recording secretary SECOND ROW L-R: Reverends Amos Malone, assistant treasurer; Robert D. Morrast, program committee co-chair; William James Jr., treasurer; Andre' W. Milteer, 1st VP; George B. Martinez, 2nd VP; Roy E. Jones, financial secretary; Bennett Johnson Jr., asst. financial secretary; Clarence L. Smith, corresponding secretary NOT SHOWN IN PHOTO: Reverends John K. White, Assistant Corresponding Secretary; Dr. Robert Curry, parliamente Emeritus.
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www.thepositivecommunity.com
Education T e ach i n g , L e a r n i n g , M a k i n g a D i ff e r e n c e
Rice High School
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ice High School served as host on February 8th to the Ecumenical Prayer Breakfast sponsored by the Office of Black Ministry of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York. Representatives from First Corinthian Baptist Church, Joseph P. Kennedy Center, St. Augustine's Church, St. Charles Borromeo, Bethel Gospel Assembly and the Church of All Saints all joined in prayer and fellowship to discuss ways to create a greater impact on the youth in their communities. As hosts, Rice students were present to give a youth perspective on the topics discussed.
Brother Tyrone Davis executive director, Office of Black Ministry of the Archdiocese of New York Photos: Wali Amin Muhammad
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March 2011 The Positive Community
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A columbia
Women’s history month quiz
Did you know. . . Mamie Phipps Clark (Graduate School of Arts and Sciences 1943) and her husband, Kenneth B. Clark (Graduate School of Arts and Sciences 1940, Columbia Law School 1970), did pioneering psychological research that challenged the notion of different mental abilities of black and white children, playing an important role in desegregation in American schools.
One of the original founders of Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority, Lucy Diggs Slowe (Graduate School of Arts and Sciences 1915) was also a professional tennis player and the first African American woman to win a major sports title. After retiring from tennis, Slowe became a vocal advocate for women’s rights and academic opportunities. Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc.
During the 1920s, anthropologist Margaret Mead (Barnard College 1923, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences 1924, 1929) revolutionized the social sciences with her theories on human development and cultural relativism. In her first major work, Coming of Age in Samoa— still the most widely read book in anthropology—she theorized that sexuality was influenced as much by culture as biology, turning conventional thinking on its head. Mead was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1978 for her “central insight of cultural anthropology: that varying cultural patterns express an underlying human unity.” Zora Neale Hurston (Barnard College 1928, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences 1934-35) combined literature with anthropology, employing dialects to tell the stories of people in her native rural Florida and in the Caribbean. An important intellectual contemporary and colleague of anthropologist Margaret Mead, Hurston was one of the most widely read authors of the Harlem Renaissance Carl Van Vechten/Van Vechten Trust but died penniless and forgotten. Her reputation was resuscitated after Alice Walker’s 1975 essay “In Search of Zora Neale Hurston” led to the rediscovery of her novels. The groundbreaking research of biochemist Mildred Cohn (Graduate School of Arts and Sciences 1932, 1938) had widespread application across several fields of scientific discovery, from neuroscience to medical technology such as the MRI. Her fascination with how proteins interacted led her to invent new devices to study these chemical reactions. The National Medal of Science-winner was also the first woman appointed to the editorial board of the Journal of Biological Chemistry and first woman president of the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.
Columbia University Archives
Beverly L. Greene (Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation 1945) is believed to have been the first African American woman licensed to practice architecture in the United States. In 1936, she became the first African American woman to receive a bachelor’s degree in architectural engineering, from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
During her 50-plus years as a jurist, Constance Baker Motley (Columbia Law School 1946, 2003) had a major impact on ending racial discrimination. As NAACP Legal Defense Fund associate counsel, she helped draft the briefs for the landmark Brown v. Board of Education case. From October 1961 to the end of 1964, Motley won nine of the 10 civil rights cases she argued before Timothy Greenfield-Sanders the court. She was also the first African American woman to serve as a federal judge, as well as the first to be Manhattan borough president. In 1947, Marie Maynard Daly (Graduate School of Arts and Sciences 1947) became the first African American woman to earn a Ph.D. in chemistry. Best known for research geared toward practical applications for health and nutrition, she investigated the effects of cholesterol and other nutrients on the heart and made important contributions to the understanding of the impact of smoking on the lungs. Daly also taught biochemistry at Columbia’s College of Physicians and Surgeons.
University of Pennsylvania Archives
Virginia Apgar (College of Physicians and Surgeons 1933) revolutionized the fields of obstetrics and pediatrics when she devised a method of evaluating the viability of newborns using five easily recognizable signs: respiration, heart rate, color, reflex irritability and muscle tone. Her system, called the Apgar score, is credited with having a major impact on the reduction of infant mortality rates by 75 percent between 1952 and 2002. The first woman appointed a full professor at Columbia’s College of Physicians and Surgeons, she taught at Columbia for 20 years.
University of Illinois at UrbanaChampaign
Thomas J. O’Halloran/U.S. News & World Report
Queens College
Shirley Anita St. Hill Chisholm (Teachers College 1951) was the first African American woman elected to the U.S. Congress, representing New York from 1969 to 1983. In 1972, she became the first woman to run for the Democratic nominee for president. Chisholm earned acclaim as a tireless advocate for African Americans, women and the urban poor, and as a champion of greater educational opportunity for all.
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The Real Story at Medgar Evers College: Access to Advancement and Achievement
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HIS YEAR OUR COLLEGE MARKED A CRUCIAL MILESTONE. Our fast-growing campus with its diverse array of degree programs, outstanding faculty, and dedicated student scholars, celebrated its fortieth anniversary. Every day, we strive to fulfill our mission to provide educational opportunities to the Central Brooklyn community. We do so by cultivating within our students the desire to serve as change agents, and providing them the educational tools — subject matter mastery, technological literacy, and critical thinking and communication skills — which they need to produce positive, necessary and lasting changes in their communities. The College’s senior administration has begun the master planning process to guide the future of our institution. We continue to invigorate our course offerings and provide a curriculum with real-world relevance. We are working diligently to revitalize both physical and academic structures to greatly enhance positive student outcomes. Last semester, we opened our state-of-the-art Academic Building I, home to our School of Science, Health and Technology and created a new student lounge. We have replaced obsolete elevators in our Carroll Street building and secured funds to replace those in our Bedford Building as well. In 2012, we will begin an $18.3 million library modernization project which comprises installation of cutting-edge IT capabilities, a significant collection expansion, and the addition of a cybercafé. We are planning a campus pavilion that transforms the street between our Bedford and School of Science buildings to create an art-filled, green space for students, faculty and the community to enjoy. In addition to our new student lounge, and planned library modernization project, we have undertaken a $3.2 million pool renovation set to open mid-April. Additionally, initial plans have been approved, and funds secured, for a new Welcome Center providing greetings and information for visitors to our campus. We are strengthening the foundation for our future. In tough economic times, the financial decisions we make must have a strong and direct impact on student success. Our reduction of reassigned time hours allows the College to optimize instructional time and class workloads and reduce our overreliance on adjunct hiring. The reduction in reassigned time from Fall of 2009 to Spring 2010 has already resulted in estimated savings of $215,000. In keeping with our mission, we must also ensure that our efforts to serve our community are integrated with our efforts to educate students. A prime example of this is the Community Justice Program we have launched with Charles Hynes, the King’s County District Attorney, wherein interested students will serve as interns in the DA’s Office, working with highly qualified staff to serve formerly incarcerated individuals and the children of incarcerated individuals. Additionally, the College currently provides nearly $1 million in financial support to several community-oriented centers including, but not limited to, the Dubois Bunche Center, the Center for Law and Social Justice, the Center for Women’s Development, and the Center for Black Literature. Medgar Evers College boasts innovative programs — such as our exciting microsatellite project, a NASA partnership project led by Dr. Shermane Austin, for which only 12 schools in the country were selected — and outstanding faculty members, such as Thomas Bradshaw, a Guggenheim Fellowship winner who recently released a new book of his work and debuted his stage play “Mary” at The Goodman Theater; Dr. Michele Vittadello, who just recently received a grant award in the amount of $601,492 from the U.S. Air Force’s Office of Scientific Research; and Professor Tonya Hegamin, whose children’s book, Most
Student success is a major initiative for Medgar Evers College President William L. Pollard.
Loved in All the World, received the 2010 Ezra Jack Keats award for Excellence in Children’s Literature, the Christopher award and the Martin Luther King Keeper of the Dream award. Our students, both past and present, also continue to excel and thrive. Denver Jn. Baptiste, a 2010 Medgar alumnus, is currently studying for his doctorate in Biology at Princeton University. Recently, freshman Nicholas Parbudhial was selected as a qualifying player by the Guyana Football Federation for its Under20 FIFA Soccer League. Alumna Colette Burnett’s restaurant Super Wings was featured on the Food Network in a special appearance with celebrity chef Bobby Flay and a new bookstore named Daddy’s Basement was opened by Medgar alums Luc and Shara Josaphat. We have many programs and initiatives taking place on campus that have a significant impact on our community. One can stroll through the halls of Academic Building I and take in the beauty of the Prints of the Masters art exhibit through March 10; we are very proud that we, in collaboration with the testing, outreach and prevention initiative Watchful Eye, hosted the annual National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day aimed at raising awareness of the impact of HIV and AIDS on African-American communities on campus for the first time; and congratulations to our students, through the National Association of Black Accountants Medgar Evers chapter, are even offering free assistance with tax preparation through April. Medgar Evers College is poised to offer ever-greater levels of educational services in the days ahead. Students are already beginning to take note of what Medgar Evers College has to offer as evidenced in our recent 36% increase in first choice transfer applicants and a 33% increase in first choice freshman applicants. The College is working assiduously to ensure that every single student who graduates with a Medgar Evers College degree has all of the resources necessary to succeed. We want our schools, departments, and majors to produce graduates that are among the best, the brightest and the most productive in the nation. With your support, we will continue to uphold the legacy of Medgar Wiley Evers. William L. Pollard President, Medgar Evers College
mec.cuny.edu
Saving Your Church’s Heritage Part I BY TRACEY DEL DUCA Librarian & Archivist, The InterChurch Center
PHOTOS: BOB GORE
“There is a history in all men’s lives” Henry IV hen did …? How come…? Why do we…? Do we have photographs of …? These kinds of questions can cause church staff and members to scratch their heads, shrug their shoulders and send them frantically digging in old boxes in the basement for answers. Now imagine being able to have that type of historical information readily available. Having a program in place to preserve your church’s history will accomplish this. Between giving sermons, making pastoral calls, and dealing with various committees, preserving church history may not seem a high priority but it should be an integral part of a church’s ministry. A shared past helps create a sense of community and identity. It is a way to demonstrate that your church is more than just a place people go on Sunday, but that it also plays a vital and active role in community life. For historians and researchers church and local archives provide an important look into the lives of everyday people. For example, Dr. Kevin McGruder, the chair of the Abyssinian Baptist Church Archives Committee said, “The Black Church is a major institution that researchers often use to understand the black community; church records can provide a rich source of materials on the lives of ordinary people who individually may not leave archives but whose voices and actions can be seen through the Black Church.” The ability to research past policy decisions, reports, programs and events also helps an organization to run things more efficiently. Knowing why certain policies are or are not in place can save plenty of time. In today’s litigious environment proper record keeping is becoming more and more important.
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“Defer no time, delays have dangerous ends.” Henry VI Getting started. Allocate a specific space for the collection to be housed. Bringing the material under a specific location is the first step in gaining control. Ideally the temperature of the archives storage area should be maintained between 60° and 70° with a variation of no more than 5°F. Relative humidity should be maintained between 45% and 55% with a variance of no more than 10%. In multiple-use buildings such as churches, these specifications may be difficult to maintain, so do your best to find a space that is cool with low humidity and constant temperature. The space should have room for the current material and allow for growth as new material is collected. Assign someone to be in charge of organizing, arranging, and collecting the material. While most churches do not have the budget to hire an archivist or church historian, try to find someone on staff who is well organized, detailed oriented and has an interest in the church’s history. If you need help, go to your local library or historical society for advice. Once you have collected all the material in one space, how do you organize and arrange the material into a cohesive, easily identifiable and retrievable collection? To help you identify material, understand the relationship of different groups, and put the material into an intellectual context it may be useful to do some basic research on the church. Do a quick inventory or survey of the material so that you have a general idea of what the boxes contain and then develop a plan of action. You may want to start with the material that is most in demand, or the material that is the oldest and in need of preservation the most, or you may start with the material that is the most organized to gain experience. www.thepositivecommunity.com
OURSTORY
“To be or not to be� Hamlet (To Collect or Not To Collect) Now that you have a space and a plan, how do you organize and arrange the material into a comprehensible whole? Not all records are created equal; one does not have to keep every document that was created. Records have a life cycle: active, inactive, archival, and dead. Archival Records are records of enduring value, documenting the history and development of the organization. These may include but are not limited to: minutes, reports, church membership records, blueprints, photographs, correspondence, manuals, programs, flyers and ephemera. Inactive Records are records that do not have to be readily available, but that have to be kept for legal and fiscal reasons. These may include but are not limited to: tax records, personal records, bank statements, cancelled checks, transitory correspondence, and invoices. To help identify archival records from inactive records there should be a records retention policy and schedule and a plan for the management of records that meets the legal, fiscal, administrative and historical requirements by managing records throughout their life cycles. The plan will clearly spell out how long records will be kept, which records can be destroyed and which
records will be transferred to the archives. Consult your CFO and personnel departments to learn what the legal requirements are regarding the retention of fiscal and personnel records. Some larger denominations have guidelines regarding record keeping for local churches. After archival material has been identified, it is time to arrange and process the material. Arrangement is organizing the material in accordance with archival principles; processing is preparing the material for access and use. The material as a whole will be divided into various collections, usually by record group or record type. A record group is the agency, office, or person that created the records. For example, the records of the Sunday school (record group) might be one collection, and membership roles (record type) might be another collection. Depending on the amount of material, a collection may be divided into series or subseries. For instance, in the Sunday school collection, various program units may be a series, with minutes or photographs being a subseries. It is also during this stage that the material is properly preserved in acid-free folders, boxes, or envelopes. The last step is to create a finding aid, a guide—that provides information about the contents, nature, and location of the material in a collection thus allowing for fast and easy access. Next month in Saving Church Heritage Part II: Where art thou? How and where to find information for your archives.
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FIRST ROW L–R: (lady in red striped top with gray hair): Cheryl Finley; Frankye R. Clarke; Arthur F. Clarke, Jr. Esq.; Ruth Fiuczynski; Peggy McCoy; Margaret Morgan & Cecelia B. Hodges SECOND ROW L–R: Alma J. Smith; Lawrence Hamm, chairman, People's Organization for Progress; Peter Harvey, Esq. former Atty. General - State of NJ; Judge Robert Pickett, Esq. of 98.7 KISS-FM; Audrey Williamson, Annie McWilliams, presidentPlainfield City Council; Janet Dickerson and Linda Kornegay. All of the women in the photo are members of the Central NJ Chapter of the Links, Inc.
Central New Jersey Links Hold Symposium Janet Dickerson-Stephens
Photo: Cordelia Staton, Central NJ Chapter of the Links, Incorporated
PresidentCentral NJ Chapter of the Links, Incorporated
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n Saturday, February 5, 2011 the Central New Jersey Chapter of the Links, Incorporated (CNJC) sponsored a stirring symposium “Issues Impacting Our Communities Today” in honor of Black History Month. The invitational symposium was envisioned by Platinum Link Frankye Robinson Clarke and organized by Link Alma J. Smith, program coordinator of the CNJC and hostess of the event,
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which took place at the Heldrich Hotel in New Brunswick, NJ. Panelists included Lawrence Hamm, chairman, People’s Organization for Progress; Attorney Peter Harvey, former Attorney General of New Jersey; Annie McWilliams, president, Plainfield City Council and co-founder of Plainfield PAL’s Youth Exposure, a mentoring initiative for middle school children; and Hon. Robert Pickett, of 98.7 KISS FM’s
Open Line and Week in Review. Moderator Heir-O-Link Arthur F. Clarke, Jr., Esq. led the panelists in a wide-ranging discussion on such topics as economics, technology; acquisition of capital; teaching entrepreneurship; are black enclaves ‘withering on the vine’ and is black business development declining? The panelists also discussed the high rates of unemployment in our NJ communities of color and the economic and educational disparities in opportunities available to our young people. While endorsing the need to improve the finances of schools and to promote parental engagement in education, the issue of violence in schools and in urban communities was identified as a major area of concern. The panel ended with a charge to the members of the Links, Inc. to focus on the needs of our communities, to be engaged and agitate in our workplaces, and to be active constituents—to keep our politicians honest and accountable. Members of the Central New Jersey Chapter of the Links, Incorporated, were inspired to review internal practices as well as external program activities to, as an influential force within the region, continue to make a deep and lasting impact on the communities we serve. The program also included readings by Link Cecelia B. Hodges, Dark Symphony, the masterful award-winning poem by Melvin Tolson and Told by Alice Walker. www.thepositivecommunity.com
NJ Governor Honors Civil Rights Leader Pushes Education Reform
A SPRING EVENING OF SONG Featuring
The North Jersey Philharmonic Glee Club
and presenting
The Rutgers University Liberated Choir Governor Chris Christie greets students from Trenton Community Charter School
The New Covenant Christian Academy Ensemble Queintard DeGeneste, Jr.
Saturday—April 16, 2011 6:00 pm The First Park Baptist Church 315 West Seventh Street Plainfield, New Jersey 07060 908•756•5322 All Proceeds Will Benefit Our Sanctuary Renovation Fund +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Tickets: $25 Advance/$30 at the Door Children under 12 –Free Please make Check or Money Order Payable to: The First-Park Baptist Church Mail to the Above Address Payment for advanced tickets must be received by April 9th, 2011 Tickets will be held at the Door – Open Seating – Light Reception Immediately Following the Concert
Civil rights icon Edith Savage Jennings
www.thepositivecommunity.com
Reverend Rufus McClendon, Jr. – Senior Pastor
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Celebrating Education Dr. Clifford B. Janey
Newark Beth Israel Black History Program
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or more than a decade, Vice President Alma Beatty—a Beth Israel staffer for over 40 years— has been not only the spirit, but the organizer and doer behind the Black History Month program at Beth Israel Medical Center/Children’s Hospital of New Jersey. And what a stellar program she arranged this year! Held on Friday, February 18, the program, which is open to all employees, was built around the theme of education. Audience members were treated to mime performances by Tracey Pulley and Karen CallawayWilliams, both Beth Israel staff members. Newark schools were in the spotlight and they shone brightly.
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Photos: Peter Richter, Newark Beth Israel Medical Center
NBIMC African Cultural Attire Day
F–R:, Dr. Clifford B. Janey, Newark Councilman Donald Payne, Jr., Dr. John Brennan, Darrell K. Terry, and Dr. Trevor Dixon, recipient of the Black History Month Service Award as an Educator for the Improvement of the Health in Jamaica.
Newark Boys Chorus School, Science Park High School Honors Choir and the Speedway Elementary String Ensemble, each received a standing ovation for their exceptional performances. Dr. Clifford B. Janey, former superintendent of Newark Public Schools, was unquestionably overjoyed with the students’ presentations and gave a riveting address. —JNW
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Culture M U S I C ,
A R T
&
L I T E R A T U R E
Prince: Faith, Philanthropy and Keeping the Funk S U PERS TA R DO NATES $1. 5 MILLIO N TO NY C EDU C ATIO N A ND A RTS O RGA NIZ ATIO NS
egendary musician, Prince, held court at Madison Square Garden on February 7th for the last show on this leg of his “Welcome 2 America” tour. Before working the capacity crowd into a “Black Sweat” and partying like it was “1999,” Prince took some time out to wow thirty students from the Harlem Children’s Zone by greeting them personally and allowing them access to his sound check. This was after presenting their president and CEO, Geoffrey Canada and the organization with a gift of a $1 million dollar line of credit. “We are honored that Prince is teaching our kids how to dream big and to
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www.thepositivecommunity.com
By R.L. Witter
work hard to make those dreams a reality,” said Canada. “His efforts should inspire others to recognize that these kids belong to all of us, and that we all need to step forward to help them succeed.” “A function of our love for the next generation is instilling in them our own hard-fought knowledge,” said Prince. “We can’t wait and see—or only hope for—the future of those coming after us. We must actively take responsibility for ensuring their success.” And Prince is truly taking responsibility by granting a line of credit rather than just writing a check and granting a gift, so he can be involved in how the money is spent and allocated. $250,000 lines of credit were also granted to the Uptown Dance Academy and American Ballet Theatre to help support the performing arts since so many schools have had to cut arts programs from their budgets. In an effort to keep his celebrity from outshining his generosity, Prince opted not to be photographed or make a statement at the afternoon press conference. Instead, Canada and his students, who were selected to attend because of their musical aspirations, took center stage and were presented with the symbolic check by ABT ballerina Misty Copeland, who has been performing with Prince on the current tour, and media maven Harriet Cole. Prince’s philanthropy seemingly knows no bounds. It has been reported that he has given millions of dollars to charitable organizations. For example, in 2007, he performed at the ARK (Absolute Return for Kids) gala that raised $53 million for the charity’s work to provide medical care and training in Africa. Once seen as a reclusive and shy artist, Prince has continued on page 59
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Beauty and the Black Body Marion Thompson Wright Lecture Series Black History Month Conference
Reginald Lewis, Chad School Foundation; Margaret Cammereri, American Heart Association
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he evolution in the concepts of black beauty – and how they have changed over time – was the subject of the 2011 Marion Thompson Wright Lecture Series presented annually by Rutgers University’s Institute on Race, Culture Ethnicity and the Modern Experience. The conference, New Jersey’s largest and most prestigious, commemorates Black History Month and celebrated its 31st anniversary on Saturday, February 19, 2011 at the Paul Robeson Campus Center on the Rutgers University’s Newark Campus. Beauty and the Black Body: History, Aesthetics, and Politics will examine how the presence and persistence of African Americans in the United States have challenged and reshaped notions of beauty, especially in the realms of art, popular culture, and photography. Deborah Willis, professor of photography at New York University, gave The Marion Thompson Wright Lecture Saturday morning, in conjunction with her current exhibition, Posing Beauty: African American Images from the 1890s to the Present, which is on view at The Newark Museum through April 28, 2011. Richard Powell from Duke University, whose research examines race and representation in the African diaspora, commented on Professor Willis’ lecture. The afternoon session featured presentations from Professor Maxine Craig from the University of California at Davis, who spoke about gender and race; Professor Tiffany Gill, from the University of Texas, Austin, who looked at the emergence and importance of the black beauty industry in modern life and politics; and Dr. Okwui Enwezor, an internationally preeminent scholar, art critic and curator of African art. The lecture series was co-founded in 1981 by Dr. Clement Price, Board of Governors Distinguished Service Professor of History at Rutgers University, and the late Giles R. Wright, from the New Jersey Historical Commission. —JNW
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Clement A. Price, Institute on Race, Culture, ethnicity and the Modern Experience Kae Thompson and Gus Henningberg
Deborah Willis, professor of photography at New York University
Kay Lucas, MediaSense; Mary Sue Price, Newark Museum; Steve Diner, Chancellor, Rutgers Newark; Jean Nash Wells, The Positive Community Dr. Clement Price, Newark Mayor Cory Booker, Rutgers Newark Chancellor Steve Diner and Rutgers President Richard L. McCormick Photos: Vincent Bryant
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MAJOR EVENT SPONSORS, PARTNERSHIPS & CORPORATE EXHIBITORS
PRINCE continued from page 57
undergone a transformation of sorts in the last several years. Previously known for knocking down racial barriers on MTV and grinding on stage during performances, he is better known now for knocking on doors as one of Jehovah’s Witnesses and keeping on his spiritual grind by studying the bible. Despite his older material often having religious references and spiritual undertones, his newer music and reworked classics keep all of the funk while offering more family-friendly lyrics that confirm Christian values. He no longer performs his more racy and raunchy material and often changes lyrics to support his faith-based lifestyle. Instead of “Sexuality is all you’ll ever need,” he sings “Spirituality is all you’ll ever need.” His album 3121 is rumored to be titled after Psalms 31:21[Blessed be Jehovah (God/Yahweh), for he has rendered wonderful loving-kindness to me in a city under stress.]. He even testified a bit while performing at the 2006 BET Awards saying, “Where’s the real party at? Shake your tambourines! BET read Psalms; that’s where it is.” Songs such as “Beautiful, Loved and Blessed” and “The Christ” further affirm his faith while “Everlasting Now” offers listeners clean and conscious lyrics over a beat that was made for dancing—praise dancing or otherwise. Not only does he no longer use profane language, Prince prohibits it in his shows. At the Madison Square Garden concert following the press conference, Cee Lo Green was the evening’s opening act. After several songs that roused the crowd, the band played the introduction to Green’s runaway hit known as “F-You” or “Forget You” in tamer circles. Before singing a single line Green cautioned, “Prince has told me I am not allowed to curse…” and thus sang the song without ever uttering the profane lyric. As his “Welcome 2 America” tour continues, Prince plans to find other arts programs around the country that he would like to support. As a person who has benefitted enormously from being exposed to music and art, Prince is poised to share his generosity and message of love and faith with the younger generation and offer young people another desperately needed outlet for their creativity and energy. In a 2010 interview he told one journalist, “…people, especially young people, don’t have enough God in their lives.”
Don’t miss a great opportunity to sponsor or partner in the North East’s largest public summer festival:
Some of the Key Events Include:
SATURDAY, AUGUST 20th & SUNDAY, AUGUST 21st
“ The 2 Day Children’s Festival”
SUNDAY, AUGUST 21st • on HARLEM
“New York Health Village”
DAY
SATURDAY, AUGUST 27th
The New York Family Health Walk-A-Thon & The Percy Sutton Harlem 5K Run
HARLEM WEEK 2011 from July 31st - August 31st
For companies or businesses interested in sponsorship, marketing, sales or corporate exhibit information on: The Health Village please contact Ms. Ricketts at (212) 862 7200 or email pricketts@harlemdiscover.com The Children’s Festival please contact Mr. Majette at (212) 862 8477 or email wmajette@harlemdiscover.com Family Health Walk-A-Thon & Percy Sutton Harlem 5K Run please contact Mr. Causey at (212) 862 8477 or email
ecausey@harlemdiscover.com
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BY PATRICIA BALDWIN DEITRICK HADDON IS HAVING CHURCH ON THE MOON!
Grace & Peace! e’ve all heard the sayings “going to another level” and “the sky is the limit.” Well, the saying “shoot for the moon, and… you’ll land among the stars” may be better suited to the artist, Deitrick Haddon. Haddon has named and claimed his location on the moon…and what will he be doing there? Church! This pastor, husband, singer, song-writer —add movie writer/producer to the list—is not only thinking out of the box, but taking listeners on the experience with him. His latest offering, Church on the Moon (Verity Records), will take you out of this world. Billboard’s number one gospel album in the country is a masterpiece of a new twist to an old story to some; because every Christian should want to be an example and win souls. In this case, Haddon is about the revelation of one Christian man considering the future of not just his fellow believers but taking the limits off to reach the world in every dimension no matter where you are. Haddon explained, “The idea dropped on me out of nowhere. When something hits your spirit like that, you know it’s a gift from God.
W
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And there are moments when God will give you stuff that is out of this world! That’s what Church on the Moon means to me. There’s so much sadness and craziness going on down here on Earth, I want to take you somewhere else for a while.” The project has 18 tracks that bring out the more creative techno side of Haddon. Starting with the first selection with the upbeat tempo and hard hits that make you automatically bounce yo’ head, throw yo’ hands up and recognize Jesus. It’s an introduction to the King of Kings, the star of the show as Deitrick puts it— otherwise known as the show stopper. You’re probably familiar with Church on the Moon’s hit “Well Done,” which is spinning in high rotation on gospel radio stations (as well as in Haddon’s movie Blessed & Cursed—he’s doing big things people!). “Well Done” is something everyone wants to hear from our Father after their work on earth is done. The song has the catchiest chorus—simple yet encouraging to those whose goal is heaven. And the award for hottest collaboration ever to exemplify the kingdom of God goes to….drum roll please…. Deitrick Haddon with Reppin’ the Kingdom! The crowd is going wild!—Why? Because Haddon teams up with the most versatile crew from the East and West coasts representing for the younger generation and let’s not leave out the young at heart. Who’s in the crew? Well, only Tye Tribbett, J. Moss, Canton Jones, and presenting Deitrick’s cousin, T. Haddy. This album would not be complete if Deitrick didn’t team up with his better half, and love of his life—Mrs. Damita Haddon—as they pour out their heart on a rhythmic upbeat stomper “Save Somebody.” One thing about Deitrick Haddon is that from album to album he evolves, but stays true to the gospel of Jesus Christ. His projects always leave listeners feeling that they have experienced something different or fun, but most of all knowing that Jesus is the answer. Haddon enlightens, “Church on the Moon is gospel music from another perspective—a record that takes you on a journey. When the last song has played, you will feel far above any problems that were weighing you down.” Haddon has always shown that no matter who you are or what you’ve been through, there is someone who understands. Church On the Moon is no exception and doesn’t disappoint. His music touches every area of life, from the worshipper, “Mighty God,”—to the unbeliever, encouraging you to know who you belong to—“Baby You’re A Star.” It’s a must-have in your collection ‘cause there is nothing else out there like it; but, hey, there’s nobody like Deitrick Haddon! www.thepositivecommunity.com
Men's Revival
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Women Who Transform Communities Select Women United honorees L-R: Christine Driessen, Melissa Hall, Maryann Watt; Susan Raymond, Ph.D., Francine Delgado, Agnes Zakrzewska, Shawn R. Outler, Cindy Price Gavin, Racquel Oden, Renee McClure, Dr. Karen L. Gould
Women United In Philanthropy Hosts Awards Luncheon
T
apping into the power, talent and passion that they and other women like them possess is how Women United in Philanthropy, an all-volunteer group, is helping to transform communities. One of the ways they accomplish this is through their active role in advancing the work of United Way of New York City (UWNYC). On February 12, the group hosted its fifth annual awards luncheon at Cipriani Wall Street. Keynoted by Susan L. Taylor, editor-in-chief emeritus of Essence Magazine and founder/CEO of the National CARES Mentoring Movement, the event honors women who have made a significant impact on their communities through philanthropic giving, advocacy, and volunteerism. With over $3 million raised since 2006 in support of UWNYC’s initiatives aimed at reducing early childhood obesity, improving early grade literacy and helping at-risk youth succeed in high school, the group has certainly proven their mettle. “The women honored here today understand the importance of philanthropic giving and volunteering in improving the lives of vulnerable New Yorkers,” said Gordon Campbell, CEO of United Way of New York City. “We are truly proud to partner with them and to recognize the powerful impact they have on their communities.” One of the most exciting moments of the event was the announcement by Bob Catell of his personal pledge to the Women United Fund to match contributions up to $150,000. “Education is the most valuable commodity we can invest in and the only one in this economy that is guaranteed to pay dividends,” he said. Catell, chairman of Advanced Energy Research and Technology Center at SUNY Stony Brook and chairman, New York State Smart Grid Consortium, continued. “I challenge those of us who have the means to join me in helping all New York City students succeed and I challenge our youth to maximize their own potential through education. In her remarks, luncheon co-chair Anna Patruno
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Gordon Campbell
Susan L. Taylor
congratulated the honorees, saying, “It is no small feat to have succeeded in the professional world as a woman today. It is quite another to have accomplished so much and still find time to empower the community and encourage others to follow in your footsteps.” The Women United honorees were: Joy A. Collins, general manager, Essence Communications; Francine Delgado, SVP, Seedco; EVP/CFO Christine Driessen, ESPN; Cindy Price Gavin, partner, PwC; Dr. Karen L. Gould, president, Brooklyn College; Melissa Hall, SVP Assurant, Inc.; Renee McClure, Lead Representative, National Grid; Mihal Nahari, managing director and CCO, The Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation; Racquel Oden, managing director, Merrill Lynch Bank of America; Shawn R. Outler, GVP Macy’s, Inc.; Ellen Pinschmidt, SVP Thomson Reuters; Susan Raymond, Ph.D. EVP Changing Our World, Inc.; Dia Simms, EVP/ general manager, Blue Flame Agency; Maryann Watt, managing director, BNY Mellon and Agnes Zakrzewska, director, Macy’s, Inc. Women United also honored five “rising stars”: Fredericka Conner, Merrill Lynch Bank of America; Stephanie Neches, PwC; Amanda Santos, BNY Mellon; Beatrice Serra, Macy’s, Inc. and Simone Weems, National Grid. www.thepositivecommunity.com
HOW TO HOW TO LIVE UNITED. TO LIVE UNITED. HOW TO LIVEHOW UNITED. TO
LIVE REACH OUT OUT AA HAND HAND TO TO ONEUNITED AND REACH ONE AND REACH OUT A HAND TO ONE AND LIVE UNITED. INFLUENCE THE CONDITION OF ALL. INFLUENCE THE CONDITION OF ALL. JOIN HAND INFLUENCE THE CONDITION OF ALL. LIVE UNITED. LIVE UNITED. JOIN OPENHANDS. YOUR HEA JOIN HANDS. OPEN YOUR HEART. JOIN HANDS. LEND YOUR MUSC OPEN YOUR HEART. LEND YOUR MUSCLE. OPEN YOUR HEART. FIND YOUR VOIC LEND YOUR MUSCLE. FIND LENDYOUR YOUR VOICE. MUSCLE.
HOW HOW TO TO
GIVE 10%. GIVE 100 GIVE 10%. GIVE 100%. FIND FINDYOUR YOURVOICE. VOICE. GIVE GIVE10%. 10%.GIVE GIVE100%. 100%.
GIVE110% 110% GIVE GIVE 110% GIVE THINK OF 110% WE BEFORE REACH OUT A HAND TO ONE INFLUENCE INFLUENC GIVE. ADVOCATE. VOLUNTEER. ADVOCATE.THE VOLUNTEER. INFLUENCE CONDITION OF ALL. INFLUENCE THE CONDITION OF A THE CONDITION OF ALL. THE CONDITION OF ALL. LIVE UNITED GIVE. ADVOCATE. VOLUNTEER. UNITED GIVE. ADVOCATE. VOLUNTEER. GIVE. ADVOCATE. VOLUNTEER GIVE. GIVE.ADVOCATE. ADVOCATE.VOLUNTEER. VOLUNTEER.
GIVE AN GIVE HOUR. GIVE A SATUR GIVE AN HOUR. A SATURDAY.
THINK OF WEGIVE BEFORE ME. GIVE AN AN HOUR. A SATURDAY. GIVE HOUR. GIVE A SATURDAY. REACH OUT A HAND TO ONE ME. AND THINK THINKOFOFWEWEBEFORE BEFORE ME.
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Line Dancing at Symphony Hall
I
t’s already a big hit in Ohio, Chicago and the Midwest. It’s Philadelphia Soul Line Dancing!! Coming up via South Jersey, line dancing, a growing entertainment phenomenon, is making its way North. First stop: the Terrace Ballroom at Newark’s Symphony Hall. Each month, on a Friday night, enthusiastic crowds pack the ballroom for fellowship, food, fitness and wholesome fun. The music, an eclectic blend of House music for line dancing, R&B and the classics,
- Soul music, - enduring songs of freedom, unity, peace and goodwill. Dancing has always been one of our community’s great cultural assets – it relieves the stress of the times and affirms our humanity. Line Dancing and Game Night – bring your friends and let the good times roll!
Next stop: New York, New York!! ….. Stay tuned. L-R: Newark Symphony Hall(NSH) Boardmember Al Bundy; Adrian Council, The Positive Community (event sponsor) and Philip Thomas, executive director NSH; and Dancemaster Kenny J.
Photos: Seitu Oronde
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TRILOGY Meet & Greet
L–R: Dee Walker Jr., Gail Maynor, Kevin Maynor, Della Moses Walker, Ranisha Hunt Photos: Gregory Thomas
L–R: Lori Fredricks, Debra Collins, Jan Carter, Ralph Wright, Tuffus Zimbabwe, Kevin Maynor, James Moses
A
host of music lovers gathered to meet the staff and performer of TRILOGY an OPERA COMPANY. "It was an afternoon second to none,” said Debra Spruill who attended with Deborah Collins and other members of the Bibliophile Book Club. founder of TRILOGY who was accompanied on keyboard by Tuffus Zimbabwa. The event drew members from sororities, fraternities, business leaders, music lovers and artists. Everyone is looking forward to attending and supporting a full season of performances.
CHA CHA SLIDE CHA CHA SLIDE ELECTRIC SLIDE ELECTRIC SLIDE MISSISSIPPI SLIDE MISSISSIPPI SLIDE CUPID SLIDE •• STEPPIN’ CUPID SLIDE STEPPIN’
A good time was had by all
Coordinated by Delaille-Event Planners the soirèe was held at the University Heights home of Della Moses Walker in Newark. Ms. Walker has been a long time supporter of TRILOGY. She "invites audiences of all ages to attend the magnificent, thought provoking and beautifully arranged musical stories of our past. You will be in for a great treat.” For a schedule of performances and information on how to support TRILOGY an OPERA COMPANY go to WWW.TrilogyAOC. Homestead.com
PINOCHLE PINOCHLE PHASE 10 •• WII SPORTS PHASE 10 WII SPORTS SPADES •• BID WHIST SPADES BID WHIST UNO •• POKENO UNO POKENO
APR. APR. 8 8 •• MAY MAY 13 13 •• JUNE JUNE 10 10 Friday, Friday, 5:00 5:00 pm pm –– 12:00 12:00 am am Terrace Ballroom JAN. Terrace Ballroom JAN. 14 14 •• FEB. FEB. 11 11 •• M M
Scrumptious Scrumptious Dinners Dinners Available Available All All Evening Evening Line Dance Lessons with Kenny J: 5:00 Line Dance Lessons with Kenny J: 5:00 -- 7:00 7:00 pm pm
Ladies Ladies and and Gentlemen Gentlemen Free Free Admission Admission Before Before 7pm 7pm ($10 ($10 After After 7pm) 7pm) Raffl Raffle e Prizes Prizes ● ● $5 $5 Wine Wine ● ● $5 $5 Beer Beer ● ● $3 $3 Drink Drink Specials Specials
Tickets can be purchased at the Newark Symphony Hall Box Office located at 1030 Broad St. Newark, NJ Tickets can be purchased at the Newark Symphony Hall Box Office located at 1030 Broad St. Newark, NJ For information call: (973) 643-8014 or www.newarksymphonyhall.org For information call: (973) 643-8014 or www.newarksymphonyhall.org www.thepositivecommunity.com
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Macy’s hosts Black History Month Panel Discussion
FREE
Philip Banks Photos: Wali Amin Muhammad
I
n honor of Black History Month, Macy’s gathered a disparate group of African Americans from various walks of life and of various ages for “A Generational Perspective of the Civil Rights Movement.” The event was held at the Macy’s Herald Square flagship store in Manhattan. A panel consisting of Vice Chancellor Emerita of the State University of New York Board of Regents, Dr. Adelaide Sanford; Deputy Mayor of Education and Community Development, Dennis Walcott; CEO and President of the New York Urban League, Arva Rice; and President of One Hundred Black Men, Inc., Philip Banks Jr. provided a fascinating evening of conversation. The discussion centered around the Civil Rights Movement and how their lives have been affected and shaped by the events in that period in American history. The addition of a student from the Eagle Academy for Young Men the New York City public high school founded by One Hundred Black Men, made the conversation truly generational.
L–R: Ty Stone Adams (far right) and Aisha Rivers (2nd left) both of Macy’s with Adelaide Sanford (2nd right and and Arva Rice (far left)
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Passings: Reverend Dr. Edward-Earl Johnson March 17, 1940 - February 23, 2011
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n Wednesday, February 23, 2011, Reverend Dr. Edward-Earl Johnson departed this life to be with the Lord. He was born on March 17, 1940 in Augusta Georgia. He received the call to ministry while attending Beulah Grove Baptist Church in Augusta. He attended the New Brunswick Theological Seminary in New Jersey where he earned a master of divinity degree. Rev. Edward-Earl Johnson's first pastoral position was at the Mount Pleasant Baptist Church in Albany, New York. He was pastor there from December 1970 until January 1977. Under his pastorate, the mortgage of Mount Pleasant Baptist Church was burned—a milestone in the life of the church and its pastor. On Saturday, October 9, 1976, Reverend Johnson was called to the Mount Moriah Baptist Church in Harlem. He served more than thirty-four years there as pastor. Active in ministry, he served in many organizations in various positions throughout his career. Moderator of the United Missionary Baptist Association and member
of the Baptist Ministers Conference of Greater New York and vicinity, where he served in several positions including president .Reverend Johnson was a founding member of HCCI (Harlem Congregations for Community Improvement) and served as chairman and first vice chairman of the board. He also served as second and third vice president of the Council of Churches of New York. He was also a founding member of the board of directors of CCHD (Consortium for Central Harlem Development, Inc.) . Reverend Johnson had many accomplishments, achievements and joys in his life. The greatest of his joys were those of being a devoted husband and father. God truly blessed him with a loving and caring wife, Robin L. B. Johnson and his blessed children Jacinda Tazette, Edward- Earl Jr., Chaz Edward, Averya Creola, and Alexis Robin, all of whom inspired him to fight the fight and serve in spite of all situations and circumstances with their unconditional love and support. My God, what a journey; and the journey is now complete.
WE’RE BACK! Carolina Flower Shop, a landmark in the Harlem community since 1939 has returned in a big way!
Flower Shop Too
"Transforms Floral Design Into A Symphony of Personal Harmony"
Philip Young
Photo: Bill Moore
Carolina Flower Shop Too (1952 7th Avenue between 117th & 118th Street) is celebrating 81 years in the community in our new location in the Village of Harlem. www.carolinaflowershoptoo.com • Telephone: 212-662-0641 Store Hours – Monday –Saturday 8am to 8pm and Sunday 8am-3pm 68
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MWANDIKAJI K. MWANAFUNZI THE WAY AHEAD
Honoring My Mother TELL me not in mournful numbers, Life is but an empty dream!— For the soul is dead that slumbers, And things are not what they seem Life is real! Life is earnest! And the grave is not the goal; Dust thou art, to dust returnest, Was not spoken of the soul… −Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, from A Psalm of Life
first heard this poetry from my mother’s lips when I was in elementary school or younger. She often quoted classic literature with feeling, as she worked around the apartment, similar to the way that many of us randomly sing rhythm ’n’ blues lines or mumble rap lyrics. By the time I entered junior high school, I had internalized many of Mommy’s literary quotations, seemingly by osmosis. My parents also kept a bookcase containing a few Bibles, a several-volume encyclopedia, medical information, photo albums, writings of Aristotle and Plato, and classic and popular books including titles like Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathan Swift, For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway, and It Can’t Happen Here by Sinclair Lewis. As this bookcase was at floor level, I suspect that I learned the alphabet while crawling and playing near it. As school years progressed, I used this small but impacting library for research and book reports. For the first 14 years of my life and the first 18 years of my brother’s life, my mother and father provided this environment within a two-bedroom apartment in a public housing project in Harlem. It is therefore unsurprising that my brother and I completed college through the master’s level, in contrast to many of our housing project peers who died of heroin overdoses in their teens or early manhood. My mother raised my brother and me in the Methodist congregation to which she belonged. From toddler through young teen, we had mandatory weekly Sunday school, vacation Bible school during several summers, and occasional Sunday worship service attendance (We also attended my father’s Episcopal church at least once a year with Daddy, his club members, and their families on Father’s Day.). As a child, I did not fully understand all that I learned in church. At age 12 or 13, as I tried to become more “religious” but had not yet grasped the concept of salvation through Jesus Christ, my mother’s pastor met with me several times to patiently answer my questions con-
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cerning what I had read in the Bible on my own. Those meetings and other childhood church exposure provided a foundation that served me well through adulthood, as I continued to pray to God even while exploring nonChristian spiritual, philosophical, and ideological constructs. I finally understood and accepted Christ on my own in my mid-forties. Train a child in the way that he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it. −Proverbs 22:6
My mother remained married to my father from 1946 until his death in 2000 and generally worked with him as a team, despite mutual disagreement, annoyances and frustrations. My view of marriage as lifelong undoubtedly came through their example. This view (and my marriage), survived the increasing culture of temporary marriage that has evolved since 1970. Not until recent decades did I directly study God’s preference for marriage permanency conveyed, for example, through the prophets (Malachi 2:13-16) and Jesus Christ (Matthew 5:31-32). I have long viewed my mother as a personification of the 20th century, in that she lived through the Roaring Twenties, the Great Depression, World War II, the relative “prosperity” of the 1950’s, the civil rights movement of the 1950’s and 1960’s, the offshoot movements that followed, and so on. Her personal history intertwines with general history. For example, she married a World War II veteran and birthed “baby boomers,” supported the civil rights movement and admired the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, and, with other parents, enrolled my brother in a “freedom school” during the early 1960’s in an attempt to pressure the New York City Board of Education into improving educational opportunities for Harlem children. That said, it is interesting that Mommy passed away on February 1, 2011 the first day of Black History Month. Speaking at her wake, I found myself gesturing toward her casketed body as I quoted Longfellow: Life is real! Life is earnest! And the grave is not the goal; Dust thou art, to dust returnest, Was not spoken of the soul…
It is also appropriate to share this sketch of her real, earnest earthly life during Women’s History Month as, hopefully, her soul rests with Christ. March 2011 The Positive Community
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GOOD NEWS FROM THE CHURCH AND COMMUNITY
www.thepositivecommunity.com March 2011
Vol. 11, No. 3
Publisher Adrian A. Council, Sr. Editor-in-Chief Jean Nash Wells Associate Editor R. L. Witter Sales Angela Ridenour Adrian Council, Jr. NGS Communications, Inc. Satori MPR Church/Community Affairs Coordinator Faith Jackson Contributing Writers Sonja Gracy Dr. Phillip Bonaparte Dr. John Palmer Mwandikaji K. Mwanafunzi g.r. mattox Rosemary Sinclair Patricia Baldwin Rev. Theresa Nance Rev. Reginald T. Jackson Herb Boyd Glenda Cadogan Toni Parker Helene Fox Rev. Dr. Joanne Noel Rev. Dr. Johnny Ray Youngblood William Parrish Jeanne Parnell Photographers Bob Gore Wali A. Muhammad Seitu Oronde Rev. Dr. William L. Watkins, Jr. Darryl Hall Vincent Bryant Donovan Gopie Linda Pace Hubert Williams Art Direction & Layout Penguin Design Group Martin Maishman The Positive Community Corp. 133 Glenridge Avenue Montclair, NJ 07042 973-233-9200 Fax: 973-233-9201 Email: positive.corp@verizon.net Website: thepositivecommunity.com All contents © 2010 The Positve Community Corporation. All Rights Reserved. This publication, in whole or in part, may not be reproduced, stored in a computerized or other retrieval system, or transmitted in any form, or by any means whatsoever without the prior written permission of The Positive Community Corporation. Any opinions expressed herein are solely the opinions of the writer(s) and not necessarily those of The Positive CommunityTM, its management or staff. The Positive CommunityTM reserves the right to retain all materials and does not assume reponsibility for unsolicited materials.
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The Last Word BY R.L. WITTER Speaking Truth to Power
W
e find ourselves once more marking March as Women’s History Month. It’s 2011 and while women have made incredible strides and contributions over the past several decades, there is still a long way to go. And we as women of color, African American women, have thrived. We are visible on the upper echelons of society as executives at major corporations, recognized and celebrated as leading women in Hollywood and even occupy the White House as First Lady of the United States. Not too shabby, eh? But it seems that for every hardfought victory we have won, there is yet another to overcome or even worse, another way in which we are holding ourselves back. Media and technology can offer education and enlightenment, yet we continue to allow and accept the portrayal of black women in a negative light. From video vixens, who are referred to by names I simply will not lower myself to repeat, to “reality television stars,” who delight in being over-the-top rude and unapologetic about it. Or how about the Pepsi commercial that aired during the Super Bowl that depicted the black woman as a mean, jealous and violent partner for her mate? As humans we are constantly learning. From the day we are born we learn colors, shapes, people, images and words and all of those words and images can go a long way toward forming our opinions about people of various colors. We have to take responsibility and be accountable for how we portray ourselves and allow ourselves to be portrayed. One organization that has traditionally guarded our image is the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). For 100 years they have been on the front lines of the battle for equal rights. Likely the NAACP’s most high-profile event is the annual NAACP Image Awards ceremony. It is broadcast to millions of viewers as a showcase of talent, creativity and the promotion of social justice in the black community. So if that is the case, then how do we
rationalize and accept nominations of and performances by acts such as Jay-Z, Nicki Minaj, Diddy Dirty Money, Kanye West, and B.O.B.? Their lyrics are often profane, misogynistic and sexually explicit and some of their images portray them as hustlers, gangsters, Lotharios and basically prostitutes. How are songs that glorify crime, drugs and illicit sex; television shows and movies that pander to antiquated stereotypes “celebrating the outstanding achievements and performances of people of color in the arts, as well as those individuals or groups who promote social justice through their creative endeavors” as the Image Awards’ credo claims to do? As women we should demand the respect we are due as the life-givers, educators, healers, caretakers and providers we are. Are we not more than the fullness of our breasts and the roundness of our bottoms? Do we not have more to offer than the softness of our lips and the warmth, comfort and fertility of our female organs? As men shouldn’t we want to respect our women and demand respect for them from others? Have we nothing more to offer them than foul language, hyper-sexuality, drug money and singleparenthood? As a people, we must require more from our entertainment than slick production and familiar faces and demand that the substance be increased to match or surpass the style. If the Image Awards depict the very best of our cultural offerings, I can only imagine the worst. We can demand better by not supporting the artists and companies that produce such things, but to go one better, refuse to support the brands who advertise on the TV shows and radio broadcasts and purchase product placement in the movies that depict and perpetuate the lowest common denominators of stereotyping, racism and crassness. Your voice has power, contact you local NAACP; but in this country, in this world…your wallet has more. Wield yours wisely. www.thepositivecommunity.com
Celebrate National Reading Month by sharing a book with a child Reading is the most important thing you can do to help a child learn. Here are a few tips for getting started: ■ Choose good books. Encourage children to select books they like as well as trying out different kinds of books. Use your local library, exchange books with other families, and use suggested reading lists offered by your child’s teacher or school librarian. ■ Create reading spaces. Help your child create a special place to keep his or her books. Find comfortable, well-lit places to read. ■ Make it a habit. Invite your child to read with you and to you every day to help build a lifelong love of learning.
NJEA members: working to make public schools great for every child. Barbara Keshishian, President Wendell Steinhauer, Vice President Marie Blistan, Secretary-Treasurer Vincent Giordano, Executive Director Richard Gray, NJEA Assistant Executive Director/Research Director
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