Winter Issue 2009 by The Positive Community

Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration featuring Smokie Norful

with special guest speaker the Rev. Dr. Joseph Lowery the njpac debut of this grammyÂŽ, Dove and stellar award-winning singer-songwriter thursday, jan 14 at 7:00

Upcoming events sat, Feb 20 at 7:30 Kenny garrett Band ravi coltrane Quartet Sax appeal exclusive to NJPAC

sat, mar 6 at 8:00 cassandra Wilson with special guest esperanza spalding An unforgettable night of Contemporary jazz

2009â&#x20AC;&#x201C;2010 njpac.org

1-888-go-njpac (1-888-466-5722)

Winter 2009–10

CONTENTS Features Celebrating the MLK Holiday . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Vernon Williams: Pastor on Deck. . . . . . . . . . . . 28 Israel Embraces Ethiopian Jewry . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 Dr. Marco Mason Honored . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 Newark’s Monsignor Nwaorgu. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 NBUF: Black Philanthropy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49

Visiting the White House. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56

COVER STORY Andrew Young: Reflections of MLK

Special Section Michael Garner Digs Into New Role. . . . . . . . . 1 Getting Your Piece of the Stimulus Pie . . . . . . . . 8 NY/NJ Minority Suppliers Awards Gala . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Harlem Hospital . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59 Cover L-R: Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Rev. Ralph Abernathy, and Rev. Andrew Young Photo: Corbis

&also inside Guest Editorial. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 My View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 From the Heart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Single, Satisfied & Saved . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Gospel Train . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51 Ask Dr. Palmer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58 The Fitness Doctor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 The Way Ahead . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69 The Last Word . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70

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r g a t i o n s To g e t h e Brooklyn Congre Founded 2006

success experienced as a ue to the unprecedented hes, s, in the Borough of churc collaboration of churche n izing pastors of Brookly the founding and organ time of (BCT ) have called for a Congregations Together rd Himself Lo and preparation. Our reflection, reevaluation ar 2010, we ostles. Therefore, the ye Ap e th th wi en ev so did on a reduced calendar! have chosen to operate ry 15, 2010), obser vance (Friday, Janua The Martin Luther King y, March Worship Service (Sunda d an e rad Pa ay nd Su lm the Pa All other with 32BJ shall continue. 28, 2010) and our work t on hold! programming will be pu

Officers

ber President & Founding Mem Rev. Lawrence Aker rch Cornerstone Baptist Chu

g Vice President & Foundin Member l Rev. Dr. Daran Mitchel First AME Zion Church Servant-Leader & Founding Member ngblood Rev. Dr. Johnny R. You rch Mt. Pisgah Baptist Chu ator & Group Counselor/Moder Organizing Member Rev. Dr. Clive Neil rian Ch Bedford Central Presbyte

Founding Members

lk III, Rev. Henry Cabbagesta yer Pentecostal House of Pra Rev. Frederick Ennette rian Bedford Central Presbyte Bishop Eric Figueroa New Life Tabernacle Rev. Clinton M. Miller Church Brown Memorial Baptist

Organizing Members

Rev. Amziah James rch Brighter Way Baptist Chu Rev. Jesse Sumbry Church King Emmanuel Baptist y Rev. Dr. Curtis Whitne Mt. Sinai Baptist Church pton Rev. Dr. David Ham Bethany Baptist Church Rev. David K. Brawley tist Ch. St. Paul Community Bap Rev. Steven Carter Mt. Ararat Baptist Church n Rev. Dr. James Thornto Church Salem Missionary Baptist Rev. Dr. James Green Universal Baptist Church Rev. Melvin Anderson es Another Chance Ministri Rev. Shaun Lee rch Mt. Lebanon Baptist Chu Rev. G.T.M. Jones Ch tist Greater Zion Shiloh Bap Rev. Anthony L. Trufant Emmanuel Baptist Church

Mailing Address:

Together Brooklyn Congregations Church c/o Cornerstone Baptist 574 Madison Street Brooklyn, NY 11221

Telephone: 718-636-7628 Email: info@bctinc.org BNealy@bctinc.org

Website: www.bctinc.o

ion, to set schedule for reflect Our immediate goals are â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s en M ion, for ourselves, the reevaluation and preparat ion and our Youth. Division, Womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Divis and surely yer, study, self examination This is a needed time for pra preparation! the schedulted leaders to prepare for We are asking all designa mary site T headquarters will be pri ing of such times. The BC for these gatherings. us thus at has been done through We thank God for all th us this far to ve that God has brought lie be t no do we d an , far cessar y ch energ y and time as ne mu as t pu ll wi e W . us leave on of the r instruments in possessi into becoming even bette . Holy Spirit for the future Together in the Spirit of BCT Pastors

the King,

MAKE THE DIFFERENCE! GREAT

R C OLL

ALL

TO PROGRESS

he following clergy organizations, churches, community businesses and institutions have committed to the purchase of at least one hundred magazines per month at $1.00 each (50% off the cover price) or support this publication through the purchase of advertising for their events, services or consumer products. THIS IS ONLY A PARTIAL LISTING.

Black Ministers Council of NJ Rev. Reginald T. Jackson, Exec. Director

The New Hope B. C., Newark Rev. Joe Carter, Senior Pastor

World Gospel Music Association Dr. Albert Lewis, Founder, Newark, N.J.

Greater Harlem Chamber of Commerce

Beulah B.C., Newark, NJ Rev. Gerald L. Dickson, Pastor

Greater Allen Cathedral, Queens, NY Revs. Floyd and Elaine Flake, Co-Pastors

Shiloh B.C., Plainfield, NJ Rev. Dr. Gerald Lamont Thomas, Pastor

American Diabetes Association

Bethany B.C., Brooklyn, NY Rev. Dr. David Hampton, Pastor

St. Matthew AME Church, Orange, NJ Rev. Reginald T. Jackson, Pastor

Community B.C., Englewood, NJ Rev. Dr. Lester Taylor, Senior Pastor

New Jersey Performing Arts Center

Office of Black Ministry Archdiocese of New York Brother Tyrone Davis, Exec. Director

The Cathedral International, Perth Amboy, NJ Bishop Donald Hilliard, Pastor

Walker Memorial B.C. Bronx, NY Rev. Dr. J. Albert Bush Sr., Pastor

General Baptist Convention, NJ Rev. Dr. Guy Campbell, President

St. James AME Church, Newark, NJ Rev. William L. Watley, Pastor

United Black Clergy of Westchester Inc. Rev. Dr. Franklyn W. Richardson, Pastor

Paradise B. C., Newark, NJ Rev. Jethro James, Pastor

Mt. Olivet Baptist Church, Harlem Rev. Charles A. Curtis, Pastor

Fellowship Missionary B, C,, Newark, NJ Rev. E.T. Byrd, Pastor

Harlem Congregations for Community Improvement (HCCI) Lucille McEwen, President & CEO

Community Church of God, Plainfield, NJ Rev. Dr. Shirley B. Cathie., Pastor Emeritus

Thessalonia Worship Center, Bronx, NY Rev. Dr. Shellie Sampson, Pastor

Abyssinian B. C., Harlem Rev. Dr. Calvin O. Butts III, Pastor

Mt. Olivet Baptist Church, Peekskill, NY* Rev. Adolphus Lacey, Pastor

Metropolitan B. C., Newark, NJ Rev. Dr. David Jefferson, Pastor

Friendship Baptist Church, Harlem, NY* Rev. James A. Kilgore, Pastor

Masjid Imam Ali K. Muslim, Newark, NJ Imam Akbar Muhammad

Newark Dist. of AME Church, Newark, NJ* Howard Grant, Presiding Elder

Community Bank of Bergen County, Garfield, NJ

Concord B.C., Brooklyn, NY Rev. Dr. Gary V. Simpson, Senior Pastor

First Bethel Baptist Church, Newark, NJ* H. Grady James III, Pastor

Mildred Crump, Newark City Council

St Luke B. C., Paterson, NJ Rev. Kenneth D.R. Clayton, Senior Pastor

Businesses & Organizations

Schomburg Center

Birdel's Tapes & Audio, Brooklyn

Windows Over Harlem

Manhattan District AME Churches Rev. Harold Rutherford, Presiding Elder Greater Zion Hill B.C., Harlem Rev. Dr. Frank J. Blackshear, Pastor Greater New Hope Missionary B.C., NYC Rev. Joan J. Brightharp, Pastor Calvary Baptist Church, Garfield, N.J. Rev. Calvin McKinney, Pastor Salvation & Deliverance Church, Harlem Apostle William Brown, Pastor Grace B. C., Mt. Vernon, NY Rev. Dr. Franklyn W. Richardson, Pastor

First B.C. of Lincoln Gardens, Somerset, NJ Rev. Dr. DeForest (Buster) Soaries, Pastor

Rev. Ben Monroe, St. Albans, NY COGIC*

Razac Products Co., Newark, NJ

New Jerusalem B.C., Queens, NY* Rev. Dr. Calvin Rice, Pastor

Amerigroup New Jersey, Inc.

New Zion B.C., Elizabeth, NJ Rev. Kevin James White, Pastor

Apel Travel/Alken Tours, Brooklyn

Mother A.M.E. Zion Church, Harlem Rev. Dr. Gregory Robeson Smith, Pastor

Davis Chiropractic, NJ

WBGO-88.3FM WKMB-1070AM Inner City Broadcasting African American Muslims for Interfaith Relationships (AAMIR) The Committee to Preserve Our Heritage and Tradition—Harlem, Muhammad Idris, Chair; Anna Muhammad, Committee Member

American Heart Association, Northern NJ Medgar Evers College

The Bozeman Law Firm New York Urban League

Carver Federal Savings Bank New Brunswick Theological Seminary

The United Way of Essex and West Hudson

NAACP, NY State Conference*

University of Medicine & Dentistry of NJ

NAACP New Jersey*

The Sharing Network

National Black United Fund*

The College of New Rochelle

PNC Bank

Paterson’s Pastor’s Workshop* Rev. Dr. James Kuykendall, President

Christian Love B..C, Irvington, NJ Rev. Ron Christian, Pastor

Nazarene Congregational Church, Brooklyn—Rev, Conrad B. Tillard, Pastor St. Paul Community B. C., Brooklyn Rev. Dr. Johnny Ray Youngblood, Pastor Rev. David K. Brawley, Pastor Successor

Canaan B. C. of Christ, Harlem Rev. Thomas D. Johnson, Pastor

Childs Memorial COGIC, Harlem Bishop Norman N. Quick, Pastor

Mt. Neboh Baptist Church, Harlem, NY Rev. Dr. Johnnie Green Jr., Pastor

New York Theological Seminary

St. John AME Church, Harlem Rev. James E. Booker Jr., Pastor

Bethany B.C., Newark, NJ. Rev. Dr. M. William Howard, Senior Pastor

City National Bank

Berean B. C., Brooklyn Rev. Arlee Griffin Jr., Pastor

African American Heritage Parade Committee, NJ

Essex County College, NJ

Newark School of Theology

THANKS FOR YOUR SUPPORT!!!

125th St. BID * New to the Roll Call

All of the above have embraced a practical community building ideal that encourages self acceptance, self reliance and self respect.Enroll your church, business, school or organization today. Contact The Positive Community at 973-233-9200 or e-mail at rollcall@thepositivecommunity.com. Building community and economy dollar by dollar. Join the Great Roll Call to Progress today because a positive community is everybody's business . . . it really pays to care!

Celebrating 225 Years of Theological Education

Oldest Seminary in North America

guesteditorial Understanding King’s Dream in the Age of Barack Obama BY DEFOREST B. SOARIES, JR. Senior Pastor, First Baptist Church of Lincoln Gardens in Somerset, NJ

n his lecture after receiving the Nobel Peace prize in Winter 2009–10 President Barack Obama attributed his political success to the leadership, vision and sacrifice of Martin Luther King, Jr. In so doing he articulated the deep sentiment that inspired many people to support his presidential candidacy and contribute to the greatest political reversal ever experienced by an oppressed people. There is no doubt that the election of Barack Obama is the most dramatic manifestation of Dr. King’s sublime optimism and prophetic gifts. Who else besides King really believed in 1963 that skin color would ever be an insignificant factor in America—especially in a presidential election during the lifetime of Kings children? Three of Martin King’s children were eyewitnesses to this glorious achievement. And the world stood in awe of a nation whose Supreme Court had once defined the forebears of Mr. Obama as being only sixty percent human and now would have a descendant of that legacy appoint its future members. What a miracle in our lifetime! But there is a growing undercurrent of frustration with President Obama among African Americans that is bubbling to the surface of our discourse. The crass depiction of the conversation is the question “is Obama black enough?” A more analytical approach to the Obama presidency has begun asking whether or not we have elected Bush III or a tanned version of Bush Lite. The questions are generally murmured quietly in black circles even as pollsters document the bedrock support that the President has among black voters. So how do we assess the status of Dr. King’s dream in the light of having elected our first black President? First, it is completely possible to celebrate the historic significance of President Obama while holding his administration accountable on issues raised by Dr. King. Remember—Dr. King’s dream was much larger than the inclusion of individual black people in historic positions. In fact, the ascendency of individuals into positions of influence and power has always been a strategy and not a goal. The color or party affiliation of a political leader does not matter at all if that leader does not pursue an agenda that addresses the critical problems of the day.

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And for King the prevailing question was one of justice: When would all Americans have equal access to the rights and opportunities available in this great nation? And how would this nation resolve the lingering effects of systemic injustices that are the cause for the disparities that exist in so many areas today? In response to these questions, having a black president is not as important as it is to have a president that will have the right priorities. And when Mr. Obama’s priorities reflect a commitment to his political interests over his commitment to answering these questions, the legacy of King compels us to help him change his priorities just as Dr. King helped Presidents Kennedy and Johnson. But what is also important to remember is that Dr. King’s dream made some assumptions about black people and our internal values as a people. Dr. King espoused a doctrine of “revolutionary excellence” where black people would do everything possible to strive and achieve in spite of the injustices heaped upon us. When he challenged the larger society to see beyond the prejudiced view imposed upon us by skin color, he added by inference a challenge to black people to offer as an alternative the calling card of the content of our character. King assumed that if we gained the right to vote that we would vote. That if we gained the right to attend the schools of our choices that we would have the desire to learn. He never imagined that we would undermine—by our own behavior, lack of motivation or failure to act—the rights that he fought for us to have. King never foresaw our enslavement to the consumer culture and personal debt. Nor did he ever envision a day when we would be more afraid of violence in our neighborhoods than we were of violence inflicted by the Ku Klux Klan. And these are issues that cannot be resolved by a black president. These are matters that must be addressed in a manner not unlike the emergence of the movement that King led—local efforts responding to similar problems all over the country. The election of Barack Obama closes one of the ugliest aspects of one of the most glaring contradictions of our young democracy. But there are many chapters that remain: Those that have been written by the United States government—we should expect and demand leadership from our President and those that are self imposed—we should expect and demand leadership from ourselves. Winter 2009–10 The Positive Community

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.

MLK: A Profile in Courage r. Martin Luther King Jr. possessed the courage to live and the courage to die. His tenacity to do both speaks volumes about this great man who could have, to use the black church vernacular, lived on a flowery bed of ease, but instead chose to fight for his people— black people, poor people, disenfranchised people. And we are all the better for having had him in our midst, if only for 39 years. I was conversing with a longtime friend and she recalled having told her three children to exit this world having made it better than it was when they first entered. Suffice it to say King did exactly that. His was an upscale life by anybody’s standards. Yet, he chose the way of the cross and carried his cross daily as Jesus admonished all believers to do. His cross was to love when that love was not reciprocal from many. Sure, many who lived through those tumultuous times will tell you they were followers of “The King of Love” as Nina Simone referred to him while paying tribute in song. But, truth be told, he often was called disparaging names like, “handkerchief head,” “Uncle Tom” and “Martin Loser King”—and those were some of the better things said about him. He never lost his focus. Amazing. He never lost his penchant to love, not because he was loved back, but because this was and still is God’s mandate for those who follow Him. King, I dare say, might be a bit miffed at the apathy that has reared its ugly head in black America. Black men—many of them marched to Washington, but some of those same men have not found their way to march to the corners of the asphalt jungle and help to put an end to the slaughter on street corners of Anywhere, USA. Many of our black sisters have demeaned themselves for 15 minutes of fame on cable TV and 30 pieces of silver—all to shake their behinds before a world that already decided to despise people of color just because of an accident of birth. Martin would be pleased about President Obama, I’m sure, but would he be pleased about some of the stances our president has or has not taken in some instances?

The Positive Community Winter 2009–10

What good is it to laud the legacy of this man if we who remain won’t move forward to go one better? I recall on “brother” Gil Noble’s Sunday show watching Ambassador Andrew Young, Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth and Rev. C.T. Vivian openly weep when they remembered what King gave up because he loved in spite of the struggle and hatred he faced throughout his short but meaningful life. I weep, too, but not for the same reason. I weep because I see my beloved community regressing in so many areas where we should be at the forefront. But, we press on. We persevere. We agitate. We march. We demand. We do those things because King and others like him thought it not robbery to have their lives shortened so we could have the privileges they never lived to see.

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Dr. Clifford B. Janey, Superintendent “These people reported to the principal’s office on November 13, and made a difference in the life of a Newark Public Schools’ student.” Abington Avenue Dennis Torsiello - Principal Santiago Paniagua - President - Dominicana News Enterprises Julia Castro - Dominicana News Enterprises Academy of Vocational Careers Dr. Glen Wilson - Principal Rory Sparrow - Former New York Knicks Larry Glover - The Glover Group Alexander Street Jacqueline Blamo-Hawthorne - Principal Latina Byrd - Newark Fire Department American History High Robert Gregory - Principal Mayor Cory A. Booker - City of Newark Rev. Dr. Forrest Pritchett - Program Director - Seton Hall University Ann Street Linda Richardson - Principal Eliana Pintor - The Newark Public Schools Advisory Board Arts High Dr. Norma Fair-Brown - Principal Divad Sanders - SLAM Global Enterprises Avon Avenue Denise Cooper - Principal Gwen Williams - Essex County Courts Barringer High Dr. Jose Aviles - Principal Steve Adubato, Sr. - North Ward Center Barringer 9th Grade Academy Nelson Ruiz - Interim Principal Dr. Alfred Davis - Davis Chiropractic

Chancellor Avenue Eugene Brown - Principal Anthony D. White - Parental Involvement Exchange

John F. Kennedy Dr. Glenda Johnson-Green - Principal Brian Feinstein - Payless Shoe Source

Ridge Street/Early Childhood Emil Garruto - Principal Michele Sceppaguerico - North Ward Center

Chancellor Annex Eugene Brown - Principal Rhonda Auguste - The Wight Foundation

Lafayette Street Maria Merlo - Principal Anthony Azevedo - Pereira & Azevedo, LLC

Cleveland Street Zakiyyah Abdul Razzag - Principal Steve Marshall - Home Depot Irene Cooper-Basch - Victoria Foundation

Lincoln James Montemurro - Principal Deborah Jones - Chubb Group of Insurance Companies

Roberto Clemente Yolanda Mendez - Principal Roseann Isasi - Pepsi Bottling Group Stacey O’Rouke - Pepsi Bottling Group

Dayton Street Ron Karsen - Interim Principal Ethan Collins - Bank of America/Merrill Lynch Dr. E. Alma Flagg James Mitchell - Interim Principal Gem Tullock - WBGO Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Anita Ziyad - Principal Sharon Fisher - Emblem Saundra Rogers - Council for Airport Opportunity Dr. William H. Horton Kimberly Wright-White - Principal Darwin Walker - Pennoni Associates East Side High Dr. Mario Santos - Principal Lee Jorge - Dale Insurance Group Rebecca Nackson - Audible.com Eighteenth Avenue Barbara Ervin - Principal Reggie Thomas - Anheuser Busch Zondra Sykes - The Club House

Louise A. Spencer Kevin Guyton - Principal Ronald Glover - Newark Police Department Luis Munoz Marin Armando Cepero - Interim Principal Barbara Kukla - Sole Practitioner Madison Avenue Jennifer Carlisle-Peters - Principal Milton Balkum - United Way of Essex Malcolm X Shabazz Dr. Donna Marable - Principal Maple Avenue Deneen Washington - Principal Paula Sabreen - Family Connections McKinley Carolyn Granato - Principal Marie Moore - Cogswell Realty Miller Street Shakirah Miller - Principal Etta Denk - Bank of America/Merrill Lynch

Roseville Avenue Rose Serra - Principal Dina Fede - Alcatel-Lucent Technologies Samuel L. Berliner William Heady - Principal Alison Bryant - Windsor Gardens Care Center Science Park Lamont Thomas - Interim Principal Christian Benedetto, Jr. - Hopkins, Sampson & Brown South 17th Street Clarence Allen - Principal Carla L. Thomas - New Jersey State Police South Street Karen George-Gray - Principal Barry Carter - The Newark Star-Ledger Speedway Avenue Gerald Samuels - Principal Rhonda Wilson-Duncan - TD Bank Sussex Avenue JoAnn Gilmore - Principal Felipe Chavana - Newark Legal Service Eric Friedman - FOCUS Technology High Mona Dana - Principal Josh Weston - ADP Dr. Monique McRipley Ollie - Johnson & Johnson Pharmacy

Elliott Street Eva Ortiz - Principal Paula Baratta - Newark Public Library

Mount Vernon Bertha Dyer - Principal Reginald Burch - SLAM Global Enterprises Desarie Ball - TD Bank

Fifteenth Avenue Malcolm Outlaw - Principal Chris Hilabrant - T-Mobile

Newark Vocational Deborah Mitchell-DeBerry - Principal Miles Berger - Robert Treat Hotel

Thirteenth Avenue Lynn Irby-Jackson - Principal Awilda Perez - FOCUS William Stephney - Joseph Media, Inc

Bragaw Avenue Tony Motley - Principal Richard Uniacke - Community Food Bank

First Avenue Kathy Duke-Jackson - Principal Jerome Robinson - Nicholson Foundation

Newton Street James V. Carlo - Principal Courtney Allen - Unitarian Universalist Congregation

University High Claude Bey - Principal Donyea Hoffman - Clinton Hill Community Resource Ctr.

Branch Brook Joseph Cullen - Principal Lou LaSalle - St. Barnabas Hospital

Fourteenth Avenue Alyson Barillari - Principal Isaiah Mobley - Wakefern Food Corporation Brenda Sherman - McCarter & English

NJ Regional Day Charles Manzella - Principal Adrianne Davis - North Ward Center

Weequahic High John Tonero - Principal Oscar S. James II - City of Newark

Oliver Street Mariana Golden - Principal Augusta C. DaRocha - Millennium Bank

West Side High Dr. Kevin West - Interim Principal Joe Carter - New Hope Baptist Church Stanley Weeks - City National Bank

Belmont Runyon Dorothy Handfield - Principal Pastor Vincent Rouse - Pleasant Grove Baptist Church Benjamin Franklin Susan Taylor - Principal Mary McCraw - One Newark Education Coalition Raymond Ocasio - LaCasa de Don Pedro

Broadway Alejandro Echevarria - Principal Charlie Rubin - Amelior Foundation Senator Theresa Ruiz - NJ State Senate Burnett Street Roy Wilson - Principal Juan Rivera - The Newark Public Schools Advisory Board Camden Middle Dr. Shirley Brewton - Principal Celia King - Leadership Newark Marques-Aquil Lewis - The Newark Public Schools Advisory Board

George W. Carver Winston Jackson - Principal Damian Santamauro - Attorney Harriett Tubman Deborah Davis-Terrell - Principal Craig Drinkard - Victoria Foundation Steve Adubato, Sr. North Ward Center Hawkins Street Joseph Rendeiro - Principal Arcelio Aponte - City of Newark

Camden Street LaVonne Pack - Principal Patricia Barksdale - Bank of America/Merrill Lynch

Hawthorne Avenue LaShawn Gibson-Burney - Principal Issac King - Brantley Brothers

Central High Ras Baraka - Principal Anne Jacobson - Victoria Foundation Dr. Antoinette Ellis - NJ City University

Ivy Hill Keith Barton - Principal Mildred Antenor - Seton Hall University

Park Elementary Sylvia Estevez - Principal Ilicia Watkins - Pepsi Bottling Group Amy Dietrich - Pepsi Bottling Group Peshine Avenue Wanda Brooks-Long - Principal Winston Jones - Focus Point Communications Quitman Street Jacquelyn Hartsfield - Principal Tharien Arnold - The Newark Public Schools Advisory Board Rafael Hernandez Juan Carlos Ruiz - Principal Sharon Salvador - SLAM Global Enterprises

West Side 9th Grade Academy Dara Crocker - Vice Principal Sabur Guy - City of Newark Wilson Avenue Margarita Hernandez - Principal Luis Nogueira - Exit Realty Lucky Associates Thank you to more than 100 influential business leaders who spent November 13 as a principal for a day in one of Newark’s 75 public schools. They join the more than 500 pioneers who, since 1996, have served as Principal for a Day. And because of their commitment to public school education, the Newark community now knows what a difference a day makes in the life of a child. To become a Principal for a Day, call (973) 733-7360 or visit www.nps.k12.nj.us.

ROSEMARY SINCLAIR FROM THE HEART

It’s Okay, Lord t might seem presumptuous of me to tell the King of Kings who created the universe and gave breathto my being that I accept His will for my life. But the losses and pain that will come to me through life’s trials are OK with me. Others may find it difficult to understand my attitude, however I know that my Savior suffers with me when I am in pain and that He cries with me. In His word He promises to wipe away our tears (Isaiah 25:8) and to give believers everlasting joy. Thus far, His words are true—and He has given me the unspoken desires of my heart. Because He has promised to never leave me (Hebrews 13:5), I know He walks beside me forever. His word warns us that we will have tribulations, but He tells us to lay our burdens upon Him and He will give us rest (Matthew 11:30 & John 16:33). In my despair over her death, I had anticipated that without my beloved daughter this would be the most difficult holiday season of my life. But His grace is healing my heart each day and I have survived the ultimate loss. What was once the most excruciating pain I could have imagined has evolved into a gentle tug of the remembrances of the 47 Christmases we had that make me smile. So I want to tell him, “It’s OK, Lord. I miss her but I know she is in glory with you. Thank you for drying my tears. Thank you for giving her eternal joy. I see and feel your love and compassion in loved ones with whom you surround me. Others may not understand how I can say these things after such a loss, but you have proven to me the unfathomable depth of your love. Because you have promised a glorious reunion for all believers, I realize that my separation from my daughter will be merely like the wink of an eye compared to the eternity we will spend in the mansion that you are preparing for us. (John 14:2)

IT’S OKAY LORD Dear Lord, because you walk beside me everyday I do not fear the trials that you have said will come my way And when I face the certain losses that will grieve me My comfort is that you will never leave me So through my tears I cannot help but say Sometimes it hurts so much, but Jesus, it’s OK © Rosemary Sinclair

The Positive Community Winter 2009–10

www.thepositivecommunity.com

BUILDING FOR A BETTER TOMORROW

HACKENSACK UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER’S

HEART & VASCULAR HOSPITAL Hackensack University Medical Center announces the construction of its new, state-of-the-art hospital within a hospital dedicated to patients with cardiac and vascular disease and the renowned doctors who take care of them. Our world-class facility will integrate all necessary services to prevent, diagnose, and treat patients with cardiovascular disease – strokes, aneurysms, peripheral artery disease, blocked arteries, irregular heartbeats, and heart failure with a special focus on breakthrough research and disease management.

•

When completed, the new hospital will

offer innovations in cardiothoracic surgery, interventional procedures, imaging, electrophysiology, and endovascular procedures.

A HEALTHIER TOMORROW IS A HEARTBEAT AWAY.

For a renowned cardiac or vascular physician affiliated with Hackensack University Medical Center , call

Hackensack University Medical Center

Proudly serving the community since 1888.

www.humc.com

SONJA GRACY SAVED, SINGLE & SATISFIED

No Mistletoe Woe t’s that time of year again. You can tell by the sights, sounds and symbols. There are the fa-la-la-la-la’s and “ho-ho-ho’s,” city sidewalks sprinkled with plump and skinny Santas, your “Harry & David” catalogs full of cashew nut gift sets and spiral sliced hams and figures of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, along with miles of Christmas wreaths and toy soldiers and images of playful lovers under thick little sprigs of mistletoe. Mistletoe. It’s the holiday’s purported love leaf for lucky couples who’ve made it to December (I’m kidding). I’ve actually only seen real mistletoe once, but as a single I’m acutely aware of it and the season’s other symbols that have the power to drive a “feening,” single female mad. While loads of single women ache over knowing there will be no mistletoe moments or girlfriend-boyfriend giftswapping for them come Christmas, I can certifiably say with a wee bit of pride that I checked out of that club several seasons ago. I may not have a man to “help to make the season bright,” but at least I can say this long-time single’s going to be alright. I “bob and weave” my way through the season. I learned a few man-less Christmas’ ago that a wellness attitude and some well-placed words work wonders for a season full of house-hopping and old folks “who don’t mean no harm” with their barrage of “still single?” sentiments. I’m sorry; I know I should be better behaved. But when old-timer Mr. Bud bugs me with his big holiday hug and a loud “Girl, you still single!!??” I can’t help but think while suffocating in our mothball-scented squeeze, “Yes Mr. Bud. And you’re still nosy.” I then give a polite and playful “Sure am”! before moseying over to the food table for a couple of green olives and some potato salad. Some women go bonkers over holiday situations like these, but not me. I refuse to. You see, I earnestly believe that there are tons of things worse than being single around Christmas. A thinly-veiled bad marriage is one of them. What could be worse than beaming for a Christmas family photo one minute, then boiling over unhappy feelings in secret about a marriage that may not make it past May the next? I’ve seen that happen more times than I can count, hence my unsinkable spirit

The Positive Community Winter 2009–10

around these spirited times. I’ve taught myself to be buoyant, busy and grateful everyday of the year as a prelude to the year’s grand holiday season finale. An attitude of gratitude is what I believe is the happy single’s key. The beautiful thing that keeps me going this blessed time of year is gratefulness, indeed, and the fact that I’ve a lot to be thankful for. Family, good friends, and even folks like the meddlesome “Mr. Bud” all help to make my holiday seasons memorable in the spirit of the great God who initiated the holy-day (holiday). Gratitude and the sheer sublimity behind the time of year we commemorate Christ’s birth is the thing that pulses this single through the season. Call me what you will, but I’m still down with the Winans. I can hear Brother Marvin singing it now, that the “real meaning of Christmas is Christ.” It’s part of the reason this single sashays, and not limps, through all this Merry Christmas merriment. With these principles in mind, I’ll be just fine this Christmas and I hope my fellow single sisters will too. I may not get a quick kiss from a cute guy underneath a cluster of mistletoe this Christmas, but you know what? That’s okay. I’ve still got a lot to be happy about this special time of year. I’ve got God, my family, friends, great places to go and fun things to do. And I think that all of those things are the perfect prescription against a dreadful case of “single-girl-mistletoe-woe.” Merry Christmas! www.thepositivecommunity.com

Photo: Wali Amin Muhammad

Forging Ahead

Harlem YMCA

No Resolutions...

Just Results

L-R: George Hulse, Elvira & Irving Williams, AHEAD founders; Rosemond Pierre-Louis, Montel Williams, Donna Williams, DDS and Dr. Bruce Harper Ahead, Inc. (Adventures in Health, Education and Agricultural Development) is an award-winning volunteer based people-to-people organization that has worked in the most distressed rural areas of Africa since 1985 providing services in rural health centers, mobile health clinics, schools, under trees and anywhere a group can gather. At their recent fundraising/awards dinner at the River Room in Harlem, honorees were television personality Montel Williams; Dr. Brian Harper, COO/medical director of Ralph Lauren Center for Cancer Care and Prevention; George Hulse, vice president of External Affairs, HealthFirst, Inc.; Deputy Brooklyn Borough President Rosemond Pierre-Louis and Hon. David N. Dinkins.

NO R’S INE JO FEE! Offer valid December 26, 2009 thru February 1, 2010.

At Harlem Y, we’re ready to help you exceed your fitness goals in the new year. JOIN NOW and save $125 on a new membership!

Harlem YMCA 180 West 135th Street New York, NY 10030

212.912.2100

www.ymcanyc.org/harlem

When individuals succeed, their community succeeds too. We believe communities are built on the goodwill and energy of the people who belong to them. That’s why we’re proud to support your needs. Please visit us: Arena Branch @ Prudential Center 46 Edison Place Newark, NJ 07102 Phone: 973-596-2625

www.thepositivecommunity.com

Winter 2009-10 The Positive Community

HARLEMLANES Photos: Margot Jordan

Join US as the #1 recreational activity enjoyed by all people of all ages returns to HARLEM!! Bring your church members and be part of a new era.

Elinor Tatum, Publisher New York Amsterdam News

Every Tuesday is GOSPEL NIGHT Honoree Robert F. Kennedy Jr. & Kenneth Cole

$15 per person for 2 games of bowling with shoes $8 Cheese Pizza Pies Lisa Davis Esq., Mrs. Michelle Paterson, Mrs. Joyce Dinkins

Toni Faye, with NAACP President Ben Jealous & Mistress of Ceremonies Michelle Miller

Hon. Charles Rangel & Hon. David Dinkins

Anything Else is Just Bowling !!! 2116 Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Blvd (7th Ave.) New York, NY 10027, 3rd Floor, 212.678.2695

The Positive Community Winter 2009-10

Dan & Alicia Bythewood

Charles Sessoms & Sybil Chester

Joyce Mullins Jackson & Hon. Bernard Jackson

Kim Cooper & Sheena Wright

www.thepositivecommunity.com

The Vision Continues The Leaguers Inc., Serving Newark Children and Families for 60 Years. L–R: Yvonne Lowen, president Board of Trustees and CEO/Executive Director Veronica Ray cut the ribbon

n October 30, 2009, The Leaguers Incorporated cut the ribbon on their new 42, 000 square foot headquarters — a white glazed brick veneer façade with blue tinted glass and multi-colored glass accents at 405-425 University Photos: Vincent Bryant Avenue in downtown Newark. The building is the fulfillment of a long awaited vision of Executive Director/CEO Veronica E. Ray and The Leaguers Board of Trustees and will be an asset to Newark and complement the many new developments and renovations in the downtown area. The planning for the new building began in 2000. Construction began in 2008. Founded by Mary B. Burch and incorporated in

L–R: Veronica Ray, Walter K Frye, CFO; Newark Councilman Donald Payne Jr., Rep. Donald Payne and Yvonne Lowen Dorece Bishop, Assoc. Director, Parent & Community Services

1948,The Leaguers is the oldest African American non -profit in the state of New Jersey. The organization’s former home, The Leaguers Incorporated Community Center, at 731 Clinton Ave., serves as the after-school program for children ages 5-12, the Youth-In-Partnership program for youth ages 13-19, the I AM Intervention and Mentoring for youth, and houses the South Ward site for the Mayor’s Office on Aging. The agency is proud of the quality service they provide to children and families and of the many successful alumni such as Congressman Donald Payne, former Assemblyman William Payne, former Energy Secretary Hazel O’Leary, singer Dionne Warwick, State Senator Ronald Rice and many doctors, educators and other professionals.

EmploymEnt opportunity

Become a professional Foster parent

Jeanette, professional Foster parent

rodney, professional Foster parent

this is more than a job, it’s a calling.

200 Robin Road • Paramus, NJ - 07652

www.cafsnj.org

www.thepositivecommunity.com

Children’s Aid and Family Services has been helping children whose families are unable to care for them since 1899. Our professional foster parents, like Jeanette and rodney, are committed to helping vulnerable adolescents lead independent, fulfilling lives. In fact, their careers are being parents. they live with teenagers and provide a stable, nurturing home environment. If you are in a committed relationship, want to be a positive role model to vulnerable teenagers and provide them with a loving, stable, family home life, we’d like to hear from you. To learn more, call our recruitment specialist at (973) 762.5887. Our professional foster parents live in agencyowned homes, receive salaries and generous benefits. Support is provided every step of the way.

Winter 2009-10 The Positive Community

coverstory According to Ambassador Young, 77, they also shared the same guilt of “being privileged in a world where many were impoverished. It meant that we shied away from individuals and concentrated on breaking down those walls and barriers that kept us from being brothers. I remember that Martin would often tell me that he admired the Good Samaritan but he did not want to be one. He said: ‘I do not want to spend my life picking people up from the Jericho Road after they have been robbed and beaten. I want to change the Jericho Road so that they are not beaten and robbed.’” He went on to say that Dr. King was passionate about breaking down the dividing walls of hostility, legal walls between whites and blacks in the South. “Much of our effort was devoted to breaking down those walls that defined our own American system of apartheid. I think we were successful in doing that. It is the reason we know of Dr. King today. It is why he won the Noble Peace Prize. And sadly, it is probably why he was killed,” he added. A top aide to Dr. King during the Civil Rights Movement, Ambassador Young is today one of the strongest voices from that era. He subsequently served three terms in the United States Congress and in 1977 was named Ambassador to the United Nations by President Jimmy Carter. He also served two terms as Mayor of Atlanta and was co-chairman of the Centennial Olympic Games in 1996. As vice-president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference he embraced Dr. King’s vision for non-violent social change. However, he feels that Dr. King’s true message has been missed. “As a nation we have interpreted Dr. King’s message as one of race. But in fact, his real message was overcoming violence with love,” says Young. “He truly believed that we needed to learn to live together without hatred, fear and violence.” To the world, Dr. King is an iconic figure who dreamed what— in his time—seemed like the impossible dream. But to Ambassador Young, he was also a teacher from whom many lessons were learned. “The greatest [lesson] I’ve learned from him is never be content with things as they are. He taught us to dream and plan ways to make them what we think they should be in reality. In so doing, he set aside a broad mandate for the SCLC—to redeem the soul of America from the triple evils of racism, violence and poverty.” Those days on the protest lines were some tough ones for the freedom fighters of the day. According to Dr. Young, even as they sang “We Shall Overcome,” he believed it in his heart but did not see the promise being fulfilled in his lifetime. “I am convinced that as we were walking from Selma to Montgomery, if I had said to Martin that I would be Mayor of Atlanta one day, he would have told me, ‘Boy, you have been in the sun for too long. Go sit under a tree and cool off.’ He believed that our grandchildren would have gotten there, and I would have agreed with him,” Dr. Young continued. And yet, though he believes that the legal walls of racism have been broken through, he says that the full victory is yet to be won. www.thepositivecommunity.com

As chairman of GoodWorks International, a specialty consulting group based in Atlanta, GA, Ambassador Young continues to work to slay the triple headed dragon that still breathes fire in America and the world. “I believe that I have some years still left in me,” he mused. And in his continued fight to end violence and poverty he uses his grandmother’s words and the lyrics of a song to keep the fire burning. “My grandmother would say: ‘Be not anxious for tomorrow. Let today’s own trouble be sufficient unto the day.’ With this advice, I’ve learned to take one day at a time and not to look too far down the road. I use those words to remind me to enjoy the flowers, the sunlight and the friends and most of all to celebrate my spirit each and every day.” And on those dog days when the fires may not burn as brightly, he quietly hums the words of Rev. James Cleveland’s old standard: I don’t feel no ways tired/ We’ve come too far from where we started from/Nobody told us that the road would be easy/I don’t believe He brought us this far to leave us. Winter 2009–10 The Positive Community

At Last!

Photos and Story by Irene Fertik

State of Israel Honors Ethiopian Jewry

fter 30 years the State of Israel finally recognized Sig’d the Ethiopian Jewish community’s major festival at an official ceremony at the President’s residence in Jeruselem. "We are delighted to be part of this historic step," said Avi Masfin, deputy director of the Israel Association for Ethiopian Jews (IAEJ), one of the organizations instrumental in gaining recognition for the ancient Ethiopian Jewish holiday. "After 30 years of aliya (immigration to Israel), this official event is finally a sign of real recognition for the culture and tradition of Ethiopian Jews in Israel." Taking place 50 days after Yom Kippur, on Heshvan 29 (the second month of the Jewish calendar), Sig'd is traditionally marked by members of the Ethiopian community in a religious ceremony on Jerusalem's Haas Promenade. Spiritual leaders known as Kesim lead the people in a series of prayers in the Ethiopian Jewish language of Gez, calling for a Jewish return to Jerusalem, and individuals are urged to repent for any wrongs done in the past year. This year the holiday falls on November 16. Two years ago, during the festival the IAEJ called on the state to include Sig'd among the country's national holidays as a mark of recognition for the 110,000-strong immigrant community. In August 2008 it became a national law requiring the state to mark the festival in an official ceremony and giving people the option of observing the day by not working. The national education curriculm must also include lessons about Sig’d and its significance for Ethiopian Jews. "Sig'd is a good opportunity for us to become familiar with the practices and traditions of the Ethiopian Jewish community and learn about their history," commented a spokesman for President Shimon Peres. www.thepositivecommunity.com

Four prominent Ethiopian Jewish leaders meet with Israeli President Shimon Peres

Ethiopian Jewish Rabbis in the temple

Blowing of the traditional Jewish Shofar

"The Beta Israel (Ethiopian) community is a natural and inseparable part of Zionist history and of the culture and people of the State of Israel. We are very proud of the contributions they have made to Israel in sports, science, arts and security," he added. While recognizing the integration of Ethiopian Jewry into mainstream Israeli society, Masfin said it was still important to recognize that the Beta Israel had "its own rich history and tradition." As well as the opening event at the president's residence on Monday morning, there were workshops and cultural events throughout the entire month of November, including the annual religious and cultural gathering on Jerusalem's Haas Promenade on November 16.

Winter 2009-10 The Positive Community

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The Positive Community Winter 2009-10

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www.thepositivecommunity.com

SPECIAL SECTION

New Opportunities for Minority Businesses at MTA Michael Garner digs into his new role as the first Chief Diversity Officer By Glenn Townes

housands of minority and women owned business enterprises (M/WBEs) across the metro area expect to hear their cash registers ring loudly in the coming year as savvy business executive Michael Garner digs into his new role as the first Chief Diversity Officer for the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) in New York. Garner, a results-oriented advocate for minority business owners with a unique niche marketing strategy and unequivocal track record of success, was tapped by New York State officials to develop a comprehensive program that would enable area minority business owners to secure lucrative contracts with the MTA, one of the largest procurers of vendor

www.thepositivecommunity.com

goods and services in New York. Prior to joining the MTA in February, 2009, Garner was senior director of business development for the New York City School Construction Authority (SCA) with more than 15 years of service at the agency. Under his direction, the SCA Mentor Program actively recruited M/WBEs across the city for a program that guided them through the often arduous and cumbersome process of training, certification, funding and bonding—issues that seemed to plague M/WBEs more than others. The mentor program was so successful that it garnered national praise and various aspects of it are being emulated by other entities—larger and smaller—including the city of Chicago. Many expect that Garner will replicate the success of the SCA at the MTA. However, revamping the M/WBE supplier program at the MTA is a daunting task. For example, in terms of size, the MTA employs more than 71,000 employees, maintains seven various agencies; serves a dozen counties and is currently experiencing an operating budget shortfall estimated to be in the hundreds of millions of dollars. The SCA employs about 900 employees and has a budget of about $11 billion. Additionally, the MTA has done some major reorganization and shifting in its senior executive ranks. Most notably, former London Transit executive Jay Walder took over as CEO/Chairman in October and vowed to make “major and significant” changes at every level of the agency. continued on next page

Winter 2009–10 The Positive Community

MTA SPECIAL SECTION

Also, the MTA was criticized for making it extremely difficult for some small business owners to tap into its multimillion-dollar coffers. Some entrepreneurs contend that the agency requires them to submit extensive certification paperwork and complete complex and involved training in order to just become registered with the agency—with no guarantee of securing a contract. As a result, many M/WBEs are excluded from vending opportunities on multimilliondollar projects such as the mega Second Avenue subway, the Fulton Street Transit Center and various bridge and tunnel rehabilitative projects. To that end, the MTA is constantly under scrutiny by the media and grassroots organizations such as Straphangers.org. Garner, however, seems unfazed by the criticism or challenges and remains squarely focused on the task at hand— significantly increasing the number of minority vendors that do business with the MTA. “The MTA Mentor Program is modeled after the SCA program and is focused on small business development beginning with the creation of an MTA Construction Training and Information Technology Program,” Garner said in a recent interview with The Positive Community. “Legislation is pending that that will allow us to have contracts under $1 million for small businesses to bid on.” The New York Senate Bill 5987— Bond Waivers for Small Contractors—passed the State Assembly in June 2009. It was initially written and sponsored by Assemblyman Keith Wright and introduced in the Senate by Senator John Sampson. Under the plan, a small business mentoring program would be established at the MTA, which would partner the businesses with construction managers. Among other things, the agency would be allowed to waive bid, payment and

The Positive Community Winter 2009–10

Garner, a results-oriented advocate for minority business owners with a unique niche marketing strategy and unequivocal track record of success, was tapped by New York State officials to develop a comprehensive program that would enable area minority business owners to secure lucrative contracts with the MTA, one of the largest procurers of vendor goods and services in New York. performance bond requirements for small businesses (M/ WBEs) participating in the mentoring program. Gov. David Paterson has indicated that he would support the bill. Additionally, in November, Garner moderated a panel discussion in conjunction with McGraw-Hill and New York Construction magazine that introduced various other aspects of the new MTA program. “The MTA awarded more than $7.5 billion in total contracts last year—with about $242 million going to M/WBEs including white females,” he said. “That was without even trying. We will exceed that total this year after implementing some of the modules of our small business development program.” Another initiative Garner highlighted was a new state of the art web-based software system that will enable the MTA to effectively monitor and enforce the agency’s M/WBE goals. The system will accurately track how and where contracts are awarded. It is similar to a program introduced last year by New York State officials in Albany that allows potential vendors and others to review the breakdown of awarded state contracts. To that end, the issue of city contracts not being awarded fairly and consistently to M/WBEs has remained a contentious issue for New York City officials over the past several years, with critics—M/WBEs and politicians— alleging that city contracts are still not being awarded to minorityowned businesses. Last October, New York City Comptroller www.thepositivecommunity.com

MTA SPECIAL SECTION

<<. . . the issue of city contracts not being awarded fairly and consistently to M/WBEs has remained a contentious issue for New York City officials over the past several years, with critics—M/WBEs and politicians— alleging that city contracts are still not being awarded to minority-owned businesses.>> and former mayoral candidate William Thompson issued a lengthy press release besmirching the New York City agency —Small Business Services (SBS) for continuing to fall embarrassingly short in implementing policies and procedures regarding the awarding of city contracts to M/WBEs. Thompson noted that nearly half of the city agencies that are required to submit formal statistical data to his office failed to do so. When the numbers were finally crunched, the number of M/WBEs awarded prime contracts with the City stood at a paltry 14 percent of a projected goal of about $108 million. And two years prior to the most recent castigation of the agency, outgoing New York City Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum called the agency “ineffective when it comes to supporting women and minority owned businesses.” Both Thompson and Gotbaum contend that M/WBEs will find better opportunities for contracts with the state of New York. Michael Jones-Bey is the executive director of the Empire State Development Corporation Division of Minority and Women’s Development in Albany, NY. Among other things, www.thepositivecommunity.com

Jones-Bey oversees how contracts with the Empire State are awarded—with a focus on how M/WBEs are represented. Under Jones-Bey and Paul Williams, executive director of the Dormitory Authority of the State of New York (DASNY), New York significantly increased business with M/WBE providers from 4 to 22 percent in one year. Jones-Bey was instrumental in bringing Garner to the MTA and noted that he is a proponent of many of the M/WBE initiatives implemented by Gov. Paterson. “As the MTA’s new Chief Diversity Officer, Mike [Garner] will have a much larger stage to perform [his magic],” Jones-Bey said. “The global economic crisis has hit small, minority and women businesses here in New York particularly hard. Mike [Garner] joining the MTA is like an agent signing a marquee player.” Finally, Garner said there will continue to be plenty of opportunities for M/WBEs to reach into the deep pockets of the MTA throughout the next several years. “I know we will achieve great results at the largest and best transportation organization in the world—the MTA,” he said.

congratulates the

Metropolitan Transportation Authority and its Operating Companies on the launch of their

Small Business Development Program under the leadership of

Michael Garner, Chief Diversity Officer The LiRo Group is proud to participate in the New York City School Construction Authority’s Mentor Program, developed by Michael Garner. THE LIRO GROUP PROGRAM & CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT ENGINEERING ENVIRONMENTAL ARCHITECTURE 111 Broadway, Suite 501, New York, NY 10006 212.563.0280 www.LiRo.com

Winter 2009–10 The Positive Community

MTA SPECIAL SECTION

Bita, Inc. Ms. Modarres President

Woman-Owned Business We support Michael Garner as he continues to blaze a path for small businesses in New York.

l l a r o f s k n Tha energy! your

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Proudly Supporting “MOVING FORWARD AT THE MTA” Proudly Supporting Mentoring Businesses “MOVINGMWBE FORWARD AT THE MTA” Mentoring MWBE Businesses 150 West End Avenue, Suite 17B New 10023 150York, WestNew End York Avenue, Suite 17B New York, New York 10023 P (212) 316-9000 P (212) 316-9000 F (212) 380-6300

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The Positive Community Winter 2009-10

“Congratulations and much success to Michael Garner and his team on the launching of the MTA's new Small Business Development Program.”

Jamlech Construction Co. Inc. 194-18 117th Road St. Albans, NY 11412

718-525-2392 John Lewis, President

Building Tomorrow’s Vision Today! www.thepositivecommunity.com

MTA SPECIAL SECTION

2009 Partnership Awards NY/NJ Minority Supplier Development Council Photos: Tyrone Rasheed

The Council honored corporate members Turner Construction and PSEG with Partnership Awards (L-R) Joy Crichlow, Con Edison and The Council chairman emeritus; Daniel Sung Park, Eclaro and The Council MBEIC chair; Lynda Ireland, president & CEO, The Council; Hilton O. Smith, Turner Construction and The Council chairman; Susan Hogan, Public Service Enterprise Group (PSEG) and The Council vice-chair

Construction

Ashnu International, Inc

The Positive Community Winter 2009-10

L–R: Chairman’s Award winner Jonah Cooper, Jr., Worldwide Virtual Academy/Rutgers University with Stephen Jackson, RoaDDoggZ Productions

he New York & New Jersey Minority Supplier Development Council (The Council) honored outstanding business partnerships between minority entrepreneurs, Fortune 500 companies and government agencies at the Partnership Awards Gala on November 13 at the New York Marriott Marquis. The “National Corporation of the Year Award” was presented to Turner Construction Corporation. Bank of New York Mellon was honored with the “Regional Corporation of the Year Award.” Susan Hogan, manager, Supplier Diversity, Public Service Enterprise Group Inc (PSEG) received the “Coordinator of the Year Award.” The Council’s first “Agency of the Year Award” went to The Port Authority of New York & New Jersey. Jonah Cooper, Jr., president, Worldwide Virtual Academy Inc and director, Business Development, Rutgers University, earned the first “Chairman’s Award.” The “Supplier of the Year” awards went to Beverly White, founder and president, BKW Transformation Group and Ranjini Poddar, co-founder and president, Artech Information Systems – both New Jersey based women-owned companies. The New York & New Jersey Minority Supplier Development Council, the National Minority Supplier Development Council’s 2008 “Council of the Year,” has approximately 200 corporate members and 1,300 certified minority businesses. Its jurisdiction spans from Albany, New York to Trenton, New Jersey. www.thepositivecommunity.com

MTA SPECIAL SECTION

TDX Construction Corporation is proud to support the Metropolitan Transit Authorityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Small Business Development Program

TDX C

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MTA SPECIAL SECTION

Getting Your Piece of the $3 Billion “Stimulus-Filled” Transportation Pie Even in the recession, NY and NJ transportation projects will still yield over $3 Billion by 2012 By William S. Parrish Jr., LEED AP s contractors and construction professionals contemplate economic survival over the next several months, it becomes crucial to develop new business opportunities. Many of these opportunities will show up in traditional places, but still others will present themselves in places you have not looked before now. Did you know your firm may be eligible for opportunities in the transportation sector under the federal Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) program operated by the U.S. Department of Transportation? While emerging businesses have to find niche markets to compete, minority and women owned businesses (M/WBEs) would be well served to investigate potential contract opportunities with state transportation projects in New York and New Jersey that are funded in part with federal dollars and in most cases, funds from the American Recovery and Reinvest Act of 2009 (ARRA). Firms should also know that while state utilization goals can be as high as 15 percent for MBE’s and 7 percent for WBE’s, DBE participation requires a goal of 20percent on all DOT projects receiving federal dollars or ARRA funds. So as you plan for the recession understand that ARRA or the “Stimulus Package” will pump close to $3 billion of much needed cash into new and existing state transportation infrastructure projects in the NY metropolitan area that are expected to be completed by 2012. Firms who have transportation experience or can merge their services in partnership with other transportation sector businesses stand to gain both ground on their competitors, and perhaps cash—even during this historic recession. Outlined here is a brief strategy for tapping into the lucrative ARRA-funded transportation sector of the construction industry and insulating your business against recession loses.

tilizing DBE Certification as U a Bullet-Proof Recession Buster

Businesses with owners who can qualify as socially or economically disadvantaged and maintain at least 51 percent ownership and control of the business can be certified as Dis-

The Positive Community Winter 2009–10

advantaged Business Enterprises (DBE), leading to a potential new pool of projects. Surprisingly, the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) defines disadvantaged individuals as 51 percent owners with a personal net worth of less than $750,000, excluding any equity in their primary residence and/or ownership interest of their business. The DOT presumes certain groups are disadvantaged, including women, Black Americans, Hispanic Americans, Native Americans, Asian-Pacific Americans, Subcontinent Asian-Pacific Americans, or other minorities found to be disadvantaged by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA). Furthermore the DOT also enforces size limits for disadvantaged businesses allowing them certification as long as their average (3 year) gross revenues do not exceed $22,410,000.00. These could include a large percentage of all certified firms in the NY and NJ minority business community. If your firm has been searching for new ways to stem the tide of this economic downturn and can qualify based on the criteria set forth, I implore you to either immediately start the DBE certification process, or develop a targeted plan of action for maximizing the potential you currently have as an existing DBE-certified

<<While emerging businesses have to find niche markets to compete, minority and women owned businesses (M/WBEs) would be well served to investigate potential contract opportunities with state transportation projects in New York and New Jersey . . . >> www.thepositivecommunity.com

MTA SPECIAL SECTION

firm. Create a roadmap to drive your firm to new profits, while riding the wave of the ARRA funded infrastructure rebuilding efforts. Finding the Upside in the Downturn

Even in the midst of this recession, the nations’ largest public works project is underway across the Hudson River from New Jersey. The $8.7 Billion Trans Hudson Tunnel is scheduled for completion in 2017, and is expected to generate 6,000 construction-related jobs and 44,000 to 50,000 new permanent jobs. Over a third of this eight year project is funded by ARRA funds ($3 billion), allowing certified DBE firms entry to a 20 percent requirement pool of opportunities, which could provide a very nice cushion against this rocky economy. Add in New York State’s approved $1.17 billion in ARRA funds with another $1.02 Billion from New Jersey and we have a cash infusion for local projects that could defeat a downturn over the next two years. Furthermore if your firm is a certified DBE and still holds other certifications such as M/WBE, you may create new business opportunities and further specialization for your firm and employees while assisting larger firms in achieving compliance with their own or government agency diversity initiatives. Competing in the transportation sector of the construction industry carries barriers to entry which can be extremely high, requiring a great deal of specialization and equipment as well as technical capability. DBE firms that can quickly develop, transfer or add these core competencies to their offerings can become willing partners and a great complement to a larger partner that may have been competing exclusively in the transportation sector and could benefit from an emerging business perspective. Another caveat to this strategy is that emerging DBE’s can now lower barriers to entry and gain specialty experience, which can create new business models and revenue streams, further protecting those firms from any downturn in the economy. In a period of economic uncertainty, assess the situation and find the upside in the downturn. Multiply Your Efforts and Gain Momentum through Associations

In addition to value in partnering with larger firms to add a missing perspective or break down barriers to entry, emerging business owners should consider how partnering with firms their size or smaller can multiply their efforts and gain momentum, market share and influence on state DOT projects. Associating your firm with firms offering the same services and in some cases different services when pursuing a large transportation or ARRA funded contract can create competitive advantage for a group or consortium of busi-

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<<Furthermore if your firm is a certified DBE and still holds other certifications such as M/WBE, you may create new business opportunities and further specialization for your firm and employees while assisting larger firms in achieving compliance with their own or government agency diversity initiatives.>> nesses. In our firm we often use the term “Co-Opetition” which suggests that the folks you compete against today will, can and in some cases should be the firms you pool resources with and compete with tomorrow. If the largest global competitors in the architectural, engineering and construction world can join forces to target multi-billion dollar infrastructure design assignments, why shouldn’t emerging DBE’s build associations that allow them to collectively gain the same edge (Parsons joint-ventured with Tishman Construction Corporation and Arup has been awarded a contract by NJ Transit to provide engineering services on Phase 1 of the $7 billion Trans-Hudson Express Tunnel, the biggest transportation project in New Jersey in decades—to provide design oversight; make independent cost estimates to validate those made by the engineering team; develop a master project schedule for the engineering, permitting, and construction phases). Lastly, these associations can also add value for emerging firms seeking to procure legislative support to gain recognition of critical issues and needs affecting firms on federally funded infrastructure projects. For local firms, the next several years will prove to be very difficult on the surface, but the challenge will be to dig deep and unlock hidden potential in the massive infrastructure projects currently ongoing or planned for completion by 2012. At the very least there will be over $2 billion in projects started within the year, requiring a DBE workforce for construction and professional services firms of at least $400 million in contracts. If your firm has a plan to stave off extinction during this recession, it must include examinacontinued on page 11

Winter 2009–10 The Positive Community

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The Positive Community Winter 2009-10

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The Odds Are on Father Anselm

by g.r. mattox

eating the Odds: 8 Practical Principals to Material and Spiritual Abundance is a slim volume of a book—but it shines as brightly as a diamond. Based on the 25th chapter of the book of Matthew, it does a thoroughly wonderful job of breaking down the last three parables Christ taught on his way to Calvary: the stories of the wise and foolish virgins, the Talents and the coming of Christ and the Last Judgment — then relating them to everyday life in the cycle of preparedness, positive productivity and giving back. In his first book, which took about seven months to write, Monsignor Anselm Nwaorgu’s observations will leave you rethinking your actions and what you can do to make your life better. The book came about as a result of his teaching on the parable of the talents. “In my reflection, I found that that particular parable had a lot of relevance to how we manage life on earth and also reflected on the journeys of myself and many others I know who have been able to achieve their goals not because it was easy to get there, but because they were able to plan and beat the odds that came along the way,” he said. The pastor of Blessed Sacrament/St. Charles Borromeo Roman Catholic Church, Father Anselm as he is known in Newark’s Clinton Hill community, has led a life dedicated to the Catholic Church. He describes his calling as something that grew from “a childhood fantasy to an adolescent dream that matured into adult reality.” Coming from a large, strong and faithful family of the Ibo tribe in the western part of Nigeria, his extended family included a cousin/godfather who is a priest. Playing at celebrating mass with other children when he was just six, young Anselm served as an altar boy for several years and attended a junior seminary. When he was in high school, his mother asked him if he still had his heart set on becoming a priest. His answer was immediate and affirmative. Further study in Nigeria earned him a Bachelor’s degree in Philosophy, and Master’s degrees in Systematic Theology, Counselor Prep and Pastoral Ministry. He received a Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology from Seton Hall University in 1988. Pastor Nwaorgu was recruited by the Vocationist Fathers to come to America and be trained as a Diocesan priest and ordained, then go back to establish congrega-

Photo: g. r. mattox

Newark Priest Writes First Book While Revitalizing Parish

Monsignor Anselm Nwaorgu signs a copy of his book for East Orange resident Crystal Jones.

tions in Nigeria. Instead he made a home in Newark and worked as a staff psychologist at Eric J. Feldman Child/ Family Development Center, Mount Carmel Guild in Newark, and as an adjunct professor at Seton Hall and Jersey State universities. As a licensed counselor, he not only offers guidance to members of his parish, but to Ibo Catholic immigrants from Nigeria. Pastor of Blessed Sacrament/St. Charles Borromeo since 2001, he was instrumental in combining two separate caucuses of African Clergy and African Women Religious into the African Conference of Catholic Clergy & Religious in the United States (ACCCRUS) and served as the first president of the organization.

“

The Positive Community Winter 2009-10

He describes his calling as something that grew from ‘a childhood fantasy to an adolescent dream that matured

”

into adult reality.’

In June, 2009 Father Anslem received news that rendered him almost speechless. His Archbishop, the Most Reverend John J. Myers called him to tell him that Pope Benedict XIV had elevated him to the status of Monsignor. His formal investiture and installation, held at Newark’s Sacred Heart Cathedral September 13, made him the first African-born priest to become Monsignor in the U.S. Catholic Church. Dieudonné Ndouga, General Secretary of the National Association of African Catholics in the US (NAACUS) reflects the pride that all African Catholics feel because www.thepositivecommunity.com

of Father Anselm’s elevation. Describing him as a man of warmth, kindness, easiness and availability, Ndouga said that Father Anselm’s impact among African Americans and African-born Catholics in the U.S. is notable. “His dedication and attention to the religious and spiritual needs of those he comes in contact with daily make his pastoral approach very remarkable,” he said. “His homilies are to the point and usually captivating. We are keen on and hold Msgr. Anselm in high esteem and we have high hope for him.” At Blessed Sacrament/St. Charles Borromeo, Father Anselm has a personal satisfaction in the renewed hope and revitalization of the parish. Attendance is up, and a youth choir adds new spark to services on fourth Sundays. The church holds meetings every Friday to address the social, spiritual and biblical needs of parish youth as well as organize community service activities. The coming summer promises a massive youth jam combining the eight parishes in the Newark area. The church has turned from one that was dependent on the Archdiocese to one that has been self-sufficient for the past four years. “We are working to see that this parish need not be in fear of closing,” he said. He hopes to expand his ministry of the Word through prayer breakfasts open to the community, and to expand the hot meal program to twice a month. Father Anselm is intent on keeping the reason for this season relevant. In planning to do a lot of reflection, making resolutions to become more of what God wants him to become and just being thankful, as well as having revivals to preach in Connecticut, he compares Christmases he celebrated as a boy with the way they are celebrated here: “When I was growing up,” he remembered, “I was very happy because I would get a new suit of clothes, but most of the celebration was communal, and the community celebrated for the next eight days. It was a time of rejoicing and reconnecting and rebuilding, and it was a very precious time because it was when people, no matter where they were, or where they worked, they always came home. It was a time families came back together, the community reconciled and celebrated with one another. “When I came here I found that the celebration is there, but there is more commercialism. There is a bigger emphasis on buying gifts, and that communal celebration takes a back seat,” he continued. “And by the 26th you would not know there was Christmas. It speaks of how we relate to God and ourselves. The reason for Christmas is to remember who we are in relationship to God.” The New Year will also find Father Anselm working on a new book, perhaps based on Luke 19, which will be about making U-turns in life to get back to where we need to be when we meet obstacles in life. This, like his other work, is another step in a life of focus and vision and a desire to put people on the right and righteous path. www.thepositivecommunity.com

The Catholic Elementary Schools in the Archdiocese of Newark offer a positive, encouraging and safe environment where children can grow in body, mind and spirit. Our caring, qualified teachers provide a strong academic foundation – over 97% of Catholic school graduates advance to college. The Catholic Elementary Schools in the Archdiocese of Newark are deeply committed to helping students develop into productive, responsible adults and citizens with goals and direction in life. And although Catholic faith-based values are basic to our education, religious diversity is an integral part of our classrooms. Catholic Elementary School is the start of a smart investment in your child’s future. To help families mange tuition, we offer flexible payment programs. This value-based education is well worth the cost. Then again, so are your children. To learn more about the Catholic Elementary Schools in the Archdiocese of Newark, please call (973) 497-4258. Para mas informacíon sobre las Escuelas Católicas Elemtales de la Arquidiócesis de Newark, favor de llamar al (973) 497-4258. The Catholic Elementary Schools in the Archdiocese of Newark Opening hearts, minds and doors.

Serving Bergen, Essex, Hudson and Union Counties. Winter 2009-10 The Positive Community

50 Years of Service Cornwall College Old Boys Celebrate

Winston Jarrett

Gerry Chambers

Pat Chin

Dennis Hawthorne

he New York Chapter of the Cornwall College Old Boys’ Association (CCOBANY) chose Saturday, November 21, 2009, as the date to roll out the red carpet for over 300 ‘Old Boys’, their families and specially invited guests in celebration of the 50th Anniversary of the establishment of the chapter in the metro New York area. The reunion dinner dance and awards gala, which climaxed a year-long calendar of celebratory events, was held at Terrace On The Park in Corona Queens celebrating a half century of benevolence of the NY unit to the Cornwall College school community. Four who have given of their time and resources to the school in Montego Bay, Jamaica and the wider New York City community were recognized during the awards ceremony. Ms. Pat Chin, president of VP Records Distributors and Dennis Hawthorne, President/CEO of Dennis Shipping Company were honored for community service. CC alums, Winston Jarrett (NYC) received

the Man of the Year award and Gerry Chambers (JAM), president of the Montego Bay chapter received the distinguished service award. Cornwall College ‘Old Boy’ Kingsley Thomas, voted Gleaner Company Man of the Year delivered the keynote address. Trevor Tomlinson, in his second term as president of the organization is the fifteenth person to head the chapter since the late Vincent Kentish got things started in 1959.

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givingback The Collective Spirit of Planned Giving BY WILLIAM T. MERRIT President/CEO of the National Black United Fund

A series of on-going articles on philanthropy from the National Black United Fund uring the holiday season we are bombarded with images and messages intended to heighten our sense of giving. The media turns its influential attention to organizations, churches, politicians and celebrities in an abundant display of human generosity. The spirit of giving becomes—at least for a moment— our unifying theme and sense of purpose. But what if, instead of a seasonal impulse, destined to peak and then retreat—giving was sustained? What if, a plan that outlived the commercial stimulus of the modern day holiday season kept the tide high and helped all boats rise? Can you imagine this? A plan for us to take care of our people—ourselves. Can you imagine postal workers, teachers, city employees, investment bankers, entertainers, professional athletes, ministers, churches, mosques, celebrities, grocery store clerks—everyone. All hands on deck, contributing to a fund that could be responsibly invested and maintained by our own people. Imagine a fund so large that the interest alone would pay for a great education for every child, a home and someone to care for all in need; the space for every artist to create and the support that every black entrepreneur needs to compete. What if every person in our community lived with the assurance of knowing that if they needed help, their sisters and brothers could and would provide it. Bah humbug you say—black people just don’t have it like that. And even when we do, that’s not how we do things. We can’t plan that big, act that big, live that big or give that big. Well, a little jaunt back into the not so distant history reveals a different reality. When “Sistah Sara” believed that getting to the Promised Land required her personal

The Positive Community Winter 2009–10

sacrifice to help achieve a reward that she knew she was unlikely to see, she planned to give. What mattered to “Sistah Sara” and “Brother Joe” was something much greater than personal attainment or individual recognition. They embraced a sense of purpose that superseded their own personal motives and the limitations of the here and now. They had internalized the notion that the legendary theologian Howard Thurman so eloquently expressed in his visionary book, Disciplines of the Spirit: If, out of a [person’s] fundamental commitment to God, he [she] is led to work on behalf of a fulfillment so high that its full realization is not even in sight, then he [she] must interpret his[her] share as that of participating in a collective destiny as far removed from the present as the divine event itself. Instead of looking forward to a rounded fulfillment or achievement of his [her] goal, he[she] knows that his[her] role is but a part of a larger whole.

A thoughtful study of our shared history illuminates one fundamental truth. What brought us ALL through as a people was the knowledge that the sum of the whole is greater than that of the part. The wiser of us hold fast to the same audacious ideal as Lyndall, a “seeker after truth,” says in Olive Schreiner’s Dreams of the Hunter: Where I lie down worn out, other men [women] will stand, young and fresh. By the steps that I have cut they will climb; by the stairs that I have built, they will mount. They will never know the name of the man [woman] who made them. At the clumsy work they will laugh; when the stones roll they will curse me. But they will mount, and on my work; they will climb, and by my stair! They will find her, and through me!

All of us can do more to create the change that we know we need. Let this be the year that we collectively get serious and focused about who we are, what needs to be done, and how we’ll make it happen. Take another look at what you can do. It’s not too late to plan to give. continued on page 66 www.thepositivecommunity.com

JOHN M. PALMER Ph.D. ASK DOCTOR PALMER

John M. Palmer, Ph.D. is a licensed clinical psychologist with a practice in New York City and is presently the Executive Director of Harlem Hospital Center and the Renaissance Health Care Network .

Minding Your Mind Dear Dr. Palmer Over the years, I have come to understand that good mental health is as important as good physical health, in fact they go hand in hand. Any suggestions on how the average person can maintain good mental health?— Signed, A Beautiful Mind. Dear Beautiful Mind: Throughout history, wise thinkers have shared their teachings on how human beings should pay attention to their minds and their mental health. Socrates, Pythagoras, and The Oracle in the movie The Matrix have encouraged us to “Know Thyself.” The founder of Psychoanalysis, Dr. Sigmund Freud, told us that “Love and work are the cornerstones of our humanness.” Siddhattha Gotama, the spiritual teacher who founded Buddhism told us to “eliminate suffering.” The Holy Qur’an, Chapter 28, Book 32, Number 6311 teaches us that “A strong man is not the one who wrestles, but controls himself in a fit of rage.” Recently, I had the good fortune to hear one of the wise thinkers of today speak at a seminar. This wise thinker is Dr. Freeman H. Hrabowski, the President of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. He graduated from Hampton at age 19, he received his Ph.D. at age 24, and he is the co-author of books about raising academically successful African American males and females. A child leader in the civil rights movement, Dr. Hrabowski was prominently featured in Spike Lee’s documentary “Four Little Girls.” He is a consultant to the National Science Foundation

The Positive Community Winter 2009–10

and the National Institutes of Health and was named one of America’s Best Leaders by US News and World Report. Dr. Hrabowski teaches that: Thoughts Lead To Words Words Lead To Action Actions Build Habits Habits Form Character Character Is Your Destiny

Let us examine this for a moment. Thoughts are electrical impulses that activate brain centers to generate images. Words are the verbalization of thoughts interpreted into symbols specific to the ethnicity and culture of the speaker. Actions are coordinated behaviors to express beliefs and ideas within formalized socio-cultural structures. Habits are a series of activities or actions condensed into routinized patterns to achieve hoped for results. Character is the enduring habits that we have configured into a personality style that is superimposed on all life events to seeking successful outcomes in disparate situations. Destiny is the path in life on which we have been propelled. Words, thoughts, actions, habits, character, and destiny are all tools that we can use to mind our minds and maintain good mental health.

quiet time everyday to find out what is going through your mind. What do you want to think? Make a plan and find out how to create input. It’s called study. Actions: What actions make up your

habits? Break them down. What actions make up our good habits? Habits: Our habits include both good actions and bad actions. Think about those you have tried to develop and failed, as well as, those you have tried to extinguish and failed. Character: Who are you? Our character

is both our combined good and bad traits. Observe the difference between the opinions about our character of those who love us and those who don’t. Destiny: Where are you in your life? Knowing about the relationships between thoughts, words, action, character and destiny helps us analyze our lives and implement actions for change. The ability to adapt and change throughout the seasons of our lives is one of the most important tools that we can use to mind our minds and maintain good mental health. Disclaimer: The information contained in this column is of a

Words: Listen to your words. Listen to

general nature and cannot substitute for the advice of a med-

what comes out of your mouth. How does it sound? How does it affect people? What do you want to stop saying? What do you want to start saying? What do others want or not want to hear from you? Make a plan.

ical professional. Even if a statement made about health is accurate, it may not apply to you or your symptoms. This article should not be construed as an attempt to offer or render a medical opinion or otherwise engage in the practice of medicine. Readers are strongly advised to seek the advice of a qualified medical professional. Have a question for Dr. Palmer? Write to him c/o The Positive Community magazine,

Thoughts: Listen to your thoughts. Find a

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www.thepositivecommunity.com

The Day Harlem Hospital Center Saved the Civil Rights Movement By John M. Palmer, Ph.D. Executive Director, Harlem Hospital Center

Dr. Emil Naclerio stands beside a sedated Martin Luther King in Harlem Hospital

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Photos courtesy of Harlem Hospital

very day, thousands of people walk through the doors of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Pavilion at Harlem Hospital Center. Patients, staff, and visitors all walk past the elegant bronze plaque mounted in the lobby of the building. The building was named in honor of Dr. King several years after Harlem Hospital Center saved his life, and as a result, saved the Civil Rights Movement. The history of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., the Civil Rights Movement, and Harlem Hospital Center are bound together in a story of service, strength and survival. The story bears repeating. On September 20, 1958, while signing copies of his book Strive Toward Freedom in Blumstein’s Department Store on West 125th Street between Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. and Frederick Douglas Boulevards, Dr. King was stabbed in the chest with letter opener by Izola Curry, a black woman. He was rushed to Harlem Hospital Center. Where doctors indicated that he narrowly escaped death because the weapon had lodged in his chest near his aorta in such a way that he might have died if he so much as sneezed! In a letter written from the inpatient unit on the sixth floor of Harlem Hospital Center, Dr. King asked that the crazed woman not be jailed and instead be treated at a mental hospital. She was later diagnosed as criminally deranged. Dr. Aubrey de Lambert Maynard headed up the medical team who was credited with saving Dr. King’s life. Dr. Maynard was a surgeon who specialized on treating the heart, chest, and abdo-

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. with his wife, leaving Harlem Hospital after his near fatal trauma

men. At the time of Dr. King’s stabbing, Dr. Maynard was the Chief of Surgery at Harlem Hospital Center, but he had a long history with the hospital, having joined the staff as a surgeon in 1928. Dr. Maynard’s professional reputation was well known. His innovative work in establishing a division of thoracic surgery and improvement of surgical procedures at the hospital did much to enhance the Hospital’s reputation in the medical community. In an interview with the New York Times in 1996, Dr. Maynard remembered how significant he felt it was for Harlem Hospital that Dr. King had been treated there: “It was a momentous time for Harlem Hospital Center because it was a man of Dr. King’s position who was known all over the world for what Continued on page 66 Winter 2009-10 The Positive Community

KAHLIL CARMICHAEL THE FITNESS DOCTOR

Kahlil Carmichael is the owner of The Fitness Doctor, Inc., a Personal Training, Consulting and Wellness company. To contact Kahlil, call 732-921-3746 or visit his website at www.Thefitnessdoctor.com.

What Are You Waiting For? ear after year I watch as my neighbors put up their Christmas decorations the day after Thanksgiving. Although Christmas is most assuredly on my mind I can’t say that it occupies the sense of urgency needed to actually get me to go into my basement and maneuver fans, suitcases, and stored summer clothing to reach the decorations. In fact we have made it a tradition to put our tree up on Christmas Eve. As my youngest children observe the lights and mechanical deer going up around them, they begin a daily litany of, “Is it Christmas today?” They are waiting, but more than anything they are anticipating the joys of Christmas. That is what this season of Advent is about— anticipation. Advent means the “coming” or the “arrival.” More than 2,000 years ago the birth of Christ was long anticipated, because of the promise of hope that His birth represented. Advent also represents the anticipation of the second coming of Christ. This anticipation is a cornerstone of Christian faith. Let me ask you a personal question: Are you healthier now than you were in December 2008? Before you answer, you need to really look at things objectively. I understand that you may still be a little overweight— okay, maybe a lot overweight. I realize that your blood pressure is still elevated six months after the diagnosis, and I sympathize with you concerning your ongoing battle with diabetes. But to analyze your goals objectively, a proper perspective will help you remain focused. The conversion based upon scale weight was not dramatic, but you may have decreased your percentage of body fat. Your physician is challenged by the fact that your blood pressure still remains elevated. These are

The best way to ensure continued success for meeting your health and fitness goals are to set up systems that will keep you accountable. 60

The Positive Community Winter 2009–10

genuine concerns, but I believe with the proper perspective progress is imminent. You never walked on the treadmill prior to 2009. Now as we approach 2010, you have actually hired a personal trainer or joined a gym. Look at the progress. Diabetes concerns persist but you’ve recently changed your eating habits and can anticipate your best year, nutritionally speaking. You have reason to be hopeful. Instead of looking back at what you have not accomplished on your journey towards a healthier life, look ahead—anticipate what you can achieve through the grace of God and your consistent efforts to participate in your health and healing. Think about how you’ll look and feel. Anticipate that new dress or pants—sizes smaller than last year. As you are waiting to achieve your goals celebrate your success and continue to believe the promises of God. The best way to ensure continued success for meeting your health and fitness goals are to set up systems that will keep you accountable. A great system of accountability designed to help you maintain an effective and consistent exercise program, is the Fit Care Program offered through It is Well Living Ministries. This program allows individuals with hypertension, diabetes and other obesity related illnesses to receive personal training and fitness programs at very little cost. The ministry covers most of the cost. To find out if you are eligible for low cost personal training and fitness programs, please call 732-9213746 or visit www.livewellfaith.com. FIT COMMUNITY Fridays at 10:30 AM

Mondays at 7:00 AM

Long Branch Senior Center

Rosegate Bible Study

For more information on how to start a low cost exercise program please call (732) 381-2880 and ask for the Fit Care program. 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

P.O.D.

Continued from page 28 ostracized; they’re already in a difficult situation. You say you’re a child of love; you should be embracing them and trying to share that so-called ‘Jesus’ that you say you worship with these young people who are in the muck and the mire. “So many of our churches are doing so many things, so many things,” he continued, “but right outside that church door a child is dying. I know a group of preachers that would not come out the door of the church to help when two young men were shooting. I know a group of preachers that were approached and were begged to please come out. They would not come out, but they lined up to do the funeral services of a 13-yearold boy. They say that young people have to come into the church, well, the bible that I read says that Jesus went into the highways and byways and He attracted the people. Even groups of preachers rejected Martin Luther King when he had a prophetic word for the people, but now everybody wants to be associated with him.” Harlem is a safer community than it has been in the past, but gangs, drugs and crime still lurk and leap from dark shadows. Through it all, the P.O.D. makes his mission and message clear to every young person with whom he comes in contact: “I preach hope and I challenge the people to change. I want them to know that there is God.”

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The Positive Community Winter 2009-10

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he was doing. For him to be brought to Harlem Hospital for a dangerous thing like that, where his life was at stake, it was a challenge. Could Harlem Hospital show that it was up to this task? You see, it was a city hospital, and it was looked down upon. It was up to me to show the world that I could be done there.” The actual surgery on Dr. King was performed by Dr. John W.V. Cordice and Dr. Emil Naclerio, both attending physicians in the Department of Surgery. There are many things today that our youth take for granted. Being able to sit down in any restaurant and be served. Being able to purchase property and live in any community, being able to attend any high school, college or university. Before the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. brought national attention to these injustices, the civil rights we so take for granted were not available to African Americans. If Izola Curry’s plan had worked, there very well might not have been a civil rights movement. Were it not for Harlem Hospital Center, there may not have been a civil rights movement. There might not have been a March on Washington. On September 20, 1958, Harlem Hospital Center saved the civil rights movement.

Consider donating an insurance policy, personal property, establishing a charitable remainder trust, or setting up a fund at a black philanthropic organization. The National Black United Fund and other respected black philanthropic organizations can help you create a strategic giving plan that reflects your values and will benefit you, your family and the community all at the same time. As the holiday season comes to an end and a new year is ushered in, we in the black community should be reminded of who we are as a people and what our collective responsibilities are as black Americans. There are thousands of black people who are attempting to meet the needs of our communities through their organizations and programs. They need money to plan, grow and build for the prosperity of our future as a people and they should be able to turn to us, their family for help. This year, may the liberating expectations of Umoja, Kujichagulia, Ujima, Ujamaa, Nia, Kuumba and Imani – consume us all.

Continued from page 59

John M. Palmer, Ph.D. is a licensed clinical psychologist with a practice in New York City and is presently the Executive Director of Harlem Hospital Center and the Renaissance Health Care Network . He is a regualr contributing to The Positive Community with a bi-monthly column, “Ask Dr. Palmer.”

The Positive Community Winter 2009-10

continued from page 54

The National Black United Fund is a public philanthropic institution founded in 1972. Its mission is to create, support, and sustain social, economic, cultural and educational institutions through the enhancement of Black philanthropy at the local level. For more information about how you can give back to your community, call 973-643-5122 or visit www.nbuf.org.

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MWANDIKAJI K. MWANAFUNZI THE WAY AHEAD

Of Magi, Messiah and MLK After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him.” When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Christ was to be born. “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, for this is what the prophet has written: “But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will be the shepherd of my people Israel.” —Matthew 2:1-6 (New International Version)

hy were Herod and all of Jerusalem disturbed? First, let’s establish that “all of Jerusalem” did not mean every Jerusalem resident. It meant the Jerusalem power structure, which, at Jesus’ birth, included King Herod, his family, the Roman military overlords, the Jewish ruling council (Sanhedrin), and the three powerful Jewish parties from whom the ruling council was drawn: the Sadducees, Pharisees, and teachers of the law (“scribes” in some translations). Note further that Herod had not been born king of the Jews. Born an Idumite, he had been elected “king of the Jews” by the Roman Senate around 40 B.C. during a struggle for control of Judea involving Romans, Parthians, and Hasmoneans. After Herod re-conquered Judea for the Romans in 37 B.C., his power base was delicately balanced on Roman military might and cooperation with Jewish institutions and organizations. Thus, toward the end of Herod’s reign around the time of Christ’s birth, the complex, self-interested Jerusalem power structure viewed as a threat the mere mention that someone other than Herod’s sons was “born” king of the Jews. During the centuries leading up to and including Christ’s birth, the term “magi” (magus, singular) referred broadly to castes of learned men, astronomers, astrologers, interpreters of signs and dreams, magicians, and sorcerers who originated from areas east or north of Palestine. Various scholars associate the magi with Medea, Persia, Chaldea, and Arabia. Magi had political and religious influence in Persia and perhaps other states not controlled by Rome. Matthew does not specify how many magi came to Jerusalem. The Western tradition of three magi probably stems from the three gifts that they offered to the infant Messiah: gold, frankincense and myrrh. A Syrian tradition identifies 12 magi; there may have been more.

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Thus, it is even more understandable that Herod and his power partners were concerned when folks influential in states just beyond the Roman Empire’s borders arrived in Judea’s capital city seeking someone other than Herod as king. The magi have also been identified with Zoroastrianism, a religious system that embraces a supreme deity opposed by an evil cosmic entity. The magi who arrived in Jerusalem appear to have been “God-fearers,” a term historians apply to persons who, although from pagan cultures, recognized that the God worshipped in Jerusalem was God, and travelled to that city to worship Him. God-fearers were, in a sense, outsiders looking in. They were not genealogical descendents of Jacob/Israel. They sought God, not genealogy. Since the Messiah’s birth, crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension, the people of God are identified by faith (being “born again”) rather than genealogy (physical birth). “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God…”—1 Peter 2:9-10 (NIV) There came a man of God, more than 1,900 years after Christ’s ascension, who, though scholarly and wise, and disturbing to the power structure, was not a magus. Rather than being on the outside looking in, he gazed from inside “royal priesthood” out toward the world’s social injustice, poverty, racial oppression, and useless war. To mitigate such evils, he applied Christ’s teachings by leading non-violent direct action. He said of himself, “I just want to do God’s will.” He cited the prophets: “But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever flowing stream.”—Amos 5:24 (Revised Standard Version) Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill shall be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain, And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together…”—Isaiah 40:4-5 (Revised Standard Version) We happen to celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday during the month after which we commemorate the Messiah’s birth. Let us not deify MLK. But let us always acknowledge that the King born 2,000 years ago reigns forever, and the work of his kingdom is ongoing. Winter 2009–10 The Positive Community

GOOD NEWS FROM THE CHURCH AND COMMUNITY

www.thepositivecommunity.com Winter 2009–10 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 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 Codogan Toni Parker Helene Fox Photographers Bob Gore Wali A. Muhammad Seitu Oronde Rev. Dr. William L. Watkins, Jr. Darryl Hall Herb Glenn Vincent Bryant 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 © 2009 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.

The Positive Community Winter 2009–10

The Last Word JANUARY 1ST: THE FORGOTTEN DAY OF CELEBRATION BY R.L. WITTER etween November and January, four major holidays are celebrated by the majority of American people: Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s Day and Martin Luther King Day. In reality, we should be celebrating five occasions— especially American people of color. Much in the same way that the spirit of Christmas seems largely replaced by commercialism and consumerism, the celebration of January 1 has been largely reduced to a day of recovery from over-imbibing coupled with non-stop football. But what about that other day of celebration? I know we all rejoiced last January 20 for the inauguration of Barack Obama, the first African American U.S. president—but that’s not the occasion I have in mind. What about celebrating January 1 as not only the first day of a new year, but as the date that marks our freedom from slavery? The Emancipation Proclamation, which took effect on January 1, 1863 made it possible for the historic occurrence on January 20, 2009. Any question of the sacred nature of the date should be quelled by the words of Booker T. Washington, who was a nine-year-old Virginia boy at the time:

Some man who seemed to be a stranger (a United States officer, I presume) made a little speech and then read a rather long paper—the Emancipation Proclamation, I think. After the reading we were told that we were all free, and could go when and where we pleased. My mother, who was standing by my side, leaned over and kissed her children, while tears of joy ran down her cheeks. She explained to us what it all meant, that this was the day for which she had been so long praying, but fearing that she would never live to see.

The Emancipation Proclamation changed the lives of thousands of black people on January 1, 1863 and by July 1865, it had freed 4 million. Think about that for a moment—people who went to bed as slaves on December 31, 1862 awoke as free people the next morning. Granted, not everyone exercised their new-found free-

dom, but they had a legal right to do so. The freedom granted by the Emancipation Proclamation meant more than just a potential end to back-breaking labor and the sting of the whip on the already-broken back. It meant an end to families being separated at the whim of a master with the desire to sell a young boy just coming of age. It meant black women having more freedom over their own bodies and fewer children born of a master’s rape. While the Proclamation freed slaves, the Thirteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution outlawed slavery. That law benefitted not only Negroes, but Caucasians from Ireland, Scotland and Germany among other European immigrants who labored as indentured servants. President Abraham Lincoln risked his presidency as well as his life so that Negroes could live as free American people and have the right to vote. Our improved well-being and freedom may not have been the impetus for his actions, but they were, in fact, the result. Much as Lincoln labored for our legal freedom, Martin Luther King, Jr. labored for our actual freedom—the freedom to live and work where we like, shop and eat where we desire and be recognized as citizens, rather than second-class citizens. Sadly, just as Lincoln’s beliefs, actions and dedication precipitated his assassination, so did Dr. King’s. But for the Emancipation Proclamation, there would be no Booker T. Washington, orator, educator, author and political leader; no civil rights movement, no MLK Day, no Barack H. Obama, orator, educator, author and President of the United States. Unfortunately, Dr. King never saw his dream come to fruition and many of us are still waiting hopefully. This January 1, after reaching for the aspirin but before reaching for the remote, I will celebrate the New Year and my freedom. And I’ll pray that I live to see the dawning of the dream. www.thepositivecommunity.com

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