Winter 2013

GOOD NEWS FROM THE CHURCH AND COMMUNITY

Winter 2013

www.thepositivecommunity.com

$2.95

The GREAT EMANCIPATION Issue

Dr. Clement A. Price: On the Road to Freedom “Let Freedom Ring”

“We know our community.

We live here.”

Dr Philip Bonaparte, Chief Medical Officer, Horizon NJ Health “I feel the need to make a difference, not only in my life, but in the lives of others. I am involved in health issues facing predominantly the African-American and Latino community. I understand what it’s like to come from humble backgrounds.

Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield lives in New Jersey and we believe in access to quality healthcare for every resident.

To me......it’s as important as breathing air.”

Horizon NJ Health can help you and your family, too.

If you are uninsured, enroll in our NJ FamilyCare or NJ FamilyCare Advantage plans.

To see if you’re eligible, call 1-877-4-KIDS-NJ.

Horizon NJ Health Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. ® Registered marks of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. ®’ and SM Registered and service marks of Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey. © 2011 Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey. Three Penn Plaza East, Newark, New Jersey 07105.

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8" x 10.5" 4C

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12/21/12 10:27 AM

Januar y 2013

CONTENTS SECTIONS EDUCATION......................................18 CULTURE..........................................32 HEALTH............................................60

54

Features Lessons from the Prison ministry . . . . . . 16

COVER STORY THE CHRONOLOGY OF MLK’S LIFE

&also inside

Historical Inauguration Facts . . . . . . . . . . 21 Resurrecting a Church after Hurricane Sandy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

Publisher’s Desk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Emancipation: On the Road to Freedom . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

My View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Words from Watch Night . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

On Call. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62

I Hope You Dance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

Parenting 101 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64

Donald Payne Honored with Statue . . . . . 48

Fitness Doctor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66 The Way Ahead . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73 The Last Word . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74

Meet Brooklyn Assemblyman Walter Mosley . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58

B:8.25 in T:8 in S:7 in

FILLING THE INFORMATION GAP TO CLOSE THE INSURANCE GAP. THAT’S A CHALLENGE WE CAN MEET.

1

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Issue Date: Prod: bleed

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Live: 7 x 9.

The African American Financial Experience, indicated

Trim: 8 x 1

that while 3 in 4 feel strongly about maintaining a

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© 2012. Prudential, the Prudential logo, the Rock symbol and Bring Your Challenges are service marks of Prudential Financial, Inc. and its related entities. Life insurance issued by The Prudential Insurance Company of America, Newark, NJ, and its affiliates.

Feel like there is a greater purpose for your life, or that you have been called to ministry?

New York Theological Seminary offers many opportunities to examine and explore your call in a dynamic community of learning.

475 Riverside Drive, Suite 500 New York, New York 10115 E-mail: info@nyts.edu Web: www.nyts.edu

Our Programs: • The Certificate Program in Christian Ministry • The Certificate in Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) • The Master of Divinity Degree • The Master of Arts in Pastoral Care and Counseling • The Master of Arts in Religious Education • The Doctor of Ministry

RegistRation is open foR the spRing 2013 semesteR For additional information, or to set up an appointment to talk to someone, contact the Office of Recruitment - 212-870-1212

GREAT

T

R C OLL

MAKE THE DIFFERENCE!

ALL

TO PROGRESS

he clergy organizations, churches, community businesses and institutions listed below have committed to the purchase of at least 50 magazines per month at $1.00 each (one-third of the cover price) or support this publication through the purchase of advertising. Find out more by calling 973-233-9200 or email rollcall@thepositivecommunity.com

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

Evening Star B.C., Brooklyn, NY Rev. Washington Lundy, Pastor

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

Union Baptist Temple,, Bridgeton, NJ Rev. Albert L. Morgan, Pastor

Abundant Life Fellowship COGIC, Newark, NJ Supt. Edward Bohannon, Jr, Pastor

Fellowship Missionary B.C., Newark, NJ Rev. Kippie C. Brown, Pastor

Mt. Pisgah B.C., Brooklyn, NY Rev. Dr. Johnny Ray Youngblood, Pastor

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

First AME Zion Church, Brooklyn, NY Dr. Darran H. Mitchell, Pastor

Mount Olive Baptist Church, Hackensack, NJ Rev. Gregory J. Jackson, Pastor

White Rock B.C, Edison, NJ Jason D. Greer, Pastor

Antioch Baptist Church., Brooklyn, NY Rev. Robert M. Waterman, Pastor Archdiocese of New York Brother Tyrone Davis, Office of Black Ministry Berean B.C., Brooklyn, NY Rev. Arlee Griffin Jr., Pastor Bethany B.C., Brooklyn, NY Rev. Dr. David Hampton, Pastor Bethany B.C., Newark, NJ. Rev. Dr. M. William Howard, Pastor Beulah Bible Cathedral Church, Newark, NJ Gerald Lydell Dickson, Senior Pastor Black Ministers Council of NJ Rev. Reginald T. Jackson, Exec. Director Calvary Baptist Church, Garfield, NJ Rev. Calvin McKinney, Pastor Canaan B. C. of Christ, Harlem, NY Rev. Thomas D. Johnson, Pastor

First B.C. of Lincoln Gardens, Somerset NJ Rev. Dr. DeForest (Buster) Soaries, Pastor First Baptist B.C. of Teaneck, NJ Rev. Marilyn Monroe Harris, Pastor First Bethel Baptist Church, Newark, NJ H. Grady James III, Pastor First Park Baptist Church, Plainfield, NJ Rev. Rufus McClendon, Jr., Pastor Friendship Baptist Church, Harlem, NY Rev. James A. Kilgore, Pastor General Baptist Convention, NJ Rev. Dr. Guy Campbell, President Grace B. C., Mt. Vernon, NY Rev. Dr. Franklyn W. Richardson, Pastor Greater Abyssinian BC, Newark, NJ Rev. Allen Potts, Senior Pastor

Mount Zion B.C., S. Hackensack, NJ Rev. Dr. Robert L. Curry, Pastor Mt. Olivet B.C, Newark, NJ Rev. André W. Milteer, Pastor Mt. Zion AME Church, Trenton, NJ Rev. J. Stanley Justice, Pastor New Hope Baptist Church, Metuchen, NJ Rev. Dr. Ronald L. Owens, Pastor New Hope Baptist Church of Hackensack, Hackensack, NJ Rev. Dr. Frances Mannin-Fontaine, Pastor New Life Cathedral, Mt. Holly, NJ Rev. Eric Wallace, Pastor New Zion B.C., Elizabeth, NJ Rev. Kevin James White, Pastor Paradise B. C., Newark, NJ Rev. Jethro James, Pastor

Canaan B.C., Paterson, NJ Rev. Dr. Gadson L. Graham

Greater Faith Baptist Church, Philadelphia, PA Rev. Larry L. Marcus

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

Greater Friendship Baptist Church, Newark, NJ Rev. John Teabout, Pastor

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

Greater New Hope Missionary B.C., NYC Rev. Joan J. Brightharp, Pastor

St. Anthony Baptist Church, Brooklyn, NY Rev. Dr. Duane E. Cooper

Christian Cultural Center, Brooklyn, NY Rev. A.R. Barnard, Pastor

Greater Zion Hill B.C., Harlem, NY Rev. Dr. Frank J. Blackshear, Pastor

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

Harlem Congregations for Community Improvement (HCCI) Drek E. Broomes, President & CEO

St. John Baptist Church Camden, NJ Rev. Dr. Silas M. Townsend, Pastor

Community B.C., Englewood, NJ Rev. Dr. Lester Taylor, Pastor Community Church of God, Plainfield, NJ Rev. Dr. Shirley B. Cathie., Pastor Emeritus Concord B.C., Brooklyn, NY Rev. Dr. Gary V. Simpson, Pastor Convent Avenue Baptist Church, New York, NY Rev. Dr. Jesse T. Willams, Pastor

It Is Well Living Ministries, Clark, NJ Rev. Kahlil Carmichael, Pastor Jesus Christ Family Church, Brooklyn, NY Rev. Jason Sumner, Senior Pastor Mariners’ Temple B.C., New York, NY Rev. Dr. Henrietta Carter Messiah Baptist Church, East Orange, NJ Rev. Dana Owens, Pastor

Ebenezer B.C., Englewood, NJ Rev. Jovan Troy Davis, M.Div.

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

Emmanuel Baptist Church, Brooklyn NY Rev. Anthony Trufant, Pastor

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

Empire Missionary B.C., Convention NY Rev. Dr. Ronald Grant, President

Mt. Calvary United Methodist Church, Harlem, NY Rev. Tisha M. Jermin

Ruth Fellowship Ministries, Plainfield, NJ Rev. Tracy Brown, Pastor Shiloh B.C., Plainfield, NJ Rev. Dr. Gerald Lamont Thomas, Pastor

St. Luke Baptist Church of Harlem, New York, NY Rev. Dr. Johnnie McCann, Pastor St Luke B.C., Paterson, NJ Rev. Kenneth D.R. Clayton, Pastor St. Albans, NY COGIC Rev. Ben Monroe St. James AME Church, Newark, NJ Rev. Ronald L. Slaughter, Pastor St. Matthew AME Church, Orange, NJ Rev. Dr. Lanel D. Guyton, Pastor St. Paul Community B.C., Brooklyn, NY Rev. David K. Brawley, Pastor The New Hope B.C., Newark, NJ Rev. Joe Carter, Senior Pastor Thessalonia Worship Center, Bronx, NY Rev. Dr. Shellie Sampson, Pastor

World Gospel Music Assoc., Newark, NJ Dr. Albert Lewis, Founder Zion Hill B.C, Newark, NJ Rev. Douglass L. Williams, III, Pastor

Businesses & Organizations 125th St. BID African American Heritage Parade American Diabetes Association American Heart Association, Northern, NJ Brown Executive Realty LLC, Morristown, NJ City National Bank Essex County College, NJ Greater Harlem Chamber of Commerce Medgar Evers College Mildred Crump, Newark City Council NAACP New Jersey* NAACP, NY State Conference* New Brunswick Theological Seminary New Jersey Performing Arts Center New York Theological Seminary New York Urban League Newark School of Theology Razac Products Co., Newark, NJ Schomburg Center The College of New Rochelle United Way of Essex and West Hudson WBGO-88.3FM West Harlem Group Assistance, Inc. WKMB-1070AM

THANKS FOR YOUR SUPPORT!!!

“The Positive Community magazine does outstanding work in promoting the good works of the Black Church. All churches and businesses should subscribe to and advertise in The Positive Community. Please support this magazine, the only one that features good news about the black community.”—Rev. Buster Soaries, General Baptist Revival, May 20, 2010

The General Baptist Convention of New Jersey, Inc. Rev. Dr. Guy Campbell, Jr. Convention President Rev. Dr. Joseph E. Woods, General Secretary

The Congress of Christian Education an auxiliary of

The General Baptist Convention of New Jersey Presents

35th Annual Workers Conference

THEME: VISION TO VICTORY WORKING TOGETHER IN UNIT Y (Nehemiah 4:6)

February 1–2, 2013 Friday and Saturday

First Baptist Church of Lincoln Gardens 771 Somerset Street, Somerset, NJ 08873

Rev. Dr. DeForest B. Soaries, Jr., Senior Pastor

Choice of 16 Ministry Modules

Worship Experience on Friday Evening Dinner on Friday Breakfast & Lunch on Saturday Multiple Opportunities for Reflection and Fellowship

“We know our community.

Reverend Dr. James S.We Allen, livePastor here.”

Guest Preacher:

Vine Memorial Baptist Church Dr Philip Bonaparte, Chief Medical Officer, Horizon NJ Health Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

“I feel the need to make a difference, not only in my life, but in the lives of others. I am involved in health issues facing predominantly the African-American and Latino community. I understand what it’s like to come from humble backgrounds.

Minister Leatha G. Williams, Congress President Rev. Evans L. Spagner, State Director Rev. Horizon NJ Health can help you and your family, too. Dr. Guy Campbell, Jr. Ms. Linda Y. Martin, If you are uninsured,State enroll in ourDean NJ FamilyCare or NJ FamilyCare ADVANTAGE plans. GBCNJ President, Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield lives in New Jersey and we believe in access to quality healthcare for every resident.

To me......it’s as important as breathing air.”

To see if you’re eligible, call 1-877-7NJ-HEALTH (1-877-765-4325)

THEME: VISION TO VICTORYHorizon WORKING NJ Health TOGETHER IN UNITY (Nehemiah 4:6) Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. ® Registered marks of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. ®’ and SM Registered and service marks of Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey. © 2011 Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey. Three Penn Plaza East, Newark, New Jersey 07105.

United Missionary Baptist Association First Quarterly Session will convene

Tuesday, January 26, 2013 until Friday, February 1, 2013 held at the Rev. Lee A. Arrington Moderator

Macedonia Baptist United Missionary BaptistChurch Association

Rev. Lee A. Arrington

Rev. Dr. Carl L. Washington, Jr. Moderator 1st Vice Moderator

452-54 West Missionary 147thv Street, New York, NY 10031 United Baptist Association (212) 283-7973Session First Quarterly First Quarterly Session Rev. Dr. Isaac B. Graham, Host Pastor

Rev. Dr. Carl L. Washington, Jr. 1st Vice Moderator Rev. Dr. Anthony Lowe

2nd Vice Moderator Rev. Dr. Anthony Lowe nd

2 Vice Moderator Rev. Shepherd Lee Recording Secretary

Rev. Shepherd Lee Recording Secretary

Rev. Dr. Calvin Kenrick Assistant Rev.Recording Dr. CalvinSecretary Kenrick Assistant Recording Secretary

Rev. Keith A Bolden, Sr. Rev.Secretary Keith A Bolden, Sr. Financial

First Quarterly Session Theme: The Doctrine of the One True God Quarterly Session Theme: TheGod Doctrine of the One Trueand Godthe earth."

Text: First Genesis 1:1 "In the beginning created Heaven Text: "In the beginning created theall Heaven and the IsaiahGenesis 45:22 1:1 "Look unto me, andGod be ye saved, the winds of earth." the earth: Isaiah 45:22 "Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the winds of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else."

First Quarterly Session Theme: The Doctrine of the One True God for I am God, and there is none else."

Text: Genesis 1:1 "In the beginning

Tuesday, 26,the 2013 Friday, February 1, 2013 Tuesday, January January 26, 2013 - -Friday, 1, 2013 God created Heaven and the February earth."

Financial Secretary

Rev. Dr. Jesse Williams Rev. Dr. Jesse Williams Assistant Financial Secretary

Assistant Financial Secretary

Rev. Patricia A. Morris Rev. Patricia A. Morris Corresponding Secretary Corresponding Secretary Rev. Dr. P. Sean P. Gardner, Rev. Dr. Sean Gardner, Sr. Sr. Treasurer Treasurer

Isaiah 45:22 "Look unto me, andheld be ye saved, all the winds of the earth: held at at thethe for I am God, and there is none else."

Macedonia Church MacedoniaBaptist Baptist Church 452-54 147thv Street 452-54West West 147thv Street New York, NY 10031 New York, NY 10031 (212) 283-7973 (212) 283-7973 Rev. Dr. Isaac B. Graham, Host Pastor

Rev. Wayne A. Williams Rev. Wayne A. Williams Assistant Treasurer Assistant Treasurer Rev. Willie L. Hairston

Rev. Willie L.Staff Hairston Chief of Chief of Staff

Rev. Dr. Isaac B. Graham, Host Pastor

Rev. Dr. Renee F. Gardner Program Rev. Dr. ReneeChair F. Gardner

Parent Body Night - Tuesday, January 26, 2012 7PM

Program Chair

Parent Body Night - Tuesday, January 26, 2012 7PM Reverend Willie Hairston, Pastor 1st Preacher: Vice Moderator Moderator Preacher: Willie Hairston, Dr. Carl L. Washington , Jr. Rev. Lee A. Arrington PilgrimReverend Baptist Church, Nyack, NY Pastor Pilgrim Baptist Church, Nyack, NY

Parent Body Night - Tuesday, January 26, 2012 7pm Reverend Lee Arrington,Pastor Moderator Preacher: Reverend Willie Hairston, Reverend Dr. Carl L. Washington, Jr., 1st Vice Moderator Reverend Lee Arrington, Moderator Pilgrim Baptist Church, Nyack, NY

Reverend Anthony Lowe, 2ndJr., Vice Reverend Dr. Dr. Carl L. Washington, 1stModerator Vice Moderator For further information and full session schedule Reverend Dr. Anthony Lowe, 2nd Vice Moderator

please visit our website www.umbachurches.org.

UMBA HEADQUARTERS: Paradise Baptist Church 23 Fort Washington Avenue New York, New York 10032 Office (212) 781-3311 Fax (212) 787-7125

UMBA HEADQUARTERS: Paradise Baptist Church 23 Fort Washington Avenue New York, New York 10032 (212)New 781-3311 Fax (212) 787-7125 se Baptist Church 23 Fort Washington Avenue Office New York, York 10032

Office (212) 781-3311

Fax (212) 787-7125

ADRIAN COUNCIL FROM THE PUBLISHER’S DESK

“Stand, in the end you’ll still be you One that’s done all the things you set out to do Stand, there’s a cross for you to bear Things to go through if you're going anywhere . . .”

—Stand, Sylvester Stewart aka “Sly Stone” of Sly and the Family Stone

Let Freedom Ring: Raising Up a New Cultural Standard elcome to the Grand Jubilee Year of Emancipation— 2013. These are exciting times, enchanting times, indeed the best of times! We are the very generation to witness the convergence of three historic events within a single month: the 150th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation, the 30th anniversary of the Martin Luther King Holiday, and the Inauguration of America’s first black president to a second term in office.

We are the people to whom the culmination of Almighty God’s love, divine guidance and bountiful blessings are revealed—from slavery to present!

W

A new organization, with a mandate to preserve, protect and promote our very best traditions and values, should rise up to compliment and augment our existing institutions.

On the day of our gala, we seek to launch the National Association of African American Descendents of the Emancipation Proclamation—1863 (NAADEP) or the African American Culture Commission. It should be convened at the highest level in order to arrest ominous decline in American culture and values. Included in its membership would be every single forward-thinking, man, woman and child of God! Together, we will raise-up a new cultural standard!

Dawn of a New Age Yes, we have reason to rejoice in this sacred time, for it can truly be said, “We Have Come this Far by Faith”. A milestone achievement of this magnitude in our American journey is worthy of celebration; complimented by a grand commemorative event! In November, the Grand Jubilee Committee of NJ will produce a great event—in cultural terms, a mighty “Function at the Junction”—a 2013—Jubilee Gala in Newark, NJ. The very best and brightest in our community, our state and the entire New York/New Jersey metropolitan area should be involved. Cultural literacy remains our focus.

We must raise funds to promote ongoing literacy initiatives in the church, our institutions and in the home. The progress of our children and the integrity of African American culture mean everything! We must, with great enthusiasm, boldly proclaim the Dawn of a New Age! In today’s negative, media dominated, cultural environment, we will resolve to come together to promote the positive: cultural literacy, music literacy, theater, media presentation, research, financial literacy, health initiatives, education and achievement; vocational training, ideals of marriage and family life; etiquette, business development, job training, etc. And yes, we’re introducing Emancipation Sundays programs (every third Sunday) throughout the year!

Good Business Most important, we must raise funds among ourselves to support our own programs and initiatives. Of course, we invite corporate sponsorship and government grants for plans of this scale. Good corporate citizenship values warrant support of this noble and worthwhile cause. But there is nothing more impressive than a demonstration of a community-building ideal through teamwork. If we can do this, I personally assure you that no fair minded corporation that does business with black consumers in the marketplace will turn away from such an opportunity—its good business—a positive step forward!

Our people must be prepared to invest their own money into a low-cost high quality product that delivers a return of lasting value. The Grand Jubilee Committee’s 2013 commemorative calendar, We’ve Come this Far by Faith will be ready for distribution over the MLK holiday weekend. We’re taking orders now. Our goal is to raise not less than $100,000 in calendar sales as a primary fundraiser. The calendar will cost only $19.99. The objective is to sell 10,000 calendars before February 28th. How do we get there?

We’re already there! Reports are still coming in; churches that participated in the Watch Night Initiative (see www.thepositivecommunity.com Nov. issue page 10) in New York and New Jersey have already exceeded 1800. Hundreds

10 The Positive Community

Winter 2013

www.thepositivecommunity.com

of churches have included the reading of the cultural narrative by a young person into their service. The Positive Community’s 18 month Countdown to Freedom, campaign (inside back cover) coupled with the untiring, selfless efforts of our committee members, produced the desired effect. Just like the Watch Night Initiative was a life-affirming exercise in spiritual and cultural unity, our calendar fundraising drive is an exercise of believing in ourselves and mutual trust - selfacceptance, self-reliance and self-respect. Let’s put the ideals of the economics of culture to work for us!

Say Yes to the Future!

As we move forward into a year of promise and hope, along with the must-have commemorative calendars, we will continue to make Countdown to Freedom posters available to churches, schools and households. Frame it, hang it on the wall of your home, office or classroom. Special thanks to our community partners for their contribution toward the printing and distribution of the posters: MMBB Financial

Services, New Jersey Education Association (NJEA), Horizon NJ Health, American Heart Association, American Diabetes Association, United Health Care, United Federation of Teachers (UFT) and African Americans for Health Awareness (AAHA).

Most of all, our heartfelt thanks to the many, many churches, organizations and clergy leaders that have said, “Yes” to the future!

Know the Cultural Narrative for yourself and then teach it to a child. See to it that a young person reads it aloud at family gatherings, in the classrooms or before the assembled congregation. Cultural literacy—who we are; and whose we are—will stimulate a sincere quest for knowledge and wisdom along with true thirst and hunger for righteousness. So in spirit and in truth, let the words of 20th century prophet, Rev Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. echo far beyond our years; generations upon generations into the future! Today, we herald the dawn of a new age: “Let Freedom Ring” . . . Save the children! Save the country . . . ”Let freedom Ring!”

Photo: Min. Sharon Brooks

"What struck me most at our Watch Night Service was the reading of the Cultural Narrative by young brother, Marcus Hopper.

This 8-year-old’s enthusiasm for history and culture resonated throughout the sanctuary and blessed the congregation.”

Bro. Richard Stanard is president of the Laymen’s Movement General Baptist Convention of NJ. Stanard is also a Deacon at Community BC, Englewood where Rev. Dr. Lester Taylor is senior pastor.

www.thepositivecommunity.com

Winter 2013 The Positive Community

11

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.

Jesus: My Refuge in Any Storm ince Hurricane Sandy stormed into our area, no pun intended, the only thing I want is a continued warm relationship with my family and friends.

This environmental calamity certainly reminded us, or at least it should have, that we are vulnerable at best and without emergency provisions when such trouble comes.

To those who are yet finding their way back home, so to speak, because of the personal devastation that affected them, I offer profound empathy and sincere, constant prayers that God Himself will demonstrate to them that He has neither forgotten nor neglected them.

Yeah. Easy for me to say, right? A few inconvenient nights of power outages and a loss of cable television cannot be compared to the loss of loved ones, properties and priceless memorabilia. Unlike some clerics, I have no answer regarding why something happens to some and nothing happens to others. Greater minds perhaps can forge such analyses. I just know that somewhere in everybody’s life, there’s been devastation—be it emotional or having something to do with the psyche.

No one gets a pass in this life. Therefore, I can only offer you the Christ—the one who can and has made life bearable, tolerable, doable, after a storm of any magnitude. He has been at the ready to heal my broken heart, dry my briny tears and lift my wearied soul. And as the late Dorothy Love Coates said, “And, that’s enough!” Where do unbelieving people go? What do people do who have no God to whom they can turn? How do they withstand the awful, dreadful events that life can often bring?

That’s not a rhetorical question, but a query I’d like answered. Christmas has lost some of its glow since I lost both parents—those two wonderful people, Wilton and Marie Lewis, who made my Christmases bright just because they were beacons of light in the way they lived before me and the community-at-large.

Back in the 1950s, my mother, who in my judgment was way ahead of her time, found a black baby doll for me. She was as chocolate as a Milk Dud, donned in a pink dress and pink bonnet. What Mother must have gone through to find such a treasure in a world where blond-haired, blue-eyed dolls were the preferred choice

S

12 The Positive Community

Winter 2013

among black and white kids alike. Perhaps this warm reflection does not heal the pain of what happened to many affected by Sandy, but if you still have your family intact, believe me, it’s more than any material item you can grab.

What always makes me smile during the advent season is knowing the legacies both parents left for me and that they continue in my own offspring. After all, a long-lasting legacy is about all you can hope for in a world that appears to be coming apart at the seams.

I trust that those reading this column will find hope in the blessed hope—Christ in us, the hope of glory. I advise all to savor every moment you have with those you love. It’s optional, but should be mandatory.

And, I hope yet again, that the coming year will bring greater joy, deeper peace and a profound sense of knowing that this Christ, about whom we speak and praise, is still the King. www.thepositivecommunity.com

To commemorate the 150th Anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation, The Positive Community Magazine and The Grand Jubilee Committee present . . .

WE’VE COME THIS FAR BY FAITH

2013 COMMEMORATIVE CALENDAR

An instant classic! This beautiful 12-month calendar is filled with captivating images of African-American spirituality and culture.

Only $19.99!

Order your copy of this commemorative keepsake calendar, for church, home school, business, or organization. Makes a great gift for a friend or loved one. “We’ve Come This Far by Faith.”

Order Online, Today: www.thepositivecommunity.com

In Swaziland: Following the groundbreaking for the Mt. Calvary Baptist Church, we were surrounded by cows grazing in the field, so we prayed and told them to move over and make way for this new church.

L–R: Rev. Jason L. Turner; Minister La’Rae Shabaka; Missionary Ella Williams; Rev. Myburg Nhlengethwa, pastor, Mt. Calvary Baptist Church, Swaziland; Dr. Joe A. Bush; Rev. Mackford Chipoliko; Rev. Ronald Grant; Dr. William B.Sutton, III, pastor, First Baptist Church of Stratford, Stratford, CT., chairman of the Board of Send I You; and Rev. Lee A. Arrington.

Culture

Walker Memorial & SO SEND I YOU in Africa

In Malawi: At the Providence Industrial Mission in Blantyre, Dr. Bush presents pain relief medicines collected by New York churches.

L–R: In South Africa visiting Mandela House: Moderator Arrington with Rev. Ernest Pudule, associate pastor, W.W. Brown Memorial Baptist Church, Kliptown, South Africa. Center of photo….

Mrs. Mary Bush and Dr. Joe A. Bush along with Rev. Jason Turner.

Sunday Morning Service at the New Jerusalem B.C. in Blantyre, Malawi L-R: Deacon from the New Jerusalem Baptist Church in Blantyre, Malawi; Rev. Jason L. Turner, pastor, New Community B.C., New Haven, CT; (seated) Rev. Ronald Grant, president, Empire Baptist Missionary Convention; New Jerusalem Pastor, Rev. Mackford Chipoliko; Dr. Joe A. Bush, Rev. Lee A. Arrington and an interpreter

I

n November of 2012, Dr. J. Albert Bush, Sr., Pastor of the Walker Memorial Baptist Church, in the Bronx NY, the officers and members of Walker Memorial, Dr. Ronald Grant, president of the Empire Baptist Convention of New York and Dr. Lee A. Arrington, moderator of the United Missionary Baptist Association of New York and vicinity journeyed to the Motherland under the auspices of SO SEND I YOU, a new global mission initiative founded by Rev. Bush.

The twelve day journey took the group, 25 in all, to three African countries: Malawi, Swaziland, and the Republic of South Africa.

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The Positive Community Winter 2013

In addition to exposing both clergy and laity to the mission field in the hopes that others will become more active in missional work and activity, both and home and abroad, there were specific goals to accomplish during the trip.

During the visit to Malawi the delegation delivered a washing machine, refrigerator and much needed medicines on behalf of the Women's Auxiliary of the United Association. At the Providence Industrial Mission in Blantyre, Malawi, Dr. Bush delivered Advil and Aleve collected from New York churches. The collection of pain Continued on page 71 www.thepositivecommunity.com

ALL ARE INVITED to….. A celebration of Catholic Faith & Black Culture and The National Day of Prayer for The African American & African Family.

Sunday, February 3rd, 2013 @2:00 PM

St. Patrick’s Cathedral

Prelude at 1:40 by the Charles Barbour/ Dolores Jefferson Combined Choir

5th Avenue & 51st Street New York, NY 10022

ANNUAL ARCHDIOCESAN BLACK HISTORY MONTH MASS GUEST HOMILIST:

REV. GEORGE W. QUICKLEY, S.J.

Pastor, St. Patrick Church, Oakland, CA Former Provincial, North-West Africa Province of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) For further information contact: Office of Black Ministry ~ Archdiocese of NY 646-794-2681; obm@archny.org.

Note: Photo above, with Bishop Sansaricq, from 2012 Mass

Prison Ministry In Reverse: Lessons From the Inside

By Linda Falter Linda is member of the Prison Outreach ministry of Summerbrook Community Church in Summerville, SC

R

ecently, while I was happily wasting time on Facebook, I was suddenly jolted into re-engaging my brain by a thoughtprovoking post. A friend had invited me to copy and post something rather shocking. It went roughly like this: “We should send the elderly to prison. They would enjoy daily showers, spacious rooms and free cable on large screen TVs.” This glimpse into public perception was eye opening. From my experience in prison ministry, I have quite the opposite impression: that sending Grandma into the dark and dangerous world of maximum security would be only slightly more humane than throwing her under the proverbial bus. The inmates we visit have often looked at me, a small woman well past the middle of a very sheltered life, and said, “Can I ask you a question? Why do you come here?” I usually answer that the ministry of Christ was for all, regardless of circumstance and as Christians we are called to be like Him. But someday I will have the courage to say what I am also thinking: “Can I ask YOU a question? How do you survive here?”

Actually, I know a little about prison survival from what the inmates have told me. You carefully build alliances with the powerful or build

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The Positive Community Winter 2013

your own fear-inspiring reputation.

Protection can be bought for a price and, if necessary, there are hit-men for hire. Stacks of magazines taped to your body under a loose jacket prevent death by stabbing, mostly. Some simply choose to stay in their cells and out of harm's way as much as possible. If a prisoner finds himself the victim of repeated, unprovoked beatings from a hostile inmate, he can request a transfer, and his chances are greatly increased by a few favors. So by money, power, luck, or brains, you might hang on to your life. But holding onto your faith is another matter.

Amazingly, we have brothers in prison who don't play the game and still manage to stay alive and be a witness for Christ. For them, survival means a lot of turning the other cheek, praying for your enemies and daily struggles against all kinds of temptation. They are overwhelmingly outnumbered. Our little group comprises about a hundred men out of 1,500 inmates. These few have gone through a stringent approval process in order to attend Bible study and the privilege can be revoked at any time. We meet in a small, white building just off the yard, behind towering razor wire and a locked gate, and we worship God together.

I hear their grateful voices lifted in

song and realize that I have much to learn from my brothers behind bars about finding joy in the midst of great difficulty. I'd like to share with you just a few of those lessons.

Lesson One: “Trust is not a four letter word.” When things are really bad, you basically have two choices: to curse or to trust. One evening, the inmates at our table began to joke about the conditions they face, in particular a certain time a while back when dinner was some sort of “mystery meat”–so tough that it seemed to come to life and wrestle with you if you tried to cut it. In the middle of their laughter, one of the men turned to me and explained. “Don't get me wrong, Miss Linda, I don't mean to complain. You see, I'm not exactly happy here, but I'm content.

The way I was going, God needed to get my attention. If I wasn't here, I'd be dead.” Outside our meeting hall there were men filled with bitterness and violent anger. State budget cuts have made a bad situation even worse, with personnel and program cut-backs, food shortages and broken down facilities. Yet this man has learned to see the good that God is doing in his life, even here, and is determined to overcome.

Continued on next page www.thepositivecommunity.com

PRISON MINISTRY

Continued from previous page

“ In the hardest times, you will find your truest friends ” Lesson Two: In the hardest times, you will find your truest friends. Or as one young man put it, “In this place, if we ain't got each other, we ain't got nothin'.” Like churches everywhere, the church behind bars has its share of pretenders and backsliders. But the brothers who are sincere will lay down their lives for you, encourage, admonish, and pray for you. And this isn't limited to believers alone; their care and service reaches out even to the hardest heart. One of the men at our table had been the terror of the prison yard for a number of years. Nobody dared to cross him, ever. Then he fell gravely ill and it looked like this killer would himself die.

He lay groaning on his bed, tormented with intense itching and the pain of open sores. In his testimony, he tells it this way: “My roommate sat behind me and scratched my back over and over again just to give me some relief. I would try to shave and give up because I was too weak to lift my arm. He shaved my face for me.” This roommate, a Christian, encouraged him to go to a fellowship meeting and within a day after receiving prayer, doctors discovered a successful treatment. He recovered and gave his life to Christ. Now, if anyone crosses him, he has a different tactic. “I kill them with kindness,” he says with a grin.

Lesson Three: Sometimes you have to fall hard to really understand grace. At a recent study, our leader posed a classic question: “Suppose you died tonight and appeared before God. If He were to ask you why He should let you into heaven, what would you say?” The silence that followed surprised me. I was sure most of them had trusted in the shed blood of Christ to atone for their sins. We had a man in the group who had just passed a Bible course with perfect scores on every test. I waited for him to speak the truth with confidence. Instead, he gazed off and shook his head. He was wrestling with the real truth, the one that's uncomfortable and that most of us refuse to see. He answered quietly and simply, “What can I say, Lord? You know everything about me.” Unworthiness. Humility.

The wonder of complete forgiveness. That vulnerable and honest moment was worth a thousand sermons. I understood, with him, that every www.thepositivecommunity.com

time I go before God I bring nothing, absolutely nothing, but the wonderful gift of grace.

The heavy metal door shuts behind us as we walk with our fellow volunteers out to our cars. It is 9:30 pm, dark and quiet. Off to the right, we see movement, and a flash of red--a unit of guards in blazing riot gear marches in formation toward the prison gate.

They look fearsome and even though I'll soon be safely driving away, the sound of their heavy boots and shouts fills me with dread.

“It's probably a 'sweep' – for contraband,” one of our number nods in their direction, knowingly. He has done time on the inside, and recalls for us the sudden rush of guards into the prison dorm, and everyone being ordered down on their faces for what seemed like hours. Our friend made a decision long ago to confront the ghosts of his painful past in order to bring a powerful testimony to those still on the inside. He has a faith with all the pretenses stripped away, raw as the cross, real and compelling. He has a Savior who faced the death penalty to purchase him back from the devil.

He has a joyful countenance, and of all the volunteers, he has the biggest crowd around his table every Tuesday night.

Winter 2013 The Positive Community

17

Education T e a c h i n g , L e a r n i n g , M a k i n g a D i ff e r e n c e

Entrepreneur Lowell Hawthorne Honored in Jamaica, W.I.

Lowell Hawthorne & Family Awarded Scholarships at the Oberlin High School: At back: Omar Hawthorne, Jacqueline Hawthorne-Robinson, Monique Hawthorne, Junior Robinson, Lloyd Hawthorne, Lorna Hawthorne & Lowell Hawthorne: At front Oberlin High Top Performers: Keneice Smellie, Jodian Harris, Alex McWilliams, Jodian Henry, Yohan Williams, Nadria Barton, Sashae Fender & Kemar Harris.

The Baker’s Son Author Receives Honorary Degree from UWI

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owell Hawthorne, president & CEO of Golden Krust Caribbean Bakery & Grill made a triumphant visit to his homeland, Jamaica, West Indies during the month of November, 2012, where he was awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws degree by the University of the West Indies, launched his memoir, The Baker’s Son, and presented scholarships to top students at his high school alma mater, Oberlin.

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The Positive Community Winter 2013

Hawthorne presides over the franchise restaurant chain which boasts 120 locations in nine states offering authentic Caribbean cuisine. The company’s iconic patties are served in institutions such as the New York City penal and school systems and sold in over 7,000 supermarkets and club chains across the U.S. He received the prestigious Doctor of Laws degree in

recognition of his exceptional representation of Jamaican culture in the United States, which he has in turn used to benefit hundreds of students through scholarships.

During his stay, autographed copies of his memoir were as hot an item as his beef patties. The Baker’s Son, which chronicles his journey as a young immigrant from Jamaica to overwhelming business success in United States, has achieved notable acclaim. The Philadelphia Tribune called it “as much a business memoir as it is a spiritual memoir, the book records a profound journey.” The Library Journal wrote that it is “compelling on many levels: it offers a peek into life in Jamaica, a classic immigrant narrative, as a testament to the strength of family. Hawthorne is a Horatio Alger tale with a Caribbean flavor, which should find an appreciative audience among entrepreneurs and business aficionados.”

His visit to Oberlin High School was a special event for the students and especially dear to his heart.

Continuing the family’s annual tradition, top academic performers were given monetary awards in an effort to motivate the students at the rural school to dream big and aspire to greatness. Hawthorne challenged the students to make the best use of their educational experience. Fourteen students were presented with awards in the amount of J$50,000 to the top achievers and J$22,000 to students with the highest grade average at each grade level. www.thepositivecommunity.com

Learn More to Earn More!!!

CERTIFICATE PROGRAMS               

HOLISTIC WELLNESS

Bookkeeping and Accounting CASAC Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) CPR - Adult and Child Electrocardiography (EKG) Food Service Management Medical Administrative Assistant Medical Billing and Coding Specialist Paralegal Studies Personal Trainer Pharmacy Technician

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Dentistry (Save Your Teeth!)

Thermography for Healthy NY We are Starving Ourselves Fat! Yoga and You

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT    

SHRM Hip-Hop DJ Instruction Visual Storytelling Emotional I.Q.

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT

Phlebotomy Technician Referee Certification Security Guard Teacher’s Assistant

  

Improve Your Memory Instant Speed Reading Zumba Fitness

TEST PREPARATION 

TOEFL Intensive Prep



GED Preparation 



Notary Public



SAT Prep

NCLEX Prep

CELEBRITY CORNER

Lonette McKee

Khalil Kain

Dr. Jeff Gardere

“Scene Study & Monologues”

“Auditioning Techniques I & II”

“Emotional I.Q.”

Grandmaster Abdul Musawwir – Tai Chi for Health and Self Defense Jason Wallace – Food Service Management Lloyd Strayhorn – Numerology Tony Rogers – Tao of Health, Sex & Longevity

Convent Avenue at 140th Street Shepard Hall, Room 2 New York, NY 10031

212.650.7312 www.cps.ccny.edu

HOW TO LIVE UNITED.

JOIN HANDS. OPEN YOUR HEART. LEND YOUR MUSCLE. FIND YOUR VOICE.

The sound of your voice has the capacity to transform the written word into something magical, and that’s a powerful gift you can share with children in our community.

Celebrity Read invites you to visit a school in our service area and spend the morning reading to students and sharing some of your life experiences. It’s that simple.

We promise that being a Celebrity Reader will only take a small amount of your time, but the impact of your words will last a long time.

This February, lend your voice to United Way of Essex and West Hudson’s Celebrity Read Program.

Make A Difference!

GIVE. ADVOCATE. VOLUNTEER.

LIVE UNITED Contact Tiffany Walker United Way Essex and West Hudson (973) 854-2246 twalker@uwewh.org

www.unitedwayessex.org

®

United Way of Essex and West Hudson

INAUGURATION

facts

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he Presidential Inauguration is an American Tradition that has taken place every four years since 1789. While the quadrennial event is steeped in ceremony and tradition, the event that takes place currently surprisingly has very little in common with the inaugural Inauguration! Read on to find out just how much things have changed and learn some of the interesting and odd associated with the administering of the Presidential Oath of Office and the festivities that accompany it.

George Washington • First Inauguration took place April 30, 1789 on the balcony of Federal Hall in New York City.

• Second Inauguration on March 4, 1793 was the first inauguration in Philadelphia, PA. • Washington delivered the shortest inaugural address at just 135 words.

John Adams • March 4, 1797, Adams was the first president to receive the oath of office from a Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court.

Thomas Jefferson • March 4, 1801, first inauguration in Washington, DC. • Jefferson walked to and from his swearing-in ceremony, rather than riding in a carriage as his predecessors did.

• The Marine Band played at the Inauguration for the first time (It has played at every Inauguration since).

James Madison • March 5, 1809, the first Inaugural Ball was held the evening after the swearing-in ceremony. It took place at Long's Hotel and tickets cost $4 each.

James Monroe • March 4, 1817, Monroe was the first President to take the oath of office and deliver the Inaugural address outdoors.

• March 4, 1821, Monroe's second Inauguration was the first inauguration to fall on a Sunday. After consulting with Supreme Court justices, it was decided to hold the ceremony on Monday, March 5. www.thepositivecommunity.com

John Quincy Adams • March 4, 1825, Adams was the first to wear long trousers, rather than knee britches.

Andrew Jackson • March 4, 1829, Jackson was the first President to take the oath of office on the east front portico of the U.S. Capitol.

• Outgoing President John Quincy Adams did not attend his successor's Inaugural Ceremony; relations between the two men were not good after a bitter campaign.

• March 4, 1833 was the last time Chief Justice John Marshall administered the oath of office; he presided over nine Inaugurations, from Adams to Jackson.

• Jackson's second Inauguration was the first time two Inaugural balls were held, one at Carusi's, and one at the Central Masonic Hall.

Martin Van Buren • March 4, 1837, Van Buren was the First President who was not born a British subject.

William H. Harrison • March 4, 1841, Harrison was the first President to arrive in Washington, D.C. by train.

• March 4, 1845 was the first Inauguration covered by telegraph.

• The first known Inauguration featured in a newspaper illustration appeared in the Illustrated London News.

Zachary Taylor • March 5, 1849, three Inaugural balls were held that evening, and Taylor attended all of them.

Franklin Pierce • Pierce was the first President to recite his speech entirely from memory.

James Buchanan • March 4, 1857, this was the first Inauguration known to have been photographed.

Winter 2013 The Positive Community

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Abraham Lincoln • March 4, 1861, Lincoln's procession to the Capitol was surrounded by heavily armed cavalry and infantry, providing an unprecedented amount of protection for the President-elect as the nation stood on the brink of war.

• March 4, 1865 Lincoln’s second Inauguration marked the first time African Americans participated in the Inaugural parade.

Ulysses S. Grant • March 4, 1869, Andrew Johnson did not accompany President-elect Grant to the Capitol, nor did he attend the Inaugural ceremonies. Instead, he remained at the White House signing last-minute legislation.

William McKinley • March 4, 1897 marked the first Inaugural ceremony recorded by a motion picture camera.

• McKinley was the first President to have a glassenclosed reviewing stand for the Inaugural parade.

• First Inauguration at which Congress hosted a luncheon for the President and Vice President.

William McKinley • March 4, 1901 was the first time the U.S. House joined with the U.S. Senate, creating the JCCIC (Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies), to make Inaugural arrangements.

Theodore Roosevelt • March 4, 1905 was the first time telephone lines were installed at the U.S. Capitol for the Inauguration.

William H. Taft • March 4, 1909, Helen Herron Taft became the first First Lady to accompany her husband on the return ride from the Capitol to the White House following his Inauguration.

Woodrow Wilson • March 5, 1917, Edith Bolling Galt Wilson was the first First Lady to accompany the President both to and from the Capitol.

• It was the first time women participated in the Inaugural parade.

Warren G. Harding • March 4, 1921, Harding was the first President to ride to and from his Inauguration in an automobile.

Calvin Coolidge • March 4, 1925, first Inaugural ceremony broadcast nationally by radio.

• It was also the first time a former President, William H. Taft, administered the oath of office as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.

Franklin D. Roosevelt • March 4, 1933, Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt began the tradition of morning worship service by attending St. John's Church.

• January 20, 1937, Roosevelt was the first President Inaugurated on January 20th, a change made by the 20th Amendment to the Constitution.

• January 20, 1945, FDR became the first and only President sworn in for a fourth term; had simple Inaugural ceremony at the White House.

Dwight D. Eisenhower • January 20, 1953, Eisenhower broke precedent by reciting his own prayer after taking the oath, rather than kissing the Bible.

• It was the first time the JCCIC hosted the Inaugural luncheon at the Capitol.

John F. Kennedy • January 20, 1961, the first time a poet, Robert Frost, participated in the Inaugural program Lyndon Baines Johnson • After the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, this was the first and only time a President took the oath of office on an airplane.

• January 20, 1965, LBJ was the first President to ride in a bullet-proofed limousine.

James E. Carter • January 20, 1977, Jimmy Carter was the first President to walk from the Capitol to the White House in the parade following the swearing-in ceremony.

Ronald W. Reagan • Reagan’s first Inauguration was the warmest Inauguration on record with a noon temperature of 55 degrees.

• January 21, 1985, Reagan’s second Inauguration, was the coldest Inauguration day on record, with a noon temperature of 7 degrees.

William J. Clinton • January 20, 1997 was the first Inaugural ceremony broadcast live on the Internet.

Barack H. Obama • January 20, 2009 saw the largest attendance of any event in the history of Washington, DC. • Obama was the first African American to hold the office of President of the United States.

• He was also the first citizen born in Hawaii to hold the office.

• It boasted the highest viewership ever of the swearingin ceremonies on the Internet.

• Marked the first woman, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, to emcee the ceremony.

Herbert C. Hoover • March 4, 1929 marked the first Inaugural ceremony recorded by talking newsreel.

22 The Positive Community

Winter 2013

www.thepositivecommunity.com

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Introducing Dr. Kevin Kirkley: AD_02_Magazine_0113.indd 1

Serving the Community through Post-Secondary Education and Training Opportunities

M

eet lifelong New Jersey resident and dedicated educator Dr. Kevin L. Kirkley, Sr., Executive Director of the Lincoln Technical Institute campus in Union, NJ and its Recruitment office in Brooklyn, NY. Dr. Kirkley was born and raised in the State of New Jersey. He is the son of a mother who was a school teacher, with a Master’s Degree and a father who served as a Rutgers University Professor. He and his wife Kym, have two sons Kevin 24 and Kelly 22 years of age. Dr. Kirkley has been a member of Faith Hope Baptist Church, New Brunswick, NJ, for 25 years where he also serves as Men’s Day Chairperson.

stitute, founded in 1946, is one of the nation’s leading providers of career education and training. Lincoln Technical Institute is part of the Lincoln Group of Schools and is committed to providing students with the quality, hands-on skills and training needed to succeed in an ever changing employment landscape.

Dr. Kirkley has served over 30 years in the education sector and believes that educators are ethically obligated to assist students with planning their life goals after high school and helping them fill the educational voids that often plague our communities. Educators accomplish this by providing guidance to men and women seeking higher education from a four year college and professional career training school!

He works hard educating local communities from Newark, NJ to Brooklyn, NY making them aware of the opportunities for professional training that leads to reachable, rewarding careers.

Dr. Kevin Kirkley has always believed himself blessed to have been granted, as his life’s work, the opportunity to improve the lives of students who are seeking rewarding experiences in career education and training. Dr. Kirkley is the Executive Director of the Lincoln Technical Institute campus in Union, NJ and its Six days a week Dr. Kirkley Recruitment office in Brook- “practices-what-he-preaches.” lyn, NY. Lincoln Technical In- He is on a mission of spreading 24 The Positive Community Winter 2013

the news and ultimately fulfilling his obligation of informing individuals of the importance of education. Lincoln provides custom-designed classes and programs to meet the education and training needs of our students. To ensure their success in the classroom and during their hands-on training, Lincoln offers courses in; Electronic Systems Technician, Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HAVC) and Automotive Technology. At Lincoln Technical Institute, students are given the support they need to effectively incorporate the career planning, financial planning, and life skills that may lead them to success.

The commitment and enthusiasm of Dr. Kirkley is apparent when he comments about his life’s work. “It is a great feeling to know that Lincoln Tech is providing a much needed service that plays a part in strengthening our community’s labor force and ultimately positively affects the region’s economy by providing trained persons to fill the many available skilled job vacancies.” www.thepositivecommunity.com

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CALL NOW! 718.246.4001 | LINCOLNTECH.COM

For student consumer information visit: www.lincolnedu.com/consumerinfo *Admissions ofďŹ ce for the Union, NJ campus.

Transportation will be provided to the Union, NJ campus.

02_/108510312-3954 AD_02_Magazine_0113.indd 1

1/15/13 2:19 PM

Renewing the Call at Medgar Evers College

L–R: Dr. William Pollard, president, Medgar Evers College; John Wallace, former New York Knicks basketball player; State Senator Eric Adams; Dr. Howard Johnson, provost, Medgar Evers College.

L–R: Yvonne Riley-Tepie, vice president, U.S. Field Marketing, TD Bank; Michael Flanigan, Development manager, Medgar Evers College; Saundra Thomas, vice president of Community Affairs, WABC-TV.

M

edgar Evers College hosted its 12th Annual Gala Dinner, ’Renewing the Call,’ on Tuesday, November 13 at the college’s Academic Building I, in Brooklyn. The dinner honored Kenneth D. Daly, president of the National Grid for New York, with the Leadership Award, and George Brooks, president of the East Region of the United Parcel Service, with the Champion of Diversity & Inclusion award. Since 1970, Medgar Evers College has graduated more than 10,000 students who now represent their school in various disciplines locally, nationally and globally.

Proceeds from the dinner will benefit the Medgar Evers College Educational Foundation, which provides scholarships and programmatic support for students and the college.

Last year the foundation provided more than $110,000 in programmatic and scholarship support to students. Honorary event chairs were Myrlie Evers-Williams and Iyanla Vanzant. Dr. Michael Pollard is president of Medgars Evers College.

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The Positive Community Winter 2013

www.thepositivecommunity.com

NYSCAS A Div ision of

Touro

College

College with a personal touch

ASSOCIATE’S AND BACHELOR’S DEGREES

• • • • •

Business M anagement and Administration Infor mation Technology • Human Ser vic es Psychology • Educ ation • Biology Soc ial Sc ienc es • Paralegal Studies Liberal A r ts and Sc ienc es • and more

CERTIFICATE PROGRAMS • DMX—Digital Media Arts

for a full list of certificate programs go to www.touro.edu/nyscas

OTHER PROFESSIONAL OPPORTuNITIES • Pre-Law • Pre-Medical • Pre-Dental

INFORMATION SESSIONS: Manhattan: 27-33 West 23rd Street, Admissions Office Wednesdays, 12 noon-5 pm, 212.463.0400 x5500

x5500 Midtown QuEENS: 718.520.5107 x102 Forest Hills BROOKLYN: 718.265.6534 x1003 MANHATTAN: 212.463.0400

Brooklyn: 1870 Stillwell Avenue, Admissions Office Wednesdays, 11 am-7 pm, 718.265.6534 x1003

www.touro.edu/nyscas

HONORS TRACKS Integrated Undergraduate/Osteopathic Medicine Integrated Undergraduate/Pharmacy

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Bensonhurst, Brighton Beach, Flatbush, Kings Highway, Starrett City, Sunset Park

N e w Yo r k S c h o o l o f C a r e e r a n d A p p l i e d S t u d i e s Touro College is an equal opportunity institution

Justin and Adrian prepare for presentation Photos: Vincent Bryant

Justin reads the cultural narrative

L–R: Rev. Joseph Woods, general secretary; Rev. Dr. Lester Taylor, moderator North Jersey Baptist Assoc. and 1st VP GBCNJ; Rev. Dr. Guy Campbell, president, GBCNJ; Rev. George Blackwell, host pastor and 2nd VP GBCNJ; Rev. H. Grady James, recording secretary, GBCNJ and Rev. Alexander Brown, financial secretary Rev. Dr. William J. Shaw, immediate past president, National Baptist Convention, USA; Rev. Moore, Dr. Guy Campbell, Rev. Jerry Sanders and Rev. Tracey Brown L–R: Louise Roundtree and Pastor Joe Carter of the New Hope Baptist Church

Goodwill BC Hosts General Baptist Convention

First Lady Dorothy Campbell

L–R: Sis. Nellie Suggs, Hon. Mildred C. Crump, Mr. and Mrs. James Harris and (c) Justin Townshend

T

he General Baptist Convention of New Jersey, Inc., 2013 installation of officers was held on Sunday, November 25, 2012 at the Good Neighbor Baptist Church in Newark, NJ, Rev. George W. Blackwell, III, host pastor. Music was provided by the North Jersey District Music Auxiliary under the leadership of Rev. Dr. Lester W. Taylor, Jr. The guest speaker was Rev. Dr. William J. Shaw, senior pastor of the White Rock Baptist Church, Philadelphia, PA and past president of the NBC USA, Inc. During this service, the convention welcomed the first female moderator of the Middlesex Central Baptist Association, Rev. Tracey L. Brown, pastor of Ruth Fellowship Ministry in Plainfield, New Jersey.

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www.thepositivecommunity.com

Recovering from Hurricane Sandy

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ount Carmel Baptist Church at 348 Beach 71st Street in Arverne, New York (also known as Far Rockaway) was one of a number of churches that suffered major damage as a result of Hurricane Sandy. The basement, which housed program space, Sunday school, a fellowship hall, the pastor’s office, administrative offices and bathrooms, was destroyed when eight feet of water submerged the bottom level of the church.

Despite their church and the home of their pastor, Rev. Darren A. Ferguson, sustaining major damage that rendered them uninhabitable, Mt. Carmel’s staff and members spent seven days a week feeding the community, distributing crucial supplies and coordinating relief

New York City Council volunteers in prayer with Rev. Ferguson A City Council volunteer salvaging their communion plates Photos: Simon Russell

for homebound seniors and other vulnerable members of the community. Their community spirit and generosity were returned November 17th and 18th when New York City Council volunteers arrived in double decker tour buses donated by Grey Line Tours to pray and help clear away the debris.

Five hundred City Council volunteers helped clean up homes, churches, synagogues and community centers throughout New York City. They pitched in to help restore parks and beaches, distribute food, and offer encouragement to their fellow New Yorkers. Marshay Hosley, assistant to Pastor Ferguson, said the Continued on page 50

Master of Divinity • Master of Arts • Master of Professional Studies • Certificate Programs • Doctoral Degree •

ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS

361 Broadway, New York NY 10013 Call 866-42-NYACK or visit our website at www.nyack.edu!

Nyack, NY • New York, NY www.thepositivecommunity.com

Winter 2013 The Positive Community

29

West Harlem Group Assistance Celebrates 41 Years L–R: Vy Higgensen, Mama Foundation; guest; Dyana Williams Radio One and WHGA Executive Director Donald Notice

L–R: Flores Forbes, Ted Gershon, Loftin Flowers, LaVerna Fountain, Maxine Griffith, Junior Benjamin, Karen Jewett, Lauren Feighan (back), Victoria Mason-Ailey (front), Joan Griffith-Lee.

T

he West Harlem Group Assistance (WGHA) was created in 1971 to revitalize the under-invested West and Central Harlem communities. Since its inception the organization has developed over $110 million in low to moderate income housing totaling 1,640 units, 900 of which are self-managed by the organization and 116 of which function as transitional housing units (the West Harlem Residence 45 units and Convent Avenue Family Living Centers 71 units).

In partnership with the City of New York Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD), the Neighborhood Revitalization Program has enabled WHGA to complete substantial renovation of 136 units totaling over $22 million in construction costs.

For over a decade, the Neighborhood Redevelopment Program (NRP) has worked with Community Based Organization’s (CBO) throughout the five boroughs to renovate distressed city owned properties utilizing Low Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC).

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The Positive Community Winter 2013

The development usually involves a synchronized construction of several buildings scattered throughout the CBO’s catchment area. Due to relocation needs these projects are often completed in two phases. In 2004, NRP projects began receiving funds for supportive service programs such as workforce development, job training and after-school programs.

WHGA currently has 95 additional NRP affordable units in phases of pre-development and construction with costs totaling over $18 million.

At the celebration of its 41st anniversary in October at Aaron Davis Hall on the campus of the City College of New York, (CCNY) West Harlem Group Assistance honored Radio One founder Cathy Hughes; Maxine Griffith, executive VP for Government and Community Affairs at Columbia University and Everett Hinds, sales manager at Southern Wine and Spirits of New York.

Past honorees include Harlemites Tamara Tunie, George Generet,Vy Higginsen and state Senator Bill Perkins. www.thepositivecommunity.com

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Winter 2013 The Positive Community

31

Culture

On the Road to Freedom: A Sesquicentennial Observance of the Great Emancipation

BY CLEMENT ALEXANDER PRICE, PHD My mammy and pappy b’long to Marster Lawrence Adams, who had a big plantation in de eastern part of Lancaster County. He died four years after de Civil War and is buried right dere on de old plantation, in de Adams family burying grounds. I was de oldest of de five chillum in our family. I ‘members I was a right smart sise plow boy, when freedom coms. I think I must of been ‘bout ten or eleven years old, then. Dere’s one thing I does know; de Yankees didn’t tech our plantation, when they come through South Carolina. Up in de northern part of de county they sho’ did destroy most all what folks had.

I

n the late 1930s, Works Progress Administration interviewer, Henry Grant of Columbia, South Carolina, sat down with then eighty-three year old Ezra Adams. Mr. Adams was one of more than two thousand elderly African Americans who by dint of age and longevity knew of slavery and had lived long enough to speak of it for the record.

That record, the WPA Slave Narratives, has grown in importance as an historical archive over the years as Americans have increasingly trusted eyewitness accounts left by the veterans of the past. According to Grant, Mr. Adams was not in good health at the time of the interview, “incapable of self-support.” His niece, who lived nearby, just off Route 6 and near Swansea, looked after him. When these two men met and talked, the Civil War, the Emancipation Proclamation and the difficult years that were to follow were distant memories. But those memories resonated in the waning years of life for veterans of the African American past, people such as Ezra Adams.

When he thought back to the time of the Emancipation, this is what Grant took down as Ezra Adams’ testimony:

32 The Positive Community

Winter 2013

You ain’t gwine to believe dat de slaves on our plantation didn’t stop workin’ for old marster, even whom they was told dat they was free. Us didn’t want no more freedom than us was gittin’ on our plantation already. Us knowed too well dat us was well took care of, wid a plenty of vittles to eat and tight log and board houses to live in. De slaves, where I lived, knowed after de war dat they had abundance of dat somethin’ called freedom, what they could not wat, wear, and sleep in. Yes, sir, they soon found out dat freedom ain’t nothin’, ‘less you is got somethin; to live on and a place to call home.

Ezra Adams’ recollection of the ending of slavery in his life and in the lives of those in his community is in concert with what we now know about the Great Emancipation. As grand an event as any other in American history before or since, the Emancipation was not a singular experience, but rather many experiences that more than four million black women, men and children lived through along with white Americans, Indians and Latinos. It was also an evolutionary experience, all the pieces of its drama not necessarily falling neatly into place. As Mr. Adams reminds us, many of the slaves freed over the course of the Civil War, or after the Civil War as a result of the Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution, initially wondered if freedom would be better than slavery. Over time, they would realize that it was. Others worried that as swiftly as slavery ended in areas that came under the control of the Union Army it might be re-imposed once the Union, and the power of Southern states, was restored.

Obviously that did not happen. But the concern of

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OURSTORY

blacks on their way to becoming free people was justified.

President Lincoln’s famous Proclamation was issued during the War and had not been brought before the Supreme Court, the very Court that before the War was a decisively pro-slavery branch of the Federal Government. And still other blacks on their way to becoming free, as in the case of Ezra Adams, were most practical men and women.

Enslavement had been their way of life; they had forged a relationship with a system that by our standards was demeaning and harsh, but by theirs was grounded in the racial, labor and political customs of their time, not ours. It was the only harbor they had known. Would freedom be a safer one? That was not certain when freedom came.

Ezra Adams’ recollections are most instructive when he observed that “…they [the emancipated slaves] soon found out dat freedom ain’t nothin’, ‘less you is got something to live on and a place to call home.”

Another former slave, Jenny Proctor, who lived in Texas, remembered the experience in similarly complicated ways: “When ole marster comes down in de cotton patch to tell us ‘bout bein’ free, he say ‘I hates to tell you but I knows I’got to, you is free, jes’ as free as me or anybody else whats white.’ We didn’ hardly know what he means. We jes’ sort of huddle ‘round together like scared rabbits, but after we knowed what he mean, didn’ many of us go, ‘cause we didn’ know where to of went.”

Now that the commemorative season for the Great Emancipation is upon us, as we observe the sesquicentennial of the Emancipation Proclamation that went into effect on January 1, 1863, long before the grandparents of The Positive Community readers were born, the time has come to complicate what we know about that historical moment and to have empathy for those who lived through it. Becoming free during the Great Emancipation involved uncertainty, danger, and the mustering of courage. It also involved a determined reliance on the folk culture that had sustained black Americans in slavery. As it became clear to those once enslaved that they were no longer to be enslaved, the folkways that they knew of intimately enabled them to navigate their way forward, giving many blacks a sense

www.thepositivecommunity.com

that they were, after all, in charge of important aspects of their lives, including their primary relationships, especially their children, and their aspirations as free people. For these reasons, I have always imagined navigating the Great Emancipation to have been a remarkable achievement for Africans on American soil and a period that the nation needs to embrace as its finest hour, despite the obstacles that it placed in the face of those newly freed.

The release of two blockbuster Hollywood films that in very different ways deal with the story of black freedom in nineteenth-century America, Stephen Spielberg’s Lincoln and Quentin Tarantino’s Django Unchained, and a forthcoming array of public programs on the Great Emancipation, will likely energize interest in what Ezra Adams witnessed when he was but ten years old. He saw on a very small stage in South Carolina the beginning of a new nation that would no longer countenance the enslavement of black people, its soon to be newly designated citizens.

While the Emancipation will be monumentalized this season as a great event, brought on by great men and largely anonymous women, made possible by an especially brutal and transformative war, and consummated as that war’s most noble objective, we should consider how that momentous event affected its primary historical actors, the slaves themselves. The nation’s historical record is old enough now for us to affirm that the Civil War and the Great Emancipation created a nation deserving of the respect of other nations and societies. That transformation from an enslaved nation that professed liberty as its core aspiration to a nation that for generations would agonizingly seek to give meaning to black freedom, and its ripple affect across the landscapes of time and memory, is the reason why all Americans have a stake in observing the sesquicentennial of the Great Emancipation. Ezra Adams from South Carolina and Jenny Proctor from Texas, and others who stepped into freedom a hundred a fifty years ago this season, are deserving of that broadly based acknowledgement and reverence.

Clement Alexander Price is Board of Governors Distinguished Service Professor of History and Director of the Institute on Ethnicity, Culture, and the Modern Experience.

The Marion Thompson Wright Lecture Series, which Dr. Price launched, along with the late Giles R. Wright in 1981, will have as its theme on February 16, 2013, Emancipation and the Work of Freedom.

Winter 2013

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Grand Jubilee Committee

L–R: Rev. H. Grady James listens intently as 11-year-old Justin Townshend reads the Cultural Narrative Historian Dr. Linda Epps makes a presentation

The Committee: Adrian A. Council, Sr.; Justin Townshend; Jeannine LaRue. 2ND ROW (L–R:) Sis. Nellie Suggs, General Baptist Convention of NJ; Sis. Julia Warren, Christian educator; Rev. H. Grady James, moderator; Hon. Mildred Crump; Sis. Diane Keel Atkins, Urban Initiatives, COGIC; Margaret Cammareri, American Heart Association.

BACK ROW (L–R:) Sis. Dollie Hamlin; Min. Kevin Caldwell; Rev. Tracy Brown, moderator Middlesex Baptist Assoc.; Rev Kahlil Carmichael; James Harris, state president, NAACP; Rev. Gary Kirkwood and Rev. Gerald Lamont Thomas.

L–R: NAACP State President, James Harris confers with Diane Keel Atkins, director Urban Initiatives for Church of God in Christ, New Garden State Jurisdiction Photos: Laurence Rice

Rev. Gary Kirkwood, president, Central Jersey Ministers’ Alliance and CEO Harvest Radio

W

ith only days to go before the Great Emancipation anniversary, leaders from throughout New Jersey gathered at Shiloh Baptist Church in Plainfield to discuss plans to commemorate an important milestone in American history. The Grand Jubilee Committee of NJ, an organization of volunteers, came together to affirm the importance of the sesquicentennial observance of the Emancipation Proclamation to the African American people. Among the first tasks was the launching of the special Watch Night Initiative. At the meeting, host pastor Rev. Dr. Gerald Lamont Thomas advanced the idea of Emancipation Sundays on the third Sunday of each month throughout 2013. He suggested that churches dedicate some part of their worship service to promote cultural literacy and Emancipation Awareness. The group also discussed fundraising ideas for the Grand Jubilee Calendar.

It was a spirit-filled gathering as conversation turned to discussion about the future. What can we do today that will have a positive impact and resonate on generations yet unborn? Eleven-year-old, Justin Townshend led the group in a reading of the Cultural Narrative, and together they did what so many churches joined in doing to welcome the New Year.

They sang the Negro National Anthem, Lift Every Voice and Sing and the hymn We’ve Come this Far by Faith.

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The Positive Community Winter 2013

L–R: Host Pastor Rev Gerald Lamont Thomas, Hon. Mildred Crump, honorary chair Grand Jubilee Committee (GJC) and Adrian A. Council, chair GJC

www.thepositivecommunity.com

33rd Annual Marion Thompson Wright Lecture Series

Emancipation Work of Freedom

and the

Saturday, 9:30 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.

February

Marion Thompson Wright Speakers:

The Paul Robeson Campus Center Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey 350 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.

Newark, New Jersey

Thavolia Glymph

Photo Credit: Portrait of a Washerwoman for the Union Army in Richmond, Virginia with an American flag pinned to dress Photographer: Unknown, Ca. 1862-65, Ambrotype Courtesy of Smithsonian Institution, Photographic History Collection, Division of Information Technology and Communications, National Museum of American History

James Oakes

Duke University

Steven Hahn

University of Pennsylvania

Tera Hunter

Princeton University City University of New York

16,

2013

The Marion Thompson Wright Lecture Series is made possible by funds and support from the Prudential Foundation, New Jersey Historical Commission, Department of State, New Jersey Council for the Humanities, Newark Museum, and the Rutgers Committee to Advance Our Common Purposes.

NEW JERSEY COUNCIL FOR THE HUMANITIES

Presented by Rutgers Institute on Ethnicity, Culture, and the Modern Experience, The Federated Department of History, Rutgers University-Newark/New Jersey Institute of Technology, and the New Jersey Historical Commission, Department of State.

For more information, visit http://ethnicity.rutgers.edu 973-353-3891

Dedicated to the memory of Marjorie M. Wright, 1934-2012

Newark Freedom Fund Dinner Five Community Leaders Honored

T

Photo: Barry Gray

he Newark NAACP recently hosted their 98th Annual Freedom Fund Dinner at the Robert Treat Hotel in Newark.

The theme “Your power, Your Decision- Vote” was highlighted by keynote speaker A. Robert Gregory, principal and co-founder of American History High School in Newark, where the emphasis is on social justice, history and civics for students grades 6-12.

This year’s honorees were Antoinette Baskerville Richardson, chairperson of Newark Public Schools Advisory Board; Linda McDonald Carter, director of

1st row L–R: Linda McDonald Carter; Toni Richardson; Judith Favors Batten; Lisa E. Harris; Councilwoman Mildred Crump 2nd row L–R: A. Robert Gregory, American History HS principal and keynote speaker; Congressman Elect Donald Payne Jr. ; Rev. Douglas Williams III; Dadisi Sanyika, 2nd VP Newark NAACP; Councilman Darrin Sharif

the Assistant Legal Studies Program at Essex County College; North Jersey Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta; Rev. Douglas Williams, pastor of Zion Hill Baptist Church and Judith Favors-Batten, chairperson of the Newark Religious Affairs Committee.

The annual political action award was renamed in honor of the late congressman Donald M. Payne, Sr. in recognition of his lifelong support of the Newark branch.

The NAACP has long been a civil rights champion both locally and nationally.

Middlesex Central Baptist Association Installation of Officers

By Rev. Dollie Hamlin

O

n November 10, 2012, Rev. Tracey L. Brown, senior pastor and founder of the Ruth Fellowship Ministries, became the first female moderator of Middlesex Central Baptist Association (MCBA). Rev. Brown was elected unanimously on July 2012 at the MCBA’s 107th annual session. Over three hundred members representing the association’s member churches, special guests, family members and friends witnessed the grand occasion.

The guest preacher was Rev. Dr. Calvin McKinney, general secretary of the National Baptist Convention, USA Inc., a seven and half million member faith-based organization headquartered in Nashville, TN. He is senior pastor of Calvary Baptist Church of Garfield, NJ. His spiritually uplifting and challenging sermon "When Do You Use or Not Use Power" was taken from Luke 24:29 and Acts 1:8.

Rev. Dr. Leo H. Graham, pastor of Tabernacle Baptist Church in New Brunswick conducted the installation of

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The Positive Community Winter 2013

Rev. Tracey L. Brown First Female Moderator in 108 Year History Rev. Brown and the other elected and appointed officers who have committed to serve the Association for the 20122013 association year.

Mayor Sharon Robinson-Briggs of Plainfield and Newark Councilwoman Mildred Crump presented proclamations honoring and recognizing this special event.

In her closing remarks and acceptance of the high honor, Moderator Brown thanked the Association and reaffirmed her willingness to serve in this leadership position. “I am thankful to God for this opportunity and look forward to the great challenge of advancing the cause and mission of the Middlesex Central Baptist Association.” www.thepositivecommunity.com

Come to the of it

center

all!

Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration

Marvin Sapp

with special guest Kim Burrell and keynote speaker Will Power Presented in association with the Newark Unit of the NAACP.

Fri, Jan 18 at 7:00

one center street , newark , nj

Celebrate Valentine’s Day

Anthony Hamilton and

Chrisette Michele Thu, Feb 14 at 8:00

Bowfire

Jersey Moves!

Fri, Feb 22 at 8:00

Sat, Feb 23 at 7:30; Sat, Apr 27 at 7:30

Sweet Honey In The Rock

An Evening with

The Ultimate String Performance

Remembering Miriam Mikeba, Odetta and Abbey Lincoln

Festival of Dance

Whoopi Goldberg Fri, Mar 8 at 8:00

Sat, Mar 2 at 8:00

Mike Tyson:

The Undisputed Truth Tue, Mar 19 at 8:00

Aretha Franklin Only New Jersey Appearance!

* Mature content

Sat, Mar 30 at 7:00

Kodo Drummers of Japan

Take 6 and Hezekiah Walker

One Earth Tour 2013: Legend

Jazz Meets Gospel

Sun, Mar 24 at 4:00

Fri, Mar 29 at 8:00 pm

Presented at NJPAC in association with Jazz Roots.

For tickets and full 2012-2013 season schedule visit njpac.org or call 1-888-GO-NJPAC

PosivtiveComm_7x9.5_11_28_colorad.indd 1

12/12/12 11:31 AM

Grand Jubilee Year of Emancipation—2013 Thoughts and Comments about the Watch Night Initiative and the Great Emancipation “The Emancipation Proclamation is as important to us as the Declaration of Independence. There is a line from President Lincoln to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., to President Barack Obama. The President will acknowledge this on January 20, when he takes the oath of office for the second time with his hand upon the Bibles of President Lincoln and Dr. King.

—Rev. Douglas Bendall Ph.D., president Newark School of Theology “Forgiveness is in order in that we have not, before now, created a culture of commemorating the Emancipation Proclamation.

To ask the question ‘Why not?’ is to recognize that maybe emancipation was not the focal point of this document to be celebrated. The freeing of the slaves was, first and foremost, a threat to secessionists and the by-product was the declaration of slavery to be illegal. We, the offspring of those freed, are obligated to honor the past and we are in debt to the future.

The institution of the celebration of this providential document must become annual and understood in terms of its intent, its accomplishment and all of the by-products thereof. We must take on the consciousness of the senior Negro woman who discerned and declared that ‘Massa Lincoln signed the paper but God done set us free.’”

—Rev. Dr. Johnny Ray Youngblood, senior pastor Mt. Pisgah BC, Brooklyn, NY “All Americans enjoy the freedoms produced by the labor of slavery. Watch Night services across America remind us that we have a rich, dark and glorious history that forever connects each American and impacts the world. These services also engender great anticipation for future possibilities of generations to come.”

—Rev. Dr. Demetrius S. Carolina, senior pastor, First Central BC, Staten Island and member of Staten Island Ministerial Alliance “On behalf of the Empire Missionary Baptist Convention we commend and congratulate The Positive Community for the special Watch Night Initiative commemorating the 150th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation. I also wish to personally thank our convention pastors and officials for their participation in this both solemn and joyous occasion.”----—Rev. Ronald Grant, president Empire Missionary Baptist Convention of NY

"The Emancipation Proclamation, though born of convenience and compromise to save the Union, started African Americans on our journey toward freedom. On the sesquicentennial anniversary, our greatest deception would be to think we have arrived.

We must journey on."

—Dr. Arlee Griffin Jr., Berean BC, Brooklyn, NY “The Watch Night Initiative information we received was disseminated to our membership, The Newark North Jersey Committee of Black Churchmen (NNJCBC). At my church, the response was amazing. As we began our service and shared the Cultural Narrative with the congregation there were spontaneous shouts of ‘Teach us, pastor; ‘tell the truth, pastor;’ ‘help us, pastor.’ It bought tears to my eyes”.

—Bishop Jethro James, president, NNJCBC and pastor, Paradise BC, Newark, NJ “I was so enthusiastic about the intention of the Emancipation Proclamation, especially as it relates to cultural and spiritual literacy. I was moved to share the Watch Night Initiative and the ‘Countdown to Freedom Cultural Narrative’ with all the other Church Of God In Christ bishops in New Jersey. I have also shared this news with many of my colleagues throughout the country. I should hope that we will continue to carry out special events and activities about the Emancipation commemoration throughout the year.”

—Bishop William T. Cahoon, jurisdictional prelate, New Garden State Jurisdiction “As we began the Watch Night service, we spoke about the meaning of emancipation and what this special night meant to our forefathers and what it means to us today. A combination of Watch Night and Emancipation Day helped to educate the people about slavery and freedom. Then we had a young child read the Cultural Narrative; shouts echoed throughout the church from the congregation, ‘This is our history; this is our history!’

We can no longer hide the truth of who we are and the potentials and possibilities of the future. We thank The Positive Community for having the courage to reclaim our heritage.”

—Rev. Dr. Robert M. Waterman, president, African American Clergy and Elected Officials and senior pastor, Antioch BC, Brooklyn “Watch Night Service at Cathedral International was extraordinary. The sense of expectation filled the sanctuary twice. Both

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Winter 2013

www.thepositivecommunity.com

PROFILES

the 7pm and 10pm services were phenomenal. The reading of the Cultural Narrative was powerful; it informed the people of the tremendous sacrifices that were made on their behalf by those who have come before us. It pointed to a future of hope. We sang the Negro National Anthem and departed with tear-filled eyes, hands raised to the hymn, We’ve Come this Far by Faith.”

—Bishop Donald Hilliard, senior pastor, Cathedral International, Perth Amboy, NJ “The United Missionary Baptist Association observes and commemorates the 150th Anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation along with the other ecumenical clergy groups across our state and country. This is a pivotal period, a time when as a nation we remember the sacrifices so many made that we may enjoy the freedom to exercise our rights as citizens of the republic.”

—Rev. Lee Arrington, moderator, The United Missionary Baptist Association “This month a number of events throughout the New York metropolitan area are being held to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation. These celebrations provide us with an ideal opportunity to renew our covenant with one another (“We the people...”) as we continue to work to form “a more perfect union” and become a more just and inclusive nation. We continue to be called upon to renew our covenant to end the discrimination not only against persons of African descent, but against women, against persons of diverse sexual orientations, against non-documented persons, and against persons who are poor. The killing of the children in Newton, CT last month calls us to renew our covenant with our children, and against all forms of violence, but especially that brought about by guns. The destruction brought about by mega-storm Sandy is an occasion to renew our covenant not only with those who suffered great loss, but with the earth itself which is heating up and suffering numerous other forms of environmental degradation. We need to renew our covenants among nations, and among faith traditions. Finally, and most importantly, we need to renew our covenant (or covenants) with God, who is our creator, our redeemer, and our sustainer. May the coming month be a time of covenant renewal for you!”

—Dale T. Irvin, president, and professor of World Christianity, New York Theological Seminary “Watch Night 2012 was extra special since it was the combination of our usual Watch Night Service, but this time with an added attraction and historicity, that being the 150th observance of the www.thepositivecommunity.com

Emancipation Proclamation, which proved both enriching and spiritual motivation. To see liturgical dance routines choreographed especially to mark this historic event and messages preached with flares of the social gospel and liberation theological was breathtaking! To God Be the Glory!”

—Rev. Dr. J. Stanley Justice, pastor, Greater Mt. Zion AME Church, Trenton, NJ “The historic document was crafted and signed during a major crisis of social, political, and military conflict. It was and is important because it affirms the validity of all human life. It reinforces the philosophical and theological ideal that human worth, freedom and a just society cannot be separated. That document told us we cannot be complacent about our collective lives. We must guard our liberty and resist the effort of those who wish to rob us of our divine right to live a meaningful life, unsuppressed and unhindered. Every church should work against unjust practices in their area and keep reinforcing the basic principles and meaning of the document. We must keep publicizing the intent of the document and its truer meaning of equality. We, clergy and members of the church, must maintain a watchful eye and be diligent in the ongoing process of true emancipation. Each church should hold its immediate society accountable for apparent violations of economic and educational policies and practices as the fight for Emancipation continues.”

—Rev. Dr. Shellie Sampson Jr., pastor, Thessalonia Worship Center, Bronx, NY and president of the Baptist Ministers’ Conference of Greater NY and Vicinity “Are we free? We can only be free when we unshackle and dismantle the chains of Jim Crow on our minds. We have allowed our children to be taken away from us. This 150th anniversary celebration should energize us that there is still much more to be done.”

—Rev. Gregory Smith, senior pastor, Mother AME Zion Church, Harlem, NY "Freedom is what we have—Christ has set us free! Stand, then, as free people, and do not allow yourselves to become slaves again."

(Galatians 5: 1) As we watched through the night, in anticipation of a new tomorrow, may we as a people of faith (especially during this Year of Faith) be ever vigilant to avoid those things and people that entangle us in bondage or return us to the past days and present ways of "slavery!"

—Br. Tyrone Davis, C.F.C., Office of Black Ministry, Archdiocese of New York Winter 2013 The Positive Community

39

… I Hope

YOU DANCE Community Leaders Put On Their Dancing Shoes

By Glenda Cadogan

D

uring this year’s legislative session, his constituents can undoubtedly count on State Senator Kevin Parker to work alongside his colleagues in Albany to tackle important issues on the political agenda like gun control regulation and increasing the minimum wage. But the Brooklyn lawmaker has a personal agenda that has nothing to do with politics. Expect that at every given opportunity, the senator will dance.

Senator Parker, who represents communities in Flatbush, East Flatbush, Midwood, Ditmas Park, Kensington and Boro Park, recently won the 2012 Stars of New York Dance, a charitable dance competition for New York City leaders that also raises dance scholarship funds for children from low-income communities.

Together with his dancing partner, Zakiya Harris of Asase Yaa African American Dance Theater, the senator wowed the audience with an 80s

40

The Positive Community Winter 2013

hip hop routine that earned the pair a perfect score from all four judges.

He told The Positive Community that the experience had such an impact on him that he now looks for every excuse to dance. “I had fun,” he said.

“But the victory is really owed to Zakiya, my dance partner, who was able to quickly determine what I could do well and use that to our advantage. I am truly grateful for the opportunity to have fun while helping children in my community to become engaged in the arts.”

This kind of long lasting effect is exactly what Cheryl Todmann was hoping to achieve when she founded the event three years ago. At age 30 and with two bad knees, Todmann, a marketing executive, made the brave move of becoming a dancer.

Experiencing firsthand the benefits it had on her life, she became a “dance messiah” sharing the “good news” with all who would listen. In

2010 Todmann brought not just her dancing feet, but also her heart, to the event.

Todmann became a member of St. Paul’s Community Baptist Church in 1996 and was deeply moved by a praise dance performed by a group of women. She, too, wanted to dance. But then there was the issue of the injured knees, which doctors said could only be corrected by surgery. “When I told my orthopedic doctor that I wanted to take up dancing, he told me that I was going to end up in wheelchair,” Todmann told me. But spirit outweighed medicine and Todmann chose to dance. “I started taking the Saturday classes at the church, dancing with teenagers and 5-year-olds. But it did not matter to me,” she said, adding, “I just wanted to dance.” And dance she did. Encouraged by her first teacher Jamel Gaines, she danced like no Continued on next page www.thepositivecommunity.com

DANCE

Continued from previous page one was looking. She danced so well that eventually she became a dance instructor. She encouraged grandmothers to dance. She encouraged women of her age to dance. She got little children and teenagers on the dance floor. And after accomplishing that, she persuaded men to dance.

Eventually, not only were Todmann’s knee problems a thing of the past, but she became a choreographer and formed the Jewel at Rock Dance companies at St. Paul.

“Every aspect of my life was enhanced,” she said. “My bosses took notice of improvement in my work and asked me what was different. All I could think of was that I was dancing.”

Also, experiencing mental and emotional enrichment, Todmann knew that this was something she needed to share. “There was this constant impression on my spirit that I needed to get community leaders to dance,” she said. “But the question was how. How do I get busy elected officials and business people to dance? They would

think that I am crazy,” she said. “But then one night I sat down and looked at Dancing With The Stars. I opened up to divine inspiration and the Stars of New York Dance was born.”

At the third staging of the event held on December 18, 2012, host Errol Louis — anchor of Inside City Hall on NY 1 News—put it in perspective when he said: “the first time, it's a phenomenon. The second time, it's a trend. The third time, it's a tradition.”

Last year, the tradition that is Stars of New York Dance honored Pastor Johnny Ray Youngblood, one of Todmann’s mentors who encouraged and supported her earlier dance pursuits.

Now the senior pastor of the Mt. Pisgah Baptist Church, Rev. Youngblood was celebrated by members of his congregation with a heart-warming throw back 60s routine. He later joined the dancers on stage and showed his own dance moves. “When people whose lives you’ve touched not just remember, but also seek a way to say ‘thank you and I appreciate you,’ that in and of itself is also life changing,” Rev. Youngblood

commented in reaction to the tribute.

“December 18, 2012 changed my life.”

In addition to Senator Parker, the other dancing stars of 2012 were Senator John Sampson; Rev. Richard Honeywell, associate pastor of St. Paul Community Baptist Church; kindergarten teacher Donna White of Trey Whitfield School; and Frances Bell Henry, executive director of Frank R. Bell Funeral Home, Inc. With the $5,000 first prize copped

by Parker and Harris, five or more children will receive free or subsidized high-quality dance education at Asase Yaa. The other participating dance companies will receive $1,500 to do the same. On average, a year’s dance education is worth a $1,000 investment per child.

It augurs well for the collective well-being of Brooklyn residents as Todmann continues to spread her gospel of dance. Her message is clear and could be summed up with a single line from a mainstream country hit: “if you have a choice to sit it out or dance … I hope you dance.”

Newark Symphony Hall presents

Soul Line Dancing & Game Night th · March 8th th · April12th th · May 10th th February 8th

(Every 2nd Friday)

· Cocktail Specials · Catered Dinners · Vendors

5pm—Midnight ~ Line Dance Lessons w/Kenny J Terrace Ballroom ~ Music by DJ Joe Smith Tickets $5 ~ Line Dance Lessons w/ Doug Hawkins

TICKETS CAN BE PURCHASED AT THE NEWARK SYMPHONY HALL BOX OFFICE AT 1030 BROAD ST., NEWARK FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CALL 973.643.8014 OR www.newarksymphonyhall.org www.thepositivecommunity.com

Winter 2013 The Positive Community

41

Jazz Great Freddy Cole Headlined Vespers Performance

F

reddy Cole, a member of one of America's best-known musical families, (Nat “King” Cole, Natalie Cole), headlined the Flatted Fifth Jazz Vespers last month at the Memorial West Presbyterian Church in Newark.

The concert also acknowledged Newark's rich jazz history by awarding the first Jan Van Arsdale Prize to the Bethany Baptist Church, for pioneering jazz vespers beginning their first Saturday of the month concerts 13 years ago.

The award was named for the Reverend Jan Van Arsdale, a former pastor of the Memorial West Church, who launched Newark's first jazz vespers series in 1973. Rev. Van Arsdale, an ordained Presbyterian minister, was also a jazz musician.

42

The Positive Community Winter 2013

Dorthaan Kirk, president of Bethany's Jazz Vespers Committee, accepted the award on behalf of Rev. Dr. M. William Howard, senior pastor. Dr. Howard, she noted, believes that “any music that appeals to the sacred sensibilities that lie deep within each of us, should be welcome [in the church].”

During those early years, Memorial West was known as the “Jazz Church on South Orange Avenue.”

Ms. Kirk also serves as manager of Special Events at Newark's WBGO FM jazz station and doubles as the station's director of Community Relations. She was the third person hired at the station when it started at Newark's Central High School in 1978.

Applauding the surge of jazz vespers services in Continued on next page

www.thepositivecommunity.com

FREDDY COLE

Continued from previous page area churches as jazz clubs decline and close, Kirk enumerated the array of jazz vespers services now offered by some area churches.

Among these are: St. Paul Lutheran, Teaneck; Grace Baptist, Mount Vernon; Mother AME Zion and Abyssinian Baptist both in Harlem; Pleasantdale Presbyterian, West Orange; St. Albans Congregational, Queens and both Lafayette Presbyterian and Siloam Presbyterian in Brooklyn.

Other congregations are also taking part in this new movement to keep jazz culture alive, according to Ms. Kirk, who is the widow of the jazz great Rahsaan Roland Kirk.

Josephine Jackson, chairperson of the Memorial West's Flatted Fifth Jazz Vespers Series, confirmed the importance of the church's involvement with jazz because “jazz music, like the blues, first found its home in the church, with its nurturing environment and spiritual communion.

“Out of slavery, as instruments became available to us,” she continued, “we looked to the church for opportunities to experiment and develop strains of music, rooted in field hollers, work songs, spirituals and blues, that flowed out of our souls and into the heartbeat of our people, producing the sounds and feelings of America's first native classical music.”

www.thepositivecommunity.com

Winter 2013 The Positive Community

43

NYC Mission Celebrates 200 Years

Photos: Margot Jordan

L–R: b Michael, Cicely Tyson, Kathryn Chenault, Kenneth Chenault, Mark Anthony and Cole Rumbaugh

N

ew York City Mission Society celebrated 200 years of uninterrupted service on December 12, 2012 with a Bicentennial Gala at The Pierre Hotel in Manhattan.

44

The Positive Community Winter 2013

Founded in 1812, it is one of the oldest social service agencies in the city, providing critical services to thousands in need—children, youth and families in New York City’s poorest communities,

L–R: Jonelle Procope, Rev. Dr. Calvin Butts and Yolanda Brown L–R: Stephanie Palmer, exec. director, NYC Mission with Bernell Grier

helping them to transcend the ills of poverty creating a cycle of success for generations to come.

Honoree Kathryn C. Chenault, Esq. received the Dina Merrill Harley Public Service Award for her philanthropic work throughout the City.

Actress Cicely Tyson received the Alumnus Award. The proceeds from the Bicentennial Gala will help to fund a $20 million capital campaign, a significant portion of which will go toward the renovation of Minisink Townhouse, New York City Mission Society’s flagship community center in Central Harlem. As youngsters, actresses Diahann Carroll and Sanaa Lathan, music mogul Sean Combs and bandleader Ray Chew attended Mission Society programs.

NYC Mission Society has enjoyed the success it has, executive director Stephanie Palmer told the Daily News, “because we believe that you can’t help people change their behavior unless you care about them on a deep level. I really have to care very much about who you are for you to allow me to come into your life and tell you that what you are doing is wrong.”

In addition to Chenalult and Tyson, Ditiban, N.A. and New York City Hall were co-bicentennial honorees. www.thepositivecommunity.com

Join Us for the Second International Conference on

Possible College Credit!

The Bible and Its African Roots November 4 - 9, 2013 • Addis Ababa, Ethiopia • $2,498 • Visit Ethiopia, the country where Biblical stories originated.

• The role of the African people has been hidden and ignored for hundreds of years. Open new doors of knowledge, and research scholarship.

• Learn new insights into the role of Hametic people of the Bible and their special contributions.

• Each Conference participant will have a high impact appreciation of the book of Enoch which incorporates what many believe to be the moving of the Ark of the Covenant to Ethiopia.

• Leave Ethiopia with an enhanced knowledge of the Old and

New Testament scriptures which relate to the Hametic people of the Bible.

Extensions to Egypt or Ethiopia’s Religious Route For More Information: Call: 800-486-8359 • Email: journeys@groupist.com • Visit: journeys-unlimited.com/BARC Book early. Space is limited.

www.thepositivecommunity.com

Winter 2013 The Positive Community

45

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THE

HARLEM

FINE Save The Date!

150th Anniversary Of The Emancipation Proclamation!

ARTS

SHOW 2013

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AT THE HISTORIC RIVERSIDE CHURCH 91 CLAREMONT AVE

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The United Nations Headquarters Limited free seating for the Public on a first come first served basis Event Will Benefit The Proposed UN Slavery Memorial

Thursday, February 7th 6pm - 11pm $75 OPENING NIGHT TRIBUTE AND SALUTE TO THE LATE HONORABLE PERCY E. SUTTON Benefit for MAMA Foundation with Vy Higgenson. Open bar, live jazz by CLIFF LEE plus THREE, special live performance by the brand new Broadway show, MOTOWN: THE MUSICAL. Friday, February 8th 6pm - 11pm ADULTS $20 WBLS NIGHT Wine tastings and cocktail reception, plus the MOTOWN sound.

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Saturday, February 9th 10am - 10pm ADULTS $20 Art Exhibition Sunday, February 10th 1pm to 7pm ADULTS $20 Art Exhibition

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www.thepositivecommunity.com

Winter 2013 The Positive Community

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47

1/16/13 1:58 PM

Donald M. Payne, Sr. Statue Unveiled

“ I had a great teacher, but I

will not try to fill those shoes, I will follow them. Donald Payne, Jr.

”

Photos: Risasi Dias

N

ovember 6, 2012 was a day for family, friends, colleagues and public officials from throughout the state to remember Donald M. Payne as a 500-pound, larger-than-life, bronze statue of the late U.S. Congressman was unveiled at the Essex County Court Complex in Newark.

Payne, who passed away on March 6, 2012, was elected to the 10th Congressional District of New Jersey in 1988. New Jersey’s first African-American Congressman, he won re-election to his 12th term to represent the 10th District (which included parts of Essex, Union and Hudson Counties) in the 112th Congress. He served as a member of the House Committee on Education and Labor, and was a member of the Subcommittee on Workforce Protections and the Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary and Secondary Education. He also was member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, where he served as Chairman of the Subcommittee on Africa and Global Health and as a member of the Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere and the Subcommittee on International Organizations, Human Rights and Oversight. On the international front, Payne was a strong voice and supporter of efforts to restore democracy and human rights across the globe, including in South Africa, Namibia, Haiti, Zaire, Nigeria, China, Eastern Europe, Darfur and Northern Ireland.

In 2003, President Bush appointed Payne as one of two members of Congress to serve as a Congressional delegate to the United Nations and reappointed him in 2005 to an unprecedented second term. In this role, Payne met with the U.N. Secretary General and the U.S. Ambassador to the U.N., and regularly attended sessions of the U.N. General Assembly and other high level meetings.

Before being elected Congressman, he served on the Newark Municipal Council, the Essex County Board of Chosen Freeholders, as an executive of the Prudential

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The Positive Community Winter 2013

Insurance Company, Vice President of Urban Data Systems, Inc. and an educator in the Newark public school system. A former national President of the YMCA, he was Chairman of the World Refugee and Rehabilitation Committee. He also served on the board of directors the Congressional Award Foundation, the Boys and Girls Clubs of Newark, the Newark Day Center, the Fighting Back Initiative and the Newark YMCA. He is survived by three children and four grandchildren.

The bronze statue of New Jersey’s first AfricanAmerican Congressman stands just outside the Public Safety building in the Donald M. Payne Plaza, which was named for the congressman in 2009.

The seven foot tall sculpture is a monument to his lifelong dedication to public service.

“The honor that is being bestowed upon my father today is tremendous and you cannot imagine how much this means to our family,” said Congressman-Elect Donald M. Payne, Jr. “I had a great teacher, but I will not try to fill those shoes, I will follow them.”

—JNW www.thepositivecommunity.com

Photos: Seitu Oronde

CACCI Dinner

L–R: Rev. Dennis Dillon with George Hulse

T

he Caribbean American Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CACCI) hosted its Annual Christmas Business Networking Reception and Dinner on Thursday, December 13, at Tropical Paradise Ballroom, in Brooklyn, NY. Over 350 leaders in business, community service, clergy, elected officials and friends came out to

www.thepositivecommunity.com

L–R: Board Chairman, Edmond A. Sadio, Lowell Hawthorne, Dr. Roy A. Hastick, Sr. and Scott Stringer, Manhattan Borough President

support this great community businessbuilding institution.

It was a tribute to visionary leadership, new CACCI members who have taken a risk and accepted the challenge of entrepreneurship and are continuing to persevere despite challenging economic times for small business owners.

President, Dr. Roy A. Hastick, Sr. served as Convener and Board Chairman; Edmond A. Sadio served as event chair. George Hulse, senior v.p. HealthFirst, performed the duties of Master of Ceremonies. Lowell Hawthorne, president & CEO of Golden Krust Caribbean Bakeries and Attorney Christina Bridgewater served as honorary co- chairs.

Winter 2013 The Positive Community

49

Pediatric Patients take “Fantasy Flight” to the “North Pole”

Mary F. Hines-McNeill and her granddaughter, Shaniyah McNeill, on board the flight to the North Pole.

W

orkers from United Airlines at Newark Liberty International Airport -- including customer service representatives, pilots, flight attendants, mechanics and ramp service and management employees -- hosted a “Fantasy Flight” to the “North Pole” on December 12 for children from UMDNJ-The University Hospital and Newark Beth Israel Medical Center.

Nearly 20 children from University Hospital’s sickle

18-month-old London Ewell can barely contain her joy as she and her mom, Ameerah Ewell, prepare to take off on the United Airlines Fantasy Flight to the North Pole.

cell disease practice were on board the aircraft which actually flew over upstate New York -- known for the day as the “North Pole” -- before returning to Newark. After the lively flight, filled with fun provided by a clown as well as Christmas carols led by University Hospital Emergency Medical Technicians who were on board, the children returned to gates 90-91 at the airport. It was festively decorated with activities, lunch and gifts from Santa Claus for each child.

HURRICANE Continued from page 29

Rev. Darren Ferguson with their banner in the destroyed church basement.

congregation feels blessed and thankful for the assistance they received from the volunteers.

Because the church had no lights or heat, services were interrupted for a few weeks, but are now back on schedule. The basement is just about ready for construction to begin, thanks to donations totaling over $50,000 —received predominantly from churches in the metro area from Connecticut to Pennsylvania. To date, churches are not eligible to receive FEMA funds, though

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The Positive Community Winter 2013

Council Speaker Christine Quinn is working hard to change that.

Hosley indicated that Pastor Ferguson has received FEMA funds to rebuild the first floor and basement of his home which were destroyed by Sandy.

Kihani Brea at City Council Speaker Quinn’s office is available to help with issues and concerns regarding Hurricane Sandy relief. She can be reached at 212-7885504 or kbrea@council.nyc.gov www.thepositivecommunity.com

The Newark School of Theology

Theological Education for Everyone

SPRING COURSES 2013 Classes Begin February 4 Old Testament: Part II

Rev. Dr. Douglas Bendall, Ph.D.

Pastoral Psychology Staff

Theological Ethics

Rev. Robert Solon, Th.D. (ABD)

Theologies of Liberation Rev. Dr. Robert Brashear, D.Min.

World Religions

Rev. Dr. Douglas Bendall, Ph.D.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights Rev. Dr. Peter Jackson, Ph.D.

Quantum Physics and Theology (Off site) Rev. Dr. Douglas Bendall, Ph.D.

New Testament Greek Ms. Mary L. Thomas, M.A.

OPEN HOUSE: January 19th—10 am to 2 pm Challenging Seminary Level Classes Member: Nat’l College Credit Recommendation Service Tuition ~ Payment Plan Available

For course descriptions and registration contact Admissions Office Convenient Location Near NJPAC ~ Free Parking

The Newark School of Theology Two Park Place, Newark, NJ Mail: P.O. Box 831 Newark, New Jersey 07101

Telephone (973) 297-0505 NST Fax: (973) 242-6024 • (973) 233-9201

www.newarkschooloftheology.org www.thepositivecommunity.com

Winter 2013 The Positive Community

51

Bishop L.N. Forbes.

Bishop Forbes praises the Lord.

Honoring ‘God’s Honorable Man’ Bishop L.N. Forbes Celebrates 52 Years In The Faith Temple Pulpit Story and photos by g.r. mattox

T

he third Sunday in November is always a joyous occasion for the people of Faith Temple Original Free Will Baptist Church. It is the pastoral anniversary of church founder, Bishop L.N. Forbes and in this, his 52nd year leading the congregation, the respect and admiration he has garnered knows no bounds. The general bishop of the Original Free Will Baptist Conference of America and the emeritus president of the East Orange Clergy Movement, Bishop Forbes is the oldest tenured pastor in the City of East Orange.

His Clergy Movement colleague, Reverend Dr. Leonard Santucci, St. Paul’s AME Church, has made a point of stopping by Faith Temple on this Sunday for the past five years to let the congregation know how much Bishop Forbes is appreciated “across the country and around the globe. There are not many churches that can keep a pastor as long as you have,” he said, “and you have a pastor worth keeping.”

New Jersey Assembly Speaker Sheila Oliver also praised Bishop Forbes during the services: “We love you and we want you to continue in the leadership you have given and the lives you have transformed through your leadership.”

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The Positive Community Winter 2013

The anniversary speaker, Bishop Donald Hilliard, senior pastor of Cathedral International in Perth Amboy, NJ, gave a spirit-filled sermon titled “The Power of These Stones,” taken from Joshua 4:1-10, about the legacy, history and example we leave for the generations to follow. After giving God the praise, he also gave Bishop Forbes his due, calling him “a shining example of humility, of dignity and grace; of what it means to be a man of God. I am here to give thanks to God today as I look back over my life,” he said. “My life is punctuated with older people who prayed with me and stayed with me and tarried with me and believed in me. One of those persons was Bishop L.N. Forbes.”

Last words on his anniversary went to Bishop Forbes, who thanked all for celebrating his special day and recommitted himself to the work he has been doing for over five decades. “I am a man of God who loves everybody,” he said. “And Jesus knows I am trying my best to reach, preach and touch every human being to the extent that I don’t want anybody to die and go to hell when heaven is a prepared place for prepared people.” www.thepositivecommunity.com

A Chronology of Rev. Martin Luther King’s Life and Work 1929: Martin Luther King, Jr. born to Reverend and Mrs. Martin Luther King, Sr. in Atlanta, Georgia.

1947: King is licensed to preach and begins assisting his father, who is pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta.

1948: February 25: King is ordained a Baptist minister. June: he graduates from Morehouse College and receives a scholarship to study divinity at Crozer Theological Seminary in Chester, Pennsylvania.

1949: King attends a lecture by Dr. Mordecai Johnson on the life and work of Mahatma Gandhi and is inspired to delve deeper into the teachings of the Indian social philosopher.

1951: King graduates from Crozer with a Bachelor of Divinity degree.

Class valedictorian and winner of the Pearl Plafker Award for most outstanding student, he begins doctoral studies in theology at Boston University.

1953: June 18: King marries Coretta Scott at her family's home in Marion, Alabama.

1954: Supreme Court of the United States unanimously rules racial segregation in public schools unconstitutional in Brown v. Board of Education decision. King accepts a position as pastor of the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama.

1955: King awarded Ph.D. from Boston University. Yolanda Denise (Yoki), the King's first child is born.

December 5: Montgomery bus boycott begins after Mrs. Rosa Parks is arrested for refusing to give up her seat to a white person. January: King is elected president of the Montgomery Improvement Association and assumes leadership of the boycott, which lasts 381 days.

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The Positive Community Winter 2013

1956: January 30: King's home is bombed; no one is injured. February 21: King is indicted, along with twentyfour other ministers and more than one hundred other blacks, for conspiring to prevent the Montgomery bus company from operation of business. June 4: United States District Court rules racial segregation on Alabama's city bus lines is unconstitutional. November 13: United States Supreme Court unanimously upholds the decision. December 21: Blacks and whites in Montgomery ride on desegregated buses.

1957: January 9: Ministers meet in Atlanta and form the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC).

Ralph Abernathy's home and church are bombed in Montgomery. February 14: SCLC meets in New Orleans.

King unanimously elected president.

May 17: King participates with other civil rights leaders in a Prayer Pilgrimage to Washington. He delivers his first major national address, call-

ing for black voting rights. The next month, he meets with Vice-President Richard Nixon. September 9: Congress passes the 1957 Civil Rights Act, the first civil rights legislation since Reconstruction. October 23: Martin Luther III, the King's second child and first boy is born Montgomery.

1958: June 23: King, Roy Wilkins, and A. Philip Randolph meet solitary confinement. King writes "Letter from Birmingham Jail" on the need for non-violent civil disobedience. School children join the protests in Birmingham in early May; Bull Connor orders the use of fire hoses and police dogs.

Photographs of police brutality shock the nation. May 10: Biracial agreement announced in Birmingham to desegregate public accommodations and give amnesty to those arrested. White segregationists react violently to the agreement. May 11: Bomb explodes at the home of King's brother, Reverend A.D. King, in Birmingham. A second explosion blasts King's headquarters www.thepositivecommunity.com

in the Gaston Motel; blacks in Birmingham riot. State troopers are sent to keep peace. May 20: Supreme Court rules Birmingham's segregation ordinances unconstitutional. August 28: March on Washington becomes the largest and most dramatic civil rights demonstration in history. More than 250,000 marchers, including 60,000 whites, fill the mall from the Lincoln Memorial to the Washington Monument. King and other civil rights leaders meet with President Kennedy in the White House. King's "I Have A Dream" Speech is the high point of the event. September 15: The twentyfirst bombing incident against blacks in Birmingham in eight years kills four little girls during Sunday school at Birmingham's Sixteenth Avenue Baptist Church. No perpetrators are found.

November 22: President Kennedy is assassinated in Dallas, Texas. President Johnson urges the speedy passage of Kennedy's civil rights bill as a fitting tribute to the murdered president.

1964: January 3: Time magazine names King Man of the Year. May: King is jailed for demonstrating in St. Augustine, Fla. July 2: King witnesses the signing of the 1964 Civil Rights Act by President Lyndon Johnson —the most far-reaching civil rights legislation since Reconstruction.

December 10: King awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo, Norway--the youngest person to win the prize.

1965: February 2: King arrested in Selma, Alabama for demonstrating in SCLC's voter registration drive.

Several days later, a federal district court bans the literacy test and other technicalities used against Black voter applicants. February 9: King meets with President Johnson. March 15: President Johnson addresses a joint session of Congress on to appeal for the passage of the Voting Rights Bill, which he submits two days later. In the televised address, he uses the slogan of the nonviolent movement “We Shall Overcome.” March 21: King and 3,000 protesters begin five-day march from Selma to the Alabama state capitol in Montgomery. By agreement, www.thepositivecommunity.com

only three hundred are allowed to march the entire way to the state capitol. They are escorted by hundreds of army troops and national guardsmen.

March 25: In Montgomery, twentyfive thousand marchers meet them.

Mrs. Viola Liuzzo, a civil rights worker from Detroit, is shot to death while driving returning marchers back to Selma. March 26: President Johnson denounces the Ku Klux Klan and announces the arrests of four Klan members in connection with the murder.

March 30: the House Un-American Activities Committee opens a full investigation of the Klan and its “shocking crimes.” August 6: President Johnson signs the 1965 Voting Rights Act. August 11: Six days of rioting break out in Watts, California leaving thirtyfive dead. More than thirty-five hundred people are arrested in one of the worst riots in U.S. history.

1966: February: King and his family move into a tenement apartment in Chicago to initiate the Chicago Project. King meets with Black Muslim leader Elijah Muhammad in Chicago. May 4: More than 80 percent of Alabama's registered blacks vote in the Alabama Democratic primary.

June 6: James Meredith is shot on the first day of his 220-mile "March Against Fear" from Mississippi to Memphis, Tennessee. King and other civil rights leaders decide to continue the march.

Stokely Carmichael, the newly elected head of SNCC, and Willie Ricks use the slogan "Black Power" for the first time in front of reporters. July 10: King initiates “Freedom Sunday" and a drive to make Chicago an "open city," demanding an end to discrimination in housing, schools and employment.

July 12: Rioting erupts on Chicago's West Side; two black youths are killed.

King begins negotiations with Mayor Richard Daley. Illinois governor Otto Kerner orders 4,000 National Guardsmen to Chicago. August 5: King is assaulted with stones as he leads marchers through Chicago's Southwest Side.

September 4: SNCC and CORE march on Chicago's Cicero suburb. King and SCLC do not participate. Two hundred African Americans, protected

by National Guardsmen, are fiercely attacked and forced to retreat.

1967: February 15: President Johnson proposes the 1967 Civil Rights Act to Congress, including a strong openhousing provision. The bill does not pass, but similar provisions are later incorporated in the 1968 Civil Rights Act. April 16: At a news conference in New York King warns that at least ten cities "could explode in racial violence this summer" because conditions that caused riots last summer still exist.

June 2: Riots begin in the Roxbury section of Boston; more than 60 people are injured and nearly 100 are arrested. Before the summer is over, riots occur in Newark, Detroit, Milwaukee, and more than 30 other American cities. In Detroit, 43 die and 324 are injured. June 19: Federal judge orders schools in Washington, D.C. to end de facto segregation by the fall semester.

July 26: King, A. Philip Randolph, Roy Wilkins, and Whitney Young issue a joint statement appealing for an end to the riots, which "have proved ineffective and damaging to the civil cause and the entire nation. November 27: King announces the inception of the Poor People's Campaign, focusing on jobs and freedom for poor people — black and white.

1968: February 12: Sanitation workers go on strike in Memphis, Tennessee. March 2: King leads a demonstration in Memphis in support of the striking sanitation workers. When the march becomes violent, one black is killed and more than fifty people are injured. King leaves Memphis distressed over the violence. April 3: He returns in the hopes of leading a peaceful march.

He tells a crowd at the Memphis Masonic Temple, "I may not get there with you, but I want you to know tonight that we as a people will get to the Promised Land." April 4: Martin Luther King, Jr. is assassinated in the balcony of the Lorraine Hotel in Memphis. He dies at St. Joseph's Hospital of a gunshot wound in the neck. April 7: The President declares a national day of mourning for King.

Winter 2013 The Positive Community

55

Photo: LaRue List

Frisby Sworn as Mercer County Freeholder

S

amuel Frisby, CEO of the Trenton YMCA was sworn in to serve a three-year term on the Mercer County Board of Freeholders by former Governor Jim Florio on Friday, January 4th at the War Memorial Building in Trenton, NJ. Sam has already served a one-year unexpired term succeeding Assemblyman Dan Benson, who was elected to the New Jersey Assembly in late 2011. At the present time, Frisby is the only African American serving on the Mercer Co. Board of Freeholders. He lives in Trenton with his wife, Teska and two sons, Sam, Jr. and Theodore.

Fit-Rite Fashions

Pastor Appreciation for Rev. Brightharp

U

nder the theme “Hold to God’s Unchanging Hand”, Rev. Dr. Joan J. Brightharp, pastor of greater New Hope Missionary BC, was honored at an Annual Pastor Appreciation service at Mt. Sinai BC in NYC. Pictured (L-R) Min. Sharon Bacot, Rev. Tyrone Williams, Rev. Brightharp, Min. Cornelius Dargan (her husband), host pastor Rev. Lehman Morgan and Elder Roscoe Izlar.

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The Positive Community Winter 2013

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F reedom 2013 Photos: Seitu Oronde

Rev Calvin Rice, host pastor New Jerusalem BC, Queens, NY

O

n New Year’s Day/Emancipation Day, Clergy leaders in New York City came together in fellowship and goodwill to begin a journey in unity through 2013. Under the banner “Freedom 2013,” special Emancipation services were held in Staten Island, Brooklyn and Queens. The goal for Freedom 2013 is to assemble together 10,000 to 14,000 people representing the diversity of America’s culture and the richness of the

www.thepositivecommunity.com

L–R: Rev. Dr. James Forbes; Rev. Shermain Lashly; Freedom 2013 founder and publisher of NY Christian Times Rev. Dennis Dillon; host pastor, Bishop Cecil Riley of Freedom Hall Church, Brooklyn, NY

global black community under one roof in New York.

The gathering purposes to commemorate the 150 years since the Emancipation Proclamation, and will serve to deliver strong and positive actions around some of the local (New York tri-state area), national and global crises that our communities face.

Winter 2013 The Positive Community

57

Mosley Takes Residence in The People’s House

By R.L. Witter

hen people asked a young Walter Mosley what he might like to do for a living one day, he replied, “Be a sportscaster!” With his quick wit, athletic build, charm and good looks, it made sense. But that answer soon gave way to another. In the Mosley household, it simply wouldn’t have been enough. “The whole premise of my upbringing was that you want to serve people,” Mosley recalled from his Brooklyn office during the winter holidays. While many were shopping, skating or hanging out at home at the end of 2012, Mosley was looking ahead to his duties as a newly-elected New York State Assemblyman.

“You want to give something back and provide them with something,” he explained, “to give of yourself to the community you represent.”

And represent he does. Mosley exudes confidence and kindness in his words and demeanor, traits that have long been a mainstay in his family. “I might have been a policeman,” he reflected. “My grandfather, who was like a surrogate father to me, he was an officer of the law… And my mom was an educator so that appealed to me. I knew I’d end up doing something where I served other individuals.”

His service to the community has taken many forms from literacy programs and coaching local youth football to working with his fraternity brothers of Alpha Phi Alpha, Inc. But his political aspirations are not a career path, rather “an opportunity.” He cites the people he meets in his daily travails, his constituents, as the best part of his political experience thus far. “The people I meet in the streets and at the senior citizens’ homes and community centers —the people and their stories. There is greatness all around us,”

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Mosley remarked. “It’s a blessing to meet these people… they are gifts in our community and in our lives.” Mosley sums up his foray into politics by paraphrasing a quote by Shirley Chisholm, “A young man asked her for advice on beginning a career in politics and she basically told him that if you want to get into this business and worry about how you can get re-elected and make a career of this, you’re called a politician and that’s what you don’t want to be. You want to serve people, serve the next generation. Think of yourself as a statesman because that’s what a statesman does. That’s what I strive to embody.”

Mosley has three major concerns when it comes to his district and the people he represents: economic development, mayoral control of public schools and affordable housing. Regarding economic development he said, “There are several major opportunities for developments in my district and I want to make sure we continue to build from within and reach out to build a talented workforce from within Central Brooklyn.” Concerning control of the public schools he said he was “looking forward to revisiting and revising that in order for us to make a public school system that is responsible and responsive to not only parents but our students.” And on the topic of affordable housing Mosley remarked, “The most important thing is creating and preserving affordable housing in our district and making sure that people are not being priced out of the district where they grew up and would like to raise their families.”

Family is a priority Mosley, a dedicated husband and father. When asked how he likes to spend his free time he replied, “However Sebastien wants to spend it,” with a big smile. “Sebastien dictates the calendar.” Five-year-old Sebastien is the light of Mosley’s life and the feeling is most definitely mutual. With his wife, Janice, completing her medical residency in Florida due to the downsizing and closing of hospitals in New York, the bond between her two favorite guys grows stronger daily as Mosley takes on the role of primary caregiver. “We eat pasta pretty regularly,” Mosley chuckled. “And I’m pretty good at dialing out for pizza and Chinese food.” He also gets help and support from his mother and other family members.

Mosley likens the sacrifice of temporary long distance in his marriage to what communities across the country are doing as well. “In this age of doing more with less, we need to carry the same mentality as public officials that yes, we all have less, but if we pool our resources we can all potentially have more than what we had in the past…maximize our efforts both individually and collectively.”

It would seem that everything thus far in his life has been preparing Mosley for his current position as Assemblyman and any future positions he might decide to take. After receiving his bachelor’s degree in Criminology from Pennsylvania State University with honors, Mosley www.thepositivecommunity.com

PROFILE was awarded his Juris Doctorate from Howard University.

He has served as a political consultant on several local and countywide campaigns and in 2004 was assigned by the Democratic National Committee to work on behalf of Senator John Kerry’s presidential campaign. From 1998 to 2001, he was a Legislative and Oversight Analyst and Investigator for the New York City Council’s Office of Oversight and Investigations. He served as Special Advisor and External Relations Specialist for the New York State Senate Democratic Minority Conference, previously served as Chief of Staff and Senior Consultant to the New York State Assembly, and Senior Advisor to the Deputy Speaker of the New York State Assembly.

“I don’t just want to be a part of something,” Mosley opined. “I want to be a major contributor and I think that’s what the people who live, work and go to school in Brooklyn want from me, whether they voted for me or not.” In an active district that prides itself on being civically and politically engaged, Mosley wants to “continue to engage our seniors, young people, clergy and small business owners and other elected officials…” He sees the Barclays Arena as a source of pride and opportunity for the area and says, “I’m a big basketball fan, but I’m a bigger ‘everything that’s good for Brooklyn’ fan. So if a basketball team can bring more pride and additional economic development, I’m all for it. I want to make sure that

“I don’t just want to be a part of something,” Mosley opined. “I want to be a major contributor and I think that’s what the people who live, work and go to school in Brooklyn want from me . . .”

Mosley with his son, Sebastien and wife, Dr. Janice Mosley www.thepositivecommunity.com

promises are kept regarding affordable housing and economic development. We’re looking forward to what these projects can bring…I want to make sure that Brooklynites get every possible benefit from this project.”

With an eye toward the future Mosley pondered the historical significance of the Obama presidency and the legacy it leaves for generations yet to come, “Through hard work and determination you can be anything you want to be. President Obama’s election will do far more than he could ever accomplish in two terms in office —the significance. I think of my son and his peers and those who will come after them and I can honestly tell them that there are no limitations or hindrances that can overcome the desire to do or be whatever they want and I look forward to their realization of that.” So do we, Assemblyman Mosley. Keep leading the way.

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Health P r e v e n t i o n , T r e a t m e n t & Cu r e

Rutgers, Community Groups and Churches Team Up for Alzheimer’s Awareness

L–R: Lorraine Antonelli, Rutgers Catering director; John Butler, executive chef, Aramark Corporation; Dr. Diane Hillc, assistant chancellor, Rutgers-Newark Office of University-Community Partnerships and co-director of AAAABHI; Dr. Mark Gluck, professor of Neuroscience and director, Rutgers Memory Disorders Project, co-director AAAABHI and Margaret Cammarieri, regional vice president, Health Equity/Multicultural Initiatives NJ/NY Metro Area American Heart Association|American Stroke Association

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ecognizing that African Americans are twice as likely to develop Alzheimer’s as the general population, Rutgers University in Newark hosted a free public conference December 8-9, 2012 promoting brain health and education about the disease. The program included presentations on ways to improve memory and to age well, how to care for elders with demen-

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Rutgers Student Volunteer and Newark Resident- Wyleirah Wilson

L–R: AAAABHI Advisory Board Member, Francis Dixon, executive director, Vision of Hope Development Corporation/The New Hope Baptist Church, (standing); Dr. Mark Gluck, (seated) conference participant and member of The New Hope Baptist Church and Dr. Phyllis Peterman, Rutgers-Newark.

tia, support services for families and legal issues for caregivers. Attendees also learned how to cook “brain and heart-healthy” foods and dined on the meals they made.

“Minority and economically disadvantaged seniors are at greater risk for Alzheimer’s disease, due to environmental, lifestyle and behavioral factors,” explains Dr. Mark Gluck, a neuroscientist at Rutgers

in Newark and a director of the Rutgers-Newark African-American Alzheimer's Awareness and Brain Health Initiative. “Our objective is to reduce the incidence, social cost, and personal, familial, and community devastation caused by the high rate of Alzheimer’s disease among African Americans -- double that of the genContinued on page 71 www.thepositivecommunity.com

Darrell K. Terry, Sr., MHA, FACHE Chief Operating Officer

John A. Brennan, MD, MPH President and Chief Executive Officer

On behalf of 3,600 employees at

Newark Beth Israel Medical Center and Children’s Hospital of New Jersey, we are pleased to celebrate and commemorate the

Grand Jubilee Year of the Emancipation Proclamation with The Positive Community Magazine.

EVERY DAY, EXTRAORDINARY.

201 Lyons Avenue, Newark, NJ 07112 973.926.7000 NewarkBeth.com ChildrensHospitalNJ.com facebook.com/NewarkBethIsraelMedicalCenter

PHILIP M. BONAPARTE M.D. ON CALL

Chief Medical Officer, Horizon NJ Health/Officer of Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey and Vice President of Clinical Affairs

Seniors, Flu and Pneumonia

Question: As my parents get older, I worry about their health during the winter months. Aren’t seniors particularly vulnerable to the flu and pneumonia?

What can I do to make sure they’re as prepared for these conditions as they can be?

Answer: It’s great that you are concerned about your parents, and you are right to be worried. It has been recognized for many years that people 65 years and older are at greater risk of serious complications from the flu compared with young, healthy adults. It’s estimated that 90 percent of seasonal flu-related deaths and more than 60 percent of seasonal flurelated hospitalizations in the United States each year occur in people 65 years and older. This is because human immune defenses become weaker with age.

So influenza can be a very serious disease for people 65 and older. lu symptoms include fever, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue. Some people may also have vomiting and diarrhea. People may be infected with the flu and have respiratory symptoms without a fever.

Pneumonia is the fourth leading cause of death among the elderly.

Typically, pneumonia occurs when a

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patient’s immune system is weakened due to another illness, such as bronchitis or the flu, and many people develop it in the hospital. In the elderly, pneumonia often develops when either the flu—a virus that is infectious and appears in the winter and early spring—or another upper respiratory infection progresses into it. People over 65 are at increased risk of developing pneumonia and those over 84 are at great risk of dying from complications from the flu or pneumonia.

Call a doctor if: • Your parent has difficulty breathing or shortness of breath, pain or pressure in the abdomen or chest, confusion, abrupt dizziness and/or violent or continual vomiting.

• You notice dehydration and/or a worsening of any other medical conditions, such as heart problems, emphysema or asthma.

Symptoms of dehydration in the elderly include poor skin elasticity (the skin, when pinched, does not return to its normal shape), as well as headache, dizziness, unusually dark urine or an inability to urinate, weakness, dry mouth and nose, and nausea and vomiting.

Since the elderly are at risk of having a flu progress into pneumonia, it is also helpful to know the warning signs for pneumonia: • Symptoms of bacterial pneumonia, which often appear suddenly, include shaking chills, pain in the chest, shortness of breath, a high

fever, sweating, and coughing up thick yellow or green phlegm.

• Warning signs of viral pneumonia include headache, fever, a dry cough that does not bring up phlegm, muscle pain and exhaustion.

• Signs of more advanced viral pneumonia can include a cough that produces small amounts of white or clear phlegm.

• Walking pneumonia, which is a milder form of pneumonia, usually produces flu-like symptoms but in much less severe form than other kinds of pneumonia, and is treated with antibiotics.

What can I do to prevent my parent’s flu from turning into pneumonia?

• Once your parent develops the flu, it will be important to follow the doctor’s orders: rest, drink a lot of fluids, and avoid alcohol and cigarettes. The more nutritious the fluids, the more helpful they will be, as they will help build up your parent’s strength.

• Talk to your doctor about influenza antiviral drugs that may shorten the flu’s course.

• If your parent hasn’t already done so, he or she should get a pneumonia vaccine, which helps protect against 23 types of bacterial pneumonia.

For more information, go to http://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/disease/65over.htm

www.thepositivecommunity.com

UH Positive Community Ad 8 x 10.5 final_Layout 1 1/11/13 4:30 PM Page 1

Peter W. Carmel, MD Ira M. Goldstein, MD

James K. Liu, MD

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The Neurological Institute of New Jersey Center of Excellence at The University Hospital The Neurological Institute of New Jersey offers comprehensive neurological care and treatment of brain, spinal cord and head/neck conditions, with a full range of conservative and surgical neurological interventions.

As faculty members at UMDNJ-New Jersey Medical School, our team of experienced neurosurgeons is committed to providing the highest level of care at The University Hospital and to our clinical affiliates in the northern New Jersey region.

The Neurological Institute of New Jersey Proud recipient of the 2012 Healthgrades™ Award of Excellence in Neurosurgery One of 11 Centers of Excellence at The University Hospital, which provide the State’s advanced medical services and specialty care programs.

To reach the Neurological Institute of New Jersey please call us at: 973-972-2323, or go to: www.njneurosurgeons.com.

DR. LIZ PARENTING 101

Winter Health Update old and flu season is upon us, so it’s best to equip yourself with the information you need to handle winter illness. Unfortunately, antibiotics do not cure the “common cold” or the flu. It’s more difficult to stay healthy in the winter because people are inside and are in close contact with each other. Winter health, therefore, can be enhanced by good hand washing, sneezing or coughing into your sleeve/arm rather than your hand, and a good partnership with your doctor. It’s important to know how to manage some of the symptoms at home, but it’s also important to recognize when it’s time to call a professional.

Not every runny nose, cough, or sore throat can or should be treated with an antibiotic. Doctors who prescribe antibiotics for every sick visit are treating the fears and worries of parents more so than the actual illness and are contributing to the rise in antibiotic resistance.

My advice is to work closely with your pediatrician. Some illnesses may initially require watchful waiting before initiating antibiotic treatment. Most people don’t realize that there are more than 100 viruses that are responsible for the common cold. It might seem that your child has the same cold all winter when he actually might have caught back-to-back viruses.

Viruses, however, cannot be cured even with the strongest antibiotic. You must give the body’s immune system time to fight them. The key is to provide fluids for hydration, rest, and over-the-counter medicine to control high fevers and pain/discomfort. Over-the-counter cold medicines are sometimes helpful in alleviating your child’s discomfort but are best to give after consulting your physician, particularly if your child is under 6.

You can manage cold/flu symptoms at home for 48 to 72 hours, but if symptoms persist, you should make an appointment to see your pediatrician. High fevers, body aches, fatigue, and congestion may be symptoms of the flu. The flu cannot be cured with an antibiotic but a prescribed antiviral medication may reduce the duration of the illness.

Stomach viruses are extremely common during the winter and can usually be managed at home. If your child is having diarrhea, you can continue giving him solid foods but you must keep him hydrated by having him drink plenty of Pedialyte if he is under 4 or 5 years of age. For older children, electrolyte sports drinks like Gatorade or Powerade are preferable. For those who refuse to take these drinks, water and a variety of juices will have to suffice. Avoid milk because it’s usually too heavy for the stomach to handle. The use of Imodium is

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also not recommended. The goal is to give your children small but frequent amounts of fluid to keep them hydrated. Sometimes you may have to give 1 to 2 teaspoons every 10 to 15 minutes in order to insure that the fluids stay down.

Many things can be handled at home, but there are some illnesses that warrant a doctor’s visit. If your child complains of a severe sore throat, you should bring him to the doctor to get checked for Strep throat. Sore throats caused by viruses don’t need an antibiotic, but Strep throat is caused by a bacteria called Group A beta hemolytic Streptococcus. Bacterial infections can only be cured with the administration of an antibiotic.

Other reasons for calling or visiting the doctor are: • Signs of dehydration, which include a decreased number of wet diapers or bathroom visits, dry lips/mouth, no tears when crying, sunken soft spot, and sunken eyes • Persistent vomiting • Lethargy to the point of little or no activity. The child is too sick to take interest in any of his normal activities even for a brief period of time.

• Unbearable headache, neck pain, or stiffness, which may point toward meningitis • Fever that persists for more than 2 or 3 days or rises close to 105 degrees Fahrenheit • Extreme pain • Inconsolable, nonstop crying for several hours Parents should ask questions and never leave the doctor’s office without knowing the diagnosis, the reason for taking the prescribed medicine and the guidelines for calling back or returning.

About Dr. Liz Dr. Elizabeth Robinson Henry (Dr. Liz) has dedicated her life to providing youth with the knowledge and confidence to lead healthy and productive lives. She is the founder of Dr. Liz Consulting, a practice focused on making a difference in the lives of adolescents by addressing their physical, emotional, and mental needs. Teens, tweens and their parents can find resources on how to build self-confidence, manage anger and stress, and overcome issues such as bullying, emotions, fitting-in, and obesity at www.drlizforyouth.com. www.thepositivecommunity.com

You can afford to take your kids to the doctor Your kids may qualify for free or low-cost health insurance Healthfirst NJ covers: • Doctor visits • Vaccinations • Prescription medicines • Dental (for children) • Hospital visits and more

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Visit our website at www.healthfirstnj.org to learn more about Healthfirst NJ and our service areas.

KAHLIL CARMICHAEL THE FITNESS DOCTOR

Kahlil Carmichael is the Pastor and Founder of It Is Well Living Church located in Monroe, NJ. He is the CEO of the Fitness Doctor Inc., a Fitness Rehabilitation and Wellness Consultation company. To contact Kahlil to become spiritually and physically fit visit www.itiswellchurch.com or call 732-921-3746

Call to Liberty espite the trials of 2012 and the uncertainties we all faced, I am hopeful that 2013 will be the year we embrace with joy the freedom to live our best life—a life that embodies authentic love, strong faith, correct thinking, physical fitness and good health!

As our nation and community celebrate 150 years since the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation, I am reminded that the freedom to live authentically came at a very high cost and must not be wasted. I am so proud that The Positive Community family has caused us to pause and count the cost of this liberty that we earned through years of slavery.

This call to liberty is a high calling that gives our people and all Americans the ability to move beyond the mental effects of slavery. A slave mentality has kept many of our people (including me) living life bound by bad habits that may have a direct connection to the black slave trade. We are well aware of the social ills produced by slavery (that still impact black Americans and our nation today) such as low self-esteem, self-hatred and the loss of our heritage. But what about the negative impact slavery has had upon our health and wellness?

Many slaves were forced to eat unhealthy animals such as pigs that were unwanted by the plantation owners and their hired hands. Unfortunately, these “leftovers” became a staple in the black American diet for many generations. These unhealthy traditions culminated in the explosion of hypertension, high cholesterol and other obesity related illnesses to epidemic proportions in the black community.

Even our legendary and mythical physical prowess (which derives from our ability to work for free in horrible conditions for extended hours) has somehow caused the black American to believe the hype. We often erroneously (and perhaps subconsciously) believe the legend associated with our physical prowess.

Thus we often take for granted that strength and stamina are gifts and must to be maintained through physical exercise and healthy eating. Because our ancestors worked so hard in the fields—our primary source of physical activi-

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ty—I believe a void has been left since we have moved beyond an agrarian lifestyle.

To fill this void we must engage in an active lifestyle that consists of regular exercise (strength, aerobic and flexibility training) and move beyond the legend of our physical prowess to a legacy of physical fitness and health.

The Apostle Paul told the people of Galatia that they had been called to liberty through love to serve one another.

And this liberty is for the edification of a godly life and not for fleshly gratification. (Galatians 5:13 NIV) Our call to liberty must be used to preserve our cultural equity and help the black race overcome the horrors of slavery to prosper mentally, spiritually and physically. I propose that we break free for once and for all from a slave mentality and move beyond factors that have kept us bound in the area of our health. The Emancipation Proclamation freed us from slavery, but it also gave us the liberty to live the American dream and express the uniqueness of our culture.

This precious liberty that was proclaimed should be used for the forward progression of our people and nation; spiritually, mentally, financially and in the areas of physical fitness, health and nutrition.

Here are some thoughts that will help emancipate you from negative physical fitness and health habits: • Change from a reactive to a proactive mindset as it concerns your health. This year find and visit a good physician who cares about your well-being.

• Do not be bound by unhealthy traditions without knowledge of the origin! Example: Why are you still eating pig’s feet and fried pork chops?

• Move beyond the external and the primary focus on your appearance. Focus on the internal and how you feel! We should exercise to improve our strength, increase our stamina, and encourage our community to live healthier and better lives.

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

Mayor Cory A. Booker and the Newark Municipal Council Department of Child and Family Well–Being 110 William Street Newark, NJ 07102

SERVICES: ADULT MEDICAL PRACTICE (973) 733-7635

ALL MEDICAL SERVICES MONDAY-FRIDAY

Primary medical care, asthma, diabetes and blood pressure management. TB screening, immunizations, pregnancy testing as well as physical exams.

PEDIATRIC PRACTICE (973) 733-7533 Comprehensive pediatric care for youth up to 18 years.

IMMUNIZATIONS (973) 733-7580 Free Immunizations for children 0-18 years.

DENTAL PRACTICE (973) 733-7612 Patient education and basic dental care for adults and children.

WIC (973) 733-7628 Supplemental food for pregnant and breastfeeding women, infants and children under age of 5. Breastfeeding support is provided.

CHILDHOOD LEAD (973) 733-5323 Free Lead screening for children 6 months to 6 years. Free home inspections.

HOMELESS HEALTH CARE PRACTICE (973) 733-8739 Basic primary care, medical assessments, immunizations and screening.

WOMEN’S HEALTH (40 and over) (973) 733-4403 Breast Cancer (Mammograms) Screening and Cervical Cancer (Pap Smear) Test.

COMMUNICABLE DISEASE PREVENTION AND TREATMENT CENTER (973) 648-2444 Exams/Testing for most communicable diseases. HIV counseling and treatment.

For an appointment and information about free or discounted services and our extended hours, please call.

Darrell K. Terry, Sr., MHA, FACHE, Chief Operating Officer, Newark Beth Israel Medical Center and Children’s Hospital of New Jersey, Eric Wasserman, MD, Emergency Department, George Martin, 1986 NY Giants Super Bowl XXI Champion, F. Dean Rice, MD, Internal Medicine, James Lee Sr., MD, Orthopedics, James Domenico Savatta, MD, Urology and Trevor Atherley, MD, Cardiology.

Fans enjoy the game.

Kaylyn Dines, Kim Cook, Aida Chiles, and Lisa Crapps

Newark Beth Israel Medical Center Hosts Monday Night Football Super Bowl Champion George Martin speaks for Men’s Health

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hen Newark Beth Israel Medical Center (NBIMC) presented "Monday Night Football and Men’s Health Night with The Beth" last month, more than 100 men attended the event that featured New York Giants Super Bowl Champion George Martin. The tailgate party and free preventive health program was held in the banquet hall and lounge at the Maplewood Country Club.

Martin, a legendary defensive lineman, who played for the N.Y. Giants from 1975 to 1988 spoke with the group of men, who primarily included police officers, firemen and first responders. Martin, a team captain in January 1987 during Giant’s Super Bowl XXI victory over the Denver Broncos, shared personal health and wellness stories that underscored the importance of exercise and nutrition.

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“In the beginning of 2012, we made a commitment to host an event to engage people in their own wellness – we’ve hosted events for parents and children and women, and now we’ve hosted a free Men’s Health program,” said John A. Brennan, MD, MPH, the president and chief executive officer of Newark Beth Israel Medical Center and Children’s Hospital of New Jersey. “We were pleased to have both the support of our physicians and the presence of a legendary Super Bowl champion who presented a dynamic account of his ongoing commitment to health and wellness.”

Martin’s remarks were followed by interactive discussions led by the following four NBIMC physicians: F. Dein Rice, MD, Internal Medicine; James Lee, Sr., MD Orthopedics; Trevor Atherley, MD, Cardiology; and Domenico Savatta, MD, Urology.

Several health screenings that were offered included: Stress; Prostate and Lung; Body Mass Index (BMI); Blood Pressure; HIV/AIDS; Glucose; and Balance Testing.

“George Martin’s presence, the health information and a N.Y. Giants game was an ideal combination. That was a really good way to bring us together and educate us on the importance taking care of ourselves so that we can be around for our loved ones,” said Marvin T. White, an accountant who resides in Orange. “It was an excellent evening with various health screenings, brief informational sessions by some of the hospital’s top doctors and a moving testimonial by Giants great George Martin to kicked things off.

The camaraderie of the evening was a success on all levels and I look forward to future outings.” www.thepositivecommunity.com

GET YOUR COPY or send a gift to a friend...

Adults interested in improving their reading and writing skills are invited to contact

LITERACY VOLUNTEERS OF BETHANY

Each adult will be matched with a tutor to set up a meeting time convenient to both, and begin a literacy training program tailored to the unique needs of the adult learner.

Contact Literacy Volunteers of Bethany at

Bethany Baptist Church

10

275 West Market Street Newark, New Jersey

Phone 973.623.8161

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Call 973-233-9200 Send check or money order to: The Positive Community, 133 Glenridge Avenue, Montclair, NJ 07042 Subscribe online at www.thepositivecommunity.com www.thepositivecommunity.com

Winter 2013 The Positive Community

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90

A Life That Has Fulfilled Its Promise

By g.r.mattox

S

emmion Horne has seen a lot of changes in his 90 years of life. Born in Glenwood, Georgia to Raymond and Bessie Horne, a respectable farming couple, he had a white grandmother. “My greatuncle fell in love with a black woman and married her; he left the white race and turned black,” he explained.

“When his sisters and brothers came to live with him they had no choice — they turned black and married black people.”

His grandparents only met a few of their grandchildren though. “When my grandmother went up to Savannah to visit her parents, she only took the lighter ones. She kept them out of the sun for a few weeks before going, so my grandmother’s parents never knew who she married.”

Once, when he was about five-years old, his grandmother went to Florida to visit a son who was in prison, and she baked a cake to give to him. “She came back and told us how the guards went through the cake to see if something might have been hid in it,” he remembered. “I didn’t understand this and I said I hated white people. She said, ‘No, don’t hate nobody, Semmion. You can’t afford to do that.’ I did not know she was white herself.”

He said the death of his mother when he was very young increased his responsibilities on the family farm.

In addition to cotton and corn, the farm produced tobacco and Horne remembers riding to the barn on a mule to prepare for its harvesting and curing.

After many years working the farm, Horne joined the Great Migration to Philadelphia, where he went to Wayne Garden Institute and became certified in auto mechanics. He met the love of his life, Anna Lavada Morris, and made her his wife in 1950. Together they further migrated to New Jersey in search of a better life, and he worked in his trade at Squibb Pharmaceuticals for 37 years. He also joined forces with a brother-in-law

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Nonagenarian Reflects on a very full Life I did, I never forgot “ Whatever the church and the Good Lord and thanked Him for what He was doing for me.

”

to form Horne-Howard Construction from 1959 to the early ‘70s, and is quite proud when he sees many of the houses his company built in Somerset and Middlesex Counties still standing today.

He was able to go on a 16-day tour of Europe to study assembly line-produced houses. “We wanted to see if that method would work well in this county and that type of building was going on there because there was so many houses that were bombed during the Second World War.” During this trip, he said he was able to accept people as people, and hoped that “people could live their lives without developing hatred for other people.”

Now a long-time member of the Community Church of God in Plainfield who serves on the Deacon Board, Horne, the father of one son, was an active member of the New Brunswick branch of the NAACP, serving as its President for 14 years. During his life, his faith has certainly been tested but he has never wavered in it.

“You live by faith. It’s kept me all these years, and it’s going to keep me. It won’t be much further, but faith has great carrying power. Whatever I did, I never forgot the church and the Good Lord and thanked Him for what He was doing for me.”

Horne says there have been many changes in his lifetime, but he still feels there have not been enough.

“Change hasn’t taken place as it should, but the most exciting change I have seen is President Obama being elected and re-elected.”

If given the chance, Horne said that he would change little in his long life. He’s dined with the Kennedy family and heard Dr. King speak in Washington, DC. He’s traveled the world and served his community to a great extent. “God blessed me with a devoted wife and family and many successful business ventures! I challenge the youth of our community to dream big and trust God,” he said. www.thepositivecommunity.com

SO I SEND YOU

RUTGERS

relief medicine is an annual effort for So Send I You and the New York churches are generous and supportive. This is the only pain relief medicine the clinic receives. In Swaziland, the group participated in the official dedication of a kitchen. While there several years ago, Dr. Bush noticed children sitting on the ground at an old government sponsored shack eating a meal consisting of fortified cornmeal and oil (the same meal was served 5 days a week). In 2009 the congregation of Walker Memorial decided to build a modern food kitchen with tables and chairs where the children could come daily and have healthy, well-balanced meals. In 2011, members from Walker Memorial traveled to Africa for a groundbreaking ceremony. The facility is outfitted with fresh, clean running water and electricity.

Upon arrival the group was greeted by more than one thousand villagers, government officials and community leaders from the village chief to the minister of Health and Education. They also broke ground for Mt. Calvary Baptist Church to be built and named in honor of Dr. Robert W. Dixon and the Mt. Calvary Baptist Church of Albany, New York, in partnership with SO SEND I YOU. The new Mt. Calvary is expected to be completed and dedicated in November of 2013.

A visit to Nelson Mandela House in Johannesburg, South Africa, where the Mandela family lived from 1946 until the 1990s, was a highlight of the trip, capping a meaningful, fulfilling mission for all.

eral population -- and low rate of treatment, some 40% less than non-minorities.”

The event was part of the Rutgers-Newark AfricanAmerican Alzheimer's Awareness and Brain Health Initiative, a partnership of the Rutgers-Newark Office of University-Community Partnerships and the Rutgers Center for Molecular & Behavioral Neuroscience. According to Dr. Diane Hill, assistant chancellor of university-community partnerships at Rutgers-Newark, “This weekend-long program, developed in close cooperation with our local Community Advisory Board, illustrates how the academic and scientific strengths of our university can be leveraged to directly serve the needs of the residents of Newark.”

Community partners for the brain health weekend were Bethany Baptist Church, St. James A.M.E., The New Hope Baptist Church, East Orange Office of Senior Services, City of Newark Municipal Council, Babyland Family Services, Inc. The program is supported by Forest Laboratories and the American Heart Association/ American Stroke Association of NJ. The Brain Health Initiative uses programs such as the Brain Health weekend to increase knowledge among elderly African Americans in the Newark area about risk factors for Alzheimer’s, special factors affecting African Americans, and treatment options. The progam also strives to educate African Americans about the value of participating in biomedical research and clinical studies.

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Winter 2013 The Positive Community

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MWANDIKAJI K. MWANAFUNZI THE WAY AHEAD

Thirty Congregations Celebrate Emancipation Proclamation n New Year’s Day 2013, clergy and laypeople from many congregations converged sequentially on three houses of worship—first in Staten Island, then in Brooklyn, and lastly in Queens—as part of the “Emancipation Day Boro by Boro Commemoration.” Reserved buses transported participants from church to church.

The event’s date was no coincidence. The Emancipation Proclamation was signed on January 1, 1863, which made January 1, 2013 the 150th anniversary.

In addition to singing by the Voices of Freedom Mass Choir (Bishop Nathaniel Townsley, Jr., senior music minister and producer) and praise-dancing, the program featured mini-sermons by several preachers and a short speech by a non-clergyman.

At the New Jerusalem Baptist Church in Queens, Bishop Cecil Riley of Brooklyn’s Freedom Hall Church of God preached a sermon entitled “From Africa to Slavery.” He stated that we need a message from God more than a message from Washington, DC. We should look to God regarding moving forward and utilize what we have, and God will be with us.

Dr. Ron Daniels, who heads the Institute for the Black World 21st Century (IBW21), posited that God moves on the side of the oppressed. Rev. Nickolas Tweed of the AME church said that we should separate ourselves from systems of power that exploit and oppress. He urged us to embrace the alternative view based on God’s love, power, and justice, rather than support the world’s capitalism and militarism. Stating that President Abraham Lincoln was coerced into signing the Emancipation Proclamation, Rev. Tweed suggested that rather than identifying Lincoln as the leader in the abolition of African-American slavery, we recognize the roles played by people like Bishop Henry McNeal Turner and Frederick Douglass.

The Rev. Johnny Ray Youngblood of Mt. Pisgah Baptist Church argued that the Ten Commandments were designed to break the People of God from the value sys-

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tem of their former oppressors, under whose thumbs and values they had been oppressed for centuries.

Rev. Clinton Miller of Brown Memorial Baptist Church suggested that rather than looking at Africa as a place to receive aid, we should view that continent as a place to invest our resources. Preaching on “From Symbolism to Substance,” he maintained that African Americans have not yet achieved freedom, despite Barack Obama’s reelection as President. Racism remains and there is no “post racial society,” he said.

Rev. Dennis Dillon, pastor of the Brooklyn Christian Center and the prime organizer of Freedom 2013, concentrated on the need for black economic development, pointing out that the 1963 March on Washington occurred during the 100th anniversary year of the Emancipation Proclamation and that black progress occurred soon afterward.

Cards distributed at the event recommended monthly or one-time donations to Freedom 2013 of $20.13 to $2,013.00. The cards read, “150 years since the Emancipation Proclamation—and Black people still are not FREE! Underserved communities are faced with economic, educational and healthcare disparities, and subprime lending practices are robbing communities of generational wealth, while an ever increasing pattern of gentrification displaces many, weakening the very foundation of local communities.”

Approximately 30 congregations and other institutions are listed as participants in Freedom 2013.

The next event is scheduled for February 19, 2013 at Riverside Church, located at 490 Riverside Drive between West 119th and 122nd Streets in Morningside Heights, Manhattan. It is titled, “The Journey of 150 Years; An Emancipation Proclamation Worship-Rally.” Its subtitle is “From Lincoln 1863…to Obama 2013.” Plans for the event include music, dance, speeches, presentations, and a special enactment by actor/dancer Savion Glover.

Admission is free.

Further information regarding participation and scheduling is available through the Brooklyn Christian Center, 718.638.6397. The website is www.Freedom2013.com.

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GOOD NEWS FROM THE CHURCH AND COMMUNITY

www.thepositivecommunity.com January 2013

Vol. 13, No. 1

BY R.L. WITTER

Publisher Adrian A. Council, Sr.

t’s 2013! A new year is upon us and many of us have made resolutions to change and improve our lives and communities. Along with resolutions, January also brings “winter premieres”—new television shows aimed at keeping you glued to the tube while your tried and true favorites are on hiatus.

With new positive offerings such as the Bounce and Aspire networks popping up on channel offerings, it is clear that black people are watching television and advertisers are spending money to reach those viewers. But it’s what we’re watching that concerns me.

Black women seem to bear the brunt of the embarrassment and stereotyping when it comes to how we are depicted on television. In the 1980s and 1990s, there were several sitcoms that showed black people in a positive light. The Cosby Show, A Different World, Living Single, Amen, The Fresh Prince of Bel Air and others depicted upwardly mobile black people and families dealing with life’s ups and downs, laughing and crying and maintaining a sense of dignity. Sadly, since the Hollywood writers’ strike of 2007, scripted shows have been largely replaced by Reality TV, especially shows featuring and marketed toward black people.

Black Reality TV has brought us such gems as Flava of Love, Being Bobby Brown, Basketball Wives and Love & HipHop. Sadly, each and every one of those shows has spawned a spin-off or sequel and in some cases, more than one. And what do these shows depict?

Crass, thuggish, rude women who curse people out more frequently than people say “God bless you” after a sneeze and have no qualms about hitting, spitting and wrestling other women over perceived slights and sophomoric misunderstandings.

And what about our men? All of

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Editor-in-Chief Jean Nash Wells Associate Editor R. L. Witter Sales Angela Ridenour Adrian Council, Jr. NGS Communications, Inc. Satori MPR Church/Community Affairs Coordinator Faith Jackson Contributing Writers Sonja Gracy Dr. Phillip Bonaparte Linda Armstrong Mwandikaji K. Mwanafunzi g.r. mattox Rosemary Sinclair Patricia Baldwin Rev. Theresa Nance Rev. Reginald T. Jackson Herb Boyd Glenda Cadogan Toni Parker Helene Fox Rev. Dr. Joanne Noel Rev. Dr. Johnny Ray Youngblood William Parrish Jeanne Parnell Photographers Bob Gore Wali A. Muhammad Seitu Oronde Rev. Dr. William L. Watkins, Jr. Darryl Hall Vincent Bryant Donovan Gopie Linda Pace Hubert Williams Art Direction & Layout Penguin Design Group Martin Maishman The Positive Community Corp.

133 Glenridge Avenue Montclair, NJ 07042 973-233-9200 Fax: 973-233-9201 Email: news@thepositivecommunity.com Website: thepositivecommunity.com All contents © 2010 The Positve Community Corporation.

All Rights Reserved. This publication, in whole or in part, may not be reproduced, stored in a computerized or other retrieval system, or transmitted in any form, or by any means whatsoever without the prior written permission of The Positive Community Corporation. Any opinions expressed herein are solely the opinions of the writer(s) and not necessarily those of The Positive CommunityTM, its management or staff. The Positive CommunityTM reserves the right to retain all materials and does not assume reponsibility for unsolicited materials.

74 The Positive Community

The Last Word

Winter 2013

these shows feature men accused of cheating on their partners, often fathering children outside of the supposedly monogamous relationship (why so many of the “Basketball Wives” were never married to basketball players is beyond me). There is always an element of “baby mama drama” and some storylines even feature allegations of abuse.

The most recent crop of shows targeting the black audience is no better.

All My Babies’ Mamas, featuring a rapper who has fathered 11 children with ten different women, is scheduled to debut in the coming weeks. The advertisements show the man unable to recall all of his children’s names while his “baby mamas” bicker between themselves and his new girlfriend, who is the same age as some of his children. Why? Not only why have so much unprotected sex with so many different women, but also why put it on television? Why put that image out there to perpetuate long-held stereotypes about black men’s virility and black women’s propensity for having sex and children outside of committed, monogamous relationships?

Is nothing sacred anymore? We even have a reality show, The Sisterhood, that follows black preachers’ wives, First Ladies of the church. If it focused on the time that they spend counseling and consoling church members, organizing church events and being a positive force in their communities, then it might be alright. But, since it highlights arguments, gossip and hair weaves… And don’t get me started on Best Funeral Ever.

It’s 2013. It’s a new year—another one with a black family in the White House. If nobody watches these shows, they don’t stay on the air. Let’s decide that we deserve better and demand better for and of ourselves.

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The Positive Community’s

Great Countdown to Freedom

The Grand Jubilee Year of Emancipation—2013

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n January 1, 2013, America observed the 150th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation—the sesquicentennial commemoration. From the date January 1, 1863 to the present we, as a group are blessed with an enormous opportunity to measure, assess and define our American journey, our claim on the American Dream.

Below is a cultural narrative—our story—an oral history, a brief presentation of our deep collective experience that dates back to before this nation’s founding: The Cultural Narrative African Americans are a unique people with a peculiar history in this land. Brought to these shores in chains from Africa as slaves in the early 1600s, our people toiled and suffered as captives in brutal bondage for a quarter of a millennium (250 years).

On January 1st 1863, two years into the Civil War, the Emancipation Proclamation, signed by President Abraham Lincoln, became law, signaling an end to slavery. On that day, the African American community of the United States of America was born.

One hundred years later, in August, 1963, at the height of the civil rights movement, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. stood in front of the Lincoln Memorial as he led hundreds of thousands to a “March on Washington” seeking an end to discrimination and Jim Crow segregation in the South. It was a demand for full citizenship rights for the people in what has been called “The Second Emancipation.”

Forty years after Martin Luther King’s tragic assassination in 1968, America elected its first black president, Barack Obama (2008).

In one hundred years between the first and “second emancipation,” in the midst of bitter persecution, humiliation, lynching and the denial of basic human rights, the resiliency of the African American spirit continued to shine brightly in religion, business, invention, sports and in the creative arts—music, fashion, dance, language, literature and theater. Indeed, original American art forms and a popular culture which has become the envy of the world were founded upon the souls of a forlorn people! And that is our story-the Truth, Beauty and Goodness of a loving and gifted race revealed!

An Extraordinary History Ours is an extraordinary history of trial, tribulation and triumph that we must never forget! This is the story that we must tell our children and be ever remembered. We the people, descendants of the Great Emancipation, must tell our story to each other reminding ourselves, over and over again of the great, noble struggle and sacrifices of those who came before us.

This is our story, our cultural narrative, our Grand Jubilee and springboard into a great and prosperous future—a vision of hope and progress; health and wholeness; peace and goodwill!

2013—the Grand Jubilee Year of the Emancipation Proclamation!

Author: Adrian A. Council, Sr. Editor: Jean Nash Wells

Community Partner:

Graphic Design: Penguin Graphics & Martin Maishman Published by: The Positive Community Corporation www.thepositivecommunity.com

An extraordinary history ...

As we commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation, let us vow to never forget the struggles and sacrifices of those who came before us and those who continue to rise up in the face of injustice.

New Jersey Education Association‌ working for great public schools for every child.

Barbara Keshishian, President Wendell Steinhauer, Vice President Marie Blistan, Secretary-Treasurer Vince Giordano, Executive Director Rich Gray, Asst. Executive Director/ Research Director

I leave you, hoping that the lamp of liberty will burn in your bosoms until there shall no longer be a doubt that all men are created free and equal. – Abraham Lincoln