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The CSRA’s FREE WEEKLY
Newspaper VOL.2 NO.39 VOL.2 NO.18 The CSRA’s
JUNE 20 - 26, 2013
DESPITE A PRE-EMPTIVE STRIKE BY THE AUGUSTA DAILY NEWSPAPER
HEERY INTERNATIONAL IS BACK IN THE MONEY
(Above center) Heery Int’l subcontractor Butch Gallop listens as commissioners vote to continue their decades-long relationship with the company. Photo by Vincent Hobbs
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UrbanProWeekly • JUNE 20 - 26, 2013
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Look Here! FRONT ‘N’ CENTER
Paine College Track Star and Georgia Native Earned 2nd Place Finish at the NCAA Division II Championship Br unswick, entirely on training. Georgia native Prior to going to Baiesha Johnson, the NCAA champiPaine College Lady onships, during the Lions track and SIAC championship field athlete, qualiwhich took place late fied for the 2013 April 2013, Johnson NCA A championwas the conference ship in Pueblo, leader and champiColorado. This peron in the long jump, formance earned Baiesha Johnson high jump, and also Johnson a NCA A NCAA qualifier in 2ndplace ranking. Following both events in the national her participation in the May championships. She was the 23rd long jump contest fin- recipient of the SIAC Field ishing 2nd in the final with Athlete of the Year while coma jump of 6.19 meters, she peting at the 2013 SIAC chamcompeted in the high jump pionship in Atlanta, Georgia. event on May 26th, finishing Johnson’s jump of 6.28 her contest with an attempt meters (20’7”) and an autoat 1.70 meters mark, although matic qualifying mark placed her personal record in the her in the top 2 ranking in high jump is 1.76 meters. the NCAA Division II in the Of course, in her new nation. Her high jump mark career as a professional ath- of 1.74 meters (5’8”) earned lete, she faces quite a few her a NCAA Div. II provisionchallenges, including the per- al qualifier. As an outcome, sonal investment of time, as she earned a 2nd place finish well as the financial support All American at the NCAA required. Johnson is set to Div. ll in Pueblo, Colorado depart from the United States with a second best mark of on June 22, 2013 to compete 6.19 meters in the long jump on the European EAA and event. EAP circuit in quest of earn As an honor student, maining a professional spot repre- taining a 3.0 GPA or higher senting the United States of from 2011 to 2013, she hopes America in the 100 and 200 one day to pursue a career meters sprint events and in in business. Her immediate the long jump event. goals are focused on compet Johnson, a May 2013 ing in the professional world graduate of Paine College in of track and field athletics as Augusta, Georgia, earned a she plans to travel to Europe degree in Accounting. She at the end of June to compete hopes to transition into a pro- in various countries in hope fessional career in athletics, of improving her marks and as it is a long held dream. Her times in the sprint events. As immediate plans are to focus the second oldest in a family
of ten children, she is proud to be the first in her siblings to graduate from college. Johnson’s travel fees will amount to a total of $4,500. She will compete in Belgium,
Child’s Play New Display of Children’s Fashion At the Augusta Museum of History The Augusta Museum of History presents, Child’s World, a special display of children’s clothing and accessories dating from the 1840s to the 1970s will be on view starting Thursday, June 20, 2013. The exhibit is a glimpse at how children’s clothing styles in America have changed over the years. Children traditionally wore miniature versions of adult clothing but over time have come to be included in the world of high fashion. The museum is located at 560 Reynolds Street in downtown Augusta. Please call (706) 722-8454 for more information.
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France, and Italy starting June 22, 2013. To assist Johnson with travel costs, please contact the Office of Institutional Advancement at Paine College at 706-8218233 or lcollins@paine.edu.
Butler featured at Men’s Day program Mt. Calvar y Baptist Church will host its Men’s Day Program on Sunday, June 30, 2013. The featured speaker for the event will be Tyrone J. Butler, Exeuctive Director of the Augusta Mini Theatre, Inc. Tyrone J. Butler, a native Augustan, is a 1967 graduate of T. W. Josey High School and a 1971 graduate of A lbany State College with a B. A. Degree in Sociolog y and Psycholog y. He is the founder and executive director of the Augusta Mini Theatre,
Publisher Ben Hasan 706-394-9411 Managing Editor Frederick Benjamin Sr. 706-836-2018
Inc. Community A rts School, a vocalist, play wright, director, and lyricist. He has received numerous awards and recognitions to include Governor’s Award for Excellence in the A rts and a Sandhills Writers Conference Honorable Mention for this play The Johnny Williams Story. His play, Pickin’, was published in 2003 by Pioneer Drama Ser vice, Inglewood, Colorado and his play, Last Chance was published by Heuer, Cedar Rapids, Ill in 2007.
Sales & Marketing Phone: 706-394-9411 Photography and Social Media Courtesy of Vincent Hobbs
TAKE NOTE Augusta welcomes Cambridge College Graduation Ceremony The Augusta Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB) is proud to welcome the Cambridge College Graduation Celebration, June 22, 2013 at 10:00 am at Gilbert-Lambeth Chapel at Paine College. More than 800 graduates and their guests will attend the celebration. The ceremony is open to the public and there is no cost to attend. The keynote speaker for the Cambridge College Graduation is Michael T hur mond, Inter i m Superintendent, DeKalb County School District. Mr. Thurmond was the first A frican-American elected to the Georgia General Assembly in 1986, and was the past leader of the Georgia Division of Family and Children’s Services and commissioner of the Georgia Labor Department. Thurmond’s latest book, Freedom: Georgia’s Anti-Slavery Heritage, 17331865, was awarded the Georgia Historical Society’s Lilla Hayes Award and the Georgia Center for the Book listed Freedom as one of the 25 books all Georgians should read. During the graduation celebration, Cambridge College will confer graduate certificates in Advanced Graduate Studies and Educational Leadership, and Master’s degrees in Education. For more information, please visit CambridgeCollege.edu/ Augusta or call 706.821.3965.
This Place Matters This Place Matters: Preserving Augusta’s African American Communities is a free event open to everyone and will take place on June 28-29, 2013. This year’s focus neighborhood is Belair Hills Estates. To register, call Historic Augusta at 706-724-0436.
email: Ben Hasan bzhasan54@yahoo.com Frederick Benjamin Sr. editor@urbanproweekly.com Vincent Hobbs coolveestudio@gmail.com
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The City
Ellis Albright of the CSRA Business League seeks to enter a working relationship with the city of Augusta’s Disadvantaged Business Enterprise Department. Photo by Vincent Hobbs
A Bold Proposal
But is anyone really listening? By Frederick Benjamin Sr. UrbanProWeekly Staff Writer AUGUSTA CSRA Business League president Ellis Albright has presented the city of Augusta with a bold proposal. Noting the city’s poor record in doing business with enterprises owned by women and minorities, Albright has proposed utilizing his organization to boost minority and women participation. Albright first broached the subject back in September of 2012 according to city administrator Fred Russell, At the time, however, the city was deep into its budget process. Russell invited the group to make a presentation this year. “I think it would be appropriate to explore,” Russell said at this week’s commission meeting on Monday. “He [Albright] came last week at my request.” While there is solid support among some on the commission for the city
to seek to do more business specifically with women and minorities, the city is enjoined by court order not to use race or gender specific guidelines. Just what an agency like the Business League can do to overcome that hurdle, however, has not been part of the discussion up to this point. According to Albright, “Our proposal would assure fairness.” Alluding to the city’s most recent disparity study, Albright amplified the need to overcome the inertia that has gripped the city in this area for decades. “Some businesses have no desire to see women and minorities to have a seat at the table. We want to ensure that every business has a seat a the table. Only color that the city should see is green,” Albright said. “We would like for the city to privatize with the CSRA Business League.” Not all commissioners, however, feel that the city has been negligent in working with all comers. “I see no reason why qualified businesses can’t get business with the city,”
Commissioner Grady Smith said. “We have made great strides to see that every one is treated fairly. There are standards we have to meet,” he said. Smith’s comment suggested that any increased participation by women and minorities would be done at the expense of maintaining current “standards.” Commissioner Marion Williams shot back, “I don’t think we have made the strides that you think we have. The disparity study says we have been discriminated against.” Then he asked Albright what he thought the Business League’s contribution could be. “We will certify these busineses. Then we will make sure that the general contractors have those lists,” Albright said. Commissioner Alvin Mason supports some sort of city-business League cooperation. “Let me be very clear. I’m not looking for this to be a handout, but a hand up. We need to do something different,” Mason said. Commissiner Mary Davis does not
see a need to involve an outside agency. “This should be handled in house,” Davis said. Amazingly, up to this point, no one had asked current director Yvonne Gentry what she thought of partnering with the CSRA Business League. Gentry suggested that the core problem was with the court’s at this point. “In order to develop a proposal like Mr. Albright’s, we must go to the court and get the enjoinment removed,” Gentry said. Gentry has pointed out time and time again that the city has not been aggressive in establishing a case with which to present to the court. Why? It is clear that for the past decade, there has not been enough will on the part of the city administration and enough votes among the commissioners to ensure that women and minorities get the proverbial “seat at the table.” The commissioners failed make any decisions on Monday, but the item has been placed back on the agenda.
UrbanProWeekly • JUNE 20 - 26, 2013
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CITY ATTORNEY ANDREW MACKENZIE has incurred the wrath of at least two commissioners who would vote to replace him immediately. He enjoys the backing of city Administator Fred Russell and Mayor Deke Copenhaver and maybe a slim majority of the remaining commissioners. However, if the right deal were put on the table, Mackenzie could be sent packing. Photo by Vincent Hobbs
MAN IN THE MIDDLE By Frederick Benjamin Sr. UrbanProWeekly Staff Writer
AUGUSTA At this week’s commission meeting, e City Attorney Andrew Mackenzie had e to be the loneliest person in the room. g Mackenzie, who is among the highest paid civil servants serving Augusta Richmond, is also the go-to guy when any of the commissioners need answers. Lately, however, it seems that there ” are far more legal questions than there are ready answers and Mackenzie finds himself at ground zero in every procedural and policy hurdle confronting the commission. For example, one of the most curious dilemmas facing the commission l is whether the person who runs the n Disadvantaged Business Enterprise Department is a “director” or a “coordinator. This question has been dogging the commission for quite a long time and it seems that about half of the comm missioners feel that Yvonne Gentry, the person running the department,
is, and has always been, the “director.” The other half are not so sure. Some commissioners have been convinced that Gentry and Jacqueline Humphrey, the person who runs the city’s EEO Department are actually “coordinators” and not “directors.” These are the types of questions that commissioners generally bring to Mackenzie for clarification. So what does Mackenzie say? Are Gentry and Humphrey “coordinators” or “directors.” “I looks as if the commission hired coordinators,” Mackenzie said while admitting that he had not reviewed all the relevant documents. That is just the type of answer that has Commissioners Bill Lockett and Marion Williams calling for Mackenzie’s “head.” Even though, he didn’t have all of the answers, he worked in concert with a particular commissioner to advance that commissioner’s agenda. Mackenzie helped Commissioner Joe Jackson craft a motion that came before the commission on Monday. That motion seeks: “to direct the
Administrator and staff to seek qualified applicants to fill the vacant position listed in the Consolidation Act as “Equal Employment Opportunity Director and as Director of Minority and Small Business Opportunities” and to submit the Administrator’s recommended candidate to Commission for consideration and approval.” Such a move is the type of action that infuriates some commissioners and is the reason for the appearance of two very unusual items on Monday’s commission agenda. The first one was placed on the agenda by Commissioner Williams. It was simply to discuss the role of the city attorney. According to Williams, “I have issues with the advice we have been given. I need to make sure that I’m getting the best advice. We need to talk about that.” Mackenzie has been accused of showing favoritism when it comes to following up on requests from commissioners. The motion that he crafted for Commissioner Jackson is such an example.
After brief discussion, a motion was made to discuss the matter further in committee. Another agenda item was aimed squarely at Mackenzie. This one, offered by Commissioner Lockett, called for a “vote of no confidence” for Mackenzie. However, before a vote could be taken, City Administrator Fred Russell begged for the commission to move with caution on this issue. “We need outside advice before making public statements,” Russell said, fearing some sort of legal misstep. Commissioner Williams objected. “We ought to vote it up or down. Why do we need to have and outside attorney just to vote?” Erring on the side of caution, however, Commissioner Lockett, thought Russell’s concerns had merit. “I want to make sure anything I say was vetted by an outside attorney,” Lockett said. After all that, however, all subsequent motions failed and Mackenzie will be spared the “no confidence” vote. Look for this matter to be revisited.
UrbanProWeekly • JUNE 20 - 26, 2013
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The City
AUGUSTA COMMISSIONERS WERE HAPPY TO INVITE HEERY INTERNATIONAL TO REMAIN IN THE FOLD. Photo by Vincent Hobbs
HEERY WINS CONTRACT EXTENSION $188,000 DISCOUNT SATISFIES COMMISSIONERS; “SCANDAL” IGNORED. By Frederick Benjamin Sr. UrbanProWeekly Staff Writer AUGUSTA Over the past couple of weeks, Augustans learned much more about Heery International than they ever wanted to know. Heery is the project managment firm that has worked with the city SPLOST projects for the past 10 years. A series of articles which ran in The Augusta Chronicle suggested that Heery engaged in a sordid collage of money, influence, greed and pay-forplay commerce. The newspaper’s broadsides appeared designed to siphon off any political capital that might have accrued lately on behalf of Commissioners Alvin Mason, Bill Lockett, and mayor pro tem Corey Johnson. They were among the commissioners that had benefitted from the Heery connection by receiving campaign contributions and tickets to pro sporting events in Atlanta. Almost immediately, the commissioners responded that the generosity and funding from Heery was routine practice and all legal and proper. Now no one ever accused the daily paper of trying to influence a commission vote, but the timing of this expose couldn’t have been worse for
City voted to extend the contract with Heery International for Capital Improvement Program Management on SPLOST projects through April 30, 2015 for an extended contract price increase of $1,646,566 and a revised estimated not exceed contract amount of $11,615,082. Heery and its local subcontractors. The Chronicle article hit the streets right before the committee meeting where the Heery extension would presumably have been discussed and passed on to the full committee with a favorable recommendation. That didn’t happen. Instead, at last week’s committee meeting, the hapless Heery reps withstood a withering barrage of questioning from Commissioners Marion Williams and Wayne Guilfoyle. The Heery reps present were accused of deceit and the subcontractors were treated in a very undignified manner. This week, right before the regular committee meeting another broadside from the daily newspaper. Whereas the first article had a scatter gun effect hitting at many targets, this week’s attack was surgical and designed to scuttle the Heery contract altogether. It painted Heery International as a pay-for-play outfit that was not above political chicanery. Prior to this week’s meeting there
had been speculation around town that a palace revolt was in the works and that Heery might be on it way out. What actually happened couldn’t have been further from that particular scenario. On Monday, the tone from nearly every commissioner in the room toward Heery ranged from congratulatory to benign indifference. As a result, the motion to extend the $1.9 million contract with the project management firm sailed through (9-1) after a brief discussion about documents that had been requested and not received. The newspaper articles were discussed only in a derisive manner. Commissioner Lockett declared, “I’m tired of seeing that junk,” So what changed the mood of the commission? First, it should be noted that Heery already enjoyed support from a significant number of commissioners as well as the city administration. But what may have sealed the deal
was the fact that prior to the meeting, Heery decided to take money off the table — some $188,000. As often happens in city government, when things get a little tense, city administrator Fred Russell seeks to get ahead of the curve. Commissioner Williams was irate that the administrator unilaterally negotiated with Heery to discount their services. “I want to know how this got on the agenda,” Williams said. “Who gave him [Russell] authority to do that when it hasn’t come before this body.” Russell was apologetic without being contrite. “I acted in the best interests of the city. I apologize if I acted too soon,” Russell said. “We’re getting to a point if we don’t act today, I will need to have a backup plan. I’m not comfortable not having a backup plan,” he said. Contract with Heery expires on July 31, 2013. For Russell, extending the contract for Heery was the best business decision. “We have two major projects ongoing, the Charles B. Webster Detention Center and Municipal Building and also the Daniel Field Airport and a new transit facility,” Russell said. Those projects are worth $40 million.
TELEVISION • ELECTRONICS
Microsoft does a “180” on 360 fans By Vincent Hobbs Special to UrbanProWeekly
Augustans love their Xbox gaming systems. So when mega company Microsoft recently let it be known that they wanted to make a few changes, it sparked an uproar. The rant was so loud that the gaming giant reversed their decision to place restrictions on their new game console, the Xbox One. Don Mattrick, President, Interactive Entertainment Business, posted news of the reversal on Xbox Wire Wednesday afternoon. “You told us how much you loved the flexibility you have today with games delivered on disc. The ability to lend, share, and resell these games at your discretion is of incredible importance to you. Also important to you is the freedom to play offline, for any length of time, anywhere in the world”, Mattrick wrote. Fans of the Xbox gaming system were furious that Microsoft had put into place requirements that the console be connected to the internet at least once per day in order to play games. If a person had no internet, limited internet or if they were a frequent traveler to countries with scarce connectivity (such as US military personnel on assignment),
“Xbox One - Day One Console includes a limited edition controller, token code to unlock Day One achievement, premium packaging, and decal.” There will also be exclusive DLC available for select games, including the following: Ryse: Son of Rome - Exclusive multiplayer map and sword with bonus attributes. Forza Motorsport 5 - Access to four cars tuned to the top of their class. Kinect Sports Rivals - Exclusive sporting equipment that separates your Champion from the rest of the world. Dead Rising 3 - Exclusive Frank West and Chuck Greene Tribute Packs with bonus attributes.
they would find the Xbox One mostly useless. Microsoft also restricted the free sharing of games and how the games were sold and bought, making console owners only able to buy or sell games through “participating retailers”. Many hard-core gamers were ready to drop-kick the Xbox One into oblivion. “Ashley Riot”, a well-known gamer and digital artist who owns almost every game system including classic Nintendo, Sega, GameCube, Gameboy, PlayStation and Xbox said, “Oh I’m aware of their back pedaling. I think it’s a sign they realized their mistake - but I feel they put themselves in a bad position.” “Now they look weak,” Ashley summarized. “They were so strong on their initial position after E3 (the video game exposition) and after the fan backlash, they changed their position.” This is evidenced by Mattrick’s semi-apology. “While we believe that the majority of people will play games online and access the cloud for both games and entertainment, we will give consumers the choice of both physical and digital content. We have listened and we have heard loud and clear from your feedback that you want the best of both worlds.” Except in this case, “feedback”
could be equated to “the angry villagers with pitchforks and torches”. Marcus T. Jones, a video game fan and published author, believes it’s all about Microsoft competing with Sony’s Playstation 4. “It was a smart move to change the ‘no-game sharing’ and mandatory internet connection, restricting many consumers like myself from considering the new system.” Jones is an avid Playstation gamer, who has been weighing-in on making the switch. “Besides dropping the price to make the system more budget friendly, player-recognition is a feature that could make me convert to the Xbox religion!” Artist John Navi loves the 360 game system – “Microsoft should have never considered making it harder for consumers to enjoy using the Xbox One. What were they thinking? All the fancy gadgets and features in the world don’t make up for less freedom to use that product”, he said. “I’m glad they are making some changes”. The Xbox One will launch in November with a price tag of $499. At the same time, Sony will go into a direct battle with Microsoft as they release the PlayStation 4 game system for the even lower price of $399. Let the console wars begin.
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UrbanProWeekly • JUNE 20 - 26, 2013
The Game
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UrbanProWeekly • JUNE 20 - 26, 2013
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music
Capital Jazz Festival once again a jazzy, soulful happening By Timothy Cox Special to the UrbanProWeekly COLUMBIA, MD It’s estimated that more than 20,000 music lovers flocked to the annual Capital Jazz Festival in Maryland during the weekend of June 7-9. The outdoor music confab featured jazz stars on a pavilion stage, the likes of Bob James, David Sanborn, Ledisi, Gerald Albright, Norman Brown, Atlanta violinist Ken Ford and Lalah Hathaway. An acre away in the hilly confines of the Merriweather Music Amphitheater, a “Soul Stage” featured Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds, Eric Benet, Ohio Players (minus the late Sugarfoot Bonner), SOS Band and Angie Stone. The festival is enjoying its 21st year and is largely popular based on its location. The outdoor venue is perfectly located about half-way between metro Washington, D.C. and Baltimore. When emcee and hip hop legend Doug E. Fresh asked who hailed from New York, the loudest response was generated from the Empire State faithful. The rap legend energized the Sunday evening RnB crowd as his Get-Fresh Crew deejay played a nonstop buffet of ‘70s soul hits from legends like Luther Vandross, Tina Marie, Maze & Frankie Beverly, Stephanie Mills, Sly Stone, Marvin Gaye and Pittsburgh’s late diva-crooner, Phyllis Hyman ... “You Know How To Love Me.” Doug E. Fresh ended the soul classics with a James Brown cut, “The Big Payback.” He then stated, “without James Brown, there is no hip-hop and there is no funk.” Vocal legend Chaka Khan, was scheduled to perform at the Capital Jazz Fest, but, as she did for the Pittsburgh International Jazz Fest of the same weekend, she was also forced to cancel her appearance, due to what was described as required rest by her physician, giving her supreme vocals much-needed rest. Jeffrey Osborne of LTD fame, was her welcomed replacement and filled-in admirably. The North-Central Maryland-based festival is considered an annual reunion for many perennial attendees and attracts folks from Boston, NYC, Philly, Pittsburgh and Midwestern regions of Detroit, Akron-Canton, Indianapolis and southern states of North Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia, South Carolina and of course, the “DMV” aka greater DC, Maryland and Virginia. From several accounts, bass player legend Marcus Miller was a major highlight of the weekend and brought the house down with his funk-fusion style of bass mastery. Miller got his start with jazz legends Miles Davis and drummer Lenny White. The Whispers were also crowdpleasers during a masterful Sunday evening show on the Soul Stage. Hits like “Olivia,” “Lady,” “In The Raw,” “All The Way,” and “Butter” were timely, although original member Nicholas Caldwell was sorely missing, and has not toured with the group lately, reportedly due to an undisclosed illness. His choreographic genius was
Doug E. Fresh emceed the Capital Jazz Festival. "The Entertainer" also displayed his love for classic R&B and classic hip-hop. Photo by Timothy Cox
missed, to say the least. As dusk turned to night, a comfortable evening breeze cooled the crowd -- an appropriate way to end the three-day festival, to The Whispers’ “Rock Steady.” While rain hampered the Friday night shows and wet, muddy fields kept many ladies from wearing their most stylish footwear - overall, the festival was again the expected marvelous late spring affair. The fest is remi-
niscent of the HBO specials made popular by comedian/ host Sinbad, during the 1990s. Though there were a limited number of children on the scene, for the most part, this event is attended by what’s typically described as ‘the Grown and Sexy” crowd - very mature music lovers. It goes without question that many of this year’s attendees will find themselves a part of the jazzysoulful crew who will return to Columbia, Maryland in June 2014.
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UrbanProWeekly • JUNE 20 - 26, 2013
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UrbanProWeekly • JUNE 20 - 26, 2013
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Community News Locals meet to ponder school integration lawsuit
Jennifer Norman-Dixon Independent Cruise & Vacation Specialist
Gladys Acree, (left) family member of the original plaintiffs in the Acree v. The County Board of Education of Richmond County lawsuit attends meeting where the desegregation lawsuit was being discussed last week. Plaintiff’s attorney Ben Allen explained what might happen moving forward as a federal judge hears testimony this week with the goal toward ending the lawsuit. The lawsuit was filed in 1964. Eight years later, in 1972, the U.S. District Court forced the school system to integrate. Photo courtesy of Charles Smith
Augusta Mini Theatre now accepting youth participants for “Making Proud Choices” Workshop The Augusta Mini Theatre Community Arts and Life Skills School will present its “Making Proud Choices” Workshop. The workshop, which focuses on teen pregnancy prevention and reducing the risk of becoming infected with STDs and HIV, is for youth ages 15-17. Participants under age 17 will require parent permission to participate. The Augusta Mini Theatre, Inc. is currently seeking at least 100 teens to participate in the program on selected dates during the month of June and July. Participants who participate all four days of the workshop and 2.5 hours will receive $25 and a certificate of completion. The cost is free. In 2012, Augusta Mini Theatre, Inc. Community Arts & Life Skills School was chosen by the Georgia Campaign for Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention (G-CAPP) now Georgia Campaign for Adolescent Power and Potential to implement its “Making Proud Choices” program, a proven, effective pregnancy and STD prevention program for youth. In December 2012, G-CAPP recognized the Augusta Mini Theatre, Inc. as its “Highest Rated Facilitator” for the quarter. Judith SimonBulter, artistic director and facilitator of the program at Augusta Mini Theatre, Inc. is excited about the news. “The sessions went really well with the help of our facilitors Shantelle Wheeler and Yvette Larke,” she said. “We look forward to educating more youth in the CSR A about how to make proud choices.” For more information, please contact Judith Simon-Bulter or Shantelle Wheeler at (706) 7220958 or augustaminitheatre@ gmail.com
Making Proud Choices Workshop
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WHAT: “Making Proud Choices” Workshop (Main Focus: Teen pregnancy prevention/ reduce the risk of becoming infected with STDs and HIV). WHO CAN PARTICIPATE: Male & Female Students Ages: 15-19 (17 and under Parent Permission Slip REQUIRED). Must live in Richmond County. WHEN: JUNE- JULY 2013 (Specific dates available at registration) TIME: 10:30-1:00PM (morning session) OR 2:30-5:00PM (evening session) COST: FREE
JUNE JULY 2013 A partnership with Augusta Mini Theatre, Inc. and Georgia Campaign for Adolescent Power & Potential (GCAPP)
For more information contact Judith Simon-Butler or Shantelle Wheeler at (706) 722-0598. For full details about the program, you can also visit www.gcapp.org
SPECIAL NOTE: Participants who complete the workshop (Present all 4 days & 2.5 hours) will receive $25.00 and a certificate of completion. FACT: Richmond County has the second highest teen pregnancy rate in the State of Georgia.
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UrbanProWeekly • JUNE 20 - 26, 2013
The Computer Guy
UrbanProWeekly • JUNE 20 - 26, 2013
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Commentary Camouflaging the Vietnam War: How textbooks continue to keep the Pentagon Papers a secret If students don’t know their history, then they are “ready meat” for those who will supply the carving knives of war. Fortunately, more and more teachers around the country recognize the importance of teaching outside the textbook by Bill Bigelow In the Academy Award-winning documentary Hearts and Minds, Daniel Ellsberg, who secretly copied and then released the Pentagon Papers, offers a catalog of presidential lying about the U.S. role in Vietnam: Truman lied. Eisenhower lied. Kennedy lied. Johnson “lied and lied and lied.” Nixon lied. Ellsberg concludes: “The American public was lied to month by month by each of these five administrations. As I say, it’s a tribute to the American public that their leaders perceived that they had to be lied to; it’s no tribute to us that it was so easy to fool the public.” The Pentagon Papers that Ellsberg exposed were not military secrets. They were historical secrets—a history of U.S. intervention and deceit that Ellsberg believed, if widely known, would undermine the U.S. pretexts in defense of the war’s prosecution. Like this one that President Kennedy offered in 1961: “For the last decade we have been helping the South Vietnamese to maintain their independence.” No. This was a lie. The U.S. government’s Pentagon Papers history of the war revealed how the United States had sided with the French in retaking its colony after World War II, ultimately paying for some 80 percent of the French reconquest. By the U.S. government’s own account, from Truman on, Vietnamese self-determination was never an aim of U.S. foreign policy. Like today’s whistle-blowers Bradley Manning and Edward Snowden, Daniel Ellsberg knew the consequences for his act of defiance. Ultimately, he was indicted on 11 counts of theft and violation of the Espionage Act. If convicted on all counts, the penalty added up to 130 years in prison. This story is chronicled dramatically in the film The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers, and in Ellsberg’s own gripping autobiography, Secrets: A Memoir of Vietnam and the Pentagon Papers. In June of 1971, Ellsberg surrendered to federal authorities at Post Office Square in Boston. Forty-two years later, few of the historical secrets that Ellsberg revealed— especially those that focus on the immediate post-World War II origins of U.S. involvement in Vietnam—appear in the school curriculum. Corporate textbook writers seem to work from the same list of mustinclude events and individuals. Thus, all the new U.S. history textbooks on my shelf mention the Pentagon Papers. But none grapples with the actual import of the Pentagon Papers. None quotes Ellsberg or the historical docu-
Daniel Ellsberg in 1973 news conference outside a federal building. Ellsberg released the Pentagon Papers and faced charges of treason. ments themselves, and none captures Ellsberg’s central conclusion about the United States in Vietnam: “It wasn’t that we were on the wrong side; wewere the wrong side.” Textbooks resist telling students that the U.S. government consistently lied about the war, preferring more genteel language. Prentice Hall’s America: History of Our Nation includes only one line describing the content of the Pentagon Papers: “They traced the steps by which the United States had committed itself to the Vietnam War and showed that government officials had concealed actions and often misled Americans about their motives.” The textbook offers no examples. Teaching students a deeper, more complete history of the American War—as it is known in Vietnam—is not just a matter of accuracy, it’s about life and death. On the third anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Iraq, Howard Zinn, author of A People’s History of the United States, spoke bluntly about what it means when we fail to confront the facts of our past wars: “If we don’t know history, then we are ready meat for carnivorous politicians and the intellectuals and journalists who supply the carving knives.” The “we” in Zinn’s quote refers especially to the young people who will be convinced or tricked or manipulated—or lied—into fighting those wars, even if it is only “fighting” by guiding remote assassination drones from bases in a Nevada desert. For almost 30 years, I taught high school U.S. history. I began my Vietnam unit with a little-remembered event that happened on Sept. 2, 1945. I showed students a video clip from the first episode of PBS’s Vietnam: A
Television History, in which Dr. Tran Duy Hung, a medical doctor and a leader of the resistance to French colonialism, recounts the massive end-of-war celebration with more than 400,000 people jammed into Hanoi’s Ba Dinh Square. Japan had surrendered. The seemingly endless foreign occupation of Vietnam—Chinese, then French, then Japanese—was over. Dr. Hung remembers: “I can say that the most moving moment was when President Ho Chi Minh climbed the steps, and the national anthem was sung. It was the first time that the national anthem of Vietnam was sung in an official ceremony. Uncle Ho then read the Declaration of Independence, which was a short document. As he was reading, Uncle Ho stopped and asked, ‘Compatriots, can you hear me?’ This simple question went into the hearts of everyone there. After a moment of silence, they all shouted, ‘Yes, we hear you!’ And I can say that we did not just shout with our mouths, but with all our hearts.” I want my students to recognize the hugeness of this historical could-havebeen. One of the “secrets” Ellsberg risked his freedom to expose was that the United States had a stark choice in the fall of 1945: support the independence of a unified Vietnam, led by Ho Chi Minh and the Viet Minh, which had spearheaded the anti-fascist resistance during World War II; or support the French as they sought to reimpose colonial rule. Think about all the suffering that might have been avoided had the U.S. government taken advantage of this opportunity. Howard Zinn quotes from the Pentagon Papers in A People’s History of the United States:
Ho [Chi Minh] had built the Viet Minh into the only Vietnam-wide political organization capable of effective resistance to either the Japanese or the French. He was the only Vietnamese wartime leader with a national following, and he assured himself wider fealty among the Vietnamese people when in AugustSeptember 1945, he overthrew the Japanese . . . established the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, and staged receptions for incoming allied occupation forces. . . . For a few weeks in September 1945, Vietnam was—for the first and only time in its modern history—free of foreign domination, and united from north to south under Ho Chi Minh. . . . In class, I brought this historical choice point to life with my students through a role play, in which some students portrayed members of the Viet Minh and others represented French business/government leaders arguing before “President Truman” about the future of Vietnam. The role play depicted a make-believe gathering, of course, because the United States never included any Vietnamese in its deliberations on the future of Vietnam. Nonetheless, the lesson offers students a vivid picture of what was at stake at this key juncture. In this and other activities, I want my students to see that history is not just a jumble of dead facts lying on a page. History is the product of human choice—albeit in conditions that we may not choose. Tragically, the United States consistently chose to side with elites in Vietnam, first French, then Vietnamese, as our government sought to suppress self-determination—perhaps most egregiously in 1954, when the United States conspired to stonewall promised elections and to prop up the dictator Ngo Dinh Diem. Forty-two years ago this month, Daniel Ellsberg allowed himself to be taken into custody, with no clear outcome in sight. A reporter asked Ellsberg whether he was concerned about the possibility of going to prison. Ellsberg replied: “Wouldn’t you go to prison to help end this war?” No one expects that kind of integrity from textbook corporations. But educators needn’t confine ourselves to the version of history peddled by giant outfits like Pearson and HoughtonMifflin-Harcourt. Right now, every high school student is learning either to accept or to question the premises that lead our country to wage war around the world. Fortunately, more and more teachers around the country recognize the importance of teaching outside the textbook, of joining heroes like Dan Ellsberg to ask questions, to challenge official stories.
‘Digital Blackwater’: NSA leak highlights key role of private contractors Jacob Chamberlain Like the mercenaries for hire used by the U.S. in places like Iraq, Afghanistan, and New Orleans—contractors like Blackwater that have come under scrutiny for their extreme lack of oversight—the U.S. government has been outsourcing intelligence services to private companies who have access to the general population’s most sensitive information. This revelation, which has arisen out of the recent Edward Snowden NSA leaks among the trove of alarming civil rights violations, has rights advocates very concerned. According to the offices of James Clapper, Director of National Intelligence, of the 4.9 million people with clearance to access “confidential and secret” government information, 1.1 million, or 21 per cent, work for outside contractors—these intelligence corporations. Of the 1.4 million who have the higher “top secret” access, 483,000, or 34 percent, work for contractors— meaning that, as Edward Snowden recently revealed in his interview with the Guardian’s Glenn Greenwald, contractors sitting anywhere, in a home office for example, have vast access to the personal communications of ordinary citizens. Snowden, who worked for intelligence contractor Booz Allen Hamilton Holding Corp, states: Any analyst at any time can target anyone, any selector anywhere. Where those communications will be picked up depends on the range of the sensor networks and the authorities that that analyst is empowered with. Not all analysts have the ability to target everything. But I, sitting at my desk, certainly had the authorities to wiretap anyone, from you or your accountant to a federal judge, to even the president, if I had a personal email. “It’s very difficult to know what contractors are doing and what they are billing for the work – or even whether they should be performing the work at all,” said Scott Amey, an expert in contractor oversight and government transparency at Project on
Government Oversight, a non-partisan government accountability organization based in Washington. “It has muddied the waters.” Speaking on Democracy Now! Glenn Greenwald explained, “the systems at NSA allow full and unfettered access at any time to any one of these analysts to go and listen to whatever it is they want, to read whatever emails they want, to monitor in real time whatever online chats are taking place.” “And because there’s no oversight, because there’s really no accountability or transparency, there is no check on this abuse.” He continues, “...when human beings are able to spy on other human beings in the dark, abuse, rampant abuse, is inevitable. That was supposed to be why we don’t have spying abilities without accountability any longer.” “The largest concentration of cyber power on the planet is the intersection of the Baltimore Parkway and Maryland Route 32,” former NSA director Michael V. Hayden, who oversaw the NSA’s privatization efforts between 1999 to 2005, told Salon. “He was referring not to the NSA itself but to the business park about a mile down the road from the giant black edifice that houses NSA’s headquarters in Fort Meade, Md. There, all of NSA’s major contractors, from Booz to SAIC to Northrop Grumman, carry out their surveillance and intelligence work for the agency,” Salon reports. And it was Hayden who coined the term “Digital Blackwater.” “I use that for the concept of the private sector in cyber,” he told a recent conference in Washington. “I saw this in government and saw it a lot over the last four years. The private sector has really moved forward in terms of providing security,” said Hayden, who now works for one of those very corporations, Chertoff Group. The Associated Press has more: Booz Allen, based in McLean, Va., provides consulting services, technology support and analysis to U.S. government agencies and departments. Last year, 98 percent of the company’s $5.9 billion in revenue came from U.S. government
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contracts. Three-fourths of its 25,000 employees hold government security clearances. Half the employees have top secret clearances. The company has established deep ties with the government – the kinds of ties that contractors pursue and covet. Contractors stand to gain an edge on competitors by hiring people with the most closely held knowledge of the thinking inside agencies they want to serve and the best access to officials
inside. That typically means former government officials. The relationship often runs both ways: Clapper himself is a former Booz Allen executive. The firm’s vice chairman, John “Mike” McConnell, held Clapper’s position under George W. Bush. Booz Allen earned $240 million in profit on its $5.9 billion in revenue last year. That’s up from $85 million in profit in 2011 and $25 million in 2010.
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UrbanProWeekly • JUNE 20 - 26, 2013
Opinion / National Forum
13
UrbanProWeekly • JUNE 20 - 26, 2013
14
Pop Culture Business
Dave Chappelle gets back onstage with month-long comedy tour Dave Chappelle is making his most substantial return to stand-up comedy since leaving “Chappelle’s Show” in 2005. Mr. Chappelle is leading a onemonth tour for Funny Or Die. The comedian will headline the Oddball Comedy and Curiosity Festival, which kicks off Aug. 23 in Austin, Texas. The 13-date, two-stage tour concludes Sept. 22 in Phoenix.
The 39-year-old Chappelle has occasionally performed impromptu sets in comedy clubs. But he has largely avoided comedy and public life since abruptly leaving his hit Comedy Central series, “Chappelle’s Show,” in 2005. Also on the bill are Flight of the Conchords, Hannibal Buress, Kristen Schaal, and Al Madrigal.
Comedian Dave Chappelle, seen here promoting ‘Dave Chappelle’s Block Party,’ in 2006, will headline the month-long Oddball Comedy and Curiosity Festival, which kicks off Aug. 23, 2013, in Austin, Texas.The tour concludes Sept. 22 in Phoenix. Stefano Paltera / AP
Would you pay $600 for a Rolling Stones concert? At as much as $600 a pop, tickets to the Rolling Stones 50th-anniversary tour point to an industry catering more and more to a rarified tier of concert-going consumers. Why do ticket prices keep rising? By Mark Guarino CHICAGO Tickets to concerts this summer will cost more – not a big surprise to those whose summer rituals are as likely to include outdoor concerts as beachcombing and family vacations. What that means is fewer people are buying tickets, a sign that superstar acts are now testing the limits of how much consumers will spend to see them perform live. The concert industry enjoyed a record-breaking 2012 in terms of revenue, bringing in $4.7 billion, according to Pollstar, which tracks the ticketing industry. However, fewer people bought tickets last year than the year before, dipping to 36.7 million and representing a continued decline from the peak sales of 40.5 million tickets sold in 2009. The effects of the Great Recession are fading, but the general public is still somewhat reticent to lay out big bucks. Somewhat counterintuitively, the concert industry has coped by raising ticket prices, catering primarily to a top tier of consumers willing to pay more for the top concert draws. It is also experimenting with premium packages that entice consumers to spend more on perks such as valet parking, after-show amenities, and merchandise. AEG Live, the promoter for the Rolling Stones 50th-anniversary tour, is testing the market to find that sweet spot between consumer demand and affordability. The tour plays its third and final night in Chicago Monday, and continues throughout North America and Europe this summer. The average ticket for the first seven North American Stones shows cost $355.14, a 162 percent leap from the $135.63 average for the band’s last outing in 2006, Pollstar reports. A majority of tickets are priced above $150, with many seats on the lower level priced at $600 (before ticketing surcharges and other fees).
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