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UPW URBAN PRO WEEKLY

AUGUST 25 - 31, 2020 VOL. 9 NO. 10

2020

Police Violence Unabated STORY ON PAGE 5 ABOVE Protesters gathered in front of the court in Kenosha. A police shooting in the US state of Wisconsin resulted in serious injuries to a Black man onOctober 23, 2020, with video footage of the incident triggering outrage. TAYFUN COSKUN/ANADOLU

Photo exhibit underscores the timeless story of civil rights — past and present STORY ON PAGE 8

1965

AT LEFT Photographer Steve Schapiro said he took this picture while on assignment for LIFE magazine in Selma, Ala. in 1965. Schapiro said the photo never ran in the magazine. It’s importance in the broader human rights struggle became more apparent decades later. STEVE SHAPIRO

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UrbanProWeekly AUGUST 25 - 31, 2020

COMMUNITY

HAPPENINGS

City taskforce to decide fate of confederate symbols AUGUSTA On August 6, Mayor Davis signed and executive order creating the Confederate Monuments, Street Names, and Landmarks Task Force. The move, supported by the Augusta commission, officially launches the discussion to consider the fate of confederate monuments in the city. With recent events

involving racial injustice, The City understands the need to explore its options regarding our public spaces. The objective of the Task Force is to review and develop recommendations regarding the future of those City-owned monuments, streets, and landmarks, as well as our public right-of-way. Additional

The City of Augusta mourns the passing of longtime Utilities Director Tom Wiedmeier Tom served the city for more than two decades and served as the Utilities Director since 2009. Tom was a beloved team member, and his commitment to the Augusta community will continue to be an inspiration to those who have worked with him over the years. Tom’s family is in our thoughts and prayers, and the City of Augusta extends our sincerest condolences to his family, friends and team mem- Tom Wiedmeier: A victim of the bers. corona virus.

Ironman Augusta 70.3 canceled for 2020 The Ironman 70.3 Augusta race was canceled Tuesday, according to the organization’s Facebook page. The news came as many races leading up to the Augusta event had already been canceled. “With the health and safety of our community being an utmost priority, and after further evaluation with local authorities in relation to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, we regret to advise that the IRONMAN

70.3 Augusta triathlon cannot take place in 2020,” the post stated. “While we are prevented from holding the event in 2020, we thank you for your commitment and look forward to providing you with an exceptional race experience in the future.” According to the post, all registered athletes for the 2020 race will receive an email with further information.

The Augusta Chorale requests support The Augusta Chorale has suspended its Fall 2020 session of its 38th Concert Season. The Chorale abruptly ended its 37th concert season on March 16, 2020 because of COVID19. At no other time during its existence has the Chorale cancelled its performances and concerts. Dr. Phyllis Anderson, Artistic Director of the Chorale writes that “the Spring 2020 season was cancelled significantly reducing revenue normally received from Spring ticket sales, gifts and donations. The Chorale will determine the feasibility of resuming its concert season in January 2021.”

Founded in 1983, the Chorale’s mission is ‘to celebrate the beauty of song by presenting diverse and challenging choral music which inspires our members and audiences.’ Donations can be made online at www.augustachorale.org, to our GoFundMe Account https://charity.gofundme.com/o/en/campaign/ augusta-chorale-sing and by downloading Cash App using the ID $AugChorale. You may mail your check or money order made payable to ‘The Augusta Chorale’ to Post Office Box 14716, Augusta, GA 30919-0716.

UPW Publisher

URBAN PRO WEEKLY MEDIA info@urbanproweekly.com

discussion will also be focused on recommendations for new monuments and historical markers that could be added to existing areas and structures, in an effort to add historical content. The Task Force will have sixty days from its initial organizing meeting to report back to the Mayor and Commission with recommendations.

The Task Force is comprised of 11 members — six appointed by Mayor Davis and five appointed by the Commission. The names of the members are Erick Montgomery, Nancy Glaser, Christine Miller Betts, Kelby Walker, Hardi Jones, Richard Peoples, Katie Delaigle, Dr. John Hayes, Cory Rogers, Dr. Mallory Millender and Tom Zange.

The 2020 Masters Golf Tournament will go on, but without spectators from public at large Augusta National Golf Club made the announcement Wednesday, confirming what Augusta Mayor Hardie Davis predicted last week. The tournament is scheduled for Nov. 9-15. ANGC announced the postponement of the tournament in March, along with cancellations of the 2020 Augusta National Women’s Amateur and Drive, Chip & Putt finals. “Since our initial announcement to postpone the 2020 Masters, we have remained committed to a rescheduled Tournament in November while continually examining how best to host a global sporting event amid this pandemic,” club and tournament chairman Fred Ridley said in a the release. “As we have considered the issues facing us, the health and safety of everyone associated with the Masters always has been our first and most important priority.” Ridley added that while the decision is disappointing, it’s incum-

bent upon Augusta National to make safety the top priority when conducting the tournament. “Even in the current circumstances, staging the Masters without patrons is deeply disappointing. The guests who come to Augusta each spring from around the world are a key component to making the Tournament so special,” he said in the release. “Augusta National has the responsibility, however, to understand and accept the challenges associated with this virus and take the necessary precautions to conduct all aspects of the Tournament in a safe manner. We look forward to the day when we can welcome all of our patrons back, hopefully in April 2021.” The decision also affects the Augusta-area school systems that altered academic calendars for a November Masters. Following Wednesday’s announcement, several area counties were faced with an extra fall break.

A patron-free Masters Tournament will take at least $100 million from the metro Augusta economy AUGUSTA Not even Augusta’s largest and most reliable economic event is pandemic proof. Wednesday’s announcement by the Augusta National Golf Club to hold a patron-free Masters Tournament means tens of thousands of visitors will collectively cross the city off their 2020 to-do list. The Augusta National does not release attendance figures, but past projections have conserva-

URBAN PRO WEEKLY Editor FREDERICK BENJAMIN SR. 706-306-4647 urbanpromedia@yahoo.com

tively placed the tournament’s economic impact in excess of $100 million, as patrons spend money on lodging, food and entertainment. “The year 2020 has been challenging enough,” said Bennish Brown, CEO of the Augusta Convention & Visitors Bureau. “We knew the Masters held a bright spot for this community at large, so we will have to wait and see what happens.”

THE CITY

Augusta’s pioneering African-American gospel television program is a local treasure ATHENS The Digital Library of Georgia has partnered with the Brown Media Archives and Peabody Awards Collection at the University of Georgia Libraries to digitize part of its collection of Parade of Quartets. This gospel program has aired on WJBF-TV in Augusta, Georgia, for more than 50 years. The collection is available at https://dlg.usg.edu/collection/ugabma_poq. The footage, which documents decades of regional gospel music performances, religious practices, and political activities. Ruta Abolins, director of the Brown Media Archives and Peabody Awards Collection, notes that these materials are “part of the largest collection of gospel performance footage at any North American library.” Parade of Quartets, broadcast on WJBF-TV in Augusta, Georgia since 1954, is a rare example of a sustained African American media presence on a southern television affiliate. Hundreds of well-known Black gospel musicians such as Shirley Caesar, Dottie Peoples, the Mighty Clouds of Joy, the Dixie Hummingbirds, and the Swanee Quintet have appeared on

Not only is the Parade of Quartets one of the longest-running broadcast gospel or religious music TV programs in the nation, it’s one of the longest-airing TV shows of any kind anywhere. — Don Rhodes the program. In the last few decades, the program’s content has expanded to include local and national African American political leaders’ appearances. Some of them appear in the digitized materials, which cover the period from 1980 to 2011. This content serves the study of gospel music, religious broadcasting, African American programming, African American community outreach and organization, local television programming, African American politicians, entertainment, musicology, performance studies, African American studies, Southern studies, civil rights history, journalism and media studies,

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and business. Dr. Barbara McCaskill, professor of English, associate academic director of the Willson Center for Humanities and Arts, and co-director of the Civil Rights Digital Library at the University of Georgia said that the collection of shows documents a broad spectrum of essential aspects of life for African Americans in the South. “The name ‘Parade’ in the program’s title alludes to the pageant tradition in Afro-Protestant churches. At Christmas, Easter, and church anniversaries, youth and adults perform brief skits of Bible parables and lessons, sing spirituals, and recite Bible verses,” she said. “Rooted in this important AfroProtestant pageant tradition, which combines oration, song, and performance in a unique form of worship, Parade of Quartets exemplifies how black Christians used the new medium of television to agitate for social change and honor their communities, as well as showcasing local and regional black gospel artists. “Secular-themed church pageants commemorate the patriotism and military service of African American men and women. Additionally, they

laud the contributions of African American individuals, communities, and organizations,” she explained. “Many of the artists who guested on the show pitched advertisements for black-owned businesses. So Parade of Quartets is also valuable evidence that southern African Americans recognized the power of television to build community wealth and multigenerational financial stability.” McCaskill concludes, “For its connections to the Afro-Protestant pageant tradition, its dual functions as an example of musical innovation and civil rights activism, and its effectiveness as a lever for African American business growth, Parade of Quartets is a national treasure.” Karlton Howard, who has produced and hosted Parade of Quartets for more than thirty years, adds: “The Howard Family and Parade of Quartets are eternally grateful to the Brown Media Archives & Peabody Awards Collection for the gift of preserving portions of the video history of Parade of Quartets. Your kindness will ensure that the culture of the African American gospel quartet will be enjoyed and cherished for generations to come.”

UrbanProWeekly • AUGUST 25 - 31, 2020

Decades of episodes of Parade of Quartets now available online

UrbanProWeekly AUGUST 25 - 31, 2020

City looks to youth to boost Census count Mayor Hardie Davis announces 2020 Census Teen Ambassador Program

AUGUSTA Mayor Hardie Davis is pleased to announce the 2020 Census Teen Ambassador Program. The Teen Ambassador program is a 6-week program that will allow teenagers residing in Augusta-Richmond County to get engaged in the 2020 Census process. Teen Ambassadors will assist with outreach efforts to increase Census participation across Augusta-Richmond County. Outreach efforts will include phone calls, social media, audio/video recordings, printed collateral drops

New SimplyE App at the Augusta Library New app gives library cardholders the ability to browse, borrow, and read more than 100,000 free e-books from the library, in just a few steps. AUGUSTA The Augusta-Richmond County Public Library is pleased to announce that cardholders can now access more than 100,000 e-books from the Georgia Download Destination (GADD) collection to browse, borrow and read through SimplyE. Previously, searching for an e-book meant searching both the eRead Kids collection and the GADD collection separately. With SimplyE, all of the library’s e-book collections are in one place. Patrons can now use the new SimplyE app to check out eBooks and digital audio books from eRead Kids and RBDigital (Recorded Books). Simply download the SimplyE app to your App Store or your Google Play, log in with your library card and PIN and start reading. Learn more at georgialibraries. org/simplye-get-started/. For more information contact Leah Holloway, Public Relations Assistant at 706821-2605 or hollowayl@arcpls.org. Georgia Public Library Service is partnering with GALILEO to make this service available to every public library in the state. The initial focus is for GADD members who use PINES, but the service will eventually be available for every public library in the state.

and more. Teen Ambassadors will receive $10 per hour for up to 20 hours per week and will be paid from 2020 Census funds. “We are excited about the opportunity to employ and involve young people in the Census process. Youth engage-

ment and involvement allows them to see first hand how the Census impacts various aspects of Augusta-Richmond County. Teen Ambassadors will also be able to increase their understanding of the importance of a complete count for the Census. Our entire community

benefits when we include young, creative minds to strategize and mobilize around innovative ways to support the Augusta community. We look forward to bringing our Teen Ambassadors on board to assist with our 2020 Census outreach efforts.”

TEEN AMBASSADOR ELIGIBILITY: Must be a current resident of Augusta-Richmond County Must be between the ages of 17-19 Must be enrolled in the Richmond County School System as a senior in high school for the 2020-2021 school year or be a recent 2020 high school graduate Must be able to commit to 10-20 hours per week Must be able to commit to participating as a Teen Ambassador from August 24, 2020 – September 30, 2020 APPLICATION INFORMATION: Interested teens should apply by 5pm Thursday, August 20, 2020 https://bit.ly/TeenAmbassadorAugusta

RICHMOND COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION Bond Issue Program

PROPOSAL NUM. B-18-011-2056

HEPHZIBAH HIGH SCHOOL ADDITIONS

COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION OF RICHMOND COUNTY INVITATION TO BID Sealed proposals from Contractors will be received for the Hephzibah High School Additions by the County Board of Education of Richmond County at the address below until 3:00 p.m. local time, Thursday, September 10, 2020, at which time the bids will be publicly opened and read. No extension of the bidding period will be made. A Pre-Bid Conference will be held 3:00 p.m. local time Tuesday, August 25, 2020 at Hephzibah Comprehensive High School outside the Main Entrance, 4558 Brothersville Road, Hephzibah, Georgia 30815. Phone: (706) 592-2089 Drawings and project manual on this work may be examined at the Department of Maintenance and Facilities, Richmond County Board of Education, 2956 Mike Padgett Hwy, Augusta, Georgia 309061, Tel (706) 481-1590 Bidding documents may be obtained at the Woodhurst Architects, LLC 1407 Monte Sano Ave, Augusta, Georgia 30904, (706) 724-4343 . Applications for documents together with refundable deposit of $ 375 per set should be filed promptly with the Architect. Bidding material will be forwarded (shipping charges collect) as soon as possible. The full amount of deposit for one set will be refunded to each prime contractor who submits a bona fide bid upon return of such set in good condition within 10 days after date of opening bids. All other deposits will be refunded with deductions approximating cost of reproduction of documents upon return of same in good condition within 10 days after date of opening bid. Contract, if awarded, will be on a lump sum basis. No bid may be withdrawn for a period of 35 days after time has been called on the date of opening. Bid must be accompanied by a bid bond in an amount not less than 5% of the base bid. Personal checks, certified checks, letters of credit, etc., are not acceptable. The successful bidder will be required to furnish performance and payment bonds in an amount equal to 100% of the contract price. The Owner reserves the right to reject any and all bids and to waive technicalities and informalities. BID LIST: The Richmond County Board of Education maintains a bid list for many categories that are let for bid each year. If your company wishes to remain on our bid list, we must receive a response either through a bid or by a no bid response. If we do not receive a response, your company’s name will be removed from our bid list. Please call the bid office at 706-826-1298 if you fail to receive a post card. To promote local participation, a database of Sub-contractors, Suppliers, and Vendors has been developed by the Program Manager, GMK Associates. Contact Jeanine Usry with GMK Associates, Inc. at (706) 826-1127 for location to review and obtain this database. Bids shall be submitted and addressed to: Dr. Kenneth Bradshaw County Board of Education of Richmond County Administrative Office 864 Broad Street Augusta, Georgia 30901 c/o: Mr. Bobby Smith, CPA

An Illinois resident was arrested in violence that occurred during a confrontation between demonstrators and a group of men armed with guns as protests continued over the police shooting of Jacob Blake.

Policeman in riot gear standing outside the Kenosha County Court House after protests broke out late Sunday night after a police shooting of an unarmed Black man. Morry Gash/AP Photo By Judy Bosman New York Times KENOSHA, Wis. An Illinois resident has been arrested in connection to a shooting that left two people dead and another person wounded during a chaotic night of demonstrations over the shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wis., officials said on Wednesday. A court document from Lake County, Ill., shows that Kyle Rittenhouse, 17, was arrested in Antioch, Ill., on Wednesday morning after being charged with first degree intentional homicide in the fatal shooting that took place only hours earlier. Antioch is about 30 minutes southwest of Kenosha, just over the Illinois line. More details were expected during a news conference on Wednesday afternoon. The shooting took place during a third night of protests over the shooting of Mr. Blake and after demonstrators clashed with law enforcement

officials near the County Courthouse downtown. Tuesday evening was spent in a shifting, hourslong standoff between the police and protesters. Protesters assembled outside a newly erected metal barrier protecting the courthouse and threw water bottles, rocks and fireworks at the police. Kenosha County sheriff’s deputies moved to clear a park of protesters.Credit...Tannen Maury/EPA, via Shutterstock The police responded with tear gas and rubber bullets, repeatedly warning the crowd through a bullhorn that they were violating the city curfew of 8 p.m. and risking arrest. The crowd was eventually forced out of the park with tear gas and onto city streets, where the standoff continued. Many protesters left the area, but others lingered and walked to a gas station several blocks away. There, a group of men with guns stood outside, promising to protect the property and verbally sparring with

the arriving protesters. As the night stretched on, the gas station became a tense gathering spot, with bystanders watching from parked cars and people milling around in the street, arguing and occasionally shoving each other. Police officers had crept closer to the gas station in armored trucks, urging the people who were still there to go home. After midnight, shots were fired outside the gas station. Three people were struck, Sheriff David Beth said in an interview. The Kenosha Police Department said in a statement that there were two fatalities, and that one person had been taken to the hospital with injuries that were not life-threatening. Sheriff Beth said that the investigation was focused on the group of men with guns outside the gas station, and that investigators were scouring video taken just before the shooting. In one video, the men are shouting at each other, clutching their guns

and occasionally pulling each other away to defuse the conflict. “I’ve had people saying, ‘Why don’t you deputize citizens?’” he said. “This is why you don’t deputize citizens with guns to protect Kenosha.” On Tuesday, the family of Mr. Blake, a Black resident whose children were nearby as their father was shot this week by a white police officer, had called for calm. Mr. Blake’s mother, Julia Jackson, had told reporters that she opposed the sort of destruction that had been left by protests spurred by her son’s shooting. On earlier nights, buildings and trucks had been burned down in Kenosha, a city of 100,000 people, where more than 100 members of the Wisconsin National Guard have been deployed amid the unrest. Ms. Jackson told reporters that she had been praying for the country to heal. “I’ve noticed a lot of damage,” she said. “It doesn’t reflect my son or my family.”

UrbanProWeekly • AUGUST 25 - 31, 2020

Arrest in shooting during unrest in Kenosha

UrbanProWeekly AUGUST 25 - 31, 2020

OUR BUSINESS

The original Lady A speaks out on how to be a better ally BY NANA EFUA MUMFORD Washington Post

nita White has been performing as Lady A for more than a decade. She grew up in Seattle singing in her church’s youth choir. Today, Lady A is a worldwide performer, singing what she calls her “partyable” neo-blues for audiences from Seattle to Sweden. In June, the country band Lady Antebellum announced that it would drop the “Antebellum” in its name and from now on call itself Lady A. After initial discussions between White and the band broke down, the band filed a lawsuit in federal court in Tennessee against White, asking a court to define and affirm its right to use the Lady A name. The group believes that they both can exist and succeed as Lady A: one, a Grammy award-winning, all-White country band; and the other, a Black woman who has spent years developing her brand as Lady A. The band announced it had decided to change its name after its members’ eyes were “opened wide to the injustices, inequality and biases black women and men have always faced.” But the band members’ suit suggests they still don’t get it. In the meantime, the suit has left Lady A — who describes herself as “the hardest-working woman in blues, soul, funk and gospel” — in a difficult spot. We spoke by phone late last month. Initial thoughts on the band I had heard of them because whenever I Google myself, Lady Antebellum was first and [I] was right under them, so I knew they were there. But, they had not released one song as Lady A so there was no reason for me to reach out to them. I have followers just like they have followers. I tour just like they tour. Just because I don’t have 40,000 followers doesn’t make my work experience, my artistry, my music or my musical family any less relevant than theirs. It just means that I didn’t get the break that they got.

Singer Anita White, better known as Lady A. (Dawn Lucrisia-Johnson) up something in order to be an ally. It requires you to help those who have been oppressed.

On why this matters I think it’s important that I not disappoint my ancestors. It is important that we pass down empowerment and not being afraid. I’m not afraid of Lady Antebellum or their lawyers. I will stand strong in what I believe, and I believe they need to change their name. Because I stand on broad shoulders of beautiful, On the importance of standing up Black people, indigenous people of amazing Black women and men. this land especially, and people of color On changing “Antebellum” to “A” have always had our culture, our names, You can’t be halfway woke. our lives, our language, our experiences If you’re going to be an ally, be an taken from us, appropriated by Whites. It’s always been that way. Sometimes all ally. Put action behind your words. They made this public statement, and we have is our name. so I think I need to hold their feet to the fire on this. Because shortening it On being a better ally Stop taking from us just because you to Lady A does not make it less racist. I’ve lived through racism. I still can. Sometimes being an ally requires that you give up something. Because encounter racism to this day. I would we’ve given up a lot in this country. rather they be honest. Come out and And sometimes it requires that you give say “Black lives really don’t matter to

you,” and you can keep the name. On coexistence as a compromise No, there is no coexistence. My whole thing from the beginning was: How do we coexist? You can’t have two Lady A’s. I asked them explain it to me three times. They didn’t respond. ... I said, “You’re going to bury me on iTunes, Amazon and Spotify.” And that’s exactly what they’ve done. The only way to get my music is to go to my website. It’s my brand. People know me by Lady A. I worked hard to get where I am. So, if you think that I’m going to allow you to come in and just disrespect Black, indigenous people of this land and people of color, I’m not going to do that. You don’t get to disrespect us that way. On how the experience has affected her spiritually and mentally Thank you so much for asking that question. I don’t think anybody’s asked me that. For one thing spiritually, I believe that I’m in this position for a reason. So, I believe that God has placed

me in this position because it’s my season. It is my season to help somebody else. I believe that I’m here to stand up. Is the situation easy? No. It has been a roller coaster. On what’s next It’s time that White people step up and start talking about race. They need to talk to little children about race, the way Black people get talked to about race. I believe the conversations and communication are important in order to combat any difficulty that you might run into it. But racism needs to be handled by White people and we need them to start being allies, which is why I have this passion around the fact that Lady Antebellum needs to completely change their name. I’m also working on some new music for my CD for next year. These last three weeks? I haven’t been able to do anything like that. I’m anxious to get back to my music. They’ve interrupted my life a little bit. But, like I said, I believe God has placed me here for a reason.

Allyson Felix is empowering women and girls with her first-ever Athleta Fitness Collection by TAMARA PRIDGETT PopSugar

llyson Felix is one of the greatest athletes of all time and one of the greatest sprinters of all time. She’s broken numerous records, she’s broken barriers in sports, and she’s transforming the future of sports for the next generation of athletes. Felix credits her daughter, Camryn, for helping her find her voice and speak out on issues that impact athletes, Black people and people of color, and women and girls all over the world. Last year she shared her Nike pregnancy story in The New York Times, calling for athletic apparel companies to implement maternity protections for athletes who choose to have babies during their careers, and her voice has only gotten louder since then. As the world navigates two pandemics — COVID-19 and racial injustice in the United States — Felix isn’t afraid to speak out. She’s speaking out for her life, for the lives of countless Black and brown people, for future generations, and to elicit change in the world her daughter will grow up in. She’s also breaking barriers off the track, like being one of a handful of women to have her own athletic collec-

tion. “This is something I had always dreamed of when I came into the sport. . . . You always dream of having something of your own, and I wasn’t sure if it was ever going to happen,” Felix told POPSUGAR. While Felix was looking for a new apparel sponsor, she said one thing that sold her on the partnership with Athleta was that the brand’s values were aligned with her personal values and mission: to empower women and girls. Felix didn’t want to just create another pair of leggings and a new sports bra, she wanted the Athleta x Allyson Felix collection to make those who wear it feel great. “I want them to feel confident. I want them to feel empowered. I want them to feel like they know their value and worth. And then I also want them to know that they’re going to look great in it and feel good in it,” she explained. She personally wear-tested each piece, making sure that they would sustain her intense workouts and be comfortable enough to run errands in. “There’s no distraction. When you’re in there and you’re getting your workout in, nothing’s going to be bugging you or bothering you,” she said. The 18-piece collection was inspired by her style but was also designed for performance. “It will allow your body to move the way that it

needs to move. And you’re not sacrificing in any point,” she said. No matter the element, these pieces will perform under any condition, just like the six-time Olympic gold medalist. One of her favorite things about the collection is its versatility. “It has all these great, layered pieces where you finish your workout, you throw on one of the cute jackets, tops, or T-shirts, and you can go on for the other half of your day until you get home,” she said. This was important for Felix because she wanted something that functioned well with her life and the lives of other women. What’s unique about her namesake collection is that there are pieces for girls as well. “Those same things that I want women to feel, I want young girls to feel as well,” Felix said. She explained that the pieces come with love notes and reminders to break records and barriers. “There’s no limit to what you can do, and I think it all begins on sending that very important message to them at a young age,” she said. Felix loves all the pieces, but the ones she’s constantly reaching for are the Legend Luxe Crop Half-Zip Jacket ($169), the Legend Luxe Track Pant ($119), and the Legend Zip Front Bra ($69). We have a feeling you’re going to love these pieces, too, whether you’re going for a run, training for a major competition, or going grocery shopping.

UrbanProWeekly • AUGUST 25 - 31, 2020

“Those same things that I want women to feel, I want young girls to feel as well.”

UrbanProWeekly AUGUST 25 - 31, 2020

Buckhead photo exhibit underscores the timeless story of civil rights — past and present By Rosalind Bentley The Atlanta Journal-Constitution ATLANTA Photographers Steve Schapiro and Sheila Pree Bright have turned their lens on the nation’s movements for racial equality. More than 55 years separate the photographs of Steve Schapiro and Sheila Pree Bright, but their images are kindred. Take the picture Schapiro took in Selma in 1965. In the photo, an older Black woman stands in a crowd of other Black people clearly waiting for something. She is bundled up against the cold, with a hat and scarves and her overcoat appears sprinkled with rain. Her face doesn’t reflect discomfort so much as determination. The sign she holds in her bare hands reveals why, and its message is stark and clear: “Stop Police Killings.” Then consider Pree Bright’s photo made 50 years later. A crowd in Ferguson, Missouri, is marching down a street. One of the female marchers carries a huge United States flag, hung upside down on a pole in her right hand. Flying the flag upside down is understood as a symbol of distress or danger. The marchers are protesting police killings of unarmed Black people in the city where Michael Brown was gunned down by a white police officer just a year before Pree Bright took the photo. To view the photos together is evidence of a national problem that has rolled from one generation to next, unsolved. That’s what viewers will be asked to consider in the new show at Jackson Fine Art in Buckhead, featuring the work of Schapiro and Pree Bright. “Steve Schapiro: In Celebration of the Fire Next Time,” and Pree Bright’s series “#1960 Now” both are witnesses to two of the nation’s most important racial reckonings: the civil rights movement of the 1960s and the protests against police killings of unarmed black people in the early 2000s. Except for one, all of the images are in black and white, documentary in approach. The show runs now through Sept. 19 and can be viewed in person or virtually. For Jackson Fine Art, the work currently on view is a departure in terms of subject matter. It is not known as a showcase for protest photography or for local Black photographers who otherwise have national followings. But after the police killing of George Floyd and waves of international protest that ensued, gallery owner Anna Walker-Skillman decided she couldn’t look away and neither should visitors. “It hasn’t been something I’ve done regularly, and I’ve been in this gallery since I was 27 years old,” said Walker-Skillman. “I’m 50 years old.” Though she didn’t want the show “to be reactive,” she said, she did want to recognize the moment. She had not shown the work of Pree Bright before, an Atlanta-based, Black photographer whose work has been shown nationally and featured at the High Museum. Pree Bright’s images have long spoken to Black identity, from notions of beauty to stereotypes about the Black middle class. A few years ago, she began taking pictures of lesser-known but important civil rights figures such as Lonnie King, Jr., a founder of the 1960 Atlanta Student Movement and Dr. Roslyn Pope, author of “An Appeal for

Human Rights.” That series was called “1960 Who”. After the killing of Brown in Ferguson, Bright immediately saw the through line between that series and what was happening on the ground in Ferguson. After the death of Freddie Gray in Baltimore while he was in police custody and the protests that ensued, Pree Bright got on the road. “There were so many deaths going on, I couldn’t keep up with it,” Pree Bright said. “I was in Baltimore. I was in Ferguson. I was in Baton Rouge.” The gruesome fact that this body of work remains ongoing is not lost on her. Four images from that period are featured in the show. The one outlier is the photo composite, “The Rebirth of Us,” an homage to the mothers of the victims in the Atlanta Child Murders case of the late 1970s and early 1980s. A burst of sunflowers, each representing one of the missing and murdered children surrounds the haunting and elegant blue face of a Black woman meant to symbolize the mothers. Her gaze is open and almost warm. Thematically, it’s a discordant image in the show, as if the weight of Black suffering captured in real time could be too much for some viewers to bear. Schapiro’s work is a reminder of just how long that suffering has lasted. Schapiro was on an assignment for Life Magazine in the early 1960s, on a story he pitched after reading James Baldwin’s 1962 essay, “Letter from a Region in My Mind,” in The New Yorker magazine. The essay became one of two that became the classic Baldwin book, “The Fire Next Time.” After the New Yorker essay was published, Schapiro traveled with Baldwin throughout the South in 1963 and saw the effects of segregation up close. Through Baldwin’s involvement in the movement, Schapiro met the people fighting American apartheid below the Mason-Dixon line. “Suddenly, to see everything in person was very disturbing,” Schapiro said. “We visited Medgar Evers in Mississippi at his house, and he put a towel over the rental car license plate, almost as a joke, because he knew his house was under surveillance.” Evers was assassinated in his driveway by a white supremacist later that year. Schapiro continued to document the movement capturing some of its most pivotal moments and leaders. He captured an image of John Lewis as a young activist in Clarksdale. He covered the final and successful march from Selma to Montgomery in 1965 that led to the Voting Rights Act of the same year. And he was one of the few to enter Martin Luther King, Jr.‘s room at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis just hours after King was assassinated. Many of Schapiro’s photographs were included in the 2017 reissue of “The Fire Next Time.” Several of them were never published by Life Magazine. Like the photo of the woman in Selma holding the “Stop Police Killings” sign. “My lady holding the sign was incidental to the big story, at the time,” Schapiro said. “This was not a major picture in terms of news. It takes time for people to see that.” Yet the message of the sign endures, visible on streets across the nation during this summer of protest.

This image from the #1960 Now series by Atlanta photographer Sheila Pree Bright. She captured it during the national march on Ferguson, ‘We Can’t Stop Now,’ protesting police violence and the murder of Mike Brown, 2015

John Lewis, Clarksdale Miss, 1963. Steve Schapiro was a young photographer on assignment for Life magazine when he captured this now iconic image of Lewis. The image is part of “Steve Schapiro: In Celebration of the Fire Next Time,” currently on view at Jackson Fine Art.

From the #1960 Now series by Atlanta photographer Sheila Pree Bright. (#ATLisReady and Black Lives Matter Atlanta Chapter Protest Shootings of Philando Castile and Alton Sterling, Atlanta, GA), 2016

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9 UrbanProWeekly • AUGUST 25 - 31, 2020

Order your shirt today by going to: https://wegiveashirt.showpony.co/shop/ arts-in-the-heart/ WIN VIP TICKETS! Post a picture of you in your new t-shirt on our facebook page by Sept 30 for a chance to WIN a pair of VIP tickets to the 2021 Arts in the Heart festival. Post your photo to: https://www.facebook.com/TheGreaterAugustaArtsCouncil/ #loveaugusta #augustaarts #showpony #wegiveashirt #artsintheheartofaugusta ••••••••••••••••

Arts in the Heart 2020 Digital Fine Arts & Crafts Market The Greater Augusta Arts Council has announced the Fine Arts & Crafts Market digital shopping experience will begin this week on www. ArtsintheHeartofAugusta.com. The celebration of the digital market will be promoted on the Arts Council websites, e-newsletters and social media platforms over the next month. There were 186 artists who applied, and 110 artists made the original juried event list, with another 22 juried on the waitlist. After the festival was cancelled, the 110 were refunded their booth fees and the Arts Council staff began work on promoting all 132 artists who were accepted in the original event and on the waitlist. The Fine Arts and Crafts Market at Arts in the Heart of Augusta is a rigorously juried entry process with many requirements of the artists. Their work must be handmade by the artist only (no workshops) and of high-quality. A jury committee selects the top artists after reviewing applications for weeks. From now through the original 2020 dates of the festival, the Arts Council will feature more than 60 artists who have e-commerce platforms available. This allows patrons who would normally shop at the Arts in the Heart Fine Arts & Crafts Market the opportunity to still do so online. There are 23 local artists currently in digital line up, and out of the 132 juried artists, 72 hail from Georgia and South Carolina. Patrons are encouraged to visit the Arts in the Heart website when searching for a particular type of art or looking for a specific artist. The search function of the site allows users to look up artists by medium and by name. Each artist listing includes images, website links, and contact information for all artists who provided those details. Be sure to follow the Arts in the Heart of Augusta Festival and Greater Augusta Arts Council social media on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for ongoing artist highlights.

RICHMOND COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION PROPOSAL NUM. B-17-010-3062.4 Bond Issue Program RICHMOND HILL K-8 SCHOOL CLASSROOM ADDITION

COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION OF RICHMOND COUNTY INVITATION TO BID Sealed proposals from Contractors will be received for the RICHMOND HILL K-8 School CLASSROOM ADDITION by the County Board of Education of Richmond County at the address below until 3:00p.m. local time, September 17, 2020, at which time the bids will be publicly opened and read. No extension of the bidding period will be made. A Pre-Bid Conference will be held Avenue, Augusta Ga. 30906.

September 3, 2020 at 10:00am local time at the project site, 3420 Julia

Drawings and project manual on this work may be examined at the Department of Maintenance and Facilities, Richmond County Board of Education, 2956 Mike Padgett Hwy, Augusta, Georgia 30906. Bidding documents may be obtained at the Office of the Architect: Studio 3 Design Group, P.C. attn: Jennifer Powell @ jpowell@s3dg.com or 706-667-9784 . Applications for documents together with refundable deposit of $300.00 per set should be filed promptly with the Architect. Bidding material will be forwarded (shipping charges collect) as soon as possible. The full amount of deposit for one set will be refunded to each prime contractor who submits a bona fide bid upon return of such set in good condition within 10 days after date of opening bids. All other deposits will be refunded with deductions approximating cost of reproduction of documents upon return of same in good condition within 10 days after date of opening bid. Contract, if awarded, will be on a lump sum basis. No bid may be withdrawn for a period of 35 days after time has been called on the date of opening. Bid must be accompanied by a bid bond in an amount not less than 5% of the base bid. Personal checks, certified checks, letters of credit, etc., are not acceptable. The successful bidder will be required to furnish performance and payment bonds in an amount equal to 100% of the contract price. The Owner reserves the right to reject any and all bids and to waive technicalities and informalities. To promote local participation, a database of Sub-contractors, Suppliers, and Vendors has been developed by the Program Manager, GMK Associates. Contact Jeanine Usry with GMK Associates at (706) 826-1127 for location to review and obtain this database. Bids shall be submitted and addressed to: Dr. Kenneth Bradshaw County Board of Education of Richmond County Administrative Office 864 Broad Street Augusta, Georgia 30901 c/o: Mr. Bobby Smith

UrbanProWeekly AUGUST 25 - 31, 2020

Commentary

Trumpism is a racket, and Steve Bannon knew it In the MAGA movement, you’re either a predator or a mark. By Michelle Goldberg New York Times Editorial Board In the most recent Senate Intelligence report on Russian campaign interference, a footnote quotes Steve Bannon, the former chief executive of Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign, disparaging Trump’s oldest son. Bannon said he thought “very highly” of Donald Trump Jr., but also called him “a guy who believes everything on Breitbart is true.” Bannon, of course, ran Breitbart, the far-right media outlet, before joining the Trump campaign, and then for several months after leaving the White House. Yet he seemed to want the senators to know that he was never enough of a rube to take his own propaganda seriously. Shaggy, pretentious and endlessly cynical, Bannon presented himself as a man with a limbic connection to Trump’s base. But few people had more disdain for the members of the right-wing grass roots — whom Bannon sometimes referred to as “hobbits.” In “The Brink,” a 2019 documentary about Bannon, there’s a scene in which he speaks to supporters in a modest living room stuffed with furniture and bedecked with crosses. As his small audience sits rapt,

pay me a million dollars a year to live in that house,” sneers Bannon’s associate. They head to a private airport. Bannon starts to make a crack about the luxurious locale: “This is the populist …” Then he thinks better of it and shoves some popcorn into his mouth. So it’s fitting that when Bannon on Thursday became the most recent member of Trump’s 2016 campaign staff to be arrested, it was on charges of defrauding gullible Trump supporters. According to a federal indictment, Bannon, along with his associates Brian Kolfage, Andrew Badolato and Timothy Shea, ran a crowdfunding campaign, We Build the Wall, ostensibly to help fund Trump’s promised southern border barrier. The project became, said prosecutors, a source of illicit personal enrichment. We Build the Wall was run as a nonprofit, and assured donors that “100 percent of funds raised” would go toward wall construction. Some donors, said the indictment, wrote President Trump and Stephen Bannon in 2017. The president on to Kolfage that “they did not have a Thursday sought to distance himself from Mr. Bannon, just arrested on lot of money and were skeptical of fraud charges. Mandel Ngan/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images online fund-raising campaigns,” but he lauds the room’s similarity to nationalist movements everywhere. they were “giving what they could” one in his grandmother’s house and Then he and a young man travel- because they trusted his promises. pays homage to the “working-class, ing with him walk out and step into middle-class” people who make up their chauffeured car. “You couldn’t See BANNON on next page

Confirming Progressive warnings, Social Security actuary says Trump Payroll Tax Cut would effectively destroy program by 2023 By Jake Johnson Common Dreams The Social Security Administration’s chief actuary estimated late Monday that eliminating the payroll tax would fully deplete Social Security’s disability and old-age trust funds by 2023, confirming the disastrous consequences progressive advocacy groups and lawmakers have been warning of since President Donald Trump threatened earlier this month to “terminate” the levy if reelected in November. In a letter to Sens. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), and Senate Minority Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), SSA chief actuary Stephen Goss wrote that scrapping the payroll tax would “permanently” deplete the Disability Insurance trust fund by mid-2021 and the Old Age and Survivors Insurance trust fund by mid-2023 “with no ability to pay” the benefits afterward. The letter comes days after the

“Everyone should listen to Social Security’s independent chief actuary and alert your friends and family: If Donald Trump wins reelection, Social Security will be at his mercy.” group of Senate lawmakers asked Goss to analyze “hypothetical legislation” that would zero out the payroll tax as Trump has repeatedly proposed in recent months. “The law does not provide authority for the trust funds to borrow in order to pay benefits beyond the limited authority for ‘advance tax transfers,” explained Goss, a 30-year SSA veteran. “This limited authority allows all payroll tax income expected for a month to be advanced to the beginning of that month if needed to meet benefit obligations on a timely basis. Thus... benefit obligations could not be met after the depletion of the asset reserves and elimination of payroll taxes.” Nancy Altman, president of advocacy group Social Security Works,

said in a statement that Goss’ assessment further substantiates “what Democrats and Social Security advocates have been saying for weeks: Donald Trump’s plan to ‘terminate’ Social Security’s dedicated funding if he is reelected would destroy Social Security.” “Trump has shown himself willing to undermine the post office, the free press, and other institutions. If he’s reelected, our Social Security system is his next target,” Altman warned. “Everyone should listen to Social Security’s independent chief actuary and alert your friends and family: If Donald Trump wins reelection, Social Security will be at his mercy.” Goss’ letter came shortly before Donald Trump Jr., during a speech on the opening night of the Republican

National Convention Monday, touted his father’s attempt to unilaterally suspend the payroll tax, referring to a directive the president signed last month that experts and employers have slammed as unworkable and illegal. “They attacked my father for suspending the payroll tax for middle-class workers,” Don Jr. complained. In a statement responding to Goss’ analysis, Van Hollen said it is clear that Trump’s push to eliminate the payroll tax is “another thinly veiled attempt to gut Social Security and go after the American people’s hard-earned benefit.” Sanders echoed Van Hollen in a tweet late Monday, writing that the SSA “confirmed what we already knew.” “Trump’s disastrous plan to defund Social Security would eliminate retirement and disability benefits by 2023,” said Sanders. “That may make sense to the billionaires at Trump’s country club, but it makes zero sense to me.”

AU Health COVID-19 test by drive-thru downtown need to make an appointment by calling the AU health system’s hotline at 706-721-1852. Results are usually provided within 24 hours. Testing is available by appointment

from 9 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Monday-Friday, and from 7 a.m.-1 p.m. SaturdaySunday. For more information or to schedule an appointment, call 706721-1852.

t Separate testing for kids

AU Health system added a new COVID testing site for kids as of Aug.14. The testing will be conducted in the s -

Faculty Office Building, 1467 Harper St. near the Children’s Hospital of Georgia, from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 7

The Lucy Craft Laney Museum of Black History will showcase “The oHBCU Experience, Past, Present and Future” from August 1st to September n25th. This exhibit examines the role tthat the historically black college and nuniversity have played in shaping many of the iconic figures of Augusta. One -need look no further than the namesake of the museum, Lucy Craft Laney, swho graduated in 1873 in the first dclass of the Normal School of Atlanta gUniversity. In addition to the physical -exhibit at the Museum, there will be dseveral virtual and interactive components. f Admission is limited to tours of four people and tours must be set up in advance. Available tour times tare Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday dat 10:30am and 2:30pm. Cost is $7 per person. The Historically Black College and University, or HBCU, has been one

of the foundational institutions in the African American community since the antebellum period. Post-Civil War America saw the creation of dozens of HBCU’s, from Atlanta University in Atlanta, Georgia, to Benedict College in Columbia, South Carolina. All HBCU’s are not the same. Some are large, like Southern University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and others have a more intimate campus setting, like Paine College in Augusta, Georgia. But no matter the size or geographic location of the school there is one thing that is for certain, the HBCU experience is a collegiate experience unlike any other. In early September there will be a virtual panel discussion about the importance of the HBCU in the 21st Century. The panelists will include representatives from various historically black colleges and universities. The panel will be moderated by Augusta’s own, Fisk University graduate, Dee Griffin.

a.m. to noon Saturday and Sunday. You can schedule an appointment by calling (706) 721-1852 and pressing 2 for a pediatric appointment.

New Exhibition at the Laney Museum: The HBCU Experience, Past, Present and Future

BANNON from p10

According to the indictment, Bannon used a separate nonprofit to siphon off over $1 million, some of which was used to pay Kolfage, who also received money through a shell company set up by Shea. Among other things, the indictment says, Kolfage used the funds to pay for “home renovations, payments towards a boat, a luxury S.U.V., a golf cart, jewelry, cosmetic surgery, personal tax payments and credit card debt.” (He seems to have used the boat, called the Warfighter, to sail in one of Trump’s beloved boat parades.) On Thursday, Trump tried to distance himself from Bannon and We Build the Wall, first saying he knew nothing about the group, then contradicting himself and saying he disliked it. But lots of Trumpworld figures have been involved with We Build the Wall. Kris Kobach, a hard-line anti-immigrant Kansas politician close to Trump, is listed as the group’s general counsel, and last year told The New York Times it had the president’s blessing. Also on the advisory board is the Blackwater founder and close Trump ally Erik Prince; Curt Schilling, the ex-Red Sox pitcher Trump encouraged to run for Congress; and Robert Spalding, former senior director for strategic planning on Trump’s National Security Council. Donald Trump Jr. praised We Build the Wall at a 2019 event for the group: “This is private enterprise at its finest.

“Trump’s disastrous plan to defund Social Security would eliminate retirement and disability benefits by 2023,” said Sen. Bernie Sanders. “That may make sense to the billionaires at Trump’s country club, but it makes zero sense to me.” Doing it better, faster, cheaper than anything else, and what you guys are doing is pretty amazing.” Maybe Trump Jr. was a sucker who believed this, or maybe he just didn’t care. The truth is that We Build the Wall is what Trumpist private enterprise looks like — a gaudy scam that monetizes grievance. Bannon’s arrest comes just two weeks after New York’s attorney general sought to dissolve the National Rifle Association, claiming that its leadership “looted” it. On Thursday, Politico reported that Jerry Falwell Jr., recently suspended as president of Liberty University, has “repeatedly used a 164-foot yacht owned by NASCAR mogul Rick Hendrick for family vacations after the university committed to a lucrative sponsorship deal with Hendrick Motorsports.” Bannon himself was apprehended on a yacht belonging to the Chinese billionaire Guo Wengui; The Wall Street Journal reported that a media company the two men are involved with is being investigated by federal and state authorities.

Call for Photographs: If you have a photograph you would like to share from your time in school, the Laney Museum would love to see it. You can send the photograph to museum historian Corey Rogers at ocur761@ gmail.com. Make sure to include your name, what school you attended, the approximate year the photo was taken, who took the photo if that information is available, and the context by which the photo was taken: step show, party, homecoming, parade or just a typical day on campus! Give Us your Selfie Videos: Tell us about your HBCU experience. In a one to two minute video share with us your fondest memory about going to an HBCU or why you decided to attend a particular HBCU. For more information about this exhibit as well as important information on our tours please contact 706724-3576.

Richmond County Board of Education Richmond County Board of Education will be held at 864 Broad Street, Board Room Auditorium, Augusta, Georgia 30901: September 1, 2020 – Called Board Meeting at 5:00 p.m. – Update of the Reopening of Schools September 15, 2020 – September 2020 Committee Meeting and Regular Board Meeting to be held at Richmond County Board of Education, 864 Broad Street, Board Room Auditorium, Augusta, Georgia 30901 - Committee Meeting will begin at 4:00 p.m. and the Regular Board Meeting will immediately follow the Committee Meeting. Please note: Because of the COVID 19 virus and the restrictions placed by State and City officials on public gatherings, the meeting will be held pursuant to OCGA & 50-14-1 (g), which allows under circumstances necessitated by emergency conditions involving public safety, that the meeting may be held by teleconferencing and virtual streaming. The link for the public to use to simultaneously to virtually attend and observe live each meeting is as follows: ht t p s:// l i v e. m y v r s p o t .c o m / st?cid=NTBjMm

11 UrbanProWeekly • AUGUST 25 - 31, 2020

Augusta University Health’s COVID19 drive-thru specimen collection location moved to downtown Augusta to AU’s Annex II at 524 15th St. Patients wanting to be tested will

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UrbanProWeekly AUGUST 25 - 31, 2020

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FREE COVID19 TESTING The East Central Public Health District VI is providing Free Drive-thru COVID19 Testing at each local County Health Department. To schedule an appointment for COVID19 Testing call: 706-721-5800 For additional COVID19 information and East Central Public Health District Services visit: www.ecphd.com

East Central Public Health District VI Health Departments are in the following counties: Burke, Columbia, Glascock, Emanuel, Jefferson, Jenkins, Lincoln, McDuffie, Richmond, Screven, Taliaferro, Warren, Wilkes