UPW Urban Pro Weekly

URBAN PRO WEEKLY

FEBRUARY 9 - 15, 2017 VOL. 6 NO. 8

I Am Not Your Negro

Code School

Bootcamp offers beginners entry into a tech career.

a new film written by . . . james baldwin

Photo by Vincent Hobbs

UPW

The NUTRITIOUS ALTERNATIVE restaurant seeks to plant seeds of life through healthy eating.

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Remembering James Baldwin American Novelist, Essayist, and Dramatist 1924 - 1987

J

ames Arthur Baldwin is recognized as one of the most important twentieth-century American writers. In his works, he exposed racial and sexual polarization in American society and challenged readers to confront and resolve these differences.

Baldwin’s influence and popularity peaked during the 1960s, when he was regarded as the leading literary spokesperson of the civil rights movement.

Baldwin was born in Harlem, New York, on August 2, 1924.

His stepfather, a Pentecostal preacher, struggled to support his large family. As a youth, Baldwin was an excellent student who sought to escape his impoverished environment by reading, writing, and attending movies and plays. He served as a junior minister at the Fireside Pentecostal Assembly as a teenager. After graduating from high school in 1942,

Baldwin took a job in Belle Meade, New Jersey, to help support his brothers and sisters. Following his stepfather’s death in 1943, Baldwin ,determined to make writing his profession, moved to Greenwich Village and began a novel. Five years, later, he moved to Paris; he remained in France for most of his life.

In Paris, Baldwin accepted his heritage and admitted his bisexuality. He also completed his first novel, Go Tell it on the Mountain (1953), which many critics consider his most accomplished. Baldwin’s next novel, Giovanni’s Room (1956), was controversial, apparently because of its openly homosexual content. Another Country (1962) provoked more debate and received largely negative reviews due to its candid depiction of sexual relations.

Baldwin’s nonfiction works have also received substantial critical attention. The essay

“Everybody’s Protest Novel” (1949) generated controversy for its attack on authors of protest fiction. Critics praised his essay and those collected in Notes of a Native Son (1955), Nobody Knows My Name: More Notes of a Native Son (1961), and The Price of the Ticket: Collected Nonfiction, 1948 - 1985 (1985). The book The Fire Next Time (1963) is considered both a passionate plea for reconciliation between the races and a manifesto for black liberation.

Baldwin was one of the few black authors to hare had ore than one play produced on Broadway. Both The Amen Corner (1955) and Blues for Mister Charlie (1964) had successful Broadway runs and numerous revivals. In the late 1960s and 1970s, much of Baldwin’s fiction was influence by his involvement in the civil rights movement. He saw his writing as an attempt to

See Baldwin on next page

A MOVIE REVIEW

By Lovia Gyarkye

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n 1948, James Baldwin left Harlem for Paris to save himself. After his friend Eugene Worth jumped off the George Washington Bridge to his death, Baldwin was afraid that he would suffer a similar fate. In a 1984 interview with The Paris Review, he said: “My luck was running out. I was going to go to jail, I was going to kill somebody or be killed.” It was because of this desire to escape the dire situation of being a black male in America that Baldwin found himself alone in France with only $40 in his pockets.

Years later, Baldwin would write a series of essays reflecting on his Paris years. It was in Paris that he found his voice and also came to understand the complexity of his American identity. “The very word ‘America,’” Baldwin wrote in his 1959 essay “The Discovery of What It Means to be An American,” “remains a new, almost completely undefined and extremely controversial proper noun. No one in the world seems to know exactly what it describes, not even we motley millions who call ourselves Americans.”

Raoul Peck’s I Am Not Your Negro, which opens soon in select theaters around the country, revisits Baldwin’s interrogation of what it means to be American. The film is not just a factual report about a particular event or person. Like the famed works that are its inspiration, it is an essay. And like any good essay, it

See “I Am Not . . .” on next page

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Am Not Your Negro / REVIEW from p.3

begins with one question, and, over the course of its 90 minutes, asks a set of new ones. Similar to its literary counterpart, the essay-film escapes clear definition. It is the problematic stepchild in a world insistent on categorization. But the film’s troublesome, inquisitive nature is in keeping with what Montaigne, the inventor of the essay, meant his “Essais” to be— attempts, trials, experiments.

Our experiment begins with a note Baldwin wrote to his literary agent Jay Acton in 1979. It is read by Samuel L. Jackson, whose voiceover proves oddly comforting over the course of the film (Baldwin is credited as the movie’s only writer). In the letter, Baldwin proposes a new project about the Civil Rights Movement driven by the narratives of three of its famous leaders— Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, and Medgar Evers. It would require him to travel to the homes of these murdered men and speak with their families—to be a witness to the lives they lived.

But Baldwin’s own death in 1987 from cancer left the project unfinished.

Its 30 pages of notes—provisionally titled, “Remember This House” — are the basis for Peck’s film.

He has filled in this skeletal framework with excerpts from Baldwin’s other essays, clips of his spirited debates and roundtable appearances, and archival footage from Baldwin’s time. Peck is not concerned with presenting the biographical details of Baldwin’s life. What follows, instead, is Baldwin’s strong, personal point of view on the question at hand, told in a voice that now seems prophetic.

The film is loosely organized into thematic chapters: “Paying My Dues”, “Heroes”, “Witness”, “Purity”, “Selling the Negro”, and “I Am Not a Nigger.

In “Witness,” Baldwin’s beautiful prose paints an intimate portrait of the larger-than-life figures who are his subjects. “Malcolm was sitting in the first row of the hall, bending forward at such an angle that his long arms nearly caressed the ankles of his long legs, staring up at me,” he writes of the first time he met Malcolm X. The gentleness in that “caress” gestures at an interiority often missing from depictions of heroes of the 1960s, particularly a firebrand like Malcolm X. This section also provides a clear example of the self-interrogation the Montaignian essay aspires to. When describing a trip he took with Medgar Evers, Baldwin writes that he “was to discover that the line which sepa-

rates a witness from an actor is a very thin line indeed.” Baldwin says he was troubled by the passivity required of witnesses. The former expatriate describes how he was not a member of black civil rights groups like the Black Panther Party, the NAACP, or the church. He admits that he did not help with voter registration or strategize a way to political victory, and though this was “hard on [his] morale,” he accepted that his role as a writer required distance.

Baldwin, of course, is also famous for his interrogation of white Americans and their own self-delusions. In “Heroes”, Baldwin tells the story of a white female teacher in his grade school who took an interest in him. Peck chooses to use footage from the 1933 movie King Kong as a backdrop, with its famous scene of the giant gorilla holding a frail white woman in his simian grip. Together they constitute a commentary on the way perceived notions about white femininity have curtailed black liberation efforts.

In “Purity”, Peck plays a clip from 1950’s No Way Out, starring Sidney Poitier, a reoccurring figure in the film who represents a white ideal of black assimilation. “They said it wasn’t nice to say nigger. Nigger! Nigger!

Nigger! Poor little nigger kids, love the little nigger kids. Who loved me? Who loved me?” says Richard Widmark’s character Ray, a white bigoted criminal who comes under the care of Poitier, a doctor in a hospital prison ward. Ray’s words feel less angry and more anxious against Baldwin’s analysis of how racial constructs poison the minds of all who are trapped in them. “The problem, which they invented,” Jackson reads, “has made of them criminals and monsters, and it is destroying them.”

In moments like these, Peck effectively channels Baldwin’s essayistic style. But at times, Peck struggles to maintain the balance between words and images. For example, a video of Mars’s surface as Baldwin’s words echo in the background (“White people are endlessly demanding to be reassured that Birmingham is really on Mars”) speaks too literally to the text.

Like everything else these days, I Am Not Your Negro cannot be viewed outside our current political context.

We are living in a time in which white anxiety about change has catapulted a bigot into the Oval Office. This attaches new urgency to Baldwin’s words,

particularly the criticism he inflicts on himself for being a mere witness. But to distance does not mean to disengage. To witness is to be present; to testify, hopefully, to a truth. It takes courage to be a witness just as it takes courage to be an actor.

But to transition from spectator to witness is a long and difficult process.

It requires a return to the past, an understanding of this country in its totality.

Americans like to believe themselves witnesses. Undergirding our understanding of history is a belief that if we had been present, we would have done things differently—been more outspoken, braver, than our forebears.

But this is much easier said than done, and our present moment attests to that. Most of us are observers, not actors; most of us are spectators, not witnesses.

The last half of I Am Not Your Negro moves out of the lives of Malcolm, Martin, and Medgar and

takes a broader look at American culture. Over clips of daytime dramas like The Steve Wilkos Show and The Jerry Springer Show, Jackson reads Baldwin’s prescient commentary: “To watch the TV screen for any length of time is to learn some really frightening things about the American sense of reality. We are cruelly trapped between what we would like to be and what we actually are. And we cannot possibly become what we would like to be until we are willing to ask ourselves just why the lives we lead on this continent are mainly so empty, so tame, and so ugly. These images are designed not to trouble, but to reassure. They also weaken our ability to deal with the world as it is, ourselves as we are.”

I Am Not Your Negro is not a film that actually says anything new about the America that we live in. Its thesis is tired and worn. But this is not the fault of the film, just of a country that refuses to truly bear witness.

Baldwin from p.3

American judicial system. Just Above My Head (1979) returns to the themes of religion and sexuality with a complex story of a homosexual gospel singer.

Baldwin died from stomach cancer in St. Paul de Vence, France, on December 1, 1987. At the time, he had been at work on two projects: a play, The Welcome Table, and a biography of Martin Luther King Jr. Baldwin’s death prompted generally laudatory reassessments of his career and literary legacy.

alter the daily environment of American blacks. The short stories collected in Going to Meet the Man (1965) center on the problems of black protagonists living amid racial strife in the United States. The novel Tell Me How Long the Train’s Been Gone (1968) centers on two brothers’ attempts to escape the ghetto, and If Beale Street Could Talk (1974) examines the plight of a young man unjustly caught in the

Lucy Craft Laney Museum of Black History Winter Book Signing • Sunday, February 19, 2017 3:00 - 5:00 pm • Free Event Augusta native Robert J. Williams brings home his new novel Strivers and Other Stories. Williams is an award winning author who resides in Washington, D.C. Refreshments will be served.

Annual Historian’s Awards • February 23, 2017 5:30 - 7:00 pm Join us to honor our selected Historians of the Year Trinity CME Church Historical Committee, Elim Baptist Church Historical Committee, and Chicks That Click Photography Club.

The Legacy of Miss Lucy Craft Laney Exhibition Opening Reception March 5, 2017 • 3:00 - 5:00 pm Free event, with light refreshments served. Many more events will be included during March in honor of Women’s History Month.

The March Senior Luncheon • March 8th, 11 :30 am-1 pm.

Your RSVP is required by March 6th to ensure that your catered meal is available. The cost is $11.00 per person. Please call 706-724-3576.

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Technology co-op “Code Bootcamp” turns beginners into web developers in 3 months the Clubhou.se Bootcamp-style class provides skills for a new career AUGUSTA The median salary for an entry-level full stack web developer in the CSRA is between $35,000 and $45,000.

For anyone seeking a new career in web development, the technology cooperative theClubhou.se is offering a new boot camp-style class that will help get them there. The school is offering an information session on Thursday, Feb. 2 at 9 a.m., noon and 6 p.m. at theClubhou.se, 540 Telfair St., Augusta, for interested applicants.

Classes start on March 20 and end on June 19, and are Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Offered to those with beginner skills in web development and coding, theClubhou.se Code Bootcamp aims to arm students with knowledge and a professional portfolio website, along with the potential to find a job as a junior full-stack web developer.

“Twenty years ago, knowing one programming language was generally all it took to enter the workforce as a programmer, but today’s web-centric environment requires a wide variety of specific, challenging skills to even begin to contribute.

Our Code Bootcamp approaches web development as a discipline from the core fundamentals to utilizing modern technologies to create innovative applications,” said Nadeem Soharab, web developer and Bootcamp instructor.

The Bootcamp is offered over three months, each with a different focus: Month 1: Students will learn the basics of web development and spend significant time each day doing simple, iterative programming and web development projects, including the basics of HTML, CSS, Javascript, PHP and MySQL. The trimester will culminate in the development of a professional portfolio website accessible at

a personalized domain name.

Month 2: Students will work on individual projects that will feed into their portfolios and showcase their unique talents and capabilities while learning the skills that go into designing, developing and launching full-featured web applications.

Month 3: Students will work together on a full-featured group application, focusing on how to work with a team, project management, design document creation and managing complex project schedules.

Finally, at the end of the Bootcamp, students will attend a job fair where they can share their work and engage

with possible future employers.

“It takes a lifetime of practice, selfstudy and work to become an expert in development disciplines, but our program is designed to give you the skills to enter the workforce and gain meaningful employment as a web developer,” said Eric Parker, co-founder of theClubhou.se. theClubhou.se Code Bootcamp is a partnership of Work Source East Central Georgia, Augusta Technical College and theClubhou.se and is supported by AT&T. Industry partners include AppVizo, Email Industries, IntelliGenesis, ISC Consulting Group, New Fire Media, Powerserve, Rural

Sourcing, Savannah River Nuclear Solutions, Weir Stewart and Zapata Technology.

“We are pleased to partner with theClubhou.se to assess readiness for Bootcamp applicants and offer college continuing education credits and support services for those who complete this robust training program,” said Lisa Palmer, vice president of economic development at Augusta Technical College.

Financial aid is also available to qualified applicants. To learn more or to apply, visit www.augustacodeschool.com.

2017 ALS Awareness Marathon Across Aiken County The 2017 ALS Awareness Marathon will happen on Monday, Feb. 13. Dr. Franklyn Victor Beckles, Jr., and his son Christian Alexander Beckles will be jogging from Augusta, Georgia all the way to Aiken Technical College and the Aiken Standard Newspaper Building in honor of his father -- former College Professor and Civil Rights Hero: Rev. Franklyn Victor Beckles, Sr., a victim of Lou Gehrig’s disease. In a courageous effort to raise awareness and money for a cure for ALS.

THE OLD AUGUSTA PUBLIC LIBRARY ON GREENE STREET has been transformed into the new Augusta Circuit Public Defender’s Office, and the building has been named in honor of former Augusta city councilman and commissioner William H. Mays III. The new signed was unveiled during a dedication ceremony on Friday, (Feb. 3).

Photo by Vincent Hobbs

UrbanProWeekly - FEBRUARY 9 - 15, 2017

THE CITY Opportunities and Tributes

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Tim Thomas stands near the front counter at Nutritious Alternatives restaurant on Martin Luther King Boulevard.

The recently-opened business serves a variety of healthy food choices and smoothies made-to-order. Photo by Vincent Hobbs

NUTRITIOUS ALTERNATIVES “A smoothie that’s so delicious, even the spoon tastes good!”

– An appreciative customer INTERVIEW BY VINCENT HOBBS How long have you been in the restaurant business? Tell us about your background.

Tim Thomas: It will be one year on February 17, 2017. However, it’s seems as if I’ve been in the restaurant business all my life because my mother, Gloria Thomas Scott, has been cooking superb soul food for the public for about 38 years. She had a restaurant in New York called Gloria’s that she ran for 14 years, but closed after the untimely death of

my brother. Two years later, she moved back to Augusta and opened Hallelujah, the current location of Nutritious Alternatives, which stayed in business for over 12 years. I assisted with cooking, bookkeeping, and whatever she needed at both restaurants. During the time I assisted my mom at Hallelujah, I would have a hard time finding food that I liked - then came the birth of a dream I called Nutritious Alternatives.

Nutritious Alternatives is located in a part of Augusta that is classi-

fied as a “food desert,” according to the USDA, a part of the country that lacks access to fresh fruit, vegetables, and other healthful whole foods. Did the lack of readily-available nutritious food in this area factor into your decision to open your restaurant at this location?

Thomas: Yes, absolutely. My vision was to start in an area of unknown need. By that, I mean an area unaware of the plethora of life-threatening food options. Then there is the lack of healthy alternatives to those food

Customers can create their own fresh vegetable salad at Nutritious Alternatives 1795 Martin Luther King Blvd. Open for about a year, the restaurant offers healthy food choices and smoothies made-toorder. Photo by Vincent Hobbs options. Without a healthier option, how can people know what they’re eating is bad for them?

This area has no vibrant foods unless you go down to the Farmer’s Market

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Nutritious Alternatives is located at 1795 MLKJr. Blvd.

Hours: Sunday: 9 am-6 pm Monday – Friday: 8 am-6 pm Closed on Saturdays

Tim Thomas prepares a smoothie for a customer at Nutritious Alternatives restaurant on Martin Luther King Boulevard.

Photo by Vincent Hobbs on Laney-Walker. Within a five-mile radius, you have choices of fried fish, pork barbeque sandwiches, fried chicken and burgers - anything you can think of that’s just not good for human consumption. My crew and I chose the perfect area to plant the seeds of life and watch them flourish.

they wait. We also offer 42 essential oils.

Is there a particular customer demographic that you are targeting to enjoy your restaurant?

Thomas: Yes. Everyone who wishes to live a long, healthy, happy life. Come here and we’ll put you on the right track for natural healing through foods.

What make Nutritious Alternatives different from other restaurants?

Thomas: Nutritious Alternatives is a one-stop shop. We have an array of hard-to-find organic products like alkaline water and essential oils. We cater to all people whether they’re vegan, vegetarian, or pescatarian. Customers can select from a variety of options. We have 38 flavors of juices and smoothies, salads (tuna, chicken, pasta, and createyour-own), vegetarian dinners, and our daily menu entrees of chicken, beef, or turkey with delicious sides. The panda bowl and the pineapple bowl are two of our most popular items. Customers can enjoy a free cup of alkaline water while

What are some of the types of food that are available on your menu?

Thomas: We have oxtails, turkey wings, BBQ chicken/turkey, vegetable “meatless” loaf, creole chicken, Hawaiian chicken, tuna salad, potato salad, mac and cheese, beans, bean pie, bread pudding, banana pudding and fresh salads.

Do you offer healthy options such as reduced-fat or low sodium, gluten-free, or non-GMO? Thomas: Yes we do, for all of our food. We don’t cook with sodium.

Honestly, you don’t have to add sodium because our food is packed with flavor,

but we do have table salt as an option for diners. The reason we don’t cook with sodium is because it stays in your body for 366 days - and it’s GMO and unnatural - our bodies don’t know what to do with it. All of our food is gluten and fat-free.

What is your own personal favorite dish that is served at the restaurant?

Thomas: We have a create-your-ownsalad option and my personal creation consists of romaine lettuce, kale, carrots, onions, peppers, flax seeds, organic oil and vinegar, almonds, zucchini, cucumber, tomato, and a side of tuna.

Do you use social media to notify customers about new entrees or specials?

Thomas: We alert our customers of new menu options through the website NutritiousAlternatives.net, our app Nutritious Alternatives, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, all of which

you can find by searching Nutritious Alternatives. We’ve just implemented a QR Rewards and Loyalty Rewards program where you come in and scan the code and share it. After five shares, you get a free dessert.

What are some of your future goals for Nutritious Alternatives?

Thomas: Franchise! We want to open more locations across Georgia and South Carolina and the rest of the USA. We will continue helping people change their lives, one smoothie at a time. They need healthier options.

Nutritious Alternatives is here to change that for the better. One day, there will be a Nutritious Alternatives in every neighborhood.

Nutritious Alternatives is located at 1795 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.

Hours: Sunday: 9 am-6 pm Monday – Friday: 8 am-6 pm Closed on Saturdays

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GARDEN CITY JAZZ CALENDAR OF EVENTS • JANUARY 1 – SEPTEMBER, 2017 Soiree: Jazz+Wine 4th Saturdays, 7:30pm Venue: Jessye Norman School of the Arts Enjoy classic and contemporary jazz music, wines selected by the host, and a platform for up & coming musical voices. All presented with state-of-the-art sound and lighting in a beautiful, historic building. Live Jazz. Lovely People.

Dress like you mean it. Info: www.jazzsoiree.com (762) 233-5299

4 Seasons Chamber Jazz January 20, April 21, August 18, October 20; 7:30pm Venue: Unitarian Universalist Church of Augusta 4 Seasons Chamber Jazz is a fourevent concert series, with each concert featuring two performances, ranging from Latin jazz to vocal standards to Dixieland. It’s a musical celebration of art in nature. Artists will perform

several selections representative of the this amazing Celebration of Community season. Info: www.uuaugusta.org (706) and new Augusta Golf Week tradition.

733-7939 “Par-Tee On The Green” is a dance party with music for all ages – beach, *Saturday Morning Swing: soul, pop, jazz, house, reggae, R&B, Music at The Augusta Market funk. Feature performances by commuMarch 18- November 25, 2017 nity dance groups and group line dance Venue: Eighth Street Plaza, 8th & finale. Vendors welcomed. Info: www.

Riverwalk parteeaugusta.com (762) 233-5299 A partnership with The Augusta Market since 2010, Saturday Morning Straight A Jazz* Swing brings local jazz musicians May 6: 6pm and performing arts groups to the Venue: GRU Summerville Campus Riverwalk for early afternoon shows (Barnard Amphitheatre) each weekend. The Market features Georgia Public Broadcasting in local produce, artisans, music, all in a Augusta presents “Straight A Jazz” in family- (and pet-) friendly space. conjunction with the Augusta University Info: www.theaugustamarket.

Department of Music, Garden City Jazz, com (706) 627-0128 and The Greater Augusta Arts Council.

Performances feature internationalParTee On The Green ly known recording and teaching artApril 5, 2017 ists, regional professional musicians, Venue: Augusta Common and AU music students. Info: http:// American Bandstand meets Soul Train greport.gru.edu/archives/tag/jazz-atmeets Shag City meets Teen Town in the-g (archive) http://jagwire.augusta. edu/archives/tag/straight-a-jazz (current) (706) 667-4100

Candlelight Wine&Dine Concert Series June 17, July 15, August 19; 7:30pm Venue: Columbia County Amphitheater Candlelight Wine&Dine, a new addition to the Augusta River Region, is a celebration of music and community.

Bring your own seating and picnic and enjoy jazz, soul, R&B, spoken word, rock, funk, and gospel music; and live art demos. Children ages 12 & under admitted free. Info: www.gardencityjazz.com (762) 233-5299

Labor Day Jazz Weekend September 1-3, 2017 Venue: The Augusta Common, Columbia County Amphitheatre, The Augusta Market, etc Garden City Jazz presents a fun weekend of jazz music and art that all ages and music lovers can enjoy. Conceived as a capstone event for the popular Candlelight Jazz Concert Series, this celebration of music, art, and community has now come into its own as a family festival and fundraiser for various charitable organizations.

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1830 Walton Way, Augusta, GA 30904

Morehouse College will mark its 150th anniversary with a week of festivities that will include alumni events, a concert by MAZE featuring Frankie Beverly, and appearances by entertainment moguls, Tyler Perry and Usher Raymond, who are among this year’s scholarship gala honorees.

Nearly 5,000 students, alumni, and community supporters are expected to attend Founder’s Week activities.

This year’s events will honor the history of the college, its commitment to serving students, and its sesquicentennial birthday.

The festivities begin on Sunday, Feb. 12, with a special “Sesquicentennial Pilgrimage to Augusta” bus trip.

Buses will transport alumni to Springfield Baptist Church in Augusta for a family reunion at the birthplace of Morehouse College. The trip will include a special address by Morehouse College President John Silvanus Wilson Jr. ‘79, who will challenge alumni to continue their loyal support of their alma mater.

Founder’s Week fun will continue in Atlanta on Monday, Feb. 13, when Morehouse College faces rival Clark Atlanta University at 7 p.m. on the basketball court at Franklin L. Forbes Arena. Then, on Tuesday, Feb. 14, Morehouse’s official birthday, alumni will participate in a “Show Your Love” drive launching Morehouse’s International Giving Day. One of the highlights of Founder’s Week will be held on Thursday, Feb. 16. Alumni will honor tradition and gather for the Sesquicentennial Convocation at 10:45 a.m. in the Martin Luther King Jr. International Chapel. Convocation guest speaker will be alumnus and U.S. Rep. Cedric Richmond ’95, the new Chairman of the Black Congressional Caucus.

Richmond, (D-LA).

On Friday, Feb. 17, the smooth sounds of MAZE featuring Frankie Beverly will fill the Martin Luther King Jr. International Chapel. The Sesquicentennial Anniversar y Concert begins at 8 p.m. Tickets range from $50 for balcony seats to $250 for VIP seats. They can be purchased at https://frankiebeverly150.eventbrite. com. A sold-out crowd is expected.

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Notice to the Public Augusta Housing Authority Housing Choice Voucher Program The Housing Authority of the City of Augusta, Georgia, (AHA) is pleased to announce that the waiting list for the Housing Choice Voucher Program (Section 8 Program) will be open effective Wednesday, February 15, 2017.

Persons may complete an online application at www.augustapha.org effective Wednesday, February 15, 2017 through Thursday, February 16, 2017. Online applications will be accepted starting February 15, 2017 at 12:00a.m.through February 16, 2017 at 5:00p.m.

Preliminary applications will be accepted through 5:00p.m. on Thursday, February 16, 2017 at which time the waiting list will be closed. Preliminary Applications will be accepted electronically through our website. Before you begin the preliminary application process, please have available your social security card, names and dates of birth of all family members.

Also you will need income of all family members. Make sure you have typed correctly all information. HAVE PAPER AND PEN READY TO WRITE DOWN YOUR CONFIRMATION NUMBER. The waiting list will be opened for all qualified applicants. However, applicants who qualify for a preference will receive a priority in the housing selection process. The preferences are as follows: (1) Paying more than 50% of family income for rent and utilities; (2) Homeless or living in substandard housing; or (3) Involuntarily displaced because of government or other action. The Augusta Housing Authority will accept an applicant’s claim that it qualifies for a preference upon certification by the applicant. Before selection for participation in the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program; however, the applicant must provide verification that he or she qualifies for a preference.

Any individual, who needs an accommodation to complete an online application because of a disability or language barrier, should contact 706-312-3110 for assistance or our TDD 706-7240130. Assistance will be provided in completing the preliminary applications online for those individuals who need such assistance. A kiosk with a computer is also available for online applications in the lobby of our office located 1435 Walton Way, Augusta, Georgia 30901.

The Augusta Housing Authority is committed to affirmatively furthering fair housing by providing equal access to all of its programs, services and activities regardless of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, familial status, disability or age.

Equal Housing Opportunity The Housing Authority of the City of Augusta, Georgia By: Jacob Oglesby, Executive Director

UrbanProWeekly - FEBRUARY 9 - 15, 2017

Tyler Perry, Usher join Morehouse for 150th Anniversary Week Celebrations

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MAKIN’ A DIFFERENCE COMMENTARY by Ken Makin KROGER’S MESSAGE TO AUGUSTA

We don’t care about poor black folks I n May of 2016, I wrote a column in Urban Pro Weekly about how the departure of Kroger on Deans Bridge Road placed economic dependency and exploitation on display.

I said back then that “as long as we depend on corporations to feed us and fend for us – those of us on the short end of economic disparities will always carry that burden.”

Last month, regional officials from Kroger said that the grocery chain would close its 15th Street location, effective Feb. 28.

All of my previous commentary still applies. I just want to decipher a couple of key quotes surrounding this decision.

“The store has experienced declining sales and negative profit over an extended period of time,” said Glynn Jenkins, who is the spokesman for Kroger’s Atlanta division. Why has the store experienced declining sales and negative profit?

Is it location? One would think that a grocery store in Augusta’s medical district would flourish.

Is it presentation? NOW we’re getting somewhere.

It’s easy to shed the blame on clientele (READ: Black folks) for Kroger’s struggles. It’s a challenge for people to openly question why Kroger hasn’t improved its storefront, or, if applicable, its security presence.

I am a resident of North Augusta, S.C. There’s a Kroger about 5-10 minutes from my residence. It’s architecturally adequate and aesthetically pleasing. It looks good and it’s well-stocked. It has the innovations of grocery stores trying to compete with the Walmart brand, down to its neighboring gas station.

The Kroger on 15th Street has none of these things. What they DO HAVE is a built-in excuse to fail, and it’s disgusting that African-Americans must hear the same rhetoric that surrounded the Deans Bridge closure.

“Only poor people shop there.”

“What do you expect from that location where the only people who shop there get their food for free?”

This brings me to a second quote: “Kroger has been saying for a number of years that this is not a profitable location, but being sensitive to the fact the area is a food desert – which we agree – they agreed to keep it

open as long as they could,” explained Ian Mercier, president of the MCG Foundation. The foundation owns the shopping center that houses Kroger.

According to reports, Kroger had been on a short-term lease and tried to lower its lease rate in 2012.

Oh, so NOW Kroger’s doing the urban community a favor? I don’t think so.

Kroger’s departure will devastate the (poor) neighborhoods that reside in and are adjacent to the medical district.

Our brothers and sisters in these communities are no longer living in a food desert – they’ve been flat-out deserted.

The closest grocery stores will require a trip down Washington Road, or a trip across the river to South Carolina.

Make no mistake – this isn’t just a failure of the Kroger brand, though its second high-profile closing in Augusta in less than a year will make me rethink purchasing from ANY LOCATION. This is a failure of local government. Our elected officials literally roll out the red carpet for big-name corporations, yet with the exception of State Senator Harold Jones, do little to demand accountability from these household

names in terms of upkeep and service.

But hey, at least our elected officials have paved the way for affordable transportation that will allow for efficient passage to a grocery store some miles away, right? Not a chance.

In the words of Teddy Pendergrass, this makes the urban community in Augusta a “two-time loser.” We need local leadership that will speak out on these issues, and we need businesses (local and far-reaching) that will support our communities. If either of these groups can’t or won’t step up, then we should do the same thing we do with expired food: Throw it out and ship it out for something fresh.

Ken J. Makin is the founder of “Makin’ A Difference,” a media conglomerate that incorporates podcasting/radio, social media and commentary. The podcast is available at soundcloud. com/makinadifference. Updates on the show are available at facebook. com/makinadifferenceshow. Ken can be reached by email at makinadifferenceshow@gmail.com or by text at (803) 270-2331.

LETTERS:

Could curbing obesity solve the challenge of funding education?

Recently, it was reported the United States is one of the most overweight nations in the world. The US Senate Commission on Finance estimates that obesity-related health care costs over $200 billion each year. Currently, every state in the nation has an adult obesity rate over

UPW Urban Pro Weekly Willis Foreman Road Hephzibah, GA 30815

20 percent; while half have a rate of 30 percent or higher. Unfortunately, health care cost is not the only casualty of obesity.

In 2016, Forbes reported, “Federal student loans will cost taxpayers $170 billion. Even more striking is the scale of total student loan

disbursements: $1 trillion over the next ten years.” Imagine if $200 billion each year was not lost due to obesity, there would be money available to fund college and vocational training. Therefore, when it comes to education funding, the problem is not government waste,

URBAN PRO WEEKLY Publisher URBAN PRO WEEKLY MEDIA 706-306-4647 urbanpromedia@yahoo.com

CEO / Sales FREDERICK BENJAMIN SR. 706-306-4647 editor@urbanproweekly.com

but the adult population waistline.

For this reason, Americans must resolve to heed the advice of the Greek philosopher Socrates, who said, “Eat to live, and not live to eat.”

Kevin Palmer, Martinez, GA,

Contributors VINCENT HOBBS Photography & New Media KEN MAKIN contributing columnist

Elim Baptist Church will celebrate the 46th Annual Paine College Day on Sunday, Feb. 19, at 11 AM. Paine College Day at Elim is a special occasion where the

Stars & Stripes Fort Gordon begins on Feb. 9 AUGUSTA The Augusta area is proud to welcome Stars and Stripes Fort Gordon, the independent newspaper of the U.S. military community, to the local area. It will begin publishing on Feb. 9.

Stars and Stripes, which has published a newspaper continuously since World War II, provides independent news and information to the U.S. military community, including active-duty service members, DoD civilians, contractors, and their families. Unique among Department of Defense authorized news outlets, Stars and Stripes is guaranteed First Amendment privileges that are subject to Congressional oversight.

In addition, Stars and Stripes maintains news bureaus in Europe, Pacific and the Middle East to provide firsthand reporting on worldwide events.

Joe White, the publisher of the Metro Spirit is under an agreement to publish the Stars and Stripes newspaper for Fort Gordon.

Stars and Stripes Fort Gordon will be distributed throughout the Fort Gordon installation with official Army permission and is also distributed in the surrounding community making Stars and Stripes newspapers available for free to all newly assigned, incoming active duty personnel, civilian employees and their families.

The weekly publication is published with the support of the surrounding business community, with Donnie Thompson of Windsor Fine Jewelers proudly leading the effort.

Joe White, who purchased the Metro Spirit in March of 2011 after joining the paper as an Account Executive in 1993, will continue in his role as publisher of the Metro Spirit in addition to his duties with the Stars and Stripes Fort Gordon.

church provides spiritual and financial support for the College and recognizes its wide – reaching impact in the Augusta community and the Central Savannah River Area. This year’s theme is

“Light of the World: Elim and Paine as Candles in the Dark”.

The speaker for the service is Reverend Javon Jackson, Pastor of the Holsey Chapel C.M.E.

Church in Columbus, GA. Elim Baptist Church is located on 2359 Mount Auburn Street in the Sand Hills Community. The Pastor/Teacher is Rev. George C. Miller, III.

UrbanProWeekly - FEBRUARY 9 - 15, 2017

Elim Baptist to celebrate 46th Annual Paine College Day

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UrbanProWeekly - FEBRUARY 9 - 15, 2017

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Robert Atkins Art Robert Atkins is available for exhibits and lessons.

His Work currently being displayed at: Greens Lounge, Private I Club, & soon in Big Mama’s Soul Food Restaurant Soon to be mentoring children in an afternoon school program connected with Education Matters.

• Single or Family portraits or whatever your art needs • A variety of mediums for a greater choice.

Mediums include Pastels, Acrylics, Water Color and Graphite.

Robert Atkins • 229-499-2595 • BiggRobbd14u@yahoo.com • Artist Jacqueline Edwards • 757-286-2824 • surgjackie@aol.com • Business Manager

Vegetarian Dinners - $7.50 Smoothies Vegetable Shakes - $5.50 Alkaline Water Delivery Free Delivery • Juice Bar • Yogurts • Yogurt Fruit Bar • Yogurt Cups • Smoothies • Organic Products • Vegetarian Foods • Essential Oils & More 1795 Martin Luther King Blvd.

Augusta, GA 30901 Phone: (706) 849-2111

Daily Dessert Options: Bean Pie, Pumpkin Pie, Sweet Potato Pie, Pecan Pie, Peach Cobbler & Fruit Salad