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UPW URBAN PRO WEEKLY

JANUARY 9 - 22, 2020 VOL. 9 NO. 4 3

BUTLER’S RICHARD VISITACION R) goes for the rebound during a varsity basketball conference game against Glenn Hills, held at the Spartan’s gym. Visitacion scored 12 points for the team. The Bulldogs were defeated 81-71. (January 7, 2020 Augusta, GA) Photo by Vincent Hobbs/Sports Journal

Remembering MLK Jr. Augusta’s burgeoning film industry may save this abandoned facility from the wrecking ball

SOUTH CAROLINA BEAT Dr. Sean Alford joins leadership at SRNS

UrbanProWeekly JANUARY 9 - 22, 2020

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SOUTH CAROLINA BEAT

Dr. Alford hired by lead contractor after tumultuous departure by KEN MAKIN Special to Urban Pro Weekly

When Dr. Sean Alford tendered his resignation as Aiken County Public Schools (ACPS) superintendent on Friday, September 13, 2019, it sent shockwaves through a school system that are still being felt today. While the school system may be reeling, Dr. Alford is finding steady ground in a new role at Savannah River Nuclear Solutions (SRNS) as their Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer. According to reports, the announcement was made via email by Stuart MacVean, SRNS president and CEO. “Sean is an accomplished executive with more than 25 years of experience in leadership, strategic thinking, and management in a highly regulated and measured environment,” read the email. “He has served as an effective and inspiring change leader for a number of organizations with large stakeholder visibility.” Dr. Alford’s ouster as superintendent was certainly controversial. Not only did he step down, but three school board members announced their resignations as well. Those vacancies were filled in a special election last month. The political upheaval comes at a time where ACPS is attaining unprecedented marks in academic excellence. In an exclusive interview with Urban Pro Weekly, Dr. Alford spoke about administration and what’s next in his career: Administration isn’t just a profession for you. How much does your family and fatherhood in general help you with being a good administrator? Leadership is about helping and serving others, so my role as a husband and father for so many years has certainly contributed in a positive way to my leadership experience. In the simplest terms, families are teams. I thrive in a team environment, personally and professionally. I believe a great leader cares more about the success of their team than individual status. How much do you miss being a part of the school system? I was blessed to be given an opportunity to lead the Aiken County Public School District and will always treasure the many great relationships that I established with teachers, staff, students and parents. My parents always encouraged me to seriously consider responsibilities that were bestowed (upon me) and to always return things in better condition than when

you received them. I believe that I have met my parents’ expectations, so I count it all a joyful experience. What has been the community’s response to you not being a part of the school system? I believe the comprehensive Aiken community realizes the importance of having a strong K-16 education system and is focused on providing competent and creative candidates for our future workforce. The community is focused on the most important mission, and that’s what really matters. SRNS is also synonymous with the growth of Aiken County. What does it mean to have the opportunity to help SRNS and the county grow in your new role? I have said for years that Aiken County is a great place to work, live, and play. I am extremely fortunate to be able to continue facilitating positive growth, economic development, and quality-of-life in the CSRA. It’s an honor to work with the great team at SRNS.

UPW Urban Pro Weekly Hephzibah, GA 30815

Dr. Sean Alford

Harken’ to the call of the Millennial Temple through the Divine Prophecy and Divine Revelations of Minister Angelique Edwards Cooper. Come and get renewed of your mind, body, soul and spirit every 2nd and 4th Saturday of each month 12:30pm at the BEC PLEX Conference Room 5955 Jefferson-Davis Hwy in North Augusta (next to the Antique Mall). The Millennial Temple is a place of truth, love and light of the Creator and his son. Everyone is welcome to gather and fellowship regardless of race, creed, gender, sexuality or walk in life, because the Millennial Temple is here to guide you walk in love and truth. Visit us the 2nd or 4th Saturday of the month.

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

Contributors VINCENT HOBBS Photography & New Media

UrbanProWeekly • JANUARY 9 - 22, 2020

Former Aiken County schools superintendent lands job with SRNS

UrbanProWeekly JANUARY 9 - 22, 2020

LOOKING BACK

DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. is arrested for loitering outside a courtroom where his friend and associate Ralph Abernathy is appearing for a trial, 1958. Photo by Charles Moore

My remembrance of Dr. King By Wayne A. O’Bryant Happy New Year! In the year 2020, which signifies perfect vision, let us approach this year with our eyes wide open to the tasks that lay ahead. In order to know where we are going, we need to first understand where we have been. Every year on the third Monday in January the nation celebrates the life and legacy of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. However, that wasn’t always the case. Growing up in the 60s, I had the good fortune to see and hear Dr. King in person twice. My home church was the headquarters for the SCLC and my family was active in the Movement. Like a fly on a wall, I was present in hallways and in the back of rooms when demonstrations

1994. This year, King Day at his birthday commemoratthe Dome will be held at the ed as a National Holiday. A South Carolina State House 1979 Bill in the U.S. House of and strategies were planned on January 20th followed by Representatives fell five votes and though still young, I took Augusta native, Dr. Bobby short of passage. To drum up part in Marches. I last saw Dr. Donaldson as the Keynote support for the King Holiday, King at Charleston’s County speaker for the 2020 MLK Stevie Wonder released the Hall in 1967. He spoke about Community Celebration on song “Happy Birthday” in the importance of voting. The 1980. The Bill finally passed in Jan. 26th at 3:00 p.m. at the movement had recently won 1983 and was signed into Law USCA Convocation center. the passage of the Voting by President Reagan. The first Year 2020 is also an election Rights Act in 1965 which National King Day observance year with monumental chalwould restore the rights for lenges. As we remember the took place on January 20, African Americans to vote life and works of MLK, let 1986. Georgia Congressman, in the South for the first time us not forget what need to John Lewis co-authored the since the Post-Reconstruction do! VOTE as though your life “King Holiday and Service Era. Little did we know that in a Act” which was signed into depended on it because it just few months this King of a man Law by President Clinton in might! would be gunned down on April 4, 1968 during an election year. I remember well, the North Augusta Democratic Club Meets Monthly day that three generations of All Are Welcome my forebears made their way to the polls to cast their votes The North Augusta Democratic Club is a Democratic Club under for the first time in their lives. It the auspices of the Aiken County Democratic Party. It is a regional was a scene made possible by club designed to meet and include all interested Democrats in the North Augusta and surrounding areas. We are dedicated to preservDr. King’s sacrifice. ing our democratic values — such as equal pay, increasing miniEvery year after his death, mum wage, equal rights, voter suppression and so on. Membership there was an effort to have is open to all who are committed to preserving our democracy. We meet every 4th Thursday at Hammond Grove Baptist Church at 7:00 pm. The church is located at 214 Five Notch Rd West. North Augusta, SC 29841.

5 UrbanProWeekly â&#x20AC;˘ JANUARY 9 - 22, 2020

COMMUNITY

HAPPENINGS

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UrbanProWeekly JANUARY 9 - 22, 2020

AUGUSTA The MOVIE INDUSTRY

The movie The Suicide Squad recently filmed a number of scenes at the closed Law Enforcement Center on 4th Street. The building is slated for demolition and the city commission this week put that on hold. Photo by Vincent Hobbs

Q & A – Film Production in Augusta Interview with Jennifer Bowen, Film Liaison for Film Augusta UPW: What is the central mission for Film Augusta for 2020? BOWEN: As the Film Commission for the City of Augusta, Film Augusta’s efforts focus on attracting film productions to the city to create an economic impact. Once a production locates in Augusta, Film Augusta then acts as liaison between the production and the city and helps connect productions to both public and private resources to ensure a smooth and successful experience. Film productions create economic impact for Augusta by hiring local crew, engaging the use of local services such as renting locations, hiring caterers, set construction services, local deputies and firefighters and more. Additionally, film productions impact our community financially by generating hotel room nights and related spending such as dining, entertainment, and transportation. UPW: What sort of feedback have you received on the Filming Guidelines offered by Film Augusta? BOWEN: The majority of feedback from productions completing the Film Augusta Registration Process has been positive. These guidelines and registration process do not include application fees or permits fees which

is a huge asset Augusta has to offer. Additionally, in late summer of 2019, Film Augusta formed a Film Augusta Advisory Panel which includes 10 total members from the local film industry. The purpose of the Film Augusta Advisory Panel is to act as a supporting organization to Film Augusta providing insight and advice to grow the film industry in Augusta. Panel members have reviewed the Film Augusta Guidelines and Registration Process and are in support of it. Panel members will be part of efforts in 2020 to develop some guidelines that address student filmmaking and local productions with no or very low budgets. UPW: The movie The Suicide Squad recently filmed a number of scenes at the closed Law Enforcement Center on 4th Street. The building is slated for demolition. What are your thoughts on keeping the old jail around for potential film productions? BOWEN: Film Augusta worked with a major production in 2019 known as El Dorado, a non-disclosure agreement was required of our office and staff which restricts our ability to reveal film titles or specific details. However, El Dorado was a significant production to choose Augusta and it was certainly a feather in our cap to have them working in our city.

In 2019, four productions used the closed Law Enforcement Center and were attracted to Augusta specifically because of that facility. The four productions which used the old jail paid over $19,000 to the City of Augusta to use the property and generated more than $1.1 Million in local spending. The Film Augusta Advisory Panel recognizes the asset the old jail is for attracting films to our city and has been working with us to convince Commissioners to postpone or cancel the plans for demolition. In November, we had the opportunity take many Commissioners on a field trip to the old jail while it was being used by a production. Commissioners also had the opportunity to hear directly from the producers of The Royal who said in their opinion the old jail is a gem the likes of which no one else has. Postponing the demolition has since been on the Commission agenda several times and is back on the agenda for January 8, 2020. We are optimistic the Commissioners will see the value in allowing the film industry to continue to use the jail in 2020. We are also exploring a possible partnership with the Juvenile Court System, who would also like to be housed in part of the facility and are encouraged by those opportunities. (Editor’s note - the jail demolition has been delayed a year by a 9-0 Augusta Commission vote on 1/8/2020)

UPW: What would be on your wish-list to help attract future film productions to the city?

BOWEN: The Film Augusta Advisory Panel has great ideas on how to turn the old jail into a production center. In addition to the actual jail cells, the old administration offices could be turned into a hospital set and other areas may even be able to be built out as a set for a big box store. Jails, hospitals, and corporate-owned big box stores are difficult to film in if they are in operation. Adding these additional functions make the old jail multiple-purposed and make it even more marketable to the film industry. Additionally, finding a suitable warehouse space which could act as a soundstage would be great. Available warehouse space in Augusta is extremely hard to find and then when one does fit it’s often not available for a short-term need.

UPW: Tell us about a few of the accomplishments that your team made in 2019.

BOWEN: 2019 was a banner year for film in Augusta.

For more information please read the 2019 FILM Augusta Year-end Report at: https://mailchi.mp/visitaugusta/2019-film-augusta-year-end-report

Interview with local film producer Mark Crump, Reflecting Pool Productions, Owner UPW: Tell us about a few of the accomplishments that your team at Reflecting Pool Productions made in 2019 regarding film production in the CSRA. CRUMP: Reflecting Pool Productions is really just my company that I’ve downsized from a fullfledged production company to what we refer to as a more of a loan-out company. It has assets that qualify for state tax incentives. The team is really just me and whomever I hire as contractors for projects, just to clarify. I successfully worked on five features in 2019. I production-managed a horror film called The Coven in Charleston in the spring, then worked as associate producer on One Heart here in Augusta. Next, I production-managed Feral State, a thriller shot in Florida. Upon my return home, I started prep as a locations manager on The Royal, shot here in Augusta, and took a short leave to work as assistant location manager on El Dorado, which was also shot here in Augusta. Most people know El Dorado as something else, but the actual name is on IMDB (Internet Movie Data Base). During the year, I’ve also courted numerous films to shoot in the area, and I may be successful with one of them in the next few weeks! UPW: What sort of feedback have you received on the Filming Guidelines offered by Film Augusta (the Augusta Film Commission)? CRUMP: In my role as location management for films, I deal directly with these guidelines daily. I

honestly think this city is still very easy to shoot in, and doesn’t put up a lot of roadblocks to films. I’ve shot in far more restrictive areas with far more red tape. Their guidelines are very fair as far as professionals go, and even to the hobbyist, I think. UPW: The movie The Suicide Squad recently filmed a number of scenes at the closed Law Enforcement Center on 4th Street. The building is slated for demolition. What are your thoughts on keeping the old jail around for potential film productions? CRUMP: I referenced working on El Dorado, but clearly you know what it was. I did work on that film helping to secure locations. I’ve shot a number of films at the old Law Enforcement Center, actually. As one of the people who helped bring those films in, I can tell you that without the jail. we would have never landed those films. The jail is to Augusta locations what a Walmart is to a small shoe store in a small town. Productions have a plethora of locations that look like Augusta to choose from that all benefit from the same tax credits in Georgia. But not all of them have a jail. The jail is our Walmart. Productions need that space. And there aren’t very many jails. It’s what will bring us film productions for years to come. Some towns are looking to spend half-a-million dollars to attract film. All Augusta has to do is not spend the money to destroy it, and keep the jail! (Editor’s note – the jail demolition has been

delayed a year by a 9-0 Augusta Commission vote on 1/8/2020) UPW: What would be on your wish-list to help attract future film productions to the city? CRUMP: What we really need is a soundstage. It doesn’t have to be big, to start. And the jail is a great start to being something close to it. We can utilize so many different spaces within the old LEC for so many things, it is quite versatile. But to build multiple studio sets and big green-screen sets, you really need a soundstage. Basically, it’s a warehouse with clean power, some offices attached, insulation, air conditioning and a lighting grid. There’s no reason we can’t take an old school no longer in use and repurpose the gym for a sound stage. There’s also Regency Mall. If the JB Arena ever decides to move elsewhere, we can repurpose that building! There are so many options from large to small-scale. But a soundstage is an investment. It will take a business-savvy person with money to come along and work with producers already shooting in Atlanta, offer them incentives to come to Augusta, and then put the soundstage together to fit their needs. It’s not as simple as “you build it, they will come”. It will take someone willing to take the risk, and then work to make it worthwhile. Once it’s up and running, the sky’s the limit.

The downtown lockup on Walton Way has been in “mothballs” for several years. This week, due to the facility’s attraction to national movie makers, the commission delayed its demolition for a year. Photo by Vincent Hobbs.

UrbanProWeekly • JANUARY 9 - 22, 2020

Q & A – Film Production in Augusta

UrbanProWeekly JANUARY 9 - 22, 2020

SportsVIEW

Butler’s Jayla Thomas (#23) attempts to score during a varsity basketball conference game against Glenn Hills, held at the Spartan’s gym. The Lady Bulldogs crushed the Lady Spartans, 56-9. Thomas scored 6 points during the game. (January 7, 2020 - Augusta, GA) - Photo by Vincent Hobbs/Sports Journal

HS Hoops Butler vs Glenn Hills

Butler’s Ronnie Striggles moves down the court during a varsity basketball conference game against Glenn Hills, held at the Spartan’s gym. Striggles was the lead scorer for the team, racking up 26 points. The Bulldogs were defeated 81-71. (January 7, 2020 - Augusta, GA) - Photo by Vincent Hobbs/Sports Journal

A Glenn Hills cheerleader performs a cheer routine during a varsity basketball conference game against rival Butler, held at the Spartan’s gym. The Lady Bulldogs crushed the Lady Spartans, 56-9. (January 7, 2020 - Augusta, GA) - Photo by Vincent Hobbs/Sports Journal

The 23rd Annual Rev. Brother Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Unity Breakfast will take place on Monday, January 20, 2020 at 7:30 a.m., at the Oglethorpe Ballroom of the Augusta Marriott Hotel at the Convention Center. The Honorable Omeeka P. Loggins, State Court Solicitor General will be the keynote speaker. The Bert T. Thomas Unity Award will be presented to an individual or community organization who during the past year has worked toward making Dr. King’s dream of brotherhood/sisterhood and racial harmony a reality. The Lee N. Beard Humanitarian Award will also be presented. The event is sponsored by the Phil H. Waring Memorial Education Foundation and the members of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., Alpha Chi Lambda Chapter. Tickets may be purchased at www.alphachilambda1935.org

Books for Shay On Friday, January 10, 2020 at 2:00 p.m. at the Intermediate Literacy and Math Center (800 15th Avenue Augusta, GA 30901), a book donation through “Books for Shay” was received in honor of Shaylin Foster (a student from a local Columbia County school that was killed in a tragic car accident 2 years ago). Mrs. Chasity Foster, Shaylin’s mother, teaches in Columbia County, but she chose to donate the books—col-

lected from multiple schools—to the Literacy and Math Center. This is a collaborative effort with Augusta University. Shaylin’s family and friends will be on hand for this event. The school has designed a special bookcase to place the books in a central location, and this will also be revealed Friday. Students will also attend the event to celebrate Shaylin’s life and love of reading.

American Rhythms Saturday, January 18 | 7:30pm Miller Theater

The Honorable Omeeka P. Loggins, State Court Solicitor General will be the keynote speaker at the Jan. 20, 2020 MLK Jr. Unity Breakfast.

Augusta Symphony Dirk Meyer, Music Director Clayton Stephenson, Piano

Meetings The following meeting has been scheduled for the Richmond County Board of Education: Tuesday, January 21, 2020 – January 2020 Committee Meeting and Board Meetings - 4:00 p.m. (Board Meeting will immediately follow the conclusion of the Committee Meeting). Thursday, January 30, 2020 – Whole Board Training - 8:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.

Clayton Stephenson

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Vincent Sullivan-Hobbs Account Manager “Specializing in all your insurance needs”

Auto Home Life Health Banking Mike Ingham State Farm Insurance vincent@insuredwithingham.com 1126 Broad Street, Augusta, GA 30901 Office (706) 737-0978

9 UrbanProWeekly • JANUARY 9 - 22, 2020

MLK Unity Breakfast to feature keynote speaker Omeeka P. Loggins

UrbanProWeekly JANUARY 9 - 22, 2020

MAKIN’ A DIFFERENCE COMMENTARY by Ken Makin A HALO OF HYPOCRISY (AND MORE)

Right-wing ‘Christianity’ should not be the ‘Evangelical’ standard

early a week before Christmas, there was an editorial written in the Billy Graham-founded Christianity Today magazine that called for the impeachment of Donald Trump. The publication called him a leader of “grossly immoral character.” My response to the column — what took y’all so long? Trump’s low — wait, NO — moral standard is a part of his brand. He campaigned on it with a tour of racism and xenophobia. Folks thought Trump’s bid for president might end after his crass comments about women were recorded for an episode of Access Hollywood: “I don’t even wait. And where you’re a star, they let you do it. You can do anything. … Grab them by the (genitals). You can do anything.” That guy was elected president — and among his supporters were right-wingers who fancied themselves “evangelicals.” Honestly, it’s in their blood. The Southern Baptist Convention, which was founded in Augusta in 1845, released a report in December 2018 that said its early trustees “defended the righteousness of slaveholding.” This will also hit close to home — “at the 1863 meeting of the Southern

Baptist Convention in Augusta, Georgia, (slaveholder and founding faculty member of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary John A.) Broadus drafted resolutions pledging support for the Confederacy.” It is a failure of mass media to allow the far right to hide their racism under a religious title AND allow them to push their political influence around. And if it took the editors at Christianity Today almost four years to figure out that Donald Trump was immoral, then they didn’t need a moment to come to their senses. They needed a “come to Jesus” moment. A Million-Dollar Savings Plan For North Augusta: White supremacy is so stupid. How stupid is it? It’s so stupid that it built a monument to itself, the Meriwether Monument, and erected it in the downtown of North Augusta in 1916. It commemorates the death of the lone white man who was killed in the Hamburg Massacre, but it uses a form of architecture which originates from the Egyptians, the obelisk. Imagine putting up a structure which originates from the architectural designs of Black people to suggest that white people are superior. I told North Augusta’s mayor and

Getting What He Deserves: As superintendent, Dr. Sean Alford turned the Aiken County Public Schools (ACPS) system around in less than four years. Some people didn’t like that because Dr. Alford rezoned their kids to schools where their peers may have had less economic opportunities. These misguided folks, to their credit, used their political influence. I wish Dr. Alford’s supporters had done the same. Nevertheless, after political jostling and a round of accusations, Dr. Alford resigned his position as superintendent. I was glad to hear the news that Dr. Alford took the job as Executive Vice

Martin Chulov The Guardian The call had been expected any time since Friday. And when it finally came, the acting Iraqi prime minister knew what to expect. Just before 2am in Baghdad, Adel Abdul Mahdi listened to a message from Tehran informing him that Iranian rockets were airborne and heading his country’s way. The targets were not specified, although there was little doubt they were aimed at US bases on Iraqi soil. More importantly; the intent of the incoming strike was clear; this was the retaliation that Iran had been threatening since the assassination of Gen Qassem Suleimani. It was either going to settle a score, or spark a war. Soon after came another call, this time from an American officer; missiles were thudding into the al-Asad airbase that the US shared with Iraq. Damage was being assessed. As the sun rose over the plains of northern and western Iraq on Wednesday morning, there was little of the dread and panic that had followed the killing of Iran’s most venerated general. Twenty-two ballistic missiles had landed in fields outside two bases used by US forces. Some of them hadn’t exploded and lay crumpled in the desert sand like car wrecks. There was little damage and no deaths – and it seems Tehran’s war

planners wanted it that way. It had the hallmarks of a counterpunch tailored primarily to save face. Iran’s foreign minister soon declared an end to his country’s first direct military action against the US in 40 years and said they were not seeking a war. Eyes turned to Washington, which had been monitoring Iran’s preparations for the missile launch throughout Tuesday. The slow buildup gave US commanders ample chance to warn their personnel in the sprawling Saddam Hussein era Assad airbase near the Syrian border, and in a special forces base in Erbil, from which the operation to kill the Islamic State leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, had been launched in October. Even as Donald Trump prepared his Oval Office response, the bellicose rhetoric of the weekend – in which all manner of consequences to Suleimani’s death, from regional war to Armageddon were touted – had given way to more soothing messages. Early reaction suggested the strikes were proportionate – and may have even been aimed at avoiding casualties – and therefore would not result in the escalation feared across a region still reeling from the Iranian general’s death. The missile strike had followed a buildup indirectly gamed out by both sides. Iran and the US outwardly edged towards war, even as each was looking

for ways to avoid it. Switzerland – which acts as interlocutor between Tehran and Washington – passed messages between the two arch foes and set the terms of a response. When Iranian forces launched its missiles, leaders on both sides had a reasonable idea of their impact, both physically and politically. American early-warning aircraft – which had been on 24-hour rotation since Suleimani’s death – tracked the launch sites and trajectory and gave warnings of between three and four minutes, which were passed directly to the US bases. There was no attempt to shoot the missiles down in flight, because there were no US assets in place to do so. Just how meticulous Iran had been in crafting its response quickly became clear: the timing of the attack was nearly identical to the Suleimani strike. An advisor to Iran’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, tweeted an image of an Iranian flag, trolling Trump who had tweeted a US flag after Suleimani’s death. “We just gave [the US] a slap in the face last night,” Khamenei told an audience in the Iranian city of Qom on Wednesday. “But that is not equivalent to what they did. Military action like this is not sufficient. What is important

city council about a particularly offensive inscription on the monument in question back in 2018. Their current solution is to build a “counter” to the monument that highlights the history of the Black militiamen killed in the Hamburg Massacre. It will cost a lot of money to do so, and it should. I always hear local elected officials talking about saving the city money, though. Here’s a tip for the folks in North Augusta — want to save some money on telling the Hamburg Massacre story accurately? TAKE THE MERIWETHER MONUMENT DOWN!

President and Chief Administrative Officer at SRNS. Dr. Alford’s new gig also comes with the over $200,000 payout from his voluntary resignation from his last job. Dr. Alford’s new job is the biggest indictment of the ACPS school board members (and other community members) who pushed for his ouster. As I have said in the past, should the school district’s results dip, those school board members should have the decency to resign. In the meantime, continued blessings and success to Dr. Alford. The lesson, as always — a Black cat always lands on its feet. Let me correct a mistake from the last column in December, entitled “Tired of Augusta’s S—!” I said that severe flooding causes nearly “a million and a half pounds” of sewage to spill into Augusta’s streets. It should have been “a million and a half gallons” of sewage. Ken J. Makin is the host of the “Makin’ A Difference” show. Episodes are available at soundcloud.com/ makinadifference. Send your feedback to makinadifferenceshow@ gmail.com or send a text to (803) 270-2331. Your feedback could be a part of the next column!

is ending the corrupting presence of America in the region.” As Iraqi forces collected missile fragments from the fields outside the Al-Asad base, and Kurdish forces did the same in Erbil, a feeling grew across the region that the worst of the crisis might well be over. Beyond that though, new questions emerged over whether cohabitation between the US and Iraq may still be viable on Iraqi soil after such a seismic jolt. Suleimani’s influence in Iraq had been well understood by successive US administrations – as had the Iraqi government’s unwillingness to oppose him on most issues. Nevertheless, Washington had coveted a strategic relationship with Baghdad that would give it some sway in the country’s affairs. An early reading of Suleimani’s death is that US goals have been set back, not advanced. Iraq is more adamant than before about ousting Washington’s forces and under mounting pressure from Iran to do so. In his first remarks following the Iranian response, Trump urged Nato to do more to contain Iran – a call that adds weight to a belief that the Trump administration now intends to do less. His remarks were an acknowledgement that the US did not intend to strike back at Iran.

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UrbanProWeekly • JANUARY 9 - 22, 2020

MLK Events Augusta

UrbanProWeekly JANUARY 9 - 22, 2020