Week - New York Beacon

Transcription

New York
Beacon
website:
NewYorkBeacon.net
Vol. 19 No. 30
Showing the Way to Truth and Justice
E-Mail
[email protected]
75 Cents
July 26, 2012 - August 1, 2012
SOUL FOOD QUEEN
Sylvia Woods
of world famous
Harlem restaurant
has passed at 86
(See Story On Page 3)
Sylvia Woods (Photo by Gideon Manasseh)
Accused ‘Batman’ killer
seemed uninterested
in his court hearing
James Holmes
Church condemns Zimmerman’s claim it’s God’s will to kill Trayvon
NYC students continue to score
higher in state math, English exams
NEW YORK BEACON, July 26, 2012 - August 1, 2012 newyorkbeacon.net
2
Charter school students out-perform rest of state in math
Hakeem Jeffries
Hakeem Jeffries returns
with summer at subway
Designed to bring his office to
the location where many community members find themselves at
some point during the evening
rush, for the sixth straight year
Assemblyman Hakeem Jeffries
will host his “Summer at the Subway” evening office hours
throughout the 57th district.
Beginning Tuesday, July 24
through Aug. 15, Assemblyman
Jeffries and his staff will be in
and around the Fort Greene/
Clinton Hill, Prospect Heights
and parts of Crown Heights and
Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhoods of the district at subway
stops at major thoroughfares.
Community issues like afford-
able housing, employment, rising
rental costs, crime, and the city’s
public school system are just a few
of the subjects addressed on site.
“Evening office hours provides
me with an opportunity to interact
with residents who otherwise are
unable to speak with me or my staff
during regular business hours,”
said Jeffries. “It also allows me another chance to engage residents
to discuss issues that are impacting their day-to-day lives. Every
year I look forward to meeting and
working with my neighbors to address their concerns.”
Find out when Assemblyman
Jeffries and his staff will be in your
neighborhood here.
Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg
and Schools Chancellor Dennis
M. Walcott have announced that
New York City public school students in grades 3 through 8 made
gains on the annual math and
English exams, outpacing the rest
of the state and showing that
more students continue to make
significant progress.
The percentage of New York
City students meeting the state’s
bar for proficiency in math increased by 2.7 points, from 57.3
to 60 percent, and by 3 points in
English, from 43.9 to 46.9 percent.
The measured improvements follow changes the New York State
Education Department has made
to the tests and how they are
scored: in 2010, more correct answers were required for students
to be graded proficient; and in
2011, additional questions
lengthened the exam. Even so,
New York City students made
gains in all grade levels and
across all student groups.
“Our Administration’s core philosophy is that if we raise our expectations, our kids will reach
them,” said Mayor Bloomberg.
“The progress we see this year
doesn’t give us a reason to rest –
it gives us a reason to strive for
even greater gains. There’s still
much more work to do, but there’s
no question our students are
headed in the right direction.”
“New York City school students have once again risen to
the occasion,” said Chancellor
Walcott. “But we have much more
work to do to put all of our students on track for college and
careers. We support the state’s
commitment to raise standards for
curriculum and graduation, and
to increase the rigor of next year’s
tests. I know that our students
and teachers are ready to take on
this challenge.”
Consistent with the gains
Mayor Bloomberg
Chancellor Dennis Walcott
made by students overall, 46.1
percent of black students met the
proficiency standards in math, up
1.9 points from 44.2 percent in
2011. In English, the percentage
of proficient black students increased from 34.8 to 37 percent.
Hispanic students showed similar
improvement, with 52.3 percent of
students meeting proficiency standards in math, up from 49.2 from last
year. In English, Hispanic student
proficiency grew from 34.7 to 37.5
percent. White students, Asian students, English Language Learners
and students with disabilities all
made gains in math, and all groups
with the exception of English Language Learners made gains in English.
New York City charter school students outpaced the progress made
in non-charter schools citywide.
Charter student math proficiency increased by 3.5 points, from 68.5 percent to 72.0 percent. Student proficiency in English increased by 7
points, from 44.5 to 51.5 percent.
The progress reflects the work in
schools across the city to align with
the Common Core learning standards. Common Core standards defines what students need to learn
each year in order to graduate from
high school ready for either college
or a career. New York City is leading
the nation in aligning curriculum and
instruction in the Common Core standards through the Citywide Instructional Expectations.
Last fall, teams of teachers at every school analyzed student work to
understand the gap between their
current performance and the higher
level of performance that the Common Core standard demand. In the
winter, all students engaged in at
least one unit in literacy and in math
that met the tougher standards. The
work introduced students to more
challenging texts, writing and problem solving of open-ended questions.
Next year, city schools will further
Common Core instruction in each
grade. The 2012 exams were the last
for grades 3-8 that will reflect New
York State learning standards. The
2013 state math and English tests will
(CONTINUED ON PAGE 15)
Cuomo signs legislation to help low income defendants meet bail
Governor Andrew M. Cuomo
has signed legislation that will
allow the creation of charitable
organizations in New York State
which could post up to $2,000 in
bail for low-income defendants
charged with misdemeanor
crimes.
“It is unacceptable for defendants to have to spend time in
jail for low-level crimes they may
have not committed simply because they are unable to meet the
bail requirement,” Governor
Cuomo said. “This law to allow
the creation of not-for-profit
charitable groups to cover the
cost of bail for poor individuals
held on a misdemeanor charge
will help ensure that the state’s
justice system works for all defendants regardless of their income.”
Before this legislation, organizations that desired to post bail
on behalf of a defendant would
have to meet the requirements of
state law that are designed to
regulate for-profit corporations engaged full-time in the bail bond
business. The law will allow a new
type of entity, charitable bail organizations, to function with fewer requirements but still under the oversight and regulation of the Department of Financial Services.
Charitable bond organizations
will be allowed to provide no more
than $2,000 in bail, and only for
defendants charged with one or
more misdemeanors who are financially unable to post bail. They will
be required to register as a 501(c)(3)
organization and may not charge a
premium or fee for their services The
law takes effect in 90 days.
Assembly Member Hakeem
Jeffries said, “The explosion in misdemeanor arrests over the last decade, especially for small quantities of marijuana, has put tens of
thousands of New Yorkers behind
bars — many for the first time. As
Governor Cuomo has said, that is
something that state law needs to
address. But until that happens,
Gov. Cuomo
this law to ease meeting bail for
low-income defendants arrested
for misdemeanors is a step in the
right direction. I thank Governor
Cuomo for signing it, and I congratulate Senator Rivera and Assemblyman Aubry for their leadership.”
Assembly Member Jeffrion
Aubry said, “Justice should not
depend on the size of your wallet.
Charitable Bail Organizations
could help thousands of New
Yorkers who would otherwise languish in jails, often losing their
jobs and facing long-term collateral consequences, just because
they can’t afford a small amount
of bail to fight their case. The inability to post bail on minor
charges shouldn’t put low income
people at a disadvantage in our
justice system. Charitable Bail Organizations are an important step
toward leveling the playing field.”
Assembly Member Keith
Wright said, “This common sense
legislation helps level the playing
field for low income individuals who
are charged with misdemeanor
crimes. For too long, our justice system has disproportionately impacted
low income communities, leading to
disruptions in the workplace and in
the household. This legislation helps
end that inequality. Governor
Cuomo has made this type of pragmatic legislation a cornerstone of his
administration and communities like
Harlem will surely benefit from his
wise decision to sign it into law.”
Assemblyman Karim Camara said:
“This is a very important piece of
legislation signed by the Governor
today. Too often, innocent individuals must deal with the consequences
of a guilty plea because they cannot
afford bail, one serious flaw in our
criminal justice system. By allowing
non-profits to post small amounts of
bail for misdemeanor crimes we are
giving individuals a chance to continue their lives while they pursue
justice and not hastily plea to a crime
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James Holmes
Accused ‘Batman’ killer
seemed uninterested in case
Americans got first good look on
Monday at the man accused of the
worst mass shooting in U.S. history,
the a movie theater massacre in
Aurora,Colo.
It was a strange and jarring picture.
Twenty four-year-old James Holmes
made his first court appearance, but
from the looks of him, it wasn’t entirely clear he knew he was there. Sitting next to his attorneys, his orange
hair made him look like a comic book
character. As Chief Judge William
Sylvester spoke to Holmes, he didn’t
make eye contact. He didn’t seem to
follow the conversation at all.
It was hard to take your eyes off
this Holmes. You wanted to keep looking to see if there was some clue as to
why he murdered 12 people and
wounded 58 others when he allegedly
fired shots aimlessly into the audience
during a screening of “The Dark
Knight Rises.”
But, Holmes seemed almost uninterested, and when he was offered one
chance to speak he turned it down.
After the judge asked Holmes if he
had any questions about his advisement during his first public hearing
on Monday, his attorney, Daniel King,
replied, “Judge, we have advised Mr.
Holmes thoroughly and wave any
formal or further advisement.”
The hearing’s purpose was to inform Holmes of the charges he will
soon face.
“You’ve committed the offense of
first-degree murder, a class one
felony,” Sylvester said during the
court session.
The prosecutor will file those
charges by next Monday, and the
public defender is expected to file a
motion for a mental health evaluation, which is routine in these cases.
“You shall refrain from contacting, directly or indirectly communicating with the victims,” Sylvester
added.
Holmes is being kept in solitary
confinement. Prosecutors said they
do not know if he is on medication,
which might explain why he looked
dazed, at times almost dozing off
during the 12-minute hearing.
Holmes did not seem to make any
eye contact with anyone in the
room.
At least five relatives of victims
came to the court to see the proceedings. Among them was Ian
Sullivan, the father of six-year-old
Veronica Moser Sullivan, the youngest victim. Also at the hearing were
Tom and Caron Teves. Their son,
Alex, was among the dead.
In a case like this, the investigation doesn’t stop. It will continue
up through trial and so as we find
more information we want to make
sure we’ve got the right charges,”
district attorney Carol Chambers told
reporters outside the court.
Colorado is a state with the death
penalty. Chambers said it is considered in this case, but she will first
discuss that with the victims and
their families. When asked if the
prosecutors had the power to go
against the victims’ and their families’ opinions, Chambers said that
the prosecutors were not bound to
follow their wishes.
Sylvia Woods, founder of the
famed Harlem soul food restaurant
that carries her name and is a muststop for locals, tourists and politicians, has died. She was 86.
Woods died Thursday afternoon
at her home in Mount Vernon, N.Y.,
said her granddaughter Tren’ness
Woods-Black. She had been dealing with Alzheimer’s disease for
the past few years.
Woods and her husband
Herbert, natives of South Carolina
who met as children, started
Sylvia’s Restaurant in 1962. The
restaurant is a Harlem fixture, with
tourists and locals coming there
for cornbread, ribs, collard greens,
fried chicken and other staples of
Southern cooking, and politicians
making frequent visits while on
the campaign trail.
One of those politicians, Rep.
Charles Rangel, said he celebrated
his recent victory in the Democratic primary for Congress at the
restaurant, which is in his district
and which he described as “a
magical place that brought the
community together.”
“Ms. Sylvia created a special
place on Lenox and 127th street.
GREAT HOSTESS — “You never eat alone when you go to Sylvia’s
Restaurant by yourself. The affable, friendly and hospitable Sylvia always comes around to greet and welcome you ,” one patron said.
Sylvia’s may have been famous
nationally and internationally, but
its soul has always remained in
Harlem,” he said. “Nothing can replace its founder, but her legacy
will live on in the memories she
helped make.”
Rev. Al Sharpton said Sylvia’s
was “more than a restaurant, it has
been a meeting place for Black
America.” He said he had dined
there with many famous faces including President Barack Obama and
Caroline Kennedy.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg said,
“We lost a legend today. For more
than 50 years, New Yorkers have
enjoyed Sylvia’s and visitors have
flocked to Harlem to get a table. In
her words, the food was made with
Church condemns Zimmerman’s
claim it’s God’s will to kill Trayvon
The National Black Church Initiative (NBCI) a coalition of 34,000
churches spanning 15 denominations
and representing 15.7 million African
Americans is stunned and ashamed
that in his first interview with Fox
News reporter Sean Hannity, George
Zimmerman claimed that it was God’s
will that the tragedy unfolded between
Trayvon Martin and himself.
This is the type of backwoods theology that blames God for the ignorance of the human condition. One
can never justify taking anyone’s life,
nor can they justify taking their own
life. God affirms life, He is not in the
business of creating human situations whereby an individual takes
another individual’s life and them
blames it on God by saying it was His
will. There are wars and man’s inhumanity to man, but this is a direct reTrayvon parents
FDA approves Truvada for safe sex against HIV
First agent indicated for uninfected adults at high risk of acquiring HIV through sex
Gilead Sciences, Inc. last week
announced that the U.S. Food and
Drug Administration (FDA) has
approved once-daily oral Truvada
(emtricitabine and tenofovir
disoproxil fumarate), in combination with safer sex practices, to reduce the risk of sexually acquired
HIV-1 infection in adults at high
risk.
Truvada is the first agent to be
approved for HIV prevention in
uninfected adults, a strategy called
pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP).
As part of the approval, Gilead
worked with the FDA to develop a
Risk Evaluation and Mitigation
Strategy (REMS) to help ensure
safe use of Truvada for PrEP as
part of a comprehensive prevention strategy. Truvada was originally approved in 2004 in combination with other antiretroviral
agents as a treatment of HIV-1
infection in adults and is currently the most-prescribed
antiretroviral product in the
United States.
“Today’s decision is the culmination of almost 20 years of
research involving investigators,
academic and medical institutions, funding agencies and
nearly 20,000 trial participants
around the world, and Gilead is
proud to have been a partner in
this effort,” said Norbert
Bischofberger, PhD, executive
vice president, Research and Development and Chief Scientific
Officer, Gilead Sciences. “This
advancement in the field of HIV
prevention was made possible due
to the leadership and commitment
of the FDA and the Department of
Health and Human Services to reduce the number of new HIV infections in the United States and
worldwide.”
It is estimated that 1.2 million
Americans are currently living
with HIV, and, despite the availability of existing prevention tools
such as condoms, the incidence
rate has remained steady over the
past two decades with approximately 50,000 new infections oc-
curring each year. Nearly one-quarter (23 percent) of new HIV cases
occur among women, and more
than half (61 percent) occur among
men who have sex with men
(MSM). In particular, young African American MSM bear a heavy
burden of the epidemic, with new
HIV cases among this group increasing by nearly 50 percent between 2006 and 2009.
Data supporting the approval of
Truvada for PrEP came primarily
from two large placebo-controlled
trials known as the Pre-Exposure
Prophylaxis Initiative (iPrEx), sponsored by the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Bill
and Melinda Gates Foundation,
and Partners PrEP, sponsored by the
University of Washington and
funded by the Bill and Melinda
Gates Foundation. The iPrEx and
Partners PrEP trials found that
Truvada reduced the risk of acquiring HIV infection by 42 percent and
75 percent, respectively. Several
other clinical studies also support
the use of Truvada for HIV risk reduction.
“This approval is a major milestone in our 30-year fight against
AIDS,” said Robert M. Grant, MD,
MPH, Betty Jean and Hiro Ogawa
endowed investigator, Gladstone
Institute of Virology and Immunol(CONTINUED ON PAGE 16)
3
Sylvia Woods, who started Harlem
soul food restaurant has passed
CDC launches ‘Let’s Stop
HIV Together’ Campaign
4
By George E. Curry
NNPA Editor-in-Chief
President Obama
Astrology researcher likes
Obama’s chances in the fall
An astrologer who has analyzed outcomes in U.S. Presidential elections dating to 1880 likes
the way things are celestially lining up for incumbent President
Barak Obama in November.
“The race should be close but
the odds strongly favor the President,” says Nina Gryphon, 31, an
internationally known astrologer,
investor and corporate attorney
who works with high tech industry clients in Chicago.
Gryphon has a BA,MA and JD
law degree from Stanford University and uses astrology to help
clients find favorable times for
business and investing. She recently completed a mundane research study that pointed to winners in the last 32 U.S. Presidential elections with uncanny accuracy,
The predictive method used in
the study dates to antiquity.
“At its core, the technique and
rules were first set down in writing
by ancient Sumerians four millenia
ago and probably date back much
farther than that,” she said.
In the current era, the researcher
interpreted horoscopes created for
the exact moment the sun entered
the astrological sign of Aries in the
nation’s capital during election
years. In the ancient world, similar
charts were used to predict the fortunes of kings in power and those
who might challenge or threaten
the throne.
“The ancients thought of the
Spring Equinox (when the sun arrives at zero Aries) as the yearly
anniversary of the creation of the
universe. It was viewed as the first
moment of existence containing
the seeds of the future unfolding
through time.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced a
new national campaign Monday
to remove the stigma associated
with HIV and AIDS and to end
complacency about the epidemic.
“In the fight against HIV, stigma
and complacency are among our
most insidious opponents,” said
Dr. Kevin Fenton, director of
CDC’s National Center for HIV/
AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD and TB
Prevention. “This campaign reminds us that HIV affects every
corner of society, and that it will
take every one of us – regardless
of HIV status, gender, race or
sexual orientation – working together.”
The “Let’s Stop HIV Together”
campaign is being kicked off with
outdoor and transit advertising in
six cities heavily impacted by HIV:
Atlanta, Dallas, Los Angeles, New
Orleans, New York City and Washington, D.C. Another 21 cities are
scheduled to be added before the
end of the year, CDC officials said.
The initiative, announced a
week before delegates to the International AIDS Conference assemble in the nation’s capital, is
part of a CDC’s Act Against AIDS
project, a 5-year national communication initiative designed to raise
awareness of the HIV crisis in the
U.S.
“Stigma remains a major barrier
to HIV testing, condom use and
other preventive strategies,” explained Dr. Jonathan Mermin, director of CDC’s Division of HIV/
AIDS Prevention.
“It also discourages those living with HIV from seeking the care
and treatment they need to stay
healthy and avoid transmitting HIV
to others.”
According to the CDC, there are
Dr. Jonathan Mermin
approximately 1.1 million Americans living with HIV/AIDS in the
United States, including approximately 510,000 African-Americans.
Blacks are disproportionately affected by HIV/AIDS, a pattern
that has deepened over time.
Today:
* Although Blacks represent only
12 percent or the U.S. population,
they accounted for 44 percent of
all new HIV infections in 2009 and
are 44 percent of all people living
with HIV;
* The rate of new AIDS diagnoses
per 100,000 among Black adults
was about 10 times that of Whites
in 2010. The rate for Black men
(75.6) was the highest of any
group, followed by African-American women (33.7). The rate among
White men was only 9.1;
* Black women accounted for 57
percent of all new HIV infections
among women in 2009 and 64 percent of all new AIDS diagnoses
among women. In 2010, 85 percent
of Black women were infected
through heterosexual activities
and
* Although Black teenagers represented only 15 percent of U.S. teens
in 2010, they accounted for 70 percent of all new AIDS diagnoses
among teens.
A survey by the Kaiser Family
Foundation in 2009 found that
Blacks were six times more likely to
be very concerned about becoming
infected with HIV than Whites (38
percent to 6 percent). That same
survey showed than many misconceptions about HIV still persist.
For example, 27 percent of those
interviewed thought HIV could be
transmitted by sharing a drinking
glass, 17 percent though the virus
could be transmitted by touching a
toilet seat and 14 percent believed
they could become infected by being in the same swimming poor with
someone HIV-positive. Of course,
none of this is true.
The “Let’s Stop HIV Together” campaign will feature national online and
print advertising, broadcast public
service announcements, social media outreach as well as local billboard and transit advertising n 27
U.S. cities.
The new campaign features
people living with AIDS standing
with friends and relatives as they
urge Americans to join the fight
against the disease.
In one ad, Jamar Rogers, a semifinalist on NBC’s singing competition, “The Voice,” who disclosed
that he is HIV-positive. He is pictured with his mother, Danielle proclaiming, “I am a devoted son, a
singer, and an artist. And I am living
with HIV. In large, red ink is the inscription, “Let’s stop HIV together
– Jamar.”
In the video version, Jamar says,
“I’m healthy today because of the
love and support of my mother, family and friends, who gave me the
courage to get the care and treatment that will keep me singing for
decades to come.”
Ex-Surgeon General David Satcher addresses the nation’s oral health
Twelve years after issuing a landmark report that offered a framework
for improving access to oral health,
former Surgeon General David
Satcher said that profound oral
health problems still exist for large
portions of the population and issued a renewed call for action to
expand access to oral health care,
particularly in light of the millions
of children expected to gain dental
benefits through the Affordable
Care Act in 2014.
Speaking at a conference on
unmet oral health needs, sponsored
by the Morehouse School of Medicine and The Sullivan Alliance to
Transform the Health Professions,
Dr. Satcher addressed progress that
has been made since his landmark
report on the silent epidemic of
tooth decay, but also detailed profound oral health problems that remain more than a decade later.
“We now have an opportunity
(with the ACA) to improve access
to dental health services,” said
Satcher. “But how do we put in place
a health care system that meets the
needs of all? Can we, in fact, increase
the supply of oral health care providers by expanding the opportunity for people to serve? What the
ACA said is that people should be
able to practice to the full extent of
their potential.”
Oral health care in America continues to be a crisis. Tooth decay is the
most common chronic disease among
children, five times more prevalent
than asthma. Close to 50 million
people live in areas where they have
difficulty reaching a dentist, and millions more can’t get care due to cost.
Satcher expressed concern about
the ability of the current dental
workforce to meet demands for dental care. As part of the provisions
enacted under the Affordable Care
Act, more than five million additional
children will be entitled to dental
health benefits. At issue is the fact
that there are not enough providers
to meet the need. Currently, just 20
percent of all practicing dentists accept Medicaid patients. In addition,
the federal Health Resources Services Administration (HRSA) estimates a current shortage of approximately 10,000 dentists.
“We now have an opportunity to
dramatically increase coverage,”
Satcher said. “But adding dental benefits will not translate into access to
care if we do not have providers in
place to offer treatment.”
According to Satcher, states must
pursue all avenues to expand access
David Satcher
to dental care, including exploring
the creation of new dental providers, and building a cadre of ethnically-diverse, culturally-competent
dental practitioners, as well as expanding the reach of the dental team
with other health care professionals.
Satcher advocated the launching
of workforce pilot programs to determine how best to expand access
to dental care. “I think we need more
dentists and I think we need more
professionals who are not dentists
but who can contribute to oral health
care services,” said Satcher. “The
real key is whether or not systems
are going to ensure that everyone is
allowed to practice to the level of
their potential.”
More than a dozen states are exploring creating new midlevel dental providers, also known as dental
therapists, to expand access to preventive and routine dental care. Dental therapists currently practice in
Alaska and Minnesota. Connecticut
and Oregon are planning pilot
projects and numerous other states
have put forward legislation to allow dental therapists. In Alaska, dental therapists have been able to provide care to 35,000 Alaska Natives
who couldn’t access it before.
“Access to oral health is not what
it should be in this country,” said
Dr. Louis Sullivan, chairman of The
Sullivan Alliance to Transform the
Health Professions, and former Secretary of the U.S. Department of
Health and Services. “With the Affordable Care Act, millions more will
have access to oral health care. We,
as health professionals, must lead
the effort so that we are prepared to
meet the need. We need now to develop strategies to provide those
services.”
Poor oral health can lead to serious health consequences later in
life, including diabetes and heart
problems. Oral health is critical to
overall health. Satcher emphasized
that oral health can dramatically af-
fect how we speak, eat, or smile, and
more health professionals should be
trained in providing elements of oral
health care. He also stressed that children, minorities and the poor are disproportionately affected by the oral
health care crisis:
* 37 percent of African American children and 41 percent of Hispanic children have untreated tooth decay, compared with 25 percent of white children
* American Indians and Alaska Natives have the highest rate of tooth
decay of any population: five times
the national average for children ages
2 to 4.
* Seventy-two percent of American
Indian and Alaska Native children ages
6 to 8 have untreated cavities – more
than twice the rate of the general population.
* More than a third of all poor youngsters ages 2 to 9 have untreated cavities, compared with 17 percent of children who are not poor.
Satcher, who was joined by Dr.
Sullivan, spoke at a day-long forum:
“Unmet Oral Health Needs, Underserved Populations, and New
Workforce Models: An Urgent Dialogue.” The meeting was held to underscore the oral health disparities that
persist and to explore solutions.
5
6
Editorial
Divided opinion on a divided Sudan
New York
By William Reed
Business Exhange
Beacon
Walter Smith: Publisher & Editor-in-Chief
Miatta Haj Smith: Co-Publisher & Executive Editor
William Egyir: Managing Editor
It’s time to reform SCLC – for good
By Dexter Wimbish
Guest Columnist
NNPA News Service
I was born a year after Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s assignation
in Memphis but grew up in an era
where as the walls of Jim Crow
fell, the dreams of African-Americans soared. Americans both
Black and White were proud of
Dr. King and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference
(SCLC), the organization he cofounded on February 14, 1957
with Dr. Ralph David Abernathy,
Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth, Dr.
Josephy Lowery, and other great
religious leaders of our time.
It was their inspiration that fueled my early life and professional
career that ultimately led me to
volunteer my legal services when
Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth was
named SCLC president and CEO
in 2004. Less than a year later, I
became the organization’s youngest general counsel, the same time
Charles Steele, Jr. was elected
president and CEO following an
attempted takeover of the organization at the Jacksonville, Fla.
convention.
Yes, SCLC is struggling but it
is desperately needed because its
mission is still relevant in a society where despite tremendous
gains in the past, the poor and
disenfranchised from all walks of
life needed to have an organization that’s not afraid to raise its
voice in protest. I still remember
the words of Dr. Shuttlesworth
who was forced out after a disagreement with the board of directors when he stated “Only God
can save SCLC!”
When Dr. Steele took over the
reins of SCLC, he is famous for
pointing out that the lights to the
building had been turned off. I
laugh today because it is ironic
that the same company that
turned off the lights in the build-
ing, the Southern Company, under Dr. Steele’s tenure would partner with SCLC to launch a major
capital campaign that resulted in
the construction of a debt- free
$3.5 million headquarters next door
to the original office of Dr. King.
In addition to constructing the
building, Dr. Steele led efforts to
raise nearly another $3 million for
major initiatives including conflict
resolution, HIV Aids Awareness,
taser gun reform, bringing down
oil and gas prices, and closing the
digital divide in minority communities. God has a way making
things that seem impossible a reality.
We were all disheartened in 2009
when Dr. Steele announced he was
leaving SCLC. To his credit he
never boasted that Charles Steele
had done anything; he always
said it was God who had revived
SCLC. The organization hadn’t
reclaimed the power it had in the
19060s but it had turned the corner.
Dr. Steele stated at the outset that
he intended to stay three to five
years. After five year, he felt he
had done his job. Yes, there were
tensions with the board over the
direction and day-to-day operations of the organization, but the
organization was again relevant
and solvent. In retrospect, the one
thing it was not prepared to do
was operate without strong leadership. I remember telling my
friend Charles one day, “Mr. President you make things look too
easy!” because he has a way of
making you feel at ease and you
just want to help him because he
allows you to see his vision.
Following the departure of Dr.
Steele, the organization entered a
period of its darkest hour. The
walls of separation between the
board of directors and the day-today operations of the organization
crumbled.
Since 2009, SCLC has been in
the nation’s headlines for all the
wrong reasons. The organization
teeters on being cast aside an irrelevant relic of the past. Many
have called for the organization’s
closure. This would be an unintelligent and ill advised outcome
and one which does not have
manifest itself. SCLC can be saved
and it must be saved.
There must be broad-based organizational and true board reform. There must be a new SCLC
infused with youth, cross-cultural
representation, women, activists,
scholars, and members of the business community. SCLC cannot
achieve this goal with continued
infighting, but we cannot also
jump to the conclusion that all
conflict is harmful.
Upon reading several articles
over the past few weeks, it sounds
like SCLC may be headed back to
court as a coalition of chapter
presidents and supporters argue
that the board of directors is operating outside the confines of the
organization’s constitution, which
is reminiscent of previous claims
that resulted in a deep split within
the organization.
I am hopeful that this conflict
will turn out much different than
previous conflicts. Whenever
there is a call for transparency or
accountability in any aspect of life
those calls demand a response. I
realize at times our egos will get in
the way of progress, but this is
not the time to give way to personality or vanity. Charles Steele,
Jr. will do great things as president and CEO. I am not telling you
what I have heard, I am telling you
what I have seen first-hand. However, if SCLC is to reclaim its place
as relevant advocate for movement and equality, there must be a
major paradigm shift.
An active board of directors
Hodari Abdul-Ali, an AfricanAmerican Orthodox Muslim called
it “a disaster for Africa, for the
African Diaspora and for Sudan.”
The separation of Sudan is perhaps the most contentious foreign
policy issue among Black Americans. Some African Americans
support dismemberment of
Africa’s largest country, and
some, like the late Abdul-Ali believed it to be “a disaster.”
When the people of South
Sudan split from Africa’s largest
country, they formed the world’s
193rd and youngest country. South
Sudan, officially the Republic of
South Sudan, marked its first anniversary on July 9. A landlocked
country in east-central Africa,
South Sudan experienced a challenging first year and several issues remain unresolved. The two
countries, formerly one, are locked
in delicate negotiations after the
failure to agree on the amount the
South should pay Sudan to use
its oil pipelines.
When Southern Sudan’s voters
broke away, it was one of the least
developed countries in the world.
Revenue from oil provides 98 percent of South Sudan’s budget. The
new nation’s economy is heavily
reliant on oil. It’s not surprising
therefore that its decision to shut
down production has left the
economy in a precarious state.
After South Sudan became independent, southern and northern
negotiators were not immediately
able to reach an agreement on how
to split Southern oil field revenue.
Approximately 80 percent of the
oil deposits are in South Sudan,
while the pipelines flow north.
Many in government in South
Sudan are imploring the U.S. to
help the new nation obtain its “economic independence.” NNPA
newspaper columnist and former
NAACP Executive Director Benjamin F. Chavis Jr., said, “African
Americans should be paying attention, reaching out to South
Sudan for humanitarian and economic reasons and see that there
are significant and immediate economic and growth opportunities.
At a time of very high unemployment among African Americans,
this is a great moment to develop
new business relationships with
Africa, and with nations like South
Sudan.”
The stories you’ve been hearing
about “helping the poor Africans”
should be discounted as a lot of
hype. Whether you are of the Christian or Muslim persuasion, Southern Sudan is a resource-rich land
many want to rule. It is ripe for agricultural development, but less than
5 per cent of the land is currently
cultivated. In terms of overall income generation; South Sudan does
quite well compared to its East African neighbors. The 2010 GDP per
capita was estimated at $1,546 (U.S.)
compared to $769 (U.S.) in Kenya.
South Sudan is bordered by Ethiopia to the east, Kenya to the southeast, Uganda to the south, the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the
southwest, the Central African Republic to the west, and Sudan to the
north.
Nation of Islam Minister Louis
Farrakhan has fought for decades
against the Americans’ designs on
breaking up Sudan, but Washington, D.C.–based businessman
Malcolm Beech agrees with Chavis
in that African Americans should get
a piece of the South Sudan action
saying, “U.S. Agency for International Development and State Department funds will be flowing to
that part of the world and we need
to be in the deal.”
South Sudan has a population of
approximately 8 million and a predominantly rural, subsistence
economy. This region has been
negatively affected by war for all but
10 years of the independence period, resulting in serious neglect,
lack of infrastructure development,
and major destruction and displacement. More than 2 million people
have died, and more than 4 million
are internally displaced persons or
have become refugees as a result of
the civil war.
The capital of South Sudan is
Juba. However, due to Juba’s poor
infrastructure and lack of centrality,
the South Sudanese government
adopted a resolution to study the
creation of a new planned city to
act as its capital seat.
This proposed project is functionally similar to those which resulted in the construction of Abuja,
Nigeria; Brasília, Brazil; and
Canberra, Australia. This will be just
a part of the building from the
ground up that will be occurring in
South Sudan.
William Reed is head of the Business Exchange Network and available for speaking/seminar projects
through the Bailey Group.org.
Obama, Romney rhetoric risks trade war
By Sheldon Richman
When economic times are bad,
animosity is directed at foreigners: “They’re taking our jobs!” So
it’s unsurprising that the presidential campaigns feature charges
and countercharges about
outsourcing, the employment of
foreign labor by American companies. This is a dangerous game
because it sows the seeds of trade
war.
Economists understand the
benefits of the division of labor. If
you and your family had to live on
only what you could produce
yourselves, you’d be dirt poor.
You wouldn’t be much better off if
you could buy only what the residents of your town or county
could produce. As the trading area
grows, a more intensive specialization and hence division of labor are possible. Combine this with
the increased productivity that the
growth in knowledge and inventiveness also make possible, and
dramatic prosperity results.
Adam Smith observed, “The division of labor is limited by the
extent of the market.” If the extent
of the market is artificially constricted by politicians (no one else
has such power), the division of
labor and its concomitant
progress are stunted — and we
are poorer than we would have
been.
Thus we should worry whenever
politicians attempt to incite the
public against global trade in
goods and services.
“But they’re taking our jobs!”
In the course of things, jobs are
moving, changing, disappearing,
and emerging all the time. It can
be disconcerting and disruptive,
but we wouldn’t like the alternative: a government powerful
enough to stifle freedom and
change. When the free market is
allowed to operate (which is not
the case today), change is the rule.
Consumer preferences evolve. Entrepreneurs try to win favor by of-
fering new or improved goods. New
knowledge brings technological
developments that lower costs,
which enable things to be produced
with fewer resources and less labor.
While of course this all can create hardship for those — workers
and business owners — invested
in the old ways, the general benefits
are undeniable. Whenever fewer resources and less labor are required
to produce a good, resources and
7
The politics of power and the precious right to vote
By Marian Wright Edelman
Child Watch
“The first fact that we need to
understand is that America has a
longer history of disenfranchisement than it does of enfranchisement. What do I mean by that? At
the time of the American Revolution when America was finding its
footing, more than two-thirds of
the people who resided in the
colonies couldn’t vote. You had
to be white, you had to be male,
you had to have property, and
you had to be privileged. This history of America is a history of
political exclusion . . . It was because people were trying to control power from the very beginning.”
-Professor Hasan Kwame, Ohio
State University
As students and parents at
Children’s Defense Fund Freedom
Schools® sites across the country study our nation’s history this
summer, they’re learning about the
long struggle for voting rights in
our nation and the importance of
the vote to a vibrant democracy.
The college servant-leaders who
are teaching the pre-K-12 children
came to CDF Haley Farm near
Knoxville, Tenn. in June for national training week. One of their
speakers was Hasan Kwame
Jeffries, associate professor at
the Kirwan Institute for the Study
of Race and Ethnicity at the Ohio
State University. He spoke to
them about the history of the Black
struggle for the vote and how the
fight to control power by controlling the vote has a very long history in America. That struggle is
still very evident in 2012.
Professor Jeffries described a
common narrative about African
American history that woefully
simplifies most of the last 150 years.
That narrative says all barriers to
voting were settled for good once
President Johnson and Congress
“gave” Black citizens the Voting
Rights Act in 1965 and now that
we have President and First Lady
Obama and their two beautiful children in the White House, we’ve
reached a wonderful “post-racial”
moment in America. But as Professor Jeffries carefully explained, this
oversimplification has always
been a myth—or worse, a lie—and
to ignore current threats to voting
rights shows an ignorance of history and a willingness to jeopardize our democracy and future.
Jeffries explained to our college
leaders how Frederick Douglass
and others insisted on giving African Americans the vote along with
freedom when slavery was finally
abolished, but the moment of promise after the 15th Amendment
didn’t last long: “How is it possible that African Americans after
slavery can have the vote in hand
and then 100 years later from 1865
to 1965 are still fighting for the
vote? We have to understand that
American history is not linear or
upward progress. American history is about peaks and valleys.”
After the brief peak of Black
elected officials during Reconstruction right after the Civil War
ended, the next valley began when
Mississippi called a constitutional
convention to look for ways
around the 15th Amendment. The
result was decades of new voting
laws across the South requiring
literacy tests, “grandfather”
clauses that prohibited anyone
from voting if their grandfather
hadn’t, and other “colorblind”
policies whose main purpose was
actually to keep people of one
color from participating in our democracy.
But during the long years of Jim
Crow, African Americans never
lost sight of the prize: “They redirected their energy, put it into community development, put it into
land acquisition, put it into education . . . [but] they never gave
up on the vote itself,” Professor
Jeffries said. By the 1960s, the active fight for voting rights was
back on the front burner and once
again people were risking and giving their lives in order to be able
to vote. Fifty years ago, civil rights
organizations, pushed by young
Student Nonviolent Coordinating
Committee (SNCC) organizers,
came together to form COFO the
Council of Federated Organizations in order to work together
more effectively to secure the vote
in Mississippi’s closed society.
They challenged the Jim Crow
Mississippi Democratic Party by
later establishing the Mississippi
Freedom Democratic Party to challenge the segregationist regular
Democrats in Atlantic City, N.J. in
1964. They held mock votes and
ran candidates to demonstrate
their desire for a fair voice in the
electoral process. Some lost their
lives and suffered brutal harassment and jailings over the next
several years, including Medgar
Evers and three young civil rights
workers – James Chaney, Andrew
Goodman and Michael Schwerner.
Although the sacrifices of the civil
rights movement are still fresh
wounds for all of us who lived
through it, for another generation
of Americans, they already are becoming ancient history. It is important that we teach our children and
adults our history so that we do
not repeat it or take our rights for
granted by failing to exercise them.
Far too many Americans take
the right to vote so much for
granted they don’t even bother to
exercise it. Professor Jeffries
warned that the same old threats
are once again reorganizing under
different policies and new names
right now: “Those who were opposed to the empowerment of African Americans . . . never gave up
trying to rob African Americans
and people of color and poor
people of the franchise . . . It’s a
continuous line that has never
been disrupted, and today as we
move into the 21st century, we have
to locate and understand that the
efforts of voter suppression now are
an extension of that effort then.” He
also warned that today’s methods
are more subtle and precise:
“Before . . . the goal was to take
the vote away from all African
Americans. But if you understand
how electoral politics works, particularly at the federal level but even
at the local level, you understand
that you no longer need to take the
vote away from everybody . . . All
you have to do is take out a couple
thousand. That’s what voter suppression is about, and that’s what
we’re dealing with today, these efforts around voter identification,
these efforts around felony disenfranchisement . . . Just make it hard
enough for [a few or some people]
not to be able to go down on Election Day to vote, and you can carry
the day. And they propose this legislation in state after state after state
under the guise of democracy. It’s
the most undemocratic thing that
you could do. And this isn’t about
party affiliation. It’s Democrats one
day, it’s Republicans the next day,
but it’s all anti-democratic.”
California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Pennsylvania,
Texas, and Wisconsin have passed
laws making it more difficult to vote.
People of color, seniors, poor
people, and the disabled face new
barriers that we must take every step
Are some still fighting the Civil War In America?
are established and the child can’t
By Hardy L. Brown
Special to the NNPA from Black get established. Your child comes
out of college in their early twenVoice News
ties trying to get a job with benWith the way some governors efits but those jobs have been
and congressional people are re- outsourced to other countries. If
acting to the United States Su- Kaiser Foundation Health Plan had
preme Court ruling that The Af- made us drop my son, Hardy II
fordable Health Care Act is con- before he had gotten established,
stitutional indicates to me that we we would have gone to the poor
are still fighting the Civil War in house when he broke his leg and
this country. Those individuals was hospitalized for a month. He
call it “Obama Care” which I read had just graduated from
as code for race. This ruling came Wilberforce University and not
on the heels of an earlier decision employed when the accident hapby the same court to strike down pened near Cal State University,
parts of the State of Arizona’s San Bernardino. There is no way
passage of a very restrictive im- we could have covered the finanmigration law aimed at our Latino cial cost of his excellent care at
brothers and sisters in this coun- Kaiser in Fontana.
try.
Yet we have governors from the
It has become crystal clear that poorest states in the country saymost Americans have come to ing they will reject the coverage
grips with these two issues and for the people in their state. These
agree that the court was correct states have high populations of
in both decisions. We all know African Americans, Latinos and
that our health care delivery sys- people living below the poverty
tem is broken and must be cor- level and sadly do not vote in high
rected. Even those who still say numbers. I think these leaders need
that they want to repeal what the to consult with their providers of
president, congress, and the court health care in their state and queshas said is legal say the system is tion the wisdom of denying health
broken and needs repairing.
coverage to their citizens.
We all know people who need
Regardless, the Affordable
care and cannot afford it. We all Health Care Act passed by conknow families who have had to gress and signed by President
remove children from their health Barack Obama is the law of the land
plan because of age before they in America.
With the U. S. Supreme Court taking the thunder out of the State of
Arizona’s Immigration Law in essence saying that only the federal
government has the right to make
and enforce immigration laws, this
did not sit well with these same
people.
Now I will admit something
needs to be done about people
coming into the country illegally,
it has become a complicated problem. I know a young lady that had
to be deported back to Mexico and
it is a horrible thing to see that
happen. She was a good college
student and involved in community activities to assist children.
Then there are others that work in
agriculture on large farms to help
harvest the food we eat, while others get legal visas and when they
expire never go back home. No one
political party or group of people
have an answer that will satisfy
everyone but we must treat every
group with respect while we work
toward a solution. We cannot
deny our neighbors basic human
rights if they are in need. We can
not stop and ask people for legal
papers and identification just because we suspect they are here illegally.
Yes the more things change the
more they stay the same and the
decisions by the United States Supreme Court and the reactions by
some who vow to not abide by the
law, only highlights that. They
should ask themselves are they still
fighting the Civil War?
The significance of dividends
By Harry C. Alford
NNPA Columnist
On December 31, 2012 many previous tax decreases will end. One
of which is the Dividend Tax. My
good friend, David K. Owens, executive vice president of the great
Edison Electric Institute, wrote a
brilliant overview of this issue and
presented it to the National Black
Caucus of State Legislators. I,
hereby, share this noteworthy
document with you:
“As state legislators, strengthening your state’s economic and
social infrastructure are key priorities. In my line of work, the electric utility industry, we too are
committed to improving and bet-
tering the local communities we
serve. One very important way is
through our investments.
“For us to make community investments, we rely on our own investors. Lots of people own utility stocks, whether directly or
through mutual funds, pensions,
or other retirement vehicles. They
invest with us because we are a
safe investment for the long-term.
In fact, during the economic downturn our stocks stayed steady and
stable.
“But the current tax rates on dividend income and long-term capital gains, which now are capped at
15 percent, are set to expire on December 31 and will skyrocket from
15 percent to as high as 43.4 per-
cent. That is less money for you and
more money for the federal government.
“Dividend-paying companies like
utilities are concerned that a tax hike
on dividends would depress their
stock prices, making it more difficult and costly for them to raise the
capital needed to stimulate corporate investment in major infrastructure and other investment projects,
which create jobs to help spur local
economies.
“For electric utilities, keeping tax
rates on dividends low is particularly important. Since the dividend
tax rate reduction took effect, electric utility capital expenditures in
Opinion
8
African Scene
Pan African delegation petitions the
ICC for war crimes against humanity
By Amadi Ajamu
Monitoring of patients helps in detecting drug resistance
Drug-resistant HIV in
sub-Saharan Africa rises
Drug-resistant HIV has been
increasing in parts of sub-Saharan
Africa over the last decade, according to experts writing in the
Lancet.
Studies on 26,000 untreated
HIV-positive people in developing countries were reviewed by
the team.
They said resistance could
build up if people fail to stick to
drug regimes, and because monitoring could be poor.
A UK HIV organization said resistance was a serious problem in
Africa where alternative treatments were lacking.
The researchers, from the
World Health Organization
(WHO) and University College
London (UCL) found the most
rapid increase in drug resistance
occurred in East Africa, at 29% per
year. In Southern Africa, it was
14% per year.
There was no change in resistance over time in Latin America
and in West and Central Africa.
Writing in the Lancet, authors
Dr Silvia Bertagnolio from the
WHO and Dr Ravindra Gupta at
UCL said: “Without continued
and increased national and international efforts, rising HIV drug
resistance could jeopardize a decade-long trend of decreasing
HIV/Aids-related illness and death
in low- and middle-income countries.”
We need further research into
the causes of this drug resistance
in Africa, said Deborah Jack, National Aids Trust
Dr Gupta told the BBC: “Drug
resistance is a consequence of
people not taking their medication
The Pan African Solidarity
Hague Committee (PASHC), led
by the December 12th Movement
International Secretariat and the
International
Association
Against Torture, delivered a petition to the chief prosecutor of the
International Criminal Court
(ICC), in The Hague, Netherlands
on June 18. The petition demands
that they prosecute the US, Britain, France, Italy, Canada and
NATO for war crimes and crimes
against humanity.
The PASHC legal team included
Roger Wareham, Esq. (US), David
Commissiong, Esq. (Barbados),
Troy Griffith, Esq. (US), Alfred
Toussaint, Esq. (Haiti), Sylvestre
Kouadio, Esq. (Cote Ivoire) and
Minister Akbar Muhammad (NOI
/ US).
According to human rights attorney Roger Wareham, “The
crimes we are charging them with
were committed during: the NATO
invasion of Libya and the overthrow and assassination of
Libya’s Col. Muammar Gaddafi;
the US-led overthrow of Haiti’s
duly elected President Jean
Bertrand Aristide in 2004; the
French military intervention that
resulted in the capture and arrest
of President Laurent Gbagbo of
the Ivory Coast; the institutional
racism the US inflicts upon its
Black population, particularly reflected in racial profiling, stop &
frisk, and incarceration rates; and
the sanctions campaign designed
to punish President Robert
Mugabe for returning the land
stolen by white settlers to the indigenous people of Zimbabwe.”
Roger Wareham
The ICC itself has come under Payne Movement said, “During the
scrutiny for prosecuting cases course of last year, 2011, the people
solely on Africans; 26 inductees of the world watched in horror and
total — and turning a blind eye to disbelief as the political and military
crimes perpetrated by western na- leaders of the major Western powtions. The committee maintains that ers: USA, Britain, France, Italy and
the ICC acts as another weapon in Canada – directed the might of their
the western countries’ campaign powerful military arsenals against
to recolonize Africa and African the people and political leaders of
people.
two African countries – Libya and
The PASHC delegation later held Cote d’Ivoire, and in particular
a forum on “The ICC and the Task against Brother Leader Muammar
of Ending NATO’s Immunity for Gathafi and President Laurent
War Crimes,” at Erasmus Univer- Gbagbo.”
sity in the Hague. It looked at the
The Pan African Solidarity Hague
institutional racist bias of the ICC Committee will make a Report Back
– in its 10 years of existence the to the Community and discuss work
only cases being prosecuted are the to be done on this campaign.
against Africans - and how partici- The report will take place on Friday,
pants can push forward the cam- July 13, 2012 at 7:00 PM at the Harlem
paign to prosecute the NATO State Office Bldg, Conference Room
countries for their international 8B, 163 West 125th Street (at Adam
crimes. Attorney David Comissi- Clayton Powell Jr. Blvd) Harlem
ong, president of the Clement NYC.
Madagascar’s mutiny leader Koto Mainty ‘killed’
The chief army mutineer in
Madagascar has been killed in a
battle with loyalist troops, the
military has said.
A barracks was recaptured
from dissident soldiers. The
motives for their mutiny were
unclear, an army spokesman told
the BBC.
Flights to and from the airport
in the capital, Antananarivo,
were suspended while the gun
battles raged.
Madagascar has been unstable since President Andry
Rajoelina captured power in
2009 with military backing.
His rival, Marc
Ravalomanana, is exiled in
South Africa.
This is the second failed army
mutiny on the Indian Ocean island in two years.
The defense minister’s chiefof-staff, General Raphael
Ramasy, said the mutiny was led
by Corporal Koto Mainty, who
was shot dead after loyalist
forces stormed the barracks near
the airport in Antananarivo,
Reuters news agency reports.
“The situation is under control; the other mutineers gave
themselves up or were arrested,”
he said.
Two other people were also
killed in the gun battle - including an officer who had earlier
tried to mediate an end to the
mutiny, army spokesman Colonel
Philibert Ratovonirina told the
BBC French service.
He said the mutineers demands were unclear.
“We don’t know precisely
what the mutineers wanted. It
seems there was a statement
broadcast on Free FM radio saying that there was no government left, that it had been dissolved and it was no longer in
charge of running the country,”
Col Ratovonirina said.
“But we don’t know if that
statement was really made by the
mutineers. If it did come from the
mutineers, it would appear this
might be a coup attempt.”
Witnesses reported sporadic
bursts of gunfire for about four
Koto Mainty
hours on Sunday, and dozens of
locals gathered near the base to
see what was happening.
President Andry Rajoelina, a
former DJ, is going to the
Seychelles for talks with his rival
Police and soldiers surrounded
the area and evacuated some
buildings as they quelled the mutiny.
The army plays a major role in
Madagascar’s society, frequently
meddling in politics.
It backed Mr Rajoelina’s 2009
seizure of power from Mr
Ravalomanana.
The two leaders are due to meet
in the Seychelles on Wednesday
in the latest effort to end the conflict in Madagascar.
“The mutiny could have an impact on the meeting,” retired general Desire Philippe Ramakavelo is
quoted by Reuters as saying.
“It is taking place amid turmoil.”
In 2002, the army had also
helped Mr Ravalomanana to seize
power in similar fashion when he
led street protests against the previous Marxist administration.
Bishop Samuel L. Green
AME Church sets
the record straight
Special to the NNPA from the tion called The Coalition of African
L.A. Watts Times
American Pastors.
According to Bishop Samuel L.
The African Methodist Episco- Green, Sr., president of the AME
pal Church seeks to set the record Church Council of Bishops, “As a
straight on a statement that is denomination, we do not endorse
misinformation at best and a lie at candidates for any political office.
worst. A July 1, 2012 story posted As such, we cannot ‘withdraw’ supon the “Charisma News” website port from President Obama because
and Facebook page reported that we cannot endorse any candidate
the AME Church was threaten- for political office and did not ening to withdraw support from dorse the President. No organizaPresident Barack Obama because tion has been authorized to speak
of his stance on same sex mar- for the AME Church.” Bishop
riage and that the AME Church
was partnering with an organiza-
Four U.S. hospitals were
recognized for their leadership
and innovation in quality improvement and safety. The
2012 American Hospital Association-McKesson Quest for
Quality Prize was awarded to
University Hospitals Case
Medical Center in Cleveland,
which will receive $75,000.
Medical Center, which serves
patients and communities in
the Greater Cleveland area,
was selected by a multi-disciplinary committee of health
care quality and patient safety
experts based on its culture of
quality and efforts to achieve
the Institute of Medicine’s
(IOM) six quality aims for safe,
effective, efficient, timely, patient-centered, and equitable
health care.
Lincoln Medical and Mental Health Center in the Bronx,
N.Y. and University of North
Carolina Hospitals in Chapel
Hill, N.C. were honored as finalists and will each receive
$12,500. Meriter Hospital in
Madison, Wis. received a Citation of Merit.
The American Hospital Association-McKesson Quest
for Quality Prize is presented
annually to honor leadership
and innovation in quality improvement and safety. The
prize is supported by a grant
from the McKesson Corporation.
Criteria for the 2012 award
include the demonstration of
an organizational commitment
to and progress in achieving
the IOM’s six quality aims.
The award honors hospitals
that are making progress in
quality improvement and offer
models that can be replicated
by others in the hospital field
“Providing safe, patientcentered care that is effective,
efficient, equitable and timely
is of the upmost importance
for hospitals,” said Rich
Umbdenstock, AHA’s President and CEO. “Improving patient care is the nation’s hospitals’ highest priority.”
“McKesson applauds this
year’s winners for their exemplary performance in delivering
on the Institute of Medicine’s
six quality aims,” said John
Hammergren, chairman and
CEO, McKesson Corporation.
“These institutions demonstrate what can be accomplished through strong organizational leadership and a system-wide commitment to quality and patient safety. We are
honored to support this award
for the eleventh consecutive
year and hope the results
achieved by this year’s honorees will pave the way for continued advancements throughout the health care field.”
Prize Winner: University Hospitals Case Medical Center –
Cleveland
Medical Center is honored for
its culture of safety and quality improvement and its strong
emphasis on transparency and
patient and family-centered
care. Everyone at the hospital
is actively engaged in initiatives to increase effectiveness
and efficiency. The hospital’s
board’s direct involvement with
quality oversight provides the
foundation for an environment
of rapid improvement.
Finalist: Lincoln Medical and
Mental Health Center – Bronx,
N.Y.
Lincoln Medical and Mental
Health Center is recognized for
its innovations and achievements in equity and effectiveness. The hospital addresses
community health needs
through outreach and establishing a “medical home.” Lincoln demonstrates dedication
to ensuring continuity and
communication across care settings, including a special program to speed up a closer look
at and follow up with patients who
have questionable diagnostic results. Effectiveness efforts at the
hospital include impressive protocols, interdisciplinary collaborations, extensive staff training
and a focus on innovative methods to improve safety and quality using cost effective methodologies.
Finalist: University of North
Carolina Hospitals – Chapel Hill,
N.C.
UNC Hospitals has made impressive efforts to transform culture through the Carolina Care and
Commitment to Caring programs
as well as focusing on core measures and evidence-based practices. UNC coordinates and improves care for its patients
through interdisciplinary leadership of Triads, cross-functional
teams consisting of physicians,
nurses and care managers.
Citation of Merit: Meriter Hospital – Madison, Wis.
Meriter Hospital is recognized
for its strong leadership collaboration and alignment among its
governance, medical staff and executive management.
In a statement Mayor Bloomberg
said “New York City’s public hospital system is one of the best in
the world and this national award
recognizing Lincoln Hospital as
best in the country represents yet
another example of the major advancements we’ve made in the
quality and safety of patient care.
Lincoln Hospital’s winning the
American Hospital Association’s
‘Quest for Quality’ prize – the second awarded to an HHC facility –
is a direct result of the investments we’ve made in our public
hospital system and demonstrates
HHC’s commitment to innovation
and remaining on the forefront of
quality care. Congratulations to
President Alan Aviles, Lincoln
Hospital Executive Director Iris
Jimenez-Hernandez and all of the
employees whose hard work and
vision make the agency a leading
model for the nation.”
SCLC chapter leaders sue to stop ‘rogue
officers from doing improper’ business
A civil action law suit has
been filed in the Superior Court
of Fulton County seeking to
bar the Southern Christian
Leadership Conference [SCLC]
from conducting any official
business at an annual meeting
on July 19, 2012.
Plaintiffs for this law suit include a mix of national SCLC
officers including Presidentfounder of SCLC Southwest
Georgia Chapter Elijah Tutt;
African Affairs Committee
C h a i r S C L C Wa s h i n g t o n
County Georgia Chapter Larry
Lewis; founder-president of
SCLC Clark/Athens County
Georgia Chapter Reverend
Keith Johnson; founder-president of SCLC Henry County
Georgia Chapter Trina Baynes;
president of SCLC Washington, DC Chapter Keith Silver;
president of SCLC Tallahassee
(FL) Chapter Reverend Joseph
Wr i g h t ; p r e s i d e n t o f S C L C
Michigan State Unit Michael
Grace; and vice president of
SCLC Michigan State Unit Barry
Gray.
“This law suit by SCLC chapter leaders and members is to
simply stop rogue national officers from habitually and persistently violating Georgia law and
for them to abide by regulations
spelled out in Georgia statutes
and in the SCLC Constitution
and By-Laws.,” said Trina
Baynes.
The law suit points out that
the annual meeting of the SCLC
was unlawfully changed from
August, 2012 in Atlanta, GA to
July 19 in Sanford, FL.
The suit alleges that Georgia
law was broken by the change
in dates being made without
proper notice. It also claims that
any change in the convention
date from August 2012 is not al-
Trina Baynes
lowed by the SCLC Constitution and By-Laws. Furthermore,
the law suit alleges that some
of the people who acted as
board members during the commission of these unlawful SCLC
acts were not in fact board
member because their terms
have expired.
The law suit also alleges that
in March 2012 Isaac Newton
Farris, Jr. was unlawfully dismissed as the president and
CEO of SCLC.
Mr. Farris was properly
elected to this position at the
August 15, 2011 National SCLC
meeting. The suit claims that
Mr. Farris’ removal was done in
violation of Georgia law and
SCLC rules. The meeting at
which Mr. Farris was removed
was an impromptu telephone
conference call, where again all
SCLC board members were not
give proper notice.
Plaintiffs in this civil suit seek
a judicial injunction on the ability
of the SCLC to conduct any official business at the scheduled
July 19, 2012 SCLC meeting and a
declaratory order recognizing
Isaac Newton Farris Jr. as the
rightful President and CEO of
SCLC.
“We want to see the SCLC alive
and well. Given the current temperature in this nation regarding
civil and human rights, there is
huge roll for the SCLC to play.
However, all organization must
follow the law.
The “loosey-goosey” way that
the SCLC has been handling its
business has been destructive to
the organization. Laws and rules
exist for proper checks and balances that ultimately help an organization,” said Dr. Rod Edmond,
managing partner of Edmond &
Lindsay, attorneys for the SCLC
chapter members.
9
Bronx Lincoln Hospital named among
four high quality hospitals in the U.S.
10
AUDREY'S Ford’s second annual environmental trends featured at
SOCIETY Go Further with Ford 2012 global automotive forum
WHIRL
By Audrey J. Bernard
Lifestyles & Society Editor
DEARBORN, MI – Go Further
with Ford 2012 second annual
trends forum from June 26-28,
2012 at Ford’s headquarters in
Dearborn, Michigan featured
some of the world’s leading thinkers who explored global trends
and issues beyond the automotive industry.
The event attracted technocrats who descended on the Ford
compound to listen to pearls of
wisdom from expert futurists and
key trend spotters as well as Ford
designers, engineers and scientists to explore what’s influencing consumers’ choices.
From the changing landscape
of urbanization to the psychology
behind the latest environmental
trends, the three-day seminar —
Go Further with Ford 2012 –
took attendees behind the scenes
for in-depth discussions, interviews and an exclusive look at
Ford’s innovative solutions for
the future.
Upon arrival at the Detroit Metropolitan Airport on Tuesday,
June 26, guests were transported
to The Hyatt Regency Dearborn
where we were met by Ford communications ace organizer Tony
McCloud and Ford consumer media communications manager
Marisa Bradley who warmly welcomed participants who travelled
nationwide for the Go Further
with Ford 2012 activities.
After quick changes into
dressy casual attire special coach
buses transported us to the
ginormous Ford Field, home of the
Detroit Lions, where we enjoyed
cocktails and dinner and then
were bowled over by the charming greetings from executive
chairman of Ford Motor Company, William “Bill” Clay Ford Jr.,
and David Kirkpatrick, founder
and CEO of Techonomy Media.
Kirkpatrick is a best-selling author, a journalist and an expert on
the ever-increasing impact of
technology on or daily lives.
Participants were thrilled with
Bill Ford’s keynote dialogue that
received a standing ovation. His
presidential one-liner summed up
his speech to perfection. “Every
company exists to make your life
better.” Is it any small wonder
why he’s the driving force at
Ford?
As a leader, an environmentalist and a concerned corporate citizen, the great-grandson of the
man who first mass-produced the
automobile explained how techno
Executive chairman of Ford Motor Company William Clay Ford Jr. in front of a Ford
HD Radio and Pandora.
than ever. With this urban boom,
On Thursday, June 28, we were there’s never been a more pressing
transported to Ford’s Dearborn need to rethink the rise of urban cenDevelopment Center for Break- ters and communities. From health
fast by Nuance followed by issues and quality of living, to the
Trends at the Track. This is need for transportation, discuss and
where the meat met the potatoes experience how the rapid growth of
as guests got to drive eco- mega cities is driving the future of
friendly cars: 2012 Focus Elec- mobility, technology and consumer
tric, 2013 Escape, 2013 Mus- consumption.
tang, 2013 Police Interceptor
and 2012 F-150 SVT Raptor that Streamline & Simplify
featured an exciting ride on the Technology - If there’s one catwild side. Simply exhilarating!
egory in which consumers are willAudrey J. Bernard, Pat Stevenson at Go Further with Ford
Our last lunch together was ing to commit, it’s tech. Worldwide,
hip his company is and how Go Club, member of the board of di- sad as we had to say goodbye. high-tech devices and services are
Further with Ford 2012 will deal rectors of eBay and chairman of But we all left with a Ford experi- fast becoming as integral to people
with global trends and issues fac- the New Michigan Initiative of ence that we will continue to get as food and clothing. The latest
ing consumers now and into the Business Leaders.
mileage from long after our en- technology is much more than just
future.
Summary
gines shut down proving that a luxury, from the advancements in
As executive chairman of Ford
On Wednesday, June 27, we things do go better with Ford. As voice recognition, DIY health soluMotor Company, Ford is leading were transported to the Ford Con- Martin Sheen would say, “win- tions and affordable touchscreens.
the company that put the world ference & Event Center where af- ning.” Here are some of the key But when does all of this tech, beon wheels into the 21st century. ter breakfast we participated in a elements of important informa- come too much? This session will
A lifelong environmentalist, he is round robin type seminar consist- tion we learned to bring back explore the rapid growth and expeccommitted to developing prod- ing of 4 trend sessions. We were home and share with our read- tations of consumer technologies,
ucts that please customers and joined by expert futurists and key ers. (Photos courtesy Ford)
as developers and brands battle inbenefit society.
trend spotters as well as Ford deformation overload and consumer
Under his leadership, in 2000 signers, engineers and scientists Eco-psychology
sentiment to actually ‘de-tech’ their
Ford Motor Company published to explore what’s influencing con- People are becoming increasingly lifestyles.
its first corporate citizenship re- sumers’ choices.
conscious of the impact of their
port outlining the economic, enviFrom the changing landscape of everyday consumption on the Age of Accessible Design
ronmental and social impact of urbanization to the psychology environment. Owning or using Consumers today are what some
company products and operations behind the latest environmental fewer goods/resources or could call “design aficionados”.
around the world. In 2004 the com- trends, Go Further with Ford 2012 divvying up consumption with From Fashion and electronics, to
pany completed the world’s larg- afforded us behind the scenes others is seen as helping the housewares and automobiles, conest brownfield reclamation looks and in-depth discussions, planet. In this session, Eco- sumers have come to expect prodproject, the restoration of its Ford interviews and an exclusive look cycology will explore the psy- ucts that not only deliver the funcRouge facility.
at Ford’s innovative solutions for chology (and solutions) behind tionality and quality but also the
Ford also championed the Ford the future.
the next ‘green’ movement and style, personalization and in most
Escape Hybrid, the world’s first
Guest speakers included Adrian how consumer preferences and cases, a designer label without the
hybrid-electric SUV. Ford’s chari- Grenier, Peter Glatzer, Liz Heller, choices will shape what it really “designer” price tag. The consumer’s
table, volunteer and business ef- Tim Sexton, Cher Fischer, Adam means to be eco-friendly.
eye for design and aesthetics has
forts are highlighted by his com- Kalkin, Ari Goldberg, Gretchen
transformed product expectations
mitment to the city of Detroit. As Gscheidle, Christian Siriano, Carol Urbanization
and in this session you will hear
vice chairman of the Detroit Lions, Coletta, Gretchen Effgen, John We are part of the fastest urban from designers, product developers
Ford led efforts to build a new, Hendricks and Gary Clayton.
boom in history. Consumers are and architects to discuss the age of
environmentally friendly stadium
After a fabulous dining experi- being drawn to new opportuni- democratization of design, explorin Detroit that was the site of Su- ence we attended a concert with ties in urban centers and are de- ing the new trends and philosoper Bowl XL. Ford is chairman of Ford SYNC, powered by Microsoft, manding innovation tailored to phies that will shape consumer
the board of the Detroit Economic and brought to us by Gracenote, their unique circumstances more goods in the future. #GoFurther
11
Fashion, Beauty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . .& Stuff
By Audrey Adams
I’m guilty!
Audrey Adams
I’m guilty! I have done the unforgivable, but I really didn’t
mean to do it. It all started so
innocently.
I was looking for a shirt of
mine and when I couldn’t find it,
I decided to look in my
daughter’s room. So, you see,
one thing just led to another. My
daughter and are about the same
size, and she will borrow things
of mine quite frequently. At age
sixteen, she was already “borrowing” belts that no longer fit
around my mature waistline.
Quite frankly, I have a habit of
holding onto things that I like,
even though I have outgrown
them. So I have a wardrobe of
what I consider really chic (translation, paid too much to give or
throw away and developed an
emotional attachment to as well)
clothing and accessories, that no
longer fit me!
For instance, I had (my daughter has now claimed them), an
Yves St. Laurent gold chain belt and
leopard print silk chiffon scarf, a
couple of safari looks (early Donna
Karan), wrap dresses (vintage
Dianne Von Furstenberg), a few silk
matte jersey dress, and can you
believe it . . . an Emillio Pucci dress!
I could go on and on, unfortunately
. . . but I won’t bore you.
Suffice it to say that I have managed to preserve those things over
twenty plus years because I
couldn’t bear to part with them. I
can rationalize it though, by thinking about all the money I saved. If
you have a daughter you know how
much they can spend trying to look
fashionable.
Back to my transgression . . . I didn’t
find the shirt amongst the stacks of
clothes that I laundered and folded
neatly and placed in my daughter’s
room to be put away. The only other
thought I had was that perhaps it
was hanging in her closet. Yes, I
went through her closet . . . but only
to look for the shirt. And guess what
I found? My black and white twinset, my jersey pants, two of my favorite skirts and on the shelf, my
handbags!
There I was feeling really guilty,
but she had, unbeknownst to me,
raided my closet too! Now I’m possessive (yeah right), but she had
hit the Mother Lode so to speak and
was wearing my current stuff. She
was not playing fair.
So like any self-respecting
woman with a roommate who
borrows things without asking—I took them back. As I was
leaving her room, with my stuff,
guess who catches me in the
act? “Mom!” she says, “what are
you doing in my closet?”
Startled, I jumped, and turned
around to face my accuser . . .
and she was wearing the shirt I
was looking for in the first place!
Nuff said. Think about it. See
you next week.
Visit my website,
TheAdamsReport.com and
checkout my online radio and TV
show, Talk! with Audrey for a
series of interviews that will inform, motivate and inspire you.
Audrey Adams, former director of corporate public relations for ESSENCE continues
to motivate and inspire women
through her syndicated columns and motivational speaking engagements. E-mail your
fashion, beauty and lifestyle
questions or comments to me at:
[email protected].
Connect with me on TWITTER
@adamsreport
and
on
FACEBOOK:
www. f a c e b o o k . c o m /
AudreyAdamsMedia.
THE ADAMS REPORT©
Vice President Biden
Mrs. Biden
Vice President Biden, wife
to address AFT convention
Vice President Joe Biden will
address the American Federation
of Teachers at its 2012 convention in Detroit on Sunday, July
29, at 3:30 p.m.
The Vice President will be
joined by his wife, Dr. Jill Biden,
who is a community college
teacher, as he addresses more
than 3,000 education, healthcare
and public employee professionals from across the country at the
Cobo Center.
“Both Vice President Biden and
Dr. Biden understand that building strong public schools and investing in the public services
upon which our communities depend are essential to expanding
the middle class and increasing
economic opportunity for all
Americans,” said AFT President
Randi Weingarten.
“The Vice President is a champion for working people, our
schools and our communities,
and his wife is a lifelong educator who knows firsthand many of
the challenges facing our schools.
We are thrilled to have them join
our convention, and AFT members
are proud to stand with Vice President Biden and President Obama
to win a better future for all.”
Vice President Biden joins other
speakers at the AFT convention,
including Weingarten, best-selling
author and education historian at
New York University Diane
Ravitch, New York Times columnist Charles Blow, United Auto
Workers President Bob King, Detroit Branch NAACP President Rev.
Wendell Anthony, and activists
Betty Dukes and Sandra Fluke.
These and additional speakers will
address the more than 3,000 delegates who will debate and vote
on major AFT policies. AFT members will also engage in school supply drives, urban farming and other
community service activities all
over Detroit.
To request convention media
credentials, please contact Carolyn
Fiddler at [email protected].
Toyota, Cincinnati Children’s group team up to save Black kids
Responding to the disproportionate risks that African
American children face in motor vehicle-related crashes,
Cincinnati Children’s Hospital
Medical Center and Toyota are
doubling the reach of their
groundbreaking safety education program Buckle Up for
Life.
Buckle Up for Life is the
only national program of its
kind.
Research analyzed by Cincinnati Children’s – a national
leader in pediatric and adolescent medicine – shows that African American children are
more likely than most other
children to die in motor vehicle
crashes. Studies also show
that, due to multiple factors,
African American children are
significantly less likely than
non-African American children
to be buckled up in seat belts
or car seats.
Studies show:— Motor vehicle crashes are the leading
cause of injury-related death
for African American children
through age 14.i
— In crashes involving fatalities in children under 14, seat
belt use is lower among African Americans than among all
other race or ethnic groups.ii
—- 52% of African American
children in fatal crashes were
unrestrained. iii
—-Three out of every 4 car
seats are not used or installed
correctly (across race and eth-
nic groups)iv.
——The number of children
buckled up nearly tripled among
families who participated in one
of Buckle Up for Life’s pilot
cities.v
The new locations for Buckle
Up for Life include Houston, Las
Vegas, Philadelphia and Orange
County, CA. They join programs
already in place with local hospital partners in Chicago, Cincinnati, Los Angeles and San Antonio.
The program’s expansion to
Las Vegas is being conducted in
conjunction with Children’s
Hospital of Nevada at UMC and
in Houston with Texas Children’s
Hospital. Hospital partners in
Philadelphia and Orange County
will be announced soon.
“Years ago, a mother who was
involved in a car crash in which
her child died said something to
me that to this day haunts me but
also inspires me, ‘If I only
knew,’” said Dr. Victor Garcia,
founding director of Trauma Services at Cincinnati Children’s,
professor of pediatric surgery
and a co-founder of Buckle Up
for Life. “The number of African
American children dying unnecessarily in motor vehicle-related
crashes is alarming, something I
see firsthand in my work as a
trauma surgeon. This is a public
health emergency that can be
avoided and needs to be addressed. We know that safety
education and access to car
seats can make a major difference, and working with
Toyota, we are glad to have the
opportunity to help.” Buckle
Up for Life .–
“At Toyota, we are strongly
committed to the belief that
everyone deserves to be safe,”
said Patricia Salas Pineda,
group vice president of National Philanthropy and the
Toyota USA Foundation at
Toyota Motor North America.
“Through our educational outreach, Collaborative Safety
Research Center and numerous partnerships with leading
hospitals, nonprofits and research universities nationwide, Toyota is engaged extensively in programs that
help ensure that drivers and
passengers are safe at every
stage of life. Buckle
Up for Life is a vital commitment for Toyota, and we are
proud to be working with the
visionary medical staff at Cincinnati Children’s and with local hospital partners across
the country to expand its
reach.”
Toyota’s support for Buckle
Up for Life is part of the
company’s ongoing commitment to help make local communities safer and stronger.
The company has contributed
more than half-a-billion dollars
to nonprofits throughout the
U.S. over the past 20 years.
Buckle Up for Life is a na-
tional, community-based injury
prevention initiative. Working
with local hospitals and
churches, Buckle Up for Life
addresses the economic, cultural and, where appropriate,
language barriers to motor vehicle safety, especially in the
African American and Hispanic
communities.
Over a six-week period, the
program’s medical experts and
trained specialists work closely
with participants of all ages to
deliver vital safety information
in an engaging, culturally sensitive and memorable way.
Participants are eligible to receive free car seats, and they are
matched with certified child passenger safety technicians to help
install these car seats and ensure
that children are properly restrained.
Buckle Up for Life, which began in 2004, was developed
jointly by trauma specialists at
Cincinnati Children’s and vehicle
safety experts at Toyota. National expansion of the program
has been sponsored by Toyota.
Additional information is available at:
www.buckleupforlife.org.
Federal Gov returning
to World Trade Center
The U.S. General Services Administration announced that it has
signed a lease with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and the Durst Organization to
occupy approximately 270,000
rentable square feet of space on
six floors at One World Trade Center.
“This reaffirms the federal
government’s commitment to the
redevelopment of the World Trade
Center site and to this project that
demonstrates the undaunted resilience of the American people.
There will once again be a federal
presence in the World Trade Center, as there was from its begin-
ning,” said GSA Acting Administrator Dan Tangherlini.
“We worked closely with the Port
Authority and the Durst Organization to negotiate a lease that will
result in the best value for taxpayers, the federal government and the
City of New York.”
Not only is the return of the federal presence to the World Trade
Center site significant, but with this
agreement, One World Trade Center will be more than 55 percent
leased. Under the terms of the agreement, GSA will occupy floors 50
through 55 of the building for an
initial term of 20 years starting in
2015.
THE ADAMS REPORT
12
Beacon On The Scene
Mayor Bloomberg kicks off 38th Harlem Week Festival
with gala reception & lawn party at Gracie Mansion
Harlem’s global presence and
international legacy.
Activities will include The
Great Day In Harlem “Sunday
Classics” on July 29 th in honor
of the late great radio legend
Hal Jackson, The Economic
Development Day, Sr. Citizens
D a y, T h e P e r c y E . S u t t o n
Harlem 5k Run & NYC Family
Walk-A-Thon For Peace in Our
Communities and special salutes on Saturday, August 18
celebrating and the 50 th anniversary of Jamaica’s independence with music from the legendary Bob Marley and an outdoor screening of the critically
acclaimed
documentary
“Marley.”
HARLEM DAY, Sunday, August 19 th salutes the 100 th anni-
versaries of South Africa’s African National Congress and
Japan’s Sakura Festival plus
much more.
About HARLEM WEEK
HARLEM WEEK, Inc. is a notfor-profit 501©(3) corporation
that fosters continued growth
and development of Harlem, one
of the world’s best-known neighborhoods.
HARLEM WEEK highlights
Harlem’s assets and unique flav o r. N o w i n i t s 3 8 t h y e a r,
HARLEM WEEK continues to
promote Harlem’s rich African
American, Hispanic, Caribbean
and European history, culture,
arts, religion, entertainment and
sports.
Tina McRae (2nd right), is joined by Tim Zagat (Left), Mayor Bloomberg (2nd left) and NYS Assemblyman
Keith Wright (right) in accepting Sylvia’s Restaurant’s 50th Anniversary honors on behalf of the Woods
Family
(Photos: Images of Us!)
On Thursday, July 19, bers of the Tony award winning Queen” Sylvia Woods who
2 0 1 2 , M a y o r M i c h a e l R . play “Porgy & Bess.”
passed away that afternoon.
Bloomberg kicked off the 38 th
HARLEM WEEK also hon- Members of the Woods family
a n n i v e r s a r y o f H A R L E M ored Carib News on its 30 th An- were scheduled to attend the
WEEK with an official Gala n i v e r s a r y a n d J a c k i e R o w e ceremony, which saluted the
Reception at Gracie Mansion, Adams was honored of her tire- 50 th Anniversary of Sylvia’s
with a crowd of 2,000 invited less community activism and Restaurant.
guests. The afternoon affair commitment to antiviolence.
Themed “Harlem: Where
included an excerpt perforThere was also a moment of si- the World Meets the World,”
mance by the male cast mem- l e n c e h o n o r i n g “ S o u l F o o d this year’s events will celebrate
Honoree Jackie Rowe-Adams (Center) is presented an award by City
Council member Inez Dickens (left) and Manhattan District Attorney
Cyrus Vance, Jr. (right)
Lloyd Williams (at podium) accepts HARLEM WEEK Proclamation,
held by Stephanie Francis, as Mayor Bloomberg, Tim Zagat and NYS
Assemblyman Keith Wright looks on.
Coca Cola’s S. Madison Bedard; scholarship recipient Denera McCullough; Heineken USA Peter
Nawabi; and Board member Dr. John Palmer accepts grant on behalf of the Greater Harlem Chamber of Male cast members from the Tony Award winning musical “Porgy &
Bess” thrilled invited guests by performing “Long Pull”
Commerce
13
KICKIN’ IT with Lifestyles & Society Editor Audrey J. Bernard
14
Unlimited Contacts host
blistering Black & White jam
Unlimited Contacts' hosts
Dedra N. Tate & Bob Tate
Only the utmost partygoers attend Unlimited Contacts’ monthly birthday bashes at the dramatically beautiful Tian at The River Bank located
in Riverbank State Park, 145th Street and Riverside Drive with picturesque views of the George Washington Bridge and the Hudson River.
Recently, the premier party givers produced a return to fabulousness Black & White party hosted by Unlimited Contacts’ dynamic father and
daughter team Dedra N. Tate and Bob Tate with sister Jeanine Tate and mom Sandy Tate serving as greeters on Saturday, July 14, 2012 from 9pm
to 2am with hot dance music by DJ Jess. Early attendees enjoyed delicious treats from the five-star Asian/Latin fusion kitchen and complimentary drinks provided by Medea Vodka. The next meeting of the party people will be at the Leo Birthday celebration on Thursday, July 26, 2012,
6pm to 11 pm, with music by DJ Frank Nitty and a special performance by Brianna Colette. Admission is free – but having a funtastic time is
mandatory! Limited valet parking and free underground parking is available. For additional information contact unlimited [email protected].
(Photos courtesy Dedra N. Tate for Unlimited Contacts)
Sylvia Woods, who started Harlem soul food restaurant has passed
‘a whole lot of love’ and generations of family and friends have
come together at what became a
New York institution.”
Woods had been scheduled to
get an award in honor of her restaurant Thursday evening, presented by Bloomberg as part of
the annual Harlem Week reception at Gracie Mansion, the mayoral residence.
A family friend accepted on the
family’s behalf.
From its start as a restaurant,
Sylvia’s has grown to include multiple cookbooks and a nationwide
line of food products.
Woods-Black said the restaurant, marking its 50th anniversary
in August, is more than just a place
to eat, that it’s a place where her
grandmother could express her
hospitality, a tradition that following generations have maintained.
“If you come alone, you’re never
going to dine alone,” she said.
Woods-Black said her grandmother had officially stepped
down from running the restaurant
when she was 80, leaving it in the
hands of her children and grandchildren.
City Comptroller John C. Liu
stated: “Sylvia Woods will be
greatly missed, but her spirit will
live on in the countless people
whose lives she enriched. No matter where you hailed from, Sylvia’s
kindness, generosity, and wonderful food always made going to
ties,” we also value leisure, which
results in the demand for skis, tennis racquets, fishing rods, e-book
readers, tablets, game consoles,
and things yet to be dreamed up.
I don’t wish to understate the
hardship that change can produce.
But government policies designed
to tamp down change are a blueprint for poverty for the poorest
among us. The wealthy have their
riches already. It is those who have
yet to make it who stand to lose
the most from economic stagnation.
Fortunately, the hardship that is
a byproduct of social dynamism
can be ameliorated by the very freedom which produces that dynamism.
Because our desire for goods
and services is unlimited, there is
always new work to be done.
It is shameful for Americans —
fabulously wealthy by world and
historical standards — to begrudge
poorer people their chance to pros-
per. Progressives and conservatives profess compassion and
charity — but they are the first to
object when the world’s worst-off
“take our jobs!”
The foregoing requires a caveat.
America does not have a free market; the economy is laden with intervention, much of it in the form
of privileges for big, established
companies at the expense of
would-be competitors.
Tax and regulatory interventions distort market forces and facilitate the migration of jobs and
other resources. Moreover, neofeudalism in developing countries
likely reduces workers’ options,
providing cheaper labor to
transnational corporations.
All of this underscores the imperative to free the market at home
and to set an example for others
abroad. Global cooperation beats
trade war every time.
Sheldon Richman is senior fellow at The Future of Freedom
her restaurant feel like coming
home. She was an icon who
helped make New York City great,
and an ambassador who helped
introduce the vibrancy of Harlem
to the world. I send my deep condolences to her family and friends,
and a heartfelt thanks to Sylvia
for having been a part of our lives
Herbert Woods, her husband
with whom she founded the restaurant, died in 2001.
Funeral services will be held on
Wednesday, July 25 at 11 a.m. at
the Grace Baptist Church in Mt.
Vernon. Rev. Al Sharpton will deliver the eulogy.
The wake was held on Tuesday the
Abyssinian Baptist Church in
Harlem.
The politics of power and
Obama, Romney rhetoric risks trade war the precious right to vote
(from Page 6)
labor formerly devoted to that
good can now be directed to
things we couldn’t afford yesterday. That’s how societies prosper.
Moreover, whenever a new
good comes to market, it plants
the seeds of new opportunities
for other people. Think of the
many firms launched to complement the personal-computer industry, with products ranging
from software to a multitude of
accessories. No one was making
mouse pads, laptop fans, and web
cams a few years ago, nor mobilephone cases, ring tones, and apps.
The same process that “destroys” jobs also creates them.
Our desire for goods and services
is open-ended, and so the opportunities for work — absent government impediments — are similarly unlimited. Even if we could
acquire all imaginable “necessi-
Cuomo signs legislation to help low income defendants meet bail
(from Page 2)
and then deal with the ramifications. I commend the bill’s visionary sponsors, Assembly member
Aubry and Senator Rivera.”
Senator Gustavo Rivera said, “I
want to thank Governor Cuomo
for working with Assembly Member Jeff Aubry and me to make
the justice system fairer for working class people by making it legal
for charitable organizations to post
bail for those who cannot afford to
do so themselves. “Both in the
Bronx and throughout New York,
working people plead guilty to misdemeanors, despite their innocence, because they can’t afford
bail and are trying to avoid the dev-
astating consequences that come
with jail time while awaiting trial
such as job loss, child custody
issues or eviction. The alternative
is just as bad or worse - an unwarranted conviction on their record.
This law takes an important step
toward leveling the playing field
for working people and creating a
more just bail system.”
NYC students continue to score
higher in state math, English exams
(from Page 2)
reflect the Common Core and require students to read more complex texts, develop written arguments and problem solve. In math,
the tests will focus on a narrower
range of topics to allow students
to master key foundational skills
in each grade.
New York City’s middle school
students made significant gains
this year in both math and English.
The increases in grades 7 and 8
English scores are particularly
striking, reversing a decline measured last year that prompted the
Department of Education to introduce the Middle School Quality
Initiative.
The program focuses efforts on
strengthening literacy instruction
in all middle school grades.
Though in its first year, 7th and 8th
grade student proficiency increased at a higher rate than other
grades: for 7th graders, from 36.5
to 43.3 percent; and for 8th graders from 35 to 39 percent.
Through the Middle School
Quality Initiative, middle school
leaders, teachers and networks
have received professional development on Common Core-aligned
literacy strategies as well as targeted funding for literacy-focused
training and instructional materials.
Over the next two years schools
with the support of their networks
will deepen and expand their literacy work to improve the reading
abilities of all of their students with
the goal of ensuring that many
more students enter high school
reading on grade level.
Since 2004, when Mayor
Bloomberg ended the practice of
social promotion – in which students moved to the next grade regardless of academic performance
– New York City has implemented
a standard promotion policy for
students in grades 3 through 8.
Until 2010, the decision to recommend a child for summer school
was made, in large part, on the basis of his or her state test results.
However, in the last two years,
the results are issued after summer school decisions are made and
so schools rely on preliminary results to determine which students
need to attend. On this basis,
32,868 students were recommended for summer school this
June.
Based on preliminary results,
32,868 students were recommended for summer school. Of
those 7,034 actually earned low
level 2 results.
While these students would not
have been recommended for summer school if the results were available earlier, they benefited from the
extra summer learning.
Starting the week of July 30,
families can view their child’s test
results within ARIS Parent Link at
arisparentlink.org. Families who
need their username and password
can visit an ARIS Parent Link access station at select libraries between August 6 and August 10.
Interpretation services will be provided at each location. Details are
available at schools.nyc.gov.
(from Page 7)
to overcome this year.
There has never been a safe
time in America to drop vigilance
about attempts to shut people out
of the vote the lifeblood of democracy. As Frederick Douglass made
clear, “Power concedes nothing
without a demand. It never did and
it never will.” He warned that we
can never take anything for
granted, especially Black citizens.
Although it may be wrapped up
in new euphemisms and better etiquette, he reminded that it’s the
same old snake. So this year, let’s
all be alert. Be active. Use your
power as one citizen and vote.
Don’t let anyone take it away from
you. Let’s mount an urgent and
systematic state-by-state fight
against the latest kinds of disenfranchisement and counter every
single effort at voter suppression
with redoubled commitments to
voter education, voter registration,
and voter turnout. Our democracy
and our children’s futures depend
on it.
Marian Wright Edelman is president of the Children’s Defense Fund
whose Leave No Child Behind®
mission is to ensure every child a
Healthy Start, a Head Start, a Fair
Start, a Safe Start and a Moral Start
in life and successful passage to
adulthood with the help of caring
families and communities. For more
information go to:
www.childrensdefense.org.
It’s time to reform SCLC – for good
(from Page 6)
must be seated that sets the vision for the organization, spearheads fundraising, and allows the
president and CEO to make that
vision a reality. A board must
spend its time shaping the larger
dialogues that affect our community. There must be a level of trust
that coexists between leadership,
community, and membership that
builds the organization up.
You cannot ignore your membership base and then blame them
because they demand inclusion
even if they have to resort to legal means to bring about change.
Instead people have to come and
reason together and formulate a
plan of action and then bring that
plan to fruition.
Unfortunately, before any of that
can truly happen there must be
healing and a commitment to nonviolence.
These are core principles of
Kingian nonviolence, a methodology that SCLC has worked to
spread across the world. Yet, before we can bring peace to the
Middle East, we must bring peace
to SCLC.
Dexter Wimbish is an attorney
and licensed minister, based in Atlanta, Ga. He served as the general
counsel of the Southern Christian
Leadership Conference from 20042010. He can be reached at
[email protected]
Astrology researcher likes
Obama’s chances in the fall
(from Page 4)
“Persians today still celebrate
this day as Nowruz, the New Year,”
she explained.
“So the theory has a respectable pedigree and seemed worthy
of examination,” she said.
In her study of U.S. elections
Gryphon applied specific traditional rules regarding the placement of planets within the zero
Aries horoscope wheel. Some
planetary influences were identified with the incumbent or the
incumbent’s political party and
others with the challenger.
“The planets of the winning
party were found to have a connection with other strongly placed
planets whereas the losing party’s
planets were either not doing anything or were being actively
harmed by other planets. This is
extremely basic astrology,” she
said.
Still, initially, the researcher was
only able to successfully predict
the outcome about 80 percent of
the time.
“It was clear I wasn’t seeing the
whole picture but over time the rules
pertaining to the remaining 20 percent of the horoscopes gradually
began to reveal themselves.
“Given a random horoscope from
my sample I’m now able to correctly
predict the outcome 90 to 95 percent of the time. Any lack of accuracy I attribute to operator error,”
she said.
Gryphon says the process correctly called President Obama’s
2008 victory and, more recently,
Francois Hollande’s win over
Nicolas Sarkozy in France. Additional tests of the concept are
needed, she believes.
(from Page 3)
15
16
FDA approves Truvada for safe sex against HIV
(from Page 3)
ogy, University of California, San
Francisco and lead investigator
of the iPrEx trial. “The use of PrEP
alongside routine HIV testing
gives us a tremendous opportunity to reduce the rate of new HIV
infections in this country and
around the world.”
Based on the iPrEx results, in
January 2011 the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC) issued interim guidance
on Truvada as PrEP among highrisk adult MSM. CDC is currently
developing formal U.S. Public
Health Service guidelines for the
use of PrEP among both men and
women, which will address procedures for HIV testing and
health screening prior to PrEP
initiation, as well as ongoing
monitoring for cases of HIV infection that may occur despite
PrEP use, possible drug resistance among those who become
infected, side effects and clinical
toxicities.
“The data clearly demonstrate
that Truvada as pre-exposure
prophylaxis is effective at reducing the risk of HIV infection acquired through sexual exposure,”
said Connie Celum, MD, MPH,
professor of Global Health and
Medicine at the University of
Washington and lead investigator of the Partners PrEP trial. “It
is exciting to consider the potential impact of this new HIV prevention tool, which could contribute to significantly reducing
new HIV infections as part of a
combination HIV prevention
strategy. Although the implementation of PrEP will bring challenges, they can be anticipated
and systems developed to address these challenges. In particular, systems to provide com-
prehensive education and support
to health care providers and people
who use PrEP will be required to
ensure appropriate and effective
use
of
this
potentially
groundbreaking new HIV prevention intervention.”
As part of the REMS developed
by Gilead and FDA to ensure safe
use of Truvada for PrEP, Gilead has
developed FDA-approved materials to educate and inform
healthcare
providers
and
uninfected individuals about
Truvada for PrEP. These materials
highlight the importance of strict
adherence to the dosing regimen,
emphasize that Truvada must be
considered as only one part of a
comprehensive prevention strategy to reduce the risk of HIV-1 infection and convey that Truvada
for PrEP should only be used in
individuals who are confirmed HIV
negative and HIV-1 screening
should be repeated at least every
three months while taking Truvada
for PrEP. Truvada for PrEP should
not be initiated when clinical signs
or symptoms consistent with acute
HIV-1 infection are present.
As a separate measure to support the safe use of Truvada for
PrEP, Gilead also will provide
vouchers for free HIV testing and
condoms, an opt-in service for
regular reminders about HIV testing and subsidized HIV resistance
testing for any individual who becomes HIV-positive while taking
Truvada for PrEP.
In all studies of Truvada for PrEP,
the most commonly reported side
effects included headache, stomach discomfort and weight loss.
The incidence and types of side
effects were consistent with
Truvada’s safety and tolerability
profile when used as an HIV treatment, which is supported by more
than four million years of patient
use. Overall, there have been nearly
nine million patient years of experience with tenofovir-containing
regimens.
Important Safety Information
about Truvada:
WARNINGS: Lactic acidosis
and severe hepatomegaly with steatosis, including fatal cases, have
been reported with the use of
nucleoside analogs, including
Viread, a component of Truvada,
in combination with other
antiretrovirals.
Truvada is not approved for the
treatment of chronic hepatitis B
virus (HBV) infection and the
safety and efficacy of Truvada
have not been established in patients coinfected with HBV and
HIV-1. Severe acute exacerbations
of hepatitis B have been reported
in patients who are coinfected with
HBV and HIV-1 and have discontinued Truvada. Hepatic function
should be monitored closely with
both clinical and laboratory followup for at least several months in
patients who are coinfected with
HIV-1 and HBV and discontinue
Truvada. If appropriate, initiation
of anti-hepatitis B therapy may be
warranted.
Truvada used for a PrEP indication must only be prescribed to
individuals confirmed to be HIVnegative immediately prior to initiating and periodically during use.
Drug-resistant HIV-1 variants have
been identified with use for
Truvada for a PrEP indication following undetected acute HIV-1 infection. Do not initiate Truvada for
a PrEP indication if signs and symptoms of acute HIV infection are
present unless a negative infection status is confirmed.
Do not use Truvada for pre-exposure prophylaxis in individuals
with unknown or positive HIV status. Truvada should be used in
The significance of dividends
(from Page 7)
states and local communities
have increased 84 percent—from
$43.0 billion in 2003 to $79.0 billion in 2011. That is money we
rely on to invest in new generation and modernize our distribution systems in neighborhoods
to bring electricity from the power
plant to homes and businesses.
“These investment dollars also
are creating clean energy facilities that range from large nuclear
plants to small renewable-energy
projects, as well as state-of-theart, coal-based generating units
and high-efficiency combinedcycle natural gas plants.
“Importantly, these investments also are building a skilled
workforce pipeline through the
Center for Energy Workforce Development. More than 200,000
jobs will likely become available
in the power sector over the next
five to ten years from attrition or
employees retiring. CEWD is the
first partnership between utilities,
their associations, contractors
and unions to create workable solutions to address the need for a
qualified, diverse workforce.
CEWD is teaming with secondary and post secondary educational institutions and the
workforce system to build the alliances, processes, and tools to
develop tomorrow’s energy
workforce.
“From an individual perspective,
a tax hike on dividends raises many
concerns for me as well. The typical utility investor is a senior citizen who relies on his or her dividend-paying stocks to supplement
their retirement income—especially
as today’s interest rates have fallen
to almost zero, reducing their income from other investments.
“In fact, taxpayers age 50 and
older file almost two-thirds of all
tax returns with qualified dividend
income, according to data from the
U.S. Internal Revenue Service. And
taxpayers age 65 and older file
close to a third of these returns.
And according to the Investment
Company Institute, more than half
of older investors cite current income as their principal reason for
investing. These retirees earned
their investments through years of
hard work.
“The lower dividend tax rates
also benefit the millions of Americans who own stocks indirectly
through mutual funds, pension
funds, life insurance policies, and
401(k) plans. According to 2009 IRS
data, nearly 70 percent of all tax returns with qualified dividends were
filed by taxpayers with an adjusted
gross income of less than $100,000.
“Finally, raising dividend tax
rates will likely slow down the eco-
nomic growth that has begun.
Companies and shareholders make
their investment decisions with an
eye toward the long-term future.
They know that Congress has
acted in recent years to keep the
tax rates on dividends low for all
investors, so a future tax increase
may not be reflected in current
stock valuations. This raises the
likelihood that financial markets
and our nation’s economy will suffer further if Congress and the
President do not act to stop a dividend tax hike.
“With the still-fragile economy
finally starting to show signs of
recovery, now is not the time to
discourage investment in our communities or our nation’s future.
“I’ve been in the electric power
industry for over 30 years, and I
am excited to see the opportunities that lie ahead. They are the reason the electric utility industry is
working alongside a wide variety
of associations, organizations, and
companies in a national grassroots
advocacy coalition—Defend My
Dividend:
(www. DefendMyDividend.org)—
to stop a dividend tax hike.”
Harry C. Alford is the cofounder, President/CEO of the National Black Chamber of Commerce®. Website:
www.nationalbcc.org.
Email: [email protected]
HIV-infected patients only in
combination with other antiretroviral agents.
New onset or worsening of renal impairment may occur, including acute renal failure and
Fanconi Syndrome. Creatinine
clearance should be calculated
prior to administering Truvada.
Truvada for HIV-1 infection
should not be used in patients
with severe renal disease (CrCl <
30 mL/min), and routine monitoring of CrCl and serum phosphorous all patients at risk for renal
impairment is recommended.
Avoid administering concurrently
with or with recent use of nephrotoxic drugs.
·ð Do not use Truvada for pre-
exposure prophylaxis in individuals
with a creatinine clearance (CrCl)
below 60 mL/min. Re-assess risk and
benefits of using Truvada for PrEP
if a decrease in CrCL is observed
during use for PrEP.
Decreases in Bone Mineral Density (BMD) may occur. Consider
assessing BMD in individuals with
a history of pathologic fracture or
other risk factors for osteoporosis
or bone loss.
Fat Redistribution has also been
observed in patients receiving
antiretroviral therapy. Immune Reconstitution Syndrome may occur
in HIV-1-infected patients.
Autoimmune disorder may occur
in the setting of Immune Reconstitution.
Church condemns Zimmerman’s
claim it’s God’s will to kill Trayvon
(from Page 3)
sult of man’s disobedience to God’s
will as opposed to God’s will in itself.
God does not need to create a
tragedy in order to teach man. Man
creates his own tragedy because
of his disobedience to the will of
God. So for Zimmerman to claim that
God created that situation for him
to take Trayvon’s life is utterly ridiculous because it is the opposite
of God’s will. If Zimmerman would
have followed the heavenly instruction as given by the police dispatcher to not follow Trayvon, then
he would be alive today. So it stands
to reason, that this calamity unfolded because Zimmerman created
this tragedy by his disobedience.
He failed to heed the warning that
God was trying to give him through
that police dispatcher-not to follow
Trayvon Martin.
It is this kernel truth of why he
decided to follow Martin upon
which this case will be decided. So,
Zimmerman lied on God when he
said it was God’s will that this catastrophe occur.
Rev. Anthony Evans, president
of NBCI says, “This is why the
Church and preachers exist-to clear
up any mystery concerning the intent and the character of God. We
will not allow anyone whether
black, white, Latino, Asian, short,
tall, Protestant or Catholic justify
their evil intentions by blaming it
on God through Christ Jesus as
human history unfolds before our
eyes.”
On last week Wednesday night,
in his first television interview,
Zimmerman told Fox News host
Sean Hannity his version of the
events of the night of Feb. 26, when
he shot and killed the unarmed 17year-old in Sanford, Fla.
Zimmerman, 28, has been
charged with second-degree murder, but said he does not regret following Martin that night while serving as a neighborhood watch volunteer, nor does he regret having
been armed.
Zimmerman, who is the son of a
white father and a Peruvian mother
of Hispanic descent, added that he
“is not a racist and not a murderer’’
in a case that has sparked heated
emotions regarding race and
Florida’s controversial self-defense laws.
Martin’s supporters believe
Zimmerman racially profiled the
black teenager on the night of the
shooting, as Zimmerman decided
to follow him after alerting the local
police to what he regarded as a suspicious person in the neighborhood.
“He had no regards for Trayvon’s
life, and he don’t regret taking
Trayvon’s life,’’ Trayvon’s father,
Tracy Martin, told Lauer. “Had George
Zimmerman stayed in his vehicle,
Trayvon would be with us here today.’’
Zimmerman, who is currently out
on bail, claimed in the interview that
he shot Martin in self-defense after
Martin attacked him out of the blue,
punching him in the nose and head
repeatedly. Zimmerman said that
when Martin saw Zimmerman’s gun,
he made a reach for it and cursed at
Zimmerman. “At that point, I realized
that it wasn’t my gun, it wasn’t his
gun. It was the gun,” Zimmerman said.
“He said, ‘You’re gonna die tonight,
mother-f——.”
“Trayvon is a 17-year-old child,
and I can’t imagine him saying something like that,’’ Fulton said. “He was
frightened for his life.’’
Martin’s family and their attorney
disputed Zimmerman’s account of the
events of that night.
“Those are the words of George
Zimmerman,’’ Martin said. “George
Zimmerman said they were fighting
over the gun. There are no witnesses
to say they were fighting over the
gun. George Zimmerman is here to tell
his story. Travyon is dead.’’
“It speaks for itself when you listen to the objective evidence,’’ said
family attorney Benjamin Crump. “Just
listen to the 911 tapes. There are so
many inconsistencies in the things
that George Zimmerman is saying.
“The state attorney is going to
look at that interview that he did last
night as a gift when they cross-examine him. It’s just George Zimmerman’s
version. It’s about his credibility, and
I think everybody in America would
say his credibility cannot be relied
upon.’’
Zimmerman expressed regret during the interview for Martin’s death
and the pain it has caused Martin’s
family, but he also said that there has
been a rush to judgment against him.
“I am sorry that they buried their
child,’’Zimmerman said. “I can’t imagine what it must feel like. And I pray
for them daily. I’m sorry that this happened. I hate to think that because of
this incident, because of my actions,
it’s polarized and divided America, and
I’m truly sorry.’’
“For him to think we’re rushing to
judge, he rushed to judge Trayvon,’’
Martin said.
Zimmerman has indicated that he
would be willing to speak privately to
Martin’s parents about the incident.
“Absolutely not,’’ Fulton said.
By Victoria Horsford
SYLVIA WOODS:
1926 TO 2012
Sylvia Woods, who died on
July 19 , is being remembered in
mainstream media as the “Queen
of Soul Food.” Her life was much
more than that. She was a pioneering businesswoman, a role
model, an exemplar of the American dream. An entrepreneur in the
tradition of Madame C.J Walker,
the hair care maven, and John
Johnson, Ebony Magazine
founder/publisher. Ms. Woods is
“ A Warmth of Other Suns” denizen from Hemingway, South Carolina, who relocated to NY in the
early 40s, where she initially
worked as a waitress, at
Johnson’s Luncheonette on
Lenox Avenue. Years later in 1962,
Johnson sold the eatery to
Sylvia, the highly driven,
workaholic waitress, whose
mother mortgaged her farm to finance the purchase of what
would soon become Sylvia’s Restaurant, in 1962. Her entrepreneurial roots are in food and restaurants. She would grow the
fledgling soul food business into
an empire many tentacles.
Today, Sylvia Woods Restaurant has blossomed into Sylvia’
Also, a full service Lounge;
Sylvia’s Catering Company;
Sylvia’s Food Products, which
are sold nationally and internationally; and ATOC, the umbrella
for the family’s considerable real
estate holdings. The recipient of
numerous awards and citations,
Sylvia Woods has also written
two cookbooks.
Sylvia married her childhood
sweetheart, Herbert and they
have four children. Van, Bedelia,
Kenneth and Crizette, and the
clan includes grandchildren and
great grandchildren. The Woods
family will host Sylvia’s
Restaurant’s 50 th Anniversary
next week.
Sylvia’s Restaurant is still the
preferred bistro for the power
elite. And everyone savors her
signature South Carolinian corn
bread, fried chicken, mac and
cheese, potato salad and greens..
and the Ice Tea! Former President
Bill Clinton, US Senator Barack
Obama, Reverend Al Sharpton,
Congressman Charles Rangel,
Assemblyman Keith Wright
among some of the distinguished
diners who frequent Harlem’s
most popular eatery, Sylvia’s. The
dean of Black women restaurants
entrepreneurs, Woods, no doubt,
influenced the next generation of
African American foodies, like
writer Dr. Jessica Harris,
Spoonbread’s Norma Darden,
and Mobay’s Sheron Barnes.
THE USA
Minister Louis Farrakhan
weighs in on widespread
shootings in Black Chicago. He
visits city’s South Shore neigh-
Sylvia Woods (Photo by Gideon Manasseh)
Louis Farakhan
Lolo Jones
borhood to communicate with in- July 27, all attention will be foner city youth in an effort to thwart cused on London for the openthe violence, the shootings, the ing night ceremonies of Olymculture of death so widespread in pics 2012, my favorite Olympics
Black Chicago. The Farrakhan ceremony. Again NBC has the
presence warmly received by rights to the main events, And
Mayor Rahm Emanuel, the alder- Olympics fever in the U.S. has
men and city’s police union.
spread like a contagion. See curOur nation is in mourning fol- rent Time Magazine cover which
lowing last week’s national trag- boasts a 63-page SUMMER
edy, the Aurora, Colorado carnage OLYMPICS Special, an assortduring a preview screening of ment of factoids mostly about the
“The Dark Knight Rises,” a latest 2012 American Olympians. Cover
in the BATMAN franchise. The picture and accompanying cover
tragedy reflects on the nation, its line reads “Four Years After An
psyche and its glorification of vio- Epic Stumble, Lolo Jones is Back
lence, a cycle that must end!
For Gold” with many references
to her beauty, age and religious
beliefs about sex. Yes, teen queen
THE 2012 OLYMPICS
Gabrielle Douglas, African AmeriIt seemed like it was only yes- can gymnast gets ample coverterday when all eyes were poised age in the pretty exhaustive Time
on the 2008 Beijing Olympics. On magazine Olympics spread.
Gabrielle Douglas
The Sunday Daily News ze- Dash, Patrick Ewing, actor Laurence
roed in on NY Olympians 2012, Fishburne; Vivica Fox; Tayson Gay;
most of whom are African Ameri- Lorraine Horsford- Gobern; Barbara
cans, including swimmers Lia Harris; Michael Horsford; Pearl
Neal and Cullen Jones. Now all Horsford, IMAN, Don King; Alan
attention is focused on London, Keyes, Madonna; Magic Johnson;
the 2012 Olympics in London Martha Mae Jones, Attorney Vernon
where 204 nations will compete Jordan; Jennifer Lopez; Rita Morley,
in 35 events. The Olympics com- Paul Mooney, Al Roker, Alex
petition dates are July 28 to Au- Rodriguez, Wesley Snipes; Yvonne
gust 7. The opening night cer- Stafford; Vanessa Van Voom. Yes, I
emony, my favorite Olympics am a Leo!
ritual is July 27 and will air on
Just a week into the latest retroNBC in the USA.
grade Mercury and the world is really getting crazier.
LEO THE LION AND LIONBeware communications snafus
ESSES
and problems for the next three
President Barack Obama; weeks!
Usain Bolt, Barry Bonds, Plaxico
Burress; Tempest Bledsoe;
A management consultant,
Marcella Brazile; Fidel Castro, Victoria Horsford is also a NY based
Former President Bill Clinton; ac- journalist and pop culture historian
tress Viola Davis, vocalist Sarah [email protected]
WHAT’S GOING ON
17
18
NNPA Award Winner
Enter tainment
Sylvia ‘Queen of Soul Food’
By Don Thomas
Remembering
By Margalit Fox
Sylvia Woods, whose namesake Harlem soul-food restaurant was frequented by local and
national politicians, international celebrities, tourists, epicures and ordinary neighborhood residents, died on Thursday, July 19, 2012 at her home in
Westchester County, New York.
She was 86.
Her family announced the
death. Its statement said
Woods had been ill with
Alzheimer’s disease for the last
few years.
Her death came a few hours
before she was to receive an
award from Mayor Michael R.
Bloomberg at a reception at
Gracie Mansion commemorating
the 50th anniversary of Sylvia’s
Restaurant.
There was a moment of silence before the award presentation. A family friend accepted
it on her behalf. Sylvia’s Restaurant opened on Aug. 1, 1962
with six booths and 15 stools at
Lenox Avenue near 127th Street,
Michael Bloomberg, Edward I.
Koch and David N. Dinkins, who
was partial, Woods said, to the
chicken, candied yams, collard
greens and black-eyed peas with
rice.
Busloads of tourists from as
far away as Japan routinely descend on the eatery. Spike Lee
used the restaurant as a location
for his 1991 film “Jungle Fever.”
Sylvia’s inspired two cookbooks by Woods, “Sylvia’s Soul
Food: Recipes From Harlem’s
World Famous Restaurant” (1992
with Christopher Styler) and
“Sylvia’s Family Soul Food Cookbook: From Hemingway, South
Carolina, to Harlem” (1999 with
Melissa Clark).
The daughter of a farming
couple, Van and Julia Pressley,
Sylvia Pressley was born in
Hemingway on Feb. 2, 1926. Her
father died when she was a baby.
The first thing she cooked as a
girl, she recalled, was a pot of rice
on the family’s wood stove. But
the rice burned after Sylvia ran
out to play and left it to cook on
its own, a fact she withheld from Sylvia and her husband Herbert Woods poses in front of their world famous Sylvia’s Restaurant
In 1962, with help from her
A major factor in Sylvia’s enmother, who mortgaged the fam- during appeal, Woods learned
ily farm, Woods bought the lun- firsthand, was the time-honored
cheonette and renamed it conservatism of its cooking. ToSylvia’s. Three decades ago, ward the end of the 20th century,
Gael Greene, the food critic of in deference to an increasingly
New York magazine, wrote a lau- health-conscious public, Woods
datory article on Sylvia’s, seal- chose to supplement the menu
ing the restaurant’s success.
with lighter fare. “We had lots of
Over time, Sylvia’s expanded salads and stuff,” she told The
to seat more than 250. It is the Philadelphia Daily News in 1999.
cornerstone of a commercial em- “And it went to waste. When
pire that today includes a cater- people come here, they got in their
ing service and banquet hall and mind what they want.”
a nationally distributed line of
Herbert Woods, Sylvia’s selfprepared foods.
effacing but stalwart partner in the
Woods, known for her effusive venture, died in 2001. Her surviwarmth in greeting customers, vors include sons, Van and Kenran the business until her retire- neth, daughters, Bedelia Woods
ment at 80.
and Crizette Woods, 18 grandchil“I keep pressing on,” she told dren, five great-grandchildren,
The New York Times in 1994. “I and two great-great-grandchilcan’t give up. I’ve been strug- dren. Douglas Martin contribgling too long to stop now.”
uted reporting.
Sylvia (center) flanked by Mayor Michael Bloomberg and former Mayor David N. Dinkins and R&B
singer Freddie Jackson at her 80th birthday celebration held in the dining room of Sylvia’s Restaurant
in the Village of Harlem.
(Photo: Louis Boone)
offering soul-food staples like
ribs, hot cakes, corn bread and
fried chicken.
The immense popularity of
its dishes earned Woods the sobriquet the “Queen of Soul
Food.” A culinary anchor and
the de facto social center of
Harlem, Sylvia’s has served the
likes of Roberta Flack, Quincy
Jones, Diana Ross, Muhammad
Ali, Bill Clinton, Jack Kemp,
Robert F. Kennedy, Mayors
her mother. A switching ensued.
“I got punished,” Woods told
The Post and Courier of Charleston, South Carolina in 1999, “but
not for burning it, for telling a
lie.” Sylvia met her future husband, Herbert Deward Woods,
when she was 11 and he was 12
and both were working in the
fields, picking beans under the
blazing sun.
As a teenager, Sylvia moved
to New York to join her mother,
who had gone there for work.
She found work herself, in a hat
factory in Queens. In 1944, she
married Woods, who had come
North for her.
In the 1950s, Woods began
work as a waitress at Johnson’s
Luncheonette in Harlem because she had grown up poor in
the Jim Crow era, the day she
first set foot in the place was Sylvia welcomes TV talk show host Montel Williams (center) and air
the first time she had been in- personality Felipe Luciano (right), along with community youth at her
side a restaurant anywhere.
32nd anniversary celebration
(Photo: Louis Boone)
it she did. Over and over and over
again.
BeBe Winans
Edited by Audrey J. Bernard
Lifestyles & Society Editor
Bebe Winans, a critically acclaimed inspirational, R&B and
gospel vocalist, best known as a
member of the celebrated Winans
family dynasty, has signed with
Razor & Tie label that released
his new album, America America
— honoring our nation’s heritage
and history that we all share —
on June 19, 2012. Similar to the
Jackson family’s impact on pop
music, and the Carter and Cash
families’ history with country, the
Winans family is truly gospel
music royalty.
Winans is the latest addition
to the independent label expanding its roster that includes artists
from various genres. The New
York City-based label is one of
the fastest growing independent
record companies in the United
States, and has garnered both
Platinum sales and Grammy
awards in its 20-year history.
“BeBe Winans is one of our
country’s great singers and he
has made a timely, necessary
record that will speak to all Americans. It is a brave, powerful statement. We are very proud to be
working with BeBe,” remarked
Cliff Chenfeld, co-owner Razor &
Tie.
“I am very excited about this
new partnership with Razor &
Tie,” said a thrilled Winans.
“They understand who I am as
an artist and what I’m trying to
achieve with America America.
I appreciate their business model
and look forward to working
closely with them to bring this
new record to the widest audience possible.”
America America has Winans
taking his artistic gifts to the next
level with this uplifting new collection of patriotic songs. The
classic standards swell with pride
and hope, and are sure to find
admirers.
According to an editorial review, “Bringing out this collection at the very start of summer
in an American election year can
hardly be a coincidence. It’s soft,
smooth, and soothing sincerity
might help temper frayed nerves
during a time when derisive politics is as common a sound as the
chirping of summer crickets.”
“The inspiration for America
America is the time we are living
in,” Winans explains. “Sometimes, we forget that we are all
Americans. At sporting events,
when the national anthem is sung,
everyone stands – Black, white,
rich, poor – everyone.”
In the midst of an important
election year, this would seem to
be a perfect time to remind ourselves in the U.S. of all that we
hold dear. “I’m on a mission to
America America Album Cover
share these songs with as many
people as possible,” Winans says.
“As a nation, we are going through
hard times; people are in need of an
uplift. My hope is that these songs
can be that, and much more.”
With the exception of three new
songs written by Winans – the
beautifully hopeful title track
“America America,” the upbeat
“We’re The United States of
America,” and the poignant “Ultimate Sacrifice” which is dedicated
The Whitney I Knew Book Cover
on America America are “America
(My Country Tis Of Thee);” “The
Battle Hymn of The Republic;”
“God Bless America;” and “You’re
A Grand Old Flag” and three bonus tracks -- “Amazing Grace,”
“Right Now (We Need One Another)” and “Star-Spangled Banner (Reprise).”
A moving companion video for
the single, “America America”
was shot in New York City and in
our nation’s capital, Washington,
the Broadway production of
“Oprah Winfrey Presents The
Color Purple” and on the screen
in 2003’s “The Manchurian Candidate.” As a solo artist, Winans
has sold 1 million albums.
In addition to the release of
America America, Winans has
penned a new book, The Whitney
I Knew (by BeBe Winans with
Timothy Willard, © 2012. Published by Worthy Publishing, a
division of Worthy Media, Inc.,
One day Whitney stopped by the
house. The doorbell rang and Miya
ran to see who was there. When she
opened the door, she stood frozen—dumbstruck. Whitney walked
in, and Miya ran across the room
and grabbed me.
“Daddy, Daddy! The Fairy Godmother is here!” Whitney clapped
her hands, threw her head back, and
laughed. “Oh, Lord! I spent all this
time trying to be a singer, and now
I’m a Fairy Godmother.”
I can just imagine Miya’s little mind
working—how she would conjure
up her little Cinderella world. I used
to watch her play in her room. She’d
act out both parts, first Whitney,
then Brandy. How I’d laugh: my precious little daughter living in the
princess world with Whitney.
On that day, when the doorbell rang,
my little Miya faced her hero. But in
this case, her hero was more than
just a character in a fairy tale played
over and over on the television.
Now her hero was a live human being who took a real interest in her
life.
The same woman who played the
Fairy Godmother also played the
real-life role of Miya’s godmother.
And maybe at that time in her
young life, Miya didn’t fully understand the “godmother” idea, but
she would over time. Over time
she’d see past the glass slipper and
“I’m on a mission to share these songs with as many people as possible. As
a nation, we are going through hard times; people are in need of an uplift.
My hope is that these songs can be that, and much more.” – BeBe Winans
to our troops – the album is comprised of songs long in the public
domain. But what is amazing about
this new collection is that Winans’
soulful, distinctive tenor gives the
songs new life, as if we are hearing
them for the first time.
The cherished “Star Spangled
Banner” brings up touching memories of his dear friend and frequent
musical collaborator, the late
Whitney Houston with whom he
won a Grammy Award for co-producing the song “Jesus Loves Me”
on her smash hit film soundtrack
for The Bodyguard. She spoke
with Winans about the revered anthem prior to performing a gamechanging rendition of it before the
1991 Super Bowl XXV. He spoke
with her again about the highly regarded hymn before recording his
version for America America
Winans was actually working on
another album when the idea for
America, America came to him,
motivated by the challenges Americans from all walks of life are facing
on a daily basis. “Lift Every Voice”
and “America The Beautiful” are
familiar to us, but Winans was able
to bring who he is as an artist to
these songs, giving each an inspired freshness.
Each track on America America
is approached with reverence, sung
with grace and filled with encouragement. This includes the glorious title track and first single,
“America America,” a soaring, affirmative tribute to this great country that we all share.
Rounding off the patriotic tracks
D.C. was widely received when it
was first viewed online Friday,
May 25 during the Memorial Day
Weekend and broadcast live on
AOL in an effort to support U.S.
troops through Operation Phone
Home on AOL’s Homepage For
Heroes. The video was directed
by David Warshauer (Katy Perry,
Black Eyed Peas). “I have seen
the power of music,” Winans
says. “I want the nation to heal
through this music. When our
country is united, we find the path
to success.”
Currently, Winans is on a summer tour. Tour dates with Dave
Koz began in June and continue
throughout the summer. The pair
worked together on the title track
of Koz’s 1999 release, The
Dance. Winans is expected to
perform songs from America,
America as well as highlights
from his impressive career.
Benjamin “BeBe” Winans, born
on September 17, 1962 in Detroit,
Michigan, is best known as part
of the celebrated Winans family. Also an award-winning
songwriter and producer, Winans
has achieved notoriety both as
part of the hit-making duo BeBe
& CeCe Winans and as a solo artist. Still, the long-awaited duet
CD and first Bebe & CeCe album
in 15 years, is approaching Gold.
The dynamic siblings are the first
brother and sister duo to be
awarded a prestigious Star on the
Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Winans is also a noted actor
who has appeared on the stage in
Brentwood, TN), containing his
memories of his longtime friend
Whitney Houston due in stores
July 31, 2012.
Winans and his family shared a
loving relationship with Houston
for many, many years and his poignant memories of his beloved
friend and frequent musical collaborator will be shared in the
book.
No one can forget the emotional
performance and moving eulogy
he delivered during Houston’s nationally televised funeral which
was later described as one of the
most memorable tributes at the
funeral. So it came as no surprise
to anyone that he would capture
his wonderful friendship in a book.
The book promises what is described as “heart-breaking accounts that led to her ultimate defeat.” It will also include photos
and personal videos of the singer
as well as details of Houston’s rise
and untimely death due to a combination of cocaine and prescription drugs.
Whitney Houston’s death saddened the music world, and
shocked her family and friends.
BeBe Winans remembers the incredible talent in this heartbreaking, yet hopeful, book excerpt:
“When my daughter, Miya, was
four, she fell in love with the television movie Cinderella. The one
in which Whitney played the Fairy
Godmother and Brandy played
Cinderella. We taped it for Miya
so she could watch it. And watch
the “Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo” and into
the real person. And that time would
come by way of laughter . . . play . .
. and, later, sadness.
To my Miya and her brother, Benjamin, and to my nieces and
nephews as well, Whitney was
as real as anybody else. She’d
call the house and even stop in
from time to time. She held those
kids. She played with them. She
sang to them. She was around
like any friend of the family
would be. The public forgets
that behind the glowing television screen a real person lives
and breathes and eats breakfast
just like everyone else. A person
with friends and even enemies.
A person with feelings. Celebrities get lonely—even if they’re
superstars.
They get sad.
They get desperate.
They get lost.
They desire to be found.
Whitney wasn’t just a singer who
wore opulent outfits on stage; she
was someone who liked to wear blue
jeans and tennis shoes, she liked to
play practical jokes, and she loved
children. The fairy-tale character on
the television found her way into
my daughter’s heart, but it was
even more than that. She found
her way into Miya’s real life.
Whitney was like that good
friend of the family who everyone refers to as Uncle or Aunt
So-and-So. No one remembers
when or how they became part
of the family; they’ve just always
been so. Always family.”
19
BeBe Winans pays homage to our shared
heritage and history in America America
20
A Streetcar Named Desire receives Actors’
Equity Association’s Diversity Award
Compiled By Don Thomas
The Broadway production of Tennessee Williams’ A
Streetcar Named Desire received the Extraordinary Excellence in Diversity on
Broadway Award for the 20112012 Season from Actors’ Equity Association.
The show, produced by
Front Row Productions
(Stephen Byrd, Alia JonesHarvey), received the honor
at a presentation at Equity
headquarters.
Byrd, Jones-Harvey and
St re e t c a r s t a r N i c o l e A r i
Parker were on hand as Actors’ Equity presented the
award, which turned the spotlight onto those doing exemplary work to promote the
goals of diversity, inclusion
and equal opportunity in theatre.
The honor was bestowed
by Equity’s Eastern Regional
Equal Employment Opportunity Committee and was followed by a reception.
“We are tremendously honored and delighted that our
work to broaden the spectrum
of roles for people of color
and thus draw new audiences
to Broadway has been noticed
and acknowledged,” said
Byrd, whose production of the
classic Tennessee Williams
play has a multiracial cast featuring American American and
Latino lead actors. “As this is
our core mission, the award is
even more special to us.”
Directed by Emily Mann,
dramatic production is set
against the sexy backdrop of
New Orleans’ French Quarter
and tells the tale of former
school teacher and socialite
Blanche DuBois (Nicole Ari
Parker), as she’s forced to
move in with her sister Stella
(Rubin-Vega) and her hus band
Stanley (Blair Underwood).
But the fragile, Blanche
quickly gets a life lesson in
the seamy, steamy underbelly
of 1950s New Orleans.
The show boasts a multiracial cast including Wood Harris, Rosa Arredondo, Amelia
Campbell, Carmen DeLavallade,
Danielle Lee Greaves, J.
Mallory-McCree,
Aaron
Clifton Moten, Morocco
Omari, Jacino Taras Riddick, Blair Underwood as (Stanley) speaks with Nicole Ari Parker (Blanche) as Daphne Rubin-Vega his wife
Te d d y C a ñ e z , a n d C o u n t (Stella) sits outside in a gripping scene from A Streetcar Named Desire. The director, producer, cast and
Stovall.
crew strike a united pose on the stage of the Broadhurst Theater in Manhattan. (Photo: Lisa Pacino)
Set design is by Eugene Lee;
lighting design is by Edward
Pierce; costumes are by Paul
Tazewell; sound design is by
Mark Bennett; and choreography is by Camille Brown. Awardwinner Terence Blanchard composed original music for the
play.
The production is presented
by Stephen Byrd, Alia JonesHarvey, Anthony Lacavera, BET
Networks, Henry G. Jarecki,
Simon Says Entertainment and
Dancap Productions.
Opera diva Jessye Norman (center) stopped backstage to congratulate stars Nicole Ari Parker and Blair
Underwood for their superb performance in “A Streetcar Named Desire,” with also stars Daphne RubinVega and Wood Harris. Produced by Front Row Productions, Stephen C. Byrd and Alia M. Jones-Harvey,
the show closed to a very strong box office, $616,897. Directed by Emily Mann, “Streetcar” is set against
the sexy backdrop of New Orleans’ gritty French Quarter. Plans are underway to bring the show to
London’s West End.
(Photo: Lisa Pacino)
THEATER with Second Night Reviewer Audrey J. Bernard
Two years ago, there was a big robbery on Broadway that was the best
kept secret around town. That is ‘til
now! Back in 2010, the innovative
play, Fela!, based on the life of Nigerian musician, composer and political
activist Fela Anikulapo Kuti topped
the 2010 Tony Awards nominations
receiving 11 award nominations including Best Musical. Fela! won
three 2010 TonyAwards for Best Choreography, Best Costume Design and
Best Sound Design; but lost the
crown jewel, Best Musical, to Memphis.
After seeing the play during its second reincarnation, I must unequivocally admit, Fela! was robbed. You
don’t have to take my word for it. Let Fela! Opening Night Curtain Call featuring Sahr Nqaujah, Paulette Ivory, Melanie Sahr Ngaujah and Bill T. Jones perform live onstage
your feet lead you to the pulsating Marshall & Company
during Opening Night Curtain Call
Afrobeat music at The Al Hirschfeld
Theatre, 302 West 45th Street, NYC
where you will be thoroughly entertained.
Once again Shawn ‘JAY Z’Carter,
Will & Jada Pinkett Smith, Ruth &
Stephen Hendel,Ahmir ‘Questlove’
Thompson and The National Theatre
of Great Britain are on board for the
return of the critically acclaimed,
award-winning Broadway and National Theatre of Great Britain production of Fela!
The newest version opened on
Thursday, July 12, 2012 for a limited
run of 32 performances to August 4,
2012 to a star-studded Opening Night
audience and received a thunderous
standing ovation in which the play’s
director and choreographer Bill T.
Jones joined Sahr Ngaujah on stage
for a stunning curtain call and broke
out in an Afrobeat dance to the delight of the crowd.
Exploring the extravagant world of
Afrobeat legend Fela Kuti, this “proZoe Kravitz
Saycon Sengbloh
Miss Universe Leila Lopes
Lilias White
Amel Larrieux
vocative hybrid of dance, theatre,
music, biography and a party like noother” is directed and choreographed
by Tony Award-winner Bill T. Jones,
with a book by Jones, Jim Lewis and
Stephen Hendel, featuring lyrics by
FelaAnikulapo-Kunti, with additional
lyrics by Lewis and additional music
by AaRon Johnson and Jordan
McLean.
The world renowned Antibalas and
other members of the NYC Afrobeat
community are directed by AaRon
Johnson and Jordan McLean. The
musical is inspired by the authorized
biography Fela: This Bitch of a Life
by Carlos Moore.
JL Williams
Belinda Baidoo
Bill T. Jones
Zap Mama
Michael K. Williams
Olivier and Tony Award-nominated
actor Sahr Ngaujah leads the cast of
Fela! He is joined by Melanie
Marshall and Paulette Ivory, the two
female stars of the Olivier-nominated
National Theatre of Great Britain production. At certain performances, the
title role will be played by Adesola
Osakalumi and Duain Martyn.
The design team behind Fela! include Tony Award-winning costumes
by Marina Draghici, Tony Awardwinning sound design by Robert
Kaplowitz., lighting design by Robert Wierzel and make-up & hair design by Cookie Jordan. Following
the performance, guests beat it over
to B. Smith’s for a fabulous celebration. Like love, most guests loved
this production even more – the second time around! (Photos by Walter
DJ Jazzy Jeff & wife Lynette Townes
The Roots' Questlove
Tonya Pinkins
Martha Plimpton
McBride / Retna Ltd.)
Fela! at The Al Hirschfeld
Theatre Marquee
FELA! is just as powerful
the second time around
21
22
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24
BEACON
S
PORTS
The NCAA has lowered the boom on
Marc Rasbury
Penn State’s past, present and future
By Marc Rasbury
When it comes to handing out
sanctions and penalties, the ones
who commit the crimes rarely feels
the ramifications of their actions.
Where in most cases, the ones
that get left holding the bag are
the ones that are left behind. In
this case, everybody associated
with Penn State University’s past,
present and future will feel the
pain of the NCAA’s decision.
At the crack of dawn on Sunday, Penn State officials ordered
workers to take down the statue
of Joe Paterno that once stood
outside Beaver Stadium. Thirty
hours later, NCAA President Mark
Emmert stepped to the podium at
the organization’s headquarters
and announced sanctions levied
against the PSU football program
as a result of the Jerry Sandusky
sex abuse scandal. The school
was fined $60 million. They are
banned from post season participation for four seasons and will
lose 40 scholarships over that period. And, all victories from 1998
will be vacated from the record
books.
By agreeing to these terms, PSU
was spared the “Death Penalty”.
They will be able to play their
regular season schedule. That will
limit
the loss of revenue to the surrounding businesses that depend
on 110, 000 die hards descending
upon Happy Valley seven to eight
times a year.
There are some who feel that
the NCAA overstepped their
bounds and some who are of the
opinion that they did not do
enough. Therefore, the compromise might indicate that the NCAA
got it right. You might be of the
opinion that the organization
should not have been involved
in this matter in the first place,
That might have been the case if
the powers that be at PSU would
have initially turned this problem
over to the proper authorities without the football program asserting
its self-serving interests and engaging in an obvious cover-up.
Mets falling apart
in the second half
By Derrel “Jazz” Johnson
After overachieving the first
half of the season, the New York
Mets have lost 9 of 10 games since
the All-Star Break and 10 of 11
overall.
But the Mets aren’t getting
blown out, as three of their nine
second-half losses have been in
extra innings. Furthermore, four
other losses have been by two
runs or less. The Mets are competitive, but, unfortunately, are
just not getting the consistency
they did in the first half of the season.
Injuries have also played a major part of the second-half soon.
Starting pitcher Dillon Gee was
sidelined with a blood clot before
the end of the first half, and Johan
Santana was place on the 15-day
disabled list over the weekend.
They join Mike Pelfrey as projected starters in the rotation who
are now sidelined. The Mets are
still only five and a half games out
of the National League Wild Card,
so they are still in the race, and
should be buyers at the trade
deadline. Still, if this losing streak
continues then they will soon be
far out of contention.
Joe Paterno and his team
There in lies the problem here. years. But unfortunately this
As hideous as Sandusky’s ac- pales in comparison to pain suftions were, the cover up was even fered by Sandusky’s victims. Curworse. Several young men could rent players, who want the chance
have been spared the indignity to play for a National Title, will be
of Sandusky’s vile acts. Former able to transfer to any other
University President Graham school without sitting out the
Spanier and Athletic Director Tim year. Some feel that they and new
Curley, who could have nipped Head Coach Bill O’Brien are bethis in the bud as far back as 1998, ing punished for the Sins of their
will have their day in court and Fathers, and I agree with that to a
God help them there. Paterno died certain degree.
in January and unfortunately we
None of them had anything to
will never truly hear his side of do with or had knowledge of what
took place. I thought that the
the story.
Back in November, Paterno’s NCAA should have cut the bowl
reputation was beyond reproach. ban down to two years so that
As a result of the Louis Freeh in- current freshman and sophovestigation and the Sandusky mores are giving an opportunity
trail, Paterno’s patron saint aura to play in the post season evenwas dimmed a bit. We should not tually. Their best player Sylus
ignore the good this man has ac- Redd is already considering transcomplished over his tenure but ferring to USC and coaches all
we can not ignore his role in this over the country are circling
Happy Valley like vultures
cover up.
This stain follows the program hoping to scoop up some of the
as well as the institution. You can PSU talent.
These sanctions will set the
see the pain in the faces of those
who can not believe that Paterno PSU program back at least a dedid not live up to virtues and val- cade. Without those 40 scholarues that he has preached over the ships and the ability to showcase
the team on
TV, it will be hard to maintain the
level of talent that this program is
accustomed to over the years. And
to be honest with you, the talent
level has already dropped off considerably since Paterno’s glory
days. O’Brien has his work cut out
for him.
In less than a year, a 60-year
legacy was eclipsed by the despicable actions of one man and a lack
of the proper actions of others. As
much as this scandal has diminished
all of PSU’s shine, we can’t ignore
the good the school has generated
over the years.
Punish the guilty and help the victims but the NCAA should not have
lowered the boom on those who
had nothing to do with this.
In the past we have seen coaches
bolt to other schools or the pros
when they know sanctions are on
the horizon. Same with players who
were involved with violations during their time on campus, they rarely
feel ramifications (See Reggie
Bush).
This time the past, the present
and the future have come full circle.

Week - New York Beacon

Transcription

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