Nov 1 - New York Beacon

Transcription

New York
Beacon
website:
NewYorkBeacon.net
Vol. 18 No. 44
Showing the Way to Truth and Justice
November 3, 2011 - November 9, 2011
E-Mail
[email protected]
75 Cents
OCCUPY HARLEM
Movement against greed taking shape in Black capital
(Photo by Donna Lamb)
OCCUPY HARLEM —- Nellie Bailey facilitates first Occupy Harlem meeting at St. Philip’s Church
(See Story On Page 3)
Cain denies sexual harassment of female ex-workers
(See Story On Page 3)
Hunger Action Network says Congress
needs to increase, not cut, Food Stamps
NEW YORK BEACON, November 3, 2011 - November 9, 2011 newyorkbeacon.net
2
Rep. Yvette Clarke
Rep Yvette Clarke visits
senior centers in Bklyn
Congresswoman Yvette D.
Clarke will be visiting senior
centers across the 11 th Congressional District of New
York, updating residents on
her fight to protect Medicare,
Medicaid and Social Security
on Capitol Hill. She has already
visited the Fort Green Senior
Center and the St. Louis Senior
Center.
“Since the start of the ‘Tea
Party’ Congress, my Democratic colleagues, and I have
been surprised again and
again. Surprised that, in 2011,
we have to relitigate issues
that most Americans knew had
been resolved for decades,”
stated
Congresswoman
Clarke. “I’m talking about the
social safety-net programs that
most Americans depend on –
Social Security, Medicare, and
Medicaid. Suddenly, these
programs are under attack.”
In the 11 th Congressional District of New York ; over 30, 000
people receive SSI Benefits;
over 72, 000 residents receive
Social Security Old Age, Survivor, and Disability Insurance
(OASDI) Benefits and over
70,000 people are enrolled for
Medicare
“As I visit my constituents
throughout the district, I have
heard the concerns from senior
citizens about the potential cuts
to Medicare, Medicaid and social Security. I have joined many
of my Democratic Colleagues in
the House, in sending numerous
letters to the Bi-partisan Deficit
Super Committee, a group of
Congressional members tasked
with making particular cuts to
address our nation’s debt and
deficit, to protect Medicare,
Medicaid, and Social Security,”
added Rep. Clarke. “Despite the
toxic political climate, I want to
reassure the residents of my district that I will continue to fight
to keep these important social
safety net programs untouched.”
Congresswoman Yvette D.
Clarke has visited or will visit the
following senior centers
throughout Brooklyn:
The Hunger Action Network
has called upon Senators
Gillibrand and Schumer to stand
firm in opposing efforts to cut
funding for food stamps / SNAP
as part of the super committee
budget deficit reduction process.
“Unemployment and income
inequality are the greatest problems facing the country today,
not the federal budget deficit.
With 28 million Americans
seeking work and food pantries
running out of food as their lines
grow longer, this is not the time
to be cutting SNAP, the
country’s first line of defense
against hunger. In addition to a
public jobs program to put people
to work, Congress should be raising SNAP benefits to provide a
more adequate diet to those in
need,” said Mark Dunlea, executive director of Hunger Action
Network of NYS.
The House leadership has
been pushing for deep cuts in
SNAP, claiming they were surprised that the cost of the program increases during a recession when more people are out
of work and need help with their
food bills.
Hunger Action Network of NYS
noted that the Senate did vote
last winter to cut SNAP funding
by $13 billion in order to pay for
state fiscal relief (teachers’ salaries) and to make a modest increase in funding for child nutrition.
The Senate and House Agriculture Committees this week
sent to the Super Committee a
proposal to cut $23 billion (over
10 years) to the Farm Bill. Indications are that cuts to the SNAP
program, which represents more
than 2/3 of the Farm Bill funding,
would be in the $5 billion range,
though the House would prefer
much deeper cuts. Three million
New Yorkers currently receive
SNAP benefits, bringing $5.4 billion annually into the local
economy. Benefits, which were
raised under the economic stimulus, average $148 per person per
month or $1.60 per meal.
Saying the food stamp benefits
should help feed families for the
entire month, Senate Gillibrand
Mark Dunlea
has been pushing to raise the basis for the SNAP program from
USDA’s Thrifty Food Plan to the
Low-cost Plan, which would increase benefits by $144 a month
for a family of four. Gillibrand also
wants to reform the SNAP program so that households can deduct their actual housing costs in
calculating their benefits; the
amount of rent is presently
capped in the SNAP program,
which hurts resident of high housing cost states like NY.
Gillibrand has also supported
funding for other nutrition programs such as WIC and TEFAP
(e.g., provides commodities to
food banks).
Hunger Action said it was also
disturbed that the budget deficit
reduction process had overwhelmed the effort to reform the
Farm Bill to make it more supportive of healthy foods and family
farms. “Our food system is not
working for consumers or many
farmers. The government promotes unhealthy, overly processed food while tolerating extremely high levels of hunger. Every five years when the Food and
Farm Bill comes up for reauthori-
zation we get another chance to do
it right - but we are blowing it right
now,” noted Dunlea.
Local anti-hunger activists were
shocked to hear that Congress was
thinking of taking the knife to SNAP.
“Filibuster the jobs bill and cut
food stamps? This is just more backward thinking from a congressional
caucus blinded by their ideology
and unable to see what is really happening out here. In my twenty plus
years at the task it has never been
harder to keep up with the demand
at our emergency food pantry. September was an all time high in number of people helped.
The number of food stamp cases
in Dutchess County has nearly
doubled since the Great Recession
of 2008. With deep cuts to the home
heating assistance program already
in place, steep reductions in child
care subsidies as a result of a drop
in state aid to the County DSS, and
now this, low income working families are facing a perfect storm of deprivation if these trends persist.
We’ve really got to do better,” added
Brian Riddell, HANNYS board member and Executive Director of
Dutchess Outreach, an emergency
food and other assistance provider
located in Poughkeepsie, New York.
Hunger Action is also concerned
about proposed deep cuts in conservation programs in the Farm Bill,
which are essential to protect the
nation’s water supply from agriculture run-off from fertilizers, pesticides
and animal wastes. Hunger Action
also wants more support for fruits
and vegetables, farmer markets,
CSAs and community food projects.
Two amendments to harm food
stamps / SNAP were introduced in
the Senate this week. The amendment proposed by Senator Sessions
would eliminate categorical eligibility from SNAP — making it even
more difficult for the working poor,
low-income parents and many other
applicants to apply for food stamps
— and cut $9 billion from the program this year.
The amendment proposed by
Senator DeMint would cut the
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) SNAP benefit increase — resulting in immediate cuts
to food stamp benefits of more than
10%.
New Yorkers Against Gun Violence urge stronger gun laws
Classes at P.S. 298 had just let
out on a beautiful Friday afternoon in Brooklyn. Mothers and
fathers lined up to pick up their
children from the school just like
any other day. But this would be
the last day that Zurana Horton
would pick up her children after
a senseless, random act of gun
violence tragically took her life.
Zurana Horton was killed while
covering and protecting her own
children as bullets began to fly.
Now 12 children are left without
a loving, heroic mother who did
everything in her power to keep
them safe and the murderer remains free to continue to wreak
havoc on the community. Jackie
Hilly, executive director of New
Yorkers Against Gun Violence,
said, “Zurana Horton deserved the
right to raise her family in a community safe and free from gun violence, but guns are now everywhere and took that freedom and
her life. She was not in the wrong
place at the wrong time, she was
picking up her children from school,
which is exactly where she should
have been. The awful truth is that
mothers, fathers and children die
every day from gun violence. We
need to stop this now so people
have the freedom to be safe in their
own communities. We deserve the
right to be safe and free.” Ms.
Hilly continued, “New York families will continue to lose loved ones
every day until we pass stronger
gun laws. We may never be entirely
free from the threat of gun violence,
but we can reduce that threat with
common-sense laws that keep guns
out of the hands of criminals and
help police catch murderers before
they take the life of another innocent mother. We make it easy for
criminals to get guns by not requiring a background check on all gun
sales and, by denying law enforcement all the tools available to them
like microstamping, we are asking the
police to solve a murder with one
hand tied behind their back.” As
the police continue the search for the
killer, the murder of Zurana Horton
is another example in a long list of
crimes in which microstamping, a tool
that 83 police departments from
across New York have repeatedly
Zurana Horton
(CONTINUED ON PAGE 25)
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By Donna Lamb
Bill DeBlasio
DeBlasio to track cost of
jobs getting city subsidies
Following the release of an Independent Budget Office report
on NYC Economic Development
Corporation subsidies, Public
Advocate Bill de Blasio has introduced new legislation requiring EDC to report the number and
cost of jobs created at each of its
project sites.
The IBO report, conducted at
the request of Public Advocate
de Blasio, found that EDC often
only reports on a company’s total employment across the five
boroughs, making it difficult to
determine whether subsidies for
specific sites are producing the
jobs intended. EDC currently
manages $898 million in discretionary City aid commitments to
economic development projects.
De Blasio’s legislation would
expand EDC’s job reporting requirements to include site-specific numbers, allowing City officials and the general public to
identify which programs produce
the most jobs and represent the
best value to taxpayers.
“We have an unemployment
crisis in this city that demands
we get the most out of every economic development dollar. More
targeted reporting will help us
identify effective projects so we
can replicate them, and weed out
those efforts that fail to create
jobs,” said Public Advocate Bill
de Blasio. “Without better information, we risk wasting increasingly scarce taxpayer dollars, and
missing opportunities to put New
Yorkers back to work.”
“While EDC’s reporting on its
discretionary economic development deals has improved, we still
cannot get a good measure of the
cost-effectiveness of the public’s
investment. To do this we need
reliable, site-specific jobs data
on employment at a project site
before the discretionary deal and
then continued monitoring of job
levels after the project is completed,” said Doug Turetsky, chief
of staff for the Independent Budget Office.
The new legislation to be introduced by Public Advocate de
Blasio in the City Council would
require EDC to report for each
project site:
* The number of jobs prior to receiving subsidies;
* The projected number of jobs
when subsidies end;
* The current number of jobs; and
* The subsidy cost per job.
The legislation is the first in a
series of reforms to be proposed
by the Public Advocate this month
to spur job creation and expand
opportunity for the middle class.
“This is an important step in
clearly understanding City investments to spur job creation and economic growth. The public needs
much better information on how
the City subsidizes economic development and reliable data on the
number and quality of the jobs
being subsidized,” said James
Parrott, Deputy Director and Chief
Economist at the Fiscal Policy Institute. “The IBO wasn’t able to
assess whether city subsidies
make any difference because the
public doesn’t have the information needed to make that determination.”
IBO’s report was produced using information disclosed in accordance with Local Law 48, a measure passed in 2005 to increase
transparency of economic development subsidies.
The law does not require EDC
to disclose project site-specific employment data, making it difficult
to gauge the effectiveness of subsidies, particularly for larger companies that employ workers at
more than one site in the five boroughs.
As Occupy Wall Street continues to galvanize America and numerous Occupy movements keep
springing up in cities, towns and
communities across the nation, it
was only a matter of time before
Harlem residents and activists
took the bull by the horns and
brought the initiative uptown. On
the evening of Oct. 28, about 150
people, many of them born and
raised in Harlem, attended the first
Occupy Harlem general assembly,
held at St. Philip’s Church in Central Harlem.
Co-convener Nellie Bailey, who
is with Harlem Fightback Against
War at Home and Abroad as well
as a member of the United National Antiwar Coalition, facilitated the meeting. “Occupy
Harlem can only survive as a
people’s movement with the direct involvement of the 99 percent
to affect change,” she declared.
“We need a radical transformation
of the current status quo - the
banks financing and controlling
the political process, buying out
politicians in both parties to protect the economic interest of the
one percent. Poor and working
Nellie Bailey
class people in Harlem and
throughout the country are suffering,” she continued. “We aren’t
going to take it anymore. Occupy
Wall Street is our blueprint.”
Joining Bailey was Black
Agenda Radio commentator Glen
Ford, who stated, “We can’t just
wait for the people downtown in
Occupy Wall Street to stand up for
us. We must organize for our own
economic and political defense.”
Added Larry Adams of the
People’s Organization for Progress,
“We must take action because the
recession in America is a full-blown
depression for Black America.”
Focusing attention on one of
Harlem’s grave concerns was guest
speaker Carl Dix, national spokesperson for the Revolutionary Communist Party. He stressed the urgent need to end the NYPD’s “stop
and frisk” policy that is harassing
Cain denies allegations he sexually
harassed two female ex-employees
White House hopeful Herman
Cain sought to calm the furor surrounding allegations he had inappropriate interactions more than a
decade ago with two female employees who were later paid not
to discuss their charges in public,
repeatedly declaring that he
“never sexually harassed anyone”
and calling the allegations “baseless.”
“I’ve never sexually harassed
anyone, and yes, I was falsely accused while I was at the National
Restaurant Association,” he said
on Fox News.
“It is totally baseless, and totally false, never have I committed any sort of sexual harassment,” he added.
Cain was asked if he has ever
had to settle a sexual harassment
or sexual misconduct claim, false
or otherwise.
“Outside of the Restaurant Association, absolutely not,” he said.
“If the Restaurant Association did
a settlement, I am not - I wasn’t
even aware of it and I hope it
Herman Cain
wasn’t for much, because nothing
happened. So if there was a settlement, it was handled by some of
the other officers that worked for
me at the Association. So the answer is absolutely not.”
At least one news organization
has colloborated Politico’s report
that the National Restaurant Association paid a cash settlement to a
woman who complained of Cain’s
conduct.
In a separate Fox News interview
to air Monday night, Cain discussed
one of his accusers.
“The one I am familiar with worked
here in the Washington office and I
can’t even remember her name because she had not been a long term
employee but I do remember the formal allegations she made in terms of
sexual harassment,” he says in the
interview, portions of which were
released to CBS News before they
are broadcast.
Cain also spoke to PBS
NewsHour, where he said “the only
[incident] that I could recall after a
day of trying to remember specifics
was once I referenced this lady’s
height and I was standing near her
and I did this saying, ‘You’re the
same height as my wife.’ Because
Wealth disparities between rich, poor likely to grow
By George E. Curry
TheDefendersOnline.com
NEWS ANALYSIS
A widening gap between the
mega-rich and the rest of society, documented in a recent congressional study, is likely to create even larger economic disparities between African-Americans
and Whites.
The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) issued a report that
stated: “For the 1 percent with
the highest income, average real
after-tax household income grew
by 275 percent between 1979 and
2007.”
By contrast, 60 percent of the
population in the middle of the income scale (the 21st through 80th
percentiles), the growth in average
real after-tax household income
was just under 40 percent. For the
20 percent with the lowest income,
their after-tax income grew by only
18 percent over that same period.
The 47-page CBO report is titled,
“Trends in the Distribution of
Household Income Between 1979
and 2007.” It showed that the share
of after-tax household income for
the top 1 percent more than
doubled over the period studied,
rising from nearly 8 percent in 1979
to 17 percent in 2007.
The most affluent 20 percent of
the population received 53 percent of after-tax household income
in 2007, an increase of 10 percent
over 1979. Put another way: The
top 20 percent earned more aftertax income in 2007 than the combined income of the other 80 percent of Americans.
These figures are fueling the
heated debate over the Occupy
Wall Street movement that has
spread throughout the country and
around the world. But that discussion has virtually ignored the plight
of Blacks, who have already seen
the wealth gap widen during the
most recent recession. A State of
the Dream report issued earlier this
year by United for a Fair Economy
chronicles African-Americans’
stalled economic progress.
“In 1947, Blacks earned 51 cents
to each dollar of White median family income,” the report recounts.
“By 1977, Blacks were earning 56
cents on each dollar in White in-
come, a gain of five cents. Most of
those gains were made in the 1960s.
“Then, as the backlash took hold,
progress slowed – and stopped. By
2007, Blacks earned slightly over 57
cents (57.4 cents) to each White
dollar, a gain of just one penny in
thirty years. Two years later, as the
Great Recession set in. Blacks lost a
half-cent, ending at 57 cents to each
White dollar of median family income.”
Such erosion has led to the widest wealth gap on record between
3
Harlem holds first meeting to join
‘Occupy’ movement against greed
Mayors coalition urges Congress
not to strip states powers on gun
4
Bruno Rodriguez, Cuban foreign minister
UN condemns US
embargo of Cuba
By Anita Snow
The U.N. General Assembly
voted overwhelmingly Tuesday
to condemn the U.S. embargo
against Cuba for the 20th year in
a row.
The final tally was 186-2, with
only Israel joining the United
States as it did last year. The
small Pacific nations of Palau,
Micronesia and the Marshall Islands abstained as they also did
last year.
Last year’s tally for the symbolic measure was almost identical, 187-2, with three abstentions.
Envoys for Vietnam, Russia,
Nicaragua and many other countries, as well as the 120-member
Nonaligned Movement, spoke
Tuesday in favor of
the measure calling for the end
of the American embargo against
the Caribbean country.
“The only consequences of
the sanctions are the deterioration of the living standard of the
Cuban population, creation of
artificial barriers to its economic
growth and infringement on the
rights and interests of third
countries,” Russian Ambassador Vitaly Churkin said.
Cuban Foreign Minister
Bruno Rodriguez said that the
sanctions have caused direct
economic damages of close to $1
trillion to the Cuban people over
nearly half a century.
The United States has not
eased the embargo in the nearly
three years since President Barack
Obama’s election raised hopes for
a change in policy, he added.
“Despite the false image of flexibility that the current U.S.
administration intends to portray,
the blockade and the sanctions
remain intact,” Rodriguez told the
assembly.
“Why doesn’t President
Obama’s administration take care
of the U.S.
problems and leave us Cubans
alone to solve ours in peace?” The
United States has made clear it is
not prepared to lift the sanctions
entirely until the communist-run
nation makes more far-reaching
political and economic changes.
American Ambassador Ronald
D. Godard, U.S. Senior Area Adviser for Western Hemisphere Affairs, said the embargo is a bilateral issue and “not appropriately
a concern of this assembly.”
Godard said the sanctions represent “just one aspect of U.S.
policy toward Cuba, whose
overarching goal is to encourage
a more open environment in Cuba
and increased respect for human
rights and fundamental freedoms.”
A coalition of more than 600
Republican, Democratic and Independent U.S. mayors have called
on the Senate to reject efforts by
gun lobby allies to quickly introduce and pass a measure that
would override state laws determining who can carry concealed,
loaded weapons in public places.
Legislation to impose national
reciprocity for concealed weapon
permits – called the National
Right-to-Carry Reciprocity Act
(H.R. 822) – was marked up by the
House Judiciary Committee last
week and is expected to be approved by the House as early as
next week. Senators are expected
to try to attach a nearly identical
measure to must-pass bills now
on the Senate docket, including a
series of appropriations measures
and defense authorization legislation to be considered in the coming weeks.
The legislation would force
nearly every state to recognize
permits to carry hidden, loaded
weapons issued by any other
state, even if the carrier would not
qualify for a local permit. In an
edition of USA Today, the Mayors Against Illegal Guns coalition
published an open letter to Majority Leader Harry Reid and members of the Senate strongly opposing the Washington gun
lobby’s attempt to strip cities and
states of their authority to set
minimum standards for concealed
carrying.
“States and cities across the
country have always had the authority to decide whether some
people are just too dangerous to
carry a loaded, hidden gun in public,” said coalition co-chair Mayor
Michael R. Bloomberg. “This bill
would take away that authority
and force states to allow out-ofstate permit holders who have
records of domestic violence,
have certain misdemeanor convictions, or haven’t completed basic
gun safety training to carry
loaded guns in public. When it
comes to public safety, Congress
has no business telling states, cities and police how to do their
jobs.”
“Police put their lives on the line
to protect us every day,” said coalition co-chair Mayor Thomas M.
Menino. “And when they encounter someone with a gun, they
need certainty about the legality
of that gun and whether the carrier is a danger to the public. This
legislation would remove that cer-
Mayor Michael Bloomburg
tainty and replace it with chaos
and confusion, because officers
would have no way to verify that
a permit is real. It undermines local laws, it undermines police and
it undermines public safety.”
The mayors’ coalition led a successful fight to defeat a similar
federal reciprocity mandate on the
floor of the Senate in 2009 – the
first time the National Rifle Association had been defeated in a recorded floor vote in five years.
The coalition opposing the
measure includes nearly all major
national law enforcement organizations, including the International Association of Chiefs of
Police, the Major Cities Chiefs Association and many state police
organizations; the American Prosecutors Association, the American Bar Association, and the National Network to End Domestic
Violence, representing 56 domestic violence prevention organizations nationwide, 2,000 shelters
and the millions of families they
serve.
Mayor Cory Booker of Newark
, New Jersey , a member of Mayors Against Illegal Guns, released
a video statement opposing the
measure. It is available at
www.ourlivesourlaws.org/corybooker.
Text of the Open Letter to
Congress from Mayors Against
Illegal Guns
Dear Majority Leader Reid and
Members of the U.S. Senate:
“The Senate may soon consider
dangerous legislation that would
usurp the authority of states to set
their own minimum standards for
who can—and more importantly,
who can’t—carry a concealed,
loaded gun in public. This forced
concealed carry reciprocity legislation would require states to recognize permits issued in other states,
even if those other states have far
weaker standards.
“We mayors strenuously oppose
any federal attempt to strip cities
and states of the authority to set
our own public safety laws. Doing
so would threaten the safety of our
citizens by putting loaded guns in
the hands of people who are too
dangerous to qualify for a local permit. And it would put our police officers at risk by making it far more
difficult to distinguish law-abiding
gun owners from dangerous criminals.
“Simply put, Congress should
not be undercutting our state laws,
our law enforcement, or our public
safety.
“Senators: We urge you not to
gut your own state’s public safety
laws. Currently, 38 states deny
concealed carry by people convicted of certain dangerous misdemeanors, 29 states deny concealed
carry by alcohol abusers, and 35
states require applicants to complete gun safety training. All these
laws would be eviscerated.
“These basic standards matter.
Today, a bipartisan coalition of 600
mayors, along with major police organizations, domestic violence experts, prosecutors and faith leaders, is asking you to stand with us
to protect the public safety laws that
your own states have adopted. The
safety of our local communities and
the lives of innocent Americans are
on the line.”
Since its inception in April 2006,
Mayors Against Illegal Guns has
grown from 15 mayors to more than
600.
Mayors Against Illegal Guns has
united the nation’s mayors around
these common goals: protecting
their communities by holding gun
offenders and irresponsible gun
dealers accountable, demanding
access to trace data that is critical
to law enforcement efforts to combat illegal gun trafficking, and working with legislators to fix gaps,
weaknesses and loopholes in the
law that make it far too easy for
criminals and other prohibited purchasers to get guns.
Latest presidential poll shows Cain surge in Texas
In the aftermath of a successful performance in recent
debates, latest poll shows a
surge in support for businessman Herman Cain among
Texas Republican voters.
The dramatic change in
this poll from last poll suggests that many voters remain only weakly committed
to their current candidate
preference.
These results are from the
final section of our recent pol
of 10/12 to 10/17 which was
conducted through automated phonecalls and direct
email solicitations of 4372 Republican voters in the state of
Texas of whom 832 responded
to the poll. 56% of the responses came from direct email
contacts and 44% from telephone responses.
The pool consisted of active party members identified
by association with clubs,
groups and party organizations and voters who were
identified from voter rolls as
having voted Republican in
2008 and 2010.
They were geographically
distributed over most of the
state, with clusters in Tarrant,
Denton, Comal, Harris, Hays,
Travis, Blanco, Collin, Llano
and Montgomery Counties.
The results of other questions
also included in this poll have
been released separately. Poll
Date: 10/12-10/17, 2011 Poll
Method: Direct Email and Automated Calls Poll Sample: 844
Republican voters in Texas
Margin of Error: +/- 3%
Candidate Graph Percent
Herman Cain 33%; Ron Paul
19%; Rick Perry 18%; Mitt
Romney 7%; Newt Gingrich
5%; Gary Johnson 3%; John
Huntsman
3%;
Michele
Bachmann 1%; Rick Santorum
1%; Buddy Roemer 1%; Fred
Karger 0%; Undecided 7%.
The bar graph accurately
reflects the numerical relationship of actual poll responses.
This poll was not paid for
or authorized by any campaign or political organization.
Azimuth polling is a nonpartisan polling company.
This poll can be viewed
online at:
http://www.azimuthpolls.com
Herman Cain
5
6
Christie strengthens
jobs creation effort
Acting on a commitment to
grow New Jersey’s economy, create Jersey Jobs and organize government to meet the state’s long
term economic development goals
in a common sense and sustainable manner, Governor Christie
has announced the State Strategic Job Growth Plan as an ambitious, flexible guide to New
Jersey’s economic development
future.
The plan provides a framework
for action by setting forth planning goals of statewide importance, guiding principles, achievable steps for coordination across
government, and a realistic implementation agenda anchored in
strong Executive Branch leadership from the Governor and Lt.
Governor.
“New Jersey’s challenges are
too great to be approached in the
stratified, haphazard and unrealistic manner that has characterized previous statewide planning
efforts. This is a plan that will foster job growth in a sensible, sustainable and truly effective manner over the long term,” said Governor Christie. “By focusing our
planning and economic development resources around common
goals – better identifying and investing in vibrant regions and
critical sectors of our economy,
supporting effective regional
planning, and preserving our invaluable natural resources – we
are positioning New Jersey for
sustained job growth, competitiveness and prosperity.”
This plan provides practical
goals and guidelines to
strengthen Governor Christie’s
job creation efforts in a long-term
and sustainable manner. These
goals include:
· Targeting Economic Growth by
identifying and promoting growth
in regions of the state with clusters of critical or emerging industries that will be drivers of strong
economic growth. These centers,
known as Regional Innovation
Clusters, are well-positioned for
job creation and economic development based on existing infrastructure, educational, intellectual
and workforce resources. Examples include regions supporting Bio/Pharma and Life Sciences, Finance, Manufacturing,
Technology, Health Care, and the
emerging Solar and Offshore Wind
industries.
· Effective Planning for “Vibrant
Regions” in New Jersey, includes
areas designated as “Priority
Growth Investment Areas”
through a to be developed criteria-based identification process, in
order to grow and promote communities with access to quality
education, housing, public transportation and infrastructure, parks
and recreation. Such areas include
major urban centers, Regional Innovation Clusters, existing designated centers, port areas, growth
areas as identified by regional or
county master plans and municipally designated redevelopment
areas.
Encouraged development
projects will be guided by Garden
State Values, a list of best management practices to include
projects that: increase job creation
and business opportunities; are
compact, mixed use, and accessible to existing development and
infrastructure; prioritize redevelopment, infill and existing infrastructure; support healthy communities through environmental protection and enhancement; diversify housing opportunities; and
that move forward within regional
planning frameworks, among others.
· Preserve and Enhance Critical
State Resources through continued support for New Jersey’s preservation programs and balanced
state, regional and municipal planning that properly considers transportation, energy, water supply,
water quality and air management
needs now and in the
future. Preservation programs
provide a secure future for the
state’s environmental resources,
improve residents’ quality of life,
and are a net economic benefit to
New Jersey’s communities. This
Strategic Plan calls for continued
funding of state preservation efforts and reforms to encourage the
use of underutilized preservation
tools like development rights
transfers that require limited public funding.
· Tactical Alignment of State Government through strong Execu(CONTINUED ON PAGE 25)
Gov. Chris Christie
Riverdale, GA. Pictured (L-R) Felicia Davis, NCBCP BWR Advisory Board; Rita Samuels, Women
Flying High; Demetria McKinney, actress/singer; Vivica A. Fox, actress/producer; and Helen Butler,
Georgia Coalition for the Peoples’Agenda. PHOTO CREDIT: Donnie Hunter
Black women roundtable hears
inspiring words from actresses
After honoring women’s rights
leader, Rita Jackson Samuels, and
Riverdale Mayor, Dr. Evelyn
Wynn Dixon, actress/singer,
Demetria McKinney, and actress/
producer/businesswoman, Vivica
A. Fox shared inspirational stories about overcoming obstacles
like single parenthood and joblessness with women and girls attending the recent Black Women’s
Roundtable (BWR) Healthy,
Wealthy and Wise National Empowerment Tour.
Accepting an award for her civil
and woman’s rights work, Samuels
told the young people: “Don’t
ever give up on your dream.”
Samuels grew up poor in Forsyth
Georgia but went on to work
alongside Dr. Martin L. King, Jr.,
served at the White House under
President Jimmy Carter, and
founded Georgia Coalition for
Black Women.
Mayor Dixon shared a riveting
story of growing up in segregated
Atlanta, a bitter divorce, eviction
and surviving homelessness as a
single parent of five kids. “When
my husband left me I became
homeless and even suicidal. But
at the lowest point in my life I
found the courage to pick myself
up and refused to let adversity
hold me back,” said Dixon who
started community college at 35years-old and earned a PhD at 50.
Energizing the audience with her
knack for keeping it real, Fox, the
co-star of “Kill Bill” and “Kingdom Come”, urged the women to
take charge of their own life and
addressed ageism against women
in Hollywood. “My agents told me
there aren’t roles for Black women
over 40 in Hollywood. I asked,
have you forgotten I had Independence Day with Will Smith? Have
you forgotten I set it off with
Queen Latifa and Jada Pinkett? Or
that I played the game with Morris Chestnut? Fox continued, “I
regrouped and took hold of the
‘business’ side of ‘show business’
and began producing films, stage
plays and TV shows. I even have
my own hair line Vivica A. Fox
Wigs. Don’t let nobody tell you
what you can’t do.” McKinney,
who plays Janine Payne on Tyler
Perry’s House of Payne and recently released her debut CD, “Get
Yo Ish”, kept the down-to-earth
tone as she outlined her rocky road
to success. The single mother told
the audience she had to drop out
of college to raise her son. “I got a
job waiting tables and moved to
the projects but I never gave up.
African American women are
called and have to be the backbone for a lot. That doesn’t mean
there won’t be obstacles. But remember, the situation doesn’t
make you,” said McKinney, who
was accompanied by the former
EVP of Tyler Perry Studio’s and
CEO of Bobbcat Films, Roger
Bobb.
A 19-year-old single mother attending with her two-year-old
daughter in tow, Jazamin
McCurdy, was excited to interact
one-on-one with the speakers. “I
feel so motivated to make positive
changes in my life. The panel discussions helped me understand
what I need to do and the stories
from the speakers helped realize
that I can do it.”
In addition to the Sista-2-Sister
Talk, there was a mini-expo, panels on domestic violence, economic health, politics, technology
access and a fitness session led
by Eshe of Arrested Development.
Physicians from the Centers for
Disease Control addressed health
issues and pharmacists from
Walgreens Pharmacy administered flu shots and donated
vouchers for free flu shots. Opening night of the three-day-event included a BWR Listening session
hosted by Fire Chief Rosemary
Cloud, the first African American
female fire chief in the country. On
Sunday the women attended services at Olivet Baptist Church in
Fayetteville where they held
aspecial tribute to BWR members
Ruby Campbell-Pulliam and
Adrienne Dennis.
“The Listening Session allowed
women and girls to have a candid
discussion about issues that impact
their lives,” said Helen Butler, executive director of the Georgia Coalition for the Peoples Agenda, the local coordinating partner for the
event. “Issues ranged from no job,
food or housing, to violence in their
home and community. I am happy
that we were able to provide valuable resources to the women.”
According to Melanie L.
Campbell, president and CEO of the
National Coalition on Black Civic
Participation (The National Coalition) and convener of The Black
Women’s Roundtable, “The goal of
this national tour is to personally
connect with women and girls in
underserved communities. We decided to host the event on the south
side of Atlanta because many
women that are struggling to maintain can’t make it into downtown
Atlanta.”
The BWR Tour traveled to ten cities featuring inspirational women
like actress/singer/activist, Sheryl
Lee Ralph, Susan L. Taylor, Cares
Mentoring, and Clayola Brown, A.
Philip Randolph Institute, and will
culminate with a national event in
Washington, DC. The tour is made
possible by the W.F. Kellogg Foundation. BWR Atlanta sponsors include: AT&T, Verizon Foundation
and the U. S. Department of Agriculture.
7
8
Editorial
The Gaddafi the U.S.
did not tell us about
New York
Beacon
Walter Smith: Publisher & Editor-in-Chief
Miatta Haj Smith: Co-Publisher & Executive Editor
William Egyir: Managing Editor
Pat Buchanan: Unrepentant racist
By George E. Curry
NNPA Columnist
Pat Buchanan’s latest book,
Suicide of a Superpower, is a continuation his long-running racist,
sexist, anti-immigrant and antiSemitic rants that should have
disqualified him long ago from
masquerading as a respectable
paid political pundit on MSNBC.
ColorOfChange.org, a group
dedicated to Black political and
social change, is circulating a
petition asking MSNBC to immediately fire Buchanan. In a memo
to its members, dated Oct. 31, it
said: “If Buchanan didn’t have a
powerful media platform, he’d be
just another person with outdated, extremist ideas. But it’s irresponsible and dangerous for
MSNBC to promote his hateful
views to an audience of millions.”
In his latest book, Buchanan
writes in a chapter titled, The End
of White America: “Those who
believe the rise to power of an
Obama rainbow coalition of
peoples of color means the
whites who helped engineer it will
steer it are deluding themselves.
The whites may discover what it
is like in the back of the bus.”
He also defends New York taxi
drivers who refuse to pick up
African-American males.
“If [conservative political
commentator
Heather]
MacDonald’s statistics are accurate, 49 of every 50 muggings and
murders in New York are the work
of minorities. That might explain
why black folks have trouble
getting a cab. Every New York
cabby must know the odds
should he pick up a man of color
at night.”
Unfortunately, that kind of talk
– based on non-existent “facts”
– is nothing new for Buchanan, a
former editorial writer for the
right-wing St. Louis Globe-Democrat who later served in the Nixon
White House and ran unsuccessfully for president.
Buchanan’s extremist views
have been subject of reports published by media watchdog groups
Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting (FAIR) and Media Matters as
well as the Anti-Defamation
League (ADL).
Below are Buchanan’s own
words:
* “First, America has been the
best country on earth for black
folks. It was here that 600,000
black people, brought from Africa
in slave ships, grew into a community of 40 million, were introduced to Christian salvation, and
reached the greatest levels of freedom and prosperity blacks have
ever known…Second, no people
anywhere has done more to lift
up blacks than white Americans…Where is the gratitude?”
[Syndicated column, “A Brief for
Whitey,” March 21, 2008]
* “This has been a country built,
basically, by white folks in this
country who were 90 percent of
the entire nation in 1960 when I
was growing up, Rachel, and the
other 10 percent of the entire nation were African-Americans who
had been discriminated against.”
[The Rachel Maddow Show,
MSNBC, July 16, 2009]
* “In the late 1940’s and
1950’s…race was never a preoccupation with us, we rarely
thought about it…There were no
politics to polarize us then, to
magnify every slight. The ‘Ne-
groes’ of Washington had their
public schools, restaurants,
movie houses, playgrounds and
churches; and we had ours.”
[Buchanan’s autobiography,
Right From the Beginning, 1990]
* “Even Richard Nixon found the
views of his former speech writer,
Buchanan, too extreme on the
segregation issue. According to
a John Ehrlichman memo referenced in Nicholas Lemann’s The
Promised Land, Nixon characterized Buchanan’s views as ‘segregation forever.’ After Nixon was
reelected, Buchanan warned his
boss not to ‘fritter away his
present high support in the nation for an ill-advised governmental effort to forcibly integrate
races.’” [Salon, Sept. 4, 1999]
* “Near the end, Buchanan
added angrily: ‘Conservatives
are the niggers of the Nixon administration.’
The political right, Buchanan
thought, was getting nothing but
rhetoric.” [Richard Reeves, President Nixon: Alone in the White
House, Page 295.]
* “Buchanan’s memo, written
April 1, 1969, said Nixon should
observe the first anniversary of
the civil rights leader’s death by
doing no more than issuing a
statement. ‘There is no long-run
gains, and considerable long-run
risks in making a public visit to
Widow King,’ Buchanan wrote.
He characterized King as ‘one of
the most divisive men in contemporary history’ and: ‘Initially, the
visit would get an excellent press
but…it would outrage many
people who believe Dr. King was
True? No man, no matter how
loved or hated, can win over 100%
of his people. There is no perfection in this world. Now that
Gaddafi is dead, some Libyans are
euphoric. But will it be long before they realize that they are still
far from what they expected to gain
from this revolution, and perhaps
look back to the past with some
regret? Only time will tell. Iraq and
Afghanistan are two examples of
outside interference but the
people’s lives have not improved
over the years. There is still no
peace and stability in these countries.
The media has successfully
painted Gaddafi as a hard-core dictator, tyrant whatever you want to
call him. However, the media as
usual has also failed to show the
kind, giving Gaddafi we never
heard of. Gaddafi unlike most dictators I will refrain from naming has
managed to show his humane side,
the very side we dream of seeing
in other dictators who just talk and
talk. I consider Libyans lucky to a
certain extent and one wonders
with the new democratic rule they
cry for will it improve or worsen
life for them. Yes, Gaddafi has spent
millions of Libya‘s money on personal ventures but is the average
Libyan poor? We know others who
take a country and destroy it until
you feel like there is no hope of
restoring this country… looting
some prefer to call it. Did Gaddafi
loot Libya in any way?
Now let us get to the unknown
facts about the Libyan dictator
Muammar Gaddafi:
1. There is no electricity bill in
Libya; electricity is free for all its
citizens.
2. There is no interest on loans,
banks in Libya are state-owned and
loans are given to all its citizens at
0% interest by law.
3. Home is considered a human
right in Libya – Gaddafi vowed that
his parents would not get a house
until everyone in Libya had a
home. Gaddafi’s father has died
while him, his wife and his mother
are still living in a tent.
4. All newlyweds in Libya receive
$60,000 Dinar (US$50,000) from the
government to buy their first apartment to help start up the family.
Traditional wedding in Tripoli, Libya
5. Education and medical treatments
are free in Libya. Before Gaddafi
only 25% of Libyans are literate. Today the figure is 83%.
6. Should Libyans want to take up
farming career, they would receive
farming land, a farming house,
equipments, seeds and livestock to
kick-start their farms – all for free.
7. If Libyans cannot find the education or medical facilities they need
in Libya, the government funds them
to go abroad for it – not only free
but they get US$2,300/mth accommodation and car allowance.
8. If a Libyan buys a car, the government subsidized 50% of the
price.
9. The price of petrol in Libya is $0.14
per liter.
10. Libya has no external debt and
its reserves amount to $150 billion –
now frozen globally.
Great Man-Made River project in
Libya… $27 billion
11. If a Libyan is unable to get employment after graduation the state
would pay the average salary of the
profession as if he or she is employed until employment is found.
12. A portion of Libyan oil sale is,
credited directly to the bank accounts of all Libyan citizens.
13. A mother who gave birth to a
child receives US$5,000
14. 40 loaves of bread in Libya costs
$ 0.15
15. 25% of Libyans have a university degree
16. Gaddafi carried out the world’s
largest irrigation project, known as
the Great Man-Made River project,
to make water readily available
throughout the desert country.
Which other dictator has done much
more to his people besides.
P.S. If this is the dictator Gaddafi is,
then give us one like him here in the
U.S.!
Capitalism coming home to roost
By Ezrah Aharone
While capitalism is upheld by
Western-European nations as the
paradigm for economic fairness
and efficiency, it conversely has
a 400-year history of profiteering
that traces to shameless enslavement and colonizing of non-European people by the same nations. Today, capitalism’s tentacles of debauchery reach beyond the so-called “third world”
to now roost among citizens
within these very European nations, including America. Once
fiscally robust, America is debtaddicted and job-starved, with
near-bankrupt states and crippled
infrastructures of roads, bridges,
schools and airports.
In fed-up response, protesters
of the Occupy Wall Street Movement (OWSM) are rightly ranting
over capitalism’s recent malfeasance. Yet, in broad-spectrum, it
must be reckoned that the descendants of those who were once enslaved or colonized, comprise a
majority of people who now live
in poverty. The sum of Westernize capitalism – from its extirpations of yesterday to free-market
enterprise today – has left trails of
billions of impoverished non-European people all around the world
wherever labor is performed, services are provided, and resources
are located.
With Africa particularly, it is not
coincidental that its currencies
and economies are among the
weakest in the world, while the
currencies and economies of
Western colonial nations are
among the strongest, even
though most lack comparable
natural resources of the African
states they colonized. Capitalist
hegemony over Africa siphoned
unknown trillions in labor and resources, upon which Western
economies unfairly stand.
True, the OWSM cannot undo
capitalism’s ugly past. But the
point is to stitch threads of commonality and continuity, given
that capitalism did not suddenly
get derailed by Bush or Obama; or
by halos of immunity and tax havens for the rich; or by the cost of
war adventurism in Afghanistan,
Iraq, and Libya. The middleclass
is certainly feeling capitalism’s
pitchfork more of late, but capitalism is no more depraved lately
than at its inception. A main difference is that – yesterday, its parasitic forces usurped non-Europeans of sovereignty, territories, resources and freedom, while today,
extensions of the same parasitic
forces are coming home to roost
by cannibalizing Americans of all
ethnicities of jobs, savings, stocks,
pensions, social programs,
healthcare and homes.
Like African Americans, growing
numbers of Euro-Americans have
discovered that capitalism has nothing to do with “equality” nor is it
“democratic.” You don’t vote on the
overly-priced gas and oil for your
car and home. You don’t vote for
who owns or commercializes natural resources. You don’t vote on
mortgage or bank interest rates or
the elasticity of money supply regulated by the Federal Reserve . . .
There’s no such thing as equality
or democracy in the Western format
of capitalism.
As such, the current 16.7% un(CONTINUED ON PAGE 25)
9
Libya war lies were worse than Iraq’s
By Thomas C. Mountain used as an excuse for NATO to
launch its attacks on Libya.
Asmara
After three months on the
The lies used to justify the ground in rebel controlled territory,
NATO war against Libya have the Amnesty investigator could
surpassed those created to jus- only confirm 110 deaths in
tify the invasion of Iraq. Amnesty Benghazi which included Gadaffi
International and Human Rights supporters.
Watch both had honest observOnly 110 dead in Benghazi? Wait
ers on the ground for months fol- a minute, we were told thousands
lowing the rebellion in eastern had died there, ten thousand even.
Libya and both have repudiated No, only 110 lost their lives includevery major charge used to jus- ing pro-government people.
No rapes, no African mercenartify the NATO war on Libya.
According to the Amnesty ob- ies, no helicopter gun ships or
server, who is fluent in Arabic, bombers, and only 110 ten deaths
there is not one confirmed in- prior to the launch of the NATO
stance of rape by the pro-Gadaffi bombing campaign, every reason
fighters, not even a doctor who was based on a lie. Today according to the Libyan Red Crescent Soknew of one.
All the Viagra mass rape sto- ciety, over 1,100 civilians have been
ries were fabrications. Amnesty killed by NATO bombs including
could not verify a single “Afri- over 400 women and children. Over
can mercenary” fighting for 6,000 Libyan civilians have been
Gaddafi story, and the highly injured or wounded by the bombcharged international satellite ing, many very seriously.
Compared to the war on Iraq,
television accounts of African
mercenaries raping women that these numbers are tiny, but the reawere used to panic much of the sons for the Libyan war have no
eastern Libyan population into merit in any form.
Saddam Hussein was evil, he infleeing their homes were fabricavaded his neighbors in wars that
tions.
There were no confirmed ac- killed up to a million. He used
counts of helicopter gun ships Weapons of Mass Destruction
attacking civilians and no jet (WMD’s) in the form of poison gas
fighters bombing people which on both his neighbors and his own
completely invalidates any justi- people, killing tens of thousands.
fication for the No-Fly Zone He was brutal and corrupt and
inSecurity Council resolution when American tanks rolled into
Iraq the Iraqi people refused to
fight for him, simply put their
weapons down and went home.
Libya under Col. Gadaffi
hasn’t invaded their neighbors.
Gadaffi never used WMD’s on
anyone, let alone his own people.
As for Gadaffi being brutal, in
Libya’s neighbor Algeria, the Algerian military fought a counterinsurgency for a decade in the
1990’s that witnessed the deaths
of some 200,000 Algerians. Now
that is brutal and nothing anywhere near this has happened in
Libya.
In Egypt and Tunisia, western
puppets like Mubarak and Ben
Ali had almost no support
amongst their people with few if
anyone willing to fight and die
to defend them.
The majority of the Libyan
people are rallying behind the
Libyan government and “the
leader”, Muammar Gadaffi, with
over one million people demonstrating in support on July 1 in
Tripoli, the capital of Libya.
Thousands of Libyan youth are
on the front lines fighting the
rebels and despite thousands of
NATO air strikes authentic journalists on the ground in western
Libya report their morale remains
high. In Egypt the popular explosion that resulted in the Army
seizing power from Mubarak began in the very poorest neigh-
borhoods in Cairo and other Egyptian cities where the price of basic food items like bread, sugar
and cooking oil had skyrocketed
and lead to widespread hunger. In
many parts of Egypt’s poor neighborhoods gasoline/benzene is
easier to find then clean drinking
water. Medical care and education
is only for those with the money
to pay for it. Life for the people of
Tunisia is not that much better.
In contrast, the Libyan people
have the longest life expectancy
in the Arab world. The Libyan
people have the best, free public
health system in the Arab world.
The Libyan people have the best,
free public education system in
the Arab world. Most Libyan families own their own home and most
Libyan families own their own automobile. Libya is so much better
off then its neighbors every year
tens of thousands of Egyptians
and Tunisians migrated to Libya
to earn money to feed their families, doing the dirty work the
Libyan people refused to do.
When it comes to how Gadaffi
oversaw a dramatic rise in the
standard of living for the Libyan
people despite decades of UN in
Security Council sanctions
against the Libyan economy honest observers acknowledge that
Gadaffi stands head and shoulders above the kings, sheiks, emirs
and various dictators who rule the
rest of the Arab world.
So why did NATO launch this
war against Libya? First of all
Gadaffi was on the verge of creating a new banking system in Africa
that was going to put the IMF,
World Bank and assorted other
western banksters out of business
in Africa. No more predatory western loans used to cripple African
economies, instead a $42 billion
dollar African Investment Bank
would be supplying major loans at
little or even zero interest rates.
LIbya has funded major infrastructure projects across Africa
that have begun to link up African
economies and break the perpetual
dependency on the western countries for imports have been taking
place. Here in Eritrea the new road
connecting Eritrea and Sudan is just
one small example.
What seem to have finally tipped
the balance in favor of direct western military intervention was the reported demand by Gadaffi that the
USA oil companies who have long
been major players in the Libyan
petroleum industry were going to
have to compensate Libya to the
tune of tens of billions of dollars
for the damage done to the Libyan
economy by the USA instigated
“Lockerbie Bombing” sanctions
imposed by the UN inSecurity
Council throughout the 1990’s into
Trying juveniles as adults doesn’t reduce juvenile crime
By Kenneth J. Cooper
behind crime rates are demographic
Special to the NNPA from trends: the more teenagers in the
thedefendersonline.com
population, the more juvenile
crime, and vice versa. Similarly,
Only eight states publicly re- adult crime rates are strongly asport the race and ethnicity of ju- sociated with the number of people
veniles transferred to adult under age 30, particularly males.
courts for criminal prosecution,
Current members of state legisthe Justice Department has latures would be more on target
found, and it’s no wonder that asking whether adult transfer laws
more states do not. Those that have served any beneficial purdo are sending disproportionate pose. No national study has been
numbers of African-American conducted on the impact of those
and Hispanic teenagers to face laws, but most state-level research
the possibility of the most seri- indicates they do not reduce juveous punishment that a juvenile nile crime.
“The weight of the
offender can face—getting evidence suggests that state translocked up in a state prison along- fer laws have little or no tendency
side hardened adult criminals.
to deter would-be juvenile crimiDuring a juvenile crime wave nals,” concludes the report from
that began in the 1980s and the federal Office of Juvenile Juspeaked in 1994, almost every tice and Delinquency Prevention.
state expanded the range of ju- “Possible explanations include juvenile offenders who could face veniles’ general ignorance of transconviction in adult court for seri- fer laws, tendency to discount or
ous or repeat offenses, the Jus- ignore risks in decision-making,
tice Department says in a new and lack of impulse control.”
report. Since 1994 states have
The report suggests legislatures
been trying many fewer teenag- take another look at the laws:
ers in regular courts, but at least “States have shown little tendency
14,000 faced that sort of prosecu- to reverse or even reconsider the
tion in 2009, according to infor- expanded transfer laws already in
mation available from 21 states. place. Despite the steady decline
State lawmakers may believe in juvenile crime and violence rates
their tough legislation has led to since 1994, there has as yet been
the drop in juvenile offending, no discernible pendulum swing
but they are deluding themselves away from transfer.”
if they do. It has been long esLess than a paragraph in the retablished that the biggest factor port is devoted to racial-ethnic dis-
parities in adult prosecution of
juveniles, perhaps because so
few states make those breakdowns available. That limited
pool of information provides another reason for legislative reconsideration—one that African-American and Hispanic lawmakers should push. According to the report, “In Florida most
transferred youth in 2008 were
black (54%) whereas whites
(29%) and Hispanics (12%) were
considerably underrepresented.
By contrast transfers were predominantly Hispanic in Arizona
(57%) and California (56%).”
To put that undesirable Black
majority in Florida into context,
the state had the highest rate of
adult transfer of the states that
make report such information. In
2007-2008, Florida sent a whopping 3,600 juveniles of all races
into adult courts—about five
times as many as more populous
California. Florida’s adult prosecutions of juveniles were concentrated in the counties that include Miami, St. Petersburg,
Palm Beach, Orlando and
Pensacola.
California prosecuted 742 juveniles as adults in 2008, a number that dipped a little the next
year before jumping to 976 last
year. Hispanics made up a majority of those juveniles in each
of those three years, reaching a
peak of 59 percent in 2009. African-Americans hovered just under 30 percent—a level out of line
with the state’s 13 percent Black
population. About 38 percent of
state residents are Hispanic.
In Arizona, Hispanics have
been tried as adults at about the
same rates as in California—between 57 percent and 59 percent
between 2008 and 2010. Blacks
have been overrepresented too,
at between 12 percent and 18 percent. The state is 30 percent Hispanic and four percent Black.
Most adult prosecutions occurred
in Maricopa County, where Phoenix, the state’s largest city, is located. Hispanic juveniles were
treated as adults in disparate numbers in Oregon, where they made
up 30 percent of the 2008 total of
391 juveniles in adults courts.
The state is 12 percent Hispanic.
In Missouri, 64 percent of juveniles statewide prosecuted as
adults in 2009 were
African
American, nearly double the 2001
level of 36 percent. Black youth
make up 15 percent of the state’s
population between 10 and 17 that
falls under the jurisdiction of juvenile courts. St. Louis and surrounding St. Louis County prosecuted as adults 70 percent of
Black juveniles treated that way
statewide.
The disparity was
even greater for Black teen offenders in Tennessee: they made
up 77 percent of children prosecuted as adults in 2008, and 67
percent the next year. There were
about a total of 400 adult prosecutions in both years, and they were
concentrated in the county that includes Memphis. Tennessee is 17
percent Black.
The Tennessee figures and one
other statistic in the report suggest
racial disparities are likely to be the
greatest in the South, where states
with the highest percentages of
Black residents are located. The report says the bulk of all juveniles
incarcerated in state prisons are
doing their adult time in the South.
In Montana, the limited data published indicates that adult prosecution of Native American juveniles
has been an issue.
The statistics for Ohio that the
Justice Department cites could not
be found online.
To provide a fuller picture, the
Justice Department recently commissioned a national survey to create the first national database of
how juveniles are treated in adult
courts. The survey will examine a
sample of felony and misdemeanor
cases against juveniles—and will
include the demographics of those
offenders.
Kenneth J. Cooper, a PulitzerPrize winning journalist, is a
freelancer based in Boston. He also
edits the Trotter Review at the University of Massachusetts-Boston.
Opinion
10
African Scene
Kenya air raid in Somalia Jilib
town ‘kills civilians’ including kids
Libyan rebel militias overran the town of Tawargha in August
Libya militia ‘terrorizes’
pro-Gaddafi town residents
Militias from the Libyan city
of Misrata are “terrorizing” displaced residents of the town of
Tawargha over their alleged
loyalty to Muammar Gaddafi,
says a rights group.
The entire town, once home
to 30,000 people, has been abandoned, said US-based Human
Rights Watch (HRW).
Parts have been ransacked
and burnt and residents told
not to return, it said.
The ruling NTC said it has ordered its forces not to loot and
that an inquiry would be held
in case of wrongdoing.
“We are in complete harmony.
If there has been anything outside the law, there will be an investigation,” said Deputy Defence Minister Fawzi Abu Katif.
HRW said it had reports of militiamen shooting unarmed
Tawarghans and of arbitrary arrests and beatings, some of
them leading to deaths, HRW
said.
The militias are accusing the
Gaddafi loyalists in Tawargha of
committing atrocities, such as
murder and rape, alongside
Gaddafi forces in Misrata.
The majority of the town’s
residents are non-Arab Libyans,
many of them descendants of
African slaves.
“Revenge against the people
from Tawargha, whatever the accusations against them, undermines the goal of the Libyan
revolution,” said Sarah Leah
Whitson, HRW’s Middle East
and North Africa director.
“In the new Libya, Tawarghans
accused of wrongdoing should
be prosecuted based on the law,
not subject to vigilante justice,”
she added.
HRW says its conclusions
were based on the testimonies
of dozens of people across the
country.
Pro-Gaddafi forces used
Tawargha as a base for attacks
on Misrata when they besieged
the city during the Libyan uprising.
The anti-Gaddafi militia fought
their way out and began an advance on the Libyan capital, Tripoli, back in August.
At least five people, including
three children, have died after a
refugee camp in southern Somalia was bombed, the MSF charity
says.
Kenya’s army denied bombing
the camp, saying it had been attacked by the militant Islamist
group, al-Shabab.
A Kenya fighter jet only hit alShabab positions in Jilib, killing
10 of its fighters, an army spokesman said.
Kenya sent troops into Somalia on 16 October to pursue alShabab, which is linked to alQaeda.
In a statement, MSF (Medecins
Sans Frontieres) said aerial bombardments in Jilib - a stronghold
of al-Shabab - had hit a camp for
displaced people on Sunday.
Three children, a woman and a
man were killed in the attack and
another 45 people were treated for
shrapnel wounds, MSF-Holland
Somalia mission head Gautam
Chatterjee said.
In a BBC interview, Kenyan military spokesman Maj Emmanuel
Chirchir denied that Kenya’s air
force had bombed the camp.
“MSF is being used by alShabab [for propaganda purposes],” he told the BBC’s Focus on Africa program.
The nutrition clinic and cholera
centre are closed”
He said an al-Shabab militant
had driven a truck laden with explosives into the camp, causing
the casualties.
A Kenyan fighter jet had attacked an al-Shabab base near
the refugee camp, Maj Chirchir
said.
“We received intelligence that
a top al-Shabab leader was to visit
a camp in Jilib so we conducted
an air raid,” he said.
Maj Chirchir said “human intelligence” showed that 10 alShabab fighters had been killed
and 47 wounded.
Mr Chatterjee said MSF had
evacuated its staff from Jilib, the
Kenya is pursuing Islamist militants in Somalia
AFP news agency reports.
The UN declared a famine earlier
“So today the nutrition clinic this year in six areas under aland cholera centre are closed. We Shabab’s control.
will re-open as soon as things are Somalia’s Prime Minister Abdiweli
a bit safer for our staff there,” he Mohammed visited Kenya on
is quoted as saying.
Monday and said al-Shabab was
Maj Chirchir said al-Shabab had the common enemy of Somalia and
also been attacked at sea, with the Kenya and the best way to deal
Kenyan navy capsizing three of with the effects of the famine was
its boats along the Somali coast. to defeat the group.
Kenya says it is pursuing al- He said Somali government troops
Shabab in Somalia because it were taking the lead in the offensive against al-Shabab and that the
poses a threat to its stability.
It accuses the group of a spate Kenyan military was playing a supof kidnappings in Kenya - includ- portive role.
Last week, Somalia’s President
ing that of a French woman who
died in Somalia earlier this month. Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed said
Al-Shabab denies involvement he was opposed to Kenya’s interin the abductions.
vention.
It has vowed to retaliate against
Some humanitarian agencies are
Kenya for sending troops into So- worried that the operation threatmalia.
ens to make it harder to get aid to
Somalia has been without an ef- the victims of the famine in southfective for more than 20 years.
ern Somalia, correspondents say.
Liberia election: Tubman hails resignation of election head
The opposition candidate in
next week’s run-off in Liberia,
Winston Tubman, has welcomed the resignation of the
election head after fraud allegations.
Mr Tubman, a former UN diplomat, said his party would decide later on Monday whether
it would now call off its planned
boycott of the Nov. 8 vote.
James Fromayan said he was
stepping down because he did
not want to be an “obstacle” to
the run-off.
Mr Tubman is facing Nobel
Peace laureate Ellen JohnsonSirleaf.
She became Africa’s first female elected head of state after
the 2005 elections following the
end of Liberia’s 14-year civil war.
Mr Tubman’s Congress for
Democratic Change (CDC) had
demanded Mr Fromayan’s resignation, saying it would not
take part in the run-off if he remained in his post.
It alleged widespread fraud in
last month’s first round.
“We presented photos of ballot boxes which had been tampered with by NEC [National
Elections Commission] employees,” CDC campaign manager
George Solo told the AFP news
agency.
“We also have the issue of
tally sheets scratched out and
their numbers changed. Old
people wanted to vote for certain people but NEC workers
RUNNING MATES — Winston Tubman’s running mate is former
footballer George Weah (r)
allegations.
were not open to assisting them.
“I am resigning to give way
Before stepping down, Mr to peace. I do not want to be
Fromayan had rejected the fraud the obstacle to the holding of
the run-off election,” he said in
his resignation letter.
His deputy Elizabeth Nelson
takes his place.
These are the first post-war
elections organized by Liberians
- the previous poll was run by the
UN, which still has some 8,000
peacekeepers in the country.
Mrs Sirleaf gained 44% against
32% for Mr Tubman. A candidate
needs most than 50% for outright
victory.
Mr Tubman’s running mate is
former footballer George Weah,
who was defeated by Mrs Sirleaf
in the 2005 poll.
Former rebel leader Prince
Johnson, who came third with
12%, has urged his supporters to
back Mrs Sirleaf.
President Obama visits Triad to talk about job creation plan
President Obama
cut extension, is not passed,
the taxes of most people would
increase on average by $1,000.
T h e P r e s i d e n t ’s j o b s p l a n
would be paid for by asking
those who make more than $1
million per year to pay their fair
share in taxes. Recent polls
have shown that 60 percent of
people support a job creation
plan that would help jump start
the economy.
The Jobs Act proposed by the
President includes implementing
tax cuts to help America’s small
businesses hire and grow. The
plan proposes to put workers
back on the job while rebuilding
and modernizing America and it
will create pathways back to
work for Americans looking for
jobs.
The President’s plan also provides tax relief for every American worker and family and it is
fully paid for as part of the
President’s long-term deficit reduction plan. Obama said this
plan would put teachers in the
classroom, construction workers
to work and add more police officers and firefighters to the
workforce across the country.
Passage of the jobs bill is projected to lead to 13,000 education jobs in North Carolina.
Although the bill was recently
voted down by the Republican
controlled U.S. Senate, the
Obama Administration has a
plan. The administration plans
to break the bill up into pieces
and let Congress vote on it one
piece at a time. The first vote on
the split-up jobs bill will take
place later this week.
“Too many of us are hurting,”
said Obama. “We must create
jobs, restore the middle class and
reduce the deficit. That’s the
spirit we need to muster.” (Photos by Joe Daniels/Carolina
Peacemaker)
AG Kamala Harris to receive Brotherhood Crusade Award
By Pamela K. Johns
California Attorney general
Kamala Harris’ roots are
planted in Bay Area soil, where
her parents met as graduate
students at the University of
California Berkeley in the
1960s.
“My sister and I grew up
around adults who pretty much
spent full time marching and
shouting about this thing we
call justice,” the career prosecutor said recently.
Harris’ body of work continues to center around ‘this
thing we call justice,’ and for
her many years of service, she
will be honored at the Brotherhood Crusade’s Pioneer of African American Achievement
D i n n e r o n N o v. 4 a t t h e
Beverly Hilton Hotel.
Sworn in as the state’s 32 nd
attorney general in January,
Harris will receive the prestigious Bremond-Bakewell
Aw a r d , n a m e d f o r Wa l t e r
Bremond, who founded Brotherhood Crusade, a Los Angeles-based, community-service
organization, in 1968; and
Danny J. Bakewell Sr., the
n o n p r o f i t ’s
institutional
builder and current chairman
of the board. Charisse
Bremond-Weaver is the president and CEO.“We’re honoring Kamala Harris because
she’s a force for good,” said
Bremond-Weaver.
“With her Back-on-Track
program, she helped nonviolent offenders get trained to
Kamala Harris
work or get additional schooling, thor of Smart on Crime: A Caso they have some of the re- re e r P ro s e c u t o r ’s P l a n t o
sources they need to break the Make Us Safer, and recently
cycle of crime.”
launched a mortgage-fraud
In January, Harris made his- task force to protect consumtory when she became the first ers.
female, first African-American
“Nationwide, we’ve experiand first Asian-American attor- enced an unprecedented housney general of California; she is ing crisis, in 2010, there were
also the first Indian-American nearly 4 million foreclosure filattorney general ever in the ings,” Harris noted. She estabUnited States. Harris is the au- lished a Mortgage Fraud Task
Force because she believes
that “there needs to be a system of accountability for those
who prey on and trample the
rights of those who consumers
and investors.”
The opportunity to fight for
justice wasn’t always a given,
Harris pointed out: “We didn’t
always have Lady Justice balancing the scales with her
blindfold and sword. In the
early days of common law, there
w a s n o p u b l i c p r o s e c u t o r.
People had to fend for themselves. Lone individuals had
to press charges and present
cases on their own.”
Still, African-American and
Latino communities continue to
be disproportionately impacted
“when you look at not only
who is incarcerated, but also
who is a victim of crime,” Harris asserted.
She suggests that an important goal, moving forward, is to
reform the criminal justice system, to work towards preventing crime before it occurs, and
to help non-violent offenders
access opportunities to get an
education and make a living, so
they don’t commit new crimes,
get sent back to prison, and be
limited in their opportunities to
live productive lives.
Harris, like Brotherhood
Crusade, is committed to creating a brighter future for our
youths. Proceeds from the
Brotherhood Crusade’s dinner
honoring Harris will benefit traditionally underserved communities in Southern California.
Brotherhood offers everything
from health and fitness, to education, to economic empowerment. This is a small sampling
of its programs:
Soccer for Success, one of the
organization’s newest offerings,
integrates sports, nutritional information and mentoring, while
Brotherhood’s Gang Reduction
and Youth Development Program (GRYD) intervenes in the
lives of youths particularly at
risk of joining gangs.
Educationally, Brotherhood
tutors local 6th, 7th, and 8th graders, and offers remedial tutoring
to students who need to bring
their performance up to grade
level. Working with the Science,
Technology, Engineering and
Mathematics (STEM) program,
the organization works to reverse the tendency of South Los
Angeles students to under
achieve in math and science.
Books and Basketball Camp,
one of Brotherhood’s most anticipated weeks of the year, features instruction around math
and science, financial literacy,
social and personal development, health, and, of course,
basketball. A host of former and
current NBA players take this
fee-free camp to the hoop.
Brotherhood Crusade, which
pioneered directing donations to
underserved communities, assists more than 100 other
nonprofits, as well.
For more information, visit us
on the web at:
www.brotherhoodcrusade.org or
call 323.846.1649.
By Afrique I. Kilimanjaro
in getting a jobs bill passed.
Special to NNPA from Caro- Obama encouraged those in atlina Peacemaker
tendance to call or write their
Congressional representative to
On a bus tour covering parts help garner support.
of North Carolina and Virginia,
The President stated, “The
President Barack Obama paid economic crisis facing the U.S.
a visit to Jamestown after was not created overnight and it
spending the previous night in won’t be solved overnight.” He
Greensboro. The purpose of put the need for jobs in perspecthese appearances is to dis- tive by explaining that a lot of
cuss The American Jobs Act people are looking for work while
with local residents. Although some are postponing retirement
this official visit by the Presi- primarily based on the state of
dent was billed as being closed the economy.
to the public, more than 500
Last week the entire Republitickets were distributed to lo- can majority of the U.S. Senate
cal residents, politicians and voted against the Obama plan to
dignitaries to hear the Presi- generate jobs, while having an
dent speak.
alternative plan which does not
Obama arrived at the Mary address the jobs crisis. Obama
P e r r y R a g s d a l e Y M C A i n said the Republican plan permits
J a m e s t o w n o n a n a r m o r e d Wall Street to write its own
bus. The President was re- rules, rolls back federal environceived with roaring applause mental legislation, allows for
and cheers. He thanked teach- more oil drilling and repeals
ers in attendance for their com- healthcare reform. “That’s a
mitment and said he was im- plan but it’s not a jobs plan,” said
pressed by the extraordinary the President. “If they (Repubw o r k o f f a c u l t y a t n e a r b y licans) continue to vote against
Guilford Technical Community steps to put people back to work,
College.
they won’t have to answer to me,
As for why the President they will have to answer to you.”
and his advisors chose towns
Obama explained that the proin N.C. with a heavy Republi- posals in the American Jobs Act
can presence as tour stops, have had bipartisan support in
O b a m a s a i d , “ I ’ m n o t t h e the past, but now that these iniDemocratic or the Republican tiatives are being proposed by
president, I’m the President. I the Democratic president, Redon’t care if you’re Democrat publicans have indicated they
or Republican, we’re all Ameri- have no plans of working in a bicans.”
partisan manner with President
This tour was also an op- Obama.
portunity for the President to
Obama added that if the jobs
reach out to the public for help bill, which includes a payroll tax
11
12
Opinion
Race still mattered in the 2008 election
reveal that race still matters and the
By Alexis Karteron
Special to the NNPA from electorate was not as unified as
some seemed to hope.
Simply put, Barack Obama was
There has been widespread not the overwhelming choice of all
speculation about President- voters. Roughly 131 million AmeriElect Barack Obama’s campaign cans voted this year. While about 8
and election heralding a “post- million more cast ballots than in 2004,
racial” America. In conversa- this number constitutes just 63 pertions across the nation and such cent of those eligible to vote. This
headlines as “Obama, Racial turnout rate was only the third highBarrier Falls in Heavy Turnout,” est since 1920, when women got the
(The New York Times) and right to vote. [For the record, 1960
“Obama’s Post-Racial Promise,” saw America’s highest turnout rate
(Los Angeles Times) following in a presidential election, with 64.8
the election, some seemed eager percent of eligible Americans votto believe that Americans had ing, but an even higher rate of 67.8
come together in unprecedented percent of those who were actually
ways on Election Day. While eligible to vote are considered, i.e.,
Obama’s victory proves this if southern Blacks who were overproposition true in some re- whelmingly denied the right to vote
spects, election results indicate are excluded from the population
that race did play a decisive role base].
Of those 131 million, Obama rein voting choices.
While the much-discussed ceived roughly 53 percent of the
“Bradley Effect” – best de- vote. While that may seem like a rescribed as the disconnect be- sounding victory given the closer
tween what white voters tell poll- results of the 2000 and 2004 presisters they are going to do in the dential elections, it is hardly suffivoting booth and what they ac- cient to suggest that Americans are
tually do – did not materialize as particularly united in their support
many had feared, exit poll results for the President-Elect.
The story of who composed the
winning Obama coalition gets
more interesting when you look
at the details. For example, contrary to conventional wisdom, the
youth vote was not particularly
robust as compared to recent elections. As two political scientists
recently described, “[v]oters under the age of thirty made up 18
percent of the electorate in 2008,
compared to 17 percent in 1996,
2000, and 2004, nowhere near the
historic highs of 1972 and 1992.
Had Obama relied only on a surge
among young voters, holding
other groups at the 2004 voting
behaviors, he would have fallen
short of victory.” Given that background, race is particularly important. Obama owes his victory both
to a substantial increase in the
number of minority voters, and
their overwhelming support of his
candidacy. A look at the racial
breakdown of Obama’s winning
coalition yields some interesting
food for thought:
Black voters constituted 13 percent of voters, an increase from
11% in 2004·
Hispanics made up nine percent
of the electorate, up from eight
percent in 2004·
95 percent of Blacks and 67 percent of Hispanics voted for Obama
An initial analysis by the Joint
Center for Political and Economic
Studies estimates that Black turnout swelled by approximately 23
percent, meaning that an astounding three million more Blacks cast
ballots than in 2004. However, the
enthusiasm among Black voters
for Obama was decidedly not
shared by whites. Obama received
43 percent of the white vote, up
from Kerry’s 41 percent of the
white vote in 2004, the only group
that did not, on the whole, vote
for Obama.
The South, in particular, stands
out as a region where whites and
Blacks voted differently. In what
is likely another indication of Black
voters’ incredible enthusiasm for
Obama, several Southern states
experienced record turnout. For
example, Mississippi, Alabama,
Georgia, and South Carolina all
posted new turnout records despite their lack of attention from
the candidates. However, Obama
received strikingly low support
from white voters in those same
states – lower even than John Kerry
received in 2004. According to exit
polls, just 10 percent of whites in
Alabama pulled the lever for Obama,
for example. In short, the 2008 election results indicate that race does,
in fact, matter quite a bit for voting
behavior. While we celebrate Barack
Obama’s historic victory and what
it means for the progress of race relations in the United States, we can
remain confident that race continues to play a role in American politics, as it does in our society as a
whole. Sources:
* David Bositis, Blacks and the 2008
Election, A Preliminary Analysis,
Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies
* Stephen Ansolabehere and
Charles Stewart III, Amazing Race,
How Post-Racial Was Obama’s Victory? Boston Review (Jan./Feb.
2009)
* African-Americans, Anger, Fear
and Youth Propel Turnout to Highest Level Since 1960, Center for the
Study
of
the
American
ElectorateAlexis Karteron is Assistant Counsel for the NAACP Legal
Defense and Education Fund.
This is a powerful motivator to
keep us all focused and hanging
in there.
But perhaps the most important
reason for hope is the new culture, the new way of interacting,
the apparent deep commitment to
a fully democratic process, a “new
paradigm under construction,”
that is so clearly on display in
Zuccotti/Liberty Park, right in the
heart of the destructive, dying
system. It’s not like it’s perfect;
democracy sometimes is a “mess,”
but it is impossible to be there
with an open mind and not feel
affected.
Despite the difficulties and
struggles people are having—the
lack of jobs, the student loans that
are owed, a profit-driven health care
system, mortgage foreclosures and
limited housing options, the accelerating climate crisis and all the
rest—in this new movement, people
are finding each other, supporting
each other and loving one another.
They are showing via how they
carry on their occupations that, indeed, in unity there is strength.
They are, right now, as Naomi Klein
has said, “the most important thing
in the world.” They are, truly, our
future hope.
Ted Glick has been an activist,
organizer and writer since 1968. Past
writings and more info can be found
at http://www.tedglick.com.
Revolution in the air
By Ted Glick
“Those Who Take the Meat from
the Table
Teach contentment.
Those for whom the taxes are
destined
Demand sacrifice.
Those who eat their fill speak
to the hungry
Of wonderful times to come.
Those who lead the country into
the abyss
Call ruling too difficult
For ordinary men and women.”
-Bertolt Brecht
I first heard about the
“people’s microphone” technique during the November,
1999 demonstrations against the
World Trade Organization in
Seattle . I remember reading
about how, when 400 people
were demonstrating outside the
jail where global justice activists
were being held, the method of
communication was by people
repeating the words of the person speaking, without sound
amplification, back through the
crowd, in an organized way.
At #OccupyWallStreet I have
experienced this process each of
the three days that I have been
there. I experienced it Friday
morning between 5:30 am and 7
am as I stood with several thousand others prepared to defend
the people’s occupation with
our bodies against a planned
eviction masquerading as a
“park cleanup.” I was struck that
morning by how radically democratic the people’s mic process
can be when, one after the other,
individuals around the very big
circle called out, “mic check.” When
it was repeated by enough others
close by (sometimes there was competition), the person would “get the
floor.”
There were some tremendously
moving short speeches Friday morning as we waited to learn our fate. A
young African American man who
stood up close to the middle of the
circle spoke about how he hadn’t
been sure he would be willing to
stand with us, but he was now sure
that doing so was the right thing to
do, and “I love you all.” A young
white woman, gesturing expansively
with her arms, expressed the same
sentiments in her own way. So refreshing, so inspiring!
It was similar Saturday evening
with the tens of thousands of us
peacefully taking over Times Square
. At a certain point, following chant
after chant, the people’s mic process
started up close to where I was at
43rd and Broadway, and from a location in the middle of the crowd
young person after young person
spoke about how glad they were to
be there, about themselves and the
issues—police brutality, extreme
poverty in the black community, a
lousy health care system, others—
that they were most concerned
with.
Then there are all of the homemade signs, many on cardboard
from formerly brown boxes. I carried
a sign of my own yesterday during
the five hours that I was on the
streets in Manhattan . Mine said,
“No Tar Sands or No Livable
Planet.” Many people took a picture
of it, commented that they were glad
to see it, asked me what it meant or
told me about their own involvement
in the movement to stop the Key-
stone XL tar sands pipeline.
But, in addition to my own, my
two favorite signs were one which
said, “New Paradigm Under Construction, Please Pardon the
Mess,” and revisions of the “The
End is Near,” like The Beginning
is Near and The Beginning is
Here.
I think, I hope, I pray that these
sentiments are prophetic. It is realistic to think that there’s a good
chance they will be, whatever the
ups and downs of the worldwide
“occupy together” movement in
the coming weeks and months.
One reason is the fact that this
is a young people’s movement,
and there are tens of thousands
of them in the streets in the US
and hundreds of thousands
worldwide. We haven’t seen something like this in the United States
in a very long time, possibly since
the 1960’s. There have certainly
been masses of young people active in movements since that time,
but I can’t think of any, with the
possible exception of the global
justice movement between 19992001, that have been so organically led primarily by people
younger than 25-30. This is huge.
Another is the social/political/
economic/ecological backdrop to
these protests. The system of corporate capitalism which dominates the planet is a system in
deep crisis, which threatens the
future for all life forms on Mother
Earth, and this understanding is
deep and widespread in the world.
It is a fact that either “we are the
leaders we have been waiting for,”
or those who dominate government and economic life will lead
us deeper into the abyss.
Iraq quagmire ends
By Marc H. Morial
NNPA Columnist
“After a decade of war, the nation that we need to build – and
the nation that we will build – is
our own.” — President Barack
Obama
Last week, President Obama announced that the remaining 39,000
U.S. service men and women in
Iraq will be back on U.S. soil by
the end of the year. This essentially brings to a close a nearly
decade-long war that the President opposed from the start and
vowed to end. This is welcome
news for our troops and their families who have sacrificed so much
in what has been increasingly
viewed as an ill-advised and
costly military mistake.
The nation owes a big debt of
gratitude to the more than one million Americans who have been deployed to Iraq since the start of the
war in March, 2003. This includes
more than 4,480 who died on the
battlefield and more than 32,000 who
were wounded. Now that the war is
ending, we must do everything in
our power to ensure that the support our returning vets need to rebuild their lives and the jobs they
need to support their families are
waiting for them when they come
home.
In addition to the human toll, the
wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have
also been a drain on the U.S.
economy. At a cost of more than
$800 billion, including billions lost,
unaccounted for or stolen, the Iraq
War has been a major contributor to
HUD Study: Low poverty neighborhood lowers obesity risk, diabetes for women
“This study proves that concentrated poverty is not only bad
policy, it’s bad for your health,”
said HUD Secretary Shaun
Donovan. “Far too often, we can
predict a family’s overall health,
even their life expectancy, by
knowing their zip code. But it’s
not enough to simply move families into different neighborhoods. We must continue to look
for innovative and strategic ways
to connect families to the necessary supports they need to break
the cycle of poverty that can
quite literally make them sick.”
Neighborhoods, Obesity, and
Diabetes — A Randomized Social
Experiment,” published in the Oct.
20 issue of NEJM. The article looks
at the long-term impact of housing
mobility on obesity and diabetes
from the HUD study Moving to
Opportunity for Fair Housing
Demonstration Program: Final
Evaluation. HUD’s study tested
the long-term health impacts of approximately 4,500 very low-income
families living in public housing
projects in high-poverty neighborhoods in Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles and New York.
“Where you live can be critical
to your health, “ said Secretary for
Health and Human Services
Kathleen Sebelius. “Families need
quality housing and neighborhoods with clean air, safe places to
play and exercise, and access to
healthy and affordable foods to promote better health and wellness.”
The findings featured in the
NEJM article showed that giving
very poor families the opportunity
to move to neighborhoods with
lower poverty can have a positive
impact on the physical health of
adult women.
*ð The women who were not offered vouchers through this study
had a prevalence rate of 18 percent
for extreme obesity, much larger
than the national average for
women of approximately 7 percent. Women who were given the
opportunity to move with housing vouchers to low-poverty
neighborhoods showed a significantly reduced rate of extreme
obesity – 3.4 percentage points
lower – than the women who did
not receive vouchers. This
means women with the opportunity to move were nearly one fifth
less likely to be extremely obese
than were women who were not
offered a housing voucher
through MTO.
*ðThe prevalence rate for diabetes for the group of women who
were not offered vouchers
through the study was 20 percent,
compared to the national average
for women of 12 percent. For the
group of women with the opportunity to move to low-poverty
neighborhoods, the prevalence
rate was 5.2 percentage points
lower (as measured by glycated
hemoglobin) than the women
who did not receive housing
vouchers. This means women
with the opportunity to move
were one fifth less likely to have
diabetes than women who were
not offered a housing voucher
through the MTO study.
HUD’s study also found even
larger health effects for those
women who moved with a housing voucher to lower poverty
neighborhoods.
The National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) conducted the study for HUD.
Lawrence Katz, the Elisabeth
Allison Professor of Economics at
Harvard University and NBER
Research Associate, was the principal investigator and Jens
Ludwig, the McCormick Foundation Professor of Social Service
Administration, Law, and Public
Policy at the University of Chicago and NBER research associate, was the project director.
While HUD directed the research, support for the study of
health impacts discussed today
came from a range of government
and philanthropic sources, including the National Science Foundation, NBER, the University of
Chicago’s Center for Health Administration Studies, the John D.
and Catherine T. MacArthur
Foundation, the National Institute
on Aging (NIA), the National Institute for Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) and
the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention (CDC).
HUD began the Moving to Opportunity for Fair Housing Demonstration Program (MTO) in 1994 to
examine the effect of neighborhood
on low-income families with children. Approximately 4,600 very lowincome families living in public
housing projects in five large cities
– Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Los
Angeles and New York – enrolled
in the demonstration.
Between 1994 and 1998 families
were randomly assigned to one of
three groups: the experimental
group, which allowed families to
only use the voucher in low-poverty neighborhoods; the Section 8
group, which allowed the families
to use the voucher in any neighborhood; and the control group,
which did not receive vouchers. All
families had the option of remaining in their current neighborhood.
HUD tracked and interviewed the
families until 2010.
During the study years, HUD released a number of analyses that
revealed experiences of MTO participants. In 2003, HUD released
“The Moving to Opportunity for
Fair Housing Demonstration Interim Impacts Evaluation.” HUD
will release the final report early
November.
NAACP and ACLU sue Philadelphia for
rejecting criminal justice ad at airport
Erin Matson
NOW urges women to speak
up on Love Your Body Day
The National Organization
for Women Foundation celebrates its 14th annual Love
Your Body Day — a day when
women of all sizes, colors, ages
and abilities come together to
celebrate self-acceptance and
to promote positive body image.
Since the launch of Love
Your Body Day in 1998, NOW
Foundation has used the campaign to challenge the unrealistic beauty standards and
gender stereotypes promoted
by the media, Hollywood and
the fashion, cosmetics and
diet industries.
“It’s time to start valuing
women for the contents of
their character rather than their
appearance,” said NOW Foundation Education Vice President Erin Matson. “We’re fed
up with unhealthy images and
messages, and we want to encourage women and girls to
celebrate themselves not only
on Love Your Body Day, but
every day.”
Research show that the U.S.
spends over $33 billion on
weight-reduction programs,
diet foods and beverages, and
more than 50 percent of women
say they would consider having plastic surgery. Statistics
revealed in the new documentary
“Miss Representation” are
shocking: The number of cosmetic surgical procedures performed on patients 18 or
younger more than tripled from
1997 to 2007. Among those 18
a n d y o u n g e r, l i p o s u c t i o n s
nearly quadrupled between 1997
and 2007, and breast augmentations increased nearly six-fold in
the same 10-year period.
This year, NOW Foundation
is hosting its first ever Love Your
Body Day Blog Carnival in which
writers from all walks of life will
share their thoughts about the
effects of advertising and the
media’s influence on women and
girls. Blog carnival topics will
range from eating disorders to
children’s body image awareness.
NOW activists and women’s
advocates will host a variety of
events across the U.S. to help
raise awareness about body image and women’s health issues.
Hollywood NOW’s events will
include a panel discussion featuring body image experts and
special host Meghan McCain.
Other NOW chapters and
groups are planning body-positive style workshops, programs
offering free eating disorder
screenings and much more.
The NAACP, the American
Civil Liberties Union and the
American Civil Liberties Union
of Pennsylvania filed a lawsuit
against the City of Philadelphia for violating the First
Amendment, after Philadelphia
International Airport refused
to accept an advertisement
promoting criminal justice reform.
The advertisement highlights America’s high incarceration rate.
The city claimed that the ad
had been rejected because it
does not accept “issue” or
“advocacy” advertisements at
the airport.
However, the airport has accepted numerous other ads
relating to political and social
issues. The lawsuit is also
against Clear Channel Outdoor, which handles advertising for Philadelphia’s airport,
because the company acts on
behalf of the city.
“The walls of Philadelphia
International Airport are public space, and city officials do
not have the right to suppress
any group’s viewpoint based
on their own beliefs or political considerations,” stated
NAACP General Counsel Kim
Keenan.
“Our First Amendment right
to free speech is just as strong
as that of the U.S.O., the World
Wildlife Federation or any
other advocacy group that has
graced the walls of the airport,” Keenan said, referring
to ads from other organizations that the city accepted.
The NAACP’s rejected advertising says, “Welcome to
America, home to 5% of the
world’s people & 25% of the
world’s prisoners. Let’s build
a better America together.”
The ads are part of a public
awareness campaign sur-
Kim Keenan
Chris Hansen
rounding the NAACP’s “Misplaced Priorities” report, which
explores the connection between
high incarceration rates and
poorly performing schools.
“The government cannot pick
and choose which speech it
deems acceptable and which it
does not,” said Chris Hansen, senior staff attorney for the
ACLU’s Speech, Privacy and
Technology Project. “The fact
that the airport accepted some
political issue ads but not the
NAACP’s shows the arbitrary
nature of the city’s unwritten and
undefined policy. It is a clear violation of the First Amendment’s
prohibition against the government favoring some speakers
over others. ”
The report is part of the
NAACP’s “Smart and Safe” campaign, an initiative designed to
reform the nation’s criminal justice system.
The report offers recommendations to help policymakers
downsize prison populations
and shift the savings to education budgets.
“We need to be ‘smart on
crime’ rather than ‘tough on
crime’ and address soaring incarceration rates in this country,”
stated NAACP President and
CEO Benjamin Jealous.
“Failing schools, college tuition hikes and shrinking state
education budgets are narrowing the promise of education for
young people all across the
country. Meanwhile, allocations
for our incarceration system
continue to increase, sending
our youth the wrong message
about the future.”
A press conference held on April
7 th featured unlikely allies including President of Americans
for Tax Reform Grover Norquist
and former Secretary of Education under President George W.
Bush Rod Paige.
Very-low income women who
have the opportunity to move
from high-poverty neighborhoods into lower poverty areas
are significantly less likely to be
extremely obese or to have diabetes. Those are among the key
findings of a study by the U.S.
Department of Housing and Urban Development. An article in an
upcoming issue of the New England Journal of Medicine
(NEJM) highlights the positive
health findings, which the U.S.
Department of Housing and Urban Development has previewed.
13
14
15
Information on breast cancer Black women can use
Special to the NNPA from the good news is that there is power
in information. Get the facts. And,
National Cancer Institute
as always, talk with your health
October marks National care provider about your conBreast Cancer Awareness cerns.
Here’s what you need to know
Month. Is there cause for celebration? For many reasons, the about breast cancer:
answer is a resounding “yes.” * Breast cancer is a cancer that
Since 1990, the rate of death forms in tissues of the breast,
from breast cancer has been usually the ducts (tubes that
dropping. Research—much of it carry milk to the nipple) and lobfunded by the National Cancer ules (glands that make milk). It
Institute (NCI)—has improved occurs in both men and women,
our understanding of breast although male breast cancer is
cancer and produced more ef- rare.
An estimated 230,480 women
fective treatments.
Yet nearly 27,000 African and 2,140 men will be diagnosed
American women are expected with breast cancer in the United
to be diagnosed this year with States this year. Nearly 27,000 of
breast cancer, the most common those diagnosed will be African
cancer among this group. And American women.
But more than three out of four
although African American
women are less likely than white African American women diagwomen to be diagnosed with nosed with breast cancer will surbreast cancer, those African vive at least five years after diagAmerican women who do de- nosis.
velop the disease are more likely * Mammograms are x-ray pictures
to die from it than women of any of the breast that can be used to
other racial or ethnic group in check for breast cancer in women
the United States. Part of the who have no symptoms of the
reason is that they are more disease. This type of mammolikely to be diagnosed at later gram is called a screening mamstages, when cancer has spread mogram. Early detection of breast
beyond the breast—and when cancer with screening mammogit is more difficult to treat. The raphy means that treatment can
be started earlier in the course
of the disease, possibly before
it has spread. If you are age 40
or older, you should have
mammograms every 1 to 2 years.
Women who are at higher than
average risk of breast cancer
should talk with their health care
provider about whether to have
mammograms before age 40 and
how often to have them. Some
state and local health programs
and employers provide mammograms for free or at low cost. Information about low-cost or free
mammography screening programs is also available through
NCI’s Cancer Information Service (see below).
* Don’t ignore any symptoms.
If you notice any changes in how
your breasts look or feel, check
with your health care provider.
Most changes will not be from
breast cancer, but they should
always be checked. ·
Many risk factors for breast
cancer have been identified.
Risk factors are anything that
can increase your chance of developing a disease. Some breast
cancer risk factors cannot be
changed (such as your age or a
history of breast cancer in your
family), whereas others can. But
having a risk factor doesn’t mean
that you will get breast cancer.
To better understand your risk
of breast cancer, read the NCI
publication “Understanding
Mammograms and Your Risk of
Breast Cancer” at http://
www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/
screening/breast/understanding-mammograms.
* Women considering hormone
therapy for menopause should
know that combination therapy–
–which includes both estrogen
and progestin––increases the
risk for breast cancer.
* Research has shown that exercise may help lower breast cancer risk. Try to make physical
activity a part of your everyday
life. Strenuous exercise for as
little as four hours a week can
lower your risk.
* Being obese after you reach
menopause may increase your
risk for breast cancer. Doctors
know that obesity can increase
your risk for a number of diseases—so it makes sense to
maintain a healthy weight at any
age.
* Drinking alcohol can increase
your breast cancer risk. If you
are concerned, talk with your
health care professional about
reducing your consumption of alcoholic beverages.
This year, the National Cancer
Institute is releasing three powerful videos about breast cancer
and how it affects African American women. One video features a
leading NCI breast cancer researcher who also happens to be
an African American woman. The
other videos tell the survival story
of African American women. The
videos are available for immediate viewing at:
www.youtube.com/ncigov under
the Lifelines playlist
NCI leads the National Cancer
Program and the NIH effort to dramatically reduce the burden of
cancer and improve the lives of
cancer patients and their families,
through research into prevention
and cancer biology, the development of new interventions, and
the training and mentoring of new
researchers.
For more information about
cancer, please visit the NCI web
site at www.cancer.gov or call
NCI’s Cancer Information Service
at 1-800-4-CANCER (1-800-4226237). More articles and videos
in the culturally relevant Lifelines
series are available at:
www.cancer.gov/lifelines.
Rangel unveils decrease in Medicare costs thanks to Affordable Care Act
Congressman Charles
Rangel announced that Medicare Part B premiums in 2012
will be lower than previously
projected as a result of the Affordable Care Act. The Part B
deductible will now decrease by
$22 and monthly premiums will
now be $ 99.90 instead of
$106.60.
“The Affordable Care Act
has continued to better the
lives of America’s seniors and
those who are disabled. The
80,000 Medicare recipients in
my Manhattan Congressional
District and people across the
nation deserve the best affordable care possible,” said
Rangel.
Thanks to the health care reform bill that was signed into
law by President Barack
Obama on March 23, 2010,
people with Medicare also receive free preventive services
and a 50 percent discount on
covered prescription drugs
when they enter the prescription drug “donut hole.”
This year, 1.8 million people
with Medicare have received
cheaper prescription drugs,
while nearly 20.5 million Medicare beneficiaries have received a free Annual Wellness
Visit or other free preventive
services like cancer screenings.
“Unfortunately, Republicans
have made it their goal to repeal the Affordable Care Act,
taking away the promise of
Medicare that Americans have
earned,” stated Rangel. “My
Democratic Colleagues and I
Cong. Charles Rangel
however will keep fighting to
protect it and continue to improve upon the significant
progress that has been made.”
Medicare Part B covers physicians’ services, outpatient
hospital services, certain home
health services, durable medical
equipment, and other items. In
Sanitation Commissioner
2012, the “standard” Medicare John J. Doherty announced that
Part B premium will be $99.90. the Department of Sanitation is
This is a $15.50 decrease over now registering emergency
the standard 2011 premium of snow laborers who can be called
$115.40 paid by new enrollees upon to remove snow and ice
and higher income Medicare citywide from bus stops, crossbeneficiaries and by Medicaid walks, and from step streets in
on behalf of low-income enroll- sections of the City after heavy
ees. Additionally, the Medicare snowfalls. Step streets are sets
Part B deductible will be $140, a of stairwells located between
decrease of $22 from 2011.
avenues to connect streets that
New York City residents can have a significant height differreceive assistance from the New ential. The rate of pay begins
York City Department of Aging at $12 per hour and increases to
located on 2 Lafayette Street and $18 per hour, after completing
President Obama
can be reached Monday
through Friday from 9AM to
5PM at 212-639-9675.
More information can be
found at www.eldercare.gov.
Medicare beneficiaries can also
receive assistance in their local
communities from their State
Health Insurance Assistance
Program (SHIP), contact information can be found online at
www.medicare.gov/contacts/
organization-searchcriteria.aspx. All information
provided is confidential.
“Medicare is one of the
greatest programs in America.
We must never turn our backs
on our seniors, nor the future
generations to have the best affordable health care,” Rangel
said.
Sanitation Dept. registering
emergency snow laborers
the first 40 hours, each pay
week.
“While most snow removal
duties citywide are handled by
the dedicated men and women
of the Sanitation Department,
emergency snow laborers are a
vital part of our supplemental
snow-fighting efforts in major
snowfalls,” said Commissioner
Doherty.
Interested individuals can
register at any DSNY garage between the hours of 7 AM to 3
PM, Monday through Friday.
Applicants must be over 18
years of age, be eligible to work
in the United States , and be capable of performing heavy physical labor. All applicants must
bring two (2) small photos (1 1/
2” square) and two (2) documents that prove identity and
employment eligibility, such as a
driver’s license; federal, state or
local identification; school identification with photo, or passport, at time of registration.
For more information on how
to register to become an emergency snow laborer, call 311 or
visit www.nyc.gov/sanitation.
Health
16
THE ADAMS REPORT
Fashion, Beauty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . .& Stuff
By Audrey Adams
So... now what?
Audrey Adams
I wrote an article in 2008, just
after we elected Barack Obama
to the office of President of
The United States. Now with
the election season almost in
full swing, some people are still
wondering . . . So . . . now what?
If you are concerned about the
future of our country, why
wonder? Why not instead
choose to quietly and determinedly stay the course? Continue to prepare and build a
future for our children? If we
all do our part we can succeed.
We might not see the result of
our efforts immediately, but as
the old hymn goes . . . For
we’ll understand it better by
and by! (Music & Lyrics by
Charles Tindley – 1905) We still
have work to do!
November 2008 — I don’t
typically write about politics, I
might encourage you to vote,
but I don’t suggest how or for
whom you should cast your
vote. But I feel compelled to
write this week’s article because the first thing that came
to my mind after Barack Obama
was elected President of the
United States was . . . So . . .
now what? My question isn’t
to Barack Obama, but to us . . .
you, me. We went to the polls
in record numbers to support
Barack Obama.
I stood in line alongside
people who were voting for the
first time in their lives, whether
they were 18 or 80; Black,
White, Asian, Hispanic, Italian
and the list could go on and
on. I wondered why they
hadn’t cast their vote in other
elections. Because I’m Black, I
quite naturally wondered most
about the Black people. Ever
since we’ve had the right to
vote we’ve had a voice . . . did
we not want, care or need to
be heard? Could we have arrived at this point sooner if we
exercised our right all along?
Why did it take Barack’s candidacy
to shake us out of lethargy and
obliterate our pessimism?
We harnessed the collective
power of our consciousness to
convert improbability into reality.
So . . . now what? It isn’t such a
strange question. Are we going to
use this time in history to recreate
and renew ourselves, to embrace
each other, to rise to the occasion
by saluting the history created
through the will of the people? As
you may well know, the general
perception is that as a people, we
are not known for supporting each
other. When I ask, “So, now
what?”, I am wondering if we are
going to use this newfound ability
to support one of our own, and to
continue to support each other in
increasingly more meaningful
ways.
You see, it isn’t enough to just
put one man and his family in the
highest office in this land if we do
not continue to use our numbers
to harness the power of our vote
to reflect and influence political
outcomes that will affect us for
generations to come.
It is time to seize the moments,
and there will be many in the next
four years to teach our young
people the value of uniting to advocate for the same rights that our
forefathers fought and died for . . .
all in the name of freedom, when
they were denied the very freedoms they were fighting for! We
built this country and now a man
of African descent and his family
will live in a house that was built
by slaves.
Yes, it is a time to celebrate. It is
also a time to realize dreams. A time
to pay our respect to the memory
of the millions of enslaved people
of African descent who shed their
blood to make this country great;
to catch the sweat of their brow to
quench our thirst for true equality. And to dry the tears of the
horrors witnessed through their
eyes. It is time to make them proud.
It is time to continue to forge the
bond that we have always shared,
a bond that was broken by slave
masters as they divided our families, destroyed our cultures and
scattered us like dust. It isn’t good
enough that we just used our
strength in numbers to vote for
Barack Hussein Obama . . . we must
continue to use our bond to help
each other to rise up out of pov-
erty, to get an education, to create businesses that employ our
young men and women, to create wealth, to pass on that wealth
to future generations. It
shouldn’t take electing a President for us to be proud or have a
greater sense of pride in ourselves. We have always been
proud.
How do we support our new
President? It starts within each
of us. These are not going to be
the “best of times” for a while.
He will have the weight of the
world on his shoulders trying to
correct the years of mismanagement and greed. There won’t be
any quick fixes and don’t expect
that he will “take care of us.” No,
it’s up to each of us to contribute our time and talent to support each other and in the spirit
of Harriet Tubman . . . walk to
freedom! So . . . now what? It’s
up to you, me . . . us. Think about
it. See you next week.
I invite you to visit my website,
TalkWithAudrey.com and checkout my online radio show, Talk!
with Audrey for a series of interviews that will inform, motivate
and inspire you. Discover your
personal power and use it to create the life you want. Tune in to
listen to a live broadcast of
TALK! with AUDREY . . . every
Tuesday from 6:00 to 7:00 P.M.
on Harlem’s WHCR 90.3 FM.
This Week’s Featured Video:
This week on TALK! with
AUDREY TV: Laila Ali is
Audrey’s guest. She is a champion, author, working mother,
President of the Women’s
SportsFoundation who is known
for being an ambassador of good
health. Now, the daughter of boxing great Mohammed Ali, will
serve as the host of a new inspirational show that will air Saturday morningsfollowing Good
Morning America. To watch anytime visit:
www.theadamsreport.com
Audrey Adams, former director
of corporate public relations and
fashion merchandising 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 her at
[email protected]
THE ADAMS REPORT©
Ask:
Gwendolyn Baines
NNPA Columnist
I can’t hold a woman.
What’s wrong?
Dear Gwendolyn:
I am 52 years old and I stay depressed all the time. This is the
problem: I become disgusted
when I break-up with a woman. I
don’t know what is wrong with
me. The last relationship I had
lasted six months. Before that the
relationship I had lasted two
years and before that – well, I
don’t remember. All I know is that
while my friends were getting
married, I was breaking up. I am
getting older and desperately
need to get married. I want happiness like others who tie that
knot. For the past five years I have
made many marriage proposals.
They all turned me down.
Gwendolyn, what can I do to be
happy and how can I get rid of
the depression I often have?
Jim
Dear Jim:
You can start by stopping the
search. You say that you need to
get married. Let me tell you this:
All a person needs to do is eat,
sleep, and pay taxes. Other issues
do not make one happy or sad.
The joy of your life is up to you.
(Read Waiting and Dating: A Sensible Guide to a Fulfilling Love Re-
lationship by Dr. Myles Munroe)
Another thing Jim: Who said every
man who ties the knot is happy? I
feel you refer to ‘tying the knot’ as
when she puts a ring on your finger
in marriage. As soon as you realize
every day is not going to be smooth
regardless of your status, you will
find inner peace.
And what’s with this “the past
five years” you made proposals?
What were you doing years prior to
that? Don’t answer. I know. You
were having a good time like men
do. Now you want to marry at 52.
Women your age are busy in a career and those younger don’t want
you. Times have changed. You
have the wrong idea of marriage – it
means love and understanding. Talk
to some men and they will tell you
that instead of a ring around their
finger, they got a rope tied — around
their neck. (Copyright © 2011 by
Gwendolyn L. Baines)
Got a problem? Don’t solve it
alone. Write to Gwendolyn Baines
at: P. O. Box 10066, Raleigh, N.C.
27605-0066 (To receive a reply,
send a self-addressed stamped envelope). Or email her at:
gwenbaines@ hotmail.com and
visit her website at:
www.gwenbaines.com
Tribute to Colonel
Muammar Gaddafi
The December 12th Move- to rise again, Pan African Unity
ment International Secretariat and resistance must be at the top
will honor the legacy of Libyan of our agenda.
Leader Colonel Muammar
Gaddafi on Thursday, Nov. 3,
2011 at 6 p.m. at Sistas’ Place
Coffee House, 456 Nostrand
Av e . , B r o o k l y n ( c o r n e r o f
Jefferson Ave).
The tribute will trace the historic revolutionary struggle of
the people of Libya against the
feudal monarch King Idris and
the creation of the Libyan
Jamamariyah;
Colonel
Gaddafi’s support of African
liberation struggles against
colonialism on the continent
and throughout the Diaspora;
and the building of the African
Union.
As US and NATO led brutal
western colonialism attempts
Muammar Gaddafi
OWES urges Congress to consider a bill strengthening Social Security
Older Women’s Economic Security Task Force (OWES), part
of the National Coalition of
Women’s
Organizations
(NCWO), has in a letter urged
Congress to consider three
pieces of legislation that would
assure Social Security solvency
for the next 75 years by lifting the
cap on payroll tax contributions
— a move that an overwhelming
majority of the public has said
they support, according to recent
polls.
The National Council of
Women’s Organizations is composed of 240 member organizations, with more than 12 million
members; the OWES Task Force is
co-chaired by the National Organization for Women (NOW) and the
Institute for Women’s Policy Research (IWPR).
The letter from the OWES Task
Force states, “Social Security is a
program that binds generations of
Americans together, and we
should strengthen, not weaken,
this critical program. While these
are tough economic times for everyone, a balanced budget should
not come at the expense of millions
of vulnerable Americans.”
The Keeping Our Social Security Promises Act (S. 1558), introduced by Sen. Bernie Sanders, and
the No Loopholes in Social Security Taxes Act (H.R. 797), introduced by Rep. Peter DeFazio,
would close Social Security’s 75year funding gap by applying Social Security payroll tax contributions to cover earnings of
$250,000 or more. Currently, only
wages up to $106,800 are taxed.
These bills would preserve the Social Security Trust Fund by closing a tax loophole so millionaires
would pay the same percentage of
their salaries to Social Security as
the average American worker. This
will guarantee that Social Security
remains solvent for at least 75 years.
The Preserving our Promise to
Seniors Act (H.R. 539), introduced
by Rep. Ted Deutch, changes the
COLA calculation from the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage
17
Cuomo submits Race To The Top Early Leaning Challenge proposal
Governor Andrew M. Cuomo
announces that New York State
has submitted a $100 million Early
Learning Challenge grant proposal to the federal government
as part of the nationwide Race to
the Top competition.
Currently, 44% of New York’s
third-graders do not meet state
reading standards. Research has
shown investing in early learning
can produce $7 in returns for every $1 spent in the state and a
quality early childhood education
can help reduce poverty in disadvantaged communities. Through
three initiatives, New York’s competitive proposal is designed to
increase the number of high quality early childhood learning programs, give teachers the tools
they need to understand their
students’ strengths and weaknesses, help parents become involved in their child’s education,
and improve the quality of the
early childhood workforce.
The challenge proposal is designed to close the achievement
gap among New York students
through a series of transformative
initiatives that will improve early
childhood education programs
across the state and ensure New
York’s children have the preparation they need to succeed in elementary school and beyond.
“A strong early childhood education gives our children the
foundation they need to succeed
in the classroom and be ready for
college and future careers,” Governor Cuomo said. “Student
achievement at all grade levels often rests on the quality of early
learning and this challenge proposal demonstrates New York
State’s commitment to making sure
our early childhood education
programs are among the best in the
nation. Our state’s future prosperity depends on a top-rate education system that gives our students the tools they need to be
successful and trains the
workforce of tomorrow.”
Governor Cuomo’s office, together with the New York State
Office of Children and Family Services and Early Childhood Advisory Council, assembled the proposal with close collaboration
among state agencies, including
the State Education Department,
Department of Health, and Office
of Mental Health.
With the approval of the challenge proposal grant, New York will
use QUALITYStarsNY (QSNY), a
tool that rates early childhood
learning programs based on how
they meet common standards. Using QSNY, teachers will have access to valuable feedback to improve performance. The ratings will
also empower parents to be savvy
consumers in choosing programs
for their children.
To prepare children for elementary school and place them on track
for successful early achievement,
the challenge proposal grant will
Gov.Andy Cuomo
fund the creation of a statewide Kindergarten Readiness Tool (KRT) that
will inform teachers’ instruction and
helps parents become involved in
their child’s development. The KRT
is designed to stop the achievement
gap before it starts, by helping teachers understand where students
strengths and weaknesses are from
the moment they start school. Evidence from other states shows that
using this type of program has helped
narrow the achievement gap between
students in different socioeconomic
and ethnic groups. For schools, the
KRT will focus areas of instruction
and help measure progress. For parents, it informs and engages them in
supporting their child’s learning and
development. The New York State
Board of Regents has approved the
use of the tool and 29 other states
already have similar programs in
place.
The challenge proposal grant will
improve the quality of the early childhood workforce by launching the New
York Works for Children program to
prepare teachers and ensure educators are equipped with the skills they
need to be successful. The program
will ensure that early childhood providers throughout the state have access to professional development resources and supports that are tailored
to their needs.
Additionally, the grant will fund the
creation of a workforce registry to
better understand early childhood
educator qualifications, training and
needs.
LDF takes a stand on teacher quality District reverses
prohibition of ‘Bible’
on Christian flyer
Special to the NNPA from
LDF joined more than 80 civil
rights, disability, parent, student,
grassroots and education organizations from across the country to urge Congress not to turn
back the clock on teacher quality
gains for poor and minority students, English Learners, and students with disabilities as it considers reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), currently known
as “No Child Left Behind”
(NCLB).
In a letter to Senators Tom
Harkin (D-IA) and Michael Enzi
(R-WY), chairman and ranking
member of the Senate Committee
on Health Education, Labor and
Pensions and co-sponsors of a
bill to reauthorize the ESEA, the
coalition urged that the revised
ESEA require teachers to complete a minimum level of training
and demonstrate competence to
teach effectively before they enter the classroom.
While the groups applauded
the Senators for introducing a bipartisan bill and attempting to fix
some of the many flaws in NCLB,
they expressed their serious concern that their reauthorization
proposal would undermine the
critical goal of providing all children with equal access to highquality teachers. Specifically, the
Sen. Tom Harkin
Sen. Michael Enzi
bill would severely weaken NCLB’s
“highly qualified teacher” standard, permit the inequitable distribution of quality teachers, and
eliminate requirements for the public disclosure of data on teacher
quality and equity. The groups
offered several recommendations
to address these problems and
ensure that the neediest students
get full and equal access to wellqualified teachers.
The Pajaro Valley Unified
School District approved
Child Evangelism Fellowship (CEF) of Santa Cruz
County to distribute permission slips for it’s Good News
Club after-school program
for students. The district
originally did not allow CEF
to distribute permission
slips, simply because the
slips contained the word
“Bible,” describing “Bible
stories.” Liberty Counsel
represents CEF in this case.
CEF was told by the district
that the word “Bible” in its
permission slip must be removed in order to utilize the
school’s flyer distribution
channels. The district’s flyer
distribution policy prohibited distribution of anything
the district considered to be
promoting a specific religion or “proselytizing.” CEF
called Liberty Counsel,
which wrote a letter to the
district requesting an immediate amendment of their
policy and approval of
CEF’s flyers for distribution.
The district responded with
an abrupt reversal and expe-
dited decision to allow CEF to
distribute its permission slips.
The superintendent was under
the misguided impression that
the Establishment Clause prohibited literature distributed to
the students from containing a
religious reference. Liberty
Counsel has represented CEF in
numerous similar cases, as this
misconception is common
among public school districts.
An overwhelming majority of
these cases are successfully
settled without having to file a
lawsuit.
Mathew D. Staver,
founder and chairman of Liberty
Counsel, commented: “The Supreme Court has clearly ruled
that public schools must provide equal access and treatment
to religious speech. Equal treatment applies to use of facilities
and every other opportunity
provided to secular speech or
groups. We are pleased that the
school district did the right
thing after the officials learned
of the law regarding the First
Amendment. Good News Clubs
have been widely accepted on
public school campuses across
the country. They provide great
programs for children.”
Education
18
AUDREY'S
SOCIETY
WHIRL
The Triumph Awards gala raises over $ 1
million to benefit National Action Network
Tyler Perry, Rev. Al Sharpton, Gov. Andrew Cuomo,
Rachel Noerdlinger
By Audrey J. Bernard
Lifestyles & Society Editor
National Action Network is one
of the leading civil rights organizations in the nation, with chapters throughout the U.S. Founded
in 1991 by The Reverend Al
Sharpton, NAN works within the
spirit and tradition of Dr. Martin
Luther King, Jr. to promote a modern civil rights agenda that includes the fight for one standard
of justice, decency and equal opportunities for all people regardless of race, religion, national origin and gender.
This has been a pivotal year for
the famed organization celebrating its 20-year anniversary. Rev.
Sharpton who turned 57 this year
received one of the best gifts ever
with the launch of his vital daily
TV show on MSNBC “Politics Nation,” which has received unbelievable traction since its start.
This year also marked the second anniversary of NAN’s signature Triumph Awards on Wednesday, October 19, 2011 at Jazz at
Lincoln Center’s Allen Room with
its sparkling view of Central Park.
The Triumph Awards was initiated to pay tribute to those who
have made a positive impact beyond their performance on stage,
in the arts, in sports, and in the
community.
The benefit evening raised over
a million dollars in funds and
pledges that included a personal
check from Tyler Perry, Tyler
Perry Studios, who was moved by
the organization’s strength and
purpose. This is an awards program that keeps on giving. Perry
received the Chairman’s Award
for Historic and Transformative
Service.
“Mr. Perry’s contribution and
others will help NAN to continue
grassroots efforts and expand its
chapters across the United States
that engages in crucial civil rights
work,” remarked NAN’s national
executive director Tamika D.
Mallory.
In addition to the presentation
to Chris Rock with the President’s
Award for Service and Humanitarian efforts for the work that he
and his wife Malaak have done in
the community, other 2011 Triumph Awards recipients included:
Marva Smalls, executive vice
president, Global Inclusion
Strategy, Viacom & executive
vice president, public affairs &
chief of staff, Nickelodeon
Networks Group; Jimmie Lee
Solomon, executive vice president, baseball development,
Major League Baseball; Los
2011 Triumph Awards recipients program participants: Judge Greg Mathis (honoree), Debra Lee (BET CEO), Marva Smalls (honoree), Jimmie Lee Solomon (honoree), Mara Schiavocampo (host), Tina Thompson (honoree), Paula Madison (cochair), Rev. Dr. W. Franklyn Richardson (NAN. chairman), Tonya Lewis Lee (cochair), Rev. Al Sharpton (NAN founder & president), Lamell McMorris
Mayor David N. Dinkins, Congressman Charles B.
Rangel, Chris Rock, Rev. Al Sharpton
Tamron Hall, Tina Thompson,
Paula Madison
Tyler Perry, Rev. Dr. W. Franklyn Richardson,
Tamika D. Mallory, Rev. Al Sharpton
Kamala Harris
Chris Rock
Angeles Sparks forward and
WNBA legend Tina Thompson;
Maurice Cox, vice president,
corporate development & diversity, PepsiCo Company; Attorney General Kamala Harris,
State of California; and the Honorable Judge Greg Mathis.
The star-studded program
featured a performance by The
Cast of Layon Gray’s awardwinning play Black Angels Over
Tuskegee starring Lamman
Rucker, as well as a special
musical performance by multiplatinum recording artist Joe.
The event was hosted by
Emmy Award-winning journalist & NBC News correspondent Mara Schiavocampo.
NAN’s chairman of the board,
The Reverend Dr. W. Franklyn
Richardson, Rachel Noerdlinger,
president, Noerdlinger Media and
Singer Joe, Rev. Al Sharpton, Chris Rock
Lamman Rucker, Dominique Rev. Al Sharpton, Phil Griffin
Sharpton
(president MSNBC), Tyler Perry
EVP, Reverend Al Sharpton Media,
and Dominique Sharpton contributed to the success of the evening.
Kudos to author & producer Tonya
Lewis Lee and Paula Madison,
CEO, Madison Media Management, who presided as cochairs.
Event sponsors and proud
supporters of NAN’s second
triumphant event included:
American Honda, Ariel Invest-
ments, AT&T, Black Entertainment Television, Comcast, General Electric, Globalhue, Lilly
U S A , M a c y ’s , M a s t e r c a r d
Worldwide, Judge Greg Mathis,
Dennis & Karen Mehiel,
MSNBC, NASCAR, NBC Universal, The News Corporation,
Pepsico, RLJ Companies, Siebert
Brandford Shank, Viacom, WalMart Stores, Inc.
(Photos by Terrence Jennings)
South-South Awards honor high-level global dignitaries
During the High Level Meetings of the United Nations General Assembly, heads of state,
ambassadors, ministers, celebrities, and private sector leaders
were among the hundreds of eminent guests who gathered at the
tony Waldorf=Astoria Hotel in
New York City for the inaugural
2011 South-South Awards on
Monday, September 19, 2011.
Sponsored by South-South
News, the Permanent Mission of
Antigua and Barbuda to the
United Nations, the International
Telecommunication Union, and
the UN Economic Commission
for Africa, the South-South
Awards recognized exceptional
contributions to global health
through the innovative use of
information and communication
technologies.
The dignified event was
hosted by Prime Minister of
Antigua and Barbuda, the International Telecommunication
Union (ITU), the United Nations
Economic Commission for Africa,
and South-South News.
The stately evening began
with red carpet arrivals followed
by a cordial cocktail reception.
The sound of chimes ended
phase one of the elegant evening
and began the start of phase 2, a
sumptuous dining experience
followed by the awards ceremony
featuring stellar performances by
many world class entertainers
including Grammy Award-winning artists Kenny G, Don Felder,
Roberta Flack, David Paich,
Grammy Award-winning violinist
Miri Ben-Ari, Keaton Simons, and
the All-Star Band led by renowned music director, Robin
DiMaggio.
Headlined by Mistress of Ceremonies, actress and model
Patricia Velásquez, the theme of
the South-South Awards was
“Digital Health for Digital Development,” in recognition of the
outstanding innovations and
applications of Information and
Communication Technologies.
The 2011 South-South Awards
recipients included: Global
Health, Technology and Development: H.E. Paul Kagame, President of Rwanda; H.E. Abdoulaye
Wade, President of Senegal; H.E.
Mwai Kibaki, President of Kenya;
and H.E. Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete,
President of Tanzania. Global
Women and Children’s Health:
H.E. Dr. Leonel Fernández Reyna,
President of the Dominican Republic; and H.E. Shiekh Hasina,
Prime Minister of Bangladesh.
First Ladies Health and
Women Empowerment Initiatives: H.E. Dr. Vanda Pignato,
First Lady of El Salvador; SouthSouth Cooperation: H.E. Lt. General Seretse Khama Ian Khama,
President of Botswana; and H.E.
Afaf Konja & Bill Miller from S-S News interviews Michael Bearden
Ambassador Francis Lorenzo, President of South-South
News (speaking at podium), with (background) Dr.
Hamadoun I. Touré, Secretary General, ITU, H.E. W.
Baldwin Spencer, Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda,
Mr. Abdoulie Janneh, Economic Commission for Africa
Kenny G performs
H.E. Dr. Leonel Fernandez Reyna, President of Dominican Republic, award recipient
H.E. Abdoulaye Wade President of
Senegal, award recipient
H.E. Shiekh Hasina Prime Minister of Bangladesh and
Dr. Hamadoun I. Touré, Secretary General, ITU
Dilma Vana Rousseff, President of
Brazil. Outstanding Contribution
to Global Health: Professor Klaus
Leisinger, President, Novartis Foundation for Sustainable Development; Professor Jeffrey Sachs, Director, Earth Institute, Special Adviser on MDGs to the SecretaryGeneral of the United Nations; and
Mr. Seth Berkley, CEO of the Gavi
Alliance.
Outstanding Achievement to
Broadband Communications:
M r. H a n s Ve s t b e rg , C E O ,
Ericsson. Outstanding Achieve-
Kiyotaka Akasaka, United Nations
Under-Secretary-General for Communications and Public Information
ment in Mobile Communications: Professor Mo Ibrahim
Founder, Mo Ibrahim Foundation. Corporate Social Responsibility In Recognition:
Mr. Michael Santiago, President, Polaris Aviation Solutions; Mr. Hu Yong, General
Manager, Cool Cartoon Communications; and Mr. Winston
Chung, Chairman, Winston
Global Energy, Ltd.
The noble ceremony was attended by over twenty heads
of state and numerous other
Roberta Flack performs
MC Patricia Velásquez
Oumou Sangare performs
H.E Mwai Kibaki President of
Kenya, award recipient
H.E. Jakaya Kikwete, President of
Tanzania, award recipient
dignitaries, who came to show
their support to the cause of
the evening: digital health for
digital development including:
H . E . D r. Wi n s t o n B a l d w i n
S p e n c e r ( P r i m e M i n i s t e r,
Antigua & Barbuda), Patricia
Velasquez (Mistress of Ceremonies); H.E. Dr. Goodluck
Jonathan (President of the Federal
Republic of Nigeria), H.E. Dr. Pal
Schmitt (President of the Republic of Hungary), and H.E.
Dr. Leonel Fernandez (President of
the Dominican Republic),
Also H.E. Mr. Paul
Kagame (President of the Republic
of Rwanda), H.E. Ms. Sheikh
Hasina (Prime Minister of the
People’s Republic of Bangladesh),
Dr. Vanda Guiomar Pignato (First
Lady of the Republic of El
Salvador), H.E. Mr. Abdoulaye
Wade (President of the Republic of
Senegal), H.E. Dr. Thomas Yayi
Boni (President of the Republic of
Benin), and H.E. Commodore Josaia
V. Bainimarama (Prime Minister of
the Republic of Fiji). (Photos courtesy South-South Africa)
South-South Africa Award
19
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Pre
cip
20
Beacon On The Scene
41st Annual Affair
400 fashionistas join BRAG in celebrating
annual scholarship & awards dinner gala
The Black Retail Action Group
Inc. (BRAG) is dedicated to the
inclusion of African Americans
and all people of color in retail
and related industries. BRAG
enjoys a flawless reputation in the
rag business of being a leading
provider of resources and development support that empowers
African Americans and all people
of color to reach their highest professional potential in retail and
related industries.
Each year BRAG hosts an annual scholarship and awards dinner gala. This year’s fashionable
event took place on Friday, October 14, 2011 at the stylish Edison
Ballroom and attracted over 400
industry insiders, fashion VIPs,
celebrities and retail corporations.
The elegant evening featured a
cocktail reception, open bar, silent auction and music by DJ
Kiss. TV host Tanika Ray presided as Mistress of Ceremonies.
The evening’s theme, BRAG:
Reinventing the Future, highlighted how with creative solutions retail and retail related industries could ensure that all
people of color are embraced,
mentored and given opportunities to achieve equal levels of
success.
“The BRAG of today is in the
business of community building,”
remarked BRAG’s president Gary
L. Lampley. “We’ve witnessed
the apparent loss of a presence
by people of color in this industry even as demographics are rapidly shifting in this country and
we recognize this to be a key
cause of social disintegration and
the emergence of yes many harmful behaviors. As community
builders our goal is to increase
social justice, individual well-being and reduce negative impacts
of otherwise disconnected individuals.”
This year’s bragging rights
belonged to Daymond John,
chief executive officer, Shark
Branding and star of the ABC
hit series Shark Tank, who received the group’s special recognition award. Felita Harris
Meals, senior vice president
Global Sales, Donna Karan;
Jerome Smalls, vice president, director of community
relations, The TJX Companies,
Inc; and Michael Todman,
president, Whirlpool International each received the BRAG
business achievement award.
The coveted JJ Thomas
business innovators award
was presented to Simone
Smith, creator & CEO, Simone
I. Smith, Ltd., and wife of rapper turned actor LL Cool J who
received the top award for her
successful line of fine jewelry.
BRAG crystal awards
BRAG honoree Felita Harris, Mark Weberl
Designer Edward Wilkerson, Celeste Harwell of Essence
(3rd l.) and BRAG dinner guests
Honoree Simone Smith, Mary J. Blige and Tamar Braxton
Ony Danchimah, DJ Kiss and Yolande
Kelly
Tamar Braxton
BRAG board of directors: Veronica Jones (board member), Nicole Cokley (vice president), Latichia (secretary),
Shawn Outler (treasurer)
Constance C.R. White, Darlene
Gillard (Photo by Margot Jordan)
Singer Mary J. Blige and reality star Tamar Braxton were on
hand to cheer Smith on.
This year’s premium sponsors
— Macy’s, Bloomingdales, Donna
Karan, Phillips Van Heusen, Stop
& Shop and The TJX Companies
— are just some of the top companies who celebrated with BRAG
by providing 32 financial scholar-
Jeffrey Tweedy of Sean Honoree Daymond John
John with scholarship recipient Iman Jones
dents who have achieved aca- student clubs at colleges and unidemic excellence and who exhibit versities nationwide.
financial need. In addition to the
Most recently BRAG opened
scholarship program, BRAG’s an- college chapters at Ohio State
nual fundraiser supports such ef- University, Howard University,
forts as the industry acclaimed University of Florida, PennsylvaBRAG summer internship program, nia University and The Terry
which has served over 1000 stu- Lundgren School of Retail at the
dents from across the country, as University of Arizona.
well as the initiation of new BRAG (Photos by Ray Tamarra)
Dr. Benjamin Chavis with BRAG president
Gary Lampley (Photo by Margot Jordan)
ships to deserving high school
and college students interested in
pursuing careers in fashion, retail
or related industries. Kudos to
Darlene Gillard who produced
the stellar event.
To date, BRAG, a 501 (c) (3) not
for profit organization, has
awarded nearly 400 scholarships
totaling more than $350,000 to stu-
21
22
HERE COMES THE BRIDE with Fashion & Beauty Editor Audrey J. Bernard
Anne Bowen makes you fall in love all
over again with her 2012 bridal collection
“The Anne Bowen Bridal Collection is all about the spontaneity of fabric and drape with intention. You design differently with each emotion, and this collection came from
the heart.” – Anne Bowen
On Sunday October 16, 2011 designer Anne Bowen presented her
Fall 2012 bridal collection at the
Gansevoort Park Avenue. Themed
“The Language of Love,” the collection was a labor of love drawing back Bow-en’s arrow and aiming straight for your heart. Romantically delicious, the show introduced lace into the collection
for the very first time. Swarovski
crystals on body skimming silhouettes brought sexy back to
the bridal forefront. Full skirted
gowns of taffeta and tulle were
contagiously romantic. The collection channeled Bowen’s love
affair with her favorite jewelers,
Cartier, in the form of the Trinity
gown beaded in a trio of gold.
“The Anne Bowen Bridal Collection is all about the spontaneity
of fabric and drape with intention,” commented Bowen. “You
design differently with each emotion, and this collection came from
the heart.”
(Photos by Kyle Ericksen)
Film Strip
Sidibe: ‘Tower Heist’ reflects the
sentiments of Wall Street occupiers
By Marie Moore
Contributing Scribe
“Tower Heist” filmmakers
could not have asked for a better time to release their film than
during the Wall Street Occupation (WSO), and the worldwide
wave of sympathy for the poor
and abhorrence for greed. In the
new movie “Tower Heist,” employees working at a Trump
Tower facsimile luxury Central
Park West Condominium do
more than just voice their opposition against Wall Street
swindler Arthur Shaw (Alan
Alda).
They set out to get retribution. Sitting at the Mandarin
Oriental across the street from
the Trump Tower, Brooklyn
born and Harlem reared Academy Award nominated actress
Gabourey Sidibe, along with
other cast members were discussing their roles. I asked
Sidibe how apropos is the film
in the realm of events taking
place at Wall Street during
these trying times?
“The movie, you know, is really about these working class
people that have their entire future taken away from them in a
split second by someone who
they trusted. So they steal it
back because they have no
other option. And I think the
whole occupy Wall Street thing
is very reflective in many ways
of the predicament the employees find themselves facing in
the film,” Sidibe said.
Sidibe had no problem
bringing her comedic to “Tower
Heist” and went toe-to-toe with
the 50-year-old “Saturday
Academy Award nominee Gabourey Sidibe
Night Live” (SNL), alumnus,
Eddie Murphy, who began his
career as a teenage stand-up comedian.
“It was definitely intimidating
Producer/Performer Rome Neal will receive the Board of
Director’s Award at the upcoming The VIV Vivian Robinson
AUDELCO Awards on Monday, November 14
(Photo: William J. Vila)
because Eddie Murphy is really extremely funny and it’s
been proven. Now I think I’m
funny and my Mama thinks I’m
funny, too. But I don’t know
I’m really funny unless I’m
standing next to Eddie Murphy
in a scene with him and have to
be as funny.
“So that was really scary and
I was really afraid of that scene
where I had to flirt with him. But
when Brett Ratner (director) says
action, then I kind of just let it
go. I was like, ‘What’s it like to
f—kin’ bone Eddie Murphy?’”
Not reading from a script,
Sidibe adlibbed. “It was a lot of
fun,” she beamed. “It was the
only scene in the movie that
wasn’t written. It was completely
improvised.”
It might have been daunting for
Sidibe to flirt on cue, without the
help of a script, but her imagination became an anchor, she revealed. “I don’t know if you’ve
ever seen him in the ‘The Golden
Child,’ but he wore a lot of leather
suits and there’s nothing sexier
than a Black man in a leather
suit.”
A believable accent was another attribute that was not on the
written page but Sidibe pulled it
off perfectly. Of her Jamaican accent, Sidibe explained that it’s a
matter of association.
“The accent was also kind of
hard. I was really nervous about
it but insisted to be Jamaican because Brett thought I sound
funny. I was really afraid to do it
but I know a lot of Jamaican
people. My best friend is Jamaican and so I’ve been making fun
of her using the accent for the
entire friendship. But now it was
time to do it professionally, which
really scared me but hopefully I
seemed Jamaican,” Sidibe said.
Known for her Academy Award
nominated role as the abused
teenager in “Precious,” Sidibe has
carved out a successful career
since that 2009 film. In addition
to “Tower Heist,” she has a starring role in the upcoming film,
“Yelling to the Sky,” and the
Showtime comedy series, “The
Big C.”
Disney On Ice presents Dare to Dream featuring Soniah Spence (right) is bringing newest princess
stories and most beloved fairytale to the ice in a sensational live production to your hometown, with
scenes from “Tangled,” “The Princess and the Frog” and “Cinderella,” to Nassau Coliseum, Nov. 1813, Prudential Center, Nov.-20 and Izod Center, Nov. 22-27
Entertainment Special
23
CATWALKIN’ with Fashion & Beauty Editor Audrey J. Bernard
24
Designer Laura Smalls shows what
becomes of a legacy during NYFW
On Thursday, September 15, 2011, designer Laura Smalls showcased her Legacy S/S 2012 collection during New York Fashion Week at the
Centurion Condominiums on West 56th Street in New York City. (Photos by Lion’esque Media)
Designer Laura Smalls
(from page 3)
Blacks and Whites. In July, the
Pew Research Center issued a report that stated, “The median
wealth of white households is 20
times that of black households
and 18 times that of Hispanic
households.” It explained,
“These lopsided wealth ratios are
the largest since the government
began publishing such data a
quarter century ago and roughly
twice the size of the ratios that
had prevailed between these
groups for two decades prior to
the Great Recession that ended
in 2009.” The bursting of the
housing bubble in 2006 and the high
unemployment rates have devastated communities of color. Median home equity for Whites declined by 18 percent between 2005
and 2009, from $115,364 to $95,000.
Meanwhile, Blacks lost 23 percent
of their home equity, from $76,919
to $59,000. Black long-term unemployment was also higher than that
of Whites, which is usually the case
during a recession. Black unemployment increased from 8.6 percent to 15.6 percent during that
period; White employment rose
from 3.7 percent to 8 percent.
Black wealth, already much less
than Whites, worsened.
“From
2005 to 2009, inflation-adjusted
median wealth fell by 66 percent
among Hispanic households and
53 percent among black households, compared to just 16 percent among white households,”
the Pew report stated. “As a result of these declines, the typical
black household had just $5,677
in wealth (assets minus debts) in
2009, the typical Hispanic household had $6,325 in wealth; and the
typical white household had
$113,149.” The $5,677 in Black
wealth in 2009 was less than half
of the $12,124 in Black wealth just
four years earlier. In order to get
ahead in the future, clearly Afri-
Libya war lies
(from page 9)
early 2000’s. This is based on the
unearthing of evidence that the
CIA paid millions of dollars to
witnesses in the Lockerbie
Bombing trial to change their
stories to implicate Libya which
was used as the basis for the
very damaging UN sanctions
against Libya. The government
of the USA lied and damaged
Libya so the USA oil companies
were going to have to pay up to
cover the cost of their govern-
ments actions. Not hard to see why
Gadaffi had to go isn’t it?
Add the fact that Gadaffi had
signaled clearly that he saw both
Libya’s and Africa’s future economic development linked more to
China and Russia rather than the
west and it was just a matter of time
before the CIA’s contingency plan
to overthrow the Libyan government was put on the front burner.
NATO’s war against Libya has
much more in common with
NATO’s Kosovo war against
Serbia.
But one still cannot compare
Gadaffi to Saddam or even the
much smaller time criminals in the
Serbian leadership. The Libyan
War lies are worse than Iraq.
Thomas C. Mountain - Asmara,
Eritrea - thomascmountain at
yahoo dot com - Thomas C.
Mountain is the only independent western journalist in the
Horn of Africa, living and reporting from Eritrea since 2006. He
was a member of the 1st US
Peace Delegation to Libya in
1987 .
Capitalism coming home to roost
(from page 8)
employment rate for Blacks more
than doubles the 8% for Whites,
and Blacks lag in every major index of economics. It’s interesting
that 8% would be long-awaited
relief to African Americans. Conversely, 8% is so insufferable to
Euro-Americans that it has
sparked the OWSM to condemn
“certain aspects” of capitalism.
But at core, US capitalism is fueled by consumption, which is
fueled by credit, which is fueled
by the very financial institutions
that lie at the heart of the protests.
Besides, be it Bush or Obama,
both parties are corporate manifestations. America operates a defacto plutocratic style of governance, where insiders make “contributions” with known intents
for favoritism to influence
policymaking and party platforms.
With the 2012 election approaching and Obama empathizing with
occupiers, the media is setting a
stage for Tea Party vs. OWSM
showdowns. Beyond partisan bickering however that blames the
“other party” for America’s woes,
a definitive matter is that, America’s
economy is linked to centuries of
international graft and gluttony
from when Europeans ruled by
overt brute force. But with fewer
“banana republics,” new Balances
of Power are reshaping today’s
decolonized world and diminishing
the once-sturdiness of Pax Americana (US political, economic, and
military advantages).
The fluffy wording of the US
constitution is one thing, but
America’s capitalistic wealth
wasn’t acquired by playing by the
“democratic” rules it now wants to
export to Africa and the Middle
East. So as predatory capitalism
is coming home to roost while
Americans simultaneously cheer
the downfall of “select” governments, Black America should be
circumspect that we aren’t in effect, cheering the latest mutation
of the selfsame predatory forces
of which we are historically
among the greatest casualties.
Ezrah Aharone is the author
of two acclaimed political
books: Sovereign Evolution:
Manifest Destiny from Civil
Rights to Sovereign Rights (2009)
and Pawned Sovereignty: Sharpened Black Perspectives on
Americanization, Africa, War and
Reparations (2003). He is a
founding member of the Center
for Sovereignty Advancement.
He can be reached at Ezrah
can-Americans will need to diversify their financial holdings beyond housing. As the Pew report
noted, “Whites and Asians are
much more likely than Hispanics
and blacks to own financial assets.
More than 80 percent of whites
and Asians own interest-earning
assets in financial institutions,
compared with about 60 percent
of Hispanics and blacks. Whites
and Asians are also three to four
times as likely as Hispanics and
blacks to own stocks and mutual
funds shares…A sizable minority of
U.S. households own no assets
other than a motor vehicle. In 2009,
that was true of 24 percent of black
and Hispanic households, 8 percent
of Asian households and 6 percent
of white households.” The racial
and ethnic wealth gap was already
horrendous. Reports of a wider economic divide between the haves and
have-nots have shown that the
problem is getting even worse.
Christie strengthens
jobs creation effort
(from page 6)
tive Branch leadership overseeing
implementation of the strategic
plan through the creation of a
State Strategic Job Growth Plan
Steering Committee. The Steering
Committee, created by Executive
Order, will be headed by the Lt.
Governor and include every department or agency of state government with a role in job creation
and economic growth. It will coordinate the process of developing department and agency-specific plans, identify and pool a
Garden State Fund of state economic development spending
around the goals of the strategic
plan, and work directly with a refocused State Planning Commission and Office for Planning Advocacy to provide a forum for
public and local government input, and planning research and
support resources, respectively.
The State Planning Act,
adopted in 1985, requires sound
and integrated statewide planning
and coordination of statewide
planning in accordance with local
and regional planning. This legislative intent has not been met in
the last State Plan, adopted in
2001, which has resulted in the development of state capital expenditure plans, land use and environmental regulations separate
and apart from economic development, transportation and social
services plans.
Conflicting state regulations
and inconsistent application of
rules and standards discourage
economic development and con-
tribute to an existing system of planning that is restrictive, complex, confusing and difficult to navigate.
To remedy this, Governor Christie
today signed Executive Order No.
78, providing for specific implementation guidelines across government, including the creation of a
state Steering Committee for the Strategic Job Growth Plan chaired by
the Lt. Governor, providing direction
to state departments on the implementation of the Strategic Plan
along with the State Planning Commission, and giving specific requirements for each Department and
Agency of state government to develop strategies that integrate the
strategic plan into:
·ð
Program and rule changes;
·ð
Annual capital spending
plans;
·ð
Intra and inter-agency coordination efforts; and
·ð
Staff training regarding the
role of the strategic plan, Guiding
Principles, and Garden State Values
within program delivery.
Each Department and Agency will
designate a Steering Committee liaison, the Office of Planning Advocacy will develop guidelines for
agency-specific strategic plans, and
departments and agencies will develop strategic plans.
The State Planning Commission
will be following the steps required
by the State Planning Act to adopt
this as the official State Plan. This
process will include holding public
hearings and other opportunities for
public comment. Details on that process will be made via the Office of
Planning Advocacy’s website
New Yorkers Against
Pat Buchanan: Unrepentant racist Gun Violence
(from page 8)
a fraud and a demagogue, and
perhaps worse,’ the memo said.
‘It does not seem to be in there
interests of national unity for the
president to lend his national
prestige to the argument that this
divisive figure is a modern
saint.’” [Associated Press, December 12, 1986]
* Both the GOP establishment
and conservatives should study
how and why white voters, who
delivered Louisiana to Reagan
and Bush three times, moved in
such numbers to [White supremacist David] Duke – and devise a strategic plan to win them
back.” [Syndicated column, December 23, 1991]
* “George Bush should have told
the [NAACP convention] that
black America has grown up; that
the NAACP should close up shop,
that its members should go home
and reflect on JFK’s admonition:
‘Ask not what your country can
do for you, but what you can do
for your country.’” [Syndicated
column, July 26, 1988]
Buchanan, appearing on Al
Sharpton’s “PoliticsNation” program in August on MSNBC, referred to President Obama as
“your boy.” More recently he
agreed with Herman Cain’s assertion that Blacks have been brainwashed into supporting Democrats over Republicans.
In an interview on CNN,
Buchanan said, “I think what he’s
saying is they bought a lot of lib-
eral propaganda on the liberal
plantation and I think he’s right.”
Color of Change is right for
seeking Buchanan’s dismissal. In
2008, the National Association of
Black Journalists gave Buchanan
its “Thumbs Down Award” that
goes to an individual or news organization for especially insensitive, racist or stereotypical reporting or commentary. It is time
for MSNBC to give Buchanan
the boot.
George E. Curry, former editor-in-chief of Emerge magazine
and the NNPA News Service, is
a keynote speaker, moderator,
and media coach. He can be
reached through his Web site:
www.georgecurry.com You can
also follow him at:
www.twitter.com/currygeorge.
(from page 2)
asked state legislators to pass,
could have helped. No gun was
recovered and the New York Police Department recovered at least
12 shell casings at the crime
scene. Every week families across
New York are ripped apart by gun
violence and law enforcement officers are left to solve heinous
crimes with few leads and little or
no evidence. Except shell casings.
Shell casings are often found at
the scene of gun crimes.
Microstamping will identify those
shell casings and help police put
violent criminals behind bars.
Passing microstamping is the least
we can do to honor Zurana Horton
and protect the safety of her 12 children and the safety of all New Yorkers. New Yorkers Against Gun Violence (NYAGV) is a statewide advocacy group working to reduce gun
violence through advocacy and
education designed to encourage
action, influence public opinion and
lead to policy change. With a primary focus on New York State, the
organization also advocates at the
local and national levels for sensible
laws, policies and practices that protect New York State residents from
gun violence. There are solutions to
gun violence and citizens can make
their voices heard by signing up to
become a member of NYAGV at
www.nyagv.org/action.
25
Wealth disparities between rich, poor likely to grow
26
WHAT’S GOING ON
emblazoned across a Times Square
billboard. A few months later,
Phillips was displaced as Oracle copresident to make room for the
ousted Hewlett Packard CEO Mark
Hurd. Unemployed for about 4
weeks, Phillips was named CEO at
Infor, one of the world’s largest providers of business software maker
with annual sales north of $2 billion. Phillips is an alum of the following: USAF Academy, Hampton
University/MBA; NY Law School/
Juris Doctor.
By Victoria Horsford
NY, NY & HARLEM
This week’s hot topic is the NY
Times article “Former Adviser to
White House is Likely to Seek
Rangel’s Seat.” The adviser is
Clyde Williams, 49, a Howard
University alum, a decade-long
Harlemite,, whose interest in Congressman Rangel’s seat begs lots
of questions. The minion of two
US Presidents, Bill Clinton and
Barack Obama, Williams has considerable political muscle. His
wife was President Obama’s
deputy chief of staff. During a
recent brief encounter with Williams, we have been doing telephone tag for almost three weeks.
A Williams congressional challenge complicates Assemblyman
Keith Wright and Senator Bill
Perkins professional ambitions.
I look forward to face time with
Mr. Williams, the congressional
hopeful!
NYS Governor Andrew Cuomo
has named former NYS Comptroller Carl McCall, 76, Chairman
Of the SUNY (State University
of NY) Board of Trustees.
McCall will oversee a network of
64 campuses, the largest higher
education system in the USA.
Carver Bank Chairperson/CEO
Deborah Wright wrote to update
me on Bank’s Annual Shareholders Meeting last week saying.
“Stockholders overwhelmingly
approved all matters, including
recapitalization…..We need everyone to support Black banks
around the country if we want to
retain them as a source of
strength for the community… We
need greater deposits and loans.”
She referenced the new Carver
product line for the “unbanked,”
the Carver Community Cash initiative! Yes, the Carver Federal
Savings Bank doors remain open
but at a considerable cost.
Carver is no longer a community
bank. It is a corporate bank. Its
major stockholders are the US
government and Corporate American banks, which came to its rescue. Current stockholders are left
with 2% of the stock. It is not too
late to open a Carver account!
The Harlem Business Alliance
opens its Harlem Holiday Market, from December 15-18, 10 am
to 9 pm. Booths are available at
$500 for a single vendor, $900 for
double vendor rental, at the Adam
Clayton Powell Jr. State Office
Building Plaza, located at 163
West 125 Street, Harlem. A 50%
down payment is due by 11/15.
Visit harlemholidaymarket.org,
[email protected] or call 212.
665.7010.
OCCUPY HARLEM, a coalition
of community groups, including
Harlem Tenants Council, Harlem
Fight Back Against War at Home
and Abroad, and the People’s
SCHOOL DAYS
Mellody Hobson
Charles Phillips
WANTED: Assistant/Associate
Professor, specializing in the history of the African Diaspora. Interested candidates must be a PhD in
History, should submit CV by December 1 to Dr. Annette Palmer,
Chairperson, Dept of History and
Geography, Holmes Hall 326, Morgan State University, 1700 E. Cold
Spring Lane, Baltimore, Maryland
21251. Morgan State is a PhD granting HBCU, an AA/EO employer.
WANTED: A Dean of the School
of Medicine at Stanford University.
Forward inquiries, nominations and
applications
to
[email protected], by 1/
3/12. Stanford is an AA/EO employer.
EVENTS CALENDAR
Clyde Williams
Party for Progress, convened it
first general assembly last week
at Harlem’s St. Philips Episcopal
Church. Nellie Hester, one of the
OH coalition leaders wants Black,
Latino and Immigrant organizations to join the movement that
has charged the government’s
$16 billion bailout of banks, during a recession/depression, a depraved indifference to the working and middles classes. Coalition
wants President Obama to bailout
Black and Latino homeowners
who lost an estimated $164 to
$213 billlion from sub-prime lending fraud, the greatest loss of
wealth for both groups.
www.SSN.TV.
SPOONBREAD Catering cofounder, Norma Jean Darden, has
a lot on her proverbial platter.
The erstwhile mannequin, author
entrepreneur Darden owns and
manages two Harlem-based restaurants, Miss Maude’s and
Miss Mamie’s and has yet a third
Uncle CL’s Spoonbread, scheduled for a 2011 launch in Greenwich Village. She is cutting her
teeth as a patron of the theatre,
as a minority investor in two
Broadway
plays,
THE
MOUNTAINTOP, starring Sam
Jackson and Angela Bassett and
in STICK FLY, a drama about
race, rivalry, class and family starring Dule Hill and Mekhi Phifer, a
BLACK ENTERPRISE
Alicia Keys production, which
SOUL OF THE SOUTH (SSN) is opens next month.
the new kid on the TV network
block, which launches early next MEDIA WEEK IN REVIEW
year. A regional television network targeting African Americans, Read November Ebony’s “WHY
in 50 markets in the south (Mont- WE’RE MOVING DOWN
gomery; Atlanta; Memphis; Or- SOUTH In Record Numbers. The
lando; Augusta; Jackson, MS) Great Reversed Migration about
and some satellite cities in the Blacks Returning to the South
north, the Soul Of The South will by Denene Millner and her
offer a mix of original program- hubby Nick Chiles, which reads
ming, including 5 hours of news like a sequel to THE WARMTH
daily. Network is born of a need OF OTHER SUNS. Visits dallas,
to cater to the 57% of African Atlanta, Charlotte, and San AnAmericans, who now reside in the tonio, TX Charleston. Greenville,
south. Co-founded by Edwin NC, Danville, VA. I noted that two
Avent Chairman/CEO; Larry of those cities Atlanta and CharMorton, President; and Carl lotte have Black mayors. CharMcCaskin, EVP of Business De- lotte is the Democratic Convenvelopment, the SSN management tion 2012 city.
team also includes Jeff Burns, EVP
Marketing and Frank Mercado. Visit theroot.com and review
The SSN joins the ranks of BET, ROOT 100 HONOREES 2011, AfTV One and Bounce TV, networks rican Americans, ages 25-45,
which address the African Ameri- many of whom are the usual pop
can experience.
Visit culture suspects like Jay-Z,
Norma Jean Dorda
Beyonce, Kanye West, Tyra
Banks, Viola Davis, and LeBron
James. However, Melissa HarrisPerry, PhD; Mellody Hobson,
Ariel Investments President, Van
Jones, Rebuild the Dream
founder; Mayors Kasim Reed,
Atlanta and Corey Boooker, Newark; Nevada State Senator Steven
Horsford; and James Sheldon III,
Assistant Deputy Secretary of
Education also made the
ROOT.COM cut. List was based
on achievers, and was defined by
those whose influence typifies
the marriage of reach and substance.
The twin island nation of
Antigua/Barbuda in the Caribbean,
celebrated its 30th Independence
Anniversary on November 1.
Sister To Sister: One In the Spirit
hosts its 4th Annual “Red Hat”
Luncheon, saluting “Exceptional
Leadership in our Community,” on
November 5 at the Gran Piatto
d’Oro Restaurant, located at 1429
Fifth Avenue at 117 Street, Harlem.
The 2011 Red Hat honorees area
Randreta Ward-Evans, Harlem
Hospital Center; Lisa Green,
Harlem Hospital Center; Naomi
Griffin, Harlem Hospital Center;
Monifa Maat, The Bed Aerobic Fitness Flow; and Pat Stevenson,
Harlem News Group publisher. Tickets are $75. Call 917.668.4284 for
reservations.
NEWSMAKERS
Herman Cain’s memoir THIS IS
HERMAN CAIN, has been a
NYT hardcover and e-book best
seller list fixture for a few weeks.
While the very married Cain enjoys frontrunner GOP prexy 2012
status, he has a few thorny problems to address like sexual harassment charges initiated by two aggrieved women during his National Restaurant Association
presidency. Journalists argue out
of court cash settlements terminated the claims. This is so commonplace in Corporate America.
I wonder if the claimants were non
African American! I wonder
which one of Cain’s GOP rivals
leaked this info to the media.
Remember Charles Phillips,
former co-president of Oracle, a
man in Corporate America’s fast
lane, who for a nanosecond during the spring of 2010 experienced
notoriety when a disgruntled
former mistress had their picture
The Voices of Harlem, the legendary “Sweet” Georgia Brown, Lady
Cantrese and Ghanniyya Green
perform with virtuoso musicians organist Greg Lewis, drummer Warren Grant, pianist Les Kurtz, and
guitarist Stew Cutler - at Creole
Restaurant at 2167 Third Avenue,
Harlem on Saturday, 11/5 Call
212.876.8838
Banana Boat Productions and new
Perspectives Theatre Company
present a night of Caribbean theatre, the Women in Transition
Plays, with two works by Zeno Obi
Constance, directed by Damian
Gonzales and Merlina Rich, which
run through 11/6. One play,
“PATRICIA – A Love Story,” is
about a recent widow and her mind
trips; the other play, CINDERELLA
SYNDROME, is a story about an
abused wife and her fantasies.
Plays will be performed at 458 West
37 Street, Manhattan. Tickets are
$20, Visit: [email protected]
or call 212.630.9945
NNPA Award Winner
By Don Thomas
Afrikan Poetry Theatre, Inc., marks 35 years of
excellence in cultural and educational programs
By Sonia G. Diaz
Contributing Scribe
It’s Fall 1976 in Brooklyn, New
York and the movement for Black
independence is definitely on.
Burgeoning on the scene was the
“East” cultural center and the
well renowned Uhuru Sasa Shule
“Freedom Now School”, both
housed in the same BedStuyvesant location. This would
be the place where two of the
most African-centered visionary
poets would cross paths then
later unite to bring to fruition a
common vision.
One poet, Yusef Waliyaya
Coulter, master teacher artist and
fellow poet John “Watusi”
Branch, a dynamic parent organizer and activist brought their
vision into focus by creating the
Afrikan Poetry Theatre Ensemble. APT Ensemble was and
still is a performance group of
progressive, like-minded poets,
drummers, musicians, vocalists
and musical directors who kick
consciousness raising, “science
dropping” material to African,
jazz and funk rhythms. They
made two recordings “Free South
Africa”, “Shaka Zulu Live” and
appeared on PBS Television. The
vision was to “deliver the power
of the word through music.”
The creation of the APT Ensemble laid the foundation for
The Afrikan Poetry Theatre, Inc.
that we know today, located in
Jamaica, Queens. When Branch
and Coulter co-founded this institution, it allowed them to expand the methods by which they
and others could deliver the
power of the word to the people.
In addition to enlightening
the unconscious through music,
APT, Inc. would offer Poetry
Readings, Open Mic, Poetry and
Writing Workshops and Pan-African Lecture Series. Innovative
programs were added like Tribute To A Literary Elder, Drum
Word Literary Guild, Journey To
The Motherland, Meet The Composer Jazz Concert Series,
Kwanzaa Summer Day Camp,
Teen Voices Newspaper, Power of
The Word Newspaper, Black Film
Fridays, Children’s Cultural
Workshops, Rites of Passage
Program, Summer Youth Employment Program Site, Afriquest
Youth Travel to Africa, and the
list goes on.
In August of 2000, Coulter
passed on leaving a much herald
legacy, an indelible mark on the
institution that he co-founded as
well as the lives and spirits of
those he touched. Still at the apex
of the pyramid is Branch as Executive Director, Michael
Hargraves, Chairman of The
Board, The Board of Directors,
Byron Perry (APT 30 year member) and Ronald Burwell.
This Fall of 2011, APT, Inc. is
celebrating thirty-five years of
bringing outstanding cultural
APT Board of Directors: (Top row left to right) Byron Perry, Dr. Gerald Deas, John Watusi Branch, M. Mike Hargraves, Ronald Burwell, Lisa
Franklin, William Hargraves (Bottom row left to right) Beverly Deas, Carol Allen, Rudina Mason-Harris, Wasima Brown, Doris Holiday, Ann
Cheatham
mer came to APT, Inc. with his
book, Black Is The Color Of My
TV Tube when it came out. Also,
APT’s relationship with and cultural exchange with Africa has
been good over the thirty-five
years.
I’ve been involved in every aspect of APT, Inc. for twenty-five
years and what stands out for me
is Branch’s strong belief in institution building. So, I asked
Branch about the significance of
this African concept. He responded “It falls in line with the
anniversary theme. To build
something that people can garner, meet, plan and use skills for
the restoration of African people.
It’s a center of development.
“Very important because it
John Watusi
doesn’t stand alone. Dr. Karenga
and educational programs to the (Kwanzaa Founder) speaks of repeople. My interview with Branch storing our people to original to
began with my asking about the original greatness. Institutions
theme for this anniversary cel- are where people meet and grow
ebration. Pensively, he stated and get their own. For example,
“Building For The Future-Build- Pastor Spears worked out of APT,
Inc. for five years every Sunday,
ing For Eternity.”
When I asked him how would built up his base. He opened up
Yusef Waliyaya Coulter
he define the last thirty-five years Grace Baptist Church in Brookof APT, Inc. he flipped it and said lyn in 2010 and is very success- Ghana, Nana Osei Baokywe rolled the “scrolls” of the newly
“It’s more like the first thirty-five ful. So much so he bought a Jag- Yiadom II to name a street in expanded facility made possible by
years” then continued “Well, it’s uar.”
Aburi, Ghana named for Harriet The Department of Cultural AfAbout institution building in Ross Tubman Davis and a statue fairs, Queens Boro President Helen
been a rewarding journey. A journey filled with all kinds of experi- light of today’s economy, Branch of her designed and erected by Marshall and City Councilmembers
ences. Frustrating times but re- offered “People first must come Opoku Biney. Her three great Leroy Comrie and William
warding times. Difficult times re- together. You need a collective grand nieces traveled to Africa for Scarborough.
garding financial operations. So plan, mission for the community. the first time to witness this hisOn Saturday, November 5, 2011
many people have passed Even though Yusef and I co- toric event.
APT, Inc. is having a 35th. Annithrough here. We’ve had the best founded APT, Inc., it took a lot of
Earlier in June 2000, the collabo- versary Grand African Ball Cultural
of Black art and talent over the people’s skills. People can begin ration grew and Nana Yiadom Extravaganza from 9 pm to 2 am.
by renting a church or community “enstooled” one of the great The Imperial Room 259 Doughty
years.
Really high points of African- center.”
grand nieces as Queen Mother in Blvd., Inwood, New York. HonorAmong APT, Inc.’s innumerable the village of Adamorobe. After ees are Irving Burgie, Child
American culture. We’ve honored
some of the finest writers that successes is the August 2005 thirty-five years, APT, Inc. is prodigy Autum Ashante, Batin
Black America has produced. Gil collaboration with Linda Cousins- building upon its own institution. Ashante, Councilmember James
Noble (Like It Is TV Program) who Newton of Ancestral Promotions A brand new state of the art build- Sanders, Jr., Fearonce LaLande and
suffered a bad stroke this sum- and the first female chief of ing is in the works. Branch un- Crystal Taylor.
Enter tainment
27
28
BOO-tiful people party at HALLOWEEN
HAUNTS in NYC with Audrey J. Bernard
On Friday, October 28, 2011,
singer/actress Bette Midler threw
her annual Halloween extravaganza at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel on posh Park Avenue in New
York City. The diva looked
divalicious dressed as the La
Calavera Catrina, the symbol of
the Day Of The Dead in Mexico.
The event marked the star’s 16th
anniversary of her New York Restoration Project which will benefit
from the event. The star-studded
event featured entertainment by
Stevie Wonder and a fabulous
costume contest with fashion
icon and Fashion’s #1 judge
Michael Kors judging. (Photos
by Joseph Marzullo/WENN)
#
#
#
raved about the meal, which included Crispy Rice, Sea Bass Satay
and Spicy Yellowtail Jalapeno.
Klum donned her “Visible
Woman” costume, a body suit
painted with the muscles, veins and
tendons that make up the human
body, and arrived on the red carpet
on a gurney carried by bloody medics. Fans lined the escalators leading up to TAO to catch a glimpse of
the supermodel and star of Project
Runway.
In the club Klum took over VIP
tables on the dance floor with a
group that included Bethenny
Frankel and her husband Jason
Hoppy. Klum, who is the 2011 Trickor-Treat for UNICEF Ambassador,
was surprised with tricks and treats
throughout the night as DJ
?uestlove spun for the packed club.
She was presented with an intricately carved pumpkin by famed
carver Ray Villafane and a bloody
version of TAO’s bottle fairy flew
over the dance floor hanging by a
noose. Klum danced the night
away, staying until nearly 4 am.
(Photo by Chris Weeks/Wire Image)
#
On Saturday night, October 29,
2011 Heidi Klum brought her 12th
annual Halloween party to Las
Vegas and TAO Nightclub at The
Venetian for the first time. The
Queen of Halloween fueled up for
the night with TAO favorites delivered direct to her room as she
prepared to get in costume with
makeup by Bill Corso. Klum
Margo McNabb Nederlander,
Jimmy Nederlander
Heidi Klum on TAO Red Carpet
Bette Midler at 16th Annual Bette Midler Halloween Party
Stevie Wonder, Bette Midler
Bette Midler, Narciso Rodriquez
Debra Messing, Daniel Zelman
Michael Kors, Lance Lepere
Carmelo Anthony, Bette Midler
Rick Bayless
Flick Chat
29
By Kam Williams
Movie Critic
Who really wrote the works of
William Shakespeare? That nagging question has remained the
subject of speculation among academics for centuries, with author-
ship of his poems and plays being
alternately attributed to dozens of
others, most notably, Christopher
Marlowe, William Stanley, Sir
Francis Bacon and Edward de Vere,
a/k/a the 17th Earl of Oxford.
The primary reason the Bard of
Avon has been shown such disrespect is because of his humble
A suspenseful scene from “Anonymous”
roots and the absence of evidence that he had much of a formal education. Consequently, his
detractors argue that only another nobleman would have been
capable of writing about royalty
in such sophisticated fashion.
“Anonymous” revives the
controversial notion that the Earl
of Oxford served as Shakespeare’s
ghostwriter, in spite of a plethora
a problems with that generallyrejected theory, starting with the
fact that when the Earl died in
1604, ten of the Bard’s plays were
yet to be published. Nonetheless,
provided you are willing to ignore
an abundance of such historical
inaccuracies, the picture proves
to be a delightful whodunit.
The film is a bit of a departure
for Roland Emmerich, whose
name one ordinarily associates
with bombastic summer blockbusters like “Independence Day”
and “Godzilla.”
Here, however, the German director tones down his act considerably in service of a multi-layered mystery given more to
subtlety and insinuation than to
special effects and pyrotechnics.
INDIE Film
‘Out the Gate’ debuts in Jamaica
Compiled By Don Thomas
KINGSTON, JAMAICA —
Following successful runs in
New York City,
Los Angeles, and Atlanta, the
independent film “Out the Gate”
made its
Jamaican debut (Today) November 2nd. The urban action picture starring Paul Campbell and
Oliver Samuels tells the story of
Everton Dennis (played by himself) tells his dream to make it
big in America and the challenges he faces when the Don
of LA (Campbell) demands his
dues.
Karibbean Expressions Magazine called the story triumphant
and
saying “Dennis is mesmerizing
in his performance.” The Atlanta
Daily World wrote the film appeared to be on its way to becoming a
classic and reggae historian
Roger Steffens said the movie
was “...vivid and moving.”
The gritty film, shot on location in Toll Gate, Jamaica and Los
Angeles, is described as an ode
to believing in your dreams. The
creation, production, completion and ultimate screenings of
the film mirrors the themes in the
movie of not giving up.
In an interview following the
2011 Peachtree International Film
Festival, film producer Keith
Lewis revealed some of the challenges in
bringing this story to the big
screen. “The money for this film
was
never all here at once. Initially
Jamaican Film “Out of the Gate”
we only had enough money to buy drew him into the project.
The soundtrack to the musiequipment, then we shot some test
cally driven film boasts songs
scenes, showed them to
investors and got a little more from Beenie Man, Busy Signal,
Karl Morrison, Jadakiss, Styles
money,” Lewis continued.
“Our dream grew bigger, and we P, etc, and the film features Mr.
wanted to cast Shelli Boone as Lexx, Lady G, Ms. Triniti,
Everton’s love interest. Shelli, how- Kashuman and more in characever, is a SAG actor, so that meant ter roles.
“We are beyond excited to
dealing with the union and coming
up with even more money, so we finally bring the picture to home
Jamaica,” said Dennis, also the
shot and edited a mock
trailer, showed it to more investors films co-writer and co-producer.
“It was great to play it in Hollyand we raised more funds.
“Every step along the way, new wood, the Bronx, Brooklyn,
challenges arose, budgets grew and Queens, and Atlanta, but Jamaica is my home and where it
were
exceeded, yet somehow Jah provide all began, so this is the most imand we were able to finish the film portant showing of all, “ he conand bring it to the theaters,” the tinued.
To see the trailer, pictures
producer concluded.
Paul Campbell said that it was of the Hollywood premiere, and
the story that “leaves you on a more info go to
high, leaves you feeling good,” that www.outthegatemovie.com.
Narrated by Sir Derek Jacobi,
“Anonymous” opens and closes
on Broadway in present-day New
York City.
Otherwise, the plot revolves
around the unlikely financial arrangement secretly struck between rebellious, aristocrat de Vere
(Rhys Ifans) and alcoholic commoner Shakespeare (Rafe Spall) at
a time when the former was a prolific, closet playwright while the
latter was a struggling actor.
Thus, de Vere’s need for a surreptitious means of staging his incendiary, anti-establishment productions conveniently dovetails
with the Bard’s desire for fame and
fortune.
But because Shakespeare is
close to illiterate, the ruse is hard to
hide from most of his contemporaries in the theater world.
Meanwhile, de Vere himself has
a host of his own issues to deal with,
starting with his not only being the
illegitimate offspring of Queen Elizabeth I (Vanessa Redgrave) but possibly having fathered a child with
his mom. Throw in a jealous wife
(Antje Thiele) and an ambitious father-in-law (David Thewlis) with
designs on the throne, and you’ve
got all the fixins for a convoluted,
costume drama of dare I say it,
Shakespearean proportions.
Excellent (4 stars). Rated PG13 for violence and sexuality. Running time: 130 minutes. Distributor: Columbia Pictures.
‘Anonymous’ proves to
be a delightful whodunit
30
Bookin’ It
NYC school teacher empowers everyday
people with powerful prayers and stories
Author Rosemarie Baker a native
of Bedford-Stuyvesant Brooklyn is an
educator on a mission. She has seen
it all as a teacher, mother, wife and sister-friend; Drugs, adultery, gangs,
murder, unemployment, despair, hopelessness and most importantly —
dreams deferred.
Baker’s debut motivational/inspirational book is aptly titled “Real Life
Prayers for Real People, In Life’s Real
Situations.”
The book covers everything from
marriage, terrorism, horoscopes, pove r t y, f o rg i v e n e s s , u n e m p l o y m e n t ,
cancer, heart disease, temptations,
and distractions.
“Many people are walking around
seeking guidance and answers, however, can’t seem to figure out their
next steps. The answer is real simple
pray, fast, observe, act, and know that
your life has purpose,” says Baker.
“I personally share how God has
infused miracles and provided solutions to my life and empowered me to
become a writer. This book speaks directly to real people, as I was going
through my trials and searching for a
book, I found many books written by
religious leaders, however, nothing
written from an everyday person’s
point-of-view until “Real Life Prayers
for Real People, in Life’s Real Situations,” says Rosemarie.
Baker felt like giving up, the demands of quality teaching require
passion and proficiency but God whispered to her to keep writing and pursue her passion. With no contacts and
confidence she found herself following “the voices” guiding her step-by-
step on how to break into professional
writing for newspapers and magazines.
It was through persistence and prayer
she received her first assignment from
a local paper, soon after Baker was interviewing iconic groups and singers in
the company of syndicated and veteran
journalist like David Hinckley from New
York Daily News.
“You must realize that God is in the
miracle business and he speaks to all of
us daily. This book was delivered to me
over a period of six years as I went
through my own struggles. I walked with
verses in my hands, taped to my desk at
work and mirrors at home and wanted
God to bless me with a gift that would
bring joy into my life,” says Baker.
Rosemarie Baker ’s objective for
“Real Life Prayers For Real People, In
Life’s Real Situations,” are
(1) Empower everyone to fast and pray.
Talk to God and let him know how serious you are. (2) Focus. Be clear in your
thoughts and prayers. (3) Believe. Ask
for the moon and stars, our God is limitless and his dreams for you are colossal.
(4) Stop Judging. We are imperfect beings, you don’t know a person’s situation, offer prayer and support to your
fellow man. (5) Achieve. The life you desire will not happen overtime, however,
be prayerful and get to know God
through his teachings.
For additional information, to interview Rosemarie Baker, and receive a promotional copy of “Real Life Prayers for
Real People in Life’s Real Situation”
visit:
RBaker@easonhousebooks. ISBN# 9780-9800606-0-7, $10. (Rosemarie Baker is
also a contributing scribe to The New
York Beacon).
Author Rosemarie Baker
‘Black Girls Rock!’ thrilled
packed house in the Bronx
By Starre Moss
Contributing Scribe
Several notable Black stars
recently came out to support
Beverly Bond’s annual “Black
Girls Rock!” event held at the
Paradise Theater in the Bronx.
Supermodel Alek Wek, reality
star La La Anthony, and actresses Tichina Arnold and
Sharon Leal joined co-hosts
Tracee Ellis Ross and Regina
King as presenters for the BET
televised special.
“Black Girls Rock!” is an organization dedicated to honoring exceptional women of
color around the world who
stand as inspirational and
positive role models. Mary J.
Blige, Erykah Badu, Jill Scott,
Melanie Fiona, Mary Mary,
Elle Varner and Shirley Ceaser
performed at the star-studded
event to help BET Networks
and Beverly Bond, founder and
CEO of “Black Girl Rock!” celebrate the achievements of this
year’s exceptional honorees.
The two-hour event was a
star-studded evening celebrating the strengths, triumphs and
talents of Black women.
This year’s much-deserving
celebrants and award recipients
include: Academy Award-nominee Taraji P.
Henson – Star Power Award;
political activist, scholar, and
author Angela Davis – Icon
Award; gospel singer Shirley
Caesar – Living Legend Award;
actress and singer Tatyana Ali
– Young, Black & Gifted Award;
President of WNBA and former
Girl Scouts USA executive Laurel J. Richie – Shot Caller Award;
and The Rebecca Project for
Human Rights co-founders
Imani Walker and Malika Saada
Saar – Trailblazer Awards. The
televised special will air on Sunday, November 6 th at 8pm on
B l a c k E n t e r t a i n m e n t Te l e vision’s BET.
Beverly Bond, founder CEO “Black Girls Rock!”
Harlem’s famed Dance Theatre of
Harlem partners with Detroit fans
Dance Theatre
of Harlem dancers
On Sunday, October 23,
2011, Harlem’s signature dance
company, Dance Theatre of
Harlem (DTH), hosted
Detroiters for Dance Theatre
of Harlem at the company’s
landmark location in Harlem.
The family-friendly, house
party-style event celebrated
the longstanding partnership
between the famed dance company and its “sister city” Detroit.
DTH is excited to be a part
of the cultural renaissance in
Detroit, and Detroiters for
Dance Theatre of Harlem is its
effort to build champions and
audiences near and far, both in
Detroit and New York City, in
anticipation of the return of
the DTH company and its ongoing outreach activities in
Detroit.
About 100 guests attended
the intimate event, including
honorary hosts designer Tracy
Reese and Len Burnett, coCEO and group publisher of
Uptown Media Group (Uptown
and Vibe Magazines), both Detroit natives.
DJ Sharee Nash played a
mix of Motown, House and
other electrifying tunes recreating the Electrifying Mojo —
a mix of Motown, House &
Detroit Favs! Co-chairs for the
event were DTH board members Lori Hall Armstrong of
Verbify and Jai Jai Ramsey
Greenfield of Harlem Vintage.
DTH staff members hosted
special activities for young
children, and the DTH school’s
Cabriole and Professional
Training Programs performed.
Over the past two decades,
DTH has served the Detroit
community through performances and education initiatives, which have included engagements at the Detroit Opera House and the Music Hall
and arts education residencies
in various Detroit Public
Schools.
Currently, the exhibition
Dance Theatre of Harlem: 40
Years of Firsts is on display at
Detroit’s Charles H. Wright
Museum of African American
History through January, and
the museum’s September 9,
2011 gala celebrated DTH’s
achievements and featured a
performance from the Dance
Theatre of Harlem Ensemble.
The Ensemble will be returning to Detroit on November 6,
2011 for an interactive performance at the Detroit School of
Arts.
About the Dance Theatre of
Harlem
Dance Theatre of Harlem is
a leading dance institution of
unparalleled global acclaim,
encompassing a dance com-
emeritus and Karel Shook, the
institution has achieved unprecedented success, bringing innovative and bold new forms of artistic expression to audiences in
New York City, across the country and around the world.
Serving as cultural ambassadors and representatives of the
people of the United States they
have participated in high profile
tours abroad, notably to the
former USSR in 1988, South Africa after the fall of Apartheid in
1992; and to China in 2000 following the signing of the 2000
US-China trade treaty.
The DTH School and its arts
education and outreach programs serve over 25,000 students and educators each year.
Over 65% of students study on
scholarship or tuition assistance
at the school with an overwhelming number singling out their
DTH experience as among the
most important in their lives.
In 2008 a 14-member touring
group called Dance Theatre of
Harlem Ensemble was commissioned to carry the DTH legacy
to wider American audiences and
have impacted over 70,000 audience members since.
In January 2010, Virginia
Johnson, former Dance Theatre
of Harlem prima ballerina and
founding editor of Pointe Magazine succeeded co-founder
Arthur Mitchell as artistic director of Dance Theatre of Harlem.
Dance Theatre of Harlem is located at 466 West 152nd Street
in a landmark district in Harlem.
The organization’s award winDetroiters Kendrick Ashton, Tracy Reese, Len Burnett, Virginia Johnson
ning building houses four dance
studios, administrative offices,
nity
outreach
program.
Each
people
and
adults
around
the
pany, a leading arts education
library and archives, gift shop
center and Dancing Through component of DTH carries a world through the arts.
and a physical therapy facility.
solid
commitment
towards
enFounded
in
1969
by
Arthur
Barriers, a national and interna(Photos by Judy Tyrus)
tional education and commu- riching the lives of young M i t c h e l l , a r t i s t i c d i r e c t o r
Detroiters Professional Training Program Dancer with Cabriole Students
31
KICKIN’ IT with Lifestyles & Society Editor Audrey J. Bernard
32
In the Village of Harlem
The Harlem Council of Elders, Inc. to
honor Gertrude Jeannette and others
The Harlem Council of Elders,
Inc. will host their annual luncheon on Saturday, November 5,
at Melba’s 125 in the Adam
Clayton Powell, Jr. State Office
Building. This year the organization will honor Gertrude
Jeannette, founder/president of
the Hadley Players, Jackie Rowe
Adams, activist/ president of Local 299 and Charles L. Dunn, retired school principal/vice-president of the Harlem Council of Elders, Inc.
Guest artists performing will
include raising star D’Andre Lee
7, a Michael Jackson impersonator, the Priscilla Hood Trio and
actor/singer Tyron Akins will be
the Master of Ceremony.
Jeanette, a renowned playwright, producer, director and actress of stage and screen will receive the Cultural Legacy Award
of Excellence. Born in Urbana,
Arkansas on November 28, 1914,
she was raised in Arkansas and
attended Dunbar High School in
Little Rock.
Just before her high school
graduation, Jeannette decided
that she wanted to get married
instead of attending Fisk University. She and Joe Jeannette, II, a
prizefighter and president of the
“Harlem Dusters,” a motorcycle
club, eloped to New York City in
1934.
Jeannette learned to drive and
in 1935, she became the first
woman to get a license to drive a
motorcycle. In 1942, because of
the shortage of male taxicab drivers caused by the war, she became the first woman to drive a
cab in New York City.
During that time, Gertrude decided to further her education. She
took bookkeeping classes in the
basement of Abyssinian Baptist
Church. She also took speech
classes at the American Negro Theatre in order to remedy her speech
impediments. In 1945, she was cast
in the lead role in “Our Town.” In
1950, she performed in her first play,
“This Way Foreward.”
That same year, she and Fred
O’Neil appeared on television in
James Weldon Johnson’s “Gods
Trombone” on CBS’ General Electric Hour. Jeannette replaced Pearl
Bailey who was originally cast in
that role.
As a result, she continued to
work both in the theatre and in film
and television. She played roles in
Broadway plays like “Lost In The
Stars,” “Amen Corner,” and “The
Great White Hope.” Some of her
film credits include “Shaft,” “Black
Girl,” and “Cotton Comes To
Harlem.”
In 1979, Jeannette founded the
HADLEY players to give artists a
chance to develop their talents and
skills in the theatre and to enrich
the cultural life in Harlem. She has
gone on to direct, produce and write
her own plays as well as the works
of other playwrights.
Jeannette has been honored
with several awards for her work
and accomplishments. In 1991, she
was honored as a living legend at
the National Black Theatre Festival in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and in 1998, she was honored
with the Lionel Hampton Legacy
Award.
Gertrude Hadley Jeannette was
inducted into the Arkansas Black
Hall of Fame in 1999, and in 2002,
she received the prestigious Paul
Gertrude Jeannette, Founder/CEO H.A.D.L.E.Y Players
Robeson Award from the Actor’s Harlem since 1993. They have students and accomplished adults
Equity Association. She is now re- been serving public schools stu- through interactive activities. The
tired and resides in The Village of dents in the Harlem community luncheon is an opportunity for the
Harlem. The Harlem Council of El- through special enrichment organization to celebrate past sucders is a group of senior activists projects including the Adopt-A- cesses and future endeavors. For
dedicated to serving the youth of School program to bring together information visit:
[email protected].
Tyra’s a best seller!
Tyra Banks
Talk Show host Tyra Banks’
debut young adult fantasy fiction novel, “Modelland,” will
debut at #2 on the New York
Times Best Seller List. The
novel has already reached #1
on the Barnes & Noble charts
and #2 on Amazon. She invested
five years in conceiving and writing “Modelland,” a story that is
fun, campy, and full of adventure
and is set to be the first in a series
of three books.
Banks’ lifelong love of reading
and storytelling is deeply embedded in every page and her commitment to empowering girls and expanding the standard definition is
ever-present.
The novel which is for young
adult readers ages 12 and up, tells
the story of Tookie De La Crème,
a 15-year-old aspiring model who
receives an unexpected invitation
to Modelland—an exclusive, mysterious place on top of a mountain.
Tookie is awkward, gangly, and
has a large forehead and one
brown eye and one green eye (the
eye on the cover is Tyra’s), and in
many ways, Tookie struggles with
the same insecurities Tyra did
when she was a teenager.
Thrown into a world where she
doesn’t belong, Tookie glimpses
a future that could be hers, if she
survives.
“Modelland,” novel cover
“Modelland,” which published
on September 13 will be listed in
the Children’s Chapters category
and was listed as #2 on the October 16th chart. Tyra Banks will be
signing books at Hue Man Book
Store in the Village of Harlem on
Friday, November 4
(D.T.)
At Harton School of the Arts
33
By Eric Coleman
Contributing Scribe
For a venerable theater company, selecting just the right play
to open a season is often like
crossing a live minefield. Well,
The HADLEY Players can rest
assured that their 32nd season
has opened wisely and well with
playwright Yusef Salaam’s “The
Devil and Elijah Muhammad.”
Always one for high drama with
sudden surprising twists, his
“Killing Sam Cooke” comes easily to mind, as here Salaam pulls
out all stops.
There are plots and plotters,
heroes who could be villains,
victims who just might be perpetrators, suspects, betrayals——
all stirred to an intriguing boil in
this absorbing new play.
Skillfully directed by Ward
Nixon, The HADLEY Players’ artistic director, the fictional drama
revolves around a tumultuous
workday in the life of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad (18971975), leader for more than 40
years of The Nation of Islam. The
time is the early 1970’s at the
Nation’s Chicago headquarters.
Threats on the Minister’s life
have increased. Efforts to desta-
bilize the Nation have intensified,
not only from the usual outside
suspects, but possibly from within.
No one is above suspicion—not
two of the Minister’s most trusted
bodyguards, nor a Bible-clutching
lady preacher and would-be politician. Muhammad’s loyal secretary
may be a tad too loyal to believe,
and a Saudi Arabian businessman
seems truly awash in oil.
Add, too, that rapidly changing times bring sharply into focus
a number of the Minister’s teachings concerning women’s equality,
electoral politics, and, most especially, the use of the term “devil”
to describe all whites and others
deemed historic oppressors of
Black people. Questions abound.
Arguably, an entire play could
be framed around any one of them.
But Salaam successfully combines
his numerous ideas and imaginings
into an effective whole, aided by
Nixon’s excellent cast. Ralph
McCain, a fine, underrated actor,
provides a solid center in the role
of Elijah Muhammad. Although
much taller and more robust than
the diminutive Muhammad,
Yusef Salaam
McCain uses his ample abilities
and
emotional
and
intellectual
vi- ress in the face of constant
and stage presence to approximate
the controversial figure’s halting brance. He never fails to con- change.
Albert Eggleston is all effispeech pattern, physical frailties, vince as a great man under du-
ciency and focus as bodyguard
Samuel X. He enlivens the proceedings whenever he’s on stage, and
stands out in a crowd pleasing
“boxing” scene. Ivan Goris is simultaneously sympathetic and
strong in the pivotal role of a Muslim brother of mixed-race parentage.
Valerie Tekosky, a HADLEY
Players regular, brings color, flash,
and fire to her pragmatic Baptist
preacher, while Cooki Winborn is a
fount of quiet rectitude, even when
pressured, as the secretary. Joan
Valentina is a caring, dutiful confidante as Muhammad’s wife, Clara.
Fine work is also turned in by
Jared Reinmuth, who brings panache and clarity to his Arab
banker. Tomike Ogugua impresses
in his one scene. Kudos to June
Terry for costumes that evoke the
period. Ward Nixon’s set is highly
functional, complemented by Derrick Minter’s subtle lighting. All in
all, The HADLEY Players are presenting polished and entertaining
theater——once again. Performances through November 6th—
Tues.—Sat. at 7:30pm
Sun. at 2:30pm at The Harlem
School of the Arts, 141st Street and
St. Nicholas Ave. Reservations:
(646) 323-0223)
Review
Musical score Off Broadway winning ‘Sistas’
By Vinette K. Pryce
Contributing Scribe
The denigrated b-word was
elusive to audiences who packed
into an Off-Broadway theater to
see “Sistas” a musical homage
to persevering women in
America. Yet with reprises of
hits made by Bessie Smith, Mary
J. Blige and Beyonce, the alphabet along with others celebrated
the triumphs, tribulations and
testimonies of women in song.
Billed for presenting the musical journey taken by African
American women, the play written by Dorothy Marcic combines dialogue by five women
with popular hits made by
Whitney Houston, India.Arie,
Alicia Keys, Aretha Franklin,
Des’ree, Sister Sledge, The
Supremes, Janis Ian, Miss Elliot,
Dionne Warwick, Donna Summer and others to tell genderspecific experiences.
Marcic pens a winner with an
entertaining presentation directed by Kenneth Ferrone. In
her musical, Marcic introduces
blood-related sisters as well as
a sister-in-law and a niece who
find themselves in the midst of
organizing to stage a memorial
to a deceased matriarch.
Their differences manifest
when each disagrees with various aspects of the celebration.
It is through revelations and testimonies that songs integrate to
deliver a wondrous performance. Emotions run from
(L-R) Amy Goldeberger (Heather), April Nixon (Simone), Tracey Conyer Lee (Gloria), Jennifer Fouche (Roberta), Lexi Rhoades (Tamika), belt
out the Supremes “Stop In the Name of Love.”
(Photo: Russ Rowland)
happy to sad with familiar themes
resonating and current and topical themes prevalent to relate to
audiences.
“Sistas” could well succeed on
Broadway. However, now staged
at a modest and affordable ticket
price at the St. Luke’s Theater at
46th many more should be able
to cheer performances during its
un-ended engagement.
The musical is performed
without intermission by Jennifer Fouche (Roberta) Amy
Goldberger (Heather) Tracey
Conyer Lee (Gloria) April Nixon
(Simone) and Lexi Rhoades
(Tamika). They superbly form an
ensemble cast that celebrates
womanhood.
Individually they shine as
thespians of their craft.
Together they are cohesive in
cheering the trials of the gender
and perhaps achieve in hailing
Marcic’s brainchild.
Amplifications by keyboardist
Nicholas Cheng, Matt Cusack on
bass and percussionist Brian Adler
provide foot-stomping, hand-clapping accompaniment to each and
every rendition.
Yusef Salaam’s new play perfect
HSA choice for season opener
34
THEATER with Second Night Reviewer Audrey J. Bernard
Relatively Speaking is entertainingly funny
Relatively Speaking —
three one-act comedies by a
trio of abundantly talented
writers Ethan Coen, Elaine
May and Woody Allen —
opened on Thursday, October 20, 2011 at the Brooks
Atkinson Theatre (256 West
47 th Street, New York City).
The star-studded red carpet
arrivals included many luminaries from The Great White
Way – past and present.
The entertainingly funny
new comedy is comprised of
three cogently crafted oneact comedies directed by acclaimed actor John Turturro.
Each play is as diversified as
a box of chocolate candies.
In Talking Cure, Ethan Coen
uncovers the sort of insanity
that can come only from family. In George is Dead, Elaine
May explores the hilarity of
death. And in Honeymoon
Motel, Woody Allen invites
you to the sort of wedding
day you won’t forget.
The stars of the amusingly
talented ensemble cast of 15
include Caroline Aaron, Bill
Army, Katherine Borowitz,
Lisa Emery, Ari Graynor,
Steve Guttenberg, Danny
Hoch, Julie Kavner, Jason
Kravits, Richard Libertini,
M a r k L i n n - B a k e r, F re d
Melamed, Patricia O’Connell, Grant Shaud, Marlo
Thomas.
The cast of Talking Cure,
in which Ethan Coen uncovers the sort of insanity that
can come only from family,
features Danny Hoch,
Katherine Borowitz, Jason
Kravits, Fred Melamed.
The cast of George is Dead,
in which Elaine May explores
the hilarity of death, features
Lisa Emery, Fred Melamed,
Patricia O’Connell, Grant Shaud
and Marlo Thomas. The cast of
Honeymoon Motel, in which
Woody Allen invites you to the
sort of wedding day you won’t
forget, features Caroline Aaron,
Bill Army, Mark Linn-Baker, Ari
Graynor, Steve Guttenberg, Julie
Kavner, Jason Kravits, Richard
Libertini, Grant Shaud.
The creative team behind
Relatively Speaking features
scenic design by Tony Award
winner and Academy Award
nominee Santo Loquasto, costume design by Donna
Zakowska, lighting design by
Tony Award winner Kenneth
Posner and sound design by
Carl Casella.
Relatively Speaking is produced by Julian Schlossberg
and Letty Aronson and co-produced by Edward Walson,
Leroy Schecter, Tom Sherak,
Daveed D. Frazier and Roy
Furman with associate producer
by The Weinstein Company.
Following the show — all
things being relative — the producers hosted a fantastic post
party celebration at the Bryant
Park Grill where partygoers relished rubbing shoulders with
the stars of the play and the
many celestial types in attendance. (Photo Credit: Walter
McBride / WM Photography)
RELATIVELY SPEAKING OPENING NIGHT CURTAIN CALL: Cast and Crew take a bow at Opening Night Curtain Call: Danny Hoch, Jason
Kravitz, Caroline Aaron, Steve Guttenberg, Katherine Borowitz, Allen Lewis Rickman, Max Gordon Moore, Marlo Thomas, Lisa Emery,
Patricia O’Connell, Ari Graynor, Julie Kavner, Mark Linn-Baker, Richard Libertini, Bill Army
Marlo Thomas, Ethan Coen, Elaine May, Woody Allen, Steve
Guttenberg
Katherine Borowitz & John
Turturro
Julie Kavner, Ari Graynor, Caroline Aaron, Danny Hoch
Letty Aronson & Woody Allen
Marlo Thomas & Phil Donahue
Soon Yi Previn & Woody Allen
Woody Allen & Angela Lansbury
Regis & Joy Philbin
Disc Chat
Johnnie Harrison Taylor, born May 5, 1937, in Crawfordsville,
Arkansas, died May 31, 2000 in Dallas, Texas was an American
vocalist in a wide variety of genres, from gospel, blues and soul to
pop, doo-wop and disco.
Soulful singer Tasha Taylor,
the youngest daughter of pioneering late, great R&B artist,
Johnnie Harrison Taylor is having a breakout year with the release of her first solo CD,
“Taylormade.” And the magic
will continue, when Tasha makes
her Broadway debut, creating the
role of Margie Hendrix in “Unchain My Heart,” the upcoming
new musical based on the life and
music of Ray Charles.
An entertainment triple threat,
Tasha is a multi-talented musician, actor and performer. As a
musician she is the complete
package, an accomplished singer,
songwriter, musician and now,
producer of “Taylormade.”
Legendary R&B artists like
Johnnie persevered, though often confronted with financial inequalities and social indignities
but the rich heritage of their music continues to dominate popular music today.
One of Stax Records’ major
artists, Johnnie Taylor, remained
on the road for four decades, providing for his family and keeping
his music alive. Tasha began
traveling with her family on tour
as a child and was constantly
surrounded by music legends.
Johnnie, by example, instilled his
concept of dedication and hard
work in pursuit of his music career.
He never pushed his children
to follow an artistic career…but
that decision was taken out of his
hands when early on Tasha decided to carry on his musical
legacy.
“I just remember being on the
side of the stage watching dad work
shows with great artist like The
Jackson 5, Natalie Cole, Sister
Sledge, Johnnie Guitar Watson and
so many others over the years,”
recalls Tasha.
Johnnie chose Dallas, Texas,
Tasha’s childhood home, as home
base because it was smack dab in
the path of his winter and summer
tours. And Dallas provided the
opportunity to spend some time at
home with his family, parking the
tour bus in the back driveway.
Dallas gave up everything it had
to offer to an up and coming
soulstress, and subsequently
Tasha moved to the northeast, enrolling in the Theater Department
at Boston University. After semesters of polish and Shakespearean
training, Tasha recommitted herself
to follow her father’s muse. Was
Hollywood or New York going to
be her new home?
A flip of a coin sent her west.
Within a relatively brief time, she
acquired on the job training, and
the tools of an entertainment ca-
reer, coaches, agents, managers,
producers, the gamut of services
available to those who come to
town with Talent Tasha adds, “My
dad always told me that it was
called show business for a reason.
It’s 90 percent business and 10
percent show. If you don’t know
your business, you’re in trouble!”
As a composer, her original music has been featured on “Men In
Trees” and “Lipstick Jungle.”
Tasha also performs live in concert,
showcasing her voice in venues as
diverse as the Detroit Blues Festival, New Orleans’ Jazzfest and for
Friends of New Orleans at the 2008
Democratic National Convention.
She has shared the bill with
rhythm, blues and soul icons such
as Aretha Franklin, Allen
Toussaint, Taj Mahal, Carla Thomas, Susan Tedeschi and Buckwheat Zydeco, and Voice of the
Wetlands, Tab Benoit and Donald
Harrison. She also performs regularly with Jim Belushi and Dan
Aykroyd in their Blues Brothers
engagements and on the road with
Jack Mack and The Heart Attack.
This year Tasha hooked up with
producers Stuart Benjamin and
Noisy Neighbors’ Rob Arbittier
and Gary Adante and headed for
the recording studio to cut a new
soul album in loving memory of her
dad who passed away in 2000.
Employing some of the hippest, heavy-duty cats she could
wrangle, with award-winning bassist Nate Watts as musical director,
the result is “Taylormade,” 13
funky tracks, written, produced,
arranged and performed by Tasha
Taylor featuring her the first single,
“Queen.”
There is only one cover song on
Tasha’s project. She performs with
her father’s “The Wailer,” in a
throwback to his first million-selling hit on Stax, “Who’s Making
Love.” (Papa) Taylor even accompanies his triple threat daughter Soulful Singer Tasha Taylor performs her father’s “The Wailer,”
his first million-selling hit on Stax, on her debut “Taylormade” CD
Tasha on her music video!
Johnny Gill is ‘Still Winning’
By Dennis Freeman
Soul singer Johnny Gill still
knows how to rub his fans the
right way. Gill recently came to
the Grammy Museum in downtown Los Angeles to tout his new
album, sing a couple of songs
and do a quick Q&A with the audience of about 200 people.
Gill turned it into a mini-concert calling up former New Edition band members Bobby Brown
and Ralph Tresvant onstage with
him as he worked the intimate
crowd into a frenzied state of elation.
The trio had the place rocking
as they belted out a couple of their
old hits like “Can You Stand the
Rain,” “It’s My Prerogative” and
“Rub You the Right Way.”
Johnny owned the audience as
he delivered several songs from
“Still Winning,” his first recorded
album in 16 years.
Johnnie Taylor’s baby girl Tasha
soundin’ good on ‘Taylormade’ CD
35
36
Harlem holds first meeting to join ‘Occupy’ movement against greed
(from page 3)
and humiliating countless innocent people. Dix told of one Black
young man who was stopped and
frisked on his way to get some
chicken. After the police officer
found that the young man had
no record, instead of just releasing him, the officer told him to do
the chicken noodle soup dance
and then he would let him go. “I
don’t want to live in a country
where our Black young men are
treated like that,” declared Dix. “It
is a burning injustice, and we
want to tap into a supportive
mood around resisting it and to
link in with people who are trying
to deal with it on other levels.”
The microphone was opened
to all, and attendees eagerly came
forward to propose a wide range
of issues from the local to the international that they thought
should be supported or endorsed
by Occupy Harlem.
For instance, at the local level
there were proposals to support
the continued opposition to the
planned fifty-year expansion of
Columbia University that threatens to take over Harlem; to endorse the struggle against the
privatization of Harlem’s public
housing; and to fight the closing
of the Harlem post office, which
will devastate many Harlemites
who don’t have bank accounts
and must rely on postal money
orders to pay their bills. There
was also a proposal to support
Harlem’s community gardens that
provide food, making the community less dependent on outside
sources.
There were many proposals
dealing with economics and jobs,
including a request to endorse
Jobs for ALL, a massive public
works and public service program
to create 25 million new jobs at
union wages, to be paid for by
new taxes on the wealth and income of the rich, on financial
transactions, and on corporate
profits.
Two political proposals sought
endorsement of the Occupy Congress campaign to occupy the local offices of members of Congress unless they sign a pledge to
vote down any proposed cuts to
working people’s programs and
for a congressional hearing in
Washington, DC to address the
second-class status of independent voters, which make up 41 percent of the electorate.
There were also important proposals regarding issues affecting
Continental Africans, such as the
Nuba Mountain peoples in southern Sudan, and people of African
descent throughout the Diaspora,
including Haiti.
Along with the many issues proposed, there was robust discussion regarding procedures and a
number of other items. Said Nellie
Bailey, “As we feel our way in
these uncharted waters, we recognize the need of the Harlem community to freely express itself.
That is what we tried to do tonight
instead of going by a format that
others may use in their Occupy
Cain denies allegations
(from page 3)
my wife is five feet tall and she
comes up to my chin. This lady’s
five feet tall and she came up to
my chin. So, obviously, she
thought that that was too close
for comfort.” Cain told the same
story on Fox.
He added on PBS that the one incident he remembers took place
“in my office, door wide open and
my secretary was sitting right
there.”
Appearing at the National
Press Club Monday, Cain said he
recused himself when the charges
were brought forward since he
was the head of the organization.
Asked if he was calling on the restaurant association to release documentation to clear up the matter,
Cain said no, citing the group’s
policy of not releasing information
about personnel matters.
“There’s nothing to shoot
down,” he said.
Iraq quagmire ends
(from page 12)
the nation’s ballooning debt and
deficit. It has also diverted funding that could have been used to
create jobs and repair America’s
crumbling infrastructure. As the
President said, “Over the past
decade, we spent a trillion dollars
on war, borrowed heavily from
overseas and invested too little
in the greatest source of our national strength — our own people.
Now, the nation we need to build
is our own.”
We could not agree more. In
addition to withdrawing our
troops, we should also accelerate Iraq’s economic independence.
Iraq is an oil-rich nation that
has traditionally stifled the
growth of small businesses and a
vibrant middle class due to a culture of rampant corruption and
bueaurecratic red-tape. It is clear
that if Iraq wants to move forward,
it must change that culture from
within — not on the backs of the
American taxpayer.
The money we have wasted in
the war and in rebuilding Iraq’s
infrastructure could be better
spent here in America, rebuilding
schools, roads, bridges, community centers, libraries and equipping our young people and returning veterans with the skills they
need to enter the world of work.
It is unconscionable that any man
or woman who goes abroad to
fight our wars has to come home
and fight for a job.
But sadly that is the case. While
overall unemployment remains
unacceptably high at 9.1 percent,
post-9/11 veterans suffer from a
jobless rate of nearly 13 percent.
That is why the President’s American Jobs Act includes a $5,600 tax
credit for businesses that hire veterans who have been unemployed
for six months or longer.
The President deserves our
thanks for ensuring that our troops
will be home for the holidays.
Now it is up to Congress to honor
their service and every American
who wants to work by passing the
American Jobs Act now.
Marc Morial is the President
and CEO of the National Urban
League.
movements. As we move forward,
we will work these issues out
through a democratic and transparent process.”
At its next general assembly date and location to be announced
- Occupy Harlem will begin considering the proposals voiced at
this first meeting and organizing
working committees, a crucial step
forward to sustain and coalesce the
movement.
For further information call (646)
812-5188 or email:
[email protected].
(Photo by Donna Lamb)
OWES urges Congress to consider a
bill strengthening Social Security
(from page 16)
Earners and Clerical Workers (CPIW) to a Consumer Price Index for
the Elderly (CPI-E), which places
more weight on the goods and services purchased by seniors. The
CPI-E would account for the rising
costs faced by seniors when determining Social Security cost of
living increases.
According to a national survey
conducted last month by the Lake
Research Partners and American
Viewpoint, U.S. voters overwhelmingly oppose cuts to Social Security and Medicare as a way to reduce the deficit. By a 50 point margin, they oppose cuts to these programs as a part of a potential Joint
Select Committee on Deficit Reduction proposal. By a margin of
66 percent to 22 percent, they oppose reducing COLA increases for
beneficiaries now and in the future.
“Social Security continues to
keep many older women out of
poverty,” said NOW President and
OWES Co-Chair Terry O’Neill. “We
urge Congress to leave Social Security out of any deficit-reduction
plan produced and to consider
these three bills which could truly
strengthen, not dismantle Social
Security for future generations.”
IWPR President and OWES CoChair Dr. Heidi Hartmann said,
“Studies consistently show the
critical importance of Social Secu-
rity for many Americans; in fact, we
have found that both women and
men are increasingly reliant on Social Security income at this time of
high unemployment and declining
home and investment values.”
Signers to the letter included leaders from the National Women’s Political Caucus, U.S. Women’s Chamber of Commerce, National Association of Mothers’ Centers, Global
Women’s Project at the Center of
Concern, American Association of
University Women, Black Women’s
Health Imperative, Business and
Professional Women’s Foundation,
National Association for Female Executives, Feminist Majority,
Women’s Institute for a Secure Retirement, Wider Opportunities for
Women, Jewish Women International, Women’s Committee of 100,
Media Equity Collaborative,
Women’s Research and Education
Institute, National Women’s Law
Center and Older Women’s League.
The National Council of Women’s
Organizations is composed of more
than 240 women’s organizations representing more than 12 million U.S.
women. The Older Women’s Economic Security (OWES) Task Force
was formed in 1998 to study, monitor, and act to enhance older
women’s economic security. NOW
and the Institute for Women’s
Policy Research (IWPR) are cochairs of the OWES Task Force.
###
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38
SPORTS
39
By Marc Rasbury
If you would have brought a
transcript recapping of the St
Louis Cardinals improbable run
to the 2011 World Series title to a
Hollywood producer, he or she
would have laughed you out of
their office. They may have not
have been the most talented team
to claim the crown, but the Cardiac Cardinals should be looked
upon as the one of the most resilient squads to play the game.
Many of the baseball experts
had written the Cardinals off by
the end of August. They were 10
½ games back at that point. They
were considered to be a team that
should have been looking forward to the 2012 campaign especially since their franchise player
Albert Puljos was expected to
pursue free agency after the
season’s final out.
It seemed as if the only person
that believed that the Cardinals
had a chance to even make the
playoffs was their manager Tony
LaRussa whom many consider to
be one of the best in the business. Well that conviction trickled down to the players and the
rest is literally history.
Obviously it took more than
conviction to make the playoffs,
and then defeat the Phillies, the
Brewers and eventually the
Rangers on their way to the
franchise’s 11th World Series title.
After a slow start aided by a wrist
injury and weight of his pending
free agency on his mind, Puljos
got hot and put the team on his
back. They also bolstered their
roster by trading for SS Rafael
Furcal and obtained relief pitchers Octavio Dotel and Marc
Rzepczynski. Furcal solidified the
infield while Dotel and
Rzepczynski shored up the
bullpen.
Like a master chess player,
LaRussa made the right moves
time after time during the Wild
Card chase and that carried over
to the playoffs. The players responded as well. Every night
there was a different hero during
this run.
Puljos was the one constant.
He did not have the best Fall Classic stint mainly because the
Rangers pitched around him.
However, he did have perhaps
one of the greatest World Series
games ever going 5 for 7 with
three homeruns in game 3. After
that showing, Ron Washington
refused to give Phat Albert anything to hit.
Yadier Molina came up with
some clutch hitting while providing some stellar defense
Allen Craig was on his way to
becoming the first bench player
to win the World Series MVP. He
hit two pitch hit HRs and an extra
base hit in his first attempt as a
starter in Game 3.
Craig would have won the MVP
if it was not for the exploits of one
David Freese who had one monster series. Two times in Game 6,
the Cards were down to their last
out and Freese, who ended up
winning the MVP, brought his
team back with a home run to tie
the game in the bottom of the
ninth and a game winning extra
base hit that eventually won the
game in the 11th inning to secure
the victory and force a Game 7.
Freese batted .348 with three
doubles and that huge homerun.
He drove in 21 RBIs during the
course of this post season. Not
bad for a guy that nearly gave up
the sport in college.
This was most improbable post
season run since the Miracle
Mets back in ’69. Their superstar
started off the season with a severe wrist injury, their manager
was diagnosed with the shingles
in spring training. Well their franchise player got hot and the role
players raised their games as well.
And like I said before, the rest is
history.
Back in August, we all thought
that the Cards would be well into
their off season plans by now. Instead they are participating in
ticker tape parades and going on
the Jay Leno and David
Letterman Shows. LaRussa was
probably the only person that be-
“ After winning the World Series, Tony LaRussa plans to ride of into the sunset”
lieved they could make the playoffs nevertheless win the World
Series. He got his team to buy in
and now they are world champions.
LaRussa is a sure fire future Hall
of Fame inductee as he will go
down as one of the best managers
of his generation. He shocked the
sports world by announcing his
retirement shortly after the victory
parade making him the first manager to win the Fall Classic then
ride off into the sunset.
The thing that will stick out
about this run is this team’s ability to comeback. They were down
10 games in late August but
stilled earned an invitation to the
post season on the last day of the
regular season. Then they were
down by two runs staring two outs
and two strikes in the face in bottom of the ninth, Freese delivers hit
for the ages to force a Game 7. It
got to the point that you expected
them to comeback.
NBA fans, be afraid very afraid
By Marc Rasbury
Halloween usually signifies
the start of the NBA season.
However, this year is different.
With the NBA lockout looming
over the sports world and talks
breaking down last week,
things appear to be bleak for
the foreseeable future.
NBA arenas across the
country will be dark and eerie
like the haunted house at the
end of the block. This time last
week, we all thought that
agreement between the Owners and Players was imminent.
That was before the Players
Association Executive Director, Billy Hunter, reportedly
stormed out negotiations.
The two sides had met four
straight days and the talks
seemed promising. However,
Commissioner David Stern told
the Players that the Owners
were not going to budge from
their stance on insisting on a
50-50 split as far as the revenue
is concerned. The Players want
a 52-48 split.
You may say, what is the big
deal about two percentage
points. We are talking about 80
to 100 million dollars per year.
The Players see that sum as an
opportunity to additional
money especially for the role
players. The Owners see that
money as an opportunity to
David Stern
shore up the financial status of some their franchises that are struggling.
Keep in mind that unlike the NFL, all of the franchises are not earning a profit and some financial
ledgers are covered in red. So that extra money
could go a long way in turning that red ink to black.
The Players claim that the Owners should come
up with a better way to share their revenue.
But you have to remember that most of the big
market teams have huge local TV contracts that they
do not have to share with the other smaller market
teams. In the NFL, they have three joint national
contracts which are shared equally among the team.
There are no local contracts in the NFL on a large
scale.
It hard to phantom that two percent is what is
keeping the two sides apart. That is the reality of
the situation. We already lost Halloween and
Thanksgiving. I hope that we can salvage Christmas.
The improbable dream
40
BEACON
S
PORTS
Better late than never, Giants catch Fins
Marc Rasbury
By Jason Clinkscales
It was too close for anyone’s
liking, but Sunday featured the
New York Giants’ first game
after their Week 7 bye week.
Historically, the team hasn’t
played well after the extra week
off, but against a winless Miami Dolphins team, Big Blue
mounted a comeback that
calmed those fears for a 20-17
win that gave them a full twogame lead in the NFC East.
For all the chronicled offensive woes, Miami has a pretty
solid defense; one that made
moving the chains a bit of a
challenge early for New York.
Ahmad Bradshaw couldn’t run
the ball effectively (even before leaving the game for some
time with a leg injury) and
Brandon Jacobs was even less
of a threat carrying the rock.
The different looks by the Dolphins’ defense forced Eli Manning to throw more than
planned, but if anything, he
has continued his stellar play
in recent weeks.
Manning went 31-for-45,
throwing for345 yards, two
touchdowns and no turnovers.
If not for drops by his receivers, those numbers could have
been even better. His rapport
with Jake Ballard and Victor
Cruz builds week after week as
the tight end (55 yards) and
wide receiver (99 yards, 1 TD)
were crucial in the second half.
This game was vital as defensive end Justin Tuck returned for the first time since
the Week 2 win in Philadelphia.
Admittedly rusty, Tuck and the
rest of his teammates needed
most of the first half to warm
up as Dolphins QB Matt
Moore ran and threw over the
defense with little resistance.
A sack by Linval Joseph late
in the second quarter got the
ball rolling as eventually, New
York collapsed the pocket
around Moore, leading to four
more sacks and many rushed
decisions. Despite allowing
Reggie Bush to run for 103
yards, much of the damage
came in a first half where the
defense couldn’t get their
hands on any Dolphin.
It makes you think back to
all of the early criticism of the
offseason movement – or lack
thereof – by the team during
the lockout-shortened off-season.
Now, standing at 5-2 with
what’s considered the league’s
toughest schedule coming up,
the Giants are well aware that
they have room to improve.
“We can play so much better”, Tuck said about the team
after notching a half-sack in
the contest. “We still got guys
kind of feeling their way out
there… We don’t get stagnant, look at it as ‘oh we’re 52, we’re in a good position
now’. We have to demand it of
Victor Cruz is becoming Eli Manning’s go-to-guy as he continues to make big plays.
After a slow start Mathias Kiwanuka and the Giants defense put it on the Dolphins. (Photos by Micael Henriquez)
ourselves to get better.”
The Giants head to Massachusetts to take on the AFC
East-leading Patriots, who are
coming off of a tough road loss this game serves more as a test
to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Nos- for a Giants defense trying to
talgia of Super Bowl XLII only get clicking on all cylinders.
remains with fans and media as
Though it leads the league
in sacks, New York knows they
face a challenge with the Patriots’ offensive line and QB Tom
Brady’s ability.

Nov 1 - New York Beacon

Transcription

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