PORTADA (Page 1) - The Courier Times

HILL HARPER Page 4
C&C SPORTS Page 02
CISSY HOUSTON Page 18
PLACES TO VISIT Page 08
The Courier Times
The Metropolitan Area’s Leading African-American Newspaper
THE EDUCATION ISSUE
SUMMER 2006
QUOTE OF THE MONTH
“The question is not whether
we can afford to invest in every
child; it is whether we can
afford not to”.
Marian Wright Edelman
INDEX
Volume 5 Copyright 2006
Dr. Charles Epps Leadership at its Best . 1
The Great Divide in Education . . . . . . . . . 1
C&C Sports. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
African Americans in the Military . . . . . . 2
On High-Music Review. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
From the Bookshelf . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Vinyl Visitations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Milestone in Education. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Dining Out . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Charities at Work. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Just the Facts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
NY Colleges & Universities. . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Morehouse Defies Odds. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Alternative Lifestyles. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
NJ Two Year Colleges . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Kennedy Dancers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
NJ Colleges & Technical Schools. . . . . . . 12
Team Walker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Professional Business Directory . . . . . . . 14
Entertainment. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 & 16
HCOMWBE Event. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
A Message from Assemblyman Manzo . 17
BRB-Internet dating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Andy Bey . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Sports. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Love Lines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Community . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Whats Happening in NY-Harlem Week . . 21
Union City Schools on the Right Track . . 22
Horoscope . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
The Courier Times
is a publication of
THE COURIER TIMES INC.
512 42nd Street
Union City, NJ 07087
JAMES R. ADAMS JR.
Publisher/Editor
W W W. T H E C O U R I E RT I M E S N E W S. C O M
THE GREAT DIVIDE IN EDUCATION
e often hear about the plight
of the African American male.
How a great deal of them are
incarcerated, unemployed and just not
on the right path. Recent studies
regarding the African American male
and his female counterpart in regards
to attending higher institutions of
learning are not just shocking but
appalling. Where has the drive to
achieve gone? Is it lost? or have we as a
people forgotten that we must achieve
in order to succeed. There is a huge gap
between African American male college enrollees and their female and white
counterparts. Twenty years ago, according to a recent study on Minorities in
Higher Education," 30 percent of
African American male high school
graduates (ages 18 to 24) were enrolled
in college, compared with 28 percent of
same-age black females and 41 percent
of white males.
W
Now, some 37 percent of black
men are enrolled, compared with 42
percent of African American women
and 44.5 percent of white males The
graduation rate of black men is lower
than that of any group. Only 35 percent of black males enrollees graduated within six years from N.C.A.A.
Division I colleges in 1996, compared
with 59 percent of white males, 46 percent of Hispanic men, 41 percent of
American Indian males and 45 percent
of the black women who entered the
same year.
Do you know that according to
recent studies fewer than one in five
students of color have graduated from
high school, have a set of college-prep
courses on their high school transcripts and "demonstrate basic literacy" – the necessities for being "college
ready." A distinct problem may also be
that African American males are
DR. CHARLES EPPS, JR.
STRONG LEADERSHIP AT THE HELM
n any given day for the last
four decades you could find
Dr. Charles Epps Jr. doing
what he has always done, being a
dedicated educator. In this era when
there are so few role models regardless of their color, Dr. Epps stands
out as a role model extraordinaire.
He has risen through the ranks
through diligence and hard work.
His daily responsibility as the
Superintendent of the Jersey City
Public Schools by no means is an
easy task. Today we will reflect on
his accomplishments. Dr. Epps started his educational career as a school
teacher in 1966 and since that time
has served in many capacities within the Jersey City Public School system. Some of those jobs have included Supervisor, Principal, Interim
O
labeled early in life as troublesome
and often because of this and behavioral related expulsions and suspensions that do not complete High
School. In addition let us realize that
the village that once existed in our
communities has disappeared. That
pillar of strength helped to stimulate our young people to strive for
STORY CONTINUED ON PAGE 9
Chief Administrator, Director of
Funded Programs, Assistant Superintendent and his current job as
Superintendent of Schools.
During the years Charles Epps
Jr. has still always found time to
serve the community in other ways
by being active in the community in
which he grew up and continues to
live today. He has served as the
Chairperson for Hudson County
Community College since 1998. In
addition he has served on the following boards; Jersey City Medical
Center Consortium, National Conference for Community and Justice,
Hudson County Schools of Technology and several others. He currently also serves his community as an
elected Assemblyman in the 31st
Legislative District. He has been the
recipient of many community awards
including the following: NAACPOutstanding Educator Award, Hudson
Cradle-Man of Action Award, Christopher Columbus FoundationSTORY CONTINUED ON PAGE 9
PAGE 2
NATIONAL
USA • SUMMER 2006
C&C SPORTS EXPANDING THEIR OPERATIONS
SOMETIMES GOD JUST SENDS YOU ON A MISSION AND
OTHER TIMES HE JUST OPENS DOORS.
n a world where the
athlete is not always
given proper guidance to further their
career and education
there is a positive alternative C&C Sports
Recruiting, Inc. The
organization is a 501 (c)
(3) non-profit organization geared toward
assisting athletes to a
higher level.
Community involvement, self motivation is
something that we
pride ourselves on.
IMAGE PHIL JACKSON D-1 SPORTS IMAGING
I
As a non-profit organization, they work diligently in helping others
in the communities
where they operate. At
C&C Sports we assist
our athletes by enhancing their growth in society and dealing with
educational, life, sports,
and social issues. From
2000-2006, C&C Sports
Recruiting, Inc. has
held many community
functions to make life
better for the student
athletes who use our
AFRICAN AMERICAN’S WHO HAVE
SERVED IN THE MILITARY
In this issue focusing on Education, we
thought we would enlighten you with
some history from our country regarding
African-Americans who have served in
the military. Here are just a few from
World War II to the present time.
WORLD WAR II
VERNON J. BAKER led his 25-man platoon in a daring assault against dug-in
German positions during
World War II,
destroying six
machine gun
positions and
killing 26 soldiers. He was
awarded the
Congressional
Medal of
Honor for his
efforts in 1997.
TUSKEGEE
AIRMEN were
black pilots
who served in
segregated units of the Army Air Corps
in World War II. Nearly 1,000 black pilots
earned their wings in the program, and
about 450 flew combat missions. Their
fighter planes escorted allied bombers to
Europe, and in 1,578 missions never lost
a single bomber.
BENJAMIN O. DAVIS, JR., led the
99th Pursuit
Squadron and
the 332nd
Fighter Group
(both part of the
Tuskegee
Airmen) during
World War II,
and became the
first black general of the
United States
Air Force.
DORIE MILLER
served as a messman on the battleship
West Virginia at Pearl Harbor. During
the Japanese surprise attack in 1941, he
carried the ship's commander to safety
and then shot down at least two enemy
aircraft. He received the Navy Cross for
his valiant efforts.
VIETNAM AND
THE PERSIAN GULF WAR
MILTON OLIVE III saved the lives of
four other army soldiers during a firefight early in the Vietnam War by hurling his body onto a grenade that enemy
soldiers had thrown. He was posthumously awarded the Congressional
Medal of Honor. Colin Powell, twice
wounded in combat during the Vietnam
War, served as chairman of the Joint
Chiefs of Staff during the Persian Gulf
War, and was appointed secretary of
state by President George W. Bush. •
services, and for the
average person who
would like help or
assistance in any aspect
of life. Corey
Donaldson the founder
and President/CEO of
the organization
believes in giving back.
He currently teaches
Health & Physical
Education in Fulton
County, Georgia. C&C
Sports Recruiting, Inc.
holds seminars in the
community. They provide speakers who give
current knowledge
about the recruiting
process and all of the
procedures that one
needs to follow. Not
only do they discuss
the athletic part of
the package; we also
discuss and put a
heavy emphasis on
education. The organization has been mostly working with athletes in the southern
part of the United
States but has slated
an aggressive cam-
paign for expansion.
C&C Sports will begin
operations in the New
York Metropolitan
area starting in early
2007. Their offices
will be located in New
Jersey and they are
now accepting athletes from this region
to participate in their
programs. For further
information visit their
web site at www.candcsports.com. •
AFRICAN AMERICAN WOMAN A
MEMBER OF THE DISCOVERY CREW
ASA Astronaut
Stephanie Wilson
became the second
African-American woman ever
to fly in space when Space
Shuttle Discovery launched
July 4, 2006 from the Kennedy
Space Center in Florida.
Wilson and her six fellow crew
members, are to deliver
research equipment to the
International Space Station,
during their 12 day mission.
The Discovery takeoff was
delayed several days due to
bad weather conditions. The
crew is also expected to deliver cargo for future expansion
of the space station, and test
new flight procedures to
increase shuttle safety. Ms.
Wilson has been assigned to
operate the robotic arms on
the space shuttle and the
space station during vehicle
inspections and provide assistance during the two-planned
spacewalks.
She has an undergraduate
degree in engineering science
from Harvard and a Master of
Science degree in aerospace
engineering from the
University of Texas. Wilson,
began her career at NASA in
Southern California at NASA's
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
N
(JPL). She is a native of
Boston, Massachusetts.
Ms. Wilson was accepted as an
astronaut in April 1996,
Wilson spent several years
working with space station
payloads, then as one of the
primary communicators in
Mission Control at NASA's
Johnson Space Center in
Houston with on-orbit crews.
The first African-American
woman to travel in space was
Dr. Mae Jemison, who flew on
the Space Shuttle Endeavor
on Sept. 12, 1992. •
PAGE 3
NEW JERSEY
BOOKER INAUGURATION
A MANY SPLENDORED THING
By Arnold Stovell
t was an event that one might
expect on a national scale. The
main auditorium of the New
Jersey Performing Arts Center
(NJPAC) was filled. Dignitaries both
in the audience and onstage were
camera ready. Security wore Raybans and earphones as armed state
troopers stood at the ends of the
stage and at doors. Camerapersons
were positioned onstage, and in the
crowd, and video screens promised
an all-seeing media event. This was
not the scope of celebration in previous years and it rightly set a new
standard for what would be expected
of the new Newark administration.
I
Support for the newly elected
Mayor Booker has been strong. “It is
so phenomenal. People have so
much hope for the city, for the community, and I feel buoyed by it,” says
the new Chief Executive of the City.
“Even the folks who have been supporters of Sharpe James have a
sense of relief and a sense of hope. I
think this is a moment in history
when people are ready to come
together and there is great hope and
great optimism for change.”
Change has already started to
reveal itself in the reactions of citizens,
several carrying placards that say,
“Free At Last, Free At Last.” The show
of Booker political support was also
clear, and as diverse as the city he will
lead: former Senator and NBA Hall of
Fame star, Bill Bradley sat onstage with
Booker, one of the first people to reach
out to Booker in his early days of campaigning. State Senator Donald Payne
and Congressman Steve Rothman were
also onstage. Speaker of the House and
former Interim Governor Richard
Cody, Essex County Prosecutor Paula
Dow, State Supreme Court Justice
James Coleman, former Mayor
Kenneth Gibson and “The Architect”,
the political maestro who conducted
his unstoppable campaign, honored
activist, Karl Sherief as well as his
political godmother Virginia Jones, the
patron saint of the once notorious
Brick Towers, were among the distinguished patrons joining the new Mayor
onstage during the ceremonies.
Mayor Booker conducted an
inaugural speech that filled every second of its sixty minutes with strong
imagery of Newark leading the future
and justification not only for its getting there but for its having been there
before. From the Star Spangled
Banner being composed in Newark at
the historic Grace Church in 1882 to
the still remembered quote of first
African American Mayor Ken Gibson
during his inauguration some thirty
plus years previous, the history of
Newark was made alive. “Wherever
American cities are going, Newark will
get there first,” said Gibson then.
Mayor Booker insists that same sentiment be a premise for the expectations
following this new administration.
USA • SUMMER 2006
ON HIGH-MUSIC REVIEW ON:
KIRK FRANKLIN “HERO”
BY: STEPHANIE WALKER
There were moments of tenderness like the vignette of Makita Grey, a
preteen caught in an interview happily
describing a brush from the campaigning Booker as smelling, “like the
future”. The moment was recaptured
as the same Makita Grey now an
assertive young woman, four years
older introduced the new Mayor as he
rose to address the City.
Mayor Booker provided inspirational words on increasing safety in
Newark, establishing prosperity for
all its citizens, and nurturing families,
the elderly and children. He was
clear on the need to put more police
on the streets and develop programs
that expand recreation, provide
apprenticeships and education, in
short, expand youth options beyond
gangbanging. As well Newark will
apply for federal funding to aid in the
control of gang violence.
“The mark of success must
always be measured first by the state
of our city’s children,” implored the
mayor. He cited the need to improve
educational institutions so that all
Newark’s children were prepared to
enter the workplace or go to college.
He respected the need to include reentering citizens into society with support mechanisms and options for prosperity, as well as the imperative to
treat and support those saddled with
addiction. Mayor Booker cited the
need for economic empowerment,
including monitoring developer use of
local labor forces, economic development plans for local business, union
support and inclusion policies for large
corporations coming into the city. “We
must insure that the labor force in
Newark earns at least a living wage.”
As well the Mayor has called
upon the Council to join him in the
fight to clean up political nepotism
and personal deals struck in city government. The current council will work
diligently to impose ethic reforms and
prevent such abuses from reoccurring.
“I have faith that with your partnership and with your leadership,” the
Mayor said, “We will be successful.”
Mayor Booker outlined a history
of Newark that paid homage to its
legacy as a city leading the national
example of municipal ingenuity and
character. He cited the contributions of
various Newark citizens from the illustrious to the activist. He showed the
city an example of new administrative
professionalism and sober political
consideration applied with the empathy for resident circumstances.
Whether local dignitary onstage,
celebrity or citizen in the audience,
Cory Booker captured the hearts and
minds of those regaled by his speech
and those just hearing about it. New
Mayor Cory Booker has inspired sincere belief that Newark will see real
change in its future.•
“As the world searches for an antidote to the pains and fears of society, the solution is not found in
world peace, celebrities or religion…
but in a poor Jewish carpenter with
a strange name…Jesus, the Hero.”
Kirk Franklin
Kirk Franklin keeps his finger on the pulse of generation
next. His music is a mixture of
R&B, Old school, Rock, and Gospel
flava. He won’t be boxed in and
can’t be characterized; he is constantly reinventing his style. He
catches the attention of today’s
youth first, with the beat in songs
like, “Looking for you, “Could’ve
been with J.Moss & Tye Tribbett”,
then turns Rock with “Let it go” an
auto biographical song. Kirk
speaks often about his trials and
tribulations. He has a way of
expressing God’s presence in his
life, he knows there is nothing too
hard for God to work out. But,
under all the instrumentation is
his words of encouragement and
theme of social conciseness for all
generations, it’s time for a change
a new mind set.
“To the homeless, the widow,
the fatherless son, to the sick and
the broken, alone with no one, lift up
your head, our hope is no the way.
When we needed a hero, You came
and saved the day.”
The title song “HERO with
Dorinda Clark-Cole” when we
needed a hero, You came and saved
the day, a song that points to so
many issues we face daily in society, hunger, disease, homelessness.
“Why with Stevie Wonder” “why
oh why, Lord tell me when our
change is gon’ come”, deals with
more issues, killing babies, depression, fatherless children, aids and
bombs. These are songs that can
cause us, the listener, to think and
re-think our daily challenges.
When you listen to Old school
“Keep Your Head”, yes the Earth
Wind and Fire song from back in the
day, Kirk Franklin’s version is an up
lifting song , keep your head to the
sky, your storm is temporary,
“Afterwhile with Yolanda Adams”
afterwhile, this too shall pass afterwhile and “Brokenhearted with
Marvin L. Winans” a song to take you
back to yourself for there is forgiveness, salvation, acceptance, love and
deliverance here, His presence is here.
With so many guess artists
on this CD you hardly even notice,
“Kirk Franklin is not a singer”. He
is the man with a message that
bridges the generation gap.
Thanks for reading…
God Bless Stephanie
LIGHT RAIL TRAVEL
IT’S EASY & CONVIENT
udson County has boasted
its great light rail service
for several year’s now. Its
expansion to the
northern part of
Hudson County has
made it quite accessible to travel from
Bayonne to the Jersey
City Heights,
Hoboken, Union City
and even North
Bergen. It’s a great
ride and makes commuting a breeze.
Recently in the City
of Newark light rail
service has begun.
You can now travel to
NJ PAC and other
locations from Penn
Station. Other destinations include The
Newark Museum,
Bears and Eagles
Riverfront Stadium.
H
and all the Ironbound
Restaurants. For more information
visit the NJ Transit website.
PAGE/4
USA • SUMMER 2006
AFRICAN AMERICAN OWNED
BUSINESS ON THE RISE:
FROM THE BOOKSHELF
LETTERS TO A YOUNG BROTHER
By: Hill Harper
you know that boy he came
from a single parent household, he did not have a
chance. WRONG-WRONGWRONG, Hill Harper was
raised by his Dad, sounds
like a single parent
household to me. Hill
focused on the trials
and tribulations of a
young man in search
of himself and in need
of a brother for guidance. This writer
could not put the
book down. It is an
easy read and if
you sit back and
relax, I am sure it will remind
Motivating,
Stimulating and Mind Enhancing, you of portions of your own life.
Letters to a Young Brother, is not
that is the book Letters to a
just for young brothers, it is a
Young Brother. This is a must
read. A suggestion for all parents, book everyone should read.
instead of buying a new pair of
In that vein we at The
sneakers, video game or any
Courier
Times
have purchased seother source of entertainment for
children at this time. BUY THIS it veral copies of the book and have
had Hill Harper autograph them.
is all the entertainment you will
We have decided to conduct a
need to put them on focus to
achieve in their personal lives. We summer project for youth between
all know Hill he is a TV star on CSI, the ages of 10-16. We would like
anyone who is interested to take
but he is also a passionate bropart in an essay contest.
ther. At a recent book signing in
Manhattan he spoke of the reaWrite about a circumsons why he wrote the book. His
stance
in
your
life when you just
sincerity echoed throughout the
did not know what to do to
Barnes & Nobles bookstore. The
crowd was quite large in regards resolve an issue and could have
used some help from an adult for
to the number of persons who
guidance but none was available.
attend these things. The crowd
was a mixture of people from vari- Please forward those to Essay
Contest- The Courier Times-512
ous social and economic back42nd Street-Union City, NJ 07087.
grounds and yes there were non
All essays should be limited to
African Americans there as well.
250 words. Winners will be chosen
You see the urgency to address
and notified by mail. The contest
the needs and concerns of our
ends on August 30, 2006. We also
young brothers is not a racial
guarantee this that all particiissue but rather a society issue.
Speaking with Hill you knew from pants will receive a response letter from an adult who will take
the examples of life circumstances that he gave that life for the time from their work schedule
him has not always been an easy to send a letter to a young brothroad. You know in life folks like to er. Make sure to include your
name and address. Winners will
make excuses for not achieving.
One of those is the old adage well receive an autographed copy of
the Hill Harper book. •
al Austin is ambitious, has computer
savvy and always had the desire to
be his own boss. For ten years he
has worked in the computer field with an
emphasis in security. He took courses at
Essex County College in Newark and paid
close attention to technology trends. Three
years ago, he became certified with small
business enterprise, minority business
enterprise and became a member of the
New Jersey State chamber of commerce.
S
Today Sal is the founder of DGX
Security, the first and only minority
owned computerized security firm in the
region. DGX is a full service electronic
company specializing in the sale, installation and maintenance of Video
Surveillance Camera Systems, Video
Door Phones, Alarm Systems, Access
Control Systems, Telephone Systems,
Computer Systems and ID Cards. His
competition includes ADT, Brinks
Security and Sloman Shield. "I started
out as a computer consultant and
T
201.223.6925
"We strive to make peoples lives
better and easier both in the work place
and at home," he said. The company
currently has ten technicians and continues to grow. Its largest customer is
Elizabeth Development Corporation.
"Our motto is to be New Jersey's leader
in advanced Security Systems." For
more information on DGX visit hem
on the web at www.DGXLLC.com. •
OLD SCHOOL RETAKES
VINYL VISITATIONS
Bookcover picture From the editors
CALL TODAY
changed direction after 911 and put
more focus on security systems," he said.
DGX, short for Digital Extreme is a
video service, alarm, and computer system company that also offers remote
access to its customers. "Our system
offers DVR so people could view their
home or business while away on vacation." DGX is becoming a leader in New
Jersey for advanced security systems
with an objective to provide its customers with innovative and first-rate
products at a competitive price.
his is our look back in
to the past and our Top
10 all time choices for
love songs. Maybe you will agree
that some of these classics are the
finest music ever put on tracks. Just
maybe you would like to share your Top
10 choices with us, feel free to submit
them to our office. By the way these are
not in order, that would be to difficult a
task. It was hard enough to listen to literally hundreds of songs and narrow it
down to ten. Enjoy your listening.
Kiss and Say Goodbye-The Manhattans
Didn’t I Blow Your Mind-The Delfonics
Reasons-Earth Wind and Fire
At Last-Etta James
Reunited-Peaches & Herb
Break Up to Make Up-The Stylistics
If Only You Knew-Patti LaBelle
Distant Lover-Marvin Gaye
Killing Me Softly-Roberta Flack
Fire & Desire-Rick James
PAGE 5
EDUCATION
USA • SUMMER 2006
SCHOLARSHIP OPPORTUNITIES
Actuarial Scholarships for Minority Students
Union Sponsored Scholarships and Aid
http://www.beanactuary.org
http://www.aflcio.org
International Students Scholarships
&Aid Help
Federal Scholarships &
Aid Gateways 25 Scholarship
Gateways from Black Excel
http://www.iefa.org/
http://www.blackexcel.org
Burger King Scholarship Program
www.scholarshipamerica.org
Siemens Westinghouse Competition
Student Inventors Scholarships
http://www.invent.org/collegiate/
http://www.siemens-foundation.org
Student Video Scholarships
CollegeNet> '> s Scholarship Database
Coca-Cola Two Year College Scholarships
www.collegenet.com
STRONG
BLACK
FAMILIES
http://www.christophers.org/vidcon2k.html
http://www.coca-colascholars.org/
MILESTONES IN EDUCATION
FROM AN AFRICAN AMERICAN PERSPECTIVE
1837
Cheyney University as it is known
today was founded by Richard
Humphreys, under the name
Institute for Colored Youth.
1854
Lincoln University is founded it is
the first school of higher learning
for young black men, founded by
John Miller Dickey and his wife,
Sarah Emlen Cresson; The college
was originally named Ashmun
Institute.
1869
Howard University's is born it is
the first black law school in the
country.
1881
The first college for black women
in the U.S., founded by Sophia B.
Packard and Harriet E. Giles was
Spellman College..
1881
Booker T. Washington founds the
Tuskegee Normal and Industrial
Institute in Alabama. The school
became one of the leading schools
of higher learning for African
Americans, and stressed the practical application of knowledge.
I
n our quest to continue
to provide our readers
with stories about
strong black families we
are asking you to recom-
1944
mend families for us to
Frederick Douglass Patterson
establishes the United Negro
College Fund to help support
black colleges and black students.
interview and write about
1954
In the landmark case Brown v.
Board of Education of Topeka,
Kans., the Supreme Court rules
unanimously that segregation in
public schools is unconstitutional.
1957
President Dwight D. Eisenhower
sends federal troops to ensure
integration of the all-white
Central High School in Little
Rock, Ark. The Little Rock Nine
were the first black students to
attend the school.
1962
James Meredith is the first
black student to enroll at the
University of Mississippi; on the
day he enters the university, he is
escorted by U.S. marshals.
1968
San Francisco State University
becomes the first four-year college to establish a black studies
department.
1969
The Ford Foundation gives $1 million to Morgan State University,
Howard University, and Yale
University to help prepare faculty
members to teach courses in
African American studies. •
in upcoming issues.
Starting in the fall we will
portray a different type of
family in every issue. With
your help we will start first
with families that are
headed by single mothers
who have sons. Recently
our staff had the privilege
of reading a book entitled
Sacred Bond, the stories of
Black Men and their
Mothers. It was moving and
stimulating. Last month in
our July 2006 issue we
highlighted several African
American families and the
bond between the men in
those families. In case you
missed it feel free to call
our office for a copy at
201-223-6925 or view it on
the Internet at www.thecouriertimesnews.com.
Remember to pick up
your future copies of The
CourierTimes for all the
news coverage you and
your family will need.•
PAGE 6
USA • SUMMER 2006
DINING OUT,
A NEW PERSPECTIVE
hen you find good
food why limit your
choices. Each month
at The Courier Times we have
been giving you the insight on
fine dining. “Where to Go,
and What to Eat”. That tradition will continue, but there is
a need to expand the
Horizons. From New Jersey to
New York to the great surroundings and locations
throughout the United States
we will suggest for all of you
places to dine. Our readers
have been writing and
expressing that a great deal
of them travel and would
occasionally enjoy hearing
about places to eat throughout the country. So we have
decided to accommodate you.
So here we go welcome to
“Dining Out A New
Perspective”.
t was Friday morning at 9:45 when
the contestants took their seats to
prepare for the competition. The
smiles on most of the competitor's faces
were replaced by a tense nervousness.
The setting wasn't a World Cup locker
room in Nuremberg, Germany but the
auditorium of the Cleveland Elementary School and the competition was the
Englewood Elementary School Spelling
Bee for fourth grade students. The competition was hosted by the Nu Beta Beta
Chapter of the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. and
the
Englewood
Public School
District.
I
W
First let’s visit New York City.
Hop a train, grab a cab, walk
or drive but don’t miss the
experience at BLUE SMOKE
Here you will find a casual
dining experience and a long
bar. The selection of beers is
remarkable. The food is
delightful and you want forget the experience. Our suggestion, the oysters, or Cuban
sandwich. But if you are a
burger lover, these are the
best burgers this critic has
ever tasted. If you are into
Jazz check out the club downstairs which is called Jazz
Standard, the food and entertainment are superb. The
fried chicken with mashed
potatoes and collard greens is
out of this world. A spectacular evening, for those who
want to be entertained, and
like to dine out.
As promised for those of you
who travel and desire a bite
of great food. Let’s travel
down the east coast to Ft.
Lauderdale. If you are a
seafood lover this is paradise.
Clams, Oysters, and an array
of seafood. Florida is a paradise. When in Ft. Lauderdale,
more precisely Ft.Lauderdale
By The Sea, visit The Village
Grille for some spectacular
dining.
See you next month when we
take you to the places you
would love to eat at. If you
have suggestions please feel
free to write us at
[email protected] for
your favorite dining spots. We
will send our team of critics
out to take a look and taste a
bite or two and report back to
all of you readers.
Blue Smoke
116 E. 27th St. New York, NY
(212) 447-7733
Village Grille
4404 El Mar Drive,
Lauderdale-By-The-Sea
(954) 776-5092
GETTING A GED THAT’S THE FIRST
STEP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION
e often talk about education and sometimes
we even touch base
with the positive alternatives
that exist in the world today. For
some people the ability to
obtain a High School degree was
made impossible by and assortment of reasons.They may have
been financial or family problems. Whatever the reason it is
irrelevant and easy to reverse.
There is always the option of
obtaining a GED.
W
Not having your GED or
High School degree can your
chances of obtaining a good job
or possible advancement at your
current place of employment. A
recent survey demonstrated that
FRATERNITY WORKING WITH
STUDENTS IN ENGLEWOOD
persons with their High School
diploma can earn as much as 7080% more than non graduates.
There are an, array of agencies
that can assist you in getting
information to get your GED.
It would be of vast benefit for you and your family to
pursue this option if you do
not have your high school
diploma. If you need assistance in this matter contact
your local school districts or
perhaps job training programs in your local cities
for additional information.
Get that GED and turn your
life around by improving
your ability to get a better
job and make more money. •
Principal
Dorian
Milteer welcomed a
packed auditorium of students, teachers, administrators, parents and
board of education trustees. Twenty seven classroom
winners competed to determine who
would wear the crown. When all was
said and done three young competitors
remained standing and were awarded
the three savings bond prizes: first place
$500.00; second place $300.00 and third
place $150.00.
Several months ago the fraternity's president, Anthony Cureton, approa-ched the
school district with the idea of having a
spelling bee for public school students.
The district was very receptive and
offered to help in any way possible. The
school district's representative, Lisa
Finn-Bruce (who is the district's No
Child Left Behind Curriculum
Supervisor) provided the technical
expertise. Preliminary competitions
took place in the fourth grade classrooms of Englewood elementary schools.
Enthusiasm for the spelling bee was
heightened with the release of the family movie "Akeelah and the Bee" followed closely
by the
Scripps
National
Spelling Bee.
The fourth
grade was
chosen as a
starting place
because studies indicate
that male students begin
to become
less competitive at that
grade.
The
men of Omega served as judges and
conducted the competition. Omega Psi
Phi is a fraternal organization founded
on the campus of Howard University in
1911. Scholarship is one the principles
of the fraternity and community service
is very important to its members. Nu
Beta Beta Chapter has promised to
reach out to co-sponsoring organizations
to have subsequent "bees" that include
more grades. •
FROM GRANDMA’S KITCHEN
PEACH COBBLER
FILLING:
4 CUPS PEELED AND SLICED
FRESH PEACHES
1/2 CUP PLUS 2 TABLESPOONS OF
BROWN SUGAR
1 TEASPOON CINNAMON
1 TEASPOON VANILLA
1 TABLESPOON FLOUR
CRUST:
1 CUP FLOUR
1 TEASPOON BAKING POWDER
1/2 TEASPOON BAKING SODA
3 TABLESPOONS BROWN SUGAR
4 TABLESPOONS UNSALTED BUTTER, CUT INTO SMALL PIECES
2/3 CUP BUTTERMILK
1 TABLESPOON BROWN SUGAR,
FOR TOPPING WHIPPED CREAM OR
VANILLA ICE CREAM
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
Generously butter a 1 1/2-quart shallow
baking dish. Place the sliced peaches in the
dish and sprinkle with brown sugar, cinnamon, vanilla, and flour. Mix gently and
spread evenly again. Bake for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile combine all dry ingredients for
cobbler crust in a bowl. Cut in the butter
with a pastry cutter or your fingers, to
make the texture like coarse crumbs. Add
buttermilk and stir to form a soft dough.
Remove fruit from oven and drop rounded
spoonfuls of dough on top. Sprinkle with
last tablespoon of brown sugar and return
to oven. Bake until fruit is bubbly and crust
topping is golden brown, about 20 minutes.
Serve warm with whipped cream or vanilla
ice cream. •
PAGE 7
COMMUNITY
USA • SUMMER 2006
CHARITIES AT WORK: HUDSON COUNTY RED CROSS
said, “Many donors gave to
the Katrina fund this past
year, which contributed to
the shortfall in the local
chapter budget.”
he mission of the
American Red Cross is
to bring relief to victims of disaster and help people prevent, prepare and
respond to emergencies. The
Red Cross offers multiple
health and safety programs
in addition to disaster and
emergency services, youth
programs and of course, the
widely recognized blood services. Similar to many other
humanitarian organizations,
the Red Cross contributed on
a large scale to the recent
T
Hurricane Katrina disaster.
While many individuals and
corporations donated to the
Red Cross during that time
of great need, the local
organization is seeing a short
fall in it’s budget.
Last month the Bergen
Hudson chapter of Red Cross
held a fundraising breakfast
at Crowne Plaza Hotel in
Secaucus to help offset the
$400,000 budget deficit since
Hurricane Katrina. Vernon
Reed, CEO of the chapter
The theme of the
breakfast was “Prevent,
Prepare and Respond” and
included a video, inspirational speakers and music by
Broadway performer Mark
McVey. More than 160 attendees heard testimonials from
a people whose lives were
changed by the Red Cross. A
man credited the organization for saving his life when
he suffered a heart attack on
a basketball court and a Red
Cross trained respondent
knew and administered CPR.
Other speakers said the Red
Cross helped when they lost
everything in a fire. Guests
heard from a blood donor.
There was also a moving
story from a woman who survived 911 in the second tower
and now is a Red Cross volunteer. Another man thanked
the Red Cross for bringing
him home while in the military for a family crisis.
“The Red Cross meets
many needs for the people in
the Bergen and Hudson
THE POETS CORNER
“Pleasant Thoughts”
I remember our lovely walk in the snow
As the wind in our faces made our hearts glow,
The times have changed since way back then
But the thoughts and feelings will never end.
The things that we did were childish and yet
We were both grown-up enough to never forget.
The good times and secrets, precious moments we shared
Are forever engraved in our hearts, yes we cared.
The snowflakes were beautiful as we walked and we slipped
But nothing could stop us from our special trip,
To visit, to party, to just hold each other tight
To make up for lost time and sleepless nights.
The times that you gave me were always the best
Because we enjoyed them, no matter the test,
Your friends and my friends could never have seen
What our being together could really mean.
I thank God that he put you in my life to stay
Neither snowflakes nor rainbows could get in our way,
The moments we shared may never more be
Too pleasant for us and the whole world to see.
Let’s always have those beautiful thoughts
Of what we mean to each other, which cannot be bought,
Not one thing on God’s earth could ever be
as beautiful as you are and have been to me.
ERMA DUNCAN GREENE
region as well as Nationally,”
Reed said the breakfast
raised approximately
$125,000. The Red Cross also
held their 18th annual golf
classic at Ridgewood Country
Club recently.
“After the most intensive hurricane response season in the history of the
American Red Cross, we
have more volunteers with
more disaster experience
than ever before,” Reed said.
The fourth annual Fletcher
Creamer Leader-ship
Academy was held at
Farleigh Dickinson Univer-sity
in Hackensack with Joe
Becker, senior vice president
of Preparedness and
Response for the American
Red Cross. Mr. Becker leads
the organization’s disaster preparedness and relief as well as
services to the military and
their families. He served on
the Red Cross Board of
Directors from 1992-1996. The
weeklong program was a joint
effort between the local chapter and the greater New York
and Metro American Red
Cross and funded by J.
Fletcher Creamer & Sons. The
course included workshops for
disaster management with an
emphasis on leadership in
community services and emergency management.
Other annual activities
planned for the Red Cross
include the annual “SwimAcross” event and the annual
jazz festival at the Indian
Trails Club in the fall. In
August, the Red Cross is introducing the inaugural lifeguard
competition. For more information on these events call
201-652-3210.
Reed said the vision
for the future of the Bergen
Hudson chapter is to continue bringing an understanding of what to do in a disaster. “The red cross teaches
people how to survive,” he
stressed the importance of
knowing CPR, general First
Aid and how to use external
Defibrillators. Another goal
is to increase blood donations. “Currently, there are 5
percent of people giving
blood. Our vision is to
increase that by two-fold.”
To learn more on
how you can help call 201652-3210 or visit them on
the web at www.bergenhudsonredcross.org. •
PAGE 8
USA • SUMMER 2006
JUST THE FACTS
SUMMER 2006
Places to Visit-Things to See
THE NEWARK MUSEUM
he Newark
Museum is rich in
culture and history. The building is
located in Newark, New
Jersey’s largest city at
49 Washington Street.
It has outstanding collections, exhibitions,
programs and educational resources in its
multi-building campus
located in the heart of
the Downtown Arts
District of Newark.
Founded in 1909, The
Newark Museum underwent an extensive fouryear, $23 million renovation and expansion
which was completed in
1989.
T
The facility was
design by the world
famous architect
Michael Graves. The
Museum complex, the
largest in New Jersey,
weaves
together 80
galleries of
art and science, a mini
zoo, planetarium, gift
shops, cafe,
auditorium,
sculpture
garden, and
much more.
The Newark
Museum
Library is a
research
library on
the arts and
sciences. It
contains
approximately 30,000
volumes in
the areas in
which The
Newark Museum
collects. These areas
are: American Art;
Asian Art; the Decorative Arts; the Arts of
Africa, the Americas,
and the Pacific; the
Classical World;
Numismatics; and
Natural Sciences,
including astronomy
and zoology.
The Newark
Museum a historical;
learning experience
and somewhere you
must put on your places
to visit list.
For further information, please contact:
The Newark Museum,
49 Washington Street,
Newark, New Jersey
07102-3176 or call at:
973-596-6550 or Email:
[email protected] •
DESIGNER
DIRECTORY
ashion is as one says
at the discretion of the
buyer. Your style is
you. Dress according to your
own desire, and march to
your own drum. As promised we at The Courier
Times will continue to supply you with several venues
F
via their web sites to view
some of the latest fashions.
So keep shopping and enjoy.
WWW.KENNETHCOLE.COM
WWW.POLO.COM
WWW.VUITON.COM
WWW.PERRYELLIS.COM
WWW.GIORGIOARMANI.COM •
EACH MONTH THE COURIER TIMES WILL LOOK BACK IN TIME AND PROVIDE
YOU WITH A BIT OF AFRICAN-AMERICAN HISTORY.
Did You Know?
JULY 28, 1868
The 14th Amendment was passed as a law
making blacks citizens.
JULY 31, 1874
Patrick Francis Healy, S.J., inaugurated as
president of Georgetown University, the
oldest Catholic University in America, and
became the first Black to head a
predominantly white university.
JULY 31, 1921
Whitney M.Young Jr., Civil Rights leader
was born in Lincoln Ridge, Kentucky.
AUGUST 9, 1905
Robert N.C. Nix, first African American
representative from Pennsylvania and 11
term congressman, was born on this day.
AUGUST 17, 1887
Marcus Garvey, the father of the Black
Nationalist and Pan African movements
was born on this day in St. Ann's Bay, Jamaica.
AUGUST 24, 1950
Edith Sampson, first Black appointed to United Nations by Harry S Truman.•
FROM THE COUCH DVD REVIEW
rom the Couch, returns
this month. We apologize for the absence of
the column in our last issue
our movie critic was on vacation and therefore had no
access to his couch. But he’s
back and raring to go.This
months choice is:
F
TYLER PERRY’S
MADEA GOES TO JAIL
Hilarious, hot and on point is
what this movie is.Turn on
the DVD player relax with
your family and from the
couch enjoy this new release.
Much like the entire Tyler
Perry series this one is right
on point. As you view you will
be able to relate to many
instances in your own life and
laugh as you think about
some of the circumstance
your friend and family members have encountered.
home collection to see over
and over again.•
The acting is spectacular and
the talent of the actors who
buy the way can also sing is
superb.The energy of this
cast is a natural mix.You will
not be bored for one moment.
This movie has it all betrayal
by your lover, baby momma
drama, best friend betrayal,
you know what we mean just
like any day in the neighborhood.This is a must see on
our movie list of the year. So
head out to the nearest store
and buy your copy this is one
you will want to have in the
call us for best results 201.223.6925
PAGE 9
USA • SUMMER 2006
CONTINUES FROM PAGE 1
THE GREAT DIVIDE IN EDUCATION
achievement. Another problem very
well may be the decrease in college
financial aid programs.
Thus making it nearly impossible, for youth from low and moderate income families to attend college. With the costs continually rising at universities and colleges
young people can not afford to
attend. There is also the divide in
pay scale opportunities for African
American males in the work place.
The inequity of that educational
apparatus is especially clear when
you look at the black males who persevere – those who go on to finish
high school, earn a bachelor's degree
and even finish grad school.
A recently released Census
report shows that, whether they have
a high school diploma or a master's
degree, black men will earn roughly
25 percent less than Whites. What
can be done to reverse the cycle.
• Development of better basic skills
programming for youth in grammar
schools
• Colleges and universities should
create more summer enrichment
programs for college-bound African
American males.
• Parents should pay more attention
to the curriculum being offered for
their children
• PTA’s and parents should be more
involved in their school districts
• More recreational programs should
co-exist with tutorial after school
programs
• Community leaders should help to
steer funding to inner city programs
that provide holistic programs for
youth that include educational components.
We the community on whole
should be more involved whether
through mentoring programs, guest
speakers bureaus, volunteering to
assist young men and women with
their homework or providing financial assistance to not-for-profit
organizations that have after school
programs that encourage positive
growth process for our children. •
CONTINUES FROM PAGE 1
DR. CHARLES EPPS, JR.
STRONG LEADERSHIP AT THE HELM
Educational Leadership Award,
Liberty Health Systems-Community
Service Award and numerous other
accolades. You see he did not do like
many others who attained a certain
stature and left the city he stayed to
make his home and community a
better place. During his tenure as
Superintendent Dr. Charles Epps Jr.,
has strived to implement positive
changes to a previously ailing school
district. His vision and aptitude for
planning has begun to reverse the
ills of the past and set the district on
the right course. After all it is no
cake walk to coordinate the activities and meet the needs of a district
with over 30,000 students and 5,500
employees. Let’s give the man his
due. He approaches each day with
dignity, class and a dedication that is
unsurpassed by other school
Superintendents. During his tenure
there have been many gains and levels of trouble within the schools is
minimal. Is that not something that
we all should be thankful for particularly in a world where violence and
trouble are common place on a daily
basis. As we reviewed the highlight
of his tenure we are overwhelmed by
the positive and proactive leadership
that he has provided. During his
tenure there has been the implementation of many programs including
“Project Hope” which deals with
providing accelerated instruction in
grades 3-8. "Jump Start" which is a
summer program for rising 8th
graders. Annually teachers are
required to attend a Back to School
Convocation, we believe this sets
them on the right course and invigorates their own drive and desire prior
to the start of a new school year. The
district has also become more community friendly by publishing a
monthly newsletter that is disseminated to the residents of Jersey City.
Over the last few years the district
has also mandated school uniforms
at various schools, this creates an
atmosphere for better learning as
students will have less conflict over
the attire their peers may be wearing. Like any large school district in
the United States there are still
many tasks to be accomplished but
for sure the Jersey City Public
Schools are on the right track under
the leadership of Dr. Epps. Sincere
and positive leadership are qualities
that are hard to find in anyone, Dr.
Epps possesses both of these and a
drive that impacts on others who
work with him. Stay posted we will
have more on the success of the
Jersey City school district and others throughout the State of New
Jersey in upcoming issues. We at
The Courier Times urge all our
readers and those in general to
review carefully the positive
changes that take place in and
around our community. Salute and
stand by your leaders who have
made an impact in the world we live
in. Pay no heed to those who always
find the negative to harp on. In
most cases the critics are the least
productive persons in our society. •
PAGE 10
USA • SUMMER 2006
NEW LOOK TO AREA PROVIDES
A NEW DINING EXPERIENCE
ew restaurants and stores are
popping up on Hartz
Mountain Properties from
Sam’s Club, Wal-Mart, Marshall's,
Home Goods, Linen's N Things, AC
Moore Arts & Crafts, PetsMart with
a PetsHotel, Starbucks, Bonefish
Grill, Red Lobster, Cheeseburger in
Paradise, Olive Garden, Chipolte
Mexican, Bistro 3000 and Chili's Bar
& Grill. As property owner, Hartz has
taken initiatives to improve the
region through cosmetic and design
including new signage for the area.
N
Both Cheeseburger in
Paradise and Bonefish Grill are a
partnership of Outback Steak house,
also in the Harmon Meadow complex. Bonefish is a popular choice to
dine by local residents as well as the
business community and travelers
through the area. The seafood specialty restaurant is committed to
community when it held a community outreach benefit for Youth
Consultation Service an agency that
provides youth housing.
Bonefish Grill offers a casual yet polished atmosphere. The
5,500 square foot restaurant features
a large dining room, open kitchen
and a large bar with two community
tables. The interior is decorated with
hardwood and hand blown glass
lamps. 3-Dimentional artwork including large metal sculptures of tropical
evergreens, and fishing scenes are
displayed throughout the restaurant.
Large fish shaped door handles welcome diners inside.
Although Bonefish Grill specializes in market fresh fish, diners
can also find hand cut beef, pork
tenderloin, pasta and chicken dishes.
The fish is prepared over an oakburning grill for an even cook.
Hearts of Palm, pine nuts, artichokes, goat cheese and sun dried
tomatoes are some of the cutting
edge culinary ingredients used in
many dishes.
Bang Bang Shrimp, a house specialty
appetizer, consists of an ample portion of tender crispy shrimp prepared in a creamy lightly spiced
sauce served over a bed of lettuce.
Other tantalizing appetizers include
jumbo back fin lump crab cakes
served with red sashimi and wasabi
sauce. Sesame seared Ahi Tuna
Sashimi and bacon wrapped Sea
Scallops are also popular selections.
You will see fresh fish including Gulf
Grouper (when available), Atlantic
Salmon, Rainbow Trout, Mahi Mahi,
Chilean Sea Bass and even Lobster
on the menu, but you won’t find
Bonefish. Bonefish typically feed on
the shores of the Bahamas and the
Florida Keys. Bonefish recently
introduced Alaskan King Salmon to
their seasonal menu.
Each dish is creatively prepared and aesthetically presented to
tantalize the taste. All entrees are
accompanied by ‘hot crusty bread’
house salad, and choice of rice, seasoned vegetables pasta or potato
selection. Wait staff, bar tenders and
kitchen staff are all dressed in chef
whites for uniformity. David Webster,
proprietor boasts, “Hospitality, attentiveness and friendliness is a direct
service of customized training oriented to customer satisfaction.”
Bonefish was founded in St Petersburg Florida on the premise of simplicity and consistency. With over
fifty locations, Bonefish Grill is making its way up the east coast with
the Secaucus location being the first
in the state of New Jersey.
Webster said, “We are very
excited to be a part of the Secaucus
community – we are committed to
providing our guests an enjoyable
dining experience with consistently
goof food at an affordable price.”
So, next time you are in Secaucus
whether for shopping, entertainment
or as a guest in one of the many
hotels, be sure to stop at Bonefish or
one of the many other popular
restaurants in the area.•
BONEFISH GRILL
200 MILL CREEK DR
SECAUCUS, NJ 07094 - (201)864-3004
CROSS STREET: ROUTE 3
ADVERTISE IN THE SEPTEMBER 2006
ISSUE OF THE COURIER TIMES
"DEVELOPMENT ON THE RISE"
MOREHOUSE DEFIES ODDS
hile we have reported that many colleges across the
country have seen a decline in African American males
registering and graduating. We are proud to announce
that one college- Morehouse College has experienced a different
trend. Commencement exercises at Morehouse College is a time
of tradition and celebration – but even more this year.
W
Morehouse graduated its largest class ever - nearly 600
educated African American men. No other institution in the
world can match this impressive number. We applaud the efforts
of the administrators and staff at Morehouse on a job well done.
To the graduating young African American men, we at The
Courier Times commend you on your success in achieving a
higher level of education and wish you the best as you go forth
into the world and make your own marks and accomplish your
own dreams. •
NEW YORK COLLEGES AND
UNIVERSITIES
• The Art Institute of New York City
– www.artinstitutes.edu
• Branford Hall Career Institute
– http://branfordhall.career.Institute.org
• Katharine Gibbs School
– www.gogibbs.com
• Sanford-Brown Institute
– http://sanford.brown.edudirect.org
• The College of Westchester
– www.cw.edu
• 3D Training Institute
– www.3dtraining.com
• Wood Tobé-Coburn School
– www.woodtobecoburn.edu
• Barnard College
– www.barnard.columbia.edu
• Berkeley College-New York City
– www.berkeleycollege.edu
• City College of New York (CUNY)
– www.ccny.cuny.edu
• Columbia University
– www.columbia.edu
• CUNY-Hunter College
– www.hunter.cuny.edu
• CUNY-Kingsborough
Community College
– www.kbcc.cuny.edu
• CUNY-Lehman College –
www.lehman.cuny.edu
• CUNY-New York City
College of Technology
– www.citytech.cuny.edu
• DeVry UniversityNew York Campus–
www.DeVryCampuses.com
• Eugene Lang College –
www.lang.newschool.edu
• Fordham University
– www.fordham.edu
• Marymount College of
Fordham University-New York
– www.mmm.edu
• Metropolitan College of New York
– www.metropolitan.edu
• New York Academy of Art
– www.nyaa.edu
• New York Film Academy
– www.NYFA.com
• New York University
– www.nyu.edu
• Pace UniversityNew York City Campus
– www.pace.edu
• Union Graduate College
– www.gcuu.edu
• Yeshiva University
– www.yu.edu •
PAGE 11
USA • SUMMER 2006
EDUCATIONAL FACTS ABOUT
AFRICAN AMERICANS ACCORDING
TO THE US CENSUS
POPULATION
As of July 1, 2004, the estimated
population of African American
residents in the United States,
was 39.2 million including those
of more than one race. They
made up 13.4% of the total U.S.
population. This figure represents an increase of half a million residents from one year
earlier.
It is estimated that there will be
some 61.4 million African
Americans by July 1, 2050. On
that date, according to the projection, African Americans would
constitute 15% of the nation’s
total population.
32% of African Americans are
under the age of 18 according
to the 2004 census, whereas
only 8% of African Americans
in the United States are over
the age of 65.
BUSINESSES
The number of African American owned businesses in 2002 was 1.2
million, up by more than 370,000,
or 45%, since 1997. An estimated
94,862 such firms had paid
employees, with receipts of $69.8
billion or about $735,586 per firm.
38% of African American owned
firms were in health care and
other service industries
Serving Our Nation
There were some 2.3 million
African American veterans in the
United States in 2003.
JOBS
Some 27% of African Americans
age 16 and older work in management, professional, and related
occupations according to US
Census records. There are 50,600
black physicians and surgeons;
69,400 postsecondary teachers;
44,800 lawyers; and 53,800 chief
executives.
New Jersey Two-Year Colleges
ALTERNATIVE
LIFESTYLES
e at The Courier Times,
understand the complex and
yet truly simple diversity of
people who reside in our country. In
our efforts to ensure that we are providing a service to all of our readers,
we have chosen to address the concerns of many regarding issues surrounding those who live alternative
lifestyles. We are glad to have Renata
Moreira join as a contributing writer.
W
THE BINATIONAL
PLIGHT - DISCRIMINATION
IN IMMIGRATION LAW
By Renata Moreira
The fate of GLBT immigrants
and their families continues to be
uncertain under U.S. immigration
law. Unlike many other countries
including Canada, France and
Australia, the United States has no
category for domestic partners under
immigration law.The general rule is
that foreign nationals married to
American citizens of the same-sex
cannot obtain legal permanent residency through their partnership.
Rachel M., a Jersey City resident who
faces a costly commute to visit her
partner in Toronto as frequently as
possible, highlights the need to educate the public about such discrimination. “It is frustrating not to see
any law protecting our families and
civil rights. We’re doing everything
we can to make this issue visible, but
we want to see a movement that supports all
GLBT people – citizens
or not.”
definition of marriage as “a legal
union between one man and one
woman” and defined a spouse as “a
person of the opposite sex who is a
husband or a wife.” Current US
immigration law is governed entirely
by federal law and so marriages that
do not fit this description are declared ineligible for any federal benefits.
As noted by the Lesbian and Gay
Immigration Rights Task Force, the
Department of Homeland Secu-rity
will not recognize the marriage for
immigration purposes unless DOMA
is overturned. “The blatant way this
country has inscribed discrimination
into law is unacceptable,” says Steve,
“It’s sad that I’ll have to move out of
my country or harbor an illegal alien
if I am to be with my loved one.”
Immigration Equality, a
nationwide organization that addresses the widespread discriminatory
impact of immigration laws on the
lives of the GLBT population and
people with HIV, emphasizes that
some foreign nationals from countries
where they have suffered or may suffer persecution because of their orientation,
transgender
identity,
or HIV
positivestatus,
may be
NEW JERSEY DEPARTMENT OF HIGHER EDUCATION
20 West State Street, 7th floor, PO Box 542, Trenton, NJ 08625-0542
http://www.state.nj.us/highereducation
Tel: 609-292-4310 • Fax: 609-292-7225
ATLANTIC COMMUNITY COLLEGE (ACC)
WWW.ATLANTIC.EDU
BERGEN COMMUNITY COLLEGE, PARAMUS
WWW.BERGEN.CC.NJ.US
BERKELEY COLLEGE OF BUSINESS
WWW.BERKELEYCOLLEGE.EDU
BROOKDALE COMMUNITY COLLEGE - LINCROFT
WWW.BROOKDALE.CC.NJ.US
BURLINGTON COUNTY COLLEGE, PEMBERTON
WWW.BCC.EDU
CAMDEN COUNTY COLLEGE, BLACKWOOD
WWW.CAMDENCC.EDU
COUNTY COLLEGE OF MORRIS, RANDOLPH
WWW.CCM.EDU
CUMBERLAND COUNTY COLLEGE, VINELAND
WWW.CCCNJ.NET
ESSEX COUNTY COLLEGE, NEWARK
WWW.ESSEX.EDU
FAIRLEIGH –DICKINSON UNIVERSITY
WWW.FDU.EDU
GLOUCESTER COUNTY COLLEGE, SEWELL
WWW.HUDSON.CC.NJ.US
HUDSON COUNTY COMMUNITY COLLEGE, JERSEY CITY
WWW.HUDSON.CC.NJ.US
KATHARINE GIBBS SCHOOL, MONTCLAIR
KGIBBS.COLLEGE-INFO.ORG
MERCER COUNTY COMMUNITY COLLEGE, TRENTON
WWW.MCCC.EDU
MIDDLESEX COUNTY COLLEGE, EDISON
WWW.MIDDLESEXCC.EDU
OCEAN COUNTY COLLEGE, TOMS RIVER
WWW.OCEAN.EDU
PASSAIC COUNTY COMMUNITY COLLEGE, PATERSON
WWW.PCCC.CC.NJ.US
RARITAN VALLEY COMMUNITY COLLEGE, SOMERVILLE
WWW.RARITANVAL.EDU
SALEM COMMUNITY COLLEGE, CARNEYS POINT
WWW.SALEMCC.ORG
SUSSEX COUNTY COMMUNITY COLLEGE, NEWTON
WWW.SUSSEX.EDU
UNION COUNTY COLLEGE, CRANFORD
WWW.UCC.EDU
WARREN COUNTY COMMUNITY COLLEGE, WASHINGTON
WWW.WARREN.CC.NJ.US
DEVRY TECHNICAL INSTITUTE, WOODBRIDGE
WWW.NJ.DEVRY.EDU
Applying for
legal permanent residency
(green card) is
a question of
paperwork and
patience when
a citizen marries a foreign national in opposite-sex
partnerships.“Once my partner’s green
card was issued, we could travel, live
and work anywhere we wanted,” says
Rachel’s sister who is married to a citizen from Mexico.“But we had no idea
that same-sex couples suffer so many
hardships because of antiquated immigration laws.”
Foreign nationals tend to apply to
legal permanent residency through
family relationships with citizens and
residents. If this is not an option, the
other legal residency routes are
through employer sponsorship
(H-1/2Bs and L visas), education
(I-20 student visa), or by winning an
asylum case or a diversity visa lottery.
“For the most part, employers don’t
want to deal with the difficult application process, so my partner is now
getting his second degree to be able
to stay with me but we are running
out of money to pay for school,” comments Steve S., a social worker whose
partner is a student living in NJ.
In 1996, the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) created a federal
able to obtain asylum
in the United States. With the growing awareness of this option, however, the number of applicants is
increasing and it be-comes more
difficult to obtain asylum
(see www.immigrationequality.org).
Despite the bleak outlook,
however, some progress has been
made in the GLBT immigration
realm. If a recently introduced bill,
the Uniting American Families Act
(UAFA) becomes law, U.S. citizens
and legal permanent residents will
be able to sponsor their same-sex
partners for immigration benefits
in basically the same way that opposite-sex partners do. The Uniting
American Families Act is now pending in both the House and in the
Senate. “All of us need to speak
about the suffering caused by the
discrimination under our current
immigration law with our Congressperson and Senator. We need to
make them aware of UAFA. It is a
matter of our civil rights.” Rachel M.
continues working to change U.S.
immigration laws while struggling to
survive the binational plight. •
PAGE 12
COMMUNITY
KENNEDY DANCERS
J
ERSEY CITY - The
Kennedy Dancers,
American Theatrical
Dance Company on Central
Avenue celebrates 30 years of
community service this fall.
Founded by Diane Dragone,
the Kennedy Dancers is a not
for profit organization that
offers ballet, modern dance,
jazz, ballroom, tap, hip-hop,
dance artists. The school also
holds classes at Hudson
County Juvenile detention
center in Secaucus. Many
performances have been held
in the Ohio Theatre in SoHo
and the Greenwich Street
Theatre as well as in lower
Manhattan.
flamenco, Latin dance African
and Middle Eastern Belly
Dancing and much more to its
membership. “Our goal is to
perform. We offer a variety of
different programs – more
than any other dance schools
in northern New Jersey,”
Diane said the Inner City
Youth Junior dance Company
offers a unique opportunity
for economically disadvantaged and at risk youth as well
as diverse racial and ethic
backgrounds to train and
perform with the Kennedy
dancers professional company
twice a year. The program is
available for youth ages 10-17.
“We have a large population
of African American, Hispanic
and other ethnic background
in our classes,” she stressed.
The organization also offers a
scholarship program. “A high
percentage of our members
are from low income families
with a lot of raw talent.”
national dance week in April,
Diane said the professional
and junior company celebrates
the dance company with a
concert. This year the
company performed at St
Peters College along with six
other dance companies in the
New York New Jersey
Metropolitan area. Next year,
the group will perform at
Baryshnikov off Broadway.
She emphasized the
scholarship program offers
students assistance to study
dance properly and train for
professional careers in the art
of dance. She noted students
also went on to become
professionals in other fields.
“Many of our students have
gone on to become doctors,
and attorneys after being in
the two year scholarship
programs.” She said the
members are well trained for
cultural and performing arts
auditions. She stressed that
student’s members are required to keep their grades up.
Participants also have
the opportunity to get
television exposure through
the dance company’s “Dance
Vista” cable show, focused on
emerging women and minority
USA • SUMMER 2006
COLLEGES IN OUR AREA NEW JERSEY
WE AT THE COURIER TIMES HAVE COMPILED THE FOLLOWING LIST OF
COLLEGES IN OUR AREA. PLEASE FEEL FREE TO CONTACT THEM
FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION. THIS LIST ONLY CONTAINS
FOUR YEAR INSTITUTIONS.
As a spokesperson for
Other programs include
dance programs for the elderly
and others specifically
designed for the learning
disabled and physically
challenged.
A professional dancer
and certified teacher of dance,
Diane was on the teaching
staff for Hudson County
Vocational school in North
Bergen and Jersey City.
She specialized in
Special Education dance. She
also is a guest teacher at many
grammar and high school s as
well as universities. She
recently choreographed a
performance at the New
Jersey Meadowlands
Commission in Lyndhurst.
“The performance entailed
an artistic look at the
historical wildlife sanctuary
of the region and tells a story
of New Jersey's most beautiful
natural resources using
modern dance and ballet to
imitate and describe the
birds of the meadowlands.”
For more information
on the Kennedy Dancers,
call 201-659-2190 or visit
their web site at
www.jkennedydancers.org
or write to
79 Central Avenue, Jersey
City, NJ 07036. •
NEW JERSEY
TECHNICAL SCHOOLS
Air Force Official Training Programs...............................Multiple Cities.....................MC
Allied Medical & Technical Institute...............................Wayne ....................................NJ
Berdan Institute ....................................................................Totowa....................................NJ
Brookdale Community College.........................................Lincroft..................................NJ
CDM Institute........................................................................Mt. Laurel .............................NJ
CDM Institute........................................................................Oakhurst................................NJ
CDM Institute........................................................................Wayne ....................................NJ
Chubb Institute .....................................................................Multiple Cities.....................MC
DeVry ......................................................................................Multiple Cities.....................MC
Dover Business College .......................................................Dover......................................NJ
Dover Business College .......................................................Paramus.................................NJ
Harris School of Business ...................................................Cherry Hill............................NJ
Helma Institute .....................................................................Brook......................................NJ
Internetwork Learning Institute.......................................Mt. Laurel .............................NJ
Katherine Gibbs School ......................................................Multiple Cities.....................MC
Lincoln Tech ...........................................................................Multiple Cities.....................MC
PC Age.....................................................................................Newark ..................................NJ
Sanford-Brown Colleges ......................................................Multiple Cities.....................MC
Somerset School of Massage Therapy .............................Piscataway ............................NJ
Somerset School of Massage Therapy .............................Wall Township......................NJ
The Chubb Institute.............................................................Multiple Cities.....................MC
The Cittone Institute............................................................Multiple Cities.....................MC
University of Phoenix ..........................................................Multiple Cities.....................MC
PAGE 13
USA • SUMMER 2006
TEAM WALKER
asketball star Jerry
Walker fills his days by
reaching out to inner city
youth, a tradition started by his
late grandfather James “Pop”
Curry.Team Walker reached a
milestone when it kicked off its
10th season for summer camp
programs on July 1 with more
than 1,000 people in attendance. “This was very special
day for us,” Jerry said the
organization he co-founded
with his brother Jaspar continues his grandfathers work. As
youth, the brother’s participat-
B
ed in summer programs and
wanted to offer the same
options to today’s kids. “Team
walker includes a drug and
alcohol prevention program,”
Jerry said stressing, “Alcohol
and drugs is a problem right
now in the inner city.” Jaspar is
a former hoops standout at St
Peters University.
A successful basketball player, Jerry played for his
school team at St Anthony’s.
His team was named best high
school team by Dime magazine
in 1989. Jerry also played for
Seton Hall winning the
NCAA three years in a row.
He was named metropolitan
player of the year as a junior
and the big east defensive
player of the year as a senior
in college. Jerry also played
pre-season for the New Jersey
Nets before venturing overseas to play in Spain, Turkey,
Sweden, France and
Lithuania. He said he was
blessed with basketball and
shares his life experiences
with inner city youth in the
program.
Team Walker started
as a summer basketball tournament and grew to include
cheerleading, swimming and
after school tutorial program.
The organization also has a
drill squad where members
participate in para-des. Jerry
said he leads by example and
encourages kids to go to finish
school and get a degree.When
Jerry finished playing basketball in 2003, he took his own
advice and returned to Seton
Hall and got his degree in communication with a minor in religion. “I had to go back and get
my degree. I felt guilty telling
the kids to finish school and I
didn’t have my degree.”
Days are long for team
Walker. Summer camp begins at
9:00 and runs until 4:00 pm.
After camp Jerry holds the basketball tournament at Dr Lena
Edwards Park for grammar, high
school and senior varsity. His
day usually ends at 10:00 pm.
Funding for the non-profit
organization usually comes
from special events. The
Team Walker golf outing at
the Somerset Hills Country
Club was a success earlier
this month.
The annual banquet is
planned on September 28 at
the Mayfair Farms. “This event
is more like a sports talk show,”
Jerry said. Special guests have
included Bob Lee of ESPN, Bill
Rafferty,Willis Reed and St
Anthony coach Bob Hurly and
his son Bobby.
A member of the
Sandra & Glenn D.
Cunningham Foundation
Board, he was recently honored by the Jersey City
Youth Squad with a 2006
humanitarian award. “It’s all
about the kids,” he said. •
COMING
NEXT MONTH
IN TCT
☞
✦ The Sandra & Glenn D. Cunningham Foundation
✦ Saving Lives & Souls: The Jonathan Singer story
✦ Development & its Impact on Urban Cities
✦ The Revitalization of MLK Drive
Every Month
New Articles-New Topics-New Columns
Only in the Metropolitan Areas Leading
African American Newspaper
THE COURIER TIMES
When Away from Home Remember
to visit us on the Internet at
www.thecouriertimesnews.com
PAGE 14
USA • SUMMER 2006
PAGE 15
ENTERTAINMENT
USA • SUMMER 2006
UPCOMING EVENTS AUGUST
If you would like to be listed here please send us an email at [email protected]
CALENDAR OF EVENTS FOR THE MONTH OF AUGUST
BBKING BLUES
CLUB & GRILL-
Madison
Square Garden
237 WEST 42ND STREET, NEW YORK
TEL: 212-997-4144
NEW YORK
Aug. 15- George Thorogood & The
Destroyers Latin Jazz Sabor Brasil
Aug. 16 - George Thorogood & The
Destroyers JW – Jones Blues Band
Aug. 17- Rock N’ Roll Fantasy Camp
The Junior Mack Band
Aug. 18 – Eric Johnson Electric Show
Irving Louis Lattin
Aug.19- Black Dog Robert Plant Birthday
Tribute - Bobby Radcliff - Beatles Brunch
featuring Strawberry Fields
Aug. 20 – Sunday Gospel Brunch
The Downtown Poker Club
Aug. 21 – Madonnathon – 5th Annual
Madonna Birthday Tribute - Jon Paris
Aug. 22 – Billy Ray Cyrus
Latin Jazz Joris Teepe
Aug. 23 - .38 Special - Chaz DePaolo
Aug.24 – Rancid + Sp.Guests H2O +
FVK - Chris Phillips
Aug. 25 – Rancid w/sp.guests Theo +
The Skyscrapers
Aug.26 – Rancid + Guests Big D + The
Kids Table + The Lordz - PBS: Porter,
Batiste & Stoltz Of The Funky Meters Nikki Armstrong - Beatles Brunch
Featuring Strawberry Fields
Aug. 27 – Rancid + Sp.Guests The
Slanderin - Sunday Gospel Brunch
The Downtown Poker Club
Aug.28- Jeff Bates - Jon Paris
Aug. 29- An Evening with Willy “Mink”
Deville Trio - Latin Jazz Manny Duran
Aug. 30 – Sacred Steel Fest
Campbell Brothers + The Lee Boys
The Junior Mack Band
Aug. 31 - David Bromberg + The Angel
Band
BLUE NOTE
131 WEST 3RD STREET, NEW YORK, 10012
212-475-8592
Aug. 15, 16,17, 18,19 - Charlie Haden
Quartet West
Aug. 20 – Marta Gomez - Charlie Haden
Quartet West
Aug. 22,23, 24, 25, 26 – Tania Maria
Aug. 27 – Samuel Torres Group
Tania Maria
Aug. 29, 30 – Larry Coryell, Victor
Bailey & Lenny White Trio – CD Release
Aug. 31- Avishai Cohen Quartet
99 MONMOUTH ST. RED BANK, NJ 07701
732-842-9000
Aug. 18 – Kansas
Aug. 24 – Lewis Black
Aug. 26 – The Rippingtons 20th
Anniversay Tour
Aug. 29 – Tony Bennett
Deltas
VALERIE ADAMS &
THE DIMENSIONS BAND
12 DENNIS STREET,
NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ 08901
732-249-1551
Aug 15, 22, 29, Sep.5, 12, 19, 26 2006,
8:00 pm FREE
WHITE HORSE PIKE & PARK DRIVE
BERLIN, NJ 08009
Aug. 15 – Ron Geofferies Magic
23 Mariah Carey with special guest
Sean Paul
25 AND 1 MixTape Tour 2006
27 Crosby, Stills, Nash, Young
Meadowlands
Comcast Jazz in the
Park Concert Series
RIVERSIDE GARDENS PARK
732-842-4244
Cooper River Park
16 NY/ NJ Red Bulls vs. D.C.United
17 New York Giants vs. Kansas City
Chiefs - Preseason
25 New York Jets vs. New York Giants Preseason
26 NY/ NJ Red Bulls vs. Real Salt Lake
31 New York Giants vs. New England
Patriots - Preseason
N.PARK DRIVE & MCCLELLAN BLVD.,
PENNSAUKEN, NJ 08110
856-216-2149
NJPAC
ONE CENTER STREET, NEWARK, NJ 07102
BOX OFFICE: 888-466-5722
JPMorgan Chase Sounds of the City
Aug. 17, 24, 31, Sep. 7
FREE music performances in NJPAC’s
Theater Square. Artists include among
others: Finotee, Caté, Eric Roberson,
Harel Sachel & Anistar, Brook’s Qawwali
Party, Animus, Sparlha Swa, Morley, April
Smith & The Great Picture Show, Brazz
Tree, Shelley Nicole’s blaKbüshe, Burnt
Sugar, Hurricane Katrina Benefit, etc.
The final installment of the 2006 season
of JPMorgan Chase Sounds of the City
will be a sizzling Salsa Dance Party
Finale featuring the Afro-Latin sounds of
Son Café.
Patriot’s Theatre at
the War Memorial
TRENTON, NJ
MEMORIAL DRIVE,TRENTON, NJ 08601
800-984-8400 - PH: (609) 984-8400
WWW.THEWARMEMORIAL.COM
Aug. 15 – Vance Villastrigo
Aug. 22 – John Jackson
Aug. 29 – Tim Conley
Beach Haven Concerts
ENGLESIDE AVE., BEACH HAVEN, NJ 08008
609-492-0769
Unitarian Society of
Ridgewood
113 COTTAGE PLACE,
RIDGEWOOD, NJ 07450,
PH: 201-612-8321
Aug 15 – Ars Musica Chorale (Choral, Other)
ENJOY
THE OUTDOORS!
Barnegat Light Bayside
Concert Area
10W 10TH ST., BARNEGAT LIGHT, NJ 08006
609-494-3522
Aug. 24- Up and Running Blue Grass
Concert
Jersey City’s Summerfest
Concert Series at
Liberty State Park
82 AUDREY ZAPP DRIVE, JERSEY CITY, NJ 07305
201-547-6921
Aug. 15 – Bucky Pizzarelli
Aug. 20- Mack Sullivan
Aug. 22 – John Christian
Aug. 27- Los Seis Del Son
Don Carter August 29
Aug. 17,24. Rain date Aug. 31
201-935-8500
Wednesdays until 9/6/06
Count Basie Theatre
Berlin Park
Aug. 17 – Twilight Jazz
Aug. 24 – Little Anthony and The
Imperials
Aug. 25 – The Maltese Falcon
Dante Hall
Theatre of the Arts
ATLANTIC CITY, NJ
(609) 344-8877
WWW.DANTEHALL.ORG
August Family Series Events Sponsored
by Commerce Bank
Aug. 17 – Cinderella – Duet Theater
Company
Freehold Summer
Concert Series
EAST MAIN STREET, FREEHOLD, NJ 07728
732-462-3584
Aug. 17 – Sensational Soul Cruisers
Aug. 24 – Party Dolls
Haddonfield Community
Band Whitman
Stafford Farm House
315 MAPLE, LAUREL SPRINGS, NJ 08021
856-783-8040
Free concert on the green. Wednesdays
until 8/31/06
Lakeland Complex
LAKELAND AND COUNTY HOUSE ROAD,
BLACKWOOD, NJ - 856-566-2900
Aug. 25 – Classic Car “Showoff”
featuring The Dovells
LENAPE REGIONAL
PERFORMING ARTS CENTER
MARLTON, NJ - (856) 983-3366
WWW.SJTHEATER.COM
Summer Series Special Event – Aut.19
– The Day Before –
The workshop of a new musical
by Vincent Marini and Jack Murphy.
Summer Series Show - Aug.28 – The
Beach Boys – California Dreamin’
LINCOLN HARBOR PARK
LINCOLN HARBOR BLVD.,
WEEHAWKEN, NJ 07086
PH: 201-716-4540
Aug. 26 - THE EDMAR CASTANEDA
LATIN JAZZ ENSEMBLE (Classical, Jazz,
Latin/Salsa)
MARLTON
RECREATION PARK
MARLTON ROAD
PILESGROVE, NJ 08098
856-358-7501
Aug. 17 - Bonsal Blues Dance Band
Highlands Summer
Concert Series
MONTCLAIR CENTER STAGE
BAY AVENUE, HIGHLANDS, NJ 07732
732-291-4713
BLOOMFIELD AVENUE, MONTCLAIR, NJ 07042
973-509-3820
Tuesdays night in August. Live music
and entertainment for the whole family
in a waterfront park setting.
Haddon Lake Park –
McLaughlin-Norcross Dell
13TH AVE., PARK DRIVE & PROSPECT BLVD.,
HADDON HEIGHTS, NJ
856-216-2149
Aug. 16 – Ritz Theatre Junior Camp
Presents: “The Rainbow Sea”
Aug. 18 – Ritz Theatre Senior Camp
Presents: “Godspell”
Aug. 23 – Robert Hazard
Jazz on the Beach Concert
Series Kennedy Plaza Stage
MISSISSIPI AVENUE, ATLANTIC CITY, NJ 08401
609-841-6897
Thursdays until the end of August. Between
Mississipi and Georgia Avenue on the
Boardwalk. To create pride in our Black heritage and promote family values and unity in
Atlantic County through the education of our
youth, the community and tourists, by teaching
them African American History during the era
of Chicken Bone Beach and exposing them to
the original American Art form of Jazz.
SUNDAY NIGHT CONCERT
SERIES ON THE RIVERFRONT
RT .49, BRIDGETON, NJ 08302
856-451-9208
Sundays until the end of august.
TWO RIVER THEATER
21 BRIDGE AVENUE, RED BANK, NJ 07701
732-345-1400
Aug. 26- Rock’n Roll Up Your Sleeve
Blood Drive
Live musical entertainment, food and
giveaways at community blood drive at
the new Two River Theater in downtown Red Bank
WEST END PARK,
LONG BRANCH
ONE OCEAN BLVD., LONG BRANCH, NJ 07740
732-933-0541
The Jersey Shore Jazz and Blues
Foundation series of Jazz and Blues.
Every Saturday and Sunday through
August 27th.
WALT WHITMAN CENTER
JOHNSON PARK AT 2ND & COOPER STREET,
CAMDEN CITY, NJ - 856-964-8300
Aug.18 – Billy B Science Song & Dance
man
WHITMAN STAFFORD
FARM HOUSE
315 MAPLE AVE., LAUREL SPRINGS, NJ 08021
856-783-8040
Aug. 23 – Jim Murphy and the Pine
Barons Country Western Music
Aug. 30 – Tri County Band
WIGGINS
WATERFRONT PARK
FOOT OF MICKLE BLVD., CAMDEN CITY, NJ
856-216-2170
Aug. 15 – Diane Shuur
Aug. 22 – Gato Barbieri
Aug. 25 – Big Tent Day
Aug. 29- The Jazz Crusaders featuring
Wayne Henderson
Jazz to Bluegrass to Soul. Sundays
afternoon through 9/10/06
RUNNEMEDE
HARRY WILLIAMS COMMUNITY CENTER,
BROADWAY & BLACK HORSE PIKE,
RUNNEMEDE, NJ - 856-939-5161
Aug. 23 – Runnemede Jonathon and His
Orchestra
SANDY HOOK BEACH
CONCERTS
BEACH AREA E., SANDY HOOK, NJ 07732
732-291-7733
Beach concerts Wednesday evenings, in the
summer. Variety of music formats, including
rock and roll, jazz, R&B/ Soul and Irish.
SUMMER SUNDAY
NIGHT CONCERTS
PHILADELPHIA AVENUE, LAVALLETE, NJ 08735
732-793-3652
Sundays through Sept.3rd, music from
the 40’s to present day.
CALL
TODAY
201.
223.
6925
PAGE 16
USA • SUMMER 2006
he Broad Foundation
announced today that
the Jersey City
School District is one of
the five finalists for the
2006 Broad Prize for Urban
Education, an annual $1
million prize given to
urban school districts that
have made the greatest
increases in student
achievement.
T
THE OTHER
FINALISTS ARE:
• BOSTON PUBLIC
SCHOOLS
• BRIDGEPORT PUBLIC
SCHOOLS, CONN.
• MIAMI-DADE COUNTY
PUBLIC SCHOOLS
• NEW YORK CITY
DEPARTMENT OF
EDUCATION
The Broad (pronounced
"brode") Prize for Urban
Education honors the
nation's urban school districts that improve student
achievement while reducing achievement gaps
among ethnic groups and
between high- and lowincome students. The Prize
is the largest education
award in the country given
to a single school district.
The winner of The Broad
Prize will receive $500,000
in scholarships for graduating seniors. Each finalist
district will receive
$125,000 in scholarships.
The winner will be
announced on Sept. 20 at
the Museum of Modern Art
in New York City. •
D
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PUZZLE CLUES
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W
B
R
O
W
N
N
Y
A
D
X
M
U
J
A
F
brought the eyes of the world
upon her. Giovanni has written
more than two dozen books,
ROBERT HAYDEN – Detroit,
including volumes of poetry,
Michigan. His books include:
illustrated children's books, and
Heart-Shape in the Dust:
three collections of essays. Her
Poems, The Lion and the
book Racism 101 includes bold,
Archer, Figure of Timecontroversial essays about the
situation of Americans on all
STERLING BROWN –
sides of various race issues. As
Washington, D.C. 1901. His
poetry was influenced by jazz, a devoted and passionate
the blues, work songs and spir- writer, teacher, and speaker,
ituals, and like other writers she inspires not only her students, but also readers and
of this period his writings
expresses his concerns about audiences nationwide.
race in America.
LANGSTON HUGHES – Joplin,
Missouri. Based on a conversaRITA DOVE – Akron, Ohio
tion with a man he knew in a
1952. Won the 1987 Pulitzer
Prize in poetry for her book of Harlem bar, he created a character know as My Simple
poems, Thomas and Beulah.
Minded Friend in a series of
She’s also very involved with
essays in the form of a diayounger children.
logue. In 1950, he named this
lovable character Jess B.
MAYA ANGELOU - Became a
national celebrity in 1970 with Simple, and authored a series
the publication of I Know Why of books on him. He wrote sixthe Caged Bird Sings, the first teen books of poems, two novels, and numerous essays and
volume of her autobiography.
other literary works.
LUCILLE CLIFTON – Depew,
COUNTEE CULLEN- New York
New York. Has been twice
City. He wrote in the tradition
nominated for the Pulitzer
Prize for Poetry. Her first chil- of Keats and Shelley and was
dren's book, Some of the Days resistant to the new poetic
techniques of the Modernists.
of Everett Anderson (1970)
launched her into writing chil- His second volume of poetry,
Copper Sun (1927), met with
dren's stories.
controversy in the black community because Cullen did not
PAUL L.DUNBAR – Dayton,
give the subject of race the
Ohio. In 1892 he published a
same attention he had given it
book of poems: Oak and Ivy,
his first collection. In 1893, he in Color.
was invited to recite at the
ANNE SPENCER- Henry
World's Fair, where he met
County, Virginia. Many of
Frederick Douglass, the
renowned abolitionist who rose Spencer's poems convey a
from slavery to political and lit- romantic concern
erary prominence in America. with the human
search for beauty
Douglass called Dunbar "the
most promising young colored and meaning in a
sordid universe, as
man in America."
well as people's
futile attempts to
NIKKI GIOVANNI – Knoxville,
Tennesssee. poet, writer, com- impose order on
mentator, activist, and educa- God's earth.
tor. Over the past thirty years, Poems in this vein
include "At the
Nikki's outspokenness, in her
Carnival" and
writing and in person, has
W
V
Y
Z
D
S
R
E
K
L
A
W
S
T
I
"Change." However,
Spencer cannot be viewed
solely as a "nature" or
"religious" poet
JUNE JORDAN – New
York City. Her books of
poetry include Kissing
God Goodbye: Poems,
1991-1997 (Anchor Books,
1997), Haruko/Love
Poems (1994), Naming
Our Destiny: New and
Selected Poems (1989),
Living Room (1985),
Passion (1980), and
Things That I Do in the
Dark (1977). She is also
the author of children's
books, plays, a novel, and
Poetry for the People: A
Blueprint for the
Revolution, a guide to
writing, teaching, and
publishing poetry.
QUINCY TROUPE – St.
Louis, Missouri. He is the author
of: Miles: The Autobiography
(1989), which received an
American Book Award; James
Baldwin: The Legacy (1989); and
the memoir, Miles and Me: A
Memoir of Miles Davis (2000).
ALICE WALKER- Eatonton,
Georgia. She received the
Pulitzer Prize in 1983 for The
Color Purple.
AMIRI BARAKA - was a central
figure of the Black Arts movement of the 1960s. His writing
is known for its confrontational
methods that highlight the difficulties of the black American
experience.
ETHERIDGE KNIGHT – Corinth,
Mississippi. In 1960, he was
arrested for robbery and sentenced to eight years in the
Indiana State Prison. It was
there that Knight began writing
poetry. He corresponded with
other African American poets
of the time like Dudley Randall
and Gwendolyn Brooks. He published his first book of poetry,
Poems From Prison (1968),
while he was still incarcerated
FRANCES HARPER –
Baltimore, Maryland. Harper's
first poems were published in
abolitionist periodicals, such
as "Frederick Douglass'
Paper." As her career progressed, and especially with
the end of the Civil War and
death of her husband in 1863,
Harper became increasingly
vocal on feminist issues.•
SOLUTION TO THE PUZZLE
KNIGHT
SPENCER
TROUPE
WALKER
ONE OF TOP URBAN DISTRICTS HONORED
FOR IMPROVING STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT
T
D
E
R
V
H
V
Q
H
X
C
X
G
I
H
DUNBAR
GIOVANNI
HARPER
HAYDEN
HUGHES
JORDAN
$1 MILLION PRIZE;
FAMOUS BLACK POETS WORD PUZZLE
ANGELOU
BARAKA
BROWN
CLIFTON
CULLEN
DOVE
JERSEY CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT
NAMED 2006 FINALIST FOR
PAGE 17
USA • SUMMER 2006
A MESSAGE FROM ASSEMBLYMAN
LOUIS M. MANZO
31ST LEGISLATIVE DISTRICT
Now that the State budget is over, Trenton will focus its
attention on property tax reform.
tax burden.
egrudgingly, the State
Assembly acquiesced to
Governor Corzine’s call
for an unnecessary sales tax,
only after half of the revenue
was dedicated to direct property tax relief (reducing the
homeowner’s tax bill) and
half dedicated to indirect
property tax relief (stabilizing existing taxes so they
don’t escalate).
B
Make no mistake about it, property taxes in NJ are the most
regressive (hitting poor families
harder) taxes in the State.The
sales tax is just as regressive,
eating up more of a poor family’s percentage of income than
a wealthier family.
Along with other legislators,
I objected to enacting this
tax unless it was used to offset the highly regressive
property tax.
Unfortunately, for poor and
middle income taxpayers in
New Jersey, the rising cost of
utilities and fuel, combined
with escalating property
taxes, is driving the middle
class out of our State and
stranding the poor families
here.
Because our State has the
highest-per-capita income in
the nation, our return of federal dollars to assist our
State’s socially nedey squarely falls on the shoulders of
the middle class because of
our over reliance on the
property and sales tax.
It is time for New Jersey to
make use of its most progressive tax-the Income Tax- to
ensure that our State’s growing population of high-end
income earners contribute
their fair share of our overall
Cutting spending and downsizing government through
practical reforms are essential but that won’t correct the
unfairness. Currently, the
highest income earners in
our State ($500,000 and up)
contribute only 1% of their
earned income to assist the
funding of primary and secondary schools in our State.
Working-class and middle
income families contribute
4% to 6% or their earned
income to help fund our
State’s schools with school
taxes consuming practically
55% to 60% or the average
property tax bill in New
Jersey. No wonder a Brookings
Institute Report recently
observed how rapidly the
super rich are swelling the
ranks of New Jersey taxpayers
while the middle class flee.
A revenue-neutral tax shift to
fund schools in our Statefrom property tax over to
income and sales tax- is in
line. That is why Senator Joe
Doria and I are sponsoring
the Smart Homestead
Rebate Act which accomplishes this practical strategy
and results in all New
Jerseyans paying their fair
share of school funding.
The Smart Bill results in 50%
reduction of school taxes for
all primary homeowners and
reduces a tenant’s rent in
proportion to their contribution to property taxes (50%
of 9% of yearly rent).
The Smart Bill provides the
average New Jerseyan with
$1,500.00 worth of property
tax reduction and an average
30% reduction of overall
income and property taxes
paid.
Some high end income earn-
ers will also net out ir they
too were paying their fair
share. But about 4% of our
State’s high income earners
will not net out-namely those
that live in tax-abated property and don’t contribute to
local school taxes or those
that live in select hamlets of
New Jersey which have
schools far below the state
average of $1.67 per $100.00
or assessed value.
Governor Corzine and the
Legislature must recognize
that besides tax controls, tax
fairness must also be a priority for the special session on
tax reform this summer.
Only working-class and middle income families made
sacrifices for our State budget, New Jersey’s wealthiest
residents must now carry
their own weight! •
PAGE 18
BRB
USA • SUMMER 2006
A Moment in Time
The Andy Bey Story
(BE RIGHT BACK)
THE PROS AND CONS OF
INTERNET DATING
making you feel
you are somewhere else. The
man from Newark,
New Jersey disappointed no one in
the room.
We are Player- Player and Gold-digger. Both of us
have tried Internet Dating and have formed very
different opinions about it, opinions that we are
were willing to share with you our readers. We
said we would really like to hear from you too,
so keep those e-mails coming.
TELL US YOUR EXPERIENCES IN INTERNET
DATING, THE GOOD THE BAD AND THE UGLY,
THEN WE CAN SHARE YOUR STORIES TOO WITH
OUR READERS. (This article it for
entertainment purposes only)
E-MAIL PLAYER –PLAYER AND GOLD-DIGGER AT:
[email protected]
Thank you DianeLuvv for sharing your story
with our readers!
LET'S CALL THIS SYNOPSIS:
"PRACTICE WHATYOU PREACH"
Well it’s been about a year now since
I began my internet date/partner search.
Originally, my intention in joining the internet
dating scene was to find out exactly what was
the deal with this whole idea. People I knew
where pretty involved and even my ex-husband (who began his search openly during our
marriage, while living under the same roof)
seem to be really caught up in this whole
scene. So my thoughts at that time were,
"What's the deal?” My experiences with it
have been let's just say somewhat of a "joke",
to put it lightly.
Let me give you a perfect example of
a "joke". While searching on one of the very
popular dating services, I finally begin chatting with a prospect. We began our chats
after a couple flirts in the month of February;
our chats were off and on for about 2 months,
not regular at all. I should have known what
the future would hold just from that; but as
life would have it, I didn't. Finally, in the end
of April, (also known as mating season) my
prospect begins to call me more regularly. So
we went from a possible 2 conversations a
month to having conversations regularly,
about 3 times a week. I was pretty happy
with that because at this time it’s becoming
pretty clear to me that the possibility of a
very lonely summer is becoming my reality.
It really felt good to know that "someone"
had finally noticed me. "Someone" felt that I
might be attractive enough, interesting
enough, safe enough, good enough, (I don't
know pick a phrase),“enough” of whatever
to have continual conversations with and
maybe even meet.Whatever it was it was
good enough for me!
Our meeting date was finally here!
I received a text message about 6:20am on
Monday, Memorial Day…"I am up and
ready to chat, call me I would like to meet
you today!" I think "ALRIGHT!” Maybe
this is a possible date of many to come
“About time!" So I call him.
Now, this day also happens to be the
first time I have ever marched in a Memorial
Day Parade with my Girl Scout troop; it also
happens to be a very very hot day for the first
time in a month, and for a memorial day
since about 6 years. But, hey that's alright
with me if it is alright with him. So, I say to
him “Listen I have a parade that I will be in
today, but you are welcome to come and participate in the festivities”…and I warn him,
“I don’t know what I am going to look like
after this parade because it is the first time I
have ever been in one. Either way you are
welcome to come over and after the parade I
will go home and get myself together to
spend some “getting acquainted” time with
you”. His comment was, and I quote,“Oh,
that’s okay, when you meet someone for the
first time that stuff doesn’t really matter”;
(Yeh, right!) “So, I’m coming because I really
want to meet you. Look, you don’t have to
spend a lot of time with me; I just want ? half
of your time”. So, I proceed to setup a baby
sitter because I am finally going out on a
lunch date,Yippee! We pick a meeting spot. I
go and do my thing in the parade with the
rest of the group. I get to the meeting spot
after walking for about 2 hours and 2.5 miles
in the scorching heat with the sun beating
down on us.
I even had to put on a hat because I
would have been burnt and a total disaster
by the time I met him; and as they say 1st
impressions can make you or break you.
That’s a very true statement. As I am
approaching the meeting spot I see someone
that might be him frantically trying to call a
number on his cell phone and walking very
quickly next the group I told him I would be
with. Now, my troop is approaching the end
of the route. I stop to make my brief acquaintance with him, introduce ourselves, and for a
quick chat. We talk for about 10 minutes the
usually pleasantries. Based on the look on
his face I can tell that he’s not really feeling
me but maybe it’s the hat, maybe it’s the
heat, or maybe I am just a little sweaty and
shiny and that is an issue for him. I don’t
know what he is thinking. So I say to him “I
am happy that you came…but would you
mind giving me a couple minutes to get my
girls off to their parents and we can meet at
the local diner. I also say,“And do you mind
if I get washed up and get back with you in
about ? half hour or so”. He says “Okay”! I
turn away to get my daughter and let my
troop partner know that my date is here and
I will chat with her later. I turn back around
and he’s gone. Yes, He’s gone! So I figured it
is about 75 people standing in our immediate
vicinity I need to look a little harder. Well,
while I am looking I get a text message
which reads,“Sweetie, I have an emergency
at home I had to leave. I’ll call you later”.
My first response to that was “BYE, Jive
Turkey”. No, I never heard from him after
that text.
Well, the one thing I know is it wasn’t my
breathe or my deodorant (we never got that
close to each other); and besides, I never
had a chance to look my best or smell my
best for our first date. How dumb of me to
think that this one might not be as “fickle”
like the others. So what do you think was
the turn off, because I am obviously clueless? He obviously didn’t “Practice What
He Preach”. Although, practicing what they
preach is not a commonality for the men I
have met, even the ones on the internet.
Moving on, DianeLuvv •
or just a sixty minute period
time seemed to stand still in
the past. It was a rainy night
in Manhattan and we were in one
of the Jazz institutions “Birdland”.
Yet no one in the room seemed to
care about the outside environment because they were all mesmerized by the “Andy Bey trio”.
You know Jazz itself has a way of
F
His distinct voice
took us on a journey an experience, you that
know Jazz really
know it is history
the sad, the good,
the time, the
place, the man,
the woman just a
total envelopment
of the soul. It is
poetry in song. In
talking with Andy
he eluded that he
still enjoys performing tremendously and prepares diligently at
his craft. Bey has
a range that is
spectacular and always puts his
own flavor to every song. For all
you Jazz disciples and those of you
who want to forget the world even
if it is just for a moment. You must
see the Andy Bey trio on their
next visit to your area.
His newest CD is worth purchasing
for your collection. •
“A Time for Change”
By Joshua Murrell
I
consequences may not come that
moment but it will eventually
come.
But there are many who have
made the decision to lead by
example and stand up for what is
right. Some youth have become
leaders by not following the crowd
and doing things that other teens
might call corny, like being drug
free and abstain from sex until
marriage. Doing these things may
seem old fashion, but in the long
run, they only benefit you, but
society around you. Teens that
make bad choices such as drugs
and uncommitted sex (meaning
sex before marriage) open the
door to a lot of pain, misery, and
unfortunate consequences. The
When anyone makes the courageous decision to abstain from sex
until marriage, they may avoid
many problems such as STD’s,
unplanned pregnancy, depression,
and a stronger temptation to do
drugs. There are so many young
people walking around carrying
disease(s), even at tender age of
12! Recent statistics report that
one out of every four sexually
active teens has at least one STD
and some of the most common are
incurable (HPV, Herpes, HIV) It is
hard to understand why someone
would make such a foolish and
immature decision that will affect
the rest of his or her lives by having uncommitted sex as a teenager. If you are a teen out there who
is sexually active, uses drugs, or
does anything in relation to this,
you can stop. You can become
what many teens call a secondary
virgin. This is your second chance,
a wake-up call…don’t mess it up. •
n today’s urban community,
inner city youth are faced with
many pressures. These pressures come from the media, peers,
school and even best friends. One
of the greatest pressures that confronts the youth of today is the
struggle to fit in. Sometimes teens
go to great lengths, even sacrificing a bright future, to try to harmonize with people who are headed down the wrong path without a
bright future. Teens often do
drugs, fight, drink, and even have
uncommitted sex just for their
“friends” approval.
PAGE 19
USA • SUMMER 2006
DOPING SCANDALS CAUSE HAVOC
IN SPORTS AROUND THE WORLD
Justin Gatlin tested positive.This was his second
positive test and therefore
he could be banned from
the sport forever. It has
been suspected that many
of the greatest home run
hitters in the great
American pastime known
as baseball have
been
wo decades ago the suspicions were mostly
whispers and back door
conversations of those that
may have been taking drugs in
order to enhance their performances. A decade ago we
began to accept that maybe
some athletes were cheating to
provide themselves with unfair
advantages in competition.
T
Fast forward to today
and we are appalled by the
many who have tested positive
and by all those that are suspected of taking drugs so as to
enhance their careers.The
tragedy of today is that drug
use has reared its nasty head
in every facet of sports.
Whether it be, professional,
baseball, cycling, football, soccer, track and field or any
other sport the reality is that
all are being touched by athletes that cheat. It has become
common place for us to think
that maybe just about every
great star is cheating in some
manner. Recently Floyd
Landis winner of the Tour De
France cycling most premier
race tested positive with the
sample B of testing after his
sample one also tested positive. It has long been suspected that many of the worlds
greatest cyclist have been doping for years. In track & field
super sprinter and world dominating 100 meter specialist
We believe that a federal government that sees fit to
spend billions of dollars daily
in bombing other countries
and killing innocent people,
can in some means or fashion
institute and assist in the
financial responsibility of
cleaning up sports for the benefit of the fan, parent, and athlete. Give our athletes the
using steroids
to enhance their performances for decades.
Truth or fiction the fact
is that we know some of
them have been using.
Recent books
have chronicled the
exploits of some of the
major leagues greatest players.The other sports are no
different much speculation,
some scandals and positively
not enough testing and perhaps not fair testing procedures. We at The Courier
Times believe that in order to
clean up all sports testing
must begin at the very beginning of athletes careers.
Whether it be over zealous
coaches or parents who everyday put winning before all
else in the world or athletes
who are so consumed with the
barrier of reaching sports
greatness that they choose the
wrong route in that pursuit of
the goal. Something must be
done. Long gone is the innocence of the athlete who goes
to practice everyday, works
hard trains diligently and
through pure hard work becomes the very best in the
world.This is not just a male
problem either its happening
with female athletes as well.
clean playing field they need
in order to return them to the
superstar status that we as
Americans have always
bestowed upon them . We also
need to work with other countries to ensure that
testing for
use of drugs
is at the
same levels
throughout
the world
and in particular the
same methods of testing
are used in
every sport.
Let’s not just
sit back and
test some
and not others depending on the
complexion
of the athletes in various sports. •
LOVE LINES
BY JAMES ADAMS, SR.
YOU’RE ON MY MIND
Today I thought about you,
as I do most everyday,
The reasons we are apart
the reason you went away
I miss your tender touch
your body close to mine
that feeling we once knew
it seems so hard to find
You tell me I don’t understand
it’s very hard to do,
for I gave you my friendship,
I gave my heart to you.
No matter what the future brings
I will keep you on my mind
I can always reminisce
about the love you left behind
PAGE 20
USA • SUMMER 2006
THE LITTLE DOJANG
THAT COULD
fter achieving Olympic
success, MLK Drive
dojang must relocate
for rising rents Standing
amidst two litter-strewn
vacant lots at Jersey City's
Martin Luther King Drive
between Wilkinson and
Bostwick Aves., the ANSUN
Taekwondo dojang planned
an improbable journey when
it opened its doors in
December 2001 - the USA
Taekwondo Junior Olympics
and college scholarships for
students.
In a neighborhood known
more for crime than the comprehensive martial arts training, health education and
after school academic enrichment offered to students
coming from one of Jersey
City's toughest neighborhoods, founders Michael
Garcia and Carl Walrond
wanted to help local youngsters to set goals and realize
some of the dreams that
Martin
Luther
King challenged
everyone
to aspire
to.
The little dojang
with nothing more
than a few
chairs and
mats for
training,
ANSUN sent 12 competitors
to the 26th Annual USA
Junior Olympic Taekwondo
Cham-pionships, held at the
Georgia Dome in Atlanta,
from July 6 - 9. After competing against athletes from
across the United States,
they returned to Jersey City
with an astounding 12
medals.
The Georgia Dome is the
site of two National Football
League Super Bowls and
home of the NFL's Atlanta
Falcons. Atlanta was chosen
for this event to celebrate
the 10th Anniversary of the
1996 Atlanta Olympic Games.
Master Michael Garcia
said, "Though their achievement is significant, we are
very proud that the students
are also pursuing the goal of
citizenship, and they are vol-
A
unteers with the New Jersey
Tae Kwon Do for Youth
Demonstra-tion Team, which
participates in community
development activities: working with senior citizens,
planting community gardens,
and vacant lot clean-ups."
Taekwondo, a Korean martial art that means the "Way
of the Hand and the Foot," is
the world's most widely practiced martial art
with over
20 million
practitioners.
Instructor
Carl
Walrond
noted,
"Citi-zenship is an
important
part of
Taekwondo training, and now the
medal winners have to bear
the responsibility of being
leaders and role models
beyond athletic competition.
We have challenged them to
find a way to improve some
social or neighborhood condition."
Students earning medals
in the sparring competition
at the USA Taekwondo
Junior Olym-pics are: gold
medallists Eamonn Dwyer,
Jennah Riddick, Brianna
Colbert, Faith Reid, Trayvonne Waller; silver medallists,
Arianna Howard, Dee-Anna
Shantelou, Jai-Juan Colbert;
and bronze medal winners
Justin Covington, Jalil
Manigo, Tyler Anagbogu.
Justin Covington was also a
bronze medal winner in the
forms competition. •
THINKING IS NOW
SELLING!!!
N
ew York, New York - July
19, 2006 - The fast selling,
soon to be classic, THINK,
THINK,
THINK, AND
THINK
AGAIN: The
Power of Ideas
Designed to
Spark Change,
by author J.
Sakiya
Sandifer is
now available
for pre-sale
before its
nationwide
Fall 2006
bookstore
release.
Generating a storm of
praise from critics, colleagues
and readers alike for its beauty
and powerful content, limited
editions are now available exclusively through
http://www.wethinkllc.com/ for
$10.00 plus S&H.
Own the book that was
used as the foundation for the
curriculum of the 2006/2007
High School Youth Development
Program in Hoboken, NJ. "This
book inspires you to reframe
your thoughts as you program
change into your life to create a
healthier lifestyle, no matter
what age!" says Carmelo G.
Garcia, MSIS, IM - Director of
Health & Human Services, City
of Hoboken, NJ.
Some readers have said, “
…This book calls for one of the
most radical and life-changing
actions one
can undertake: thinking
for oneself…”, “…I
love your use
of fonts absolutely
gorgeous.”,
and “…A
great way to
learn how to
think more.”
Even pop
culture icon,
Kanye West
has expressed
great anticipation in receiving
his copies of the book. Kanye
states, “I’m going to buy a copy
for everyone I know.”
Armed with a great belief
in everyone having an all-powerful governor of destiny within
them, saKiya says his objective
is simple -- “To spark those who
are seeking to create a positive
change in their lives!”
FOR PRESS
STACEY MURRAY
201.363.1977 PHONE
201.363.0051 FAX
[email protected]
FOR APPEARANCES
ARMAND HARRIS • 646.705.4175
[email protected]
Call us
for best results
201. 223. 6925
PAGE 21
USA • SUMMER 2006
Harlem Week
Harlem Sweet Harlem, There is no place else like it anywhere in the world. This vibrant community has seen a significant re-birth. Annually
HARLEM WEEK is celebrated. The event began in 1974 as HARLEM DAY, which was a one-day tribute to Harlem’s glorious history. It celebrated the very essence of a community and of people who live, work, recreate, learn and worship in this neighborhood. After all Harlem had gone
through some rough times, it had lost the glitter of the early years. So this one day became an encouragement to New Yorkers in general and
Harlem residents in particular. It was a ray of hope and a beacon for the bright future that many dreamed would be in Harlem’s future. This
year marks the 32nd year of celebration, HARLEM WEEK has become America’s largest cultural celebration. Each year, it draws thousands to
the neighborhood to take part in the activities. Harlem week is a spectacular learning experience for all. So pack your bags and head uptown
and take part in the educational process in one of the nation’s most historical neighborhoods. Here is the schedule for planned activities:
Tuesday, 15th
N.Y. C. Senior Citizens
“Elders Jubilee”
A celebration of our elders.
An Awards banquet celebrating
New York City seniors who
have laid our foundation.
National Black Theater - Fifth
Avenue & 125th Street
By Invitation Only
Friday, 18th – Sunday, 20th
HARLEM WEEK Tri-State
Junior Tennis Classic
(NY, NJ. Connecticut)
This event showcases the best
up & coming boys & girls in
divisions’ ages from 12 to18 - In
concert with the United States
Tennis Association and The
U.S. Open - Fred Johnson
Tennis Courts - 150th St. & A.
C. Powell, Jr. Blvd. Free to the
general public
Saturday, 19th
“UPTOWN SATURDAY NITE”
Music Theme: “Jammin’” - An
Outdoor Cultural Arts &
Entertain-ment Festival honoring the grand village of
Harlem! 11:00 AM – 8:00 PM
All “Uptown Saturday Nite”
events take place on W. 135th
St.. from Malcolm X Blvd. to St.
Nicholas Ave. Rain Date:
Saturday August 26th
The National Historic Black
College Fair & Expo Showcasing and promoting over 50 historical - Black colleges as well
as other regional educational
institutions. Featuring exhibits,
scholarships, grants, and financial aid info, alumni networking
and information on career
opportunities. Meet and greet
well-known alumni celebrities
as well as other regional educa-
tional institutes. Noon – 7:00
PM - W. 135th St. (Btwn.
Malcolm X & A.C. Powell, Jr.
Blvds.) Free to the general
public - For more info call Mr.
Majette at (212) 283-3315
Local, Regional and National
Entertainment on our Main
Stage featuring our Fabulous
Fashion Show - W. 135th St.
(Btwn. Frederick Douglass
Blvd. & St. Nicholas Ave.)
NY City Health Fair & Expo
(Part I) Offering the latest
health-testing, information,
services, exhibits, promotional
material on family health services. - 11:00 A.M. – 7:00 P.M.
W. 135th St. (Btwn Malcolm X
& A.C. Powell, Jr. Blvds.)
Free to the general public
AND OTHER UPTOWN
SATURDAY NITE EVENTS:
Including The HARLEM
WEEK Tri-State Junior Tennis
Classic (NY, NJ. & CT)
(See Aug. 18th)
“The N.Y.C. Children’s
Festival” (Part I) Celebrating
our youth with games, rides,
fashions shows, entertainment,
sports clinics, chess, gymnastics, petting zoo and pony rides.
Time: Noon – 6:00 PM
Henry Highland Garnet
Outdoor Plaza W. 135th St. St..
(Bet. Mal-colm X
and A.C. Powell,
Jr. Blvds.)
A Free event
(Tickets
required)
International
Vendors,
Exhibits, Foods,
Art, Fun &
Games
W. 135th St.
from Malcolm X
to Frederick
Douglass Blvds.
Free to the general public
Sunday, 20th
HARLEM DAY
Music Theme: “It’s A Family
Reunion” - Our biggest Day!
Multiple Stages with live performances and entertainment.
2 Main Stages: 10:00 AM – 7:00
PM - W. 135th St. (Btwn. 5th
and St. Nicholas Aves.)
Events take place all day on
135th St. from 5th to St.
Nicholas Aves. - Free to the general public Rain Date: Sunday,
August 27th
Malcolm X Blvd.)
Free to the general public
For more info call Mr. Idlett
(917) 696-8715
The Children’s Festival
(Part II) - (See Saturday,
August 19th) - Come see Our
Children’s Fashion Show
W. 135th St. (Btwn. Malcolm X
& A. C. Powell Jr. Blvds.)
A Free event (Tickets required)
International Vendors,
Exhibits, Foods, Art, Fun &
Games
W. 135th St. (Btwn. Fifth and
St. Nicholas Aves.)
Free to the general public
Local, Regional and National
Entertainment on our St.
Nicholas Stage
Btwn. Frederick Douglass Blvd.
& St. Nicholas Ave.
N.Y.C. Health Fair & Expo
(Part II) (See Sat. Aug. 19th )
2 Blocks Btwn.: W. 135th St. &
5th Ave. - A. C. Powell Jr. Blvds.
Free to the general public
OTHER HARLEM DAY
EVENTS: Include
The HARLEM WEEK Tri-State
Junior Tennis Classic
(NY, NJ. Connecticut)
(See Aug. 18th)
Upper Manhattan Auto Show
An East Coast Auto Showcase
featuring over a hundred new,
unique, antique, vintage, exotic
and collectable vehicles as well
as other historic buses and
motorcycles with awards for
best in class categories.
Time: 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
W. 135th St. (Btwn. 5th Ave. &
Tuesday, Aug. 22nd thru
Sunday, Sept. 3rd
“A Taste of Harlem”
You are invited to lunch and/or
dinner at a select dozen (12)
of Upper Manhattan’s best and
most diverse restaurants for
a special discounted price of
$20.06 for lunch or dinner. •
IN THE SPOTLIGHT
Former NFL great Jim Brown visited Jersey City
recently. He took time to meet with Mayor Healy to
discuss pertinent issues concerning youth.
Hudson County residents participate in a
recent Health Fair sponsored by
Save Latin America.
PAGE 22
USA • SUMMER 2006
THE MAGIC OF HOLISTIC HEALTH CARE
GIVE YOURSELF THE GIFT OF GOOD HEALTH
BY CAROL CRYSTAL, MASSAGE THERAPIST,
CERTIFIED HOLISTIC HEALTH COUNSELOR
“If I knew I was going to live this long,
I'd have taken better care of myself. “
Mickey Mantle (October 20, 1931 – August 13, 1995) Played in the American League for
the NY Yankees. A member of the Baseball Hall of Fame. Had an 18-year major-league
career with the New York Yankees and was a sixteen-time All-Star, American League MVP
three times seven World Championship clubs. Holds the records for most World Series
home runs. Mantle died in 1995 at age 63 from liver cancer after years of alcohol abuse.
ften I include massage therapy
when I work with someone who
wants to regain their health and
feel powerful. Many people are surprised that massage has benefits
beyond relaxation. All clients I work
with feel more relaxed and energized
after massage therapy. (That sounds
like a contradiction, but it is the case.)
And some clients experience dramatic
results after treatment.
O
“Clare” (of course I have changed all
names used in this article) came to
me for relaxation massage. The pain
she was having in her breast was still
undiagnosed and she was very concerned and agitated. She had been to
her general doctor, then to a ‘breast
specialist’ and neither doctor was able
to explain the pain she was having.
During the massage I discovered the
muscle that is beneath the breast
across chest, the pectoralis major, was
very taught and had knots know as
trigger points. I was able to relieve the
trigger points and the pain was gone.
Clare still receives relaxation massages, and often mentions that the
breast pain has never returned.
“Jean” made her appointment to get
relief from shoulder and neck pain. She
works at a computer all day .The repetitive muscle pattern causes her pain. I
noticed Jean had a slight limp when she
walked in. During the intake discussion
Jean revealed that she had recurring
headaches and took over the counter
pain relievers.The pain medication
upset her stomach so Jean was left to
choose between the pain in the head
and neck or an upset stomach. During
the therapeutic massage I discovered
which muscles in Jean’s neck and shoulders triggered the headaches.The very
first massage Jean experienced almost
complete relief. I asked Jean about her
limp. Many years before she had tripped
and sprained her ankle and since then
her knee hurt when she walked. The
doctor told Jean it was just part of getting older.The quadricep muscle group
in her thigh still had knots years after
the ankle sprain. Using trigger point
therapy the knots released. Jean’s knee
was free from pain and able to move
again. After the massage I taught Jean
a simple self massage technique she
could use to prevent most of the
headaches and neck pain.
“Tom” had a shoulder problem. He was
unable to get his arm up high enough
to work over his head. He tried to push
through the pain but the arm refused
to move. Since Tom is a painter by
trade the limited range of motion was
more than just an inconvenience. It
took a few sessions to help Tom regain
almost all of his range of motion. Since
his body is the major tool of his trade
he chooses to receive therapeutic massage regularly. He has been pain free
for almost a year and still works full
time as a painter.
Historical evidence indicates that massage was probably one of the earliest
remedies for pain relief and for the
restoration of the body. Think of the
mother holding or rubbing an injured
child’s knee or rubbing the back of a
child who cannot sleep. These actions
come almost naturally to most.
Infant and baby massage has developed into a specialty and is taught to
parents privately and through many
clinics. The child receives many developmental benefits and the parent child bond grows strong. Pre-natal massage is immensely helpful. It relieves
many of the physical pains and discomforts of pregnancy and can make labor
day a more positive experience.
The mind body connection is crucial.
I work with therapists and counselors
who refer their clients as an adjunct
to talk therapies. Massage in conjunction with other therapies greatly
helps those overcoming eating disorders. Those who have survived physical abuse often have ‘touch’ issues.
Working in a safe environment with a
trained professional can help those
who are seeking relief. Receiving a
loving touch that is completely controlled by the client and has no ‘end
expectation’ can be a very freeing
experience for all of us.
Therapeutic massage and healthy
lifestyle help protect your most important asset.Your body and your health.
With out your health you will be unable
to pursue your wants and desires.Your
whole future changes, forever. Your live
focus changes from moving forward to
your wants and desires to working to
stay away from pain.Your finances
become dedicated to maintaining your
existence. Ask anyone who is in this
position. Do they wish they had done
more for prevention?
Practicing positive health and
lifestyle now can save you and your
loved ones money, time, heart ache
and your very life.
Holistic Health - considers the whole
person, including physical, mental,
emotional and spiritual aspects.
Massage Therapy includes manipulation of muscle and tissue to reduce
chronic and acute pain and improve
overall health.
Carol Crystal practices massage therapy and health counseling in Jersey City
and Hoboken, NJ and can be reached
at 201-913-2864 or by e-mail at
[email protected] •
“KIDS IN KONGRESS”
fter returning from a highly
successful trip to the USA
Taekwondo Junior Olympics in
Atlanta, Georgia, in
which students of
ANSUN Taekowndo
earned 12 medals,
their greatest inspiration was not performing in the same building that was host to
two NFL Super Bowls
and home of the NFL’s
Atlanta Falcons; but, a
visit to the birthplace
of Rev. Martin Luther
King, Jr., the King
Center, and learning
about the “Beloved
Community.”
A
This thought-provoking and humbling experience led
to the creation of “Kids In Kongress”
(KIK), which will operate from Jersey
City’s Martin Luther King Drive.
Master Michael Garcia said,
“Besides kicking pads in class, we also
teach the students about citizenship
issues. At the end of each session, we
kick around some topics in the news,
current events and life lessons.”
KIK was created to represent children’s issues until the 13th
Congressional District seat is filled in
November. The seat has been vacant
since former Congressman Robert
Menendez was sworn-in as a United
States Senator on
January 18, 2006.
NJ Taekwondo for
Youth Foundation
Citizenship Team
member and former
Jersey City Martin
Luther King speech
contest winner
Charlene Robinson
said, “This is an idea
that we had during
the last school year;
but, going to the
birthplace of Dr. King
made us stop thinking
about it, and to do
something about it.”
Junior Olympic Gold Medallist
Eamonn Dwyer of Bayonne’s Horace
Mann School added, “We are writing
letters to ask people and companies
to support a cause, not a candidate,
such as educational opportunities for
children through the Taekwondo
Foundation.”
If you would like to donate to the
NJ Taekwondo for Youth Foundation,
with 501 (c) (3) tax-exempt status,
please send checks to 35 West 38th
Street, Bayonne, NJ, 07002. •
UNION CITY SCHOOLS ON
THE RIGHT TRACK
When he was elected to office in 2001,
Mayor Brian P. Stack promised the people of Union City that he would rebuild
the city’s school district and restore its
academic success.
Five years later, it is clear to
everyone that Mayor Stack has delivered
on his promise, and then some.
Today, Union City’s schools are
ranked among the very top urban school
districts in New Jersey, with high scores
on state- standardized assessment tests,
prestigious national and state education
awards, and three new schools opened
and several more under construction.
“I could not be more proud of our
students, teachers, administrators and parents,” says Mayor Stack. “It shows that
when you remove politics from our schools
and our students receive the same resources
as do suburban school students, they will
achieve and excel time and again.”
For the fourth consecutive year,
Union City School District general education students achieved among the
highest scores of all urban school districts in New Jersey on the state’s standardized assessment tests.
“From the third grade to the 11th
grade, our students’ test scores were
among the highest for all Abbott School
Districts in New Jersey, and that is quite
an accomplishment,” says Superintendent
of Schools Stanley Sanger. “Just as importantly, our test scores increased again this
year from 2005, and in most cases that
means we have increased our test scores
for four consecutive years. This is truly sustained academic achievement,” he adds.
Beyond these test scores, the
school district has also received substantial recognition on the national and state
level as well.
Earlier this year the new Jose Marti
Middle School was selected as one of only
22 schools in the entire state to receive a
Governor’s School of Excellence award.
Similarly, the Hudson School was
selected as one of only 54 such schools in
the entire nation (and the only one in
New Jersey) to be chosen a Title I
Distinguished School.
Union City schools received additional state
recognition this summer when three of its
schools – Woodrow Wilson, Roosevelt and
Gilmore – were honored with Best Practices
awards from the New Jersey Department of
Education (DOE)> The awards issued by
the DOE are part of a highly competitive
program that recognized the very best educational programs in the state.
“It has been a wonderfully successful year
in our school district,” says Mr. Sanger,
whose appointment to the district’s top
position coincides with its run of four consecutive successful years. “All of us are
looking forward to the new school year
and building upon our successes to sustain our academic achievement.”
Mayor Stack says he will continue to
do whatever is necessary to keep
Union City’s schools moving forward.
“The future of our children, and the
future of our community, depends in
large part upon the quality of our public schools. My commitment to the
schools is unwavering.” •
PAGE 23
USA • SUMMER 2006
EXCELLENCE IN EDUCATION
UNION CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT
• Jose Marti Middle
School (a new Abbottfunded school) was
named one of only 22
schools in New Jersey as
a Governor’s School of
Excellence. This award
carries a $25,000 prize.
• Hudson Elementary
School (K-5th grade) was
named one of only 54
schools in the nation as a
Title I Distinguished
School (and the only
such school in New
Jersey to receive this
award from the federal
Education Department).
• Three schools – Wilson,
Gilmore and Roosevelt –
in July received Best
Practices awards from
the New Jersey Department of Education.
• On this year’s New
Jersey standardized
assessment tests, scores
for Union City general
education students
increased for the fourth
consecutive year. These
scores were among the
very highest for all
Abbott schools and on
par with many suburban
school districts.
• Eleventh grade general
education students averaged 90.4 on Language
Arts, easily surpassing the
state benchmark of 79; on
the Mathematics, they
averaged 76, above the
state benchmark of 64.
• Eighth grade general
education students averaged 93.4 on Language
Arts, nearly 30 points
above state benchmark,
and averaged 84.5 on
Mathematics, surpassing
the state objective of 49
by more than 30 points!
• Fourth grade general
education students scored
a 90.3 on Mathematics,
almost 30 points higher
than the state objective
and a DRAMATIC
INCREASE over the 65.1
average in 2002.
• Our third grade general
education students
achieved a 90.8 average
on Language Arts, more
than 15 points above
state objective and an
increase of 9.2 in just two
years! On the Mathematics, these third
graders scored a 97.1
mark, more than 35
points above the state
objective and nearly a 16
point increase from 2002.
• Third graders from 5
schools scored a perfect
100 on the NJ ASK
Mathematics test.
QUOTE from
Superintendent of
Schools Stanley Sanger:
“From the third
grade to the 11th grade,
our students’ test scores
were among the highest
for all Abbott School
Districts in New Jersey,
and that is quite an
accomplishment. Just as
importantly, our test
scores increased again
this year from 2005, and
in most cases that means
we have increased our
test scores for four consecutive years. This is
truly sustained academic
achievement. This is just
further proof that if our
students receive the
same resources as
wealthier suburban
school districts, they will
excel and achieve on at
least an equal basis.”
PSP OUT OF THIS WORLD GAMING
Last month we inadvertently
published the wrong article with
the right caption. So here we go
again. This time we have it right.
Thanks enjoy your gaming.
The PSP is dazzling.
It is a must have for all video
game enthusiasts. The capabilities are phenomenal and the variety of games is superb. Whether
you are into games of combat,
intri-gue or sports the graphics
are out of this world. The controls
are comfortable and easy to
handle.
The additional features such
as being able to review photos,
video movies and listen to
music make the system even
AQUARIUS
JANUARY 20 –
FEBRUARY 18
There is growth and
gain through these life.
Generally a fruitful period for real estate investments, if you
don't bite off more than you can chew.
A touch-and-go time when it comes to
your emotions and the environment in
which you find yourself. You may be
up against it for a while, as things get
tight and progress is slowed. Your emotional life may slow to a trickle or be
completely blocked. Patience.
TAURUS
APRIL 20MAY 20
LEO
JULY 23 - AUGUST 22
This time period marks the beginning of a new cycle, when you
formulate plans and ideas that
will extend over the next 12
years. Your ambitions and ideals
slowly and gradually shift towards
a new focus. This is a period of
rebirth and renewed optimism.
Your imagination is vivid during
this time period and you enjoy
fairy tales, mythology, spiritual,
religious and metaphysical topics.
You might be distracted by a sense
that something big is coming -- and you
might be right. There's a big event on
its way, and it might present you with a
huge opportunity for growth or a new
romance. Talk to others about what you
hope will happen. Who knows? They
might be able to make it clearer for you.
At the very least, saying what you want
out loud will give the universe a clue
about how to handle things.
LIBRA
SEPTEMBER 23
– OCTOBER 22
This is a time to
reach out to people and to get others' input or counsel.
Listen to your mate or a friend who can
enlighten you at this time. Also, consulting a professional for health, business, or
personal reasons will be very constructive and fruitful now. It is impossible for
you to be content with superficial
answers now, and you are impatient
with people who avoid looking candidly
and honestly at root causes and hidden
reasons for any problem or situation.
CANCER
JUNE 22 –
JULY 22
Today was yesterday's future ...
and tomorrow is
a future that will be here in mere hours. The
point of this is that you're constantly moving
on your path, and your future isn't going to
wait for you to be prepared for it. Plan for
what you want and where you want to go.
This isn't about setting goals; it's much more
about calling on your flexibility and being
ready for whatever comes your way. There
are thousands of possible directions for your
life -- which one do you want to take?
SCORPIO
OCTOBER 23 –
NOVEMBER 22
Your thinking is rather
gloomy and pessimistic at this
time. You see the superficiality,
the flaws, and the foolishness
or impracticality in others'
plans. Also, communicating with others is difficult now, and people resist what you are saying. You feel more inhibited and uncommunicative, and you sense that others are not receptive. Frustrating conversations and the feeling
that you are coming across negatively are possible now, so you are inclined simply to keep
your thoughts to yourself. This is a time for you
to speak out about your thoughts or concerns
regarding your work or professional matters.
more appeal able.
The PSP system’s dazzling widescreen LCD brings gaming to a new level, it is if you are
live at an event. Reach for the
stars with this game system and
top your best scores you will never
be bored. Remember the PSP has
the capabilities of wireless competition with others.
PSP the
monster
of all
games
systems,
specifically in
the
portable
category.
Grab one
today,
play on the bus, train in the car
and at home. You will not forget
the experience. •
PISCES
ARIES
FEBRUARY 19
– MARCH 20
MARCH 21 –
APRIL 19
It is easy to be gracious and optimistic when things
are peachy keen, but you know you really have something when you can maintain these attitudes in less than optimal
situations. Others may be in a better
position to help you than you realize, so
don't be embarrassed about asking for
assistance. Swallow your pride and delegate some of your responsibilities. You
may have to turn down an invitation
even if you would like to accept it.
GEMINI
MAY 21 JUNE 21
Sure, running
around with your
friends and painting the town red can
be an awful lot of fun, but try not to
get too carried away. You have serious
priorities to consider, so ditch the loud
parties and say 'no thanks' to any wild
invitations. Right now you should move
toward hibernation mode. A quiet
phase of introspection will help you
reset your energies and recharge your
batteries. Let yourself be quiet and
focus inward for a while
SAGITTARIUS
NOVEMBER 22
– DECEMBER 21
Your honesty and willingness to communicate openly impresses
others. This is a good time to give a speech,
present your ideas publicly, or simply express
your viewpoint to the people who matter the
most in your life. If you are in a profession dealing with words, ideas, or communications, this
is a very positive and fruitful time for you.
Conversations with your partners and friends
are critical now. This is a time for you to really
listen and learn from others. If there is some
matter you are concerned with, now is an
excellent time to consult a professional or even
a good friend that can give helpful feedback.
As always, it's
important that
you succeed
right now -- but it's even more important that you avoid putting too much
pressure on yourself. Go easy! Pressure,
stress and self-doubt are your biggest
enemies, they could cause a bit of a
landslide if you're not careful. The
good news is that you already have all
the power you need to conquer anything -- it's deep inside of you.
VIRGO
AUGUST 23 –
SEPTEMBER 22
This is a good time to
take stock of your life,
to see how you are limiting and holding yourself back, and to determine your next
steps. But do not attempt to press forward now, and don't take whatever
setbacks you experience too much
too heart. You are at cross purposes
with the people in your environment
who are most able to benefit you.
CAPRICORN
DECEMBER 22
– JANUARY 19
The need to share, to
give and receive love,
and to be accepted
and wanted is very strong. You have an
opportunity now to see what keeps you from
being really close to others - perhaps a forgotten hurt or hidden resentment - and to rid
yourself of it by bringing it out in the open or
simply releasing it. Dreamy and exotic feelings
overcome you now. You are also hypnotized
by glamour, romance, and fantasy. You may
dream of visiting a South Sea or Hawaiian
island. In fact, you will probably visit fascinating, glamorous, or inspiring places now.
PAGE 24
USA • SUMMER 2006