New York’s
Beacon
website:
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Vol. 20 No. 10
Showing the Way to Truth and Justice
E-Mail
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75 Cents
March 7, 2013 - March 13, 2013
SCALIA CALLS VOTING
RIGHTS ENTITLEMENT
Not so,
counters
Justice
Sotomayor
as debate
continues
Justice Antonio Scalia
(See Story On Page 3)
Justice Sonia Sotomayor
Boy shoots himself with his father’s stolen gun
(See Story On Page 3)
Schumer recommends Gregory Woods
for Southern District Court of New York
BEACON, March 7, 2013 - March 13, 2013 newyorkbeacon.net
2
Shirley Chisholm
Rangel introduces a bill
honoring Shirley Chisholm
Congressman Rangel introduced the Shirley Chisholm Congressional Gold Medal Act legislation that would posthumously award the Congressional
Medal Act to Shirley Chisholm,
who was the first African-American woman elected to Congress.
She served with Rangel as part
of New York’s congressional delegation and as a founding member of the Congressional Black
Caucus.
“This bill honors my dear
friend for her activism, independence, and groundbreaking
achievements in politics during
and after the civil rights era,”
said Rangel. “Shirley’s election
to Congress and her candidacy
for the Presidency raised the
profile and aspirations of all
Blacks and women in the field of
politics.”
Shirley Chisholm represented
the people of Brooklyn, New
York, from 1969-1983, in the
House of Representatives.
Throughout her tenure, she promoted the employment of women
in Congress and was vocal in her
support of civil rights, women’s
rights, and the poor. She was also a
co-founder of the National Organization of Women (NOW).
In 1972 Ms. Chisholm was also
the first African-American to seek
the nomination of a major party for
President of the United States. A
historic figure in American politics
who broke glass ceilings and set
examples for future generations of
leaders, Shirley Chisholm passed
away at age 80 on January 1, 2005.
“Shirley used to say: ‘You don’t
make progress by standing on the
sidelines, whimpering and complaining. You make progress by
implementing ideas,’” Rangel said,
“Surely enough, Shirley became a
historic figure in American political
history and a champion for social
justice. Today, her legacy continues to inspire all of us to work for
progress and to believe in the
power of change.”
U.S. Senator Charles E.
Schumer has announced that he
is recommending Gregory
Howard Woods III to President
Obama to serve on the bench of
the United States District Court
for the Southern District of New
York. Mr. Woods is a resident of
Harlem and was born April of
1969. Schumer laid out several
reasons that Mr. Woods would
be an excellent fit for the job.
Schumer said that Woods’s excellent legal background, professional experience, and demonstrated leadership skills make him
a top choice for the District Court
for the Southern District of New
York.
“Gregory Woods is a proven
leader with a strong legal and
public-service background,” said
Schumer. “Mr. Woods is an accomplished attorney in the public and private sector who has a
clear commitment to justice, outstanding dedication to public service, and broad experience. He is
an exceptional choice to join the
bench in the Southern District.”
Mr. Woods is of African American descent and a graduate of
Williams College and Yale Law
School. Mr. Woods received his
J.D. from Yale Law School in 1995.
At Yale, Mr. Woods was Essays
Editor on the Yale Law Journal
and was awarded prizes for best
brief and best oralist in the
school’s moot court competition.
Mr. Woods received his B.A. magna cum laude from Williams College in 1991.
Mr. Woods currently serves as
general counsel at the U.S. Department of Energy. Prior, he
served as Deputy General Counsel at the U.S. Department of
Transportation and was appointed by Secretary Ray LaHood
in 2009. As Deputy General Counsel, Mr. Woods was awarded the
“Secretary’s Partnering for Excellence Award” and the “General
Counsel’s Team Award.” Mr.
Woods was also an associate and
then partner at Debevoise &
Plimpton LLP, working on a variety of financial and corporate
matters and focusing on both the
United States and Latin America.
Mr. Woods was a member of
the firm’s corporate practice, fo-
Gregory Woods
cused primarily on corporate finance, and advised a variety of
corporations, banks and investors
in domestic and cross-border
mergers, acquisitions and joint
ventures. Mr. Woods was a member of the firm’s hiring committee,
diversity committee and pro bono
committee. Mr. Woods’ practice
and client service led him to be recognized by Chambers USA as a
leading lawyer in New York in
Banking and Finance, among other
honors. Mr. Woods entered public service in 1995 as a trial attorney for the Department of Justice.
There, he practiced as a civil litigator until 1998, primarily litigating cases around fraud and fraudrelated activities.
“I have said time and again that
my criteria for judges is guided by
legal excellence, diversity and judicial moderation, and Gregory Woods
fits this description to a ‘T’,” added
Schumer.
Mr. Woods has also done a
large amount of pro bono work
with Practicing Attorneys for Law
Students (PALS), an organization
devoted to serving the needs of
minority law students in the New
York area. In addition to his time
with PALS, Mr. Woods is a board
member for the Union Settlement
Association – a social services
organization serving East Harlem
– and previously worked pro
bono as counsel to the New York
City Investment Fund.
De Blasio says parents struggle with shortage of Pre-K seats
Public Advocate Bill de Blasio
has released a report showing
demand for Pre-Kindergarten
seats far outstrips supply across
the city. According to the report,
applications for Pre-K seats in
Department of Education
schools outstrip supply in every
borough—3.5-to-1 in the Bronx,
4-to-1 in Brooklyn and Staten
Island, and roughly 5-to-1 in
Manhattan and Queens. As a
result, parents struggle to secure
a seat for their child at their preferred program or fail to secure
any spot at all.
Pre-K admissions open on
Monday. For working parents,
securing the right seat is critical
to starting a child on the right
educational track and being able
to hold a full-time job. Standing in
front of Manhattan’s P.S. 89—
whose Pre-K program has a 7 percent acceptance rate—de Blasio
and parents urged an expansion to
make free Pre-K truly universal.
“The shortage of high-quality,
full-time Pre-K seats is hurting thousands of families in every borough.
We can’t continue to be a city
where only a fraction of our kids
has access to early education, and
where working parents have to role
the dice every year and hope
they’re lucky enough to secure a
seat. It’s 2013, and it’s time for truly
universal Pre-K in New York City,”
said Public Advocate Bill de Blasio.
According to de Blasio’s report:
·
Every borough’s number
of applicants far exceeded available
Bill de Blasio
seats.
·
Manhattan and Queens
have the greatest mismatch of any
borough, with 5 applicants for every available seat, followed by
Brooklyn and Staten Island (4 applicants per seat) and the Bronx
(3.5 applicants per seat).
·
District 20 in Brooklyn,
which includes Bay Ridge, has the
greatest deficit of seats, with more
than 8 applicants for every available slot. It was followed by Manhattan Districts 2 and 3,
Brooklyn’s Distrcit 15, and
Queens’ Districts 26 and 24—
which all had more than 7 applicants per seat.
Of the 68,000 children eligible
for full-day Pre-K in New York City,
only 20,000 receive it. The rest re-
ceive no early education at all, or a
short three hours that don’t suffice
for working parents. A generation of
research has connected early education to higher graduations rates,
lower rates of incarceration and
higher earning power.
De Blasio has proposed a plan to
provide all four-year-olds with PreK for the first time in the city’s history, closing a gap of 48,000 children
who currently receive insufficient
part-time Pre-K or none at all. The
plan would also fund quality afterschool programs for middle
schoolers between 3 and 6 p.m. on
weekdays, keeping kids on-task and
out of trouble. To finance this transformation, de Blasio has called for
an income tax increase on New Yorkers earning $500,000 or more.
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By George E. Curry
NNPA Editor-in-Chief
Mayor Dave Bing
Detroit Mayor Bing
‘not surprised’ at
city’s fiscal state
Manager, he or she, like my AdBy Minehaha Forman
Special to the NNPA from The ministration, is going to need resources — particularly in the
Michigan Chronicle
form of cash and additional
After nearly three months of ex- staff,” Bing said.
Under the new emergency
amining Detroit’s finances, a sixmember state review team declared manager law, Public Act 436,
Tuesday that Michigan’s largest passed in December, the state is
city is in a state of financial emer- responsible for paying some of
the costs of hiring an emergency
gency.
“Certainly I am not surprised by manager and state-appointed
the findings of the State’s finan- staff. PA436 is similar to its precial review team,” Bing said Tues- decessor, Public Act 4, which
day in a statement. “My Adminis- was voted down by a ballot initration has been saying for the tiative in November. Namely, alpast four years that the City is un- lows the powerful emergency
manager to break collective barder financial stress.”
Now that the review has been gaining contracts.
completed, the findings leave
Bing said he plans to keep
whether or not to appoint an emer- working to address problems in
gency manager to Detroit up to the city.
“As I have said before, my AdGovernor Rick Snyder. Snyder has
said he would act quickly once he ministration will stay focused on
got the results. Detroit could have the initiatives that most directly
an emergency manager by early impact the citizens of Detroit:
March.
public safety, public lighting,
“If the Governor decides to appoint an Emergency Financial (CONTINUED ON PAGE 15)
WASHINGTON (NNPA) – In
the oral arguments last week before the Supreme Court to determine whether a key section of the
Voting Rights Act should be upheld, Justice Antonin Scalia referred to the provision as “perpetuation of racial entitlement.”
It was the kind of comment that
could easily spark a demonstration in front of the court. But when
Scalia made his comment about
the pre-clearance provision of the
1965 law last Wednesday, there
were already protesters in front of
the U.S. Supreme Court marching
in support of the Voting Rights Act.
The Voting Rights Act was
originally passed in 1965. When
Section 5 was scheduled to expire,
it was extended by Congress in
1970, 1975, 1982 and for another
25 years in 2006. It was approved
the last time with broad bipartisan
support. It passed the House by a
390-33 margin and the Senate 980.
Under Section 5 of the 1965
Voting Rights Act, jurisdictions
with a history of racial discrimination must receive pre-clearance
from the Justice Department or a
federal court before they are allowed to make any changes in their
voting procedures.
Inside the court, Scalia addressed
the various extensions of the Voting Rights Act since its passage.
“…The initial enactment of this
legislation in a – - a time when the
need for it was so much more
abundantly clear – - in the Senate,
there – - it was double-digits
against it. And that was only a 5year term. Then, it is reenacted five
years later, again for a 5-year term.
Double-digits against it in the Senate. Then it was reenacted for
seven years, Single digits against
it. Then enacted for 25 years, eight
Justice Antonin Scalia
Senate votes against it. And this
last enactment, not a single vote in
the Senate against it. And the
House is pretty much the same.
Scalia then said, “Now, I don’t
think that’s attributable to the fact
that it is so much clearer now that
we need this. I think it is attributable, very likely attributable, to a
phenomenon that is called perpetuation of racial entitlement. It’s been
written about. Whenever a society
adopts racial entitlements, it is very
difficult to get out of them through
the normal political process.”
Justice Sonia Sotomayor did not
let Scalia’s entitlement comment go
unchallenged.
She pressed Bert W. Rein, the
lawyer representing Shelby
County, Ala., four times on the issue. She asked, “Do you think that
the right to vote is a racial entitlement in Section 5?” Rein finally answered, “…May I say Congress
was reacting in 1964 to a problem
of race discrimination which it
thought was prevalent in certain
jurisdictions. So to that extent, as
the intervenor said, yes, it was intended to protect those who had
been discriminated against.”
Stephen G. Breyer said the case
should be looked up through a historical context.
“So in 1965, well, we have history,” he said. “We have 200 years
or perhaps of slavery. We have 80
years or so of legal segregation. We
have had 41 years of this statue. And
this statue has helped a lot. So,
therefore Congress in 2005 looks
back and says don’t change horses
in the middle of the stream, because
we still have a ways to go.”
If Section 5 is upheld on this conservative-leaning court, it would
probably be on the vote of Anthony
M. Kennedy. The right-leaning justice hinted that the Voting Rights Act
may have run its course.
After Solicitor General Donald B.
Verrilli, Jr. praised the effectiveness
of the Voting Rights Act, Kennedy
said, “Well, the Marshall Plan was
very god, too, the Morale Act, the
Northwest Ordinance, but times
change.”
Sotomayor said Shelby County
has not changed enough.
“Assuming I accept your
premise, and there’s some question
about that, that some portions of the
South have changed, your country
pretty much hasn’t.” she said. “In
the period we’re talking about, it has
many more discriminating – - 240
discriminatory voting laws that were
blocked by Section 5 objections.”
Shelby County went to court after the Justice Department rejected
a redistricting plan that evidently
played a role in the defeat of Ernest
Montgomery, the only Black member of the 5-member city council in
Calera, Ala., a bedroom community
of 12,000 people near Birmingham.
Montgomery was elected to the
council in 2004 from a district that
was nearly 71 percent Black. The
district was redrawn two years later,
(CONTINUED ON PAGE 15)
Boy, 4, kills himself with his
father’s suspected stolen gun
A suspected drug dealer has
been arrested for the death of his
4-year-old son who Houston authorities say picked up his
father’s gun and shot himself.
Police determined the gun
had been stolen in a burglary
two years ago.
Twenty-year-old Marquiez
Deshon Pratt is being held Monday under $50,000 bond on
charges of injury to a child by
omission and possession of a
controlled substance with intent
Deshon Pratt
to deliver. A court appearance is
set for Tuesday.
Investigators say Pratt was
asleep Sunday when his son,
Jaiden, picked up the .40-caliber
semiautomatic pistol that was
nearby and shot himself in the
stomach.
Pratt was outside his apartment
when police arrived, handed the
boy to officers and ran back inside. Police who chased him found
marijuana, crack cocaine, scales
and other items.
More than one in 6 Americans cannot afford to buy enough food
New food hardship data reflect continuing struggles and need for Congress to protect nation’s nutrition safety net
Millions of Americans continued in 2012 to struggle to afford
enough food, according to new,
up-to-date food hardship data from
the Food Research and Action
Center (FRAC). More than one in
six Americans (18.2 percent) said
in 2012 that there had been times
over the past 12 months that they
didn’t have enough money to buy
food that they or their families
needed.
The South Bronx Congressional District represented by
U.S. Rep. Serrano continued to
have the highest rate of food insecurity in the Country. New York
State overall was about average
(17.7%), with NYC (16.6%) faring slightly better than the rate
of the state.
Hunger continues to be a major
problem in our local communities
and nationwide,” noted Mark
Dunlea, executive director of Hunger Action Network. “Instead of
trying to cut funding and eligibility for food stamps, Congress
needs to raise benefits to feed a
family for the entire month and
make it easier for families to apply.”
Dunlea noted that the proposed
Congressional cuts to SNAP
would especially hit working families (a majority of SNAP recipients)
and public housing tenants in NYC
and other urban areas.
Dunlea added that Governor
Cuomo and lawmakers need to
raise the state minimum wage as
part of the budget in order to raise
the income of working families and
stimulate the economy. A recent
statewide survey by Hunger Action
found that more than a third of the
guests at emergency food programs
had a job but make too little to support their households.
FRAC’s food hardship report –
(CONTINUED ON PAGE 15)
3
BEACON, March 7, 2013 - March 13, 2013 newyorkbeacon.net
Supreme Court hears Voting Rights challenge
Scalia calls voting rights ‘racial entitlement’
BEACON, March 7, 2013 - March 13, 2013 newyorkbeacon.net
4
Coca-Cola Executive
Saunders Jones retiring
By Kalin Thomas
United Way of Metro Atlanta, the
Special to the NNPA from The Woodruff Arts Center, National
Atlanta Voice
Black Arts Festival, and The Carter
Center Board of Advisors.
Longtime activist and civic
She also serves or has served
leader Ingrid Saunders Jones is on the board of Clark Atlanta Uniretiring from Coca-Cola after 30 versity, the Congressional Black
years of notable service with the Caucus Foundation, the Ohio
company, officials announced State University President’s
this week.
Council on Women, Girl Scouts of
Jones, senior vice president of the USA, The Coca-Cola Scholars
Global Community Connections Foundation and The Coca-Cola
and chair of the Coca-Cola Foun- Africa Foundation.
dation, will retire on June 1. Former
“Ingrid’s contributions to our
Atlanta City Council president company and the communities we
and Grady Health Foundation serve worldwide cannot be overpresident Lisa Borders will as- stated,” said Muhtar Kent, chairsume both roles, effective May man and CEO, The Coca-Cola
1.As a testament to her longtime Company. “Simply put, she has
leadership, Jones has received been the heart and soul of Cocamany honors from organizations Cola in the community for three
ranging from the National Urban decades.
League and the Jackie Robinson
Jones, who also chairs the
Foundation to the Executive Lead- National Council of Negro
ership Council, National Women’s Women, said she is proud to
Research Alliance and the YWCA have served the Atlanta and
of Atlanta, officials said.
global communities for more
Under her leadership, officials than three decades.
said, The Coca-Cola Foundation
“Over the past 30 years, I have
has awarded more than $500 mil- been grateful to work for a comlion to thousands of community pany that commits the talent and
organizations worldwide.
time of its employees and its philHer community and leadership anthropic dollars to issues and
accomplishments include chair- organizations that empower and
ing several notable national and enhance the lives of others,” she
local organizations, such as the said.
Coca-Cola executive Ingrid Saunders Jones, shown here during a
Jackie Robinson Foundation awards program, will retire from the
company and the Coca-Cola Foundation on June 1 after 30 years of
service.
(Courtesy photo).
Rodman Worms His Way Into Kim Jong Un Meeting (ABC News)
Rodman worms his way
into Kim Jong Un meeting
Flamboyant former NBA star
Dennis Rodman, known as “the
Worm” during his pro career, sat
with North Korean leader Kim Jong
Un in Pyongyang watching an
exhibition basketball game becoming the first American to meet the
leader of the nuclear state.
“You have a friend for life,”
Rodman told Kim while chatting
without any translators as three
visiting Harlem Globetrotters competed together with 12 North Korean players. Rodman, wearing
dark glasses and a black baseball
cap with USA on it, sat to the left
of Kim. Both were in large red
chairs that were topped with white
covers, not a typical courtside
seat.
The North Korean leader later
dined and drank with the Americans.
Kim, 30, is known to have been
a Rodman fan since his teenage
years at a Swiss boarding school
before assuming power after his
father Kim Jong-Il’s death in December 2011.
North Korean cheerleaders
wearing traditional costumes and
miniskirts performed during halftime. Foreign diplomats were invited to watch the game. Foreign
journalists were not invited to
cover it.
The game, which mixed the
Harlem Globetrotters and the 12
North Korean players into two
teams, ended diplomatically in a
110-110 draw.
After the game, Rodman
thanked the North Korean leader
for the invitation.
“Although relations between
the two countries are regrettable,
personally I am a friend of Marshal
Kim Jong Un and the DPRK
people,” he said, according to Chinese news agency Xinhua.
The 51 year-old winner of five
NBA championships arrived in
Pyongyang on Tuesday with
Harlem Globetrotters and a VICE
television crew to shoot a documentary about North Korea for
HBO. Their agenda includes a
children’s basketball camp hoping
the visit will engage in a bit of “basketball diplomacy.”
VICE released a statement saying that correspondent Ryan Duffy
invited Kim to visit the U.S., an invite that was met with laughter from
Kim.
Relations between the two countries are tense as the U.S. is imposing tough sanctions on North Korea which has pressed ahead with
a nuclear weapons program and a
missile program, and saying
bluntly it is aimed at the U.S.
VICE also said that Kim dined
and drank with the Americans after the game. It was put less diplomatically by VICE producer Jason
Mojica who tweeted, “Um… so Kim
Jong Un just got the #VICEonHBO
crew wasted… no really, that happened.”
VICE founder Shane Smith said
in the statement, “We here at VICE
are very pleased that Kim Jong Un
could make it to the game and that
everyone enjoyed themselves so
much. To see everyone letting their
hair down and getting into the match
made it all the more worthwhile.”
Rodman, who has been known for
his wild outfits that have included a
wedding dress, was conservatively
attired in a dark jacket along with
his trademark lower lip and nose
piercings which North Koreans
would not have ever seen due to
restrictions and customs in terms of
dress code. On his arrival in North
Korea, Rodman tweeted: “I’m not a
politician. Kim Jung Un & North
Korean people are basketball fans.
I love everyone. Period. End of
story. #WORMinNorth Korea.”
Rodman is to visit Panmunjom
bordering South Korea before leaving on March 5.
Rodman’s visit came a month after Google CEO Eric Schmidt and
former New Mexico governor Bill
Richardson visited North Korea.
But despite Kim’s eagerness to
project a more modern and technologically advanced country, neither
Schmidt nor Richardson met with
Kim.
Garvey School plans open house to showcase its accomplishment
In keeping with its continuous
effort to communicate with the
community, the Garvey School, a
private, co-educational PK-8
school which utilizes both traditional and progressive teaching
strategies will host an open house
at its Bronx, New York location
on March 23 at 5pm.
“The open house is expected
to increase awareness about our
successful school program” said
Jamaican born founder and principal June O’Conner.
“Our children will perform, greet
guests and conduct a tour of the
site after a presentation in our auditorium. Former parents will do
mini presentations about their experiences at Garvey. It will be
packed with information/stats
that will be very helpful in navigating the educational system”
she said.
The Garvey School is named
after the late Marcus Mosiah
Garvey a national hero of Jamaica.
He was a visionary who understood that true education is liberating and empowering, and if it is
to be, it is up to us.
“When my daughter was ready
to attend school, neighborhood
schools were my only option but
I felt they were unequal in all respects. To get the results I desired,
I created a learning environment
in my living room, and shortly after in my house. As word got out
that children of color were in a
small group setting, and getting
the benefits of one-on-one tutoring, others came knocking. The
students were learning to play the
piano, getting voice lessons, playing tennis, performing in plays,
and participating in oratorical exercises on a regular basis, while
academic progress was exceptional. Parents have a strong/ear-
Marcus Garvey
nest desire to educate their children well, and so they came to seek
well for their children” O’Conner
noted.
Garvey School has since been
steadfastly and successfully preparing students in the Northeast
Bronx to perform much better than
anticipated, and to challenge
boundaries in all areas. So far, it
has been working; results of standardized tests, number of children
who have transitioned to elite private schools, and talented and
gifted program increase each year.
Further, children who attend the institution are confident, articulate
and ready to navigate the world.
The Garvey experience includes
languages: Highly trained and native speakers teach the children
Spanish and French 3-4 times per
week. Mandarin is expected to be
on the roster in Fall, 2013. An experienced and talented musician
teaches music: theory and keyboarding to all students.
The youngest students are
learning to play the bells. The
Garvey Playhouse is a vibrant
theater community within Garvey,
and they perform significant
productions 2-3 times per year.
Students do virtual tours of 3
continents each year. They study
a country in-depth, which culminates into a symposium where
each child gets a turn to present.
The presentations are generally
interactive and require audience
participation.
Up you might race; you can accomplish what you will - Marcus
Garvey. Garvey School, 950
Baychester Avenue, Bronx NY
10475. Founder/Principal -June
OConnor, 646 851 5634,
[email protected]
[email protected]
www.garveyschool.org.
5
BEACON, March 7, 2013 - March 13, 2013 newyorkbeacon.net
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6
Editorial
Shielded by legal shield
Beacon
By Harry C. Alford
Beyond the Rhetoric
Walter Smith: Publisher & Editor-in-Chief
Miatta Haj Smith: Co-Publisher & Executive Editor
William Egyir: Managing Editor
Republicans advance discredited ‘entitlement’ lies
By George E. Curry
NNPA Columnist
Even after the White House
and Congress stagger to reach a
last-minute deal to avert yet another budget crisis, there is a fundamental difference in approach
between the Obama administration and House Republicans. And
those two stark approaches to
governing goes to the type of
society we want to be: one that
protects the needy or one that
protects the greedy.
Surprisingly, the Republicans’
position is crystal clear: they favor extending special favors to
the wealthy at the expense of the
most vulnerable in our society.
“Republicans say that from
here on, we should do only spending cuts, focusing on entitlement
programs. But their approach to
entitlements is highly selective —
they seek to cut the entitlement
programs on the spending side of
the budget, whose benefits go
overwhelmingly to middle-class
and poor families. But they want
no deficit reduction to come from
the most wasteful and inefficient
of entitlements — those embedded in the tax code,” observed
Robert Greenstein, director of the
Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP).
Republican leaders say they
will not budge on cutting tax expenditures, a term for tax deductions, exclusions, credits, and
other tax preferences that disproportionately benefit the wealthy.
“Senate Minority Leader
Mitch McConnell proclaimed in
an op-ed … ‘I have news for [President Obama]: the moment that he
and virtually every other elected
Democrat in Washington signed
off on the terms of the current arrangement, it was the last word on
taxes. That debate is over,’”
Greenstein wrote. “Similarly,
House Speaker John Boehner’s
staff declared, ‘As far as we’re
concerned, the tax issue is off the
table.’ This, despite the fact that
Boehner proposed several hundred billion dollars of additional
revenues during his negotiations
with President Obama only a few
weeks ago.”
What is it that Republicans are
so adamant about protecting?
As Greenstein notes, “Tax expenditures cost about $1.1 trillion
a year, far more than Social Security or than Medicare and Medicaid combined and nearly twothirds more than the total cost of
all non-defense discretionary programs.”
It is such a logical – and fair –
place to cut that Martin Feldstein,
former chair of President Reagan’s
Council of Economic Advisers,
said that “cutting tax expenditures
is really the best way to reduce
government spending.”
The Urban Institute-Brookings
Institution Tax Policy Center estimates that for tax year 2011, the
top fifth of the population will receive 66 percent of the $1.1 trillion
in individual tax-expenditure benefits (the top 1 percent alone will
receive 23.9 percent of the benefits), the middle 60 percent of the
population will receive slightly
more than 31 percent of the ben-
efits, and the bottom 20 percent
of the population will receive only
2.8 percent.
The headline of another CBPP
report says it all: “Contrary to ‘Entitlement Society’ Rhetoric, Over
Nine-Tenths of Entitlement Benefits Go to Elderly, Disabled, or
Working Households.”
According to the study issued
last year: “…”More than 90 percent of the benefit dollars that
entitlement and other mandatory
programs spend go to assist
people who are elderly, seriously
disabled, or members of working
households – not to able-bodied,
working-age Americans who
choose not to work.”
Mitt Romney was arguing the
opposite position in a surreptitiously recorded video that contributed to his defeat against President Obama.
“In Obama’s ‘entitlement society,’ everyone receives the same
or similar rewards, regardless of
education, effort and willingness
to take risk,” Romney charged.
“Once we thought ‘entitlement’
meant that Americans were entitled to the privilege of trying to
succeed in the greatest country
in the world. Americans fought
and died to earn and protect that
entitlement. But today the new
entitlement battle is over the size
of the check you get from Washington.”
That was a callous lie. In fact,
the CBPP study notes, “Federal
budget and Census data show
that, in 2010, 91 percent of the ben(CONTINUED ON PAGE 16)
Legal Shield was first known as
PrePaid Legal and that is where
this story begins. This is a story
of a relationship between the National Black Chamber of Commerce
and this network of top legal firms
and the company’s representatives selling the services it provides. Only in America could this
relationship have happened.
My first encounter with the firm
was back in the early 1990s. We
were based in Indianapolis with the
start of our first experiment, The
Hoosier Minority Chamber of
Commerce. We hired a photographer to cover one of our events.
The guy went well beyond scope
and demanded pay for that mistake. I told him I will accept only
the pictures I requested and will
pay for only that. A week later I
received a demand letter from renowned local attorney Linda
Pence. The matter concerned $400
and I quickly decided to pay it
rather than go head to head with
this fierce and reputable legal ace.
After that I called the photographer and asked, “How did you get
Linda Pence to represent you?” He
said: “Easy! I have PrePaid Legal
coverage. They have my back.”
Years later, I was attending a
board of directors meeting at the
U.S. Chamber of Commerce when
one of the officers approached me
and said, “Harlan Stonecipher,
CEO of PrePaid Legal, wants to talk
to you after the board meeting.”
He pointed out Harlan and I approached him after the meeting.
Harlan explained to me that he has
a very important form of legal service for common citizens. It provides insurance like service which
clients can use whenever they
have a need for legal service. It is
affordable and gives them the use
of top notch legal firms to serve
their needs. “We are successful
but, still, I want to share this ser-
vice with more of the Black community. Can I and you figure this out
and work together?” I agreed.
Soon I had lunch with one lof
PrePaid Lega’s top performers,
Darnell Self, who happens to be
Black. We mapped a strategy. I
would go on the road motivating
their representatives and Darnell
would meet the NBCC Board of Directors and present at our conferences. Before long, that developed
in my speaking via DVD’s and keynoting at their annual events. I even
testified before Congress (Congressional Black Caucus African American Male Initiative) about the advantages of PrePaid Legal in the
Black community.
It was an easy sell for me. I was
witnessing Black males and females
gaining wealth through the selling
of this great service. Former postal
workers, unemployed, ex-offenders,
etc. were now making $150,000-plus
per year selling this fantastic service. While the service was answering the needs of many people with
problems, quandaries and other legal aspects (saving a lot of youngsters from jail for example), the representatives were being compensated well. Many had been living in
poverty their whole lives but were
now buying homes, sending their
children to college and building
long-term wealth for their families.
The NBCC started telling the
world about this phenomenon.
Darnell’s division of the network is
called Team NuVision and it is about
90 percent Black. At one of their regional meetings, I keynoted before
4,000 Team NuVision representatives. I got so motivated that I declared them all to be members
(gratis) of the NBCC and to put that
in their bios. They all jumped up and
cheered for eight minutes. This gave
them credibility as they worked in
their communities. At this time,
Darnell had about 40,000 representatives in his network. Today, he has
(CONTINUED ON PAGE 16)
Blackonomics: The one trillion dollar lie
By James Clingman
Blackonomics
“If you tell a lie big enough
and keep repeating it, people
will eventually come to believe
it. The lie can be maintained only
for such time as the State can
shield the people from the political, economic and/or military
consequences of the lie. It thus
becomes vitally important for the
State to use all of its powers to
repress dissent, for the truth is the
mortal enemy of the lie, and thus
by extension, the truth is the
greatest enemy of the State.” Joseph Goebbels
Watching the TV special that
reviewed information contained in
the book, Hubris: The Inside
Story of Spin, Scandal, and the
Selling of the Iraq War, by
Michael Isikoff and David Corn,
brought back memories of articles
and radio shows I had done during the run-up to “shock and awe”
in March 2003. It reminded me of
how callous and shameless those
high level politicians were and how
low they would go to get this country into an unnecessary war.
It gave me pause as I thought
of the nearly 5,000 American lives
that were lost, the tens of thousands of soldiers who came home
incapacitated, minus arms and
legs, and the 100,000 Iraqi men,
women, and children killed in a war
that was supposed to “liberate”
them. This war was made even
more tragic in that it cost more
American lives than were lost in
the World Trade Center on 9/11.
The authors of Hubris, as well
as interviews of key individuals
involved in the Big Lie, point out
the sheer and utter disregard for
truth, integrity, and human life.
From the neo-con gang, i.e. Feith,
Wolfowitz, Perle, to Rumsfeld,
Rice, Cheney, and President
George W. Bush, one thing was
crystal clear: They were going to
war with Iraq regardless. They
obviously didn’t care about weapons of mass destruction simply
used the threat of WMD to scare
everyone else into believing the
biggest charade in history. I could
hardly believe it when high level
officials admitted on television,
before the American public, that
they were shocked at the lies that
were being told by the Bush administration.
When Bush, Cheney, Rice, and
Rumsfeld are asked if they now
believe they made a grave error
by going into Iraq, they all say,
“No, I think it was the right thing
to do.” What hubris! It seems they
have no consciences and no fear
of the fact that they will someday
have to account to a higher court
for their actions, irrespective of
what they “think.” Even now, after all the lies have come out and
after most reasonable people know
the Iraq war was not based on the
premise put forth by Colin Powell
at the United Nations, they still say
they did the right thing. I don’t
know how they sleep with the
blood of thousands on their
hands.
Of course, at the bottom of the
Iraq mess was economic enrichment: no-bid contracts, the construction and maintaining of the
largest embassy in the world, $9
billion dollars in cash still unaccounted for, Ahmed Chalabi getting his payoff, Halliburton, KBR,
and all the others who made mil-
lions off the war in Iraq.
The hypocrisy that reigns now,
especially among some of our politicians who earn a minimum of
$174,000 compared to a soldier who
makes less than $45,000, is embarrassing, insulting and, if you ask me,
even sinful. To see the symbolic reverence and respect portrayed by
politicians when they visit graves
and hospitals, juxtaposed against
their mistreatment, neglect, and ignoring the needs of veterans is unbearable. It’s as though veterans’
lives and sacrifices are only good
for photo-ops.
Back to the stupid needless war
in Iraq. We should be ashamed of
our leaders for perpetrating the biggest fraud of the past century, well
maybe at least the second biggest
next to the sinking of the Lusitania
(CONTINUED ON PAGE 16)
7
Mrs. Rosa Parks – Before and after the bus
By Marian Wright Edelman
Child Watch
Our minds fasten on that single
moment on the bus — Mrs. Parks
alone in that seat, clutching her
purse, staring out a window, waiting to be arrested. That moment
tells us something about how
change happens, or doesn’t happen . . . We so often spend our
lives as if in a fog, accepting injustice, rationalizing inequity, tolerating the intolerable. Like the
bus driver, but also like the passengers on the bus, we see the
way things are — children hungry in a land of plenty, entire
neighborhoods ravaged by violence, families hobbled by job loss
or illness — and we make excuses
for inaction, and we say to ourselves, that’s not my responsibility, there’s nothing I can do. Rosa
Parks tells us there’s always something we can do. She tells us that
we all have responsibilities, to
ourselves and to one another.
She reminds us that this is how
change happens — not mainly
through the exploits of the famous and the powerful, but
through the countless acts of often anonymous courage and kindness and fellow feeling and responsibility that continually, stubbornly, expand our conception of
justice — our conception of what
is possible.
President Obama spoke these
moving and right words at the
February 27 unveiling of the beautiful new statue of Mrs. Rosa
Parks in the United States
Capitol’s Statuary Hall — the first
Black woman so honored. The
ceremony also included eloquent
remarks from Congressional leaders and a stirring performance of
“Lift Every Voice and Sing” by the
military choir that was a tribute to
this bright North Star to freedom.
Mrs. Parks, like Harriet Tubman
before her, lit our nation’s way.
The president’s words were a
needed reminder that Mrs. Parks
was just one very bright star in a
constellation of sacrificial Black
and White stars who pushed and
pulled our nation forward on the
long stony road of struggle, activism, and sacrifice that began generations before her birth in
Tuskegee, Ala. 100 years ago. So
many Americans keep looking for
the next Dr. King or Mrs. Parks to
come and solve our problems and
save us from our own responsibility to act. But Mrs. Parks and Dr.
King were always part of a much
larger whole. On the particular day
in December 1955 when she refused to give up her seat on a
Montgomery city bus, she was one
of a trained cohort of civil rights
leadership in the city who had been
putting the community infrastructure in place waiting for the right
spark to ignite the needed anti-Jim
Crow movement time in Montgomery. Jeanne Theoharis’s new biography The Rebellious Life of Mrs.
Rosa Parks (and other recent
books) is now shedding extra light
on the fact that there was much
more to Mrs. Parks than the story
of the quiet seamstress who one
day was just so tired she finally
decided to sit down.
In reality, Mrs. Parks was not
only a seamstress but a respected
local activist; was willing to work
without a spotlight but was not
meek or quiet; and did not spontaneously act out of the blue just
because she felt tired. Mrs. Parks
was neither complacent nor long
suffering, and had been fighting
for equality and justice years before December 1955. In fact, like
most Black people raised under
Southern segregation, Jim Crow,
and injustice, Mrs. Parks resented
them from the day she was born.
Before her arrest Mrs. Parks had
served as the secretary of the
Montgomery branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
(N.A.A.C.P.) for more than 10
years. As part of her work with
the N.A.A.C.P., she investigated
cases of violence and sexual assault against Black women, including Recy Taylor, a married Black
mother who was walking home
from church when she was abducted at gunpoint and gangraped by a group of six White men
in Abbeville, Ala. in 1944. In response, Mrs. Parks helped found
the Committee for Equal Justice
for Mrs. Recy Taylor that attracted nationwide support, action
that the Chicago Defender called
the “strongest campaign for equal
justice to be seen in a decade.”
Although Mrs. Taylor’s attackers
had admitted their guilt to local
authorities, they were not convicted of the crime or punished—
and Mrs. Parks was not done
fighting injustice.
Nor was she alone. In all of her
battles before and after her own
arrest, Mrs. Parks was part of a
coordinated movement of others
sharing the same goal. The sum-
mer before her arrest she attended
Highlander Folk School near Knoxville, Tenn., a training center for
activism in civil rights and workers’ rights. Immediately after her
arrest, Mrs. Parks was supported
by N.A.A.C.P. colleagues, including E.D. Nixon and others in Montgomery actively watching for the
right moment to act. Alabama State
College professor and Women’s
Political Council President Jo Ann
Robinson was one of the key unsung heroines who were the backbones of most civil rights
struggles who waited and watched
for the right incident and opportunity and were prepared to help
seize the moment and propel it into
a larger movement.
Although many people think of
Dr. King as the leader of the Montgomery Bus Boycott, it’s important to remember that Dr. King did
not establish or spark that movement or most campaigns that developed into major movements
across the South. He responded
to the demands of the communities whose cups boiled over and
was able to embody and communicate their hopes and dreams. In
fact, when the Montgomery movement began, the community
needed someone to be out in front.
As the youngest and newest
preacher in town, Dr. King was the
top candidate because he had the
least baggage. So he rose to the
occasion and responded to and
eloquently articulated the movement already in place.
As it happened, the Montgomery Bus Boycott quickly showcased Dr. King’s enormous Godgiven ability as a leader and
spokesperson with enormous courage. But what took place in Montgomery was repeated in Selma, Birmingham, and elsewhere and in the
sit-in and Freedom Rider movements: Dr. King did not start those
local movements himself either, but
used his powerful eloquence and
moral voice and willingness to go
to jail with local people to amplify
those movements already in process led by extraordinary local
people such as Rev. Fred
Shuttlesworth in Birmingham and
the incredible Black children of Birmingham who stood up to fire hoses
and police dogs and filled
Birmingham’s jails with child energy, courage, and determination to
be free. Photos of these children
under attack circulated around the
globe led President Kennedy to
submit what became the Civil Rights
Act of 1964 to Congress and
Birmingham’s White power structure to agree to end Jim Crow in
Birmingham’s public facilities.
Today, too many would-be movement leaders simply want to be Dr.
King or Mrs. Rosa Parks: they want
the glory and privilege of leadership without the burdens or sacrifice and sustained hard work. Movements are not built from the top
down by powerful leaders but percolate from the bottom up from
people who share common grievances. Nor are they the result of individuals acting alone, although
the courageous actions of one individual can provide a powerful defining symbolic spark—just as with
the image of the dignified and proud
Mrs. Parks sitting on that bus and
(CONTINUED ON PAGE 16)
Black American’s never-ending challenge
By Lee A. Daniels
NNPA Columnist
Within a matter of days late last
month, four controversies
erupted that acutely underscore
the crux of Black Americans continuing challenge in this land.
In one, Emory University President James W. Wagner seemed to
suggest that the bargaining
among the delegates at the Constitutional Convention that produced the infamous three-fifths
clause of the Constitution was a
model of the value of compromise.
In the second, the February
21st Bloomberg Businessweek
magazine cover had a drawing,
above the title, “The Great American Housing Rebound,” consisting of caricatures of grinning
Black and Hispanic Americans
cavorting in a house stuffed with
dollar bills – suggesting that minority homeowners were gaming
the mortgage system. Five years
ago, conservatives made similar
charges in trying to pin most of
the blame for the collapse of the
nation’s housing bubble on Black
and Hispanic borrowers.
The third controversy involved
Dov Hikind, a prominent politi-
cian in Brooklyn, N.Y. who “corked
up” in blackface, sunglasses and
a wild Afro wig, as “a Black basketball player,” to celebrate the
Jewish festival of Purim. Before the
volume of rebukes forced him to
make an insincere apology, Hikind
claimed that any criticism of his
behavior was “political correctness to the absurd.”
Finally, and most importantly, on
February 27t the U.S. Supreme
Court heard oral arguments in a
challenge to the most important
provision of the 1965 Voting
Rights Act, the foundation of
Blacks’ political advancement
since the 1960s. The case was
brought by officials of Shelby
County, Alabama.
There they are: One controversy
that recalled the bargain the
Founders made to insure the creation of the United States – which
also insured that their own fortunes and the economic power of
the fledgling nation would be built
by continuing to exploit Africans
and African Americans as slave
labor. Two others which show that
profoundly racist views of Blacks
and other people of color still grip
some individual Whites who
should know better. And, last – the,
apparently, never-ending effort of
some individuals and entities in
America to deny Black Americans
democracy’s fundamental marker
of citizenship: the right to vote.
Of the four, the voting rights
case — Shelby County v. Holder
– is the most laden with a bitter
irony. For one thing, Congress in
2006 re-authorized the Act by a
vote of 98-0 in the Senate and 39033 in the House of Representatives after extensive testimony
made it clear that many of the jurisdictions covered by the Act,
especially those in the South with
long histories of concerted efforts
to deny their Black residents access to the ballot in the Jim Crow
decades, were still using such tactics as denying petitions for early
voting, or reducing the hours for
early voting, or moving polling
stations to locations likely to reduce Blacks’ turnout, and so on.
For another, just four years ago,
the Supreme Court turned back a
challenge to the Act in a case from
Texas.
But in that case the justices
sidestepped ruling whether the
Act’s key provision – its Section 5 clause – was constitutional. That clause requires ju-
risdictions covered by the Act
to get permission from the Justice Department or a special
federal court before changing
voting procedures.
Now, many analysts think
the court’s conservative majority will strike it down.
C e r t a i n l y, J u s t i c e A n t o n i n
Scalia made it clear that is his
intent. During the oral arguments, he called the Act a “racial entitlement” program and
dismissed the overwhelming
2006 Congressional vote to renew it as racial pandering. It’s
a point of view that a century
and a half ago formed the foundation of the racist attack to destroy Reconstruction.
There’s another bitter irony
to the Shelby case. The debate
in the court comes amid a continuing blizzard of laws and
regulations in at least 38 states
since President Obama’s 2008
election to try to suppress the
vote of Blacks and other Democratic-leaning voting blocs.
Those efforts, widely publicized and attacked by civil
rights and other groups, had
just the opposite effect on Election Day 2012. They produced
record-breaking turnouts of
Black, Hispanic and AsianAmerican voters that signaled a
deeper maturation of these
groups’ electoral power – and
the growing peril shadowing the
Republican Party’s ability to
contest future presidential elections.
That’s the broader framework
encompassing the Shelby County
case. It continues the historical pattern of America’s struggle over race
and the meaning of democracy. Every “proof” Black Americans forge
that shows they, too, can claim the
“unalienable rights” the Constitution declared belong to all human
beings has always provoked a fierce
reaction from those Whites who’ve
staked their status and identity on
excluding them.
Yes, the United States is a long
way from the evil bargain James W.
Wagner foolishly cited as an example of a “good” compromise. But
we’re also a long way from the racial Promised Land some people
foolishly think is just around the
corner.
Lee A. Daniels is a longtime journalist based in New York City. His most
recent book is Last Chance: The Political Threat to Black America.
BEACON, March 7, 2013 - March 13, 2013 newyorkbeacon.net
Opinion
8
BEACON, March 7, 2013 - March 13, 2013 newyorkbeacon.net
By Audrey J. Bernard
Lifestyles & Society Editor
“The time has come for an allout world war against poverty.
The rich nations must use their
vast resources of wealth to develop the underdeveloped,
school the unschooled, and feed
the unfed. Ultimately, a great
nation is a compassionate nation.
No individual or nation can be
great if it does not have concern
for ‘the least of these,’” sermonized Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King
Jr. on December 11, 1964.
On January 17, 2013, the Black
Agency Executives (BAE) honored the memory and words of Dr.
King during its 36th annual Rev.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. luncheon at the Hilton Hotel in New
York City themed “Advancing the
Dream of Economic Equality.”
Over 350 professionals and
community leaders from the nonprofit, corporate and faith-based
communities attended the popular MLK event that also celebrated BAE’s 23 rd Annual
Founders’ Awards. WNBC-TV
anchor David Ushery served as
Master of Ceremonies with comedian Chuck Nice co-hosting. Kudos to chairperson Carla D.
Brown, co-chairperson Maria C.
Willis and Bobby Watts; and
event producer/fundraising consultant Theresa O’Neal, Bee Season Consulting.
The luncheon – which is recognized as one of the premier networking events of the season and
known for its powerful keynote
speakers — proudly honored one
of the most prominent business
industry leaders in the nation and
two stellar organization: Maurice
Coleman, Turner Construction
Company and STRIVE.
After a wonderful invocation
by Rev. Dr. Gary V. Simpson, the
Renaissance Steel Chamber Ensemble who also entertained
guests during the reception performed the Black National Anthem
followed by greetings from BAE’s
president Darwin M. Davis and
luncheon chair Carla D. Brown.
Davis encouraged attendees to
keep the spirit of Dr. King’s dream
alive by supporting the agencies
that care for those in need. With
President Obama’s inauguration
and second term top of mind, each
speaker spoke passionately about
the past, present and future challenges faced by each organization
but all the need for personal responsibility and deliberate action.
Keynote speaker was Gary L.
Flowers, executive director &
CEO of the Black Leadership Fo-
Black Agency Executives honor leaders
and trailblazers at MLK luncheon
Darwin Davis, Carla D. Brown, Maurice
Coleman, Maria C. Willis, David Ushery
Sheena Wright, president & CEO
United Way of NYC, Cheryl Wills,
Gary L. Flowers, Patricia Grayson, Michelle Paterson, Esq.
Carla D. Brown, Chuck Nice
Arva Rice President NYUL, Carla D. Brown Chair- Charles A. Archer, Esq., Stanley Gleaton and 2013
person and Danielle Moss Lee BAE VP
Honoree Maurice Coleman
Gary L. Flowers, Stephanie Burns, Maria C. Willis, Carla D. Brown,
Maurice Coleman
rum, Inc., an alliance of national Henry Turner based on the core
African American civil rights and values of teamwork, integrity and
service organizations in the United commitment.
Today, The
States of America, founded in 1977. company’s reach is global, and
Based in Washington, DC, the each of its offices upholds its
Black Leadership Forum links lead- founder’s vision to provide valuers of national Black organizations able services to clients, build parttogether, forming a coordinated nerships in the community, and
leadership model on legislation af- deliver important resources such
fecting African Americans.
as schools, hospitals, workplaces,
Honoree Maurice Coleman is a and social and cultural centers.
senior vice president and senior Stephanie Burns, director, comclient manager for the Bank of munity affairs, accepted the award
America Merrill Lynch Global Com- on behalf of TCC.
mercial Real Estate Group focused
This year’s Agency Award was
on Community Development Bank- accepted by Robert Carmona, the
ing (CDB). CDB specializes in pro- co-founder of STRIVE, a nonviding debt and tax credit equity profit organization that under his
to finance affordable housing, char- leadership grew from a small comter schools as well as commercial munity-based organization to an
and retail development nationally. international leader in workforce
Prior to this position, Coleman development. Prior to his tenure
served as the New York market at STRIVE, Carmona held a nummanager and senior CRA compli- ber of senior positions in the NYC
ance officer overseeing the Bank’s not-for-profit community, as the
OCC regulatory compliance initia- assistant director of agency relatives as it related CRA lending, in- tions at the Greater New York
vesting and community service Fund/United Way and senior planactivity and corporate governance. ner for the NYC Volunteer Corps.
Turner Construction Company
Black Agency Executives is a
was founded 110 years ago by non-profit organization dedicated
Carla D. Brown, Chuck Nice
Wallace Ford, Gary Flowers, Darwin Davis
Actor Comedian and TV personality Chuck Nice
Rob Carmona
to the support and professional
development of its membership,
which represents Black human
services executives who promote
the interests and values of the
Black Community. Agencies include The Harlem Children’s
Zone, Steinway Child & Family
Services and Care for the Homeless to name a few.
The organization consists of
Black CEOs, presidents and executive directors who are respon-
sible for leading many of the major
human service agencies in New York
City. Founded in 1976, BAE is dedicated to the support and professional development of Black human
service, non-profit executives which
in turn positively impact their staff,
customers, organizations and communities they serve. These executives promote the interest, values,
welfare and empowerment of the
Black community.
(Photos by Margot Jordan)
9
BEACON, March 7, 2013 - March 13, 2013 newyorkbeacon.net
AUDREY'S
SOCIETY
WHIRL
BEACON, March 7, 2013 - March 13, 2013 newyorkbeacon.net
10
SPECIAL REPORT
China in denial about its race problem
By George E. Curry
NNPA Editor-in-Chief
(THIRD IN A SERIES)
BEIJING (NNPA) – In absolute
numbers, China probably has
more beautiful women than any
other country in the world. But
one could never tell that by looking at the squeaky-clean glass
display windows in upscale
stores in this capital city or in
Shanghai, whose architecture has
been often compared to London,
Paris and Rio.
The classic image of beauty in
those stores and elsewhere
across China are modeled after the
American and European standard
of beauty – White, blue-eyed and
blond.
That’s remarkable in a country
that has long considered itself the
center of the universe.
“From the most ancient times,
the Chinese chose to call themselves white, with a light complexion highly valued and likened to
white jade,” Martin Jacques wrote
in When China Rules the World.
“By the beginning of the twelfth
century, the elite attached a
heightened meaning to being
white, with colour consciousness
amongst the elite sensitized by
the maritime contacts established
during the Southern Song dynasty (AD 1127-1279).
“During this period even the
newly popular Buddha was converted from a ‘swart half-naked
Indian to a more decently clad
divinity with a properly light complexion,’ rather as Jesus was whitened in the Western Christian tradition.”
Sun Yat-sen, who led the revolution to overthrow the Qing dynasty in 1911, had a clear-cut view
on race.
“Mankind is divided into five
races,” he said. “The yellow and
white races are relatively strong
and intelligent. Because the other
races are feeble and stupid, they
are being exterminated by the
white race. Only the yellow race
competes with the white race.
This is so-called evolution among
the contemporary races that
could be called superior, there are
only the yellow and white races.
China belongs to the yellow race.”
In both old and new China,
whiteness – or proximity to it – is
prized.
“In the Chinas today there is a
clear racial social hierarchy based
on the assumption of racial superiority,” wrote M. Dujon Johnson,
author of Race & Racism in the Chinas: Chinese Racial Attitudes Toward Africans and African-Americans. “The comfort level and the
acceptance of a foreigner in the
Chinas are directly proportional to
the skin pigmentation of that nonChinese.”
Interestingly, that hasn’t always
been the case, according to
Johnson.
“In traditional Chinese opera one
who had a black face or darker skin
features indicated either a rough,
bold or noble character and a person of courage, righteousness and
incorruptibility, or an impartial and
selfless personality,” he wrote. “The
noted jurist during the Ming Dynasty, Bao Zheng (999-1062), was
known for his dark complexion and
black face and is a symbol of justice, fair play, incorruptibility in Chinese history.
“In contrast a white face in Chinese opera meant a perfect villain.
The color white is the trait that highlights all that is bad in human nature: cunning, craftiness, deceit and
treachery.”
Now, that’s been flipped.
“At some point in modern Chinese history the view of blackness,
Africans and other dark skinned
people changed from a positive or
indifferent view to a negative and
vociferous one,” Johnson wrote.
He argues that rather than having a genuine dislike of African
Americans, Chinese, like people
around the world, were heavily influenced by westerners “who have
transferred their negative racial
views and perceptions of people of
color to the Chinese.”
Unlike the U.S., where racial
views are openly discussed –
though not always with civility –
there is little discussion of race in
China. Zhao Ziyang, then-general
secretary of the Communist Party,
LYNN COLEMA — Lynne Coleman (right) became accustomed to
people in China, like this unidentified woman, asking to be photographed with her.
(Photograph by Craig Trygstad)
JULIA WISON — Julia Wilson discusses recent changes in China with Jiang Haishan, vice president
of the China Executive Leadership Academy Pudong in Shanghai.
(Photo by Ann Ragland/NNPA)
provided a possible rationale in
1988 when he said at a national
meeting on unity that racial discrimination was common “everywhere in the world except China.”
Acknowledged or not, racial
discrimination is indeed a problem in China that manifests itself
in strange and sometimes unique
ways.
“The general perception in
the Chinas is that Africans and
African-Americans are inferior
persons and thus, are inferior
teachers irrespective of their educational training, teaching ability
or experience,” Johnson wrote.
“Many African-Americans and
Africans have accepted teaching
jobs (including this author) when
hired via the phone, the internet
or having applied while still in
their native country only to receive a phone call or email, and
in a few cases, arrive in the Chinas and be told that their employment is revoked because the Chinese employer did not know that
the applicant was black or had
dark skin.”
Lynne Coleman, a former
school administrator in China,
has been a recipient of White
preference.
“China is a place where my
White skin-color gains me much
broader entry to places than my
Chinese counterparts, particularly those who do not speak
Mandarin with the proper accent,” Coleman recalled.
She and her husband would be
walking down a street in Beijing
and suddenly find themselves
surrounded by Chinese eager to
take a photo with her.
Coleman said, “I’ve had my
photo taken with un-numbered
families who wanted my blond
self to hold their babies for luck.”
And Chinese women make no
secret of wanting to climb the social ladder by marrying Mr.
White. They go to great lengths
to go alter their color as Julia
Wilson, a chocolate-colored African American, discovered firsthand.
“I went to the grocery store to
get some lotion,” said Wilson, CEO
of Wilson Global Communications
in Washington, D.C. “I said to this
girl, ‘I want the best body lotion
you have because my skin is really dry.’ She said, ‘Fine’ and took
me by the hand to the lotion section and said, ‘Here you go.’ She
handed me skin whitener. I looked
at her and said, ‘No, no, no,
Sweetie. I don’t want to lighten my
skin.’ She said, ‘You don’t want to
lighten your skin?’ I said, ‘No,
honey, I love this.”
That was not Wilson’s only
memorable experience involving
race.
“ When I went to the beach and
people had all of their clothes on,”
recalled Wilson, who was in China
last year to deliver a lecture. “I
asked, ‘Why do you have all of
your clothes on?’ They said, ‘We
don’t want to get brown.’ I am looking at this and not believing my
eyes. You can find pictures of
women with a total mask on their
face on the beach so that they
don’t get a tan.”
Some visitors to China have
told of accidently brushing up
against a Chinese, only to witness
them trying to brush imaginary
blackness from their clothes. Others recall walking into a subway
car and suddenly having an entire
area to themselves.
Beginning with the beating of
a Zanzibar student in Beijing in
1962, there have been more than a
dozen race-inspired riots or public demonstrations. Most of the
incidents were ignited by a racial
slur or tensions over African students, most of whom are male, dating Chinese women.
Boubacar Traore, a philosophy
student from Ghana, told the New
York Times in 1988, “When we walk
on the street, people insult us. The
call us black devils, and so on.
Even if we’re alone, they insult us.
And if we’re with a girl, they say
she’s a hooker and is doing it for
the money.”
When Condoleezza Rice visited Beijing in 2005 as Secretary of
State, Chinese writer Liu Xiaobo
studied comments posted on
blogs, noting: “… Many stigmatized
Rice as ‘really ugly’ . . . ‘the ugliest in
the world’ . . . ‘I really can’t understand how mankind gave birth to a
woman like Rice’ . . . Some directly
called Rice a ‘black ghost,, a ‘black
pig’ . . . ‘a witch’ . . . ‘rubbish of Humans’ . . . Some lament: Americans’
IQ is low – how can they make a
‘black bitch’ Secretary of State . . .
Some, of course, did not forget to
stigmatize Rice with animal [names]:
‘chimpanzee’, ‘bird-like’, ‘crocodile’,
‘a piece of rotten meat, mouse s—,
[something] dogs will find hard to
eat.’”
Writing in the New York Times in
2009, Dongyan Blachford, an associate professor of Chinese Studies at
University of Regina in Canada, said:
“Growing up in Beijing, as a member
of the Han majority, I did not see
China as a country which exhibited
racial discrimination; after all, the
mission of the Chinese revolution
was to build a class-free and egalitarian society.
“However, after having lived outside China for over 20 years, and having experienced and witnessed discrimination in various forms, I now
realize that many Chinese are simply
unaware of the racism and prejudice
that exists.”
Nicholas D. Kristof, writing in the
Dec. 30, 1988 New York Times, observed, “…It is common here to hear
racial stereotypes that would make
most Americans cringe.”
While Americans recoil at such
treatment of African Americans by
Chinese, critics say they are in no
position to lecture anyone. In the
Dred Scott decision in 1857, the U.S.
Supreme Court ruled 7-2 that the federal government had no power to
regulate slavery. Chief Judge Roger
Taney, writing for the majority, said
authors of the U.S. Constitution
viewed all Blacks as “ beings of an
inferior order, and altogether unfit to
associate with the white race, either
in social or political relations, and so
far inferior that they had no rights
which the white man was bound to
respect.”
The Supreme Court’s Plessy v.
(CONTINUED ON PAGE 16)
Fashion, Beauty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . .& Stuff
By Audrey Adams
The ultimate accessory
Audrey Adams
I have always wondered what
makes someone truly remarkable. You know the type of person that I am referring to . . .
whenever they walk into a room
it seems as if time stops to recognize their arrival! It doesn’t
matter whether they are wearing
a designer get-up or a potato
sack; their presence lights up the
room. People stop and take notice as if on cue and to be part of
the mass mentality that yearns
to be a member of an elite class
of “acknowledgers.” What do
“they” have that “we” don’t? In
a word: Confidence. And that,
my friends is why I believe that
confidence qualifies as the ultimate accessory!
There is a tendency to think
that if we have all the right accoutrements (think fashionable
accessories like shoes, handbags, jewelry and the like, by
Hermes, Gucci, Versace or
Chanel etc.) that somehow wearing status symbols gives us confidence! The truth is that you
can’t buy confidence. In its most
useful form it has to be earned
by successfully surviving the
many challenges that life pre-
sents and using the lessons learned
to strengthen your core. What you
are wearing won’t make a difference
in the way you are perceived by others if you feel insecure underneath
it all.
Confidence is a funny thing.
Depending upon your experience it
may come and go, or be gained or
lost and it is fragile. Your confidence
may be shaken by circumstances
beyond your control or bolstered
by a single event. Confidence is
about trusting and having faith in
you.
So, how do you become more
confident? That’s a million dollar
question! No one can teach you to
be more confident, it is something
that only you can develop and nurture within. There are people who
seem to have vast reservoirs of confidence that they can count on to
bolster them in trying situations;
then there are those who can’t muster it up in any situation.
To become a more confident person, you must first identify the
source of your insecurity and then
challenge yourself to take on your
reluctance to overcome your fear of
succeeding to overcome it! Yep, that
was a mouthful, but think about it
for a few moments. Imagine what
wearing a confident attitude will do
for you in life and in the way you
look to the world. Becoming a more
confident person will take time and
constant nurturing to maintain it;
but once you have it, it’s yours!
As individuals, each of us is remarkable in our own right. “They“
don’t really have anything that
you can’t have as well . . . Instead of choosing to surround
yourself with and hiding behind
or wearing status symbols; step
out wearing the one accessory
that you can always count on
to make you look good . . . Confidence. Think about it. See you
next week.
Visit my website,
TheAdamsReport.com and
checkout my online radio show,
Talk! with Audrey for a series
of interviews that will inform,
motivate and inspire you.
RADIO ON DEMAND: One
of the world’s leading experimental psychologists and an
expert on the science of optimism, ELAINE FOX has spent
more than twenty years studying how people interpret the
world around them. In her book
RAINY BRAIN, SUNNY
BRAIN Fox explores the ways
in which we can retrain our
brains to view the world with a
positive outlook.
Audrey Adams, former director of corporate public relations and fashion merchandisingfor ESSENCE continues
to motivate and inspire women
through her syndicated columns and motivational speaking engagements. E-mail your
fashion, beauty and lifestyle
questions or comments to her
at:
[email protected]
THE ADAMS REPORT©
Nationwide Insurance donates
$120,000 to CIAA Scholarship Fund
Nationwide Insurance, the
official insurance provider of
the Central Intercollegiate
Athletic Association (CIAA),
announced a $120,000 donation to the CIAA college scholarship fund. On Friday night,
Nationwide executive leaders
presented a check to the CIAA
during halftime of the men’s
semi-final basketball game of
the 2013 tournament. To date,
Nationwide Insurance has contributed more than $700,000 to
the CIAA scholarship fund
that serves to benefit students
at CIAA member schools.
“Nationwide’s $120,000
contribution to the CIAA
scholarship fund demonstrates our commitment to educational excellence and support for making educational
opportunities available to everyone,” said Nationwide Regional Vice-President, Lee
Morton. “This partnership is
what being On Your Side® is
all about.”
Nationwide demonstrates
its commitment to the CIAA
through its year round presence on the campuses of CIAA
member schools as well as
through its sponsorship of the
CIAA Basketball tournament,
CIAA Football Championship
Game, and all 16 CIAA Conference Championships. In addition
to financial contributions, Nationwide also hosts onsite career
fairs, provides career counseling, contributes to scholarship
funds, offers leadership development opportunities and creates pathways to employment
through a corporate internship
program.
The CIAA/Nationwide internship program brings students to
work at various Nationwide regional offices and at its home
office in Columbus, Ohio. The
program helps students gain real
work experience in preparation of
their post graduate career goals.
This year during tournament
week, Nationwide took the opportunity to highlight four of its
most recent CIAA student interns. Two of these talented students recently secured full-time
positions with Nationwide.
These students and recent
graduates hail from Elizabeth
City State University, Chowan
University, Winston-Salem State
University and Johnson C. Smith
University.
“We are serious about hiring talent from CIAA schools
and have spent the week meeting with students to recruit for
a wide range of positions at
Nationwide,” added Morton.
“After all, this is what the
CIAA is all about – preparing
students for tomorrow and
helping them realize their
dreams.”
Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company, based in Columbus, Ohio, is one of the
largest and strongest diversified insurance and financial
services organizations in the
U.S. and is rated A+ by both
A.M. Best and Standard &
Poor’s.
The company provides customers a full range of insurance and financial services,
including auto insurance, motorcycle, boat, homeowners,
pet, life insurance, farm, commercial insurance, annuities,
mortgages, mutual funds, public and private sector retirement plans, long-term savings
plans and specialty health services. For more information,
visit www.nationwide.com.
A coalition of communitybased women’s organizations that
has
organized events for the past
eight years, have announced
plans for women’s events in Manhattan, Harlem, Brooklyn and the
Bronx to celebrate women’s
struggles.
The events include a rally and
march on March 9, starting at the
site of the 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist
Factory fire in Manhattan, and
tributes to Harriet Tubman on
March 10 at Harlem’s African
Methodist Episcopal Zion
Church, in Brooklyn at Boys and
Girls High on Sat. March 16 and
in the Bronx at the Bronx Art Space
Gallery on Sunday, March 24.
The schedule is as follows:
*MARCH 9, Saturday*
11:30 a.m. in Manhattan,23-29
Washington Place Speak Out &
Vigil on the theme “Every issue is a
woman’s issue” at the Triangle
Shirtwaist Memorial, where in 1911
women workers died in a factory
fire.
1 p.m. March & Rally — our contingent will join a rally called by
Women Organized to Resist and
Defend (WORD) in Washington
(CONTINUED ON PAGE 16)
11
BEACON, March 7, 2013 - March 13, 2013 newyorkbeacon.net
THE ADAMS REPORT
Working Women’s Day
Coalition honorary events
BEACON, March 7, 2013 - March 13, 2013 newyorkbeacon.net
12
Beacon On The Scene
Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Ashley Smith
on a shower event for a Sunday afternoon
By Rebecca Hodnett
Guest Review
Los Pollitos ( Take 1 )
As we all know,
Coreen, Ashley’s admired wife is with
child. The chatter among everyone was that
they had to do something exciting for the
aspired couple. So
family and friends
from far, and wide
agreed, a baby shower
it must be!
But not just any ordinary event, it needed
to be representative of
the couple’s lifestyle.
Yes, it needed to be as
innovative as the husband’s production name,
“Ash Innovator.”
Long-time friends,
Sharelle Corrodus and
Roselyn Paupaw de-
Danielle Baker, Jay Lawson,
Linda Jackson
cided to plan it in the
tradition of Ashley’s
work. How perfect,
they thought. Why
not, Ashley is a filmmaker, having produced and directed
many videos and movies. Yet, the planners
were a bit hesitant to
Coreen and Ashley Hage Smith
tread in unfamiliar waters, for fear that their
finished product might
not live up to the
director’s standards.
But friends and family said not to worry;
that if they followed
Ashley’s modus operandi and include the elements of atmosphere,
creativity, storytelling,
merrymaking, games,
gifts, food and of
course, his darling wife,
Coreen, the event was
sure to be brilliant.
Finally the day came
for the long- awaited
and highly anticipated
baby shower extravaganza at Los Pollitos in
New York City. The
guests were starting to
arrive. A red carpet was
placed for the guests arrival; everyone wanted
to look their best for
the occasion. The ladies
were beautifully attired
with fancy up do’s and
gorgeous jewelry, (probably from Tiffany’s of
New York… I’m sure!!)
Inside were gorgeous balloons, and all
kinds of theatrical effects. The theme for the
occasion was,
“A
shower for a Sunday afternoon” starring Coreen.
On the tables were crafty
popcorn and director ’s
clapboards. Yes, they
thought of everything!!
As people were mingling
and having fun; the doors
flew open and there entered the star, Coreen.
She looked amazing!!
Ashley said, “As beautiful as she was when he
met her, she is more
beautiful now, carrying
their child.” Everyone
was ecstatic. Coreen was
escorted to her seat and
the festivities began; her
guests laughed, played
games and had a grand ol’
time.
The food was exquisite, chosen by Ashley’s
mother, Miatta who only
believes in the best for
her guests. Coreen received beautiful gifts,
and lots of love. Everyone received beautiful
crystal gifts, provided by
her aunt Jay Lawson, for
attending the star studded
event. Ashley was pleased
that the celebration was
yet another hit. It was
amazing! The guests were
dazzled. How do I know?
I was there.
Rising star and Apollo
amateur night winner
Cheyenne Wright (center) is flanked by members of the popular
group Mindless Behavior during a capacity
filled press meet and
greet reception recently
held at the Hard Rock
Café located in the Times
Square district of Manhattan. Mindless Behavior stirs up a frenzy
wherever they go. The
teen quartet consisting
of Prodigy, Roc Royal,
Ray Ray and Princeton
has become a modern
musical phenomenon
with an army of fans following them everywhere
while checking out their
debut album #1 Girl.
(Photo: Ronnie Wright)
13
BEACON, March 7, 2013 - March 13, 2013 newyorkbeacon.net
BEACON, March 7, 2013 - March 13, 2013 newyorkbeacon.net
14
State set to break ground for a Harriet Tubman Park
By Gale Horton Gay
Special to the NNPA from
While the creation of a national park honoring abolitionist
Harriet Ross Tubman remains unresolved in Congress, Maryland
officials are moving forward with
the development of a state park
in her name.
A groundbreaking is scheduled for March 9 in Dorchester
County on Maryland’s Eastern
Shore for a state park honoring
Tubman. Dorchester County is
where Tubman was born and
died.
Maryland’s Harriet Tubman
Underground Railroad State Park
will include interpretive trails, a
spiritual reflection garden and
memorial, picnic pavilion, outdoor exhibits and a visitor center. The 15,000-square-foot visitor center will immerse visitors
into the life of Tubman, starting
with her childhood, following her
as a conductor on the Underground Railroad, and culminating with her advocacy for justice.
“We can’t be more honored
to have the opportunity to tell
the story of an American hero
whose bravery and actions really
exemplify the American story of
freedom, liberty and pursuit of
happiness,” said Nita Settina, superintendent of the Maryland
Park Service.
The groundbreaking comes on
the eve of the centennial of
Tubman’s death.
Settina said the 17-acre park
site, adjacent to the Blackwater
National Wildlife Refuge near the
town of Church Creek on Route
335, is located in the heart of the
area where Tubman returned time
and again. Born in Dorchester
County in 1822, Tubman escaped
slavery at the age of 27 but returned 13 times and freed approximately 70 enslaved family members and others.
“Tubman’s associated success
on the Underground Railroad
stemmed from her intimate knowledge of the area’s woodlands and
swamps, making the park setting
an ideal location,” according to
information provided by the
Maryland Department of Natural
Resources.
The state park is expected to
cost $21.4 million, of which the federal government has allocated $12
million in grants, Settina said. A
2014 or 2015 opening is expected.
Meanwhile four U.S. senators
including Maryland’s Ben Cardin
and Barbara Mikulski have introduced the Harriet Tubman National Historical Parks Act, which
would establish two national historical parks, one in Maryland and
one in New York, where Tubman
was active in the suffrage movement. The bill was previously introduced in the three previous
congresses.
Clive Davis outs himself
as bi-sexual in memoir
Clive Davis
Special to the NNPA from the St. men in a romantic capacity until
his fifties.
Louis American
“It wasn’t repressed — I had
In his new book The Sound very good sexual relationships
Track of My Life, music mogul with women,” the Grammy-winning
Clive Davis reveals that he’s bi- producer told ABC’s Nightline.
sexual, and has been in long-term “Never for me …this very maligned
relationships with men since 1985. and misunderstood subject of bi“For over 50 years, I never had sexuality came up.”
Davis, who’s currently the chief
sex with a male,” said Davis,
who’s worked with artists such creative officer for Sony Music
as Jennifer Hudson, Kelly Entertainment, said he was inClarkson, Alicia Keys, and most volved in a 13-year relationship
famously, the late Whitney Hous- with a doctor, and a 7-year relationship with another man. He did
ton.
Davis, who was twice married, not name them so as to protect
said he did not even think about their privacy.
A park in Harriet Tubman’s honor already exists in Boston./Courtesy Photo
On Feb. 13 at the U.S. Capitol,
Cardin, Rep. Donna F. Edwards
(Md.); Sen. Charles E. Schumer
(N.Y.); Rep. Dan Maffei
(N.Y.);Rep. Marcia Fudge (Ohio)
as well as representatives of the
NAACP, the National Urban
League and the National Council
of Negro Women held a press
conference to voice their support
for passage of federal legislation
that would create the two national
Tubman parks.
“Harriet Tubman is a true American hero, whose journeys along the
Eastern Shore will mark Maryland
forever,” said Bill Crouch, The Conservation Fund’s Maryland director. The fund has acquired and is
willing to donate a home site to the
National Park Service for the national park in Maryland.
The parks are also viewed as a
“new resource, bringing in substantial revenue to our communities and
creating jobs,” state officials said.
Settina said the national
Tubman park, if approved, would
be established on property adjacent
to the Maryland park. She said she
sees the state park as the trail head
for visitors’ exploration of the larger
area.
In July, Gov. Martin O’Malley,
Cardin, Mikulski and Rep. Andy
Harris of Maryland contacted the
U.S. Department of the Interior requesting the establishment of a national monument to recognize
Tubman’s contributions.Caption
“Federal recognition of Harriet
Tubman, one of our nation’s great
freedom and equal rights heroes, is
long overdue,” said O’Malley. “A
national monument designation will
further our commitment to share her
courageous life story and legacy of
justice, and protect the rural landscape of her birthplace on
Maryland’s Eastern Shore.”
Cardin said the monument was
a first step.
City Council legislation
to reduce deportations
On Feb. 27, 2013, the New York
City Council passed two pieces of
legislation that would ensure immigrants who are legally pursuing
the American dream will be able to
remain in the city.
Deputy Majority Leader Leroy
Comrie said: “The City Council provided major relief for people who
are living in fear of deportation,
while trying to gain access to full
citizenship.”
Both pieces of legislation are
aimed at protecting immigrant communities by preventing the city
from sending detainer requests to
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) when an immigrant has
no previous criminal record, has
only been accused of low-level offenses, or has only been convicted
of certain misdemeanors.
With the number of deportations
across the country tripling between
2001 and 2011, this action will help
ensure families in the city remain
together.
Council Member Comrie continued: “New York was built through
the hard work and sacrifices made
by immigrants, helping make this
the greatest city in the world. The
pieces of legislation passed by the
City Council will ensure that harsh
immigration policies that have separated thousands of families are
curbed so that these immigrants,
who pose no threat to public
safety, are able to live their lives
without fear of needless deportation. I look forward to working with
my colleagues to protect immigrant
families across the city.”
Leroy Comrie
Police Athletic League youngsters display their original works of art
Jeremiah Ducille and Warren Chen with “Black and White,” a series of photographs centered around the themes of freedom and justice, featuring the fourth graders at PAL’s Duncan Center.
status of the artist and the arts as activities to 37,000 boys and girls
a vocation through the support annually. It is also the city’s largof visual and performing arts edu- est, independent, nonprofit youth
cation. The premises, on the far organization. For more information,
west side of Manhattan, provide please visit www.palnyc.org.
First grader Morgan Smalls with “Peace and Love”, a collection of a fresh space for the arts to thrive. Caroline Waldman
New York City’s Police Athletic Associate
hearts and peace signs created by the first graders at PAL’s Duncan
League is the first and finest civil- Andrea & Associates
Center.
ian-run PAL in the country. (212) 353-9585
is a little different,” said Davis. peace in our community.”
Founded in 1914, PAL has served [email protected]
“The hearts and peace signs show
The piece by the kindergarten the city’s young people for 99 www.andreaandassociates.com
that we need to have love and class, titled “Freedom Fighters,” years. PAL provides recreational, Public relations exclusively for
featured an arrangement of educational, cultural and social nonprofits
mounted portraits of civil rights
activists created with a variety of
materials including paint, tissue
paper and lace cloth. Throughout
the show, third grade “expert historians” Kayla George and Ginaija
Hires presented extensive backIf Snyder decides to appoint an
(from page 3)
ground on Harriet Tubman and
emergency manager, it still
Rosa Parks, explaining how the
wouldn’t be an immediate appointlives of these two activists influ- transportation, recreation and ment. A lot depends on timing.
neighborhood
blight
removal,”
enced the Civil Rights Movement
The new emergency manager
and served as examples of great Bing said.
law taking effect in March gives
Detroit
faces
a
$327
million
leadership in their communities.
local governments the choice beAffirmation Arts is an arts com- budget deficit in the current fis- tween an emergency manager, a
cal
year,
ongoing
cash
flow
probplex comprised of a gallery space,
mediator, filing for bankruptcy or
offices, studios, and an artist-in- lems and a long term projected to offer their own financial restrucbudget
debt
of
more
than
$12
bilThird graders Kayla George and Ginaija Hires present the back- residence quarter. Additionally, lion.
turing plan to the state.
ground on Harriet Tubman and Rosa Parks, two civil rights activists the building houses a foundation
An emergency manager would be
“The
cash
condition
has
been
portrayed in “Freedom Fighters,” put together by the for the arts. The mission of the Af- a strain on the city,” said state responsible for all of the city’s fifirmation Arts Fund is to raise the
kindergarteners at PAL’s Duncan Center.
Treasurer Andy Dillon, a member nances. Once a manager is in place,
of the review team. “The city has only the EM can decide whether or
been running deficits since 2005, not to file for bankruptcy.
Detroit would be largest city in
masking over those with longMichigan to go under the superviterm borrowing.”
All six members of the review sion of a state receiver, but not the
team members agreed that their first. The cities of Flint, Pontiac,
findings showed a case of finan- Benton Harbor, Ecorse, and Allen
Park are in state receivership.
cial emergency.
tion Assistance Program (SNAP, which will just push the economy
(from page 3)
formerly known as food stamps). back into a tailspin.
Today, it is poised to further harm
Job restoration under this soFood Hardship in America 2012 – low-income programs, including called recovery has been only half Supreme Court hears Voting Rights challenge
analyzes data that were collected WIC and other nutrition programs, of prior recessions, and the jobs Scalia calls voting rights ‘racial entitlement’
by Gallup and provided to FRAC. with its failure to resolve self-im- that have been created are paying
The 18.2 percent national rate posed fiscal crises. And Congress poverty level wages,” said
evil that Section 5 is meant to ad(from page 3)
in 2012 was virtually unchanged has made no attempt to forestall Dunlea.
dress may no longer be concenfrom the rates in 2009, 2010, and the scheduled November 2013 cut
With the Farm Bill still on the reducing the Black presence to 23 trated in the jurisdictions singled
2011, as families continued to in SNAP benefits.”
agenda for 2013, the report noted
out for preclearance. The statute’s
struggle with under- and unem“Congress needs to fix the prob- that Congress has the opportunity percent. Montgomery narrowly coverage formula is based on data
lost
his
2008
re-election
bid
to
a
ployment, low wages, and inad- lems rather than doubling down on to strengthen SNAP so it can conthat is now more than 35 years old,
equate government supports. The harming the most vulnerable tinue to be an important support White challenger. But the Justice and there is considerable evidence
Department
invalidated
the
elecreport found that food hardship Americans,” continued Weill. “The for struggling households. A rethat it fails to account for current
rates remain too high, and that no cuts need to stop, and the conver- port recently released by the In- tion because district changes had political conditions.”
not
been
pre-cleared.
Shelby
corner of the country is immune sation needs to change.”
stitute of Medicine underscored
Elena Kagan, an Obama appoinfrom this struggle.
Dunlea added that the greatest the current inadequacy of SNAP County went to court to overturn tee, referred to Senate support of
the
decision.
In
meantime,
Mont“Despite weaknesses in wages problem facing the country is not benefit levels in ensuring that rethe Voting Rights Act.
and employment, some in Con- the so-called deficit but rather than cipients’ nutritional needs are met, gomery won a newly-called elec“Well, that sounds like a good
tion.
gress continue to pursue cuts that economy which is still struggling and outlined flaws in how SNAP
argument to me, Justice Scalia,” she
Chief
Justice
John
Roberts
would further fray our nation’s to recover from the Great Reces- benefits are currently calculated.
said. “It was clear to 98 Senators,
nutrition safety net,” said FRAC sion. “Congress needs to focus on “Protecting and strengthening wrote an opinion in 2009 that including every Senator from a covmight
signal
how
he
will
vote
in
President Jim Weill. “Last year, providing living wage jobs to ar- SNAP must be a top priority as
ered state, who decided that there
Congress proposed billions in eas of high unemployment, rather Congress starts fresh on a Farm this case.
was a continuing need for this
He
said
at
the
time,
“Things
cuts to the Supplemental Nutri- than slashing government funding Bill this year,” said Weill.
have changed in the South. “The piece of legislation.”
Detroit Mayor Bing ‘not surprised’
at city’s fiscal state
More than one in 6 Americans cannot
afford to buy enough food
BEACON, March 7, 2013 - March 13, 2013 newyorkbeacon.net
On February 19, 2013, youngsters from the Police Athletic
League’s William J. Duncan Center in Manhattan displayed their
original artwork at Affirmation
Arts. The show, titled “Our Beloved Community: the DREAM
Realized,” provided an opportunity for PAL youth to celebrate
and examine the teachings of Dr.
Martin Luther King, Jr., Harriet
Tubman, Rosa Parks, and other
historical figures of the Civil
Rights Movement. PAL children,
in kindergarten through sixth
grade, created works of art to
honor these civil rights activists
and engage themselves, the PAL
staff and the William J. Duncan
Center community to unite collectively using affirmative means.
“Black and White,” a series of
photographs featuring the fourth
graders at PAL’s Duncan Center,
focused on the themes of justice
and freedom. “These photos represent people during the Civil
Rights Movement,” explained
fourth grader Jeremiah Ducille.
“These people had obstacles to
face, and they were able to overcome them. This shows us how
we can learn to overcome whatever will get in our way.”
First grader Morgan Smalls presented “Peace and Love,” a compilation of small handmade hearts
and peace signs created by the
first graders at PAL’s Duncan
Center. “We all worked together
to make these hearts but each one
15
BEACON, March 7, 2013 - March 13, 2013 newyorkbeacon.net
16
China in denial about its race problem
(from page 10)
Ferguson decision in 1896 upholding racial segregation in
public accommodations remained
the law of the land until the 1954
Brown school desegregation decision. It was not until 1967 that
the Supreme Court, in Loving v.
Virginia, invalidated state laws
prohibiting interracial marriage.
Several Chinese officials, urging more patience with China,
pointed out that Blacks weren’t
able to fully exercise their citizenship in America’s democratic system until passage of the Civil
Rights Act of 1964 and the 1965
Voting Rights Act.
“Race is not as large a factor
compared to the United States,”
said Carl Humphrey, an African
American who lives in Shanghai.
“In China, you are a laowai or
foreigner first then you are an
American foreigner. Only after
that are you a Black, White or
yellow foreigner. That’s very different from home.”
Humphrey said he has seen an
improvement in how Chinese
view Blacks.
“The locals over the years
have been used to seeing the
majority race represented abroad,”
he stated. “With the media spotlighting people such as our current
president, entertainers and sports
figures, we are looked upon in a
very positive light outside of the
United States. It’s very strange to
me to witness the respect of President Obama here in China. He is
loved everywhere in the world by
individuals of all races.”
Johnson, author of the book on
Chinese attitudes, believes the
country would benefit from a more
open discussion about race.
“Racism is … an issue that is
not addressed among Chinese because most Chinese see themselves as superior to darkerskinned people,” he said. “Therefore, within the Chinese mindset it
would be a waste of time to address
an obvious fact of dark-skinned
people’s inferiority.”
But China does need to examine its racism as well as why it
places a premium on White skin at
the expense of its own rich culture.
“The images of beauty which
stress American and European
centric racial characteristics and
notions of beauty are acceptable
to an astonishingly degree by the
Chinese even though it attacks at
the very core of Asian values and
the concepts of Chinese and Asian
beauty,” Johnson said.
And the people best positioned
to help Chinese get past that problem are those dark-skinned people
that many look down on.
“Ironically, the cure for this
social and cultural malady can be
found where Chinese society dares
not look: in the communities of
peoples of color who have themselves fought this internal cultural
battles years ago,” Johnson said.
“What the African-American community learned and could teach the
Chinese community is that definitions of one’s cultural wealth and
beauty are not defined externally
but internally.”
(This 4-part series is the outgrowth of a week-long African
American Media Leaders Mission
to China sponsored by the ChinaUnited States Exchange Foundation, a non-profit organization
whose goal is to foster a better
understanding between the
people of China and the United
States. Neither the foundation nor
government officials in China had
any imput in these stories or saw
them prior to publication. The 7member U.S. media delegation
Mrs. Rosa Parks – Before and after the bus
(from page 7)
refusing to move. But if Jo Ann
Robinson had not been watchful
and ready with a mimeograph
machine to run off 30,000 flyers
to circulate to Montgomery’s
Black community about Mrs.
Parks and calling for a bus boycott, and had not pushed her
Dexter Avenue Church’s young
pastor into the forefront, who
knows what might have happened? So we can and should be
enormously inspired by Mrs.
Parks at that moment. But we
should be equally inspired and
informed by all the work she and
others did behind the scenes before and after that day, and by all
of the other women and men
whose names we’ll never know
who worked to end racial injustice before and after December 1,
1955. Their individual and collective decisions to stand up for
themselves and one another created the Montgomery movement—and the Montgomery
Movement changed America’s
conception of what was just and
possible.
It is past time for another trans-
forming movement in America today to challenge rampant and morally obscene wealth and income inequality in our nation and the materialism, militarism, poverty, and
racism Dr. King warned could destroy us. We have come a very long
way towards honoring the Declaration of Independence’s affirmation that “all men are created equal
with certain inalienable rights” and
overcoming some of the effects of
the huge birth defects of slavery,
Native American genocide, and the
exclusion of women and non-propertied White men from equal footing in our new nation. But we must
continue to move forward until a
level playing field is a reality and
resist those who seek to move us
backwards into a second postReconstruction era through voter
suppression, mass incarceration,
failing schools, absent jobs, and
rampant poverty. This will require
committed
and
prepared
marathoners like Mrs. Parks, not
sprinters or self-marketers seeking
momentary glory in our 10-second
attention span media-driven culture. Movement building is a complex and long term struggle that
must be pursued with both urgency
and persistence and a critical mass
of citizens must step up to the plate
and stay there until real change
happens.
The German playwright Bertolt
Brecht said: “There are those who
struggle for a day and they are
good. There are those who
struggle for a year and they are
better. There are those who
struggle all their lives. These are
the indispensable ones.” Mrs.
Rosa Parks was an indispensable
one who struggled all of her life
for freedom and justice as did
countless unknown Black citizens.
So let us not just celebrate her example and that of the young
preacher leader and people of
Montgomery, let’s follow their example.
Marian Wright Edelman is president of the Children’s Defense
Fund whose Leave No Child Behind® mission is to ensure every
child a Healthy Start, a Head Start,
a Fair Start, a Safe Start and a Moral
Start in life and successful passage
to adulthood with the help of caring families and communities. For
more information go to
www.childrensdefense.org.edelman/
#ixzz2MgqyJ7K8
Blackonomics: The one trillion dollar lie
(from page 6)
in 1915 – another Big Lie. Talk
about legacies. Daddy Bush gave
us Clarence Thomas; Dubya
gave us the Iraq war; I wonder
what Jeb Bush has up his sleeve
for an encore if gets elected.
The Big Lie was exactly that,
and now we have the long
awaited unmitigated truth about
what happened and how some of
us were made to believe the lie.
The lie cost $1 trillion and many
lives, and it was recited and re-
canted, in spite of the fact that
many insiders knew it was a lie. But,
the public, the electorate, the
“people” believed the lie and were
scared into thinking our soldiers
were headed to Iraq to protect our
shores and cities from a nuclear
weapon Saddam did not have that
would be fired at a place it could
not reach. To use those ominous
words of George W. Bush and
Condoleezza Rice, as lies go, they
don’t get any bigger than a “mushroom cloud.” We the people are
being treated like mushrooms; they
keep us in the dark and feed us cow
manure.
“It is hard to imagine a more
stupid or more dangerous way of
making decisions than by putting
those decisions in the hands of
people who pay no price for being wrong.” Thomas Sowell
Jim Clingman, founder of the
Greater Cincinnati African American Chamber of Commerce, is the
nation’s most prolific writer on
economic empowerment for Black
people. He is an adjunct professor at the University of Cincinnati
and can be reached through his
Web site, blackonomics.com.
was led by Cloves Campbell, Jr., tional Newspaper Publishers Assopublisher of the Arizona Infor- ciation. The trip included visits to
mant and chairman of the Na- Beijing, Xi’an and Shanghai.)
Working Women’s Day
Coalition honorary events
(from page 11)
Square Park
Three events in March to celebrate the life of Harriet Tubman
— a freedom fighter - on the Centennial of her March 10 death:
*MARCH 10, Sunday*
Honoring the Warrior Spirit of
Harriet Tubman. Worship Service
11am – 1pm
1:30 pm –Short film & discussion
at the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church on the Hill, 975
S. Nicolas Ave.
For more info: 212-650-5008
Asantewaa Harris @ City College of NY
*MARCH 16, Saturday 1- 4 p.m.
*
Boys and Girls High School at
1700 Fulton St, Brooklyn Videos
and readings on Harriet Tubman,
along with artwork and poetry,
followed by a communal meal.
Program co-sponsored by the
CARE
Center, a youth program.
*March 24, Sunday 3 p.m*.
Bronx Art Space Gallery at 305 E 140
Street @ Alexander Ave., Bronx Vignettes on Harriet Tubman, in Spanish and English, along with artwork
& more. This program is co-sponsored by Women Workers for Peace
& La Peña del Bronx.
Monica Moorehead, from the
Women’s Fightback Network and
one of three coordinators of the
Coalition, explained: “International
Working Women’s Day, March 8,
and the entire month of March provides important opportunities to reflect on the inspiring roles that
women have played in movements
for social justice.
Just as importantly, we will show
that the challenges for women come
in all forms as the capitalist economic crisis intensifies.
The motto for our coalition is ‘Every issue is a woman’s issue,’ which
means we have the right to housing, education and health care;
childcare, food, union-paying jobs
or a livable income; and not mass
incarceration, violence, war and occupation.”
Shielded by legal shield
(from page 6)
more than 470,000. His representatives are based from the island
of Tonga to the east coast of the
United States. We put him on our
board of directors and gave him
our prestigious “Entrepreneur of
the Year Award.”
At this time, PrePaid Legal was
publicly traded. Some “short sellers” on Wall St. wanted to defame
them so that their stock would lose
value. The New York Post would
call me and rant why I supported
them. In the end, even Black Enterprise wrote a very scathing
and unfair article about them. We
were appalled and went to “war”
with these naysayers.
Soon, Harlan Stonecipher would
sell his company for $650 million.
Only in America can a boy from the
Ozarks turn a dream into a fortune.
The company is now privately
owned and is known as Legal
Shield. A few weeks ago, we met
with the new executives of the company, including Darnell Self, and
have decided to join together and
promote their new product. Before,
they concentrated on personal or
family service but now they also
have a plan for small business owners and that excites us immensely.
Stay tuned as we take it to another
level serving the needs of business
owners throughout our great nation.
Republicans advance discredited
‘entitlement’ lies
(from page 6)
efit dollars from entitlement and
other mandatory programs went
to the elderly (people 65 and
over), the seriously disabled, and
members of working households.
People who are neither elderly nor
disabled – and do not live in a
working household – received
only 9 percent of the benefits.”
Moreover, the study found,
“the vast bulk of that 9 percent
goes for medical care, unemployment insurance benefits (which
individuals must have a significant work history to receive), Social Security survivor benefits for
the children and spouses of deceased workers, and Social Security benefits for retirees between
ages 62 and 64. Seven out of the 9
percentage points go for one of
these four purposes.”
Contrary to public perception, it
is Whites who benefits disproportionately from entitlements.
“Also, contrary to what a substantial share of Americans may assume, non-Hispanic whites receive
slightly more than their proportionate share of entitlement benefits,”
the CBPP study found. “Non-Hispanic whites accounted for 64 percent of the population in 2010 and
received 69 percent of the entitlement benefits.”
George E. Curry, former editor-inchief of Emerge magazine, is editorin-chief of the National Newspaper
Publishers Association News Service (NNPA.) He is a keynote
speaker, moderator, and media
coach. Curry can be reached
through
his
Web
site,
www.georgecurry.com. You can also
follow him at www.twitter.com/
currygeorge.
By Victoria Horsford
THE WEEK IN REVIEW
As the world turns it gets
weirder and weirder. Is retired
NBA star, Dennis Rodman a new
US
ambassador
without
portfolio…..or ..uh Ambassador to
North Korea? After playing with
the Harlem Globe Trotters in Korea, Rodman is befriended by
North Korean madman Kim Jongun who gives him a message to
President Obama, saying that he
does not want war with the United
States, he wants POTUS to call
him. Is this some form of satire or
irony? And Rodman meets the
US press, ABC-TV’s THIS WEEK
with lip and nose earrings intact
reciting highlights of his talks with
the North Korean leader. It was
embarrassing.
Ms. Robin Kelly, an ardent
anti gun advocate, is the Democratic nominee to replace former
Chicago Congressman Jesse Jackson, Jr. It is no secret that she
vanquished fellow Democrats in
recent primary owing to a $2 million ad campaign, financed by outgoing NY billionaire Mayor
Michael Bloomberg. She has to
win the April 9 general election
before relocating to Washington,
DC.
Marco McMillan, 33, was an
overtly gay mayoral hopeful in the
town of Clarksdale in the Mississippi Delta. He was beaten,
burned and killed last week. Police have identified a suspect and
an autopsy has been ordered.
According to Crain’s NY Business Magazine, the jury is no
longer out and it seems that the
busy 2013 NY mayoral race includes nine diverse contenders,
including an African American
Bill Thompson, an Afro Latino,
Alfonse Carrion, an Asian American John Liu, a woman Christine
Quinn and Bill DeBlasio, Joseph
Lhota, John Catsimatidus, Tom
Allon, George McDonald. I wonder whose campaign Mayor
Bloomberg will fund.
JOB OPS/SEMINAR
WANTED: An associate or
full professor to be director of the
Black Studies Program, A Division
of Humanities and Arts at City
College in Harlem, which is a part
of the City University of NY
(CUNY.) The ideal candidate
holds a PhD in area of experience
with experience in program development, including fundraising .
Candidates
should
visit
CUNY.com, then go to City College, JOB ID 7569. Applications
should be filed ASAP.
The 6th Annual US-Africa Tourism Seminar convenes March 8 at
the Washington, DC Convention
Center at 801 Mt. Vernon Place,
NW. Participants include tourism
ministers from all over the continent as well as diplomatic reps
from the African Union Mission
to the US from Botswana, Ethio-
pia, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria .et.al.
For more info, call 212.447.1357 or
visit:
www.africatravelassociation.org.
MARCH: WOMEN’S MONTH
The Organization of Women
Writers Of Africa, (OWWA) Inc.,
in association with the Mbaasem
Foundation for African women
writers, the NYU Institute of African American Affairs and the NYU
in Accra program will host an international writers conference,
“YARI, YARI Ntoaso: Continuing
the Dialogue,” which convenes in
Accra, Ghana, from May 16 to 19.
It will be the the third YARI, YARI
gathering and the first to be held
outside the United States, which
attracts “women from all corners
of the African Diaspora.” Angela
Davis, US scholar/author. Sapphire, US author, Veronique Tadjo,
Cote Ivoire writer; Esther Armah,
Ghana Wana Udobang, Nigeria,
and Kadija “George” Sesay, UK
publisher/writer are among the
Conferees.
The OWWA was co-founded in
1991 by Jayne Cortez, African
American poet, performing artist
and activist, who died this year,
and Ama Ata Aidoo, Ghanaian
scholar/playwright. The OWWA
accomplishments include the organization of a series of NYU based
events: two international conferences, “YARI, YARI: Black Women
Writers and the Future in 1997;”
the “YARI, YARI PAMBERI: Black
Women Writers Dissecting Globalization, in 2004; and was a co- organizer of first American symposia of the UNESCO Route of the
Slave Project: Slave Routes: The
Long Memory (1999) and Slave
Routes: Resistance, Abolition and
Creative Progress (2008), all ambitious and enormously successful
undertakings. “YARI” means the
future in Kuranko, a Sierra Leone
language; and “Ntoaso” means
understanding and agreement in
Akan. Visit www.owwainc.org or
www.indiegogo.com/owwa for
YARI, YARI 2013 calendar aof
events.
Vy Higginsen’s MAMA I
WANT TO SING, the longest running African American Off Broadway musical, celebrates its 30th
anniversary with a special performance and gala fundraiser, at the
Dempsey Theater located at 127
West 127 Street, Harlem, on March
23 at 7 pm. The festive evening
begins with the endearing musical,
MAMA, I WANT TO SING, The
Next Generation, appropriately starring Knoelle Higginson, and will
be followed by receptions at select Harlem restaurants. Leslie
Stahl is the 30th Anniversary Gala
chair which is hosted by a benefit
committee of music luminaries
such as Aretha Franklin, Chaka
Khan, Cissy Houston, and Shirley
Ceasar. Tickets are $300. For reservations, call 212,289.1045.
Bill Thompson
Angela Davis
space that exists in the fissure between trauma and the memory of
trauma as a result of the brutalities
instigated by colonial legacies in his
homeland, the Democratic Republic
of the Congo.” Located at 529 West
20 Street in Manhattan’s Chelsea area,
Visit skotogallery.com.
Harlem Mist, the newbie event
space, located at 40 West 116 Street,
presents progressive jazz master trombonist Craig S. Harris and Harlem
Night Songs on March 7.14.21,28,
with sets at 9 pm and 10:30 pm.
HOLD THE DATE: March 30: Yes,
it is that time again, the ultimate distaff event, the Pre-Easter WOMEN
OF DISTINCTION SPIRIT AWARD
LUNCHEON, hosted by the Greater
New York Links, Inc, which will be
held at the Chelsea Piers, Manhattan.
Tickets are $200.
A management consultant, Victoria
Horsford is a NY based writer and
pop culture historian who is reachable at [email protected]
John Liu
ARTS AND CULTURE
SKOTO GALLERY. THE RAPE/
LE VIOL, and exhibition of sculpture and mixed media by Congoborn fine artist Aime Mpane, who
divides his time between
Kinshasha and Brussels. Exhibit
runs through April 13. Mpane’s
recent works “explore the physical and psychological complex
Vy Higginse
Dennis Rodman
BEACON, March 7, 2013 - March 13, 2013 newyorkbeacon.net
WHAT’S GOING ON
17
BEACON, March 7, 2013 - March 13, 2013 newyorkbeacon.net
18
NNPA Award Winner
Enter tainment
By Don Thomas
Interview
Anthony Anderson says ‘material
things don’t make you happy’
By Kam Williams
Accomplished actor Anthony
Anderson has appeared in over
20 films, and his stellar work on
NBC’s “Law & Order” earned him
three of his eight NAACP Image
Award nominations. Prior to
launching his acting career, Anthony grew up in Los Angeles and
attended the High School for the
Performing Arts, where he earned
first place in the NAACP’s
ACTSO Awards with his performance of a classic monologue
from “The Great White Hope.”
That performance, along with his
dedication to his craft, earned him
an arts scholarship to Howard
University.
He first gained national attention as one of Jim Carrey’s sons
in “Me, Myself, & Irene.” Over
the years, Anthony has displayed
his range of talent in everything
from “Transformers” to Martin
Scorsese’s Best Oscar winning
feature film, “The Departed.”
His additional feature films include “Scary Movie 3,” “Barbershop,” “Kangaroo Jack,” “Exit
Wounds,” “Cradle 2 the Grave,”
“Two Can Play That Game” and
“Malibu’s Most Wanted.” He
starred opposite Eddie Griffin and
Michael Imperioli in “My Baby’s
Daddy,” alongside Frankie Muniz
in “Agent Cody Banks 2” and
enjoyed a cameo in “Harold and
Kumar Go to White Castle.”
Anthony brought his talent
and humor to the small screen in
his own sitcom, “All about the
Andersons,” which was loosely
based on his life. He appeared in
the police-drama television series, “The Shield,” opposite
Michael Chiklis and Glenn Close,
and starred in the New Orleansbased drama “K-Ville.”
Anthony is currently starring
on three TV series, “Guys with
Kids,” “Treme” and “Golf in
America,” and lives in Los Angeles with his wife, Alvina, and their
two children. Here he talks about
hosting the United Negro College
Fund’s 34th Annual “An Evening
of Stars.”
Kam Williams: How ya’ been,
Anthony? It’s great to have another opportunity to speak with
you. Anthony Anderson: Hey,
Kam. I’m alright.
KW: I wanted to say congratulations on your eighth NAACP Image Award nomination, this time
for Outstanding Actor in a Comedy TV Series for “Guys with
Kids.” You got my vote again, as
a member of the nominating committee. AA: Thank you. Maybe
one day I’ll win one.
KW: What interested you in
hosting the UNCFs’ Evening of
Stars?
Anthony Anderson
AA: You know what, they reached
out to me to host, and I couldn’t
turn them down. I’d grown up
watching the show with my parents every year back when it was
hosted by Lou Rawls.
‘We didn’t have much money
at all, but my folks always found a
way to give a little. And now, here
I am 30 years later with a $25,000
United Negro College Fund scholarship in my name. That’s something that interested me as well.”
KW: Will that scholarship specifically go to a student at your alma
mater, Howard University?
AA: No, I didn’t want them to
think I was based, even though I
am. I haven’t figured out whether
we’re going to give it all to a single
student, or break it and give it to
five different students. KW: What
did attending Howard University
meant to you?
AA: It meant everything. This
is the sort of creative energy you
could find on campus when I was
a student there: Paula Jai Parker,
Wendy Raquel Robinson, Wendy
Davis, Carl Anthony Payne, Sean
P. Diddy Combs, Ananda Lewis,
Laz Alonso, Lance Gross, the music of the group Shai, and the list
goes on and on.
“We were all there at the same
time. For all of us to then go off in
our respective fields independently of one another and become
successes can’t even be quantified. KW: What are the major challenges facing the Historically
Black Colleges and Universities
today? Is there any truth to the
rumor that they are having a hard
time finding black male students?
AA: I would assume so, and I
say that because only about 5 percent of African-Americans who
graduate from high school are college ready. And only 28 percent of
that 5 percent eventually graduate
from college with a bachelor’s degree. You asked specifically about
African-American males. When I
was in college, the ratio was 7 females for every male on campus.
So, that’s been the case for a long
time, but I don’t know what the
reason is for that drastic difference.
KW: You’re currently starring
on the series “Guys with Kids” and
“Treme,” as well as hosting “Golf
in America.” How do you manage
to juggle all that? AA: They all
shoot in different locations but at
different times, fortunately. So,
I’ve been able to work everything
out. KW: Is there any question no
one ever asks you, that you wish
someone would?
AA: No. Why do you have one in
mind?
KW: Nope. AA: Let me think…
Nobody’s ever asked me, “If you
could have a superpower, which
would you choose?” I’d like to
have the ability to make money
whenever I need it. [Laughs] What
I’d really like is to be able to fly
because I love freedom, and being
able to do what I want to do when
I want to do it.
KW: The Michael Ealy question: If you could meet any historical figure, who would it be? AA:
Hmm, that’s a good one! Dr. Martin Luther King and Abraham Lincoln. KW: The Columbus Short
question: Are you happy? AA:
Another good one! Happiness is
a state of mind. Most people automatically assume that we’re happy
because we’re famous and some
of us are rich. But material things
don’t make you happy. And the
more success you achieve only
amplifies who you are as a person.
If you’re miserable, you’re just
going to be miserable and rich and
famous. I know people like that. I
have friends who are that way.
KW: What is your guiltiest
pleasure? AA: Late night Taco
Bell. KW: The bookworm Troy
Johnson question: What was the
last book you read?
AA: “50 Shades of Grey.” KW:
The music maven Heather
Covington question: What was the
last song you listened to? AA:
“My Life Would Suck without
You” by Kelly Clarkson. KW:
What is your favorite dish to
cook?
AA: That’s hard for me to say,
because I’m a chef. I’m going to
have to say Oxtail Stew. Cooking
is one of my passions. I’m a judge
on the Food Network’s “Iron Chef
America,” and I’m competing on
“Chopped” next month. KW: The
Uduak Oduok question: Who is
your favorite clothes designer?
AA: Woody Wilson. He’s my personal tailor.
KW: Dante Lee, author of
“Black Business Secrets,” asks:
What was the best business decision you ever made? AA: To buy
my first home. KW: When you look
in the mirror, what do you see? AA:
It’s interesting that you should ask
that question because I’ve been
staring at myself in this dressing
room mirror as we have this conversation with one another. Here’s
the things that have been running
through my mind: both success
and failure, because I couldn’t appreciate the success that I’m enjoying now without the failures that
I experienced before them.
KW: If you could have one wish
instantly granted, what would that
be for? AA: To end world hunger.
KW: The Ling-Ju Yen question:
What is your earliest childhood
memory? AA: Being fed by my
grandmother as an infant. KW: The
Jamie Foxx question: If you only
had 24 hours to live, what would
you do? Would you do the bad
stuff, you never got a chance to
do, or would you do good stuff to
make sure you make it into heaven?
AA: Wow! [Whispers] I’ve
done a lot of bad, Kam, and I’ve
enjoyed doing those bad things.
[Resumes normal voice] But I’m
also a spiritual person and I believe
I’m going to heaven anyway, because I’ve asked for forgiveness
for my sins. So, if I only had 24
hours to live, I’d just spend it with
my loved ones doing nothing yet
everything.
KW: The Kerry Washington
question: If you were an animal,
what animal would you be? AA: A
lion. KW: The Pastor Alex
Kendrick question: When do you
feel the most content? AA: Hmm…
On my couch in my family room.
KW: The Toure question: Who is
the person who led you to become
the person you are today? AA: It
started with Mrs. Kpodo, my fourth
grade teacher.
KW: The Judyth Piazza question: What key quality do you believe all successful people share?
AA: A passion for what it is they
do. KW: What advice do you have
for anyone who wants to follow in
your footsteps?
AA: Never let anyone else determine your self-worth. KW: The
Tavis Smiley question: How do you
want to be remembered?
AA: Hmm… As someone who
cared, as someone who loved, and
as someone who believed in others. KW: Thanks again for the time,
Anthony, and best of luck with all
your endeavors. AA: Thank you
Kam, I appreciate that. Alright
brother, have a good one.
Disney Dreamers Academy
Walt Disney World Resort is
bracing itself to welcome 100
teens who will participate in the
2013 Disney Dreamers Academy
with Steve Harvey and Essence
Magazine. The teens, along with
a parent or guardian will be
guests of Walt Disney World
Resort March 7-10 where they
will participate in a once-in-lifetime innovative outside-theclassroom educational and
mentoring program.
These “Dreamers” — selected
from more than 5,000 applicants
– will participate in enlightening
workshops related to a bevy of
career paths ranging from animation to zoology. Each participant
learns important skills such as
communications techniques and
networking strategies. It all takes
place in a magical setting: The Walt
Disney World Theme Parks.
The 2013 class of Disney
Dreamers Academy truly is an extraordinary group of kids. These
young students come from all over
the country — each representing
a different path to the Disney
Dreamers Academy — and each
proving that with hard work and a
little magic, your dreams really can
come true. The stories behind each
member of this class are awesomely inspiring.
The students will take part in
workshops conducted by Disney
executives and cast members.
Celebrities and athletes are also
expected to speak to the group.
Radio personality Steve Harvey will
return to oversee his namesake
event.
Harvey stated Disney’s Dreamers Academy “is about inspiring
our young people who oftentimes
don’t have the chance to be exposed to a variety of job skills and
job opportunities and meet with
people in the fields they’re interested in. We want to give our
young achievers the tools to become overachievers — to make
their dreams a reality.”
Making their debut this year will
be five Disney Dreamers Academy
graduates who will return to share
their experiences with the 2013
class of “Dreamers.”
The Inaugural Disney Dreamers Academy Champions —
Quiamony Gaskins, Ashley
Geigen, Robert Jackson, Joslyn
Johnson and Princeton Parker —
were selected among Alumni to
serve for one year as brand ambassadors.
These five Alumni will serve as
national spokespersons, become
guest contributors to the Disney
Dreamers Academy social media
and empower Alumni. They will
also attend the flagship event at
Walt Disney World Resort to inspire future dreamers:
Robert Jackson is a freshman
at New York University studying
Drama at the Tisch School of the
Arts. He would also like to pursue acting professionally. While
in high school, Robert was Student Body Class President and
served as the Education Chairmen
for the Houston NAACP Youth
Council in his community. Robert
is a Gates Millennium Scholar and
National Coca-Cola Scholar
Quiamony Gaskins is a sophomore at Virginia Commonwealth
University in Richmond, Virginia,
majoring in political science and
international studies. She aspires
to work with the United States
government as a CIA operative,
offering up her intellect, skills, and
resources in areas involving political theory, foreign affairs, and
foreign languages.
Ashley Geiger attends the University of South Carolina in Columbia, South Carolina, where she
is majoring in criminal justice with
a minor in communication. Afterwards, she would like to get a
Master’s Degree in Criminal Jus-
tice and pursue a career with the FBI.
Ashley is also interested in going
to Los Angeles after graduation to
pursue an acting career for a year or
two.
Joslyn Johnson is enrolled at
Tarrant County Community College
in Fort Worth, Texas, with a doublemajor in Information Technology
Systems and Graphic Design. After
graduation, she would like to begin
an internship with Oracle and to
open up her own t-shirt company.
Joslyn’s favorite quote is from
Harriet Tubman, “Every great dream
begins with a dreamer…”
Princeton Parker is a sophomore at the University of Southern
California, where he majors in Communications and is the chaplain of
the USC Gospel Choir. He serves
as VP of Princeton Parker Ministries
and is a volunteer at the Rosecrans
Care Center. Honors include 1st
place at the national NAACP ACTSO Oratory competition, California
Arts Council Ambassador, &
Huffington Post contributor.
DDA Champions pictured with Mickey Mouse (left to right) Quiamony Gaskins, Mickey, Robert Jackson, Joslyn Johnson. Not pictured is Champion Princeton Parker. (Photo
courtesy Walt Disney World Resort)
The Congress of Racial Equality celebrated
two milestones in one.
First, a “Special Black
History Month Dinner”
and second - Women’s
History Month Centennial
Ce l e b r a t i o n .
CORE honored the
“Underground Railroad Heroines —
H a r r i e t Tu b m a n ’s
Great Grandniece
Pauline Johnson and
Great-Great Grandniece Deidre Stanford
— at their Black History Month dinner. The
event coincides with the
100th Anniversary of
Harriet Tubman and the
“Underground Railroad.”
(Photos by Gerald Peart)
BUST of Harriet Tubman
CORE’s advisory board chairman Joseph Lovece, Jr. and CORE’s chairman Roy Innis with
Great Grandniece Pauline Johnson and Great-Great Grandniece Deidre Stanford.holding a
bust of their ancestor Harriet Tubman
19
BEACON, March 7, 2013 - March 13, 2013 newyorkbeacon.net
Meet the Disney Dreamers Academy Champions
BEACON, March 7, 2013 - March 13, 2013 newyorkbeacon.net
20
Introducing
Musician Earl Swindell shared a special
friendship with Legendary James Brown
It was at the age of 14 that Earl
Swindell first became enamored
with the prolific artist and the
master of soul music, James
Brown. Earl would rush home from
school if he knew that James
Brown would be on television. He
listened and practiced Brown’s
music any time he could.
At Age 18, after graduating high
school, Earl made a trip to New
York City in 1971 and had the opportunity to meet his Idol James
Brown and from there a lasting
friendship and working relationship developed.
Earl became Brown’s personal
valet and informal mentor as the
two spent a lot of time together.
As Earl matured as a music professional, he was handed more
responsibility over the years
working with Brown, and he eventually became a promotion man at
Polydor Records.
Over the many years that Earl
worked with Brown, a strong
bond developed between the two
as Brown considered Earl to be
like a son. Earl learned from Brown
at every moment and admired him
for his business savvy and independent style in the music industry.
Time went on and Earl stayed
in touch with his mentor and over
the course of years up until his
death, Brown always had a special
place in his heart for Earl and would
make sure to meet him every one in
a while to discuss life, music and
spiritual topics.
And then in 2006, on an early
Christmas morning, Brown de-
James Brown and Earl Swindell
parted the world. Earl was a pall- the companionship and
bearer at Brown funeral and helped mentoring for Earl personally.
carried his Idol back inside the
So now in December 2013, as a
Apollo Theater (where they spend tribute to his great mentor and to
so much time together in the past), one of the world’s great artist, Earl
and he remembered the great music brings back the sound of James
that Brown created for his fans and Brown, that is heard on his new
On Wednesday, February 27, 2013 at the Garden of Dreams Talent Show Auditions at The
Theater at Madison Square Garden. The Garden of Dreams Foundation is a non-profit
charity that makes dreams come true for children facing obstacles – from homelessness and
foster care, to illness, to extreme poverty. The
Foundation hosts an annual Talent Show event
where children are presented with a once-ina-lifetime opportunity to put their troubles
aside and perform in front of their family and
friends at Radio City Music Hall. Yesterday,
children from Garden of Dreams auditioned
for a spot to perform at the Talent Show in
front of celebrity guests including hip hop pioneer, founding member of Run DMC and Talent Show Creative Director Darryl ‘DMC’
McDaniels, The Strokes’ Albert Hammond Jr.,
Fabrizio Moretti and Nikolai Fraiture, Tony
Vincent, Christina Sajous, Rebecca
Faulkenberry and Chester Gregory and model
Damaris Lewis. The evening was hosted by
Fuse News anchor Matte Babel and Top 20
Countdown host Esteban Serrano. Select children will perform in the annual Garden of
Dreams Talent Show at Radio City Music Hall
on April 16.
(Photos: Kristina Bumphrey/Starpix.)
Judges
Rap
Matte Performaer
CD titled Third World Earl, featuring
the tracks “Bring Back the Funk” and
Blame The Funk On Me.” For Earl it’s
the only fitting thing to do for the man
that took him under wing and taught
him so much, the Godfather of Soul,
James Brown. (D.T.)
Singer
KICKIN’ IT with Lifestyles & Society Editor Audrey J. Bernard
21
Mayor Michael Bloomberg
greets guests during the
reception
Some 350 dressed to the
nines guests joined multiEmmy Award-winning TV host NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly (2002 Valentine gala honoree), Emmy-award winning Judith Light, Bowery Mission director of outreach
on Food Network and New CNBC host Maria Bartiromo, Bowery Mission chairman Jan Nagel, Mayor Michael
Macklin, Cheryl Mitchell, director of BowYork Times best-selling author Bloomberg, Bowery Mission president Ed Morgan, Rev. AR Bernard (2008 Valentine James
ery Mission Women’s Center in Harlem
Sandra Lee at The Bowery gala honoree), CEO, Christian Cultural Center, Irwin Simon (2012 Valentine gala
Mission’s fourteenth annual honoree), honorary chair, 2013 Valentine gala, and CEO of Hain Celestial Group, Inc.
Valentine gala on Thursday,
February 14, 2013 at The Plaza
where she was honored. The
traditional sweetheart event
raised almost $810,000 for The
Bowery Mission’s work with
men, women and children in
need.
Lee, a long-time advocate
of The Bowery Mission, was
a deserving honoree having
worked tirelessly for the organization as well as other notable organizations serving
New Yorkers in need – New
York’s homeless and hungry.
In the wake of Hurricane
Sandy, Lee provided relief to
NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly (2002 Valentine gala honoree), Margo
hundreds of people receiving
Catsimatidis (2009 Valentine gala honoree), John Catsimatidis (2009
help from The Bowery MisValentine gala honoree), CEO, Red Apple Group, and Republican canLiz Smith, Scott Leurquin
Daryl Simon & Irwin Simon
sion through her volunteer
didate for Mayor
service, corporate partners,
and public advocacy.
“The Bowery Mission staff
and volunteers were absolute
heroes during Hurricane
Sandy, making sure that homeless and displaced men,
women and children had hot
meals and safe shelter – even
after the Mission lost power,”
says Lee. “And they are everyday heroes in the fight
against hunger. I am proud to
be associated with The Bowery Mission and I am honored
by this award.”
The lovely gathering was attended by some of New York’s
top corporate, philanthropic, and
government leaders including
Governor Andrew Cuomo, Sandra Lee, Governor Andrew Rev. AR Bernard (2008 Valentine gala
Nadine Swinney, Lemar Swinney, Bowery Mission chairman Jan
honoree), CEO, Christian Cultural
Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Po- Cuomo
Nagel, Nancy Nagel
Center, Governor Andrew Cuomo
lice Commissioner Ray Kelly, City
Council Speaker Christine
Quinn, Public Advocate Bill de
Blasio, CNBC’s Emmy Awardwinner Maria Bartiromo,
Tony Award and Emmy Awardwinner Judith Light, Arianna
Huffington, Liz Smith,
Martha Stewart, and The Abyssinian Baptist Church
Choir.
Event chair Veronica Kelly
and honorary chair Irwin D.
Simon, CEO, The Hain Celestial
Group, Inc., are both previous
Bowery Mission Valentine Gala
honorees.
About The Bowery Mission
Arianna Huffington, Gov. Andrew
The Bowery Mission has served Cuomo, Judith Light
homeless and hungry New Yorkers since 1879. The Mission Sandy. This year, The Bowery
has played a key role in chal- Mission provided more than
lenging times from the Great 369,200 meals, 79,300 nights of
Depression to the 9/11 terror shelter and 53,200 articles of clothattacks and now, Hurricane ing, as well as showers, haircuts,
Abyssinian Gospel Choir
and expert medical and optometric
care. Each meal and every night of
shelter is an invitation to its residential recovery programs, where
lives are transformed from hope-
Martha Stewart, Judith Light, Sandra Lee
lessness to hope.
Three residential programs
house 180 men and women who
are regaining sobriety, reconnecting with family and faith,
pursuing educational goals, and preparing for work and independent living. www.bowery.org
(Photo Credit: Fifth Avenue Digital for The Bowery Mission)
BEACON, March 7, 2013 - March 13, 2013 newyorkbeacon.net
Bowery Mission’s Valentine gala raised
almost $810,000 for New Yorkers in need
BEACON, March 7, 2013 - March 13, 2013 newyorkbeacon.net
22
Flick Chat
‘You Don’t Need Feet to Dance,’
reveals the life of Sidiki Conde
An intimate documentary about
a man who overcomes his disability one day at a time in New York
City, Alan Govenar’s new film “You
Don’t Need Feet To Dance,” opening at the Quad Cinema on Friday,
March 22 reveals the extraordinary
life of African immigrant Sidiki
Conde.
Sidiki was born in 1961, in
Guinea, West Africa. At age 14
polio left he almost completely
paralyzed. Sent to live with his
grandfather in a village deep in the
forest, Sidiki learned to manage his
disability, building his upper-body
strength so that he could walk on
his hands.
When faced with the dilemma of
dancing in a coming of age ceremony, he reconstructed the traditional steps by dancing on his
hands instead of his feet. In time
Sidiki ran away to Conakry,
Guinea’s capital city, where he and
his friends organized an orchestra
of artists with disabilities recruited
from the city’s streets.
They toured the country, striving to change the perception of the
disabled. He became a member of
the renowned dance company
Merveilles D’Afrique in 1987
founded by Mohamed Komoko
Sano. Sidiki became a soloist and
served as rehearsal master, composing and directing the
company’s repertoire. He also
worked as a musician and arranger
with Youssou N’Dour, Salifa Keita,
Baba Maal and other popular musicians.
Conde’s music brought him to
Sidiki Conde works with children with disabilities in New York City, as seen in “You Don’t Need Feet To Dance,” a documentary by Alan
Govenar
(Photos: Alan Govenar)
the United States in 1998 and he United States, he has continued kids, busks on the street, rehearses created with Akin Babatunde refounded the Tokounou All-Abilities to perform and teach, instructing with his musical group, bicycles ceived rave reviews in The New York
Dance and Music Ensemble. In the people of all abilities in schools, with his hands, and prepares for a Times and Variety. Govenar’s film
hospitals and universities, and baby naming ceremony, where he “Stoney Knows How,” based on his
served as artist in residence at a plays djembe drums, sings, and book by the same title about old
Bronx public school for children dances on his hands.
school tattoo artist Leonard St. Clair,
with multiple disabilities.
was shown at the Museum of ModIn the documentary “You Don’t
About the Director
ern Art in New York and the Centre
Need Feet to Dance,” Sidiki balGeorges Pompidou in Paris, and was
ances his career as a performing
Alan Govenar is a writer, folk- selected as an “Outstanding Film of
artist with the almost insurmount- lorist, photographer, and filmmaker. the Year” by the London Film Festiable obstacles of life in New York He is president of Documentary val.
City, from his fifth-floor walk-up Arts, which he founded in 1985 to
Govenar has also produced and
apartment in the East Village, down present new perspectives on his- directed numerous films in associathe stairs with his hands and navi- torical issues and diverse cultures. tion with NOVA, La Sept/ARTE, and
gating in his wheelchair through Govenar is the author more than the corporation for public broadcastManhattan onto buses and into twenty books and is a Guggenheim ing. Alan Govenar recently directed
the subway.
Fellow.
“The Beat Hotel” and “Master Qi and
Despite the challenges, Sidiki
The Off-Broadway premiere of the Monkey King,” both distributed
teaches workshops for disabled his musical “Blind Lemon Blues,” through First Run Features. (D.T.)
Children are captivated by Sidiki’s feet-less dancing skills
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Off Broadway
‘The Drawer Boy,’ a provocative drama
By Ernece B. Kelly
Drama Critic
Opening on a hyper-realistic
set—it’s a 1970’s rural kitchen
which never changes throughout the 2 hour drama—“The
Drawer Boy” introduces its
main mystery within the first
few minutes when a grown man,
(Morgan) played by Brad
Fryman—without a word—
pops in, grabs a sandwich, and
leaves. Who is he? And why is
the other man, (Angus) played
by William Laney, making sandwiches for the two of them?
The third and final character,
(Miles) played by Alex Fast,
appears within minutes. He’s a
young actor needing to understand how a farm works for a
drama assignment. Because the
The Drawer Boy cast
two farmers consent to his living building intrigue, the Second Act
with them, the answers to Miles’ is muddled as the playwright,
persistent questions begin to fill Michael Healey, forces improbin the blanks we, the audience, able behaviors from his three actors.
have.
Nonetheless, their acting is luIn the course of it,
minous,
buoyed by the outstandShakespeare’s “Hamlet” is butchered, bloody farming accidents ing technical designs of David
occur, Angus runs away, and a Murin’s costumes, Nick Moore’s
lifelong lie is uncovered, leading sound, Rebecca Lord-Surratt’s
one of the characters to ask, “You set, and Amith Chandrashaker’s
carried me around…all this time?” light with its arresting projections.
“The Drawer Boy” is at the
While the First Act of “The
th
Drawer Boy” is engrossing, skill- June Havoc Theatre, 312 W. 36rd
fully developing questions and St., Manhattan, thru March 23 .
First Lady Michelle
Obama recently
unveiled her new
initiative called
“Let’s Move Active
Schools” to help
schools create a
physical activity
programs for students at
McCormick Place in
Chicago, Illinois.
BEACON, March 7, 2013 - March 13, 2013 newyorkbeacon.net
24
BEACON
Marc Rasbury
SPORTS
What to make of these Knicks
By Marc Rasbury
The New York Knicks got off
to an amazing start this year going 18-5 out of the gate. Since
then they have been hovering
around the .500 mark. Still respectable, but the notion of them competing for the Eastern Conference
Championship has simmered
down a bit. The real question here
is, “Who are these guys?” Are
they the team that raced out to
the 19-6 record or are they the .500
squad that has been on display
for the last two months?
Lets dissect the two periods of
the season. You have the good
Knicks and the average Knicks.
When the Knicks were doing their
thing prior to the Holiday season,
they were doing everything that
winning teams do consistently.
They were playing lights-out defense. Their perimeter defense
was something to behold. Ronnie
Brewer, Jason Kidd and Raymond
Felton kept opposing guards and
forwards out of the lane and if
they did make it into the paint,
Tyson Chandler and Rasheed
Wallace were there waiting for
them. Even Carmelo Anthony was
exerting himself on this side of the
ball.
All of a sudden, their perimeter
defense has gone by the waist
side. Wallace and Felton went
down with injuries. And, Head
Coach Mike Woodson benched
Brewer, the team’s best defensive
player. Now, they have been trying to implement Iman Shumpert
back into the rotation. The second-year player is coming back
from a serious knee injury himself
and still isn’t close to the defensive form he displayed last year.
Wallace’s absence has been telling as well. The Knicks miss his
tenacity in the paint and have not
been the same since the old man
has been on the disabled list.
And there is the Kidd issue. Jason Kidd has appeared to hit that
proverbial wall. When Felton got
injured, Kidd’s minutes at the
point guard position increased,
way more than Woodson wanted
to play him at that position. Kidd
has been a shell of himself since
the fast start. I know he is approaching 40, but he was not
brought in here to play 30 minutes
a night.
Their defense has been so poor
of late that opposing guards have
been having career nights against
the Knicks. Chris Paul and
Stephon Curry have come into the
Garden and put on clinics against
the Knicks over the past two
weeks. That did not happen at the
beginning of the season.
Another reason why the Knicks
winning ways have come to halt
is because their ball movement has
stopped. When the Knicks were
winning, the ball was moving from
side to side and inside and out. It
Mike Woodson
seemed as if each player touched
the ball on each possession.
That led to wide-open jumpers or
easy layups. That is why the offense
was on fire. Now they are running
more isolation plays and depending
on Carmelo Anthony far too much.
Teams can lock in the perimeter players more when the ball stays in
Anthony’s hands.
It is obvious what the Knicks
need to do. They got to shore up
their defense and move the ball more
on offense. It is easier said than
done as far as the defense is concerned. Hopefully, Shumpert can
become that defensive stopper
again and the addition of Kenyon
Martin along with the return of
Wallace will help. Nevertheless,
Woodson is known as defensive
coach, so he has to go back to the
laboratory and come up with something.
On offense, they have to go back
to moving the ball more. This
isolation scheme is not working,
especially for an extended period of
time. Sprinkle in some pick and rolls
between Amar’e Stodemire and
Felton and the offense should get
back on track.
Lets hope Anthony’s injury isn’t
that severe. I hope that it dawns on
this team what made them successful. Lights out defense and ball
movement were the key components
to their early season success. Let’s
get back to that mindset and the victory.
Serena tops Azarenka at the Garden, Bernard Hopkins returns
By Derrel “Jazz” Johnson
Monday night at Madison Square Garden, Serena
Williams, who recently regained the #1 spot in the
WTA rankings, defeated #2
Victoria Azarenka 6-4, 6-3 at
the BNP Paribas Showdown
2013 at Madison Square
Garden. Williams continues
to dominate Azarenka, has
she has won 11 of 12 against
her. Azarenka ended her 10match losing streak to Williams last month with a win
in three sets.
In the second match of
the night, Juan Del Potro
defeated Rafael Nadal 7-6
(4), 6-4, in a match that saw
actor and comedian Ben
Stiller participate briefly in.
The more important thing
was the return of Nadal,
who missed most of the tennis season last year, and
failed to compete in the
Australian Open earlier this
year due to injury.
For many tennis fans
across the world, it was refreshing to see the 11-time
Grand-Slam champion back
Serena Williams
on the tennis court.
This Saturday, the future
boxing hall of famer, the Legendary Bernard Hopkins, returns to the ring at the age of
48. Hopkins last fight was a
loss to Chad Dawson in April
of last year.
The Executioner returns to
face IBF Light Heavyweight
champion Tavoris “Thunder”
Cloud.
The Golden Boy Promotions event (at which Hopkins
is an executive) in association
with Don King Promotions,
will be held live at Barclays
Center in Brooklyn, the second fight card at the new
arena that opened in September. There are still limited
tickets available, and the
fight will also be aired live on
HBO World Championship
Boxing beginning at 9:30pm.
If Hopkins wins the fight,
he would break his own
record and become the oldest
man to win a world title. To
say the least, Hopkins is inspiring for his ability to still
compete in a sport where it is
typical to see men perform
who are literally half his age.