VOL XVIII ISSUE 23 JULY 3, 2019
MY TRUTH
QUIT PLAYIN’
“Fight the Power” – The 30Versary!
Cheryl Smith Publisher
It’s not hard to do better I think I will call it quits and still not understand, and still be shaking my head til the very end. I’m talking about core values. Who are you? Whose are you and what do you stand for? What is your purpose? It has been said that the two most significant days in your life are: 1. When you were born, and 2. When you realize why you were born. Apparently there are some folks who live almost their entire lives before they realize their purpose, before they understand the greatness that was there inside of them all the time. Unfortunately there are those who either never realize and those who find themselves coming of age, if you will, as they are about to transition. When I was growing up, my mother preached to us the importance of being clean and taking care of your surroundings. Funny as I think back to when I was a child and we would move. By the time we closed the door on the home we were leaving, it was spotless! I would wonder why we were cleaning when we were leaving. And I’m not talking about spot cleaning, I’m talking about the cleaning that leaves the place spotless. My mother said, “like you’d like a place to look if you were moving into it.” Okay that was cool, but when we got to our new place, guess what? That’s right, we had to clean that place, even if it was “spotless.” And don’t let company come over! Earline was going to make sure the house was spotless! She wanted our house to be clean and taken care of, and this was the case with our bodies. Then too, she always talked about if we didn’t have a multitude of anything, we had to take care of what we had. If we had one of anything, when we put it on, it had better be clean and without holes. We learned at a young age to “go get that sewing kit.” And she would tell us our underwear better
Or what about the women who complain about the “dirty, nasty ladies bathroom.” Well, who went into the bathroom and dirtied it or made it nasty? I’m just gonna ask, “does that used sanitary item on the floor or sink belong to a man who brought it in there?” be clean, just in case we were hit by a car or something. In my head, I would be thinking, “If they were clean, and I get hit by a car, they won’t be clean anymore!” But I wouldn’t say that to her. Which brings me to my truth. The other day as I sat in a restaurant eating, I saw a young woman, late 20s or early 30s, cleaning out her car in the parking lot. She had a car full of children and another adult who sat and watched as she threw napkins, drink bottles, empty food packages, empty cigarette packs and all kind of other stuff on the ground. It was disgusting to watch. And some might be saying, “you (meaning me) should have went up and checked her, if it bothers you so much.” At least that’s what the Pizza Hut manager told me. And guess what? There was a time that I would have said something like, “Do you want me to help you put all of that in the garbage? But sometimes you get tired. Yes, we were in my community and I get tired of people complaining about how bad our communities look, when they are the main ones tossing trash out the car windows, changing your baby’s diaper in the car and throwing the soiled See MY TRUTH, page 4
By Vincent L. Hall
“1989 the number, another summer, sound of the funky drummer. Music hittin’ your heart, ‘cause I know you got soul!!”– Fight the Power – Chuck D and Public Enemy 1989
The summer of 1989 wasn’t
just hot; it was funky as a James Brown lick. Everything was in upheaval. Donald Trump ain’t the craziest shitstorm to ever hit America; just the most recent. The whole world was a cast-iron skillet that ranged from simmering to hot as fish grease!
Future leaders groomed at Kappa Kamp
Solidarity, the Polish Labor Union led by Lech Walesa, broke the bonds of Communism. Lech, the “Bernie Sanders” of Poland, piloted a victory for populism and the people. International populism shook so See QUIT PLAYIN, page 5
NNPA CONVENTION
Sanders labels Trump “worst president in history” National Kappa Kamp Director Maurice A. West provides leadership and an aggressive plan to grow and develop our future leaders through Kappa Kamp.
NNPA
By Stacy M. Brown
NNPA Newswire Correspondent @StacyBrownMedia
One night after many pundits said he acquitted himself well in the debate in Miami between himself and other 2020 Democratic Presidential hopefuls, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders arrived in Cincinnati to deliver the keynote address at the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) Legacy Awards Dinner. Sanders addressed a large local and national media contingent, which also included many members of the Ohio press. Sanders was the lone candidate to accept an invitation to speak at the gala, which is part of the NNPA’s weeklong national convention. The NNPA is a trade organization that represents the more than 200 African Americanowned newspapers and media companies throughout the country. The organization does not endorse candidates, leaving such decisions up to its member publishers whose influence and readership comprise the nation’s largest media markets, including New York, Los Angeles, Washington, Chicago, St. Louis, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Tennessee, San Francisco, and numerous swing states around the country. After being introduced by former Ohio State Sen. Nina Turner, Sanders gave an inspiring 25-minute address in which he blasted President Donald Trump as a racist and a bigot and he promised that, if elected, he will work to make college tuition-free, eliminate student debt, take climate change seriously, and make every effort to level the playing field economically, educationally and in other ways that reflect his stance on social justice for African Americans and other individuals of color. “It is absolutely imperative to defeat the most dangerous president in the history of this country,” Sanders said. “He is a racist and a bigot.” Sanders said he and his wife thought long and hard before he decided to enter the race this year. Even after deciding to run, Sanders said he slept on it and almost reconsidered, but he believed it was important that he step up for the sake of all Americans, particularly the underserved. “We are going to have to transform this nation and create an economy that works for all of us, not just the one percent,” Sanders said. “People aren’t able to go to the doctor because they can’t afford to and if you go to a hospital, you’re afraid to get hit with a $50,000 medical bill.” Promising that a Sanders Administration would work to provide medical coverage for all, he added. “My anger at [Trump] is not just that he wanted to take away health care for 32 million people, but his [proposed] massive cuts
to Medicare and Medicaid and Social Security and his tax cuts which …. were for the top one percent,” Sanders said. The senator drew applause several times from the packed crowd inside the second-floor ballroom of the Westin. He also blasted Trump for the president’s disbelief in climate change. “It is the great existential threat of our time and this is not an issue that we have a choice about.” Sanders promised to focus his presidency on social, environmental, racial and economic justice. “We have a president who deliberately is trying to divide America and not only do we have to defeat the worst president in the history of our country, we will have to transform this nation and create an economy for all of us and not just the one percent,” he said.
Houston Forward Times Publisher Karen Carter Richards elected NNPA Chair
NNPA Chair Karen Carter Richards with Garland Journal Publisher Cheryl Smith
Karen Carter Richards said she understands that being the chair comes with a lot of responsibilities and work. After a fierce campaign, Richards said she will work to move the storied association forward, help to continue to provide Black America with critical news and information, and bridge any divides that might exist between members. “This is a new vision and I’m excited about serving. We are the Black Press, the Original Black Press and I’m so happy to serve and be the new chair of the NNPA.” The Houston native said the importance of the Black Press should never be lost on anyone. “We are the voice, the true voice of our people. We have recorded our history for 192 years like no other media could ever do,” she said.
Kappa Kamp celebrated its 23rd year June 2-14, 2019 with a program that reflected the goals and expectations that our 33rd Administration and all members would be proud of – a continued focus on College Readiness, Business and Entrepreneurship, Financial Literacy and Team Building. The program served 108 young men, 12-16, from across the nation meeting on the campus of Paul Quinn College (PQC) in Dallas, TX to acquire productive life-skills through intensive workshops and learning through structured play activities. Students chose from a selection of academic/entrepreneurship-based classes and sports and enrichment classes offered. Kampers also attended a variety of cultural and recreational activities, field trips, and educational lectures. Work, fun, and more, all take place within a safe, professionally designed and supervised setting. “We are so thankful for the fraternity, the 33rd Administration, Kappa Alpha Psi Foundation, Paul Quinn College and so many others that assist in the growth and development of these talented young men. Were excited to expose them to the many avenues of business and leadership that Dallas and the region has to offer,” said Maurice A. West, National Chairman of Kappa Kamp. The primary objectives of the enrichment camps are to: •Provide college readiness, business development and enrichment activities for program youth. •Motivate students to seek higher levels of achievement. •Expose students to activities rich in cultural information and experiences. •Develop students’ reading, writing, and speaking skills while involved in each camp. •Provide experiences that focus on science technology and survival. •Allow campers to make friends from around the world in a structured, safe environment. •Provide a spiritual faith-based atmosphere for human growth and development. •Provide character education and citizenship in an ethical environment. Fundamentals of Leadership & Entrepreneurship Our Fundamentals of Leadership & Entrepreneurship (FLE) course is a two-week immersion into the nuts and bolts of the business world by challenging the students to create a viable business. Kampers will be taught the fundamentals of leadership, entrepreneurship, marketing, accounting, operations, and organizational behavior, while coming to understand the integrated role these functions play in every successful endeavor. Leadership will be taught from the perspective of servant leadership. Additionally, they will be separated into teams and will generate their own business ideas. The Kampers will submit these ideas in the form of business plans and prototypes. The team with the best plan will receive a monetary prize. The Principles of STEM The Principles of STEM (Science, See Kampers, page 6