Citizen Suburban Times Weekly 11-20-2019

Citizen Week of Nov. 20, 2019

| Vol. 3 | No. 15 | www.citizennewspapergroup.com

SUBURBAN TIMES WEEKLY

The Jackson Agency was founded by Tiauna Jackson (pictured) in 2014 after seeing a need for underrepresented artists to be given a voice through proper representation. The agency exists for those who have been denied opportunities based on an aversion to diversity

AGENT-CEO TIAUNA JACKSON OPENS DOORS TO BLACK WRITERS

The Jackson Agency recently announced a new partnership with the Writers Guild of America – West. The Jackson Agency has been the home for underrepresented artists of color since its founding in 2014. Now, as a WGA Signatory, this partnership will create more opportunities for writers of color, allowing for historically underrepresented writers to have Agency representation. SEE PAGE 2

POLITISCOPE American youth don’t know much about the juvenile justice system PAGE 2

NEWS

NEWS

5 Pro Tips to Prep Homes for Winter PAGE 5

Australian Researchers Say Botswana is Ancestral Home of Modern Humans PAGE 4

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2 | CITIZEN | Suburban Times Weekly | Week of Nov. 20, 2019

COMMUNITY

Agent-CEO Tiauna Jackson opens doors to Black writers Continued from page 1 The Jackson Agency recently announced a new partnership with the Writers Guild of America – West. The Jackson Agency has been the home for underrepresented artists of color since its founding in 2014.

Now, as a WGA Signatory, this partnership will create more opportunities for writers of color, allowing for historically underrepresented writers to have Agency representation.

Even amidst the diversity push by the industry, many people of color have lamented the slow transition and challenged industry norms on social media via the widely used #showusyourroom hash tag.

“This is historic. To the best of my knowledge, The Jackson Agency is the first African-American owned agency to become a WGA-West Signatory,” Jaia Thomas, Esq.,

sports and entertainment and intellectual property attorney and founder of Diverse Representation.

Brandon Miree, writer and producer states, “Bringing about a diverse change in Hollywood will take bold and fearless people like Tiauna who’s working behind the scenes and willing to have those uncomfortable conversations.”

“I’m excited to play a part in bringing these deliberately ignored artists to the mainstream. Championing Diversity has been the heart and soul of this agency,” said Tiauna Jackson, founder of Jackson Agency.

“As a female writer of color, the barrier to entry into Hollywood can feel much higher than for others but having representation like Tiauna increases the odds of getting in front of the right people to allow my work to speak for itself,” says Danielle

Motley, screenwriter.

“This agency is legit and honest in an industry that needs it. People of color need an agency founded by a person of color that understands their needs and how to navigate the industry,” Jeffery Thompson, Jr., filmmaker/CEO of Epoch Media.

“TJA is on the forefront of introducing the world to the works of writers of color,” M. LaVora Perry, author, “TANEESHA NEVER DISPARAGING.” The benefits of this new partnership include: l Writers of color will have an opportunity to submit their materials for consideration. l Showrunners and Producers now have the ability to find writers of color for their staffing needs. l All artists of color have a highly visible champion of diversity in their corner.

l Making history, Tiauna is currently the only known Black Literary Agent who owns a boutique agency.

About Jackson Agency: Founded in 2014 after seeing a need for underrepresented artists to be given a voice through proper representation, The Jackson Agency exists for those who have been denied opportunities based on an aversion to diversity. The Jackson Agency works tirelessly to combat that by focusing on representing artists of color.

About Tiauna Jackson: CEO and Agent, Tiauna was profiled by the New York Times along side ICM agents Lorrie Barlett and Andrea Nelson-Meigs. As the only boutique agent profiled, Jackson spoke truth to what it is like for lesser-known actors in entertainment.

For more about The Jackson Agency: http://tja.agency

POLITISCOPE

American youth don’t know much about the juvenile justice system

BY TAMMY CHANG, OMAR ILYAS AND VIC WIENER

Young people in the U.S. who end up in the juvenile justice system often leave the system much worse than when they entered.

But American youth know little to nothing about the juvenile justice system that would determine their future if they were ever accused of committing a crime.

Our team surveyed nearly 1,000 teens and young adults across the country to gain insight into their perceptions of this system.

We found that many have limited knowledge or are conflicted about its purpose.

Juvenile justice in the US The most common way a young person enters the juvenile justice system is through an encounter with police.

In the U.S., an estimated 1.6 million people under the age of 18 are arrested each year. Those who are arrested are disproportionately male and of a minority race. Larceny, simple assault, drug abuse violations and disorderly conduct offenses account for half of all juvenile arrests.

In correctional facilities, youth may experience overcrowding,

physical and sexual violence or trauma.

Incarceration of youth – in prison or other correctional facilities – has been linked to academic failure, disengagement from school, disciplinary problems and adult incarceration.

Adults with a history of juvenile justice involvement are more likely to have depression, anxiety, PTSD and suicide attempts, compared to those without involvement.

Little to no knowledge MyVoice is a national poll that collects the opinions of 14- to 24-year-olds across every state in the U.S. In February, through MyVoice, we asked youth a series of questions about what they know about the U.S. juvenile justice system. For example, we asked, “When youth commit a crime, the juvenile justice system determines what happens to them.

What do you know about this system?”

Fifty-six percent said they knew little to nothing. That’s similar to what adults say they know about the adult criminal justice system.

One said, “[I know] very little.

I know about juvenile detention from television shows like iCarly.”

Another said “Mostly I know what I have seen in TV shows and movies. Which [I] question the accuracy of. Otherwise I know a small bit from media like news.”

“I’m not even sure what the age is to charge someone through the juvenile system versus the adult system,” added another.

Many young people also recognized their limited knowledge as a problem. As one said, “I don’t know a lot, but I feel like I should learn more.”

According to a 2018 report from a youth advocacy project at the Juvenile Law Center in Philadelphia, youth not only enter the system with little knowledge of it, but are often kept in the dark once in the system.

“I wasn’t aware that I would be going to prison and was being tried in adult court,” wrote Nigee, one youth who has been involved in the juvenile justice system.

“On my way to court, right before I got there, my worker told me I was not going home. They did not tell me how long I was staying. I was 14; I didn’t know anything,” wrote another named Alex.

Conflicted over its purpose MyVoice data indicate that not www.citizennewspapergroup.com

only are youth uneducated about the system overall, but are conflicted on what should happen to a young person if they were to enter this system.

According to the U.S. government, the purpose of the juvenile justice system is rehabilitation – developing skills, addressing treatment needs and “successful reintegration of youth into the community.”

In our survey, 65% stated that the purpose of this system should primarily be to rehabilitate, educate or prevent future criminal behavior. At the same time, 56% thought youth who commit a crime should be charged or punished.

Many young people in the MyVoice study displayed conflicting thoughts about the juvenile justice system.

One 17-year-old mentioned that the goal of the system should be to “reform the children,” but that youth who enter the juvenile justice system “should be punished.” Another agreed that the goal should be “to reform, not incarcerate… maybe [through] a program that treats them like human beings.”

Better education

These responses highlight the need for reliable and accessible resources that can help young people better understand the juvenile justice system.

There is no set curriculum for what youth ought to know. But there are elements in the life of youth, such as missing school or “partying,” that could get them mixed up in the juvenile justice system – under offenses such as truancy, underage drinking or curfew violation.

If youth better understood the juvenile justice system, they would be more equipped to navigate the system and advocate for programs and policies that could benefit them.

The voices of young people in our study demonstrate a gap where education and greater visibility can help move what is happening in the juvenile justice system out of the shadows.

Tammy Chang is an Assistant Professor of Family Medicine at the University of Michigan. Omar Ilyas is a Research Associate at the Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation at the University of Michigan and Vic Wiener is a law student in the College of Law at the University of Tulsa.

CITIZEN | Suburban Times Weekly | Week of Nov. 20, 2019

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NEWS National Portrait Gallery Announces Winners of the 2019 Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition and Opening of “The Outwin 2019: American Portraiture Today” The Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery has announced artist Hugo Crosthwaite as the first-prize winner of the fifth triennial Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition.

Crosthwaite is the first Latinx artist to receive this prestigious award since the national competition was founded in 2006. His prize-winning stop-motion drawing animation, “A Portrait of Berenice Sarmiento Chávez” (2018), recounts a woman’s journey from Tijuana, Mexico, to the United States in pursuit of the American dream.

It is on view in the exhibition “The Outwin 2019: American Portraiture Today,” which features nearly 50 portraits by the finalists of the 2019 Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition. The triennial competition encourages artists living and working in the U.S. to submit works that challenge the definition of portraiture.

This year’s competition received more than 2,600 submissions from 14 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico. Selected by a blind jury based on artistic merit, the featured works reflect the state of contemporary portraiture in the U.S. and is on view in Washington, D.C., now through Aug. 30, 2020, before traveling to up to four venues across the U.S. As winner of the first prize, Crosthwaite, a San Diego resident, will receive $25,000 and a commission to create a portrait of a living individual for the museum’s permanent collection. Second prize was awarded to Sam Comen of Los Angeles, for his photograph “Jesus Sera, Dishwasher” (2018).

Third prize was awarded to both Richard Greene of Los Angeles for his photograph “Monroe, LA” (2016) and Wayde McIntosh of Brooklyn, New York, for his painting “Legacy” (2017). Commended artists are Natalia García Clark of Los Angeles and Mexico City for her video “Self-Portrait” (2017); Lauren Hare of Portland, Oregon, for her photograph “Secrets” (2017); and Adrian Octavius Walker of Oakland, California, for his photograph “Black Virgin Mary” (2018).

One exhibiting artist will also win the People’s Choice Award, to be announced in May 2020. Visitors to the exhibition, both at the museum and online, will be able to cast a vote for their favorite finalists.

“The Outwin 2019” is co-curated by the Portrait Gallery’s Dorothy Moss, curator of painting and sculpture and performance art, and Taína Caragol, curator of painting and

Credit: “A Portrait of Berenice Sarmiento Chávez” by Hugo Crosthwaite, stop-motion drawing animation, (3:12 min.), 2018. Collection of the artist, courtesy of Luis De Jesus Los Angeles

sculpture and Latinx art and history.

This year’s exhibition addresses themes of socio-political relevance, including immigration, Black Lives Matter, urban youth, the status of American workers, gun violence and LGBTQ+ rights.

The work spans a variety of media and includes performance art for the first time with Sheldon Scott’s “Portrait, number 1 man (day clean ta sun down)” (2019).

The 2019 Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition is directed by Moss. Jurors for the 2019 Competition include Harry Gamboa Jr., artist, writer and co-director of the program in photography and media at the California Institute of the Arts; Lauren Haynes, curator of contemporary art at the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art; Byron Kim, artist and senior critic at the Yale School of Art; and Jefferson Pinder, artist and professor of sculpture and contemporary practices at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. The Portrait Gallery’s curators Caragol, Moss and Chief Curator Brandon Brame Fortune also served on the committee.

The Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition is made possible by the Virginia Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition Endowment, established by Virginia Outwin Boochever and continued by her children.

For more information on the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery visit npg.si.edu.

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4 | CITIZEN | Suburban Times Weekly | Week of Nov. 20, 2019

NEWS Australian Researchers Say Botswana is Ancestral Home of Modern Humans

BY STACY M. BROWN NNPA Newswire Senior Correspondent @StacyBrownMedia

The ancestral home of modern humans is in Botswana, according to a new study by researchers at the Garvan Institute of Medical Research in Sydney.

Although some of the oldest skeletal remains suggest an eastern African origin, Southern Africa is home to contemporary populations that represent the earliest branch of human genetic phylogeny, researchers said.

Vanessa M. Hayes, of the Genomics and Epigenetics Division of the Garvan Institute of Medical Research, and her colleagues said they used the mitochondrial DNA, which is passed down exclusively from mother to child, to map out the oldest known maternal line of humans alive today.

“It has been clear for some time that anatomically, modern humans appeared in Africa roughly 200,000 years ago. What has been long debated is the exact location of this emergence and subsequent dispersal of our earliest ancestors,” Hayes told reporters.

“We’ve been able to pinpoint what we believe is our human homeland.”

The study found that ancestors of modern humans thrived for about 70,000 years in and around Botswana until climate change forced a migration out of the area.

Study authors noted that some previous evidence had suggested East Africa as the ancestral home of modern humans, but their new DNA evidence concludes that it’s South Africa.

The study found that ancestors of modern humans thrived for about 70,000 years in and around Botswana until climate change forced a migration out of the area.

The new report was published in the journal Nature.

Hayes noted that the Lo lineage and its sub-branches point back to an ancestral home that spreads from Namibia across Botswana and into Zimbabwe.

Her team then focused on geological, archaeological, and fossil evidence to gain insight into the climate and broader ecosystem in the region.

They discovered that a body of water called Lake Makgadikgadi – which is now salt pans – had at one time dominated the area.

Researchers said it was previously home to Homo Sapiens and was populated by modern humans for at least 70,000 years. However, the

water eventually became a massive wetland.

“It would have been very lush, and it would have provided a suitable habitat for modern humans and wildlife to have lived,” Hayes stated.

“We’ve known for a long time that modern humans originated in Africa roughly 200,000 years ago, but what we hadn’t known until the study was where exactly this homeland was,” she noted.

According to the DNA analyses reported in the study, the L0 lineage split 130,000 years ago when some of the founder population moved north-east along a green vegetated route that opened up as rains drenched the arid land.

The L0 lineage is the earliest known modern human populations.

The second wave of migration headed southwest about 20,000 years later as rainfall also increased vegetation in that direction.

Those who headed Northeast gave rise to farming populations, while those who went South became coastal foragers, the scientists believe.

“Essentially, these ancestors were the first human explorers,” Hayes stated.

“Every time a new migration occurs, that migration event is recorded in our DNA as a time-stamp. Over time, our DNA naturally changes, it’s the clock of our history,” Hayes continued.

“Everyone walking around today… it does actually come back to L0 being the oldest, and it all comes back to this one region.”

Hayes and her colleagues used DNA to trace the first 100,000 years of modern humans. She said they worked with communities throughout Namibia and South Africa where they collected fossils and blood samples.

“Mitochondrial DNA acts like a time capsule of our ancestral mothers, accumulating changes slowly over generations,” Hayes stated. “Comparing the complete DNA code, or mitogenome, from different individuals provides information on how closely they are related.”

Taking into account the intensive study, “we propose a southern African origin of anatomically modern humans with sustained homeland occupation before the first migrations of people that appear to have been driven by regional climate changes,” Hayes said.

How to build an emergency fund Darrell Garth President / Publisher Janice Garth Sales Manager/ General Manager CST Weekly, published weekly on Wednesdays and distributed in the Township of Bloom, (publishing 52 issues annually).

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The Federal Reserve Board reported recently that 40% of people in the U.S. said they would have trouble covering a $400 emergency. Now think back to the last time you had an emergency or unexpected expense.

Maybe it was a car repair or medical bill or even paying all your bills until you found a new job. Were you confident you had enough money to cover it?

Setting aside hundreds or thousands of dollars for an emergency – and not using it – can seem like a challenge when you have bills and other responsibilities. But building an emergency fund can be done in phases over time, and you can make small changes now to get start growing your fund. Every dollar you save now can help cushion when the next emergency happens.

er selling old – and unwanted – stuff for a quick stack of cash that you can put in your emergency fund savings account. Online auction sites and marketplaces can help sell your stuff or just use the traditional yard sale. Other work opportunities, whether extra hours or one-off projects, can help bring in extra money to build your emergency fund plus support other financial goals.

Have you received a tax refund, gift, bonus, or raise recently? Consider putting that extra cash into your savings account. Remember – keeping it out of reach of your checking account means it’s harder to spend and there’s a higher chance of saving it.

1. Open and set up automatic deposits to a savings account.

First come up with an amount you can afford to save and put toward an emergency fund every month. Consider saving this money in a separate account to help you stay focused on building those savings and avoid spending it. Automatic deposits can make saving easy. For help figuring out what to pay first, check out resources from the Hands on Banking® financial education program.

expenses – large and small. For example, the total cost of dining out may be larger than you think. With the average household spending $3,365 a year on eating out, cutting just two meals out a month (meals on average cost $12), saves around $288 a year.

Another quick way to cut spending is to cancel any memberships and subscriptions you use infrequently or don’t need. Reviewing and cutting your expenses doesn’t have to be a sacrifice, but rather a chance to adjust your spending and saving in line with your priorities.

1. Reduce your spending.

If you need to change your spending so you have enough money to put aside, start by reviewing your

1. Find ways to make extra cash.

There may be opportunities for easy income in your garage, closet, or old storage areas: consid-

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1. Save “extra” money.

Have you received a tax refund, gift, bonus, or raise recently? Consider putting that extra cash into your savings account. Remember – keeping it out of reach of your checking account means it’s harder to spend and there’s a higher chance of saving it.

1. Create a savings challenge You might have started with a smaller savings goal so your fund could grow little by little. Challenge yourself to make a bigger deposit like $50 next month instead of the $25 you deposit on a monthly basis. Then make the same goal again in a few months or even increase it a little. Any amount you contribute is a step in the right direction.

By their nature, emergencies happen when you don’t expect them, but planning for them just in case can help you handle them. That’s why an emergency fund is there. If you do have to tap into your emergency savings, that’s what it’s for, but get back on track by committing to building it right back up.

CITIZEN | Suburban Times Weekly | Week of Nov. 20, 2019

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NEWS

5 Pro Tips to Prep Homes for Winter Family Features - Before blustery winter days arrive, there are plenty of home improvement projects contractors can tackle for homeowners.

Many cooler weather projects focus on cost efficiency and sustainability, making the improvements all around smart investments.

Winter is the perfect time to implement upgrades that boost energy efficiency and lower heating bills, helping to manage household costs while improving comfort and enjoyment of the home. Consider these practical upgrade ideas.

Add insulation. Depending on the age of the home, improving the quality or increasing the volume of insulation can make a difference in the home’s energy efficiency. An expert can determine whether old insulation needs to be removed or new insulation should simply be added. A contractor can examine the home to determine where there may be gaps, as well as provide recommendations on the type and

Photo courtesy of Getty Images

amount of insulation needed.

Seal air leaks. Air leaks can cause chilly drafts, contribute to frozen pipes and lead to energy loss.

Eliminating leaks is an important aspect of winterizing any home, but not all leaks are easily identified.

A skilled contractor can scour the

home, checking unknown areas like basement through-wall penetrations, sill plates and the tops of concrete walls. Interior features like light receptacles and outlets are also common sources of air leakage.

The caulking around windows and doors is another common culprit to

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be examined by an expert.

For most leaks, a solution like Great Stuff Pro™ Polyurethane Foam Sealant can seal gaps and cracks to help block air, moisture and pests from entering the home. In some cases, blocking drafty vents with cut pieces of foam board insulation or replacing seals will suffice to address leaks.

Install a programable thermostat.

A programmable thermostat helps to regulate temperatures based on daily routines, so homeowners aren’t heating homes while no one is there to appreciate it. Experts can ensure electrical installation is done safely and provide guidance selecting a model that is appropriate for managing a home’s heating and cooling needs.

Replace weather stripping and seal trim. Over time and with frequent use, weather stripping breaks down and loses its shape, even becoming brittle.

Cracked trim around doors and windows leads to air leaks, and sometimes homeowners think the only solution

is replacing windows and doors, but they still end up with drafts. Contractors can periodically replace trim using foam sealant to help eliminate inevitable drafts and save homeowners money in the long run – a more cost-effective approach than paying for new windows and doors.

Prevent ice dams. Snow-covered roofs and freezing weather can lead to ice dams – thick ridges of solid ice that build up in gutters and along eaves. Dams can damage gutters and shingles and cause water to back up, which could force the water inside where it can peel paint, warp floors and lead to stained or sagging ceilings. To prevent damming, have a professional clear your gutters of leaves and debris ahead of the first snow and consider installing gutter guards to help prevent melting snow from refreezing in gutters.

For more tips and ideas on how to prepare homes for winter, visit GreatStuff.com.

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