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Oct/nov 2022 Fall Edition

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seeking Black Wealth in Louisville Colors talks with Ellmac Inc. about "Buying The Block"

COLORS

OCT/NOV 2022 PUBLISHER

COLORS NEWSPAPER, INC.

.

E DI T OR I N CH I E F

T. SEMAKULA

GR A P H I C DE S I GN/ L A Y OU T

MAHOGANY LIVERS

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Colors Distribution Sites West Louisville Administrative Office- 2900 West Broadway, Suite 206, Lou, KY 40211 Sweet Peaches-1800 West Muhammad Ali, Lou, KY 40211 Downtown Louisville Nulu Administrative Office- 806 1/2 Market Street, Lou, KY 40206 East Louisville #BCHeadquarters- 1939 Goldsmith Lane, Suite 226, Lou,KY 40218

Advertise with us/Contact SALES/ADS REVEREND GEROME SUTTON 2900 West Broadway, Suite 206 Louisville, KY 40211 Ph. 502-712-8902 Email. colorsmediaoutlet@gmail.com http://www.colorslouisville.com

VISION To restore a healthy, vibrant and secure Louisville, full of opportunity extended from East to West.

MISSION Seeking to #RESET 5 major problems in Louisville, Colors Newspaper & The Think Tank are calling for a complete restructuring of how the city protects and provides for lower -income communities such as in the West end. COVID-19 revealed 5 major disparities in our community that need to be RESET. The flaws in themselves aren't anything that we're not already aware of, the real issue is in the fact that these issues, due to current conditions in our community, will not survive another crisis situation, without an actionable plan! We have detailed steps in which we can " RESET LOUISVILLE" starting with each one of these 5 disparities.

HEALTHCARE

FINANCIAL RECOVERY & EDUCATION

HOUSING OPPORTUNITIES /OWNERSHIP

FRESH FOOD SUPPLY

ENDING GUN VIOLENCE

CONTRIBUTORS

@mindful_momentsllc/ Mahogany Livers (Graphic Designer/Photo Journalist/, cofounder of Soul Sisters, and a Health and Wellness Socialprenuer).

@reed_my_words/ Jasemine Reed (Writer, Poet,Socialprenuer, and founder of Reedmywords, Inc and Chozen,Inc.)

Dr.Brian Dong, MD is an Oncologist at the UofL Health Brown Cancer Center

@buttafly100/Tarsha Semakula, (Writer, Poet, CEO and founder The Buttafly Group/Editor in Chief (Colors).

CONTENTS 8 While Alma's Away

17 Health and Wellness

13 Waterfront Park

Letter from the Editor: 7

Contributors: 4

Culture: While Alma's Away: 8 Y.E.T. (You Earning This )

Featured Book: 11 Holistic Money Mindset Vegetable/Plant of the Month:12 Elderberry in a Hurry Health and Wellness: 17 Breast Cancer By The Numbers Photo Essay: 20 Mindful Money Habits Community: 22 Buying The Block with Ellmac. Inc. Cover Model-Sakeya Johnson, emerging socialpreneur, who attended the "Invest Fest"... a first of its kind, in-person experience that combined investing, entrepreneurship, and pop culture.

To be black and wealthy, to some folk, seems to be a contradiction. To equate blackness with poverty and lack, appears to be the norm; even to black people. Whenever I get into a discussion about building wealth amongst people of color, it is always initiated with a pre-discussion about mindset, and self esteem. Apparently, we have to believe that we deserve to accumulate resources and or riches; in order for us to embark on amassing a personal fortune.

To be black... and wealthy

The residue of slavery has left a stain of poverty and lack that continues to disable our people. For hundreds of years, as we existed in this country; we were forbidden to obtain any wealth. We were required to work for free, and this country is still benefiting from the legacy of human trafficking and forced servitude.

Transitioning from forced labor to ownership, appears to be where we “still “ linger. The pressures of racism, redlining, work discrimination, and credit bias, can topple a hopeful black entrepreneur and or homeowner.

Several key factors exacerbate this vicious cycle of wealth inequality. Black households, for example, have far less access to tax-advantaged forms of savings, due in part to a long history of employment discrimination and other discriminatory practices. A well-documented history of mortgage market discrimination means that blacks are significantly less likely to be homeowners than whites, which means they have less access to the savings and tax benefits that come with owning a home. Persistent labor market discrimination and segregation also force blacks into fewer and less advantageous employment opportunities than their white counterparts./ Systematic Inequality/ How America's Structural Racism Helped Create the Black-White Wealth Gap Location, location, location…

Soo, where does Louisville fit in as we look at the locations where African Americans can thrive; so that they can raise their families with a certain level of dignity, and live with a sense of hope of accumulating wealth and a decent standard of living?

Of course there is no utopia for people of color; however they seem to do better in certain regions. Locations such as Richmond, Virginia, Atlanta,Georgia, and Lansing,Michigan, appear to be the top spots where black families have been given a chance to succeed and grow their incomes.

Louisville Black Wealth Facts...

Two indicators of wealth are defined by the following; entrepreneurship, and home-ownership. When it comes to black Louisvillians the indicators are quite shocking; when it comes to defining wealth for our local people.

Entrepreneurship Black residents only own 2.3% of employer businesses in Louisville, they own 9.8% of all businesses in the larger Louisville MSA./Courier Journal Home-ownership Today, in Louisville, 36% of Black households own their home — about half the rate for white households.

And a 2019 report from the Metropolitan Housing Coalition stated that at least 22,000 Black households would need to become homeowners to close the gap....But despite efforts to increase Black home=ownership in recent years, including through the city's down payment assistance program and several nonprofit programs, the disparity has only deepened./ The Greater Louisville Project

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

T. Semakula

Monthly Column

While Alma’s Away

Y.E.T.

“You Earning This” I aint always known about generational wealth but I’ve been well versed in generational poverty. I aint always knew that wealth wasn’t a dollar amount but I been well versed in the language of lack. I aint always known whom I was but I’m well versed in what I am not.

These are the ingredients for which you obtain, remember that money has its purpose and therefore if you know not what to do without it, you’ll never know what to do with it.

By: Jazzy da Hope Deala

OR WHAT I MEAN TO SAY IS I AINT GOT IT, I AINT GOT IT, I AINT GOT IT, I AINT GOT IT, I AINT GOT IT, I AINT GOT IT, I AINT GOT IT, I AINT GOT IT, I AINT GOT IT, I AINT GOT IT, I AINT GOT IT, I AINT GOT IT, I AINT GOT IT, I AINT GOT IT, I AINT GOT IT, I AINT GOT IT, I AINT GOT IT, I AINT GOT IT, I AINT GOT IT, I AINT GOT IT, I AINT GOT IT, I AINT GOT IT, I AINT GOT IT, I AINT GOT IT, I AINT GOT IT, I AINT GOT IT, I AINT GOT IT, I AINT GOT IT, I AINT GOT IT, I AINT GOT IT, I AINT GOT IT, I AINT GOT IT, I AINT GOT IT, I AINT GOT IT, I AINT GOT IT, I AINT GOT IT, I AINT GOT IT, I AINT GOT IT, I AINT GOT IT, I AINT GOT IT. I AINT GOT IT, I AINT GOT IT, I AINT GOT IT, I AINT GOT IT, I AINT GOT IT, I AINT GOT IT, I AINT GOT IT,

IG: REED_MY_WORDS

Therefore, we declare on this day, in this year, in this lifetime that when you think of wealth; remember it’s attachment is always to God, that power from which all mysteries lie so don’t come asking me for no money cause I ain’t got it.

While Alma’s Away I aint got it, I aint got it, I aint got it, I aint got it, I aint got it, I aint got it, I aint got it, I aint got it, YET. But, I aint got it, I aint got it, I aint got it, I aint got it, I aint got it, I aint got it, I aint got it, I aint got it, I aint got it, I aint got it, I aint got it, I aint got it, I aint got it, I aint got it, I aint got it, I aint got it, I aint got it, I aint got it, I aint got it, I aint got it, I aint got it, I aint got it, I aint got it, I aint got it, I aint got it, I aint got it, I aint got it, I aint got it, I aint got it, I aint got it, I aint got it, I aint got it, I aint got it, I aint got it, I aint got it, I aint got it, I aint got it, I aint got it, I aint got it, I aint got it, I aint got it, I aint got it, I aint got it, I aint got it, I aint got it, I aint got it, I aint got it, I aint got it, I aint got it, I aint got it, I aint got it, I aint got it, I aint got it, I aint got it, I aint got it, I aint got it, I aint got it, I aint got it, I aint got it, I aint got it, I aint got it, I aint got it, I aint got it, I aint got it, I aint got it, I aint got it, I aint got it, I aint got it, I aint got it, I aint got it, I aint got it, I aint got it, YET.

But, I aint got it, I aint got it, I aint got it, I aint got it, I aint got it, I aint got it, I aint got it, I aint got it, I aint got it, I aint got it, I aint got it, I aint got it, I aint got it, I aint got it, I aint got it, I aint got it, I aint got it, I aint got it, I aint got it, I aint got it, I aint got it, I aint got it, I aint got it, I aint got it, I aint got it, I aint got it, I aint got it, I aint got it, I aint got it, I aint got it, I aint got it, I aint got it, I aint got it, I aint got it, I aint got it, I aint got it, I aint got it, YET.

IG: REED_MY_WORDS

Featured Book

This 50-page workbook will allow you to: 1. Learn the secret to setting financial goals - that ACTUALLY work.

2. Affirm yourself daily with prosperity and abundance.

3. Confront and begin to overcome self-sabotaging thoughts, resulting in a new framework for how you view and engage with money.

4. Ground yourself in value-based money habits.

5. Give the gift that never stops giving, a step in the right direction towards wealth & freedom.

APRIL EDITION

BENEFITS ELDERBERRY IN A HURRY

Boosts Immune System Reduces Bodily Inflammation 'Supports Digestion Improves Heart Health Enhances Skin Health Fights Chronic Diseases

The many benefits reported from using elderberry extract include the prevention of cold and flu, the alleviation of flu symptoms, heart health support, and anti-inflammatory and anti-infection properties. They are also high in nutrition and contain natural antioxidants.

Elderberry is not recommended for children and adolescents under 18 years old, or pregnant or lactating women.

BREAST CANCER BY THE NUMBERS

By Dr.Brian Dong, M.D University of Louisville

Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in women in the United States. In 2021, there were approximately 284,200 new cases of breast cancer and this number is projected to increase in 2022. Breast cancer is also the second leading cause of cancer related deaths in women behind only lung cancer. About 1 in 8 women will develop breast cancer in their lifetime.

These statistics help highlight the importance of regularly screening mammograms and diagnosis at earlier stages.

Unfortunately, there are differences in diagnosis and outcomes of African American women compared to Caucasian women. African American women have a higher risk of death compared to Caucasian women.

This difference is suspected to be due to African American women being diagnosed with cancer at more advanced stages, more aggressive biology (such as triple negative breast cancer and inflammatory breast cancer) and having reduced access to necessary medical resources for diagnosis and treatment.

Any primary care or family physician can order a mammogram for you. Additionally, the Brown Cancer Center has a mobile mammography screening unit that travels throughout the city to increase access to everyone.

You may have even seen our mammography unit at the Kentucky State Fair! If you have any questions about getting a mammogram, please reach out to your physician or community leaders. One of the best ways to beat cancer is to catch it before it spreads, and mammograms are one of our most helpful tools. It can save your life!

Do I need genetic testing?

What can you do about breast cancer?

All women should undergo regular screening for breast cancer with mammograms. A mammogram is an X-ray of breast tissue to help detect signs of breast cancer. The United States Preventive Services Task Force recommends mammograms every other year starting at age 50. The American Cancer Society recommends annual mammograms starting age 45 to 54 and then every other year after that, with the option to begin at age 40. Women with a family history of breast cancer should consider starting mammograms as early as 40.

Over the last 20 years, we have learned so much about human genetics and cancer risk. You may be familiar with the BRCA gene mutation that celebrities such as Angelina Jolie and Christina Applegate have openly discussed. Having a BRCA mutation can increase your risk for breast cancer as high as 85%! However, there are pathogenic mutations in several other genes such as PALB2 and CHEK2 that we know also greatly increases risk for breast cancer.

If you have someone in your family with a breast cancer diagnosis at an age less than 50 years old or have multiple family members with breast cancer, then you should strongly consider getting testing done. If you are wondering if you should get genetic testing done, please talk to your physician team or reach out to the Brown Cancer Center. We obtain genetic results on hundreds of patients every year at the Brown Cancer Center and I would be happy to discuss genetics with you. We also have a dedicated team for genetic counseling for when we find significant mutations.

Is there anything else I need to know?

As a breast cancer oncologist, I see women at all different stages of treatment. Some women have no active cancer but are worried about their lifetime risk and other women are receiving chemotherapy for stage IV breast cancer. I often tell my patients that no one can predict the future. If you are wanting to know about your breast cancer risk and if there’s anything else you can be doing, please talk to a specialist. If you are having breast pain or nipple discharge, please seek urgent medical evaluation. Do not wait on it. Finally, if you are a patient receiving treatment for breast cancer, advocate for yourself, look into clinical trials and find a team you can trust. Breast cancer treatment is constantly changing for the better and the research is only growing. Talk to your treatment team to ensure you’re getting the most up-to-date treatment available anywhere in the world.

Who do I call?

Schedule a mammogram at one of our five U of L Health mammography facilities by calling 502-681-1405.

If you are concerned about your risk of breast cancer or if you’ve been diagnosed with breast cancer, talk to the experts at UofL Health – Brown Cancer Center. Call 502562-HOPE (4673).

Mindful Money Habits

By Mahogany Livers

Mindfulness is the practice of being in the moment. In order to be mindful, you “need to figure out a way to focus on the present, to be really experiencing your current time frame, as opposed to thinking about the past or thinking about the future.” Easier said than done, right?

SEE THE BIG PICTURE While being present is the cornerstone of mindfulness practice, the practice also allows us to hold a vision for our highest and best good. We can set our intention for how we want to live, what we want to do, and what we can “be” with our financial resources. We can't allow our mentality of "living paycheck to paycheck" to keep us from planning for the future or a rainy day. Create a plan to eliminate debt and refrain from accumulating more. Learn about wealth building by obtaining whole life insurance. It is best to be ready, so you don't have to get ready.

BREAK GENERATIONAL CYCLES OF TRAUMA WITH MONEY Alot of children grew up hearing "stay in a child's place".

We would ask for McDonald's, but would be kicked back with "do you have McDonald's money?" I am positive that is at least once, you wanted that cool new toy but mom was low on funds. Too often, this came with anger and disappointment towards the child.

It is advisable to normalize communicating about the value of money to children. Budgeting and controlling our impulse purchases are some of the most foundational and critical concepts we can teach our children in their formative years.

MAKE EXPENSES AND INCOME BE FRIENDS The final habit I want to share is to practice paying bills on time. Late fees and interest rates easily add up.

Aligning due dates with paydays will ensure that you have money to cover expenses with your income.

Decide which expenses will be paid with which income.

Always remember to pay yourself first! (If possible)

Featured Article

BUYING THE BLOCK

COLORS TALKS WITH ELLMAC.INC.

The Village @Algonquin Photo Cred- Rosa Macklin

Community development for places that have been ravaged by racism calls for multiple investments in people and places at a scale that can truly make an impact/ Bloomberg

BLACK COMMUNITY CULTIVATION...

Establishing wealth in marginalized communities is quite the challenge. Black investors and developers face many hurdles as they navigate the territory of community development, property ownership, undervalued structures, and limited resources for capital and financing .However, despite the barriers, therein lies a determination to improve the quality of life for growing families, the elderly, and our youth.

There is a determination to invest in the hope of “community.” There is a determination to invest in the need for progress. There is a determination to cultivate wealth. The type of wealth that allows communities to flourish.

The type of wealth that is generational.

Colors took the time to talk to Rosa Macklin, one of the managing principals of Ellmac, Inc, (a community corporation that provides housing and supportive services to marginalized communities).

The agency’s mission is based on three main emphasis (Initiative, Growth, and Cultivation).

Living room of the first Airbnb in West Louisville @ the Village of Algonquin/Photo Cred: Rosa Macklin

Colors- So tell us little bit about Ellmac, its history, purpose, etc Ellmac-Ellmac was established, initially as a corporation that housed a trust that included all of the agency’s investment properties. It was created to act as an umbrella to protect investment. According to Macklin, the practice of leaving property to children and grandchildren may have backfired for black families, this is due in part to the social conditions, in which the transfer existed. First, “passed down properties” were often undervalued, due to its’ west end location.

Second, due to wage gap disparities, many blacks couldn’t afford the upkeep on an older home. Lastly, there is a lack of education about the responsibilities of property acquisition for young millennials and generation xers.

Home-ownership represents a significant component of wealth. Housing reflects historical wealth patterns–– parental wealth makes it easier to buy a home––and is a major generator of wealth–historically, homes in most neighborhoods have risen in value, increasing the wealth of those who own them…. In Louisville…stark divides between Black and white families throughout the home-ownership process, demonstrating one aspect of the wealth gap/Greater Louisville Project

BUILDING WEALTH IN THE WEST...

The Village @Algonquin on the parkway Photocred: Rosa Macklin Ellmac, Inc’s properties have been housing marginalized individuals and families since 1978. Macklin goes on to state… this new trend in housing; as it relates to providing shelter to those who live outside the margins, is not new to us. We have housed individuals who were transitioning from prison.

We have housed individuals with less than stellar credit.We have housed individuals who were seeking to re-establish and improve their lives.

Property acquisition and housing takes on a different dynamic in the black community. Inequities in wealth distribution, exacerbates issues that other communities may deal with on a smaller scale.

Numerous evictions, and foreclosures dominate urban communities. A new approach to housing acquisition, has taken over communities of color. There is a push for more affordable rental housing, that often requires third party subsidizers such as community agencies and churches.. The push for ownership is almost nonexistent; as the need for affordable shelter overrides the need to build wealth through homeownership.

Colors- Why is it soo important for people of color to really focus on buying the block?

Ellmac:If we buy the block,within our own communities; then we can control the narrative for that block. We can control the progress of that block and influence change.Drug dealing and crime lessens; when there is a more vested interest from property and home owners.We have a better chance of building stronger communities.

We can cultivate a decent supply of housing for the local residents and stifle the flow of outside landlords and developers, who have no interest in supporting community wealth building.

CREATING A LEGACY..

Investor-backed landlords are transforming neighborhoods across the country as they expand their portfolios of family homes for rent, shrinking opportunities for people to buy homes and reducing affordability by raising rents, Currently an investor backed Louisville landlord has one in 10 properties with an open property maintenance case for alleged violations ranging from uncut grass and busted doors to standing water, sewer backups and other issues.

No other property owner has more open cases than this investor backed landlord, according to city records.

And compared to the five private entities that own the most property in Louisville, this investor backed landlord has the highest percent of properties with an open case.

Situations like this , makes it hard to control the narrative, because local residents haven’t brought and or secured the block./Kentucky Center For Investigative Reporting Colors- Tell us about your latest venture, The Village @ Algonquin Ellmac- Macklin defines the Village @ Algonqin, as being “a light in the community.” The renovated residential structure sits on the corner of 18th and Algonquin, and shares space on a parkway that starts in the south end of Louisville and makes its way into the residential communities of west Louisville.

The Algonquin neighborhood houses a population where 60 percent of its residents are African American. Therefore, establishing it as a “black community.” Macklin sees the VIllage @ Algonquin’s renovated structure as a space that will operate as a “healing balm” for the community, which will ,hopefully inspire others, to purchase and nurture properties within the west. She goes on to state that the parkway has a spiritual essence about it ; as the houses sit off from the parkway lined by beautiful trees, and healthy lawns.

Clarence E. Ellery, Rosa G. Macklin managing principals, Ellmac, Inc.

Algonquin Village serves as a multipurpose community space that welcomes the arts; especially music; this is indicative of the grand black piano, which sits inside the crevice of a grand living room. There is a community space called the “Power Hub”, that sits in the basement, which serves local youth via a partnership with the Buttafly School, a local BIPOC school co-op. The space also serves as the first Airbnb to exist in the west. Macklin recalls a skeptical consultant,who questioned the agency’s plans to put an Airbnb in west Louisville.

The consultant suggested that it wasn’t a proper area to have such a venture.

However, Macklin kindly ignored the suggestion and moved forward with securing the Airbnb, via the proper permits and licenses. She saw it as the perfect opportunity to spark development and progress, and build wealth within the black community; therefore paving the way for other local residents to make similar investments.

It is important to kick in doors, and it's important to have others kick in doors with you. I want the actions of Ellmac to inspire and mentor the younger generation. We need to create opportunities that set up education and projects that will groom our youth as they start to inherit these communities that we have struggled to maintain while we pursue the cause of building wealth.... Rosa Macklin

LOUISVILLE

COMMUNITY Local Resources To Build Wealth Capital for Black-Led Agency Development Community Loan Fund/ Republic Bank-Wende Cosby/502-588-1479 Community Ventures/ www.cvky.org FAHE/ www.fahe.org IFF/www.iff.org LHOME/ www.lhomeky.org Liberty Bank/ www.libertybank.com LISC Louisville/ www.lisc.org/louisville Park Community Credit Union/ www.parkcommunity.com Financial Management/Resources La'Keta Bobbitt & Associates/ 502-609-2933 Association of African American Financial; Advisors//aaafainc.com

La'Keta Bobbitt,managing principal, La'Keta Bobitt & Associates (Financial Education,Management , and Resources)

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The Black Think Tank and Colors Inc., will be giving out free Holiday trimmings (turkeys, hams, greens,and sweet potatoes on November 22nd @ 1pm on 18th and Broadway.