January 2019 Edition

Columbus & Dayton

FREE January 2019

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Dr. Martin Luther King Led with Love

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By Robin Jones, PhD

A Physician Draws Inspiration from Dr. King’s Words

By Quinn Capers, IV, MD

Legislative Update

By Sen. Charleta B. Tavares (RET)

THE REVEREND DR.

MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. HE DIDN’T DO IT ALONE

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Contributing Editors Rev. Tim Ahrens, DMin Lisa Benton, MD, MPH Rodney Q. Blount, Jr., MA Cayla Burton

What a brilliant man! The vision, sense of timing, work ethic, courage and persistence of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was bold and impeccable. The marches, boycotts, arrests, jailings, speeches, and life-threatening protests were all part of a carefully designed strategy to bring about full equality and dignity for African Americans. And in large measure, he and his many allies succeeded. Please take the time to read each of the articles in this Special Edition of the news journal. You will find all of the articles to be uniquely informative and educational.

The life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. presents a treasure trove of major undertakings of which the general public is largely unaware. Consider this: In December 1960, one month after the election of John F. Kennedy as President of the United States, Dr. King urged the new president to issue a Second Emancipation Proclamation. King, his lawyers, and associates spent more than six months developing the 115-page document designed to ban all forms of discrimination across American society by the issuance of a Presidential Executive Order.

King based his strategy on the Emancipation Proclamation signed by President Abraham Lincoln in 1862 which freed the slaves living in States that were in rebellion against the Union. History informs us that President Kennedy took no formal action to address Dr. King’s proposal.

The document was titled: An Appeal To The Honorable John F. Kennedy, President of The United States, For National Rededication To The Principles Of The Emancipation Proclamation, And For An Executive Order Prohibiting Segregation In The United States Of America. Submitted May 17, 1962, by The Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., President, Southern Christian Leadership Conference, Atlanta, Ga. Dr. King wrote, in pertinent part, “We are confident that with your help, Mr. President, the discontinuance of segregation and state- imposed discrimination shall come to pass. We, therefore, respectfully propose that in glorious commemoration of the Centennial of the Emancipation Proclamation, you as President of these United States by Executive Order, proclaim: 1) That the full powers of your office will be used to eliminate all forms of statutory-imposed segregation and discrimination from and throughout the respective states of this nation.

2) Effective January 1, 1963, that as of the school year, September 1963, all school districts presently segregated must desegregate.

Christine Capers

Such a Proclamation should be accompanied by a Directive authorizing the Department of Health, Education and Welfare to immediately prepare, in consultation with local school officials, a program of integration in compliance with the mandate of Brown v. Board of Education.

Marian Wright Edelman

3) That racial segregation in Federally assisted housing is henceforth prohibited and unlawful.

Alethea E. Gaddis, MBA

4) That any and all laws within the United States requiring segregation or discrimination because of race or color are contrary to the national policy of the Government of the United States and are detrimental and inimical to the best interest of the United States at home and abroad.

Quinn Capers, IV, MD

Eric Johnson, PhD Robin A. Jones, PhD Cecil Jones, MBA Jaqueline Lewis-Lyons, PsyD Darren Lundy, MBA William McCoy, MPA Brandi Slaughter, JD Charleta B. Tavares

What are the lessons here? 1) Call upon history to help explain and provide the basis for your public policy initiatives; 2) Assemble your most informed thinkers to help you design proposals of this nature; 3) Don’t be afraid to dream big; Go straight to the top with your requests for major action; 4) Do not accept “No” for an answer; and 5) No Stone should be left unturned in rooting out racism and discrimination from the fabric of American life.

Lastly, we need a Second Emancipation Proclamation today. Not a proclamation aimed at traditional foes in public spaces, but rather, we need personal proclamations given to African Americans who yet, do not realize that they are free and have the ability to advance themselves and their people. Those are the individuals who are the greatest disappointment and are those who retard our growth. Read the Cover Story for further amplification on this reality.

With Appreciation and Respect,

The Columbus African American news journal was founded by Ray Miller on January 10, 2011

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Ray Miller Founder & Publisher

Office: 614.826.2254 editor@columbusafricanamerican.com www.CAANJ.com

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The Columbus & Dayton African American • January 2019

In This Issue

21 Grand Re-Opening

of Broad Street McDonalds 22

Christian Men: Building a Community of Believers

24

MVRPC Celebrates 40th Anniversary with $40 Gas Card Giveaway all Year

24

Ohio Stakeholders Share Ideas to Improve Health of Baby’s First Thousand Days

25 Interview with Children’s Book Author

Benny R. Banks

Cover Story – Page 19

7 10 36

Dr. Martin Luther King: His Commitment to Education By: Alethea Gaddis, MBA

26

Fran Frazier Appointed to Homeport Board

26

Ohio Council of Churches Selects Rev. Dr. Jack Sullivan, Jr. as Executive Director

29

Book Bags & E-Readers

31

Change Must Come NOW!

Livin’ On Purpose: Keeping the Candle Lit: Wellness, Mental Health and Suicide

32 New Year; New Hope: The

Criminal Justice System

and the African American Community

Nancy Wilson: Legendary Jazz Singer & Chillicothe Native

33

Family Matters: Paying Too High A Price for My Mistakes

34

Navigating a Tumultous Stock Market

35

Technology and MLK

36

Nancy Wilson: Legendary Jazz Singer & Chillicothe Native

By: Eric Johnson, PhD

By: Rodney Blount, MA

12

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A Physician Draws Inspiration from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Words What Society Needs from Social Scientists

Dr. Martin Luther King: His Commitment to Education

15

One County in Texas Elected 17 Black Female Judges

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Living Beyond - Eyes on the Prize

16

Legislative Update

17

2019 New Year’s Resolutions

9

Journey to a Dream

19

COVER STORY

10

Livin’ On Purpose

11

Healthcare = Social Justice

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Dr. King Pens His Dissapointment About the White Moderate

6

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Led with Love

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21 5TH Annual Valentines

Workshop at Second

Baptist Church

The Columbus & Dayton African American • January 2019

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Community Events

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DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.

DR. KING PENS HIS DISSAPOINTMENT ABOUT THE WHITE MODERATE

By Robin A. Jones, PhD Dr. Martin Luther King and I share two very strong sentiments. One, we are both graduates from Boston University, and two, we openly discuss our grave disappointment regarding the White moderate.

In 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King wrote a letter from the Birmingham jail cell which opined his disdain about the grave disappointment with the White moderate. Dr. King furthered to write: “The White moderate is more devoted to order, than to justice. They prefer a negative peace which is the absence of tension to a positive peace which is the presence of justice.” Dr. King was arrested on a Good Friday and confined to imprisonment because he was a participant in nonviolent demonstrations against segregation. His arrest was due to the actions he took as a protest in opposition to the treatment of Blacks.

Within the contents of his letter, Dr. King presented two very strong examples as he wrote: 1) “I guess it is easy for those who have never felt the stinging darts of segregation to say ‘wait’. But when you have seen vicious mobs lynch your mothers and fathers at will, and drown your sisters and brothers at whim; when you have seen hate-filled policemen curse, kick, brutalize, and even kill your black brothers and sisters with impunity; when you see the vast majority of your twenty million Negro brothers smothering in an airtight cage of poverty in the midst of an affluent society.”

2) “Throughout the state of Alabama all types of conniving methods are used to prevent Negroes from becoming registered voters, and there are some counties without a single Negro registered to vote, despite the fact that the Negroes constitute a majority of the population. Can any law set up in such a state be considered democratically structured?”

Who is the White Moderate?

The White moderate sees Blacks as a lukewarm acceptance rather than an outright rejection, as Dr. King (1963) continues to pen his letter: Abused and scorned though we may be, our destiny is tied up with the destiny of America. Before the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth, we were here. Before the pen of Jefferson scratched across the pages of history the majestic word of the Declaration of Independence, we were here. For more than two centuries our fore-parents labored here without wages. They made cotton king, and they built the homes of their masters in the midst of brutal injustice and shameful humiliation. Yet out of a bottomless vitality our people continue to thrive and develop. If the inexpressible cruelties of slavery could not stop us, the opposition we now face will surely fail. We will win our freedom because the sacred heritage of our nation and the eternal will of God are embodied in our echoing demands.

Dr. King made it quite clear in his letter that we have given control to the White

moderate, which has allowed groups such as White Nationals to gain strength in an age that is supposedly moving away from their kind of ideology,” (Shird, 2018)? However, the White Nationals are not the problem in our society, it is the White moderate. Racial disparity in America cannot and will not be resolved without White Americans standing up and taking the lead. The Ku Klux Klan (KKK) and the White Citizens Council (WCC), should not be the threat in the Black Community (King, 1963).

Is Dr. King’s Letter Relevant Today?

As written by Dr. King: “An unjust law is no law at all, (1963).” Any law that uplifts human personality is just. Any law that degrades human personality is unjust. All segregation statutes are unjust because segregation distorts the soul and damages the personality. It gives the segregator a false sense of superiority and the segregated a false sense of inferiority. So segregation is not only politically, economically, and sociologically unsound, but it is morally wrong and sinful.

“This nation cannot survive half slave and half free, (King, 1963).” From an optimistic perspective, maybe one day there will come a time when the White moderate will see the error of their ways. Is this being overly optimistic? Which begs the question, will we rise up and fight for the cause? If so, which cause? Will we fight for justice or stand with those who believe in the injustice? To close, Dr. King’s letter is profound; you are encouraged to read it. Thank you for reading my article.

In 2018, are we just circling the wagon? As I read the letter written by Dr. King, why do I feel as though I am being taken to the jail cell? What has changed from the civil rights era of the 60’s to today? Many of his written thoughts and expressions, are continuing to perpetrate our society. I see the open videoed police beatings against people of color. I see the release of the K-9s. I read many news reports of voter fraud and Blacks whose votes are being suppressed as recently as 2018, References: otherwise referred to as the “new normal,” (Kelly, A). 2016. National Public Radio, Inc., (Newkirk, 2018).

Retrieved on December 26, 2018 from www. npr.org Dr. King’s letter while written in 1963, to a (King, M). 1963. Letter from the Birmingham group of white clergy who questioned and Jail (Newkirk. V). 2018. The Atlantic, criticized his activities, continues to hold Retrieved on December 26, 2018 from powerful words for today. “There was a time https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/ when the church was very powerful. Things archive/2018/10/2018-midterms-and-specterare different now. The contemporary church voter-suppression/573826/ is often a weak ineffectual voice with an (Shird, K). 2018. The Baltimore Sun, uncertain sound.” Dr. King furthered to write: retrieved on December 26, 2018 from https:// “I meet young people whose disappointment www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/oped/ with the church has risen to outright disgust.” bs-ed-op-0917-white-moderates-20170913story.html Is the Treatment of Blacks Unfair or Unjust or Both?

Dr. Jones has a commitment to a strong work ethic, education and a passion for I see a paradigm in parallel to Dr. King’s entrepreneurship. In her 40+ years of letter. Both now and then, there is an ugly employment, Robin spent 30 of those record of police brutality across this nation years gainfully employed with fortune 50 to the unjust treatment of Blacks in the companies such as GE, IBM, Ashland Oil, courtroom. Laws which are enacted to avoid and the U.S. Department of Energy, and voter suppression, are not upheld, (Kelly, Department of Defense. Robin started her 2016). According to Dr. King: “Oppressed career path as a database developer building people will remain oppressed, until the urge her first database for the F14 Aircraft Fighter for freedom eventually rises to demand planes and from there she catapulted her justice. It must be demanded.” The reports of way to the position of Interim CIO. In her Blacks as a whole are an oppressed people. most recent employment capacity, Robin is a In our attempts to free ourselves from the retired Senior Manager PMO Director of the oppression, it is a “notorious reality” that Computer Center at University of California, we as Blacks are treated unfairly and unjust. Berkeley - Haas School of Business.

(King, 1963).

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The Columbus & Dayton African January 2019 The Columbus African American NewsAmerican Journal • •February 2015

DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.

DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. LED WITH LOVE

By William McCoy, MPA Much of the life and legacy of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. focused on brotherly love. Dr. King preached, practiced, and promoted love. His love for the oppressed, downtrodden, and disenfranchised was matched by his yearning for justice and freedom. His embrace of love was on full display throughout his life and ministry.

Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines love as “strong affection for another arising out of kinship or personal ties; affection based on admiration, benevolence, or common interests; concern for the good of another.”

When asked what was the greatest of the Ten Commandments, Jesus answered, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the law and the prophets hang on these two commandments” (Matthew 22:36-40, Holy Bible).

Dr. King emphasized the importance of people loving one another- i.e. loving your neighbor. This became a central theme in his call for justice and equality. He once said, “Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into a friend.” Love, he believed, had the power to change people’s attitudes and behaviors. Love, in Dr. King’s estimation, was the antidote for injustice, inequality, and many of humanity’s ills.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. resisted the urge to return hate with hate. He said, “Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars.

Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that. Hate multiplies hate, violence multiplies violence, and toughness multiplies toughness in a descending spiral of destruction.” Dr. King doubled down on this point when he said, “That old law about an eye for an eye leaves everybody blind.”

Loving your neighbor was a frequent Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. theme. In this regard, he once said, “Life’s most persistent and urgent question is: What are you doing for others?” So, what have you done- and what are you doing- for others?

Loving God and loving your neighbor are two parts of the three-part “love triangle” discussed herein. The third important piece of the puzzle involves loving yourself.

Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines selflove as “regard for one’s own well-being and happiness.”

Jesus told us to love thy neighbor as thyself.

Dr. King said, “You know, a lot of people don’t love themselves. And they go through life with deep and haunting emotional conflicts. So, the length of life means that

you must love yourself. And you know what loving yourself also means? It means that you’ve got to accept yourself” (taken from “123 of the Most Powerful Martin Luther King, Jr. Quotes Ever,” online by Hannah Hutyra).

Sadly, many African-Americans do not love themselves or their racial group.

The historical and contemporary Black American experience has been characterized by mistr eatment, miseducation, and misinformation. A host of other forces and maladies also negatively affect AfricanAmericans’ self-concept, attitudes, behaviors, worldview. Family, friends, environment, history, media, and everyday social, political, social, and economic realities all influence the way Black people look at themselves and interact with one another. The selfhate and self-loathing that these experiences have (sometimes) produced results is called internalized oppression.

Nevertheless, Dr. King instructed us to “Love yourself, and that means rational and healthy self-interest. You are commanded to do that.” He went on to say, “You will change your mind. You will change your looks. You will change your smile, (your) laugh. . . . But no matter what you change, you will always be you, As we remember the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., let us reflect on his persistent and insistent admonition that we love others, even as the struggle against injustice, inequality, and inhumanity wages on. In so doing, consider the words of 1 John

The Columbus & Dayton African American • January 2019

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4:7-12 (Holy Bible), “Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.

This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.”

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was right: Love is the answer.

William McCoy is the founder of and principal consultant for The McCoy Company, a personal services consulting firm specializing in planning, training, and development. Mr. McCoy has worked with all levels of government, nonprofit organizations, foundations, companies, and others. He is expert in working with community-based and faith-based groups in developing their organizations, projects, and financial resources. Mr. McCoy has directed men’s ministry, Bible study, and related programming. He is living proof of what God can do for those who have faith. Mr. McCoy is an award-winner and sought-after speaker, 1 who has been profiled in Who’s Who in the World and elsewhere. William McCoy can be reached at (614) 785-8497 or via e-mail at wmccoy2@themccoycompany.com.

DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.

DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING: HIS COMMITMENT TO EDUCATION

By Alethea Eunice Gaddis, MBA This month, we will again pause to remember and reflect on the lasting legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King. We always recognize his dynamic leadership during the turbulent Civil Rights Movement. Remember also though, that his advocacy for civil rights brought awareness to the direct correlation between education and equality. Dr. King clearly understood the role of education in advancing the condition of minorities and in annihilating long-standing societal prejudices in the classroom.

Most are aware that he possessed a brilliant mind. In 1944, he entered Morehouse College at the age 15, skipping his first and last year at Booker T. Washington High School. He earned a B.A. Degree in Sociology at the age of 19 and received his B.A. Degree in Divinity from Crozer Theological Institute at the age of 22. By 1955 he had earned his Ph.D. in theology from Boston University.

Rev. King demonstrated in his work and service, a commitment to education and his belief that it develops and prepares us to make a difference in the world, not just for ourselves, but for others as well. Education, opportunity, and civil rights are seamless, and Dr. King through the Movement sought to eliminate any lines of demarcation.

Does Education Level the Playing Field?

Opinions on this subject are as varied as pebbles lining the famed Pebble Beach in Monterey, California. Here is not the place to engage in debate on the matter.

However, even a surface perusal of society’s landscape will reveal that with increased access to education, people are positioned to live healthier, cultivate strong families, better ensure their children’s wellbeing, maintain a clean environment, and reduce violent crime.

How Do I Celebrate Dr. King’s Life?

While I do participate in various community activities, I also strive to honor his legacy daily. Reading the communication that contained the editorial focus for the January edition of The Columbus & Dayton African American Journal stirred something in my spirit. The given assignment was to approach our submissions (as they relate to the life of Dr. King) from the vantage point of our profession. I was immediately challenged to view not just the holiday, but the man, from a wider lens and with a focus on both his educational path and his fight for equality in the classroom.

As an entrepreneur, I work with people and churches in various capacities, and also visionaries who want to engage in philanthropic endeavors. I am most passionate though, about ensuring young people receive early exposure to

March 2, 1965, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. speaks at the Charter Day ceremony at Howard University in Washington, D.C.

opportunities which help them discover their niche and channel it to a career they love (not just a job). I thrive on encouraging young people to explore all institutions of higher learning (if that is the path of their choosing).

By guiding youth on visits to Historical Black Colleges and Universities, I am fighting for equality in access to education. Often students and families are reluctant to discuss an HBCU as a viable option. For some, an HBCU is the best environment to propel them to success. I believe every young person should visit an HBCU to consider the advantages of receiving an education from these historic institutions. After visiting, exploring what they offer, or even enrolling, a student may determine that an HBCU is not a good fit. And that is OK. Just recently I attended the Anitka Grayson HBCU Symposium held at Columbus Africentric High School. Interacting with parents and like-minded individuals fueled my passion, vision, and desire all the more.

Every viewing of “Tell Them We Are Rising” is inspiring. I am planning now, for the 2019 Jump Start U4 College Program and Tour scheduled during the week of June 9 - 14. I unequivocally love every detail of planning and implementing the program. It is fulfilling to help students discover their spark, affirm what they may already know and prepare them for the campus visits. And even when I am weary from a week on the bus with teens, and just managing a project of such magnitude, that shot of adrenaline when a student says, “Miss G, I found a home,” is a slice of heaven.

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Dr. King began at an HBCU, and it launched him to matriculate successfully to other institutions of higher learning. His time in college prepared him to live out his purpose by developing leadership and the strength of character to navigate life. In 2018 we visited North Carolina A & T followed by a visit to the International Civil Rights Museum in Greensboro. The museum has preserved the F.W. Woolworth lunch counter occupied by students from A & T and Bennet College during the sit-in movement of the ‘60s. The look of respect on the faces of our students, and the affirmation they embraced from the stories of those brave college students not much older than them, literally reduced me to tears.

January 21st is not a day off. The dreams of Dr. King, other civil rights workers (named and unnamed) and even those who took part in the Great Migration in search of more must not die. They are counting on you and me.

Alethea is passionate about creating opportunities to help others thrive. As former Executive Director of New Beginnings Christian Revitalization Corporation for First Church of God, she developed youth leadership development and educational programs for youth and created clean, safe, affordable housing for low-to-moderate income families.

She and her brother Randal are co-founders of the Willie and Vivian Gaddis Foundation for KIDS, offering the Jump Start U4 College Tour and scholarships. As a licensed, independent insurance broker, she works with individuals, families, and churches to protect their assets.

The Columbus & Dayton African January 2019 The Columbus African American NewsAmerican Journal • •February 2015

DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.

LIVING BEYOND - EYES ON THE PRIZE

By Lisa Benton, MD, MPH Everyone wants to have at least one story to tell that connects them to greatness. Whether it is your brush with a celebrity or someone else famous you want an encounter or experience to share.

For me and my sisters, we will always have the memory of sitting a table away from Denzel Washington in an off-Broadway restaurant where, in between our excited schoolgirl screams, we were able to hold it together enough to ask a couple of questions and let him know we were some of his greatest fans.

I am just as delighted to recount the time I and my x-ray technician figuratively ran into President Bill Clinton when the secret service was walking him through the back hallways of the hospital during my surgery training.

We will always remember looking up into a warm friendly face and shaking his hand while he thanked us for all our hard work.

Just as those brief encounters left lasting memories for the few of us that were there, so did the interactions of a generation with Dr. King. However, the lasting effects of the moments with Dr. King were exponentially amplified, the same way waves made by a pebble tossed into a pond resonate on and on and on, into infinity. One celebration of Dr. King’s legacy showed up in a special way for our family.

My mom reminded me that Dr. King had visited Newark, NJ in the weeks before he was assassinated. He had been through Newark several times since the city was still reeling from the 1967 race riots. Newark had been decimated and was a city where the messages of his Poor Peoples Campaign really resonated.

I remember seeing all the broken glass and boarded up schools, apartments, stores and restaurants. The economic base of the city was in ruins. I have memories of being told to stay away from the windows and how to duck and cover if we heard gunshots whenever we visited our grandparents during that time.

It was here, in Newark, that Dr. King came to preach and teach his powerful messages of hope, justice and non-violence. I looked back through several news stories recounting his trips.

I found pictures of Dr. King in the streets of Newark that I knew by name and in the high school gym where my dad, uncles and cousins played basketball. It made me tingle with excitement as I found an article

Photo Courtesy of New York Times

On March 27, 1968, Dr. King (center) walks through the neighborhoods affected by the riots in Newark, NJ.

showing one of my high school classmates was a community activist and one of the leaders of the annual King Day celebration commemorating his trips to Newark.

life. You may be pleasantly surprised by the stories and the new perspectives on Dr. King.

I bet you’ll be impressed by the details you learn and see the impact that King’s life and death in a new way. You’ll learn something I also found an interview with former U.S. else about our history you can treasure.

Congressional Representative Donald Payne Sr. He was a contemporary of my father. E v e n b e t t e r , y o u m a y g a i n d e e p e r My father knew him well and supported understanding of the richness of Dr. King’s him. Congressman Payne shared how much legacy and its overflow for future generations.

Dr. King inspired him and how Dr. King’s You’ll be able to see how what he did then message for him was “life altering”. really made, and still makes a difference for your life now.

But there was even something richer that flowed from uncovering the history of Dr. Let that new knowledge of Dr. King be one King and the legacies left from his visits to of the sources of ongoing inspiration and Newark NJ. motivation for you to live healthier, more enlightened and well-rounded in 2019.

When my sister was completing an international adoption and ran into roadblocks Learn A Little More… it was Congressman Payne who came to the rescue. With his staff, he was able to facilitate We Found Our Daughter in Ethiopia by my sister’s smooth travels to and from Lita Anderson as told to Jessica Decostole.

Ethiopia. All the diplomatic hurdles were Retrieved from: https://www.redbookmag. managed by his office so my sister was able com/life/mom-kids/advice/a1677/daughterto adopt and bring home my niece Sara from ethiopia/ the orphanage without any problems at all.

Newark Reflects on Dr. King’s Last Visit 50 That was another touch on many of our lives Years Ago by Barry Carter. Retrieved from: out of the overflow of Dr. King’s legacies https://www.nj.com/essex/index.ssf/2018/04/ that has allowed our family to get beyond newark_reflects_on_dr_kings_visit_50_ and rise above racism and inequity. As the years_ago_car.html struggle continues, I believe there are many more intersections attributable to Dr. King’s King had a Grim Premonition During legacy. I think they are just lying in wait to be Whirlwind N.J. Visit, 8 Days Before His uncovered in your lives as you search through Death by Seth Augenstein. Retrieved from: your family’s stories. Start looking now and https://www.nj.com/essex/index.ssf/2015/01/ don’t wait until MLK Jr. Day to find them. king_had_a_grim_premonition_during_ whirlwind_nj_visit_8_days_before_his_ As part of your celebration of Martin Luther death.html King Jr. this year, take time to ask a senior Lisa D. Benton, MD, MPH (The Doctor is or any elder to share the story of where In) breastsurgeonlb@gmail.com, Twitter:@ they were during the famous March on DctrLisa (415) 746-0627 Washington, D.C. or any other day during his

The Columbus African & Dayton American African American News Journal • January • February 2019 2015

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DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.

JOURNEY TO A DREAM

By Cayla Burton The life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. continues to inspire generation after generation. I remember learning about Dr. King’s many accomplishments as a young girl in elementary school and hoping to one day walk in the same light that he did. He was a man of strong convictions, faith, and principles, with a moral compass that never bent or wavered in the face of adversity.

His demand for fairness, social justice, and nonviolence as an act of defiance imbued the nation with a new sense of justice. Because of him and the many others that stood by his side, our generation has the ability to enter rooms and spaces that were once denied to our parents, grandparents, and so many that came before them. Because of him and the movement he led, I now walk the halls of the Ohio General Assembly as a senior legislative aide – the same halls that were once built by our enslaved ancestors.

Each day I am honored to remember their lives and the lives of those like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who fought to ensure a better future for our generation. Their sacrifices were not made in vain. We have made immeasurable progress since the Civil Rights Movement, but our progress mustn’t stop there. As many of you know, many of our communities remain broken, disjointed, marginalized, and unconscious because of the broken and racist structures that remain in our criminal justice, education, housing, and healthcare systems. The onus is and has always been on young people to carry the mantel of justice and reforms and I charge each of us to do all that we can to continue to resist and restructure these systems and injustices that are waged against our people.

Dr. King dared to dream. He dared to practice love when faced with hate. He wanted for his people, what most others want for theirs: unity, faith, justice, education, economic empowerment, selfdetermination, and community. I dare

each of us to dream of the future we hope to leave our children and their children after them. I dare each of us to believe as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once did, that any and all things are possible. Whether you are a part of Black Lives Matter, the Me Too movement, a community organization, local church, or work within the public policy sphere, I charge you to cast away contempt and bitterness towards the seemingly never ending sea of opposition and remain steadfast and encouraged by the coming of a brighter future. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. practiced patience and remained persistent in his work with faith that his dream would not be deferred. Go by faith!

existed When all there is was mama’s bare feet Swollen and bloodied by the silent White path Of those we call friends.

Silence too often tastes so sweet Until the sugar decays and our lives start to end.

Only light can drive the darkness away As courage triumphs fear.

Man evolves to reject revenge When fools become brothers And quality of life wins.

So, what are you doing for others?

To commemorate and honor the life and Let it not be for what’s received in return. legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King J., I leave you this poem as a collage of some of his But for a brotherhood of justice and peace most memorable quotes.

So that all may be judged on content alone.

Creative Altruism or Destructive Selfishness? Love and sacrifice for peace for me You Choose.

And I’ll do the same for you.

Too often the choice stolen.

True sympathy demands the giving of one’s soul,

Truth broken by the lines of lies and hate Weighing too heavy to bear.

Pour it evenly over our dreams

Tricked into believing that bootstraps really With freedom in tow.

To Advertise in The Columbus - Dayton African American contact us at: editor@columbusafricanamerican.com Ray Miller, 503 S. High StreetPublisher - Suite 102 750 East Long Columbus, OH 43215 Street, Suite 3000 614-571-9340 Columbus, Ohio 43203

The Columbus African American News Journal • February 2015

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The Columbus & Dayton African American • January 2019

HEALTH LIVIN’ ON PURPOSE

KEEPING THE CANDLE LIT: WELLNESS, MENTAL HEALTH, AND SUICIDE

By Eric Johnson, PhD Wellness and overall mental health are topics that require bravery and serious consideration. The number of people who feel less than their best-self is often far greater than any study or statistical analysis could ever reveal. An important question is: What is wellness and how does it relate to overall mental health? Moreover, are there practices that can be developed that provide the tools for each of us to assess our own mental/ psychological well-being? Keeping the candle lit works as a metaphor to encourage each of us to explore what joy means in our lives and developing habits, awareness and the appropriate gratitude for the gift that is life. Given all the potential stresses that include low self-esteem, unemployment, work, family, social pressures, family and individual illness, finances, death, divorce and too many others to mention here. Any one of these factors serve as a potential breeze that threatens the light of any candle and wickedly suggests suicide as a viable option.

Life’s stressors too often operate as invitations to be stationary on a journey that is evaluated by our effort to move forward.

A stationary state is not without merit it appears to provide an opportunity to focus on a challenge/stressor that seems to need our attention. In doing so we can identify contributors, outcomes, and implications but if we are not diligent a stationary state becomes a fixation on all the elements for which we have no control. The more attention we give to things we cannot control invariably results in less attention to the things we can. The danger of this cycle should not be underestimated, while the fixation/stagnation allows the candle’s light to appear strong, the sustainability of the candles light is rooted in the oxygen circulated from the effort to move forward.

The longer we are fixated and stagnated we provide our candle with less oxygen for its sustenance. Ironically, while stagnation appears to be a method to sustain the light the ultimate result is its destruction.

Wellness refers to the dynamic process of accepting growth and change in life and how decisions we make support or restrain our ability to see a future we welcome, generally across seven dimensions: physically, emotionally, intellectually, socially, spiritually, environmentally, and occupationally. Wellness does not suggest the absence of physical or mental ailment, it simply refers to the outlook one has on the

challenges one is faced with along any of the identified dimensions. While wellness and mental health are related, mental health specifically refers to emotional and psychological well-being and its relationship to one realizing their potential and/or dealing with the stresses of life. Wellness in a sense is the light to our candle and mental health refers to the decisions we make to keep it lit or not. Understanding that every single human being is faced with challenges/ stressors that threaten our (the candle’s) light. Today too many people both adults and young people are choosing to blow out their own light which makes wellness and mental health topics of the upmost importance.

Young people are choosing suicide at alarming rates and providing the tools to both promote and asses their own wellness and mental health is not simply a good thing to do it appears to be an essential element of supporting their survival. According to the Center for Disease Control suicide is the second leading cause of death for young people ages 10 – 18. Moreover, the same study found that 1 in 5 high school students will consider suicide at some point during their high school experience and roughly 10 percent will attempt it. It appears that these conversations can’t happen too soon, given that half of all mental health issues begin before the age of 14. Even more concerning Black children ages 5 – 12 commit suicide at twice the rate of White and Hispanic children the same age. There should be no doubt that wellness and mental health are vitally important concepts to respond to this disturbing and terrifying reality.

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There are many significant considerations for the wellness and mental health of young people that include: academic pressure, abuse, bullying, trauma (physical and emotional), feeling loved, and a general sense of community. However, social media platforms present a singularly unique challenge to both young people and adults.

While the usage of social media has exploded over the last decade, so have feelings of isolation, social comparison, envy, and even the need to belong. Whereas social media platforms offer incredible opportunities socially, economically, professionally, and even personally, there is also a complexity to its presence that is dangerous, superficial, and fictional all at the same time. Social media consumers both young and old must critically consume ideas and impressions that originate from these sources. It is important that a sense of self-worth can never be validated or compromised by largely unauthenticated and self-accentuated images and messages that are often little more than personal propaganda masquerading as truth in fantasies otherwise know as social media.

A healthy sense of wellness and mental health is best when it is founded on meaningful relationships, wholistic understandings of love, and a resilient recognition that failure is but an aspect of success. Both young people and adults alike must understand that is not possible to live this life without regret, hurt and unwelcomed circumstances. However, we are not measured by the number of times we fall or even how long we are down, each of our legacy is analyzed solely by the number times we find the strength and wherewithal to get up again. Each of us is responsible to fill our space with people, events, and activities that nourish our spirit and remind us of our potential. A chief responsibility of all adults is to build in our children an unbreakable can-do sense of self that requires them to understand that joy cometh in the morning. On this journey there are no recipes or road maps any of us can pass along to another except the unrelenting truth that no matter how painful things can get or how dark it may seem if we keep our candle lit the heat from the fire provides healing and the light from the flame can fight off the darkness. Keeping the candle lit does not guarantee that we will not get down it only ensures that we can always get up.

Love, Joy, Peace, and Happiness.

Dr. Eric L. Johnson currently serves as the Chief Consultant with Strategies to Succeed and he is on the faculty at Virginia International University. He is the former Chief of Research Publications for the United States Air Force Academy.

HEALTH

HEALTHCARE = SOCIAL JUSTICE ByCharleta B. Tavares We are in a period of turmoil and chaos when it comes to race, religion, class, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation and identity.

Nowhere is this made more evident than when it comes to health/wellness and healthcare. The political discussion is not on how we address healthcare inequality and outcomes, it is whether or not we should provide healthcare to those who some deem are not worthy, should not be eligible due to pre-existing disease/illnesses, because they are not citizens, have not met their work requirements, paid a co-pay or have “skin in the game”.

Many of us believed that the Affordable Care Act (ACA) or Obamacare passed in 2009 settled this argument. However, there are many members of Congress and the president, as well as his supporters who believe that healthcare is not a right and that it should be apportioned to those who can pay, work or are worthy to receive it. The focus is narrow and mean-spirited towards those who are marginally-incomed, undocumented or to those who do not have a regular primary care practitioner.

Healthcare is a basic human need. It is a part of the hierarchy of human need – food, clothing, shelter, healthcare and safety.

Although it is not specifically included in Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs it is a basic need that is required in order to move up the hierarchy. I would argue that it is implicit in the safety and security need. “Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is a motivational theory in psychology comprising a five-tier model of

human needs, often depicted as hierarchical levels within a pyramid.

From the bottom of the hierarchy upwards, the needs are: physiological, safety, love and belonging, esteem and self-actualization.

Needs lower down in the hierarchy must be satisfied before individuals can attend to needs higher up”.

Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. understood the urgency and critical nature of one’s health and access to care for our human existence.

In his quote, “Of all the forms of inequality, injustice in health care is the most shocking and inhumane.” He recognized that our health and access to healthcare were essential to actualize our potential in learning and living our purpose. He accepted that healthcare was imperative for human growth and development, as well as living a long and productive life.

Although the ACA has grown in popularity (even among the GOP and President’s supporters) there have been more than 60 votes taken to repeal parts of the Affordable Care Act/Obamacare since 2009 when the bill passed. Why? Do the members of Congress have a better plan? Are there improvements that need to be made? Can we develop a healthcare system for America that is focused on prevention, improved health outcomes and patient-centered?

Healthcare Justice is crucial if we are going to be a strong and productive nation. “We cannot be ready to learn or ready to earn if we do not have our healthcare needs met.” ® This is a simple but accurate statement. We must ensure that all residents of America have preventative care to reduce communicable Continued on Page 12

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HEALTH Continued from Page 11

diseases, epidemics and widespread death.

The ACA provides mandatory preventative screenings to early detect cancer, pregnancy, hypertension and diabetes among others. It provides coverage for individuals with preexisting conditions, young people up to age 26 on their parents’ insurance and increases funding and other measures to expand care.

Three of the important components included in the ACA were funding to expand: Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs), the National Health Service Corps and IT for Electronic Health Records (EHRs) and Electronic Medical Records (EMRs).

These three initiatives: increased healthcare access for un/underserved populations (disproportionately African American and people of color); provided loan repayments to physicians, nurses and other health professionals willing to serve in FQHCs

and other institutions in health professional shortage areas; and provided funding for technology to link systems and providers of care to serve the whole patient with EHRs and EMRs. Our FQHCs including PrimaryOne Health (Columbus) and Five Rivers Health Centers (Dayton) have increased services and access for residents of their respective communities since the passage of the ACA. Their work along with that of the 53 sister FQHCs and Look-Alikes in Ohio are currently providing health care to more than 743,000 Ohioans.

The ACA is a framework for increasing health care and justice in Ohio and the United States. PrimaryOne Health and the FQHCs Boards and staff will continue to advocate for culturally appropriate quality healthcare for all and working to make the necessary improvements to the ACA to improve health outcomes.

Footnotes: 1 Maslow, A. H. (1943). A Theory of Human Motivation. Psychological Review, 50(4), 370-96.

2 McLeod, S. A. (2018, May 21). Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. Retrieved from https:// www.simplypsychology.org/maslow.html Charleta B. Tavares is the Chief Executive Officer at PrimaryOne Health, a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) system providing comprehensive primary care, OB-GYN, pediatric, vision, dental, behavioral health and specialty care at 11 locations in Central Ohio. The mission is to provide access to services that improve the health status of families including people experiencing financial, social, or cultural barriers to health care. www. primaryonehealth.org.

A PHYSICIAN DRAWS INSPIRATION FROM DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR’S WORDS

By Dr. Quinn Capers IV and Ms. Christian Anne Capers Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was, is, and will continue to be an American symbol of strength, hope and peace - not only in the Black community, but to the rest of the world.

For physicians, his words can give pause and sustenance, as so many of his lessons and precepts are easily applicable to what we do. Connecting his immortal words to the universal mission of medical and osteopathic doctors can give perspective on what drives us and help us to reflect on our daily labor of love.

“All humanity is involved in a simple process, and all men are brothers. To the degree that I harm my brother, no matter what he is doing to me, to that extent I am harming myself” (“Experiment in Love,” 1958) Dr. King believed, as must all ethical physicians, that we all belong to one human family. If for one group of patients I deliver the highest quality of care with all of the compassion within me, and I fail to do so for another group (race, gender, sexual identity, religious preference, physical ability, etc.) then I am ignoring the high calling that attracted me to medicine, not to mention the vows that all doctors take upon graduating from medical school. To be influenced by superficial traits to withhold quality care to patients in need is unthinkable when said out loud, but it happens daily throughout the nation. Black women are less likely than white men to be treated with life-saving implantable defibrillators after suffering a cardiac arrest (the medical term for when the heart stops beating), Hispanic children with cancer pain are less likely than white children with the same diagnosis to be treated with narcotic pain medications, and one recent study showed that cancer doctors with an unconscious preference for whites over blacks spend less time with their black patients and tend to talk over them and ask

them fewer questions. Physicians who harm their brothers and sisters this way, even unknowingly, harm the entire human family, injecting mistrust into the doctorpatient relationship and leading many to delay or forego seeking medical treatment and preventive health services. When large segments of the population forego, for example, annual flu vaccinations based on this mistrust, flu epidemics can cost thousands of lives across racial, gender, and socioeconomic boundaries. “... The question is not whether we will be extremists but what kind of extremist will we be. Will we be extremists for the preservation of injustice - or will we be extremists for the cause of justice?” (“Letter from Birmingham City Jail,” 1963) Physicians have a legacy of being activists for social justice. One modern-day example is when pediatrician Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha informed the state of Michigan that the drinking water in Flint, MI was poisoning children with dangerous levels of lead, that an

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immediate advisory should be sent out, and that people, especially children, should stop drinking the water. This was an unpopular stand, but was based on her sound research and an example of a physician speaking out to advocate for justice. Oakland, Californiabased physician Dr. Tolbert Small is another example of a physician-activist. When he left his native Detroit, MI to pursue residency training in Oakland in 1970, he drove up to the national office of the Black Panther Party and offered his assistance. As a friend and affiliate of the party, he helped found its free clinics, free ambulance service, and brought much-needed attention to the terrible disease sickle cell anemia, a disease that strikes people of Black Americans much more than White Americans, by starting a communitybased sickle cell screening program.

Physicians have many role models to study when looking for doctors who went even further with their activism, from local leaders who simply refused to retreat (Dr. Albert E Continued on Page 15

HEALTH

WHAT SOCIETY NEEDS FROM SOCIAL SCIENTISTS

By Jacqueline Lewis-Lyons, Psy.D that television programming took major steps in opening a window into the lives of Black On September 1, 1967, Dr. and Hispanic families. While the evening Martin Luther King, Jr spoke news covered the riots during this period, the at the American Psychological news also showed the power of non-violent A s s o c i a t i o n ’ s a n n u a l c o n v e n t i o n i n protests. These are examples of steps that are Washington, D.C. He presented a challenge helping to tear down the walls of segregation. to the nation’s social scientists in his speech These glimpses allowed society as a whole to titled “The Role of the Behavioral Scientist see a different view of the Black American. In in the Civil Rights Movement.” Keeping in light of this, Dr. King questioned why social mind the events of the ‘60s and the turmoil scientists had not been more involved in which did bring about needed change, Dr. disclosing the truths about African-American King focused on three specific areas which life. I believe that this has improved since he felt the social scientists had not addressed. that time as more African-Americans have entered into psychology, social work, and Dr. King identified the role of social scientists medicine. Also, social scientists are now as “an opportunity to serve in a life-giving required to complete studies in diversity to purpose” which encouraged truth and improve their ability to understand the needs discovery for all people. He pointed out a of and help a wider range of people. need for direction and self-understanding in the Black community. Since that time, The three areas that Dr. King felt social there has been significant growth for all scientists should examine are: ages with the inclusion of African-American studies, Kwanzaa celebrations, and greater 1. Negro Leadership – Dr. King observed appreciation of our contributions to the arts. that the ‘upwardly mobile Negro was likely However, there is still much to be done to separate from his community, deny with regard to the general mental/emotional any responsibility to it, but still remains health of people of color who continue to face unaccepted by the white community. There had been no contemporary studies completed aspects of racism and discrimination daily. at that time regarding the hostility between Dr. King stressed in his speech that lower class and more affluent Negroes.” “white America seeks to keep the walls of He asked for attention to be given to segregation intact” even though the positive suggest ways to increase Black unity while changes in our society are causing them integration proceeded. to “crumble.” He further stated that at that time, “white America lacked knowledge 2. Political Action – Dr. King described the about the realities of Negro life.” Looking demonstrations and protests as a very small back over the past twenty years, we can see piece of the political picture. The dedicated

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people who worked to register voters was a grassroots movement that produced results.

3. Psychological and ideological changes for Negroes – Dr. King stressed the need for Black Americans to be comfortable questioning the mores of the larger society and still retain their faith and ability to dream, creating a vision for their own lives and their families.

In his speech, Dr. King quoted Victor Hugo: “If a soul is left in the darkness, sins will be committed. The guilty one is not he who commits the sin, but he who causes the darkness.” Dr. King explained that the guilty parties are those who “create discrimination, perpetuate unemployment, ignorance, and poverty.” Sadly, we can still point out those who meet these criteria for their own personal gains. When we come across these people, we have no healthy choice but to believe them when they show us who they are. We cannot afford to ignore the truth or make an excuse. Knowledge is meant to be used to improve our current state. Let’s continue to dream, not as people who sleep, but as people who are preparing to take action and improve our world.

Dr. Jacqueline Lewis-Lyons’s office is located in north Columbus. Her practice centers on helping clients with depression and anxiety related disorders. In recent years, after discovering a love of running, she expanded her practice to include servces related to Sports Psychology for athletes of all ages and levels. To reach her, call 614-443-7040 or email her at Jacqui@DrLewisLyons.com

The Columbus & Dayton African January 2019 The Columbus African American NewsAmerican Journal • •February 2015

TEYAH M. DECEMBER ‘ 94 – AUGUST ‘ 14

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The Columbus & Dayton African American • January 2019

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HEALTH Continued from Page 12

Perry, NAACP chapter vice president in Monroe, NC, who, with an armed rifle club of NAACP members, repelled a gang of KuKlux-Klan night riders intent on shooting up his home and burning a cross in his yard in 1957), to brilliant theorists (Frantz Fanon, psychiatrist and author of “Wretched of the Earth”), to social agitators of international freedom movements (South African martyr Steve Biko—a medical student). Like Dr. King said, most of us will be extremists.

Physicians, as professionals dedicated to prolonging life and easing suffering, must be extremists to preserve not only the health of the individuals that we physically touch, but must be activist-agitators to heal society.

“People are often surprised to learn that I am an optimist… They expect these experiences to harden me into a grim and desperate man. They fail, however, to perceive the sense of affirmation generated by the challenge of embracing struggle and surmounting obstacles.” (“A Testament of Hope,” 1968) Here Dr. King speaks of an undying optimism. Even facing almost certain defeat, he and his colleagues had a sense that justice would ultimately prevail, and that their fight was necessary for justice to win, regardless of whether they would personally witness the victory. This is a very appropriate description of the mindset of the physicianscientist toiling away for a cure for cancer.

Against overwhelming odds, the loss of many lives, and mounting unsuccessful research

studies and clinical trials, the physician researcher and the bedside physician have an undying optimism, an unspoken sense that the next study will unlock a mystery that will save lives. When I interact with a patient with a severely weakened heart and I adjust his medications one more time to allow him to breathe easier, even though the last “adjustment” was unsuccessful, I always have an inner sense that this time will be successful. Likewise, when working to open a blocked artery in a heart attack patient, if I was unsuccessful with the last heart attack patient, the only thing on my mind is victory: opening the artery, saving the patient’s heart muscle and ultimately, the patient. A doctor’s job is not always easy, but an undying optimism is in the physician’s genetic makeup, allowing us to embrace “struggle and surmounting obstacles.” We are convinced that victory is right around the corner, even if we will not be around to see it.

“We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly affects us all.” (“Letter from Birmingham City Jail,” 1963) Racism is one of the inescapable ills of modern society, in the US and abroad.

Physicians are among a group of public servants that society must be able to trust to dispense expertise in a fair and equitable manner. As a physician, I must have faith that the teachers will treat my children fairly, that the police officer will treat me like a human being with intrinsic worth, and that the judge will dispense justice to me without

POLITICS

bias. Likewise, all of these professionals will likely be under a doctor’s care at some time, and will feel exposed, anxious, and very vulnerable. They must have confidence that their physician will follow a higher calling, and not be influenced by race, or any other superficial characteristic, in dispensing ethical, compassionate care. Each time any of these (or other) professionals places a higher or lower value on an individual because of his or her race and practices his profession based on that valuation, our just society crumbles a little bit. Ethical physicians realize this, and dispense justice with a scalpel, a prescription pad, a therapeutic touch, a kind word, and an open heart without regard to race.

Fifty years after his death, the words of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. can be applied to the field of medicine. We ARE inexplicably connected by a network of mutuality and by the fact that we are all members of one race – the human race. This sentiment crosses boundaries into all disciplines, across barriers of color, gender, background and creed. As we ultimately work to help our fellow man, physicians and all healthcare workers can and should gain inspiration from his words.

Quinn Capers, IV, MD is a cardiologist and the Associate Dean for Admissions at The Ohio State University College of Medicine Christian Anne Capers is an English major at Howard University in Washington, D.C. Sources: The Words and Inspiration of Martin Luther King Jr. (2007), Blue Mountain Press Boulder, Colorado

ONE TEXAS COUNTY JUST SWORE IN 17 BLACK FEMALE JUDGES

A new year brought the swearing-in of newly elected officials in Harris County, Texas, and among them were 17 black female judges.

The group of women, who were part of a local democratic campaign called “Black Girl Magic Texas,” first made history -- and headlines -- when they won their respective midterm elections in November. Together, they make up what is believed to be the

largest group of black female judges to be elected at the same time in Harris County history.

The Harris County Democratic Party posted photos of the swearing-in ceremony, which took place on Tuesday morning.

“Today we usher in a new era of representative government and progressive

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leadership in Harris County,” the group wrote.

The public was invited to attend the ceremony, and images of the event from CNN affiliate KHOU show a packed house.

County Judge Lina Hidalgo was also sworn in on Tuesday. Hidalgo is a 27-yearold Colombian immigrant who unseated incumbent Republican Ed Emmett in November. At the time, Emmett had held the position of Country Judge for more than ten years.

Hidalgo has spoken at length about the importance of diversity in Harris County’s government. “We made history in Harris County on November 6 by electing a talented group of individuals who reflect the people and communities we serve,” she said in a press release for Tuesday’s ceremony. “That would not have been possible without the support of the residents of Harris County.”

Harris County, which includes Houston, is the largest county in the state. According to the most recent census data, 43% of people in Harris County are Hispanic, and nearly 20% of the county’s residents identify as AfricanAmerican.

Article from CNN.com

The Columbus & Dayton African American • January 2019

POLITICS

LEGISLATIVE UPDATE

By Senator Charleta B. Tavares Former Ohio Senate Assistant Minority Leader, Sen. Charleta B. Tavares (D-Columbus) introduced Senate Bill 346 on December 11, 2018 recognizing the 400th Year of African/Blacks in America. Tavares was joined by Senator Sandra Williams (D-Cleveland) and Ohio Legislative Black Caucus (OLBC) President, Rep. Stephanie Howse (D-Cleveland) along with Sen. Vernon Sykes, Reps. Emilia Sykes and Hearcel Craig, members of the Ohio Legislative Black Caucus. Tavares proactively lined up Sen. Williams and Rep. Howse to re-introduce companion bills (identical bills) in their respective Chambers in January to ensure that discussion and passage of the bill are carried out in the 133rd General Assembly OLBC President, Rep. Stephanie Howse called an OLBC Retreat on December 17, 2018 to welcome the newly elected members, outline priorities for the 133rd GA and hear from both GOP candidates for the Speaker of the Ohio House of Representatives. After the presentations, OLBC members discussed the candidates and their commitments to the agenda of OLBC and their interest in working to address the needs of African Americans specifically, and people of color and marginalized communities.

The bill will study the 400-year history of African/Black Americans in Ohio and the United States titled, “Quadrennial Challenge: Justice and Equality for All”. The press conference was notably held in the George Washington Williams Room at the Ohio Statehouse Capitol Building. This room conceived, created and funding raised by former Senator Ray Miller, was named after the first African American legislator in Ohio, Rep. George Washington Williams from Cincinnati, Ohio (1879-81). For additional information and hearing schedules on this On January 7, 2019, OLBC President Howse bill contact either Sen. Williams (614) 466- was holding the cards and together with 4857 or Rep. Howse at (614) 466-1414 members of OLBC (12) and the Democratic Caucus (12) provided the 24 votes needed House – Holding and Howse –Holding the for Rep. Larry Householder to win the office cards of Speaker. The final vote was 52 to 45.

Howse held meetings with Householder and The 133rd General Assembly (GA) held negotiated to ensure that there was increased its Swearing in of members and the new public accessibility (live streaming of leadership teams of the Majority and Committee Hearings), culture & diversity Minority Caucuses. The Senate Democratic training and professional human resources, Caucus, Senate GOP Caucus and Ohio House increased membership of OLBC members Democratic Caucus had previously elected on Finance, as committee co-chairs, and their leadership teams for the 133rd GA legislation sponsored and adopted by OLBC. however; the House Majority Republicans were in a battle between two candidates Howse and the OLBC believed that neither of whom could reach the required 50 Householder spoke more directly to the votes needed to be elected. critical issues facing African Americans and communities of color, primary/secondary The House Republicans currently have education funding and criminal justice a large advantage over their Democratic reform. colleagues with 61- 38 members. The two GOP challengers for the Speaker of the Ohio “As members of the oldest legislative black House were Rep. Ryan Smith (R-Bidwell) caucus in the nation, we have a responsibility who served as Speaker for the last 6-months that precedes our individual interests. We and Rep. Larry Householder (R- Glenford) are the elected voices of some of the most who served as Speaker 2001-2004. This disenfranchised and undervalued citizens dilemma provided an opportunity for the in our great state. Today, while difficult Ohio Legislative Black Caucus to play a role and uncertain, the majority of our members made a choice that we believe will lead to in electing the new Speaker. more balanced and bipartisan policy making,

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and a chance to restore some of the hope that’s been lost in our most underserved communities. It’s also important to remember that the Republicans maintain the majority in the Ohio House of Representatives. Their division is their own. OLBC will continue to work collectively with all members of the House, for the good of all Ohioans,” stated Rep. Stephanie Howse, OLBC President.

Ohio Legislative Black Caucus Members: Ohio House Janine R. Boyd (D – Cleveland) Stephanie Howse (D-Cleveland) Glen W. Holmes (D-McDonald) Catherine D. Ingram (D-Cincinnati) Bernadine K. Kent (D-Columbus) Fred Strahorn (D-Dayton) Emilia S. Sykes (D-Akron) Thomas West (D-Canton) Paula Hicks-Hudson (D-Toledo) * Juanita Brent (D-Cleveland) * Erica Crawley (D-Columbus) * Terrance Upchurch (D-Cleveland) * Sedrick Denson (D-Cincinnati) * Ohio Senate Sandra Williams (D-Cleveland) Vernon Sykes (D-Akron) Cecil Thomas (D-Cincinnati) Hearcel Craig (D-Columbus -15) * *Newly elected members Senator Charleta B. Tavares, (Retired) recently served and represented the 15th District, including the historic neighborhoods of Columbus and the cities of Bexley and Grandview Heights in the Ohio Senate. During her eight-year tenure in the Senate, she served as the Ohio Senate Assistant Minority Leader and the vice-chair of the Finance – Health and Medicaid Subcommittee; Ranking Member of the Senate Health, Human Services and Medicaid Committee and a member of the powerful Controlling Board.

2019 NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS The Columbus & Dayton African American news journal asked its contributing writers and supporters to submit a brief summary of their 2019 New Year’s resolutions. Below are some of the submissions that we recieved. Enjoy!

Billie Ewing “In 2019, I humbly resolve to continue my Godgiven mission of making anyone within my reach AWARE that there is LIFE after a BRAIN TUMOR diagnosis. My TEST, my TESTimony!”

Alethea Gaddis, MBA “I am resolved to embrace life fully, appreciating each breath and encouraging others to do the same. Tick tock. The clock is ticking so spend quality time with your loved ones. I do.”

Tim Anderson

Charleta B. Tavares “I resolve to continue to empower and uplift our community through communication channels, advocacy training and education on public policy and legislative initiatives.”

Iris Cooper, DBA “I will continue to communicate with the Black community, and especially women, regarding sustainable, personal economic strategies through financial literacy and entrepreneurial thinking.”

Rodney Blount, Jr. “My 2019 resolutions are to be more active in community outreach, political activism, spiritual growth and to follow Maya Angelou’s quote, “When we give cheerfully and accept gratefully, everyone is blessed.”

William McCoy, MPA “Be it resolved: I will end 2019 better than I started. That means taking better care of myself, my family, friends, and others. It also means being more strategic about pursuing my goals.”

Gayle Saunders I resolve to continue to educate families on steps to reduce infant mortality in our community. We must work together to stop losing our babies at three times the rate of Caucasian babies due to infant mortality.

Barbara Sykes “In 2019: I will work to empower people to choose how they live as they age. Challenging outdated stereotypes about what it means to age, removing barriers and opening possibilities for people 50+ and their families.”

Cecil Jones, MBA Focusing on our local, state, national and international state of divisiveness, I am working on Collective Action, in 2019. Collectively, we can reduce this divisiveness and move in a better direction.

Chanelle Jones, PhD

Lawrence Funderburke, MBA My goal for 2019 is to help the body of Christ settle the issue of Lordship because we have been bought with a price. Therefore, nothing truly belongs to us. TheStewardShipPlaybook.com

“This year I will celebrate sixty years of life, an important milestone for black men. My resolution for 2019 and my sixty years is to continue to gain knowledge and wisdom in promoting wellness. To share this knowledge through community engagement, demonstration and participation that will empower our community to make healthier choices and live well.”

We are at a pivotal moment in time and in 2019, I resolve to continue educating justice practitioners, disseminating research on critical justice issues, and working to improve police/community relations.

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The Columbus & Dayton African American • January 2019

New Year’s Resolutions - Continued Kevin Dudley, Ph.D “I will embrace my responsibility as a part of a bridge generation, finding meaningful ways to honor edify the elder generation, while also encouraging the emerging generation in collaborative community-building.”

Honorable Joyce Beatty “In 2019, I promise to work harder than ever to be a voice for ALL Central Ohioans. We need a government that is responsive, accountable, and for all people.”

Joanne Lunceford Happy New Year! I resolve in 2019, and decades beyond, to do all I can to help less people from our community enter into the criminal justice system on the consumer end and to help more enter into the service side of the industry.

Bishop Timothy Clarke Here is my New Year Resolution: To make 2019 the most profitable, productive and positive year possible...

To stay focused and faithful, so that I can be fruitful.

Robin Jones, PhD Setting a resolution for 2019... Give the gift that keeps on giving, and pay something forward. Offer to help a colleague. Pay forward a cup of coffee.

Walk your neighbors dog.

Tom Dillard To provide research, information and advice to community activists and leaders who support the advancement of the African American Community.

Frederic Bertley, PhD To engage and inspire more and more persons of color around science and technology - with the specific goal of enriching their personal lives.

Howard Williams My New Year’s resolution for 2019 is to work unselfishly and untiringly to create 100 Career opportunities for people of color. As a certified construction craft instructor.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

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COVER STORY DESTINED FOR GREATNESS

By Ray Miller If one were not analytical, objective, and painfully sober, it would be easy to reach the conclusion that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was some kind of superhuman solo creature fighting against injustice, discrimination, segregation, and prejudice. He would be described as an indefatigable warrior created to right all wrongs and slay the giants of bigotry and racism, every second of every minute, and every hour of every day. Some would say, “That is precisely what he did.”

Michael King was destined for greatness.

His father legally changed both he and his son’s name to Martin Luther in honor of the famed Protestant Reformer when Martin, Jr. was around seven years old. His father, Daddy King was a firm disciplinarian who saw great potential in his son and was known not to spare the rod in encouraging young Martin to become a high achiever in whatever pursuit he was engaged. Martin, Jr. was surrounded by Pastors on both sides of his family. For a while, he rebelled and even graduated with a degree in Sociology from Morehouse College, defying nearly everyone in his family who desired for him to become a pastor. Martin would go on to earn a degree in Divinity from Crozer Theological Seminary where his father equipped him with a wardrobe of new suits and a checkbook in his pocket. After marrying Coretta Scott in 1953, Martin would earn a Ph.D. degree in Systematic Theology from Boston University in June of 1955. He would move quickly from being Pastor of Dexter Avenue Baptist Church to Assistant Pastor at Ebenezer Baptist Church, serving alongside his father.

Dr. King’s Civil Rights career began when he reluctantly accepted the responsibility of serving as the President of the Montgomery Improvement Association which was established to prohibit discrimination on the City buses following the protest by Rosa Parks. He became a devout follower of nonviolence as the most effective strategy to implement acts of civil disobedience after he and Coretta spent a month in India studying the strategies of Mohandes K. Gandhi.

Dr. King valued education. He was not hesitant to challenge established theories and philosophical beliefs. And, he practically understood the importance of obtaining a formal education to break the chains of impoverishment and mental enslavement.

(L to R) Bayard Rustin, Rev. Jesse Jackson, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and Rev. Ralph Abernathy on April 3, 1968 - “The Mountaintop” Sermon

He Didn’t Do It Alone It is important to understand that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was chosen by his peers as the leader of a movement. In fact, he was the leader amongst leaders. There were giants in the Civil Rights Movement, like the founder and President of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, A. Philip Randolph.

John Lewis, now a Member of Congress, who served as the President of the Student NonViolent Coordinating Committee(SNCC) along with Stokely Carmichael, Diane Nash,Mayor Marion Berry, and James Bevel. James Farmer, Jr., President of the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE), Ralph Abernathy, Congressman Walter Fauntroy, Rev. Hosea Williams, Rev. Andrew Young-Congressman, Ambassador, and Mayor of Atlanta with SCLC where Dr. King served as President. Whitney Young, President of the National Urban League, Roy Wilkins, President of the NAACP and numerous great Pastors with sizeable congregations.

King’s humility, organizational skills, keen intellect and his awesome gift of powerful preaching and oratory, positioned him as the perfect choice to be the spokesperson for the Movement.

Performing A Balancing Act Dr. King was called “De Lawd” by many of the Freedom Fighters who were totally committed to the principles of civil disobedience and non-violence. He was contradicted on a number of occasions by Stokely Carmichael, Diane Nash and other more militant members of SNCC. King was often not present during some of the most violent protests, such as Bloody Sunday

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where protesters had their heads bashed in and beaten unmercifully by policeman on horseback. Despite these challenges Dr. King was able to keep the coalition together, speak all over the United States raising money for the movement, going to jail and prison countless times, and putting his life and that of his family in jeopardy far too often.

Overcoming The Past This almost unimaginable period in American History was brought on by the southern way of life or to put it more succinctly, the overwhelming desire by racist whites to have free labor and ownership of other human beings. The Civil War was brought on by these factors wherein 672,000 white people were killed because they believed so strongly in the “Southern way of life.” They fought one another. Oftentimes blood relatives killing each other because of what side they were on --slave or free.

As the years passed, various forms of enslavement were designed to control the people of African descent--sharecropping, convict lease system, poll taxes, employment, education, and housing discrimination, racist Supreme Court decisions such as Plessy v.

Ferguson and Dred Scott, lynchings, beatings, and horrendous Klan activity. This is what the Civil Rights Movement was all about and what Dr. King and his allies were fighting against.

The Current Reality Thanks to the commitment and sacrifices of our great Civil Rights leaders, we have Continued on Page 20

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COVER STORY

progressed from slavery to some level of freedom. We have more Black Elected Officials-- Mayors, County Commisioners, Sheriffs, Members of Congress, State Legislators, United States Senators, Corporate leaders, Non-Profit executives, athletic coaches and administrators, College Presidents, and highly successful businesspersons. Still we have the highest rates for homicide, poverty, infant mortality, obesity, incarceration, unemployment, academic failure--and the lowest net worth and college participation rates.

Solutions Dr. King and his associates in the Civil Rights Movement were not afraid. They had courage. We need more men and women who are courageous and who are willing to make a major difference in the lives of their people.

They need to make a difference where they

are and stop behaving as “Race Whisperers.”

What good are you if you are not willing to pull another Black person up behind you as you climb the ladder of success. We need more emancipated African Americans. Too many “Leaders” still behave as though they are enslaved and certainly not free.

We need real political power, i.e., having the ability to cause someone to do that which they otherwise would not do. We need to identify and groom bright young African American professionals who know what it means to stand up for our community. We need a Black Political Action Committee.

And, we need African American financial advisors to collaboratively design a city-wide program to help individuals improve their net worth.

With regard to our physical health, we are too

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obese. It is killing us prematurely. Discipline yourself. Eat to live. Don’t live to eat.

The sodium, fats, and sugar is killing you.

Speaking of killing, stop killing our babies.

Infant mortality and maternal mortality is at the highest levels ever. We don’t need warm fuzzy approaches. Some people have to be hit with a hammer (figuratively) in order to change their behavior. We could all exercise more. We need a Black Television station.

And finally, for now, we must thoroughly understand the need to have a strong Black Press.

The new Civil Rights battle will be external and internal. Dr. King and so many others, Black and White, died for us to live free with a real sense of purpose. Don’t let their living be in vain. He didn’t do it alone. We can accomplish more working together than in segregated silos.

COMMUNITY 5TH ANNUAL VALENTINES DAY WORKSHOP AT SECOND BAPTIST CHURCH

By Troy A. Glover Columbus, Ohio – If you are struggling with growth in your relationship and desire to positively change your situation, you are invited to attend our 5th Annual Valentine’s event. The Men’s Ministry of Second Baptist Church will sponsor this event on Saturday, February 9, 2019 beginning at 9 a.m. and ending at 12 Noon. The church is located at 186 N.17th Street, Columbus, Ohio 43203.

This year’s theme is, “How Couples Can Grow Together, Not Apart.” A panel of Christian thought leaders and counselors will lead an engaging session designed for married and single attendees.

Panelists include: Elder Dale Tucker, Sr., Senior Pastor of Triedstone Missionary Baptist Church and his wife Mrs. Tammie Tucker; Mr. Carlos and Mrs. Seneca Bing, counselors and members of Faith Ministries Church; Mr. Eric Terry, associate minister at Second Baptist Church; and Dr. Linda Trautman, professor of political science at Ohio University and a member of First Church of God. The event will provide married and single participants with biblical understanding, strategies, and tools for growing together.

The panel will address the theme and share personal experiences (inclusive of techniques) that have worked in their growth process. The session will be engaging and interactive.

Dr. Howard Washington, Pastor of Second Baptist Church stated, “In a relationship,

(Top Row) Elder Dale Tucker, Sr., Senior Pastor of Triedstone Missionary Baptist Church and his wife Mrs. Tammie Tucker, Minister Eric Terry, Associate Minister at Second Baptist Church.

(Bottom Row) Mr. Carlos and Mrs. Seneca Bing of Faith Ministries Church and Dr. Linda Trautman, Professor of Political Science at Ohio University and member of First Church of God.

growing together increases the chances for a shared vision, mutual goals, and clarity of expectations of each other. It assures connectivity and commonality while respecting the uniqueness that each person brings into the relationship.”

For additional information about the event schedule, logistics, and updates, visit the church’s website at www. secondbaptistcolumbus.com. You may also contact Troy Glover via phone at 614-2534313 or email, Troyg1906@wowway.com.

GRAND RE-OPENING OF BROAD STREET MCDONALDS

You may have noticed that the McDonald’s at 6914 E. Broad Street just underwent a major transformation (inside and out!). Gale Hill, Columbus Owner/Operator and longtime community leader, hosted a grand re-opening event at her restaurant on Tuesday, December 18th.

Gale’s focus has and will always be on the crew she hires, providing them with opportunities to grow and advance in their careers and with their education. Gale continues to hire from community organizations like Community for New Direction and the Columbus Urban League and empowers the Columbus youth to achieve their full potential.

Congresswoman Joyce Beatty, city council members and other community leaders participated in the celebration. Music and additional entertainment was provided by the East High School Marching Band. Stop by today and check out the newly rennovated restaurant.

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The Columbus & Dayton African American • January 2019

COMMUNITY

CHRISTIAN MEN: BUILDING A COMMUNITY OF BELIEVERS The National Skilled Trades Network (NSTN) is comprised of credentialed skilled trade small business owners of color, who for the last 16 years have been trying to determine why children of color are being steered largely, if not solely, toward universities and colleges as a viable means of securing their future without providing an alternative. Not only can a college degree leave them with enormous debt (assuming they get into college) but with an increasingly educated workforce there is no guarantee of receiving a job without further education and potentially more debt.

Concurrently the construction industry has been losing skilled workers in greater numbers due to the retirement of baby boomers. And there is no concerted effort in the minority community to address this opportunity to equip young people of color with the skills necessary to become gainfully employed with livable wages equal to or above those of some college graduates.

NSTN has decided to take this issue on by establishing a fully accredited construction education organization. After much research, we have obtained an Accredited Training Sponsorship and become certified craft instructors through the National Center

Howard Williams, Executive Director of the National Skilled Trades Network , and Michael Watkins, President of Watts1 Electrical.

for Construction Education & Research (NCCER). Its curriculum is used by organizations nationwide, including the Columbus Public School System (to a limited extent.)

At this time we are offering six certified fields of training: Core Curriculum (construction essentials), Electrical, Plumbing, Concrete Finishing, HVAC, and Carpentry. We also have up to seventy-four other construction courses we can include as needed.

A little known fact: there is very little cost to enter the construction trades field and in some cases no cost at all. After acquiring the initial

The Columbus African & Dayton African American • January 2019 2015 American News Journal • February

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construction education and Core Curriculum certification, there are paid apprenticeship programs offered by employers who are in desperate need of qualified workers. Also, all of our certified instructors are available for career guidance to every young person before and after they enter the construction industry.

Colleges and university have for so long propagated the notion that a career without at least a bachelor’s degree is subpar at best, which has oversaturated the workforce, giving companies the luxury of scrutinizing beyond credentials. Regardless of whether or not one has a degree what will always distinguish them in any industry are the skills and expertise one offers.

Without an alternative to the college preparatory track, young people of color are put into the precarious position of competing for a limited number of low-paying service jobs that may not offer benefits. This can lead to poverty, which can have deleterious effects on an individual’s mental and physical health.

If you know of a young person of color, male or female, in need not of a job but of a career please contact nstnetwork@nstnetwork.org so that we can provide them the tools to be successful and self-sufficient.

FRAN FRAZIER APPOINTED TO HOMEPORT BOARD

By Steve Nichol Frances “Fran” Frazier, a nationally recognized, awardwinning consultant, researcher and educator, has been appointed to the board of directors of Central Ohio-based affordable housing developer Homeport.

“The fact that a property owner (Homeport) can care about the mental, emotional and social needs of its residents is cutting edge,” said Frazier.

A Philadelphia native, Frazier has a B.S. cum laude in Special Education from Norfolk State University and master’s degree in Learning Disabilities and Behavioral Disorders from The Ohio State University.

Upon graduating OSU in 1973, Frazier chose to make Columbus her home. Over the years she has been an ardent advocate for marginalized women and girls and has served as a consultant to numerous universities, colleges, professional associations and social service agencies across Ohio and the nation.

In addition to Homeport’s board, Frazier is co-chair of the Commission on Black Girls established by Columbus City Council Member Priscilla Tyson. The commission is tasked with assessing the quality of life of black girls in Central Ohio. She has also

been a mayoral appointment to the Columbus Community Relations Commission since 2006.

Frazier said she is passionate about Homeport’s mission and will encourage others to support it.

“Insufficient affordable housing creates instability. Transiency. A stable home can give children an opportunity to grow and develop and become what they are destined to become. Children who are cared for make great contributions to their families and to their communities,” she said.

“An overwhelming percentage of heads of households in Homeport are single women.

Thanks to Homeport’s affordable rents and resident services, women and their families

have the potential for self-determination and self-sufficiency.

“There is a saying, if the women of a community are not healthy, nobody else is.

Women are change agents in any environment or community. You can help women and their families by empowering them with voice, power, and resources by your presence and your giving. Homeport needs you and your gifts and talents.”

In 1998 Frazier created “The Angel in You: Life Preparation for Girls,” a program designed to teach critical thinking skills and effective decision making as well as building community among girls. More than 1,000 girls nationally have participated.

She is also the author and principal investigator of “Rise Sister Rise,” a groundbreaking study of trauma and resiliency of black girls, ages 11 to 18 years old, in four Ohio cities. The data has been used to create two Black Girl Think Tanks and a campaign that looks at mental health issues affecting black girls.

Frazier is a past recipient of the YWCA Woman of Achievement Award. She was appointed in September to a three-year term on Homeport’s Board of Directors.

Steve Nichol is Manager of Public Relations for Homeport. To learn more about Homeport, visit www.homeportohio.org

OHIO COUNCIL OF CHURCHES SELECTS REV. DR. JACK SULLIVAN, JR. AS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Rev. Dr. Jack Sullivan, Jr. New Executive Director The Ohio Council of Churches (OCC)

The Ohio Council of Churches (OCC), the 99-year-old state ecumenical organization, has named the Reverend Dr. Jack Sullivan, Jr., a career pastor, ecumenist and social justice advocate, as its new executive director. Sullivan, 59, has served as senior pastor of First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) of Findlay, OH since February 2017.

He will begin his ministry with the OCC January 1, 2019.

A native of Cleveland, Ohio, Sullivan is an ordained minister in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) US and Canada. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Communication from Ohio University, Athens, OH; a Master of Divinity degree from Lexington Theological Seminary, Lexington, KY; and a Doctor of Ministry degree from United Theological Seminary, Dayton, OH. Sullivan was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from Bethany College, Bethany, WV. With prior service as pastor, Christian educator, regional minister, and death penalty abolitionist, Sullivan is past convener of the OCC’s Justice and Advocacy Team.

He is president of the governing board of Ohioans to Stop Executions; co-president of the Disciples Justice Action Network; life member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity,

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Inc. and the NAACP; and member of the governing bodies of EcuMentors men’s ministry; the Ohio Region, Christian Church (Disciples of Christ); the Ohio Conference, United Church of Christ; Findlay’s mental health agency Century Health, and LGBTQ+ Spectrum Support Group; the Ohio Poor People’s Campaign; Death Penalty Action; and Journey of Hope: From Violence to Healing, a national anti-death penalty organization. Sullivan has given leadership to committees of both the National and World Councils of Churches, and has participated in ecumenical gatherings in Zimbabwe, Switzerland, and Israel/Palestine.

Bishop Marvin Frank Thomas, Sr., President of the Governing Board of the OCC says: “The Ohio Council of Churches is very fortunate to have Reverend Jack Sullivan take the helm as our Executive Director, for such as time as this. We know without a doubt, that he is the one God has chosen to lead us as we seek our way forward as a major ecumenical voice and presence in the State of Ohio.”

Based in Columbus, the Ohio Council of Churches is a partnership of 17 Christian faith denominations. Established in 1919, it is one of the nation’s oldest state ecumenical councils.

The Columbus & Dayton African January 2019 The Columbus African American NewsAmerican Journal • •February 2015

COMMUNITY

MVRPC’s RIDESHARE PROGRAM CELEBRATES 40TH ANNIVERSARY WITH $40 GAS CARD GIVEAWAY CONTEST EVERY MONTH IN 2019

Dayton, OH – The Miami Valley Regional Planning Commission’s (MVRPC) RIDESHARE Program is celebrating its 40th anniversary with a gas card giveaway contest during 2019. Anyone who lives, works, or attends college in Clinton, Darke, Greene, Miami, Montgomery or Preble County, in Ohio, is eligible to register for a chance to win a $40 gas card. Each month, one (1) winner will be randomly selected on the last Friday of the month. Go to www.

MiamiValleyRideshare.org or call 1.800.743.

SAVE to register for a chance to win.

“Forty years of helping commuters find alternatives to driving alone is quite an

accomplishment and we are thrilled to celebrate by sponsoring this contest,” stated MVRPC’s Executive Director, Brian O. Martin, AICP. “Reducing traffic congestion and air pollution are just two benefits of ridesharing. Rideshare program participants will save gas, money, and mileage by sharing the ride. It’s a win-win.”

MVRPC’s RIDESHARE Program is available for FREE to anyone who lives, works, or attends college in Clinton, Darke, Greene, Miami, Montgomery or Preble Counties. Commuters can go to www.

MiamiValleyRideshare.org, enter their home address, destination, and schedule.

The software matches commuters with others who live nearby and are headed the same way. Together, the group establishes its own ridesharing arrangement. Go to www.MiamiValleyRideshare.org for more information.

The RIDESHARE Program is a partner of Gohio Commute, a statewide initiative, promoting commuting alternatives to driving alone.

Established in 1964, the Miami Valley Regional Planning Commission promotes collaboration among communities, stakeholders, and residents to advance regional priorities. MVRPC is a forum and resource where the Board of Directors identifies priorities, develops public policy and collaborative strategies to improve quality of life throughout the Miami Valley Region. MVRPC performs various regional planning activities, including air quality, water quality, transportation, land use, research and GIS. As the designated Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO), MVRPC is responsible for transportation planning in Greene, Miami and Montgomery Counties and parts of northern Warren County. MVRPC’s areawide water quality planning designation encompasses five (5) counties: Darke, Preble plus the three MPO counties.

For more information, contact Laura A. Loges, Director of Marketing & Public Affairs, at lloges@mvrpc.org or call 937.223.6323.

OHIO STAKEHOLDERS SHARE IDEAS TO IMPROVE HEALTH OF BABY’S FIRST THOUSAND DAYS

By Brandi Slaughter, JD Columbus, Ohio – Voices for Ohio’s Children released today its report on Ohio stakeholder views on optimizing the first 1,000 days of a child’s life. The report captures the observations of over 150 people from five Voices’ regional forums held in Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Portsmouth and Toledo. Health, education, human services, advocacy and government –related women and men gathered in five separate cities in October 2018 to share their thoughts and opinions on what a healthy first three years looks like, including the pregnancy of the baby’s mother. Participants highlighted what is working well in Ohio, where there are gaps in care, and public policy changes that could bring improvements during this critical time in a child’s development.

“Birth to age three is a critical time in a child’s life,” said Brandi Slaughter, CEO of Voices for Ohio’s Children. “The health care the child and his mother receive both before and after his birth, can dramatically impact his physical and emotional development. We wanted to hear from people in the field about what Ohio is doing well and what Ohio could do better in supporting the baby’s health during these first three years, particularly

in families whose health care is paid for by Medicaid.”

Many of the observations about what success looks like were related to social determinants of health, such as having stable housing, free of violence, and having access to transportation to get to medical appointments. Medicaid managed care plans are playing bigger roles in addressing those needs, participants reported. But participants noted access problems with speech services, mental health services for baby and mother, and pediatric and maternal dental care. The expansion of community health workers, the single point of entry for accessing home visiting services and the Medicaid expansion, which helps women to be healthier at the point of conception, were all positives that were noted.

The report contains forty proposals which traverse federal and state policy. They stretch from increasing provider reimbursement in some areas to tweaking Medicaid home visiting rules to lowering barriers to affordable housing.

“What I think is clear from listening to these stakeholders is that baby thrives when health, education and social supports are all functioning together,” Slaughter noted.

“That says to me that whether we work in the health space or the childcare space or whatever space, we need to remember that we are advocating for and serving families, and

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they need all the services to work together.”

“We hope to see a process for expanded stakeholder input that our new Governor will embrace. We are happy that he is focused on the well-being of children, and we think this report will shed some light on how connected health, education and social supports need to be to foster effective child development.

Brandi Slaughter is the CEO for Voices for Ohio’s Children.

Voices for Ohio’s Children shapes policy that puts Ohio’s children first and improves their well-being. Our vision is for all of Ohio’s children—from birth through adulthood— to be safe, healthy, educated, connected, and employable. Voices is also a member of Advocates of Ohio’s Future.

The Columbus African American News Journal • February 2015

EDUCATION INTERVIEW WITH CHILDREN’S BOOK AUTHOR BENNY R. BANKS

By Calvin Stillwell There are a lot of children’s books out there; fewer with African American writers, publishers and protagonists, but they can be found, if you do your due diligence. “The Four Trees” is a book worth discovering.

The story is surely a parable held so dearly by the ancestors that it was never written, until finally it was whispered and released into the spirt of, Principal Benny R. Banks, to be shared with all who would hear and heed its lessons. Some stories are so good that you want to share, no shout their entertainment and educational value. Yet, the “The Four Trees” isn’t one of those stories. “The Four Trees” has to be told, re-told, and handed down; the pages read, the illustrations seen, the meaning understood and transferred from generation to generation.

Tell us a little bit about yourself.

I love working with children. That is the highlight of my life. I got into education by what I call providential not accidental because God led that process. I’ve been in education for 55 1/2 years. That’s how much I loved it; I didn’t want to leave. I retired from Columbus City Schools after 34 years, and then after 5 days, I was looking for a way to volunteer. I wasn’t ready to quit, and a guy told me about Sunshine Christian Academy.

I stayed there another 21 years.

Did you meet your wife while you were in College?

Yes. I passed her on campus a few times, but I paid no attention to her. One day we were at a garden party, and I took another date. And I looked across the way, and I saw, Lavon.

I saw her for the 1st time. I saw her. I did a triple take…boom, boom, boom. And that’s how it started. I went moseying over to talk to her, instead of my date. It was a garden party in August. Lavon had on a pretty pastel dress. I saw that gal, and I said whew, whew, whew! We were engaged for only about 3 or 4 months. I was getting up there in age. I always said I wanted to get married by age 30. I was 29 – pushing it. So, I said come on Lord. We’ve been married 58 years.

How many children do you have?

Four children, one deceased. The one deceased, we raised her 5 children. So, we raised nine children altogether.

Before you started writing, what were you doing to interact with young people?

I always loved telling stories. I told my children, nieces and nephews stories one after another. This particular story came about here in 1998. I would tell my grandchildren bedtime stories. I got tired of telling “Three Little Pigs”, “Jack and the Beanstalk.” Believe it or not, this was the leading of God. I shudder thinking about it. I said let me see, now. I said, there were four trees. Where that came from I don’t know. It just poured in my head – spirit really. That story has changed very little, if any, from the time I first told it to the time it was put in the book.

What were your grandchildren’s reactions?

They were quiet; they weren’t wiggling on the bed. Oh yeah, they took it in.

Benny R. Banks and Calvin Stillwell

When were you inspired to put it in a book?

I was visiting some friends and family years later in the state of Maryland. And I was just casually telling them about the [story]. The guy said, “Benny, you need to write that down.” I said, “Really?” He swerved the car over to the store and said, “Go in there right now and get you a notebook and start writing.” It was just that simple.

So, you started the first draft on the road.

When did you sit down and start putting the pieces of the story together, was it later that evening?

Mmm, nah. I told it at Bible School, and the adults were standing in the back listening to it, just like the kids. I remember, they were taken in by the story, just like the children.

So that was still the telling of it. The writing occurred, when I say writing, I mean serious writing – re-writing for publication – probably 10 or 15 years after I first wrote it down in that car.

What obstacles came your way?

I was busy being a principal.

How did you find your artist?

I have a niece here in town, and she said, “Uncle Benny, let’s go online for that.” So, she did. She found two artists. And Again, sometimes I just shiver to think about how that came about. That was the Lord. Two people came forward, and I interviewed them both. The first guy had cartoonish type of drawings. Second lady had more realistic drawings, and I said no, this is a children’s book. She’s too realistic, and I took him. He did a few sketches, and I looked and said, this is not it. This cannot be it. So, I paid him off; I paid a fee. Then I went with the lady. I shudder to think if I had missed her.

Perfect. Just Perfect! We had a great working relationship.

What was the feeling when you first held your book in your hand?

I almost cried. I said, this is me. My name is going to go all over the place. I said, this is something that we did. A lot of people involved. This is it. I did a book. It wasn’t like it had been one of my aspirations throughout my life, nothing like that. It just drifted into this and wait a minute…I did a book.

Where do you think this book should be?

Do you think all children should be able to

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read this book?

This expresses my feelings right here – Bro. Banks pointing at a page in “The Four Trees.” I can’t say it any better; This book is dedicated to children everywhere who love books and to those who don’t…but should.

I’d like to see it worldwide. Children love this book.

What challenges have you experienced since publishing the book?

Marketing it. I had one copy, I had written across it in masking tape, “Ask Me About My Book,” and I would go in the stores and deliberately carry it like this. And sometimes people would ask me. I would take it into Kroger’s, a Bank, just holding it, and I would sell books just like that.

What has been the biggest reward since publishing the book?

It encouraged me to write the next. I have two or three books and inventions coming. My next book will be, “No Way Out and Other Short Stories” for teenagers. “So, Teachers Why are You Crying?” is another project I am working on in collaboration with a friend of mine. It is based on both our experience in education.

What makes “The Four Trees” unique?

I think the human element of caring for one another in a family. I’ve seen hundreds and hundreds of books in the library. I went reading children’s books. Many of them are just la-di-da, little teddy bear running across, down the street, la-di-da make a friend. This has a human element that I think appeals to children and adults.

How can we increase childhood literacy?

Read to children. Read to them while they are still in the womb. Start as early as possible.

Turn that T.V. off and read to them. I think a child should go to sleep with the sound of their parents’ voice reading to them as the last sound they hear. Or in some cases it could be an older sibling reading to their little brother or sister. That person reading is taken in by the story, as well, even if they don’t want to admit it.

Principal Banks reminds us that our children are a reflection of us and their children are a reflection of us and their children’s children are yet still a reflection of us. As long as we are on this side of existence, we are not released from the responsibility of not just our children, but all children. Benny R. Bank’s words in this interview speak to that, but even more so, his work as an educator, principal, author, and parent demonstrate his commitment to never throwing in the towel, turning a blind eye, or starting a sentence with “The youth of today… that ends in confused resentment. What if we all behaved as “The Four Trees” and did our best to protect all that grew beneath our limbs and when we knew better, we did better, even if it meant letting go of our charge to grow far beyond our branches’ reach?

“The Four Trees” is available on Amazon and Barnes and Noble and local Columbus book stores. Contact Author Benny R. Banks by phone at 614-448-8966 or email benrbanks@ yahoo.com for speaking engagements, book readings and signings.

The Columbus & Dayton African American • January 2019

EDUCATION

WE MUST PROTECT OUR CHILDREN AMERICA!

By Marian Wright Edelman Six years ago, December 14 started off like an ordinary morning in classrooms across our country.

Children rushed in to school bundled against the cold, chatting and laughing and trying to contain all of their extra energy and excitement from the bright holiday season.

Concerts were scheduled, classroom parties were planned, and teachers were squeezing in their last few lessons before winter break. It was the same in Newtown, Connecticut—but that was the unforgettably horrible day 20 first graders and six adults walked into Sandy Hook Elementary School and never walked back out.

When he spoke two days later at a prayer vigil for the victims of the mass shooting at Sandy Hook, President Barack Obama said: “This is our first task — caring for our children.

It’s our first job. If we don’t get that right, we don’t get anything right. That’s how, as a society, we will be judged. And by that measure, can we truly say, as a nation, that we are meeting our obligations? . . . . Can we say that we’re truly doing enough to give all the children of this country the chance they deserve to live out their lives in happiness and with purpose? Can we honestly say that we’re doing enough to keep our children — all of them — safe from harm?” President Obama said if we were honest with ourselves we knew the answer: no.

He continued: “Since I’ve been President, this is the fourth time we have come together to comfort a grieving community torn apart by a mass shooting. The fourth time we’ve hugged survivors. The fourth time we’ve consoled the families of victims. And in between, there have been an endless series of deadly shootings across the country, almost daily reports of victims, many of them children, in small towns and big cities all across America . . . We will be told that the causes of such violence are complex, and that is true. No single law — no set of laws can eliminate evil from the world, or prevent every senseless act of violence in our society. But that can’t be an excuse for inaction. Surely, we can do better than this. If there is even one step we can take to save another child, or another parent, or another town, from the grief that has visited Tucson, and Aurora, and Oak Creek, and Newtown, and communities from Columbine to Blacksburg before that — then surely we have an obligation to try.”

President Obama did try, but once again, as a nation we failed. We failed every person in America who has been injured and killed by guns since the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School including most heartbreakingly thousands of children. We failed the high school students murdered at Marjory Stoneman Douglass High School.

We failed the toddlers, children, and teenagers among the worshipers killed at First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, Texas.

And we’ve failed thousands of children killed

in their homes and communities across our nation and the family members, classmates, and friends all of them left behind.

We failed Makiyah Wilson, the 10-year-old girl who was shot and killed in front of her Washington, D.C. home in July while trying to buy a treat from the ice cream truck. We failed seven-year-old Taylor Hayes, who died in Baltimore that same month after being shot while riding in the back seat of a car. And in a coincidence almost too terrible to be true, we failed Taylor’s five-year-old half-sister Amy Hayes, who was shot and injured on November 19 walking to buy juice at the corner store. Amy’s great-grandmother said that when she saw Amy fall to the ground she thought the young girl had tripped in her Pink Panther sneakers because she hasn’t learned how to tie her shoelaces very well yet.

We are still wantonly and sinfully continuing to fail every day in our duty to protect our children. According to the Children’s Defense Fund’s Parent and Child Trends survey conducted earlier this year by YouGov, children say they are more worried about a shooting happening in their schools than they are about fitting in with other children or experiencing peer pressure. Even children too young to be in kindergarten are at risk: more preschoolers are killed from guns each year than law enforcement officers in active duty.

In 2017, 93 children under 5 were killed by guns. Between 1963 and 2017, 67,521 Black children and teens were killed by guns— nearly 17 times the number of recorded lynchings of Black people of all ages in the 74 years from 1877 to 1950. Have we no shame or sense of responsibility to place our children’s lives ahead of guns? But there is hope.

Since the massacre at Sandy Hook, growing numbers of people in America have been saying no more. Mothers and fathers and now children and teenagers themselves are demanding that we protect children, not

The Columbus & Dayton African American • January 2019

26

guns. Even some gun owners are demanding action. Overall, about 6 in 10 American voters support stricter gun control and believe more guns will only make our nation less safe according to a recent Quinnipiac University National Poll conducted in November 2018.

This is a critical opportunity for members of Congress and state legislators to move forward early in 2019 on essential common sense gun safety and ensure all children the right to grow up safely—free from fear and violence. With great urgency, we must: Expand background checks to cover all gun sales—including gun sales at gun shows, on the internet or between private individuals.

More than 9 in 10 American voters and gun owners support universal background checks.

Keep guns out of the hands of children and those who would use them against children through Child Access Prevention laws as well as Extreme Risk Protection Orders which empower families and law enforcement officers to temporarily limit gun access for those who pose a danger to themselves or others.

Fund research on the causes and consequences of gun violence to arm all of us with more information, not more guns.

As today’s students become the next generation of voters and leaders a new groundswell of powerful voices is starting to shout surely, we can do better than this to protect our children. We must do better for our children. This holy season is a very fitting time to begin.

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.

The Columbus African American News Journal • February 2015

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The Columbus & Dayton African American • January 2019

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The Columbus African American News Journal • February 2015

By Ray Miller Kennedy and King - The President, The Pastor, and the Battle of Civil Rights

The Denial of Antiblackness Multiracial Redemption & Black Suffering

By Joao H. Costa Vargas

By Steven Levingston

Joao H. Costa Vargas examines how antiblackness affects society as a whole through analyses of recent protests against police killings of black individuals in both the U.S. and Brazil, as well as, the everyday dynamics of incarceratioin, residential segregation, and poverty. Ultimately, he asks why the denial of antiblackness persists, whom this narrative serves, and what political realities it makes possible

Kennedy and King traces the emergence of two of the twentieth century’s greatest leaders, their powerful impact on each other and on the shape of the civil rights battle between 1960 and 1963. These two men from starkly different worlds profoundly influenced each other’s personal development. Kennedy’s hesitation on civil rights spurred King to greater acts of courage, and King inspired Kennedy to finally make a moral commitment to equality. As America still grapples with the legacy of slavery and the persistence of discrimination, Kenney and King is a vital, vivid contribution to the literature of the Civil Rights Movement.

How To Read A Protest: The Art of Organizing and Resistance

By L.A. Kauffman

Generation Priced Out: Who Gets to Live in the New Urban America

By Randy Shaw

When millions of people took to the streets for the 2017 Women’s Marches, there was an unmistakable air of uprising, a sense that these marches were launching a powerful new movement to resist a dangerous presidency. But the works that protests do often can’t be seen in the moment. It feels empowering to march, and record numbers of Americans have joined anti-Trump demonstrations, but when and why does marching matter? What exactly do protests do, and how do they help movements win? In this original and richly illustrated account, organizer and journalist L.A. Kauffman delves into the history of America’s major demonstrations, beginning with the legendary 1963 March on Washington, to reveal the ways protests work and how their character has shifter over time. Using the signs that demonstrators carry as clues to how protests are organized, Kauffman explores the nuanced relationship between the way movements are made and the impact they have.

Generation Priced Out is a call to action in one of the most talkedabout issues of our time: how skyrocketing rents and home values are pricing the working and middle classes out of urban America. Randy Shaw tells us the powerful stories of tenants, politicians, homeowner groups, developers, and activists in over a dozen cities impacted by the national housing crisis. From San Francisco to New York, Seattle to Denver, and Los Angeles to Austin, Generation Priced Out challenges progressive cities to reverse rising economic and racial inequality.

Uncivil Agreement - How Politics Became Our Identity

By Lilliana Mason Political polarization in America is at an all-time high, and the conflict has moved beyond disagreements about matters of policy. With Uncivil Agreement, Lilliana Mason looks at the growing social gulf across racial, religious, and cultural lines, which have recently come to divide neatly between the two major political parties. She argues that group identifications have changed the way we think and feel about ourselves and our opponents. Even when Democrats and Republicans can agree on policy outcomes, they tend to view one other with distrust and to work for party victory over all else. Although the polarizing effects of social divisions have simplified our electoral choices and increased political engagement, they have not been a force that is, on balance, helpful for American democracy. Bringing together theory from political science and social psychology, Uncivil Agreement clearly describes this increasingly “social” type of polarization in American politics and will add much to our understanding of contemporary politics.

Invisible - The Forgotten Story of the Black Woman Who Took Down America’s Most Powerful Mobster

By Stephen L. Carter She was black and a woman and a prosecutor, a graduate of Smith College and the granddaughter of slaves, as dazzlingly unlikely a combination as one could imagine in New York of the 1930s―and without the strategy she devised, Lucky Luciano, the most powerful Mafia boss in history, would never have been convicted. When special prosecutor Thomas E. Dewey selected twenty lawyers to help him clean up the city’s underworld, she was the only member of his team who was not a white male. Eunice Hunton Carter was raised in a world of stultifying expectations about race and gender, yet by the 1940s, her professional and political successes had made her one of the most famous black women in America. But her triumphs were shadowed by prejudice and tragedy. Greatly complicating her rise was her difficult relationship with her younger brother, Alphaeus, an avowed Communist who―together with his friend Dashiell Hammett―would go to prison during the McCarthy era. Yet she remained unbowed.

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JUSTICE CHANGE MUST COME NOW!

By Rev. Tim Ahrens, D.Min A Coalition of over 50 clergy and religious interfaith leaders have joined together to stand with Columbus Police Officers and citizens to seek peace in the city and justice in the police department and on the streets.

On October 18, 2018, following a press conference at City Hall, we issued a letter to Mayor Andrew Ginther calling for the city to meet seven expectations and administrative changes in the way it treats and handles discrimination within the police force and on the streets. We are calling for immediate change. We see a culture of discrimination which we have noted and chronicled in detail for the Mayor to see as well. We often hear “it is a few bad apples.” But, we respond, “No. This is not about a few bad apples.

The Tree of Justice needs pruning to make it healthy and sustainable.”

Our seven specific and effective expectations are achievable and will create a better work environment within the Columbus Police Department. This will translate into ending police corruption and end mistreatment for the people of Columbus on the streets. We see this as a “Win/Win” for the officers and citizens of Columbus.

The first three expectations call for improving working conditions for minority police officers.

First, we are calling for the reporting of Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) complaints to go to the EEO Office within the City of Columbus Human Resources Department instead of CPD’s Internal Affairs Bureau (IAB). The city has agreed to hire an Assistant Safety Director who will handle these complaints. We see this a positive step but we need to see the job description and the “chain of command” for implementing discipline when necessary.

The second expectation calls for eliminating the subjectivity that effects the Rules of Conduct violations and determines discipline.

We need to see uniform implementation of discipline. The Mayor has said that this implementation process needs to go the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) negotiations process. We feel that the city has had clear recommendations from the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF) for the last two years. They have not implemented these widely accepted and nationally acclaimed processes of discipline. With Chief Jacobs retiring and a new chief being hired following a national search, now is the time for the city to clearly define and implement a fair, thorough, and objective design for

discipline. We believe the Mayor has a prime investigate officer’s intentional discharge of their firearms which may result in death. The opportunity to do this. city has attempted to work with BCI in the The third expectation calls for separate past with these specific requests. BCI has and anonymous avenues within the CPD declined for lack of resources. The Mayor that personnel can use to report incidents will formally approach the state with a new of corruption. While the Mayor cites the Governor, General Assembly and Attorney whistleblowing laws, there are ways that General being seated in January. We feel retaliation happens within the department that bi-partisan legislation needs to be that indicates the system is not free and passed which will support BCI investigations clear of retaliation. While citizens can make statewide. We will work alongside the Mayor anonymous complaints against an officer, and city leaders to see that this happens. The officers cannot make anonymous complaints State of Ohio would benefit from this process and be protected within the force. The Mayor being clearly in place and used each time a has placed a response to this expectation by shooting happens.

January 12, 2019.

Finally, we are calling for Community The final four expectations call for improved Reconciliation Training which will submitted interactions of police officers with community and approved by the Ohio Counselor, Social Worker and Marriage and Family members.

Therapist Board to be implemented in each In our fourth expectation, we are calling for CPD Precinct. The clergy and religious complaint investigations now handled by leaders will assist in this training and the police Internal Affairs Bureau (IAB) to implementation. Our purpose is to develop reviewed and handled separately by the City positive and ongoing relationships with the of Columbus EEO office to insure fairness, citizens in each precinct and the officers that thoroughness and objectivity. The Mayor has serve and protect them. The Mayor seems granted that the new Assistant Safety Director open to seeing the course, reviewing it and will review IAB investigations involving working with us on this process. racial profiling and discrimination. However, we are unclear exactly how this means the There is still much to be done to make investigations are out of the hands of IAB and improvements within the Columbus Division how discipline will be fairly and objectively of Police. We will keep working on this administered by the Assistant Safety Director. until the “tree of justice is pruned” and ongoing processes are set in place to see Our fifth expectation calls for extending culture changes and health within our police psychological counseling and drug and force and their interactions with Columbus’ alcohol testing for officers who intentionally citizens. But we feel strongly that this all discharged their firearms resulting in injuries must happen NOW. to others. The Mayor cites the current process to us in his response. Our ongoing concern is that too often minimal work is Rev. Dr. Tim Ahrens is the Senior Minister of done and officers involved in shootings First Congregational Church, United Church that cause injuries return to the streets too of Christ in downtown Columbus. A church soon. They will revisit this later in the 2020 known for its witness to social justice since contract negotiations. However, we feel this its birth as an abolitionist congregation in 1852. Rev. Ahrens is the fifth consecutive should be a top priority now. senior minister from Yale Divinity School and Our sixth expectation calls for the Ohio is a lifelong member of the United Church of Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI) to Christ.

The Columbus African American News Journal • February 2015

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The Columbus & Dayton African American • January 2019

JUSTICE

NEW YEAR; NEW HOPE: THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM AND THE AFRICAN AMERICAN COMMUNITY

By Joanne Lunceford, MSSA The criminal justice system is a complicated system composed of three components: 1) Law Enforcement; 2) Courts; and 3) Corrections. The component of corrections consists of two subcomponents: 1) Institutional Corrections (comprised of jails and prisons); and 2) Community Corrections (comprised of probation, parole, and intermediate sanctions).

It is a long acknowledged truth that the United States over incarcerates its citizens and that of those citizens, African Americans are disproportionately represented. According to the NAACP Criminal Justice Fact Sheet, in 2014, African Americans constituted 34% of the total 6.8 million correctional populations in our country; and furthermore it shared, that African Americans are incarcerated at more than five times the rate of whites and that the imprisonment rate for African American women is twice that of white women.

According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, at the year-end 2016, an estimated 4,537,100 adults were under community control supervision. The American Probation and Parole Association (APPA) reports that racial and ethnic disparities are pervasive in the American criminal justice system, and is particularly stark for African-Americans, who despite constituting just 13% of the U.S. population, account for 30% of adult probationers and 40% of parolees. Further the APPA reaffirms that youth of color are disproportionally overrepresented throughout juvenile justice systems in nearly every state.

After decades, some would argue centuries, of an urgent societal and financial need to reshape our criminal justice system, there is a long awaited, much needed shift in social policy going on. Amongst other things, this change has motivated the increase of: • Community policing and citizen review boards; • Legislation that encourages alternative sanctions to incarceration when appropriate, and • The use of evidence-based practice research to determine what works and what doesn’t work to reduce recidivism and support rehabilitation.

The adoption of the Risk-Need-Responsivity (RNR) Framework throughout many states in our nation, including Ohio, has guided how correctional programs are designed to have positive effects and how the field uses the principles of effective interventions to change offender behavior. The three core principles of the model are: • The RISK principle. This principle suggests that interventions and services should be matched to the offender’s risk to re-offend.

• The NEED principle. This principle suggests that a validated assessment tool be used to identify and assess an offender’s criminogenic needs and that interventions used should target those needs.

• The RESPONSIVITY principle. This principle suggests that cognitive behavioral techniques should be used to target the criminogenic needs identified and should be matched to offender’s learning style, motivation, and abilities while efforts are made to identify and eliminate barriers to offender success.

Research by Andrews, Bonta, Hoge (and subsequently many others), shows that the adoption of this framework, which encourages collaborative and respectful staff/ offender relationships, in programming for justice involved persons produces significant reductions in recidivism. So what does all of this transformation mean for the African American community?

Well, it suggests many things, like policing agencies will be working more intimately in the community and getting to know the residents throughout our cities and towns.

Many may have noticed some officers on foot, horse, bikes, or other modes of transportation that allow them to speak with individuals instead of just riding by and patrolling neighborhoods. This allows officers and deputies to learn the names and lives of individuals and to build relationships, instead of meeting people first at some of the worst times of their lives. It is a strategy that encourages police, residents, and community agencies to form alliances to help facilitate more effective responses to crime and community issues, which in turn improves police and community relations and reduces citizen fear of crime. Admittedly, current evidence that community policing does this is mixed.

However, there is indication that with its success there could be a rise in the use of diversion programs and a reduction of offenders officially entering the criminal justice system which preserves families.

Also, with current and pending legislation there are more alternative sanctions being used at sentencing when appropriate and will continue to be in the future; as well as, at probation revocation and parole violation hearings, which leads to a reduction of offenders in the prison system. It also encourages probation and parole officers to structure office and home visits differently.

While using skills to foster relationships with offenders on their caseloads, they are able to incorporate cognitive-based interventions into their meetings to target the antisocial thoughts and behaviors that produce the negative outcomes many have become accustomed to. By supervising individuals, challenging antisocial value systems, and promoting prosocial support systems, sustainable change

The Columbus & Dayton African American • January 2019

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can and will happen.

So what responsibility does the African American community have in this transformative change? Glad you asked because this is the part that makes most people uncomfortable. We can no longer look at policing, probation, and parole organizations as the enemy. It can no longer be an “us vs. them” type of lifestyle.

African Americans must hold these agencies accountable for giving the community the respect it deserves. The community must also encourage its members to join local, state, and federal policing agencies and become officers, deputies, and agents. We cannot truly change the system unless we become part of the system as direct service personnel, management, and administration.

Our community has to assist with the solving of crimes and court cases and police and courts must create safe and secure policies and environments to make this a reality. We have to create future attorneys who become very competent defense attorneys AND prosecuting attorneys. We must become corrections officers and professionals, probation and parole officers, and work at community corrections agencies like CBCF and Alvis, Inc. We must hold all of these entities accountable for hiring and promoting all levels of staff that reflect the population they serve and ensuring that they create culturally competent environments.

And yes, along with so many other efforts, we must ensure that we show up at polling stations EACH and EVERY election to vote for legislators, jurists, policies, etc. that will impact our communities and families.

No one understands this better than the mother burying her child who was the victim of a crime, or the person wrongfully accused of a crime and is awaiting trial from a jail cell, or the person who has been navigating the community corrections world for years and desires to have his or her life back, or the person who has been in prison and is counting the days until he or she is released, or the person who is standing before the Court praying for an expungement of a crime they committed decades ago and longs to create a different life for his or her family but cannot secure safe housing or gainful employment because of his or her criminal record. The system is changing and it is imperative that our community be involved with the development of these changes to ensure that they are for our benefit as well as the mainstreams.

Joanne Lunceford is the Founder/Executive Director of The Peace Project. She also currently works full time in community corrections and has worked in the criminal justice and social work fields for over 20 years. She obtained her B.A. from Miami University and her MSSA from Case Western Reserve University.

The Columbus African American News Journal • February 2015

JUSTICE

FAMILY MATTERS: PAYING TOO HIGH A PRICE FOR MY MISTAKES

By Patrice Palmer, D.D. NOTE: The below story is the third in a series highlighting the voices of women across the country whose experiences and stories are helping to propel the national conversation on the need for criminal justice reform, and helping to advance the ongoing efforts to achieve reform at the state and federal levels.

The series, “Women in the Justice System,” will highlight these stories throughout March here, by the U.S. Justice Action Network, and by our sister organization, the Coalition for Public Safety.

That day back in 2003 didn’t seem out of the ordinary in my world. My brother was visiting me yet again as I served a sentence for theft and drug abuse, another sentence in a long line of prison sentences I had served over the past 20 years. My family had always been a support system with my children while I was incarcerated. But it became more and more overwhelming for them to see me in the system yet again. Yet I was still surprised when my brother arrived for his visit without my kids in tow.

He told me he couldn’t do this anymore. He recounted how each time he took my children to visit me, they left devastated. It took them days, weeks to get over seeing me in prison.

So he said he would no longer impose this level of harm to them and that I needed to think about my choices and the harm it was causing them.

For almost two decades I cycled in and out of the justice system in Ohio. I never thought about how my actions and my drug addiction reverberated to those around me. I thought I wasn’t hurting anyone but myself.

I never took into account the emotional and psychological toll my incarceration took on my children and family. That day, when my brother showed up without them, I decided I needed to do something positive with the time I had left in my sentence. I was tired of coming back to prison. I was tired of hurting my family and my children. I would do anything to change. My brother’s decision that day became the catalyst for my lifestyle transformation.

I approached the unit supervisor and warden

Michael Daniel (Policy Analyst), Dr. Palmer and Franklin County Commissioner Marilyn Brown.

at the prison knowing that I wanted to try something different. They challenged me to create a path to do that. After some thought, I structured a recovery program called “Home Base” where each base in a baseball diamond represented overcoming a barrier women face when they leave incarceration — one base was finding housing, another was reconnecting with your family and so on. I knew I needed to cross all these bases to stay out of jail or prison and finally arrive home safely and maintain sustainability.

When I finished my sentence, instead of trying to assimilate immediately back to life, I entered a treatment center in Cincinnati. I didn’t know how to live life without the use of drugs or criminal behaviors. I didn’t know what life would be as someone who was sober. Again, it was hard to be away from my kids, but all my time in the justice system made me realize that I never addressed issues of addiction or depression, which were a factor in my continued cycle of incarceration, back to the debilitating darkness and gloom of the justice system.

My road was bumpy. I quickly saw how society still linked me to my past and I had trouble being seen as more than my mistakes or poor decisions. Still I was determined not to just work at a fast food restaurant or warehouse. I was working two jobs and started my college journey at Cincinnati State Technical and Community College, which I finished seven years later with a Master’s Degree from The Ohio State University.

I am proud to say I am now 14 years sober.

I have four degrees, including a Doctorate

2JustLeadership USA members speaking in Washington DC before the Congressional Staff - Dr. Palmer (center)

33

of Divinity and Theology, as well as an Ordained Elder of Ministry. I’m a licensed social worker, drug counselor, and prevention specialist. Presently I work for the government as a reentry specialist within the same system that I was once was an inmate of. I became empowered by the difficulties I experienced and now I share my experience with those I assist. In fact, the program I designed while I was incarcerated to bridge the gap for formerly incarcerated individuals reentering back into society, I now use with other women through NISRE, Inc., and Jessie’s World, two program that assist this vulnerable population.

I have also taken my work beyond reaching small groups to have an impact on the entire state and beyond. Last year I was chosen to be a member of the first class for JustLeadershipUSA-Leading with Conviction leadership training program, (the only person chosen from the state of Ohio). I was also honored to testify before the full Ohio Senate on legislation that removed the question about criminal history from public employment job applications. I am even more proud to say that House Bill 56 overwhelmingly passed and is now state law. I even traveled to Washington, D.C., to brief Congressional staff on the need for criminal justice reform.

I worked hard to get where I am but I couldn’t have gotten there alone. I continually asked for help.Throughout my recovery and reentry, I encountered strong women who supported me, guided me, allowing me to rebuild and re-establish myself.

I am still close with my drug counselor at the treatment facility because she was determined not to let me fall through the cracks. I have female professors from college who are still in my life and continue to offer positive words when I need it most. These women have made all the difference in shaping my life and I now try to return that support to the women I work with.

And of course I had my family — four boys, one girl, four grandsons — who each day make me realize why I continue to strive in a positive direction and making a difference in life.

I remember many moments when I felt like quitting and my eldest son, who I’m very proud to say is now an officer in the United States Navy, would say, “Mom you can’t quit, it’s not an option, you owe too many people too fail: You owe God, yourself, your family and the multitude of people you will one day serve.”

Through their help and unconditional love, I have learned to forgive and love myself and define my life as a beacon of hope for those incarcerated and formerly justice involved that change is durable. Yesterday I stood on the shoulders of strong women in my life and today my shoulders are the fertile ground for other women to reach their full potential in life, through breaking the cycle of self-abuse one life at a time beginning with my own.

The Columbus & Dayton African January 2019 The Columbus African American NewsAmerican Journal • •February 2015

BUSINESS NAVIGATING A TUMULTUOUS STOCK MARKET

By Darren Lundy, MBA What a rocky month for the stock market! Unless you have been out of the country or totally immersed in the holiday season, you are probably aware of the current turmoil in the stock market. December is typically a healthy month for stocks, however December 2018 has been the worst since 1931. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA), or simply the Dow, is a stock market index that indicates the value of 30 prominent, publicly owned companies based in the United States; companies like Mc Donald’s, Johnson and Johnson, Exxon Mobile, and Apple computer.

Lauren Simmons, youngest and only full-time female trader at then NY Stock Exchange The index is intended to express the general level and trend of the stock market by using the average price of a few representative stocks. These stocks are often referred to as and make sure the risks are appropriate for are likely to make more money by carefully blue-chip. investing in asset categories with greater risk, you. like stocks or bonds, rather than restricting During 2018, the DJIA opened the year at The asset allocation that works best for you your investments to assets with less risk, like 25,078.61, reached its peak at 26,828.39, at any given point in your life will depend cash equivalents. On the other hand, investing and plunged 653 points lower to 21,792 in largely on your time horizon and your ability solely in cash investments may be appropriate an abbreviated trading session on Christmas to tolerate risk. for short-term financial goals.

Eve. The popular index is down 11.84 percent for the year with only one week to go. TIME HORIZON WHY ASSET ALLOCATION IS SO Investors are worried about protecting their IMPORTANT investments during such a volatile time in the Your time horizon is the expected number stock market. Especially those investing in of months, years, or decades you will be By including asset categories with investment a retirement savings program or those do-it- investing to achieve a particular financial returns that move up and down under yourselfers using on-line brokerage accounts. goal. An investor with a longer time horizon different market conditions within a portfolio, Although the DJIA has been bouncing up may feel more comfortable taking on a riskier an investor can protect against significant and down over the past few weeks, keep in or more volatile investment because he or losses. Historically, the returns of the three mind that it has been on a steady ascent from she can wait out slow economic cycles and major asset categories have not moved up and its low of 8,390.76 in February 2009 to its the inevitable ups and downs of our markets. down at the same time. Market conditions current level of 22,878.45. If you are doing By contrast, an investor saving up for a that cause one asset category to do well often the math, that is a total return of 183.365%, teenager’s college education would likely cause another asset category to have average which is an annualized return (dividends take on less risk because he or she has a or poor returns. By investing in more than reinvested) of 13.958%. Although bumpy at shorter time horizon. one asset category, you’ll reduce the risk that times, overall it was worthwhile to the longyou’ll lose money and your portfolio’s overall term investor. One of the strategies used to RISK TOLERANCE investment returns will have a smoother ride. help mitigate this rollercoaster ride is asset If one asset category’s investment return allocation.

Risk tolerance is your ability and willingness falls, you’ll be in a position to counteract to lose some or all of your original investment your losses in that asset category with better ASSET ALLOCATION 101 in exchange for greater potential returns. An investment returns in another asset category. aggressive investor, or one with a high-risk Asset Allocation is to reduce risk and help tolerance, is more likely to risk losing money The DJIA is a major market index used to smooth out the dips in the market. Asset in order to get better results. A conservative express the general level and trend of the Allocation involves dividing an investment investor, or one with a low-risk tolerance, stock market. Since the 2008 recession, the portfolio among different asset categories, tends to favor investments that will preserve DJIA has risen to historic levels although the such as stocks, bonds, and cash. The process his or her original investment. ride has been bumpy. Smart investors use of determining which mix of assets to hold in asset allocation to diversify assets reducing your portfolio is a very personal one. risk and market volatility.

RISK VERSUS REWARD ASSET CATEGORIES

When it comes to investing, risk and reward are intertwined. You’ve probably heard the phrase “no pain, no gain” - those words come close to summing up the relationship between risk and reward. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. All investments involve some degree of risk. If you intend to purchase securities - such as stocks, bonds, or mutual funds - it’s important that you understand before you invest that you could lose some or all of your money.

Stocks, bonds, and cash are the most common asset categories. These are the asset categories you would likely choose from when investing in a retirement savings program or a college savings plan. Other asset categories - including real estate, precious metals and other commodities, and private equity - also exist, and some investors may include these asset categories within a portfolio. Investments in these asset categories typically have category-specific The reward for taking on risk is the potential risks. Before you make any investment, you for a greater investment return. If you have a should understand the risks of the investment financial goal with a long-time horizon, you The Columbus & Dayton African American • January 2019

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Give us a call for a complimentary consultation.

Darren is a Columbus, Ohio native who has earned degrees in Business, Accounting, and an MBA. He has over twenty-five (25) years’ experience in financial services. The Ohio Company, First Union Securities, and Merrill Lynch were instrumental in his career prior to starting his own Wealth Management Firm, Money Consciousness LLC, (614) 7764311. He holds his Series 65 and Life and Health licenses. Investment advisory services are offered through Foundations Advisors, LLC an SEC registered investment advisor.

The Columbus African American News Journal • February 2015

BUSINESS

TECHNOLOGY AND MLK needed to pass along (there was going to be a meeting, a protest, etc.). With the technology tools (twitter, Instagram, etc.) that we have in “ Y e t , i n s p i t e o f t h e s e 2019, could Dr. King have been even more spectacular strides in science effective? and technology, and still unlimited ones to come, something basic Fast Forward from 1968 to Today is missing. There is a sort of poverty of the spirit which stands in glaring contrast to our What do you think MLK would say about the scientific and technological abundance. The usage (and abuse) of technology, if Martin richer we have become materially, the poorer Luther King Jr. were with us today? we have become morally and spiritually. We Would he say that all (poor and rich) should have learned to fly the air like birds and swim have access to broadband and fast internet the sea like fish, but we have not learned the service? https://www.huffingtonpost.com/ simple art of living together as brothers.” david-honig/why-dr-king-would-havech_b_937912.html MLK at the 1964 Nobel Prize Lecture in Oslo, Norway Would he tackle the issues of the abuse and misuse of your and my personal information MLK’s Views on Technology by free social media sites?

By Cecil Jones, MBA

Television (today, we would just call it ‘video’) was one of Martin Luther King Jr.’s strengths. He and his team of leaders fully knew the value of video. One way to communicate that people of color were being treated as second class citizens is to verbally tell someone else. A way to move people to action, across the country and across the world, was to televise policemen directing German Shepherds dogs to bite Black people during a peaceful protest march. King’s team of leaders learned this from him. In preparation for the 1955 Montgomery, Alabama bus boycott, MLK gave a motivating speech to the Montgomery Improvement Association, the group that existed immediately before the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. The speech was to motivate their organizing efforts. A local white cameraman, Laurens Pierce, filmed the speech. As Pierce then attempted to leave before the directives and actions were to be given to the crowd, King’s second in command, Ralph Abernathy said: “I’m sorry that some members of the press have dismissed themselves, because there are some things in here I’d really want them to have,” Abernathy said to applause.

“I certainly hope, I certainly hope that the television man will come back. You know, it isn’t fair to get part of it. I want you to get all of it.”

These leaders knew the value of video technology in communicating a powerful message. King was very video savvy. A major part of his civils rights strategy was to bring evil to the light of day and to the world’s consciousness. Referring to the brutal treatment of peaceful protestors, King said “We’re going to make them do it in the glaring light of television.” (https://www. theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2018/04/ televisions-civil-rights-revolution/554639/).

Even today, we see many video and television broadcast recordings of Dr. King’s marches, speeches and his work in video on Youtube, Public television and many websites.

Telephone Trees Dr. King utilized ‘telephone trees’ in his organization activities. You might be given names and telephone numbers of protestors and assigned to call 5 people. Each of them might be assigned 5 people and assigned to call their 5 people. This was a method to communicate news that the social activist

Information about transactions you make -“Things others do and information they provide about you. We also receive and analyze content, communications and information that other people provide when they use our Products. This can include information about you, such as when others share or comment on a photo of you, send a message to you…” https://www.facebook. com/about/privacy Device Information, including cookies (data on your device) Facebook will read data on your PC or phone (cookies) Information from partners

“These partners provide information about Facebook (and many other free social media your activities off Facebook—including sites) has been selling the information that information about your device, websites you you and your friends post. visit, purchases you make, the ads you see, and how you use their services—whether What do you think MLK would say to or not you have a Facebook account or are Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg, the Facebook logged into Facebook...” https://www.

CEO, if Martin Luther King Jr. were with us facebook.com/about/privacy today?

What Technology issues would MLK Before you answer that, please go to https:// involve himself? www.facebook.com/about/privacy. You will see some of the private policy information What would the issues be? below, plus other thoughts. At that privacy Technology available for students at site you will see and understand that there state supported colleges, but not for the are volumes of data that Facebook (and many Historically Black college(s) in the state? other free social media sites) collect and sell Web based courses available for suburban about your online behavior, including how school districts but not for urban districts? you communicate with others (and what Using Data Mining and Artificial Intelligence others are saying about you!). to provide higher interests loans to those who can least afford unnecessary higher bills?

Businesses and other organizations have a Hiring a very small percentage of Africanneed for their information to be shared and Americans in well-paying technology often understand what participating in social positions? He focused on injustice (Vietnam media does for their bottom line. Many War, exploiting labor, voting rights, individuals are unaware. segregated housing and education…), so technology issues would have to be Information Facebook collects (other free today’s on the list. sites act similarly) Things you and others do and things you What new technology, processes and devices are you using? provide Almost anything that you enter while on the Help Us to Help You site (or connected to other sites from their The purpose of this column is to provide site) is shared by them. useful information and knowledge that you can use, today. If you have a technology Networks and connections question (how to get something done, what “We collect information about the people, business, process or software solution might Pages, accounts, hashtags and groups you be available for your situation, how to secure are connected to and how you interact with that technology position, etc.), please email them across our Products, such as people you the question or comment to the email address communicate with the most or groups you are Admin@Accelerationservices.net for a quick part of. We also collect contact information if response. you choose to upload, sync or import it from a device (such as an address book or call People, Process and Technology log…)” https://www.facebook.com/about/ Are you looking for a technology networking privacy group to help you get smarter? What new technology or process have you learned this Your usage month? Need advice on how to look for that “We collect information about how you use technology position? Are you considering our Products, such as the types of content you technology education (courses, certificates or view or engage with; the features you use; degrees) and need information? Do you have the actions you take; the people or accounts a business, process, project management, you interact with; and the time, frequency and personnel or technology question? Please let me know. admin@accelerationservices.net duration of your activities…”

Cecil Jones MBA, ABD, PMP, CCP, SCPM, https://www.facebook.com/about/privacy FLMI, Lean Professional, 614-726-1925.

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The Columbus & Dayton African January 2019 The Columbus African American NewsAmerican Journal • •February 2015

HISTORY NANCY WILSON: LEGENDARY JAZZ SINGER & CHILLICOTHE NATIVE

By Rodney Blount, Jr., MA African Americans have made a large impact in virtually all facets of American life and even throughout the world. One of the most significant contributions has been the many genres of music African Americans have created, performed and perfected. Jazz is an example of an innovative genre of music that originated among African American musicians and singers, but has been adopted as a distinctly American art form. Duke Ellington, Miles Davis, Nat King Cole, and Ella Fitzgerald are among the many talented pioneers of jazz who have become household names. Jazz not only entered the airwaves of radio and television, but it also became a staple in schools and universities. Ohio has been the home to several musical genres and giants. One of central Ohio’s own musical giants is Nancy Wilson. Wilson was a phenomenal singer who was able to enthrall her audiences by not only her voice, but by the way she could tell a story.

Nancy Sue Wilson was born on February 20, 1937 in Chillicothe, Ohio, the first of six children of Olden Wilson, an iron foundry worker, and Lillian Ryan, a maid. Nancy’s grandmother, Iva Ryan Austin, lived on Whiskey Run while her mother lived on Mechanic Street for many years Olden Wilson enjoyed listening to music and bought records for his household. Nancy was exposed to talented musicians at an early age by hearing recordings from Billy Eckstine, Nat King Cole, Jimmy Scott, and Lionel Hampton’s Big Band. Wilson says: “The juke joint down on the block had a great jukebox and there I heard Dinah Washington, Ruth Brown, LaVern Baker, Little Esther”. Wilson became aware of her talent while singing in church choirs, imitating singers as a young child, and performing in her grandmother’s house during summer visits. By the age of four, she knew she would eventually become a singer.

In her early years, Wilson’s family moved to Columbus, Ohio. She attended Burnside Heights Elementary School and West High School. In high school, Wilson won a talent contest sponsored by the local ABC television station WTVN. The prize was an appearance on a twice-a-week television show, Skyline Melodies, which she later hosted. To improve her talent and exposure, worked/sang in clubs on the east side and north side of Columbus, Ohio, from the age of 15 until she graduated from West High School at age 17. Upon graduation, she entered college to pursue teaching. She spent one year at Central State College (now Central State University) before dropping out and following her original motivations of becoming a singer.

She auditioned and won a spot with Rusty Bryant’s Carolyn Club Big Band in 1956.

She toured with them throughout Canada and the Midwest in 1956 to 1958. While in this group, Wilson made her first recording under Dot Records. It was also during this time that

she met her mentor, Julian “Cannonball” Adderly.

In 1959, Wilson moved to New York City, following the suggestion of Adderly, to sign with manager John Levy, to become known as an independent soloist, and to record for Capitol Records. She took a day job as a receptionist. In only one month, she was hired by a New York club to substitute for singer Irene Reid. Wilson’s performances were so impressive that the club booked her to sing four nights a week indefinitely.

John Levy set up a demo recording session during which she recorded “Guess Who I Saw Today” and “Sometimes I’m Happy,” which were then sent to Capitol Records.

Within six weeks, Wilson had signed a contract as a Capitol recording artist. Her debut single sold well, and between April 1960 and July 1962 she recorded five albums that were released by Capitol. One of these, Nancy Wilson/Cannonball Adderly Quintet, is now considered a classic. In 1963, she had her first major hit with “Tell Me the Truth.”

Wilson was also a Civil Rights activist and participated in the historic march for civil rights in Selma, Alabama, in 1965.

Wilson was more than just a talented jazz singer! She made numerous albums, including pop and R&B recordings, and toured extensively, appearing with everyone from Nat King Cole and Sarah Vaughan to Ruth Brown and LaVern Baker. She made numerous television guest appearances and eventually got her own series on NBC, The Nancy Wilson Show (1967-1968). She also appeared on The Cosby Show, The Dick Van Dyke Show, Hawaii Five-O, The Flip Wilson Show, Moesha and many others. In the 1980s, she worked closely with performers including Hank Jones, Art Farmer, Ramsey Lewis, and Benny Golson. By the 1990s, she was a favorite among the “new adult contemporary” market, her style ideally suited to the format’s penchant for lush, romantic ballads; she also hosted the Jazz Profiles series on National Public Radio. She continued recording well into the 2000s.

In 1964, Wilson won her first Grammy

The Columbus African & Dayton African American - January 2019 2015 American News Journal • February

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Award for the best rhythm and blues recording for the album How Glad I Am. In 1981, she was inducted into the Ohio Women’s Hall of Fame. In 1986, she was dubbed the Global Entertainer of the Year by the World Conference of Mayors. In 1992, she also received the Whitney Young Jr. Award from the Urban League. She received an award from the Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change in 1993; received the Trumpet Award for Outstanding Achievement in 1994; the NAACP Image Award – Hall of Fame Award in 1998, and was inducted into the Big Band and Jazz Hall of Fame in 1999. Wilson received a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1990.

She received honorary degrees from Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA and Central State University in Wilberforce, Ohio. She was also initiated as an honorary member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. in June 1974. Wilson has a street named after her, Nancy Wilson Way, in Chillicothe, Ohio in 1996. She co-founded the Nancy Wilson Foundation, which exposes inner-city children to the country. Wilson was the recipient of the National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Masters Fellowship award in 2004, the highest honor that the United States government bestows upon jazz musicians.

She received the 2005 UNCF Trumpet Award celebrating African-American achievement, a Lifetime Achievement Award from the NAACP in Chicago, and Oprah Winfrey’s Legends Award.

On December 13, 2018, Nancy Wilson passed away. She was predeceased by her husband of 35 years, Reverend Wiley Burton.

She is survived by three children: Kenneth Dennis, Jr., Samantha Burton, and Cheryl Burton. Wilson was a phenomenal woman and artist. She was equally known for her class, style and kindness. I was exposed to her music at an early age and I remain a fan to this day. She poured her heart into the songs and ballads that she sang and created her own unique brand. She also never lost the common touch. Blythe Austin-Snead, her cousin, said, “Nancy was classy and sophisticated. It did not matter if she was in a fancy dress or jeans, the way she carried herself, everyone knew she was down to earth and good hearted.” Let’s start the New Year by updating our playlists, YouTube channels, and cd collections with Nancy Wilson recordings. I am sure you will not regret it.

Works Cited https://www.encyclopedia.com/ https://www.allmusic.com/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nancy_Wilson https://www.chillicothegazette.com/ Rodney Blount is an Educator and Historian. He received two Bachelor of Arts degrees from Ball State University and a Masters of Arts degree from The Ohio State University. His work has been featured in several publications.

Rodney is a native of Columbus, Ohio and is a member of several organizations.

COMMUNITYEVENTS Columbus, Ohio January 18, 2019 The Ohio State University, Department of African American and African Studies presents: Revisiting the Harlem Renaissance: 1914-1937 with Professor Amritjit Singh. This discussion about African American writers of the 1920s and 1930s will focus on how our perceptions of the Harlem Renaissance have been changing with new research in each decade since the early 1970s when this literary phenomenon first received serious attention from literary scholars and historians.

Location: OSU Department of African American & African Studies Community Extension Center Address: 905 Mt. Vernon Ave. 43203 Time: Refreshments at 5:30 p.m.; Lecture at 6:00 p.m.

Admission: Free Contact: Dr. Simone Drake: drake.194@osu.edu January 20, 2019 Join the National Association of Blacks in Criminal Justice (NABCJ) is hosting their annual Justice Sunday Service at St. John A.M.E Church in Worthington, Ohio. The keynote speaker is Jeff Johnson, former BET Talk Show host and National Youth Director for the NAACP. Under the direction of Dr. Jermaine D. Covington, Senior Pastor of St. John’s, all are welcome to worship and celebrate Justice Sunday and the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Location: St. John A.M.E. Church Address: 7700 Crosswoods Rd., 43085 Time: 10 a.m.

Admission: Free Contact: Vernise Robinson 419-509-3800 January 21, 2019 The theme of the 34th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Birthday Breakfast is “the Purpose of Education – Intelligence Plus Character.” The keynote speaker is Dr. John B. King, Jr., former Secretary of Education under President Barak Obama.

Also on the program will be orations by three youth speakers, performance by the Capriccio Columbus Choir, the Columbus Children’s Choir and the Dance E.L.I.T.E. Performance Academy.

Location: Greater Columbus Convention Center, Exhibition Hall C Address: 400 North High Street 43215 Time: 7:00 a.m. – 10 a.m.

Admission: Call for ticket information Web: 614-863-6442 or email MLKBreakfast@yahoo .com January 21, 2018 Capital University is pleased to announce its MLK Day of Learning speaker will be sociologist Joyce Ladner who is one of the country’s pre-eminent thought leaders. Ladner was directly involved with the civil rights movement in Mississippi and was a staff organizer for the March on Washington in 1963.

She also worked alongside Bayard Rustin and other civil rights leaders including Medgar Evans, Fannie Lou Hamer and Ella Baker. The theme this year is, “A Community In Harmony.”

Additional activities include a luncheon with music by Bobby Floyd.

Location: Capital University Address: 1 College and Main 43209 Time: Contact for specific times Admission: Call for information Contact: 614-236-6011

The Columbus African American News Journal • February 2015

January 21, 2019 “It’s Our Time. A Movement Toward Justice” is this year’s theme for the 2019 Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Annual March & Celebration. This event is hosted by the City of Columbus and features a community march and various presentations.

Location: East High School Address: 1500 E. Broad Street 43205 Time: 4 p.m.

Admission: Free Contact: Columbus.gov/neighborhoods/events or call 614-6451993 January 21, 2019 Each year on Martin Luther King Day, the King Arts Complex opens their doors to the community. This is an excellent opportunity for children, families and friends to enjoy musical and live theatrical performances. Visitors of all ages learn about the civil rights movement, participate in art activities, view current art exhibitions and make new friends.

Location: The King Arts Complex Address: 867 Mt. Vernon Avenue 43203 Time: Contact for time Admission: Contact for information about events and costs Contact: 614-645-5464 or email info@kingartscomplex.com

January 23 & 24, 2019 Start your business now! B.A.S.E. Basis of a Successful Enterprise will help you discover what it will take for you to build a business around your dreams and passion – not just a business but one that will allow you to live, thrive and become a successful entrepreneur.

This is a two-day workshop that will be held the first Tuesday of every month. Topics include: how to find, reach and connect with your customers; legal business structures; tax requirements; how to market your product or service; sources of financing and how to write a business plan.

Location: Ohio Small Business Development Center Address: 320 N. Grant Ave. Suite 1062 43215 Time: 5:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.

Admission: Contact the Ohio Small Business Development Office 614-287-5294 Web: sbdccolumbus.com January 30, 2019 Columbus State Community College will celebrate the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. at it 30th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day of celebration featuring author and news personality, Dr. Michael Eric Dyson. Dyson is a professor of sociology at Georgetown University, an author of more than 20 books including his latest, What Truth Sounds Like and Tears We Cannot Stop, a contributing opinion writer at the New York Times, an MSNBC political analyst and an ordained Baptist minister.

Location: Nestor Hall Auditorium Address: 488 Mount Vernon Avenue 43215 Time: 10 a.m.

Admission: Free Email: events@cscc.edu

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The Columbus & Dayton African American January 2019

COMMUNITYEVENTS Dayton, Ohio January 14, 2019 Resume help is available at the Dayton Metropolitan Library.

Patrons can receive help creating a professional resume and cover letter using the WinWay Resume Builder or Microsoft Word Resume Templates to create your document. Patrons should bring all information needed to create the resume including a valid email address. Patrons are encouraged to bring a flash drive to save their documents.

January 24, 2019 The Dayton Metropolitan Library, Northwest Branch is offering an Internet Basic for Older Adults. This course is for persons who have mastered using the mouse and the computer. Staff will introduce patrons to the World Wide Web. This is the first in a three-part series in preparation for surfing on the net with confidence. Internet connection options, browsers, search engines and more will be explored.

Location: Dayton Metropolitan Library – Madden Hills Address: 2542 Germantown Dr. 45408 Time: Call for time Admission: Free Contact: Call 937-463-2665

Location: Address: 2410 Philadelphia Dr. 45406 Time: 2 p.m. – 4 p.m.

Admission: Free Contact: 937-563-2665

January 16, 2019 The ACE Women’s Business Center in partnership with the Small Business Association Women’s Business Center presents the online lunch and learn webinar, “How to Pitch Your Business to Clients.” Participants will learn about positioning (how to position yourself as an expert or authority in your market); online presence (how to bring brand awareness, visibility and credibility online); and, profit (how to follow-up like a “rock star” and close deals). Free registration is required.

January 26, 2019 The International Association of Blacks in Dance in partnership with the Dayton Contemporary Dance Company presents the 2019 International Association of Blacks in Dance Conference and Festival entitled, “Onyx: Etched In Stone. Resilient Through Time.” Featured will be a world premiere from the Dance Theatre of Harlem as well as performances by Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre, Cleo Parker Robinson Dance, Dallas Black Dance Theatre and many more.

Location: Online Address: https://aceloans.org/wbc/calendar/ Time: Noon -12:45 p.m.

Admission: Free Contact: 678-335-5600 #3

Location: Victoria Theatre Address: 138 N. Main Street Time: 2 p.m. (Note: 8 p.m. performances are sold out) Admission: Contact for Information Contact: 937-228-3232

January 21, 2019 This annual event to honor the legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr. will feature keynote speaker, David Anthony Johnson, a solo artist, historical storyteller and orator specializing in Dr. Martin Luther King speeches. The program will also feature a dance troupe from Silvers School of the Arts.

January 26, 2019 The Prevention Action Alliance is sponsoring the Grief & Advocacy Conference – SW Ohio (G.A.P.). very day accidental drug overdose claims 14 Ohioans. Those reeling from the loss of a loved one often can’t find a place to turn. The G.A.P. Network connects grieving families to resources and is building communication channels in Ohio to support advocacy and education about prevention.

Location: Yankee Trace Golf Club Address: 10000 Yankee Street, Centerville 45458 Time: 7:30 a.m. – 9:30 a.m. (Doors open at 7 a.m.)

Admission: $10-$20 Contact: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/martin-luther-king-jrbreakfast-2019-tickets-52337384526?aff=ebdssbdestsearch January 24, 2019 The University of Dayton, Campus Ministry for Social Concern will host a Table of Plenty Lunch: “King’s Many Dreams.” The Table of Plenty is a monthly opportunity for open lunchtime discussion on a complex social justice topic. The event is open to a people from all walks of life who can offer a broad spectrum of opinions for a respectful conservation. Free lunch is provided. RSVP by Wednesday, January 16 at Noon.

Location: Liberty Hall Address: 300 College Park Avenue 45469 Time: 12:30 p.m. – 1:45 p.m.

Admission: Free Contact: 937-229-2524 or https://udayton.edu/ministry/csc/ advocacy/mlk_day.php

Location: Crossroads – West Side Address: 8575 Bridgetown Rd 45002 Time: 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.

Admission: $15 - $20 Contact: TBegley@preventi.orgonactionalliance February 16, 2019 The Dayton Playhouse is the venue for the encore productions of, “I Wish I Had A Daddy,” presented by Ministry Is Me, LLC. The play focuses on Amber, a young, accomplished African American woman who has failed to find success in relationships. While totally focused on her career, she agrees to publicly discuss and process through the affects of being “daddy less.”

Location: Dayton Playhouse Address: 1301 Siebenthair Ave. 45414 Time: 7 p.m.

Admission: $30-$40 Web: booking@ministryismine.com

Please note: Information for this section is gathered from multiple commnuity sources. The Columbus & Dayton African American is not responsible for the accuracy and content of information. Times, dates and locations are subject to change. If you have an event that you would like to feature in this section, please call 614-826-2254 or email us at editor@columbusafricanamerican.com. Submissions are due the last Friday of each month.

The Columbus African & Dayton African American • January 2019 2015 American News Journal • February

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The Columbus African American News Journal • February 2015

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The Columbus African American News Journal • February 2015