COMMUNITY
JOURNAL
39 ANNIVERSARY MEN MEN
VOL. XL Number 1 August 5, 2015
The Milwaukee
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MEN MEN
THE MILWAUKEE COMMUNITY JOURNAL’S ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION & DR. TERENCE N. THOMAS SCHOLARSHIP BRUNCH
“The impact of fathers, grandfathers, teachers, pastors, counselors, neighbors and community-thought leaders on young men is without question one of the greatest contributors to developing strong men—our future...”--Patricia O’Flynn Pattillo,
publisher of the Milwaukee Community Journal
MCJ Publisher Patricia O’Flynn Pattillo with the men who were honored Sunday, Aug. 2, at the Italian Conference Center. (Kemp photo)
Photos on this page by Yvonne Kemp
THE 2015 FELLOWSHIP OPEN GOLF TOURNAMENT
FRIDAY
AUGUST 14 SILVER SPRING COUNTRY CLUB N56W21318 SILVER SPRING DRIVE
MENOMONEE FALLS, WI
THIS YEAR’S HONOREES:
EARNIE ELLISON
ELLISON CONSULTING GROUP, LLC
BUD SELIG
COMMISSIONER EMERITUS OF MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
JACQUELINE HERD-BARBER
CHAIR, MARCUS CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS BOARD
PHOTOP MEN EMPOWERINGMEN: THE COMMUNITY JOURNAL’S 39TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION
The Milwaukee Community Journal August 5, 2015 Page 2
All Photos By Yvonne Kemp
PERSPECTIVES
QUOTE OF THE WEEK: “Once you know who you are, you don’t have to worry anymore.”
The Milwaukee Community Journal August 5, 2015 Page 3
“The Donald”...from a Black Perspective!
Trump comments about Hispanics, and their swift reaction, reveals an uncomfortable truth about our reluctance to use our “Clout”
--Poet Nikki Giovanni
Donald Trump sought death penalty for Black teen rape suspects
Columnists Mikel Holt and Richard G. Carter give their takes on the controversial billionare Republican presidential candidate
SIGNIFYIN’
There’s a story or two behind billionaire and presidential candidate Donald Trump’s profligately racist comments about Mexicans that Black folks should pay heed to. The most obvious relates to the respect--or fear--corporate America, By Mikel Kweku Osei Holt and to a lesser degree, White politicians, pay to Hispanics (as opposed to people of a darker hue, i.e. us). And the sidebar to that story is how Hispanics responded to Crumps…err Trump’s inflammatory statement about immigration and the character and morality of the Mexican people who illegally cross the border (the final imaginary line of retreat Mexicans observed from all the land America stole from them to expand slavery; but that’s another story). In case you’ve been soaking up the sun at the lakefront during our 10-day “summer,” (or hiding under your bed in response to daily gun fire), Trump announced his candidacy for president (yes, believe it or not, president of the United States of America) by lambasting the efforts of Mexicans to secure a better life for themselves and their families. To be exact, Trump said: “When Mexico sends its people, they’re not sending their best…They’re sending people that have lots of problems, and they’re bringing those problems with them. They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists. And some, I assume, are good people.” Not too surprisingly, corporate sponsors ran from Trump’s statement as if they were three blocks away from the bus stop on 20th and Center Street at midnight and the last bus for Waukesha was leaving in five minutes. But there was a reason for that, and it didn’t have to do with getting caught in the central city after dark. It was because every major Hispanic organization in America denounced his racist tirade. Donald Trump Over 39 Hispanic organizations, including the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and Hispanic Media Coalition called on NBC and other media sponsors of Trump to drop him like a hot tamale (pun intended). A quarter of a million signatures on a petition put frosting on the cake. Why am I jealous? Because the Hispanic community apparently knows something we (Black folks) don’t: That there is strength in numbers and unity is essential to progress and respect. Those are lessons anyone with common sense understands, but it’s not something Black America has embraced. Part of the reason for that is rooted in our apparent reluctance to criticize our critics including blatant acts of racism. (The exception being the protests and demonstrations in New York, St. Louis and Milwaukee following the killing of innocent Black men by police. But even then, the protestors primarily consisted of young brothers and sisters; the major civil rights groups were too busy doing whatever they do.) White politicians and racist broadcasters have called us lazy, sex crazed and immoral. To them, we’re all criminals on the public dole and illiterate. They feel comfortable in making racist rants because they know there will be no blowback. Even those Democrats who say they have our backs, occasionally put their jokers on the card table. And Lord help us if we respond negatively. We’re told we can’t criticize racist Democrats because they may be patronizing and condescending, but they remain our only hope to maintain our current socioeconomic status (which by all measures is abysmal, but better than slavery, they keep telling us). Think I’m exaggerating? Name an incident or comment that sparked a consensus crusade? Tell me of one occasion in which our numbers stopped a politician in their tracks, curtailed a Wall Street insult, or forced a cowboy John Wayne-wanna-be cop to hesitate before shooting a young brother? What happened when Richard Nixon said abortion was necessary if a Black and white couple had a baby? Or when the late southern U.S. Senator Robert Byrd called us niggers (of course he could only offend those Black folks, like myself, who don’t use the word because we believe it to be offensive). Crump—I mean Trump—wasn’t the only White politician to offend a minority group. Remember the Missouri senator…who became President… Harry S. Truman, who referred to the White House wait staff as an “army of
THE MILWAUKEE COMMUNITY JOURNAL
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Published twice weekly, Wednesday & Friday
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Phone: 414-265-5300 (Advertising and Administration) • 414-265-6647 (Editorial) • Website: communityjournal.net • Email: Editorial@communityjournal.net/Advertising@communityjournal.net MCJ STAFF: Patricia O’Flynn -Pattillo Publisher, CEO Robert J. Thomas Assoc. Publisher Todd Thomas, Vice Pres. Mikel Holt, Assoc. Publisher Thomas E. Mitchell, Jr., Editor Teretha Martin, Technical Consultant/Webmaster Billing Dept./Publisher’s Admin. Assist.
Colleen Newsom, Classified Advertising Jimmy V. Johnson, Sales Rep. CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: Taki S. Raton, Richard G. Carter, Fr. Carl Diederichs, Rev. Joe McLin PHOTOGRAPHER: Yvonne Kemp
Opinion and comments expressed on the Perspectives page do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher or management of the MCJ. Letters and “other perspectives” are accepted but may be edited for content and length.
Remember when…
By Richard G. Carter
“You’re a one-eyed jack around here, Dad. But I‘ve seen the other side of your face…” --Marlon Brando, “One-Eyed Jacks” (1961)
On May 1, 1989, current Republican presidential candidate, Donald Trump, paid $85,000 for a scurrilous, 600word, full-page-ad in four Manhattan daily newspapers during the furor over the infamous Central Park Jogger rape case. He called for the death penalty for five Black and Latino teens accused of raping a 28-year-old White woman. The ad in the New York Daily News, New York Post, New York Newsday and New York Times, was headlined in capital letters -- BRING BACK THE DEATH PENALTY. BRING BACK OUR POLICE! Its vitriolic words included the following: “…the reckless and dangerously permissive atmosphere which allows criminals of every age to beat and rape a helpless woman and then laugh at her family’s anguish… I want to hate these muggers and murderers. They should be forced to suffer and, when they kill, they should be executed for their crimes…I am not looking to psychoanalyze them or understand them. I am looking to punish them…” The 69-year-old Trump has yet to apologize for these race-tinged ads, which ran two years after I joined the Daily News from The Milwaukee Journal. As a News editorial writer-columnist, I commented on the assault of the jogger, Trisha Meili, an investment banker. In my writing and on “Showdown” -- the national TV show on CNBC I co-hosted with the late Morton Downey Jr. -I pounced on Trump for his death penalty ads. In the frenzy over the April 19, 1989 attack -- termed “wilding” by the city’s news media -- the accused Black and Latino teens called “The Central Park Five” were coerced by police into videotaped confessions, convicted and served eight-to-13 years in prison. Their convictions were thrown out in 2002 when the real rapist -- Matias Reyes -- confessed in prison that he, alone, at 18, had attacked the jogger. Found in the brush, her skull was smashed and 75-percent of the blood drained from her body. She remained in a coma for 12 days, left with permanent damage and has no memories of the attack. Meili later went public as a motivational speaker and wrote a book. The guilt of Matias -- a murderer and serial rapist --was confirmed through his DNA on Meili’s sock. The innocent youths -- Kevin Richardson and Raymond Santana, 14; Antron McCray and Yusef Salaam, 15, and Kharey Wise, 16 -- filed a wrongful conviction suit vs. the city after their release. They sought $250 million and were awarded $41-million in 2014. The Rev. Al Sharpton called it “a monumental victory” for the men and their families. “It’s also a victory for those in the community that stood with them from day one and believed in their innocence in this case,” he continued. “As supporters, we were viciously attacked for standing with them, but we were on the right side of history.” Trump, true to his leanings, vociferously objected to the city’s financial settlement with the five young men, despite the fact that they had been proven innocent. To wit: “My opinion on settlement of the Central Park Jogger case is that it’s a disgrace. A detective close to the case, and who has followed it since 1989, calls it ‘the heist of the century.’ Settlement doesn’t mean innocence, but it indicates incompetence on several levels. This case has not been dormant, and many people have asked why it took so long to settle? It is politics at its lowest and worst form…The recipients must be laughing out loud at the stupidity of the city…” In 2011 -- as now -- the plain-speaking Trump was leading some early national Republican presidential polls before pulling out to continue his lucrative top-rated “Celebrity Apprentice” TV show. While nobody doubts his business smarts and success, his ego-driven persona and know-it-all rich boy attitude is a turn-off to many. And there’s no way Black people in New York will forget how Trump insinuated himself into the Central Park Jogger case in such a classless, unscrupulous manner. They all know that his history is replete with public and personal negatives. Why did he jettison his Democratic party leanings for the GOP? Why did
“As one who was “...Name an actively on the incident or New York media comment that scene in the late sparked a 1980s when Donconsensus ald Trump crusade? Tell me of one occasion in spewed hatred in the Central Park which our Jogger case, I numbers stopped can attest to his a politician in their mean-spiritedtracks, curtailed a ness. It ain’t Wall Street insult, pretty -- which or forced a Americans from cowboy John coast-to-coast Wayne-wanna-be now are finding cop to hesitate out.” before shooting a young brother?”
The Black community is like the human body; And we’re dying within
I liken the Black community to the human body which is made up of a host of systems with each system being essential to the life of the body and works in conjunction with the other systems and organs (i.e. heart, liver, kidney, lungs, etc.), all under the direction of the brain. When you examine the human body you have approximately nine (9) systems. Some say there are ten (10) and some say eleven (11) but the actual number of systems is irrelevant to this discussion. What’s important is that all of the systems are essential to the success of a functional and healthy body and all of the systems are all inter-connected and they work as one. The systems of the body are: the skeletal, muscular, immune, circulatory, nervous, reproductive, digestive, respiratory, glandular, and senses systems and each one of them are essential to the survival of the human being – you can’t have one without the other. The human body also has the ability to heal itself and protect itself from disease. You would be hard pressed to make the distinction as to which system is more important than the other because they all serve a purpose that supports the human body function. In many respects the Black community is like the human body made up of a number of systems that also operate under a “structured” leadership. Some of those systems are: family, political, religious, public safety, economic, education, cultural, etc. All of these systems and more are needed to provide for a quality of “community” for its residents. Unlike the systems in the human body that function under the leadership of the human brain that has been programed by the Creator to regulate all of the systems, at some point, even the brain and all of the human systems are led by the intelligence and wisdom of the individual – the “mind.” With human growth the mind governs all functions of the body. The mind informs the body how it will operate and it will treat the body. If the mind treats and respects the body, the systems of the body performs well at the mercy of the mind. If the mind mistreats and dis-respects the body, the systems of the body are hurt and undermined which could lead to system failures that ultimately threaten the life of the
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human. The community is similar in that it needs leadership to truly function and without it, you have chaos. Unlike the human body, it doesn’t have the capacity to heal itself and protect itself from community disease – the people must do this. They do this through community leadership which is represented by a combination of public and elected officials, private corporate, business, civic, and religious leaders, and the cultural values that community has adopted. If the community doesn’t have good leadership, then they can’t have the organization needed for community prosperity. Let me make a few comparisons between what I believe are systems that serve the human body that have the same or similar functions for the community. • Human Skeletal System (Physical Community Structure) – The skeletal system is the internal framework of the body. It is composed of more than 206 bones and serves six major functions; support, movement, protection, production of blood cells, storage of ions and endocrine regulation. I liken this system to the physical structure of the community – its roads, streets, highways, housing, community amenities, retail and commercial corridors and open spaces. • Digestive System (Community Policing, Safety, Code of Conduct) –The digestive systems involves the intake and breakdown of food into smaller and smaller components which can be absorbed and assimilated into the body. In addition to the saliva and the enzymes that it contains, the digestive system is able to extract from the food all of the nutrients that the food
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RELIGION St. Mark AME to hold
The Milwaukee Community Journal August 5, 2015 Page 4
community-wide prayer luncheon focusing on evangelism The St. Mark AME Church Evangelism Ministry will be sponsoring a Community-Wide Prayer Luncheon as one of its Evangelism Emphasis Month activities. The luncheon will
be held, Saturday, September 12, 2015 in the fellowship hall of St. Mark AME Church at 1616 W. Atkinson Ave. from 11:00 am until 2:00 pm. The theme of the luncheon
Pastor Mark E. Crutcher will be “A Clarion Call to Make a Difference; Christian Discipleship” presented by Pastor Mark E. Crutcher, the Senior Pastor of Mt. Olive A.M.E. Church located in Or-
Women’s Day at Zion Hill MBC August 16
lando, Florida. He is a ministerial visionary, anointed preacher, gifted teacher and a man of integrity. Pastor Crutcher is leading the talented and energetic membership of Mt. Olive to fulfill its vision of being an innovative growing ministry that provides transforming experiences for the members, the community, and beyond. There is no charge for the luncheon; however reservations must be called in advance to the church office at 414-562-8030 before August 31, 2015. In 1985, Pastor Crutcher answered the call of God and entered the ministry of the African Methodist Epis-
copal Church. He has served faithfully as pastor of several churches throughout North Florida. Equipped educationally, Pastor Crutcher holds a Doctoral of Philosophy degree from Florida A&M University in Tallahassee, Florida in Educational Leadership. He is the author of two books, “The Flaming Sword” and ”Operating In The Fulfillment Of Divine Purpose” which were written to help believers in their spiritual growth and development. Currently, Pastor Crutcher occupies several other roles including serving as the Director of Worship and Evangelism for the 11th Episco-
pal District of the A.M.E. Church, serving on the 11th Episcopal District Board of Christian Education, and Co-Dean for the African Methodist Episcopal Church Connectional Seminar on Church Growth and Development. He attended the Interdenominational Theological Center in Atlanta, Georgia. He is currently occupying leadership roles in various religious organizations of the Central Conference and the Orlando District. Pastor Crutcher will also be the guest preacher at the 11:00am worship service at St. Mark AME Church, 1616 W. Atkinson Ave., on Sunday, September 13th.
Zion Hill Missionary Baptist Church will hold its annual Women’s Day Sunday, August 16, at 10 a.m. at the church, located at 1825 W. Hampton Ave. The guest speaker for the event will be Rev. Judith T. Lester, pastor of Fellowship of Love Baptist Church. The theme of the Women’s Day observance is: “Christian Women Living a Purposeful Life” (Acts 9:36-41. Sis. Delechia Johnson is the chairlady.
Statement by the Rev. Dr. Otis Moss, III, Pastor of Trinity United Church of Christ on the Rollout of President Obama’s Clean Power Plan
“I applaud President Obama on the historic rollout of the Clean Power Plan. The plan sets forth the first-ever federal limits on carbon pollution from existing power plants, slowing down the process of climate change, and lowering the amount of health problem-causing toxins released into the air. This is great news for all Americans, and particularly for African Americans who, as we know, disproportionately suffer negative health consequences. The decisions made today directly impact African Americans’ tomorrow. For the sake of their most vulnerable residents, governors should move quickly to implement the Clean Power Plan. The pollutants released by power plants can worsen asthma and upper respiratory health. By 2030, the plan will save communities across the country billions of dollars on their energy bills, and is also anticipated to create jobs. As we continue working together toward equality, we would be remiss not to include environmental justice and protecting the air that allows for our very existence. These protective measures are essential.”
Not For Solace Only, But For Strength
The readings for Sunday, August 9, 2015 are: 1 Kings 19: 4-8, Ephesians 4: 30-5: 2, and John 6. 4151.
The first reading takes up the story of Elijah after he won the contest with the priests of Baal and then had them all murdered. Jezebel was not too pleased with Elijah. He fled for his own life. He is in the desert, a broken man, praying for death. God said he still had work to do, so miraculously bread and water appear. Reluctantly Elijah eats and drinks and continues the forty-days journey to Horeb, the mountain of God. The simple food and fresh water sustained him. And Elijah lives on and proclaims a good and gracious God. The reading from 1 Kings was chosen, I’m sure, to fit with the Gospel story. The folks were still gathered around Jesus in Capernaum after feeding them on the other side of the lake. They found him and instead of giving them more bread that will perish, he told them He is the bread from heaven. After a little “murmuring” they listen. They listened and Jesus preached.
Homegoing services were held Thursday, July 30, at Word of Life Assembly of God for Catherine Mary McPhan. Word of Life Assembly of God is located at 2327 N. 52nd St. Larry Drake officiated.
BREAD IN THE WILDERNESS
In Loving Memory
By Fr. Carl Diederichs, All Saints Catholic Church
Jesus said: “No one can come to me unless DRAWN by the Father who sent me; and I will raise that person up on the last day.” So, not on our own can we see the light and come to God. We are “drawn” by God to see God. “And they shall be taught by God,” we are told. Again, what an awesome thought that our Father is our teacher and the creator of all is closer to us than we are to ourselves. And the teaching goes on as long as we live. And from the depths of our hearts we come to long more and more for the God who created and sustains us. And God teaches us to go to Jesus, the Bread of Life. And from the Welcome Table, we not only receive the peace that comes from knowing we will be saved and live forever, but the strength to spread that message to all we meet. “The bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.” The bread and wine, the Body and Blood of Jesus, is not given only for our salvation, but to strengthen us to bring that Good News to others. You become the instrument that “draws” others to God through Jesus, “for the life of the world.” And the “life of the world” is not just a spiritual life. This bringing
“Good News” to others is not just pious words and good feelings. It is truly bringing life were there is none or where it has been snuffed out. Jesus didn’t give us His Body and Blood to make us feel good. He did it so we can bring life to the world. Jesus did not get in trouble with the political and religious leaders because He went around saying “This is my Body, this is my Blood.” He got in trouble and got murdered because he said everybody is of value, everybody is God’s child. He pointed out the selfishness and arrogance of the leaders, those who placed burdens on people and would not lift a finger to help. If He were here now He would say “Black Lives Matter.” Not for solace only, but for strength to speak out, do we receive the Bread of Life. We must love others as we love ourselves. Paul says in Ephesians: “Put away from you all bitterness and wrath and anger and wrangling and slander, together with all malice, and be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ has forgiven you. Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children, and live in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.”
Earnestine O’Bee-Founder
Quality Service... a tenured tradition sincere concern at your time of need.
Offering pre-need, at need and after-care services to families in Milwaukee, Racine, Kenosha and other communities throughout our state.
Patterson, Connell L. Jr. Age 50 yrs. July 18, 2015. Funeral services will be held on Wednesday, July 29 at 11AM. Visitation Tuesday 3-7PM(Family hr. 6-7PM) at: Northwest Funeral Chapel O'Bee, Ford & Frazier 6630 W. Hampton Ave. (414)462-6020
Hamilton, Charles L. Sr. Age 91 yrs. July 18, 2015. Beloved father of Ethel L. (Andrew)Key, Estrellia Parker, Jamon Hamilton Sr., Charles L. Hamilton Jr., Rosalyn H. McElvain, Katherine J. Davis, Lamont F. (Lavon)Hamilton and Brett J.(Geneva)Hamilton. Funeral services will be held on Monday, July 27 at 11AM. Visitation Monday 10AM until time of services at: Northwest Funeral Chapel O'Bee, Ford & Frazier 6630 W. Hampton Ave. (414)462-6020
Sumlin, Robert L. Jr. Age 67 yrs. July 19, 2015. Funeral services will be held on Saturday, July 25 at 11AM at Zion Rock Baptist Church 10230 W. Fond du Lac Ave. Visitation Friday 3-6PM(Family hr. 6-7PM) at: Northwest Funeral Chapel O'Bee, Ford & Frazier 6630 W. Hampton Ave. (414)462-6020 Meatheney, Louis R. Age 55 yrs. July 13, 2015. Funeral services will be held on Friday, July 24 at 5PM. Visitation Friday 4PM until time of services at: Northwest Funeral Chapel O'Bee, Ford & Frazier 6630 W. Hampton Ave. (414)462-6020
Mallette, Robert L. III Age 37 yrs. July 14, 2015. Funeral services will be held on Thursday 1PM. Visitation Thursday 12 Noon until time of services at: Northwest Funeral Chapel O'Bee, Ford & Frazier 6630 W. Hampton Ave. (414)462-6020
J.C. Frazier, Funeral Director
Cherry, Sylvester Sr. Age 90 yrs. July 14, 2015. Funeral services will be held on Friday, July 24 at 11AM at Northside COG 4858 N. 19th St. Visitation Friday 10AM at the CHURCH until time of services. The family is served by: Northwest Funeral Chapel O'Bee, Ford & Frazier 6630 W. Hampton Ave (414)462-6020 Wilks, James W. Age 82 yrs. July 16, 2015. Funeral services will be held on Tuesday, July 21 at 11AM. Visitation Tuesday 10AM until time of services at: Northwest Funeral Chapel O'Bee, Ford & Frazier 6630 W. Hampton Ave. (414)462-6020
Altheimer, Gwendolyn L. Age 61 yrs. July 31, 2015. Funeral services will be held on Saturday, August 8 at 11AM. Visitation Saturday 10AM until time of services at: Northwest Funeral Chapel O'Bee, Ford & Frazier 6630 W. Hampton Ave. (414)462-6020
Tucker, Mrs. Willie L. Age 69 yrs. July 29, 2015. Beloved mother of Steven Tucker. Also survived by a host of other loving relatives and friends. Funeral services will be held on Friday, August 7 at 11AM at Zion Rock Baptist Church 10230 W. Fond du Lac Ave. Visitation Friday 10AM at the CHURCH until time of services. The family is served by: Northwest Funeral Chapel O'Bee, Ford & Frazier 6630 W. Hampton Ave. (414)462-6020
Cross, Jeremiah Age 79 yrs July 31, 2015. Funeral services will be held on Saturday, August 8 at 1PM at Holy Redeemer COGIC 3500 N. Mothers Daniel Way. Visitation Saturday 12:30PM at the CHURCH until time of services. The family is served by: Northwest Funeral Chapel O'Bee, Ford & Frazier 6630 W. Hampton Ave. (414)462-6020
Families served by:
Northwest Funeral Chapel O’Bee, Ford & Frazier
Milwaukee 6630 W. Hampton Avenue Milwaukee, WI 53218 Telephone: (414) 462-6020 Fax: (414) 462-9937
Racine 800 Barker St. Racine, WI 53402 Telephone: (262) 637-6400 Fax: (262) 637-6416
The Milwaukee Community Journal August 5, 2015 Page 5
Y&E
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YOUTH&EDUCATION
August 11 Booster and Car Seat Safety Check Event
Statistics show only 1 in 5 car seats is used correctly. Is your child riding safely? Safe Kids Southeast Wisconsin Coalition, led by Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin, will host a Booster and Car Seat Safety Check at Sommers Automotive. Volunteer, certified child passenger safety technicians will assist families to ensure children are riding safely. A limited supply of low-cost child safety seats will be available for purchase at the event. Child and vehicle must be present to purchase a seat. When making an appointment, please indicate interest in purchasing a seat. To make an appointment, call (414) 231-4896. The event will be held Tuesday, Aug. 11, from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m., at Sommers Automotive, 7211 West Mequon Road, Mequon WI.
At the safety check event, volunteer certified child passenger safety technicians will make certain seats are correctly installed and appropriate for the age and size of the child and will demonstrate how to correctly use the harness. To make an appointment, call (414) 231-4896 or for more information call (414) 231-4894. “When installed and used correctly, child safety seats and safety belts can prevent injuries and save lives. Child safety seats can reduce fatal injury by up to 71 percent for infants and 54 percent for toddlers ages 1 to 4,” said Lisa Klindt Simpson, coordinator, Safe Kids Southeast Wisconsin. “Children should ride in a car seat as long as possible, as long as the child is within the height and weight requirements described by the manufacturer. Always follow manufacturer’s instructions.” For more information about child passenger safety, go to safekidswi.org. A member of Safe Kids Worldwide, Safe Kids Southeast Wisconsin works to prevent accidental injuries, the leading cause of death among children age 19 and younger. The four-county (Milwaukee, Ozaukee, Washington, Waukesha) coalition combines the expertise of community agencies and individuals to prevent childhood injuries through collaboration, education, policy and advocacy initiatives. Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin is its lead agency.
IMPORTANCE OF BACK-TOSCHOOL VACCINATIONS Children Should Be Immunized to Protect Their Health and Prevent Classroom Outbreaks
As children return to school, it’s important all children are up to date on all their vaccinations for vaccine-preventable diseases, such as measles, mumps and pertussis. What better time for parents to ensure that their children’s – and their own – immunizations are up to date, before children and germs gather in the classroom. Vaccines are the most effective means of protecting children from potentially serious infectious diseases and stopping the spread of disease. Outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases once thought to be well controlled, including measles and pertussis (whooping cough), are still occurring in this country. Last winter’s multi-state outbreak of measles that began in a California amusement park sickened more than 170 people, most of whom were unvaccinated.[1] Outbreaks of pertussis have been affecting schools. More than 28,000 cases of this highly contagious disease were reported in 2014 in the United States, many in school-age children.[2] Children with pertussis can develop a severe cough that lasts for weeks or even months. Infected children also can pass pertussis onto unvaccinated infant siblings, who face the greatest risk of serious illness and death. Per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) recommendations, pregnant women, family members, and caretakers also should be vaccinated to protect infants, especially those too young to get their own immunizations. The flu season also follows fast on the heels of the new school year. The flu can be serious, and each year about 20,000 children younger than 5 years of age are hospitalized with flu complications.[3] The best way to protect against the flu is to get vaccinated each year.[4] The CDC recommends that everyone 6 months of age and older get a yearly flu vaccine, with rare exception.[5] This is especially important for pregnant women who face a higher risk of flu complications for themselves and their babies, according to the CDC. “A back-to-school check-up is an ideal time to make sure that your child’s immunizations are all up to date,” says Courtney Rogaczewski, Associate State Director of the March of Dimes Wisconsin Chapter. “The more children who are fully immunized, the less the risk of exposure to vaccine-preventable diseases.” The March of Dimes has a long history of supporting vaccines. The organization was founded in 1938 by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, himself a polio survivor, to combat polio. At the time, polio was an epidemic disease that paralyzed or killed up to 52,000 Americans, mostly children, every year.[6] The March of Dimes funded the development of the first safe and effective polio vaccine by Dr. Jonas Salk in 1955, followed by the oral vaccine developed by Dr. Albert Sabin in 1962. Nearly every baby born today receives a lifesaving polio vaccine. The March of Dimes fully supports school immunization requirements and advocates against non-medical exemptions to vaccination. More information on childhood vaccines is available from the March of Dimes web site: http://www.marchofdimes.org/baby/your-babys-vaccinations.aspx. Since 2009, the March of Dimes has been working with Sanofi Pasteur to help inform the public about the burden of infectious disease and the value of vaccines through two unique campaigns: Sounds of Pertussis® and Word of Mom: Celebrating Generations of Healthy Advice. For more information, visit www.vaccines.com. The March of Dimes is the leading nonprofit organization for pregnancy and baby health. For more than 75 years, moms and babies have benefited from March of Dimes research, education, vaccines, and breakthroughs.
REFERENCES
[1] Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Measles (Rubeola). Measles Cases and Outbreaks. http://www.cdc.gov/measles/case s-outbreaks.html. Accessed April 22, 2015. [2] CDC. Pertussis: Outbreaks. http://www.cdc.gov/pertussis/out breaks/trends.html. Accessed April 22, 2015. [3] CDC. Influenza (Flu). Children, the Flu, and the Flu Vaccine. http://www.cdc.gov/flu/protect/c hildren.htm. Accessed April 22, 2015.
[4] CDC. Influenza (Flu). Key Facts About Seasonal Flu Vaccine. http://www.cdc.gov/flu/protect/k eyfacts.htm. Accessed May 8, 2015. [5] CDC. Influenza (Flu). Vaccination: Who Should Do It, Who Should Not and Who Should Take Precautions. http://www.cdc.gov/flu/protect/whoshouldvax.htm. Accessed May 8, 2015.
[6] CDC. Vaccines and Immunizations. Polio Disease – Questions and Answers. http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vpdvac/polio/dis-faqs.htm. Accessed April 22, 2015.
UNIVERSALLY SPEAKING:
The Black community is like the human body; And we’re dying within (continued from page 3)
contains and passes it through intestines with the waste being discharged. In many respects the community function of this is the policing, enforcement, and code of conduct system. • Muscular System (Community Economy) -The muscular system is an organ system consisting of skeletal, smooth and cardiac muscles. It permits movement of the body, maintains posture, and circulates blood throughout the body. The muscular system is controlled through the nervous system. Together with the skeletal system it forms the musculoskeletal system, which is ultimately responsible for movement of the human body. I equate this system to the community economy. The stronger your muscular system, the more weight you can pick up and activity you can undertake. Simply put, the more muscles you have allows you the opportunity to conquer the physical environment. Equally as important is the community economy – if that economy is strong it can do so much for the residents. • Immune System (Community Culture) - The immune system protects and fights for the body against disease. To function properly, an immune system must be able to detect a wide variety of viruses, worms, and germs. No matter how the virus mask itself, the immune system can detect it and go to war to eliminate the virus from the body. When you have an immune disorder in the body, the entire body is atrisk every minute of the day – a very simple virus could kill the human being. Disorders of the immune system can result in recurring and life-threatening infections (i.e. HIV/AIDS, SCID). Like the body’s immune system, the community’s culture also defends and protects the community from unwanted and disease-like ideas and values. When the human body’s systems don’t function properly, they will produce a host of symptoms that impact the quality of life for the individual. Equally, when the community’s systems don’t function properly, they will produce a host of symptoms that impact the quality of life for the whole community. For example, if your nervous system begins to fail you, you might not be able to move your arm, leg, or some part of your body. If this affliction is not diagnosed quickly and remedied – not only can the damage become permanent and the person is permanently handicapped, this disorder will disrupt every other system within the body and threaten the overall quality of life and/or cause a quicken and premature death. We seek the attention of a physician with the hope that we can get to the “root” of the problem and that he can offer a remedy that will eliminate the symptoms and cure you of the “root” illness. Let’s be very clear about the healing process: First) we must be in tune with our bodies and be discerning enough to recognize the symptoms – every expert speaks to the earlier the detection the better your chances of recovery; Second) we are able to listen to our bodies and seek medical attention – too many of us try to self-medicate and this approach only increases our risk of causing more harm; Third) the medical diagnosis is correct and the prescription is as well – it’s not automatic that the medical solution is the correct one and/or the remedy is correct as well. If you examine the systems that make up the Black community (i.e. family, political, religious, public safety, economic, education, cultural, etc.) and the deplorable symptoms that are manifested in a number of ways, you must wonder how the Black community is still alive. What do the community symptoms look like? Let me give you just a few examples that are symptoms in the Black community: last hired and first fired with the highest level of unemployment and underemployment; highest academic failures especially amongst the Black
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males; highest poverty rates with the fastest dilution of middle class and the largest population of children living in poverty; highest incarceration rates of any other group; lowest number of business startups, business loans, and the circulation of dollars within the community; highest level of murders and Black on Black crime; highest level blighted and dis-appreciated neighborhoods, lowest level of wealth, etc. etc. etc. What more evidence do you need to acknowledge that the Black community is very ill? Trust me, this is not a knock against the Black community, this is just the process we must go through to fix it. If the Black community were a human patient that finally paid a visit to the doctor – the doctor would say “it’s too late.” The doctor couldn’t help because all of the systems within the body is failing and the doctor would have only one course of action and that is to place the patient in hospice and recommend that the patient gets his/her human affairs together because he/she would only have a short time to live. If we’re fortunate enough to acknowledge that the Black community is extremely unhealthy (sick) and needs immediate attention, the question is where do we go to get help and expert attention? Or do we think these symptoms are normal? If we think they are normal, we’re even sicker that the illness because we’re in denial. We are sick because we have been made to be sick. We are sick because we have been damaged by the nearly 450 years of chattel enslavement, Jim Crow, segregation, and outright racism of our ancestors. We are sick emotionally and physiologically because the damage that this type of behavior has created a climate and culture of terrorizing the Black community. We remain sick because every American system still functions today with extreme racist outcomes that I call “structural racism.” This new racism is masked under the concept of a free market and maintains that we’re a “free market” society (this model is void of any responsibility for what America has done to the Black man and that because I say it – the playing field is leveled). The Black community has been made sick and now the sickness is being used to enslave the Black man differently but is just as effective. Nothing is clearer than the mass incarceration of our most needed Black men (i.e. ages 18 – 35) at a rate the world has never seen before. If you want to destroy a community, you take the man out of circulation and you undermine the family unit at every level. The international human rights organizations sight America as the worst human right violator on the planet because of this unfair and racist incarceration of Black men. The Black community is sick because it must defend itself from, not only the structural racist systems, but it must defend itself against a media that is relentless in portraying Blacks as inferior, weak and worthy of the plight that it faces. The White media says “see, how they behave” when there is no context for anything and in many respects – the outcomes we see, while not accepted, are to be expected. The Black community is economically sick because we’re unable to chart our own destiny (self-determination) and we are at the same place in economic ownership (wealth) that we were at the time of the emancipation (we own less than ½ of 1 percent of the nation’s wealth). The Black community must come to grips with the fact that, as a people, we have been seriously damaged internally and now the community systems that we need to defend we don’t have – BLACK CULTURE. The Black culture, which is full of greatness, achievement, and accomplishment, has helped to propel and fuel our movement, and in spite of the enormous struggle that we’ve encountered and continue to encounter in America we’ve made tremendous progress. Unfortunately, that system is failing us today and the Black culture has been hijacked and is no longer defends itself against community diseases that are crippling us. Like the human body when its immune systems fails, a common cold can kill it. In my next article, I provide more information around the Black “Cultural” demise and what we can do to not only fix this most needed community system but to also save ourselves and save our people.
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the MCJ lifestyle & entertainment section
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Attorney Michael Hupy Receives Distinguished Service Award from Milwaukee Bar Association
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Michael Hupy
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Enriching and educational Bronzeville Week , tevents on tap d today, Thursday o
e Bronzeville Week 2015 is in full
swing as tonight’s festivities are set to kick-off (Wednesday, August 5). pAlderwoman Milele A. Coggs invites sresidents to partake in an unforgettable night of soul-healing art at “A aNight in Bronzeville: Heal Your Soul Arts Night” today (Wednesday Au-gust 5) from 5:00 – 9:00 p.m. at The , Big Eazy, 2053 N. Dr. Martin Luther , King Jr. Dr. The art night will include work from Ankinyomi Courtney, sBritney Freeman, Calvin Turner, Nicole Watson, Heal the Hood and eBrit Nicole. For those who are more interested kin seeing Bronzeville’s unique archidtecture and landscape, there will also be the “Bronzeville Trolley Ride” today from 5:30 – 6:30 p.m. Attendees will meet at “Skybox Sports Bar,” 2213 N. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive. Tomorrow’s (Thursday, August 6) events will begin with the “Bronzeville Housing Lunch-NLearn” at the Growing Power Café located at 2719 N. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive. The lunch will commence at 11:00 a.m. and conclude by 1:00 p.m. Tomorrow’s Bronzeville activities will be headlined by the “Bronzeville Paint-N-Sip,” hosted by Michelle Allison and guest artist William Muhammad. The “Paint-N-Sip” will be held from 6:00 – 9:00 p.m. at the Best Friendz Klubhouse, 2722 N. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Dr. (limited seating!). Admission is free and paint brushes, utensils, canvases and drink specials will all be provided. For more information about Bronzeville Week visit: www.Milwaukee.gov/Bronzeville, www.friendsofbronzeville.com or call 414-286-8640.
“Somebody once said we never know what is enough until we know what’s more than enough.” --Jazz Singing Legend Bille Holiday
The Milwaukee Community Journal August 5, 2015 Page 7
On Thursday, June 18, 2015, the Milwaukee Bar Association (MBA) held its 157th Annual Meeting & Luncheon and honored Attorney Michael Hupy, President of Hupy and Abraham, S.C., with the Distinguished Service Award. Every year, the Milwaukee Bar Association recognizes outstanding accomplishments of members of the legal community at this premier celebration. Out of the thousands of lawyers in the community, Attorney Hupy was selected as this year’s Distinguished Service Award recipient. The MBA presents the award to a member of the bar whose extraordinary service over the years has helped to support and better the legal profession. Attorney Hupy has surpassed normal expectations for his work with his legal peers and the community. He has been involved with several lawyer-run organizations and is a member of the National Trial Lawyers, the Association of Trial Lawyers of America and a member of the Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum. Additionally, Attorney Hupy is past president of the Wisconsin Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and the Trial Lawyers Board of Directors. Attorney Hupy is well known for believing that the best way one can support the community is by giving back to the people served. He has made numerous efforts to ensure that organizations made to assist disadvantaged members of society continue to thrive. These efforts include donations of more than $100,000 to Marquette University Law School and $150,000 to the Milwaukee Justice Center as a founding member and supporting the Legal Aid Society of Milwaukee. The law firm of Hupy and Abraham, S.C. congratulates Attorney Michael Hupy for receiving this well-deserved honor, and for being a dedicated philanthropist in the Milwaukee community.
Children’s Community Health Plan to support Fondy Food Center to increase the amount of fresh produce for eligible consumers
Children’s Community Health Plan is joining a Fondy Food Center-led program to double the amount of fresh produce that eligible consumers can buy with their Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, known as SNAP, at the Fondy Farmers Market. Customers using vouchers from SNAP – also known as FoodShare – or the WIC Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program will be able to purchase more produce because of the match provided by this program. “Incentive programs are a win-win all around – people will get more fresh vegetables, and small farmers will see an increase in their sales, making them more economically sustainable for the long term” said Young Kim, executive director of Fondy Food Center. Fondy Food Center, which works to fill the need for fresh, locally-grown food on Milwaukee’s north side, has been offering a match for SNAP and WIC for years but the popular program has run out of funds quickly– in 2014, $20,000 in WIC match dollars were used in two weeks. The expansion of the match program to include SNAP participants is funded by the United States Department of Agriculture, in partnership with Wholesome Wave, with additional support from Children’s Community Health Plan, Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare and others. “Children’s Community Health Plan is pleased to support this farmers market incentive program, because it supports the health of community members,” said Mark Rakowski, Children’s Community Health Plan vice president. “Incentive programs across the country have been shown to increase participants’ consumption of fruits and vegetables.” SNAP offers nutrition assistance to millions of eligible, low-income individuals and families and provides economic benefits to communities. SNAP is the largest program in the domestic hunger safety net. Since 2000, Fondy Food Center has been committed to its mission of connecting neighborhoods to fresh local food – from farm to market to table – so that children learn better, people live healthier, and communities embrace cultural food traditions. The funds issued to Fondy Food Center will increase affordable access to fresh fruits and vegetables for SNAP consumers in Milwaukee, while also supporting local agriculture.
A number of local artists from our community were on hand to show their creations with help from one of the MCJ anniversary honorees during the newspaper’s celebration at the Italian Conference Center located on Chicago Street in the city’s Third Ward. (Photo by Yvonne Kemp)
MCJ 39th Anniversary/ TNT Scholarship Celebration Review
The Milwaukee Community Journal August 5, 2015 Page 8
MEN EMPOWERING MEN
SIGNIFYIN’: Trump comments about Hispanics reveals our reluctance to use our “Clout”
(continued from page 3) coons.” Take that Forrest Whitaker. More recently, South Carolina State Senator Jake Knotts referred to President (of the United States of America) Barack Obama as a “raghead. “ Did Florida Black parents feel offended a couple of years ago when Florida state Senator Ralph Arza called the Black school superintendent, “a Negro mierda” (that means ‘Black piece of sh—in English). Let’s not leave out our Democrats. In 2012 presidential rival Hillary Rodham Clinton said she believed Obama's team had used out-of-state supporters to win the Iowa caucuses and had intentionally exploited Obama's race. She said the country faced "a terrible choice" between Obama and Republican nominee John McCain. Her husband (who put into place the then new criminal code that resulted in the widest disparity in Black and White prison incarceration in U.S. history), former President Bill Clinton, boldly declared that years earlier, Obama would have been serving the pair coffee. How did we respond? Was there a collective cry of protest? Did the NAACP, SNCC, National Action Network, Rainbow Push Coalition, New Black Panther Party and others civil rights groups take any of those politicians to task? How about threating, much less coordinating, a boycott of Fox News sponsors to protest that network’s utilization of neo-racists, ultra, nearly falling-off-the edge-of-the— flat-- world Right Wingers (several of whom feel comfortable calling us everything from the Antichrist to a “Kaafa” (which is Dutch Afrikans for the “N”-word). The Hispanic community understands that you respond to power with power. Hispanics are not only a significant voting block, but equally important, an organized bloc
Remember When...
Donald Trump sought death penalty for Black teen rape suspects
(continued from page 3) he say “motherfu..er” several times during a high-profile speech? Why did he use the term “the Blacks” when referring to African-Americans? And what’s up with his three marriages? And how about when Trump demanded that Barack Obama produce a birth certificate for where he was born, and claimed that Obama needed affirmative action to get into Columbia and Harvard? And how he routinely
Photos by Yvonne Kemp
with economic power. Ironically, Black folks have potentially more power, but we have yet to figure out how best to harness it politically, economically or socially. That’s why we’re always dissed. Look at the local Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. There are far more African Americans, and Black businesses in Milwaukee than there are Hispanics or Hispanic businesses. We have two chambers versus their one. Yet Hispanic businesses get more public and private contracts than we do! They serve on more boards, and play more golf with corporate heads then we do (not counting those of us who are caddies…of course). And when it comes to economic clout? Well, they sued the city and ended the disadvantaged business program, the primary avenue for securing public city contracts! Where was the uproar? How did we respond? The silence was deafening, even though research showed we get fewer contracts than any other ethnic group, despite being 40% of the city’s population. Hispanics divide votes between the two major parties. But we give all of ours to the Democratic Party, even though we are often dissed by them (note Bill Clinton’s racist statement above). We still haven’t figured out how the game is played. If we did, we would demand our fair share of the pie, and form our own independent political party. That’s why I’m envious, jealous, and even a little bit angry with the Hispanic community. They are still near the bottom, but moving up fast. We’re sliding down the economic and political pole without realizing there’s a fire pit at the bottom. We better wake up or else we’re gonna' get our butts’ burned. Hotep.
ridicules the president’s leadership? Ugh! Do Trump’s recent put-downs of Mexico and some of its illegal aliens, and his tasteless disrespect of Sen. John McCain’s long Vietnam captivity, qualify him for serious consideration as a presidential candidate? I think not. As one who was actively on the New York media scene in the late 1980s when Donald Trump spewed hatred in the Central Park Jogger case, I can attest to his meanspiritedness. It ain’t pretty -- which Americans from coast-to-coast now are finding out. Can 69-year-old Trump become a viable nominee for president? Not likely. Might he run as a third-party candidate? Possibly. Can he be elected president in 2016? Probably not. But as a wise man once said, “never say never.” And that’s a scary thought.--Milwaukee native Richard G. Carter is a freelance columnist
The Milwaukee Community Journal August 5, 2015 Page 9
Photos by Yvonne Kemp
The Milwaukee Community Journal August 5, 2015 Page 10