MESSAGE FROM THE PUBLISHER
Volume 31 Number 1
April 2017
PUBLISHER Rosalind J. Harris
GENERAL MANAGER Lawrence A. James
MANAGING EDITOR Laurence C. Washington COPY EDITOR Tanya Ishikawa
PUBLISHER ASSISTANT Melovy Melvin COLUMNISTS Earl Ofari Hutchinson Theo J. Wilson FILM CRITIC BlackFlix.Com
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Charles Emmons Brother Jeff Allan ChristopherTellis ART DIRECTOR Bee Harris
GRAPHIC DESIGNER Jody Gilbert - Kolor Graphix
PRODUCTION ASSISTANT Melovy Melvin
CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS Lens of Ansar Bernard Grant DISTRIBUTION Glen Barnes Lawrence A. James Ed Lynch
The Denver Urban Spectrum is a monthly publication dedicated to spreading the news about people of color. Contents of the Denver Urban Spectrum are copyright 2017 by Bizzy Bee Enterprise. No portion may be reproduced without written permission of the publisher. The Denver Urban Spectrum circulates 25,000 copies throughout Colorado. The Denver Urban Spectrum welcomes all letters, but reserves the right to edit for space, libelous material, grammar, and length. All letters must include name, address, and phone number. We will withhold author’s name on request. Unsolicited articles are accepted without guarantee of publication or payment. Write to the Denver Urban Spectrum at P.O. Box 31001, Aurora, CO 80041. For advertising, subscriptions, or other information, call 303-292-6446 or fax 303-292-6543 or visit the Web site at www.denverurbanspectrum.com.
(I love you) more today than yesterday, but not as much as tomorrow…
Many of you might remember that song, or even just the phrase, from 1969; performed by the spiral staircase and written by Patrick uptown. It’s been 48 years since its release, but those who remember the song, know the song. I had just graduated from high school and along with “Its My Party” and “I Wanna Hold Your Hand,” I remember it well – even though I lived only two hours away from Motown which was in full swing with the sounds of Stevie Wonder, The Temptations, Smokey Robinson and Diana Ross and the Supremes. With remembering it so well, it seemed ideal to serve as our anniversary theme this month as we celebrate 30 years of spreading the news about people of color…Power 30…More Today than Yesterday. But, how time flies wh en you’re having fun? And I must admit, although it has been challenging with ups and downs, rocky roads and roadblocks – it has been fun. During these last 30 years, it has been gratifying to serve the City of Denver under the leadership of a Latino, white and two African American mayors. It has been thrilling to meet national notables including Oprah Winfrey, Quincy Jones, Maya Angelou and Preside nt Barack Obama; and also so many of our local celebrities. It has been enjoyable working with fellow journalists who have utilized the Denver Urban Spectrum as a stepping stone to pursue other dreams. It has been rewarding to work with youth who are now grown with careers in journalism and some married with children. It has been flattering to receive accolades for a job well done from business ass ociates, peers, family and friends. I hope you take a few moments and read our cover story by Charles Emmons about the journey I have travelled, along with many others, since April 1987 and join us over the next six months as we celebrate DUS Power 30. So today, because of your continued support, encouragement and validation for the last three decades, all of us at the Denver Urban Spectrum love yo u more today than yesterday, but not as much as tomorrow as we look forward to the next 30 years. Peace and Blessings “This issue is dedicated to life and memory of Mr. Morris Price Sr.”
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Block the Repeal of the Affordable Care Act
•Promote stability in the market in order to help control costs. •Recognize that promoting access to care at the right time in the right setting by ensuring access to coverage benefits everyone, including the health care system, and keeps our economy stable. •Do not adopt strategies that shift costs from the federal government to state budgets without sufficient and sustained federal funding or creates an uneven playing field in the health care market. •Protect the most vulnerable populations that cannot afford high premiums and prevent them from using emergency rooms as primary care. •Empower rural communities so that they have access to health care policy options similar to urban areas without higher premiums. •Encourage health care transformation at the state and community levels with continued federal investment to lower the cost and improve the quality of health care with the use of disproportionate share dollars and Medicare and Medicaid enhancements. The Affordable Care Act has worked in Colorado and nationally. Tweaking policy once implanted is natural for all laws, however, partisan repeal is not what we need right now. I will join efforts to block the repeal of the Affordable Care Act. I hope you join in my fight.
Editor: Congress must not repeal the Affordable Health Act, known as Obamacare. Engaging in efforts to repeal the law is nothing more than a waste of taxpayers’ dollars and political theatre. Health care is essential to everyone’s quality of life and a significant economic driver in Colorado and nationally. Consumers, businesses and governments all need the stability of understanding the federal framework in which they will operate going forward. Months of hearings, debates, and Congressional votes will no doubt throw those groups into a ball of confusion. Health care is a complex system that requires comprehensive policy solutions, and making piecemeal changes to select parts of the system can have repercussions throughout the different portions of the health care system and our economy. We have already seen tax dollars wasted and sheer confusion emerge from President Trump’s immigration executive orders. Can the GOP really look in the face of 16.9 million people benefiting from Obamacare and take their healthcare away? Congress will most likely engage in repeal efforts this year. My advice is that any new health care framework moving forward should reflect these policy principles: •Expand choice, affordability and competition in private markets, while maintaining consumer protections.
Wellington E. Webb Fomer Mayor of Denver Denver, CO
Denver Urban Spectrum — www.denverurbanspectrum.com – April 2017
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Rosalind J. Harris Publisher
The Republican Health Care Plan Would Hurt All of Us
Editor: The congressional Republican health care plan will be a disaster for working families. Their plan will take health care away from 24 million people across the country and impose painful taxes on working people. Budget experts predict that out-ofpocket expenses will skyrocket because companies will shift prices to their employees. That means thousands of dollars less in the pockets of working people. Their plan weakens Medicare. It takes three years off the life of the Medicare hospital fund in order to give a huge tax break just to people earning more than $200,000 a year. Their plan does nothing to deal with skyrocketing prices for medical care and prescription drugs. The people cutting America’s health care under the banner of reform have never had to worry about care for themselves or their families. CEOs, billionaires and right-wing politicians get the best care because cost isn’t a factor for them. The rest of us don’t have that luxury. Congress should focus on expanding coverage for more working people, not putting high-quality care out of reach.
Kenneth DeBey Denver, CO
Got Something to Say? Email your letter to the editor to editor@urbanspectum.net.