Denver Urban Spectrum - January 2020

IN THE SPIRIT OF DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. Elbra M. Wedgeworth's Legacy of Service...4 Denver community pays tribute to the Honorable Elbra M. Wedgeworth

Photo by Rita Jones

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MESSAGE FROM DENVER URBAN SPECTRUM

Reflecting on 2019...looking forward to 2020!

Volume 33

Number 10

January 2020

PUBLISHER Rosalind J. Harris GENERAL MANAGER Lawrence A. James EDITOR-IN- CHIEF Alfonzo Porter COPY EDITOR/PROOFREADER Ruby Jones COLUMNISTS Dr. Erynn M. Burns Kim Farmer Barry Overton FILM CRITIC BlackFlix.Com CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Alfonzo Porter ART DIRECTOR Bee Harris DIRECTOR OF MARKETING AND ADVERTISING Lorenzo Middleton GRAPHIC DESIGNER Jody Gilbert Kolor Graphix PHOTOGRAPHERS Lens of Ansar Bernard Grant DISTRIBUTION Ed Lynch Lawrence A. James - Manager

As we bring 2019 to a close, we take a brief look at some of the stories that brought significant change and progress to Denver Urban Spectrum (DUS) this year. In celebration of African American’s 400th anniversary in North America, we launched a five-part series focusing on some of the more significant events in our storied history in the United States. A spotlight on “The Daily Blast,” a national program broadcast from Denver, introduced this entertaining new show to new audiences in the Rocky Mountain Region and garnered an on-air mention of thanks.

DUS was acknowledged at this year’s annual Colorado Press Association awards ceremony with winning 13 awards for editorial, advertising, design and feature excellence. In June, we celebrated Black Music Month with a cover profile of Denver native and chairman and CEO of Sony/ATV Music Publishing, “Big” Jon Platt. Afrik Impact focused on empowering the next generation of African and African American economic collaboration with former Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf as keynote speaker. The event brought together leaders from all areas of economic development.

Coverage of the hotly contested mayor’s race was our focus throughout the summer culminating in the eventual victory of Michael B. Hancock as he entered his third and final term in office. This fall, we turned our attention to the crisis of suicide among our youth and the addictions caused by over-exposure to social media and the internet. The unintended consequences of 24/7/365 connectively were the focus at our Educator’s Forum on social media’s impact on school–aged youth.

A Royal Return to Africa was the heart of our November issue. Princess Asie Ocansey of the Royal family of Ada, Ghana arrived in Denver and issued a personal invitation for African Americans to come home to Africa. The year ended with a star studded gala featuring Hollywood A-listers including Quincy Jones and Jamie Foxx raising millions for the Global Down Syndrome Foundation.

Plans for 2020 include an expanded series into an impending education crisis regarding African American graduation rates within the next school year, as well as, issues of racial equity in the burgeoning cannabis industry. In May, we are happy to present our second annual Colorful Stories, See Me Hear Me luncheon with five new ‘stellar storytellers.’

We welcome and introduce Lorenzo H. Middleton as our new Director of Marketing and Advertising. Middleton’s leadership will be a central component to our planned growth in the near future that will include a restaurant and entertainment guide and a new online and print business directory.

In March, we invite you to join us as we honor DUS publisher as a 2020 Colorado Women’s Hall of Fame inductee!

As we close out the year, we thank our readers, advertisers, sponsors, contributors, and of course, our family and friends for supporting us this year - with sincerity and much gratitude. We look forward to spreading more news about people of color in the New Year and for years to come.

Alfonzo Porter

Rosalind Harris

Editor-In-Chief

Publisher

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR The last three years of the current US president have opened the doors to places where bigots still live. Racist, exclusionary thinking has been given more acceptability, and we are told by the President that the racists who marched in Charlottesville, Virginia are “good folks.” That is not the way that good folks act. It is the thinking of the lynching mob and it takes us back to the centuries of oppression. Obviously, we have not overcome racism.

In the past half-century, we generally have believed that our society is becoming more inclusive and more embracing of those of color. Yet, while Oprah Winfrey is one of the richest,

I Have A Dream

Member 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 2020 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 303292-6543 or visit the Web site at www.denverurbanspectrum.com.

Editor: “I Have A Dream” Forever will those words be associated with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Folks alive when Dr. King gave the speech with those famous words are at least in their late 50’s and a great many have departed us to the great beyond. The dream, of course, lives on. But with more than half a century gone, why do we still need to dream of a color-blind culture that is more interested in character and inner-worth than something as shallow and meaningless as the color of one’s skin? Why do we – with more color in our skin – still have to feel we are different than those with a whiter shade?

Denver Urban Spectrum — www.denverurbanspectrum.com – January 2020

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most accomplished and most acceptable woman in American, and we had a very successful Black President, we also have prisons brimming with men of color incarcerated for non-violent crimes. Driving while black is still a dangerous activity.

Predominately minority schools in general have metrics that show they are not succeeding as well as the majority schools do.

The rich are getting richer and poor African-American groups are getting more marginalized.

Let us not forget that poor whites have become marginalized as well.

Before his death, Dr. King began to confront issues of workers, white and Black, Continued on page 25

Local Trailblazer Shares in MLK Dream of Service ELBRA M. WEDGEWORTH BRINGS STELLAR CAREER TO A CLOSE

By Alfonzo Porter

There are leaders and then there are those who blaze trails so bright that it becomes nearly impossible to emulate.

One such leader is Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. As we pause to remember his legacy, we reflect on his spirit of service to humanity, the enhancement of individual dignity and the development of community. He was a colossal life force that continues to move and inspire many of us to serve.

His spirit of service to humanity, the enhancement of individual dignity and the development of community is reflected in the Honorable Elbra M. Wedgeworth.

The lyrics from Frank Sinatra’s 1969 anthem, “My Way” seems to appropriately sum up her very diverse career: “So now the end is near, and so I face the final curtain, my friend I’ll say it clear, I’ll state the case of which I’m certain, I’ve lived a life that’s full, I’ve traveled each and every highway, and more much more than this, I did it my way!”

For the past three decades, Wedgeworth has been a central force in helping to guide Denver in its emergence from what many considered a sleepy

“cow’ town, not so long ago, to one of the nation’s favored destinations.

The quintessential public servant and her rise to power in the city is a testament that despite ones beginnings, we all can do anything we set our minds to. She was raised in a family with six kids in public housing projects in Curtis Park; she was the youngest child.

Her plans were to become a social worker when she declared her major at the

City Councilwoman Wedgeworth (with)

University of the Redlands, in California. She went on to complete her studies with a Bachelor of Arts degree in sociology and anthropology.

She now sits as a member of the Board of Trustees of her alma mater.

In virtually every way possible, she has accomplished her initial mission; although not so obvious at first. The field of social work is defined as efforts that concern itself with individuals, families, groups and com-

President Barack Obama

munities in an effort to enhance social functioning and overall well-being.

However, there can be no argument that the social and economic health, well being and viability of the entire region have been impacted by this trailblazing leader. So in the end, she wound up effectively becoming Denver’s “Social Worker-In-Chief.”

Her contributions have been so great to the city and state that in August 2014, officials dedicated the Elbra M. Wedgeworth Municipal Building in the historic Five Points neighborhood near where she grew up and attended school in her honor.

It is circuitously through Wedgeworth’s efforts that Americans, and world travelers alike, discovered the Mile High City for the first time. She served as the president/chair of the board for the Denver 2008 Convention Host Committee for the historic Democratic National Convention.

It would turn out to be one of the most exacting and rewarding experiences of her career.

“We were required to submit a proposal to the DNC,” she says. “There were a total of 30 cities vying for the honor of

First Lady Michelle Obama and Senator Michael Bennett

Denver Urban Spectrum — www.denverurbanspectrum.com – January 2020

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Ken Salazar, Wedgworth, John Hickenlooper, Bill Ritter, Steve Farber

Colorado’s o昀icial

hosting the convention. That number would eventually be narrowed to 11 and then three; Denver, Minneapolis and New York.”

It had been precisely 100 years since Denver hosted a nominating convention – that of the 1908 nomination of William Jennings Bryan for president of the United States on the Democratic ticket.

“We had so many ‘naysayers’ to overcome. Not many people were convinced that we could pull it off. We worked well as a team and continued to keep the faith.” Wedgeworth said. “We were required to raise $65 million and demonstrate that we had the hospitality, restaurant and entertainment bandwidth to host an event of such magnitude.”

In the end, the 2008 convention would stand as one of the most successful nominating events in U.S. history with its debts paid, audits clean and successfully introducing Denver to the world.

“Our convention was the first wired and ‘green event’ of such magnitude,” Wedgeworth submitted. “When Barack Obama walked onto the stage at Invesco Field, it also became the largest crowd ever assembled for a nominating speech. It was one of the proudest moments of my life.”

And in true fashion, in the back of her mind, she was remaining true to her ‘social work’ proclivities.

“I wanted America to know that Colorado was more than a mere fly over state. This let the

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world know that we had political significance,” she insisted.

“More than 10 years later, that event continues to create significant opportunities for Denver with Americans and the global community now seeing Denver in a whole new light.”

She is a proud graduate of Manual High School, class of 1974, and the only person in recent history to hold key positions in the Denver’s mayor’s office, the auditor’s office and on the Denver City Council. She is the second African-American woman to serve as City Council president, and the first to chair the Downtown Denver Partnership.

At her retirement party last month, Mayor Michael Hancock expressed both his personal and professional gratitude and appreciation for Wedgeworth – reading a proclamation naming December 4, 2019 as Elbra Wedgeworth Day. “She is my big sister. I’ve known her since I was a teenager and she believed in me from the very start. I have watched as she has served this city so admirably,” Hancock said. “Elbra is the only person who has served in all three branches of Denver city government.”

In 1999, she was elected as the District 8 City Councilwoman and in July 2003, her City Council Colleagues unanimously elected her the Council President 20032005.

Prior to her election to City Council, she worked as the Director of Philanthropic and Government Affairs at Denver Continued on page 6

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Elbra Wedgeworth Continued from page 5 Health and Hospital Authority where she reinstated the Board of Directors and launched the newly-formed Denver Health Foundation.

In 2007, she returned to Denver Health (DH) to serve as the Chief Government and Community Relations Officer.

She was responsible for all governmental legislative matters on the local, state and federal level and was the hospital’s liaison for Community Engagement Initiatives.

She was responsible for spearheading Denver Health’s effort to be approved for the 2017 General Obligation Bond Initiative by Denver voters for $75 million to build the DH Outpatient Medical Center. The National Association of Health Services Executives presented her with the Distinguished Healthcare Leader Award at the 44th Annual Legislative Conference of the

ATHENA Award

Women. She was also named one of Denver’s 25 Most Powerful Women by the Colorado Women’s Chamber of Commerce also receiving their ATHENA Award which honors Colorado women who best exemplify exceptional professional achievement, devotion to community service, and assisting other women in the attainment of professional excellence and leadership skills.

In 2013, 5280 Magazine named her as a Woman of Colorado who has played a historically significant role because of chiefly being responsible for bringing the 2008 Democratic National Convention to Denver.

In 2014, Wedgeworth was inducted into the Blacks in Colorado Hall of Fame by the Denver Public Library.

In 2017, the Denver Business Journal awarded her with their Legacy Award which recognized her significant contributions to local business and community engagement throughout her career. That same year, she was named by the Denver Black Pages as one of Metro Denver’s most influential African Americans.

This year, she was a Five Point Jazz Festival Awardee and in 2020, she is slated to receive the Girls Athletic Leadership School Award.

She was appointed to the Board of Trustees for FirstBank, Colorado. Founded in 1963, FirstBank has more than $17.0 billion in assets and bank branch locations in Colorado, Arizona and California. She is the first woman of color to be

Congressional Black Caucus in Washington, DC. In September 2008, she was elected unanimously as the President of the Denver Union Station Project Authority Board of Directors and served nine terms as the Board President from 2008 thru 2017. The $500 million Denver Union Station Project opened May 2014 on time and under budget thanks to her leadership.

Her accolades are diverse and massive.

In 2012, she was named by the Denver Post as One of Colorado’s Most Influential

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appointed to the Board of Trustees. She currently serves on the Colorado Complete Count Census Campaign Committee.

In describing her leadership style, she added, “It’s like that light you see but nobody else sees but you and you just go towards it, you don’t care what anybody says. And you just do it and it all just falls into place.”

And now, according to Wedgeworth, it’s time for Elbra.

Plans include spending quality time with family and mentoring the next generation of leaders.

“It’s time to mentor and encourage that next generation of leadership,” she said. “That’s always been kind of the core of who I am, to help others. I am a huge supporter of young people because you never know what or where they will wind up.”

It is that same selfless level of service associated with Dr. King that distinguishes Wedgeworth from many of her contemporaries. Although her plans are to step back from the intense demands of her career routine, like Dr. King, it is unlikely that she will simply fade into the background.

Leaders of her caliber rarely slow down. Our bets are that we will see much more of Elbra Wedgeworth as she embarks upon her life’s next chapter.

That chapter began when friends and business associates surprised her at the recent retirement celebration with special guest national recording artist Keith Sweat which was a dream come true..

Congratulations HonorableElbra Wedgeworth!

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Leading HIV Health Care Organization Emerges as Vivent Health New Name and Brand Highlight Prominent Role in Ending Domestic HIV Epidemic MILWAUKEE—November 20, 2019—The AIDS Resource Center of Wisconsin (ARCW) announced it is changing its name to Vivent Health. The new name will go into effect on January 1, 2020.

Following recent mergers with Rocky Mountain CARES in Colorado and St. Louis Effort for AIDS in Missouri, Vivent Health is expanding across the country to ensure people living with and at- risk for HIV have access to critical prevention,

health care, medication and social services to thrive amidst the ongoing HIV, sexuallytransmitted infection and opioid epidemics. A record 1.2 million people are living with HIV in the United States today, and the epidemic continues to disproportionately impact young gay and bisexual men, people of color and individuals who inject drugs.

Nationally, more than 35,000 new HIV infections are reported annually.

“Our new, stronger brand and mission reflect our relentless efforts to help people affected by HIV thrive,” said Michael J. Gifford, President and Chief Executive Officer of Vivent Health. “Vivent Health was born from generous insights drawn from thousands of people, including our patients, donors and allies. We are extremely grateful for their continued trust in us.”

The name Vivent is derived from the Latin word for “live” and verb, “prevent” and reflects

the spirit and values of the organization. “For more than 30 years, we have been champions for people affected by and living with HIV,” Gifford said.

“Our new name is a celebration of our most sacred values - that no one should be defined by the health challenges they face, and that everyone deserves the highest quality of care and to live long, healthy lives.”

As the disease and the needs of people affected by HIV evolve, so will Vivent Health.

Today, the organization has grown to 12 locations in Colorado, Missouri and Wisconsin and serves over 7,000 patients annually.

Vivent Health is a nationally recognized HIV health care leader, best known for its highquality HIV patient outcomes and for operating the only HIV Medical Home in America recognized by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. The HIV Medical Home model of care offers integrated health and social services including medical, dental, mental health and pharmacies, along with case management, food pantries, housing programs, and legal services provided by a team of professionals dedicated to patient care.

“We are proud that our patient-centered model of care is helping more than 95 percent of our patients achieve an undetectable viral load,” Gifford said. “Being undetectable is the most important clinical outcome related to the treatment of HIV, as people with an unde-

tectable viral load are not only managing their HIV as well as possible, they are also unable to transmit HIV to someone else.

Vivent Health will be dedicated to ensuring our model of care and our outcomes are made available to as many people affected by HIV as possible.”

While the realities of the disease have changed significantly over the last few decades, several factors are contributing to current concerns about the spread of HIV. There is a lifesaving medication—PrEP (PreExposure Prophylaxis), a pill that when taken daily is over 90 percent effective in preventing HIV—but fewer than 8 percent of people at risk have access to or can afford the medicine.

Gifford continued, “As the need for PrEP increases and HIV continues to be a leading example of a health disparity, Vivent Health will be as committed as ever to expanding lifesaving programs to individuals with the greatest need.

Together, we will continue to work toward a world without AIDS, ensuring accessibility and affordability of essential health care services in an effort to advance our mission and achieve our vision.”

The announcement about the name change comes two weeks before December 1, World AIDS Day, an international day dedicated to uniting people worldwide in response to HIV and showing support for people affected by the HIV epidemic. .

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The Colorado Women’s

Hall of Fame will induct the next group of extraordinary

contemporary and historical Colorado women, who have made enduring and exemplary contributions to their fields.

These 10 women who have inspired and elevated the status of women and helped open new frontiers for women and society will be inducted on March 18.

The Colorado Women’s Hall of Fame (CWHF) was founded in 1985. Every two years, the organization inducts contemporary and historical women who have significant ties to Colorado and have made a difference for women and girls through their courage and leadership. Since its founding, the CWHF has inducted 162 women from many races, backgrounds, socioeconomic levels, career paths, political philosophies, and religious beliefs for their outstanding contributions to society.

The 2020 Colorado Hall of Fame Inductees include Katherine Archuleta, former head of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management; civil rights activists Lupe Briseño; Denver Urban Spectrum Publisher Rosalind “Bee” Harris; Attorney Velveta Howell; physician and educator Marianne Neifert, MD, MTS; and Gale Norton, former Secretary of the Interior and Colorado State Attorney General. Historical Inductees are Mary Lou Anderson, a community builder; frontier physician Dr. Alida Cornelia Avery; educator, political activist, and suffragist Elizabeth Piper Ensley and restaurant owner Carolina Gonzalez.

This month, Denver Urban Spectrum highlights the four historical Colorado women.

Denver Urban Spectrum Highlights 2020 Colorado Women’s Hall of Fame Inductees Cornelia Avery was a professor of Human Physiology and Hygiene, as well as a Resident Physician at the newly founded Vassar College from 1866-1874.

In 1874 she moved to Denver, Colorado, and is credited with being Colorado’s first woman to practice medicine while also serving as the Superintendent of Hygiene for the State.

In 1876 she was elected the first president of the newly founded Colorado Woman Suffrage Association and was a dedicated and inspirational leader in the efforts to achieve the right to vote for Colorado women. Upon her death, her accomplishments in the suffrage movement were still being recognized as a significant part of her legacy for the women in Colorado.

Mary Lou Anderson A passionate advocate for cultural arts and arts education, Mary Lou Anderson was an influential leader in Colorado Springs, and across the state and the nation through her work in the development of programs that engage students, educators, and business leaders in the cultural arts. Anderson founded the National Parent Teacher Association Reflections Program and the Arts Business Education Consortium. For the last 50 years, the program has advanced the support and recognition of nearly 15 million students and educators for their artistic talents and achievements. More than 55 percent of the students recognized were girls. Anderson had a “big idea,” and she strategically created a framework that ensured the extension and legacy of that idea far beyond her initial efforts.

Anderson believed that recognition at an early age could help to combat gender discrimination by raising young girls’ awareness of and confidence in their artistic and leadership capabilities. These same experiences benefited all students, including boys and special needs students.

Elizabeth Piper Ensley Elizabeth Piper Ensley was an African American educator, political activist, and suffragist.

Her leadership was instrumental in Colorado’s victorious campaign for full voting rights in 1893. Ensley dedicated her career to organizing for women’s rights, especially for African American women. She led critical local, state and national women’s organizations, where she worked to bridge the racial lines in women’s organizations.

Ensley founded the Colorado Association of Colored Women’s Clubs in 1904 and served as an officer on the state Board of Directors of the Colorado State Federation of Women’s Clubs – the influential

Dr. Alida Cornelia Avery A graduate of the New England Female Medical College of Boston in 1862, Dr. Alida

Denver Urban Spectrum — www.denverurbanspectrum.com – January 2020

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state organization primarily led by white women. Ensley was one of only a handful of African American women leaders nationwide who worked for suffrage rights within a racially integrated campaign organization, the Colorado Non-Partisan Equal Suffrage Association.

Carolina Gonzalez Carolina Acuña Díaz González was a Colorado Renaissance Pioneer, renowned for her welcoming home, her active support for the arts and culture, and her uniquely authentic restaurant, Casa Mayan, a “Mutalista” or refuge for 40 years for immigrants in Colorado. Carolina was an essential element in building and supporting the Denver community and ensuring that everyone felt a part of that community. She opened her doors to people of all nationalities and walks of life.

González provided accommodations and a safe haven during the Depression for countless youths, “riding the rails” to Colorado. In the 1950s, she opened “Carolina’s Casa” to anyone of any race fleeing persecution during the McCarthy era. She never turned anyone away, demonstrating the importance of community for all citizens, and the significant aspects of Mexican hospitality and generosity: “Mi Casa es Su Casa.” Her former residence is now part of the National Register of Historic Places and a Denver landmark..

Editor’s note: The Colorado Hall of Fame Induction is proudly sponsored this year by Colorado Public Radio, 5280 Magazine, Denver Channel 7, La Voz, and Denver Urban Spectrum. For more information on the induction ceremony or to become a sponsor, email info@cogreatwomen.org.

New Year, New You: Achieving Your CITY YEAR DENVER

Goals in 2020

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tuesday, january 21, 2020 I 11 am - 1 pm the pinnacle club at the grand hyatt denver I 555 17th street, floor 38 denver co

businesses + community = change City Year places 75 AmeriCorps volunteers across 11 Denver Public Schools to serve over 6000 students, and we couldn’t do our work without your support. Celebrate the power of businesses and communities working together at our annual Idealist Luncheon.

keynote speaker: blair taylor Blair Taylor currently serves as a Partner with Price Waterhouse Coopers. With former roles including Chief Executive Officer of My Brother’s Keeper Alliance and member of Starbucks Coffee Company’s senior leadership team, Blair has been a force for change across the public, private and non-profit world for over 25 years.

I

t is often said that if you are going on a journey, you are going to need a map.

January is a time when millions of us make plans for a health journey, a journey to change something about ourselves or our lives.

Unfortunately, most of us sprint towards new behaviors without a clear-cut plan, and by the end of January we have given up on our well-intentioned plans. In fact, some studies estimate that 80% of people fail to keep their New Year’s resolutions, but why? The reason is more straightforward than you might imagine. Simply put, our brains are hard-wired for habits and because of this, behavior change is a difficult task. In fact, in order to change our habits, we literally have to retrain our brains.

What’s in a Habit?

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In behavioral science, habits are described in terms of their component parts—the “ABCs”.

This acronym includes the following: Antecedents: The internal and external cues that signal initiation of the behavior.

Behavior: What a person does, thinks, or feels in response to the antecedent(s).

Consequences: The end result of the habit that reinforces or extinguishes it.

For example, if exercise is the behavior, the antecedent is driv-

Denver Urban Spectrum — www.denverurbanspectrum.com – January 2020

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ing to the gym and the consequence is a healthier body.

Every habit follows this three-step pattern, for good or for bad. Behavioral experts estimate that a habit takes an average of sixty-six days to form, but knowing that habits form from repeated patterns is not nearly enough to make a lasting change. If you want to stop a bad habit and replace it with a better one, you have to become intentional about monitoring what you do, and part of monitoring what you do requires you to set goals for yourself.

Setting Effective Goals Simply put, a goal tells us who will do how much of what by when. A good goal is clear and frames your new behavior in a positive light! In lifestyle medicine, we use the acronym S.M.A.R.T. to help our patients set specific, time-sensitive goals to move them along on their journey. S.M.A.R.T. goals are: Specific: They should identify what will take place Measurable: They should be easily assessed Achievable: They should be possible with the resources you have available Realistic: They should push you while maintaining the likelihood of success Timely: They should be achieved within a precise period of time In addition to using S.M.A.R.T. to outline your goals, it is worth considering the use of both short and longterm goals as you move towards better health. A shortterm goal is something to be accomplished in the immediate future—a day, a week, or a month. By contrast, a long-term goal is something to be accomplished over a period of time— six months to a year. Short-term goals or “mini goals” can help move you to action from day to day, week to week, month to month as you march towards your bigger, long-term goal. For example, if your long-term goal

is to quit smoking, your mini goal might be to cut back your cigarettes by 1 every day for the next two weeks.

Behavioral Strategies That Work Aside from short and longterm goals, the best plans also use multiple behavior change strategies to produce results.

These strategies can be used on their own or in combination and apply to a wide range of health behaviors. While some may seem elementary, they are effective in their ability to alter your behavior over time if practiced regularly. Try the following to start down the road to lasting change: Cue Avoidance: Avoiding the external cues to your problem behavior �is the simplest way to ensure it does not happen. By disrupting the antecedentbehavior-consequence pattern before it begins, you can gain control of the outcome and make the best decision.  Build in Pauses: Before you do something, take 3-5 minutes to ask yourself if it is necessary.

Is it going to help or harm your attempt to change?

Shaping Schedules: Shaping can help ease you into a new behavior over time. For example, if you want to exercise 60 minutes per day, increase your daily exercise by 5 minute increments until you reach 60 minutes.

The Premack Principle: Pair something you already do with the new behavior you want to

adopt. Trying to swap junk food for health snacks? Try munching on carrot sticks instead of salty chips while you watch your favorite TV show or movie.

The Token Economy: Reward yourself with a gold star every time you successfully complete your new behavior. When you have acquired enough of tokens (e.g., 30 stars), give yourself a tangible reward (e.g., movie tickets, new tools, a spa day, etc.). Remember, if your new behavior is fitness, weight loss, Jamaa Health and or eating-focused, do not reward yourself with food.

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Breaking an ingrained habit is hard work and mistakes will happen. Reviewing your behavior change plan, repeating positive affirmations about your ability to change, and asking for help from family and friends can help you stay on track so that you do not become discouraged and undo all your  Dr. Tracey Jones, D.C. progress.

While behavior change can be achieved on your own, working with a qualified practitioner can help you create a detailed plan and help hold you accountable. If you are ready to make a positive change, visit MyCherryPointe.com to schedule an initial consult and become happy, healthy, and whole in 2020! .

Editor’s note: For more information about Dr. Erinn M. Burks, services, location and hours of operatioin, visit www.MyCherryPointe.com.

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Bridge Speaker and Rachel B. Noel Professorship Wednesday, February 26

Thursday, February 27

Shorter Community AME Church 3100 Richard Allen Court Denver CO, 80205 5:30–7:30 p.m.

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Money Maker or Money Pit?

Why home inspections are so important

By Barry Overton

W

hen buying or selling a home, one of the most important parts of the process is the home inspection.

When you’re purchasing an established home, it is especially important that you hire a home inspector that has a great track record within the community.

Through the home inspection, you are going to learn about the condition of the house. You will be able to determine the roof condition. In addition, the plumbing, electrical, and sewer lines can also be examined to ensure that they’re in good working order. These items, along with your furnace and AC, tend to be the big ticket items when it comes to repair or replacement in a home.

As a home buyer, you want to ensure that this big investment you’re making does not turn into a money pit because of lack of knowledge in regards to the condition of those items.

I recently sat down with Shawn Williams of Iron Phoenix Home Inspections, an African American owned home inspection company, and picked his brain in regards to some of the most

important issues of a home inspection.

One of the most profound statements Williams made during our conversation was “Water is the enemy when it comes to your home.� When water is going into places that it’s not supposed to, it can cause significant damage and even some health concerns. For instance, it’s always important to make sure that gutters and downspouts are diverting water away from the home when it snows and rains.

Any water that is allowed to stand within five feet of the foundation can begin to cause erosion and shifts in the foundation that can turn into structural damage of the home. This also applies to sidewalks and driveways.

Home inspectors have always said there are two types of concrete in Colorado, concrete that has cracked and concrete that will crack.

Homeowners must manage those cracks in the sidewalk.

This is done by sealing the cracks, and ensuring you shovel the snow from sidewalks and driveways to reduce the amount of water that gets into those cracks as the snow melts.

Water can also be a significant danger inside the home.

That is why it’s good to ensure that plumbing leaks are not occurring within those areas, such as the bathroom, kitchen, and water heaters. Standing water can cause wood to rot and erode, but more importantly, it can cause a mold build up that can turn into health dangers.

Williams also discussed some of the invisible enemies that we have to look at for a home inspection, carbon monoxide and radon. Carbon monoxide is an odorless gas that can kill you. In a home, it is produced from fireplaces, stoves, water heaters, and furnaces. It is important that the proper ventilation and termination of those vents are done in a safe

manner and have been inspected by licensed technicians. During any home inspection, the inspector will ensure that none of those areas are presenting any types of leaks. It is also a Colorado state law that all homes be fitted with carbon monoxide detectors within 15 feet of any bedroom, and at least one detector on each level of the home.

Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas that can cause lung cancer. It is actually the second leading cause of lung cancer after cigarette smoking. Having your home tested is the only effective way to determine whether you and your family are exposed to high levels of radon. This is something that can be conducted by a home inspector. This gas usually comes from the decay of uranium from the earth.

The testing for radon is relatively inexpensive and also adding a radon mitigation system to your home costs less than a $1000. While this may seem to be a costly expense, it is definitely worth it for the safety of your family.

Williams created a list to share of the most important areas to inspect on a home.

Those areas include: the foundation, roof, gutter, rain gutters and downspouts, the electrical panel, lights switches and power outlets, the heating and cooling in an HVAC system, plumbing fixtures, faucets and water heater, the kitchen appliances, as well as washer and

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Denver Urban Spectrum — www.denverurbanspectrum.com – January 2020

13

dryer, walls, ceilings and floors, doors and windows, stairs, steps and railings, porches and balconies, patio, concrete and exterior flat work, basement, crawl spaces and garage doors.

As a seller, it makes sense to have a home inspection done on your property prior to putting it on the market. As it’s always said, Knowledge Is Power, and “when you know what items need to be corrected,� you lessen the likelihood of a potential buyer bringing up those things on their inspection notice.

For additional information on home inspections, call Shawn Williams at Iron Phoenix Home Inspections at 303-961-0646..

Editor’s note: Barry Overton is a licensed Real Estate Agent with New Era Group at Your Castle Real Estate. He has been an agent since 2001, and started investing in real estate in 1996. For more information, email barrysellsdenver@msn.com.

Empowering kids, families and staff in our Montbello community to become diverse and equitable change-makers.

OFFERING: • Transitional / Biliterate Native Language Instruction • Dedicated STEAM Lab with science, technology, art, engineering, music and physical education • Social-emotional learning • Student recognition ceremonies • Enrichment and after-school programs • School-based student support team NOW ENROLLING ALL GRADES: ECE 3–4 YEAR OLD & K–5TH GRADE

School tours are offered every Monday, Tuesday and Friday!

Call the main of昀ce at 720-424-9890 to schedule your visit!

PLUS: The Family and Community Engagement Center located at John H. Amesse Elementary offers free, multi-generational services for families and community members ages 16 and older to obtain critical life skills. johnamesse.dpsk12.org | 5440 Scranton St. Denver, CO 80239 | #HappyKidsLearnMore

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JANUARY 24: 9–11 a.m.

FEBRUARY 7: 12:30–2:30 p.m.

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FEBRUARY 21: 9–11 a.m.

FEBRUARY 28: 12:30–2:30 p.m.

Oakland Elementary is located at

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Oakland Elementary | 720-424-5070 | oaklandelementary.dpsk12.org

Funding Programs to Ensure No Child in Colorado Slips Through the Cracks

By Jackie Cordova

W

e face a great challenge in Colorado and across the country as we work to ensure every child has the opportunity to succeed in life from day one.

Whether the root of that challenge lies in cultural boundaries, economic inequality or quite simply geography and access to the resources families need, we know that too many children fall through the cracks and show up to kindergarten unprepared to learn on a level playing field. When kids begin school already behind, research tells us they never properly catch up, leading to continued socio-economic problems in our community and a lack of economic opportunities for all of us.

Despite the odds and obstacles in our way, those of us engaged in home visiting models of service like HIPPY (Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters) here in Colorado are rising to meet that challenge, but as with many early childhood programs, the available resources rarely equal the need.

U.S. Rep. Danny Davis of Illinois recently introduced H.R. 4768 in Washington, legislation that would double funding for the Maternal, Infant and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) program by 2022.

MIECHV funds evidence-based home visiting programs across

Denver Urban Spectrum — www.denverurbanspectrum.com – January 2020

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the country that make a difference by connecting with children and families in their homes, and especially those in rural or underserved communities who do not have easy access to pre-school or other social services.

Home visiting models do not simply aim to deliver aid.

Instead, they partner with parents to foster early learning, develop economic self-sufficiency, keep families safe and build community. They do all this at a demonstrated cost savings to taxpayers well and the results are clear.

HIPPY, for example, works with parents in the home to prepare them with the skills they need to fulfill their role as their child’s first and most important teacher. Kindergarten teachers rate HIPPY children as more ready for school as compared to their non-HIPPY classmates.

Research has shown that HIPPY kids have higher attendance rates and noted increased reading vocabulary, word recognition and expressive language skills. By third grade, HIPPY kids have scored significantly higher on state-mandated math achievement tests compared to their non-HIPPY peers.

HIPPY and other home visiting programs take a step beyond to help ensure that no child falls through the cracks, but despite those results, HIPPY and similar programs still only reach a fraction of the 18 million families nationally that could benefit from home visiting.

Federal funding for programs through MIECHV remained flat for six years despite growing needs. Rep. Davis’ proposed legislation would boost funding by 50 percent to $600 million in 2021 and then double it to $800 million by 2022. While even this level of funding, distributed across all 50 states and countless programs with varying levels of need, cannot fully address the needs our communities face, it Continued on next page

‘Flipped’ Denver school board elects former teacher as president, after new members sworn in

By Melanie Asmar, Chalkbeat

F

ollowing an election that “flipped” the Denver school board, giving control to members backed by the teachers union, the board on Wednesday elected a new president: Carrie Olson, who left a decades-long teaching career two years ago to serve.

Funding Programs Continued from previous page promises a significant expansion of evidence-based services that have proven they can make an impact.

Home visiting is not the single answer to the challenges facing our communities, but programs like HIPPY have proven time and time again that they can play a fundamental role in the broader solution. When H.R. 4768 soon goes before a vote in Washington, its success will not be measured in dollars but rather by the lives of those empowered to create change in their own community. Our legislators must vote for funding that allows children here in Colorado to not slip through the cracks, but to begin their education ready to learn, grow and fulfill their potential in a brighter future for us all. .

Editor’s note: Jackie Cordova of Denver is the Colorado Program Director for HIPPY (Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters) at Parent Possible.

Parent Possible promotes and supports evidence-based, high-quality programs focused on parents of children aged birth - kindergarten. For more information, visit www.parentpossible.org/hippy.

Tay Anderson, center, gets emotional as he takes the oath of office. His mother, Mia Anderson, swore him in.

Photo by Helen H. Richardson/The Denver Post

Jennifer Bacon, another former teacher, was elected vice president. The votes to elect Olson and Bacon were by secret ballot, and both were unanimous.

Voting for the first time were three new board members sworn in Wednesday: Tay Anderson, Scott Baldermann, and Brad Laurvick.

Anderson was chosen as board secretary. He was unanimously nominated by his fellow board members for the position. Angela Cobián, who was elected to the board in 2017 alongside Olson and Bacon, was chosen as treasurer. She won more votes for treasurer than Baldermann, who was also nominated.

While Denver school board elections are often polarizing, with candidates backed by the Denver Classroom Teachers Association on one side and those backed by education reform groups on the other, the selection of board officers signals a willingness to work together, Olson said.

Olson, Bacon, and Anderson were all backed in their school board elections by the teachers union, while Cobián was backed by groups that favored the district’s reform policies.

“We’re moving beyond the polarities of one extreme or the other, and everybody is coming together to work to improve Denver Public Schools,” Olson said after the meeting.

But she also said it’s time for a change.

“We all share a passion for equity and thinking not just how can we make Denver Public Schools better, but how can we really dig into the details of what that means,” she said..

Carrie Olson was elected president of the Denver school board on Dec. 4, 2019

Photo by Helen H. Richardson/The Denver Post The board room was packed with board members’ family and friends. The loudest cheers were for Anderson, who graduated from Denver Public Schools in 2017 and until recently worked as a restorative practices coordinator at North High School, helping students resolve conflicts. He left that job because board rules prohibit district employees from serving on the board.

After he took his seat at the dais, Anderson gave a rousing speech.

“Last night, somebody was like, ‘Oh, we have a school board member that wears his

Denver Urban Spectrum — www.denverurbanspectrum.com – January 2020

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hat backwards. He’s a thug,’” Anderson said.

He pulled out a black baseball cap and put it on backward. “Let me just show you that this school board member looks like his district,” he said.

Anderson replaces former board member Happy Haynes, who was barred by term limits from running for re-election. As one of two at-large members, Anderson represents the entire city.

Baldermann replaces former board president Anne Rowe, who was also term-limited. He represents District 1 in southeast Denver. Baldermann is a father of two Denver elementary school students who recently served as president of the PTA at his children’s school.

Laurvick replaces former board member Lisa Flores, who did not run for re-election. He represents District 5 in northwest Denver. Laurvick is a Methodist pastor and father of two whose oldest child attends a Denver elementary school.

All three newly elected board members were active in supporting the Denver teachers union during a three-day strike in February. On the campaign trail, they expressed skepticism about reform policies adopted by previous boards. Each pledged not to close struggling schools or open new charter schools, two tactics the board tried in the past to boost student achievement.

New Vice President Bacon said the next couple of years “Are going to be an incredible opportunity for us all. We have the chance to reflect upon where we’ve been, and to say with conviction what it is that we want to see and we hope for, and get to that work of being able to define truly who Denver Public Schools is. This is the time for vision, this is the time for opportunity, this is the time for honesty, and this is the time for love,”said Bacon..

Nekotech Center for Peace and Development presents Return of the Royals Nekotech Center for Peace and Development launched one of the most remarkable generational strides in African and African- American history with multimillionaire and multi-billionaire African American businessmen and investors in Ghana from Dec. 7 to 16, 2019. The delegation was led by business mogul, HE Rev. Dr. Michael Roberts, Sr. with co-leader Rev. Dr. Jamal Bryant, Senior Pastor of the New Birth Missionary Baptist Church. The team also included rapper TI (Harris), wife Tiny, and Denver Bishop Jerry Demmer of Absolute Word Church. The game changing program in honor of the Year of Return, proclaimed by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, dubbed the RETURN OF THE ROYALS was under the visionary leadership and direction of Nekotech Center for Peace and Development President, Rev. Dr. Princess Asie Kabuki Ocansey. As one of Ghana’s most outstanding and passionate advocates for the renaissance of the African mindset and the development of the continent, Princess Asie is also a member of the 22 continental migration experts: African Union Labour Migration Advisory Committee, representing the Diaspora African Forum as a Migration expert. The 10 day event included a highly interactive investment, business, and dual citizenship forum; a visit to the Nekotech Center for Peace and Development in Ada; a tour of the slave dungeons. Highlight of the event was the naming ceremony in Ada Foah where the Volta River meets the Atlantic Ocean.

Photos courtesy of the Return of the Royals

720.509.1000

lonetreeartscenter.org Photo: Carol Rosegg

CROSS THAT RIVER:

From left: Toni-Ann Singh, Miss World; Zozibini Tunzi, Miss Universe; Cheslie Kryst, Miss USA; Kaliegh Garris, Miss Teen USA; and Nia Franklin, Miss America

A CONCERT ABOUT THE BLACK WEST SATURDAY, JANUARY 18, 2020 AT 8PM

Black Girl Magic!

Composed by Allan Harris | Book by Allan & Pat Harris | Directed by Regge Life “Mr. Harris flaunts his musical showmanship for the stage. “Cross That River” opens with a dissonant jazz instrumental that slowly builds to harmony and breaks open into electrifyyng solos.” —The New York Times

Black Women Hailed Worldwide for Their Natural Beauty

The unsettled West of the 1860s provides a new life and new dreams for Blue, a runaway slave, who escapes to Texas to become one of America’s first Black Cowboys. Featuring jazzman Allan Harris, this compelling musical tale of freedom integrates fiction with historical fact, and each song presents a different page in this complicated chapter of American History.

By Alfonzo Porter

The representation of the

African American in the United States has rarely gotten a fair shake. In fact, we might be hard pressed to find a negative connotation that hasn’t been attached to black people over these past centuries - and the psychological ravages has continued to play out even now in the 21st century; especially among Black women.

Often portrayed negatively in both media and our community alike, Black women have been viewed as somehow less attractive and desirable when compared to the so-called “Euro-centric” idea of beauty.

But 2019 has brought about a historic and dramatic reversal in the notion of the perception of beauty. And it has been a watershed year in the pageant world.

This year, Black women currently hold, or held, five of the biggest beauty pageant titles in the United States, and the world.

When Miss Jamaica, ToniAnn Singh, was crowned Miss World in London recently, she joined an impressive roster of black women who hold some of

2019-2020 SEASON SPONSOR

the world’s most prestigious pageant titles: Zozibini Tunzi as Miss Universe, Cheslie Kryst as Miss USA, Kaliegh Garris as Miss Teen USA, and Nia Franklin as Miss America. It is the first time that Black women have held all of these five titles at once.

These wins are especially significant because of the beauty pageant industry’s troubled history with race. For decades, women of color were banned from particiapating in some of the biggest pageants, including Miss American and Miss USA. For years, this left Black women on the outside looking in when it came to positive affirmations of beauty.

But the world has now been forced to take notice, at long last, of the remarkable beauty of Black women. Black girl magic, first popularized to celebrate the beauty, resilience and power of Black women in 2013, has taken the world by storm. No longer must young African American girls look to others for examples of what represents attractiveness; and can now begin to revel in their own magnificence..

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SHAUN BOOTHE PRESENTS THE UNAUTHORIZED BIOGRAPHY SERIES THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2020 AT 7PM Recording artist and TEDx and motivational speaker Shaun Boothe tells the inspiring life stories of cultural icons through hip hop, rhyme, and spoken word.

Boothe’s Biography Series is a celebration of greatness made not just to inform and entertain, but to inspire and awaken the greatness within us all. In this performance, Boothe will look at the lives of luminaries such as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Muhammad Ali, and Malala Yousafzai.

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Denver Urban Spectrum — www.denverurbanspectrum.com – January 2020

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African-American boys and men in America continue to kill themselves at an alarming rate.

Over the past several months the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has released several reports about the demographics of this national disgrace.

African-American men and boys continue to have a higher death rate in nine of the 10 leading causes of death than is seen in women. It is most unfortunate that the overall healthcare system is inherently non-male friendly, and, in some health care situations men tell us they do not feel welcome at all.

One consequence of this shocking and disturbing reality is the male suicide rate in America. Males are three to seven times more likely than females to commit suicide, which explains why suicide is the 6th leading cause of death for males.

According to the Health and Human Services Office of Minority Health, African Americans are 20 percent more likely to experience serious mental health problems than the general population.

African American youth, particularly young-men, who are exposed to violence are at a greater risk for PTSD by more than 25 percent. African Americans are also more likely to be exposed to factors that increase the risk for developing a mental health condition, such as discrimination, social isolation, homelessness and exposure to violence.

In the African American community, people often misunderstand what a mental health condition is and therefore the subject is uncommon.

This lack of understanding leads many to believe that a mental health condition is a personal weakness or a form of punishment and that impedes boys and men from talking about emotional issues let alone

African-American Boys and Men in America Are Killing Themselves and No One Seems To Care Op-Ed by Dr. Salvatore J. Giorgianni, Jr. PharmD. Senior Science Advisor, Men’s Health Network

seeking medical help.

A careful reading of the CDC data shows that the current rate of suicide for males is the overwhelming majority of all suicides. And the news gets worse. Recently, the CDC highlighted a significant increase in the number of suicides for teens and younger men. The incidence of suicide for Millennials increased almost 300 percent from the 1950s for the Baby Boomer generation.

Most male suicides occur in boys and men who have not been diagnosed as depressed or have a history of mental health issues. We believe, in part, this is because of a lack of cultural competence in mental health care, which results in misdiagnosis and inadequate treatment for those of color; AfricanAmerican men, like men in general, access health care far less frequently then do women; there are no clear guidelines on when and how to screen men; health care providers do not properly or regularly screen them for emotional-wellness.

The importance of the screening is underscored by the fact that this is something integral to Well Woman Visits, and for post-partum female care.

Earlier this year, Men’s Health Network (MHN) convened a meeting of 27 internationally recognized experts in health care and mental health to examine the failure to identify mental stress and depression in boys and men and propose a comprehensive call-to-action

that provides a blueprint for identifying and helping boys and men in trouble before it is too late.

This free report is found at www.MensHealthLibrary.com, Behavioral Aspects of Depression and Anxiety in the American Male.

While the reasons for this national tragedy are complex and still not certain one thing is certain, this is unacceptable in a society that values lives. Report after report, death after death, the situation becomes more and more tragic. There is a tragic and perplexing lack of acknowledgement of the magnitude of male suicide. All too many studies give top line results without underscoring the disparity in male suicide by homogenizing data. This would not be an acceptable practice in most any other type of medical reporting.

Men’s Health Network recommends that those charged with the health and social welfare of boys and men consider the following: 1) acknowledge the heterogeneity of boys and men and the unique needs of diverse populations; 2) develop culturally appropriate malefocused screening tools; 3) develop guidelines that recognize the need to regularly and routinely screen boys and men; 4) address the poor reimbursement for behavioral health clinical services and; 5) establish culturally and gender appropriate programs to identify, interrupt, triage, and manage mental health issues in AfricanAmerican boys and men for those in the community who

Denver Urban Spectrum — www.denverurbanspectrum.com – January 2020

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interact with boys and men.

In addition, we urge insurance companies and other payers to include adequately reimbursed Well-Man medical visits similar to the yearly Well Woman Visits required under the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare). The ACA, as passed by Congress, does not provide for Well Man Visits.

Men’s Health Network (MHN) is the oldest non-profit organization whose mission is to reach men, boys, and their families about comprehensive wellness and health matters.

MHN believes much more can and must be done by all stakeholders in both the public and private sector to address the root causes of suicide and prevent them. The humanitarian, emotional and financial cost to American society of continuing to treat the growing treads of male suicide as just another blended statistic in a long litany of health concerns is no longer acceptable.

We genuinely hope that this new data from the CDC will be the catalyst to bring the topic of men’s health onto the front burner in any discussions of healthcare, whether in Congress, among presidential hopefuls, or in the media. By doing so, we’ll not only save the lives of thousands of men and boys who are dying prematurely, but also improve the lives of the women and girls who love them. .

About Men’s Health Network (MHN): MHN is an international non-profit organization whose mission is to reach men, boys, and their families where they live, work, play, and pray with health awareness messages and tools, screening programs, educational materials, advocacy opportunities, and patient navigation. For information on MHN’s programs and activities, visit menshealthnetwork.org, on Twitter (@MensHlthNetwork), and on Facebook (facebook.com/menshealth network), or call 202-5436461.

Create New Healthy Habits This Year

By Kim Farmer

T

he holidays are a time of sharing and caring but also a lot of eating and relaxing for most of us. We might experience a little guilt or regret after eating all those yummy deserts and buttered rolls and it’s easy to fall off the bandwagon of a consistent fitness regimen. No worries! The start of a new year is the perfect time to make a resolution to GET in shape and STAY in shape the entire year and for many years to come.

Most of us have no problem starting a healthy lifestyle, but very few of us have the discipline or drive to make it a lifetime habit. Here are a few tips to help you do just that: Don’t Put It Off. Forget about how you may have failed in the past! It’s never too late for new beginnings so start again now.

Not next week or next month, start today! Begin with a small goal like drinking two extra glasses of water or taking a short walk and then build from there. Try not to skip a day of your new healthy habit, do something to remind yourself if needed like setting an alarm to remind you to drink more water that day.

Stay Motivated! At times, we all need a little help getting started or sticking with our exercise routines. Put some thought into what helps keep you motivated, whether it’s because you feel better, have more energy, want to lose weight, etc. and write it down. It is also very reasonable to enlist a friend to work out with you, or to hire a trainer to get you started or keep you going.

Consistency and accountability are two of the most important parts of sticking with an exercise or nutrition regimen and another person (or group of people) can be very beneficial and motivating. If you do choose to work with a personal trainer, make sure that the trainer is certified from a nationally recognized organization such as NASM, A.C.E or ACSM. Make it a Priority. Consider your schedule and what day and time works best for you to exercise and plan/prep your food. A lot of people have tremendous success with sticking to their exercise routines if they do it first thing in the morning.

For people with small children, this time is usually before the kids are awake which makes for precious, uninterrupted time for parents. You are more likely to stick with it if it your time for exercise is at the same time every day. Some people find Sundays a great day to plan their meals and snacks for the upcoming work week, making it easier to stick with healthier options.

Make it Fun. It is so easy to get stuck in a rut, doing the same thing every time you decide to exercise. Try to get creative and have fun doing the things you like to do. If you like running or walking, consider joining a walking or running club to make new friends that share a common interest. Perhaps swimming is your pleasure?

Find a local pool and dive in! It is important that you change your routine and add new activities to keep it fresh.

Make it Convenient. Does your apartment complex have a fitness center that you’ve never seen? Is your treadmill collecting dust or being used as a coat hanger? If so, it’s time to make a change and form a new habit!

There’s no excuse for not exercising regularly if it is convenient for you to do it. If necessary, join a gym nearby so that you can visit it on your way to or from work.

Make a Commitment. It is easier to stick with a commitment if the goal is written in a clear and

precise format. For example, “I will lose five pounds by the end of February” or “I will drop a dress size by March 1st.” With a combination of good nutrition habits and regular exercise, you can achieve consistent and healthy weight loss of 1-2 pounds per week. It usually takes about 3 weeks to form a habit, so start now!

It is necessary to exercise and make wise eating choices consistently in order to reap the benefits. If you need motivation to get started, a personal trainer or a gym membership is wise investments in your health.

Happy New Year and happy exercising!.

Editor’s note: Contributor Kim Farmer of Mile High Fitness & Wellness offers in-home personal training and corporate fitness solutions. For more information, visit www.milehighfitness.com or email thrive@milehighfitness.com

720-272-5844

Denver Urban Spectrum — www.denverurbanspectrum.com – January 2020

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HATS OFF TO...

Sen. Rhonda Fields and Rep. James Wilson Receive State Champion for Children Award Advocates from Across the State Gather for Colorado Summit Colorado State Senator Rhonda Fields (D-29) and State Representative James Wilson (R60) were recognized at the Save the Children Action Network (SCAN) Colorado State Advocacy Summit with SCAN’s Champion for Children Award.

In 2019 the Colorado State Legislature, along with Governor Jared Polis, made Colorado’s youngest learners a top priority when they implemented universal full-day kindergarten. Thanks to the bipartisan leadership of Senator Fields and Representative Wilson, approximately 14,000 children now have access to full-day kindergarten. Their legislation not only freed-up $77 million for local school districts, but it also allowed for an

additional 5,000 preschool slots to open in the state.

After receiving the award, Senator Fields underlined the importance of making children a priority, saying: “This year we supported hardworking families and made an incredible investment in the future of our state by ensuring that every child in Colorado had access to full-day kindergarten. I am honored to be recognized by SCAN for our hard work to make sure that every child in Colorado has a strong educational start and a fair shot at success.”

Representative Wilson reminded the audience that too often “we get tied up in R’s and D’s and that shouldn’t make a difference.” Reflecting upon his 40 years of experience as an educator, he discussed how 59 percent of third-grade students in the state cannot read at grade level. Therefore, he encouraged

STA RT YOU R

the audience to keep advocating for early learning so that all kids can arrive at school ready to learn.

During the summit, 40 advocates from across Colorado gathered to hear from local government and community education advisors and specialists to discuss how to prioritize children and to celebrate recent successes in the state. Governor Polis addressed the summit via video, where he shared his appreciation for SCAN’s commitment to children and thanked the advocates for being the political voice for kids.

Wanda James Inducted Into New MJBizDaily Hall Of Fame At the cannabis industry’s largest industry conference, Wanda James became one of two cannabis industry pioneers inducted into the new MJBizDaily Awards Hall of Fame. James, honored along

The Denver Preschool Program offers tools to help families find a quality preschool that best meets their needs and tuition support to help lower their child’s monthly enrollment costs.

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DENVERPRESCHOOL.COM Denver Urban Spectrum — www.denverurbanspectrum.com – January 2020

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HATS OFF TO...

with Steve D’Angelo, is recognized by industry media as “Both a social justice warrior and a savvy entrepreneur who has broken down barriers in ways that have helped other cannabis business owners expand and thrive.”

James and her husband Scott Durrah are the first African Americans legally licensed to own a dispensary, grow facility and edible company in the United States. She is the CEO of Simply Pure in Colorado and President of Cannabis Global Initiative, a consulting firm that specializes in social equity, regulatory framework and political outreach. She is a 1986 graduate of the University of Colorado – Boulder, where she majored in Arts & Sciences and Naval ROTC Military Science.

In an industry with less than 1 percent African-American plant-touching business owners, James’s efforts in fighting for social equity in every facet of the industry, as well as eliminating cannabis arrests, has continued to motivate and inspire stakeholders at every level of government and industry, from Governor Jared Polis to Sen. Kamala Harris, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand and Rep. Barbara Lee. “I would like to send my congratulations to my friend Wanda James for being inducted into the MJBizDaily Hall of Fame. Wanda is a Colorado shining star. A CU graduate, military vet, Obama appointee and my appointee to the Colorado Tourism Board

Directors, she has been a powerful a voice for people of color in business, in politics and most importantly to her, in social justice,” says Governor Jared Polis.

“Wanda has been a leader in her commitment to ending the drug war by being an unwavering voice to end mass incarceration, and an unapologetic advocate for social equity. As the first African American legally licensed to sell cannabis to sell cannabis in Colorado, we are proud to have her voice and her business, Simply Pure Dispensary, as part of the MileHigh Family.”

Both 2019 Hall of Fame honorees, James and D’Angelo, were inducted at the MJBizDaily Awards Gala for their excellence and impact on the marijuana industry.

About Simply Pure Dispensary: Simply Pure was established in 2009 as an edible company that specialized in organic, gluten free and vegan cannabis edibles. We seek to empower our patients and patrons with the most extensive product and cannabis knowledge available. This not only assists us in finding the perfect product for our customer’s needs, but how cannabis can improve your quality of life. Simply Pure offers only the most exceptional products, from premium cannabis flower, to world-renowned concentrates (including hash, CO2 oil, shatter, wax, and live resin), and an array of cannabis infused products.

first team, New England Football Writers’ Association All-New England First Team, and All-ECAC first team last season. He was also ranked third in the nation in interceptions/game last season. Before this season, Wesley appeared on ESPN’s famed Sports Center.

Project Greer Street is a ground-breaking educational enrichment program for African-American males. For more information regarding Project Greer Street, email projectgreerstreet@gmail.com.

Wesley Ogsbury Selected As Captain Of The Harvard Football Team

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An economics major and defensive back, Wesley was chosen as Captain after being selected to the All-Ivy League

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Denver Urban Spectrum — www.denverurbanspectrum.com – January 2020

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NEWSVIEWS

Minimum Wage Increase for Denver Workers Adopted City Council adopted an ordinance to raise Denver’s citywide minimum wage starting this Jan. 1. The ordinance, proposed by Mayor Michael B. Hancock and Councilwoman Robin Kniech (at-large), confronts wage inequity and cost of living affordability by raising the minimum wage for 90,000 Denverites who live and work in the city.

“While Denver’s economy has thrived over the past few years, our economy still does not work for everyone,” Mayor Hancock said. “This increase to Denver’s minimum wage will provide a little bit of relief for those who are struggling the most – families who must choose between putting food on the table and paying rent or buying medicine. This is a milestone moment for our city, and I want to thank Councilwoman Kniech for her partnership, the members of City Council, and everyone who provided feedback to help improve this measure. This is a proud moment for Denver.”

“I’m so grateful for the historic opportunity to work with Mayor Hancock, my Council colleagues, and our broader community to raise the minimum wage for the Denverites who work hard every day to sustain our city,” Councilwoman Kniech said Under the ordinance, Denver’s minimum wage will elevate to: $12.85 an hour on Jan. 1, 2020; $14.77 an hour on Jan. 1, 2021; $15.87 an hour on Jan. 1, 2022; and annual adjustments based on the Consumer Price Index each year thereafter.

CAAH Receives Census Outreach Grant The Center for African American Health (CAAH) is the recipient of a 2020 Census Outreach Grant from the Colorado Department of Local

Affair (DOLA). Purpose of the funding is to provide outreach, education and promotion for hard-to-count communities statewide to increase selfresponse and accuracy for Colorado’s 2020 Census population count. Those communities have been identified through the legislation as ethnic minorities; children under five years of age; people with disabilities; people with low incomes; immigrants; rural areas of Colorado; people in the state without sufficient access to internet; adults over 60 years of age; and people who are transient or homeless.

The mission of the CAAH is to improve the health and wellbeing of African Americans who have higher rates of illness, disability and premature death from diseases such as cancer, diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Established in 1997 and reenvisioned in 2005, the Center evolved from the health programming of the Metro Denver Black Church Initiative, which for more than a decade collaborated with Black churches to offer health programs throughout the African American community, as well as programs for at-risk youth, academically struggling students, and exoffenders. Since 2005, CAAH has provided prevention and disease management programs focusing on diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer, and wellness programs for seniors, health insurance literacy, and a variety of health education topics as well as referrals to community resources. By leveraging extensive community partnerships and relationships, the Center has provided evidence-based, grassroots health education, health promotion, disease prevention and disease management programs to thousands of individuals throughout metro-Denver.

Response to the 2020 Census is important because it helps

ensure that more than $675 billion in federal funds is directed to the right places to support education, roads, health care, firefighting, and more, each year. Many decisions about where and how to allocate funding are based on census data.

CAAH will launch a series of collaborative events, including “Be Counted Gatherings” at its new facility in Northeast Denver located at 3350 Hudson St. The goal is to utilize the grant resources to ensure that each and every member of the community gets counted. Event times and locations, and other related activities, will be posted on its website at www.caahealth.org after January 15 for more details.

Performing Arts Charter School Approved in Aurora The Colorado Charter School Institute (CSI) Board of Directors conditionally approved the new charter school application for Visions Performing Arts College-Prep (VPAC).

VPAC intends to open in Aurora in the fall of 2020 serving children in 6th grade and building out to serve grades 612. The public charter school will offer a performing arts model to the community – the first of its kind in Aurora – offering dance, theater, and visual arts majors in its first year and expanding to additional majors in future years based on student interest.

“As an Afro-Latina performer, we are creating the school I needed,” shares school founder and lead applicant, Auset Maryam Ali. “The mission is to create a loving, safe, culturally affirming environment for all student performers to thrive in. The arts provide many skills in students to become creative problem solvers and socially aware citizens that become passionate about changing and leading the world.”

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As executive director of the Colorado Charter School Institute, Dr. Terry Croy Lewis, says “The school’s mission and vision align with CSI’s mission of fostering school choices that meet the needs of the community. CSI specifically seeks to foster school options that work to close the opportunity gap. It is clear VPAC is committed to this as well.”

The CSI new school application review process includes a comprehensive analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of the written proposal, a capacity interview with the school’s proposed leadership, board, and founding team, a presentation the CSI Board’s Performance Management Committee, and a community meeting. The review team included members of CSI staff with expertise in finance, governance, academics, and operations as well as external reviewers.

“The school has strong community support, and it is clear the team has worked hard to refine and strengthen the proposal and team capacity,” shares Dr. Croy Lewis. Once the school fulfills contract conditions and a contract is executed between the school’s Board of Directors and the CSI Board of Directors, the school team will participate in the Year 0 process with CSI staff – a process developed to monitor and support new schools as they prepare for opening.

For more information on Visions Performing Arts CollegePrep and how to enroll, visit https://visionsperformingartscollegeprep.org/enrollment.

Jennifer Bacon Announces Candidacy for Co House of Representatives District 7 Montbello resident and Denver School Board Member, Jennifer Bacon, has announced her candidacy for Colorado House of Representatives District 7 in the Democratic primary in 2020.

NEWSVIEWS

Jennifer Bacon is an attorney, former educator and school administrator, parent advocate and Denver School Board member. She was elected to the School Board in 2017 to represent Denver Public Schools District 4 and is now vying to represent far northeast Denver families in the state legislature.

State House District 7 includes Montbello, Green Valley Ranch, Stapleton, and parts of the Park Hill neighborhood.

“As an African American woman, I recognized from an early age my duty to fight for the success of young people despite their zip code, skin color, or aspirations in life.

Because of this, I sought to educate in the classroom, build power with students and families as a community organizer, and partner with neighbors as a school board member. Now I am running to serve as your next State Representative.”

The Democratic primary will be held on Tuesday, June 30, 2020. For more information about Jennifer visit www.ElectJenniferBacon.com

COMMUNITY NOTES

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Interfaith Remembrance

Portia Prescott at (310) 497-0403 or email her at mlkremembrance2020@gmail.com.

Celebrating the Life, Legacy and Rev. Dream of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The Aurora Community of Faith, sponsored by the City of Aurora, announces the 2020 Colorado Remembers the Life, Legacy and Dream of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Interfaith Service will be held on Sunday, January 12 at the Heritage Christian Center (14401 E Exposition Ave. in Aurora). Event planners are expecting more than 1500 attendees when faith leaders within and state and city officials come together to celebrate what unites Denver communities in faith with this historic event.

The service will begin at 4 p.m. with the procession of clergy, religious and spiritual leaders, elected state and local officials, special guests and dignitaries followed by the sounding of the shofar, honor guard and invocations.

Attendees will witness numerous spiritual and faith leaders from various religious institutions as they lead in prayers and observances through music, drama and dance. A special selection by Cleo Parker Robinson’s Dance will celebrate diverse faith traditions, commemorating Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. For more information, call

Blair Taylor To Speak At City Year Denver’s Idealist Luncheon Community Honorees To Include AT&T, Mile High United Way And Allegra “Happy” Haynes

City Year Denver welcomes Blair Taylor as the keynote speaker for its annual Idealist Luncheon, an event to celebrate the power of businesses and communities working together.

Taylor brings more than 25 years of organizational leadership experience to his role as a Partner at Price Waterhouse Coopers, where he is part of the firm’s People & Organization Practice and focused on driving the Work Force of the Future platform for clients. His experience spans the private, public, and nonprofit sectors.

Taylor served as the Chief Executive Officer of My Brother’s Keeper Alliance (MBKA), a signature initiative launched by then President Obama. Prior to leading MBKA, Taylor was a member of the Starbucks Coffee Company’s senior leadership team, where he led the company’s corporate social responsibility, diversity & inclusion, community affairs and government affairs functions.

“Blair Taylor’s career is a testament to what corporations, non-profits and government initiatives can do when they work together to advance social jus-

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tice,” said Morris Price, Vice President and Executive Director of City Year Denver.

“We couldn’t think of a more perfect representative of City Year’s vision for public and private collaboration across Denver.”

The City Year Denver Idealist Luncheon celebrates local leaders that have made a significant impact on education and the community. This year’s Idealist Award honorees include AT&T, Mile High United Way, and Allegra “Happy” Haynes.

The Idealist Luncheon will take place on January 21 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at The Pinnacle Club by Grand Hyatt.

Tickets and table sponsorships are available.

For more information or to register, email Chelsea Tossing at ctossing@cityyear.org. For more information on City Year Denver, visit www.cityyear.org/denver.

Making transmissions well since 1983.

PA I D A D V E R T O R I A L

Soul 2 Soul Sisters:

Providing Helpful Tips to Healthy Living for Black Birthing Persons and Infants Editor’s note: Soul 2 Soul Sisters is a Black Womxn-led, fiercely faith-based, racial justice organization working toward Black healing and Black liberation. Founded in 2015, by Rev. Tawana Davis and Rev. Dr. Dawn Riley Duval, Soul 2 Soul Sisters is one of the few organizations in the nation that intersects Black Womxn’s healing & health, ending anti-Black racism, reparations, and voter engagement. For more information about Soul 2 Soul Sisters, visit www.soul2soulsisters.org.

Black Pregnancy Black Pregnancy & Black Lives Black Lives Ma Matter tter One of Soul 2 Soul Sisters main commitments is to celebrate Black pregnancy and Black lives. To help counter the alarming and much publicized national statistics relating to Black maternal and infant mortality, Soul 2 Soul Sisters works with Black Womxn-led organizations nationwide in broadly sharing practical ways to help Black birthing persons to have a healthy pregnancy, and post- delivery - ways for Black caregivers and their infant(s) to stay healthy. Additionally, we welcome pregnant families to connect with Soul 2 Soul Sisters Sacred Seeds: Black Doula Collective, who lovingly journeys with Black families during the sacred season of pregnancy and postpartum.

National Movement National Movement for Qualit for Qualityy Black Birthing C Birthing Care are Nationwide, Black community members, leaders, and grassroots organizations are working hard to ensure that the white dominated medical field provides 1) far more Black healthcare practitioners, 2) medical reparations to Black people after centuries of brutal and unethical medical praxis against Black people, 3) assistance with reducing causes of chronic stress - i.e. institutional racism, poverty, trauma and violence, 4) funding for AfroIndigenous healing and health support systems, and more toward creating a U.S. medical

system that is healthy and caring for all people. As we fight the good fight for quality birthing care, we are also taking steps to keep ourselves and our babies healthy.

Let’s Let Let’s ’s Stay Stay healthy!

To help Black birthing persons and infants stay healthy, please let’s heed and share the following: •Take a multi-vitamin with folic acid every day.

•Wait 18 months after having a baby before your next pregnancy.

•Please go to a doula, midwife, or doctor as soon as you think you are pregnant.

•Be sure to go to all of your appointments with your medical care provider.

•If it helps you to feel more

calm and comfortable at your appointments, encourage a loved one to accompany you, take notes, and ask any additional clarifying questions.

•Be sure that your medical care provider treats you for any health conditions that you have, i.e. high blood pressure, diabetes, thyroid problems.

•If you experience stress, please seek assistance from Black mental healthcare providers.

•If you smoke, drink alcohol or use drugs, please stop.

And ask your medical care provider about treatment programs.

•Stay active and try to eat nutritious meals by including fresh fruits and vegetables in your daily diet. If you need support with daily movement

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and nutritious eating, please ask loved ones to provide support.

•If you have had a premature birth previously, please ask your medical care provider whether progesterone/17P shots or low-dose aspirin are appropriate for you.

•Once your infant is born, please try to breastfeed your little one. Though it can be challenging, breastfeeding has many benefits for you and your infant.

If you encounter any difficulty breastfeeding, please ask your medical care provider for the contact information for Black lactation specialists.

•When you and your baby are sleeping, please do not sleep with your baby in a bed, couch, chair, etc. Place your baby in a separate space in the same room.

•Place your baby on a firm sleep surface - i.e. crib, bassinet - with a tightly fitted sheet.

Please remove from the sleeping space all soft objects like stuffed animals, pillows or blankets.

•Please place your baby on their back when they sleep.

•Avoid over-heating the space. A baby’s room should be between 68-72 degrees and please keep your baby’s head uncovered.

•Please do not smoke near your baby.

Soul 2 Soul Sisters stays in sustained prayer and offers Afro-Indigenous rituals for all Black birthing persons and infants to remain healthy and live long, abundant lives..

Editor’s note: For more information about Soul 2 Soul Sisters, visit www.soul2soulsisters.org.

Letters to the Editor Continued from page 3 recognizing that there were common issues that unite all those who feel disparity and oppression. People like FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover, did not like that. We lost MLK’s voice for the economically disadvantaged, and there has been no one to take his place. He knew, and we should all realize, that the economics of social classes is not to be ignored if we are to someday reach the place of inclusion that he spoke of in 1963 when he told us of his dream.

Well, I have a dream too and it is that we will all wake up from the trance we have been in and put on our best walking shoes as we walk to the National Mall jointly singing “We Shall Overcome” the educational disparity, the racial disparity, the economic disparity, and racism and classism that inhibit all of us who wish for a society that embraces everyone!

I would dream that it includes EVERONE, whether they have a big home or no home at all. I would dream that the worthiness comes from being human, not by any other metric.

I would dream that everyone could be taught to feel that they have enough SKIN – whether it is black, white, and red or shades in between – IN THE GAME to feel responsible, for themselves and others. Yes, I would dream that, thinking only about one’s self or one’s own family would be considered insufficient, if others are in need. Yes, I would dream, as the preacher Dr. Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. did, that we are all brother and sisters deserving of respect and love. And yes, I am going to DREAM those dreams and keep my walking shoes by my bed.

Sweet Dreans!

Mike Sawaya Denver, CO

Robo Cops Might Be The Ticket To Public Safety

ALL CAUSES HAVE ADVOCATES. BUT IN THE FIGHT AGAINST HIV ONLY A CHAMPION WILL DO.

Editor: Like me you probably thought public lynching was passe’ – like illegal – a dinosaur.

Apparently there are dinosaurs in police departments who survived the big kill off. These creatures are very aggressive and pose a danger to the Black community and to Black people in general wherever they might be in America.

This is why at a meeting I attended some time ago, where a police officer happened to be present, I trotted out the idea of creating “Robo Cops” to replace present day officers who have proved themselves to be seriously lacking in ethical and spiritual development when it comes to interacting with people of color – primarily people of African descent.

Robo Cops could be programmed to do the job of policing in a professional and unprejudiced manner. With a human cop you get what you get! You cannot program out racist homicidal behavior. Whenever the technology comes on line, our modern or present day officers should be replaced with these Robo Cops because modern policing is obsolete.

If we in Black communities cannot get such a measure passed, we need to at least be given the authority and funding to police our own communities with our own police force.

The officer I mentioned at the start of this letter was not keen on the idea of replacing traditional or contemporary cops with Robo Cops; but I can see the issue from a cop’s perspective. If I were a guilty cop, I would not be happy about losing the power to brutalize, shoot first and ask questions afterwards, and asphyxiate defenseless victims. I’m not concerned with the feelings of cops because… “Houston, we have a problem”!

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Antonius Aurora, CO Denver Urban Spectrum — www.denverurbanspectrum.com – January 2020

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REEL ACTION - WWW.BLACKFLIX.COM

Ground Rules Must See............llll It’s Worth A Look.....lll See At Your Own Risk.ll Don’t Bother.....................l

Editor’s note: Samantha OfolePrince is an award-winning writer and contributor to many national publications and is Blackflix.com’s Senior Critic-at-Large. Laurence Washington is the creator of BlackFlix.com. Like Blackflix.com on Facebook, follow Blackflix.com on Twitter

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker llll

By Jon Rutlege

T

Tune in to Denver 89.3FM, Breckenridge 89.7FM, Vail 88.5FM or download our app today and listen anytime, anywhere.

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hus ends the legacy of Star Wars, J.J. Abrams finally finishes the last trilogy. It couldn’t finish on a better note. As a fan, I can say that everything I wanted to see in this film is on the screen. It is worrisome that after it gets released, there is a collective holding of breath waiting to see if the fandom will succumb to the dark side and pull itself apart, or rise to the occasion and celebrate that this is the final time they will enjoy this story.

It was bittersweet seeing the opening scrawl as the movie started. I was brought back to my childhood, watching that opening for the first time, and realizing this could be the last time we see it. The three paragraphs quickly bring us up to date, and we start right in with the action. It doesn’t let up until the end credits. It is full of stuff to enjoy.

I genuinely love the relationship between the characters, and it’s their affection for each other that draws me into the

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film. The banter between Poe (Oscar Isaac) and Fin (John Boyega) is well-written dialog.

Ray’s (Daisy Ridley) struggle with self-identity touches my heart as a father and makes me hope she finds her way. Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) had a full storyline and stayed true to his character. I enjoyed seeing the original cast in Lando (Billy Dee Williams), Luke (Mark Hamill), Leia (Carrie Fisher) and others.

They made the franchise feel complete.

This film took the story to entirely unexpected places. I knew it was going to bring back old enemies, but I was unprepared for the scope of the story in this one film. You can bet that toxic fans will already dismiss this story as a corporate sellout and Disney ruined the franchise. But it would be hard to engage those viewers anyway. Abrams tells the story he wants to tell, and his strength as a storyteller shines here.

Some of the parts that didn’t resonate with me are the sheer

REEL ACTION - WWW.BLACKFLIX.COM magnitude of content packed into this film. It will take a few screenings to absorb all of it truly. I am, of course, going to see it again, maybe even three or four times. With so much happening, you feel like you are taking hyper jumps through the story. At times, it felt like this was rushing to get the final cool part in. The second time you watch it, you will be past that new story feeling and start looking at it with more understanding instead of being brought to one cool thing after another.

Seeing Carrie Fisher in this film brought sadness to her scenes. She was such a strong performer, and the character was perfect for her. I felt the same way when I watched the last cameo from Stand Lee. This film was a perfect end to her legacy.

Remember, the Force will be with you, always. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=14 EztMXh5vQ

Queen & Slim, a study of race, gender and inclusiveness in America

By Samantha Ofole-Prince It’s hard not to love Queen & Slim. The chemistry between British actors Daniel Kaluuya and Jodie TurnerSmith who gel so perfectly well together, the cinematography, the subject, score, story and deft direction by first time feature film director Melina Matsoukas, all brilliantly mesh together. A classic American road movie with a little comedy, a lot of drama and romance, it follows a Black couple who wind up on the wrong side of the law after getting pulled over for a minor traffic infraction.

Queen (Turner-Smith) is a criminal defense lawyer in Ohio who goes on a date with Slim (Kaluuya) a retail worker she meets online. Far from her type, he chews his meals rather noisi-

strives to encourage a discourse on race relations in America.

Everyone is flawed and the film is filled with layers. From the racist cop who pulls Slim over without reason, those who celebrate the cop’s death to the protagonists, this is one timely film which touches on self-defiance, racial discrimination, poverty, our view of heroes, black love and black resistance. And like the best road pictures, this one leaves you with an almost physical sense of having come on a very, very long emotional distance. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v =G6Th84oGDno ly, is too mild mannered and seems rather dull, but after a bad day at work she felt like some company, and he was available, or so she informs him during the date. On their way back after a meal at a local eatery, Slim is pulled over by a ruthless cop who decides to search his vehicle. When both complain, the cop enacts force, shooting Queen as she reaches for her cellphone. A struggle ensues and Slim, fearing for his life shoots the cop. Shocked and scared, Slim wants to turn himself in, but Queen talks him out it, and they flee to her uncle’s home in New Orleans to hatch a plan. With the incident captured on police video cam, the two unlikely fugitives become local heroes to the community, but with a $250,000 bounty on their heads, staying alive and a step ahead of the police becomes their biggest challenge.

Written by Lena Waithe and directed by Melina Matsoukas, the film executes a tricky balancing act: It depicts murderers who fall in love and humanizes them without romanticizing their actions. Both are protagonists who were undoubtedly meant to be antiheroes and the brilliance of this film is that it doesn’t seek to shove the perils of racial injustice, police brutal-

ity and systematic racism down the viewer’s throat, but simply tells a story aesthetically and leaves audiences to digest it.

“I wanted to tell a story about two very different Black people who are forced to be in a car together, who ultimately fall in love and around whom the outside world would create their own story and mythology.

The story really comes down to the heroes that we create for ourselves to give us hope,” says Waithe.

A study of race, gender and inclusiveness in America, Matsoukas tackles Waithe’s script with careful craftsmanship allowing it to fit finely into a long line of American films about outlaw couples on the run such as Arthur Penn’s Bonnie and Clyde and Terrence Malick’s Badlands. Though a tad unrealistic, but still thoughtprovoking, the film does have convincing and lovable characters and two terrific performances from Jamaican native Turner-Smith and Kaluuya who is becoming such a versatile actor and a solid support from Bokeem Woodbine who plays uncle Earl, an aging pimp and war veteran.

There’s so much more to Queen & Slim that can be dissected and discussed as it

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Six Questions for Film Festival Director Nia Malika-Dixon

By Samantha Ofole-Prince She’s the festival director for #BlackMuslimGirlFly Film Festival, which was founded in February 2018 to highlight films and projects created by Black Muslim Girls from all over the world. A writer, director, producer and founder of Audaz Entertainment, LLC, Nia Malika Dixon took time to speak with BlackFlix to discuss this year’s festival.

What sets #BlackMuslimGirlFly Film Festival apart from the various annual film festivals held each year?

Continued on paage 28

REEL ACTION - WWW.BLACKFLIX.COM Continued from page 27 The thing that sets us apart is the focus on Black Muslim women and their perspectives.

This narrative gets lost in the white-washed world of film and television, especially in the U.S. We are an international festival on purpose. American cinema and television centers a cis-hetero-white-male perspective and we as Black women, very rarely appear, let alone Black Muslim women. The Black female perspective is global, ironically enough due to the cis-hetero-white-male colonization of the world. We belong to a wide, Black Diaspora and #BMFF2019 centers those global voices of Black storytellers who are Muslim.

What hard lessons did you learn from organizing the first festival, what roadblocks did you face when you decided to start and did you have any unique challenges?

One of the hardest lessons I learned from last year’s inaugural festival is that bringing those Black Muslim female-centered voices to the forefront is going to be met with contention and confusion, and we have to have control of the narrative in a confident and powerful way that educates and connects people.

It’s a struggle, even from behind the scenes. The white male gaze keeps popping up as the default, and the different kinds of stories being made are still held to that standard.

Making our own space is a challenge, especially when it comes to getting funding and support. I’ve been forced to fit our festival into the “mainstream” context, with that white male perspective being the default lens in order for people to see the value in promoting our inclusive stories. Because I’m doing something never done before, there’s skepticism and doubt, even though there

INVITE YOU AND A GUEST TO A SPECIAL ADVANCE SCREENING OF

MONDAY, JANUARY 6 VISIT

WWW.WBTICKETS.COM/ URBANMERCY FOR A CHANCE TO DOWNLOAD A PASS FOR TWO ONE PASS PER PERSON. EACH ADMITS TWO. WHILE SUPPLIES LAST.

RATED PG-13 FOR THEMATIC CONTENT INCLUDING SOME RACIAL EPITHETS Please note: Passes are limited and will be distributed on a first come, first served basis while supplies last. No phone calls, please.

Limit one pass per person. Each pass admits two. Seating is not guaranteed. Arrive early.

Theater is not responsible for overbooking. This screening will be monitored for unauthorized recording. By attending, you agree not to bring any audio or video recording device into the theater (audio recording devices for credentialed press excepted) and consent to a physical search of your belongings and person. Any attempted use of recording devices will result in immediate removal from the theater, forfeiture, and may subject you to criminal and civil liability. Please allow additional time for heightened security.

You can assist us by leaving all nonessential bags at home or in your vehicle.

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are statistics to back up the need for stories like the ones selected for our festival. So, I’ve fully invested my life savings into this endeavor, funding it on my own. My goal is to have more support in the coming years, from ally brands that connect with and see the importance of bringing these diverse stories to becoming “mainstream.”

Have you made any changes this year?

This year we streamlined the schedule and added an awards ceremony to not only recognize the winning films, but to also honor a person in the industry currently working to shift the focus of power and support to women of color and other marginalized groups. This year we present the first annual Harmon-Dixon Trailblazer award to Cheryl L. Bedford for founding Women of Color Unite and the JTCList. We also moved to a larger venue, the Regency West in Leimert Park, owned by Anthony and Vanessa Bell Calloway. They were very supportive, and granted us a discount as we are a volunteer run festival.

With five short films, experimental projects, and webisodes to be showcased, is there one you are particularly excited about?

One film that stood out is a story of a little Black girl in the city learning how to run a street vending business with her father. The character stood out because she held her own in a male dominated arena and she also learns a valuable lesson in empathy. Another that stood out is a short film about empathy, the festival’s theme this year, that showed how a young woman found the courage to step out of her circle of popular friends to stand up for a girl wearing a scarf who was being made fun of. All of the films this year strike a chord and will leave an impact on the audiences.

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What do you envision for the future of this film festival?

I envision the festival growing into more than just a platform to showcase talent, but also for developing talent and helping to distribute that talent.

We currently host a writer’s group, including people outside of California, and a network on the Mighty Networks platform to bring us all together to further push the boundaries of “mainstream” media and entertainment. We want to deconstruct “mainstream,” and redefine it to include all the intersectional underdogs in the forefront. We want to successfully continue to challenge the status quo, and reach a worldwide audience with these fresh stories, and their filmmakers.

The idea behind #BlackMuslimGirlFly Film Festival is to garner more exposure for projects created by Black Muslim Girls. Do you have any success stories from the previous festival you can share?

Last year’s festival, our first, is a success by just existing.

We’ve changed the conversation, and we’re controlling the narrative. Each of the winners last year received mentorship, and access to people in the industry they may not have had the opportunity to meet. Our ambassador last year, Thembisa Mshaka also gifted each winner with her book, Put Your Dreams First: Handle Your [Entertainment] Business. And, thousands of people around the world have access to see their films. We’d like to do more to expand mentorship for up and coming filmmakers, and connect them with more resources to create more films inclusive of women of color, Muslims, Black women, to the global market.

We’d like to partner with established studios, companies that serve filmmakers, and other businesses that can help further their success and reach large audiences around the world..

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