Challenge News Magazine March-April 2020 Edition by Harold Bailey

Continued from page 4.

United States: Any fair-minded black haven served in the United States Army can attest to the fact that one of the greatest acts of racism is on the front-line—The Infantry! When an recruit cannot meet the U.S. entry standards required… he/she then believe they have dodged the army, however there is no such thing! The infantry will take you and requires only that you are able to carry and discharge the given weapon. Little book knowledge is required to kill in battle. If the number of blacks in the U.S. infantry was proportionally low in World War II than it was in Vietnam then the reason would lie with Jim Crow. At the time the U.S. Military was segregated and the racist attitudes that prevailed at the time resulted in blacks being kept in support positions. African Americans Gain Fame as World War II Red Ball Express Drivers Now if someone came up with stats showing that the number of black combat units especially infantry was proportional to the number of blacks in the general populationthen it would simply be your impression as there are very few movies about black infantrymen in world war II. As for Hispanics, the U.S. military considered them to be white.

Success in any branch of the Military depends on a good education. A high school diploma is most desirable.

Observe: JANUARY 2, 2020 – A new military entrance exam is now being given to Army recruits to predict performance, behaviors, attitude, and attrition of potential Soldiers. The pilot program is designed to see how the Army can get best-fit recruits, even in jobs that require slightly higher standardized test scores than the applicant achieved. The more things change the more they stay the same—for African Americans!

Justice Pincham

With the cold season you will inevitably be exposed to a coworker who shouldn’t be at work (their cough or runny nose will tell you so). But how sick is too sick?

your doctor check it out. Pink eye (conjunctivitis) is highly contagious, and you will give it to your co -workers for sure. You touch a keyboard, they touch a keyboard. Pink eye for everyone.

If you have the symptoms on this list, you are not

Wheezing and shortness of breath. If you have acute onset of respiratory illness with a productive/junky cough and shortness of breath, stay home. Bladder infections or urinary tract infections. I see many folks who toughed it out and went to work with painful, burning, and frequent urination and even hematuria (peeing blood). If you have new, severe urinary symptoms, leave work and see your doctor. These symptoms can worsen quickly, and early antibiotic treatment is key.

Vertigo. Many people try to drive into work with an acute episode of vertigo (room-spinning dizzigoing to perform your best AND you may transmit ness) either from a viral illness or benign positiondisease. Stay home from work . . . and maybe see al vertigo. Don’t drive, stay home. your doctor. Keep in mind, though, this list doesn’t •By Sharon Orrange, MD, MPH• include chronic or episodic ailments such as seasonal allergies, asthma, headaches, deDr. Orrange is an Associate Professor of Clinical pression, back pain, arthritis, and gastrointes- Medicine in the Division of Geriatric, Hospitalist tinal disorders—that’s a different story. and General Internal Medicine at the Keck School Fever. Anyone with a fever needs to stay home. Period. Diarrhea. Unless this is a chronic issue you face, anyone with an acute onset of diarrhea needs to STAY HOME. Viral gastroenteritis is exceptionally contagious. Vomiting. Again, any viral gastroenteritis that causes vomiting is highly contagious. Think of cruise ship outbreaks of norovirus that sicken 400 people. Stay home if you are vomiting. Acute onset of respiratory symptoms. One study found that almost half of healthcare workers with the flu were afebrile (no fever) before they were diagnosed. Because so many with the flu have no fever in the beginning, follow this rule: If you have acute onset of headache, runny nose, or cough, you should stay or go home.

Pink eye. If you have goopy discharge from your eye, do not go to work or school until you’ve had

For instance, depression tends to be twice as likely among people who smoke than those who do not, but it is not yet clear which causes which. Some researchers, however, believe that smoking may lead to depression, not vice versa. What is more, other studies have found that people who had never smoked generally have a better health-related quality of life (HRQoL), as well as less anxiety and depression.

Overall, the study found that having a higher BDI score was associated with smoking. Furthermore, the students who smoked were two to three times more likely to have clinical depression than those who had never smoked. At the University of Pristina, 14% of those who smoked had depression, whereas only 4% of their

of Medicine of USC. study suggests that it can, after finding a link between smoking cigarettes and depression. Most of us are familiar with the physical health effects of smoking, but can the habit also affect our mental and emotional well-being? A new study suggests that it can, after finding a link between smoking cigarettes and depression. Share on Pinterest A new study examines the link between mental health and smoking among students. The new study now appears in the journal PLOS ONE. Prof. Hagai Levine — from the Hebrew Universi-

non-smoking peers had the condition. Among those who smoked at the University of Belgrade, 19% had depression, compared with 11% of those who did not smoke. Those who smoked also consistently had more depressive symptoms and poorer mental health, as reflected in the "vitality" and "social functioning" parameters. "These findings highlight the need for further research on the interaction between smoking, mental health, and quality of life, with implications for prevention, diagnosis, and treatment," conclude the study authors. Prof. Levine adds, "Our study adds to the growing body of evidence that smoking and depression are closely linked."

Body aches. If you have body aches like you’ve been hit by a truck, feel weak, and want to lie down and close your eyes out of nowhere…go home. This sounds like a viral syndrome and could be influenza. Again, half of workers with confirmed influenza had no fever, and you are likely contagious at this point. The “set-back.” You went back to work while sick and felt worse the following day. This means you pushed it and went back too early. Listen to your body, stay home.

In it, Prof. Levine and colleagues explain that there are clues in existing research that point to smoking as a predisposing factor to depression.

"While it may be too early to say that smoking causes depression, tobacco does appear to have an adverse effect on our mental health." He goes on to warn against the perils of smoking, and he encourages policymakers to help prevent these dangers. ty-Hadassah Braun School of Public Health and "I urge universities to advocate for their students' Community Medicine in Jerusalem, Israel — is the health by creating 'Smoke-Free Campuses' that senior and corresponding author of the study not only ban smoking on campus but tobacco. paper. advertising, too."

The cliché is that Americans have a short memory, but recently a number of us have been arguing over medieval religious wars and whether they have any lessons for today’s violence in the Middle East. For those still unaware, this debate comes after President Obama’s comments at an annual National Prayer Breakfast, where— after condemning Islamic radical group ISIS as a “death cult”—he offered a moderating thought. “Lest we get on our high horse and think this is unique to some other place, remember that during the Crusades and the Inquisition, people committed terrible deeds in the name of Christ. In our home country, slavery and Jim Crow all too often was justified in the name of Christ … So this is not unique to one group or one religion. There is a tendency in us, a sinful tendency that can pervert and distort our faith.”

For his victims, “Judge Lynch”—journalist Ida B. Wells’ name for the lynch mob—was capricious, merciless, and barbaric. C.J. Miller, falsely accused of killing two teenaged white sisters in western Kentucky, was “dragged through the streets to a crude platform of old barrel staves and other kindling,” writes historian Philip Dray in At the Hands

It’s a straightforward point—“no faith has a particular monopoly on religious arrogance”—that’s become a partisan flashpoint, as conservatives harangue the president for “equating” crusading Christians to Islamic radicals, accuse him of anti-Christian beliefs, and wonder why he would mention a centuries-old conflict, even if it has some analoof Persons Unknown: The Lynching of Black gies to the present day. America. His assailants hanged him from a What we have missed in the argument over telephone pole, and while “the first fall broke his neck … the body was repeatedly raised the Crusades, however, is Obama’s mention of slavery and Jim Crow. At the Atlantic, Ta- and lowered while the crowd peppered it with small-arms fire.” For two hours his Nehisi Coates puts his focus on religious justifications for American bondage, and it’s corpse hung above the street, during which he was photographed and mutilated by onworth doing the same for its post-bellum successor. And since we’re thinking in terms lookers. Finally, he was cut down and burned. of religious violence, our eyes should turn toward the most brutal spectacle of Jim Crow’s reign, the lynching. For most of the century between the two Reconstructions, the bulk of the white South condoned and sanctioned terrorist violence against black Americans. In a new report, the Alabama-based Equal Justice Initiative documents nearly 4,000 lynching's of black people in 12 Southern states—Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia— between 1877 and 1950, which the group notes is “at least 700 more lynchings in these states than previously reported.”

More savage was the lynching of Mary Turner and her unborn child, killed for protesting her husband’s murder. “Before a crowd that included women and children,” writes Dray, “Mary was stripped, hung upside down by the ankles, soaked with gasoline, and roasted to death. In the midst of this torment, a white man opened her swollen belly with a hunting knife and her infant fell to the ground, gave a cry, and was stomped to death.” These lynching's weren’t just vigilante punishments or, as the Equal Justice Initiative notes, “celebratory acts of racial control and domination.” They were ritu-

als. And specifically, they were rituals of Southern evangelicalism and its thendogma of purity, literalism, and white supremacy. “Christianity was the primary lens through which most southerners conceptualized and made sense of suffering and death of any sort,” writes historian Amy Louise Wood in Lynching and Spectacle: Witnessing Racial Violence in America, 1890–1940. “It would be inconceivable that they could inflict pain and torment on the bodies of black men without imagining that violence as a religious act, laden with Christian symbolism and significance.” The God of the white South demanded purity—embodied by the white woman. White southerners would build the barrier with segregation. But when it was breached, lynching was the way they would mend the fence and affirm their freedom from the moral contamination, represented by blacks and black men in particular. (Although, not limited to them. Leo Frank, lynched in 1915, was Jewish.) The perceived breach was frequently sexual, defined by the myth of the black rapist, a “demon” and “beast” who set out to defile the Christian purity of white womanhood. In his narrative of the lynching of Henry Smith— killed for the alleged rape and murder of 3year-old Myrtle Vance—writer P.L. James recounted how the energy of an entire city and country was turned toward the apprehension of the demon who had devastated a home and polluted an innocent life.” James wasn’t alone. Many other defenders of lynching understood their acts as a Christian duty, consecrated as God’s will against racial transgression. “After Smith’s lynching,” Wood notes, “another defender wrote, ‘It was nothing but the vengeance of an outraged God, meted out to him, through the instrumentality of the people that caused the cremation.’ ” As UNC–Chapel Hill Professor Emeritus Donald G. Mathews writes in the Journal of Southern Religion, “Religion permeated communal lynching because the act occurred within the context of a sacred order designed to sustain holiness.” The “sacred order” was white supremacy and the “holiness” was white virtue. I should emphasize that blacks of the era understood lynching as rooted in the Christian practice of Continue on page 15.

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Continue from page 14.

and social control, and the province of private citizens, public officials, and powerful white southerners. “It is exceedingly doubtful lawmakers. Sen. Ben Tillman of South Caroif lynching could possibly exist under any lina defended lynching on the floor of the other religion than Christianity,” wrote U.S. Senate, and President Woodrow WilNAACP leader Walter White in 1929, “No son applauded a film that celebrated Judge person who is familiar with the Bible-beating, Lynch and his disciples. acrobatic, fanatical preachers of hell-fire in the South, and who has seen the orgies of Which is all to say that President Obama emotion created by them, can doubt for a was right. The vastly different environments moment that dangerous passions are reof pre–civil rights America and the modernleased which contribute to emotional instaday Middle East belies the substantive simibility and play a part in lynching.” And while larities between the fairly recent religious some church leaders condemned the pracviolence of our white supremacist forebears tice as contrary to the Gospel of Christ— and that of our contemporary enemies. And “Religion and lynching; Christianity and the present divide between moderate Mus-

crushing, burning and blessing, savagery lims and their fanatical opponents has an and national sanity cannot go together in this analogue in our past divide between northcountry,” declared one 1904 editorial— ern Christianity and its southern counterpart. the overwhelming consent of the white South confirmed White’s view. The only Southern Christianity united in its opposition to lynching was that of black Americans, who tried to recontextualize the onslaught as a kind of crucifixion and its victims as martyrs, flipping the script and making blacks the true inheritors of Christian salvation and redemption. It’s that last point which should highlight how none of this was intrinsic to Christianity: It was a question of power, and of the need of the powerful to sanctify their actions.

This isn’t relativism as much as it’s a cleareyed view of our common vulnerability, of the truth that the seeds of violence and autocracy can sprout anywhere, and of the fact that our present position on the moral high ground isn’t evidence of some intrinsic superiority. Rerun:

Still, we can’t deny that lynching—in all of its grotesque brutality—was an act of religious significance justified by the Christianity of the day. It was also political: an act of terror

apper and entrepreneur Jay-Z has reportedly made a $3 million investment in Promise, a startup company that helps state and local governments track parolees with GPS technology - and a lot of people, even some of his fans, are not happy about it. The Promise is a start-up company that aims to help decarcerate the incarcerated - mostly for non-violent or misdemeanor offenses - who can't afford bail. Earlier this year, the company raised about $3 million with the help of Jay-Z's Roc Nation, 8VC, and Kapor Capital. Jay-Z, who has been open about his stand in criminal justice reform, said the injustices in the system is increasingly alarming. "Money, time and lives are wasted with the current policies," he wrote in a statement. "It's time for an innovative and progressive technology that offers sustainable solutions to tough problems. Promise's team, led by co-founder and CEO Phaedra Ellis-Lamkins, is building an app that can help provide 'liberty and justice for all' to millions." However, Sandra Rose reveals that Promise doesn't actually use their funds to bail detainees out of jail. Instead, Promise sells smartphone apps to government agencies that they could use in replacement of ankle monitoring devices to track parolees who are discharged from jail under the First Step Act. The report described it an "incarceration alternative" that ensures parolees appear in court or take a urine drug test. Phaedra Ellis-Lamkins, co-founder of the company, recently replied to someone on Twitter who accused the company of producing ankle monitoring bracelets and profiting from it. She claimed that they "do not make, provide or sell electronic monitoring." But she did state that the government is paying their company to track parolees who wear ankle monitoring devices and provide progress reports. This, she says, is a better alternative than having the county spend money to incarcerate parolees that can't afford bail.

partment listings.

Think about it! Before you watch a movie on Netflix or Hulu, you want to first see the reviews. Before you make a purchase on Amazon, you also want to first see the reviews. Shouldn't it also be that way when searching for a rental property? During an interview with TheGrio.com, Ofo comments, "Our goal at Whose Your Landlord is to inform renters on better practices when it comes to finding their housing. We are creating a platform that through transparency, access to information, through reviews based on commission of property, safety, respect we are able to gauge who are doing a good job in the market and who is doing a poor job. You name and shame those folks and highlight who they are too." Common issues that renters face with their landlords include discrimination, theft, unaddressed plumbing issues, sewage problems, bed bugs, rodents, illegal evictions, and more. So how does it make money? As mentioned earlier, the service is free. But it will still be a major revenue generator through paid partnerships. For example, companies like Allstate, Roadway Moving, DOZE Beds, etc. want to advertise to their audience. Also, landlords and property managers will eventually have to pay market rate subscription rates to list their properties on the web site. Another source of revenue will be through their revenue share partnership with TransUnion that allows renters can request their credit report, background check, and eviction history. The innovative company is already proving itself to be a success. They already have thousands of reviews on their web site, more than 500,000 listings, and the service has already been featured on BET, ABC News, CBS News, and in Newsweek. BlackNews.com

He or She who has an ear to hear—please hear what the Lord says through the Scriptures to the believer. As in Biblical days, as hardship besieged the people, God sent warnings to the leaders for their acts of disobedience to His will. Because of their giving a deaf-ear, God would send plagues that would be detrimental to many.

coronavirus (2019-nCoV), which can be fatal. The organization named the disease it causes COVID-19. The outbreak quickly moved from China around the world. It spreads the same way other coronaviruses do: through person-to -person contact. Symptoms can show up anywhere from 2 to 14 days after exposure. Early on, they're a lot like the common cold. You might notice: Infections range from mild to serious. The virus can turn deadly if it leads to pneumonia, respiratory failure, or septic shock. Those most at risk of death are the elderly and people with weakened immune systems. What Is a Coronavirus? Coronaviruses were first identified in the 1960s, but we don't know where they come from. They get their name from their crown-like shape. Sometimes, but not often, a coronavirus can infect both animals and humans. Most coronaviruses spread the same way other cold-causing viruses do: through infected people coughing and sneezing, by touching an infected person's hands or face, or by touching things such as doorknobs that infected people have touched.

Moses told Pharaoh, “at about midnight; the Lord will pass throughout Egypt. Every firstborn son in Egypt will die, and all the firstborn of the cattle as well. But there will be silence among the Israelites: not even a dog will bark. Then you’ll know that the Lord makes a distinction between Egypt and Israel” (Ex 11:1-8).

Almost everyone gets a coronavirus infection at least once in their life, most likely as a young child. In the United States, coronaviruses are more common in the fall and winter, but anyone can come down with a coronavirus infection at any time.

Biblical History: Moses then instructed the Israelites to prepare for the tenth plague. Each family was to take a healthy one-year-old Past severe coronavirus outbreaks include: male sheep or goat; slaughter it; take its blood and put blood on the sides and tops of the houses’ doorframes; roast and eat the meat; Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS): About 858 people no one could leave his house until morning (Ex 12:1-27). have died from MERS, which first appeared in Saudi Arabia and then in other countries in the Middle East, Africa, Asia, and Europe. The Israelites did exactly what the Lord had commanded Moses In April 2014, the first American was hospitalized for MERS in Indiand Aaron. At midnight God struck down every firstborn in Egypt, ana and another case was reported in Florida. Both had just refrom the firstborn of Pharaoh, who sat on the throne, right down to turned from Saudi Arabia. In May 2015, there was an outbreak of the firstborn of the prisoner locked up in the dungeon. There wasn’t MERS in Korea, which was the largest outbreak outside of the Araan Egyptian house without someone dead! (Ex 12:28-30). bian Peninsula. The question being, is the world experiencing the hardships of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome ( SARS ): In 2003, 774 peoyesterday because of disobedience to God? Is this happening overple died from an outbreak. As of 2015, there were no further reports again today, with the plague (Coronavirus) that has taken over the of cases of SARS. world where our brilliant scientist has no answers...? Can we say that we have honestly obeyed the will of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ? And, have we put the blood over the doorpost of our homes in obedience to God? And, are we covered by the blood of Jesus and resting under the anointing of our Savior? America and other world-leaders best fall to their knees and repent for the sins against the Nation and its people of God. By Rev. Dr. Harold E. Bailey, president, Probation Challenge, Inc.

A coronavirus is a kind of common virus that causes an infection in your nose, sinuses, or upper throat. Most coronaviruses aren't dangerous. But In early 2020, after a December 2019 outbreak in China, the World Health Organization (WHO) identified a new type, 2019 novel

•By Chinta Strausberg With the application deadline to attend the PUSH Excel Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) tour fast approaching, Kalana Cale, Youth Director of that project, Saturday helped several students to digitally complete their forms so they can be among those chosen for the annual trip that could result in receiving a scholarship.

able to have a plan ABC in life.” The next mandatory workshops are Saturday, “The Blueprint” & “”First ImpressionsEtiquette,” Saturday, March 14th, “Swimming in the Corporate Mainstream,”— “The Real College Selection process,” and Saturday, March 28th, “Stay Ready So You Don’t Have To Get Ready.”

“We are also arming them with soft skills which are tools they need that are neither technical nor academic but rather people social skills along with lessons in etiquette so they can not only communicate well but to do so respectfully and professionally,” Cale said. The purpose of PUSH Excel, which is headed by Rev. Janette Wilson, is to education PUSH Excel, Cale and involves youth in different areas of explained, inspires STEM, sports, and civic engagement. students to strive for academic excellence in spite of personal, family and community challenges they may face. PUSH Excel fights for equity in funding and allocation for educational resources so that each child receives a fair and quality education.

Rev. Janette Wilson who is also a lawyer heads PUSH Excel. It is a tax-exempt organization founded in 1975 by Rev. and Mrs. Jesse L. Jackson, Sr., whose motto, “I Am Somebody,” was adopted in schools across America. Other founders include the late Lucille Loman and a number of nationally recognized educators including Dr. Mary Frances Berry, Dr. Elma Mardis, Dr. John Hope Franklin, Dr. Frank Hale, Dr. Camille Cosby and Dr. Alvin Poussaint. “We are an arm of the Rainbow PUSH Coalition that provide students with the necessary tools to excel in life and for them to be active responsible students,” said Cale.

The mission of PUSH Excel is to promote educational excellence through the engagement of stakeholders in eduThose chosen for the HBCU tour, which will cation and to work be held from April 4-11th, will be going to the collaboratively to University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, Dillard create opportunities, University, Xavier University, Grambling transform the lives State University, Rust College, Southern University and A&M College and the Alcorn of students and improve communities by supporting educational policies that guaranState University. tee equal funding for all students. And, to introduce them to the business world, the students will also visit the Nissan PUSH Excel calls for equity in these areas without regard to race or economic standing Assembly Plant in Canton, Mississippi, the while challenging parents, students and Medgar and Myrlie Evers Home National Monument, the William J. Clinton Presiden- teachers in pursuing high quality education and striving for educational excellence at tial Library and Museum and the National every level. PUSH Excel forges partnerships Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, TN. with community-based and public sector Cale, who continues to hold workshops to stakeholders in education. prepare the students for the tour and for the A mother of one, Cale graduated from Howcollege experience, said, “The workshops ard University with a Bachelor’s degree in will give them a blueprint for success and International Business Marketing and mithe ability to brand themselves and to be

nored in Spanish, has a Masters Degree in Jurisprudence and is completing her masters in social justice ministry at the Loyola University Institute for Pastoral studies. Cale is a member of the Fellowship MBC, where she is the youth Minister leader. She also serves on the board of directors for Cousins Empowered Optimists, a parent board member of the Marwen Art Institute and Dream Hustle Code organization. The deadline for applying for the upcoming PUSH Excel HBCU tour is Thursday, February 20th. The next mandatory workshop is Saturday, February 22nd from 12 noon to 3 p.m. at the Rainbow PUSH Coalition headquarters, 930 E. 50th St., Chicago, IL. To download your HBCU tour application, go to www.pushexcel.org/HBCU-tourapplication or email Cale at mcale@rainbowpush.org. There is a $35 workshop fee, which is a down payment for the tour. That fee includes a student membership providing that the applicant fulfills the other tour requirements. Attendance to the workshops is mandatory; however, satellite course options are offered via Zoom Meeting. That link is https:// us04web.zoom.us/j/5067377913 and make up sessions will be available upon special requests.

Deep red

Iconic filmmaker thanks grandmother for success composer, Spike Lee’s advice to parents is to not kill their children’s dreams.

•By Chinta Strausberg

He urged parents to not encourage or insist their children get a job just to get a check every two weeks, but rather to allow them to folCalling movie producer Spike Lee the Dr. King of the film industry, low their dreams because as the years go by he warned there may Father Michael L. Pfleger Sunday presented him with the Saint Sabina Drum Major for Justice Award because he has been a “drum be bad feelings in a child who would always wonder what if he or she had followed their dreams. major for justice” and though successful never lost touch with the community. Father Pfleger made an altar call asking the youth to come and Father Pfleger also presented Spike Lee with a Jordan Jersey Number 40 he referred to as 40 acres then called the youth to the altar where they shook Spike Lee’s hand.

shake Spike Lee’s hand, but before he did he had a message for the students and that was to surround themselves with “positivity, peace and love” and to distance themselves from negativity.

Spike Lee, who has been to Saint Sabina a number of times even helping Father Pfleger pass out Thanksgiving turkeys and who once lived on Chicago’s South Side, focused his remarks on his love for women specifically his mother and grandmother, Zimmie Shelton, a 1929 graduate of Spelman College and retired school teacher, whom he said was an art teacher though her mother was a slave.

Father Pfleger praised Spike Lee who though he is successful never forgot his roots and his love for the community. He praised the iconic filmmaker for being an “uncompromising, unapologetically black filmmaker” who has made a difference in this world with his movies. Spike Lee, who was born Shelton Jackson Lee on March 20, 1957 in Atlanta, Georgia, is the son of Bill Lee, a jazz composer. He was raised in a middle class Brooklyn community.

Spike Lee’s mother, Jacqueline Carroll, an arts and black literature teacher, died when he was a sophomore at Morehouse College, a historically black college in Atlanta, Georgia where his father and grandfather attended.

Father Pfleger listed some of Spike Lee’s films including “When the Levees Broke,” “Jungle Fever,” “The Original Kings of Comedy,” “She’s Gotta Have It,” which was his first film and one he not only wrote, produced, directed, edited but also played a keysupporting role.

His mother never lived to see how he achieved success, but if it had not been for his grandmother, he said, “I wouldn’t be where I am today.” But, Spike Lee had a message for parents…”don’t kill your child’s dreams.” He thanked his parents and grandmother for not killing his dream of becoming a filmmaker. He knew the power is behind the camera, and he set out to show the world his “God-given talents” and set out to pursue a film career.

His movie’s budget was $175,000, and it received outstanding reviews. Father Pfleger said Spike Lee shot that movie in two weeks and when it was released it grossed $7 million. Spike Lee’s other movies were: “He Got Game,” “Malcolm X,” “4 Little Girls,” “25th Hour,” “School Daze,” and “da Sweet Blood of Jesus.”

Saying he didn’t mean to disrespect men, Spike Lee especially thanked his grandmother for the sacrifices she made to educate her grandchildren beginning with him, the first one born.

Spike Lee has received Academy awards for his creative films in 2016 and 2019 and an Honorary Oscar in 2016.

An art teacher for 50 years, Spike Lee said his grandmother saved her Social Security checks and with the compounded interests she was able to put him through Morehouse where he majored in communications. It was there he directed his first Super 8 films.

He married his wife attorney Tonya Lewis, in 1992 and they have one daughter, Satchel and a son, Jackson. They too were present at Saint Sabina. Photos by Chinta Strausberg.

In 1978, his grandmother, who lived to be 100 years old, also put him through the New York University’s graduate school where he earned his master’s degree. It was there he gained national attention with his master’s thesis, “Joe’s Bed-Stuy Barbershop: We Cut Heads.” He believed barbershops were second only in importance to the church in the black community. The film earned him the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ Student Award. Today, Spike Lee is a tenured professor at that institution. The son of William James Edward Lee, III, a jazz musician and

Bowa Construction, a Black-owned construction firm based in Chicago, has been selected as the primary contractor to construct a new police department facility with more training and office space inside Chicago's O'Hare International Airport. The company is the first minority-owned contractor in the state of Illinois to be awarded such a contract in the state's most populated city.

renamed it to Fusion Studios. Fusion Studios, the 17th building of its kind that CCH has established, now serves as a shelter for homeless people who are struggling to survive the city's urban camping ban that is still being implemented despite the unconstitutional ruling of a county judge. "The project was really born out of desperation," said Parvensky during an interview with Colorado Springs Gazette. "We were scratching our heads trying to figure out how we can shorten the time period so that the people who are on the streets tonight have a place to call their home as quickly as possible."

Nosa Ehimwenman, who is the founder and CEO of Bowa Construction, says he is grateful for the huge opportunity which is part of an ongoing $8.5 billion expansion project at the airport. The new facility includes a new roll call room, locker rooms with showers, a modern gym, interview rooms, and dedicated space for the airport’s bomb squad, SWAT teams, and K-9 units. It also features fiber optic internet lines that allow officers to easily complete online certification courses to improve their training.

Homeless people from the city are welcome at Fusion Studios, where the monthly rent payment is just 30 percent of Ehimwenman, whose parents are Nigerian, says that he has always their income or disability benefits -- typically just $100 a month. been inspired by his father who used to work as a taxi driver at the They have access to a room that is equipped with a private bathvery same airport to make ends meet. "My father always told me: room and kitchen with basic amenities such as a bed, a table and Be disciplined, work hard, and good things will happen," he shares. chairs, a cabinet, a television, a mini-refrigerator, a microwave, and a food pantry. He continues, "This project represents a long journey, as I mentioned," said Ehimwenman. "It represents, again, equity, inclusion, First Ever Black-Owned Bank — The Founder Was diversity, and change. This city has 77 neighborhoods, 2.7 million Once a Slave! people, and it’s the first time that a prime contractor that looks like me has completed a project at the airport as a prime." The history of The Savings Bank of the Grand Fountain United Order of True Reformers tells a Bowa Construction has also spearheaded several other major pro- fascinating story about the jects at the same airport including the construction of the airport's struggles and triumphs of Rev. largest Starbucks restaurant in Terminal 2 (near Gate C1), the com- William Washington Browne, plete demolition and renovation of an existing Starbucks in Termainal 2 (near gate E11), and a new Wicker Park Sushi restaurant a former Georgia slave who founded the first ever Blackand bar located in Terminal 1. His company also took the lead on owned bank in America. carpentry and electrical upgrades to facilitate airport static display Founded in 1888, the bank improvements. opened with deposits on the first day of more than $1,269. Investors Buy Old Hotel and Convert It into 139

Mini-Apartments for the Homeless.

From slave to bank owner

The Colorado Coalition for the Homeless (CCH), a non-profit organization in Denver, recently decided to make an investment and purchase an $8.4 million former hotel in hopes to help alleviate homelessness in the area. The newly-renovated building, now called Fusion Studios, has since become a building with 139 mini-apartments for the homeless.

Reverend William Washington Browne established the bank to serve the financial interests of Black depositors. He wanted a bank that would serve to protect the finances of Black clients to ensure their finances could not be monitored by whites.

The name of the bank came from the Grand Fountain United Order Since 1985, CCH has been working to provide housing and support of True Reformers, a Black fraternal organization established by Browne in 1849. Racial tension remained high after the Civil War, to the continuously increasing number of homeless people in the so Browne established the first Black-owned bank in Richmond, United States. In Denver alone, there are at least 5,755 homeless Virginia, which initially operated out of his home. Two years later, people. the bank moved to its location several blocks away at 604-608 When John Parvensky, President and CEO of the organizaNorth Second Street. tion, learned that Quality Inn and Suites, a local hotel on the major road was up for sale, he grabbed the opportunity to turn it into a The bank thrived despite the economic depression—The bank did homeless shelter. Using funds from the city, state, and private orvery well. ganizations, CCH purchased the hotel, renovated the property, and

Parchman is Mississippi’s oldest prison. of hundreds of people inside Parchman Pris- pher attempted to capture images of It is plagued with a history of convict leasing, on. That’s why we’re demanding Mississip- #BlackLivesMatter protesters at an event in pi’s Governor and elected officials take the Virginia. following steps immediately: Though at least one outlet reported the stuMoving all of the incarcerated men to a more dents were kicked out based on a request humane facility and ensuring that all men by the Trump campaign, the campaign dehave access to food, clean water, suitable nies that was the case. sleeping conditions, and adequate health "There is absolutely zero truth to that," says care; campaign spokeswoman Hope Hicks. Conducting a full and independent investigaOne Secret Service agent oversaw the stution into the murders of five incarcerated dents' removal, but agents did not actively men, including any officers or prison personparticipate in escorting them out. nel who may have been involved. "If a group at an event protests, it does not Beginning a formal process to reduce incarabusive guards, and inhumane conditions. become an issue with the United States Over the last 40 years, several whistleblow- ceration in Mississippi and shut down Parch- Secret Service unless our protectee is man Prison for good. ers, including incarcerated people, have threatened," said Kevin Dye, a spokesman sounded the alarm about the harmful condifor Secret Service. He said it's not uncomtions -- visible mold taking over the buildmon for Secret Service agents to monitor ings, undrinkable water, and scraps served these situations, but they do not actively as meals. And conditions continue to get participate in removing protesters. even worse. Five people in five days were Another Secret Service agent told CNN the murdered in their cells. protesters were "asked to leave by the host Parchman is a maximum-security prison that committee and local law enforcement." has been under lockdown for well over a "We do not escort protestors (or) disruptors week. Dozens of pictures and videos have out of events," the agent, speaking on backbeen shared from inside the prison bringing ground, said. "(It's) not a Secret Service to light the horrific conditions: people being function and (campaign) staff knows that." stabbed to death, dead and bloodied bodies filling cells, pipes leaking water and flooding cells, molded walls caving in on themselves, and up to six people sleeping side by side in a cell with nothing more than a sheet to cover their bodies. None of this happened by accident or overnight, this is the reality of our mass incarceration crisis in America. And in spite of all the cries for help, the Mississippi Department of Corrections and Governor Philip Bryant have failed to address the documented inhumane conditions inside the prison and continue to overlook the numerous claims that prison guards gave the assailants access to people’s locked cells. This situation is an embarrassment to the State of Mississippi, and it is further proof that the state is incapable of managing its massive prison system. It’s been over 40 years since allegations of abuse, violence and civil rights violations in the prison made national headlines, and little has changed for the men incarcerated there. Parchman prison is a humanitarian crisis.

Time magazine photographer Chris Morris told CNN that at a rally earlier in the day a Secret Service agent began choking him as he tried to exit the media pen. A large group of black students attending a Donald Trump rally at Valdosta State University were recently escorted out by law enforcement before the event started. "We didn't plan to do anything," Tahjila Davis, a 19-year-old mass media major, told The Des Moines Register. "They said, 'This is Trump's property; it's a private event.' But I paid my tuition to be here." News reports placed the number of students escorted out at about 30.

Kicking out anticipated protestors isn't an uncommon practice for Trump events, but this was one of the largest groups so far in his campaign. It occurred hours after No one deserves to live in squalor, or in fear a Secret Service that their lives may be taken in the middle of agent chokethe night. It is past time for Mississippi’s slammed a Time elected officials to respond to the suffering magazine photogra-

A video of the incident shot by an attendee at the rally and later posted on social media shows the agent putting two hands on the photographer's neck and slamming him to the ground. A Secret Service spokesman said the agency is "aware of an incident involving an employee" and will provide further details of the incident after they gather the facts.

Black men are 19.1 percent more likely to serve longer sentences. In the early 70’s the Rev. Harold E. Bailey sought to expose data proving that blacks were sentenced more harshly than white… this at the time fell to death ears.

- By Erica Y. King African-American men serve longer sentences than white men for the same crime, a new study by the U.S Sentencing Commission shows. The commission's analysis of demographic prison data from 2012 to 2016 found that black men serve sentences that are on average 19.1 percent longer than those for white men for similar crimes. The racial disparity in sentencing can't be accounted for by whether an offender has a history of violence, according to the study by the commission, an independent bipartisan agency that is part of the U.S. federal judiciary branch.

data cited by the organization.

decrease in Hispanic prisoners. Instead, the number of white prisoners fell while The gap between the number of blacks the number of Hispanic inmates inand whites in prison is shrinking. creased slightly. At the end of 2017, Blacks have long outnumbered whites in there were 100,000 more white inmates U.S. prisons. But a significant decline in than Hispanic inmates (436,500 vs. the number of black prisoners has 336,500), down from an inmate differsteadily narrowed the gap over the past ence of 169,400 in 2007 (499,800 white decade, according to new data from the inmates vs. 330,400 Hispanic inmates). Bureau of Justice Statistics. Overall, there were 1,439,808 senAt the end of 2017, federal and state tenced prisoners in the U.S. at the end prisons in the United States held about of 2017, or about 6% fewer than the 1,532,851 at the end of 2007. Apart from blacks, whites and Hispanics, these totals include inmates from other races and those from mixed racial and ethnic backgrounds. The figures only count people in federal and state correctional facilities, including those held in privately run prisons that contract with the government; they exclude most inmates held in locally run jails.

"Violence in an offender’s criminal history does not appear to contribute to the sentence imposed" except as it may factor into a score under sentencing guidelines, the study said. When accounting for violence in an offender's past, black men received sentences that were on average 20.4 percent longer than that of white men, according to the commission's analysis of fiscal year 2016 data, the only year for which such data is available. The new study updates an earlier commission report in 2012, known as the Booker report, that came after a Supreme Court decision in 2005, United States vs. Booker, which permitted judges to enhance an offender’s sentence based on “facts” determined by their own judgment. Before then, federal judges were only allowed to sentence an offender based on guidelines provided by the sentencing commission

475,900 inmates who were black and 436,500 who were white – a difference of 39,400, according to BJS. Ten years earlier, there were 592,900 black and 499,800 white prisoners – a difference of 93,100. (This analysis counts only inmates sentenced to more than a year.) The decline in the black-white gap between 2007 and 2017 was driven by a 20% decrease in the number of black inmates, which outpaced a 13% de-

According to the non-profit organization, The Sentencing Project, the U.S. is the world's leader in incarceration, with 2.2 million people in prison as of 2015, a 500 percent increase over the last 40 years. The Sentencing Project also found that black men are nearly six times as likely as white men to be incarcerated, and Hispanic men are 2.3 times as likely. For black men in their 30s, one in every 10 is in prison or jail on any given day, according to 2015

crease in the number of white inmates. The gap between white and Hispanic imprisonment also narrowed between 2007 and 2017, but not because of a

The racial and ethnic makeup of U.S. prisons continues to look substantially different from the demographics of the country as a whole. In 2017, blacks represented 12% of the U.S. adult population but 33% of the sentenced prison population. Whites accounted for 64% of adults but 30% of prisoners. And while Hispanics represented 16% of the adult population, they accounted for 23% of inmates. Another way of considering racial and ethnic differences in the nation’s prison population is by looking at the imprisonment rate, which tallies the number of prisoners per 100,000 people. In 2017, there were 1,549 black prisoners for every 100,000 black adults – nearly six times the imprisonment rate for whites (272 per 100,000) and nearly double the rate for Hispanics (823 per 100,000). For all three of these groups, imprisonment rates have declined substantially since 2007. The rate has declined 31% among blacks, 14% among whites and 25% among Hispanics. Experts have offered a range of explanations for the pronounced drop in the black imprisonment rate. Note: The above article is an update of a post originally published on Jan. 12, 2018.

By Gabrielle Sorto A new book is uncovering the salacious details behind President Trump's affairs and how men in Trump's circle used hush money to cover them up.

make you pregnant." At one point, McDougal did have a pregnancy scare. Ultimately, McDougal ended the affair because she said she felt guilty, according to a 2018 CNN interview.

"I needed a couple of days to gather my thoughts; after 26 years with this company, I earned the right ... [Strahan's departure] started a much greater conversation about communication, and consideration, and most importantly respect in the workplace."

Michael Strahan is clearing the air about his In January of last year, Strahan told Time rumored to be estranged relationship with that he hadn't" spoken to [Ripa] in a long Kelly Ripa -- and he's not holding anything time." Joe Palazzolo back. Strahan seemed to allude to the rough hanand Michael In a juicy new interview with the New York dling of his exit to the New York Times by Rothfeld’s "The Fixers: The BottomFeeders, Crooked Lawyers, Gossipmongers Times, Strahan alluded to his former gig on simply saying "It could have been handled better." And Porn Stars Who Created The 45th Pres- Live! with Kelly and Michael by saying that he's had jobs where he arrived and thought ident" uncovers the people who helped pro"Wow, I didn’t know I was supposed to be a "People who should have handled it better pel Trump to becoming the president. sidekick. I thought I was coming here to be a have all apologized, but a lot of the damage had already been done. For me, it was like: The reporters share a 2019 Pulitzer Prize for partner." Move on. Success is the best thing. Just their reporting in The Wall Street Journal on keep on moving ... I tried to ... have a meetthe hush-money payments to porn star ing every few weeks with [Ripa]. We met a Stormy Daniels and former Playboy model few times, and that was fine. But then evenKaren McDougal, to prevent them from gotually she said she didn’t need to meet. Can’t ing public about their affairs with Presiforce somebody to do something they don’t dent Trump. The book unveils the details want to: behind Trump's affairs with the women. "The Fixers" also focuses on the president's relationships with men who covered these affairs up, such as Michael Cohen, National Enquirer publisher David Pecker and Rudy Guliani, who is now at the center of the Ukraine scandal that led to the president's impeachment. One revelation in the book revolves around the president's relationship with McDougal. The former Playboy model allegedly slept with Trump in first lady Melania Trump's bedroom during their roughly 10-month affair, People reported. The relationship unfolded over 2006 and 2007, just over a year after Trump married Melania in January 2005. "McDougal spent time in New York at the Trump Tower residence while Melania and Barron were away," Palazzolo and Rothfeld write. "He showed McDougal a closet with Melania’s clothes and shoes. McDougal was surprised at how small the kitchen was in the otherwise palatial penthouse. They had sex in Melania Trump‘s separate bedroom." Palazzolo and Rothfeld reported that the president allegedly offered McDougal $4,000 after they had sex the first time. McDougal was offended and told him, "I’m not that kind of girl. I slept with you because I really like you."

Strahan officially left the Live Show on May 13, 2016.

When asked to clarify whether or not he was talking about Ripa and Live! he said "It was an experience" before elaborating on his departure: " ... I remained the same person I was from day one. One thing I will not do is alter my attitude for somebody else’s. I learned so much from Kelly, so much from [producer] Michael Gelman. When it was time to go, it was time to go. Certain things that were going on behind the scenes just caught up." Strahan worked as Ripa's co-host on the hit talk show from 2012 to early 2016, during which he won two Daytime Emmy Awards. The former NFL star announced he would be leaving the show on April 19, 2016 for a fulltime gig at Good Morning America where he had been appearing as a regular contributor. Ripa took an unexpected week off following Strahan's announcement which fueled rumors that she was less-than-thrilled about the decision, which was only verified by the monologue she gave the Live! audience upon her return:

Trump allegedly told McDougal, "I so want to

All these with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers. And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.” In that day you will ask nothing of me. Truly, truly, I say to you, whatever you ask of the Father in my name, he will give it to you. Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.

made for all people,

forces of evil in the heavenly places.

And Jesus answered them, “Have faith in God. Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.

Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, ...

Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.

“Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!” you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness is a shield and buckler. You will not fear the terror of the night, nor the arrow that flies by day, ...

Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.

Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. A Song of Ascents. I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade on your right hand. ...

They shall be like mighty men in battle, trampling the foe in the mud of the streets; they shall fight because the Lord is with them, and they shall put to shame the riders on horses. “I will strengthen the house of Judah, and I will save the house of Joseph. I will bring them back because I have compassion on them, and they shall be as though I had not rejected them, for I am the Lord their God and I will answer them. Then Ephraim shall become like a mighty warrior, and their hearts shall be glad as with wine. Their children shall see it and be glad; their hearts shall rejoice in the Lord. “I will whistle for them and gather them in, for I have redeemed them, and they shall be as many as they were before. Though I scattered them among the nations, yet in far countries they shall remember me, and with their children they shall live and return. ... Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known.

Praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.”

Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in But when you pray, go into your room prayer, believe that you have received it, and and shut the door and pray to your Father it will be yours. who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. Matthew 6:6 For we do not wrestle against flesh and

blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be this present darkness, against the spiritual

Oh Lord, in the morning you hear my voice; in the morning I prepare a sacrifice for you and watch.

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You may not be driving to work anymore, but car ownership can still be expensive. According to AAA, the average cost to own and operate a new vehicle annually is $8,469. Maintenance and repair on older vehicles can also add up. For many people, not owning a car isn’t an option. However, you can save costs in other ways, such as shopping for a lower insurance rate, or carpooling with other people. You might also consider moving to an area that has public transportation or a high walkability score so you don’t need a car to get to the places you need to go. 3.Take advantage of senior discounts. One of the perks of being an older adult are senior discounts. All you have to do is ask businesses if they offer them. You can also look on a company’s website to see if they advertise any discounts. Look into retailers, restaurants, grocery stores, gyms, utility providers, auto services, hair salons, transportation and travel services, and low-cost cable TV providers that may offer discounts for seniors. 4. Ask about Veterans discounts. If a business doesn’t offer senior discounts, and you’re a veteran, find out if they offer veterans discounts. Those same retailers, grocery stores, and restaurants that don’t offer a senior discount may offer a percentage off of your purchase or sometimes even a freebie by showing a valid military ID. 5. Join a discount club.

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By: Mildred Europa Taylor What many remember Solomon Lightfoot Michaux for was his captivating sermons, his powerful radio ministry, as well as, his activist ministry that assisted the poor and homeless.

publicity and status in the ministry to publicly “scandalize King as a communist and defend the Bureau against King’s criticisms.” Martin, from the Washington University in

Born in Buckroe Beach, Virginia into a devout family of Baptists in 1884, the black evangelist with light skin and straight hair, grew up in Newport News, Virginia where he spent his childhood in local public schools while helping his family’s seafood business.

and then Michaux would, of course, scrub that intelligence and present it in some of his broadcasts or sermons. In all, what he does is he colludes with the F.B.I. to preach sermons that discredit Martin Luther King and also even engage in a protest of Martin Luther King that was cleared by the F.B.I,” the article added. Influenced by the FBI, Michaux would preach against the famous March on Washington for jobs and freedom and would criticize King’s religious commitments. He further said that King’s dream would be realized by ensuring the Christian conversion of individuals in America rather than by protesting and marching.

Having received the call to preach, Michaux began his Church of God ministry in 1917 and would become famous for a radio show, “The Radio Church of God,” in 1929. Within two decades, he became the nation’s first minister (black or white) to have his own weekly television show.

When King questioned the FBI and how committed it is to racial justice and equality, Michaux came to the latter’s defense. In an open letter released to media organizations, Michaux praised the FBI, saying that it was working to “ensure the morality of the nation.”

He got a large media following while stressing that the only salvation for the immoral and wicked practices of western religion was the Church of God. His sermons condemned liquor, slot machines, prostitutes, dancing, jazz music, and the theory of evolution, and his services to the poor were highly praised, writes BlackPast.

That was not all; in 1965, Michaux, with the help of the FBI, organized about 100 of his congregation and protested in Baltimore against King, with signs such as “Communist termites are inside” and “God save America.” King had then ended his Selma march and was in Baltimore with the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, making summer plans.

But what many did not know was that Michaux colluded with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to shape public opinion against civil rights leader, Rev. Dr Martin Luther King Jr. and cast doubt upon King’s religious commitments and activities.

“Elder” Michaux, as he was later called, would pass away on October 20, 1969, in Washington, two months after suffering a This was contained in a paper, written by stroke. Prof. Lerone A. Martin and published online St. Louis, uncovered this while working on a in June 2018 in the Religion and American book on religious broadcasters. He said he His relationship with the FBI, according to obtained 230 pages of FBI files on Michaux Martin’s paper, “offers a window into the Culture journal. and realized that Hoover would send the overlooked religious dimensions of the According to Martin, the African-American preacher memos full of praise, but there FBI’s opposition to King, even as it highevangelist worked with J. Edgar Hoover’s was more to it. lights how black clergy articulated and folFBI to publicly “discredit” King. Born in 1929, King, an American Baptist minister was the most visible spokesperson and leader in the civil rights movement from 1954 through to 1968. King had, in the year in which he died, expressed worry over the slow pace of civil rights in America and the rise in criticism from other African-American leaders. He had embarked on a series of demonstrations and gone through jail, apart from being threatened with death.

lowed competing ideologies of black “He [Michaux] was what the F.B.I. at the time called a special correspondent, which meant that he was someone the F.B.I. reached out to and had very cordial relationships with, and very cooperative relationships with for the majority of his broadcasting career. That included, of course, his cooperation with the F.B.I. to discredit Martin Luther King,” an article in The New York Times in April 2018 said.

It was already known that Michaux was a critic of King, but what until recently was hidden was the fact that Michaux used his

“…So for example, the F.B.I. would pass along some information to him on King about, perhaps, King being a communist,

CHICAGO (AP) — Rod Blagojevich returned home to Chicago early Wednesday, shaking hands and signing autographs after President Donald Trump cut short the 14year prison sentence handed to the former Illinois governor for political corruption.

disappearing into the house, where he and his family planned a “homecoming press conference” later Wednesday. Blagojevich was famously fastidious about his dark hair as governor, but it went all white because hair dyes are banned in prison.

Blagojevich landed at O’Hare airport hours after walking out of a Colorado prison where Some in Illinois, including the current goverhe served eight years, promising to work for nor, said Tuesday that setting Blagojevich judicial and criminal justice reform while free was a mistake. maintaining his innocence. Trump “has abused his pardon power in “I didn’t do the things they said I did and inexplicable ways to reward his friends and they lied on me,” Blagojevich, a one-time condone corruption, and I deeply believe contestant on Trump’s reality TV show this pardon sends the wrong message at the “Celebrity Apprentice,” told WGN-TV as he wrong time,” Gov. J.B. Pritzker said in a walked through the airport greeting travelers written statement. who welcomed him home. Many Republicans agreed. Blagojevich, 63, hails from a state with a long history of pay-to-play schemes. He was “In a state where corrupt, machine-style convicted in 2011 of crimes that included politics is still all too common, it’s important seeking to sell an appointment to Barack that those found guilty serve their prison Obama’s old Senate seat and trying to sentence in its entirety,” said the chairman shake down a children’s hospital. of the Illinois GOP, Tim Schneider. Trump, who announced clemency for 11 people on Tuesday, called Blagojevich’s punishment excessive.

Trump made clear that he saw similarities between efforts to investigate his own conduct and those who took down Blagojevich.

“That was a tremendously powerful, ridiculous sentence in my opinion and in the opinion of many others,” Trump told reporters in Washington.

“It was a prosecution by the same people — Comey, Fitzpatrick, the same group,” Trump said. He was referring to Patrick Fitzgerald, the former U.S. attorney who prosecuted Blagojevich and now represents former FBI Blagojevich told WGN-TV he learned of his Director James Comey, whom Trump fired commutation when other inmates told him from the agency in May 2017. Comey was they saw it on the news, insisting he “had no not at the FBI or anywhere in the Departinkling it was coming.” ment of Justice during the investigation and Trump had said repeatedly in recent years indictment of Blagojevich. that he was considering taking executive The Illinois House in January 2009 voted action in Blagojevich’s case, only to back 114-1 to impeach Blagojevich, and the state away from the idea. Senate voted unanimously to remove him, “I’m profoundly grateful to President Trump making him the first Illinois governor in histoand it’s a profound and everlasting gratiry to be removed by lawmakers. He entered tude,” Blagojevich told WGN. “He didn’t prison in March 2012. have to do this, he’s a Republican president Blagojevich’s wife, Patti, went on a media and I was a Democratic governor.” blitz in 2018 to encourage Trump to step in, Blagojevich was rushed by media and sup- praising the president and likening the inporters as he exited the airport in Chicago vestigation of her husband to special proseearly Wednesday, signing a few autographs cutor Robert Mueller’s probe into Russian before getting into a white SUV and speed- meddling in the 2016 election — a probe ing out of the airport toward his home in Trump long characterized as a “witch hunt.” Chicago’s Ravenswood neighborhood. Blagojevich’s conviction was notable, even There he was rushed through a crowd of in a state where four of the last 10 goverjournalists and supporters to his front door. nors have gone to prison for corruption. The silver-haired former governor stopped Judge James Zagel — who sentenced briefly on his porch and said he was happy Blagojevich to the longest prison term yet for to be home with his wife and children before an Illinois politician — said when a governor

“goes bad, the fabric of Illinois is torn and disfigured.” After his Dec. 9, 2008, arrest while still governor, Blagojevich became known for his foul-mouthed rants on wiretaps. On the most notorious recording, he gushed about profiting by naming someone to the seat Obama vacated to become president: “I’ve got this thing and it’s f—— golden. And I’m just not giving it up for f—— nothing.” Prosecutors have balked at the notion long promoted by Blagojevich that he engaged in common political horse-trading and was a victim of an overzealous U.S. attorney. After Blagojevich’s arrest, Fitzgerald said the governor had gone on “a political corruption crime spree” that would make Abraham Lincoln turn over in his grave. A joint statement from Fitzgerald and the lead prosecutors at Blagojevich’s trial, none of whom work in the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Chicago anymore, stopped short of criticizing Trump’s decision. But they highlighted the convictions, including for trying to shake down the children’s hospital, saying, “Mr. Blagojevich remains a felon.” Mueller — a subject of Trump’s derision — was FBI director during the investigation into Blagojevich. Trump expressed some sympathy for Blagojevich when he appeared on “Celebrity Apprentice” in 2010, before his first corruption trial started. When Trump “fired” Blagojevich as a contestant, he praised him for how he was fighting his criminal case, telling him, “You have a hell of a lot of guts.” Blagojevich’s first trial ended with the jury unable to reach a verdict, except for a single conviction, for lying to the FBI. At his second trial in 2011, Blagojevich testified, describing himself as a flawed dreamer grounded in his parents’ working-class values. He sought to humanize himself to counteract the seemingly greedy governor heard on wiretap recordings played in court. He said the hours of FBI recordings were the ramblings of a politician who liked to think out loud. He was convicted on 18 counts. The 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago in 2015 tossed out five of the convictions, including ones in which he offered to appoint someone to a high-paying job in the Senate.

Democrats already have lined up possible charges if they choose to pursue impeachment 2.0. Still pending is a wide-open probe launched by Rep. Adam B. Schiff, California Democrat. Mr. Schiff has been investigating President Trump, his family and businesses, the Trump Organization, over the congressman’s suspicions of blackmail, money laundering and bribery. Republican staffers say the inquiry was put on hold last fall pending the Ukraine impeachment proceedings led by Mr. Schiff. But there is no sign Mr. Schiff has given up trying to prove Mr. Trump is corrupt, and if the president is impeached again, the charges would likely come from this probe, informed sources said. Mr. Trump alludes to new impeachment push “So we will probably have to do it again, because these people have gone stone-cold crazy, but I have beaten him all my life and I will beat him again if I have to,” Mr. Trump said at a post-Senate acquittal celebration at the White House. “But what they are doing is very unfair.” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, California Democrat, said that the Trump investigations will go on.

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WIAT) — A proposed bill in the Alabama Legislature would require all men in the state to get a vasectomy within one month of their 50th birthday or the birth of their third biological child, whichever comes first. The bill, HB-238, was proposed by Rep. Rolanda Hollis. The proposal also states the procedure will be done at the man’s own expense. The bill simply states that “under existing law, there are no restrictions on the reproductive rights of men.” Hollis said on Twitter that the measure would “neutralize” the state’s abortion restrictions. The bill is currently in committee. If it is passed, the bill would go into effect the third month since its approval.

Lawyer Michael Avenatti has been found guilty on all counts of trying to extort up to $25 million from Nike.

Meanwhile, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler of New York said after Wednesday’s Senate acquittal that it’s “likely” The verdict was confirmed by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Manhatthe Ukraine probe will go on. His committee also has been investi- tan, which brought the case. gating any Trump-Russia election conspiracy. Avenatti faces a statutory maximum of 20 years in prison. A judge set sentencing for June. The jury's decision in U.S. District Court in Manhattan came Friday after a three-week trial for the California lawyer who gained fame representing porn star Stormy Daniels in lawsuits against President Donald Trump. Jurors began deliberating Wednesday. “Today a unanimous jury found Michael Avenatti guilty of misusing his client’s information in an effort to extort tens of millions of dollars from the athletic apparel company Nike," U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Berman said in a statement. "While the defendant may have tried to hide behind legal terms and a suit and tie, the jury clearly saw the defendant’s scheme for what it was — an old-fashioned shakedown.” Avenatti glared at the jurors as the verdict was being announced, but didn't say anything. Afterward, he shook hands with his lawyers and told them, “great job." One of his lawyers, Scott Srebnick, declined to comment but said he would appeal the conviction. Avenatti was arrested in March after he and an uncharged conspirator threatened to hold a news conference to ruin Nike’s reputation and crater its stock price unless it agreed to pay him and his client millions of dollars, the court papers said. The next day, the FBI captured him on a recorded call hurling expletives as he pressured Nike reps to pay up, court papers said. “I’m not f---ing around with this, and I’m not continuing to play games,” Avenatti told Nike reps, according to court papers. “You guys know enough now to know you’ve got a serious problem. And it’s worth more in exposure to me to just blow the lid on this thing. A few million dollars doesn’t move the needle for me.”

9 •by Barbara Stepko, AARP• An airplane offers the perfect petri dish for germs to thrive: close quarters, frequent passenger turnaround and recirculated air. And certain areas — the ones we're most likely to touch, as it happens — are especially icky: According to a study by the folks at Travelmath, who collected bacteria samples on flights at five different airports, the “hot spots” inside the cabin include the tray table — that was the worst offender, worse than bathrooms — overhead vent, bathroom flush button and lock, and seatbelt buckle. The seat pocket is another germ magnet (think soggy tissues and dirty diapers). Note that at the airport, drinking fountain buttons are the dirtiest.

Choose the window seat The aisle seats put you in a more vulnerable position, with all those potentially sick passengers walking (and sneezing) past. Plus, people may steady themselves by grabbing your headrest when heading to and from the restroom (where, to make matters worse, the hand-washing conditions are not ideal). A study published in Clinical Infectious Diseases looked at a Boston-to- L.A. flight

"Airplanes not only create an environment that viruses thrive in,” says Nicholas Testa, a Los Angeles-based emergency medicine physician and chief physician executive for the Southwestern Division of Common Spirit Health. “They also make it easier to transfer germs and viruses from person to person."

Use a nasal spray Our mucous membranes are far less effective at blocking infection if they dry out, says Michelle Barron, M.D., professor of medicine-infectious disease, UCHealth, University of Colorado Hospital. A few quick pumps, every two hours, will keep them moist. Look for a saline spray, Testa advises. It's the same pH as the delicate tissues in your nose, so it won't sting. Avoid medicated nasal sprays or anything with preservatives, which can dry out nasal passages. While you're at it, stash a small bottle of eye drops in your bag. They'll relieve dry, itchy eyes, making you a lot less likely to rub them with (possibly) contaminated fingers. Stretch your legs The position of the seatback tends to slow circulation, putting us at risk for deep-vein thrombosis, the formation of blood clots in the legs. Since most flights are packed for holiday travel, you're more likely to remain seated. Resist the urge to stay put, and move about the cabin every hour or so. If you don't want to budge, Gendreau says, you can do this exercise to help improve circulation: With your feet flat on the floor, bring your heels up and down, up and down, in a rocking motion. And if you are over 60 or obese, or have a history of heart disease, varicose veins or blood clots, see your doctor before your trip, especially if the flight is longer than two hours.

Clean and sanitize surface areas Aircraft cabins are usually cleaned when the plane stays overnight at the airport. Because the flu virus can last up to 24 hours on hard surfaces, germs can linger between flights. “About 80 percent of all infectious diseases we actually introduce to ourselves,” says Mark Gendreau, chief medical officer of Beverly and Addison Gilbert Hospitals. “You walk by and touch a contaminated surface then unwittingly touch your eyes, nose and mouth. My favorite factoid: Humans touch their faces about 200 times a day." On all the typically germy surfaces, especially tray tables, use a hand-sanitizing gel (with at least 60 percent alcohol). “When you get settled in your seat, put several drops on a Kleenex and wipe down those areas that you're going to touch,” Gendreau says. Of course, disinfectant wipes work, too. Wash your hands frequently throughout your flight, particularly when you lower the tray table to eat and after you return from the bathroom — even if you've washed your hands with warm, soapy water. “There have been contamination issues with the water in the bathrooms on aircrafts,” he notes.

Use the overhead air vent — on a low setting — to create an air current that will move germs away, Gendreau says. “Put your hands just below your belly button, an inch or two away from your body, and you should be able to feel the flow."

Relax

that had to make an emergency landing due to a norovirus outbreak, which caused vomiting and diarrhea in some passengers. What researchers discovered: Passengers in the aisle seats — even those who never left their seats — were the most likely to have contracted the virus.

“One of the most under-discussed negative influences on our health is the effect of stress in lowering our immune system and the ability to fight off germs,” says DGMQ's Cetron. And let's face it: A day at the airport can frazzle the nerves of even the intrepid traveler.

"You're worrying about getting to the airport, then you have to navigate to the kiosk, get your ticket, get through security and get to the right gate,” Consider a mask Gendreau says. “Pretty soon, we're engaging in “Some people are particularly vulnerable to getting anxious behaviors. We'll start rubbing our eyes or ill, including those whose immune system is combiting our nails, and that's a total disaster.” Do promised by age or medications,” says Martin BTW: Those seat pockets can be tricky to clean, what you can to eliminate stressors — from getCetron, M.D., director of the division of global thanks in part to the porous fabric. You may want ting to the airport early for your flight, to having a migration and quarantine (DGMQ) at the U.S. to use your own bag under the seat to store your meditation app on hand. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. reading materials. Those who take medication for arthritis, for examHelp your immune system ple, may be more susceptible both to getting the If you're flying during flu season, make sure you've infection and to the consequences of an infection. “For those people,” Cetron says, “wearing a mask had the flu shot. Influenza spreads by droplets in a crowded public setting may not be such a bad made when people sneeze or cough, even from idea." as far away as six feet — close enough to cause havoc when you're crammed in with a crowd. Control the airflow While there's no guarantee that the vaccine will prevent the flu, it lowers your chances of getting it, Studies have shown that the filters on most planes and if you do contract it, your illness is likely to be remove 99.97 percent of nasty particles. Of course, that doesn't help if you're sitting next to less severe. someone who's sneezing up a storm.

A Chinese university says scientists identified the heavily trafficked pangolin as a possible intermediary host of the new coronavirus. The coronavirus from China is believed to have originated in bats and transferred to humans through some other animal, health officials say. The pangolin may be that key link, researchers at South China Agricultural University said Friday.

navirus triggers backlash over China's censorship How much sex should couples be having? Trump, President Xi talk coronavirus President Donald Trump tweeted that he "had a

One flight left on Jan. 28, followed by two flights on Feb. 5 and two on Feb. 6, Biegun said. As of Friday, officials at 11 U.S. airports had screened more than 17,000 passengers for coronavirus and were expected to screen about 4,000 on Friday, according to CDC director Robert Redfield.

James Wood, a veterinary medicine professor at the University of Cambridge, told the French news agency that more data is needed and showing similarity between the genome sequences alone is "not sufficient."

The screening process involves more than 1,000 daily flights across 400 carriers originating at 200 airports worldwide, according to Joel Szabat, Assistant Secretary for Aviation and International Affairs. More than 2,000 Americans are in or recently left China, he said.

"You can only draw more definitive conclusions if you compare prevalence (of the coronavirus) between different species based on representative samples, which these almost certainly are not," Dirk Pfeiffer, professor of veterinary medicine at Hong Kong’s City University, told Reuters.

Of the thousands of confirmed coronavirus cases, 14 locations had reported 69 patients who had not traveled to China, Redfield said. Two of those cases were in the U.S., where two people had passed the virus onto their spouses. Health and Human Services Sec. Alex Azar said the Chinese government had not accepted the U.S.'s Jan. 6 offer to send scientists to China to assist with containment and learn more about the nature of the virus. At this point, it's a decision for the Chinese," Azar said. "We have made the request now for almost a month."

Pangolins, the world's only scaly mammal, have long been valued for their meat, viewed as a delicacy in some Asian countries, and scales, used for traditional medicine, according to the World Wildlife Fund.

News of the possible pangolin link to the coronavirus outbreak comes as the World Health Organization cautioned Friday against too much optimism after a decline in new cases over recent days.

long and very good conversation by phone with President Xi of China" on the country's response to the coronavirus. "He will be successful, especially as the weather starts to warm & the virus hopefully becomes weaker, and then gone," Trump tweeted.

No matter your relationship status, sex remains a complicated — and often touchy — subject. Although no one wants to admit it, people across all demographics are spending less time in the sack.

China's state media said President Xi Jinping urged the U.S. to “respond reasonably" to the virus outbreak in a phone call with President Donald Trump.

For couples who live together, married couples, and older people in general, the decline in how much sex they have is even more staggering, per a 2019 study of British adults and teens.

China reported 31,161 cases in mainland China in its update Friday. The rise of 3,143 was the lowest "A people’s war against the virus has been daily increase since at least Tuesday. launched," Xi was quoted as saying by broadcaster CCTV, using timeworn communist terminology, According to data collected by Johns Hopkins University as of Friday, 31,523 people have been according to the Associated Press. "We hope the infected and 638 killed from the outbreak that first U.S. side can assess the epidemic in a calm manner and adopt and adjust its response measures appeared late last year. in a reasonable way." The outbreak may have emerged from a market Beijing has complained that the U.S. was flying its selling seafood and meat in Wuhan. Researchcitizens out of Wuhan but not providing any assisers theorize that someone bought contaminated tance to China. meat at the market, ate it, got sick and infected others, creating a ripple effect around the world. Pangolins may have spread new coronavirus to humans Death of doctor who warned about coro-

Hundreds of Americans evacuated from China The U.S. government has evacuated about 800 Americans from China on five chartered flights, Steve Biegun, Deputy Secretary of State, said at a Friday press conference of the President's Task Force on Coronavirus.

"This latest discovery will be of great significance for the prevention and control of the origin of the new coronavirus," South China Agricultural University said in a translated statement

Recent conservation efforts have worked to protect the eight pangolin species found in Asia and Africa and threatened by illegal international trade. More than 100,000 pangolins are poached every year, according to Wild Aid, a nonprofit that works on illegal animal trade.

department had facilitated the transportation of nearly 17.8 tons of donated medical supplies to China this week.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a statement Friday that the U.S. is prepared to spend up to $100 million to assist China and other countries to contain and combat the virus. Pompeo said his

But how much sex should couples really be having? Research has shown that couples who have sex at least once a week are happier than their less-bedded counterparts. (A caveat: Happiness levels don't rise with more time spent under the sheets.) Still, that number doesn't quite apply for everyone. And, ultimately, experts say how much sex a couple should be having depends on the couple itself. Once a week is a common baseline, experts say. That statistic depends slightly on age: 40- and 50year-olds tend to fall around that baseline, while 20- to 30-year of age tend to average around twice a week.