Issuu

Volume 88 â€˘ Issue 12

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6000 drug felons set to be released nationwide P. 3

Gerogia named 11th best state for business P. 4

Trina Braxton celebrates opening of Bar-Chix P.7 Oct. 29 - Nov. 4, 2015

WAR

on domestic violence and bullying

Oct. 29 - Nov. 4, 2015

COVER STORY

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Ludacris, Benjamin Crump, Jeff Johnson, Thomas W. Dortch stand together in the fight

By Terry Shropshire This is going to sound strange, but the worst part of Alma Davis being punched in the face like a man by her boyfriend was not that she suffered two black eyes. It was the fact that she considered this normal. Being the victim of violence at home and school was part of her routine. Her alcoholic father used to snatch and drag her by her hair at home, and the patriarch once punched her mother on the side of the head so hard that she now wears a hearing aid because of busted ear drums. As the shocked Atlanta high school students listened, some with shock registered on their faces, she went on to tell how she kept seeing this boyfriend for four years, even after he kept beating her — and even cracked her head open on the pavement one day as his best friend looked on like a spectator to her real-life horror show. It wasn’t until Davis was an adult that she had an epiphany that beatings, cursing at each other and yelling at the top of their voices was well beyond the realm of normalcy. This is what Davis, now in her forties, and other dignitaries and celebrities tried to impart upon the high school students who were bused from all over the city to Atlanta Metropolitan Technical College, to stem the rising tide of bullying (including rampant cyberbullying), sexual assault between teen lovers and domestic violence. BET television journalist and motivational speaker Jeff Johnson coordinated the proceedings as the emcee. Hometown musical hero Ludacris and Disturbing Tha Peace co-owner Chaka Zulu, famed attorney Benjamin Crump (who represented Trayvon Martin against George Zimmerman), influential businessman Thomas W. Dortch and many others were in attendance. Violence, Johnson conveyed, is everywhere, and violent images are constantly being seen on television, news video games and in real life. Some people seem to see it as a source of entertainment when, for example, a group of girls pummel a female into submission at a McDonald’s while someone else videotapes and uploads it onto Facebook in order to humiliate the victim. Johnson reiterated that constant exposure to violence desensitizes or makes people unresponsive to it. For far too many young people, this has become

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a way of life. The statistics are horrendous, not only because of the exorbitant number of violent crimes committed by young people against each other, but more so because it generates little more than a collective shrug of the shoulders because many kids, particularly those who come from impoverished backgrounds or live in places considered economic wastelands, are numb to episodes of violence. The day-long seminar and panels tried to impart upon the young minds the following: Homicide is the second-leading cause of for people aged 1524; one in four women can expect to be victims of domestic violence, if they haven’t already; 1.5 million high schoolers experience physical abuse every year. This is why celebrities such as Ludacris felt the occasion was important enough to offer encouragement to the young students while admonishing them to resist the temptations that reach out from the streets like poison tentacles. “We want you to live and learn and be successful in everything that you want to do. We don’t’ want to see people going to jail. We don’t’ want to see people dying. We want you to live to your fullest potential,” said the Grammy-winning rapper who grew up not far from Atlanta Metro College in College Park, Ga. “I just came to show some love and spread some positivity because we want to learn, we want to educate ourselves and we want to continue to love one another. Because violence begets violence and ignorance begets ignorance. You have to break that cycle, you understand what I’m saying? I guarantee I want to see everyone in this room successful. “Just keep God in your life because that’s the reason why I’m so successful. I know that you can be successful and do whatever you want to do in your lives.” The panelists implored young people to stem the deplorable level of youth violence by adopting some of the following: Steps to avoid violence: • Recognize situations that may possibly escalate to violence. • Stay calm and use your head instead of force or violence. • Think about your options and the consequences. • If unable to control your anger, walk away. • Talk to someone you trust. • Be involved in school or with organizations.

Davis brought several domestic violence survivors up to the front of the room with her to share their stories of redemption and how they overcame, and even thrived. One man shared his story of how his stepfather use to beat the will to live out of him. “My father would kick the tar out of me, then buy me something nice the very next day,” he said. “He also said, ‘If you ever tell your teacher, I’ll kill you or I’ll take you somewhere where they will never find you.’ So I was literally scared to death. I would go to bed and wish that I would not wake up.’ All of the survivors agreed that the mentality of victimhood will never change until a person decides it is time for it to change. “You are a product of your expectations,” Davis said. “Whatever you expect becomes your reality. My expectations changed. I knew I was more valuable so I did better. If you have low expectations, then your life will reflect that.” Johnson said the perils of ignoring highly dangerous behavior such as chronic bullying, domestic violence and sexual abuse can lead to feelings of powerlessness, emotional breakdown, depression, mental illness and attempted suicide. All forms of violence have to be counteracted with conflict resolution and with people working together to alter the situation. Attorney Benjamin Crump intertwined police brutality and unjustified violence into the fabric of his message to the students, that things will never change on their own. “I want us to invest in our culture. One thing you want to do to avoid stuff like this is to tell someone else about these issues. Culture is the enhancement and survival of a group of people, so I want us to invest in our culture so we can help our brothers and sisters and the ones coming behind us,” he said. “So Jeff Johnson is going to do what he’s got to do on TV. I’m going to do what I have to do in the courtroom. Alma Davis is going to do what she has to do in the advocacy space. Law enforcement is going to do what they have to do to keep us safe. 100 Black Men are going to do what they have to do. “What I’m saying is that we all have a role to play. You have to be the best kids that you can be, and we have to be the best role models that we can because that’s the only way that we can survive.”

Atlanta Daily World

Founded August 5 1928; Became Daily, March 12, 1932 W.A. Scott, II, Founder/Publisher August 5, 1928 to February 7, 1934 Published weekly at 100 Hartsfield Centre Parkway Suite 500 Atlanta, Georgia 30354 Periodicals Postage Paid at Atlanta Mailing Offices. Publication Number 017255 POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Atlanta Daily World, 100 Hartsfield Centre Parkway Suite 500 Atlanta, Georgia 30354 Subscriptions: One Year: $52 Two Years: $85 Forms of Payment: Check, Money Order, VISA American Express, MasterCard MEMBER: Associated Press Atlanta Business League Central Atlanta Progress Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce National Newspaper Publishers Website: www.AtlantaDailyWorld.com Lorraine Cochran General Manager lcochran@realtimesmedia.com

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NEWS

www.AtlantaDailyWorld.com

Oct. 29 - Nov. 4, 2015

6,000 drug felons set to be released nationwide on November 1st

Former President Carter to mediate Martin Luther King children dispute

By Terry Shropshire

By Associated Press

society. How different states are handling the mass release: •The southern district of Ohio, including Cincinnati, Dayton and Columbus, has about 350 inmates in the early-release program, with 80 to 90 scheduled for release Nov. 1, said Phelps Jones, supervising officer for the U.S. Probation Office in Columbus. Between 20 and 30 of those are people in the country without legal permission being turned over to federal immigration authorities, he said. • In eastern Pennsylvania, the 45 people being released early are just a blip on a probation department caseload that numbers 2,800 people. •In Kansas City, Missouri, retired police commander Ron Smith is program director of Second Chance KC. He said his agency helps about 4,000 released prisoners annually from all jails and prisons. Typically, about 475 of those prisoners come from federal lockup, and he doesn’t expect that number to swell in November. “There will be some increase but we think we’ll be able to handle that,” Smith said. “There’s nothing to worry about.” The nonprofit Sentencing Project argues the long prison sentences that grew out of the nation’s “War on Drugs” have been ruinous for both families and taxpayers. Executive director Mark Mauer expects the early release of drug offenders to have “a “very minimal” effect on public safety. “It’s not going to release a crime wave, but some number of them are going to recidivate, because that’s true of everyone (leaving prison),” he said. “The reason we have mass incarceration is not because we don’t have enough research documenting the problem with it, but, politically, policymakers have been fearful of being soft on crime for too many years,” he said. “Now that there’s a greater comfort level, we can discuss what would work better.”

Six thousand drug felons are set for release around Nov. 1 as part of a national effort to reduce what have now been deemed too-harsh drug laws. All participants being released are drug offenders no longer deemed a danger to the community. Who They Are According to early release petitions obtained by The Associated Press from court records, they include: Lincoln Steve White, 43, who was caught buying 2 ounces of cocaine for $1,400 in Florida in 2008 and has served more than five years of a seven-year sentence. He plans to live with a girlfriend and put the heating and air conditioning repair skills he learned in prison to work. Chedrick Crummie, 45, who’s leaving prison after serving 21 years for cocaine trafficking in South Florida, and has a janitorial job lined up through a local minister. Emilio Flores, 43, whose cocaine trafficking sentence fell from 10 years to six under the new guidelines. Flores believes his mental illness and addiction made him easy prey for manipulative drug dealers. Prison didn’t help the situation, he said. “The treatment is to medicate the mentally ill into zombies,” Flores, of Florida, wrote in his petition. Where They’re Going About 2,000 of the 6,000 being released soon are being deported. Many others will be steered to traditional probation programs. Most have already been moved to halfway houses or home confinement over the past year, as their sentences were recalculated. The ten states with the largest number of inmates to be released under the new law includes Texas: 578; Illinois: 253; California: 229; North Carolina: 218; Georgia: 167; Tennessee: 150; Iowa: 145; New York: 141; Alabama: 107; and, South Carolina: 102. Upon release some will go to public or privately run programs that help prisoners ease back into

Times Media

Issue 8 Volume 88 •

rld.com www.AtlantaDailyWo

be John Lewsi to honored at NCHRM P. 3

Black , famous, Republican P. 7

and

Pope’s visit warmed s some black Catholic P.9 October 1-7,

2015

Times Media

Volume 88 • Issue 5

Despite his ailing health and grim prognosis, former President Jimmy Carter, 91, has decided to step in to mediate the never-ending legal dispute over family heirlooms between Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s children — Rev. Bernice, Dexter and Martin Luther King III. “I am honored to be working with the King family in an effort to resolve the outstanding legal issues relating to their remarkable family legacy,” Carter said in a statement. “I have great respect for each of the three heirs of this legacy. They are working diligently with me, and I believe we will be able to resolve these difficult disputes once and for all.” The King children are in dispute with whether or not to sell his Bible, which President Obama used during the swearing-in proceedings precluding his second term, and his Nobel Peace Prize medal. The brothers are in favor of selling the items, while the youngest daughter, Rev. Bernice King, is adamantly against it, prompting the lawsuits that have made national headlines. Bernice King intimated during a previous press conference that, despite the dispute, she holds no ill will or feelings towards her brothers. Carter recently announced that he has brain cancer and is currently undergoing treatment at Atlanta’s famed Emory University Hospital.

Praise News Politics Business Education www.AtlantaDailyWor ld.com

Beat the job search blues P. 5

‘Empire’ to return for second season P. 7

Does race affect cell phone use? P. 8

September 10-16,

2015

Entertainment

Myth of the ‘Black Mecca’?

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BUSINESS

Oct. 29 - Nov. 4, 2015

www.AtlantaDailyWorld.com

Georgia named 11th best state for business By Terry Shropshire Forbes magazine named Georgia the No. 11 best state for business. This is an upgrade from No. 16 in 2014. However, the state was also subtly chastised because 18 percent of its citizens live below the poverty line, one of the highest in the nation. In compiling its list, the business publication said it weighed several pieces of data from Moody’s Analytics, the U.S. Department of Commerce’s U.S. Census Bureau and other sources. While the most attention is paid to business costs, such as labor, energy and taxes, other factors considered include labor supply, regulatory environment, economic climate, growth prospects and quality of life. The publication ranked the Peach State: 9 in regulatory environment 11 in growth prospects 13 in labor supply 21 in economic climate 32 in quality of life 34 in business costs “Georgia’s once robust economy has slowed in recent years, but the state still maintains a pro-business climate,” Forbes reported. “Big companies headquartered in the state include Home Depot (NYSE: HD), UPS (NYSE: UPS), CocaCola (NYSE: KO) and Southern Company(NYSE: SO). Union workers make up only 4.3 percent of Georgia’s employment base, which is one of the lowest rates in the country. The Tax Foundation’s ‘Location Matters’ study rates Georgia’s corporate tax climate as the third best in the U.S.”

Below is a list of Forbes’ top 11 states for businesses and careers: 7. Virginia 1. Utah 8. Indiana 2. North Carolina 9. South Dakota 3. Nebraska 10. Washington 4. North Dakota 11. Georgia 5. Colorado 6. Texas

MAAX Summit & Awards to honor eight By Atlanta Daily World Staff Target Market News has announced that the 16th Annual Marketing to African Americans with Excellence (MAAX) Summit will present a host of major new research studies on Black consumers. Among the companies that will offer the newest statistics, trends and analysis on the African American Economy are IHS Polk Automotive, Nielsen, U.S. Census Bureau, Prudential, The Mintel Group, The Automotive Project of the Rainbow PUSH Coalition and Target Market News. The Platinum Sponsor of the 2015 MAAX Summit and Awards is Toyota and the Presenting Sponsor is AARP. The all-day MAAX Summit will host 200 attendees on Monday, November 16, 2015 at the Hyatt Magnificent Mile Hotel in downtown Chicago. The Summit is the industry’s largest yearly gathering of African American marketing, media and research professionals. “It’s a critical time for marketers to deeply understand the U.S. Black Economy and the trillions of dollars controlled by the various segments of the African American market,” said Ken Smikle, president of Target Market News. “With the plethora of media available to effective reach specific Black consumer segments, the opportunities in the Black Economy can be targeted in positive ways that can ensure a return on investment.” Smikle points out that the $1.1 trillion in income of African American households represents just one important opportunity. “There are billions of dollars that advertisers and marketers should tap into by addressing the Black women’s market [$580 billion in income], Black men’s market [$615 billion in income], Black Millennials [$200 billion in spending], Black business owners [$225 billion in income] and Black faith-based consumers [$500 billion in spending]. Each of these segments have media and venues that offer marketers targeted opportunities.”

The Tenth Annual MAAX Awards luncheon will be held Nov. 16th during the Summit. This year’s MAAX Awards luncheon speaker will be Alfred C. Liggins, III, Chief Executive Officer and President of Radio One, Inc. and the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of TV One, LLC. Liggins sits at the helm of a family dynasty with his mother, Cathy Hughes, which is the largest African American owned multi-media and entertainment company in the country. The 2015 MAAX Award recipients are: Advertising Executive of the Year - Aaron Walton, Co-Founder and Partner, Walton Isaacson Marketing Executive of the Year - Edna Kane-Williams, Vice President, Multicultural Markets, AARP Media Executive of the Year - Jamarlin Martin, CEO, Moguldom Media Group LLC. Public Relations Executive of the Year - Lori George Billingsley, Vice Pres. of Community Relations, Coca-Cola North America Research Executive of the Year - Kevin Brockenbrough, Vice President / Planning Director, Burrell Communications Lifetime Achievement Award - Bob Wingo, Chairman, Sanders\Wingo Advertising, Inc. Lifetime Achievement Award - Al Anderson, Chairman, Anderson Communications (posthumously) President’s Award for Advocacy - Butch Wing, Executive Director, Silicon Valley Project, Rainbow PUSH Coalition For more information or to register visit targetmarketnews. com, on www.Facebook.com/TargetMarketNews, or call 312408-1881. For more information or to register visit www.targetmarketnews.com

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ATLANTA DAILY WORLD

Oct. 29 - Nov. 4, 2015

AS LEADERS IN THE BLACK CHURCH, WE VIEW CLIMATE CHANGE AS A MORAL ISSUE AND ONE OF THE GREATEST PUBLIC HEALTH CHALLENGES OF OUR TIME. Breathing dirty, carbon-polluted air causes dramatic changes in the environment and contributes to thousands of asthma attacks, hospital visits and premature deaths every year. Black children and seniors in urban areas are often hit hardest by the actions of those who lack care for our environment. The Bible speaks passionately about the importance of stewardship for God’s creation. We believe President Obama’s Clean Power Plan echoes God’s call for the preservation of our environment, protection of our health and prosperity of our communities. Please join more than 10,000 clergy representing 13 million Black church members as we stand united to urge our federal, state and local elected officials to support policies that reaffirm our faith and strengthen our communities. AMEZ Bishop George Battle, Senior Bishop National Baptist Convention USA Dr. Jessie Bottoms, Vice President National Baptist Convention of America Rev. Samuel C. Tolbert, Jr., President Global United Fellowship Bishop Carroll Baltimore PROGRESSIVE NATIONAL BAPTIST CONVENTION Dr. Timothy Tee Boddie, General Secretary

Act now.

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COMMUNITY

Oct. 29 - Nov. 4, 2015

Atlanta Heights celebrates Red Ribbon Week

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Ujima Atlanta 2015 Educational Conference

By Britta Lee On Tuesday, Oct. 27, students at Atlanta Heights Charter School will begin celebrating Red Ribbon Week, which includes a variety of dress-up days that aim at spreading a message against drug use. Some of the dress-up themes include: tackling drugs (Tuesday), giving drugs the “boot” and shading them out (Wednesday), sock it to drugs (Thursday), and sleeping on drugs (Friday). There will also be a door-decorating competition among classrooms. The week’s events conclude on Friday, Oct. 30, 2015. The initiative is a great way to use this time of year when people of all ages love to dress up in creative costumes; however, in this case, it is to promote a positive cause. Atlanta Heights Charter School, operated by National Heritage Academies, is a free public charter school serving students in grades kindergarten through eighth. It is located at 3712 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive SW, Atlanta, GA 30331. Even if you do not attend the school or know a student who does, do not let that stop you from reaching out and offering support. Perhaps, an activity like this will inspire other students across the area and in other locations to utilize playing “dress up” for a useful cause.

By Britta Lee

For more information, visit www.NHASchools.com.

Enroll NOW for Spring Semester 2016

The Ujima Atlanta 2015 Educational Conference is issuing a “call to action” to do the work needed to heal black families and the surrounding community. It’s annual conference takes place on Saturday, October 31, 2015, at 960 Ralph D. Abernathy Blvd., Atlanta, GA. 30310. The conference will provide various workshops related to family development, community wellness, and parenting. The hope is that those who attend will be able to implement certain tools within their

churches, schools, health facilities, and professions. This year’s theme is “A Time for Healing, Education, and Rebuilding”. The conference ultimately looks to explore socio-cultural trauma, and heal the black family. It will be cohosted by the Male Action Coalition (MAC). If you haven’t already registered, time is running out! The deadline is October 25. Tickets are $50 for clinicians, professionals, and adults; they are $40 for college students, youth under 18, and elders over the age of 60. For more information and to register, visit www.upliftingouryouth.webs.com

Law Enforcement Academy Career Fair

more advantages GED • Certificate Diploma • Degree Career Training and more...

www.gptc.edu 404-297-9522 Equal Opportunity Institution

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On Monday, November 2, 2015, Georgia Piedmont Technical College (GPTC) will host a career fair for aspiring deputies and officers from 9:00 a.m. until noon at its Law Enforcement Academy in Covington, Georgia Piedmont Technical College Campus, 8100 Bob Williams Parkway, Covington, GA 30014. “A career in law enforcement is a rewarding, life-long career,” said Major Harry McCann, director of GPTC’s Law Enforcement Academy. “It is an indescribable feeling for somebody who you have arrested to come back later and say, ‘Thank you---you saved my life,’” he said. “I cannot imagine doing anything else with my life. Nothing else compares to the service that law enforcement offi-

cers provide,” McCann stated. Approximately 17 agencies will be present at the career fair, including representatives from the Conyers Police Department, Lawrenceville Police Department, Athens-Clarke County Police Department and Social Circle Police Department. Representatives from the FBI and the Georgia Department of Natural Resources are also planning to attend. Applications are being accepted now for classes beginning January 4, 2016. Please apply early due to extended selection process at www.gptc.edu/lea or contact Cory Thompson, at 404-297-9522 ext. 1118 or thompsonc@gptc.edu.

www.AtlantaDailyWorld.com

ENTERTAINMENT

October 22-28, 2015

Trina Braxton celebrates opening of Bar-Chix in metro Atlanta Trina Braxton was glowing like soft dinner candles as she proudly unveiled the opening of her Bar-Chix bar and restaurant in in the north Atlanta suburbs on Thursday. The “Party or Go Home” singer was surrounded by her two sisters — Towanda and Traci Braxton — and the matriarch of the successful musical family, Evelyn Braxton, along with Trina’s two sons. Her celeb friends came out to turn up and help christen the opening s Atlanta’s elite full-service mobile bar company that caters to corporate, private or intimate events. Celebrities included Carl Anthony Payne (“The Cosby Show,” “Martin”), Meelah Williams (“R&B Divas: Atlanta), author and television producer Zane (famous for creating the “Zane Sex Chronicles” and Addicted movie) and the cast of the upcoming highly-anticipated reality show “Selling it in the ATL.”

Reflections Boris Kodjoe

Halle Berry

Alicia Keys

Lenny Kravitz

cause she just says what she thinks about everything. In her new book she reveals that to her way of thinking, there are times when cheating is acceptable. “Sometimes in a relationship, people can’t always get what they need,” she said, “and if you have reputable people you can turn to in order to get what you need, I say go for it. It is a whole lot better than being frustrated and angry with the person you love.” Sounds crazy, far-fetched and even immoral but, in a way, it makes a certain amount of sense. The title of Goldberg’s book is “If Someone says ‘You Complete Me,’ RUN!” Aretha Franklin got a very nice compliment from another great singer recently, Darlene Love. She said, “Aretha and I are kindred spirits. I love all of her songs, especially ‘Ain’t No Way.’ It really moves me and touches my heart.”

By Steve Holsey Most of us know that we are all on the same plane as human beings, that one’s ethnicity is not a choice and, therefore, that race is not the be-all and end-all. But even so, it is interesting how many entertainers today are of mixed parentage. That would include Rihanna, Alicia Keys, Boris Kodjoe, Mariah Carey, Lenny Kravitz, Halle Berry, Jordin Sparks, Dwayne Johnson (the Rock), Vin Diesel and Drake, among others. By the way, Kodjoe’s full birth name is amazing: Boris Frederic Cecil Tay-Natey Ofautey-Kodjoe. LEAVE IT to Whoopi Goldberg to get some controversy going — not on purpose, but be-

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Oct. 29 - Nov. 4, 2015

ENTERTAINMENT

www.AtlantaDailyWorld.com

The rise and fall of the DeBarge family

By Steve Holsey Not many believe in the possibility of a person or group of people being “jinxed,” having a “curse” on them or being “hexed,” but the tragedy that befalls some people — even when much

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of it is self-inflicted — is so frequent and so intense that one has to wonder, at least for a few seconds. So it is with the DeBarge family, from parents on down. Despite the major success of the three acts in the family — the band Switch, the

group DeBarge and solo artist Chico DeBarge, the dark cloud looms large. The amount of drug abuse and number of incarcerations within this family is mindblowing. There are seemingly as many police mugshots as there are Gold records. Is it hereditary? Environmental? Both? E V E RY T H I N G started out beautifully in the summer of 1978. Motown signed a band called Switch. Among the members were two young men from the family, Bobby and Tommy DeBarge. They clicked right away. “There’ll Never Be” soared into the national Top 10, and they followed up with additional hits, most notably “I Call Your Name,” “Best Beat in Town” and “Love Over and Over Again.” The group was self-contained, meaning they played their own instruments. Eventually the DeBarge brothers left which coincided with the group’s decline and eventual disbanding. Grand Rapids-born Bobby DeBarge was the first in the family to succumb to drugs (in his case, heroin). He became addicted during the heyday of Switch and years later, 1988, was sentenced to five years in prison for drug trafficking. He died of complications from an STD contracted in prison. IT IS perhaps not surprising that he turned to drugs. His father, Robert DeBarge Sr., who was white, was notorious for being domineering and physically abusive to his wife, Etterlene DeBarge, who is black. Also, according to one of the DeBarge siblings, Robert DeBarge Sr. also “sexually molested a lot of my brothers and sisters.” He died in 2009, no doubt with a guilty conscience. Bunny DeBarge, the only female member of DeBarge, once stated bluntly, “I don’t hate my father, but he has a way of blocking things out of his mind.” (Bunny has reportedly kicked her drug habit and attributes being able to do so to her relationship with God.) A SECOND group of DeBarges — El, Bunny, James, Mark and Randy — became an even bigger success. From 1982 to 1985 they enjoyed a string of major national hits, several of which are still popular. Their seven biggest hits were “Time Will Reveal,” “Rhythm of the Night,” “I Like It,” “All This Love,” “You Wear it Well,” “Love Me in a Special Way” and “Who’s Holding Donna Now?” By 1986, El DeBarge, who sang lead as well

as writing and producing the songs, was a successful solo artist. In 2001, he was arrested for cocaine possession and received probation. He was given probation a second time, in 2006, on essentially the same charge. But when he was arrested in 2008 for possession of crack, he was sentenced to two years in state prison. “DRUGS happened,” said Etterlene DeBarge. “When El got into drugs it just paralyzed him. He just couldn’t deal with all the people in the music industry. He couldn’t deal with their fakeness and people ripping him off. Motown had taken all of his publishing and they’re still making money from those songs.” After his release, El DeBarge released a return album titled “Second Chance” that was very successful. He said he had conquered his addiction, and many people, staunch and casual fans alike, were cheering him on. He was even on the cover of Ebony magazine. That was in 2010. But the following year he relapsed and went back to rehab. He is again performing. EL’S YOUNGER brother, James, married Janet Jackson in 1984, but the marriage was annulled the following year. He, too, landed in jail on drug charges and according to reports, remains in semi-solitary confinement. Chico DeBarge, never a member of either Switch or DeBarge, started his career in 1986 with the hit “Talk to Me.” However, things went sour with him receiving a six-year prison sentence on drug trafficking charges. Once released, he had the good fortune to record an album, in 1998, titled “Long Time No See” that was a big hit, featuring the popular “No Guarantee.” What Chico DeBarge is doing now is not clear, but the assumption is that he is staying out of trouble. Regarding those prison years, he said wryly, “I be wantin’ those years back!” This is just part of the intriguing, complex and ultimately sad story of the DeBarge family. It was a matter of too much too soon for the siblings who had already been scarred by their home life. Fortunately, DeBarge music, from the good years, is easily attainable.

www.AtlantaDailyWorld.com

COMMUNITY

Underground Atlanta will undergo major facelift after sale to S.C. developer

By Terry Shropshire On New Year’s Day, hundreds of thousands of Atlantans and Georgians will once again spill into Underground Atlanta to immerse themselves in the highly-anticipated, ceremonial “Peach Drop.” City leaders are now pledging to attract those kinds of crowds to the city center on a consistent basis in the upcoming years instead of “every once in a while,” as Mayor Kasim Reed announced. A rebuilt Undergound Atlanta, along with the development and/or reconstruction of other iconic Atlanta institutions, is the key to making those aspirations manifest, Mayor Kasim Reed said. Underground Atlanta was once the true epicenter of the city and Northern Georgia. The mayor envisions a thriving core to the this major metropolis happening once again. Flanked by city leaders and businesspeople in the mayor’s ceremonial room, Reed officially announced the sale of “The Underground” to South Carolina real estate magnate T. Scott Smith for nearly $26 million. For his turn, Smith envisions a mixed-use development center replete with shopping, dining and a high rise above Underground that will spark the economy of this area that has been besieged by neglect, consumer apathy and lack of foot traffic in recent years. “Today marks another milestone in the realization of our vision for a stronger downtown corridor,” Reed said at Atlanta City Hall. “In March I announced the sale of Underground Atlanta in an effort to leverage the property as a catalyst for the revitalization of this corridor and to also strengthen the city’s balance sheets. We spent about $8 million a year in maintenance costs and subsidies for Underground Atlanta, a condition that is unsustainable for the future.” The city approved of Smith’s application bid to buy and transform the Underground Atlanta based on his illustrious portfolio that includes many redevelopment and alteration projects in his home state of South Carolina and other places. “WRS Inc. is a proven leader in real estate and retail development with over 30 shopping centers covering over 7 million square feet of retail. They’ve also aided in the development of more than 100 developments entailing 10 million square feet.” Atlanta is already affixed with the infrastructure, amenities and surrounding attractions to make the two men’s dreams come to fruition, including: The Center for Civil and Human Rights; the College Football Hall of Fame; and the mayor’s “baby” — the $1.4 billion construction of the new Georgia Dome, which will house the Atlanta Falcons of the NFL as well as host major concerts and events. These iconic edifices will together boost consumerism and tourism in the city’s core. “People forget that Underground Atlanta was once a thriving center for entertainment, dining and nightlife,” Reed continued. “And it also happens to be the place where the city of Atlanta started. Today represents a new day for Atlanta, with the addition of retail and housing, Underground Atlanta will once again attract consistent and diverse patronage.” The city and WRS Inc. should be closing on the deal in mid2015, Smith said, with construction to begin by 2016. Smith said

he expects a total investment of $150 million to $200 million in the project that he says will attract upscale and upwardly mobile tenants and infuse capital into the city core. Smith waxed nostalgia to the packed room of reporters and political and civic officials when he talked about returning the glory to the place his parents told him about when he was a kid. “My parents talked about coming to the Underground back in the 1960s and 70s and how much fun they had dining and shopping,” Smith recalls fondly through his inviting South Carolina twang. “Want to bring that back. We want to have a reason for restaurants to be there — not only for the people who live up top, but also for the people who work in this building (who) after work, go (to the Underground) and have dinner.. And the people riding (MARTA) at Five Points; before they go home, they may want to have dinner or do some shopping. “We really think that we can do something exciting here in the city of Atlanta. Both Reed and Smith hoisted up the city’s downtown assets that already in place to create a synergy necessary for downtown to thrive. “With MARTA station being right there (adjacent Underground) and a great university being right there (Georgia State), with the mayor’s office and the state capital less than half a mile away and the new football stadium, the excitement that is happening right now” is contagious and will continue to be so. “In the next three years, a lot of the changes you will see. But also you will see a lot of the things that have happened there come back to life, the excitement of the dining coming back to Undergound and the excitement of the shopping.” Speaking of changes, reporters voiced concerns about the aggressive and chronic pandhandling that has been an impediment to downtown growth and has scared away previous investments within the downtown corridor. Reed promised swift and decisive action to curtail this decades-long headache. “I can show you better than I can tell you. Again, no one has done more around Five Points than I have,” he said, also speaking of illegal vendors setting up shop around downtown. “The vendors were saying how terrible I was, tried to have me arrested, literally, and tried to have me in contempt of court in front of the judge. I can tell you that if Underground Atlanta looked like it did before we removed it, he (T. Scott Smith) would not be here today. We’re going to go much further than that in terms of pandhandling in the city of Atlanta. I’m not going to go into cheap promos about it, but were going to go much farther than we have before. We’re going to fix it. Over the next year, you’re going to see a significant amount of resources to create (a no pandhandling zone). “We’re just not going to tolerate panhandling.” The most significant changes, however, will be to the subject at hand — the Underground. Smith and his company will develop a high-rise live in situation above the Underground. “That’s never happened before,” he said, while trying to retain the ambiance and vibe of the subterranean portion of the complex. “We want the Underground to the Atlanta Underground,” he said resolutely.

Oct. 29 - Nov. 4, 2015

As original Tuskegee Airmen fade, an effort to save the legacy grows

By Avis Thomas Lester, Urban News Service More than 16,000 Tuskegee Airmen made history, but now only about 250 remain. They see each other mostly at funerals these days. When they heroes returned some from overseas after World War II, they were still treated as second-class citizens in the South. Ten years after the end of the war, they became household names when Capt. Charles E. Francis, a Howard University graduate, published “The Tuskegee Airmen: The Men Who Changed a Nation,” about the unit’s exploits during the war. There are only a few now to attend Tuskegee Airmen’s annual conventions, where one of the most popular events is the Lonely Eagles Ceremony, where a bell is tolled and the name recited of each member who has passed since the last convention. “They are dying off at a pretty rapid rate,” said Byron Morris, 74, of Bowie, Md., a retired civilian U.S. Air Force official who joined the East Coast chapter of Tuskegee Airmen Inc. in 1994. He is one of a few new members who are working to ensure the world never forgets their contributions. Several veterans of the Tuskegee program formed Tuskegee Airmen Inc. in 1971 to keep the legacy alive. They opened the membership in 1975. Tuskegee Airmen Inc. now numbers about 1,500, including the 250 known original members. “We are always seeking and soliciting new recruits,” said C.D. Smith, 64, of Ashburn, Va., a retired U.S. Air Force colonel and the past president of the East Coast chapter of Tuskegee Airmen Inc. “People think that you have to be a descendant of one of the Airmen or affiliated with the military, but membership is open to anyone who would support the goals of the organization.” Recently, 200 people — including a few “Originals,” as they are called — gathered at Fort Lincoln Cemetery in Washington, D.C., for a memorial service for William E. Broadwater, who died Sept. 22 at age 89. Broadwater was among the youngest of the Originals. A native of Bryn Mawr, Pa., he served as a Federal Aviation Administration chief, and graduated as a bomber pilot in the Class of 45E, in August, 1945. By the time his aviator training was over, so was the war. At least three additional Originals who died this year are not listed. Jr. Ron Brewington, president of the Los Angeles chapter and an expert in the organization’s history, helps people document their participation at Tuskegee, such as a West Virginia man who was subsequently given a replica of the Congressional Gold Medal that was presented to the Tuskegee Airmen by President George W. Bush in 2007. “He died a short time later having proven that he was indeed a member of the Tuskegee Airmen,” Brewington said. The oldest known Original is Walter Crenshaw, of Los Angeles, who will turn 106 on Oct. 27. He served as a mechanic from 1942 to 1944. Oliver Carter, 73, of Sterling, Va., a former East Coast chapter president and Air Force veteran, said the Airmen will be remembered for initiating what would become the Civil Rights Movement. Their success led to the desegregation of the military in 1948.

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GUEST COMMENTARY

by Walter L. Fields, Jr

by Rev. Jesse Jackson, Sr.

Ben Carson’s political malpractice By any measure, Ben Carson is at the top of his field. The renowned surgeon has established a clear and irrefutable legacy in medicine. His life-altering surgical procedures are the stuff of legend, and the fact that he is an African American male in a profession where blacks comprise just 4 percent of practitioners is all the more impressive. I first became aware of Carson during my years in Baltimore as he made news at the Johns Hopkins Hospital. Now, Carson is making news not for his medical exploits but for his foray into the world of partisan politics. The surgeon has declared himself an unabashed conservative and has become the latest black darling of the political right. Every so often we hear a black voice being elevated by the far right in an attempt to neutralize racial claims in political discourse while actually inflaming the passions of the overwhelming majority of Blacks who see through the charade. We’ve seen the likes of Alan Keyes emerge, as he ran for every office with the exception of dog catcher and seemed to appear everywhere when race was at the center of the debate. Even the left-leaning cable TV outpost MSNBC got in on the fun and gave Keyes a show to promote his idiocy on the airwaves. Then there was Florida congressman and Tea Party darling Allan West who was so far on the extreme right that he became a caricature of a black conservative caricature. And who can forget Herman Cain, the former corporate pizza pusher, a political simpleton whose ignorance convinced the former CEO that he could run for the presidency and made thinking Republicans blush. What makes Carson stand out is his professional pedigree. He was seen as the epitome of black success, a true rags-to-riches story, having overcome challenges in his youth to rise to a place of prominence through hard work, determination and sheer brilliance. His name was held in great esteem by black parents who wanted to provide their children with a role model to emulate — at least until Carson voiced his political beliefs. The famed surgeon has become a stalker, attacking the Affordable Health Care Act every chance he gets to stand behind a podium or make a television appearance. Carson uses his credibility in the medical profession to assault Obamacare and by effect, disparage the nation’s first African American president. His vitriol has earned him the admiration of the GOP’s right flank and given him “most

favored black son” status with the conservative propagandist tool, the Fox News Network. Carson gives conservatives a convenient race shield, a black person who can carry their water and deliver messages that are racially codified but cannot be charged with being racist due to his race. It’s not just Carson’s critique of health care reform that is earning him rave reviews from the political right. At the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), he gave the salivating crowd something to really devour. He played upon the pseudo-religiosity of the CPAC audience when he declared, “I hate political correctness. I will continue to defy the p.c. police when they try and shut me up. I still believe that marriage is between a man and a woman.” That’s good stuff for that crowd. By attacking the president and gay marriage Carson solidified his conservative credentials. The mistake Carson and his fans make, as has others before him, is confusing his fame in his chosen field with competency in public policy. And they fool themselves into believing that most blacks and thinking other folks don’t know the difference. The reason why the likes of Ben Carson, Allan West, Clarence Thomas and Alan Keyes never gain traction among black voters and mainstream white voters, Republican of Democrat, is that they too easy to deconstruct. There is no intellectual depth, no substance when they share their thoughts on matters of policy. We know the difference between real and pretend because we have experience with black Republicans who gained our respect with their thoughtful analysis. Whether it was E. Frederic Morrow in the Eisenhower White House, former Massachusetts senator Ed Brooke, Arthur Fletcher or William Coleman, Jr., the first black Secretary of Transportation, we have witnessed black Republicans who put the interest of their community before the extreme views of the fringe of their party. And history informs us that blacks like Frederick Douglass, Harriet Tubman, Hiram Revels and Sojourner Truth only allied with the Republican Party because it stood on the side of black liberation and has nothing to do with the present-day GOP. What we see today in the Republican Party is nothing short of minstrelsy, black faces in blackface.

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Separate and impoverished Sen. Bernie Sanders, the Democratic candidate for president, shocked people when he noted that 51 percent of African Americans aged 17 through 20 who have graduated from high school or dropped out of high school are unemployed. PolitiFact.com confirmed the statement as “mostly true,” suggesting that the numbers might even be worse than Sanders suggested. This level of unemployment is a death sentence for a generation — representing for too many the dying of hope, of potential and even, in an age of mass incarceration, of freedom. The figure is shocking, but the reality cannot be denied. For all the progress we have made on race in this country, there is still a stark difference between black and white poverty. As Emily Badger reports in the Washington Post, “The poverty that poor African Americans experience is often different from the poverty of poor whites.” A poor black family is much more likely to live in an impoverished neighborhood. The concentrated poverty, as Badger writes, “extends out the door of a family’s home and occupies the entire neighborhood around it, touching the streets, the schools, the grocery stores.” A new report on the “Architecture of Segregation” by Paul Jargowsky for the New Century Foundation details the stark differences that exist in cities across the country. In metropolitan Chicago, for example, more than one in three poor African Americans live in what are called high-poverty census tracts (neighborhoods where the poverty rate is above 40 percent). That is 10 times the rate for poor whites. And it has gotten worse in cities across

the country over the course of this century. Separate and impoverished. We know the effects. Infants suffer bad nutrition, grow up surrounded by lead paint. Children navigate mean streets to go to impoverished schools. They lack after-school and summer programs. Families break apart. Guns and drugs come in, jobs go out. There’s no affordable transportation to get to where the jobs are. Houses are abandoned. Hospitals close. Decent grocery stores are nowhere to be found. As Jargowsky says, this isn’t really an accident. It is the product of systemic discrimination, of zoning laws that shield off wealthy areas from the poor, of public housing that is concentrated in a few neighborhoods. Isolation in poor neighborhoods is an imposition, not a choice. This could be different. In London, for example, every region must have some social housing for poor and working class people. Imagine if every suburb were required to provide a proportionate amount of housing for the poor and the lower-wage workers. Suddenly the poor would have access to better schools, better health care, safer streets, more role models and healthier (and less expensive) food stores. This takes a plan, a plan that will meet great resistance. Dozens of Chicago’s wealthy suburbs, Badger notes, have ignored state deadlines to produce affordable housing plans. Poor African Americans are penned up, in poor neighborhoods and too often literally in jails and prisons. This is an imposition, not a fate, a policy choice that is morally indefensible and socially explosive.

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