Detroit Popcorn Company Brings New Flavor, Promise to Community Money. A5
Michigan Chronicle
Vol. 84 – No. 31 | April 7-13, 2021
Powered by Real Times Media | michiganchronicle.com
Op Ed:
A Place Between Fear and Freedom –
COVID-19 Vaccination By Megan Kirk “Am I really about to do this,” is the question I asked myself as I drove up to the TCF vaccination site. I was completely petrified. The fear of the unknown began to take its toll as I sat in the endless sea of cars. After hearing several horror stories, nerves began to settle in and a few concerns almost overwhelmed me. The winding road leading into the parking structure where I was to receive the first shot seemed to never end. The closer I got to the entrance, everything in my body screamed, “get out of here,” but I stayed the course. As I drove through the checkpoints, I presented my identification and completed the necessary paperwork. Still, I was not sure this was the best decision.
Honey Bear Project to the Rescue of HBCU’s
By Whitney Gresham
I made it to the final checkpoint and was directed to park and turn my car off. I have never seen so many cars packed into the TCF parking structure. The atmosphere was busy and full of energy. There were individuals dressed in full PPE gear, others in army fatigues and some in scrubs. Everyone had a job to do and helped to make the process move quickly and efficiently. As I watched people in the cars ahead of me get vaccinated, I continued to remind myself it was my body and I could change my mind at any point. The longer I sat in my car, the more I had convinced myself I would suffer an allergic reaction to the vaccine or morph into an extra from Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” video. In mid-thought, a nurse approached my car window and motioned for me to roll it down. “Hello and welcome to the TCF Center,” she said. As she began speaking, a calmness overcame me. I was no longer worried or nervous because I knew the moment of truth had arrived. She began explaining how the process would work and forewarned me about the possible side effects. I was well versed on the potential side effects of the vaccine, but her assurance made me feel at ease.
See VACCINATION page A2
WHAT’S INSIDE
When the legendary Kansas City Chiefs middle linebacker Willie Lanier played football in the 1960s and 70s, he was known as the “Honey Bear” for his intense play and fierce tackling bear technique hugging his opponent and driving them to the ground. Now, 43 years after exiting Pro Football, the Hall of Fame athlete tackles another opponent and confronts it with the same ferocity he showed while playing pro football. However, this time, Lanier isn’t wrangling a running back or an unlucky quarterback in his line of vision. He’s facing down a far more formidable foe on the football field. It is the structural and economic inequities Historical Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) face with the severe underfunding of so many of their athletic departments. Most of the nation’s 99 HBCU’s play in one of 4 athletic conferences. During the 2019 season, in-person attendance at black college football games totaled almost 2-million people. “Many of the football fields at HBCU’s
are in bad shape,” Lanier told the Michigan Chronicle. Like the one at Virginia Union University in my hometown of Richmond, some are more than 100years old. Those poor playing surfaces put black college teams at a competitive disadvantage in a couple of important ways.”
$50-million over the next two years to install new, state-of-the-art playing surfaces at nearly three-dozen HBCU football stadiums. He is partnering with the Field Turf sports company, one of the world’s largest makers and installers of artificial playing surfaces for athletic teams, in this effort.
The Morgan State University alum said the poor conditions of so many HBCU’s football fields make it tougher to recruit top high school players when they see a ‘shoddy looking’ field they’d be expected to play on for 4-years.
Field Turf recently built the new football surface at Virginia Union University’s Hovey Stadium. Coincidentally, that new field is named for Willie Lanier, who played his home high school football games at Hovey.
“Inevitably, they’re going to compare it to the fields at other schools – many of them with high tech’ artificial surfaces – and the HBCU school can lose out on their services,” Lanier said.
Central State University in Wilberforce, Ohio, is another beneficiary of Lanier’s vision and generosity. Tara Owens, the athletic director for CSU, said his generosity was not only honey of a deal but, considering the school was contemplating spending nearly $1 million in improvements to its athletic field, including its football and track fields, it could not have come at a more opportune time.
More fundamentally, bad football fields can hinder the quality of the play upon them, he noted. “Patchy, uneven surfaces make good footing more difficult, impacting player performance. And, can even lead to injuries.” Alarmed by the poor condition of so many football fields at the nation’s historic HBCU’s, Lanier has launched the “HONEY BEAR PROJECT” to raise
Money. A5
$1.00
See HONEY
BEAR PROJECT page A2
MSHDA’s $622M COVID Emergency Program Helps Renters By Sherri Kolade
can recover rent owed to them.” Unlike the EDP, the U.S. Department of Treasury also requires applicants to show documentation of pandemic-related financial hardships to qualify. This can include:
Behind on paying rent because of pandemic-related expenses? The Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MSHDA) wants to help. Through a new $282 million rental assistance program, MSHDA can help eligible tenants facing challenges and assist them in avoiding eviction while their landlords receive owed rent. Another $340 million is available to be appropriated by the state legislature bringing the program to $622 million.
• Unemployment • Loss of income • Increased expenses. Eligible households may also qualify for assistance paying utilities through CERA. Copies of bills are required so payments can be made for the renter. While MSHDA will oversee the program, a statewide network of Housing Assessment and Resource Agencies (HARAs) and other nonprofits are directly responsible for working with tenants and landlords to process applications, administer funds and ensure as many eviction filings as possible are resolved by conditional dismissal through CERA.
The COVID Emergency Rental Assistance (CERA) program is replacing the Eviction Diversion Program (EDP) that MSHDA launched last July that helped about 16,000 households across Michigan avoid being evicted while making them current on their rent.
The People’s Court: 36th District Chief Judge Honored to Serve Detroit
She said an official from the Honey Bear Project reached out to them last fall to inquire about their interest in receiving support for improving CSU’s athletic
“For so many Michiganders, the fear of losing their home during the pandemic has been very real,” said Governor Gretchen Whitmer. “That’s why I took steps to mitigate evictions with a moratorium and the Eviction Diversion Program last year. I was proud to sign this legislation bringing more federal funds into MSHDA to help individuals and families by alleviating the burden of rent and utility payments.” MSHDA expects to help between 50,000 and 55,000 families, or 140,000 individuals, this year through the CERA program. Through the program, landlords or tenants may initiate the CERA application. Renters who are making 80% of the area median income or less are eligible. “At MSHDA, we know just how criti-
cal housing security is for success in so many other areas of life, and it takes a heavy toll on individuals and families when they don’t know how they will make their next rent payment or if they will still have a roof above their heads next week,” said Kelly Rose, MSHDA’s chief housing solutions. “CERA gives Michiganders that much-needed peace of mind by helping them catch up on their rent and utility costs while also ensuring landlords
Program funding comes via the federal coronavirus aid package passed in December 2020. Of the $622 million allocated to Michigan, $560 million will be used directly on rental and utility assistance with the remaining $62 million set aside for case management, administrative and legal services. MSHDA expects the average rental assistance payout through CERA could be as much as $10,000 versus $3,300 per household under the EDP. A timeline on the use of the full funds -- 65% ($405 million) must be spent or obligated by September 30. For more information on CERA or to access a list of HARAs by county, visit Michigan.gov/CERA.