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POWERED BY REAL TIMES MEDIA
Volume 80 – Number 38
michiganchronicle.com
May 31 - June 6, 2017
Obamacare repeal threatens Healthy Michigan
Governor struggles to preserve signature health care program By Keith A. Owens Senior Editor
No matter how Republicans in Congress try to spin it, it seems the majority of their constituents know the difference between when their elected officials are trying to screw them and when they are actually trying to do the right thing. A recently released poll shows that most Americans have little to no faith in the proposed American Health Care Act (AHCA) legislation, otherwise known as Replace and Repeal, that the Republicans in the House are putting forward. So much so, in fact, that Republicans in the Senate are essentially declaring the House proposal dead on arrival and don’t even want to be associated with it. But even before this whole thing got started, back when Trump was just Trump and we had an actual president of the United States doing presidential things without having to worry about being brought up on charges, and back when the Republicans were totally united in their desire to dismantle Obamacare, Michigan had a slightly different approach which, unlike most other states overseen by Republican governors, actually understood the value of not letting its residents die from lack of affordable and accessible health care. Recognized now as something of a Republican alternative to Obamacare (waivers were required for how the state implanted Medicaid expansion), Healthy Michigan supported the idea of helping Michigan residents get the health care they needed, but with some Republican-style ideas thrown in such as requiring more personal responsibility in the process. Obviously, it’s much more complicated than that overall, but the idea seemed to be that this was a proposal that could be sold as a Republican effort that would not completely and totally reject Obamacare simply because the name “Obama” was in there somewhere.
See HEALTH
CARE page A-4
WHAT’S INSIDE
Cinetopia Film Festival’s Top 10 must-see ‘uprising’ films Page B-1
$1.00
Hiram E. Jackson, Damon Creighton Jr., David Rainmaker and Gary Torgow
S.W.A.G. Awards 2017 features some of Detroit’s best By Keith A. Owens Senior Editor
The whole purpose of getting an education is to succeed. Nobody goes to school to learn how to be the most spectacular failure they can be. Trust me on this. Oh, and you can thank Chemical Bank Board Chairman Gary Torgow for the “killa S.W.A.G.’ Torgow coined the term during his remarks in what quickly became one of the favorite terms of the 2017 S.W.A.G. Awards. Last week at the Charles Wright Museum, the Michigan Chronicle recognized some of metro Detroit’s brightest young lights at the 2017 S.W.A.G. (Students Wired for Achievement and Greatness) Awards. A total of 13 local high school students were awarded checks (courtesy of the Chronicle and our S.W.A.G. partner, Chemical Bank) ranging from $1,000 to the top prize of $10,000. Last year’s top prize winner, Jay’la Logan, was present to offer this year’s awardees the benefit of her experience as a college freshman, as well as to express her gratitude to the Chronicle and Chemical Bank for enabling her to attend college. Although she was determined to go to college one way or another, and no doubt would have made it, the assistance of an unexpected $10,000, plus a summer internship at Chemical Bank, made quite a difference. Hiram E. Jackson, Michigan Chronicle publisher and Real Times Media CEO, also offered sound advice and counsel to the awardees. “This is an investment. We are investing in our community through you. So we’re hoping that once we give you this money, that you will use it wisely, you will get your degree, or maybe two, you’ll come out and
S.W.A.G. AWARDS 2017 $10,000 award winner Damon Creighton Jr. with last year's top winner, Jay'la Logan – Carla Jones photos be a productive citizen,” he said. “And as a productive citizen, maybe you’ll buy a house. Maybe you’ll come out and be a journalist, or a talented videographer. Maybe come work for the Michigan Chronicle. So don’t believe we’re going to give you this check and it’s the last time we’re going to see you. We’re investing in our community. We’re businesspeople. We don’t give money away. We believe that the stronger Detroit is, the stronger our businesses will be. We’ll be able to hire our own people. And once you become employed, you will take care of your families and take care of your neighborhoods, and it will create more opportunity for all of us.” Keynote speaker Dr. William Pickard, chairman and CEO of Global Automotive
Alliance and author of the book “Millionaire Moves: Seven Proven Principles of Entrepreneurship,” similarly instructed them that this was not free money they were receiving, nor should it be treated as such. “Learn, earn and return. Those are the three things that we expect of you,” he said. “I have a fundamental belief, and this is so critical for some of us who are born in certain zip codes. So critical for some of us who are born of a certain gender, a certain ethnicity. And that belief is this: Anybody from anywhere can accomplish anything. I beg of you to make good financial decisions, because if you make $1 million a year, and you spend $1 million a year, you are what? Broke.”
See S.W.A.G. page A-4
School board leader says partnerships are vital to DPSCD success By Ken Coleman
children with special needs and providing building maintenance.
Dr. Iris Taylor is president of the seven-member Detroit Board of Education. She recently discussed the issues that impact the Detroit Public Schools Community District and its keys to success.
And so, while we are starting anew and we have an opportunity, we have those challenges. We also have challenges around teacher vacancies. So, inherent in the enthusiasm about the future, and I do have enthusiasm for the future, I’m clear that the challenge we face, and being able to fund what we want to do, is enormous.
What is the District’s goal and vision statement? Providing an experience that allows our students to be able to compete anywhere in the world. To be equipped to navigate life in any vehicle that they choose to be in as they continue in the education trajectory in a fouryear project or in a vocational program, or being an entrepreneur. That we’ve equipped them to move to the next stage of their lives and we’ve defined the essence of excellence. What are major challenges the Board of Education is faced with working to resolve?
Dr. Iris Taylor Galvanizing all of our resources to ensure that we can provide the programmatic goals of the District. It’s going to be challenge. Financially, while the District is in debt, the money allotted for educating children is not enough to provide the extensive wraparound services, such as programs to provide services for
Have you completed contract negotiations with Dr. Nikolai Vitti? What was attractive about Dr. Vitti to you? We have completed a contractual agreement that has been accepted by Dr. Vitti and the board. He officially started on Tuesday, May 23, as superintendent. We were looking for an individual who had a proven track record in process improvement in schools that have programs that are failing. I was looking particularly for someone who had not only
implemented school reform programs and sustainability was evident. He did. I was looking for an individual ideally who would be nationally recognized and bring a set of data driven and researched based programmatic strategies to the District. He represents those key elements. Do you feel any pressure to help contribute to Detroit’s rebirth or renaissance? There is an enormous amount of expectation that we provide or facilitate a structure that enables the District to grow and strive. And as a person responsible for facilitating the board so that we focus on policy decisions and that we do indeed grow the talent within the District to produce the product that we are looking for. So yes, the city of Detroit will not complete our revitalization unless the school district is also performing.
See PARTNERSHIP page A-4
THE MICHIGAN CHRONICLE May 31 - June 6, 2017 Page A-2 news DPSCD middle and high school students receive First Independence Bank scholarships By Alisha Dixon On Friday, family, friends and officials from First Independence Bank gathered to honor a dozen DPSCD middle and high school students for writing the best essays in the bank’s 5th annual First Independence Bank Essay Scholarship Contest. The contest, held at FIB’s West Grand Blvd. branch, is an opportunity for the bank and the community to acknowledge and celebrate academic excellence in DPSCD, something that is far too often overshadowed by news of school closures and low performing schools. Honoring these students, FIB officials said, is a part of the bank’s commitment to investing in the education of Detroit children. To enter the contest, students submitted essays of up to 500 words. Middle school students were required to explain who their hero or their favorite person was and why and high school students described where they wanted to be in five years. The top three middle and high school essays were awarded scholarships ranging from $150 to $2,000. In addition to the awards, all essay participants received certificates of participation. “There were some outstanding essays and it was difficult to choose. We looked at choice of words, grammar, spelling, punctuation, was the question answered and the essay submitted by the deadline date,” said La Toya Nailer, Treasury Management specialist, First Independence Bank.
middle and high school winners. Lauryn Carter of Bates Academy received the first place middle school award of $500. Diego Navarrete was presented with the first place high school award of $2,000. With their parents proudly standing by, Carter and Navarrete said they were happy to receive the awards. Councilwoman Mary Sheffield, the ceremony’s guest speaker, congratulated the students for
winning the awards and for their commitment to education. This commitment, she said, must be maintained in order for the city to have a successful future. “I represent the children and parents of children in DPS. We can’t have a thriving city without quality a education system within our city,” the councilwoman said. The following is a full list of the 2017 First Independence Bank Essay Scholarship winners and
honorable mention recipients: High School Winners Diego Navarrete-Cass, Technical High School ($2,000 Scholarship)
Lauryn Carter-Bates Academy ($500 Scholarship) Maria Begum, Davison Elementary-Middle School ($350 Scholarship) Samia Elliott, Bates Academy ($150 Scholarship)
Carrimia Ownes-Martin, Luther King Jr. Sr. High School ($1,250 Scholarship)
High School Honorable Mentions
Morgan Fisher, Cass Technical High School ($750 Scholarship)
Darnisha Law, Cass Technical High School ($25 gift card)
Middle School Winners
Christie Jackson, Cass Technical High School
($25 gift card) Kyrie Bostic, Cass Technical High School ($25 gift card) Middle School Honorable Mentions Anaya Smith, Foreign Language Immersion & Cultural Studies ($25 gift card) Syeda Ara, Davison Elementary-Middle School ($25 gift card) Isratt Alam, Davison Elementary-Middle School ($25 gift card)
First Independence officials Rhonda Pugh, Kathryn Black and La Toya Nailer began the awards ceremony by presenting scholarship awards to the first place
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Hiram E. Jackson, chairman of the board, with sponsors welcoming golfers
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Jaosn Stein, chair of the Automotive Golf Classic, greets golfers.
The 2017 Automotive Golf Classic benefitting Boys & Girls Clubs of Southeastern Michigan was held Monday, May 22, at Indianwood Golf & Country Club in Lake Orion. The event raised $550,000 to support programs for 15,000 kids served annually. There were six Presenting Sponsors -— General Motors, Ford, FCA, Toyota, Nissan and Honda along with Ernst & Young and Lear Corporation as Major Corporate Contributors and 48 additional Corporate Sponsors which comprised 250 golfers (62 1/2 foursomes).
Marvin Hampton of Ford gets tips from volunteer Ray Wakenell
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THE MICHIGAN CHRONICLE
May 31 - June 6, 2017
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Detroit program to require landlords to bring rental properties into compliance The City of Detroit announced a tougher proposed rental ordinance as part of a sweeping citywide effort to demand that the owners of rental properties register them, get them into compliance and keep them that way. Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan, Councilman Andre Spivey and Buildings, Safety, Engineering & Environmental Department Director David Bell (BSEED) outlined the new strategy during a press conference at City Hall. “Every renter in Detroit should have the expectation of living in a building that is safe and meets all city codes,” said Duggan. “Our approach will be to make it as easy as possible for rental property owners to get into compliance more quickly and that tenants have the protections they need.” Councilman Spivey was set to introduce a revised rental property ordinance with more teeth for tenants, as well as incentives for good landlords, including:
From left: Christine Surdock, president of Molina Healthcare of Michigan; Stephen Harris, regional vice president, Molina Healthcare, Inc.; Chef Mark Prentiss, Rising Stars Academy; Deb Prentiss, Rising Stars Academy; Erin McLoughlin, Alternatives for Girls; Susan Kattula, Chaldean Community Foundation; Khali Sweeney, Downtown Boxing Gym; Juani Olivarez, Genesee County Hispanic Latino Collaborative; Alex Fuller, The Fuller Cut; and Rebecca Kuchar, director of community engagement, Molina Healthcare of Michigan.
• The ability for the city to withhold certificates of compliance to landlords who are more than six months delinquent on their property taxes and owe more than $1,000.
Molina Healthcare of Michigan recognizes unsung heroes at its Eleventh Annual Community Champions Awards
• Providing landlords an expedited process for appealing the denial or suspension of a certificate of compliance. • Less frequent inspections required for quality landlords who, for at least one year, have remained current on their taxes and have received no blight violations. The ordinance would extend certifications from one year to two years for multi-family dwellings and to three years for one- and two-family dwellings. • Maintaining annual lead hazard inspections. Under the proposed ordinance, all rental properties, even those with two or three-year certifications, will require an annual lead risk assessment and clearance. The annual assessment can be waived only if the property owner has taken more long term or permanent measures to abate the lead. “As we hear the concerns from residents as to the importance of improving and building stronger neighborhoods, this rental ordinance will give us another tool to hold landlords accountable in maintaining their property and treating their tenants with dignity and respect,” said Spivey. The draft ordinance has been posted online at www. detroitmi.gov/rental. Ordinance implementation & failure to comply The process of getting all rental properties in the city registered and up to code is expected to be done within two years. To keep the process manageable, the compliance efforts will be phased in gradually across five zones of the city. Here’s how the process will work: Sixty days after the ordinance being approved, BSEED will finalize its five compliance zones and inspection schedule. Sixty days after that, active compliance efforts will begin in the first zone. A new zone will be added every 90 days and landlords in each zone will have six months from the start of the compliance period to get their building up to code. Once the compliance period begins in the first zone, it will take approximately 18 months to have all rental properties across the city registered and in compliance. Rental property owners who fail to bring their building up to code and have it inspected by the end of their zone’s six month compliance period will not be able to legally collect rent under the proposed ordinance. They also will not be able evict any tenant of a non-compliant building solely for withholding rent. “This will be a powerful tool for us to get problematic landlords into compliance because it will be in their own financial interest to do so,” said the mayor.
Molina Healthcare of Michigan recently celebrated the good deeds of seven community heroes at its eleventh annual Community Champions Awards. This year’s winners included Khali Sweeney of Detroit, Susan Kattula of Sterling Heights, Erin McLoughlin of Wyandotte, Alex Fuller of Ypsilanti, Mark and Deb Prentiss of St. Clair Shores and Juani Olivarez of Flint. The Community Champions program celebrates the vision of Dr. C. David Molina, the founder of Molina Healthcare, as well as community partners who work together to care for society’s most vulnerable individuals. Each community champion was nominated by a community-based organization and also received a $1,000 grant to give to a deserving nonprofit organization of his/her choice. “Molina proudly salutes the hard work and dedication of these extraordinary individuals,” said Christine Surdock, President of Molina Healthcare of Michigan. “It was a pleasure honoring this year’s Community Champions award winners for the commitment they put into serving those in need in our communities.” The ceremony was held at The Colony Club in Detroit and included an invocation by Pastor Alonzo Bell of Martin Evans Missionary Baptist Church and entertainment by Cass Tech V-Jetts Vocal Jazz Ensemble. THE 2017 COMMUNITY CHAMPIONS AWARD WINNERS: • Khali Sweeney founded the Downtown Boxing Gym Youth Program, a free after-school safe-haven for Detroit children in 2007. Sweeney ran the program for the first three years without any outside financial assistance. He worked as a security officer and construction site manager to keep the doors open and the lights on. When kids couldn’t get to the gym, he picked them up in his car. When they were hungry, he fed them. He enlisted volunteers to help train young athletes and provide academic tutoring. Through education, athletics, mentoring and intervention, Downtown Boxing
Gym empowers Detroit youth to be positive and productive members of society. Sweeney selected Downtown Boxing Gym Youth Program to receive his $1,000 grant. • Susan Kattula has a passion for serving those who have been afflicted by ailments, illnesses, the visually and hearing impaired, or those who have fallen on hard times. She has been a local lifelong educator and advocate for improving schools for all residents, especially for newcomers who experience difficulties with literacy, comprehension and writing. Kattula has launched two successful initiatives for those with visual and auditory impairments. Additionally, she is a diplomatic ambassador for refugees and immigrants moving into Sterling Heights and Macomb County. She works closely with the Chaldean Community Foundation to provide education about immigrants and their long-term impact on the community. Kattula will donate her $1,000 grant to the Chaldean Community Foundation. • Erin McLoughlin’s passion for helping others has made her a beacon of support for countless women and girls in Wayne County. Outside of her full-time job mentoring veterans, McLoughlin volunteers her time at the Detroit non-profit, Alternatives for Girls. She is committed to helping teens and women engaged in high-risk activities such as street-based prostitution, drug abuse and gang involvement. McLoughlin provides education about the risks associated with these activities and teaches the girls how to transition to making safe choices to lead healthy lives. As a United States Veteran and violence survivor, McLoughlin serves a strong role model for the women and children of Alternatives for Girls. She will donate her $1,000 grant to Alternatives for Girls. • Alex Fuller, owner of the Fuller Cut Barbershop, offers $2.00 discounts at his shop to children who read books aloud to their barbers while getting their hair cut. The Fuller Cut strives to put an end to the “summer slide,” the cumulative learning loss children experience during the summer
months as a result of not being exposed to books during summer break. Fuller aims to empower the children he serves with a diverse literary selection (which includes 75100 rotating titles) that promotes positive images of African Americans. Barbers at the Fuller Cut also track the progress of the children who participate in the program. If a child doesn’t finish a particular book in one session, they can pick up where they left off during their next visit. Fuller will give his $1,000 grant to The Fuller Cut, Inc. • Chef Mark and Deb Prentiss are co-founders of Rising Stars Academy, a school designed to provide special education students ages 18-26 with the skills necessary to be employable and become productive members in the community. Elementary school students regularly visit Rising Stars to interact with students and learn about acceptance and compassion for all people. In addition to their work at Rising Stars, the Prentiss’s make and donate food to organizations for events to bring awareness to the special needs community. Their influence within the business community have provided an overlooked and underserved group of individuals with an opportunity to showcase each person’s potential and abilities. Rising Stars Academy will receive their $1,000 grant. • Juani Olivarez began volunteering at the Flint Hispanic Technology and Community Center which offers translation and interpretations services after moving to the U.S. from Mexico. In 2016, Olivarez took a leap of faith and left what had become a full-time position at the Tech Center to help the Hispanic community during the Flint water crisis. She volunteered her time to inform the community and city leaders about the steps needed to help all citizens of Flint. She also partnered with various health care organizations to host health screening events for the Hispanic population. There, participants could receive lead tests for themselves and their children, and also sign up for insurance. Olivarez has selected Genesee County Hispanic Latino Collaborative to receive her $1,000 grant.
Michigan business urges state to fix infrastructure While aging and failing infrastructure continues to threaten Michigan’s lakes, rivers, drinking water, economy, and public health and safety, the Legislature continues to largely ignore a massive problem that voters and employers rate as the top issue facing the state. In two recent polls, Michigan voters ranked fixing infrastructure as their top issue of concern. The Detroit Regional Chamber, Grand Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce and Business Leaders for Michigan (BLM) also rank fixing infrastructure as a top issue facing the state. Many studies over the past two decades have quantified the massive problems and desperately needed repairs with Michigan’s aging dams, drinking water systems, roads and bridges, and wastewater and stormwater systems. At a news conference today (the first day of the Detroit Chamber’s annual Mackinac Policy Conference that will be attended by dozens of state lawmakers), Michigan business, government, transportation, and engineering groups urged the Legislature to make fixing infrastructure a priority. Infrastructure will be a focus of a Thursday afternoon Policy Conference panel with Gov. Rick Snyder. “Many studies have documented Michigan’s infrastruc-
aging water systems that serve 75 percent of Michigan’s population, thousands of miles of sewer systems, and more than 2,000 dams. “There’s no question that county road agencies are worried,” said Denise Donohue, director of the County Road Association of Michigan. “Michigan residents believe their roads will be fixed tomorrow, but even by 2021 we’ll have only half the dollars we need. And for the first time, half of these new road dollars will depend on new legislators and a new governor to approve them annually.”
ture repair needs as massive, and we know what it’s going to take to fix it,” said Mike Nystrom, executive vice-president of the Michigan Transportation & Infrastructure Association (MITA). “But the Legislature doesn’t have a plan and has eliminated all money from a fund that was specifically proposed to start the process of fixing some of the most pressing problems. We can’t blame this Legislature for the condition of our infrastructure, as inaction over many decades brought us here. But it is up to our state elected leaders to provide a long-term solution, and they continue to do nothing but ignore the problem.”
A December study by the Governor’s 21st Century Infrastructure Commission and a January study by BLM concluded that Michigan needs to invest $4 billion more every year for roughly 20 years to address unmet infrastructure needs. To date, the Legislature has approved a partial solution to fixing Michigan roads and bridges — passed in late 2015 but not scheduled to take full effect until 2021. That legislation will provide $1.2 billion more a year for roads and bridges — assuming future legislatures and the next governor also agree to the plan. However, the plan does not address the state’s other infrastructure needs, including
She continued: “Our members wonder what if the next ‘Flint’ or the next sinkhole triggers legislators to pull funds away from roads, bridges and right-of-way improvements? We very much need the Legislature to find a long-term solution to fixing infrastructure across Michigan.” Michigan’s business community say fixing infrastructure is essential to the state’s economy and job providers. “Sound infrastructure is vital for economic growth. The drivers of our economy: manufacturing, agriculture and tourism depend on it,” said Andy Johnston, vice president of government affairs for the Grand Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce.
news
S.W.A.G.
THE MICHIGAN CHRONICLE
types of epilepsy. Bringing the attention to epilepsy would suggest to the world that it is not only seen as having seizures and what it means to see as the real definition of what it means to epileptic. In addition to that, to pursue my education further, I want to go into the field of mental health, more specifically the medical field of psychiatry.”
“When I was diagnosed with epilepsy, my life changed forever. Pre-diagnosis, I was a 3.7 GPA student in addition to being a freshman varsity athlete with not a care in the world. Once I got the news, I didn’t exactly know what it meant for my future but I knew I was in for a fight,” he said.
He concluded, “I want to pursue this degree to have the knowledge to be able to give back to those that are epileptic. In a sense of bringing mentoring, therapy and group workshops to help not only epileptic teenagers, but their families as well. Bringing those dealing with having a daunting disease that affects their everyday life and providing those individuals with the mental support that comes with it, that is not as (explored) as greatly as already dealing with the physical needs.”
He continued, “My grades were heavily affected but my study habits did not change. Whenever I could be in school I worked as hard as I could until I could no longer. My teachers and advisors worked with me because they had seen the dedication within myself to not let this hold me back from my success. As I entered senior year my health improved tremendously, which has led me to take advantage of the many opportunities I had missed out on earlier in my high school career. “I have had the opportunity to improve my leadership aneducation by being the Student Council president in addition to attending several leadership conferences. I have learned to never give up, to keep fighting even when it all looks downhill and never lose the underlying strength to conquer on. I hope to be considered for the Michigan Chronicle S.W.A.G scholarship. I am a leader, devoted student and last but not least, a fighter. “For epilepsy awareness I would bring the socialization of epilepsy as a disease, by that I mean bringing more attention to the degrees and different
The full list of finalists is as follows:
Ronnie Alvarez Cass Technical High School Melody Brooks Cass Technical High School Damon Creighton Jr. Theodore Roosevelt High School Charla Franklin Renaissance High School Ashleigh Garrison International Academy Ja'Mya Giles River Rouge High School Bryce Hicks Southfield High School Asha Hill Renaissance High School Saika Islam Detroit International Academy Jazmine Johnson University Prep Science & Math High School Taylor King Mumford High School Diego Navarrete Cass Technical High School Caleb Vasser Detroit Edison Public School Academy Early College of Excellence
Detroit Mercy law commencement features Chief Judge Denise Page Hood University of Detroit Mercy School of Law held its 104th annual commencement ceremony on Friday, May 12, at Calihan Hall on the University’s McNichols Campus.
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But the most moving words of the evening came from this year’s top prize $10,000 award winner, Damon Creighton, Jr. An honor roll student from Theodore Roosevelt High School in Wyandotte, Creighton spoke earnestly from his submitted essay about some of the challenges that he has stared down on his way to greater things.
“It didn’t take long for the disorder and several medication changes to take a toll on my body. Sophomore and junior years were the worst years of my physical condition. I was having to take excessive breaks from my schooling, and unlike many, I hate to miss school. I was making the attempt to keep up with my running and hold my varsity position, but it has consistent clash between my illness and body. My dream of running college track was tarnished, yet I did not give up my dream to attend college.”
May 31 - June 6, 2017
aged graduates to look back on their accomplishments and consider what the future may hold as they begin their careers. “Look ahead to decide what kind of lawyer you want to become,” she advised. “You will find what you are good at and what makes you happiest, or what makes you feel relevant and worthy. “While every day may not be exciting, it will be meaningful.”
Chief Judge Denise Page Hood of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan delivered the commencement speech. Appointed by Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr., Chief Judge Hood currently serves on the Criminal Rules AdviThe chief judge sory Committee of the also urged the graduUnited States Judicial ates to seek counsel Conference. She also from more experiserves on the Criminal enced attorneys. Pattern Jury Instruc“Lawyers more tions Committee for the mature in the law are Sixth Circuit. She is the nearly always open chair of the Pro Bono to assist you,” she Committee, co-chair of said. “Don’t be proud. the Ad Hoc Jury ComReach out to somemittee, and serves on one so that you can various other commitChief Judge Denise Page Hood effectively represent tees of the U.S. District your client.” Court. She is a graduate of Yale University and Columbia Law School. Michael Valenti, graduate of the Canadian & American Dual J.D. Program The Graduates and Student Bar Association president, The 158 new graduates came to the was selected by his classmates to speak School of Law from 51 undergraduate on their behalf. He remarked on three institutions in the United States and special values he associates with the Canada. Half of them earned an Ameri- School of Law: kindness, integrity and can J.D., while 46 percent earned both resilience. American and Canadian J.D. degrees “All three of these qualities transthrough Detroit Mercy Law’s three-year late to this school and contribute to its Canadian & American Dual J.D. program with the University of Windsor Faculty greatness. From the moment we set foot of Law. The remaining 4 percent earned in the law building until today — the day J.D. and M.B.A. degrees from the School we leave it — we have been treated with of Law and College of Business Admin- kindness, taught how to act with integistration. While the average age of the rity, and become resilient in our studies class of 2017 is 27 years old, graduates and in our lives,” Valenti said. Edward G. Lennon(’88), president of ranged from 23 to 50 years of age. the Detroit Mercy Law Alumni Associa“Golden” Guests of Honor tion, closed the ceremony by welcoming Four members of the class of 1967 the Class of 2017 to the Alumni Associled the commencement procession as ation and reminding the graduates that golden jubilee anniversary graduates: they will now represent the School of John J. Ciesliga, Joseph A. Golden, Law in all they do. Jeffrey M. Leib and Hon. Lois H. Smith. “You will forever be a reflection of Judge Smith was one of just three Detroit Mercy Law and the values and women to graduate with the class of 1967. By contrast, University President work ethic developed during your legal Antoine M. Garibaldi noted in his com- education. … Display to the world at mencement remarks that 63 percent of large that Detroit Mercy Law graduates possess the competence, intellectual the class of 2017 is female. honesty, compassion, and perseverance The golden jubilee alumni reminisced necessary to obtain positive results for about their adventures at the School of society at large,” said Lennon. Law and reflected on their own graduaAbout University of Detroit Mercy tion. School of Law “I drove a beer truck for three years University of Detroit Mercy School of to get through law school. When I finally Law was founded in 1912. The school is walked across that stage, I could hardly believe it,” recalled Leib. The class of approved by the American Bar Associa1967 will convene for a reunion dinner tion and is a member of the Association of American Law Schools. in July. The school’s curriculum integrates Words of Encouragement theory, doctrine and practice through its Pamela Zarkowski, University of De- nationally recognized Clinical Program, troit Mercy provost and vice president Legal Writing Program and the Law Firm for Academic Affairs, University Pres- Program. The school places social jusident Antoine M. Garibaldi, and law tice and engagement in global affairs at school Dean Phyllis L. Crocker each the core of its educational mission. offered their words of encouragement For more information about Detroit and advice to the class of 2017 before Mercy Law, please visit www.law.udmerceding the floor to Chief Judge Denise cy.edu. Page Hood. Her keynote speech encour-
Health care By most indications, the program has been very successful. Lord knows I’ve had more than a few extremely strong disagreements with Gov. Rick Snyder, but Healthy Michigan is not one of them. The overall idea and implementation of this program displayed a willingness to compromise in favor of Michigan citizens and not simply jump on the GOP self-destruct bandwagon for appearances sake. Which is why it is no small reason for concern that the proposed GOP House bill, if turned into law, has the potential to effectively wipe out Healthy Michigan. Granted, the polls show opinion is strongly against the Republican House proposal, and the Senate doesn’t appear to be much in favor either, not to mention the fact that Trump is somewhat preoccupied right now trying to dodge all the evidence threatening to expose him as the clear and present danger to national security that he truly is. From CNBC, posted on May 26: “One new poll found that just 20 percent of voters said they would be more likely to vote for a senator or member of the House who supported the current version of the bill. But 44 percent of voters they they would be less likely to vote for a member of Congress who backed the bill, according to that poll from Quinnipiac University. “The same Quinnipiac Poll found that 57 percent of voters disapprove of the bill, known as the American Health Care Act. Just 20 percent of voters approve.” But it ain’t over ’til it’s over, which means there is still too much of a chance that the fervor on Capitol Hill to obliterate Obamacare and fulfill Trump’s campaign promise — and the promise of Republicans everywhere since Obamacare became law — could overtake common sense and erase the progress that has been made rather than build on that progress by repairing the evident flaws of Obamacare. In Michigan, the repeal of Obamacare could have drastic consequences. And if it’s drastic for Michigan overall, you know what that means for Detroit and Wayne County. Michigan Health and Human Services Director Nick Lyon has said that it would cost the state an estimated $800 million annually to continue the Healthy Michigan program if the GOP healthcare repeal legislation goes through and federal funding is reduced to the standard matching rate for other Medicaid enrollees. More specifically, if the House bill became law, then the concern focuses on a provision in Michigan state law requiring the program to be shut down once the overall cost of the program exceeds the savings generated. What
Partnership How can the Greater Detroit Regional Chamber of Commerce and its members best help DPSCD? Our ultimate success to achieve and attain is directly related to the partnerships that we are able to generate. Those partnerships are an investment of time and talent of organizations that will share with the District to help our programmatic goals and an investment of dollars to support certain programs for students at DPSCD. Clearly, the partnerships are the parents and the other aspects of the community, which include individuals in
From page A-1 happens in the House bill is that starting Jan. 1, 2020, individuals who leave the program and then return later come back on at a different matching rate where the federal government doesn’t contribute as much. That becomes a new cost borne by the state. If this is done across the entire Healthy Michigan population, and the state was going to keep Healthy Michigan in place and find the resources to do it, that would cost the state about $800 million per year. That is the result of going from a 90% matching rate to a 65% matching rate. So imagine that the federal government used to pay 90% of the cost, but now will only cover 65%, then spread that additional cost per enrollee across 670,000 Healthy Michigan enrollees, and BOOM. Budget buster. Now let’s get specific to how this might affect us locally. For Wayne County, as of two weeks ago there were 186,000 individuals enrolled in Healthy Michigan. Of that 186,000, more than 90,500 are enrolled in Detroit. According to a University of Michigan study, health service providers have seen a 50 percent reduction in the cost of uncompensated care since the implementation of Healthy Michigan. This means that half of the folks who used to show up at hospital emergency rooms without any insurance to get care, passing on those costs to the hospitals, has decreased by 50 percent. Suffice to say that this had been a problem in black and poor Detroit for quite some time. More statewide survey stats: ■ Before Healthy Michigan, 16 percent of the people enrolled were using the emergency rooms as their regular source of primary care. That has dropped from 16 percent to 1.7 percent. ■ Roughly 65 percent of enrollees are able to get in to see a primary care doctor within 150 days. That is a turnaround from the days when folks who didn’t have insurance weren’t even going to see a primary care doctor. ■ 590,000 enrollees have had a primary care visit. ■ Over 250,000 mammograms have been covered. ■ 320,000 enrollees have received a dental visit ■ 55,000 enrollees have been screened for colon cancer Today, 50 percent of all births in the state are covered by Medicaid. Almost 50 percent of Michigan’s kids are on the Medicaid program. Two-thirds of all nursing home beds are supported by Medicaid.
From page A-1 the business district, philanthropy, the faith-based organizations, individuals in academic institutions that can support not only partnership and training and support of developmental growth of our faculty and other aspects of the organizations. We also want to attract those who are willing to participate in mentoring and research that supports advance programming for the students of DPSCD. All of that can only happen if we are able to foster significant and sustainable partnerships across the entire city of the Detroit.
City of Pontiac dedicates street to Ronnie McNeir of the Four Tops On Saturday, May 27, the City of Pontiac honored Ronnie McNeir, a member of the Four Tops for nearly two decades, for his musical legacy and contributions to the community by renaming the street that he grew up on with his namesake. The street, E. Wilson Street, located at the corner of Woodward Avenue near the new M1 Concourse Race Track in Pontiac, Michigan, officially became Ronnie McNeir Street. Many political leaders, Pontiac Mayor Deidra Waterman and former mayor of Pontiac Walter Moore, along with Michigan State Representative Tim Greimel, were on hand to congratulate McNeir. The Four Tops dedicated a few songs to McNeir with founder and original member Duke Fakir saying that it has been a pleasure working with McNeir who is better known as “Ronnie Mac from Pontiac” among the group. Mc-
Neir’s close friends, family and people from the community were there to witness the event. A self-taught gifted pianist, songwriter, producer and versatile tenor, McNeir got into music at the early age of 17 and signed with De-to Records and recorded “Sitting in My Classroom.” He describes his sound as R&B and jazz combined, and his hit single “Summertime” (1972) reflected just that. This multitalented musician over his 30-year career in music has amassed a musical résumé that reads like a who’s who of soul music. Throughout his career, McNeir has either worked with or written songs for numerous musical stars and legends, including Bobby Womack, David Ruffin, Smokey Robinson, Teena Marie, Angela Winbush, the Whispers, Rance Allen and Eddie Kendricks.
news
THE MICHIGAN CHRONICLE
May 30 - June 6, 2017
Page A-5
Three years since discovery of tainted water, little has changed By D. Kevin McNeir
Russell Simmons and most recently hip-hop artist Big Sean, she expects to see the level of donations increase.
NNPA
Residents of Flint, Michigan have very little to celebrate, three years after the water crisis in the city made national headlines. On April 25, as citizens of the blue-collar city, located about one hour from Detroit, marked the third anniversary of the announcement that over 100,000 men, women and children had potentially been exposed to high levels of lead in the drinking water, the suffering continues.
Alisha Dixon photos
Detroit Tiny Homes Progressive Tour hosted by Cass Community Social Services By Alisha Dixon Last week, Cass Community Social Services hosted the Tiny Homes Progressive Tour of the new tiny home community located on Elmhurst between Woodrow Wilson and the Lodge Service Drive. Rev. Faith Fowler, Executive Director Cass Community Social Services and creator of the tiny homes project, believes the tour is an opportunity for the public to not only view the homes but to also see how committed Cass is to helping the community. The tiny home community’s distance to the Cass Community Social Services campus will allow residents to have access to the organizations educational and recreational services. “The Cass tiny homes development is so much more than house,” Fowler said. “It is a novel anti-poverty program that will transform the residents and this neighborhood while it helps to protect the planet.” The three-day tour allowed the public to walk through the six completed tiny homes while enjoying six courses of tiny treats from Matt Prentice and the Cass Community Social Services Catering team. Tour guests were also the first to receive a copy of the not yet released “Tiny Homes in a Big City,” by Rev. Fowler, a coffee table book that explores the American Dream and how small houses and tiny homes historically have been used to help the poor. In the book, Fowler ex-
The health crisis arose shortly after officials decided to switch drinking water sources to the Flint River. Before long, thousands began to suffer from illnesses linked to the contaminated water, including an estimated 12,000 children who have been exposed to dangerously-high levels of lead. And while an estimated 15,000 children in the city will soon receive extra money for nutritional foods that can limit the effects of the lead exposure, that assistance will not be extended to families who left the city—even though their children may suffer from health problems related to the lead-contaminated water. That decision, made by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, has not been well received. For now, qualifying families will receive a one-time payment of $420 for each eligible child —funds that come from $7 million in additional food assistance from the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families block grant.
plains the history of Cass’ unique ownership model and tips for anyone considering tiny home living. The new community, still in the construction phase, will be home to 25 tiny homes that will provide permanent affordable housing for low-to-moderate income individuals and couples. The tiny homes, ranging from 250-400 square feet, sit on 30’ x 100’ lot and each have full size energy efficient appliances to include washer-dryers, microwaves, ovens, stoves and refrigerators. Each home comes fully furnished and decorated with unique architectural design and décor. “Every home is different. There are cottages, a colonial, a Victorian, a Tutor and an environmental house. Each has a distinctive feature so the residents will have a sense of pride in their home,” said Rev. Fowler. The $1.5-million project, Rev. Fowler said, gives low-to-moderate income Detroiters a way to be a part of the city’s revitalization by becoming homeowners.
“This is a program about aspirations,” Rev. Fowler said. “This isn’t just a housing program. This program is ready for people who are ready” to become homeowners. The program guarantees full ownership after leasing a home for seven years. The estimated cost for each home is between $40,000 and $60,000. Rental rates will equate to a dollar per square feet. To qualify to purchase a tiny home, applicants must show that according to federal guidelines they qualify as low-income. As part of the application process, criminal history, work history and rental history will be considered. Qualifying residents, Cass said, will be formerly homeless men and women, senior citizens, college students and Cass staff members.
This decision represents the highest level of accreditation that can be awarded to an organization, and shows Mariners Inn’s substantial conformance to the CARF standards. An organization receiving a Three-Year Accreditation has put itself through a rigorous peer review process. It has demonstrated to a team of surveyors during an on-site visit its commitment to offering programs and services that are measurable, accountable, and of the highest quality. Mariners Inn is a non-profit organization with offices at 445 Ledyard Street, Detroit, MI, 48201. It has been providing residential substance abuse treatment and supportive services for adult homeless men in the Detroit area since 1925. Since then, its services have expanded
“If I had moved to another state, I could understand being treated differently. But moving just 15 minutes away, I feel like it’s unfair,” said Ariana Hawk in an interview with the Detroit Free Press. Meanwhile, a fundraising campaign has been launched by California-based Green for All—a climate and economic justice organization that focuses on poverty and pollution to create an inclusive green economy strong enough to lift people out of poverty. Vien Truong, the director of Green for All said that the #FixThePipes campaign has raised $10,000 to fix Flint homes. With several celebrities signing on and asking their followers to give their support, including Van Jones, Common,
Truong continued: “With President Trump promising to cut the EPA budget by one-third, Americans need to understand that what’s happened here in Flint will one day become the norm. One can intellectualize this all they want but studies show the disproportionate number of landfills, toxic facilities and dumps are more often located near the dwellings of low-income families or near places where people of color reside. No one speaks for them. Race remains a prevalent factor.” One young activist who has served as the face of the Flint water crisis, nine-year-old Amariyanna Copeny, also known as “Little Miss Flint, joined other protesters during the “Stand Up to Trump” rally outside the White House last month, criticizing President Trump for breaking his promise to address the problem. “On the campaign trail, he promised he would fix Flint. Unfortunately, this was one promise that he failed to keep— just like his promise to ‘Make America Great Again,’” Truong said. “Little Miss Flint” first made headlines last year after she sent a letter to President Obama inviting him to come see the damage caused by the lead poisoning. Obama replied and visited the city, even meeting with the youthful activist. In many cases, the stories of suffering from Flint residents seem to be unbelievable in a country like America, given its level of resources. One senior citizen who has lived in Flint since 1963 says she feels abandoned and confused particularly after receiving a water bill for $1099.09 which officials from the water department alleged was issued to her because she had been “undercharged.”
Residents are expected to begin moving into the tiny homes in June. For more information about the Cass Community Social Services tiny home community, go to www.casscommunity.org or call (313) 883-2277, ext 201.
Mariners Inn celebrates 15 years of CARF Accreditation CARF International announced that Mariners Inn has been accredited for a three-year period for its Residential Treatment, Community Housing, and Outpatient Treatment substance abuse recovery programs. This is the fifth consecutive Three-Year Accreditation that the international accrediting body has awarded Mariners Inn. Additionally, the designation includes applied Governance Standards, identifying Mariners Inn’s Board of Trustees as uniquely committed to providing competent and visionary leadership. Mariners Inn is the only organization of its kind in Michigan to have received the Governance Standards designation.
But for those like one former Flint resident and mother who moved barely a stone’s throw away for the sake of her young child’s health, the dollars won’t be made available.
“Every dollar we collect brings Flint families one step closer to clean bathing and drinking water,” said Truong, who estimates that the bill for removing lead-contaminated pipes is $10,000 per home. “Many don’t know that over 8,000 city residents now have tax liens [on their homes] for refusing to pay for poisonous water,” Truong said. “It’s outrageous that three years later, families living in Flint still don’t have clean drinking water. Lead has poisoned over 300,000 people. Meanwhile, companies have left, restaurants have closed, property values have declined and investors have gone elsewhere. We have to make people remember and help.”
to include at risk youth, young adults, and families. Mariners Inn’s CEO, David Sampson, says of the accreditation, “Earning another three-year accreditation in the midst of Detroit’s revitalization and surrounded by new development speaks to the passion, dedication, and professionalism of Mariners Inn and its stakeholders. Holding our consumers in the highest esteem, while providing them the necessary tools to succeed, is a driving force in our zeal to continue the mission of helping to save lives. We are grateful for the designation and remain forever committed to continuously improving the services that CARF has recognized us for with the highest accreditation level possible.”
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CARF is an independent, nonprofit accrediting body whose mission is to promote the quality, value, and optimal outcomes of services through a consultative accreditation process and continuous improvement services that center on enhancing the lives of the persons served. Founded in 1966 as the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities, and now known as CARF International, the accrediting body establishes consumer-focused standards to help organizations measure and improve the quality of their programs and services. For more information about the accreditation process, please visit the CARF website at www.carf.org.
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Page A-6 • THE MICHIGAN CHRONICLE • May 31 - June 6, 2017
CONGRATULATIONS DISCOVER THE UNEXPECTED FELLOWS!
Alexa Imani Spencer HOWARD
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Discover the Unexpected is back! This year’s DTU journalism fellowship presented by the all-new 2018 Chevrolet Equinox in partnership with the National Newspaper Publishers Association has expanded beyond Howard University to include students from Spelman College, Morehouse College and Clark Atlanta University. Our 8 DTU Fellows will share stories from Atlanta, Washington D.C., Raleigh and New Orleans. Our young journalists will explore and share stories from these rich strongholds of African American history and culture. Join them as they embark on this exciting journey of inspiration, education and discovery.
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Local Pastor Gary Green opens church inside of Mumford High School
May 31 - June 6, 2017
By Chasidy Hall Special to the Chronicle
Former high school basketball coach Gary Green is a pastor at Calvary Apostolic Church. His wife, Rita Green, is co-pastor. What makes this church stand out is that it is located inside of Mumford High School. Calvary just recently celebrated its oneyear anniversary, which took place on April 9. The church also includes Lunch and Learn Bible class, founded by the two pastors. It was created to cater to the needs of the Mumford High students, where they are able to have lunch and learn more about the Bible. The program also allows them to explore possible career paths. Friendly, easygoing, kind and a true man of God are some of the words that the students and his congregation use to describe Pastor Gary Green. The vision that he has for the church and the students is inspirational. Green coached basketball at Cooley High School from 1985 until 1999 after spending several years doing the same at Henry Ford High, Central High and Greater Grace Christian Academy. “I went to Cooley to help my former college coach Ben Kelso, who I learned everything about coaching from. Ben, who I named my son after was a great mentor and became a great friend to me because of his love for the progress of young men in the city of Detroit. He was the assistant coach at Eastern Michigan University, where I played from 1977 until 1979.” Green believes that coaching taught him a lesson that he had taken for granted —
Pictured from left: Marcus Elliott on sax, Kayvon Gordon on drums, J.D. Allen on sax, Adam Olszewski on bass and Xavier Bonner on sax.
Jazz at Bert’s Market Place By Herb Boyd Special to the Chronicle
Pastor Gary Green and his wife, co-pastor Rita Green. how much impact coaching had on young people’s lives, and that is what partly influenced him to create the Lunch and Learn program. “The structure, discipline, the effort that’s necessary to be successful plays a part of these young people for the rest of their lives, he said. After 27 years of doing coaching and law enforcement as a Wayne County Sheriff’s deputy, Green expresses said God called him into ministry in 1992. “Thank God, I was allowed to do a great deal of study and research on the job, and much of my counseling and teaching was done with the staff and officers of the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office,” Green said. In 2006, Bishop Charles Ellis III named him assistant pastor of Greater Grace Temple in Detroit where he had been a member since 1956. He looked up to those before him who also served in the same role. “All our assistant pastors, these men carried great respect in the church as well as the anointing of God. For him to see that in me was the most powerful and fulfilling day of my life,” he said. He served in that capacity until he said God called him and his wife to pastor, something that they both never thought they ever wanted to do. Shortly after Green and his wife found their new calling, they began to look for a place to open a ministry. After looking at many abandoned churches on the east side of Detroit, he said he had a spiritual realization. “When we went in this church. it was in horrible condition, the only thing left at the altar was a crown of thorns. God spoke to me then and said these buildings are closed because they have forgotten Calvary. From that point, we promised God that we will never forget Calvary.” Soon, they got a call from a close friend, who was the principal at Mumford High School. “While taking the tour, the principal expressed to us that she wanted prayer in her school, and we let her know that we wanted Calvary to not just have a church service on Sunday, but wanted there to be a service Monday through Friday,” he said. The school gave them the auditorium on Sunday and a classroom throughout the week. “We started what God had told us to do, to feed his sheep, and the feed and seed program began. With the parents’ permission we feed the kids a light lunch and give them biblical stories that relate to their everyday lives.” Junior Parrish Burton, 16, is a cornerback for the Mumford High football team
See Calvary page B-2
Detroiters know a lot about Tuesdays with Morrie, but they need to get hip to Wednesdays at Bert’s, that is, his Market Place at Eastern Market. Every Wednesday, the jazz resonates there like it once did at Odom’s Cave, Klein Show Bar, the Blue Bird Inn and Strata Concert Gallery, just to name a few places where veteran or emerging musicians shared the stage. Sharing the stage with the increasingly popular tenor saxophonist J.D. Allen were Marcus Elliott and Xavier Bonner, each with their horns of plenty. They opened last Wednesday with a medley of Thelonious Monk tunes, which may have been a subtle nod to one of the evenings sponsors, Monk Beer. Elliott was first up and his effortlessly mastering of Monk’s complexities got things off to a sophisticated beginning with a smooth, easy tone that often evoked the great Lester Young. Almost from the first elegant sound from his horn it was possible to discern how rigorously he has pursued his craft. Xavier Bonner, between breaks read a Bert Dearing – Monica Morgan photo book, and the sense of the literate issued from his horn, particularly when his blast of lower notes rubbed against drummer Kayvon Gordon’s occasional bursts of thunder. His approach is a little rawer than Elliott’s, but no less concise and coherent — perhaps in keeping with his literary penchant. Gordon was working overtime on each of the soloists, and only the bassist Adam Olszewski seemed as busy, which was given great display during his solo of a Monk bridge. By the way, Gordon, who can coax a variety of responses from the horns, fronts his own quartet at the Paradise Valley Gift Gallery, the other sponsor of the evenings.
It’s the place to be
After Elliott and Bonner expressed their interpretations of Monk, J.D. Allen took command with a lovely foray on “It’s You or No One,” and it possessed all the swagger and maturity that we heard in the music of John Coltrane. The comparison to Trane if unforgivable, it is inevitable. There’s the breathless intensity, the swift melodic shifts from key to key, an intuitive understanding of the evergreen and how to give it fresh blush of luster. In one way he was commenting on Elliott and Bonner’s performances, showing without telling how to get inside a song’s intricacies, harvesting the unintended consequences of an alluring refrain. There were several opportunities when all three horns blended, where his younger charges knew exactly what to do with a mentor’s hints; how to embellish without losing the song’s harmonic and rhythmic sonorities. Listening to them in their blend of the blues was lavishly spiced with African-American nuances, a sound that complemented the historical motif Bert Dearing has established throughout his complex of buildings. Most rewarding was to hear the respect the young players had for their leader, and the patience the leader evinced for his protégés. If this Wednesday was typical of what the Jazz Network Foundation and the Serengeti Galleries & Werglum Music presents each week, we can understand why it is attracting larger and larger crowds. Wednesdays at Bert’s — mark it on your calendar.
National Award Presented to Len Krichko at Boys & Girls Clubs of America’s 111th Annual National Conference in Dallas Len Krichko, president and CEO, Boys & Girls Clubs of Southeastern Michigan, was recognized and inducted into the Masters & Mentors Class of 2017 at Boys & Girls Clubs of America’s 111th Annual National Conference in Dallas, Texas.
was president of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Cleveland for 10 years and served as the executive director of Hudson Boys’ Club in Massachusetts for two years. His lifelong involvement with Boys & Girls Clubs began as a member of the F.H. Buhl Club of Sharon, Pennsylvania.
The Masters and Mentors Award is the highest level of recognition that can be bestowed on an individual. Krichko was one of four individuals to receive the award this year.
Since 1926, Boys & Girls Clubs of Southeastern Michigan has provided high quality programs for youth, ages 6-18, grades 1-12. The organization has locationsn in four counties. Since its founding, Boys & Girls Clubs of Southeastern Michigan has served over 300,000 youth. Ninety of the youth served graduate from high school and 95 percent go on to higher education. Key programs include academic success, healthy lifestyles/fitness and character and leadership development.
Krichko said, “I am very humbled, honored and proud to receive this prestigious recognition and to be part of such an esteemed group of leaders that are committed and dedicated to helping provide youth with opportunities to succeed in life.” Krichko has served as president and CEO for Boys & Girls Clubs of Southeastern Michigan since 1997. The organization has doubled in size under his leadership, growing to 10 locations serving 15,000 youth annually. He previously
Len Krichko
community
THE MICHIGAN CHRONICLE
May 31 - June 6, 2017
Calvary
DPSCD food service specialist is a ‘diamond in the rough’ More often than not, teachers and principals come to mind when one thinks about the men and women who work in our public schools.
From page B-1
and enjoys attending the program each week. “The thing I like about the program is us studying the Bible because most young kids don’t like reading the Bible,” he said. “I started reading it because of the program, and it affected my life in a positive way because I learn new things and have changed in many good ways. Everybody in the class gains more information about the Bible and they are happy to be there. We all love Pastor Green and his wife.”
But other staff also help to make a positive impact on the lives of Detroit Public Schools Community District’s 45,000 students. Katina J. Laird is one of them. Laird, a state certified food service specialist, has worked for DPSCD for 16 years. She started as a satellite aide and then earned an opportunity to become a specialist. She currently supervises two assistants and a group of about 20 current Drew Transition Center students. The two assistants are former DPSCD students. Charles R. Drew Transition Center, located at 9600 Wyoming Road on the city’s west side, educates students aged 18 to 26. They participate in the program, a unique post-secondary vocational center for moderate and severely cognitively impaired, visually impaired, hearing impaired, physically impaired, otherwise health impaired and students with autism.
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The class started with six students and it is now up to 85, with another 20 on the waiting list. Other schools have expressed interest in this program, but according to Green, this kind of ministry is not for everybody. As he put it, “It comes with a great sacrifice and expense; it’s not funded by government grants, but by individuals who want to help our Mumford students.”
Katina J. Laird and Donna Jackson calls “tough love,” preparing them for the real world.
Laird is part manager and part big sister. For a few hours a day she helps to prepare students to learn and develop work skills.
“I let them know what I expect in this kitchen,” she said. “We don’t play around in here. We’re working around hot food. This is serious.”
The students learn commercial kitchen skills from “Ms. Tina” and also what she
They place watermelon slices in small plastic cups and scoop green beans on serving
plates that were home grown in the school’s garden. Drew is the largest Farm to School program in America, according to the DPSCD. Students help to harvest vegetables in the school’s garden and outdoor Hoop House, and then prepare meals onsite. Donna Jackson, president of the Detroit Federation of
Para-Professionals, describes Katina J. Laird as a “diamond in the rough.” “The focus is students,” Jackson says about employees like Laird who work behind the scenes. “She’s helping to shape those minds. She’s a jewel.”
Cancer Awareness and Resource Network (CARN) to raise money for cancer fighters It’s time to lace up your walking and running shoes for a great cause. The non-profit Cancer Awareness and Resource Network (CARN) is holding its first annual 6K Run/Walk on Saturday, June 3, 2017 in River Rouge. The Colors of Cancer Race 4 Resources will raise money for cancer fighters across Michigan to help pay bills and purchase everyday necessities that often go neglected due to the high cost of medical care. The race also draws attention to the variety of colors associated with the various types of cancer. “We all know that pink signifies breast cancer, but every cancer has an identifiable color and there are more than 24 types of this disease,” said Keith White,
CARN president and founder. “Our race will raise awareness of these colors, plus it will raise funds to bridge the gap for families who have been touched by cancer and are struggling to make ends meet because of the high cost of medical care and in some cases, the loss of a job.” The 3.7-mile Run/Walk kicks off at 9:00 a.m. at River Rouge Memorial Park, 11051 W. Jefferson Avenue. The course will wind through River Rouge, ending at approximately 1:00 p.m. at the park with a celebration featuring live entertainment and an awards ceremony.
and Wayne County Sheriff’s Office Chief of Staff Michael Turner are serving as the event’s honorary chairpersons. Race sponsors include MotorCity Casino Hotel, Telegram Newspaper, Western Wayne NAACP, My Life Our Journey Foundation, Hot Sam’s, AmeriHealth Caritas, Marathon Petroleum Corporation, BriovaRx, and Chemico. Sponsorship opportunities are still available. After May 27, registration fees will increase by $5. Visit www.carn.co or call (470) 771CARN (2276) to register for the race or to become a sponsor.
Wayne County Executive Warren Evans, Wayne County Sheriff Benny Napoleon,
Pastor Rita Green expressed how much the students love the program, saying, “The kids are very open and ready for the Bible program. They are more excited about the church than lunch. One of the boys said that since his mom does not take him to church, he is glad he can come for his lunch hour. He did not want God to think he forgot about Him.” Calvary praise team member Marcus Abernathy, 19, believes that joining the church has had a positive effect on him. “Being involved with the Calvary praise team impacts me both spiritually and naturally,” Abernathy said. “Naturally, because I’m doing what I love, which is singing. Spiritually because I am singing and praising God in a free and open atmosphere. Calvary is a place where you are free to worship and praise God and get what you need spiritually to get you through to the next week.” Calvary Apostolic Church has service on Sundays at 3 p.m. at Mumford High School, located at 17525 Wyoming Ave, Detroit. Call-in Bible class takes place on Tuesdays at 7:30 p.m. at 563-999-2090, ext. 605439.
A Speakers Forum
FORUM IV
CEO Outlook June 15, 2017 • 7:30 a.m. Detroit Athletic Club 241 Madison Avenue, Detroit, MI 48226 Panelists
Dr. William F. Pickard
Matthew J. Simoncini
Cindy Pasky
Gerard M. Anderson
Dr. William F. Pickard
Chairman & CEO, Global Automotive Alliance
Matthew J. Simoncini President & CEO, Lear Corporation
Cindy Pasky
Founder, President & CEO, Strategic Staffing Solutions
Gerard M. Anderson Chairman & CEO, DTE Energy Presented by
Media Partners:
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THE MICHIGAN CHRONICLE
May 31 - June 6, 2017
Page B-3
Congratulation to all of the finalists. A combined total of $35, 000 was awarded in scholarships
S.W.A.G. Awards: Honoring student achievement
S.W.A.G Grand Prize winner Damon Creighton, Jr. Creighton plans to attend Wayne State University to study psychology.
Michigan Chronicle Publisher Hiram E. Jackson, Chemical Bank Chairman Gary Torgow and President of Chemical Bank David Ramaker congratulate $5,000 SWAG finalist Jazmine Johnson
Hiram E. Jackson, publisher of the Michigan Chronicle, shares with the crowd the purpose and vision of the S.W.A.G Awards.
Dr. William Pickard and S.W.A.G. finalist Bryce Hicks enjoy a light moment during the VIP reception.
Paula Tutman, WDIV reporter, served as mistress of ceremonies.
Congratulations to Diego Navarette. Navarette was awarded $5,000 and will attend Harvard University in the fall to study government.
The 2016 $10,000 winner, Jay’la Logan, reflects on her first year of college at Western Michigan University.
Dr. Pickard brings the keynote message, encouraging the students to work hard but to never forget to give back
“American Idol” finalist Malawa Watson kicks off the awards ceremony with a performance of Bruno Mars’ “Uptown Funk.”
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HIRAM E. JACKSON Publisher
A Real Times Media Newspaper 479 Ledyard • Detroit, MI 48201
(313) 963-5522 e-mail: newsdesk@michronicle.com May 31 - June 6, 2017
Page B-4
CATHY NEDD Associate Publisher KEITH A. OWENS Senior Editor SAMUEL LOGAN Publisher 1933-2011
JOHN H. SENGSTACKE Chairman-Emeritus 1912-1997 LONGWORTH M. QUINN Publisher-Emeritus 1909-1989
Affirmative Action Under Trump: Where Can It Go? By Robert Weiner and Paula Hong Few remember but in December 2015, presidential candidate Donald Trump called Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia out during his campaign, saying he, “did not like” Scalia’s belief that minorities, specifically African Americans, would be better off attending “slower-track schools” —disregarding affirmative action’s purpose to provide minorities with opportunities. The hope for minorities that President Trump would remain “fine with affirmative action” was short-lived with Trump’s appointment of Betsy DeVos on February 7, 2017--who denied 77 universities funding Robert Weiner requests on Thursday, May 25, 2017 for inadequate “formatting rules” which she blamed Obama for creating. The contradictory decisions left minorities confused and despondent about the increasingly right wing influenced Court and White House on issues such as education, health care, small business support, food aid, and police reforms. Michigan has had an intricate history of approved then overturned then re-approved bans on the issue of affirmative action in college admission. The decision by the Supreme Court on April 22, 2014 to overturn the Michigan Civil Rights Amendment case (Hudson vs Michigan from back in November of 2006) was a reversal for minorities who hoped to bring back what University of Michigan’s President Mark Schlissel believed was a system devoted to increasing the “benefits of diversity in higher education.” Rep. John Conyers (D-Detroit), Dean of the Congressional Black Caucus and the House of Representatives, called the decision “counter to Constitutional equal protection.” Conyers has led a series of Congressional forums on voting rights protection. Under the Administration-supported, House-passed repeal-and-replace health plan, three million African Americans and four million Hispanics will lose their “accessed coverage (currently) through the Affordable Care Act.”
What Trump boasts as being a “great plan,” will cause upwards of “an estimated 51 million people under age 65” to “be uninsured, compared with 28 million who would lack insurance under current law.” The 2014 Census Bureau found that “the number of Michigan residents with health insurance grew by a quarter million during the first year of Obamacare.” Not only has the new Administration left minorities worrying about their future health, but their safety. The Trump administration argued against Federal Judge James Bredar’s decision on April 7, 2017 on police reforms. B r e d a r brushed off General Jeff Session’s “review of more than a dozPaula Hong en federal agreements with police forces that [would] address problems of racial profiling, discrimination and use of excessive force,” and instead, approved the Baltimore police force’s plea to change what the Obama Justice Department found as unconstitutional and discriminatory practices. Despite the new Attorney General’s attempt to slow walk Obama’s reforms, there are ways that progress can still be made. On May 15, 2017, the U.S. Supreme Court surprised liberals by refusing to take a North Carolina case that targeted “African-Americans with almost surgical precision” during voter registration according to Circuit Judge Diana Gribbon Motz. Many considered the conservative Roberts Court’s denial to take the case as a victory, a step in the right direction for making it easier for minorities to vote. The decision will limit Republicans from “restricting access to the ballot”, according to Democratic National Committee chair Tom Perez. The Court’s decision provides hope that sometimes, but not always, the current U.S. Supreme Court could come out with rulings to protect minority rights. President Trump made Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach a leader of his Advisory Commission on Election Integrity committee (stacked in favor of obstacles to voting). Minorities believe
Country needs a helping hand, not a hammer blow
By Jesse Jackson
If you have a hammer, everything looks like a nail. The United States has a big hammer — the military, plus the intelligence community’s covert intervention forces. So we are dropping bombs from drones in seven countries. Donald Trump goes to Saudi Arabia peddling arms and urging military cooperation. When North Korea acts up, he dispatches an aircraft carrier flotilla as a “show of force.” When Syria’s government is accused of using chemical weapons, he unleashes a barrage of cruise missiles. Now as Venezuela descends toward Jesse L. Jackson chaos, much of the hemisphere fears the United States will reach for its covert hammer to help get rid of a regime it doesn’t like. The people in Venezuela are suffering horribly in the midst of a deepening recession. A recent study reported that nearly three-fourths of the people have lost weight amid a spreading food shortage. In 2016 inflation soared to 800 percent while the economy lost nearly 20 percent of its GDP. More than 40 percent of the population lives in extreme poverty. Violent death is now a daily feature of a country with one of the highest homicide rates in the world. Shortages of food and medicine are growing, hospitals are increasingly dysfunctional, and prisons are scarred by riots and massacres. Violent mass protests and rising state repression threaten to spiral out of control. The causes of this are many. Venezuela has the largest oil reserves in the world. Oil constitutes about 90 percent of Venezuela’s exports and is vital for a country that imports many necessi-
ties. When oil prices plummeted in the 1990s, Venezuelans suffered. When oil prices recovered in 2000, the popularly elected populist government of Hugo Chavez used the new resources to reduce poverty and extend health care and education. When oil prices plummeted again, Venezuela descended back into misery. The country is deeply polarized politically. The rapacious elite families that ran the country for decades never accepted the Chavez “Bolivarian Revolution,” and organized mass protests and attempted a coup. The impoverished rallied to Chavez, but his successor, Nicholas Maduro, has neither his political skills nor his good fortune on oil prices. In bitterly contested elections, the opposition captured the national assembly in 2016. Maduro has used the Supreme Court to overturn the assembly’s legislation while postponing state elections. Opposition demonstrations have grown larger and more violent. We should care about Venezuela’s agonies. The U.S. should not employ the hammer of military or covert intervention but rather creative diplomacy and humanitarian assistance. We should be building a multilateral effort to deliver food and medicine to Venezuelans in a time of need. We should join in urging the government to hold the postponed state elections and encourage leaders in the hemisphere to mediate some kind of a negotiated resolution between the parties. These are our neighbors. We do have a stake in limiting the violence, in supporting democratic processes and in aiding the people in the midst of economic turmoil. The long history of military and covert intervention into the hemisphere has increasingly isolated the U.S. from its neighbors. Now, in Venezuela, we can begin to find a better way by not intervening on one side or the other but by standing with our neighbors in a time of desperate need.
Vitti vows to fix Priority schools
By Dr. John Telford
I have informed incoming DPSCD Superintendent Nikolai Vitti that certain individuals may endeavor to convince him that schools activist Helen Moore and I are simply radical old DPS alumni to be humored or ignored. Actually, Helen’s is perhaps the most heeded voice among the grass-roots community regarding our schools, and I have served at all levels in DPS and administrated in five suburban districts John Telford and a college, taught at WSU and Oakland University, and directed or served on boards of human-rights-oriented agencies throughout the past six decades. Encouragingly, Dr. Vitti has now informed me that he will consult extensively with me and Ms. Moore regarding Detroit school issues, as well as with others I recommended to him. Some of those others are Russ Bellant. attorneys Tom Bleakley and Tom Stephens, truthful journalists Keith Owens and Mildred Gaddis, WSU Prof. Tom Pedroni, the ACLU’s Curt Guyette, State Superintendent Brian Whiston, Rep. Sherry Gay-Dagnogo (who served pro bono as Deputy Superintendent during my 2012-2013 Superintendency under state-imposed emergency financial mismanagement), the National Action Network’s Sam Riddle, Special Education proponents Aurora Harris and Eleanor White (whom I recruited many moons ago for my directorial staff in Rochester), recent DPS Board members Ida Short and Elena Herrada, DFT leaders Ivy Bailey and Steve Conn, Mayor Michael Duggan and his cohort Lisa Howze, and school turnaround expert James Hare. The major media will doubtless never
acknowledge these true heroes’ crucial contributions to the cause, nor will the corporate-collusive honchos who habitually hand out often-unearned awards to assorted dignitaries at big black-tie dinners. Nonetheless, the folks listed herein are the ones who really saved our Detroit public school district to live and fight another day. Had we not spent those many years meeting and writing and going out into the schools every day and night and going to court and speaking out on radio and television to stop the rapacious Lansing government from stealing and liquidating and ultimately chartering all of our schools, there would be no remnant of DPS, DPSCD, or any other traditional Detroit public school district of any kind left today to preserve, restore, and defend. I have urged Dr. Vitti to meet early-on with Interim Superintendent Alycia Meriweather and former Benton Harbor Superintendent Claude Tiller, my pro bono Ombudsman during my pro bono DPS Superintendency. I hope that Dr. Vitti will give both of them high positions in his administration. In addition, I am offering him my time-tested octogenarian self (again pro bono: I’m adamant that I must serve solely in a voluntary capacity administratively due to the district’s state-engendered insolvency, and I’m urging other retirees to return and do likewise). Now that our new Superintendent has vowed publicly that the lowest-performing Priority schools will indeed become his premier priority to fix, Helen Moore’s decades-long restorative dream is about to come true: The path is paved for the research-based, field-proven, Detroit-based, African-American-led QWK2LRN program to take the field and work its magic. DPSCD will become the comeback poster child for the entire nation. . Detroit activist John Telford is a former international track star and author of seven books. Contact him at (313) 460-8272, DrJohnTelfordEdD@aol.com, or www.AlifeontheRUN.com,
Building a pipeline of HBCU students to Washington, D.C. By Congresswoman Alma Adams Summer internships are one important way that students can explore passions they want to pursue as a profession. They are exposed to a form of learning that goes beyond the books and may be the best chance they have to ensure they are making a wise investment. I am a strong believer in the notion that, in order to have your issues heard, you need to have a seat at the table; which is why I applaud HBCU students who are interested in pursuing government and policy and have worked with both Democrats and Republicans in Congress to en- Alma Adams sure they have summer internships opportunities on Capitol Hill. Bradley Representative Bryne (R-Ala.) and I founded the Bipartisan HBCU Caucus in April of 2015; we knew there needed to be a platform to promote and protect the needs and interests of HBCUs around the country. After two years, the caucus now consists of nearly sixty members in both the House and the Senate, who recognize the importance of HBCUs and applaud their history of producing successful graduates. The more than 100 HBCUs nationwide only account for three percent of all institutions of higher learning in the U.S. yet they produce 20 percent of African American graduates with a bachelor’s degree and 25 percent of African American STEM graduates. This issue is personal to me, because I would not be here today if it were not for an HBCU that was willing to take a chance on me. I am a strong advocate for our schools because I know, firsthand, the impact they have on a student’s life. During the summer of 2016, Representative Mark Walker (R-N.C.) and I partnered together to create the Bipartisan HBCU Internship. Our vision was to create a program that brought bright and driven HBCU students to Capitol Hill to intern in both a Republican and Democratic office. During its first year, two HBCU students, one from North
Carolina A&T University and one from Johnson C. Smith University, traveled to Capitol Hill for the internship program. Each student spent four weeks in my office and four weeks in Representative Walker’s office to get a feel for the differences and many commonalities we share. They attended congressional hearings and committee meetings, drafted memos and constituent correspondence, and met with members of Congress and their senior staff to learn from their experiences. Often, Capitol Hill internships are unpaid and the prohibitive cost of living in Washington, D.C. without an income excludes many qualified applicants from the opportunity. To ensure students of all backgrounds and economic levels can participate, the Bipartisan HBCU Internship includes a stipend to cover expenses during the eight-week program. Upon completion of the internship, students left D.C. with writing samples, work experience, incredible memories, and personal connections to aid them in their job search after college. But it’s not just students that benefited from this experience, Democrats and Republicans alike got to hear directly from HBCU students about their campus life, challenges they face, and their pride in their institutions. Their presence made our fight for HBCUs personal and reminded Members of Congress that our similarities far outweigh our differences. W.E.B. Dubois said, “Of all the civil rights for which the world has struggled and fought for 500 years, the right to learn is undoubtedly the most fundamental.” HBCUs are rooted in the tumultuous history of race in America but their contributions to modern society go far beyond their humble beginnings. HBCUs play an integral role in educating students of color and, with increased advocacy and a seat at the decision-making table, their reach will continue to grow. Congressman Walker and I are proud to continue this internship for a second summer to increase the diversity of opinions and experiences on Capitol Hill and to build a pipeline of HBCU students to Washington, D.C. Congresswoman Alma Adams (NC12) is a two-time graduate of North Carolina A&T and a retired professor of Art Education from Bennett College.
community
THE MICHIGAN CHRONICLE
May 31 - June 6, 2017
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Detroit Institute of Arts to celebrate art in unexpected places Join the Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA), the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and five other museums across the country in celebrating art in unexpected places this summer with the #InsideOutUSA Photo Contest from June 9–22. The contest seeks out the most creative photos of Inside|Out works in the institutions’ cities. Participating museums include the Akron Art Museum, Charlotte’s Bechtler Museum of Modern Art and Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts + Culture, Pérez Art Museum Miami and Philadelphia Museum of Art.
Roy Sims, Angela Sims, Kim Tandy, Kay Willingham, Mandisa Smith
Detroit based non-profit, Art for Hearts, hosts Avenue of Fashion Art Walk By Angela Sims Co-founder, Art for Hearts
On Friday, May 12th Art for Hearts treated Gesu 6th graders to an Art Walk on Livernois Avenue, historically known as the Avenue of Fashion. Art for Hearts is a Detroit based non-profit using all forms of artistic expression in the fight against heart disease. The students had the opportunity to create their own ceramic tile with Kay Willingham, owner of Art in Motion. They also had a felting demonstration by Mandisa Smith, co-owner of Detroit Fiber Works, and got to experience the rich variety of public art in the neighborhood. “We learned how art is uniting our community. And even more importantly, we learned that having creative outlets reduces stress, a leading cause of heart disease. Keep your heart healthy and have fun while exploring your creative side!” recapped Gesu teacher, Mary Hall. Many people don’t realize that 1 in 4 people in the U.S. die of heart disease and most of the factors that cause heart disease are outcomes of stress (overeating, smoking, high blood pressure, etc.).
Mandisa and the young ladies
District 2 Manager, Kim Tandy, was in attendance for this pilot Art Walk. During the
2017-2018 school year Art for Hearts and Ms. Tandy intend to work together to provide
In Detroit, enter to win by posting a photo of an Inside|Out work on Instagram and tagging @DIADetroit and #InsideOutUSA. The winning photo will be selected based on beauty and creativity by Taylor Aldridge and Lucy Mensah, assistant curators in the James Pearson Duffy Department of Contemporary Art at the DIA. Prizes include an Inside|Out reproduction and display of the winning photo at the DIA. Submissions will be accepted through June 12, 11:59 p.m. EDT, and the winner will be announced on June 15. The winners from each city will be entered into a national people’s choice contest at insideoutusa.org, with the national winner announced on Thursday, June 22. Visit bit.ly/IOUSA_Detroit17 for detailed contest rules. All six museums will launch the contest with simultaneous Instameets, or Instagram meet-ups, at Inside|Out locations in their cities during the weekend of June 9. Participants are encouraged to explore the Inside|Out works in the area and post photos to Instagram. Detroit’s Instameet takes place in the city’s Lafayette Park neighborhood on Friday, June 9, from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. The event will begin with a walking tour of the Inside|Out reproductions in the area, featuring writer and “Detroitist” Marsha Music, winner of a 2012 Kresge Literary Arts Fellowship, who will give an overview of the history of the neighborhood; Dante Stella, a longtime Lafayette Park resident, local historian and architectural photographer, who will identify architectural elements of buildings designed by famed modernist architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe; and a DIA guide who will discuss the Inside|Out works. The approximately 60-minute tour will depart from Lafayette Plaza, located at 1565 E. Lafayette St.
Creating ceramic tiles (Roy Sims and Kim Tandy) Art Walk field trips for all 6th Grade students in Detroit’s District 2.
After the walking tour, participants can enjoy discounted drinks and food options at select businesses in the nearby Eastern Market district until 9:30 p.m. Detroit City Distillery, located at 2462 Riopelle St., will offer half-off drinks; Stache International, located at 1416 E Fisher Service Dr., will offer happy hour pricing on drinks and 10 percent off on appetizers; and Supino Pizzeria, located at 2457 Russell St., will offer 25 percent off on both food and drink items. To receive discounts, attendees must show restaurant staff their #InsideOutUSA photo on Instagram.
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CEO recovers after years of hiding depression woes It’s OK to admit that you’re not a superwoman. From the outside, people saw a professional black woman who had it all together. Underneath the surface, however, Lisa Brown Alexander was in a lot of pain — psychological pain that our community seldom addresses. Alexander is the president and CEO of Nonprofit HR, a company she founded in 2000. Nonprofit HR is a full-service human resources firm that focused exclusively on the nonprofit sector. As a leader in this niche, Alexander’s company has a clientele that includes some of the largest organizations, such as the ASPCA, Goodwill Industries and Amnesty International. The Howard University alumna was on a fast track to success in her career. Everything seemed perfect, so people in her professional and personal circles were shocked when Alexander revealed her five-year battle with depression.
Bonner Upshaw (left) and David Stone, co-founders of Trion Solutions – Keith Owens photo
Lisa Brown Alexander “I took pride in being a strong black woman,” she said. “We tend to take care of others but not ourselves. It just wasn’t a good look for a black professional woman to have depression.” Alexander shares her journey to wellness in a memoir titled “Strong on the Outside, Dying on the Inside” which she developed from her daily journal. “The moment I began writing in my journal, the more I needed to write,” she stated. “And the more I wrote, the better I felt. I couldn’t stop.” Her descent into psychological darkness started with postpartum depression and developed “into something else that went unchecked for five years.” In hindsight, Alexander said she went back to work too soon after having her second child. She hid her symptoms from her husband, family and colleagues — caught up in the myth that black people don’t suffer from depression. According to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention survey in 2008, African Americans (4 percent) were more likely to report major depression than whites (3 percent). Yet, only 7.6 percent of African Americans seek mental health services, compared to 16.6 percent of whites, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services reported in a separate study. Alexander eventually sought treatment, saying “I ultimately became exhausted from keeping up the façade, so I made the decision to get help.” She found a black female therapist, someone with whom she felt a connection. But Alexander masked her sessions
See Recovery Page C-2
Trion Solutions offers a solution for small business owners By Keith A. Owens Senior Editor
Being in business is a challenge all by itself, but being a small business owner has a particular set of challenges that at times can appear daunting. The sheer number of businesses that fail within their first year should serve as an indicator that starting your own business is not an endeavor for the faint of heart. But for those that manage to make it past those trying early stages, it hardly means that smooth sailing lies ahead. One of the steeper hurdles facing small to mid-sized businesses is the struggle to provide adequate human services-related functions to their employees such as payroll and benefits administration. Such required and essential functions can often absorb so much time and effort from a likely already overloaded small staff that it can become difficult to tend to the core function of the company without working around the clock. Troy-based Trion Solutions, known as a professional employer organization (PEO), was designed to assist specifically with these sorts of problems. Owned and operated by Bonner Upshaw and David Stone, it also happens to be the largest minority-owned PEO in the entire United States and one of the largest of any PEO in Michigan. Currently they service more than 650 small-to-medium sized companies around the country in 43 states, which represents a total of roughly 30,000 worksite employees.
Upshaw had also formed his own company in 2000, and the two men, who have been friends for nearly two decades, were friendly rivals until they saw an opportunity to put their egos aside and join forces. That decision turned out to be quite profitable for both. “In 2012, Michigan introduced legislation to make PEOs which is our industry, licensed and regulated,” he said. Added Stone: “It was an ideal opportunity to join forces and create some economies of scale and move forward. So during 2012 we had grown kind of independently and done a good job, but we knew that by coming together that we could really create something special. “Since we’ve come together under Trion, we’ve grown that business since then, in 2013, 30 percent year over year. “That’s where some of the small to mid-sized businesses see the advantage of going with Trion — they may have employees or divisions that are out of state so it’s kind of a turnkey situation for them.” Some further information about Trion Solutions provided by the company includes the following: In 2012, the State of Michigan regulated the PEO industry in the state. The result was that most smaller companies in went out of business.
Not bad for a company founded just four years ago. The PEO industry itself, pioneered in states like Florida, California and Texas, is about 25 years old. Although Stone and Upshaw say the business is growing, they note that total market penetration is still less than 5 percent.
Trion helps small- to medium-sized businesses lower administrative costs, obtain Fortune 500-level benefits for client employees, reduce HR-related hassles and compliance mistakes and remain focused on their core businesses.
“What we do with respect to small businesses, [the role we play] is we offer those outsourced services like payroll administration, employee benefit management, compliance, HR. We operate as that backroom HR and we allow our client companies to focus on what they do best on those core competencies and allow their internal staff to get back to what they do best,” said Stone, president of the company, who started out as an in-house attorney at Blue Cross before he got into the human resources outsourcing business and eventually formed his own company.
The size and stature of a PEO can be judged by the number of employees and payroll under management (i.e., those from client companies). Trion’s current Employees Under Management (EUM) are 25,000 with Payroll Under Management at $500 million. Trion expects those numbers to double to 50,000 EUM and $1 billion in PUM by the end of this year. Trion is minority-business certified by the Michigan Minority Supplier Development Council.
Ford Freedom Awards celebrates the lives of iconic black Americans Ford Motor Company and the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History recently hosted a premier event in anticipation of the 19th Annual Ford Freedom Awards. This year, the late August Wilson, Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright and author, was honored posthumously with the prestigious Ford Freedom Award for his groundbreaking accomplishments. His wife, Constanza Romero Wilson, accepted the Ford Freedom Award for her husband, saying he was “charming” and “soft-spoken.” “Everybody wanted to hear his stories, storytelling you’ve never heard,” she reminisced. Wilson, best known for his play “Fences,” was the recipient of the 1987 Tony Award for Best Play, Broadway’s highest honor. The Ford Freedom Award, introduced in 1999, is awarded posthumously to distinguished individuals who dedicated their lives to improving the AfricanAmerican community and the world in general. Previous posthumous honorees have included Ossie Davis, Ella Fitzgerald, Jackie Robinson, Ed Bradley, Langston Hughes, General Daniel “Chappie” James, Benjamin Elijah Mays, Coretta Scott King and John Johnson. The Ford Freedom Award Scholar was presented to Floyd Norman, an award-winning animator and
See Ford Freedom Awards Page C-2
Ford Fund’s Shawn Wilson and Pamela Alexander, Detroit Media Partnership’s Deb Scola, Ford Freedom Scholar and Disney animator Floyd Norman, and the Wright Museum’s Juanita Moore take a photo with the $10,000 Challenge grand winners. — Monica Morgan photography
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THE MICHIGAN CHRONICLE
May 31 - June 6, 2017
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Gas station owners offer healthy options for customers in Southwest Detroit Residents in Southwest Detroit will have two new opportunities to buy fresh fruits and vegetables close to home: the Sunoco Station at 4800 W. Fort Street, and the Citgo station on Vernor Highway at Clark Street. This spring, both stations will sell fresh produce, such as apples, oranges, bananas, and carrots, but will also offer fruit cups, salads, wraps, along with milk and eggs. The Mi Plato, Mi Vida program, underwritten by a grant from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, is administering this initiative. Mi Plato, Mi Vida is part of the MOTION Coalition, a community program of Authority Health that promotes healthy eating and physical activity as a means of preventing obesity in children and adults. The program focuses on the Michigan health and Wellness 4x4 Plant’s Healthy Eating goal and strategy of increasing the promotion and availability of healthier food options that are low in sodium and/or are consistent with the dietary guidelines for Americans. Mi Plato, Mi Vida focused on the Southwest Detroit community based on findings from the 2011-2013 Michigan Behavioral Risk Factor Survey, Feb. 2015 report. The report noted that Detroit residents in general were more likely to report diabetes compared to the rest of Wayne County, with the highest prevalence in Southwest Detroit.The community suffers adversely from developing Type 2 diabetes, which is a preventable and manageable disease. “We’re very excited about the prospects of supplementing the opportunities for people to get fresh food in a convenience store environment, said Chris Allen, CEO of Authority Health. “While Southwest Detroit is served by several grocery stores and super mercados, this project offers fast access to fresh food, particularly when grocery stores are closed.” Fresh Corner Café, a Detroit-based healthy food distributor, will supply the produce for this project. “Fresh Corner Cafe is thrilled to be part of this initiative,” said Noam Kimelman, co-owner of Fresh Corner Café.“We have been working to transform corner stores into fresh food oases for a number of years, and one of the major challenges we face is battling existing perceptions of corner stores as peddlers of unhealthy processed foods. This ini-
tiative provides the resources necessary to create beautiful fresh displays that will promote a ‘store within a store’ concept, which will foster greater trust and increase sales of fresh and healthy foods. We are excited to play a role in this effort.”
This year’s Ford Freedom Awards began with a media roundtable. The panel in-
Ahmad A. Nassar, partner in the cluded (from left): Shawn Wilson, manager, multicultural and community engageSunoco Station, said offering fresh food ment, Ford Motor Company Fund; Constanza Romero Wilson, widow of Ford Free“fits in with the climate we’re trying to dom Award honoree August Wilson; and Floyd Norman, Ford Freedom Scholar. create at our store.” Nassar, who has — Andrea Stinson photo an undergraduate degree in Nutritional Food Science and is studying Entrepreneurship at the Wharton School, has From page C-1 been adding healthy snack food to the other food sold at his store. “It’s a way the first African American to be hired recipient and have, in their own way, furfor us to give back to the community.” at Disney. Norman, whose career spans thered the achievements for a new gen Nassar’s family has owned the station six decades, also worked for animation eration. Past Scholars include Morgan for over 30 years. He recently added a companies Hanna-Barbara and Pixar. Freeman, Al Jarreau, Andrew Young, food truck on site, offering some of the He was named the Ford Freedom Schol- Gregory Hines, Reggie Jackson, Dr. Mae best food the streets of Detroit has to ar for his excellence in arts, entertain- Jemison, Usher Raymond, Dr. Dorothy offer. Eventually, he would like to con- ment and animation. He was lead anima- Height and Robin Roberts. tinue this initiative in different aspects tor on several movie classics including Following the roundtable discussion and promote nutritional competency “The Jungle Book” and “Toy Story 2.” with honorees, guests gathered in the and healthy eating in Southwest Detroit. He also took the opportunity to dispel Wright Museum’s rotunda for the inHe says that this is not only good for rumors about Disney’s social con- stallation of special nameplate honoring community health, but it’s good for busi- sciousness. “Working with Walt Disney Wilson. A special screening of Norman’s ness.There has been a growing interest was the highlight of my career,” he said. documentary, “The Animated Life,” folin healthy snack food, he says, and “He treated me fairly and hired more an- lowed the installation ceremony. there is no time better than the present imators of color than anybody else did at Ford Freedom Awards proceeds supthan to change our community’s shop- that tim. He was human, just a man, and port educational programs, exhibits and he was certainly not a racist.” ping behavior in regards to snack food. community outreach initiatives of the The Ford Freedom Award Scholar dis- Charles H. Wright Museum of African But will young people choose healthy options over the abundance of snack tinction is given to individuals who have American History, the world’s largest infoods available in the store? Yes, says excelled on a national or international stitution dedicated to the African-AmerNassar. “If they see something healthy level in the field of the award recipient or ican experience. and it looks good, they’re likely to buy who have carried forth the ideals of the it.”
Ford Freedom Awards
Proof is in early trends. He says, the store replenishes its supply of fruits multiple times per day. “We’re thankful to have very high traffic store. This allows us to see patterns in shopping trends that otherwise may be overlooked.” This is just a “stepping stone” in how he says his business will serve the community in the future. “I believe in the concept of positive business”. We can do well as a business, and do well for the community at the same time. This is a unique niche available in our community and it is something we would like to spearhead. Tasting helps introduce customers to the new food products. At the launch of the Sunoco petro mart produce stand on May 19, celebrity chef Paul Penney offered samples of the healthy food products, along with recipe suggestions for the fresh produce.
Recovery
From page C-1
in several ways, including marking them as generic meetings on her business calendar to keep her colleagues in the dark. Alexander said black men could be proactive in helping the woman in their life. They should look for symptoms, including prolonged disconnectedness, overwork and sadness. Approach the subject from “a place of support” and “stand in the gap” with her by assuring her that what she’s experiencing is treatable. “Help her to let go of the stigma, and that means being supportive, being present, don’t make her do everything on her own,” she recommended. As Alexander travels the country to share her experience, black women are revealing similar stories to her.
“Women who look like they have it all together relate to my experience,” she said. “Being strong on the outside while dying inside is no way to live. Being a strong black woman doesn’t supersede being healthy.” Alexander offers these tips: • Be real with yourself about your emotional pain and mental health. Be strong enough to unveil your mask. • Silence and prayer are not enough. If symptoms of depression persist or worsen, seek professional help. • Understand that it’s OK to ask for help. Seeking help does not represent weakness but strength. • Understand that depression is treatable. Stay in recovery by being honest with yourself and maintaining healthy relationships.
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UAW-FORD’s
Section C-3
May 31 - June 6, 2017
Dreams team with action at East English Village
Expanded learning: With help from the school’s “Dream Team,” students at East English Village Preparatory Academy are learning how to address community and societal issues, while pursuing their education.
Inspiring youth is a daily, caring practice for Violeta Donawa go further and say that it’s easier to get to the heart of a human before their spirit is completely broken…This is only my first year as a dream director in a school, but I have been dream directing much of my own life as a community educator in Michigan and overseas. It’s amazing to be doing this work in the same neighborhood I grew up in.” East English Village Preparatory Academy is located at 5020 Cadieux, on the site that used to be home to Finney High School. EEV-
By Scott Talley Special to the Michigan Chronicle In today’s world, it is not uncommon for people in leadership positions to come across as if they have something to hide. That is why it so refreshing to be introduced to a true leader in our own community who still values openness and accountability like Violeta Donawa. A first-year “dream director” at East English Village Preparatory Academy (EEVPA), Donawa is eager to spread the word about her students and school. Given that what Donawa has to say is abundantly positive, the “Best of Young Detroit” is more than proud to share her story, and it is a story that transcends the traditional three R’s of education. “The EEVPA Dream Team has done some amazing work, particularly linked to mental health, grief and loss, and suicide prevention,” said Donawa, describing the ambitious efforts of 30 students she works closely with at EEVPA through The Future Project.
“Nine of our student Dream Team members have received funding for projects ranging from peer-to-peer support of teen parents, to a massive suicide prevention awareness event that offered expert advice on how to identify when someone in the school is discreetly asking for help when facing hard times,” said Donawa, whose students have come to the attention of people in high places, including Sean “Diddy” Combs, who has provided funding for the projects described through the Diddy Future Fund. Donawa added: “One of our Dream Team
members, DeAngelo Hughes, was recently awarded Diddy funds, as well as an East Jefferson/ Detroit SOUP micro-grant after pitching for more grief and loss programming within Detroit Public Schools Community District.” The critical nature of the projects that Donawa’s Dream Team members have taken on speaks to the expanded roles that school programs have often taken on to help ensure the success of more students during challenging times. The fact that Donawa’s group has stepped up to tackle these issues for the betterment of all students at EEVPA and across the district is indeed admirable. However, sometimes the students need a little breather from society’s challenges in order to engage in cultural enrichment, as was the case when Donawa’s group participated in the Young Artists Workshop, an effort led by John Sloan III, a product of metro Detroit and a ensemble member of the acclaimed stage adaptation of “The Lion King.” “Our students were able to view the ‘The Lion King’ theatrical production for free before any other Detroiters,” stated Donawa, proudly. “Additionally, they received training by cast members in vocal, theatre, technical production, dance, and design thinking as part of the Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics (STEAM) philosophy. The Design Thinking course was also shaped by local engineer, Pat Hunter of Patcasso.” For Donawa, finding ways to enrich her Dream Team group (aka Dream Ville!), while helping to uplift her school as a whole, is a never-ending process, which she has come to love. “I ask myself everyday what concepts, ideas, and introductions are needed to nurture and support the hearts and spirits of young people,” said Donawa, whose action-packed school year has also included participating in a neighborhood cleanup with students and working with students to provide self-care kits for school staff. She added: “Working with youth is extremely personal for me. A quote by Frederick Douglas says: ‘it is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men.’ I would
hood continued success. Ronald Crawley, 11th grade: “I think The Future Project is a great organization where kids and students can express themselves. You can relax and also follow your dreams. I’m happy to have gotten information on a really promising internship in the city from my dream director. I should be hearing back anytime!” Claudia Tyler, 11th grade: “I like the Future Project because we do community service, and make efforts to help people in the school. I loved going to visit Wayne State and doing the ‘Lion King’ program. The Future Project also puts more activities in the school, which students have been wanting for a while.” Maikya Gratton, 11th grade: “What I loved about being a part of the Dream Team is that Ms. Donawa asked me to speak on a suicide prevention panel. For me, it was great because I never spoke in front of the whole school before, and it felt good to do that for the first time.”
PA opened its doors in 2012 and five years later, from what the “Best of Young Detroit” has learned from Donowa and others, there is plenty of good news taking place inside the beautiful building, and no doubt even more good news to come. To learn more about some of the organizations and programs mentioned in this story, please visit futureproject.org and detroitsoup.com. In closing, the “Best of Young Detroit” would like to share the thoughts of a sampling of EEVPA students that have been positively impacted by their school and The Future Project, while wishing the entire student body, staff and neighbor-
Western wins first PSL Division 1 Softball Title
Western International High School was one of the “Best of Young Detroit” earlier stops this school year, and positive energy could be felt throughout the building. Evidently, the positive energy extended to the softball diamond, as the Western Cowgirls recently won their first PSL Division 1 title in the sport. For PSL championship news in other sports, please see the next page.
UAW-Ford’s Best of Young Detroit
May 31 - June 6, 2017
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Cass Tech boys and Renaissance girls rule PSL track in 2017 TEAM SCORES (Top 5)
4x100 relay: Cass (Kalon Gervin, Aaron Jackson, Bryce Kimbrough, DeAndre Square), 44.59 4x200 relay: Cass (Aaron Jackson, Kalon Gervin, DeAndre Square, Noah Womack), 1:30.70 4x400 relay: East English Village (Zahmaine March, Elijah Griffin, Cortez Berry, Christopher Seatts), 3:35.84 4x800 relay: Renaissance (Kristopher Garrett, Charles Carter, Kaezar Leonard, Jordan Williams), 9:05.86 Shot put: Jaysaar Ball, Cody, 43-08.00 Discus: Jalen Bell, King, 123-09 High jump: Ormondell Dingle, Cass, 5-10.00 Long jump: Da’von Pitts, Central, 20-02.50
Boys 1. Cass Tech: 145 points 2. Renaissance: 88 3. King: 86 4. Cody: 55 5. East English Village: 54 Girls 1. Renaissance: 187 points 2. Cass Tech: 157 3. King: 88 4. Mumford: 44 5. Cody: 41
GIRLS
Cass Tech and Renaissance are two of the finest academic high schools in our city, region and state. Recently both schools displayed excellence in track and field during the Detroit Public School League Track and Field Championships held May 24-25 at Renaissance High School. The Cass Tech boys, coached by Thomas Wilcher (a record-setting track performer and All American during his days at Central High School) successfully defended their team title by scoring 145 points. The Technicians’ score included victories in the 300-meter hurdles (Aaron Jackson), high jump (Ormondell Dingle) and two relays (4x100 and 4x200). On the girls’ side, the Renaissance Phoenix also has a coach with an extra-special pedigree in Darnell Hall, a former Olympic gold medalist. The Renaissance girls scored a whopping 187 points, including victories in the 100 meters (Mizan Thomas), 800 meters (Shania Shepard), 100-meter hurdles (Paige Chapman), 300-meter hurdles (Makylah Slappy), shot put (Camari McCarroll) and high jump (Mizan Thomas). The “Best of Young Detroit” congratulates all of the student-athletes that competed in the PSL Track and Field Championships, where participants were also vying for AllCity honors. Following is a list of winners in each event along with the top-five team scores:
100 meters: Mizan Thomas, Renaissance, 12.44 200 meters: Amari Newsom, Cass, 25.65 400 meters: Amari Newsom, Cass, 58.59 800 meters: Shania Shepard, Renaissance, 2:29.37 1600 meters: Brooklyn Taylor, Mumford, 6:16.44 3200 meters: Brooklyn Taylor, Mumford, 13:44.31 100-meter hurdles: Paige Chapman, Renaissance, 15.87 300-meter hurdles: Makylah Slappy, Renaissance, 47.07 4x100 relay: Cass (Megan Davis, Carmella Hobson, Daiya Leonard, Damya Carson), 50.91 4x200 relay: Cass (Megan Davis, Carmella Hobson, Damya Carson, Amari Newsom), 1:46.26 4x400 relay: Cass (Amari Newsom, Classie Hubert, Jaylen Williams, Megan Davis), 4:06.71 4x800 relay: Cass (Jaleah Green, Geniya Hamiel, Makiyah Thomas, Jenelle Bedgood), 10:36.88 Shot put: Camari McCarroll, Renaissance, 36-11.00 Discus: Sher’cole Jones, King, 93-01 High jump: Mizan Thomas, Renaissance, 4-10.00 Long jump: Jaquoia Jackson, Mumford, 16-01.50
HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL Three PSL standouts nominated to play in 2018 U.S. Army all-star game
Kalon Gervin
DeAndre Square
The “Best of Young Detroit” congratulates Cass Tech defensive back Kalon Gervin, Cass Tech outside linebacker DeAndre Square and East English Village offensive lineman Tyrone Sampson Jr. from the Class of 2018 for being nominated to play in the 2018 U.S. Army All-American Bowl. The three student athletes are in the running to be among the 100 players that will be officially selected to play in the contest, which is
BOYS 100 meters: Davion Hightower, Cody, 11.17 200 meters: Davion Hightower, Cody, 22.28 400 meters: Dylan Brown, King, 52.05 800 meters: Rayquan Williams, East English Village, 2:08.67 1600 meters: Jordan Williams, Renaissance, 5:07.64 3200 meters: Davontea Fast, West Side Academy, 11:56.39 110-meter hurdles: Marquez Trusel, King, 15.78 300-meter hurdles: Aaron Jackson, Cass, 42.02
Student Voices
Tyrone Sampson Jr.
billed as the nation’s premier high school sporting event. The 2018 U.S. Army All-American Bowl will be played in January and televised nationally by NBC. Along with showcasing the 100 best high school football players from the Class of 2018, the game attempts to identify and feature young men of high character possessing “loyalty, self respect, selfless services, integrity and personal courage.”
RINGS of HONOR
Davis Aerospace students pay close attention to election season
On August 8, Detroit voters will have a choice to make during the mayoral primary. Afterwards, the top two primary election finishers will advance to the general election on Nov. 7. Our student contributors at Davis Aerospace Technical High School are fully aware of the importance of the election, and as the two important election dates draw closer, they also are taking a close look at their community and neighborhoods. Here is what they have to say: Tyler Washington-Mason, senior: “It’s that time again, there is an upcoming election for mayor of Detroit, and Mayor Duggan is making the proper improvements to the city. In my neighborhood the improvements are easy to spot. The stop light at Alter and Waveney is fixed and functions well, and we have bright streetlights that come on right when it gets dark. A larger sign of improvement is that new homes are being built and bringing a positive look to my community. Mayor Duggan has even brought the street cleaner back. The street cleaner comes and cleans the street almost twice a week at 3:50 or 4:00 p.m., so that eliminates the littering on the streets. “Mayor Duggan is finally trying to show evidence of the change that he promised the city back in 2013 when he was running his campaign. The downtown streetcar is finally becoming operational and new homes are being built to last from the ground up. According to the Detroit Free Press, Mayor Duggan is putting $30 million into neighborhoods as seed money to restore Detroit neighborhoods and bring in businesses. Mayor Duggan says: “The $30 million investment will prove that when you invest in these neighborhoods they will start to come back, the $30 million is just the beginning.” If given the second term that he’s asking for I believe that he’ll make suitable and well-managed changes to the city, which will restore its former beauty.” Malik Williams, senior: “It’s 2017 and has Mayor Duggan really changed anything? There haven’t been many changes to my neighborhood, aside from the street sweeper driving down my block every other day. I’ve witnessed many electricians working on the streetlights however, that’s only because the power consistently goes out whenever there is a storm. Mayor Duggan really has not changed anything. “Unfortunately, there are still many improvements that need to occur in my community. For starters, the streets are still decaying rapidly, and there are potholes in the roads large enough to engulf a tire. Not only are the roads in an atrocious condition, crime is still a major problem. We are in dire need of more police officers and first responders. Mayor Duggan has made very few changes to my neighborhood, and there are still many more improvements that need to occur.” Johnnie Davis, junior: “When it comes to talking about Detroit and it’s neighborhoods, I will say that there has been improvements to the environment, but only to a certain extent. The much-needed improvement for the communities of Detroit should have been far more drastic and extensive, as the improvement is virtually unnoticeable in the more urban communities. As far as changes I have seen made to my neighborhood; there hasn’t been so many. From my perspective, the most noticeable change is that there is less debris in the streets and on the sidewalks and that there are new LED streetlights. My neighborhood itself isn’t actually that bad of an area, but if we’re talking a few blocks over, then that’s a different story. Just a few blocks over, there are abandoned houses, sidewalks and streets that are in deplorable conditions, and overgrown greenery. The combination of all this makes the area as a whole unappealing. “Mayor Duggan could resolve these issues fairly easily. He could hire workers for the city that could maintain the greenery and clean up debris from the streets in neighborhoods
similar to mine. Another solution that he could implement that I think would immensely boost the appeal of my community is, repave the sidewalks and streets. I think the most unattractive thing about my community is the streets and sidewalks. The last thing he could do is get the abandoned houses demolished. After all of these issues are resolved, it would then be appropriate to say Mayor Duggan has made drastic improvements to Detroit communities. Jessica Peeples, senior: “There is an upcoming election and according to Mayor Duggan there has been a lot of new development. Personally, I have not witnessed this. Especially in my neighborhood, my neighborhood has abandoned houses everywhere, there are many fields filled with trash, and grass as high as houses. There also are very few working streetlights, which means if you have to walk, you should get home before it gets dark. My neighborhood is not a safe environment at all. There are dangerous stray dogs wandering around, and the neighborhood parks look abandoned and neglected, which means no one would want to take their children there to play. In addition, the roads are terrible, and there are an ever-increasing amount of potholes. Mike Duggan has been Mayor since 2013, changes should have been made! “To improve my neighborhood, Mr. Duggan can start off by providing more working streetlights, tearing down all abandoned houses and replacing them with new homes. I also suggest cutting the grass in the fields to make the neighborhoods look more appealing and safe. Other recommendations include creating more parks for children, creating recreation centers full of fun for people of all ages, and providing more basketball courts for people that enjoy playing would be nice as well. Finally, our neighborhood should have gardens and activities where everyone can volunteer to plant flowers. These are actions that Mayor Duggan can take to improve my neighborhood more.”
Around town and even on social media, players and coaches representing the state championship football teams at Cass Tech and Martin Luther King have recently been seen displaying some mighty fine jewelry. These student-athletes and gentlemen are not showing off, but instead they are taking tremendous pride in what their hard work and commitment has produced. During a heart-warming late 2016 luncheon to celebrate the championships won by both schools, the luncheon’s host and organizer, UAW-Ford, announced that the rings would be coming. True to the words of UAW
Vice President Jimmy Settles, and his team, the rings have arrived and are being worn with great dignity, as everyone hoped. The “Best of Young Detroit” salutes the football teams at Cass Tech and Martin Luther King, along with everyone that supports these teams year-round, including UAW-Ford and the Detroit Public Schools Community District Office of Athletics and Health Education spearheaded by Deputy Executive Director Alvin Ward. Thanks to all of you, the rich tradition of PSL athletics continues proudly each day in championship style!
Your Feedback Matters The “Best of Young Detroit” welcomes feedback from our community. Please submit story suggestions and other comments to Scott Talley at stalleyassociates@gmail.com or 313-590-3686.
Western, Edison PSA crowned PSL baseball champs at Comerica Park dent athletes that participated in baseball this season. The players are continuing a Detroit tradition that has included some of the finest ballplayers to wear a uniform including Major Leaguers like Willie Horton, John Mayberry, and Alex Johnson just to name a few. Following are some of the top performers from the 2017 PSL baseball championship contests:
Regardless of what happens at Comerica Park during the remainder of the year it will still be known as a field where champions were crowned this season, with help from the Detroit Public School League. On May 22, the PSL played its Mega Division and East-West championship games at Comerica Park. In the opening game, the Edison Public School Academy Pioneers were victorious against the Osborn Knights, 8-4, to capture the East-West crown. And in the nightcap, playing at a time usually designated for the Detroit Tigers, the Western Cowboys and Martin Luther King Crusaders took the field and both displayed championship form. Extra innings were required as the Cowboys notched a 5-4 come-from-behind victory to earn their 10th consecutive PSL championship. The “Best of Young Detroit” congratulates all of the stu-
Logan Foster, Western, the junior catcher drove in the winning run with a single to right field in the eighth inning. William English, Western, the hard-throwing pitcher got the win in a clutch relief appearance. With Western trailing, 3-0, English entered the game in the third inning and pitched 5.1 crucial innings, during which he allowed only one run and struck out eight. Emmanuel Clark, Western, the sophomore first baseman went 3-for-4, including a hit in the decisive bottom of the eighth. Jonathan Darby, King, the senior pitcher was valiant in defeat limiting Western to three hits in six innings. Jordan Rawls, Edison Academy, tossed a complete game, including eight strikeouts, and went 3-for-4 at the plate with two RBIs. Kalel Gilford, Edison Academy, went 2-for-3 with an RBI. Kenneth Tate, Edison Academy, contributed a 2-for-2 performance at the plate. Teionta Waters, Osborn, went 2-for-3 with two RBIs for the Knights.
business
THE MICHIGAN CHRONICLE
May 31 - June 6, 2017 Page C-5
Maxine Daniels says that she’s proud to be an “Airbnb: Experience” host, bringing the Harlem she knows and loves within reach of millions of Airbnb travelers. — Liz Morrison photo
‘I Bike Harlem’ owner uses Airbnb to promote business By Maxine Daniels (Founder of “I Bike Harlem”)
For decades, many travelers to New York City have limited their excursions to Manhattan neighborhoods south of Central Park. Moreover, those who do choose to go beyond the traditional tourist hot spots often see neighborhoods like Harlem — my home for nine years — from the top floor of a tour bus. This experience cannot possibly impart the “real” Harlem — a vibrant and historic community with world-class cuisine, soulful music and a rich artistic scene that continues to breathe new life into an area whose cultural exports have been changing the world for over 100 years. I want visitors to see the Harlem I know up close, not from behind the plexiglass of a tour bus window. My business, “I Bike Harlem,” gives travelers the opportunity to discover our handsome brownstones and vibrant small businesses. It’s a business I am incredibly proud of and it’s a business that would not exist were it not for the economic opportunity provided by Air bnb. I began sharing my home on Airbnb as a way to earn a little extra money while starting I Bike Harlem. Through Airbnb, I was able to raise the funds I needed to start my business — investing in the bicycles, helmets, storage and insurance that brought it from an idea on paper to reality. Now, my business is growing, with customers from all around the world including right here in Harlem. In fact, many of my customers are Airbnb guests. In that way, I am part of an “Airbnb business cycle”: I started my company with income earned as an Airbnb host, and in turn, Airbnb guests have helped my business grow and thrive. Our elected officials often talk about fostering a “startup” culture in New York City, with millions of dollars invested in tech campuses, incubators and tax credits throughout the Empire State. Important as these investments are, the truth is that our public policy must recognize that entrepreneurship and the economic activity it generates comes in many different forms, now more than ever.
gel investments or incubators to help my business grow. Rather than relying on “startup” culture, my business is grounded in Harlem’s culture and the desire of travelers to experience a new place from a local’s perspective. And the investors who helped my business get off the ground aren’t venture capitalists, they are everyday people who chose to stay with me on Airbnb. Hosting on Airbnb gave me the opportunity to start my business. And guests on Airbnb helped build my business. Now, Airbnb has launched a new tool that will take my business to the next level. Dubbed “Airbnb: Experiences,” this new service allows visitors to partake in offerings of hundreds of local entrepreneurs, everything from a multiple-day dance immersion to a tour of local pubs. I am proud to be an “Experience” host, bringing the Harlem I know and love within reach of millions of Airbnb travelers. In addition, Airbnb helps visitors identify and patronize authentic local businesses by publishing neighborhood guidebooks and partnering with local business associations, such as the Harlem Business Alliance, to hold “Small Business Socials” and “Merchant Walks.” The impact of these initiatives are twofold: saving businesses money otherwise spent on marketing, while drawing visitors to neighborhood businesses off-the-beaten-path. In fact, 76 percent of restaurants in guidebooks appear outside of traditional hotel districts. With these services, it’s no wonder that Airbnb guests spent $470 million at NYC restaurants in the year ending September 1, 2016, and more than $1.5 billion in restaurants over the same period in America’s 19 largest cities.
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Airbnb is more than just a short-term rental website, it is a dynamic platform that is proving to be an engine of economic opportunity. It helps neighborhoods that have long been ignored by the traditional tourism industry, brings in new customers to local shops, and gives New Yorkers like me the chance to forge a new livelihood by sharing my home and building my business.
For example, I cannot count on an-
Job creation initiative focuses on building state’s creative industries For the Michigan Film & Digital Media Office (MFDMO), it’s simply time to get creative when it comes to persuading those who work in the creative industries to stay in Michigan, or by all means, move to the Great Lakes state. In response to contemporary job consideration realities — such as new and existing talent wanting to live, work and invest in vibrant, engaging communities — MFDMO is introducing Creative Chambers initiative, a grassroots-driven, pilot program to retain and attract creative industries talent in five diverse Michigan communities, including the Creative Partnership for Detroit. The $400,000 grant allocated over three years from MFDMO establishes a formal partnership with the Downtown Detroit Partnership. The goal is to foster opportunities for those working in the creative industries, including jobs in creative technology, graphic design, communication, marketing, visual and performing arts along with culture-centered and heritage professions. “A strong creative community and industry are essential for any city to be competitive and economically sustainable in today’s market,” said Eric Larson, CEO, Downtown Detroit Partnership. “The growth of this community in Detroit, with its rich creative culture and talent, is not only embedded in our DNA, but critical to our future success,” he said. “The Downtown Detroit Partnership with the Michigan Film & Digital Media Office acknowledges such an important industry sector. The Downtown Detroit Partnership looks forward to collaborating across all sectors and with the current ecosystem, to advance and support Detroit’s creative talent, business and economy.”
Other selected pilot communities include Ann Arbor/Washtenaw County, Grand Rapids, Marquette and Traverse City. In total, nearly $1.5 million will be shared among the five regions as part of a tailored approach to attract and retain the talent driving Michigan’s creative economy. The grants provide incentive for communities to develop strategies that can be sustained beyond the three-year funding period. Further, the partnership between MFDMO and the communities aims to build the brand, “Michigan: State of Creativity,” as a means to cultivate a positive reputation for the region and state. “Creativity is an essential part of the state’s heritage of innovation which can be seen from the automotive industry to the arts,” said MFDMO Commissioner Jenell Leonard. Considering the geographic and cultural diversity of the state, Creative Chambers offers a tailored approach to specifically attracting and retaining talent that works in the many creative industry occupations. The state’s creative economy employs nearly 90,000 people, according to Michigan Bureau of Labor Statistics. Many of those employed in the state’s creative industries are Millennials, born after 1982, and working in film, audiovisual and broadcasting, design, creative technology, fashion, garment and textile, advertising, literary, publishing and print, architecture, music, art schools, artists and agents, performing arts, culture and heritage, and, visual arts and crafts. For more information to get involved or be part of the Detroit Creative Partnership, please visit creative@downtowndetroit.org
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• THE MICHIGAN CHRONICLE • May 31 - June 6, 2017
Pancakes & Politics Forum III panelists with hosts Carol Cain and Vickie Thomas and PNC Bank. The forum theme was “Destination Detroit: Creating a Hub for Arts, Culture and Entertainment.”
Hiram E. Jackson, publisher of the Michigan Chronicle
PNC Bank President Ric DeVore, Gina Coleman, Carmen N’Namdi and George N’Namdi
Cathy Nedd, associate publisher and COO of the Michigan Chronicle
Ron Kagan, president of the Detroit Zoological Society, and DZS board members
Ric DeVore and Pancakes and Politics co-host Carol Cain
Juanita Moore, president of the Charles Wright Museum of African American History
Salvador Salort Pons, president of the Detroit Institute of Arts, and Wayne Brown, president of the Michigan Opera Theater
Pancakes & Politics Forum III panel
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May 31 - June 6, 2017 |
Cinetopia Film Festival’s
Reflections
Top 10 must-see
By Steve Holsey
Truth takes a back seat?
‘uprising’ films
People are still talking about Janet Jackson supposedly having a daughter named Kristinia, now in her early thirties, from her 1984 marriage to James DeBarge that was annulled Kristinia DeBarge the following year; she was 18, he was 21.
#CityLifeStyle By AJ Williams Spanning 10 days, Cinetopia brings more than 60 films to the Detroit, Dearborn and Ann Arbor area, representing the best feature-length dramas, comedies and documentaries from the world’s best festivals, including Sundance, Cannes, Venice, Toronto, Berlin, SXSW, and Tribeca.
DeBarge, who comes from a family that is nearly as well known for drug issues, James included, as it is for making music, said he is “tired of the secrecy.” If he is telling the truth, one can only assume that family and others in close proximity felt that Janet’s image would have been damaged, and that she was too young to be parent. Has Kristinia had any kind of relationship with Janet over the years?
“White Colour Black”
In other news, James recently caused a head-on collision, then fled the scene. By the time you read this, the other driver’s attorney will have probably in apprehended DeBarge. MORE FAMILY drama: Darryl White, one of the children of Barry White, has filed a lawsuit against the estate of the late legend and his second wife, Glodean White, who sang in the Darryl White female trio Love Unlimited. (Remember her frighteningly long fingernails?) Barry White passed in 2003. Darryl says he stopped receiving payments in 2015, and has never seen the will.
“Destined”
“Whose Streets?”
Barry White had five children but only two were with Glodean, and Darryl is not one of the two. Darryl is also a singer, and tries to sound like his father, but has not accomplished a whole lot. Chris Rock was asked recently to name what he considers to be the funniest comedians of all time. He chose Richard Pryor, Dave Chappelle, Eddie Eddie Murphy Murphy, Rodney Dangerfield and Bill Cosby. Some of the biggest laugh getters for me are Eddie Murphy Jamie Foxx as as “Mr. Wanda Robinson” and James Brown on “Saturday Night Live,” Lily Tomlin as Earnestine the telephone operator on “Laugh-In,” Jamie Foxx as “Wanda the Ugly Woman” on “In Living Color,” Zara Cully as Mother Jefferson on “The Jeffersons,”
See Reflections Page D-2
D1
“Hoop Dreams”
One of the emerging themes of the films submitted were striving to amplify the voices of the disenfranchised, stories of uprising on the micro level as strong as those on the macro. Because uprising can also be about the self — the families and individuals looking out from the windows that line those proverbial streets.
3) “Black Women in Medicine” —Prepare to feel uplifted. “Black Women in Medicine” honors contemporary black women around the country who work diligently in all facets of medicine. 4) “Hoop Dreams” — Every school day, African-American teenagers William Gates and Arthur Agee travel 90 minutes each way from inner-city Chicago to St. Joseph High School in Westchester, Illinois, a predominately white suburban school well-known for the excellence of its basketball program.
5) “I Am Not Your Negro” — “The history of America So what is is the history “uprising”? of the Negro in You can feel it America. And on the streets it’s not a pretty — far beyond picture.” BeWoodward, fore he passed Telegraph, Libin 1987, famed “12th and Clairmount” erty or State. As American auJohn Milton said, “Awake, arise or be thor James Baldwin began writing forever fall’n.” about the deaths of his friends, civil Experience this theme through in rights icons Medgar Evers, Malcolm X films such as “12th and Clairmount,” and Martin Luther King, Jr. which shares personal stories of 6) “Quest” — Follow this working-class the 1967 Detroit uprising; “Whose family through eight years of their lives Streets?” which follows those on the in inner-city Philadelphia, capturing evfront lines still fighting for change; and ery challenge and triumph in true cineNative Detroiter Qasim Basir’s “Des- ma vérité style. tined,” filmed in Detroit. 7) “Step” — The Baltimore Leadership “I shot ‘Destined’ at home, so it’s an School for Young Women aspires to honor to come back home to premiere send every one of its students to colit, especially at such a special festival. lege, despite whatever obstacles stand I’m inviting everyone I know.” Basir in their way. said. 8) “White Colour Black” —: Leke, a From the more than 60 films, here successful young London-based phoare the Top 10 must-see films that will tographer, travels to Senegal to bury his incite your inner rebel, critic, activist estranged father. and dreamer all at the same time 9) “Whose Streets?” — An unflinching 1) “Destined” — Filmed in Detroit by look at the Ferguson uprising as told writer/director and native son – Qasim by the citizens and activists who were Basir (Mooz-Lum), it tells the story of there. Rasheed, a young Detroit man whose 10) “Detroit Voices” —This year’s prolife splits off into two possible out- gram of Michigan-made short films is comes. easily the strongest ever, with local tal2) “12th and Clairmount” — Metro ent that has gone to the next level. PeDetroiters’ vintage home movie footage
See Film Festival Page D-2
Stretch Money’s back with
‘Time is Money’ By AJ Williams
dio stations such as HOT 107.5 FM and FM 97.9 WJLB and generated a national buzz.
There are only a select number of artists who can confidently say they’ve made a classic record. Hip-hop artist Stretch Money is one of those artists. The Detroit-bred lyricist is prepared to deliver classics once again with the release of his latest album, “Time is Money.”
With it being over 10 years since the hit single and over a five-year period since his last mixtape appearance, Stretch Money says, it feels right to represent Detroit music.
Stretch Money’s debut album and hit single, “Takes Money to Make Money,” was released in 2006. During his early success, his single was in heavy rotation on local ra-
provides the heart of “12th and Clairmount,” a documentary looking back at the cause, duration and aftermath of the 1967 Detroit riot/rebellion.
“It feels good. To think at one point, I wanted to give up. I’m glad to be back making music.” He said. The struggle has always been a point of inspiration for many rappers and Stretch Money is no different, say-
See Stretch Money Page D-2
Page D-2 • THE MICHIGAN CHRONICLE • May 31 - June 6, 2017
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Saturday, June 3 | 6:00 pm | Arden Park THE RENT PARTY: In the spirit of the rent party tradition, which offered a DIY solution for families facing eviction in the 1920’s while playing a major role in the historic development of jazz and blues music, South Oakland Shelter presents our 2nd annual Rent Party. Three stages of jazz, cocktails and a strolling dinner. Info: my.southoaklandshelter.org/rentparty
Saturday, June 3 | 1 pm | The Artist Village WE ROCK DOPE HAIR! A NATURAL HAIR EXPERIENCE: Come play, celebrate and rejuvenate your natural hair. Demos, giveaways, seminars, vendors and more.
Sunday, June 4 | 11 am | Bank Suey BEAT MATCH BENEFIT BRUNCH + AFTERPARTY: Beat Match Brunch, a month-long introduction to the fundamentals of the art form for aspiring female-identified DJs. Tickets are $75 each and include brunch, beverages and entertainment. Paid reservations required. Info: www.eventbrite.com
Call (313) 963-5522
Sunday, June 4 | 1pm | 8 Degrees Plato Detroit A WOMEN ONLY BEER TASTING: Come experience the rich flavors of the craft beer world and learn how brewers use four simple ingredients to produce a mosaic of tastes in a relaxed atmosphere with other Women exploring the world of craft beer and finding their new favorite drink. Info: Visit 8 Degrees Plato or Textures By Neffertit
Monday, June 5 | 7:30 pm | Antietam ASTROLOTEA: The kickoff to an event series collaboration with Orange Moon LTD. and Tealing & Co. This will be an evening of exploring astrology in new and exciting ways with a fiery debut of Zodiac Candles from Orange Moon LTD., while simultaneously enjoying tunes, hor d’oeuvres and specialty crafted tea-cocktails. Info: healingco.com
Luther Vandross
Bob Marley
Reflections
From page D-1
Carol Burnett in numerous skits on her popular show, plus Rodney Dangerfield, among others.
Kennedy, Brian Spears, Stephen Singleton, Donald James, Karen Dumas, Cliff Russell and Samuel Kemp.
WHILE watching the Billboard Music Awards, it occurred to me (again) how, in general, today’s music standards are so much lower, which is why veterans Cher (who looks almost unbelievably amazing at 71) and Celine Dion were such standouts.
WORDS OF THE WEEK, from an anonymous source: “Love and being true to yourself always wins.”
Few newer artists are even worthy to be compared to Prince, Luther Vandross, Marvin Gaye, Gladys Knight, Stevie Wonder, Chaka Khan, Donny Hathaway and so many other powerhouses. Granted, one generation will see some things differently from the previous generation, but the fact remains that the bar has been lowered. Thank God for Jill Scott, John Legend, Beyoncé, Adele, Usher, Justin Timberlake and a limited number of others. THIS IS the 40th anniversary of one of the most famous reggae albums of all time, “Edodus” by Bob Marley & the Wailers. He was the king of reggae at the time of his passing in 1981 and always will be. To commemorate the anniversary, son Ziggy Marley has recorded an album titled “Exodus 40 – The Movement Continues.” On July 21, the Lionel Richie-Mariah Carey tour will begin, concluding on Sept. 5. Richie says this show will be second only to his 1984 tour with Tina Turner in terms of sheer excitement. BETCHA DIDN’T KNOW…that Jussie Smollett, who portrays the gay and proud Jamal Lyon on “Empire,” has a sister in the business, Jurnee Smollett-Bell, who has numerous acting credits. MEMORIES: “I Feel Good All Over” (Stephanie Mills), “Optimistic” (Sounds of Blackness), “Just the Two of Us” (Grover Washington, Jr. with Bill Withers), “Wishing Well” (Terence Trent D’Arby), “Get Here” (Oleta Adams), “Goodnite Sweetheart, Goodnite” (the Spaniels), “Dreamin’” (Vanessa Williams). BLESSINGS to Mishelle Yvette
Let the music play! Contact Steve Holsey at svh517@ aol.com or PO Box 02843, Detroit, MI 48202.
Stretch Money From page D-1
ing, “The time that I lost inspired this album. My struggles and having the chance to do it all again pushed me.” On what fans can expect, a more sophisticated style is top of mind for the Detroit rapper. “Fans can expect a more mature version of Stretch Money. I’ve grown and learned so much. This project has all the ingredients for a classic album,” he said. “Time is Money” was released nationwide on May 28. Visit: www.stretchmoneydet.com for the latest updates and more
Film Festival From page D-1
riod pieces show both the distant past and possible future, a beautifully animated tale gives the history of the legend of Sleeping Bear Dunes, and junkyard art becomes a tool for overcoming trauma. Bonus: “Uncle Jesse White – Portrait of a Delta Bluesman in Detroit” — Filled with as much love for the music as it is for its subject, this project — 20 years in the making — isn’t just the story of Detroit’s blues scene after the Great Migration, but a history of a man, a people, a city and the intersection of race, art and labor. Visit cinetopiafestival.org for full film descriptions, trailers and dates/ times/locations of all screenings and events.
UNIVERSAL PICTURES PRESENTS IN ASSOCIATION WITH PERFECT WORLD PICTURES A SECRET HIDEOUT/CONSPIRACY FACTORY/SEAN DANIEL COMPANY PRODUCTION
TOM CRUISE “THE MUMMY” ANNABELLE WALLIS SOFIA BOUTELLA JAKE JOHNSON COURTNEY B. VANCE EXECUTIVE PRODUCED MARWAN KENZARI AND RUSSELL CROWE MUSICBY BRIAN TYLERSCREEN PRODUCERS JEB BRODY ROBERTO ORCI BY ALEX KURTZMAN p.g.a. CHRIS MORGAN SEAN DANIEL p.g.a. SARAH BRADSHAW STORYBY JON SPAIHTS AND ALEX KURTZMAN & JENNY LUMET SCREENPLAY DIRECTED BY DAVID KOEPP AND CHRISTOPHER MCQUARRIE AND DYLAN KUSSMAN BY ALEX KURTZMAN A UNIVERSAL PICTURE SOUNDTRACK ON BACK LOT MUSIC
© 2016 UNIVERSAL STUDIOS IMAX® IS A REGISTERED TRADEMARK OF IMAX CORPORATION.
LOCAL LISTINGS FOR STARTS FRIDAY, JUNE 9 CHECK THEATERS AND SHOWTIMES
May 31 - June 6, 2017 • THE MICHIGAN CHRONICLE • Page D-3
Date night ready in the D
with North End Collective
By Alisha Dixon
As summer approaches and temperatures rise, the ladies of the North End Collective have summer date night look ideas that will be sure to make you stand out. Treat your body well by adding natural and handmade products to your date night body and hair prep routine. “Looking fabulous starts well before you even choose an outfit. It begins with body care and why not do it with natural and handmade products,” said Shannon Reaves, owner of Bath Savvy. “Prepping the body is essential. Take a relaxing shower and enjoy the luxurious lather of our handmade soaps and seal in all the moisture with our scented Hair & Body Oil Cream.” **Bath Savvy’s Pomegranate Mango scent is my personal favorite. Thank me later! – Shannon Reaves, Bathsavvy.com
If you want to slay, this is the look for you! You will be unforgettable in this gold body skimming dress. “This dress is for the young professional who wants to stand out and be classy,” said Jordette Singleton, owner of United Front. “The dress itself is a little bold, so adding small details like the stone necklace and rose gold sunglasses won’t compete with the dress.” – Jordette Singleton, shopunitedfront.com
Body Prep with Bath Savvy: Bath Savvy Bath Bombs, $5, Bath Savvy Handmade Soap, $7, Bath Savvy Body Butter, $8 or $22, Bath Savvy Hair & Body Oil Cream, $14 or $22.
Accessories can make or break an outfit. Choose accessories that will complement your outfit, not take away from it. “Choosing the right accessories is just as important as choosing the right outfit,” said Brittany Chanel, owner of Purple Love. “Add bold accessories with simple outfits and less bold accessories with bold outfits.” The North End Collective’s mission is to build unity and collaboration through retail sales and create entrepreneurial opportunities in Detroit’s North End neighborhood. The North End Collective, located at 6513 Woodward Ave., is a 2000 square foot retail space organized into four individually owned and operated retail spaces (United Front, The Traveling Pants Co., Bath Savvy and Purple Love). The shops are all owned by Detroit-based women entrepreneurs of color. – Brittany Chanel, ilovepurplelove. com
Diva (Gold Dress) Look: United Front Rose Gold Dress, $79, United Front Rose Gold Sunglasses, $25.99, United Front Necklace, $48.99, Purple Love Bracelets, $16 each.
D Girl Funk Look: Traveling Pants Co. Crop top, $34, Traveling Pants Co. Pants, $53, United Front Sunglasses, $25, Purple Love Necklace, $49
Stand out in this unapologetically fly look. Whether it’s brunch or a concert at Chene Park, you’ll be comfortable and fly in this bold look. “A long sleeve crop top is perfect for summer nights. Adding a unique accessory like a statement necklace can update your wardrobe for the summer,” said Deidra Hogue, owner of The Traveling Pants Co. – Deidra Hogue the-traveling-pantscompany.myshopify.com
Visit the North End Collective at 6513 Woodward Ave. in Detroit or northendcollectivedetroit.com.
Flower Child/Boho Look: United Front Yellow Crop Top, $39.99, United Front Skirt, $49.99, United Front Necklace, $25, United Front Choker, $20, Purple Love Headband, $22 “This is for the flower child with a free spirit. Choosing a bright color like yellow complements the blue in the skirt,” said Jordette Singleton, owner of United Front. “The yellow also pops next to the skin.”
Purple Love-Brittany Chanel, ilovepurplelove.com The Traveling Pants Co.-Deidra Hogue, the-traveling-pants-company.myshopify.com United Front-Jordette Singleton, shopunitedfront.com Bath Savvy-Shannon Reaves, bathsavvy.com
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OBITUARIES
Orsel Stanley McGhee On Friday, May 12, services for Orsel Stanley McGhee were held at James H. Cole Home for Funerals with Rev. Dr. Magnolia Payne officiating. Mr. McGhee passed away on April 30, 2017. The McGhee family helped to break the color bar in America, winning a historic Supreme Court housing decision in 1948 that outlawed “restricted covenants”. Orsel Stanley McGhee was born in Detroit on March 12, 1928 to Dabney Orsel McGhee and Dora Diffay McGhee. He graduated from Northwestern High School, attended Howard University and served in the U.S. Army. After the army, he held a series of sales positions. He married Shirley Terrell in 1949 and they had two children, Orsel III and Steffany. Mr. McGhee’s second marriage was to Gloria Payne. They had four children — Michele, Kean, Troy and Colette — and moved to Lansing where he became a teacher in the Lansing public school system. When his wife passed, he moved to Southfield. Orsel Stanley McGhee is survived by his sons, Orsel III, Kean and Troy; daughters, Michele and Colette; and many other relatives and friends.
Elder Dr. “Mother” Earnestine Crutcher
Wikipedia defines “a force of nature” as “a natural phenomenon that humans cannot control”. Such is an apropos metaphor for Elder Dr. “Mother” Earnestine Crutcher. Whenever someone told her she couldn’t achieve something, the Lord showed her that, with His help, she could accomplish almost anything. When told by older relatives “you’ll die young and you won’t be nothing!” she outlived them all, rising to become one of the most dominant figures in the Apostolic Overcoming Holy Church of God for over 60 years! When told she shouldn’t wed a great minister she hardly knew, the Lord appeared to her in a bright light and said “Behold I set before thee an open door!” God blessed their marriage to produce a beautiful daughter and a powerful union that lasted over 40 years. When the church choir needed a musician she decided to try to fill the role, and when told she wouldn’t be able to learn to play the piano, she learned well enough to lead the Greater Phillips Temple A.O.H. Church Pastor’s Choir throughout its tenure, traveling with the pastor across the country singing songs of Zion. Preferring to be addressed simply and affectionately as Mother Crutcher, Dr. Crutcher was born September 9, 1923 in rural Alabama but moved to Pensacola, Florida at a very young age, where she received her formal training in the Florida Public School System. She later attended Roxanne’s Beauty Academy / School of Cosmetology, practicing this profession until she was called to the ministry. After the Lord saved her and filled her with His Precious Holy Ghost, Mother Crutcher continued her education, but now in the ministry at the American Bible College in Chicago, Illinois and the A.O.H. Bible Seminary under the tutelage of the late Bishop W.T. Phillips and her late husband Bishop Gabriel F. Crutcher. She served as pastor of Light of the World A.O.H. Church of God in Pensacola – a church she literally built from the ground up – and became renown nationally and internationally for her anointed preaching and spiritfilled singing. When her health was threatened by illness some years ago the
May 31 - June 6, 2017
Lord again appeared to her in a bright light and declared “You shall live, and not die, to declare my Word throughout the nation!” She began to travel across the country, conducting revivals and “birthing” churches, preaching and singing everywhere she went. Through her evangelism thousands of souls came to the Lord, many entered the ministry, and several now serve as Bishops in various ecumenical organizations. On June 7, 2001 Mother Crutcher received her Baccalaureate from Friends International Christian University, her Master’s degree on June 1, 2003 and, on April 18, 2004 her Doctorate degree from the same institution. She founded the North – North Central Ministerial Council Pastor’s Wives Alliance and Scholarship Fund, which annually grants college scholarships to deserving young members of the A.O.H. Church to enhance their matriculation in advanced education. Following the death of her husband, Bishop Gabriel F. Crutcher Mother Crutcher was installed as pastor of Greater Phillips Temple A.O.H. Church of God in June, 2002. She presided as the National President of the Women’s and Missionary Department of the A.O.H. Church of God. Mother Crutcher lived by the scripture “Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet …” While she could be brutally honest in declaring what thus saith the Lord, she had a caring and loving spirit, visiting the sick and recalcitrant saints even when her own health was poor. If she couldn’t visit in-person she’d call daily, praying and exhorting all to cling to the Lord’s unchanging Hand. Throughout the country Mother Crutcher was famous for her rendition of a song she was introduced to and rearranged to fit her own style – “I Heard Him When He Called My Name”. Though for many years she professed and confessed a desire to fulfill God’s charge of Genesis 6:3 (“And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years.”) she heard and answered the Lord’s call to return home to Glory on Saturday morning May 20, 2017. She leaves to mourn her passing one sister, Mary Johnson, two sons, Earnest Turner and David Calhoun, two daughters, Gabriella Dickey and Sequoia Morris, loving grandchildren and thousands of spiritual children around the world. A memorial service is scheduled for 5:00 PM Sunday, May 28, 2017 at her home church, Greater Phillips Temple A.O.H. Church of God, 510 E. Bethune in Detroit. Family Hour will also be hosted at the church at 9:00 AM Tuesday, May 30, followed by the Homegoing / Celebration of Life at 10:00 AM. Contact the Church at (313) 871-8155 for further information.
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Academy of Warren will hold a public hearing June 20, 2017 at 5:30 pm at 13899 E. Eight Mile Rd. Warren, MI 48089, (586) 552-8010 to review the proposed 2017-2018 operating budget. A copy of the proposed budget is available for public inspection at the above address.
REQUEST FOR QUOTES The Suburban Mobility Authority for Regional Transportation (SMART) is soliciting Request For Quotes (RFQ) for Purchase of (2) Scissor Lifts Control No. 17-2419. RFQ document maybe obtained beginning May 31, 2017 from www.mitn.info. RFQs are due by 3:00 PM ET, Monday, June 19, 2017.
REQUEST FOR QUOTES The Suburban Mobility Authority for Regional Transportation (SMART) is soliciting Request For Quotes (RFQ) for Purchase of Forklift Control No. 17-2398. RFQ document maybe obtained beginning May 31, 2017 from www.mitn.info. RFQs are due by 3:00 PM ET, Monday, June 19, 2017.
Notice of Budget Hearing Detroit Prep (MI PSA) shall hold a public budget hearing for its 2016-2017 and 2017-2018 annual operating budget on June 13th at 7:00pm at 2411 Iroquois Detroit, MI 48214. A copy of the budget is available for public inspection at: www.detroitprep.org/budget
Notice of Budget Hearing The Detroit Achievement Academy (MI PSA) shall hold a public budget hearing for its 2016-2017 and 2017-2018 annual operating budgets on June 13th at 6:00pm at 2411 Iroquois Detroit, MI 48214. A copy of the budget is available for public inspection at: www.detroitachievement.org/budget COVENANT HOUSE ACADEMY DETROIT SOUTHWEST CAMPUS 1450 25th STREET, DETROIT, MI 48216 Phone: (313) 297-8720 Fax: (313) 297-8730 Applications for the 2017-2018 academic year Will be available at the school for enrollment and re-enrollment from May 24, 2017 through June 07, 2017. An Answering machine is available for messages. Applications will be accepted for grades 9-12, Serving students ages 16-22. Should applications exceed available space, a random selection drawing will be held on June 08, 2017 at the school. COVENANT HOUSE ACADEMY DETROIT EAST CAMPUS 7600 GOETHE, DETROIT, MI 48214 Phone: (313) 267-4315 Fax: (313) 267-4320 Applications for the 2017-2018 academic year Will be available at the school for enrollment and re-enrollment from May 24, 2017 through June 07, 2017. An Answering machine is available for messages. Applications will be accepted for grades 9-12, Serving students ages 16-22. Should applications exceed available space, a random selection drawing will be held on June 08, 2017 at the school. COVENANT HOUSE ACADEMY DETROIT CENTRAL CAMPUS 2959 MLK JR. BLVD., DETROIT, MI 48208 Phone: (313) 899-6900 Fax: (313) 899-6910 Applications for the 2017-2018 academic year Will be available at the school for enrollment and re-enrollment from May 24, 2017 through June 07, 2017. An Answering machine is available for messages. Applications will be accepted for grades 9-12, Serving students ages 16-22. Should applications exceed available space, a random selection drawing will be held on June 08, 2017 at the school.
Notice of Budget Hearing The Detroit Community Schools Board of Directors will hold a public hearing to review the 2017-18 proposed budget on Tuesday, June 13, 2017 at 10:00 A.M. in the HS Main Office Conference Room located at 12675 Burt Road, Detroit, MI 48223. The regular June 2017 Meeting of the DCS Board of Directors will commence immediately following the Budget Hearing. Any changes in the date or time of the Budget Hearing and/or the regular Board of Directors meeting will be posted on the DCS website: www.detcomschools.org. The proposed budget will be available for review starting June 6, 2017 in the High School Main Office.
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COVENANT HOUSE ACADEMY CENTRAL 2959 Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd. Detroit, Michigan 48208 NOTICE IS hereby given that the Covenant House Academy Central Board of Directors will hold its Annual Budget Hearing on Tuesday, June 6, 2017 at 12:30 p.m. The Budget will be available for public inspection at the hearing location at 2959 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Detroit, Michigan 48208.
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The meeting will be conducted in accordance with the Michigan Open Meetings Act. LEGAL NOTICE COVENANT HOUSE ACADEMY SOUTHWEST 1450 25th Street Detroit, Michigan 48216 NOTICE IS hereby given that the Covenant House Academy Southwest Board of Directors will hold its Annual Budget Hearing on Tuesday, June 6, 2017 at 12:30 p.m. The Budget will be available for public inspection at the hearing location at 1450 25th Street, Detroit, Michigan 48216. The meeting will be conducted in accordance with the Michigan Open Meetings Act. LEGAL NOTICE COVENANT HOUSE ACADEMY EAST 7600 Goethe Street Detroit, Michigan 48214 NOTICE IS hereby given that the Covenant House Academy East Board of Directors will hold its Annual Budget Hearing on Tuesday, June 6, 2017 at 12:30 p.m. The Budget will be available for public inspection at the hearing location at 7600 Goethe Street, Detroit, Michigan 48214.
May is National Mental Health Awareness Month
The meeting will be conducted in accordance with the Michigan Open Meetings Act. WWW.MICHIGANCHRONICLE.COM
MICHIGAN CHRONICLE
Gardenview Estates Phase 5 Detroit, Michigan The Norstar Building Corporation, as the single prime General Contractor, in partnership with the MSHDA is soliciting bids for the Gardenview Estates Phase 5 Project, affordable housing development. The project consists of 27 new, brick on wood framed buildings, including one and two story buildings. Upon completion, there will be 97 new apartment units. Individual bid packages include: SITE WORK Concrete Earthwork Site Utilities Landscaping Irrigation GENERAL TRADES Foundations Masonry Carpentry Finish Carpentry Roofing Insulation Drywall Painting Flooring Plumbing HVAC Electrical Low Voltage Plans are available upon email request to NBCESTIMATING@GMAIL.COM If Interested, Bids are due no later than June 15th at 5:00 pm and should be submitted to NBCESTIMATING@GMAIL.COM City of Detroit certified businesses, MWBE, and Section 3 Business participation is strongly encouraged, as the project is committed to meeting the State of Michigan, HUD, and MSHDA MWBE and Section 3 workforce and business goals. Bidders are advised that by submitting a signed bid proposal they are agreeing and committing to MWBE, Section 3, and EEO requirements which are a part of this project. This project is subject to Davis Bacon residential wage requirements.
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ADMINISTRATIVE SECRETARY AT OAKLAND UNIVERSITY
Die Lead Warren, MI, General Motors Company. Plan &lead 1-3 major revolving programs, &assure timely launch of die &stamping tooling, from program initiation to Start of Production. Develop mfg processes, equipment, tooling alternatives, sequence &flow of operations of cold rolled, high strength steel, Class A stamping mfg processes to produce vehicle door, hood, decklid, liftgate, fender &roof stampings for the effective utilization of personnel, material, machines &facilities necessary for the production of the stamping panels. Lead programs to improve, assure &validate closure, hood, roof &fender stampings Design for Manufacturability/Design for Assembly of tandem (using robotic path-finders to transport parts from die to die), transfer (using cross-bar and/or fingers to transfer the parts from die to die), &progressive production presses, for passenger vehicles incldg advanced surfacing &processing using UG for cold rolled, high strength steel, &Class A mfg processes. Assure compliance with formability &die engrg standard work procedures. Bachelor, Mechanical or Industrial Engrg. 12 mos esp as Engineer, assuring passenger vehicle closure stampings DFM &DFA of production presses--tandem, transfer, &progressive presses, incldg advanced surfacing for cold rolled, high strength steel, &Class A mfg processes. Mail resume to Ref#24814, GM Global Mobility, 300 Renaissance Center, MC:482-C32D44, Detroit, MI 48265.
Warren, MI, General Motors. Supervise 1 Release Engineer, engineer, design &release future global full size SUV A/B/C/D pillar &liftgate hard trim assemblies using UGNX &Teamcenter. Engineer, design &release SUV hard trim assemblies, such as A &C pillar trim, B pillar upper trim, D pillar front &rear trim, &liftgate trim in strict compliance with FMVSS No. 201 “Occupant Protection”, No.226 “Ejection Mitigation”, No. 302 “Flammability”, UN ECE No.21 “Interior Fittings”. Set technical parameters &test reqmts to CAE engineers to simulate &improve the design to achieve performance reqmts &optimize for mass &cost while balancing safety &formability reqmts. Use DFSS, DFMEA &Design Review Based on Failure Mode, &GD&T, to analyze &report on product engrg design to meet mfg reqmts in high volume component manufacture &vehicle assembly environments. Bachelor, Mechanical Engrg or Automotive Engrg. 12 mos exp as Release Engineer, engrg hard trim assemblies to meet the safety performance, releasing A/B/C pillar trim &liftgate trim in compliance with FMVSS 302 &UN ECE 21. Mail resume to Ref#1232, GM Global Mobility, 300 Renaissance Center, MC:482-C32-D44, Detroit, MI 48265.
Studio Design Engineer Warren, MI, General Motors. Evaluate original psgr vehicle interior &exterior components &systems sketches &designs by Creative Designers, evaluate data vectors &perform feasibility studies using UG &Alias settings, &forward design packages to Engrg for evaluation, &return engrg proposals with new instructions to Creative Designers for modifications &/or changes to sketches/designs. Evaluate design sketches to ensure vehicle component design for manufacturability/design for assembly. Evaluate future designs against current &future component Technical Specification, Sub-System Technical Specification, Vehicle Technical Specifications, &certification compliance with regs (US, Europe, Asia, Middle East &Latin America) defined by FMVSS, ECE, NCAP crash &durability standards, &IIHS ratings. Bachelor, Mechanical or Automotive Engrg or related. 12 mos exp as Engineer, evaluating vehicle interior &exterior sketches &designs by Creative Designers, evaluating data vectors &perform feasibility studies using UG &Alias settings, &forwarding design packages to Engrg for evaluation, &returning engrg proposals with instructions to Creative Designers for modifications and/or changes to sketches &design proposals, &certification compliance with FMVSS, ECE, NCAP crash &durability standards, &IIHS ratings. Mail resume to Ref#15573, GM Global Mobility, 300 Renaissance Center, MC:482-C32-D44, Detroit, MI 48265.
Studio Design Engineer
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Senior Lead Design Release Engineer
Warren, MI, General Motors. Dvlp, balance &integrate engrg, mfg &other imperatives (such as architecture, pedestrian protection regulatory reqmts, market, &cost) with passenger car &sport utility vehicle (SUV) design theme intent (exterior, aero, wheels &components). Integrate Studio Class A surface with the engrg criteria by executing Decision Fixed Point Process. Integrate engrg, performance &mfg criteria using UG to ensure design space provided to Studio includes reasonable design flexibility for styling purposes. Support technical activities for Design Class A surface dvlpmt (such as aerodynamics, data acquisition, surfacing, vehicle configuration, &pre- production) &engrg reqmts. Identify design &technical problems &dvlp design &engrg solutions related to Class A surface execution &design intent (such as molding definition, window blackout, hardware fit, lamp interfaces, grilles, &door cut lines). Support UG Class A surface release process to Styling Freeze (SF) &support surfacing groups in dvlpmt of final UG Class A surfaces (SF-VDR), including surface verification process. Return with engrg inputs to the creative designers for modifications and/or changes to the original design proposal. Evaluate design sketches to ensure vehicle component DFM/DFA. Associate, Mfg Engrg Technology, Production Process Technology, Mfg Technology, or related. 24 mos exp as Design Engineer or Studio Design Engineer, balancing &integrating engrg, mfg &imperatives such as architecture, regulatory reqmts, market, &cost, with passenger vehicle design theme intent (exterior, aero, wheels &components), integrating engrg, performance &mfg criteria using UG to ensure design space provided to Studio includes reasonable design flexibility for styling purposes. Mail resume to Ref#1548, GM Global Mobility, 300 Renaissance Center, MC:482-C32-D44, Detroit, MI 48265.
HMI Modeling & Prototyping Software Lead
PROFESSIONAL HELP WANTED
GUI Software Engineer
Provide responsible secretarial services and operational office assistance. Minimum Qualifications: High school graduation or an equivalent combination of education and experience. Three years progressively responsible secretarial experience. Ability to select, assemble and organize data & edit reports, perform general bookkeeping/ clerical accounting. Ability to effectively interact with the public, students, faculty, and staff. Ability to compose routine correspondence and to use a personal computer for intermediate word processing, spreadsheet and data base applications. Salary is $39,693.00 annually. See online posting for additional position requirements. First consideration will be given to those who apply by June 9, 2017. Must apply on line to: https://jobs.oakland.edu
PROFESSIONAL HELP WANTED
Visteon Corporation is seeking a GUI Software Engineer in Van Buren Twp., MI, to design and develop high quality embedded software for automotive customers for delivering Instrument Clusters and to review and analyze system requirements to create embedded software designs, among other duties. Bachelor’s degree in computer science or computer engineering and six years of experience in the job offered or related software engineering occupation. For confidential consideration, please apply online at www.visteon.com/careers/. Please respond to Job Requisition Number 17-0035. EOE.
Department of Organizational Leadership/SEHS
PROFESSIONAL HELP WANTED
Lead Creative Designer Warren, MI, General Motors Company. Design &dvlp concept &production passenger cars from early napkin sketch to full size working prototype to production cars, inventing advanced design concepts for GM vehicle brands &movie productions. Formulate, create &innovate new exterior designs for sport utility vehicles (SUV), mid-size &full-size pick-up trucks for GMC brand, for production vehicles, from new models &Mid-Cycle Enhancements (MCE) to show-cars, incldg vehicle architectures, using Photoshop, Autodesk Alias Studio Tools, Autodesk Showcase, VRED, Teamcenter &PowerPoint. Define new design trends by studying competitor’s vehicles &different fields such as, but not limited to, product design, architecture, graphic design, modern art. Imagine new vehicle types &silhouettes. Design &dvlp concept &production passenger cars from early napkin sketch to full size working prototype to production cars, inventing advanced design concepts for GM vehicle brands &movie productions. Adapt design to comply with government regs &safety reqmts such as pedestrian protection, Global Technical Regulation (GTR) &Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS). Follow vehicle dvlpmt through the project dvlpmt gates &through Start of Real Production (SORP) by solving any rising issue with engrg &mfg divisions. Bachelor, Transportation or Industrial Design. 12 mos exp as Automotive Designer, Creative Designer, Executive Engineer or related, formulating, creating &innovating exterior designs for passenger vehicles for OEM brands, for production vehicles, from new models, Restyling (or MCE), to show-cars, incldg vehicle architectures, using Photoshop, Autodesk Alias Studio Tools, &PowerPoint. Mail resume to Ref#1790, GM Global Mobility, 300 Renaissance Center, MC:482-C32D44, Detroit, MI 48265.
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Warren, MI, General Motors. Lead member of cross-functional team, dvlp emerging embedded telematics features in ECUs focused on Human Machine Interfaces (HMI) across multiple delivery channels, incldg multimodal voice response systems, mobile devices, &in-vehicle systems. Dvlp human HMI embedded software for psgr vehicle infotainment systems incldg instrument clusters, center stack modules incldg radios. Integrate CAN, LIN, Bluetooth handsfree apps, &internet apps into automotive systems. Lead &mentor team of 7 external engineers in embedded prototype software dvlpmt group to dvlp future automotive infotainment software. Research &dvlp advanced engrg &research prototype software for future psgr vehicle infotainment systems. Use IBM Rational Rhapsody tool for modeling, visualizing, specifying, constructing &documenting artifacts of software intensive user interface systems. Create reusable software component frameworks &standard interfaces using Real Time Operating Systems for vehicle display prototypes. Design &dvlp rapid infotainment prototypes using Android, QNX &proprietary OS platforms using C/C++, Java, HTML5. Master, Computer Science, Information Technology, Software Systems or related. 12 mos exp as Engineer, dvlpg HMI embedded software for psgr vehicle infotainment systems incldg instrument clusters, center stack modules incldg radios, integrating CAN, LIN, Bluetooth handsfree apps, &internet apps into automotive systems. Mail resume to Ref#44831, GM Global Mobility, 300 Renaissance Center, MC:482-C32-D44, Detroit, MI 48265. Dimensional Architect – Interior Systems
Warren, MI, General Motors. Dvlp &execute dimensional strategies for integration of interior systems to meet passenger car, midsize &full-size truck &SUV vehicle level dimensional specifications meeting GM performance specifications &mfg requirements. Apply strategies incldg Common Datum Locating Strategy, GD&T schemes, mechanical attachment methods, physical properties &material deformations attributed to interaction of systems in vehicle assembly environments &mfg processes. Dvlp Corporate Dimensional Engrg best practices to design, manufacture &assemble interior component systems. Work with BOM Functional Owners to integrate engrg solutions to future programs to achieve dimensional robustness at assembly centers &part suppliers. Dvlp quantitative methods &engrg standardized instructions to calculate product &process variation &implement these methods for complex systems incldg cockpit subassembly, cockpit to body integration, interior trim to body integration, instrument panel (IP) to door trim &floor console interfaces, headliner to body integration, seats to body &cargo systems to body. Use 3DCS, FEA simulations &Minitab tools to dvlp Design of Experiments &statistical models. Master, Mechanical Engrg, Automotive Engrg or Mfg Engrg. 12 mos exp as Engineer, dvlping quantitative methods &engrg standardized instructions to calculate product &process variation &implement methods for complex systems such as cockpit subassembly, cockpit to body integration, interior trim to body integration, IP to door trim &floor console interfaces, headliner to body integration, &seats to body, to assemble passenger vehicles in vehicle assembly plant environment. Mail resume to Ref#248, GM Global Mobility, 300 Renaissance Center, MC: 482-C32-D44, Detroit, MI 48265
Software Test Developer – System Behavior, Autonomous Driving and Active Safety
Warren, MI, General Motors. Perform software testing design, planning, scripting, validation, &execution of test procedures within the autonomous driving &active safety systems incldg Lane Departure Warning, Blindspot Detection, Forward &Rear Collision Alert, Driver Drowsiness Monitoring, &Auto Brake System. Perform validation in environment incldg multiple platforms &architectures, diverse technologies &lab environments. Work closely with validation team, program managers, developers, systems engineers &other stakeholders, executing test iterations, tracking/reporting results, troubleshooting &coordinating defect resolution with a strong understanding of electrical systems as well as exp in multiple software testing methodologies. Use Dynamic Object Oriented Requirements System (DOORS) tool to understand feature technical specification (FTS) &system technical specification (STS) to identify &explain reqmts for active safety during product dvlpmt phases. Release bench level test procedures for every software release of ECUs. Use tool MATLAB/Simulink, system behavior testing (SBT) methodology to execute test cases. Improve strategies for achieving effective &efficient system behavior tests using Design for Six Sigma (DFSS). Master, Electrical or Electronics Engrg. 12 mos exp as Validation Engineer or Systems Engineer, using DOORS tool to understand FTS &STS to identify various reqmts for active safety which are involved during various product dvlpmt phases, &release bench level test procedures for every software release of the ECUs. Mail resume to Ref#8623, GM Global Mobility, 300 Renaissance Center, MC:482-C32-D44, Detroit, MI 48265.
May 31 - June 6, 2017
Page D-5
TRAINING /EDUCATION/APPRENTICESHIP
ELEVATOR CONSTRUCTOR APPRENTICE Applications for the International Union of Elevator Constructors Local #36 Joint Apprenticeship Training Program for DETROIT will be accepted from 6/19/17 through 7/3/17. Elevator Constructor Apprentices are responsible for assisting in the installation, maintenance, and repair of passenger and freight elevators, escalators, dumbwaiters, and moving sidewalks under the direction of a Mechanic. All applications must be completed online by visiting:
www.neiep.org/careers.aspx
Scroll down and click on the “All Other Apprenticeships” tab. Select the DETROIT recruitment (After applying, check your spam, clutter, etc. to avoid missing any emails.) For more info email the Local Area Coordinator at:
rmckay@neiep.org
Applicants must be 18 years of age to apply, possess and upload an original copy of a H.S. Diploma, or H.S. Transcript, or GED, pass an entrance exam and tool assessment and sit for an interview. Note: There is a $25 fee for applicant at time of Exam Testing. (ONLY A MONEY ORDER OR BANK CERTIFIED CHECK WILL BE ACCEPTED, NO CASH, NO PERSONAL CHECKS.)
Delightful summer sipper ideas to serve your guests
(StatePoint) From pool parties to evenings around a bonfire, summer is the ultimate time to entertain. Artisanal cocktails make a statement at any gathering, so become the trendsetter of the season by using interesting spirits to get the party started. The key to successfully designing a creative cocktail is simple—keep an open mind and use the best possible ingredients. Using quality spirits and seasonal ingredients will make for an intriguing and delicious drink. Think outside the box when crafting cocktails, a hidden gem may already be in your bar collection, such as cognac liqueur. A common misconception is this spirit is only meant to be consumed during the wintertime. However, these liqueurs can be served chilled or made into refreshing cocktails. One example is the award-winning Belle de Brillet, the original Pear Williams & Brillet Cognac Liqueur produced by the 10th generation family-owned Maison Brillet, located in the heart of the Cognac region in France. Belle de Brillet is a pear liqueur made by infusing Brillet cognac with the essence of Williams Pears, produced mainly in the east of France. The liqueur is served in an elegant pear-shaped bottle, which will add charm to your summer spread. To best serve this luscious, yet refreshingly tart liqueur with ripe pear notes, consider these three cocktails created by NYC mixologist, Jaime Rios. Each recipe can easily be prepared ahead of time, so guests can help themselves. Belle of the Ball • 1.5 oz. Belle de Brillet Liqueur • 1.0 oz. Light Rum • 0.75 oz. Lime Juice • 3 Raspberries • Club Soda • Sprig of Rosemary Add raspberries, ice and alcohol ingredients into a shaker. Shake and strain into a highball with fresh ice. Top with club soda. Garnish with rosemary sprig. Brilliant Belle • 1.0 oz. Belle de Brillet Liqueur • 0.5 oz. Lime Juice • 1.5 oz. Premium Vodka • 0.25 oz. Green Chartreuse • 3 dashes Orange Bitters • 3 Red Grapes • 1 Basil Leaf Muddle red grapes and a basil leaf in a shaker then add all ingredients. Shake and evenly strain to the rim of the martini glass. Garnish with basil leaf. Summer in the City • 1.0 oz. Belle de Brillet Liqueur • 0.5 oz. Lime Juice • 2.0 oz. Joto Junmai Sake • Cucumber Slices • Mint Leaves Muddle cucumber and mint and add all ingredients with ice into tin shaker. Shake and strain into a highball glass with crushed ice. Garnish with mint sprig and cucumber. Because of its versatility, Belle de Brillet liqueur is a favorite among gourmet chefs around the world. It will pair nicely alongside summer salads, grilled seafood and fresh summer fruits like melon, strawberries or raspberries. This summer, delight guests’ palates with fresh ingredients for a new taste sensation.
Published Every Wednesday
Page D-6 • THE MICHIGAN CHRONICLE • May 31 - June 6, 2017
YEARS OF EXCELLENCE
Friday, June 30, 2017 • MotorCity Hotel 5pm Hors d’oeuvre Reception • 6pm Induction Ceremony Derick W. Adams, Esq. Vice President Human Resources, Health Alliance Plan Scott Benson Councilman, District 3, City of Detroit Rozell Blanks, Sr. Vice President of Human Resources, MGM Grand Detroit Dr. Jesse R. Brown Chief Executive Officer, Detroit Wholistic Center Paul Bryant CPA/ Audit Partner, Plante Moran Larry Callahan Founder & Director, Selected of God Major Clora, Jr. President, CLORA Funeral Home Awenate Cobinna Director of Business Affairs and Associate Council, Detroit Pistons Patrick Coleman Owner, Beans & Cornbread Dr. Lloyd C. Crews Council President Pro Tem, City of Southfield Brian Day Chief Technology Officer, Henry Ford Health Systems Victor Edozien President & Chief Executive Officers, SET Enterprises Rev. Dr. Lawrence C. Glass, Jr. Senior Pastor, El Bethel Baptist Church Don Carlos Godfrey, III Administrative Assistant & National Programs Center Executive Director, UAW Ford Roderick Hardamon Founder & Chairman, Urge Development Group, LLC Randy Henry Director &Producer, WDIV-Local 4 Sylvester L. Hester Chief Executive Officer & President, Global Automotive Alliance Eddie Hobson Senior Manager Global Procurement, American Axle Manufacturing Derek Hurt President, Law Office of Derek A Hurt, PLC Boysie Jackson Chief Procurement Officer, City of Detroit Anthony Jackson Owner & Chef, Jackson Five Star Catering Lorron James Vice President External Affairs, James Group International Conway A. Jeffress President, Schoolcraft College Alfred Jordan Detroit Municipal Affair Manager, GFL Environmental Incorporated Michael Joseph International Representative, UAW
www.michiganchronicle.com
Warde Manuel Donald R. Shepherd Director of Athletics, University of Michigan Chauncey C. Mayfield, II Partner, Honigman, Miller, Schwartz & Cohn, LLP Eric Means Owner, Means Group Johnny Menifee Fire Chief, City of Southfield H. Keith Mobley Director, Corporate Contributions & Community Relations, AAA The Auto Club Group Charley Moore, Jr. Boys Scouts of America Detroit Mario Morrow, Sr. Chief Executive Officer, Mario Morrow & Associates, LLC Charles Nolen Owner, Cutter’s Bar & Grill, President 1919 Corporation Corey Parker Athletic Coordinator & Football Coach, River Rouge School District Michael Rafferty Vice President of Small Business, Detroit Economic Growth Corporation Julius J. Readus Senior Financial Advisor & Assistant Vice President, Merill Lynch Moses Shepherd Founder, Ace Investment Group Jerome Sheppard Chief Executive Officer, Epitec William Sherron Owner & General Manager, Vicksburg Chrysler Dodge Jeep RAM Tolulope Sonuyi Emergency Medicine Physician, DMC Sinai Grace Hospital Rev. Andre L. Spivey Councilman, District 4, City of Detroit Michael Steinback Executive Director, Detroit CARES Jesse Thomas Chief Executive Officer, Harbor Health John Thorne Executive Director, Detroit Catholic Pastoral Alliance Moddie Turay Executive Vice President of Real Estate and Financial Services, Detroit Economic Growth Corporation Kenneth Watkins Senior Shareholder, Sommers Schwartz, P.C. Fred A. Westbrook, Jr. President. Algamated Transit Union Local 26 Shaun Wilson Senior Vice President, Detroit Office, Truscott Rossman The Honorable Kurtis Wilder Justice, Michigan Supreme Court Roger Yopp Owner, Savannah Blue
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