Page A-2 • michiganchronicle.com •
July 17-23, 2019
DETROIT SEVEN-DAY FORECAST THUNDERSTORM
ISOLATED T-STORM
MOSTLY SUNNY
PM T-STORM
SCATTERED T-STORM
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SUNNY
WED. JULY 17 84°/68°
THUR. JULY 18 89°/77°
FRI. JULY 19 95°/77°
SAT. JULY 20 91°/73°
SUN. JULY 21 85°/69°
MON. JULY 22 83°/65°
TUE. JULY 23 82°/64°
Gillibrand From page A-1
being strangled by economic hardship. Poverty remains deep, widespread and hellish for those trapped in it. Forty-three percent of Americans are either “poor or low-income” according to the Institute for Policy Studies, and just last year, a UN Human Rights investigator concluded that the Trump administration has pursued a policy of “punishing and imprisoning the poor.” Meanwhile, wages have only increased meaningfully in cities and states that have raised their minimum wages, and despite growth in some pockets of the region, manufacturing jobs have yet to come “roaring back to life” as Trump promised. Across the hour-long town hall, Gillibrand cover a decent-sized landscape of voter concerns: gun control, criminal justice reform, reproductive freedom, climate devastation, the role of faith in politics and more. Yet the question for Gillibrand is the same one that haunts many of the Democratic hopefuls: with the line of candidates wrapping around the corner for their shot at the nomination, how do you distinguish yourself from the pack? For her part, Gillibrand has promised to champion a chain of progressive policies if elected, from sweeping campaign finance reform to a Family Bill of Rights. This is hardly surprising in an increasingly progressive political universe, to which the Democratic Party has been dragged kicking and screaming by the sneak-attack success of Bernie Sanders’ 2016 campaign and waves of
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Kirsten Gillibrand Addresses audience at Oakland County Town Hall popular pressure in the years since. As others have pointed out, many of the banner ideas Gillibrand is now promoting have either already been hoisted by rivals in the field — Sanders and Elizabeth Warren especially — or would surely fall under separate banners they’ve raised elsewhere. While Sanders and Warren both have major blemishes of their own, each has a long record of reliable progressive leadership, including times when their priorities have been deeply unpopular with the Democratic Party’s power elite. It’s on this question of consistency that voters may find Gillibrand severely lacking. Across the campaign trail and in Friday’s town hall, Gillibrand has pitched herself as uniquely qualified to defeat Trump as one of few Democrats “who has run and won in a...deeply red district,” a shout out to her successful 2006 bid for New York’s 20th Congressional District, which Republicans had held for nearly 30 years. She goes on to imply that
Kirsten Gillibrand and Flint mayor Karen Weaver tour the Flint water Plant
Bishop P.A. Brooks
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WEEK’S BEST LOTTERY
Supervisor Loretta Hogan Whitsett
she triumphed because she “ran on progressive issues” like “getting the troops out of Iraq and Medicare for all.” What goes unsaid are the other enormous pillars on which that campaign stood, notably her open hostility to the lives of undocumented people in order to prove herself tough on immigration. Gillibrand has since reversed course (though it came in anticipation of her appointment to statewide office in 2009), confessing that she now feels “ashamed” of those old positions from a time when, as Politico reports, she “‘didn’t care’ about the needs of diverse Americans.” This evolution of expediency might be of little concern to the high-income white voters in places like Birmingham. But it is precisely the sort of thing that might understandably worry long-struggling communities in other “diverse” corners of the country, like Detroit. It’s worth remembering, and relentlessly repeating, that black voters are among the most economically progressive in the nation. And it’s important to remember that not only did Trump win enough former Obama voters to clinch victory in 2016, but as Malaika Jabali persuasively argues in Current Affairs, Democrats also failed miserably at inspiring many Midwestern voters of color to turn out by not offering them a clear and compelling vision for how they planned to improve their material lives. Gillibrand has a handful of ideas that would accomplish that around the edges, and has even spoken movingly about racial justice, but it isn’t a sweeping platform on the scale that outfits like the Movement for Black Lives has demanded. It’s worth asking whether nominating a candidate with such a flimsy record
Bishop Designate Clyde Jones, Jr.
Southwest Michigan Agape Jurisdiction Holy Convocation Summit Convenes Bishop P.A. Brooks, Interim Prelate and the delegates of the Southwest Michigan Agape Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction will gather in their Holy Convocation Summit on July 26, 27, and 28, 2019, at New St. Paul Tabernacle COGIC, 15340 Bishop P.A. Brooks Drive, Detroit, MI 48223.
at 10 AM. Classes will center on the Sunday, July 28th lesson. The Pastors and Elders Council convenes at 12 Noon and Youth Day services start at 6 PM. The day will conclude with evening worship. The gospel messenger will be Superintendent Willie Johnson of New Creation COGIC.
Supervisor Loretta Hogan Whitsett and the women of Agape, will spearhead the Women’s Day services starting at 10 AM on Friday, July 26. The evening worship speaker is Superintendent Darin Burns of Downriver Christian Center COGIC. The Evangelism Department will conclude the night with “Revival Fire”.
Official Day of the meeting is Sunday, July 28, 2019 at 4 PM. Bishop Designate Clyde Jones, Jr. will bring the gospel message. The pre-musical is Sunday, July 21st, at 4PM at New Christ Temple COGIC, 10001 Hayes St., Detroit, MI. Services will be streamed live on facebook/theagapebroadcastnetwork. For additional information please call 313 293-9720.
The Sunday School Department will be in session on Saturday, July 27th,
on basic issues of racial justice is a gamble worth taking. The answer to that question will have consequences for the lives of real people, in the Midwest and across the country.
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New Supplier Facility From page A-1 and scrappers have torn down the protective fence around the school and a number of doors have been pried open. The Leroy Bouguard football field, baseball diamond, and basketball court are no longer in use either. But the iconic large blue Kettering “K” along Van Dyke is expected to survive demolition and existing park equipment will be moved to a new site. That piece of news excites former Kettering Pioneers. “I think it was a good decision to revamp Kettering. The land is valuable, the community has a low economic status, and a move had to be made,” said Zach Carr, who played football at Kettering from 1999-2002. “I’m glad the community is getting a boost. Now, for those in the Van Dyke and I-94 area, there is no excuse for you not to have a job. Manufacturing plants are right in that area. “I’m all for doing things to create jobs and provide our people with the means to do better. For years, Kettering has been an eyesore for the community, but with so much history there, I hate to see it go. I did hear that they were keeping the big blue “K” in from of the school, so at least I can show my kids where I went to high school.” In March of 2014, DPSCD announced that Kettering would be converted into an urban farm called the Kettering Urban Agricultural Campus that would provide fresh food to local schools. Some early site preparation work was completed, but the entire project, estimated to cost $30 million, never manifested, mainly due to the school district’s financial crisis. Some community leaders said they would have liked to have seen Ket-
tering transformed back into a school or something else that directly impacts the neighborhood. “As far as placing another plant in the area, I’m not sure that was the best solution,” said Anthony Lamb, who attended both Rose and Kettering. “We have no high school in the immediate area, with Southeastern being miles away, and Crockett closing as well in 2012. The city just opened the Flex-N-Gate plant just over the bridge. But not one school has opened. I do believe, though, that tearing it down is a better solution than having the building abandoned, causing further blight to the area.” Dakkota plans to start work on the plant this fall, pending City Council approval to zoning changes, from residential to manufacturing classification. The project’s incentive package will also need to be approved by the City Council. Rush said her company plans to have the facility partially opened by the spring and fully operational by late 2020.
Convention From page A-1
vendors stationed in Spirit Plaza. On Tuesday, July 23 the National NAACP Diversity Career Fair will be held from 12-6 p.m. featuring over 30 local and national companies seeking employees. Detroit is home to the largest NAACP Branch in the Association. This is the eighth time Detroit has hosted the NAACP Convention. To view the full convention schedule please visit www.naacpconvention.org.
NAACP Sponsors Free Family Festival Celebrating the James H. Cole Home for Funerals Centennial Anniversary The James H. Cole Home for Funerals has announced that the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) has signed on as the title sponsor of a free family festival in recognition of the funeral home’s centennial anniversary. The festival will take place on Sunday, July 21, from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. A fourth-generation family business, the James H. Cole Home for Funerals turns 100 years old in 2019. In recognition of the business’ 100 years of service to the community, it is holding a number of celebratory events throughout the year. The free #Cole100 Family Festival is open to the public and will be held on the grounds of the business’ flagship location at 2624 W. Grand Boulevard. “We’re proud to be a part of recognizing the James H. Cole Home for Funerals and the 10 decades of compassionate care it has delivered to families in and around Detroit,” says NAACP President and CEO Derrick Johnson. “We look forward to celebrating a true Detroit icon at this family friendly event.” The festival will feature live performances by Apollo winner Cam Anthony, “The Voice” contestant Beth Manley, and Grammy-nominated performer Dwele. “As a native Detroiter, I’m honored to perform at an event celebrating a truly great family and the business it has built in our great city” says Dwele. “It will be a party to remember.” Other festival attractions will include hip hop aerobics with DJ Jewels Baby and trap yoga with Lisa Hillary. Henry Ford Health System will be offering free blood pressure checks and BMI monitoring in its health pavilion. The festival will also feature many child friendly attractions including carnival games, a train, a petting zoo, face painting, and a performance by Fresh the Clownsss. All attendees will be invited to enjoy the sweets and savories of local food trucks.
“We’re honored that the NAACP is recognizing our work in the community by serving as the host of the family festival,” says Karla Cole Green, James H. Cole Home for Funerals President. “This event offers an opportunity for us to thank our fellow community members for their continued support of our business.” About James H. Cole Home for Funerals In 1919, James H. Cole, Sr. embarked upon a business that would remain in his family for generations to come. Cole founded a funeral home that would service local Detroiters in need of funeral services. The family’s strong emphasis on compassion and service fueled the growth of the business. Today, the Cole family operates two Detroit-based locations. In 1950, Cole Sr. was joined in business by his son, James H. Cole Jr. Cole Jr., who in 1980 welcomed his youngest daughter, Karla M. Cole - Green to the family business. Mrs. Cole’s two sons, Antonio and Brice Green, joined the business in 2007. Today, the James H. Cole Home for Funerals holds the distinction of being the oldest Black-owned funeral home in the city of Detroit. For more information on the James H. Cole Home for Funerals, visit http://www. jameshcole.com.