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Michigan Chronicle

Vol. 84 – No. 42 |

June 23-29, 2021

Powered by Real Times Media | michiganchronicle.com

For the People:

Will Black Communities receive Slavery Reparations? By Megan Kirk In 1865, the institution of slavery was outlawed with the ending of the Civil War. Although President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, freeing slaves from confederate states, it was not until two years later that the last slaves in Texas would be granted freedom. Since that time, African descendants continually have paid the price of a business practice that was legally banned over 150 years ago. An evolution of laws and orders have kept Black communities disenfranchised and fighting for equality. The push for reparations is beginning to heat up again and African Americans are questioning if an atrocity that lasted generations Mark Fancher, Racial will be financially Justice Project Staff righted and Attorney for ACLU if states will issue reparations to the descendants of slaves. Recently, America recognized the 100th anniversary of the Tulsa race massacre. In February, just one month after winning a historical election with the help of votes from the Black community, President Biden came out and publicly endorsed the study of reparations for the descendants of slavery. In the months following, there has not been any official measures taken. In April, a House committee voted to approve legislation that would create a 15-person commission to study the effects of slavery and determine an amount, or the proper remedy for reparations. The bill, H.R. 40, takes its name from the Government’s promise of 40 acres and a mule after the Civil War, which enslaved Blacks never received. Although the bill has been introduced before, recent attacks against African Americans have created a space to revisit the dialogue. “Reparations, unquestionably, is an issue whose time has come,” says Nkechi Taifa, prominent Civil Rights Attorney and a National African-American Reparations Commission Commissioner. “I have waited 50 years for this day, and 32 years since H.R. 40 was first introduced. I’m no longer a teenager, but an elder. It’s time for an official reckoning of the past and the healing that can come from a reparations settlement — distinct from and not to be confused with ordinary public policy, to be fashioned in as many ways as necessary to equitably ad-

See REPARATIONS page A2

WHAT’S INSIDE

Daryl Carter left, and Ron McDonald in front of Cameron Court in Detroit. Photo by Sherri Kolade

Native Detroit Developers Set Sights on Apartments in North End By Sherri Kolade Two Black developers with Detroit roots are bringing things back to the city, particularly in the North End of Detroit. Daryl J. Carter, 65, leading Avanath Capital Management, LLC, and Ron McDonald, RMC Development managing principal, are joining forces to develop a market rate, affordable, senior housing unit -- North End Landing. The 180-rental-unit structure would be housed on Smith Street/Delores Bennet Park area of the North End and is proposed as a mixed-income project located in a federally designated opportunity zone. The project would be anchored by two senior housing buildings that will be constructed at John R and Smith with a combination of market-rate and affordable units, according to a press release. Carter is the Founder, Chairman, and CEO of Avanath Capital Management, LLC, a California-based investment firm that acquires, renovates and operates apartment properties, with an emphasis on affordable and workforce communities. Carter directs the overall strategy and operations of the Company. Since its formation in 2008, Avanath has acquired $2.5 billion of properties in 13 states in the U.S., comprising 12,000 apartment units. Carter said that he started looking at

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“I said, ‘Wow, this looks interesting,’” said Carter, who has 40 years of experience in the commercial real estate industry. Irvine California-based Avanath is a minority-owned national investment firm that currently operates over 10,000 units. As the largest minority-owned apartment owner and manager in the country, the company has the distinction of being founded by a Cass Tech graduate. During an interview with The Michigan Chronicle, Carter, who lives in California, said that creating housing opportunities for residents who look like him is important. “I grew up on the westside -- youngest of three,” Carter said, adding that his parents, both from Mississippi, brought his family to be raised in Detroit. “That was at a time in the ‘60s and ‘70s things started declining.” Carter said, however, that there were neighborhoods that were vibrant in the city. “Full of people -- that is what I remember growing up,” he said, adding that neighborhoods were full of “people walking around.” Carter, who has other properties in the city’s north end like Cameron Court,

hopes to bring that era of bustling neighborhoods back to the city. McDonald, 58, who lives in the greater Washington, DC/Baltimore region, agrees. “We have for years been looking for ... an opportunity to come here,” he said. Carter, who was born and raised on Fenkell and Wyoming, said that an opportunity hadn’t really presented itself as it has now to build back up a city he calls home. The duo has a collective commercial real estate experience of nearly 70 years that they are using to give back to the next generation of Black developers. “Even with the number of decades there [Carter] he’s been a mentor for not just for me but a lot of African Americans in our industry,” McDonald said. McDonald said coming back to Detroit is a two-fold opportunity to build in more ways than one through real estate and people. “There is an opportunity to mentor some of the younger developers trying to do some of the things here in the city,” he said. “It is only a handful of people in the commercial real estate industry who look like us.” “The North End Landing will be built via modular construction which will allow the return of several vacant parcels to useful life without disturbing the existing homes,” according to the company.

The Skillman Foundation Welcomes Angelique Power as New President & CEO

The Skillman Foundation is delighted to announce that Angelique Power will lead the organization as president & CEO, beginning on September 13th. Power is an accomplished champion for racial Maintaining Your justice who comes to Emotional Well-being the Foundation after Amidst A Pandemic serving as president of the Field Foundation in Chicago. Special Supplement “Selecting AngelInside this week’s edition ique Power was a Aretha Franklin Amphitheatre CEO unanimous decision by the search committee and board. She has a storied Talks Running a Family Entertainment track record of buildAngelique Business Amidst A Pandemic ing across constituencies locally, regionally, and nationally to achieve massive, community-led change. Her experience and skills will build on The Skillman Foundation’s 60 years of impact, furthering racial equity and helping Detroit children be the authors $1.00 Michigan Chronicle

this project during the summer of 2018 when Pam Martin Turner, CEO of Vanguard, asked him to look into it and give his thoughts.

of their own future,” said Suzanne Shank, president and CEO of Siebert Williams Shank & Co., LLC. and vice-chair for The Skillman Foundation who led the search committee. Also on the search committee were Skillman Foundation trustees Bill Emerson, vice-chairman of Rock Holdings, Inc.; Ron Hall Jr., president and CEO of Bridgewater Interiors; Denise Ilitch, an owner of Ilitch Family Companies and president Power of Ilitch Enterprises, LLC; Solomon Kinloch Jr., lead pastor at Triumph Church in Detroit; Mary Kramer, Skillman Foundation board chair and director, Detroit Homecoming, at Crain Communications; and one recently retired trustee, Dr. Herman Gray, chair of the

Wayne State University Department of Pediatrics. The search was supported by the executive search firm Korn Ferry. Pastor Solomon Kinloch, Jr., lead pastor at Triumph Church and Skillman Foundation board member notes the appointment is an important step. ““The appointment of Angelique Power is another important step in continuing the prodigious mission of ensuring Detroit youth achieve their highest aspirations in life. Angelique has a proven track record of leading with integrity, compassion, and a laser focus on building a better tomorrow – where people from all walks of life thrive.” Born and raised on the southside of Chicago by a white, Jewish mother who was a Chicago Public School teacher and an African American father who rose to be Sergeant in the Chicago Police force, Power has an intense passion for catalyzing

new ways of thinking about racial equity and social justice. “The past year has transformed us and the year ahead is even more important. This is a moment to rise up, link arms, and pursue massive change. I am excited to work alongside so many thoughtful folks in Detroit who’ve long been rethinking systems to ensure they work for everyone,” said Angelique Power, incoming president for The Skillman Foundation. As Detroit and Michigan grapple with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and racial inequities that stifle opportunity and prosperity for Detroit youth, Power will continue the Foundation’s work to advance an Opportunity Agenda for Detroit Children, retooling systems to center child well-being, youth voice and leadership, and skills that align to the future of work.

See ANGELIQUE POWER page A2


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