Spectacular Magazine

SPECTACULAR Magazine May 2009

ENLIGHTENING, EMPOWERING & ENTERTAINING

Vol. V, Issue V

IN THIS ISSUE

ANTONIA GEORGE AND TANGIE WARREN

HOPE FOR HAIR WITH ELEGANCE

page 11

100 BLACK MEN AWARD HONOREES page 35

PROFILE: ERNIE BA RNES page 13

Dr. Dianne Broadley Suber Cover Story on Page 9

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TALKBACK 2 MAY ‘09 LEGISLATIVE REPORT FROM

THE

As you have certainly seen in the media, we touched on a great many issues, from education to healthcare and emergency planning.

Our daily floor sessions are stretching out to several hours on some days and the pace of our committee work continues to increase.

OFFICE

OF

NC REPRESENTATIVE LARRY D. HALL (D-229)

the ability to choose an abstinence-only program, a comprehensive sex education curriculum or to opt out of sexual education entirely.

The bill previously passed in both the Health Committee and the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Education.

Next week will be _Six-year olds Larry D. Hall even a more pivwould have to otal one in the General Assembly. attend school under a bill that The reports of the latest tax rev- made it through the House enue projections from the Committee on Education (HB 161).

Department of Revenue are due. Under existing law, children are That information will shape the not required to attend school until budget that is now in our hands. the age of 7. The bill is now in the Our colleagues in the Senate Appropriations Committee. approved their spending plan last week, but additional cuts or _An act that would set a minimum increased revenue may be need- filing fee for candidates for local ed to balance the plan depend- boards of education passed the ing on what we hear about tax House (HB 76). The legislation would set the filing fee as 1 percollections. cent of the annual salary of the I am also including some informa- office sought or a minimum of tion below about bills of interest $25. The bill is intended to add that is moving through the House uniformity to the filing fees across and were heard in the Homeland the state.

Security committee that I chair.

Emergency Management As always, I welcome any thoughts Legislation expanding the ability or ideas you may have to share of counties and municipalities to with me and I hope you will let me form joint emergency management agencies is now headed to know if I can be of any service. the Senate after the Homeland Education - A bill that would give Security Committee that I chair parents more say about the kind approved it. Currently, counties of sex education they want for can only form joint agencies with their children has been approved municipalities within its borders. on the House floor. The Healthy (HB 380) would allow counties to Youth Act (HB 88) gives parents also work with other counties, as

May 2009

well as municipalities within the Legislative Page Report Andrew Evans, a student at partnering county.

Riverside High School, recently _In the Homeland Security served as a Page for the North Committee that I chair, we Carolina House of approved a Division of Representatives. He is the son of Emergency Management effort to Dean and Stacie Evans of Durham establishing a Voluntary and was sponsored by Emergency Management Representative Larry D. Hall.

Certification Program. The proposal if approved by the senate, Office Activities (HB 377) will strengthen the pro- _ Representatives from the Herald fessional abilities of emergency Sun and the North Carolina Press management personnel by setting Association visited on April 7th. up educational and training stan- _ I participated in The Faces of dards for both state and local the Constituency Symposium at emergency management agen- Jordan High School on April 7th. cies. _ Representatives from The State Association of North _The final item we acted on in the Employees Carolina visited April 15th.

Homeland Security Committee _ North CarolinaonSymphony visitwas approval to establish the ed us on April 16th.

Division of Emergency Management within the Department of Crime Control and Larry D. Hall Public Safety. (HB 378) went to Please remember that you can listen to each day’s sesthe floor and was approved. The sion, committee meetings and press conferences on the legislation was recommended by General Assembly’s website at www.ncleg.net. Once on the the Joint Select Committee on site, select “audio,” and then make your selection – Emergency Preparedness and House Chamber, Senate Chamber, Appropriations Committee Room or Press Conference Room.

Disaster Management Recovery.

Health and Safety - The Nicolas Adkins School Bus Safety Act unanimously passed the House and is now in the Senate (HB 440). The proposal allows evidence from bus mounted cameras and video recording systems to be used to detect and prosecute drivers who pass stopped school buses. _State Health Plan for Teachers and State Employees legislation was passed by the house after changes in the Senate plan had been approved in two House committees. The House Insurance and Appropriations committees both approved the bill (SB 287).

The bill is the first step being taken so that the state can restore solvency to the plan. The bill will go to the conference committee to make changes to address longterm cost and membership concerns about the health plan.

IN THIS ISSUE

Another Perspective Creative, Colorful People Entertainment Features Dr. Dianne B. Suber Ernie Barnes Hair For Hope From The Publisher’s Desk FYI Granville County Health In The Spotlight Legal Eagle Advisor Lifestyles Living Your Faith News Briefs Orange County Out & About Political & Civic Affairs Profile Religion Rightchus Truth Talkback, Too This Is Your Life

COVER DESIGN - Eric Kelly

17 38 38 9 13 11 5 20 30 33 22 27 35 18 23 32 29 27 7 17 6 4 36

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From The Publisher’s Desk...

SPECTACULAR MAGAZINE

www.spectacularmag.com

MORE THAN A MOTHER Right now our economy is in shambles.

People are losing their jobs, their homes, their sense of security. In the past months there has been natural disasters, wars and rumors of wars. But in the midst of all the turmoil, one thing that has remained constant in my life has been my Mother.

When all around me is falling she is right there, strong and steadfast. She never lets me down, she never judges me. And she has the uncanny ability to know when I just need a hug.

Actually, she is more than a Mother to me...well, I found this poem that says it all.

This poem is dedicated to my mother -

Lelia C. Royster

MORE THAN A MOTHER When God set the world in place, when He hung the stars up in space, when He made the land and the sea, then He made you and me.

He sat back and saw all that was good, He saw things to be as they should.

Just one more blessing He had in store; He created a mother, but whatever for?

He knew a mother would have a special place to shine His reflection on her child's face.

A mother will walk the extra mile just to see her children smile.

She'll work her fingers to the bone to make a house into a home.

A mother is there to teach and guide, a mother will stay right by your side.

PUBLISHER & EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

She'll be there through your pain and strife, she'll stay constant in your life.

A mother will lend a Phyllis D. Coley, Publisher helping hand until you have the strength to stand.

She'll pick you up when you are down, when you need a friend she'll stick around.

A mother is one who listens well, will keep her word; will never tell.

A mother never pokes or pries but stands quietly by your side, giving you the strength you need, encouraging you to succeed.

A mother is one who can be strong when you need someone to lean on.

You're more than a mother to me; a reflection of Him in your face I see, a love that knows no boundaries.

I'm glad that you chose to be all this and more to me.

You share a love that knows no end,

you're more than my mother, you are my friend.

Kari Keshmiry HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY TO ALL!!!

TO GOD BE THE GLORY!!

Phyllis Coley

pcoley@spectacularmag.com

PHYLLIS COLEY

FEATURES EDITOR GRACE GRAHAM

HEALTH EDITOR

DR. SHARON ELLIOTT-BYNUM

COLUMNISTS

STELLA J.ADAMS KARL BLAKE & VALERIE WHITTED LARRY HALL, ESQ. LAMONT LILLY IRVING JOYNER, ESQ. DR. ARCHIE D. LOGAN DEL MATTIOLI

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS VALERIE JOSEPH LENTONIA MOYE KIMBERLE WALKER

PHOTOGRAPHERS

CHRIS HINTON LAWRENCE DAVIS III

LAYOUT/DESIGN

PHYLLIS COLEY LAWRENCE DAVIS III ERIC KELLY III

DISTRIBUTION

LAWRENCE DAVIS III LELIA ROYSTER CHARLES STREET Spectacular Magazine enlightens, empowers and entertains African Americans in Durham, Wake Orange, Granville, Vance and Person counties with features, columns, commentaries and calendars. Spectacular Magazine is published monthly and distributed free in Durham, Wake, Orange, Granville, Vance and Person counties.

Deadline for all submissions is the 22nd of each month.

Contact us at: info@spectacularmag.com or by mail at: Post Office 361 Durham, NC 27702 919-680-0465 Mail subscriptions are available for $25.00 per year. Second class postage is paid in Durham, NC.

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The Rightchus Truth

With such ingenuity and creativity, musicians like Max Roach were trendsetters and were proud of their contributions. They walked and didn’t take too kindly to America’s

by Lamont Lilly aka ‘Rightchus’ tall various vices of oppression. It was no secret that in his early days, Max was heavily affiliated with the Radical Left or more specifically the Communist Party USA. In 1960, he would record one of the most highly OF LACK MERICA S LASSIC ULTURAL ONDUCTORS acclaimed Jazz protest albums of all time, This collection includes artist of varying gen- rebels called on Jesus, others called out the “We Insist, Freedom Now Suite.” The LP’s res such as: Paul Robeson, Ella Fitzgerald, Pigs. It’s beautiful when the music and life cover was a mock picture of the Greensboro Stevie Wonder, Gil Scott Heron, Jimi Hendrix, stories of one nation reflect such a broad Four Sit-In. Sarah Vaughan, Bob Marley, Sun Ra, B.B. King, dichotomy. From the juke-joints to backThelonious Monk, and the Jungle Brothers. wood pews; from the cotton clubs to the Other conscious works would follow such as In their own unique way these artists and a street corner ciphers, our rebels of rhythm “Uhuru Afrika” and “Speak, Brother Speak.” slew of others were all revolutionaries. They have produced scores of sweet blackness for In 1961, Max interrupted a jam-packed Miles were the ‘Poor Righteous Teachers’ who dared the ages. If not these artists, who would Davis concert at the prestigious Carnegie to dissect America and the world around us. speak so freely from our soul, the rigors and Hall; entering on stage with a ‘Freedom Now’ They and others like them promoted a fab- frustrations most of us suppress? Who would billboard held high in hand. Here was a ric of consciousness within black culture push the envelope of hope and resistance, Jazz drummer protesting the Africa Relief itself. drive and persistence? foundation; the very organization for which the event was being held. And it was with My personal favorite is the man deemed the Well, few have contributed more to their Down Beat Magazine that Roach said, “I will Father of Political and Socially Conscious craft than Maxwell Lemuel Roach has done never again play anything that does not R&B. With tracks like [“Freddie’s Dead,” for Jazz. Born in 1921 right here in North have social significance.”

“Pusherman,” “We Got To Have Peace,” and Carolina, Roach revolutionized several ele“Move On Up”], Curtis Mayfield’s striking ments within the artistry of Jazz, while As primarily a Jazz drummer and composer, commentary shared the REAL stories of inventing others. With vigor, Max wore the Roach was a true nonconformist who always ‘Black in America’. As the Poet Laureate of hat of musician, composer, and activist for dared to cross that white line. Not only did the Black Pride Movement, Mayfield’s ‘mes- over five decades. Roach was one of the he work with other Jazz artists in Cuba, sage music’ dressed in ghetto funk and first, if not the first jazz musician to go Roach contributed to other genres such as urban soul never failed to resist. And back, grasp, and put into practice the rhyth- Gospel, Rock, and Funk. In the early 80’s, whether you were 15 or 50, you truly felt mic complexities of Africa; tapping into its Max even teamed up with Fab Five Freddy Marvin’s [“Mercy, Mercy Me”] and [“What’s soul and pulling out the drums. and the N.Y. Break Dancers to sponsor probGoing On”]! Whether you were from the ably the first widespread collaborative Hip north or the south, you got the chills listen- In addition, Roach was the first drummer to Hop/Jazz concert. And this was long before ing to Nina Simone’s [“Don’t Let Me Be actively use all four limbs. The energy and the Jazz craze of Hip Hop’s early 90’s.

Misunderstood”] and you cried listening to timing exuded from his sticks was amazing, Needless to say, Maxwell Roach was a rebel [“Black is The Color of My True Love’s yet he could maneuver the brushes just as on all fronts; an artist of [The People] truly Hair”]. After a hard day’s work and Mr. brilliantly. To engineer this revolutionary worthy to be praised. He not only fed our Charlie beatin’ us down all day, some came brand of eclectic sound, Roach dumped the spirit, he helped to share our story with the then traditional bass drum and picked up world. HERE’S TO YOU DAADY-O!! home to Sly Stone. the ride cymbal. With this out-pour of innoOthers took to relaxin’ with Mahalia Jackson. vation and individuality; he along with Kenny Till Next Month Artists such as Shirley Caesar and the Canton Clark would usher in the new artistry of Spirituals not only healed, they took you Bebop. Roach would later again stretch his Peace and Blessings, back to the field; to the old hymns that bore wings and re-shape the dynamics of hardthe burdens of a people oppressed by cot- bop adopting the ¾ Waltz.

Bro. Rightchus ton bags, oak trees and whips. While some

REBELS OF RHYTHM, SOLDIERS OF SOUND:

EXPLORING

THE LEGACIES

Part III: The Music How many old-heads out there remember t h e ‘Godfather of Soul’ J a m e s B r o w n ’s [“Say It Loud: I’m Black and I ’ m Proud”]?

Lamont Lilly Do you remember how it made you move; how it made you feel; the comfort it gave you to hold your head high? Truth is there’s plenty of good music, past and present, just bursting with cultural and intellectual flavor.

The problem is that the puppeteers of the power structure constantly attempt to gatekeep the inspiration of truth from The People’s ears. “Well, not so!” said these artists. The musicians mentioned below brought social issues to the forefront and demanded to be heard. From their voices and instruments black folks laughed and cried, danced and made love; more importantly we were empowered. These artists wore their emotion and passions on their sleeve and didn’t apologize. For they embraced the notion that it wasn’t only their responsibility, it was their purpose to serve the people through their specific craft…Music. Rebels of sound and rhythm such as the artists below always spoke directly to US! And have always spoken proudly for US!

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NC BLACK PRESS WANTS STIMULUS INCLUSION BLACK PUBLISHERS ARE BEWILDERED THAT THEIR BUSINESSES HAVE BEEN OVERLOOKED

By Cash Michaels Contributing Writer

RALEIGH NC black newspaper publishers of the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) are Cash Michaels concerned that there is nothing “designed” in President Barack Obama’s $787 billion stimulus package to help struggling African-American papers in the state and nation’s flailing economy.

The NNPA, also known as the Black Press of America, is a 67 yearold federation of more than 200 black community newspapers across the United States.

Many of those papers are fighting for their very lives amid massive bankruptcies and closings overall in the newspaper industry. Though the White House has pointedly indicated that funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act is designed to help low-wealth communities of color, black publishers are bewildered that their businesses, which stand ready to help further educate the AfricanAmerican community about stimulus package opportunities for employment and business, have been overlooked.

“While we publishers wholeheartedly applaud the president’s efforts of making certain economically devastated communities of color are able to benefit from the billions of dollars within the stimulus package, it is unclear whether any of the money has been earmarked to otherwise help educate the very communities serviced by the black media, as well as how they are to access the myriad of opportunities,” NNPA Board Chairman John B. Smith, Sr. wrote in an April 23rd letter to White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emmanuel; President Obama Special Advisor Valerie Jarrett, and US Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA), chairperson of

the Congressional Black Caucus.

Newspapers everywhere are in such Chairman Smith, the publisher of dire crisis that both Sen. John Kerry (Dthe Atlanta Inquirer, added that the Mass.) and Congressman John Conyers omission of the Black Press from the (D-Mich.) are conducting congressional American Recovery and Reinvestment hearings to “address the economic Act was “most disheartrecession’s impact on ening and perplexing.” media and discuss the He made reference to future of journalism.” remarks made at a “An independent news recent White House media is vital to our Black Press teleconferdemocracy,” Sen. ence with Van Jones, Kerry, who spent $2 special advisor to the million with Black president on green jobs. newspapers, radio and Jones told black Black Entertainment reporters that officials Television during his with the US Commerce 2004 presidential camDept. were “very enthupaign, said in the statesiastic and excited” ment. “It holds power about using “their exist- The fact that the Recovery Act omits accountable while giving mechanisms to Black newspapers seems to violate ing voice to the people make sure that there is a campaign commitment that and interests who might outreach to those parts President Obama made directly to otherwise never be of the country that may the Black Press in N.C. last year. heard.” need more information” about the Given the critical role Black newsAmerican Recovery and Investment papers are playing in monitoring how, Act. where and when stimulus reaches their But he also made clear that for now respective communities, NNPA publishthat doesn’t include advertising in ers say black leadership must also advoAfrican-American newspapers. cate for that same fairness to be extendThat’s not sitting well with NNPA ed to the Black Press. publishers, all of whom, during an In North Carolina, for example, the NNPA Region 2 meeting hosted by the NC NAACP has already begun advocatNC Black Publishers Association in ing for black newspapers in talks with Raleigh April 17th, echoed Chairman top state officials concerning the stimuSmith’s concerns that none of those lus package. stimulus dollars are earmarked to help During a civil rights roundtable seseducate economically devastated com- sion with NC Gov. Beverly Perdue April munities of color through their media 20th, NC NAACP Pres. Rev. William about how to access those opportunities. Barber presented the governor with a At that meeting, NNPA black pub- 14-point stimulus agenda for the lishers from Alabama, Virginia, Georgia African-American community to assure and South Carolina, led by both not only fair and equal access, but state Chairman Smith and Dorothy Leavell, enforcement of Title VI of the 1964 chairwoman of the NNPA Foundation Civil Rights Act to protect applicants. and publisher of the Crusader On that NC NAACP stimulus agenNewspapers in Chicago, joined publish- da was the recommendation that the ers from North Carolina in agreement state engage African-American and that their dire concerns about the eco- other newspapers of color “in outreach nomic future of the Black Press must be for contract and job notices to facilitate made clear to both the Obama awareness, answers, access, and action Administration and the Congressional in all communities.”

Black Caucus.

Translation - not everyone in the

black community can access a state or federal Recovery Act website for timely information, so government must proactively purchase inserts or spot advertising in Black newspapers to ensure that disadvantaged communities of color are fully informed. Such advertising efforts can be modeled after the digital TV conversion campaign which is ongoing in print and electronic media.

Ironically, the fact that the Recovery Act omits AfricanAmerican newspapers seems to violate a campaign commitment that President Dr. William Barber Obama made directly to the Black Press in North Carolina last year whle he was campaigning.

It was April 29, 2008 during the hot Democratic primary race for the presidency when then frontrunner Sen. Barack Obama, during an exclusive NC Black Press Presidential Roundtable in Winston-Salem, assured black newspaper publishers that he was well aware of the struggles of African-American newspapers, and if elected, would do what he could to assure more access to federal contracts and advertising.

“One thing specifically we can do in terms of federal procurement is just to break up some of these contracts.

They are just too large, ” a video of the session shows Obama telling black publishers, noting that when it came to legal advertising, the federal government traditionally does business with large newspaper chains, but not small independent enterprises.

“When it comes to legal advertising… legal notices many [black newspapers] would be interested in, I do not think it’s saving a whole lot of money to simply do it with one big [newspaBlack Press continues on page 28

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COVER STORY

DR. DIANNE BOARDLEY SUBER COMMITTED TO HER ROLE AS PRESIDENT OF SAINT AUGUSTINE’S COLLEGE

Dr. Dianne Boardley Suber

RALEIGH - As soon as you enter the President’s outer office at Saint Augustine’s College, there’s no denying Dianne Boardley Suber’s commitment to her role as lead academician and her philosophy of lifelong learning. In the reception area, one is virtually greeted by a six-foot, beautifully hand-carved likeness of an African woman.

Her mere presence begs the question, “Who is she?” And if you ask Dr. Suber, she will use that inquiry as a teachable moment to tell why this statue has been so deliberately placed. Take a peek inside Suber’s office and one will see colorful art, photos, and artifacts that represent stories of sentiment, her family priorities, and her life experiences— symbols of the beliefs that have carried her throughout life and in fact, that carry her through each day.

Most notable among her symbols are turtles, significant to her because “you have to stick your neck out and put your tail on the line” as a drum major for progress and change— a philosophy that landed Suber the CEO role at the

142-year-old College as its tenth, but first, female President. Suber is no stranger to progress and change.

A former elementary school principal, she was known by teachers, colleagues, and parents as a champion for student academic achievement, upholding high expectations and never shying away from questioning the intentions of those with whom the responsibility lay for ensuring that all students achieved.

That responsibility was owned by everyone who worked in that setting, from the custodial staff to the Principal, and she wasn’t shy about bringing that to the forefront.

As a College President, it isn’t rare to see Suber quietly admonishing students to carry themselves like professionals in an effort to relay the important message that image, networking, and dress play major roles in their success. A stroll through the dining hall, or anywhere else for that matter, might require her to remind gentleman to remove their head coverings or hats.

One student was surprised to look up and see her during the CIAA in Charlotte recently, pointing toward his head indicating that his headgear should be removed.

“My students are my students, wherever they are,” she said. For the ladies, her message of self-respect and keeping some things sacred is unrelenting.

Suber has been consistent with the philosophy of teaching all of her adult life. Using insightful methods for encouraging critical thought, Suber stops just short of telling her charges— or staff—exactly how to resolve a problem, but rather feeds them just enough to get them out of the starting gate with an intellectual push or a comment meant to make them think twice about the next step.

That characteristic leadership is sorely needed right now, as Historically

In spite of the rigor of leading a college with an enrollment reaching nearly 1500, Suber doesn’t move too far away from the students she enjoys. She makes herself accessible to students so that the teachable moments aren’t missed.

Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs)—like most institutions of higher education— meet the challenge of the ever-expanding competition for jobs in a global, technological society further fueled by a roller-coaster economy. Hers is truly a life committed to the age-old truism that “if you teach one to fish, she will eat for a lifetime.” If you call that professorial, well, let’s just say that hers is a turtle that doesn’t take to retreating inside its shell. That’s just not what change agents do.

As the President of Saint Augustine’s College, her ultimate legacy is based upon that notion. “The goal

is to develop critical thinkers,” she said.

“Young people who have the competence, and the commitment to stop being satisfied with what is, who are not afraid to think outside the box, leap out of the box, if necessary.” She is undaunted in her efforts.

“Our students really are not the exception, they are the rule,” she told a reporter who had come to the campus to interview student leaders about the then-prospect of electing an AfricanAmerican President. When Barack Obama was elected, she told the students at a gathering the morning after Dr. Suber continues on page 10

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Dr. Suber continues

Obama’s election that this merely raises the bar for them.

Under Suber’s watch, the overarching mission of the College is to develop the change leaders and agents that the world sorely needs in order to be healthy, viable, and safe for future generations. With a belief in the self-liberating power of a college degree and a commitment to the viability of HBCUs, Suber walks that walk. “We facilitate the removal of the obstacles that often get in the way of a student completing a degree and set the tone and the model for our students to become change agents who, once they graduate, can begin to make a positive difference in society— locally and globally.”

Obstacles, Suber believes, are just opportunities in costume and there are few, if any, acceptable excuses for not overcoming them.

Under her presidency, the College has experienced increased enrollment, reinstituted the football program, fielded a marching band, expanded the adult learners program to two additional sites, and established innovative degree granting programs to include Biomedical and Scientific Communication, Forensic Science, Liberal Studies, and the Center for Real Estate Management and Development.

The Department of Mathematics and Engineering offers Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, and Engineering Mathematics.

The historically rich St. Agnes Hospital, which opened in 1896 as a teaching hospital for African-American nurses and served as the only healthcare facility for African-Americans between Washington, D.C., and New Orleans, La., is in the initial phase of restoration and renovation. The reestablishment of the College’s Allied Health major will begin this summer with plans to expand the major to include the Health Disparities Study Institute. Graduates of the Allied Health Program will help fill the increasing need for professionals in medically-related fields.

Under Suber’s leadership, a state of the art track and football field, the first phase of a new athletic complex is under construction and scheduled for a fall 2009 opening. A $1.5 million dollar

The small, familial atmosphere at the College creates an intimate learning community where the President Suber is approachable.

renovated dining hall and mini-conference center opened in 2008. In 2007, through the support of a former member of the Board of Trustees, the College purchased the historic, nine-hole Meadowbrook Country Club and Golf Course in Garner and Golf Course and is in the process of refurbishing it as a recreational facility for the use of the College and the community.

“We really do provide one of the best educational opportunities among private institutions,” says Suber. “We have a challenging, rigorous learning environment, an effective student-toteacher ratio, and we are an active part of this community. That translates into graduates who will continue to have a positive impact on the greater good.”

Suber herself is a model. She is an experienced educator and administrator with 37 years of teaching, consulting and administrative experience from preschool to higher education. She has served as a classroom teacher, elementary and middle school principal, university professor and consultant to several national educational organizations.

She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in early childhood education from Hampton (Institute) University, a Master’s of Education degree in curriculum development and supervision from the University of Illinois/UrbanaChampaign, and a Doctorate of

Education degree in educational administration from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech) in Blacksburg, Virginia.

In 2001 she was appointed by then President George Bush (and continues to serve) on the President’s Board of Advisors to the White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities. She serves as Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA), and serves on the Boards of Directors of the Central Region of Wachovia Bank; the United Negro College Fund; the N. C. Council of Independent Colleges and Universities (NCIC), the National Association for Equal Opportunity in Higher Education (NAFEO), and the Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce. Additionally, she is a member of the Community in Schools Board.

If you ask her about the things in her life that give her the greatest pleasure, Suber will quickly fill the moment with anecdotes about her three grandchildren: Nyjil, 10; Samantha, 4; and Taylor Marie, 1, the children of her own grown children Nichole and Raegan.

She recently took the two older grandchildren to the Natural Science Center Museum in Greensboro and laughs when she acknowledges that “trips to the zoo are a bit more challenging than

May 2009 they use to be” when her own children were younger and so was she!

In spite of the rigor of leading a college with an enrollment reaching nearly 1500, Suber doesn’t move too far away from the kids she enjoys. She makes herself accessible to students so that the teachable moments aren’t missed. This year, as she has done in the past, Suber taught one of the Freshman Studies class. Every other year or so, she also teaches a history topics course for sophomores and juniors relative to issues that impact African-Americans and African-American culture.

She maintains an open-door policy, which includes the President’s Chat Room in the Goold Student Center.

Students stop by the President’s Office and fill out an appointment form, but more often than not, she simply directs her staff to tell them to “come on back.”

She can be seen milling about during Freshman Orientation, asking probing questions of the wide-eyed understudies who have selected Saint Augustine’s College as their college of choice, bursting with dreams that she dare not defer.

The small, familial atmosphere at the College creates an intimate learning community where the President is approachable: like the student who stopped her one afternoon as she was heading home and asked her for $5 to get gas. With gas at $3 a gallon, she challenged him on the premise that $5 wasn’t enough to get him from point A to point B. He assured her that it was because he just needed to take his car home and park it for a day. He also assured her that he would pay it back.

Okay with the possibility that she might not be repaid, she handed him $10. She accepted in stride the fact that he did, in fact, deliver the money to her the next week after receiving his federal work study check.

Ever the teacher, Suber encouraged last year’s seniors during the 2008 Commencement to embrace the philosophy of the turtle, speaking on the topic, “Don’t be afraid to ‘stick your neck out and put your tail on the line’ – Make A Difference.” “Your degree is a Badge of Honor,” she told them.

With stories like the $10 reimbursement, Suber’s career has earned her a multitude.

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ANTONIA GEORGE AND TANGIE WARREN

HONORING WOMEN WITH HOPE FOR HAIR WITH ELEGANCE

By Valerie Joseph

Contributing Writer

DURHAM - During the month of May, we all think about honoring the women in our lives for Mother’s Day. By being a woman alone, many mothers are faced with a breast cancer, cervical cancer, or some other cancer diagnosis. Many times, this diagnosis requires treatments such as chemotherapy and/or radiation.

Unfortunately, these treatments can cause hair thinning or complete loss of hair. In the midst of the shock and overwhelm of the cancer diagnosis, women are also faced with self esteem concerns due to the hair loss. Surprisingly, one patient navigator stated, “Women are more concerned with losing their hair than a breast!”

Hair stylists Tangie Warren and Antonia George are too aware of the devastating effects of hair loss as it relates to dignity and positive self esteem. Tangie recalls the day when one of Antonia’s clients was receiving a lace front wig service. She noticed while under the dyer, the client had her head hung low and seemed sad, and perhaps depressed. However, after the wig and style were complete, she had a different attitude. Her spirits were lifted. Tangie recalled, “The client seemed to exude the attitude of Yes! I’m back!” Tangie and Antonia quickly agreed when you look good, you feel good. They knew they had to give back. They wanted to make the transformation not only affordable, but free. Seeing the need, yet seeing no other way, it was decided they would provide this service with their own funds and donate their time as well.

Thus, Hope for Hair with Elegance was created.

What is Hope for Hair? Hope for Hair was created to restore pride, faith and beauty in women experiencing hair loss due to cancer illness or treatment.

There are enormous financial burdens that are associated with fighting the disease. Therefore, this organization was formed to provide free wigs to women with a cancer related diagnosis. In addi-

Antonia George and Tangie Warren tion, Hope for Hair with Elegance works of the clients has been most rewarding. with the doctors of patients to ensure The very first client stated, “I have been wearing wigs through this process. each wig is suitable for the client.

To qualify for the service you must However, this will be my very first be a cancer patient. There is an initial human hair wig. I could have never consultation which includes having the afforded this!” Another client was so head measured. This can be done with excited! She stated, “I told those ladies patients who are completely bald or to look out for me on Sunday, because I am going to those whose look good!” hair has started T a n g i e to return. The beamed with client is given gratitude and a simple form said, “It’s a that must be blessing to be signed off by able to witthe doctor, givness that.” ing clearance Founders to the patient Antonia to wear a wig.

George and Many patients T a n g i e suffer from W a r r e n extreme skin together have dryness and nearly 40 wigs can furyears of expether irritate the rience in the scalp when hair industry. improperly fitThey were ted. The wigs both raised in are normally the area, and available within 1-2 weeks.

Antonia and Tangie, always looking to give back, pride themin The response presented gift bags at a Women’s Luncheon recently. selves

being women that serve and give back to the community in which they dwell.

They both feel coping with hair loss is just one of the many traumatic effects of cancer that the patients face. They felt this was a small way to ease the burden and journey. In addition, they felt this was a way they could support brave survivors, with the reward of looking their best during the healing process.

Antonia is from a long line of hair care professionals which includes 22 stylist/barbers in her family. Perhaps that’s another reason why she is so passionate about hair and people. She loves to see the transition that occurs when women see themselves at their best. She also takes pride in extending her knowledge and concern to her community through the Hope for Hair organization.

Tangie is self titled as a majestic hair diva. She opened the salon Essential Elegance in 2006. She cleverly states, “Essential Elegance is a place where looking good is understood.”

However, f or Tangie, doing hair is more than making someone look good but restores the person at a deeper level.

Her mission in life is to make women feel good and boost their self-worth and image by giving them quality, affordable hair care with style that fits them perfectly. Tangie is proud to embrace her community through Hope for Hair.

Antonia and Tangie operate the Essential Elegance Hair Boutique located in the Parkwood Subdivision in Durham. In addition to the Hope for Hair organization, they work with clients from all walks of life in their Hair boutique, specializing in the re-growth of healthy hair. All clients are given one-on-one special time and privacy as required. When the client is having a service, they are most important and made to feel just that way.

If you would like to learn more about Hope for Hair with Elegance, please call (919) 806-8300 or (919)361-2408 or for comments/donations submit to: Essential Elegance Hair Boutique 5114 Revere Rd., Durham, N.C. 27713.

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PROFILE

ERNIE BARNES

LEGENDARY ARTIST, FORMER NFL PLAYER HAS UNQUALIFIED PLACE IN THE HISTORY OF MODERN ART

Ernie Barnes LOS ANGELES, CA. - Hailed as the father of the Neo-Mannerist style, Ernie Barnes, a former professional football player, is widely regarded as one of this country’s foremost figurative painters and the leading African-American artist. The power, grace, intensity, and fluidity of his work - combined with his unique NeoMannerist style and depictions of genre and sports themes - have given him an unqualified place in the history of modern art and an international following.

Ernest Eugene Barnes Jr. was born July 15, 1938, in a poor section (“the bottom”) of Durham, North Carolina. His father, Ernest Barnes Sr., worked as a shipping clerk at Liggett Myers Tobacco Company and his mother, Fannie Mae Geer, was employed as a domestic for a prominent attorney. As a child, young Ernest would accompany her to work and was allowed to peruse the extensive collection of art books.

By the time Barnes entered the first grade, he was familiar with the works of such masters as Toulouse-Lautrec, Delacroix, Rubens,

and Michelangelo. By the time he entered junior high, he could appreciate, as well as decode, many of the cherished masterpieces within the walls of museums — although it would be a half dozen more years before he was allowed entrance because of his race.

At the age of 13 came the rude awakening that the only way of getting a girlfriend was by exerting his prowess through sports. Even then, he says, “the athlete was respected as the finest embodiment of one’s African heritage.

There were those convinced that the only way to heaven was with a football or basketball…most definitely a bat.

Unfortunately, the sensitive young man could not avoid the issue forever. Nature had played a cruel trick; Barnes had grown too tall to overlook. He finally reported to the coach’s office, got weighed, assigned a locker, and outfitted with pads, helmet and practice gear.

At the same time, Barnes began hiding out in less-traveled parts of the school building, where he worked happily on his drawings between classes. One day, the masonry shop teacher happened by. Instead of being led off to the Dean’s office for a reprimand, Barnes was taken to the masonry shop where, after a conversation, the teacher became his personal fitness trainer — laying out a program that Barnes followed religiously.

That one encounter would change Barnes’ life forever. During his senior year in high school, he became the captain of the school’s varsity football team and state champion in the shotput. Barnes graduated from Hillside High School with 26 athletic scholarship offers, making it possible for him to attend North Carolina College (now North Carolina Central University) on a football scholarship and major in art.

The four years that Barnes spent at North Carolina College represented a watershed period in his development as an artist. While fulfilling the obligations of his athletic scholarship, he majored in art under the tutelage of two visionaries: Ed Wilson, the chairman of the art department who had apprenticed under the noted sculptor William Zorack, and William B. Fletcher, the co-chairman.

It helped that Wilson had played football at the University of Iowa. “Through him,” Barnes relates, “I came to better understand the art process and the athletic process as being parts of one entity. I knew that I did not stop being an artist when I was on the football field.”

When the North Carolina Museum of Art in Raleigh finally opened its doors in 1956, giving Barnes his first chance ever to view real works of art. It was a childhood dream come true.

“As we moved through the museum, viewing and listening to the docent explain each work; I moved closer to ask, ‘Where are the

of paintings by Negro artists.

“These were all paintings by Negroes who were considered well-intended, but lacking in quality because they didn’t meet European standards, especially if the art reflected Negro roots. At that time, not one Negro was known to have made a living as an artist. Even my father opposed my becoming an artist. The first time I told him of my career intentions, he said, ‘You gonna be what? Who is gonna feed you while you’re painting?’” Barnes recalls.

Ironically, two decades after that visit to

Ernie Barnes’ most famous work, “Sugar Shack” in the TV show, Good Times’ opening credits for four years.

“Sugar Shack” was also used as cover art for the Marvin Gaye album “I Want You.”

paintings by Negro artists?’ She was so taken aback by my question that she stopped and stared at me. Then in a rather apologetic tone, she said, ‘I’m afraid your people don’t express themselves this way.’

After the field trip, Ed Wilson said to Barnes and the others: “Now you know what you’re up against.” As if to counter the damage that had been done, he then showed the class examples

the North Carolina Museum of Art, the institution would host two major solo exhibitions by Ernie Barnes - one in 1978, hosted by Governor James Hunt, and his groundbreaking “The Beauty of the Ghetto” in 1979, hosted by H. M. “Mickey” Michaux.

While still at NCC, Barnes sold his first painting, called “Slow Dance,” for $90 to Sam Barnes continues on page 14

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Barnes continues

Jones, who had just completed his first rookie season with the Boston Celtics. The painting was later lost in a fire.

During Barnes’ senior year at NCC, letters from professional teams began arriving practically every week. Even so, he had barely given any thought to turning pro, especially since Blacks were still a novelty among their ranks. Instead, he had set his sights on a career as an artist.

But the lure of what was then a significant amount of money for a 21-year-old prevailed. In 1959, as an art major fresh out of college, Barnes became a 263-pound 10th round draft choice for then-World Champion Baltimore Colts.

He experienced his first stay in a hotel when the Colts invited him and his college coach to visit Baltimore to see a championship game against Ernie Barnes - Former NFL player the Giants.While there, Barnes also signed a contract that would pay him $6500 a year, with a $25,000 for “The Bench.”

“I just threw the price out to the gentle$500 bonus.

Inspired by what he saw, Barnes returned man as a way of reinforcement that I did not home to paint his first major work, “The Bench.” want to sell it. But the guy responded by writHe remembers fondly that “it was the only paint- ing a check and handing it to me. At first I ing Ed Wilson ever looked at and approved upon thought he was just drunk. But he was serious, sight, and one with which I never intend to part.” and the more I insisted it was not for sale, the Over the next five years, Barnes played for more he wanted to buy it.” In the small crowd the San Diego Chargers and Denver Broncos. that gathered around them was a reporter from While based in New York, he spent his days off Sports Illustrated. A week later, a story ran with from football visiting galleries — many of them a photo of “The Bench,” giving Barnes his first filled with abstract art, then the rage of the national exposure.

While Barnes was still playing for the times.

On one of these outings, he stopped into a Broncos, the Denver Post ran a four-page article Harlem bookstore, where he came across a port- with photos of his paintings. One of those picfolio of reproductions of Charles White drawings. tured was of two clowns, a piece that had been The discovery left him in awe. “It was the first commissioned by his coach’s wife. “The reaction time in my life that I had seen images reflect- to those clowns was astounding. I received letters from people all ing Black lifestyle and over Denver for clowns it made a profound painted on cork panel. impression on me. One I sold them for $100 that made me commit each, and got about to one day producing three sales per week, the type of art that which was more than would awaken serious my game check. I knew reflections about “The Bench” by Ernie Barnes then I was in the human life,” he says.

As he progressed in his football career, wrong business,” he says with a laugh.

Barnes began keeping a small pad of paper Barnes began sketching to ward off boredom.

His first-ever exhibition resulted from an invita- and a two-inch stubbed pencil inside the sock of tion from the Bronco Backers Club to show his his left leg. During timeouts or whenever he was work at a party they sponsored for the team at called out of a game, he would note potential the Denver Country Club. The problem was he subject matter. “More and more I was preoccudidn’t have any paintings other than “The pied with the creative drive and the increasing Bench.” The team’s publicity representative necessity to portray my view of football. After encouraged him to at least show his sketches, every game, at my core was this need to give but Barnes declined. So he purchased sheets of life to what I saw,” he says. “And despite how masonite and spent the evening smearing acrylic swollen and painful my hands were, I started paint. By the night of the dinner, he had ten drawing and searching for lines that effectively abstract paintings, framed, priced and hanging. To interpreted the movement I was seeking. Maybe his amazement, six sold and he was offered it was because of the soreness or simply my

increasing awareness, but I began distorting and elongating the proportions, trying to relate what it felt like within the context of a certain movement.”

By the end of his fifth season in the sport, Barnes had an instinct his playing days would soon be over. After getting back to the locker room, Barnes began visualizing a painting that would summarize modern day professional football. He even had the title of the piece already selected: “Sunday’s Gladiators.” As he exited, he asked the head coach for a release, said goodbye to his teammates, and headed to San Diego.

In need of money, Barnes went to work building crypts and busting cement with a jackhammer.

When alimony to a former wife and child support payments took their toll, Barnes went back to playing ball, this time for the Saskatchewan Roughriders in Canada. During the fourth quarter of the last exhibition game, he dropped back in pass protection and felt a sharp pain in his right foot. The team trainer later told him that the X-rays showed a fracture - marking the end to Barnes’ professional career at the age of 26.

On his way back across country, Barnes was down to his last $150 by the time he reached Denver. Even so, he declined a job teaching art and coaching football in a private school, knowing he could never be happy with all of the obligations that come with joining a faculty. With a small loan from a friend, he and his pregnant second wife then took off for San Diego, where Don Freeman, the widely-beloved San Diego Union newspaper reporter, loaned him another $100 to get them up to Los Angeles.

Barnes used a portion of the money to buy a large sketch pad, pencil and paints. The rest went for a run-down motel room in Hollywood, where he began sketching furiously with a different kind of game plan in mind. As the money dwindled, he pawned two prized patches and a ring, giving them enough money for food.

With their cash almost gone, Barnes visited a used book store one day to hawk some of his own books. On his way out, he noticed an article on Van Gogh, featuring a letter from the famed painter to his brother at the height of his despair. “I read the letter over and then read it again,” he relates.“The shock of recognition I felt was cataclysmic.

Here it all was. ...the battle, the uncertainty, the imminent failure of resolution and, most importantly, the reaffirmation I so needed at this crossroad in my life. Suddenly, I felt better. I felt more certain and courageous. Like one of those flattened cartoon characters who miraculously survive the steamroller and are restored to three-dimensional life.”

Barnes returned to his motel room, picked

May 2009 out seven of his best drawings, typed up a proposal that would hopefully lead to income and recognition, and called hotelier Barron Hilton on the pay phone in the courtyard. With no money to spare for gas, he walked the six miles to the Hilton Hotel Corporation in Beverly Hills.

Hilton was so impressed with Barnes’ work and suggestion that he be made the Official Artist for the American Football League that he urged the young painter to write a proposal and deliver it to the AFL’s team owners, who would be meeting in Houston two weeks later. He also commissioned a painting of Lance Alworth catching a pass for $1000, of which he gave Barnes $500 on the spot.

That meeting would mark a major turning point in Barnes’ career. Sonny Werblin, the owner of the New York Jets, invited him to bring his paintings to New York — and gave him $1000 to pay his expenses.

Accepting the invitation, Barnes arrived with nine of his art pieces several weeks later.Werblin had the paintngs evaluated by three art critics. who said that Barnes was the most expressive painter of sports since George Bellows.

It would turn out to be a quintessential moment in Barnes’ career. As he fondly recalls,

“The Drum Major” by Ernie Barnes

“Sonny held onto my arm as we walked across 57th Street to his office. ‘How much did you make last season?’ he asked me.When I told him $13,500, he thought about it for a moment and we stopped walking. Finally, he looked at me and said, ‘I want you to paint. That’s all I want you to do. Develop your skills. How many paintings can you do in, let’s say, six or seven months?’ I really had no idea, so I responded twenty-five to thirty. We started to walk again. ‘I’ll tell you Barnes continues on page 15

May 2009 Barnes continues

what I’ll do,’ he said.‘I’m going to put you under contract to paint thirty paintings. I’ll pay you $14,500 over six months. At the end of six months, we’ll look at what you’ve done and I’ll give you an exhibition here in New York. How would you like that?’” Later, in the office of Werblin’s attorney, Barnes signed a contract that included a rental car, if needed, and a bonus of $2000.

Soon after returning to Los Angeles, Barnes would learn that Werblin had scheduled his first solo exhibition at one of Manhattan’s most prestigious venues, the Grand Central Art Galleries - founded by the legendary John Singer Sargent.

Moreover, it would place Barnes in the company of the Grand Central’s legendary stable of artists, including George Bellows, Robert Henri, John Sloan, and Henry O. Tanner, all of whom had been showcased by the Grand Central in the past.

Just as he was finishing up his final painting for the show, Barnes got a call from his mother, saying that his father had suffered a stroke. He packed up a U-Haul with the paintings and drove straight through to Durham. Ernest Barnes, Sr., passed away a few days later, on October 25, 1966.

“Above The Rim” Following the funeral, Barnes then headed to New York for the show’s opening. Upon arriving, he was greeted by Edwin S. Barrie, Grand Central Art Galleries’ distinguished director. Barrie enthused to him how fortunate he was in having Sonny Werblin as his patron. And he added, “That’s the way it should be. Once a man rises to a certain state of wealth, it’s expected of him to make a contribution to the culture of his country. You could turn out to be his best.”

Indeed, Ernie Barnes’ first professional exhibition was a sell-out, marking the beginning of a long relationship with the Grand Central Art Galleries, along with the McKenzie and Heritage Galleries in Los Angeles.

SPECTACULAR Barnes acknowledges that at the time he had not yet acquired a “point of view” necessary to fuel his career. “My world had been sports. So that was pretty much all that had surfaced in me, or come alive in me.”

For the next four years, he continued to focus on sports subjects, which were featured in a series of solo exhibitions at the McKenzie Gallery in Los Angeles - hosted by Heisman Trophy-winner Tom Harmon, film star Charlton Heston, and renowned writer Adela Rogers St. John.

A major turning point in Barnes’ career came in 1971.

Following a solo showing at the Agra Gallery in Washington, D.C. — hosted by Congressmen Jack Kemp and John Conyers — he moved to an all-Jewish neighborhood in Los Angeles known as the Fairfax District.

Suddenly steeped in a culture that was rich in its own traditions, along with the humor and wit that had allowed its residents to survive poverty and the horrors of the concentration camps, Barnes learned to appreciate the milieu of his own roots notably, the Segregated South of his childhood that embraced many of the same beliefs and had developed its own culture of coping with the hopelessness of racial discrimination, lack of

by Ernie Barnes education, and economic distress.

Barnes’ landmark exhibition, “The Beauty of the Ghetto,” marked the beginning of his Genre period. In 1972, it debuted at the distinguished Heritage Gallery, before beginning a nationwide tour to museums around the country — hosted by such dignitaries as Ethel Kennedy, Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley, Atlanta Mayor Maynard Jackson, and Durham (North Carolina) Mayor James Hawkins.

Notably, one of Barnes’ most ardent supporters and collectors was television producer and writer Danny Arnold, who amassed over eighteen paintings by Barnes, beginning in 1969.

In 1974, Arnold also introduced Barnes to

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This tribute, titled "Ernie Barnes: His Art and Inspiration" was on display to the public in 2007 in the Great Room at the Time Warner Center at Columbus Circle, 60th Street entrance in New York City. The tribute was co-sponsored

by Time Warner and the National Football League.

renowned television producer Norman Lear, who subsequently commissioned Barnes to paint a series of original pieces for his new television CBS sitcom, “Good Times,” loosely modeled the “JJ” character on the artist’s life and work. He featured what would become Barnes’ most famous work, “Sugar Shack” in the show’s opening credits for four years. “Sugar Shack” was also used as cover art for the Marvin Gaye album “I Want You.” His work is also the cover art of “Donald Byrd and 125th Street, NYC” (1979), and B.B. King’s “Making Love is Good for You” in (2000).

Barnes’ ability to capture the powerful energy and movement of sports has earned him “America’s Best Painter of Sports” by the American Sports Art Museum. In 1984, he was appointed official sports artist for the XXIII Olympiad in Los Angeles. Barnes also served as spokesman to inner-city youth.

His sports commissions include “The Dream Unfolds,” for the NBA to commemorate their 50th anniversary; “Fastbreak” for Los Angeles Lakers owner Dr. Jerry Buss; and paintings for the owners of the Carolina Panthers, New Orleans Saints, Oakland Raiders and Boston Patriots football teams.

In 1995, Barnes’ autobiography, “From Pads to Palette” was published, featuring both his early sketchbooks and celebrated sports paintings from early in his career - along with a moving account of his passion for art from an early age, unlikely evolution from a shy, overweight child into a professional football player for five seasons, and the rarely-revealed physical and emotional trauma at the center of the game.

In the foreword, Barnes’ long-time friend and San Diego Chargers’ teammate, former Congressman Jack Kemp, wrote: “Ernie is a living manifestation of the American Dream. On a personal level, I am so pleased that Ernie’s sketchbooks dating back thirty years have been unearthed. They are a blueprint of how perseverance, moral stamina, tenacity and courage can transform a hard-working, fiercely-competitive, mud-stained, old left guard into an accomplished, successful and revered artist. It happens. It happened to my teammate Ernie Barnes.”

That same year, Barnes was the only living artist included in the highly-praised traveling exhibition,“Exultations: 20th Century Masterworks

by African American Artists” - one of the first major shows to survey the important contributions of African-American artists to our nation’s cultural fabric and to spotlight the rich diversity of Black experience during the last one hundred years.

Barnes’ art has been used as an educational tool to empower youth. The power, grace, intensity and fluidity of his work – combined with his celebrated variation of genre and sports themes – has given him an unequaled place in the history of modern art, despite the domination of abstract art throughout his career.

Ernie Barnes died on April 27, 2009 at Cedars Sinai Medical Center after a brief illness.

He is survived by his wife, Bernie; brother James; sons Michael and Sean; and daughters Deidre, Erin and Paige. A private memorial is pending.

The family requests donations are made in his name to Hillsides Home for Children in Pasadena.

SOURCE: WWW.ERNIEBARNES.COM

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Page Seventeen

RELIGION ANOTHER PERSPECTIVE by Reverend James W. Smith

IS THERE A HIDDEN AGENDA? Lately, I have been hearing a lot about the Boston Tea Party. As a matter of fact, on April 15th, tax due date, I was sitting around the house watching television and all I could hear was news regarding demonstrations occurring around the country. They were being compared to the Boston Tea Party demonstrations. There were not many people at the demonstrations but there were still enough to make news. I listened to many of them as they were interviewed and I heard them complaining about all the money that the country was spending. Many of them did not like the direction in which they thought the country was going. They were talking about President Obama tax policies.

What was so interesting to me is that all the ones that were talking were the ones who were or would be benefiting the most from the policies. All I could think of was, "where were all these folks when George Bush was spending all this money." In the back of my mind, I am still hoping that it has nothing to do with "skin."

Company was sitting on large stocks of tea that it could not sell in England. It was on the verge of bankruptcy. In an effort to save it, the government passed the Tea Act of 1773, which gave the company the right to export its merchandise directly to the colonies without paying any of the regular taxes that were imposed on the colonial merchants who had traditionally served as the middlemen in such transactions. With these privileges the company could undersell American merchants and monopolize the colonial tea trade. The act proved inflammatory for several reasons.

First, it angered influential colonial merchants who feared being replaced and bankrupted by a powerful monopoly. The East India Company's decision to grant franchises to certain American merchants for the sale of their tea created further resentments among those excluded from this lucrative trade. More important, however, the Tea Act revived American passions about the issue of taxation without representation."

Now that is when I stopped reading because that is what I remembered about the Boston Tea Party. It revived Americans passion about the issue of taxation without representation. I began to reflect on the folks I saw demonstrating and wondered in my mind, how many of the demonstrators felt they were being taxed without representation. None. It would seem to me that the only persons who should really be a part of the Boston Tea Party demonstration are the Washington, Now I do remember studying about the D.C. residents. Otherwise, I can see nothBoston Tea Party. But that has been a ing in this but a hidden agenda. long time ago and I had basically forgotten all I learned regarding it. So I decid- Dr. James W. Smith, ed to go on the Internet to find some- Church Consultant thing to refresh my memory. I ran across Author, “Deal By Me the following information by Cassandra Inspirational/Motivational Speaker Jansen. "In 1773, Britain's East India Email: revsmith@spectacularmag.com Now before I get too far into this, I must confess that I don't like this time of the year and especially, April 15th. Even when I am due a refund, I get nervous wondering if I prepared the tax forms correctly.

I have been audited and it is a scary process even when you know you are on solid ground. So like most folks, I really don't like taxes but I do understand that they are a necessity for a civilize society.

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Page Nineteen

LIVING YOUR FAITH: PRACTICAL PIETY

By Rev. Dr. Archie D. Logan

WOMEN IN MINISTRY Greetings!

Over the past thirty-five years during my work in the church, denominational and educational institutions. I have seen the role of “Women in Ministry” Rev. Dr. Archie D. Logan, Jr. change. In the mid-1960s when I started in ministry the role of women clergy in the AfricanAmerican church was limited. Women pastors, preachers and seminary professors were often restricted. Many pastors would not allow women in their pulpits; faculty appointments were scarce. Today many of the barriers, stereotypes, and assumptions of the past are gone. Although there are pockets of prejudice and oppression still alive women now are a visible and important part of ministry in all areas of religion and the church.

There has always been a biblical basis for women in ministry in the old and New Testaments. There are many places in the Old Testament that I could used to support my arguments. I have limited this article to a few New Testament scriptures. The theological basis for women in ministry can be developed from texts like Acts 10:34-35; 2 Corinthians 5:16-17; and Galatians 3:28.

Their and many other scriptures that support claims for Christian gender inclusion in Kingdom Building and Church Witness. I want to encourage those of you who are interested in this issue to use these three scriptures, as a starting point, for discussions on the validity of “Women in Ministry.” I once had a professor who always asked us when we wanted to comment about biblical themes: WHAT DOES THE BIBLE HAVE TO SAY ON THE ISSUE?

WHERE IS YOUR SCRIPTURE REFERENCE? Additional scriptures that give us some direction and insight on this matter can be found in Luke and Acts. Luke’s Gospel and Acts tend to identify the role of women in the early church. For example; Women financially supported Jesus in his ministry (Luke 8:2,3) and figured prominently in the establishment of churches of Thessalonica (Acts 17:4) and Berea (v. 12). We must realize that when women are spoken of directly in the scriptures it is very important because the cultural settings and writings of those times often ONLY were written from a male perspective; thus, there were women present, preaching, involved and apart of the ministry; yet, their significant contributions were not recorded by the male scribes. A close bible study of these texts will reveal some interesting insights into women in early church ministry.

The early church was also blessed with prophetesses (Acts 2:17; 21:9), who spoke the WORD of the Lord. In understanding the role of women in the New Testament and the emerging church a study of the role and mission of “prophetesses” will be helpful. A prophetess can be defined as a female prophet. Luke reported the prophetic activity of the elderly Anna in the Temple (Luke 2:3638), as well as that of Elizabeth and Mary (Luke 1:41-45,46-55). Take time to read and research these scripture references before you draw negative conclusions about the roles of women in ministry. They help us work through many of our assumptions.

The first recorded convert of Paul’s European mission was a woman named Lydia (Acts 16:13,14), and the baptism of her household marked the beginning of the Philippians’ church (v. 15). There was significant participation by women in the growth of this church.

Lydia’s house became the place of ministry focus in that community. Also, Paul later wrote that two other women in Philippi,

Euodia and Syntyche, “contended at my side in the cause of the gospel” (Philippians 4:23). These women not only assisted Paul; they ministered right at his side in an apparently equal capacity. Other women lifted up by Paul for their ministries include Mary, Tryphena, Tryphosa, Persis, and Rufus’ mother (Romans 16:6,12,13). Spend time reading these references. Another woman of faith who played a prominent role in the early church was Priscilla. Priscilla, along with her husband Aquila, was involved with preaching, evangelism and teaching (Acts 18:2,24-26) and she even led churches in Rome (Romans 16:3,4) and Ephesus (1 Corinthians 16:19).

Finally, there are the two other women described in Romans 16 who clearly ministered in leadership roles. One of them is apostle Junia (Romans 16:7). We may firmly conclude, that one of the foundation apostles of Christianity was a “woman and a wife.” Junia left a legacy of good work and ministry. The other woman is Phoebe, a minister or deacon (diakonon) of the congregation of Cenchrea (v.

1). Romans 16:2 provides more information about Phoebe: Paul calls her “a patroness (prostatis).” Bible translations render this term “servant,” “friend,” or “helper.” This is appropriate since leadership roles in the church are roles of service (see Matthew 20:20-28). What we may not realize, however, is that this term is a feminine variation of the term proistemi, used to describe elders “ruling” or “managing” in 1 Timothy 3:4,5; 5:17. These scriptures will require you to use your Greek Bible Dictionary or Greek Word Study; however, the research is worth the time and effort to do the cross-references.

In my opinion, New Testament teaching indicates that ministry in the church, including leadership ministry, was broad enough in scope to include both men and women. Today we need to receive those women who have been called by God for service. We must allow

them to exercise their gifts of ministry.

Despite these many scriptures; however, the case for women in ministry is often derailed and not accepted fully. Women are full partners in ministry with men. There are many people today who do not understand that the Bible is inclusive. Whosoever will come into the Kingdom is accepted. God determines who is “called” to teach, preach, pastor and lead in Christian ministry. Use this article for your Bible Study Groups and workshops: Jesus Christ came as our LIBERATOR and SAVIOR.

Rev. Dr. Archie D. Logan, Jr.

Executive Vice President Apex School of Theology 2945 South Miami Boulevard, Suite 114 Durham, NC 27703 919-572-1625 office 919-621-4272 mobile alogan@Apexsot.edu

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FOR YOUR INFORMATION 2009 SUMMER PROGRAMS FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS

at least a 3.5 GPA (on a 4.0 scale) who have an interest in journalism. The cost is free including travel costs to and from Princeton!

FREE!! MIT announces its MITES Program, Apply now! Go to www.princeton.edu/sjp

(Minority Introduction to Engineering and Science), a challenging 6 week summer program that prepares promising rising seniors for careers in engineering and science. If you are selected, all educational, housing, meals and activity costs are covered. You must, however, pay for your own transportation to and from MIT. To apply, go to http://mit.edu/mites GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY Science & Engineering Apprenticeship program (summer) - This program places academically talented H.S. students (at least 16 yrs old, sophomores/ juniors) with interest in science & math in Dept. of Defense laboratories for an 8-wk period over the summer.

This is an invaluable experience in the world of scientific research, with handson exposure to scientific & engineering practices not available in the HS environment. It is a paid apprenticeship ($2,000) and the students are assigned a scientist or engineer as their mentor. To apply online or get more information about the program: http://www.usaeop.com. Students must submit their transcript (minimum GPA 3.0) and teacher recommendation to the program director for consideration and daily transportation is the student’s responsibility. Program runs from June 22 - August 14, 2009.

FREE!!

PRINCETON

UNIVERSITY

announces its Summer Journalism Program for low-income sophomores or juniors with

years old and have completed the 10th grade by June 2009, have demonstrated high academic success, and have an interest in space science or engineering as a career. Applicants must be U.S. citizens. Applications are available in the Career FREE!! The National Center for Health Center or online at Marketing’s Global Health Odyssey www.education.gsfc.nasa.gov/pages/placeMuseum is pleased to offer the 2009 CDC ment.html DISEASE DETECTIVE CAMP (DDC). DDC is an academic day camp for students who will be high school juniors and seniors during RTP BLACK DIVERSITY the 2009-2010 school year. Campers will NETWORK GROUP take on the roles of disease detectives and SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATION learn how CDC safeguards the nation’s health.

INFORMATION The camp will be offered twice from June 2226 and July 13-17. For more info and to apply to go www.cdc.gov/gcc/exhibit/camp.htm.

The RTP Black Diversity Network Group is now accepting applications for their 2009 FREE!! The American Legion sponsors a weekScholarship. Their mission is to embrace and long summer leadership program called Boys support each other to achieve our aspirations by State. This year’s program will be held at reaching out, reaching back, and propelling ourMCDANIEL COLLEGE in Westminster, selves forward. This scholarship has been estabMaryland from June 21-27. If you are a jun- UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND, COLLEGE lished to provide opportunities for graduating ior interested in a leadership opportunity PARK: Women in Engineering, E2@UMD, July African American high school students in see your guidance counselor right away for 12-18 or July 19-25; rising juniors and sen- Durham, Orange, and Wake counties a chance to iors. Go to www.wie.umd.edu/precollege or call make a difference through the achievement of more information.

301-405-3283 their educational goals. The recipient of this award will be granted a $500.00 scholarship to UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND Young be used at any accredited two-or four year colScholars Program targets rising juniors and lege or university. seniors who have a strong academic record and a desire to excel to experience college life while The application form for the RTP Black Diversity earning three academic credits. 14 courses are Network Group Scholarship by contacting the RTP offered for three weeks from July 12 – 31, 2009. BDNG committee at Visit www.ysp.umd.edu/pr rtp_bdng_scholarship@yahoo.com. The application is to be completed in full and returned to CITY YEAR, WASHINGTON DC the RTP Black Diversity Network Group on or The Leadership Center at MOREHOUSE (Americorps) - Graduating seniors who are before May 22, 2009. Applications received COLLEGE presents the 2009 Coca-Cola Pre- not sure what they want to do after high school after this deadline will not be considered. If College Leadership Program. There are 2 should consider applying for a paid community you have any questions related to the applicaprograms, one for male students complet- service position with City Year, Washington, DC, tion process, please contact the RTP BDNG coming their sophomore or junior year, and the a group of 17-24 year olds committed to full- mittee at rtp_bdng_scholarship@yahoo.com. other for male students completing their time service for ten months in the Washington, senior year. Applicants must have a mini- DC community. Benefits include: living stipend “WRITE YOUR REP” WORKSHOP mum 3.0 GPA (on a 4.0 scale). The curriculum ($200 per week), health care coverage, free SATURDAY, MAY 16 focuses on personal and interpersonal leader- metro pass, and $4,725 educational scholarship.

2:00PM - 4:00PM ship skills. The program runs from June 20 to For more info: www.cityyear.org or email: June 26. The cost is $400.00. To apply, go to cmurphy@cityyear.org/dc or call: 202-776- DURHAM PUBLIC LIBRARY – www.morehouse.edu. Application access is list- 7780, Amanda Seligman.

MAIN BRANCH ed under “Events at the Leadership Center.”

300 NORTH ROXBORO STREET Recruitment open houses will be held once a NASA sponsors the National Space Club month at their headquarters: 918 U Street, NW, Join Durham for Obama’s Outreach/Publicity Scholars Program, a 6-week summer 2nd floor, Washington, DC Working Group to learn how to write a letter to internship at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight For Your Information continues on page 21 Center. It is open to students who will be 16

May 2009

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DURHAM PARKS AND RECREATION TO HOST 40TH ANNUAL BIMBÉ CULTURAL ARTS FESTIVAL

For Your Information continues

your representative. Attendees will also have the opportunity to speak with a few of our local, participating, elected officials as well. Please come to the 3rd floor conference room in the library. Co-Chairs: Lori Tyson, Jennifer McDuffie and Ted Benson. For more info, call 757-2922202

DURHAM - Celebrate the Bimbé Cultural Arts Festival this year by going “Back to the Basics.”

Bimbé 2009 will feature old school hip hop artist

DURHAM FARMERS’ MARKET NOW OPEN ON WEDNESDAYS AND SATURDAYS: CELEBRATING 10TH ANNIVERSARY DURHAM - The Market will be open every Wednesday afternoon beginning May 6th until September from 3:30 to 6:30pm and is located in the Pavilion in Durham Central Park, 501 Foster Street , home of the Saturday Farmers’ Market. This is in addition to the Market being open every Saturday until November from 8:00 am until noon.

GOT TO BE NC FESTIVAL AIMS FOR THRIFTY FAMILY FUN MAY 29-31 AT STATE FAIRGROUNDS RALEIGH – The Got to Be NC Festival coming to the State Fairgrounds May 29-31 aims to be one of the top entertainment values in the Triangle this spring. The weekend event will feature free gate admission, free parking, free concerts, a free classic car show and free admission to the Got to Be NC Food & Wine Expo.

Festival hours are 9 a.m. to midnight Friday and Saturday, and 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday.

More than 100 N.C. companies will fill the Expo Center with top foods and wines, plus goods and services. A cooking stage will feature N.C. products and demonstrate wine and food pairings.

The Food & Wine Expo will be open 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Sunday.

Two outdoor stages will offer bluegrass, beach and rockabilly music and comedy performances daily. Festival visitors can also view more than 1,000 pieces of antique farm equipment, and enjoy tractor parades daily at 11 a.m.

Two new exhibits are part of the 2009 festival lineup. One exhibit will feature machines made by the Corbitt Co., a truck, tractor and auto maker in Henderson in the early 1900s. Working demonstrations of the antique gear will take place daily in Heritage Circle. The second exhibit is the Fiber Fair, with demonstrations of weaving, spinning, carding and other techniques in the Holshouser Building. Wool and fleece will be for sale.

This year, there will be several new vendors at the Wednesday Market. Expect to find over 50 venders with a great selection of fruits, vegetables, meats, eggs, cheeses, baked goods and crafts, all grown and crafted within 70 miles of Durham.

Also in May, the Durham Farmers’ Market will be celebrating our first 10 years! Please come out for the festivities.

Whodini and special guest emcee K97.5’s Brian Dawson. Make plans to join Durham Parks and Recreation on Saturday, May 16, from 12 noon – Chef Challenge Saturday May 16th: 3 local chefs, one secret ingredient. Our chefs are Chris 9 p.m. at the Stennat from Pops, Aaron Vandemark from Panciuto, and Justin Rakes from Four Square. Look for CCB Plaza in the chefs out on the lawn. Secret ingredient will be unveiled around 8:30. downtown Durham for an Vendor Appreciation Day, Saturday May 23rd: Don’t forget to thank your farmers, crafters eclectic mix of and bakers for all of their hard work over the last 10 years! music and dance celebrat10th Anniversary Dinner, Sunday May 24th, 5pm: Come and join us at the Pavilion for to celing African ebrate our 10th Anniversary. The dinner will be held potluck style. Everyone is encouraged to American tradibring their favorite dish that includes a local ingredient and everyone is asked to bring their own t i o n s . plate and utensils. Listen to great music and learn about the market from its beginnings 10 Participants can years ago. shop at the B i m b é For questions or more information, please contact Erin Kauffman at 919-667-3099 or email: Marketplace for info@durhamfarmersmarket.com visual art, food Brian Dawson Other events at the fairgrounds that weekend sides and drinks included. Children under 12 will and much more. also will feature free admission, including the be admitted to the Pig Jig for free. And what’s There will be activities for all ages including a Choplin Boat Show in the Scott Building and the even better is all the money raised at this Kid’s Village.

Clear Channel Health and Fitness Expo in the event will go to support the Masonic Graham Building.

Homes for Children and Central Other highlights include Brian Dawson’s Musical Children’s Home in Oxford, NC. Medley: A Voyage through 40 Years of Music feaFestival manager Jim Knight said some festival turing DJ Kraze, DJ Gmac, DJ High Rise, DJ Heavy attractions will have a fee, including carnival Find more information about the festival at and DJ Double J. rides and games, daily events in the grandstand, www.ncagfest.com. and the Capital Dressage Classic horse show at The weekday events including a poetry slam, the Hunt Horse Complex. town hall meeting and dance showcase starting on Wednesday, May 13-Friday, May 15. Also, on UBMIT VENTS TO The festival will also feature lots of food for Sunday, May 17, there will be a Gospel Talent purchase. Barbecue fans can enjoy the Carolina calendar@spectacularmag.com Fest featuring Ted Winn presented by Rejoice Pig Jig on Saturday, May 30, from 11 a.m. to 3 1410 AM WRJD. For more information visit p.m., where Masons from across the state will by the 22nd on the month prior to the www.durhamnc.gov/bimbe or call (919) 560month of the event compete for top cooking honors. Adults can sam4355. ple barbecue from all the teams for $10, with Children’s Day, Saturday May 9th: There will be free cherry tomato plants for kids, seed planting, games and prizes out on the lawn.

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IN THE SPOTLIGHT Chapel hill-C Carrboro area alumnae Chapter, Delta Sigma theta Sorority, inC. preSentS the 2009 miSS JabberwoCk SCholarShip program The Chapel Hill- Carrboro Delta Foundation, Inc. & Chapel Hill-Carrboro Area Alumnae Chapter, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. will present the 2009 Miss Jabberwock & Little Miss Jabberwock Scholarship Program on Saturday, May 30th, 6:00 pm at A.L. Stanback Elementary School, Hillsborough, NC and the public is invited to attend. In Miss Jabberwock, young ladies have participated in a wide variety of personal development activities, met new friends, embraced the spirit of public service, and raised money for your educational purposes. Cultural, instructional, and personal development activities were planned to give our youth a powerful edge as they prepare for entry into an institution of higher education. Some of these activities will touch topics such as include: College Preparation and Survival, Careers Discussions, Etiquette, Healthy Living, Developing a Service Minded Attitude and Appreciating Cultural Arts. This year’s Miss Jabberwock participants are: Marlinda Celselia Dowdy (Pittsboro), Ashanti Foy (Chapel Hill), Maya Patrice Lewis (Durham), Erin Elizabeth Price (Durham), and Jessica Pearl Watson (Chapel Hill). Little Miss Jabberwock participants: Idara F.P. Carmichael (Durham) and Halle Bethenia Upchurch (Moncure).

Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., is a public service organization that strives to provide programs and services that extend a humanitarian hand to those that are in need and most deserving. Activities are based on a five-point thrust that includes economic development, educational development, international awareness and involvement, physical and mental health, and political awareness and involvement.

Marlinda Celselia Dowdy

Ashanti Foy

Maya Patrice Lewis

Idara F.P. Carmichael

Erin Elizabeth Price

Halle Bethenia Upchurch

Jessica Pearl Watson

May 2009

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NEWSBRIEFS DURHAM ALUMNI CHAPTER KAPPA ALPHA PSI FRATERNITY, INC. SPONSORS 25TH ANNUAL BEAUTILLION has helped me make the transition from a boy to a young man,” are the greatest experiences of participating in the Beautillion Militaire Leadership Training and Scholarship Program says Benjamin Baker, a senior at Cary Senior High School.

Baker was one of five young men participating in the 25th Annual Beautillion Militaire Leadership Training and Scholarship Program sponsored by the Durham Alumni Chapter Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. and the Kappas of Durham Foundation, Inc. Saturday, April 18, 2009 at Radisson Hotel RTP, NC. Benjamin Baker was named Mr. Beautillion 2009 and presented the 2009 Dossie N. Jones Mr. Beautillion Medallion by Harrison Flood, the 2008 Mr. Beautillion: (l-r) Benjamin Baker, Mr. Dossie N. Jones Beautillion winner.

Beautillion 2009 and Harrison Flood, Mr. Beautillion participant and Green Beautillion 2008.

Hope High School senior Matthew Lee DURHAM - “I believe, that the agrees with Baker.

“This program allowed me to build Beautillion has helped me determine what I want to accomplish in life and on the foundation of leadership, networking and social skills instilled in me by my family,” makes the program unique in preparing him and other young men for achieving success he says.

Also receiving special recognition during the banquet was Gregory Currie, Jr. senior at Southern High School, Mark Edwards, II junior at the City of Medicine Academy and Kadeem Fyffe senior at Northern Durham High School.

As part of its “Guide Right Beautillion Committee: (l-r front row) Willie F. Boyd and Program,” The Michael Page;(l-r back row) Lascel Webley, Jr., Mark Melton, Durham Chapter preTerrence Scarborough and Wendell Andrews.

sented its first Beautillion in 1985.

This program has awarded more than $600,000 to deserving high school students for the past 25 years. Participants are selected to participate in the program based on scholarship, leadership and community involvement. This program provides opportunities for male high school students to attend college life, leadership, etiquette, financial planning, and career seminars and compete for scholarships. This program received national recognition in “VIBE” Magazine – September 1999 issue.

A Business Luncheon was held at the Radisson RTP after the completion of the seminars on Saturday, April 4,

2009. This luncheon was coordinated

by Willie F. Boyd and R. Edward Stewart. Howard Clement III Durham City Council, Rev. Philip Cousin – Pastor Saint Joseph AME Church, Cornelious Redfearn – Principal Lakewood Elementary School and Switzon Wigfall – Senior Operations Analyst – Telecommunication on the Commission Staff of the NC Utilities Commission participated in the forum.

The forum participants shared their experiences and the Beaus were allowed to ask questions. The luncheon is sponsor by the Widmark Family Fund of the Triangle Community Beautillion continues on page 24

Beaus and their escorts: (l-r front row) Kyria Harrold, Andrienne DePrima, Kiccarol Dempsi McLean and Laura Marieka Perry; (l-r back row) Benjamin Baker, Matthew Lee, Ramon Mark Edward, II and Kadeem Fyffe. (Gregory Currie, Jr. not pictured)

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SENATOR HAGAN BRINGS STIMULUS SEMINAR TO NCCU

Briefly...

WARD NAMED BOARD OF TRUSTEES CHAIRMAN RALEIGH - Everett Ward, a 1981 Saint Augustine's College alumnus, has been named Chairman of the College's Board of Trustees. Ward, who serves as Director of the North Carolina Department of Ward Tra n s p o r t a t i o n ' s Historical Black College and University (HBCU) Programs/Minorities Institutions of Higher Education, was appointed a member of the Board in 2005.

Ward is actively involved in more than 20 civic and community organizations, including the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., as a Southern Region Vice President; the 100 Black Men of America, Inc. (Triangle East Chapter) as a Charter member and former treasurer; and, Charter Member of the Saint Augustine's College Division of Business Advisory Council.

Ward, a lifelong member and Elder at Davie Street Presbyterian Church, USA, is also a Charter Member of the Clarence E. Lightner Foundation.

NATIONAL URBAN LEAGUE PRESIDENT MARC MORIAL TO DELIVER NCCU COMMENCEMENT ADDRESS DURHAM - Marc H. Morial, president and chief executive officer of the National Urban League, will be North Carolina Central University’s spring commencement speaker.

Commencement exercisMorial es will take place on Saturday, May 16th, at 8 a.m. in the O’KellyRiddick Stadium on the NCCU campus.

Since becoming president of the National Urban League in 2003, Morial has helped thrust the League into the forefront of major public policy issues, research and effective community-based solutions.

Prior to joining National Urban League, Morial served two distinguished four-year terms (1994-2002) as Mayor of New Orleans. Before becoming mayor, he also served as a Louisiana State Senator for two years. Morial holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Pennsylvania, a juris doctor-

May 2009

ate from the Georgetown University Law Center, and honorary doctorate degrees from Xavier University and the University of South Carolina Upstate.

WALTER MASSEY NAMED BANK OF AMERICA’S NEW CHAIRMAN CHARLOTTE, NC - The board of directors at Bank of America Corp.

(BofA) elected Walter Massey as chairman April 29th after shareholders voted 50.3 percent in favor of separating the roles of chairman Massey and chief executive.

Former Chairman Kenneth Lewis previously held both roles. He will remain as CEO. Massey is president emeritus at Morehouse College in Atlanta. He was president of the school from August 1995 to June 2007.

He has been a BofA director since 1998 and is a member of the board’s audit committee.

Massey was a director of BankAmerica Corp. from 1993 to 1998. (Charlotte-based NationsBank Corp. acquired the San Francisco bank in 1998, naming the merged company Bank of America.) Massey also is a director at McDonald’s Corp. and a former director of Delta Air Lines Inc., Motorola Inc. and BP plc.

Before joining Morehouse, he was a director of the National Science Foundation, a governmental agency that supports research and education in mathematics, science and engineering. Massey also is a former vice president of research and professor of physics at the University of Chicago. And he has been a director of the Argonne National Laboratory, dean of the college and professor of physics at Brown University, assistant professor of physics at the University of Illinois and provost and senior vice president for academic affairs at the University of California.

After earning a bachelor of science in physics and mathematics in 1958 from Morehouse, Massey received his master’s and doctorate in physics in 1966 from Washington University in St. Louis.

Massey was born in Hattiesburg, Miss. He and his wife, Shirley Anne, have two sons and three grandchildren.

SUMBIT ANNOUNCEMENTS BY 22ND OF MONTH: info@spectacularmag.com

The audience of predominantly small businessmen and women who attended the Stimulus seminar at NCCU on May 4th.

Photo: Stephenie McLean

DURHAM – North Carolina Central University served as host to a seminar organized by U.S. Sen. Kay Hagan, DN.C., informing the community about how minority and women-owned businesses, small businesses and non-profits can access the stimulus money.

The start time was delayed when an unexpectedly large crowd of about 300 had to be accommodated in overflow s p a c e .

H a g a n opened the session by referencing the soberNCCU Chancellor Charlie Nelms (l) with US Sen. Kay ing numHagan as they enter the ber seeking work Stimulus seminar. in this state Photo: Stephenie McLean saying, “Inaction is simply not an option when the number of unemployed North Carolinians is nearly 500,000.”

She cited the tax cuts for 95 percent of North Carolina’s workers and their families and the projected 105,000 jobs that the stimulus appropriations should save or create. Then she turned over the podium to a panel of experts for questions and answers.

The panel of experts included: Dempsey Benton, director, N.C. Office of Economic Recovery and

Investment; Lee Cornelison, district director, U.S. Small Business Administration; David Heinen, director of public policy for the N.C. Center for Non-Profits; Sadie Abdullah, energy director for Operation Breakthrough, Inc.; Charles Archer, associate director for operations and federal relations for the N.C. League of Municipalities; Scott Daugherty, executive director for the Small Business Technology and Development Center; and Andrea Harris, president of the N.C. Institute of Minority Economic Development. Durham City Council man Farad Ali served as moderator.

Included in the audience of predominantly small businessmen and women were representatives from minority serving educational institutions. NCCU’s Chancellor Charlie Nelms commented on the $15.64 billion set aside in the stimulus package for Pell Grants, increasing the maximum assistance level to $4,860 for students attending the 2009-2010 academic year.

“This increase in the Pell Grant is crucial to us as 95 percent of our students are on financial assistance,” said Nelms. Nelms also reported that NCCU would be seeking in the neighborhood of $20 million from the stimulus package primarily in research grant funds but also including $2.5 million for the renovation of the hisStimulus seminar continues on page 25

May 2009 Stimulus seminar continues

toric Hoey Administration Building on campus.

Most participants received the message loud and clear that they would need to strictly abide by the rules and accommodate the government’s demand for precision, clarity and transparency in their applications. They appreciated the long list of websites

SPECTACULAR provided to assist them in their research.

“There’s a lot of opportunities available but you have to take your time to prepare,” said Dr. Aal-Anubia of Saint Augustine’s College.

“Tax dollars are hard to come by but we’re trying to make it accessible for small business and minorities,” said Hagan.

Stimulus seminar panelist Andrea Harris, President of NC Institute of Minority Economics Development, answers a question from audience as NCCU Chancellor Nelms (r), Durham City Councilman Farad Ali (2nd from right) and others look on.

Photo: Stephenie McLean

Beautillion continues

Foundation.

A “Tea” was held in honor of the 2009 Beautillion Mothers and escorts at Saint Joseph AME Church on Sunday, April 5th. Dr. Elsie Leak, retired NC Associated Superintendent for Curriculum and School Reform was the guest speaker. The “Tea” was sponsored by the Durham Alumni Silhouettes. The Dr. Leak and the Silhouettes shared their like experiences with the escorts.

The keynote speaker for the banquet was Warren Thompson, President of New Century Technology Group.

He was formerly with the Information Systems Manager with Dow Corning, General Motors and Kodak. He is a graduate of North Carolina Central University and a Life Member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. At the banquet, the Beaus danced with their mothers and their escorts.

High School juniors and senior

interested in participating in Beautillion this Fall should contact Willie Boyd at 919-957-9404, Michael Page at (919) 949-4022 or Lascel Webley at 919- 688-8150 or visit the Kappas of Durham Foundation website: www.kodf.org

Presenters: (l-r) Michael Page - President of the Kappas of Durham Foundation, Harrison Flood - Mr. Beautillion 2008, Benjamin Baker - Mr. Beautillion 2009 and Elvert Dorsey - Polemarch Durham Alumni Chapter Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity.

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ALPHA ZETA OMEGA CHAPTER OF ALPHA KAPPA ALPHA SORORITY GETS NEW HOME Lowes Home Improvement Store Builds on Old ICC Site DURHAM - On February 27, 2009, members of Durham's Alpha Zeta Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. proudly moved to their new headquarters, the Ivy Community Center (ICC) at 4222 Fayetteville Street. Approximately 200 members of the chapter waited with great anticipation and excitement for the opening of the new center.

ICC Corporation is a non-profit, tax exempt organization established in 1996 for the purpose of providing a facility where Alpha Zeta Omega members could meet and provide outreach services for our community.

The Center currently serves as one of the sites for the 21st Century Community Learning Program, an after school tutorial initiative for middle school students from Githens, Shepard, and W.G. Pearson Middle

Durham's Alpha Zeta Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.new headquarters, the Ivy Community Center (ICC), located at 4222 Fayetteville Street. They moved in on Februrary 27, 2009.

Community Center Corporation. The center is governed by a Board of Directors that has direct oversight over the corporation.

Janeen Denson

The old Ivy Community Center in the midst of being demolished.

Schools. The new ICC facility, with a somewhat similar exterior to the previous one, is 1505 sq ft larger. It has meeting rooms, offices, an office workroom, a computer center, a kitchen and a large multi-purpose area.

The parking area has tripled in size.

ICC is the non-profit arm of Alpha Zeta Omega and members of the chapter are also members of the Ivy

Gammage is President.

Other board officers and members are Mattie Moss, Vice President; Rosa Small, Secretary; Queen Lawrence, Treasurer; Constance Scott, Financial Secretary; Betty Brown, Beverly Evans, Tara Fikes, Lynn Henderson, Rosetta Johnson, Veronica Johnson, Toni Jordan, Hazel Layne, Iris Layne, Norma Martin, Gwendolyn Paschall,

and negotiations began and continued until a mutual agreement was reached in October 2007. Among other things, the agreement guaranteed that the sorority could remain in its current facility until the new construction was ready for occupancy.

ICC Board members and Alpha Zeta Omega chapter members joined with the Lowe's group in meeting with neighborhood community leaders, presenting plans at the Durham City/County Planning Commission and the Durham City Council to garner support for the building project.

While the sorority is racially diverse today, Alpha Kappa Alpha, Inc. is the oldest sorority in the world founded originally for African American women. In 2008, the sorority celebrated its centennial year. The organization was founded at Howard University in Washington, DC in 1908 and has an international membership of more than 250,000 women. The sorority historically includes notable members in North Carolina, the United States and abroad. Just as Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority has outstanding membership nationally and internationally, Alpha Zeta Omega chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority has also been outstanding in contributing to the Triangle area community, our state, and nation. This chapter, founded April 14, 1928, is the first Greek letter sorority in the city of Durham.

Grace Rowland-Curtis, Eurydice Smith, Darnell Tabron, DeLois Washington, Zelphia Watson, and Claudette Howell, chapter president.

Artelia Bryant is an ex officio member of the ICC Board.

The chapter's vision for a center began in 1994 under the leadership of then chapter president, Mattie Moss.

Land was purchased in January 2000 and the construction process began in 2002.

The sorority moved into the first building at 4418 Fayetteville Road on November 15, 2003. A significant contribution was bequeathed by the late Georgia Barbee McCallum, an active member of the chapter until her death. This gift assisted in financing the construction of the building.

The Lowe's Corporation approached the ICC Corporation in 2006 about purchasing the property to build a Lowe's Home I m p r o v e m e n t The new Lowes Home Improvement Center is being built on the Store. Discussions old Ivy Community Center site.

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POLITICAL AND CIVIC AFFAIRS LEGAL EAGLE ADVISOR

by Professor Irving Joyner NCCU School of Law

THE HEALTH CARE CRISIS: IT IS TIME FOR A CHANGE WHICH YOU CAN AFFORD Make no mistake about it, there is a major health and medical care crisis in the United States which presently poses a significant risk to each of us. It has been reported that over 50 million people are without Irving Joyner medical and prescription insurance. If that crisis has not already touched you or a family member, it will do so in the immediate future. The crisis isn’t based solely upon race, although racial minorities suffer disproportionately as a result of it. It is largely centered on class, although only higher income individuals and communities are able to manage it.

Under the leadership of President Barack Obama, efforts are underway to develop fundamental reforms within the health and medical care system in order that this crisis does not needlessly exacerbate the health conditions of individuals within this country. Thus far, this legislative effort has received the support of some of the leaders in the Democratic and Republicans parties, but there is powerful opposition and profound differences in the approach between those who agree that reform is urgently necessary. A reform of the health/medical care institutions will not occur without a bruising fight. As usual, the bulk of the fight concerns who will pay and who will get paid.

Caught in the middle of this fight are the consumers and people who are in desperate need of medical care and the insurance coverage which will make those services available.

The ability to pay is a gigantic issue when a person is confronted with an illness of any sort.

Even the cost to cure a common cold can be significant depending upon the person’s budget and the quality of the medical care which that

DURHAM COMMITTEE ON AFFAIRS OF BLACK PEOPLE ANNOUNCES 2009 HONOREES

person is provided. These costs become more burdensome as the illness or sickness become more severe and chronic. For many, these costs are offset by medical insurance which a person purchases from an insurance company or is provided to them as a part of an employment benefit package. Some medical costs are partially absorbed through medicaid for the poor and disabled and/or medicare for the elderly – persons above 65 years of age.

Somebody pays for the cost of all medical treatments and services and the cost is escalating at an alarming rate. That someone who pays is usually you. With insurance, the cost of health care is significantly lower than it is for persons who do not have insurance and must pay the full tab. With insurance or a governmental benefit program, you can usually get away with a modest co-payment for routine medical services.

This burden shifts to the consumer if the illness becomes more serious and long-lasting. But, without insurance coverage, the person is on the hook for the full cost and that has caused serious financial problems and resulted in many people being forced to file for bankruptcy protection.

In the typical situation, insurance companies have been able to enter contracts which allows them to negotiate with most medical providers; this ability to negotiate allows them to pay less than the “rack rate” for medical services and medications. It is not unusual for an insurance company to pay no more than 50% of what cash-paying patients are required to pay for exactly the same treatment and services. The same is true for the cost of prescription drugs and nursing home care.

Without insurance, the average person will pay through their nose unless they go to the emergency room and use the hospital as a free medical provider. This is an emerging practice by many poor people who can not afford to go to a private doctor; they simply use the hospital Legal Eagle Advisor continues on page 28

Rev. Kenneth R. Hammond

Andrea L. Harris

DURHAM - The Durham Committee on the Affairs of Black People (DCABP) will honor Rev. Kenneth R. Hammond, Pastor of Union Baptist Church (UBC) and Andrea L. Harris, President/CEO of North Carolina Institute of Minority Economic Development (The Institute) at the 74th Founders Anniversary Banquet, Saturday, August 22nd at 6:00 pm.

This gala celebration, to be held at Greater Emmanuel Family Life Enrichment Center, 2722 East Main Street, will f e a t u r e Congressman James E. Clyburn, Rep. James E. Clyburn U.S. House of Representatives, South Carolina's Sixth Congressional District.

On November 16, 2006, the House Democratic Caucus unanimously elected Congressman James E. Clyburn, a native of Sumter, S.C. and a graduate of South Carolina State University in Orangeburg, S.C., as Majority Whip for the 110th Congress. This was a historic

day for Jim Clyburn, who became the second African American to ascend to the third ranking position in the U.S. House of Representatives. On January 4th, 2007, when Representative Clyburn assumed this esteemed position, his leadership authority rank placed him only behind Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Majority Leader Steny Hoyer in the Congressional Democratic Caucus.

Each of the distinguished 2009 Honorees, Pastor Hammond and President Harris, has made immeasurable contributions through their respective professional and varied public service careers. The public is cordially invited to attend this festive occasion in appreciation of many outstanding achievements realized by two significant leaders.

In addition, it will be an opportunity to meet and hear from one of the most highly influential congressman in the nation.

Banquet tickets for this grand event are $50.00 and reserved tables are available for $425.00.

For tickets and reserved tables call DCABP's office (919-530-1100), email (drela@aol.com), fax (919-688-9357), or contact a DCABP officers.

Page Twenty-Eight Legal Eagle Advisor continues

for emergency services when they can not selfdiagnose and/or self-medicate. The hospital’s cost for treating people who do not or can not pay is recalculated by the hospitals and medical care providers and is passed along to the paying consumer in the form of higher bills. Additionally, the cost of the many discounts provided to insurance companies are also passed along to those consumers who pay. As a result, when a person goes to the hospital or obtain medical services, they pay for themselves and for everyone else. In a real sense, the paying consumer becomes the insurer of last resort.

A study released in March 2009 by the Gallup Poll in conjunction with the Healthways health management company revealed that 21% of Americans have struggled during the past twelve months to pay medical and prescription costs.

During the preceding twelve months, GallupHealthways pollsters interviewed 355,334 people across the United States. As such, the poll’s results are the most exhaustive effort in history to measure the capability of Americans to pay escalating medical costs. This is an increase from the 18% who experienced significant problems making these payments during the twelve months which ended in January 2008. In actual numbers, the increase represents an additional 6.6 million people across the country. In North Carolina, 23% of the population experienced significant problems paying these medical costs and that number is expected to rise. That figure is almost one of every four persons living in the State.

The increased medical costs impact those who can least afford to pay more significantly than the impact which is felt by those who can pay.

As with all things, poor people pay more. The Gallup-Healthway Poll showed that over 52% of people who do not have health insurance reported that they could not pay their medical and prescription bills. More than 30% of AfricanAmericans, 31% of Hispanics and 63% of those with monthly income of less than $4,000 per month were counted among those who experienced significant difficulties paying their medical bills. At the other end of the spectrum, 17% of Whites and 13% of Asians. Between the ages of 18 and 39, over 47% experienced problems and between 40 and 59 years of age, over 42% of people were impacted. After age 60, the percentage of people who experience problems decreased to 10% and this decrease was mainly attributed to the availability of medicare and medicaid.

SPECTACULAR Over the last six months, over 6 million people have lost jobs and, for most, also lost medical insurance. Since the current recession began, the Institute of Medicine reports that nearly one in ten children and one in five adults under 65 years old are uninsured. As such, they are at an increased risk for a host of medical problems.

The uninsured are less likely to obtain preventive care, more likely to be diagnosed with laterstage cancer, and more likely to die if they suffer a heart attack, stroke, lung problem, hip fracture, seizure or trauma reports Lawrence Lewin, co-author of the Gallup-Healthways study.

Without a job, health insurance is not affordable for poor and middle class persons. Most of the people who can afford to purchase insurance already have jobs and medical insurance is likely included in their employment benefit package, therefore, they do not generally need to purchase insurance in the private market. In the private insurance market, coverage rates are prohibitive. For example, a recent review of medical insurance rates offered by the Blue-Cross Blue-Shield “BlueAdvantage” plan supports this point. An individual plan will cost $265.19 per month to insure a 19-25 year old male or $398.86 per month to insure a similar age female with a $250 deductible. The cost to insure a 40-44 year old male rises to $436.25 and $632.41 for a female with the same features. That cost decreases slightly if the plan is designed to pay only 80% of the covered medical costs. These costs will increase if a spouse and/or children are added to the coverage. Many people do not make this much money in a week and can not be expected to afford these rates.

The Blue-Cross Blue-Shield rates are a lot cheaper than rates which are available under the COBRA plan which provides recently fired employees the opportunity to keep the same insurance policy which was provided by their employer while they were employed; this continuation coverage generally cost more than $900 per month.

One plan being considered by Congress and promoted by President Obama would create a government sponsored insurance plan which will compete with private insurers. This type plan would mandate and guarantee coverage for everyone at a cost which is less than that presently being offered by private insurance carriers. The insurance industry is opposed to this plan because they are aware that they can not compete with a government sponsored plan and make the type profits which they have made in the past. Many Republicans, who support the insurance industry, want any reform to include

Black Press continues

per] chain, as opposed to break up some of that work and make sure that everybody is able to access it,” the future president said.

If Obama needed any assurance that the White House has historically worked to help sustain the struggling Black Press, his Democratic opponent, Sen. Hillary Clinton, would have obliged.

The day before in Greensboro, Sen. Clinton told members of the NC Black Press Association that her husband, former President Bill Clinton, made sure that the Black Press was an essential part of his outreach to African-Americans.

“I would push very hard to get back to women and minority-owned businesses getting more set-asides and more business from the federal government,” Obama’s future secretary of State told black publishers and reporters on April 28, 2008.

“When Bill was president, he had an Executive Order [to] actually advertise in black newspapers, because how are you going to get to the population that you want if you ignore the vehicles that actually communicate with people?”

Sen. Clinton, during the videotaped session, is seen saying.

Indeed, during his eight years in office, President Bill Clinton issued at least three Executive Orders instructing various federal agencies to “ assist SDBs (socially disadvantaged businesses), HBCUs (historically black colleges and universities), and MIs (minority institutions), as applicable, to develop viable, self-sustaining businesses capable of competing on an equal basis in the mainstream of the American economy.”

Black-owned newspapers qualify not only as “minority institutions,” but “socially disadvantaged businesses” as

May 2009 well.

Based on the Clinton Administration history, black publishers say, the question now is whether President Obama will at least meet that standard through the stimulus package when it comes to the Black Press.

In a March 6th White House teleconference with black reporters, Valerie Jarrett, Obama’s Senior Advisor on Intergovernmental Affairs and Public Liaison, inadvertently made the case for the Black Press to expect more. “[Pres. Obama’s] base within the African-American community came out wholeheartedly [during the 2008 presidential election], and the agenda that he’s set forth is one which will benefit the population as a whole, but also, because all of these [economic] problems, as I’ve said from the onset, have a disparate affect on the AfricanAmerican community,” Jarrett said.

“I think small businesses should educate themselves about the recovery package to find out the kinds of opportunities that will be available because of the kinds of dollars that will be coming down the path, and they should be aggressive about going after those dollars.”

That’s what black newspaper publishers say their doing in their petition to the White House and the Congressional Black Caucus.

“The time is now to eliminate the quid pro quo which stifles our nation’s Capitol to gain economic parity for all of this country’s citizenry,” NNPA Board Chairman John Smith wrote in his White House and CBC letter, “ thereby, indeed stimulating each and every “beloved community” to experience genuine economic justice.”

bill for the reforms. This new bill can be considerably less than people are now paying and offer greater choices. This will not occur if you do not remain vigilant and speak loudly in support of the proposal which will be most beneficial to you and your family. At the end of the day, everyone will need affordable medical coverage or the bankruptcy courts will continue to As the competing plans are being drafted and provide the only possible relief from exorbitant discussed, citizens need to become informed and medical and prescription costs. express their opinions regarding the shape and structure of these reforms. Just as individuals are Irving Joyner affected now, individuals will have to foot the private insurance carriers and allow the industry – it is called the “free market” plan which generally is not free for paying consumers — to continue to set insurance rates. Since they will be the only horse in town, a monopoly will be created which will directly benefit the insurance industry and its stockholders.

May 2009

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OUT & ABOUT Durham - The St. Joseph’s Historic Foundation, Inc. hosted its first Hayti Heritage Celebrity Golf Tournament on Friday, April 24th at Falls Village Golf Club, 115 Falls Village Dr., Durham. The event matched amateur golfers and celebrities for a day filled with great camaraderie and fun for the sole purpose of raising funds for St. Joseph’s Historic Foundation, Inc. and Hayti Heritage Center’s arts, education, and historic preservation programs.

CLOSEST TO THE PIN

Rev. Kenneth Hammond (right) accepts trophy from Wendell Davis, Golf Tournament Committee Chair and Board Member.

FIRST PLACE WINNERS

CLOSEST TO THE PIN

Dr. Edward J. Clemons, Lou Eldridge, Ed Tiryakian and Luis Glean

Joanna Gontarz (right) accepts trophy from Wendell Davis.

SECOND PLACE WINNERS

LONGEST DRIVE

Kenneth Hammond, George Ashby, Leonard Graham and Robert Jackson

Vincent Pledger (right) accepts trophy from Wendell Davis.

THIRD PLACE WINNERS Thomas Massey - LeVelle Moton HERALD SUN

Duke University Head Football Coach David Cutcliffe addresses golfers.

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May 2009

GRANVILLE COUNTY Out of the darkness...

...INTO THE LIGHT

By Minister Curtis Gatewood

GANGS MOVE INTO GRANVILLE COUNTY – OXFORD PREPARES TO FIGHT BACK Rebuilds its local NAACP, SOLO schedules gang awareness workshop Let me first congratulate and thank Spectacular Magazine for the hugely successful NC African American Cultural Festival held on April 4th in Oxford! No one expected the first event to be as well attended and fulfilling. Phyllis Coley should be commended on the vision and faith she exemplified in organizing the festival and ensuring that we experienced it being brought to fruition upon the many streets and spirits within the Oxford community.

Meanwhile however, this column must address a less pleasing reality which is beginning to plague the streets of Oxford – “gangs”. Oxford is awakening to the reality that youth will join gangs as the support systems which would normally defend and ensure their best interests, are permitted to deteriorate. Youth in Oxford, like in other parts of the nation, are continuously being left without the necessary parental supervision; lacking the caring village (i.e. “It takes the whole village…”) mentality for neighborhoods; can find only a handful of socially conscious clergy; and are “educated” by a school system which fails to understand the need for diversifying its curriculum while innovatively providing a compassionate/inclusive approach toward education.

The first component in effectively dealing with gang activity deals with gang awareness and other forms of gang-related education. Such is being planned by “Save Our Little Ones (SOLO)”, where I happen to serve as Founder.

My wife, Odessa Burnette Gatewood, who grad-

uated Summa Cum Laude (undergrad) as a Criminal Justice major; has successfully been promoted up the ranks within the North Carolina Department of Correction for the Division of Community Corrections (from Probation Parole Officer I, Probation Parole Officer II, Chief Probation Parole Officer, and now Judicial District Manager for District 509A) will represent SOLO in presenting “Gang Awareness and Prevention Workshops” for Granville and surrounding counties. Odessa has also earned a Master of Business Administration degree.

The FIRST SOLO GANG PREVENTION WORKSHOP is scheduled for SATURDAY, JUNE 13TH at 11:00 A.M. in Oxford at the PENN AVENUE MISSIONARY BAPTIST CHURCH located at 225 W. McClanahan Street. You may call (919) 9396311 for more information.

The second component in minimizing gang activity will require support and action from the community at large. According to a report by the “LiveWell Granville Youth Issues Workgroup”, during the 2006-2007 school year, a record number of 23,550 students dropped out of school in NC. Such dropouts were calculated to cost the state “more than $7.5 billion in lost income.” Yet, support for volunteer organizations in Granville County continue to dwindle, and less costly intervention programs are allowed to die.

For example, “Friends of Youth”, a mentoring program, was forced to close its doors and has been inactive in Granville County for the past couple of years or more. Prior to my writing this column, I sought answers as to why the program appears to no longer exist. I spoke with

the Director for the Friends of Youth program in Vance County. He was unsure as to what transpired in Granville County but gave me a few contacts who may have answers regarding my inquiry. Thus far I have had to leave messages with answering machines, but I will keep you and the community posted. I suspect the lack of volunteers and other community support will be found as the root cause of the program’s demise.

are paid less than workers at animal shelters.

There is plenty of blame to go around ranging from institutionalized racism; poor parenting; the dismantlement of the “village”; the lack of “black leadership”; to the accelerated blindness of the Christian church.

With that said however, the Granville County Ministerial Conference has made it possible for me to report “THE GRANVILLE COUNTY NAACP HAS OFFIAnd as my readers may know, the Granville CIALLY SURPASSED THE NUMBER OF [50] MEMCounty Branch of the National Association for BERS NEEDED TO BE REINSTATED AS AN OFFIthe Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) CIAL BRANCH OF THE NAACP!!! was also allowed to succumb through a similar fate as it fell below its required membership (of I am pleased to announce, as of May 4, 2009, The Whetstone Baptist Church of Oxford, NC 50 members). leads the Granville County churches with 18 new Keep in mind, as we speak of gang interven- NAACP memberships; closely followed by the tion, the NAACP’s role or possibilities are often Penn Avenue Missionary Baptist of Oxford who downplayed, underestimated, and ignored. has thus far turned in 14 new memberships.

When utilized effectively, the NAACP’s pro- Morning Star Baptist Church of Oxford has grammatic operation includes an “Education turned in 7, while a few other Granville churchCommittee” (designed to ensure equitable edu- es have turned in one or two memberships. cation), a “Youth Works Committee” (designed to organize and train youth to become leaders), Additionally, I have personally solicited and an “ACT-SO (Afro-Academic, Cultural, approximately 20 other memberships off the Technological and Scientific Olympics) program streets, giving Granville County thus far, 60 designed to recognize and reward the academic new memberships in addition to the 10 which talents of youth on a local, state-wide, and already existed, causing the Granville NAACP, in national stage. To allow such organizations to a matter of weeks, to move from 10 members die, while complaining about gangs is like a to 70 and growing! Thirty-four of the aforebaby who cries for milk, but not yet developed mentioned memberships were turned in to the the strength or the discipline to pick up the full North Carolina NAACP Secretary at the NC bottle which lies beside him in his crib. With NAACP Committee Meeting held in March. All the help of God, however, I will report some others collected since and up until May 16th, good news regarding our efforts to revitalize will be turned in at the NC NAACP Mother of the local NAACP. Before doing so, let me offer the Year Program. Whetstone, Penn Ave, and more reasons as to why such organizations others now have momentum and may yet help must be strengthened rather than allowed to us to reach our 100 member goal! die.

Whetstone Associate Minister, Rev. Catherine The same LiveWell report indicated that during Cooper-Mills, who is also the spouse of 2006, Granville County schools had some of Granville County Ministerial Conference the “highest” dropout rates in the state. For President, Rev. Waverly Mills assured me, example, during 2006, NC’s dropout rate was “Whetstone Baptist Church is not finished yet!”

5.04 percent, while the dropout rate for When the Lord’s people come together with Granville was 6.63 percent. Although the coun- such a spirit, there are not enough gangs in ty rate fell to 4.7 percent in 2007, the damage hell to stop us. continues to be done from previous rates, coupled by ongoing dropouts rates (which do not Minister Curtis E. Gatewood serves as Founder of “Save Our Little Ones (SOLO)” include expulsions), and the permitted disman- Gatewood based in Oxford, NC and is 2nd Vice President of the NC NAACP tling of community organizations in Granville State Conference of Branches/Units. Minister Gatewood has a County. Not to mention, struggling parents are Bachelor of Theology Degree, an Associate Degree in Early allowed to sit without end in sight, on waiting Childhood Education, and currently working on a Master of Arts lists for childcare vouchers, as childcare workers in Christian Counseling at the Apex School of Theology.

May 2009

THE NEED TO BE

By Dr. Alvin Augustus Jones For what ever reason into each life “rain falls”.

Whether at birth, during our journey or at the end, “there’s always something”. I learned a long time ago to eliminate the letter “d” from my language. It seems that every bad thing starts with that letter. Think about it. Let’s list a few, i.e. defect, disease, depression, debt, destruction, divorce, defeat, dumb, down, etc. Get my “drift.”

I wish that it was that easy to eliminate challenges in our lives. Since we can’t, we have to devise a plan to overcome each situation to be the best that we can be. You see, each of us have a need to be needed...to be fulfilled, delighted and successful. Jim Weatherly said,

To fulfill the need to be who I am in this world is all I ask. I can’t pretend to be something I’m not. And I won’t wear a mask. You touched my face with love in your eyes, but will you touch my heart with the understanding that it takes to realize I just can’t play a part. There’s the need to be true to myself and make my own mistakes and not to lean too hard on someone

SPECTACULAR else no matter what it takes. So if you’re sure it’s love, just be sure it’s love for this thing called me, cause I am what I am and I have the need to be.

I’m not foolish enough to ever think that I could be the master of my fate, but it’s up to me to choose my road in life; rocky may well be the ones I take. So if you’re sure it’s love, just be sure it’s love for this thing called me.

Cause I am what I am and I have the need to be.

It’s profitable to master your weaknesses. Some are given an opportunity at birth, like Jimmy Scott. Lou Reed said “he’s Jimmy Scott, the greatest jazz singer in the world.” Frankie Vali said “he’s a towering influence on a whole generation of young singers.” The Village Voice Newspaper said, “Jimmy Scott reminds us that some things are still worth waiting for.”

The voice of Jimmy Scott is high pitched and transcending gender and age, penetrating the listener with pure heartbreak. His voice made him a jazz star in the 1950’s. He influenced legends like Marvin Gaye to Nancy Wilson in the 1960’s and in the 1990’s it thrust him back into the limelight. The beauty of his voice is hard-

Page Thirty-One

earned. Jimmy Victor Scott was born on July 17, 1925 in Cleveland, Ohio. His nativity was a struggle. During his delivery, he was being strangled by his umbilical cord. In his book, Faith In Time, He said, “and struggle is the first thing I felt, gasping, choking. As a kid, and even as an adult, I’ve had dreams about my birth, fighting for breath, fighting for light.”

gift was faith in time with God. The first music that he sung was gospel. He said, “my mother was musically gifted enough to appreciate my individuality, even as a ten-year-old boy. She’d hear me lagging behind a hymn, and instead of scolding, she’d smile. Her smile said it all. Her smile said, I know you’re different, Victor, but I know you’re good.”

Scott idolized his mother. But when he was just 13, she was killed in a terrible car accident. This tragedy left him and his nine siblings as orphans. On top of that, he had a rare disease call Kallmann’s Syndrome, a rare genetic deficiency that disrupts and distorts sexual maturity. His private parts never fully developed. This devastating syndrome did bless him with one gift, a high unwavering singing voice. Scott was soon recognized in his hometown as a musical prodigy. While many loved and cherished his voice, others looked at him as an oddity because of his high voice and mannerism. He has been called a queer, a little girl, an old woman and a freak. Critics said that his voice sounded feminine, that he could not be categorized as male or female. When he sang, he seemed to have melodies that were in a different sync or rhythm with others. He said his heartbeat, his voice a

Helen Keller, blind and deaf from birth said, “When we do the best we can, we never know what miracle is wrought is our life, or the life of another. We all have a handicap—-big or small. But we must overcome our hardships to become better people. We must try, we must try.” Accept what God allows. It was not given to you to destroy, it’s a special dispensation that will make you an original, a one-of-a-kind treasure that we all can enjoy As an expert of achievement and folly, your success is important to me. If I can assist you in any way, please email me at alvin@dralvinjones.com, call 919-693-3540 or listen to me weekdays from 6AM-10AMEST on WCBQ-AM 1340-WHNC-AM 890 or www.dralvin.com.

May Heaven’s Best Be Yours.

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May 2009

ORANGE COUNTY NAACP Celebrates 100 Years In the Fight for Freedom, Justice and Equality

CHAPEL HILL/CARRBORO NAACP Annual Freedom Fund Banquet Saturday, May 30, 2009, 7:00 pm Carrboro Century Center Speaker: Rev. Brian Wright Music: Kings of Harmony Master of Ceremonies: Busta Brown (from 97.1 Radio) Semi-Formal Attire

Tickets: $35 Call 932-2198 or 923-8479 for ticket info (Free taxi shuttle from Hargrave Center to Century Century)

~ ~ ~ ~ ~~~~ FREEDOM FUND PRE-BANQUET SOCIAL AT THE MANSION 462 W. Franklin Street, Chapel Hill

Friday, May 29, 2009 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm FEATURING THE SACRIFICIAL POETS AND LOCAL PERFORMING ARTISTS

$10 (CAN BE PURCHASED AT THE DOOR) RSVP to: Michelle Laws 475-6388 or malaws007@gmail.com Proceeds From Both Events Benefit Youth Scholarship Fund

MASSEY AWARD RECIPIENTS HONORED FOR SERVICE TO UNIVERSITY CHAPEL HILL - The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill honored outstanding employee Pamela Breeden and five others with 2009 C. Knox Massey Distinguished Service Awards, one of the most coveted honors bestowed by Carolina.

Chancellor Holden Thorp hosted a luncheon for the recipients on Saturday (April 25th) on what was the 30th anniversary of the awards. Thorp selected this year’s recipients based on nominations from the campus community, and each honoree will receive an award citation and a $6,000 stipend.

Breeden is known as “Ms. Pam” to the students in Spencer Residence Hall who see her as someone who goes beyond her duties to help them make their home away from home the best it can be.

A second-year resident adviser said, “Never before have I encountered someone as passionate and dedicated about their job as Ms. Pam. The first day I moved into the building, Ms. Pam approached me with a smile and introduced herself. While I thought it was a facilities employee introducing herself to the resident adviser, I was wrong. Ms. Pam proceeded to introduce herself to every resident on my floor, and has encouraged communicated with all of us ever since.”

Other recipients are: . Darryl Gless, professor in the Department of English, College of Arts and Sciences; .Victoria Madden, a research specialist in the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine; .Jane Smith, associate director of University Events in University

Pamela Breeden

Advancement; .Timothy Taft, a professor of orthopaedics in the School of Medicine and director of Sports Medicine; and .Anna Wu, director of Facilities Planning and University architect.

The late C. Knox Massey of Durham created the awards in 1980 to recognize “unusual, meritorious or superior contributions” by University employees. In 1984, he joined the families of his son, Knox Massey Jr., and daughter, Kay Massey Weatherspoon, in creating the Massey-Weatherspoon fund.Income from the fund supports both the Massey Awards and Carolina Seminars, which promote interdisciplinary thought, study, discussion and intellectual interchange on a wide variety of topics.

REACH YOUR TARGET MARKET IN DURHAM, ORANGE, WAKE, VANCE GRANVILLE & PERSON COUNTIES...

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919.680.0465

May 2009

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HEALTH PARTNERS IN HEALTH brought to you by

WAYS TO CUT YOUR RISK OF STROKE: MAY IS AMERICAN STROKE MONTH Jen considered herself a young 63. Although she was overweight, she didn’t have any daily aches or pains and did all the things she had done when she was 50. Then she had the stroke, and it changed her life.

diseased with a buildup of fatty deposits, the risk and pretend nothing happened. At least a third of of a stroke increases. persons suffering a TIA will have a full-blown stroke at some time in the future, with one half of strokes In addition to diet, exercise, medications and other occurring within the next two days. measures to lower cholesterol, most persons with a risk of stroke or heart disease are advised to take It’s important to consider any stroke symptom to a small dose of daily aspirin or other medications be a medical emergency and not wait to see to help prevent the formation of clots. whether the symptom lasts.

ly to occur at an earlier age in a person of African When tests show the carotid arteries to be signifAmerican descent. icantly occluded, even if the patient is not experiencing symptoms, a surgical procedure known as a Managing Your Risks If you have an above average risk, you should be carotid endarterectomy may be performed to vigilant about early signs. But the major risk fac- remove plaque and reduce the risk of a stroke. An Although she still maintained fairly normal language tors for stroke are lifestyle matters that everyone alternative procedure is balloon angioplasty and insertion of a mesh stent. skills, Jen became unable to control movements of should try to control. her left arm and leg. She walked with a cane and HYPERTENSION, which affects more than half of ATRIAL FIBRILLATION is a rhythm disturbance that needed help bathing and getting dressed.

Americans adults, is the number one risk factor. increases the risk of blood clots. Persons with atri“If I had one day of my life to live over...” she Blood vessels in the brain, damaged from the stress al fibrillation should get treatment and take aspirin lamented. Actually, she realizes that what she need- of chronically high blood pressure, eventually or other medications to help prevent clots. ed was greater understanding of her risk factors become susceptible either to blockage or hemorDIABETES increases a person’s risk of both stroke for stroke and some long-term efforts geared rhage. and heart disease. If you have diabetes, it’s importoward prevention.

If you don’t know your blood pressure, you should. tant to control your blood sugar and take steps to Stroke is the third leading cause of death for If you’ve been diagnosed with high blood pressure, prevent and treat complications, particularly those Americans, after heart disease and cancer, and it and you’re ignoring your treatment because you involving blood vessels. When a stroke does occur, strikes suddenly and decisively. About 20 percent of feel no symptoms, you are basically a stroke wait- it is usually less severe if blood sugar is under control. strokes are fatal, and most of the rest leave the ing to happen. patient with at least some disability. Yet most Americans fail to realize the seriousness of stroke Although most persons with hypertension require Many individuals have diabetes without knowing it medication, they also benefit from lifestyle meas- or have pre-diabetes. Studies have shown that modand what they can do to protect themselves. ures–exercise, weight control and a diet rich in erate exercise and weight loss help prevent or delay diabetes and its complications.

Basically a brain attack, a stroke occurs because of fruits and vegetables and low in saturated fats. faulty blood circulation to the brain. An ischemic stroke, the most common kind, is caused by a clot Most persons with hypertension are salt sensitive, TIAs: Transient ischemic attacks or TIAs are mini or other blockage of a blood vessel in the brain and nearly everyone benefits from keeping sodium strokes. The patient experiences one or more stroke symptoms such as loss of sight in one eye or or in the neck leading to the brain. About 20 per- intake under 2000 milligrams a day. numbness or weakness on one side of the body, cent of strokes are hemorrhagic, caused by unconbut the symptoms pass within a few minutes.

SMOKING: Nicotine increases blood pressure; other trolled bleeding into the brain or the spaces sursubstances in tobacco damage blood vessels and rounding the brain. reduce the amount of oxygen the blood can carry It’s tempting–but unwise–to deny these symptoms Like a heart attack, a stroke is a medical emergency. Any delay in treatment can mean irreversible damage, resulting in disabilities similar to those Jen suffered–and greater. Frank, a former linguistics professor, has been unable to use language except in rudimentary ways since his stroke.

A stroke can occur at any age but becomes increasingly likely with advancing age. A family history of stroke also increases the risk. African Americans are particularly vulnerable; strokes are not only more common but more likely to be fatal and more like-

These symptoms include: .sudden numbness or weakness, especially on one side of the body; .sudden confusion and trouble speaking or understanding; .blindness or trouble seeing in one eye or both; .trouble walking; .dizziness, loss of balance or coordination; and .a sudden severe, unexplained headache.

Some doctors recommend a 60-second test: asking the person to smile, raise both arms and repeat a simple sentence. Failure to perform any of these tests is reason to call 911 immediately.

After the fact, Jen realizes that she should have made greater effort to control her blood pressure and cholesterol and to lose a few pounds. She definitely should not have ignored the brief period when she had double vision and a severe headache she thought was a migraine.

Although a stroke is often a bolt from the blue that seems to unfairly single out victims, there are measures that can be taken to reduce your risk.

Early attention to these measures can save you years of regret.

To find out more about stroke prevention, talk to your physician or call Granville Health System at 919-6903000. You may also visit Granville Health System online at www.granvillemedical.com.

to the brain. Smoking also makes the blood thicker and more likely to clot.

Quitting at any age reduces your risk of stroke as well as heart disease, cancer and chronic breathing disorders.

CHOLESTEROL: High levels of LDL cholesterol in the blood endanger the brain as well as the heart, and for the same reasons.When the carotid arteries carrying blood through the neck to the brain become

RETURNS NEXT MONTH

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LIFESTYLE 100 BLACK MEN OF AMERICA - TRIANGLE EAST CHAPTER PRESENTS ANNUAL SCHOLARSHIP AND AWARDS BANQUET RALEIGH - The Triangle East Chapter of 100 Black Men of America, Inc. presented their 5th Annual Scholarship and Awards Banquet at the North Raleigh Hilton on Friday, April 24th. Proceeds from the gala enable the organization to provide scholarships to deserving students and fund their programs in the areas of mentoring, economic development, health and wellness and education. The theme of this year’s Gala – A Tribute to Women - celebrates the outstanding contributions of Triangle women.

The 2009 Annual Scholarship and Awards Gala brought together business leaders, students, award honorees, as well as the entire Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill community. Guests enjoyed dinner, entertainment and the A Tribute to Women recognition ceremony. This year, local distinguished women were honored for their outstanding contributions in the areas of economic development, education, mentoring and health & wellness.

100 Black Men was founded as an organization in New York City in 1963.

The national organization, 100 Black Men of America, Inc., began with 9 chapters in 1986 as a national alliance of leading African American men of business, industry, public affairs and government. Today the organization has over 108 chapters and over 10,000 members, in the United States, England, and the Caribbean. 100 Black Men of America, Inc. has more than 100,000 youth participants annually in its mentoring and youth development programs.

The A Tribute to Women recognition ceremony honored the following outstanding women:

es as an adjunct professor in the School of Journalism and M a s s Communication at UNC-Chapel Hill.

Valerie K. Fields Ms. Fields directs an innovative and high-quality program to educate young AfricanAmericans on the value of entrepreneurship. The award-winning, signature Millionaires in Training youth entrepreneurial program has targeted underserved communities in North Carolina to expose youth between the ages of 1215 to the professional world of business and entrepreneurship. The program teaches young people the basics of entrepreneurship and about life skills in order to succeed in whatever career path they decide to take.

Over the past few years, the Millionaires in Training program has graduated close to 100 young entrepreneurs within the Triangle region – and is now working to expand statewide in collaboration with area colleges and universities. In addition to running the Millionaires in Training program, Ms. Fields is an entrepreneur in her own right as CEO of V. K. Fields Public Relations, and a licensed minister.

Valerie’s contributions to the Triangle region and the state of North Carolina are innumerable and immeasurable. As a mentor, she had influenced many young people’s lives. Because of her work, Valerie has been featured on national television, honored by many local organizations and gained national media exposure to her program and the local North Carolina communities that she has affected.

education, as well as a master’s degree, in economics at Boston College.

Recognized for her progressive and insightful observations, she is also an economist, author and commentator, and has been described by Dr. Cornel West as “the most iconoclastic public intellectual in the country.”

Dr. Malveaux’s contributions to the public dialogue on issues such as Dr. Julianne Malveaux race, culture, gender, and their economic impacts, are shaping public opinion in 21st century America.

Malveaux’s popular writing has appeared in USA Today, Black Issues in Higher Education, Ms. Magazine, Essence Magazine, and The Progressive. Indeed, Malveaux was Essence Magazine’s first college editor, having been selected in 1970 by Marcia Ann Gillespie for her winning essay, Black Love is a Bitter/Sweetness. Her weekly columns appeared for more than a decade (1990-2003) in newspapers across the country including the Los Angeles Times, The Charlotte Observer, The New Orleans Tribune, The Detroit Free Press, and The San Francisco Examiner.

Well-known for appearances on national network programs, Malveaux has hosted television and radio programs, and appeared widely as a commentator, on numerous television networks. An accomplished author and editor, her academic work is included in numerous anthologies and journals.

A committed activist and civic VALERIE K. FIELDS leader, Dr. Malveaux has held positions ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT in women’s, civil rights, and policy Valerie K. Fields was born and raised in DR. JULIANNE MALVEAUX organizations. She was President of the North Carolina and is a proud product of EDUCATION National Association of Negro Business the Wake County Public School system. Dr. Julianne Malveaux is the 15th and Professional Women’s Clubs from She attended the University of North President of Bennett College for 1995-1999, and is currently Honorary Carolina at Chapel Hill; and now teach- Women. She received her undergraduate

Co-Chair of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated. Currently, Malveaux serves on the boards of the Economic Policy Institute, The Recreation Wish List Committee of Washington, DC, and the Liberian Education Trust.

A native San Franciscan, she is the Founder and Thought Leader of Last Word Productions, Inc. a multimedia production company headquartered in Washington, DC.

DR. JOANNE WOODARD

MENTORING Dr. Joanne Woodard, Executive Director Sallie B. Howard School for the Arts, is native of Wilson, NC. She earned her undergraduate degree in Psychology from Bennett College. She then went on to the University of Michigan where she received a masters degree and a doctoral degree in Social Psychology.

In 1989 with 3 children in Wilson Public Schools, Dr. Woodard began to focus her attention on the treatment of A f r i c a n American children in educaDr. Joanne Woodard tion.

Dr. Woodard observed that AfricanAmerican children had no advocates and were being overlooked in the public school system. She felt the children weren’t encouraged and their confidence was being undermined. These concerns led Dr. Woodard to contact local churches and propose a summer youth program aimed at addressing the deficiencies she observed.

Her idea was met with great enthusiasm and with the help of parents and concerned citizens the Youth Enrichment Program launched in July 1989. A surprising 420 children from the Wilson’s poorest families showed up to enroll in the program. The program was very successful and the city and 100 Black Men continues on page 36

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This is Your Life...

BY

DEL MATTIOLI

THE “ING” OF LIFE

TakING control of the life we have right now is of utmost importance. Yet we fail to realize this.

PlannING to Del Mattioli plan is destructive.

TryING to try will never happen.

GettING ready to get ready will ruin our plans.

Why, because the “ING” never takes place. It remains a thought only.

Consider this scenario. We get up at our desired time, take action and follow through with our daily activities and return home.

Mission accomplished for the days, weeks, months, years, and decades of our life.

Everything is going just fine…so we believe.

We go to school, work, events, visit, shop, drive here and there, exercise, and participate in anything we choose to do. We have actually taken for granted that this beautiful life we have will last forever full of joy, laughter and the freedom to do whatever we like. We actually plan and carry out these choices with so much 100 Black Men continues

state took notice, they provided grants to cover meals and operational expenses.

The attraction of the program was due in part to a curriculum that included learning about African culture, encouraging the children to have precise handwriting and praising them for good conduct. For eight summers the program prospered and in 1997 after a change in state law which allowed non-profit organizations to establish public schools, the Sallie B. Howard School of the Arts and Education was born.

Operating for the past 12 years the Sallie B. Howard School of the Arts is one of the largest year round public charter schools in the state. Serving grades K-8 with a concentration on teaching and learning in, about, and through the arts is central to the mission of the school. Students have the opportunity to study dance, theatre, visual art, and music. The focus on performing and

enjoyment.

But, consider this, what happens when an unforeseen, unexpected and unplanned event occurs such as an abrupt and acute emergency visit to the hospital?

are kept? What type of health insurance coverage did they have? Do they have long term care?

Where are the life insurance policies and how much is the face amount? What about disability benefits?

And of course the most important question –who is the beneficiary? The spouse is bombarded by not only the mysterious illness, but with everything else. The spouse has to deal with the blended family, relatives of the in-laws, hospital professionals, caring for the children, bills, childcare issues, and the daily chores that the ill spouse regularly completed. And lastly, the spouse’s personal needs. Who does the spouse turn to?

Fortunately, their faith is strong!!!

No one can get the person to speak coherently or to communicate their feelings, desires and wishes. So what are you to do?

Your spouse expressed how devastated and shocked they were These circumstances are really dramatic and it of course it’s easy to say “that’s not me” but I and wants their loved one as they once were. have witnessed these circumstance many times Whatever has happened, whether it was an aller- during my 30 year career. There are some gic reaction to some medication, early dementia, things that we can do right now to help our loved temporary brain issues; whatever the diagnosis ones, our churches, our community, our children is—it is real and there is no immediate solution. and our friends. Why not take the time to write There is nothing to do but wait. The ill spouse and record instructions as to what your wishes may return to normal, what happens if it occurs are should an illness occur. again… what happens if the spouse’s life activities are altered such as driving and performing Determine who should do what and designate a spokesperson.

There are resources available their job along with other tasks. online to assist in some cases. First step is to What a traumatic experience for the family, write down your wishes.

Stop talkING about spouse, children, other family members and the it and really think about what you want to hapmedical professionals involved in trying to deter- pen if you get sick, if you are injured in an accimine what is wrong? This is a nightmare for dent, if you have a terminal illness or an on-going everyone. Everyone begins to ask: “Where are diagnosis that changes your lifestyle. Plan for the the papers? Where is the box where the papers unexpected events in your life …job loss, or a visual arts, a culturally diverse faculty and student body, a study abroad program to take its students onto the world stage, a safe and nurturing environment in which to learn, dream, and achieve makes Sallie B. Howard School for the Arts a place where every child is a star.

BRENDA E. ARMSTRONG, MD

HEALTH & WELLNESS A native North Carolinian, Dr. Brenda E. Armstrong attended Booker T. Washington HS in Rocky Mount, NC. She received her undergraduate education at Dr. Brenda E. Armstrong Duke University, attended St. Louis University School of Medicine, and did her post-graduate training in pediatrics and pediatric cardiology at UCLA and Duke, respectively.

Since 1979, Dr. Armstrong has been a

member of the faculty of Duke University Medical School.

In addition to being a tenured member of the Duke faculty, Dr. Armstrong currently serves as the Dean of Medical School Admissions where she oversees the recruitment and selection of competitive students for the School of Medicine as well as candidates for fellowship training positions in pediatric cardiology. She also serves as an associate professor of pediatrics in the Division of Pediatric Cardiology.

Her current clinical responsibilities include clinical teaching in pediatric cardiology, cardiac catheterizations, and post-operative care of infants and children with congenital heart disease. Dr. Armstrong’s research interests involve gender and race-based disparities in medical education at all levels. Other areas of interest include medical education and training for students, residents, and fellows, including quality improve-

May 2009 traumatic event which affects your ability to perform and enjoy your routine activities.

To do this requires you not to TRY but to get it done!! Not to plan but to do it, not to say… but to DO IT. Just do it right now. Set a goal to get it done and ask for assistance from someone who will haggle you to complete the tasks within a given deadline.

Encouragement from someone else will motivate you to be committed to completing the tasks.

Completing the tasks is a must for us all to take action and to stop leaving our business for others to guess. No one knows when there is not documentation.

Sometimes others left behind feel guilty for years—even a lifetime, because they never knew if the right decision was made.

Documenting your official desires encourages and enhances the family left behind and enables them to know that they have done what you was requested with no regrets and your desires were honored. The life insurance aspect is essential and I recommend that the spokesperson be made aware as to how your life insurance is structured to show good faith for all involved. Choose a company and an agent that you trust.

Del Mattioli

If you have any questions about documenting your desires, please contact Del Mattioli, Mattioli and Associates, website: www.delmattioli.com 919.401.9988 office or email: delmattioli@ft.newyorklife.com

ment initiatives in medical education, quality delivery of health services, recruitment of women and minorities into the medical field, and community outreach.

Dr. Armstrong has received numerous awards over the years in recognition of her achievements and impact in the areas of teaching, mentoring, research, and community service. She has received several awards for excellence in teaching from Duke University, been recognized many times by the National Medical Society, the American Medical Society, and the NC Medical Society, as well as by student organizations and programs around the country.

In addition, the following people were Four for the Future award winners: •Mentee of the Year - Joseph Jenkins •Man of the Year -Bernard Scott •Corporate Partner of the Year – AT&T North Carolina •Collegiate 100 Chapter of the YearNorth Carolina State University

May 2009

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Page Thirty-Seven

BETA ZETA CHAPTER OF PHI DELTA KAPPA SORORITY HOSTS 36TH ANNUAL MISS CINDERELLA PAGEANT

LITTLE MISS CINDERELLA, MISS CINDERELLA, COURT & ESCORTS

Pictuted above - left to right: Imani Chavis, Alani Alderman - Little Miss CInderella, Corey Alderman, Donjeia Jones, Jahmeal Williams, Faith Resto, Kishawna Jacobs, Gabrielle Hargrave, Isaiah Tart, Sydney Worth, Xavier Wallace, Alexis Gamble - Miss Cinderella, Owen S. "Trey" Lucas, III. Pictured right: Valerie Whitted - Miss Cinderella 1973 and Alani Alderman - Miss Cinderella Photos: Silas Mayfield 2009.

DURHAM - Alani Alderman and Alexis Gamble were crowned Little Miss Cinderella and Miss Cinderella, respectively, at the 36th Annual Pageant presented by the Beta Zeta Chapter of Phi Delta Kappa Sorority.

These young ladies, along with the other contestants Gabrielle Hargraves, Kishawna Jacobs, Sydney Worth, Imani Chavis and Donjeia Jones raised thousands of dollars to help fund scholarships and the charitable efforts of this sisterhood of teachers.

According to Basileus Maria Johnson, many other organizations,

including the UNCF and selected social programs for youth, also get the benefit of the hard work done by the contestants and their supporters.

The tenacious spirit of the Pageant Co-Chairs Tania Green and Kelli Armwood and their committee, were evident in the stage performances of these young leaders of tomorrow.

The diverse talent vignettes included piano, karate and a jazzy dance performance and the Court was treated to musical and dance tributes. Ballroom dancing never looked as darling as when performed by the contestants and their junior

marshal escorts. All contestants received several gifts from the sorority and a copy of “We are the African American Children” compliments of Artful Greetings and Spectacular Magazine.

Door prizes for an unbelievable number of attendees and the lively antics of emcee Karl Blake kept the audience engaged. The first Durham Miss Cinderella, Valerie Whitted (1973), delivered words of inspiration and reminded the families and friends that “each young person involved is a winner for showing up and trying their best!”

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May 2009

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT Cr ea ti ve C ol orf ul Pe op le by

Valerie Whitted & Karl Blake We are what some would call folks about town…if it is interesting to us, hopefully you will enjoy hearing about it, too! Creative Colorful People lets us share impressions of what we have seen and done recently and what is coming up that you might want to check out.

Warning: A Durhamite and a Philly transplant may not always agree!

This month, I am going to give you some cost-effective pointers on what you can make happen.

Summer is almost here and you know what that means? The kids may be out of school and you might be able to take some time off from work? What can you do that will entertain and not break the bank? First off, there is the matinee nearly everyday at the movies and the cost, well let’s just say it is much closer to what it cost to go the movies back in the day?

If you are really into saving, eat a good meal at home first or stuff your pockets with goodies that you like, and cut way back!

Our area museums are a perfect place to visit. Durham residents can enter the Nasher Museum of Art on the campus of Duke University FREE with proof of Durham residency and there are always great exhibits to check out.

Family Day is also a good time for the same great price with plenty of kid and family-friendly offerings.

Many of the museums in our state offer a free day or reduced rates on certain days...just give them call or do an internet search to find out all the particulars. Our trip to the NC Museum of Life and

Science, also in Durham, on a recent FREE Wednesday was a blast! Survey says, we had even more fun than the kids we adopted for the afternoon, just to make it look authentic! It surely has grown since that trip in elementary school to see the Apollo space capsule and those snakes and butterflies.

Preview

Love is going to the aquarium, any aquarium, but to be honest, is not what one would call an inexpensive date. I have not discovered any free days and because there are three on our NC coast, it can get a little pricey to catch all the sea creatures-doing their thing.

The same could be said for the NC Zoo in Asheboro, but it is worth saving up for, if you like exotic featuring (center from left to right) Jeannette Bayardelle (Celie) and LaToya animals and do not mind the out- Reunion London (Nettie). doors and that special scent!

Many of the state parks are free, or close to it, so get the family and friends together, fire up the grill and get closer to your family.

Have fun just being together...life happens and you need to recognize and explore your blessings...this is not a dress rehearsal!

Growing up we thought it was cool to hang out with family and friends at the lake, just tossing the ball, eating a dog and splashing those who didn’t want to get wet, but ventured too close to the waters edge.

That was just a brief rundown of some of the things we did in the past month...not including participating in the African American Creativve, Colorful People continues on page 39

OPRAH WINFREY PRESENTS THE COLOR PURPLE, a soul-stirring Broadway musical based on the classic Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Alice Walker and the Oscar-nominated film

by Steven Spielberg. It is the unforgettable and inspiring story of a woman named Celie, who triumphs over tremendous odds to find joy in life, and her true inner beauty. Nominated for eleven Tony® Awards, The Color Purple is a landmark theatrical event.

With a joyous GRAMMY®-nominated score featuring jazz, gospel and blues, The Color Purple is capturing the hearts of young and old, and uniting audiences in a celebration of love.

Alice Walker’s Pulitzer-Prize winning novel The Color Purple lends itself well to a stage musical in many respects. Characters like sexy, freespirited Shug Avery and Sofia seem

made for the stage, as well as the story’s rousing, heartfelt themes.

Though billed as the “The Musical About Love”, the musical and the novel on which it’s based are just as much a story about self-discovery and faith. And “The Color Purple” does not chronicle doubt and a return to faith, but rather the discovery of a whole new form of faith.

Life starts out harshly for young Celie (played by Jeannette Bayardelle) and her little sister, Nettie (played by American Idol veteran LaToya London), African-American girls in rural Georgia of 1911. Their mother has died, and at fourteen, Celie is pregnant with her second child by her predatory stepfather. Brutally separated from her babies, and then forced to marry a local widower with his own The Color Purple continues on pg 39

May 2009 Creative, Colorful People continues

Cultural Festival in Oxford, the Durham Art Walk, the Mahogany Dime Awards, the Phi Delta Kappa Cinderella Ball and the 4th Annual NC Black Summit in Raleigh where Rev. Al Sharpton told nothing but the truth. Word!

We are looking forward to checking out Mike Epps, India Ari along with Kem, The Color Purple and Steely Dan at the Durham Performing Arts Center…oh-ohoh, your chance to see the Hillside High School drama department hit “Seussical”, being performed at the Carolina Theatre for one night only, is right around the corner.

Don’t miss it this time.

SPECTACULAR Durham side of the Triangle just beyond the intersection of 55 and 54. Stanley Baird and Friends make afterwork something special with a live performance for only $5, for now...you know a deal this good can’t stay at that price forever!

So you can stay at home and wonder about what is going on in the Triangle or you can go out and be a part of the growing entertainment scene at any of our great venues, parks, museums and festivals. What about this for a novel concept, go read a book, it can be very good for you. It is your choice though...since you pay taxes, why not take advantage of the opportunities that are abundant in our area!

If you are looking for something Until next time, to do weekly check out Spicey Valerie & Karl Wednesdays at Rhumba’s on the

The Color Purple continues

wild brood of children, Celie has lost sight of God in her life. When her cruel husband prevents her from receiving Nettie’s letters, Celie comes to believe that she alone in the world.

Meanwhile, Nettie has forged an unusual life: she joins a married African-American couple on a missionary trip to Africa. It happens that the girls’ stepfather sold Celie’s babies to the couple, who have raised the young boy and girl as their own. Nettie cares for them as they grow up in the village of a tribe called the Olinka, where Nettie battles the local prejudices against girls and women. Though Celie never receives them, Nettie never ceases to write letters home.

Celie becomes a member of an extraordinary community: her stubborn stepson, Harpo, his fearless and powerful wife, Sofia, and the love of her husband’s life: the sensual, glam-

Page Thirty-Nine orous singer Shug Avery, who comes to stay. Celie discovers her own love for Shug, and experiences a sexual, emotional and spiritual awakening with Shug’s companionship. Celie finds a new kind of faith: a journey from the religious into the spiritual. As a reunion with her beloved sister and long-lost children finally seems possible, Celie discovers that her God is waiting in myriad new ways beyond the traditional rendering of Jesus: in nature, in her community, and, most importantly, in her own self-realization.

This tour of The Color Purple, with its sensational cast, will satisfy the story’s legion of fans. The Color Purple runs May 12 -17 at the Durham Performing Arts Center (123 Vivian Street). Visit the DPAC’s website at www.dpacnc.com for schedule, ticket prices and more information or call (919) 680-2787.

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May 2009