The Chicago Crusader February 1, 2014

www.chicagocrusader.com

Blacks Must Control Their Own Community

To The Unconquerable Host of Africans Who Are Laying Their Sacrifices Upon The Editorial Altar For Their Race AUDITED BY

•C•P•V•S•

VOLUME LXXIII NUMBER 41—SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 2014

PUBLISHED SINCE 1940

25 Cents and worth more

Advocates want more housing for the poor

By Wendell Hutson Without much debate the city’s Housing Committee approved a five-year housing plan this week that some housing advocates said should have included greater oversight of the Chicago Housing Authority (CHA).

Alderman Scott Waguespack (32nd) said the CHA is out of the committee’s reach and that needs to change. “We don’t have any outright authority over them,” Waguespack said. “We do need more control over what the CHA does.”

However, critics contend that Mayor Rahm Emanuel has authority to ‘police’ the CHA and should. “Affordable housing should be for everyone,” said Cheryl Johnson, a housing initiative member. “What we want from the mayor is for him to amend the city’s housing plan to require one-for-one replacement for standing public housing units.”

The plan, “Bouncing Back: Chicago’s Five-Year Housing Plan for 2014-2018,” was meant to be “more realistic” than previous five-year plans, according to Lawrence Grisham, deputy commissioner of the Bureau of Housing. It aimed to “do more with less,” maintaining 41,000 units of affordable housing even as the city faced an overall funding cut for the program from $1.6 billion for the last five years to an estimated $1.3 billion for the next five years, due mostly to federal reductions.

In a statement, the mayor said the plan

would help create more affordable housing while also improving neighborhoods. “The plan identifies issues, presents solutions

and establishes priorities for the city’s housing initiatives over the next five years, including the commitment to expand af-

fordability and reduce the burdensome cost of housing on many owners and (Continued on page 17)

ALDERMAN JOANN THOMPSON (16th) attended a City Hall news conference with housing advocates and said she is fighting for more housing choices for all residents.

Obama hopes to sidestep Congress to have ‘A Year of Action’ ago – and having seen congressional inaction on most of them – a frustrated Barack Obama promised to be more aggressive in using the power of the presidency.

In glowing review of his first five years in office, Obama said, “Here are the results of your efforts: The lowest unemployment rate in over five years. A rebounding housing market. A manufacturing sector that’s adding jobs for the first time since the 1990s. More oil produced at home than we buy from the rest of the world – the first time that’s happened in nearly 20 years. Our deficits – cut by more than half.

And for the first time in over a decade, business leaders around the world have declared that China is no longer the world’s

By George E. Curry NNPA Editor-in-Chief WASHINGTON (NNPA) – With a largely uncooperative, highly-partisan Congress headed into a mid-term election, President Obama declared in his State of the Union speech Tuesday night that he will have ‘a year of action’ by expanding economic opportunity through executive orders and other action that do not require legislative approval.

“I’m eager to work with all of you,” Obama said in a speech that lasted a little longer than an hour. “But America does not stand still – and neither will I. So wherever and whenever I can take steps without legislation to expand opportunity for more American families, “that’s what I’m going to do.”

Repeating many of the themes he sounded in his State of the Union speech a year

(Continued on page 2)

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

City to expand Match Program as ACT test could become optional (See story on page 3)

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NEWS

Obama hopes to sidestep Congress to have ‘A Year of Action’ (Continued from page 1) number one place to invest; America is.”

He continued, “…The question for everyone in this chamber, running through every decision we make this year, is whether we are going to help or hinder this progress.

For several years now, this town has been consumed by a rancorous argument over the proper size of the federal government. It’s an important debate – one that dates back to our very founding. But when that debate prevents us from carrying out even the most basic functions of our democracy – when our differences shut down government or threaten the full faith and credit of the United States – then we are not doing right by the American people.”

A major theme of the president’s speech was providing expanded opportunity for all Americans – an opportunity to get a job, to earn fair wages, to get an education and to have access to affordable health care.

“Today, after four years of economic growth, corporate profits and stock prices have rarely been higher, and those at the top have never done better. But average wages have barely budged. Inequality has deepened. Upward mobility has stalled. The cold, hard fact is that even in the midst of recovery, too many Americans are working more than ever just to get by – let alone get ahead. And too many still aren’t working at all.”

Unlike past State of the Union speeches, Obama did not call for higher tax rates on high-income earners. He also toned down his rhetoric on income inequality from a month ago when he called it, “the defining challenge of our time” and referred to a “dangerous and grow-

ing inequality and lack of upward mobility.”

A recent report by Oxfam, a London based organization that seeks to eradicate poverty, found that the wealth of one percent of the richest people in the world ($110 trillion) is 65 times the total wealth of the bottom half of the world’s population.

The Tax Policy Center, a joint venture of the Urban Institute and the Brookings Institution, collected data that shows the top fifth of the U.S. population receives 66 percent of tax-expenditure benefits, the middle 60 percent of the population receives slightly more than 31 percent and the bottom fifth receives just 2.8 percent of tax-expenditure benefits. The top one percent of the population alone receives 23.9 percent of tax-expenditure benefits.

According to a recent Pew Research Center poll, 60 percent of Americans believe the “economic system in this country unfairly favors the wealthy.” And even larger margin – 65 percent – believe the gap between the rich and everyone else has increased over the past 10 years.

But instead of getting into what his Republican critics like to call a class war, the president framed the issue Tuesday night through the lens of a lack of progress for working-class Americans.

“Let’s make this a year of action,” President Obama said. “That’s what most Americans want – for all of us in this chamber to focus on their lives, their hopes, their aspirations.

And what I believe unites the people of this nation, regardless of race or region or party, young or old, rich or poor, is the simple, profound

belief in opportunity for all – the notion that if you work hard and take responsibility, you can get ahead.”

In an action on Tuesday, President Obama issued an executive order raising the minimum wage for federal contract workers from $7.25 an hour to $10.10.

To raise the minimum wage beyond federal contractors, as Obama has been urging for more than a year, he will need the support of Congress. He will also need cooperation from the House and Senate to act on other issues such as immigration, extending unemployment benefits, tax reform and expanding pre-K education.

Although White House officials are predicting some progress on farm legislation and immigration,

they recognize that partisan politics traditionally grow even more partisan in a mid-term election, especially during a president’s second term.

Consequently, the administration is advancing a series of modest initiatives, including: Directing the Treasury Department to create a starter retirement savings account, called “myRA”; Hosting a White House summit on working families; Having Vice President Joe Biden lead a review of the federal job training system; Streamlining federal regulations covering construction of manufacturing factories that rely on natural gas and Convening a group of CEOs to solicit their ideas on how best to get

unemployed workers back into the job market.

On CNN Tuesday night, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich criticized President Obama for taking so long to use the authority he has to issue executive orders, which are presidential directives that interpret the constitution and federal laws without needing the approval of Congress.

According to the National Archives and The American Presidency Project, President Obama has issued 168 executive orders. His 147 during his first term was the fewest by a president in more than 100 years. By contrast, in their first terms, Ronald Reagan issued 213, Bill Clinton 200 and George W. Bush 173.

War hero, judge and world traveler John Rogers, Sr. passes John Rogers, Sr., who made an indelible mark on history and Chicago, was remembered recently as someone who demanded excellence but also “witnessed history from the birth of the Civil Rights Movement to the end of apartheid.”

Mr. Rogers, 95, a former Cook County judge and father of John Rogers, Jr., founder of Ariel Investments, died January 21 at the University of Chicago Medical Center.

Although he was raised in Knoxville, Tenn. at a time when de facto segregation was the standard of the day, Mr. Rogers volunteered for the U.S. Air Force, ultimately becoming one of the famed Tusk- egee Airmen. As a member of the 99th Pursuit Squadron, he flew 120 missions over Italy. He became known among other pilots for his impeccable preparation and precision.

Many considered him one of the squadron’s best dive-bomber pilots.

The all-Black squadron’s legacy is 2

Saturday, February 1, 2014

the award-winning movie “Red Tails.” President Barack Obama invited Mr. Rogers, whom he had known long before moving into the White House, and other Tuskegee Airmen to screen the movie there.

Chicagoan and Obama senior adviser Valerie Jarrett recalled how proud Mr. Rogers was to be at the White House with his colleagues to screen a movie recounting their collective heroism. “I will never forget the look on Jack’s face when he walked into the room, because Jack knew the President long before he was president.

“The President went over to hug him,” Jarrett said.

When Mr. Rogers watched the movie after the White House screening, he would move his hand as though he were flying, according to his granddaughter Victoria Rogers. “He said he could remember the tension,” she said.

Like many Black veterans of the Second World War, Mr. Rogers

John Rogers, Sr. faced discrimination on his return to the United States. Already equipped with a teaching certificate from Chicago Teachers College (now Chicago State University), Mr. Rogers tried to enroll in the University of Chicago Law School.

The day after he was denied admission, Mr. Rogers returned to the school wearing his captain’s uniform and said he would take any

test the law school had. He was admitted and ultimately became a successful attorney who partnered with Earl Strayhorn, who also became a judge. Mr. Rogers’ first wife, thenJewel Stanford was part of the firm.

She was the first Black female to graduate from the University of Chicago Law School.

Mr. Rogers, who became a trustee of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District, at one point shared office space with Earl Langdon Neal.

Mr. Rogers left private practice and spent 21 years as a juvenile court judge, ultimately becoming a supervising judge.

At Mr. Rogers’ service at the University of Chicago’s Rockefeller Chapel, he was eulogized by the Revs. Jesse Jackson and Michael Pfleger. Jackson described Mr. Rogers as “a cast member of change,” an “activist scholar” and a man who “spread hope in the midst of despair.”

“From his service as a Tuskegee Airman to his appointment as a dis-

BLACKS MUST CONTROL THEIR OWN COMMUNITY

tinguished judge, he was a leader,” Michael Schill, dean of the University of Chicago Law School said.

The service was attended by some of the city’s most prominent business and judicial leaders including Mellody Hobson, president of Ariel, James Reynolds, president of Loop Capitol; Judge Rodney Hughes Brooks, Marty Nesbitt, CEO of the Parking Spot; filmmaker George Lucas, Bill Daley, former J.P. Morgan Chase Midwest President; Marc Schulman, Eli Cheesecake president.

Several local and national organizations benefitted from Mr. Rogers’ insights, including the NAACP and the Urban League. He and his fellow Airmen were feted in 2007 in a ceremony at the nation’s Capitol where they were honored with the Congressional Gold Medal.

Besides his son, Mr. Rogers is survived by his wife, Gwen, and his granddaughter. He is interred at Oak Woods Cemetery. www.chicagocrusader.com

NEWS

City to expand Match Program as ACT test could become optional

By J. Coyden Palmer Two important changes could be coming to the academic curriculum of Chicago Public School students. On Jan. 27, Mayor Rahm Emanuel in partnership with the University of Chicago Urban Education Lab announced an expansion of the Match program, which they claim has closed the math achievement gap for CPS students in economically deprived areas.

Also, last week the state’s top education officer recommended to the Illinois State Board of Education that starting next school year the ACT exam should become optional and not mandatory.

Match is an intensive tutoring and mentoring program. It is geared towards those most at risk of becoming high school dropouts. The program’s benefits were equivalent to closing more than half of the average achievement gap in math test scores between white and Black students, according to a study released by the Lab school. Emanuel said the expansion of the program will allow it to reach an additional 1,000 students next year.

“This study is welcome news to students, teachers and families who have been working to tackle

the achievement gap facing too many of our students,” Emanuel said. “To build off the program’s proven track record of success, our goal is to expand access to the Match and BAM programs to reach 1,000 students by next school year. This partnership with the University of Chicago is part of a larger city-wide strategy to invest in expanding youth access to learning, mentoring and employment opportunities that will better ensure all of our students graduate 100 percent college ready and 100 percent college bound.”

The Match program involves introducing an intensive tutoring regimen to the participants. According to the study, all participants were African American males from low-income families.

The tutoring regimen was varied to see which had the greatest impact.

One group of four dozen students were randomly selected to receive, in addition to Match tutoring, individualized, two-onone math tutoring for one hour per day, every day. They also participated in Becoming a Man (BAM), a non-academic intervention program that uses elements of cognitive-behavioral therapy and non-traditional sports activi-

Teacher recruitment program aimed at minorities

By Wendell Hutson A teacher recruitment program proposed by the nonprofit Noble Network of Charter Schools could result in the hiring of more minority teachers, especially Black instructors.

Noble officials said while the program will target its alumni, it is open to all graduates who have a bachelor’s degree. A total of 40 instructors will be admitted into the two-year program that will pay an unspecified stipend their first year and a full-time salary to teach at one of Noble’s 16 high schools their second year.

Noble officials said it plans to partner with Relay Graduate School of Education to launch the “Noble-Relay Teaching Residency” program. Pending Relay’s approval from the Illinois Board of Higher Education, instructors would begin taking graduate classes in July.

Noble alumni will enroll in Relay to earn a master’s in teaching, while simultaneously working as a teacher resident at one of its high schools. “Noble is making a promise to future students that many of their teachers will understand their challenges and help them succeed having personally experienced and benefitted from the Noble model,” said Michael Milkie, co-founder, www.chicagocrusader.com

ties to strengthen social-cognitive skills, including self-regulation and impulse control. In addition, another 24 male students were randomly selected to participate in BAM alone; the remaining 34 students in the control group did not participate in the additional programs but were eligible for the school’s existing academic support programs. Based on the results of the pilot study, the combination of BAM and Match brought large gains.

“By broadening access to the Match Education program, led by the University of Chicago Urban Education Lab, we are strengthening the district’s commitment to ensuring all students, particularly our most vulnerable,

are prepared for success in the classroom and in life,” said CPS CEO Barbara Byrd-Bennett, who backs the expansion. “This innovative model for driving academic achievement is a welcomed addition to the District’s rigorous plan to foster growth and success in and outside of the classroom.”

The ACT exam, long known as the exam that can determine what choices a student has for college, could become voluntary in their junior year. The state’s top education officer, Superintendent Dr. Christopher Koch, told the state education board the mandatory test, which is funded by taxpayers, should become voluntary, which means parents would have to pay for the exam if a student wants to

take it in their junior year. He added that low-income students would not have to pay for the exam, which is generally given during the junior year and again in the senior year. Koch says because of new standardized tests coming in the spring of 2015, he does not want Illinois students being stressed too much on standardized tests.

“We shouldn’t be requiring both the ACT and the new mandated tests,” Koch told the board. “That could be too much for students to handle in one school year.”

But that recommendation is not sitting well with many. Sources at Harper High school said it is important for many African American students to be able to take the exam twice because it is culturally biased. The source, who could not be indentified due to the sensitive nature of their job at the school, said taking the test in the junior year gives Black kids the chance to see what they are getting into and where they need to improve.

“It’s like a test run,” the source said. “Because each school teaches at a different pace, our kids are often unprepared for the ACT exam. Being able to take it twice benefits them because they know exactly where they stand and how and if they need to improve their scores for the colleges they are interested in.”

Lawmakers will decide this spring on the ACT change CPS officials offered no comments.

superintendent and CEO of Noble. This partnership with Relay GSE will allow Noble alumni to impact our growing student body as they prepare to follow in the footsteps of 3,500 Noble graduates.”

Garland Thomas-McDavid, principal of Johnson College Preparatory High School, a Noble school, said the school’s student population is 750 and 98 percent are Black, while minority teachers account for 47 percent.

“Certainly I would love to receive more minority teachers from the program, especially, if they are from the Englewood community,” she said. “I think this program is a win-win for everyone.”

The Chicago Teachers Union agreed that more minority teachers are needed, but disagreed with Noble’s approach.

“A year of taking classes two days a week while assuming full-time, school-based responsibilities is not a sustainable model,” explained Jack Potter, staff coordinator for the CTU. “(And) the intent of Noble to hasten the teacher induction process is part of the cheapening of educational certification programs nationwide ushered in by groups like Teach For America.”

For more information about the program, call 312-521-5287.

BLACKS MUST CONTROL THEIR OWN COMMUNITY

Saturday, February 1, 2014

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EDITORIAL

EDITORIAL DIVERSITY IS NEEDED IN PUBLIC EDUCATION A lot has been said about the lack of progress that African American youth seem to be having in public school systems.

It has been reported that there are a large number of drop-outs each year. Alternative schools are chief among those that take up some of the slack, but a closer look needs to be taken at where some of the probable causes of the situation may lie.

First off, education is not a one size fits all proposition. People have diverse learning styles, and this should always be taken into account when addressing the needs of students. Some students are better at understanding lessons visually, some auditory, and some are kinesthetic or tactile learners. Moreover, many students demonstrate a combination of these learning styles. Because of this, every classroom should make accommodations for these differences.

A bigger problem looming in public education, however, is that students are only provided with activities that focus on left-brain functioning. Right brain activities, which can be addressed through creative processes, are usually not the focus of public education. The left brain deals with sequential learning, with logic, with quantification and language concepts.

The left brain is predominate in science and math careers, in law, and just about in any endeavor that will make students marketable in the workplace. The focus is on productivity, segmentation, following orders, and fitting a regimented structure. Timeliness and conformity are left brain norms.

The right brain, on the other hand, is the artist, the dreamer, the creative genius, the thinker without prescribed boundaries. If it is examined more carefully, it may be found that many at-risk African American students tend to be more interested in right-brain pursuits rather than in left-brain offerings. This is not to say that all African American students are right-brain oriented; it just appears that many of the ones who drop out, or who are at-risk for dropping out, tend to be right-brained individuals. These are the rappers, the dancers, the non-conformists, the ones who are always late to class.

This may be why so many African American youth aspire to careers in music or other areas of entertainment; they see people like themselves excelling in these fields.

The ideal situation, however, is that both sides of the brain should be stimulated in learning activities. The right-brain logic oriented scientist and the left-brain artist in each of us should link up in order to reach new levels of understanding.

In other words, that which cannot be understood using one approach can often be tackled from another angle — creative insight is often the key that separates the rank and file from the high achievers. A case in point was the late Steve Jobs of Apple Computer fame. One of the things that helped Apple step up and lead the home computer pack was the focus on technology AND beauty. Jobs was not just satisfied with a well-constructed computer; he wanted them to look good as well. He was sensitive to the esthetics involved.

Our students need to have their right brain issues addressed in a more systematic manner if they are to succeed. Rote, noncreative activities are boring to many of them. It has been known for some time that right-brain arts activities tend to enhance left-brain reading and math skills. We should take our cue from this and ensure that students are provided with a balanced approach to education. A luta continua.

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Saturday, February 1, 2014

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Let’s get rid of the legislators Dear editor: Now we see that Mike Madigan and John Cullerton’s pension reform bill will not generate the savings and reductions in outstanding debts the two legislators claim we would realize.

The $15 billion shortfall from the estimate is inexcusable given the number of staff elected officials have. The wrong estimate sends the clear message that one of the most critical issues in the state is being mishandled due to ineptness and politics.

The political aspect forces some pols to do a lot of horse-trading even when they are fully aware their vote and decision is not best for the state. They support a bad bill here to gain support for their bill(s) down the road.

Had the state legislators turned the pension reform issue over to a group of professional financial advisers, and probably some academics who are well versed in government budgets; we would probably be on a path to pension solvency.

As long as legislators believe they have the best answers, we will continue to be mired in debt.

Our credit rating will continue to fall and the cost of living and doing business in this state will become more and more expensive.

I don’t know how we can get those folks in Springfield to acknowledge that this problem is

way over their heads. I do know though that as long as it is not in the hands of financial professionals, a resolution to the pension crisis is nowhere in sight.

Adam Beatty

What has the CDC done?

Dear Editor: Well it looks like we have our D.C. version of Family Feud. The Congressional Black Caucus has its nose out of joint saying they can’t support the Black president because he has not appointed enough Black judges.

So they send out news releases about how unhappy about it they are, making sure as many folks as possible know about it.

It is easy to understand their point to some extent. At the same though, I am wondering how much the CBC has done to advance Black causes. When I look at the voting record of Congressman Bobby Rush, I don’t understand why he is even in Congress anymore. He did not vote more than he voted. But that is being parochial.

On the bigger scale what has the entire CBC done for Black America? Two terms ago Danny Davis got the rest of the CBC to move on the Second Chance Act. This was legislation that would benefit millions of young African Americans with a criminal background.

Unfortunately, the Republican

BLACKS MUST CONTROL THEIR OWN COMMUNITY

majority stopped this bill from getting proper funding. Why has not the CBC done more to revive it and get the necessary funding?

What has that group done about the disparities in educational funding in nearly every major city in the county? The CBC has done more sitting on the sidelines than advocating for the Affordable Care Act, and Lord knows Black folks sorely need this. Had they gotten out and evangelized about it early on, (Continued on page 17)

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COMMENTARY

UAW – Heading South with a Bullet Beyond The Rhetoric

By Harry C. Alford NNPA Columnist The United Auto Workers union was once a powerful, large, proud and effective organization.

It reached its prominence under Walther Reuther (1907 – 1970).

His life was full of fire. He was a long-term socialist who dabbled with communism. He even spent some time in the Soviet Union and had praise for its system. His tenure with the UAW was quite positive as he transformed “wage slaves” to a well-paid group of workers with benefits that brought many to envy. Mr. Reuther also was involved in the Civil Rights Era. He was good friends with Rev. Martin Luther King and would participate in many of Rev. King’s events including the March on Washington in 1963. The legend died in a suspicious plane crash.

There were previous attempts on his life and I figure that J. Edgar Hoover may have had something to do with it. It was during the same time the FBI messed with Rev. King, Malcolm X and others who wanted true freedom.

The FBI has a 200-page investigative report on the plane crash

Harry C. Alford but will not share it with the public.

The demise of Walther Reuther has had a serious impact on the UAW. The union began to flex its power without wisdom. It fought for benefits and salaries that were largesse. I lived in Detroit in the 1970’s and it was common to hear auto workers bragging about their big paychecks, lunch at the designated bar, 30 years retirement plan (30 and out). Oh, they were booming!

Then came the 1980’s and things started changing for the

worse. Foreign auto manufacturers entered the US market and created serious competition for US automakers. We were stubborn about the changes from the Clean Air Act, which has made an incredible difference for our local environment. That and the cost of gasoline threw our automakers for an incredible spiral downward in sales and profits.

We almost lost Chrysler a few times (Fiat from Italy is the principal owner now). General Motors and Ford have been on the ropes more than once also. Our auto industry has been damaged and the onerous union demands have played a role in that.

Today, the UAW is not what it once was. Since 1979, its membership has shrunk by 75 percent.

There has been a boom in plant openings but these plants do not cater to the UAW. They are built in rural areas to meet the Clean Air Act requirements – usually in the South. In communities that were once impoverished gigantic auto plants have become a common thing. With these plants come numerous suppliers feeding the needs of the automakers.

With that comes new housing, restaurants, hotels, retail centers and on and on. Take little Can-

ton, Mississippi for an example.

That Nissan plant hires 16,000 well paid employees and has stimulated industrial parks and an economic boom to central Mississippi. The workers are happy and they are not going to ruin their good thing.

It is not coincidental that these new plants are in Texas, Mississippi, Tennessee, Alabama, South Carolina, etc. These are right-towork states. Workers cannot be forced to join a union. The size of each of these plants is absolutely gigantic compared to the standard US plants that are mostly located in the North. They are big and full of workers. These workers will never become union members. Thus, the UAW is up against the wall. One big question is can they afford to keep paying for those big retirement packages they settled on in the 1970’s? Probably not.

The UAW is quite desperate right now. They have to find a way to grow membership or risk destruction. Their current president, Bob King, is staking his legacy on organizing these giant plants representing international automakers in the South. I believe he has a big problem. He wants to change a culture and

way of life in a part of this nation where the people are proud and hold a natural work ethic. How he wants to do it is “old school union” and that isn’t going to work in this high tech era. How do you convince a person to shake down his boss simply for the hustle of it and pay a part to the instigator (union dues)? They are doing fine and will not mess that up.

The strategy is two-fold. One is to organize a small group of workers and have them intimidate the other workers to vote on unionizing. This is known as the “card check scheme.” Another and more insulting method is to declare unionizing as part of the Civil Rights Movement. This has nothing to do with race, discrimination or inhumanity. They have even paid Black ministers and local civil rights organizations to protest on their behalf. The public is not going to be fooled. Detroit is officially bankrupt and Michigan is now a right-to-work state. Goodbye UAW. Mr. Alford is the co-founder, President/CEO of the National Black Chamber of Commerce®.Website: www.nationalbcc.org.

Email: halford@nationalbcc.org.

Obama Seeks to Do Something with Do-Nothing Congress

By George E. Curry NNPA Columnist President Obama’s State of the Union speech Tuesday night, parts of which were shared over the weekend, was designed to be upbeat and to again sketch his vision for an economically “United” States of America. But this year’s speech, like the one a year ago and like his second inaugural address, was a gallant effort to remain relevant during an era of a do-nothing Congress that will do even less in 2014.

Heading into his sixth year of office, President Obama has finally accepted the reality that he can’t change Washington. At least, not for the better. Having already passed the Affordable Health Care Act, the signature accomplishment of his administration, Obama’s goal in his last two years will be less ambitious: to continue to improve the economy, lower the unemployment rate, expand access to early childhood education, enact immigration reform, make progress on climate control and curb the nation’s propensity to get entangled in wars that have little, if anything, to do with our national security.

With many of his proposals lost in the logjam of Congress, President Obama now plans to do www.chicagocrusader.com

more by executive order, according to his aides. Speaking Sunday on ABC’s “This Week,” Press Secretary Jay Carney said, “What we saw in 2013 was a Washington that did not deliver for the American people. The president sees this as a year of action, work with Congress where he can and to bypass Congress where necessary…”

According to the Washington Post, White House senior adviser Dan Pfeiffer has submitted a threepage memo that outlines a different strategy for 2014.

“Among its conclusions is that Obama, a former state legislator and U.S. senator, too often governed more like a prime minister than a president. In a parliamentary system, a prime minister is elected by lawmakers and thus beholden to them in ways a president is not. As a result, Washington veterans have been brought into the West Wing to emphasize an executive style of governing that aims to sidestep Congress more often.”

That means more executive orders and leaving the legislative haggling primarily to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nevada).

Obama understands that the Republican-controlled House in particular will continue to obstruct whatever legislative plans he might offer.

According to the Pew Research

George E. Curry Center, the 113th Congress is on track to be one of the least productive.” Unlike most measurements that only take into account the amount of legislation passed, Pew tallied only substantive legislation and found this Congress lacking.

Consequently, according to another Pew survey, “Views of Congress remain historically negative: just 21 percent have a favorable opinion of Congress while 70 percent view it unfavorably. Opinions of Congress fell to a 20-year low in August 2011, following the contentious debate over raising the nation’s debt ceiling, and have never recovered.

“Large majorities across nearly all

demographic and partisan groups have an unfavorable impression of Congress. About seven-in-ten independents (73%) view Congress unfavorably, as do 69 percent of Democrats and 67 percent of Republicans.”

In a break from his normal over cautiousness, President Obama acknowledged that race may be a factor in the strong oppositions to his programs.

“There’s no doubt that there’s some folks who just really dislike me because they don’t like the idea of a Black President,” Obama told the New Yorker magazine in an interview. “There is a historic connection between some of the arguments that we have politically and the history of race in our country, and sometimes it’s hard to disentangle those issues.”

Obama is not the only one who thinks race drives many of his opponents. A Rasmussen poll last November found: “One-in-four voters believes racism is the driving factor behind opposition to his [Obama’s] policies.”

While Obama is unlikely to make any progress on race, he hopes that anger over huge corporate profits and record Wall Street gains will be a rallying point for both Democrats and Republicans.

According to the Tax Policy Center, the top fifth of the population

BLACKS MUST CONTROL THEIR OWN COMMUNITY

receives 66 percent of tax-expenditure benefits, the middle 60 percent of the population receives a little more than 31 percent of tax-expenditure benefits, the bottom fifth receives just 2.8 percent of tax-expenditure benefits and the top 1 percent of the population receives 23.9 percent of taxexpenditure benefits. And the report pointed out, “That’s more than eight times as much as the bottom fifth of the population, and nearly as much as the middle 60 percent of the population.”

Republicans, traditional protectors of the rich, aren’t likely to join President Obama in trying to narrow the gap between rich and poor. And they’re even less likely to do so in a mid-term election year, a time the party in power usually looses seats in Congress.

George E. Curry, former editor-in-chief of Emerge magazine, is editor-in-chief of the National Newspaper Publishers Association News Service (NNPA.) He is a keynote speaker, moderator, and media coach. Curry can be reached through his Web site, www.georgecurry.com. You can also follow him at www.twitter. com/currygeorge and George E. Curry Fan Page on Facebook.

Saturday, February 1, 2014

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COMMENTARY

THE NEW MEANING OF AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY MONTH Dr. Conrad Worrill, Director/Professor, Carruthers Center for Inner City Studies (CCICS) located at 700 East Oakwood Blvd, Chicago, Illinois, 60653, 773-268-7500, Fax: 773-268-3835 E-mail: c-worrill@neiu.edu, Website: www.ccicschicago.org, Twitter: @CCICS_ Chicago.

Dr. Conrad Worrill

The African Centered Education Movement has brought a new meaning to the annual African American History Month celebrations that have become so popular.

That new meaning of African Centered thought, as defined by Dr. Wade Nobles, “is nothing more

than a term categorizing a quality of thought and practice which is rooted in the cultural image and interest of African people and which represents and reflects the life experiences, history and traditions of African people as the center of analyses.” With this definition it is clear that we must study the liberation of African people.

Dr. Nobles further states that African Centered thought is, “the intellectual and philosophical foundations upon which African people should create their own scientific criterion for authenticating human reality.”

Through the African Centered Education Movement, African American History Month has now become the catalyst for the intense study of Africa and the history of African people throughout the world 365 days a year. We must pay particular attention in our studies to the history of the Reparations Movement.

Dr. Carter G. Woodson, who founded in February of 1926 what at that time was called “Negro History Week,” would indeed be inspired by the continuing discussion and debate over the infusion of the contributions of African people in all subjects. Dr. Woodson was deeply concerned that the contributions of African people to this society and the world were not given their proper recognition.

Dr. Woodson’s great book The Miseducation of the Negro, written in 1933, described in the first chapter titled, “The Seat of the Trouble,” the essence of what the African Centered Curriculum Movement is battling against today— 80 years later.

Dr. Woodson explained that, “Of the hundreds of Negro high schools recently examined (1933) by an expert in the United States Bureau of Education, only eighteen offer a course taking up the history of the Negro, and in most of the Negro colleges and universities where the Negro is thought of, the race is studied only as a problem or dismissed as of little consequence.”

Continuing on, Dr. Woodson gave an example of, “an officer of a Negro university, thinking that an additional course on the Negro should be given there, called upon a Negro Doctor of Philosophy on the faculty to offer such work. He promptly informed the officer that he knew nothing about the Negro.

He did not go to school to waste his time that way. He went to be educated in a system which dismissed the Negro as a nonentity.”

Obviously, since the writing of this great book, we have come a long way in our battle against challenging the white supremacy foundation of the American public school curriculum. However, we still have a long way to go!

The Black Movement of the 1960s gave us an impetus to reexamine our history and its impact on this country and the world. This movement brought on renewed interest, on the part of our people, to study our history.

We moved from the use of the term “Negro” in referring to ourselves and began to use “Black” as the more appropriate way to describe who we are. We went from Black History Week to Black History Month. In fact, some of us began to refer to the month of February as Black Liberation Month.

It was through the movement of the 1960s, particularly the Black Power Phase that we began to reidentify with our homeland— Africa, and the interconnection of African people throughout the world.

The Black student movement of the 1960s sparked demands for courses in Black Studies that lead the famous strike at San Francisco State University.

After a long battle with the administration at the university, the students finally won a victory for the first Black Studies Program to be established at an American college or university. As a result, a movement for Black Studies erupted all over America and stimulated at the elementary and secondary levels demands from courses dealing with Black History.

As we have come full circle today in our general acceptance of being African People, whose ancestral homeland is Africa, we are also beginning to recognize that African American History Month celebrations and activities are great, but the contributions of African people must be emphasized throughout the year.

There is no question that the setting aside of the month of February, as an extension of Dr. Woodson’s original idea of “Negro History Week” is something that we need to continue to support and institutionalize vigorously.

However, we are quite clear that the real meaning of African American History Month in this era, is to take the spirit from all the celebrations, great speeches, great entertainment and festive events to establish as a major agenda item in our movement, the serious study of the contributions of African people 365 days a year.

The basis of the current African Centered Education Movement, whose objective is to take control of the education of African people in America as we struggle to insure that the truth is taught in all institutions, in our communities and particularly in our schools.

We must take the spirit of African American History Month to another level. Our history must be studied throughout the year!

Awakened from a Dream

By Julianne Malveaux NNPA Columnist Mid-January is the time when Dr. Martin Luther King’s birthday is commemorated. Cities, towns, and colleges across the country lift their voices and raise up the language of Dr. King’s dream that people are judged by the content of their character and not the color of their skin. They cherry pick the King dream, forgetting that he also spoke to the “check marked insufficient funds” and the fact that African American people always got the short end of the economic stick.

Members of Congress, mayors and governors, issue proclamations and speak to their constituents about the dream. Some of these speakers have worked in direct opposition to King’s dream, cutting food stamps, refusing to extend unemployment coverage for those whose checks were cut off on December 28, nearly a month ago.

They talk the talk and they don’t walk the walk. They are marching to the dream of a different drummer.

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Saturday, February 1, 2014

I am writing after the fact because it is never after the fact. The hypocrites who rail about social and economic justice need to be held to some standard. They need to be confronted about their hypocrisy around the dream. They need to read all of King, not just the passages that mollify them and make them feel good. They cannot dream a dream of social equity without working for economic equity.

I have the same criticism for my hiphop brothers and sisters who can set almost anything to music. Why not take the words “cash the check” and educate our young people about what Dr. King really said. The generation who can electric slide from the Negro National Anthem (I am not kidding – I’ve seen it) ought to be able to slide their way to a freedom song. Instead they mostly myopically enjoy the music, not the words.

My preacher brothers and sisters, too, take snippets of the King dream and turn it into a sermon. Why not tell the whole story about Dr. King being rejected by his supporters when he

Dr. Julianne Malveaux connected poverty and racism with Vietnam. Supporters turned their backs on him. The foundation that once embraced his work dropped him because he told the truth. People who vied for his company suddenly shunned him. Now he is a hero.

In 1968, seventy-two percent of all white people disapproved of Dr. King, as did 55 percent of all Black people.

Black folks have racial fealty, but not racial radicalism. Were it not for racism, too many African American people would embrace some aspects of conservatism. That’s why too many of us celebrate President Barack Obama without analyzing the work he has done.

Indeed, Africa American people have a schizophrenic relationship with President Obama. We like his swag, his confident representation of a powerful Black man. We are ambivalent about the ways he has used his power, too often to essentially ignore the challenges that the Black community faces. He says this year will be his year of action around income inequality, poverty, and unemployment, and we all understand that action trickles down. Will it trickle down to us? Our President, he of Black man swagger and confidence, will not say.

What will this year of action mean?

Five areas have been selected as experimental areas where funds and focus will be targeted. Each of these areas has challenges, but it would have been

BLACKS MUST CONTROL THEIR OWN COMMUNITY

powerful if he had highlighted the area, just a stone’s throw away from the White House, where African American men and women have unemployment rates that exceed 20 percent, where teens who want to work cannot find jobs, where the King dream is nothing more than a nightmare for them, where their pain is hardly addressed.

Hypocrisy and hip-hopcrisy. Elders and young’uns both speak of the dream but hardly embrace it. There is a week of commemoration and then we move on. If the dream is real, it is not a weeklong dream; it is an affirmation of those things Dr. King cared about — the eradication of poverty, social and economic equity, voting rights, and peace. We have attained none of these dreams, yet we commemorate the dreamer.

Julianne Malveaux is a Washington, D.C.-based economist and writer. She is President Emerita of Bennett College for Women in Greensboro, N.C. www.chicagocrusader.com

COMMUNITY

that cheap store that stole your credit card numbers. We’re talking the bullseye on the backs of several City Council members who have pissed off just about

HE’S A FIGHTER Disgraced State Rep. Derrick Smith has vowed to fight until the bitter end to keep his job in the wake of the feds charging him with corruption and despite he needs to fire his tailor. His race is so close people are now saying

AKA Wannabees Valerie Jarrett year. While some want the 50foot-woman who runs the County Board to be the next mayor, Emma Mitts everybody, except the people they gave birth to. Some man at the Dollar Store called the roll of people who are on the political Negro

Derrick Smith that powers that be actually want him to win—that way when he is convicted, as they believe he will be, they can then replace him with the person of their choice.

And, we hear that may be with yet

Stop this please. Next they gonna sue Tampon and Tampax and Kotex for not creating a hygeine product for their behinds (and yes we mean that literally). The AKAs are a good bunch of sisters who ain’t as stuck up as the red-wearing Deltas, so we support them as they fight off the gay invasion of their private, secret fraternal order that has no real political presence in Black America. And, Tyrone you do NOT look good in those heels and red lipstick. So stop it please.

-ImaTITHE MONEY MISSING A popular pastor of a South Side church has warned his congrega-

tion that he will find out which one of his ushers took some tithe money. Known to give a lot of exoffenders a chance at being one with De Lawd, this pastor publicly accused one person of doing the dirty deed and caused a whole lot of mess in his congregation.

That $1,500 was supposed to go to fixing his house (oops)...we mean the poor and he don’t like real crooks stealing from his sheeps. What’s sad is this same minister was actually sent to jail for financial crimes—but was forgiven and put right back in charge of his congregations hard-won earnings, after he did a quick three years. We hope this does not settle because the more we hear about this the funnier it sounds.

Roland Burris

Secretary of State Jesse White another disgraced West Side politician—Annazette Collins. That spells bad news to the two dupes being backed by former alderman Ed Smith and the most powerful, all-knowing, all-seeing Secretary of State Jesse White.

-ImaSTILL SCRAMBLIN’ People mad at the little Emperor who occupies the fifth floor of the most powerful seat in Cook County are still running around trying to find someone with courage to take him on later this www.chicagocrusader.com

others claim she “aint’ no better than he is...” when it comes to stuff they care about, like hog killing season and the best way to trap a raccoon. But one group has been secretly wooing somebody whose been out of politics long enough to redeem themselves and return a “changed” political leader. These people figure that “they all crooks anyway,” and their person, “ain’t never been federally convicted of nothing,” so why not go after little Emanuel. Still, one even smaller group has been vowing to convince President Obammay’s top advisor Valerie Jarrett to “come back home and run” as mayor. So far no one has evoked the name of 80-year-old Roland Burris, who though he would make a good chief of the city, wouldn’t hire Black folk and would soon forget who got him in there in the first place.

-ImaSPEAKING OF TARGET And no, we ain’t talkin’ ‘bout

Will Burns hit list: Emma Mitts, Howard Brookins, Michael Chandler, Latasha Thomas, Lona Lane, Will Burns, that lady nobody knows in the 7th Ward and Anthony Beale.

They say they would go after Walter Burnett, but he’s too entrenched and provides much laughter when he stands up to give speeches.

-ImaTYRONE WANTS TO BE A WHAT? What does Tyrone, Keshawn, Andre and James Jr., have against the Alphas, Ques and Kappas? Because a group of Black men are trying to sue the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority (AKA) for not allowing their gay butts to put on that pink and green. Now people support the homosexuals’ right to exist and marry each other and decorate our houses and do our hair—but join our sororities?!

BLACKS MUST CONTROL THEIR OWN COMMUNITY

Saturday, February 1, 2014

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COMMUNITY CALENDAR

CONGRESSMAN RALPH H. METCALFE HOME MOVIE DAY: Come out and celebrate African American History Month as the Chicago Public Library presents Home Movie Day, honoring the late Congressman Ralph H. Metcalfe. The free event takes place on Saturday, February 1, at 1 PM at the Hall Branch Library, 4801 S. Michigan Avenue. Presented in association with the Metcalfe Collection, DuSable Museum of African American History, Chicago Film Archives, South Side Home Movie Project at University of Chicago and The Forum, this event features the rare screening of digitized home movies of the Congressman and his family. Congressman Metcalfe’s home movies are generously being made available courtesy of his son Ralph Metcalfe Jr., and the Metcalfe Collection. For more information please contact the Chicago Film Archives at 312-243-1808.

CHICAGO PUBLIC LIBRARY CELEBRATES AFRICAN AMERI CAN HISTORY MONTH: Chicago Public Library is Celebrating Diversity during African American History Month (AAHM), this February by observing the culture, heritage, contributions and achievements of African Americans. The public is invited to visit Chicago Public Library’s many locations to participate in a variety of free programs, special events and exhibits related to this rich history. The opening program, entitled How the Great Migration Influenced Music, features jazz virtuoso Maggie Brown performing excerpts from her one-woman show LEGACY: Our Wealth of Music.The program also features a spoken word performance by poet/writer Keith Myles and company, as well as a dance performance by M.A.D.D. Rhythms.

The free event takes place on Saturday, February 1, at 1 PM, at the Woodson Regional Library, 9525 S. Halsted Street.

JOURNAL OF ORDINARY THOUGHT WRITING WORKSHOPS DOCUMENT MIGRATION: Chicago continues reading the One Book, One Chicago selection “The Warmth Of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America’s Great Migration”

by Isabel Wilkerson. As part of the programming surrounding Ms. Wilkerson’s book, Chicago Public Library invites the public to join the writers of the Journal of Ordinary Thought (JOT) for weekly community writing workshops to document and share their personal stories of migration. In addition to regular attendees, the workshops welcome new writers to be part of the facilitator-led sessions exploring how migration has shaped our lives and our city. Upcoming Journal of Ordinary Thought workshops in February are: Tuesday: February 4, at 4 PM, Hall 8

Saturday, February 1, 2014

Branch, 4801 S. Michigan Avenue; Tuesday, February 4, 6 PM, at the King Branch, 3436 S. King Drive; Wednesday: February 5, 6 PM at the Bezazian Branch, 1226 W. Ainslie Street; and Friday, February 7, at 10 AM, at the Budlong Woods Branch, 5630 N. Lincoln Avenue.

The Chicago Public Library continues to encourage lifelong learning by welcoming all people and offering equal access to information, entertainment and knowledge through materials, programs and cutting-edge technology. Through its 80 locations, the Library provides free access to a rich collection of materials, both physical and digital, and presents the highest quality author discussions, exhibits and programs for children, teens and adults. For more information, visit chicagopubliclibrary.org or call the Chicago Public Library at 312-747-4050.

ZEV AND SHIFRA KARKOMI PERMANENT EXHIBITION AT THE ILLINOIS HOLOCAUST MUSEUM & EDUCATION CENTER. Those familiar with the Holocaust and those learning about it for the first time can experience pre-war German life, ghettos and concentration camps, liberation and resettlement through artifacts, documents, photographs, and video testimony of survivors and eyewitnesses. This exhibit is ONGOING at the Holocaust Museum & Education Center located at 9603 Woods Drive, Skokie, IL 60077. An early 20th Century German rail car—of the type used by the Nazis during the Holocaust to transport millions to concentration camps and, ultimately, to their deaths—serves as the Museum’s central artifact. Tickets are Free with Museum admission. For information on hours and admission prices, please call 847-967-4800, or visit www.ilholocaustmuseum.org.

ICE SKATING AT LINCOLN PARK ZOO: Whizz past the goats and cows at the rink in Farm-in-theZoo. Snacks and winter warming drinks are available for purchase and will keep the whole family happy.

You can do this on an ONGOING basis through March 2; ThursdayFriday, 4 PM - 8 PM; SaturdaySunday 12 PM -8 PM. It is also open February 17 from 12 PM -8 PM. The cost is $5 per person and $5 for skate rental. This activity is suitable for all ages. No registration is necessary. For more information, call Hyson Gibbon, Lincoln Park Zoo Communications and Events Assistant, at 312-742-2343.

CYBERSPACE AT THE ADLER PLANETARIUM: CyberSpace is an ONGOING all-electronic exhibition gallery displaying the latest space science discoveries. Explore our ever-

changing Universe through computer-based interactive exhibitions, such as Vision Stations, which provide realistic immersive experiences of the Universe, a Cyber Classroom for upto-date information on the latest space science technology and a Cyberstudio for interactive video conferencing. It is the central component of the Adler’s Center for Space Science Education, which has been supported by NASA and the U.S. Department of Education. The Adler Planetarium – America’s First Planetarium –was founded in 1930 by Chicago business leader Max Adler. A recognized leader in public learning, the Adler inspires young people – particularly women and minorities – to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and math.

Scientists, historians and educators at the museum inspire the next generation of explorers. The Adler Planetarium does not offer advance ticket sales.

Show and exhibition tickets are sold on a first-come, first-serve basis at the Adler box office. The Adler Planetarium is located at 1300 South Lake Shore Drive on Chicago’s beautiful Museum Campus. Exit Lake Shore Drive at 18th Drive, continue north on Museum Campus Drive. Then veer right on Solidarity Drive. Learn more at www.adlerplanetarium.org. or call 312-922-7827.

BILL DOUGHERTY, ACTING President of the Fraternal Order of Police, Chicago Lodge #7, joined the Chicago Police Department in 1987 and worked in the 009th, 008th and 22nd districts as a patrolman and tactical officer. Bill began his FOP career as a watch representative in the 009th district. In 1999, Bill served on the board as a trustee for a three year term. He was elected to the office of 1st Vice President of the Fraternal Order of Police, Chicago Lodge 7 in March 2002 and became a field representative.

Bill is in his fourth term as 1st Vice President.

Extended Coverage tute offers an online inventory format at www.knowyourstuff.org.

Do you know what you own?

Everything? If a fire destroyed your home, or a burglar swept through, would you be able to remember— or document—what you’d lost? You need an inventory. *** Set yourself up with a digital camera, a USB flash memory drive, and a computer. Or use a video camera and add a verbal commentary of the possessions as you film them.

Milton E. Moses

*** Know what you’ve got it? Insure it with at Community Insurance Center, Inc., 526 E. 87th Street, your insurance headquarters. We have been serving the community since 1962. For more information about the services we provide, call (773) 651-6200. You can also reach us via email at: sales@communityinsurance.com or visit the website at www.communityins.com.

*** Slowly tour your home and shoot what you see. Start with the major items, the furniture, electronics, jewelry and collectibles, but don’t neglect to open doors, drawers and boxes while filming to show what’s stored there. *** Don’t store the images at home; they could be lost in a disaster. Instead, download images to the flash drive, store them in a safe-deposit box, or upload them to the web. *** The Insurance Information InstiBLACKS MUST CONTROL THEIR OWN COMMUNITY

www.chicagocrusader.com

BUSINESS

Banks bid farewell to payday loans Consumer advocates claim victory after 2-year campaign for reform

By Charlene Crowell More good news keeps coming for consumers in early 2014. On the heels of new mortgage rules that took effect on January 10, the following week four banks making payday loans pulled their products from the market. Announcing a halt to their triple-digit interest rates were Wells Fargo, Regions, Fifth Third and US Bank. Together, these lenders have combined assets of $2.1 trillion, serving customers through 30,000 branches and more than 21,500 ATMs across the country.

Sometimes known as advance deposit loans, or trademarked names such as US Bank’s Checking Account Advance or Wells Fargo’s Direct Deposit Advance, the loans operate in the same manner as payday loans hawked by stores. Customers borrow a few hundred dollars and then the bank repays itself from the borrower’s next direct deposit, assessing a fee plus the entire loan amount.

Research by the Center for Responsible Lending (CRL) has found that the typical bank payday borrower: • Is charged a fee of $10 per $100

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borrowed, amounting to an annual percentage rate (APR) of 300 percent; • Has a one in four chance of also being a Social Security recipient; • Is twice more likely to incur overdraft fees than bank customers as a whole; and • Often remains in debt for six months of a year.

Consumer advocates and civil rights leaders have been shining a bright light on banks that chose to engage in this kind of lending over the past two years. Here are a few examples of that consumer activism.

In early 2012, 250 organizations and individuals sent a letter to federal banking regulators expressing concerns. A year later in 2013, over 1,000 consumers and organizations told the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau about elder financial abuse, including bank payday lending. CRL in coordination with CREDO delivered a petition with 150,000 signatures in an appeal to federal regulators.

By April 2013, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency proposed regulatory guidance on bank payday loan criteria.

Weeks later amid still-growing con-

Charlene Crowell sumer concerns, Florida’s U.S. Senator Bill Nelson and Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts in May 2013 sent a joint letter to the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC).

“As Chairman and member of the Senate Special Committee on Aging, we take very seriously our responsibilities to seniors and elderly consumers who expect and deserve fair and transparent financial services,” said the Senators. “Social Security was created to provide seniors with financial support to help them

BLACKS MUST CONTROL THEIR OWN COMMUNITY

cover basic living expenses not for banks seeking new sources of revenue by exploiting retirees with limited means. Therefore, it is critical that banks be discouraged from using government benefits as proof of income, and we would hope such a provision would be included in the final guidance.”

By November 2013, FDIC and OCC finalized regulations and advised banks that a borrower’s ability to repay a loan must be considered when issuing these loans.

In December 2013, the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights (LCCR), representing more than 200 diverse national organizations unanimously adopted a resolution urging states, Congress and federal agencies to increase regulatory oversight and enforcement of all payday lenders.

According to Wade Henderson, LCCR president and CEO, “Lowincome people and people of color have long been targeted by slick advertising and aggressive marketing campaigns to trap consumers into outrageously high interest loans.

We’re simply advocating for reasonable regulatory oversight that ensures that low-income people won’t be swindled out of the little money

they do have at their disposal.”

Reactions to the bank decisions resulted in cheers from consumer advocates. For example, Dory Rand, president of the Chicago-based Woodstock Institute said, “We applaud these decisions to stop offering these dangerous products. For too long, these products – like storefront payday loan products —have wreaked havoc on borrowers’ finances and trapped them in a cycle of debt.”

In short, it was the constant call for consumer protections that ultimately led to banks foregoing payday loans. By combining efforts on a single issue, advocates accomplished together what none might have done alone.

Here’s hoping the rest of 2014 will be energized by the success of these early 2014 consumer victories. Perhaps federal regulators will soon put an end to all consumer debt traps.

As we celebrate this key consumer victory, let us strive towards more financial reforms.

Charlene Crowell is a communications manager with the Center for Responsible Lending. She can be reached at Charlene.crowell@responsiblelending.org.

Saturday, February 1, 2014

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EDUCATION

Clerk Brown’s Inspirational Dr. King Speech Receives Standing Ovation at Providence St. Mel More than 800 students, faculty, parents and special guests spontaneously applauded Honorable Dorothy Brown, Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County, during the delivery of her inspirational remarks at Providence St. Mel’s Martin Luther King, Jr.

Annual Celebration.

Clerk Brown creatively interwove the event’s theme: “With God’s Help, We Will Find a Way,” a line taken, in part, from the school’s mission statement, into a motivating narrative about Dr. King and the Civil Rights

HONORABLE DOROTHY BROWN, Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County, gives a rousing speech at the Martin Luther King Jr. Annual Celebration at Providence St Mel School.

Movement, her own humble beginnings, and the transformative story of Providence St. Mel School.

“This year’s theme is especially provocative because it encourages our youth to understand how important it is to be fully committed in order to succeed against great odds,” said Brown.

Clerk Brown delivered a compelling speech. “By interweaving Dr. King’s story, my story, and the story of Providence St. Mel, I wanted to demonstrate that, with faith, each one of us has within us the capability of making a better life, a better society, and a better world,” said Brown.

During the program, Providence St. Mel students gave inspirational readings, and performed vocal and musical selections. Afterwards, Clerk Brown visited several classrooms where students engaged in thought provoking lessons on Dr. King’s life and legacy.

“I appreciate Providence St. Mel President Paul J. Adams III, his faculty and students for inviting

PROVIDENCE ST. MEL President Paul Adams (left) and Cook County Clerk of the Court Dorothy Brown congratulate one of the school’s students who celebrated Dr. Martin Luther King’s January 20 birthday by participating in a special program at the school. me to participate in this year’s (preschool through 12th grade) King celebration,” said Brown. school located in East Garfield “The students of Providence St. Park. Today, Providence St. Mel has more than 600 students and a Mel are remarkable.”

35-year success record of 100 perProvidence St. Mel School cent of its seniors being accepted (PSM) is a private, coeducational to colleges.

Daughters Grab Your Fathers for The 5th Annual Valentines Day 2014 Daddy Daughter Dance Saturday, February 8, 2014 1:00 pm to 3:30 pm

at

The Black Star Ballroom 3509 South King Drive Chicago, Illinois

Young women 4- to 14-years old are invited to dress up and show their fathers a good time at The Black Star Project's 5th Annual Daddy Daughter Dance. Cost $30.00 per couple and $5.00 per extra young lady.

Please call 773.285.9600 to register your couple or to get a free organizing kit to bring the Daddy Daughter Dance to your city. This event is sponsored by The Black Star Project's Million Fathers Club. Attire: Dress To Impress

Music - Dancing - Food - Fun - Crafts - Pictures!!!

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Saturday, February 1, 2014

BLACKS MUST CONTROL THEIR OWN COMMUNITY

www.chicagocrusader.com

COMMUNITY

Washington Legacy Committee presents computers to students The Harold Washington Legacy Committee (MHWLC) presented eight Chicago area college students with computers in the name of Chicago’s first African American mayor, the late Mayor Harold Wash ington, Tuesday, January 21, 2014 in the 9th Floor Harold Washington Exhibit Room at the Harold Washington Library Center located at 400 South State Street in Chicago.

One student from six of the seven City Colleges of Chicago and one student from Chicago State University were selected to receive the computers based on several factors including a written essay submission about the late Mayor Harold Washington. Each student will receive a Gateway® LT Series, 10.1” HD touch companion computer that includes Windows 8, MS Office Home and

Student 2013.

“We offer this computer presentation in the Mayor Harold Washington Library Center to honor the contributions of our late mayor who was a passionate knowledge seeker, avid reader and staunch advocate of education,” said Josie Childs, MHWLC president. “It is our hope that the computers will help students advance their academic success.” Construction of the library is among the late mayor’s last accomplishments before his death in 1987.

Mayor Harold Washington ordered a design/build competition for a new central library in the South Loop. On July 29, 1987 the City Council authorized the competition and the $144 million bond issue to finance the project.

The rules of the competition re-

LAREAL LOWREY (CSU) SHARED how Mayor Harold Washington inspires her today . quired teams of architects and University in August 1949. builders to submit bids limiting The MHWLC Education Inithe maximum cost to the city. tiatives are among several activities The student awardees from the City the committee hosts to remember Colleges of Chicago are: Amanda the life, contributions and legacy of Walker-Hall, Olive-Harvey College, the late Mayor Harold Washington.

Vincent Ramilo, Harold Washing- The committee in association with its ton College, Tewner Hall, Malcolm affiliated youth component, ChicaX College, Shelinda Burr, Kennedy- go’s Young & Powerful Group, coKing College, Jonathan Marshall, hosts a monthly speaker series entiTruman College, and Marco Palma, tled “Harold Washington Speaks” at Daley College (Wright College did the Blue 1647 Innovation Center in not participate). Lareal Lowrey at- Chicago’s Pilsen Community at tends Chicago State University.

1647 South Blue Island every third Denise Bransford, MHWLC Edu- Thursday. For more information cation Committee member and visit: www.youngandpowerful.org.

Assistant Vice President for Planned Giving at Roosevelt UniversiAbout Mayor Harold ty (RU), Mayor Washington’s alWashington Legacy ma mater, presented the computCommittee ers and acknowledged the late mayor’s role in shaping university The purpose of the Mayor Harold and city policies as an RU stuWashington Le Ga Cy CommitMAYOR HAROLD WASHINGTON Legacy Committee members attending student computer dent. “The library is where Mayor tee, founded in 2013 as an educapresentation at Harold Washington Library January 21, 2014: (l-r) seated: Deborah Crable, Washington loaded up his debate tional entity, is to immortalize the Interim Secretary; Denise Bransford; Josie Childs, Interim President; and Loisteen Woods amour and sharpened his political global impact of Mayor Harold acumen to win student victories Walker. Standing: Robert Starks, David Roselle, Edward Hamb and Don Rashid. and to champion city issues like Washington’s social, civic, political the dismantling of Chicago’s re- and economic legacy. For more instrictive covenants that blocked formation about the MHWLC and integration of some of Chicago’s to post your Mayor Harold Washgreat neighborhoods.” The late ington memories visit: www.Maymayor graduated from Roosevelt orHaroldWashington.com.

MAYOR HAROLD WASHINGTON Legacy Committee (MHWLC) members with computer recipients: Bob Starks, MHWLC; Lareal Lowrey, CSU; David Roselle, MHWLC; Loisteen Walker Woods, MHWLC; Jonathan Marshall, Daley College; Josie Childs, MHWLC President; Denise Bransford, MHWLC; Vincent Ramilio, HW College; and Edward Hamb, MHWLC. www.chicagocrusader.com

NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY MEDILL School of Journalism students, Christain Roby and Brian Ayala, interviewed computer winner Shalinda Burr, Kennedy King College.

BLACKS MUST CONTROL THEIR OWN COMMUNITY

Saturday, February 1, 2014

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ENTERTAINMENT

By Elaine Hegwood Bowen, MSJ

By Raymond Ward A LIL’ MO: Three-time Grammy Award winning singer-songwriter Keb Mo’ will kick-off the 2014 Grand Opening Season’s Performance Series with an intimate night of blues, jazz, R&B, and soul at the McAninch Arts Center (MAC) on Saturday, February 8th at 8:00 PM. Located at 425 Fawell Boulevard on the campus of College of DuPage, the MAC’s 2015 Grand Opening Season marks the opening of the venue after a 14-month, $35 million renovation.

Performing from his extensive catalogue, Keb Mo’ presents an intimate evening on solo acoustic guitar. A master at blending genres, this ‘musician’s musician’ has a unique guitar style, soulful bluesy voice and magnetic charisma. Keb Mo’s vibrant 16-year career has gained him vast recognition with honors including three Grammy’s for “Best Contemporary Blues Album” and 10 Handy Blues Awards. The artist has also been featured on three PBS specials, the acclaimed Martin Scorsese Presents The Blues, “Live at Infinity Hall” and “Red, White and Blues, In Performance at The White House.”

Keb Mo’ comes to McAninch Arts Center on Saturday, February 8th at 8:00 PM. Tickets are $50 and for more information or tickets please call 630-942-4000 or visit AtTheMAC.org.

Ride Along Ok, so then came the villain named Omar, who was played by veteran actor Laurence Fishburne. But that was near the end of the movie. But the beginning of the movie and throughout featured rapper-turned-director Ice Cube and comedian-turned-actor Kevin Hart, as cop buddies— or one cop and one trying to be a

goes on a ride along with Cube, who plays James Payton, and who is hot on the trail of a Serbian crime outfit in Atlanta. He agrees to let Ben hang along one day, because Ben wants to marry James’ sister, Angela, played by new star Tika Sumpter. James plays a few pranks on Ben until Ben is crestfallen when he learns that he is

the movie Training Day. There is much shooting, fighting, stunt work and jokes, and “Ride Along” is a decent, fast movie. But if you already catch on early to the theme and the ending—because of other movies before it—you might get bored.

The saving grace for me in this was Fishburne’s character, Omar.

BEHAVE YOURSELF!: Porchlight Music Theatre and Managing Artistic Director Michael Weber are proud to announce the Tony Award-winning Thomas ‘Fats’ Waller musical revue, Ain’t Misbehavin’, February 1st through March 3rd at Stage 773, located at 1225 West Belmont Avenue in Chicago.

For more than three decades, Ain’t Misbehavin’ has made toes tap and fingers snap with its sometimes sassy, sometimes sultry and always unforgettable score. It’s 30 irresistible songs, including “Ain’t Misbehavin’,” “Honeysuckle Rose,” and

KEVIN HART AND Ice Cube get along--well Kevin thinks they do--in “Ride Along.” cop in the hilarious “Ride Along.” being played. His ace in the hole, Well, maybe not exactly his charI hadn’t seen this movie when it however, is that he has been play- acter. But, for me, I anticipated first came out, but I finally fig- ing video games and knows seeing Fishburne, which, combined with the funny bits, gave ured out what the commotion much about weaponry. was all about, combined with the Ben uses these skills to help this movie extra points.

“Ride Along” is playing in thefact that for two weekends, “Ride James solve the case involving the Along” has made much, much illegal selling of guns, but not be- aters now, and I can imagine, with money. fore Ben pretends he is Omar, the financial success of this film, In the tradition of Beverly Hills himself, and not before Ben does there will probably be a sequel on cop, Hart, who plays Ben Barber, classic Denzel Washington from the way.

Donterrio Johnson “This Joint Is Jumpin,” provides a peek into the golden age when The Cotton Club reigned during the height of the Harlem Renaissance and takes the audience on a musical journey that reflects the emotions and experiences of African Americans in the early twentieth century.

Sharriese Hamilton The Ain’t Misbehavin’ cast features Robin DaSilva, Sharriese Hamilton, Donterrio Johnson, Lina Wass and Lorenzo Rush, Jr., with understudies Nicole Michelle Haskins, Christopher Jackson,

Marjie Southerland and Marjie Southerland.

Musicians include, Charles Hayes, conductor/piano, Chris Thigpen, bass; Michael Weatherspoon, drums; Rajiv Halim, saxophone and Shaun Johnson, trumpet.

For more information or to purchase tickets please call 773-327-5252.

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Saturday, January 18, 2014

Michael Weber

TIKI SUMPTER AND Kevin Hart have a chat before he goes out with Ice Cube.

BLACKS MUST CONTROL THEIR OWN COMMUNITY

www.chicagocrusader.com

ENTERTAINMENT

The Joffrey Ballet presents winning works: Choreographers of Color Awards 2014 Three aspiring choreographers present World Premieres at the Harris Theater for Music and Dance – March 1, 2014 The Joffrey Academy of Dance, Official School of The Joffrey Ballet, presents the fourth annual Winning Works: Choreographers of Color Award, featuring three World Premieres by rising-star choreographers Justin Allen, Stephanie Batten Bland and Norbert De La Cruz III. The three World Premieres, along with Academy Co-Artistic Director Alexei Kremnev’s restaging of Le Roi S’Amuse, are performed by the international members of the Joffrey Academy Trainee Program at the Harris Theater for Music and Dance, 205 East Randolph Drive, one night only, Saturday, March 1 at 7:00 p.m.

Stefanie Batten Bland’s piece Chiral, consisting of eight women and two men, is a fusion of contemporary and classical dance vocabulary exploring behavioral patterns of the body in symmetrical and non-

symmetrical orders. The women in this piece switch between dancing on and off pointe, reflecting both masculine and feminine nature.

Justin Allen’s Stillness in Motion was derived from the idea that even in constant movement, one can find moments of breath and stillness, and even in moments of stillness one can find continuous motion. Stillness in Motion is set to contemporary classical music by Ezio Bosso.

Norbert De La Cruz III’s untitled piece, also for seven women and three men, aims to tell his own story of deeply personal relationships. The idea of “presence” versus “vanishing” guides his exploration of mistake and fear through the medium of contemporary ballet.

The Winning Works program also includes Kremnev’s restaging of Le Roi S’Amuse. Set to recorded music composed by Leo Delibes and performed by the Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra, this piece is inspired by the six ancient dances and thematic material written for the ball scene in a Comedie-Francaise

production of Victor Hugo’s 1882 play Le Roi S’Amuse.

“Dance remains a ‘universal’ language. People from all backgrounds dance, and communicate, without sharing words. Dance is a powerful bridge. With Winning Works, we celebrate all that is different and all that is universal amongst us,” stated Ashley Wheater, Joffrey Ballet Artistic Director.

“Winning this award was a huge honor and one of the greatest successes of my choreographic career,” said 2013 Winner William McClellan. “The dancers were a complete joy to work with and we learned and grew together through the process.”

Ticket Information Tickets for the Winning Works: Choreographers of Color Award 2014 at the Harris Theater are $20 in advance and $23 at the door. Tickets can be purchased in advance by visiting or calling the Harris Theater Box Office at 312-334-7777 or online at www.harristheaterchicago.org.

Hair Crownicles and Sugar Funk: Two stories for Women, about Women Two Women. Two Stories. One Night. Chicago-based performers Medina Perine and Penelope Walker will be performing their one-woman shows “Hair Crownicles” and “Sugar Funk” at Governors State University Center for Performing Arts for one night only on Friday, February 7 at 7:30

p.m.

Explore what it means to be a woman on a quest for balance and acceptance in the hilarious and poignant, HAIR CROWNICLES and SUGAR FUNK. This no holds barred journey blends house music, dance and humor to deliver a message of empower-

THE BOOKWORM SEZ “Philip Reid Saves the Statue of Freedom”

By Steven Sellers Lapham & Eugene Walton, illustrated

By R. Gregory Christie c.2014, Sleeping Bear Press $16.99 / $17.99 Canada 40 pages What is your hidden talent?

What’s something you can do that nobody knows about? Are you strong or smart? Can you dance or sing? Are you secretly a baker, an artist, or are you good with animals or fixing objects that are broken?

And that thing you can do: www.chicagocrusader.com

would you do it if it helped a lot of people? Or, as you’ll see in the new book “Philip Reid Saves the Statue of Freedom” by Steven Sellers Lapham & Eugene Walton, illustrated by R. Gregory Christie, would you do it if it made history?

Philip Reid was born into slavery.

On the Charleston, South Carolina, plantation where he lived, young Philip was observant and liked to learn how things worked.

An old slave named Jim taught him about clay, wax, metals, and wood. Philip learned a lot from the blacksmith and the plantation’s pottery-maker, too. One day, when a man came to plaster the Big House’s rooms, Philip watched and helped – and when the man said he needed a smart slave to assist him in his business, money was exchanged.

Philip left his mother and went with Mr. Mills.

There was so much to learn about Mr. Mills’ business, but (Continued on page 17)

ment that all women can relate to.

Join Media Perine on her personal quest to come to terms with her hair amidst peer pressure and social expectations. Then watch Penelope Walker dance her way through life with diabetes and a whole lot of humor, finding a sense of balance through family, fitness and spirituality.

Penelope Walker is a Chicagobased actress who has appeared in several shows at the Steppenwolf and the Goodman, including multiple returns in the annual “A Christmas Carol.”

Medina Perine is a New Orleans native who is active in Chicago theatre, appearing in ETA, Gorilla Tango Theater, DuSable Museum and MPAACT Theater Company productions.

Only 200 audience members will be seated onstage with the performers for this unique and intimate performance. Tickets are $25. Seniors (65+) pay $20. Students pay $10. Discounts are not available online.

This event is part of the One More Night series, bringing Chicago artists to the southland and is generously supported by The Chicago Community Trust. Our 2013-2014 Season is sponsored in part by a grant from The Illinois Arts Council, and agency of the State of Illinois.

Buy tickets online at CENTERTICKETS.NET or call the Box Office at 708.235.2222.

The box office is open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and two hours prior to performances. Groups of 10 or more are eligible for discounts at GSU Center. Patrons who select

EXPLORE WHAT IT means to be a woman on a quest for balance and acceptable hair with Medina Perine in the play “Hair Crownicles.” three 2013-2014 shows are eligi- shows are eligible for 20 percent ble for 15 percent discounts. Pa- discounts. (Savings are not availtrons who select four or more able online).

PENELOPE WALKER (PENNY) HUMOROUSLY dances her way through life with diabetes in a one woman, one night only stage play at Governors State University.

BLACKS MUST CONTROL THEIR OWN COMMUNITY

Saturday, February 1, 2014

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ARTS AND CULTURE

Lyric Opera of Chicago announces 2014-15 season Lyric Opera of Chicago has announced its Diamond Anniversary Season that will run from Saturday, September 27, 2014, through Sunday, March 15, 2015. The repertoire for the 60th season, Mozart’s “Don Giovanni” (new Production); R. Strauss’ “Capriccio,” Verdi’s “Il Trovatore,” Gershwin’s “Porgy and Bess,” Donizetti’s “Anna Bolena” (new production); Puccini’s “Tosca” (new production); Wagner’s “Tannhäuser” (new to Chicago production); Miecysław Weinberg’s “The Passenger” (new-to-Chicago production/ Lyric Opera premiere); will be performed in 68 performances during the 24-week eightopera subscription season. The post-season American Musical Theater Initiative production (April dates) is Rodgers and Hammerstein II’s hit musical “Carousel” (a new production) starring Denyce Graves.

The new 24-week subscription season will include three new Lyric productions; two new-to-Chicago productions including one premiere; and three productions previously seen at Lyric, one of which is Gershwin’s “Porgy and Bess” (Francesca Zambello production; 2008-09 season) that broke audience attendance records. Additional performances of a production had to be added to Lyric’s season for the first time in the company’s history. The incomparable bass-baritone Eric Owens will appear as Porgy, soprano Adina Aaron, Bess and Chicago contralto Gwendolyn Brown, Maria.

The 60th Anniversary Gala Concert & Diamond Ball will be held Saturday, November 1, 2014 and a special Lyric Unlimited family matinee performance of “The Magic Victrola,” will be presented Saturday, January 17, 2015.

Music Director Sir Andrew Davis will conduct four operas: “Don Giovanni,” “Capriccio,” “Tannhäuser,” and “The Passenger.” Chorus Mas-

The Hyde Park-Kenwood Chapter of Lyric Opera of Chicago presents “Czech Opera: Dvorák, Smetana, Weinberger, Janácek and Ullman,” a talk by Mark Ketterson, Chicago Music Critic for Opera News at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, February 4, 2014, at The International House, 1414 East 59th St. on the University of Chicago campus.

There is no charge for prepaid Chapter members; Other Chapter members - $15.00; Non-members - $20.00. Students are admitted FREE. For further information or if transportation is needed, call Claude Weil at 773-248-3954 or 14

ter Michael Black will prepare the Lyric Opera Chorus for seven of the eight operas. “Capriccio” has no chorus.

Lyric’s 2014-15 Season also includes the world premiere of a new mariachi opera, “El Pasado Nunca Se Termina” (The Past Is Never Finished) Saturday and Sunday, March 28-29, 2015; and a piano recital by Lang Lang – his only Chicago appearance of 2015 – on Saturday, May 9, 2015. Also Lyric’s famous triennial wine auction will take place Friday, February 7, 2015.

Eric Owens

Adina Aaron

Gwendolyn Brown

Opera Center.

Subscription prices were frozen for regular fixed-date series, and the prices of some subscriptions were lowered in some sections where subscribers will pay as little as $20 per ticket. In addition, there was no price increase on individual tickets.

School-aged youngsters may at-

tend full-length performances of any opera in Lyric’s season when accompanied by an adult with a regularly priced ticket. Children’s tickets will range from $20 to $50, and will be available to subscribers first.

98.7WFMT will air the opening performance of each opera in Lyric’s 2014-15 season live locally (also

streaming live on wfmt.com). All eight operas will be rebroadcast internationally in May and June of 2015 via The WFMT Radio Network.

For more information on the 2014-15 season or the complete roster of artists and guest conductors, go to lyricopera.org.

Chicago Chamber Musicians’ Britten Film Festival continues at Columbia College Denyce Graves Lyric’s Diamond Anniversary Season reflects the company’s motto, Long Live Passion. “Our company has a great 60-year tradition of excellence, passion, and commitment – on both sides of the curtain,” said Freud who added that the 2014-15 season will introduce several internationally acclaimed directors, conductors, singers, and designers to Chicago, as well as welcoming back to Lyric several artists who have triumphed here previously. 2014-15 ensemble members of The Patrick G. and Shirley W. Ryan Opera Center will have roles in several of the season’s operas and will also understudy many major roles. Many of the featured artists in the 2014-15 season are alumni of the Ryan

email at cmweil@aol.com. ******** The “Harris Theater Presents” 2013-2014 series will continue Friday, February 7, 2014 at 7:30 p.m. with Gidon Kremer and the chamber orchestra Kremerata Baltica consisting of young musicians from the Baltic republics (Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania).

The program features Kremer as solo violinist in pieces by Weinberg and Shostakovich. Kremer serves as the orchestra’s artistic director and violinist. Tickets are $15 - $30 and can be purchased at The Harris Theater Box Office.

Call 312-334-7777 or go online to harristheaterchicago.org.

Saturday, February 1, 2014

The Benjamin Britten Film Festival presented by The Chicago Chamber Musicians (CCM) continues its 2013-2014 centennial birthday celebration for the composer on Thursday, February 6, 2014 with a free showing of “Moonrise Kingdom” at 7:00 p.m. at the Columbia College Film Row Cinema, 1104 S. Wabash Ave, 8th Floor, Chicago.

Professor Ron Falzone of Cinema Art & Science at Columbia College Chicago will lead a discussion with the audience immediately following the film showing. The most prominent British composer of the 20th century, Benjamin Britten (1913-1976) is widely known for his operas and orchestral works.

“Moonrise Kingdom” makes prom inent use of Britten’s “Simple Symphony,” “Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra” and his opera for children, “Noyes Fludde,” as well as other existing music by Hank Williams and Francoise Hardy and newly composed themes by Mark Mothersbaugh and Alexandre Desplat.

Directed by Wes Anderson “Moonrise Kingdom” tells the tale of two 12year-olds who fall in love, make a secret pact and run away together into

the wilderness. As various authorities try to hunt them down, a violent storm is brewing off-shore—and the peaceful island community is turned upside down in more ways than anyone can handle (© Focus Features).

CCM’s Britten Film Festival will present showings throughout the winter and spring. The Festival features four different films offering a free in-depth look at the life and works of Benjamin Britten through the medium of film. Additional programs will be held Saturday, February 8, 2014 at the Music Institute of Chicago, 1702 Sherman Avenue, Evanston at 4:00 p.m. with “Let’s Make an Opera;” and “Benjamin Britten: A Time There Was…” at 7:00 p.m.

Saturday, February 22, 2014 at 1:00 p.m. “The Hidden Heart: A Life of Benjamin Britten and Peter Pears” will be presented at The Center on Halsted, 3656 N. Halsted Street, Chicago. The Festival will conclude Thursday, April 17, 2014 at 7:00 p.m. at Columbia College Film Row Cinema, 1104 S. Wabash Ave, 8th Floor, Chicago, with another showing of “The Hidden Heart.:. . .” All showings are free and open to the public.

Founded in 1986, The Chicago Chamber Musicians (CCM) is celebrating its 27th season as a society of musicians and music devotees committed to building an internationally recognized chamber music institution in Chicago. Since its inception, CCM has launched a critically and popularly-acclaimed subscription series; a touring program; the annual “Family Concerts” and a set of community service programs.

The 2013-2014 centenary birthday celebration of Britten is part of CCM ‘s Signature Series and continues its long-running collaboration with the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events and 98.7WFMT to present the free “First Monday Concert Series” in Preston Bradley Hall at the Chicago Cultural Center, Washington St. at Michigan Avenue.

For more information, call Caitlin Schnecke at 312-819-5807 or go to Caitlin.Schnecke@ChicagoChamberMusic.org.

Crusader launches array of blog posts The Chicago Crusader begins the new year with a new online feature – blog posts. The posts are written by several Chicagoans and former Chi- cagoans who cover a wide range of topics from restaurant reviews to technology.

The bloggers, Al Greer, Gwen Kelly, Kelly R. Turner, Chef Michelle Reedus, Richard Muhammad, Martin Lindsey, Brian Ray, Jeffrey Walker, Algernon Penn, and Sandra Combs write about their personal and professional experiences. They also throw in some old fashioned common sense. Their work is updated on rotating schedules, so make sure you visit http://chicagocrusader.com/chicago/blog.aspx. The bloggers and the Crusader appreciate your feedback.

BLACKS MUST CONTROL THEIR OWN COMMUNITY

Scan this QR (quick response) code to view the Crusader Newspaper Group’s blogs about STEM, overcoming sexual abuse, mentoring, restaurant reviews, urban agriculture, politics, economic development, and more. www.chicagocrusader.com

SPIRITUALLY SPEAKING

A Moment to Super Size Your Thinking truth.” To fully observe what happens in this spiritual sphere or invisible world, you must explore through the eye of faith to live victoriously. Observation through the human lens will only demonstrate what is seen or evident in the physical realm—no more and no less. However, once you understand the genesis of everything that is visible germinates from the invisible world into physical manifestation then you can better grasp the power of your thought life and take control.

It is impossible to see what is happening by merely looking through the human eyelids.

What you see is a result of what you already thought, in other

By Effie Rolfe Stop looking only at what you see—it’s not the whole story.

What you see is merely a fraction of what really exist. If you understand that the most powerful domain is the invisible world— which is the realm of the spirit then you will begin to see life as it really is. In times past, I’ve probably mentioned that you are more spiritual than you are human.

This may sound a bit farfetched but when you realize that you are a spiritual being living in a natural body, you can view life with clearer vision. According to New International Version in Genesis 2:7, “Then the LORD God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.” Another great scripture to help illustrate this is John 4:24, “God is

Effie Rolfe spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in

MAAFA: A Journey of Remembrance will share venues The DuSable Museum of African American History, Trinity United Church of Christ, and the Illlinois Amistad Commission will present a month of special programming commemorating, “MAAFA: Journey of Remembrance.” All events will take place at the Museum, which is located at 740 East 56th Place (57th Street and South Cottage Grove Avenue) and at Trinity United Church of Christ, 400 West 95th Street, in Chicago.

MAAFA: The African Holocaust is a term used to describe the history and on-going effects of atrocities inflicted on African people. The MAAFA includes the Arab and Atlantic slave trades, and continued through other forms of oppression to the present day. For the four (4) Sundays and Wednesdays in February 2014, the DuSable Museum of African American History partners with Trinity United Church of Christ to present complimentary programming with the core goal being to take not only our community, but the world at large, on a journey through history to gain a clear understanding of who the African in America is and why they are who they are.

The Journey of Remembrance begins Sunday, February 2, and continues each Sunday throughout February. The Sunday topic at Trinity will be further explored during a program on the following Wednesday at The DuSable. For example: on Sunday, February 2, Pastor Otis Moss III, will take his congregation to the shores of Ghana and the beginnings of the slave trade. On Wednesday, February 5 at 6:30 PM, the DuSable Museum will present a documentary of the story of Kwame www.chicagocrusader.com

Nkrumah and Ghanaian Independence.

Visitors will travel from the shores of Ghana to the slave plantations of the Caribbean, on to the slave ports of New Orleans, and conclude with the Great Migration north to Chicago. Participants will be immersed in the spiritual, cultural and historical perspectives of our ancestors.

The weekly topics are: Sunday, February 2, 2014 – MAAFA: Ghana Wednesday, February 5, 6:30 PM at The DuSable Museum: The Story of Dr. Kwame Nkruma and Ghana Independence Sunday, February 9 – MAAFA: Caribbean (Haiti) Wednesday, February 12, 2014, 6:30 PM at The DuSable Museum: This program focuses on The Haitian Revolution; at the forefront of the rebellion was General Touissant Louverture, an ex-slave whose genius was admired by allies and enemies alike.

Sunday, February 16– MAAFA: New Orleans Wednesday, February 19, 2014, 6:30 PM at The DuSable Museum: Film Documentaries on the land, people and culture of New Orleans, with a discussion following featuring Professor Jihad Muhammad and filmmaker Masequa Myers.

Sunday, February 23 – MAAFA: Chicago Wednesday, February 26, 2014, 6:30 PM at The DuSable Museum: “A History of Blacks in Chicago,” panel discussion featuring Rev(Continued on page 17)

words what you see is the expression of your past thoughts. If what you see is the product of what you already thought—then what you are currently thinking is a result of what you are creating for tomorrow. My point—if you don’t like what you see in the natural—stop looking at it and change your situations through your spiritual eyes or your imagination, “….the God who gives life to the dead and calls things that don’t exist into existence (Romans 4:17).”

Good, bad or indifferent—understand that although your thoughts are invisible, they will inevitably manifest into things that are real and visible. What

you think is a direct result of circumstances—in other words, you create your world with each thought. Thanks be to God we each have a huge say so in our individual lives. You must take ownership, for ultimately the choice is yours. Life doesn’t just happen—choose the things you want and make ‘it’ happen. You create your world—make it good. ©Effie Rolfe is the author of “Supersize Your Thinking,” a Media Personality and Motivational Speaker. You can visit my website: effierolfe.com or follow me at twitter.com/effiedrolfe.

The Crusader Gospel Corner Gospel Music is in her soul’s DNA—Tasha Page Lockhart, winner of last season’s Sunday Best is the daughter of gospel royalty.

Her mother is Lisa Page Brooks, formerly of the Stellar Award group, Witness and her stepfather is Michael Brooks, co-founder of Commissioned. Most would think Lockhart had the perfect life, but off stage, the rising gospel star experienced a life filled with chaos and drama throughout her teenage years.

“I grew up being a P.K. (preacher’s kid), drug abuse, ecstasy, addicted to cocaine, smoking cigarettes and drinking. I smoked since I was 12 years old—everyday a pack of Newport shorts in a box—and I’m 30 years old now, it’s just the grace of God that I still have a voice,” said the Sunday Best winner. Lockhart explained the start of her young troubled life, “I was molested at a young age by some family members and I was over-developed at a young age. I didn’t know why I was getting that treatment as a girl—people would always say it’s your fault you’re built like this and I was always considered a fast girl—always in a man’s face. I was getting that attention from these men that I trusted in my family.

By my mom traveling all the time, I was feeling abandoned and raised by babysitters. She wasn’t there that much and I grew up…kinda’ like rejecting her, not understanding that she and my dad had got divorced and she was a single parent trying to raise three girls. She didn’t have that many skills—all she could do was sing— so she had to go,” shared Lockhart.

Fortunately, later her family’s situation changed for the better as Page married her producer, “My stepfather (Michael Brooks), who my mother married later when I

Tasha Page Lockhart was 14, is a pastor and they have been pastoring going on 18 years.”

Although Lockhart was inspired by her stepfather’s legendary group, her ultimate goal was to join the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA), “I didn’t want to sing at first, but was a great basketball player all through high school and middle school. I used to sing the national anthem and then suit up and play.

I used to tell my mother before

BLACKS MUST CONTROL THEIR OWN COMMUNITY

Lisa Page Brooks

there was a WNBA—before they had created it…I said I wanted to be in the WNBA and that I wanted to play,” said Lockhart who continued on the team until her senior year.

“I got pregnant in the 12th grade and all my dreams were scratched and that’s when I started to sing more.” She still had little interest in the reality gospel show that is known to produce bona fide stars, “I never gave it a chance, couldn’t stand it. A friend called me and said now is your time—I’m sending you to Sunday Best. I didn’t have anything else to do—I was in hair school and said ok—I’ll go…what can I lose,” she shared.

“I went by Tasha Lockhart on purpose and when it was time for us to film I said stick Page in there— it was strategic,” said Lockhart who didn’t want anyone to think the contest was rigged. “The judges didn’t know who my parents were until I stepped on stage.

So I told my mother don’t come and she didn’t come until the last show, ” she explained. Still not confident of her family’s musical DNA, Lockhart said, “I packed my clothes twice thinking I would get sent home. I ended up winning and I didn’t even think I was gonna’ make it. They are so proud, it’s an amazing time for our family right now,” added Lockhart.

Since winning the coveted title, the singer who also plays drums said, “Sometimes I feel like screaming—it’s a lot being a mother and a wife. I’ve been married for seven years and have a 12 and 4-year-old—two boys. I’ve been out of town every weekend since September. I could have never even imagined this, God surpassed all of my expectations—we went from being homeless to a three-bedroom house, 2-door garage, 2 cars and all of my bills paid.

God is amazing,” she smiled.

Saturday, February 1, 2014

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HEALTH

Mother Nature not kind to area blood supply Heartland Blood Centers is asking for immediate blood donations, as bad weather across the area continues to negatively impact the blood supply. According to Heartland Blood Centers CEO Dennis Mestrich, approximately 2,000 units of blood have been lost in January due to the severe temperatures and an increase in illness related cancellations. Included in this number was the cancellation of some 21 mobile blood drives.

To meet the needs of the 49 hospitals served by Heartland Blood Centers, almost 600 units of

Breakfast with BCI Workshop Series

blood are needed every day. In order to rebuild the blood inventories that have been so greatly impacted by the adverse conditions, we are pleading for healthy community members to reschedule their cancelled appointments and all other eligible blood donors to make an appointment as soon as possible. Please call 1-800-7864483 or go online at www.heartlandbc.org. Every donation is valuable and appreciated.

To be a blood donor, individuals must be at least 17 years old or 16 with written parental permission; weigh at least 110 pounds; be symptom free of cold, flu and allergies; and be in general good health. If you are someone that has been considering donating blood, please call today…we need you!

BLOOD IS NEEDED urgently in the regions impacted by bad weather which has prevented individual donations as well as mobile blood drives.

The South Suburban College Business & Career Institute (BCI) presents a Breakfast with BCI Workshop titled “Incorporating Employee Wellness into Your Business,” facilitated by Alexandra Glumac, MS, NCC, LCPC, RDDP, CWA, BCI Client Solutions Specialist. This event will take place in the Heritage Room on 1st Floor of South Suburban College’s Main Campus, on Thursday, February 6th from 8:30 a.m. – 10:00 a.m., with a check-in time of 8:15 a.m.

It is common knowledge that a healthy employee minimizes employer healthcare and administrative costs. Healthy employees are more productive and stay with employers longer, reducing turnover and associated costs. A reliable way to help employees stay healthy is through company-sponsored wellness initiatives. This workshop will address the “why and how” of organizing a strategic wellness program in your company. Focusing on best practices, topics will include creating an operating plan, choosing appropriate initiatives and achieving buy-in from administration and employees. You and your employees are worth this investment.

The cost of the event and continental breakfast is $15 per person, or $10 per person if three or more individuals from the same company attend. Reservations are required by 5:00 p.m. on February 3rd. To register, please call (708) 596-2000, ext. 2346 or email AGlumac@ssc.edu. South Suburban College is located at 15800 S. State Street, South Holland, Illinois.

South Suburban College’s Business & Career Institute offers noncredit customized training, shortterm instruction for business, and dozens of special interest classes.

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Saturday, February 1, 2014

BLACKS MUST CONTROL THEIR OWN COMMUNITY

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Advocates want more housing for the poor (Cont’d from page 1) renters,” Emanuel said. “To this end, the plan outlines city investments of more than $1.3 billion toward the construction, rehab, and preservation of more than 41,000 units of housing citywide.”

CHA spokesman Matt Aguilar said the agency’s Plan for Transformation had been a success. The goal of providing 25,000 units by 2015 was 87 percent complete, he said.

He noted that just 7 percent of former CHA residents were still waiting to return to public housing through a socalled “Right of Return.”

Alderman JoAnn Thompson (16th) said she is fighting for more housing options available to everyone.

“Housing is a basic fundamental need, and we must

FORMER PUBLIC HOUSING resident Tanya Lee was also once homeless but now is a homeowner thanks to the Chicago Housing Authority’s homebuyer assistance program. make sure it is available to those who need it the most,” Thompson said. The Chica-

go Housing Initiative, a housing advocacy group, disagreed. “Do not rubberstamp this plan,” said Miguel Suarez, a CHI member, who suggested stronger standards and conditions for CHA funding.

The CHI contends that the CHA had spent $650 million over the last five years to demolish 18,650 public housing units, many of them in high-rises, but had built only 4,260 to replace them, a net loss of more than 14,000 affordable units.

One city planning official said they have no say in how the CHA operates. “We are not the Chicago Housing Authority,” said Andrew Mooney, commissioner of the Department of Planning and Development. “They do not

report to us.”

Mooney added the Michael Merchant, the CHA’s new chief executive officer nominated by the mayor, was put in his position for a reason and anyone with concerns about the agency should address them to him and not the city’s Housing Committee.

Tanya Lee, a 43-year-old South Side resident, who was once homeless and later lived in the Ida B. Wells and Harold Ickes public housing buildings, said the CHA should bring back its program to help residents buy homes.

“Back then, the CHA would help their tenants become homeowners but that program has long been wiped out,” she said.

HELP WANTED

HOUSES FOR SALE

National Business League is looking for a Part Time Teacher to teach Youth Entrepreneurship to Urban Youth. You can call us at 773-304-5005 or mail Resume to National Business League of Chicago, P.O. Box 19388, Chicago, IL 60619

HOUSES FOR SALE

THE BOOKWORM SEZ this book on a shelf for preschoolers, I think it would serve 8-to-12-yearolds just as well. For them, reading a book like “Philip Reid Saves the Statue of Freedom” is nothing to hide.

(Cont’d from page 13)

Philip became very good at any task he was given. He could make plaster molds and fix those that were broken. He learned how to create statues by using shaped plaster and super-hot liquid bronze, which was his favorite job.

With Philip’s help and expertise, Mr. Mills became a famous artist – so when the U.S. government called upon Mills to create a statue for Capital’s dome in Washington D.C., it was quite an honor! But when they went to fetch the plaster model of the statue, there was “something wrong.” The entire thing was assembled, but the Italian craftsman who’d done it refused to tell them where the seams were. It would be almost impossible to move the model without that knowledge.

Or would it? Mr. Mills knew one person who knew a lot about plaster.

He called for his assistant, Philip…

Sometimes, it’s fun to seek out those lesser-known stories to show your children how everyday people can make a difference. “Philip Reid Saves the Statue of Freedom” is a good book

for that.

Authors Steven Sellers Lapham and Eugene Walton based this picture book on a true story about a real man and his accomplishments. While smaller children will surely appreciate that, the illustrations by R. Gregory Christie will be the bigger draw for them.

For adults and older kids, though, there’s so much more to the story. The authors include a “what happened next” page, as well as reproductions of Reid’s manumission paperwork and a pay stub inside the covers of this book. Read

carefully; that info serves to make a good story even more meaningful.

While you’ll probably find

To place an ad in the Chicago Crusader call 773-752-2500

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR (Continued from page 4)

we might be at the target goal of 7 million people signed up for it by now.

There are almost too many issues to point to that the Black Caucus could have taken a lead on, but chose not to. Yes, we all know that judges make decisions that affect generations, but there are pressing issues, employment, healthcare and pub-

lic safety that need to be addressed by the people we send to Congress. Just because the president may have come up short is no excuse for the representatives not to do their jobs. It really makes their displeasure with Obama seem hypocritical.

Cyril Spalding

MAAFA: A Journey of Remembrance will share . . .

(Cont’d from page 15)

erend Otis Moss III, Dr. Carol Adams, Professor Christopher Reed and others.

This project is funded by the Illinois Amistad Commission and partially supported by a CityArts Grant from the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs

& Special Events. The DuSable Museum of African American History gratefully acknowledges the Chicago Park District’s generous support of the museum.

About The DuSable Museum of African American History

www.chicagocrusader.com

The DuSable Museum of African American History is one of the oldest institutions of its kind in the country.

Our mission is to collect, preserve and display artifacts and objects that promote understanding and inspire appreciation of the achievements, contributions and experi-

ences of African Americans through exhibits, programs and activities that illustrate African and African American history, culture and art.

For more information on the Museum and its programs, please call (773) 947-0600 or visit us at www.dusablemuseum.org

BLACKS MUST CONTROL THEIR OWN COMMUNITY

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HOUSES FOR SALE

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SPORTS

City Colleges of Chicago players cited as player of the week Sophomore guard Will Martinez of the Malcolm X College men’s basketball team and a native of Puerto Rico, and freshman forward Veronica Taylor, a member of the Richard J. Daley College women’s basketball team, were selected as the Region IV Players of the Week recently.

Martinez, also earning player of the week award on Dec. 2, had 45 points, 13 assists, five steals, five rebounds and two blocks in two Malcolm X (14-5) wins. Taylor topped all players with 24 points in a 58-56 overtime win over Highland Community College on Jan. 18 in a game in which she led the Bulldogs with nine rebounds.

College players want to be paid The football team at Northwestern University is leading a fight off the field. Players are filing papers to create the first labor union for college athletes. They want to ensure safety, and they want to be paid.

For the last three years, quarterback Kain Colter was a leader on the field at Northwestern University, and on Tuesday he led something very different - the charge to unionize college sports.

The NCAA is a multi-billion-dollar-a-year enterprise. Top-tier football teams like the University of Texas and Notre Dame are worth hundreds of millions in revenue for their programs.

NCAA rules prohibit athletes from being paid to play, but they can receive compensation in the form of scholarships and living expenses.

CBS News’ Michelle Miller asked Colter whether that was enough.

“We’re very grateful for the education that we get, and we put in hard work to obtain the degree at the end of the day,” he said. “There are essential rights and benefits that we’re missing out on.”

Colter says athletes are missing out on fully funded athletic scholarships, due process for alleged NCAA violations and guaranteed coverage for medical expenses for current and former players.

“You have to think down the line.

These are our lives, and we want to make sure that we’re protected,” he said.

In order to be recognized as a union, the players have to prove they’re employees of the university, a claim the NCAA flatly rejects, saying in a statement, “This ... attempt to turn student-athletes into employees undermines the purpose of college: an education. Student-athletes are not employees, and their participation in college sports is voluntary.”

Ramogi Huma played football at UCLA and has fought for college athletes’ rights for more than 15 years. www.chicagocrusader.com

Veronica Taylor

BLACKS MUST CONTROL THEIR OWN COMMUNITY

Will Martinez

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