The Positive Community Summer 2013 Issue

GOOD NEWS FROM THE CHURCH AND COMMUNITY

Summer 2013

SUMMER ISSUE

www.thepositivecommunity.com

™ $2.95

HARLEM WEEK

Voza’s Vision Inez Dickens My Harlem

Rev. Dr. Guy Campbell, Jr. Standing on the Promises

Our community is standing with Eliot Spitzer because he has always stood up for us.

• Standing up to Wall Street • Holding banks accountable for the foreclosure crisis • Creating the H.O.M.E. “Help Overcome Mortgage Emergency” initiative • Issued report in 1999 outlining problems with Stop & Frisk • Worked to create better job opportunities for low-wage workers

SPITZER FOR COMPTROLLER

Spitzer2013.com

Paid for by Spitzer 2013

United Federation oF teachers Michael MUlgrew, President salUtes the

50th anniversary March on washington aUgUst 2013

Summer 2013

CONTENTS NY EDITION INEZ DICKENS: MY HARLEM

NJ EDITION GUY CAMPBELL, JR. STANDING ON THE PROMISES

Cover Photo Vincent Bryant

11 Features The Rapidly changing World of Mobility . . . . . 16 HEAF: Harlem’s 25-Year Secret. . . . . . . . . . . 22 Lincoln University Alumni Club . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Remembering Medgar Evers. . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 AME Encouraged! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 Guy Campbell: Standing on Promises . . . . . . 44 CBCNJ Gets New Headquarters . . . . . . . . . . 46 NJBA Celebrates100 Years. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 Help Making Healthy Food Choices. . . . . . . . 50 Voza Rivers’ Vision for Harlem . . . . . . . . . . . 56 Come Together on Gun Violence. . . . . . . . . . 58 Carry On: Two Inspiring young Men. . . . . . . . 60 I Was Trayvon Martin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 Riverside Church Honors Mandela . . . . . . . . 62 Brownstone Jazz. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64 Emmanuel Jazz Vespers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65 APRI: Still Fighting for Justice . . . . . . . . . . . . 68 New Hope Pastoral Anniversary . . . . . . . . . . 70

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MONEY.................................................15 EDUCATON ...........................................22 SPECIAL POLITICAL SECTION ..............36 HEALTH ................................................50 CULTURE ..............................................56

&also inside Publisher’s Desk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Guest Editorial . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 My View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Fitness Doctor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 Etiquette Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74 Gospel Train. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80 The Way Ahead . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85 The Last Word . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86

Loans

ay

Finan c Literacial y

Bill P

Immediate Access. Total Control.

Cash Checks • Pay Bills • Send Money • We accept NYCHA rent payments No bank account needed. Our representatives speak English and Spanish.

www.carverbank.com

718.230.2900

BEDFORD STUYVESANT • CROWN HEIGHTS • FLATBUSH • FORT GREENE • HARLEM • EAST HARLEM • JAMAICA • ST. ALBANS

Gospel Benefit Concert

Yolanda Adams Regina Belle Gaye Arbuckle John Stanley

Rev. Keith Branch & The Branch Co. hosted by Liz Black of WBLS 107.5 FM / WLIB 1190 AM

SAT., SEPT. 14, 2013 AT 7PM, $35 TO $60

FIRST CORINTHIAN BAPTIST CHURCH PERFORMING ARTS SANCTUARY 1912 ADAM CLAYON POWELL JR. BLVD. & 116th St.

FOR TIX CALL 212-281-4887 or visit www.hcci.org

GREAT

R C OLL

MAKE THE DIFFERENCE!

ALL

TO PROGRESS

he clergy organizations, churches, community businesses and institutions listed below have committed to the purchase of at least 50 magazines per month at $1.00 each (one-third of the cover price) or support this publication through the purchase of advertising. Find out more by calling 973-233-9200 or email rollcall@thepositivecommunity.com

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Abyssinian B.C., Harlem, NY Rev. Dr. Calvin O. Butts III, Pastor

Emmanuel Baptist Church, Brooklyn NY Rev. Anthony Trufant, Pastor

Messiah Baptist Church, East Orange, NJ Rev. Dana Owens, Pastor

St Luke B.C., Paterson, NJ Rev. Kenneth D.R. Clayton, Pastor

Abundant Life Fellowship COGIC, Newark, NJ Supt. Edward Bohannon, Jr, Pastor

Empire Missionary B.C., Convention NY Rev. Dr. Ronald Grant, President

Metropolitan B.C., Newark, NJ Rev. Dr. David Jefferson, Pastor

St. Albans, NY COGIC Rev. Ben Monroe

Evening Star B.C., Brooklyn, NY Rev. Washington Lundy, Pastor

Mother A.M.E. Zion Church, Harlem Rev. Dr. Gregory Robeson Smith, Pastor

St. James AME Church, Newark, NJ Rev. Ronald L. Slaughter, Pastor

Fellowship Missionary B.C., Newark, NJ Rev. Dr. Elton T. Byrd Pastor/Founder

St. Paul Community B.C., Brooklyn, NY Rev. David K. Brawley, Pastor

First B.C. of Lincoln Gardens, Somerset NJ Rev. Dr. DeForest (Buster) Soaries, Pastor

Mt. Calvary Baptist Church, Englewood, NJ Rev. Vernon Walton, Pastor Mt. Calvary United Methodist Church, Harlem, NY Rev. Tisha M. Jermin Mt. Neboh Baptist Church, Harlem, NY Rev. Dr. Johnnie Green Jr., Pastor

First Baptist B.C. of Teaneck, NJ Rev. Marilyn Monroe Harris, Pastor

Mt. Pisgah B.C., Brooklyn, NY Rev. Dr. Johnny Ray Youngblood, Pastor

Union Baptist Temple,, Bridgeton, NJ Rev. Albert L. Morgan, Pastor

First Bethel Baptist Church, Newark, NJ H. Grady James III, Pastor

Mount Olive Baptist Church, Hackensack, NJ Rev. Gregory J. Jackson, Pastor

Walker Memorial B.C. Bronx, NY Rev. Dr. J. Albert Bush Sr., Pastor

Aenon Baptist Church, Vauxhall, NJ Rev. Alfonzo Williams, Sr., Pastor Antioch Baptist Church., Brooklyn, NY Rev. Robert M. Waterman, Pastor Archdiocese of New York Brother Tyrone Davis, Office of Black Ministry Berean B.C., Brooklyn, NY Rev. Arlee Griffin Jr., Pastor Bethany B.C., Newark, NJ. Rev. Dr. M. William Howard, Pastor Beulah Bible Cathedral Church, Newark, NJ Gerald Lydell Dickson, Senior Pastor Black Ministers Council of NJ Rev. Reginald T. Jackson, Exec. Director Calvary Baptist Church, Garfield, NJ Rev. Calvin McKinney, Pastor Calvary Baptist Church, Morristown, NJ Rev. Jerry M. Carter, Jr., Pastor Canaan B. C. of Christ, Harlem, NY Rev. Thomas D. Johnson, Pastor

First AME Zion Church, Brooklyn, NY Dr. Darran H. Mitchell, Pastor

First Corinthian Baptist Church, NY Rev. Michael A. Walrond, Jr. Senior Pastor First Park Baptist Church, Plainfield, NJ Rev. Rufus McClendon, Jr., Pastor Friendship Baptist Church, Harlem, NY Rev. James A. Kilgore, Pastor General Baptist Convention, NJ Rev. Dr. Guy Campbell, President

Canaan B.C., Paterson, NJ Rev. Dr. Gadson L. Graham

Grace & Restoration Fellowship, Paterson, NJ Jerry Wilder, Sr., Pastor

Cathedral International., Perth Amboy, NJ Bishop Donald Hilliard, Pastor

Grace B. C., Mt. Vernon, NY Rev. Dr. Franklyn W. Richardson, Pastor

Charity Baptist Church, Bronx, NY Rev. Reginald Williams, Pastor

Greater Abyssinian BC, Newark, NJ Rev. Allen Potts, Senior Pastor

Childs Memorial COGIC, Harlem, NY Bishop Norman N. Quick, Pastor

Greater Faith Baptist Church, Philadelphia, PA Rev. Larry L. Marcus

Christian Cultural Center, Brooklyn, NY Rev. A.R. Barnard, Pastor

Greater Friendship Baptist Church, Newark, NJ Rev. John Teabout, Pastor

Christian Love B.C., Irvington, NJ Rev. Ron Christian, Pastor Community B.C., Englewood, NJ Rev. Dr. Lester Taylor, Pastor Community Church of God, Plainfield, NJ Rev. Dr. Shirley B. Cathie., Pastor Emeritus Concord B.C., Brooklyn, NY Rev. Dr. Gary V. Simpson, Pastor Convent Avenue Baptist Church, New York, NY Rev. Dr. Jesse T. Willams, Pastor Cornerstone Baptist Church, Brooklyn, NY Rev. Lawrence E. Aker, III, Pastor Ebenezer B.C., Englewood, NJ Rev. Jovan Troy Davis, M.Div.

Greater New Hope Missionary B.C., NYC Rev. Joan J. Brightharp, Pastor Greater Zion Hill B.C., Harlem, NY Rev. Dr. Frank J. Blackshear, Pastor Harlem Congregations for Community Improvement (HCCI) Drek E. Broomes, President & CEO It Is Well Living Ministries, Clark, NJ Rev. Kahlil Carmichael, Pastor Macedonia Baptist Church, Lakewood, NJ Dr. Edward D. Harper, Pastor Mariners’ Temple B.C., New York, NY Rev. Dr. Henrietta Carter

Mount Zion B.C., S. Hackensack, NJ Rev. Dr. Robert L. Curry, Pastor Mount Zion Baptist Church, Westwood, NJ Rev. Barry R. Miller, Pastor Mt. Olivet B.C, Newark, NJ Rev. André W. Milteer, Pastor Mt. Zion AME Church, Trenton, NJ Rev. J. Stanley Justice, Pastor New Hope Baptist Church, Metuchen, NJ Rev. Dr. Ronald L. Owens, Pastor New Hope Baptist Church of Hackensack, Hackensack, NJ Rev. Dr. Frances Mannin-Fontaine, Pastor New Life Cathedral, Mt. Holly, NJ Rev. Eric Wallace, Pastor New Zion B.C., Elizabeth, NJ Rev. Kevin James White, Pastor Paradise B. C., Newark, NJ Rev. Jethro James, Pastor Ruth Fellowship Ministries, Plainfield, NJ Rev. Tracy Brown, Pastor Shiloh AME Zion Church, Englewood, NJ Rev. John D. Givens, Pastor Shiloh B.C., Plainfield, NJ Rev. Dr. Gerald Lamont Thomas, Pastor Shiloh B.C., Trenton, NJ Rev. Darell Armstrong, Pastor St. Anthony Baptist Church, Brooklyn, NY Rev. Dr. Duane E. Cooper St. John Baptist Church Camden, NJ Rev. Dr. Silas M. Townsend, Pastor St. Luke Baptist Church of Harlem, NY Rev. Dr. Johnnie McCann, Pastor

The New Hope B.C., Newark, NJ Rev. Joe Carter, Senior Pastor Thessalonia Worship Center, Bronx, NY Rev. Dr. Shellie Sampson, Pastor

World Gospel Music Assoc., Newark, NJ Dr. Albert Lewis, Founder

Businesses & Organizations 125th St. BID African American Heritage Parade American Diabetes Association American Heart Association, Northern, NJ Brown Executive Realty LLC, Morristown, NJ City National Bank Essex County College, NJ Greater Harlem Chamber of Commerce Medgar Evers College Mildred Crump, Newark City Council Muslim American Chamber of Commerce NAACP New Jersey* NAACP, NY State Conference* New Brunswick Theological Seminary New Jersey Performing Arts Center New York Theological Seminary New York Urban League Newark School of Theology Razac Products Co., Newark, NJ Schomburg Center The College of New Rochelle United Way of Essex and West Hudson WBGO-88.3FM West Harlem Group Assistance, Inc. WKMB-1070AM

THANKS FOR YOUR SUPPORT!!!

“The Positive Community magazine does outstanding work in promoting the good works of the Black Church. All churches and businesses should subscribe to and advertise in The Positive Community. Please support this magazine, the only one that features good news about the black community.”—Rev. Buster Soaries, General Baptist Revival, May 20, 2010

ADRIAN COUNCIL FROM THE PUBLISHER’S DESK

“. . . We’ve got talents that we can use on our side of town/ So let’s put our heads together/And build it up from the ground . . .”

I Don’t Want Nobody to Give Me Nothing (Open Up the Door I’ll Get it Myself) James Brown—”The Godfather of Soul”

Creating Wealth in a 21st Century Economy

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he Positive Community’s cover for the Harlem Summer Issue 2012 featured entrepreneur, Lowell Hawthorne Founder and CEO of Golden Krust Caribbean Bakery and Grill. One year later (2013), his business trajectory has placed Golden Krust at the top of black-owned businesses (#39 on the BE top 100 in the U.S.) in the NY/NJ metro area according to the June issue of Black Enterprise magazine.

Recently, as I sat in a Bronx church on the night Golden Krust Foundation awarded 20 high school graduates with $2,000 each in college scholarships (they also award full college scholarships to young people attending the University of the West Indies in Hawthorne’s native Jamaica), I reflected on a friendship with Lowell and the Hawthorne family that dates back to 1989. His deceased parents left him and his siblings with a bakery and a mobile truck in The Bronx. Lowell’s story is chronicled in his recent memoir, A Baker’s Son. That same week, we attended a reception in Harlem at the offices of Noble Strategy, the construction management company. Founder and CEO Bill Parrish (see June 2013 cover story www.thepositivecommunity.com) thanked friends and business associates for their support on the occasion of the firm’s eighth anniversary. He then shared his intention to lead a group of business people on an economic and business fact finding tour of Ghana, West Africa.

Here are just two examples of emerging black business leadership in the 21st century. Both Lowell and Bill have built successful businesses on a foundation of ethics and community service: The profit motive augmented by a service motive.

The “greed is good” approach to life and business has run its course with the collapse of the economy in 2008.

Ultra individualistic, self-serving, short sighted, survival of the fittest attitudes to getting rich at the expense of a loser is unsustainable. Homes have been lost; life savings wiped-

8 The Positive Community

Summer 2013

out and millions of jobs, especially in the public sector, eliminated. What will be the source of employment and wealth creation for our communities in the future?

On Saturday September 14, leaders in business, finance, education and clergy will come together at the School of Business at Montclair State University to discuss business and economics. This Business Roundtable, part of The Positive Community’s ongoing Newark Leadership Roundtable Series, will address strategies for business growth and community development through a revival of the entrepreneurial spirit.

Dr. E. LaBrent Chrite, dean of the School of Business at Montclair State University, will moderate an expert panel from a glass half full perspective of potentials and possibilities. The fundamentals of business ownership will be addressed in practical terms. The conversation will also be about the impact of providing quality products and services to the customer as a community-building, wealth-creating function of business.

To affirm a future of growth and prosperity, we must seek long term economic solutions. As many prepare to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington, it should also be understood in the context that Martin Luther King, Jr. in 1963, was there to commemorate the centennial anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation. Dr. King addressed the injustices of the previous 100 years, but had a vision—“I Have a Dream”—that has sustained us 50 years to this day.

The progress of our children and the integrity of African American culture and values are absolutely essential to our claim on the American Dream. Our unique history and contribution to the greatness of this nation should only strengthen our resolve to press on!

Now’s the time! Together, through teamwork, we will leverage our collective talents and gifts—our natural recourses—to build and grow a future community of service, prosperity, happiness and goodwill!

The Business Roundtable is a free event open to large and small business, entrepreneurs, schools, church business ministries and community groups. Seating is limited. You must register in advance. www.thepositivecommunity.com

he Canaan Housing Board 40th Anniversary Honoring

40

Rev. Dr. Wyatt T. Walker, Sr.

th

Anniversar�

The Canaan Housing Board

er successfully led the effort to build, renovate and maintain affordable housing for seniors and low income families in Harlem. “

Saturday, September 7, 2013 • 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm

“An Afternoon of Jazz”

Canaan

Saturday, September 7, 2013

Baptist Church of Christ 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm 132 West 116th Street New York, NY 10026

Canaan Baptist Church of Christ th

32 West 116 Street, New York, NY 10026 Founders Hall • $50.00 Founders Hall Rev. $50.00 Dr. Thomas D. Johnson Sr. Chairman, Canaan Housing Board hone: 212-222-5445 (for more information) Shirley Claiborne

President, Canaan Housing Board

r. Thomas D. Johnson, Sr. Shirley Claiborne an, Canaan Housing Board President, Canaan Housing Board 10 The Positive Community Summer 2013

An Afternoon of Jazz Honoring

Rev. Dr. Wyatt T. Walker, Sr. “Dr. Walker successfully led the effort to build, renovate and maintain affordable housing for seniors and low income families in Harlem.”

For more information please call 212-222-5445 www.thepositivecommunity.com

INEZ DICKENS GUEST EDITORIAL

Inez Dicken is a Councilmember, District 9 in New York City

My Harlem arlem born; Harlem bred. I have been a Harlemite all of my life and I have told all who asked or cared to listen, “I will never leave my beloved Harlem. No, not natural or man-made disaster, Harlem is my home and I will never leave.”

My Harlem has always been a welcoming port-of-call to all. The business of living is about change and Harlem has gone through its share of changes. Currently, our Village of Harlem is in transition; but I believe that my beloved community will always be grounded in black American tradition and culture. The blood, sweat and tears of black people, people of color and disenfranchised populations who stayed in Harlem through good and bad times, who fought for inclusion and equality for all people regardless of race, color, creed, or sexual preference, comprise the strong and brilliant mosaic of what makes our Village of Harlem one of the most coveted destinations in the world.

Many years ago, when black folks migrated to Harlem from near and far—southern and western United States, Canada, the West Indies and Africa—they did not find streets paved with gold and they faced many challenges.

As W.E.B. Dubois stated, the major challenge many Harlem settlers faced was crippling discrimination because of the color of their skin. This challenge proved to be an ironclad, unifying force to which Harlem settlers rallied. This challenge to obtain equal rights, equity and opportunity cemented the foundation of Harlem and built a fortress of African American culture and tradition that I believe will last until time itself is no more.

I was taught at my father's knee that politics was important. Voting is power. The political clubs that rose up in Harlem commanded attention to issues critical to the well-being of black people, communities of color and disenfranchised populations. Out of this initial grassroots movement came what we in Harlem affectionately call “The Gang of Four.” This extraordinary group of individuals: Congressman Charles B. Rangel, Mayor David N. Dinkins, Hon. Percy Sutton and the Hon. Basil Paterson, became our centurions. They battled for economic and social justice for all and scored countless vic-

H

www.thepositivecommunity.com

tories for Harlem and disenfranchised communities across our nation. They fought against the common practice of redlining and won the right for Striver’s Row black people to rent Harlem, USA and/or own their homes. Further, they fought for people of color to open their own business enterprises. They were of one mind and one body when it came to civil rights and economic justice. Congressman Rangel, Mayor David Dinkins, and the Hon. Basil Paterson remain on the front lines today as outspoken voices on injustice and exclusion of any kind. These giants of humanity cast an incredible footprint that we must follow, especially as we face right wing extremists who threaten to strip us of all that we have gained as a people and a nation.

My Lord, we have come far but we still have miles to go. We have a black President of the United States, Barack Obama, and our national icon, Congressman Charles B. Rangel. I truly believe that the history of Harlem charts a blueprint for empowerment. It is my hope that our neighbors who have recently moved uptown will work with the indigenous Harlem community to make Harlem stronger for our children, for our aspiring entrepreneurs and for our treasured, multi-cultural experiences.

In my Harlem, my home, we stand side by side as elected officials, community leaders and concerned citizens to fight for common goals of inclusion, justice and a better life for future generations. However, only a united Harlem maintaining a strong political voting block can stand together to build a future of empowerment for all. So I am appealing to you for your support for my Harlem because it is your Harlem too! If you are not registered, please register to vote today. We need everyone to come out to vote on primary day, September 10, and for the general election on November 5th.

Summer 2013 The Positive Community

11

REV. THERESA NANCE MY VIEW

Rev. Nance is pastor of The Church by the Side of the Road in Passaic, NJ. She is also a radio talk show host and documentary filmmaker.

LISTEN TO THE POSITIVE COMMUNITY HOUR ON WKMB 1070 AM HARVEST RADIO, MONDAYS, 1:30–2:30 P.M. WITH HOST THERESA NANCE.

Could Have Been Your Child

wo days after George Zimmerman was found not guilty for the death of Trayvon Martin, I was still crying. Many had said he’d walk away without any punishment for having killed an unarmed young brother, but I didn’t want to believe it. People said there would be riots and Zimmerman would be a marked man if it happened. Thankfully, instead of rioting we marched.

And Zimmerman is supposed to be hiding out, even as I write this column.

I was about 10-years-old when Emmett Till was brutally murdered by racist white men in Mississippi because the 14-year-old Chicago resident supposedly had whistled at a white woman. An act of disrespect, so Klansmen and other narrow-minded people said. So, they transported him to a barn, beat him and gouged out one of his eyes, before shooting him through the head and disposing of his body in the Tallahatchie River.

They killed him. End of story.

Well, not quite. It took years but his death was finally avenged via the legal system.

For snarky right-wingers who say, “But black people are killing each other,” yes, a gaggle of AfricanAmericans are indeed slaughtering each other. But what

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12 The Positive Community

Summer 2013

does that have to do with an innocent kid taking an evening stroll to buy some Skittles and a can of iced tea and then winding up dead?

Zimmerman walked. OK. We’re told to respect the judicial system, but how can we respect a system that was never designed to include or protect black people — black men especially? How do we celebrate the election of the first black U.S. President as a sign of how far we’ve come as a country while Trayvon Martin is yet another name of an unarmed black male cut down in his youth?

And to add insult to injury, it wasn’t a police officer, deputy or federal agent who shot Trayvon Martin. It was the Neighborhood Watch captain; a run-of-the-mill guy with no actual authority or training.

I have a kid. Well, you know, for mothers, your children are always “the kids.” But I have a 41-year-old son who is about to retire as a law enforcement officer. To some supposedly frightened people from the larger community, he’s still a you-know-what, regardless of the fact that he swore an oath to protect and serve them.

And such thinking doesn’t bode well for this black mother. What to do? What to do? Well, I know this.

America better hope its black citizenry never stops praying. Why? Because as long as there’s a remnant praying and believing that there’s a God somewhere who will right these unfathomable wrongs, civility will continue to reign.

A female jury, six white and one Latina set Zimmerman free. They ruled based on the evidence presented. OK. But was that evidence presented with a history of racial bias and the criminalization of young Trayvon Martin?

Well, I close with this question posed to those Floridians: Are Stand Your Ground and self-defense laws still in effect if a black man finds himself in the same precarious situation and the so-called perpetrator happens to be white? You know what song is ringing in my ears right about now? “Living in America.” Peace.

www.thepositivecommunity.com

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Eighth Annual Eighth Annual Eighth Annual Eighth Annual Eighth Annual Golf Outing Eighth Annual Golf Outing Golf Outing Golf Outing August 26, 2013 August 26, 2013 Golf Outing Golf Outing August 26, 2013 August 26, 2013 August 26, 2013 August August 26, 26, 2013 2013

Cedar Hill Golf & Club Cedar Hill Golf & Country Country Club 100 Walnut St. • Livingston, NJ 07039 Cedar Hill Golf & Country 100 Cedar Walnut St.Hill • Livingston, NJ 07039 Club Golf & Country Club Clu Cedar Hill Golf & Country Tel. 973 992 4700 100 Walnut St. • Livingston, NJ 07039 Tel. 973 4700 100 992 Walnut St. • Livingston, NJ 07039 Cedar Hill Golf & St. Country Club 100 Walnut • Livingston, NJ 07039 Tel. 973 973 992 4700 Tel. 992 4700 Cedar Hill Golf & Country 100 Walnut St.Tel. • Livingston, NJ 07039 Club 973 992 4700 100 Walnut • Livingston, NJ 07039 Tel. 973 992St. 4700 Tel. 973 992 4700

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The Positive Community Summer 2013

www.thepositivecommunity.com

Money B u s i n e ss , M o n e y & w o r k

Eliminating the Cycle of Borrowing and Debt DeForest B. Soaries

B

By Jean Nash Wells

illionaire Robert L. Johnson, founder, former chairman and chief executive officer of Black Entertainment Television (BET), and Rev. DeForest B. Soaries, pastor of First Baptist Church of Lincoln Gardens in Somerset, NJ have joined forces to reshape the national financial lending climate and help Americans, particularly minorities, pay down consumer debt, increase household savings, and overcome a cycle of short term and emergency borrowing caused by the excessive use of payday lending.

Nearly twelve million Americans turn to payday loans annually when faced with financial challenges in order to cover emergency expenses and meet cash shortfalls.

Forty-one percent of borrowers have needed a cash infusion to pay off a payday loan and many ultimately turn to the same options they could have used instead of payday loans to finally pay off the loan. As a result and because of current high interest lending rates, many borrowers are unable to pay back loans in a timely manner and find themselves in a cycle of borrowing and debt.

Today, Johnson is founder and chairman of RLJ Companies, (www.rljcompanies.com) an innovative business network that provides strategic investments in a diverse portfolio of companies, including a hotel real estate investment trust; private equity; financial services; asset management; insurance services; automobile dealerships; sports and entertainment; and video lottery terminal (VLT) gaming. www.thepositivecommunity.com

Robert L. Johnson

Johnson’s education awareness campaign is designed to convince minority organizations, elected officials, and public interest groups to support his proposal to end payday lending as we know it today and to encourage lending institutions to create lower interest borrowing solutions that will provide transparent and responsible lending options to meet the high demand and need for short term and emergency borrowing.

Rev. Soaries is creator of dfree® (www.mydfree.org), an enterprise that creates solutions for individuals and organizations pursuing financial freedom and economic self-sufficiency. He is also the author of dfree®: Breaking Free from Financial Slavery. dfree® stands for “Debt, Delinquency and Deficit Free.” The program has reached thousands of consumers nationwide, challenging them to take control of their finances by setting debt reduction goals, paying off debt, increasing awareness and changing behavior as it relates to money and borrowing.

As the financial literacy arm of the project, Soaries’ organization will encourage lending institutions to create lower interest borrowing solutions and work toward making consumers more aware of the financial options available to them prior to going into debt.

Through the collaboration between Johnson and Soaries, consumers will be offered the tools and resources they need in order to make better and more informed financial decisions.

Summer 2013 The Positive Community

15

5 Questions About Is your computer The Rapidly Changingguy driving you World Of Mobility crazy?

BY Cecil Cates

N

ext time you’re in a crowded public place, take a good look around at how many people are engrossed in a mobile device. Not convinced that smartphones and tablets represent the future of marketing and commerce? Consider these statistics from the Pew Internet & American Life Project: as of June 2013, 56% of American adults own smartphones, and 34% own a tablet or e-reader. A year ago, nearly 55% of those owners used their mobile devices to access the Internet, a number that’s sure to continue growing. Even more impressive, StatCounter Global Stats estimates that over 13% of all Internet traffic comes from mobile devices, with on-the-go Internet usage projected to overtake desktop Internet usage as soon as in 2014.

So what can your small business do to get on the right side of what Symantec Corporation called “a tipping point” in the use of mobile devices? Here are five questions to consider before implementing any new mobile marketing strategies: 1. What portion of my customer base desires mobile services? Online apps have already revolutionized how customers interact with the airline, hotel, and banking industries. But before you dive headfirst into the mobility deep end, consider the services your company offers and how they could potentially be improved by a mobile focus.

2. Do I need to support all mobile devices? Most studies concede that users of Google’s Android platform slightly outnumber users of Apple’s iOS, although website visits by device still tip in the iPhone’s favor.

And in the tablet world, the iPad clearly rules the roost.

However, further diversification is forecasted to take place, with tablet use growing rapidly and Windows’ new mobile offerings predicted to capture over 10% of the market share by 2016. Meanwhile, the recently unveiled Blackberry Z10 is keeping the Canadian company in the hunt for 4th place, making an across-the-board platform approach necessary.

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The Positive Community Summer 2013

3. How important is mobile marketing? Given the aforementioned statistics about Americans and their love of mobile devices, it’s easy to see that customers are flocking to the online, on-the-go world. So the best way to reach those consumers is through targeted marketing: mobile ads, demographically specific offers, location-based incentives, and text message marketing, just to name a few.

4. Does a dedicated app make sense? Small-business owners might worry that creating an app is too much work for too little return. But with the start-up cost coming down (approximately $1,000-4,000 for basic tablebased app), and studies showing that over 80% of media time is spent using apps, the potential for a high return on investment definitely exists.

CMIT is Your Technology Team OUR SERVICES CMIT Marathon - Service Plans 5. What are the risks presented by increased mobility?

Security - Backup Solutions Whether it’s analyzing the pros and cons of allowing employees to BYOD-(Bring Your Own Device), understandDisaster Recovery ing the increased threat of mobile malware, or working Support - Troubleshooting tirelessly to identify future risks, CMIT Solutions has its ear to the constantly shifting ground of trends.

- Software &mobility Hardware Call your local CMIT service provider today and find out Computer Networks how mobility can-enhance your small business.

Hosting - Email, Servers, Web Do you notice that all of your employees and co-workers CMIT Anti-Spam are accessing company information via their mobile devices?

Contact CMIT Solutions would like more information Voice Over IPif you (VOIP) on how we can help you implement mobile management and Consulting Services security strategies that are right for you!

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www.cmitsolutions. www.thepositivecommunity.com

125th Street

Business Improvement District “Connecting the world to Harlem through 125th Street” “Connecting the world to Harlem through 125 th Street.”

other marketing professionals in a campaign to benefit the entire Harlem community

“Connect the DOTS” Campaign Your Platform for cross promotion with your neighboring businesses and arts and culture organizations

together the unique characteristics of West, Central and East Harlem along 125th Street

Culture

History Shopping

125th Street The Energy and

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Spirit of Harlem through …

existing communications, programs, and projects put forth by each of the businesses as well as programming for cultural institutions

Visit Visit www.125thstreetbid.com

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www.125thstreet.com to find out how you to find outa part howof you can be can be part of “Connect the Dots!”

“Connect the Dots!”

CABA Sets a Higher Bar at Eight Years By Allison Skeete

L–R: Dr. Harold Robertson, CABA Board Member; Awardee Gilman T. Figaro, Sr; and Desmond Figaro, master of ceremonies CABA Board Members, L–R: Dr. Elise Busby; Allison T. Skeete-Hadaway, chair CABA Scholarship Committee; Carl Fraser

CABA Board Members, L to R: Vincent Huggins; Clarence Barry-Austin, board counsel; Dr. Harold Robertson and Rick Lord.

L–R: Edna Lee, CABA board member; Awardee Genia C. Philip

L–R: Awardee Robert L. Henry with Dr. Barbara Duncan, vice president CABA

I

n keeping with their tradition of honoring men and women who exemplify strength, courage, vision and commitment, members of the Caribbean American Business Association of New Jersey (CABA) celebrated the organization’s eighth anniversary doing just that.

At the ballroom of the Newark Airport Marriott Hotel, Gilman T. Figaro, Robert L. Henry, Genia C. Phillip, Esq. and Sybil F. Chester were each recognized for their business and professional achievements and for the investment of their time, skills knowledge and often their resources for the betterment of their communities.

Gilman T. Figaro is the founder and president of the Sunshine Awards, which honors arts, culture and entertainment of the Caribbean Diaspora. Now in its 25th year, the Sunshine Awards have come to be regarded as the Caribbean Grammys.

Frank L. Henry has been the master of many careers and a constant life student. Mr. Henry was a successful architect and at age 74 retired from his firm, earned a Mortuary Science degree and became a funeral director to assist his wife in the family business, the Frank R. Bell Funeral Home in Brooklyn.

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The Positive Community Summer 2013

L–R: Irvington Mayor Wayne Smith; Terence Williams, scholarship winner and Vincent A. Huggins, CABA president

Genia C. Phillip, Esq. is the principal and managing partner of the Genia C. Philip Law Firm in Newark, NJ and well respected for her work as an education advocate, a community development specialist helping small businesses realize their potential seizing growth opportunities with her ability as a non-profit financial management specialist. Genia founded the Caribbean American Heritage and Cultural Foundation of NJ and is a member of the Superior Court of New Jersey.

Sybil F. Chester is well known throughout the Caribbean community for her support of countless organizations and events during her illustrious 39-year career at Moet Hennessy USA. Now in addition to heading her own marketing company, Ches5 Enterprise, LLC, Sybil continues to serve others, working with medical doctors who run free missions providing care, surgeries and medical supplies for cancer care and other serious medical needs not readily available to patients in her native Guyana.

And this year CABA presented its first college scholarship to Irvington High School graduate, Terrence Williams. This scholarship is awarded to a deserving high school student of Caribbean lineage who will pursue college studies in Business Administration. www.thepositivecommunity.com

I N N OVAT I O N At NobleStrategy we introduce new concepts and solutions to the traditional construction process for added value by creating immediate “wins for the client”. We strive to be at the cutting edge of sustainable building methods and technology and foster a business culture that is committed to environmental stewardship.

Since 2005, NobleStrategy has worked as a member of project teams from the earliest phases of pre-construction exploring energy-efficient options and environmentally responsible solutions that provide the best lifecycle values for the project and team members through close-out.

Efficiently managing the by-products of the traditional construction process uncovers unique opportunities to create community impact while reaching our client’s construction, sustainability and diversity objectives.

• CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT • PROGRAM MANAGEMENT • PROJECT MANAGEMENT • SUSTAINABLE DESIGN & CONSTRUCTION • LEED CM • ENERGY BENCHMARKING • ENVIRONMENTAL REPORTING • CLEAN CONSTRUCTION • EMERGING BUSINESS MENTORING & WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT

For our clients, this commitment translates to the delivery of customized, innovative and affordable construction solutions that meet their functionality and business goals. We know that building in today’s environment allows our clients to construct a green legacy from the ground up, better supporting future generations.

NOBLESTRATEGY NY INC. 2601 FREDERICK DOUGLASS BLVD. NEW YORK, NY 10030 212-690-4370(P) 212-690-4373(F) @NOBLESTRATEGY (F,T,L,Y)

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The Positive Community Summer 2013

f Like Us on Facebook! t Follow Us on Twitter @hbany www.thepositivecommunity.com

Education TEACHING, LEARNING, MAKING A DIFFERENCE

A 25 Year-Old Secret in Harlem

By Glenda Cadogan

embraced the mission to expose that secret. “I purposed to raise the visibility and profile of the organization, extending our footprints in Harlem and replicating the program in another borough, then citywide and eventually nationally,” she told The Positive Community.

HEAF was founded by Daniel Rose, chairman of Rose Associates, and began as a program to increase the reading levels of lower income students. His desire grew out of an article published in the weekend edition of the New York Times that gave the reading scores of schools throughout the city. He identified one school with the lowest reading scores and first became involved philanthropically. Then he developed and started a reading program in that particular school. Until he realized that it was not just about reading future Governor of New York State lives in Harlem. levels in elementary school. The more critical issue was He is a young black man in public high school but is future thinking. As such he designed the structure of HEAF convinced that he will one day be New York’s head with a twofold focus: future thinking that included college honcho. In his mind it is written! So he is taking steps to pre- access and achievement and providing academic support pare himself for that destiny. One step is participating in a and leadership training.

To date HEAF has served more than 1,000 students and program called The Harlem Educational Activities Fund (HEAF), one of the most successful college preparatory pro- has success stories ranging from a project manager at grams in the country. His high expectations are supported FEMA, a math teacher at Columbia University, a military by the exposure he receives as a HEAF student. And the evi- lawyer among countless others. In addition, 100 percent of dence is there that like countless other HEAF students HEAF students graduate from high school; 94 percent graduate from college in six years or less, and 36 percent go on before him, his dream is possible.

HEAF is a non-profit comprehensive college achievement to get a master’s degree or more; this compared to a nationand access program that provides academic support, youth al average of nine percent for all Americans.

HEAF’s unique structure is designed as a continuum of development and leadership opportunities for public school students specifically in Harlem, Washington Heights and the services. Tanya Wiggins is the director of the High Bronx. Its mission is to help motivate students to develop Expectations Program. “We begin working with students in the intellectual curiosity, academic ability, social values and the sixth grade and continue until they graduate from colpersonal resiliency they need to ensure success in school, lege,” she explains. “We have three departments—College Prep and Onwards, which serves high school and college career and life.

In January of this year when Ruth Rathblott assumed the students; High Expectations, which works with students in middle school, and Youth Development and Counselling. position as CEO/President, HEAF was entering Dr. itsCalvin 24thO.year Butts III blessing his grandson at the Abyssinian Baptist Church, Harlem, NY continued in existence. Yet it is the best-kept secret in Harlem. As Photo: on Bobnext Gore page Rathblott sat at her desk and examined the lay of land, she

A

22 The Positive Community

Summer 2013

www.thepositivecommunity.com

25 Year-Old Secret continued from previous page

“A safety net” “Believed in me when I did not believe in myself” “Told me it was possible; and it is” “Let me know that I am valued” “Let me know that I am not the drug dealer on the corner” “Let me know that I am not the teenage mother” “Put the pieces of the puzzle together and make it click.”

Their collective voices seem to say the same thing…

Located on the 10th floor of the historic Hotel Theresa on Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. Blvd. and 125th Street in Harlem, HEAF provides after school and Saturday sessions in which students not only receive academic enrichment, but social and emotional support as well.

According to Wiggins, a HEAF student is one who is categorized as doing “okay” in school. “We look for students who are motivated and have at least a B minus average. They know that they want to go to college but are not sure how to make that happen. We call the students we serve ‘the forgotten middle’ because they are not really getting the attention they deserve. They are not the high achievers who get into the gifted and talented programs, nor are they classified as low achieving students who get additional support. What is forgotten about these students is that even though they are doing okay academically, they need the social and emotional support to bolster their success.”

According to Rathblott, HEAF places a lot of emphasis on transitions. “There are number of transitions a student faces in their academic life,” she says. “From middle school to high school and then from HS to college. We provide support to students and families helping them through those critical transition points when they are facing new challenges and opportunities.”

As the organization approaches its 25th year Anniversary, Rathblott is determined to expand its vision. “My hope is that HEAF will be a pipeline for the workforce and companies will look to our students because they have had great academic enrichment as well as the social and emotional support to be successful in business.

But the true impact of HEAF comes from the mouths of it participants who articulate their experiences in glowing poetic terms. In their individual voices HEAF has:

www.thepositivecommunity.com

Summer 2013 The Positive Community

23

e, Morristown, NJ

ers

In Partnership with

In Partnership with CHURCH M IN CHRISTIAN MINISTRY CALVARY BAPTIST At CALVARY BAPTIST CHURCH COUNTY COLLEGE OF MORRIS 30 Schuyler At Place, Morristown, NJ

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THE CERTIFICATE PROGRAM IN CHRISTIAN MINISTR In Partnership with Offers with InPartnership Partnership with In with In Partnership Partnership with InInPartnership with ~ Potentially leads to college credits CALVARY BAPTIST CHURCH CALVARY BAPTIST CHURCH THE CERTIFICATE PROGRAM INand CHRISTIAN MINISTRY CALVARY BAPTIST CHURCH CALVARY BAPTIST CHURCH CALVARY BAPTIST CHURCH A 2-year program designed toBAPTIST equip lay ordained men and women with n Records Required CALVARY CHURCH AtAt At

At At to develop a more effective and leadership skills and theological tools COUNTY COLLEGE OF MORRIS COUNTY COLLEGE OF MORRIS At COUNTY COLLEGE OF MORRIS COUNTY COLLEGE OF MORRIS COUNTY COLLEGE OF MORRIS transformational ministry in their churches andNJ communities.

30 Schuyler Place, Morristown, 30 Schuyler Place,Morristown, Morristown, Biblical Exegesis (12 COUNTY wks., each) 30 Schuyler Place, Morristown, NJ 30 Schuyler Place, NJNJ COLLEGE OF MORRIS A 2-year program designed to equip lay and ordained men 30 Schuyler Place, Morristown, NJand women with Offers Offers 30 Schuyler Place, Morristown, NJ Offers ty College of Morris Offers ~Taught by qualified faculty Potentially leadsand to college credits eadership skills and theological tools to develop a~more effective Offers ~ Immunization RecordsMINISTRY Required CERTIFICATE PROGRAM IN CHRISTIAN Ste. 220,THE Morristown, Offers ransformational ministry inNJ their churches and communities.

THE CERTIFICATEPROGRAM PROGRAM IN IN CHRISTIAN MINISTRY THE CERTIFICATE PROGRAM INCHRISTIAN CHRISTIAN MINISTRY THE CERTIFICATE MINISTRY

FALL 2013 COURSES: Old Testament & Biblical Exegesis (12 wks., each) THE CERTIFICATE PROGRAM CHRISTIAN MINISTRY ~Taught by qualified faculty ~IN Potentially leads to college credits THE CERTIFICATE PROGRAM IN CHRISTIAN MINISTRY A 2-year program designed to equip lay and ordained men and women with

9:30pm; Saturdays, 1:15pm-4:15pm Classes atordained Countymen College of Morris A 2-year program designed to equip held lay and and women with 2-year program designed to equip lay andordained ordained men andwomen women with ~ Immunization Records Required leadership skillsdesigned and theological toolslay to and develop a moremen effective and AA2-year program to equip and with nd leadership skills @ andCCM theological toolsPlace, to develop aFl. more effective 30 Schuyler 2 communities.

Ste. 220, and Morristown, NJ Sept. 12, 6:30pm transformational ministry in their churches and leadership skills and theological tools to develop a more effective and leadership skills and theological tools to develop a more effective and transformational ministry in their churches and communities.

transformational ministry in theirchurches churches and communities.

FALL 2013 COURSES: Oldbyin Testament & Biblical Exegesis (12 wks., each) transformational ministry their and communities.

A 2-year program designed to equip layand and ordained men 2-year program designed equip lay ordained men andwomen women with ~Taught to qualified faculty ~ Potentially leads to and college credits with Class Schedule: Thursdays; 6:30pm – 9:30pm; Saturdays, 1:15pm-4:15 ~Taught by qualified faculty ~ Potentially leads to college credits leadership skills theological tools todevelop develop a effective and Classes held at County College of Morris ~tools Immunization Records Required adership skills andand theological to a more more effective and : Sat. Sept.

7; 8am-4pm Springfield ~Taught byqualified qualified faculty Potentially leads college credits ~Taught by faculty ~~Potentially leads toto college credits ~@ Immunization Records Required Classes BEGIN Thu, Sept.

12, 6:30pm @ CCM nd on transformational ministry in their churches and communities.

30 Schuyler Place, 2 Fl. Ste. 220, Morristown, NJ ansformational ministry in their churches and communities. ~ Immunization Records Required ~ Immunization Records Required FALL 2013 COURSES: Old Testament & Biblical Exegesis (12 wks., each) , Queens, NY. Attendance Required.

FALL 2013 COURSES: Old Testament & Biblical Exegesis (12 wks., each) Classes held at County College of Morris THE DATE: FALL CONVOCATION: Sat. Sept.

7; 8am-4pm ~Taught bySchuyler qualified faculty ~ Potentially leads to college credits@ Springf Classes held at County College of Morris FALLSAVE 2013 COURSES: Old Testament & Biblical Exegesis (12 wks., each) FALL 2013 COURSES: Old Testament & Biblical (12 wks., each) 30 Place, 2nd Ste. 220,Exegesis Morristown, NJ ~Taught by qualified faculty ~ Potentially leads to college credits nd Fl. Class Schedule: Thursdays; 6:30pm – 9:30pm; Saturdays, 1:15pm-4:15pm 30Classes Schuyler Place, 2County Fl. Ste. 220, Morristown, NJ Gardens UMC, Farmers Blvd, Queens, NY. Attendance Require Classes held College Morris ~131-29 Immunization Records Required held atat County College ofof Morris

~ Immunization Records Required ndnd

Classes BEGIN on Thu, Sept.

12, 6:30pm 30Schuyler Schuyler Place, 2 Fl.Fl. Ste.220, 220, Morristown, NJ CCM 30 Place, 2 Morristown, NJ@ Class Schedule: Thursdays; 6:30pm –Ste. 9:30pm; Saturdays, 1:15pm-4:15pm Class Schedule: Thursdays; 6:30pm – 9:30pm; Saturdays, 1:15pm-4:15pm FALL COURSES: Old contact: Testament Biblical Exegesis (12 wks., each) Classes BEGIN on Thu,&Sept.

12, 6:30pm @ CCM uest an 2013 application, please Classes BEGIN on Thu, 12, 6:30pm @ CCM(12 wks., each) ALL 2013 COURSES: Old Testament & Sept.

Biblical Exegesis

Class Schedule: Thursdays; ––9:30pm; Saturdays, 1:15pm-4:15pm Classes held6:30pm at County College of Morris Class Schedule: Thursdays; 6:30pm 9:30pm; Saturdays, 1:15pm-4:15pm SAVE THE DATE: FALL CONVOCATION: Sat. Sept.

7; 8am-4pm @ Springfield ate Program Director For more information and/or to request an application, please contact: nd SAVE THE DATE: FALL CONVOCATION: Sat. Sept.

7; 8am-4pm @ Springfield Classes held at County College of Morris Classes BEGIN on Thu, Sept.

12, 6:30pm @ CCM Classes BEGIN on Thu, Sept.

12, 6:30pm @ CCM 30 Schuyler Place, 2 Fl. Ste. 220, Morristown, NJ SAVE THE131-29 DATE: FALL CONVOCATION: Sat. Sept.

7;Attendance 8am-4pm @Required.

Springfield UMC, Farmers Blvd,Queens, Queens, NY. Attendance Required.

Ms. LucyndCano, Certificate Program Director Gardens UMC, 131-29 Farmers NY. ail Gardens Lcano@nyts.edu 30 Schuyler Place, 2 Blvd, Fl. Ste. 220, Morristown, NJ Gardens UMC, 131-29 Farmers Blvd, Queens, NY. Attendance Required.

212-870-1232 orSept. email Lcano@nyts.edu SAVE THE FALL Sat. 7; @@ Springfield SAVE THEDATE: DATE: FALLCONVOCATION: CONVOCATION: Sat. Sept.

7;8am-4pm 8am-4pm Springfield rson, 973-267-0136 Class Schedule: Thursdays; 6:30pm – 9:30pm; Saturdays, 1:15pm-4:15pm Rev. Carol Lynn Patterson, 973-267-0136 Gardens Required.

GardensUMC, UMC,131-29 131-29Farmers FarmersBlvd, Blvd,Queens, Queens,NY. NY.Attendance Attendance Required.

Classes BEGIN on Thu, Sept.

12, 6:30pm CCM Class Schedule: Thursdays; 6:30pm – 9:30pm; Saturdays, 1:15pm-4:15pm For more information and/or to request an application, please @ contact: ion at www.nyts.edu For more information and/orto torequest request anan application, contact: Download an application at please www.nyts.edu For more information and/or application, please contact: Ms. Lucy Cano, Certificate Program Director Classes BEGIN Thu, Sept.

12, 6:30pm @ CCM Ms.212-870-1232 Lucyon Cano, Certificate Program Director or email Lcano@nyts.edu Ms. Lucy Cano, Certificate Program Director SAVE THE DATE: FALL CONVOCATION: Sat. Sept.

7;Aug., 8am-4pm @ Springfield 212-870-1232 or email Lcano@nyts.edu Rev. Carol Lynn Patterson, 973-267-0136 OPEN HOUSE / REGISTRATION: Sat. 10, 2013; 11am-1:30p For information and/or toto request anan application, please contact: Formore more information and/or request application, please contact: : Sat. Aug., 10, 2013; 11am-1:30pm 212-870-1232 or email Lcano@nyts.edu Rev. Carol Lynn Patterson, 973-267-0136 Gardens UMC, 131-29 Farmers Blvd, Queens, NY. Attendance Required.

Ms. Lucy Cano, Certificate Program Director Ms. LucyCHURCH Cano, Certificate Program Director CALVARY BAPTIST ~ 10 Sat. Martin Luther King Ave., Morristown, N.J. 07960 AVE THE FALL CONVOCATION: Sept.

7; 8am-4pm @ Springfield Download an application at www.nyts.edu uther KingDATE: Ave., Morristown, N.J. 07960 Rev. Carol Lynn Patterson, 973-267-0136 212-870-1232 or email Lcano@nyts.edu Download an application at www.nyts.edu 212-870-1232 or email Lcano@nyts.edu ComeBlvd, Prepared to Enroll and Register Gardens UMC, Farmers Queens, NY. Attendance OPEN 131-29 HOUSERev. / REGISTRATION: Sat. Aug., 10, 2013; 11am-1:30pmRequired.

Carol 973-267-0136 nroll and Register Rev. CarolLynn LynnPatterson, Patterson, 973-267-0136 Download an application www.nyts.edu OPEN HOUSE / REGISTRATION: Sat.at Aug., 10, 2013; 11am-1:30pm CALVARY BAPTIST CHURCH ~ 10 Martin Luther King Ave., Morristown, N.J. 07960

Download an application at www.nyts.edu BAPTIST CHURCH ~ 10 Martin Luther King Ave., Morristown, N.J.contact: 07960 Download an application at www.nyts.edu Come Prepared to Enroll and Register ForCALVARY more information and/or to request an application, please Come Prepared to Enroll and Register OPENOPEN HOUSE /Ms. REGISTRATION: Sat. Aug.,Director 10, 2013; 11am-1:30pm Lucy Cano, Certificate Program 11am-1:30pm OPENHOUSE HOUSE//REGISTRATION: REGISTRATION:Sat. Sat.Aug., Aug.,10, 10,2013; 2013; 11am-1:30pm ForCALVARY more information and/or to request an King application, please contact: 212-870-1232 or email Lcano@nyts.edu CALVARY BAPTIST CHURCH ~ 1010 Martin Luther Ave., Morristown, N.J. 07960 Martin Ave., Morristown, N.J. 07960 CALVARYBAPTIST BAPTISTCHURCH CHURCH~~10 MartinLuther LutherKing King Ave., Morristown, N.J. 07960 Rev. Carol Lynn Patterson, 973-267-0136 Ms. Lucy Cano, Certificate Program Director Come Prepared to Enroll and Register Come Prepared to and Register Come Prepared toEnroll Enroll and Register

212-870-1232 or email Lcano@nyts.edu Download an application at www.nyts.edu

Rev. Carol Lynn Patterson, 973-267-0136

Celebrating 113 Years Celebrating Years Saturday, May 113 18, 2013 Saturday, May 18, 2013 Upcoming Fall 2013 Events: Join Us for theFall March on Washington Upcoming 2013 Events: Saturday, August 24, 2013

Join Us for the March on Washington Saturday, August 24, 2013

The Rev. Dr. Kirkpatrick Cohall, Vice President of Academic Affairs and Academic Dean, addresses the graduates.

The Rev. Dr. Kirkpatrick Cohall, Vice President of Academic Affairs and Academic Dean, addresses the graduates.

For additional information, please call the Reception Desk at 212-870-1211 For additional information, please call the Reception Desk at 212-870-1211

Fall Registration

August 20, 2013 through September 19, 2013, 12:30 p.m.-5:30 p.m.

Fall Registration August 20, 2013 through September 19, 2013, 12:30 p.m.-5:30 p.m.

Certificate in Christian Ministry August 20-22, 2013 Master Programs-New August 2013 Certificate in ChristianStudents Ministry August 27-29, 20-22, 2013 Master Students September 3-5,2013 2013 MasterPrograms-Returning Programs-New Students August 27-29, Doctor Ministry September 11-19, 2013 MasterofPrograms-Returning Students September 3-5, 2013 Doctor of Ministry September 11-19, 2013

Annual Ministry Fair

Master of Divinity graduate, Min. Pamela Jones (center) is Master of Divinity graduate, Min. Pamela Jones (Left) (center) is awarded the first Keith A. Russell Preaching Award. awarded first Keith A. Russell Preaching Award.

(Left) President Dalethe T. Irvin.

(Right) The Rev. Dr. Keith A. Russell, PresidentSenior Dale T.Professor Irvin. (Right) The Rev. Dr. Keith A. Russell, Distinguished of Ministry Studies.

Distinguished Senior Professor of Ministry Studies.

AnnualSeptember Ministry Saturday, 14,Fair 2013 Saturday, September 14, 2013 For Ministry Partners wishing to join us to present internship opportunities For MinistryatPartners wishingsites, to join us towitness present presentations internship opportunities to students their ministry and/or from our to students at their Doctor ministryofsites, and/or witness presentations from our Ministry Graduates.

Doctor of Ministry Graduates.

For additional information, please call Director of Supervised Ministry For additional information, pleaseatcall Director of Supervised Ministry Nancy Fields 212-870-1269 Nancy Fields at 212-870-1269

Fall Open House Fall Open October 2-4,House 2013

October 2-4, 2013 For additional information, please call Recruitment Officer For additional information, please call Recruitment Officer Nicole Duncan-Smith at 212-870-1212 Nicole Duncan-Smith at 212-870-1212

The Lecture in in The20th 20thAnnual AnnualGeorge George W. W. Webber Webber Lecture Urban Ministry Urban Ministry “Living “LivingInto IntoOur Our Legacy” Legacy” Thursday, Thursday,October October 3, 3, 2013 2013

The Rev. Duggan (Congregational Church of of TheDr. Rev.Patrick Dr. Patrick Duggan (Congregational Church SouthSouth Hempstead) receives the Doctor of Ministry Degree.

Hempstead) receives the Doctor of Ministry Degree.

The TheRev. Rev.Dr. Dr.Eleanor EleanorMoody-Shepherd Moody-Shepherd DeanofofStudent StudentAffairs, Affairs, NYTS NYTS Dean ProfessorofofWomen’s Women’s Studies Studies Professor

AnnualBible Bible Conference Conference Annual “Tothe theEnds Endsofofthe theEarth: Earth:Models Modelsof of Mission Mission in the 21st “To 21st Century” Century” Monday,October October 21, 21, 2013 2013 Monday,

The 2013 Master of Divinity graduates celebrate.

The 2013 Master of Divinity graduates celebrate.

For additionalinformation, information,please pleasecall call the the Alumni/ae Alumni/ae Affairs For additional Affairs Director Director Cynthia Gardner-Brim at 212-870-1244 Cynthia Gardner-Brim at 212-870-1244

Photos: Wali Amin Muhammad

Lincoln University Hosts Reception for the First Year of New York Lincoln Alumni Club

Judge Kenneth Holder, presiding justice of the Supreme Court in the State of New York and Honoree Philip Banks III, Chief of Department of the New York City Police

T

he New York City Alumni of The Lincoln University and university officials honored Philip Banks III, who was appointed Chief of Department of the New York City Police on March 27, 2013 at a reception in Manhattan on Monday evening June 18. Banks is a 1984 graduate of the university. He is a member of the Mu Chapter of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc. As chief of Department, Chief Banks oversees all patrol and specialty units and manages department policy that affects New York City's diverse communities.

Judge Kenneth Holder, presiding justice of the Supreme Court in the State of New York, alumni club first vice-president and 1981 graduate of the university presided. The program included the presentation of a plaque and U.S. Congressional proclamation recognizing the day in honor of Chief Banks.

The reception also marked the kick-off event for the New York Lincoln Alumni Club. Members will be reaching out to the nearly 700 Lincoln alumni in the tri-state, putting forth an effort to attract high achieving students to the university and support the institution in every way possible.

“It’s a very good feeling and I am humbled by it,” said Chief Banks. “Lincoln has done more for me than anything in my entire life. It was a game changer. When I had times in my life where there was trouble, turbulence or I needed to be inspired or motivated, Lincoln entered into the equation. Being honored by Lincoln is the best honor I have ever had and that’s from the bottom of my heart.”

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The Positive Community Summer 2013

Dr. Robert R. Jennings, university president

A 26-year veteran of the NYPD, he joined in July 1986 on patrol in Precinct 81. He was promoted to sergeant in March 1994; lieutenant in May 1997; captain in September 1999; deputy inspector in June 2001; Inspector in December 2003; Deputy Chief in December 2006; assistant chief in June 2009 and chief of Community Affairs in July 2010.

“To know that there is a Lincoln man at the helm of this city’s police department, we should all feel very safe,” said Dr. Robert R. Jennings, university president, who also spoke at the gathering. “We are so honored that you are a Lincoln Lion, that you have distinguished yourself and in doing so you have distinguished us. I know that you will inspire many of the young men and women majoring in criminal justice and those who are not.”

It’s a real statement for New York City to have an African American male as Chief of Police. He’s a role model for this city,” said Lincoln Trustee Warren Colbert, class of ’68, a private wealth manager for UBS, who also expressed that he was ‘honored,” that Banks is a Lincoln alumnus.

Banks, a 2001 graduate of the Police Management Institute at Columbia University, more recently completed advanced management training for Senior Executives in State and Local Government at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government and the Executive Leaders Program in Counterterrorism at the Naval Postgraduate School, Center for Homeland Defense and Security, in Monterey, California.

He and his wife of 24 years have three children: Philip, Tenai, and Elijah. www.thepositivecommunity.com

RUTGERS, THE STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW JERSEY

Tog eTh e r ,

WE WI LL CR EATE A N EW ER A I N H EALTH SCI ENCES EDUC ATIoN, R ESEARCH, AN D PATI ENT C AR E. On July 1, 2013, most units of the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ) became part of Rutgers. This alliance marks an unprecedented integration of resources that will advance biomedical research, transform health education, and change lives.

We welcome the faculty, staff, students, alumni, and patients of UMDNJ to the Rutgers family and look forward to the endless possibilities that lie ahead.

RUTGERS WElcOmES THE FOllOWING UmdNJ UNITS: Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences Rutgers School of Dental Medicine New Jersey Medical School Robert Wood Johnson Medical School School of Health Related Professions School of Nursing School of Public Health University Behavioral Health Care Cancer Institute of New Jersey

Rutgers.edu

13-RUT-0008_ThePositiveCommunity_7x9.5_r1.indd 1

6/12/13 3:50 PM

The City University of New York

CHANCELLOR

The Board of Trustees of The City University of New York announces a global search to recruit a new chancellor with a record as an outstanding leader, manager and scholar within a major higher education system or other complex organization.

The university provides high-quality, accessible education for more than 270,000 degree-credit students and 226,000 adult, continuing and professional education students at 24 campuses across New York City.

There are more than 7,300 full-time faculty and more than 11,500 adjunct faculty at CUNY. The chancellor serves as the chief executive officer of the university and reports to the Board of Trustees. College presidents and deans of the university’s professional schools report directly to the chancellor.

CUNY is an integrated system of senior and community colleges, graduate and professional schools, research centers, institutes and consortia. It provides New York City with graduates trained for high-demand positions in the sciences, technology, mathematics, teaching, nursing and other fields.

The university has strengthened its mission as a major research institution, building an array of modern facilities and expanding the ranks of its worldclass faculty. Today CUNY enjoys a rising reputation, record enrollments, increased standards and enhanced resources.

CUNY is seeking a chancellor who will maintain the momentum of the university-wide renewal that has occurred over the past decade and a half.

She or he will be responsible for fulfilling the stipulations of New York State Education Law that “the university will continue to maintain and expand its commitment to academic excellence and to the provision of equal access and opportunity for students, faculty and staff from all ethnic and racial groups and from both sexes.”

Among the tasks for the new chancellor will be to continue to strengthen the quality and diversity of the institution through the hiring and retention of full-time faculty; to promote increased student success, including improved retention and graduation rates and post-graduate outcomes; to exercise excellent judgment in the hiring of college presidents and other senior university officials; to advance the needs of the university in a complex political environment; to meet the challenge of incorporating change in the delivery of academic content; to enhance the university’s doctoral programs; and to be open to adopting best practices from other sectors of higher education, including partnerships, where appropriate. The next chancellor must have a proven record as an entrepreneur and fund-raiser.

Members of the university community and the public are welcome to submit nominations. The review of applications will begin immediately and will continue until the position is filled. Submission of applications is encouraged

by October 25, 2013.

Applications: Applicants should send a curriculum vitae and a letter expressing their interest in the position that addresses how they meet the search committee’s preferred qualifications.

Nominations: Nominators should send a letter of nomination and, if possible, the nominee’s curriculum vitae.

Applications and nominations should be sent electronically to: John Isaacson, President; Sheryl Ash, Vice President; or Ben Tobin, Senior Associate Isaacson, Miller Email: cuny@imsearch.com Address: 263 Summer Street, 7th Floor, Boston, MA 02210 OR Ms. Mahlet Tsegaye Office of Executive Search/CUNY Email: executivesearch@mail.cuny.edu Address: 205 East 42nd Street, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10017 All nominations, applications and inquiries will be held in strict confidence.

CUNY is an EO/AA/IRCA/ADA employer with a strong commitment to racial, cultural and ethnic diversity. The search committee actively seeks and encourages nominations and applications from men and women of all races.

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The Positive Community Summer 2013

54813 CUNY Pos Community 1/2 pg 3.40” X 9.5 Share Knowledge, 7.31.13 P 10a Life, Change

Impact the World!

Adjunct Faculty Job Fair Tuesday, August 20, 2013 303 University Ave, Newark, NJ 07102 Physical Education Building/Gymnasium 12pm – 7pm Essex County College, a comprehensive multi-campus two-year college is in search of talented individuals to serve as Adjunct Faculty for day, evening, weekend and online classes.

Available opportunities include: • Humanities: English, History • Anatomy & Physiology, General Chemistry, Biology, Microbiology • ESL, Italian, French, Spanish, Creole, Chinese • Cultural Anthropology, Sociology, Health, Psychology, Criminal Justice, Social Work Courses, Substance Abuse Courses • Developmental Math, College Algebra, Introduction to Statistics & Math Fundamental Concepts for Modern Math 103 • Radiography - Clinical Instructors, Radiologic Technologist • Licensed Practical Nursing, and Nursing • Economics, Office Computing Technology Courses • Computer Science, Computer Information Systems, Engineering

Register to attend today! www.essex.edu/adjunct/jobfair Divisional Program Coordinators, TheChairpersons, hiring team will be conducting and faculty will be present to speak to attendees. on-the-spot interviews.

Job seekers currentcopies copies Job seekersshould should bring bring current of of resumes/academic plusany any licenses resumes/academictranscripts, transcripts, plus licenses or or certifi cations that relevanttotothe the position. certifications thatmay may be be relevant position.

For questions regarding specific degree programs, please contact 973-877-4447.

Essex County College isisan Essex County College anEqual EqualOpportunity/ Opportunity/ Affirmation Action Affirmative Action Employee Employer www.thepositivecommunity.com

Remembering Medgar Wiley Evers

By Machelle sweeting

O

n Sunday, June 30, 2013, the Rev. Dr. Kris F. Erskine, pastor of Bethany Baptist Church in Harlem, joined Geoffrey E. Eaton, president of the MidManhattan Branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) in organizing a commemorative church service in honor of the 50th Anniversary of the death of slain civil rights leader Medgar Wiley Evers.

50 years ago, NAACP Field Secretary and Civil Rights Activist Medgar Wiley Evers was shot to death in the driveway of his home in Jackson, Mississippi by a white supremacist, KKK member Byron De La Beckwith. Evers was engaged in voter registration efforts to empower the disenfranchised and was returning home from a meeting.

It is tragic irony that on the heels of the 50-year commemoration of his death, the Supreme Court, in Shelby v. Holder, struck down Section 4 of the Voter Rights Act for which Medgar and so many others gave their lives.

The Supreme Court’s decision in Shelby v. Holder reinforced the importance of closing the divide that sepa-

rates the church from the state and reiterated the level of vigilance required from both church and civic leaders to work together to protect and preserve the fundamental freedom of the right to vote, and to have a comprehensive understanding of the laws that impact us all.

As Rev. Erskine aptly commented during the morning worship service, “… the inter-connectedness between law and religion is manifested by their mutual struggle to attain equality and justice. It is this mutual struggle that gives rise to the fight for civil rights as a form of ministry.”

Since its founding in 1932, Bethany Baptist Church has been a member of the NAACP and actively engaged in civil rights ministry. As such, the church remains at the forefront of civil rights issues and continues to serve as a viable source of community empowerment. Consistent with the church’s deeply rooted history, many Bethany members, including the young people, remain actively involved in the NAACP Mid-Manhattan Branch today.

It is through partnerships such as this, that the church can continue in its efforts to keep the community engaged and informed about salient issues affecting their rights as parishioners and as citizens.

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www.thepositivecommunity.com

Summer 2013 The Positive Community

29

Lt. Col. Otha Thornton (Ret)

First African-American Male Takes PTA Helm

L

t. Col. Otha Thornton (Ret.) installed as president today, will focus on leadership, advocacy and membership.

Otha Thornton was installed as president of the National Parent Teacher Association (PTA), making history as the first African-American male chosen to lead the association. The ceremony took place at the PTA’s annual convention at Duke Energy Convention Center in Cincinnati, where he addressed the more than 1,000 attendees in his first official speech as president.

“This is an exciting opportunity, and I am proud to have been elected to lead the charge for parents and teachers across the nation, and to ensure that our children have the

Patrick F. Healy Middle School Teachers Participate in Verizon Mobile Technology Workshop

tools and support they need to succeed,” Thornton said. “I am committed to expanding PTA’s membership, leadership development and advocacy efforts to strengthen the association and fully empower families, teachers and communities to advocate for all children.”

Thornton brings unique experience and extensive involvement at all levels of the PTA to his leadership role having served on the Georgia PTA Board of Directors and on the PTA’s national Board of Directors. A retired U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel, Thornton earned the Bronze Star Medal for exceptional performance in combat operations in 2009 and 2010 during Operation Iraqi Continued on next page

Photos: Anthony Alvarez, Verizon Wireless

Teachers Learning to Enhance Students’ Learning in STEM Subjects Verizon representatives presenting Dr. Monica Burton, principal of Patrick J. Healy Middle School, with a $50,000 donation for mobile technology education.

L–R: James Barnes, business sales manager, Verizon; Samuel Delgado, vice president of External Affairs, Verizon; Dr. Monica D. Burton, principal, Patrick J. Healy Middle School; Mark Bocchieri, director of External Affairs, Verizon; Esmeralda Diaz Cameron, Public Relations manager for New York Metro, Verizon Wireless; Doug Schoenberger, executive director of External Affairs, Verizon

J Faythe Allen, 6th grade math teacher, Healy Middle School

ust in time for the new school year, Verizon Innovative Learning Schools program held a mobile technology workshop and grant donation at the Patrick F. Healy Middle School in East Orange, NJ on August 2.

Designed to train middle school teachers to effectively integrate mobile devices, digital tools and online platforms in the classroom, the workshop marked the start of a two-year national teacher-training program, onsite and virtual, at Healy Middle School. The International Society for TechContinued on next page

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The Positive Community Summer 2013

www.thepositivecommunity.com

PTA Freedom. Colonel Thornton and his family have lived all over the world, and his two children have been part of school systems in Georgia, Maryland, Michigan, Texas, as well as the Department of Defense Schools overseas. He resides in Savannah, Georgia, with his wife of 20 years.

“The PTA is critical in bringing the voices of parents to the forefront on issues, working together to strengthen school safety, provide kids with healthy, nutritious lunches and implement consistent learning goals across the country,” Thornton said. “Parents are an essential voice in the education reform debate, and we need to be much more than an audience. We need to be partners in the education of our children, and I am looking forward to engaging with diverse communities across the country to ensure that all parents have a voice in their children’s education.”

Our Bergen Community.

Join Us.

About the National PTA National Parent Teacher Association is dedicated to making every child’s potential a reality by engaging and empowering families and communities to advocate for all children. National PTA is comprised of 55 state congresses and nearly 26,000 local units in 50 states, the District of Columbia, U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico and the Department of Defense Schools in Europe and the Pacific. More information about National PTA and ongoing work is available on Twitter, Facebook and at www.pta.org.

STEM nology in Education (ISTE), which is Verizon’s partner to lead educators in their professional development, will help 23 other underserved schools across the country spread the use of mobile technology to enhance learning in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM).

In addition to Healy Middle School teachers, Dr. Monica D. Burton, principal of Patrick J. Healy Middle School, Dr. Deborah Harvest, assistant superintendent of East Orange School District, and Yolanda Ramos, director of Professional Development Services for ISTE, were all on site.

The Verizon Foundation, which provides funding through grants to ISTE and the participating schools, has increased its funding to $1.6 million to cover all the schools in the program. More than 12,000 students, program wide, will benefit from classroom environments that effectively integrate technology and exhibit National Educational Technology Standards (NETS) standards.

Faythe Allen, a sixth grade math teacher at Healy Middle School, believes the program will have a real impact on both the teachers and the students. “Kids love their cell phones, their tablets and all of their digital-age technology,” she noted. “Actually, they’re better with these devices than we are, so I know that our new tools will keep their attention and keep them engaged. As we help ourselves to learn through our virtual training from Verizon, we will be able to turn this knowledge around and pass it on to our students.” www.thepositivecommunity.com

Register Now for Fall Classes.

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Financial aid, payment plans and scholarships available.

Fall 2013 Schedule

September 3 ......................................Paramus/Hackensack September 25......................................................Lyndhurst October 30.......................................Hackensack (Flex Start)

Visit www.bergen.edu/fall2013 To register, visit A-129 at the College’s main campus, 400 Paramus Road, Paramus or my.bergen.edu.

For more information, please call Larry Hlavenka at (201) 689-7057 or email lhlavenka@bergen.edu.

H A C K E N S A C K

|

M E A D O W L A N D S

|

PA R A M U S

Bergen Community College maintains an open admissions policy for college-age adults.

Bergen Community College is an equal opportunity institution.

Summer 2013 The Positive Community

31

HELENE FULD COLLEGE OF NURSING 24 East 120th Street New York, NY 10035

LPN to RN AAS DEGREE PROGRAM

(NO PRIOR EMPLOYMENT AS AN LPN IS REQUIRED FOR ADMISSION)

& RN to BS DEGREE PROGRAM Join us for an LPN to RN open house.

LPNs and LPN students are welcome.

Tuesday, August 13, 2013 @ 4:00 pm To RSVP, call (212) 616-7282 or email: crystal.collins@helenefuld.edu

Join us for our Summer Yacht Cruise.

Open to the Public Saturday, August 24th, 2013 @ 1 pm: Tickets - $90-$100 p/p Proceeds will be used for scholarships and resource development. Sponsorship opportunities are available.

For more information, call 212-616-7278.

Tickets are available for purchase at: www.helenefuld.edu.

Christian Love Baptist Church “Touched by an Angel” Photo: Tony Graves

By Karen Waters

M

embers of Christian Love Baptist Church in Irvington, NJ were pleasantly surprised by the visit of a special preacher at their 11:00 a.m. service on June 16. Pastor Ron Christian gladly turned his pulpit over to his friend, Rev. Della Reese-Lett, who preached an inspired soul-stirring sermon titled “Be Still and Know I am God.” Renowned as an actress, television personality, gospel, pop and jazz singer, author, NAACP Image Award recipient, Reese was ordained in 2010. She is the founder of the Understanding Principles for Better Living Church in Los Angeles, a Christian New Thought congregation, where she is the senior minister and affectionately called, “Rev. Della.”

Her acting career spans four decades, and she is best known for her leading role as the angelic “Tess” in the television program Touched by an Angel.

Theological Education for Everyone

The Newark School of Theology Fall Courses 2013 Classes Begin September 3rd Old Testament Education for Pastoral Care The New Testament Spiritual Journaling Systematic Theology Introduction to Preaching Biblical Hebrew

Rev. Douglas Bendall, Ph.D. Chaplain Cynthia Brady, BCC Rev. Douglas Bendall, Ph.D. Ms. Mary H. Thurmond, B.A. Rev. Lon Calvin Whitfield, Th.D. Rev. Martin Oguike, Ph.D. Ms. Mary L. Thomas, M.A.

OPEN HOUSE August 24h – 10 am to 2 pm Challenging Seminary Level Classes ~ Member: Nat’l College Credit Recommendation Service Affordable Tuition ~ Payment Plan Available ~ Convenient Location Near NJPAC ~ Free Parking

For Course Descriptions and Registration Contact Admissions Office at 973-855-6783 Telephone 973-297-0505

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The Positive Community Summer 2013

www.newarkschooloftheology.org www.thepositivecommunity.com

BECOME A TEACHER TODAY AND CHANGE THE WORLD

TOURO COLLEGE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF EDUCATION

We are Proud to Rank in the Top Ten Nationally in African-American Graduates and First in New York State SAVE THE DATE! Information Sessions for Spring 2014 Classes Brooklyn Campus - Tuesday, October 15 Manhattan Campus - Thursday, October 17 Bay Shore Campus - Thursday, November 7 All sessions will be held from 6:00-7:30pm Sign-in at 5:45pm For more information visit: touro.edu/gseinfo Call: 1-888-TOURO-02 facebook.com/WeAreTouro

@WeAreTouro

Touro College is an Equal Opportunity Institution

Dr. LaMar P. Miller, Dean

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Summer 2013 The Positive Community

33

Back-to-school for parents, too!

Start your school year on the right foot by getting more involved in your child’s education. Here are some tips for parents.

Provide resources at home for reading and learning. Families should have books and magazines on hand and read with their children each day.

Set a good example. Families should show their children that they believe reading is enjoyable and useful. They shouldn’t spend all their time in front of the TV. Encourage children to do their best in school. Families must indicate that they believe education is important and that they want their children to do the best they possibly can at school.

Emphasize academics. Many families get caught up in athletics and extracurricular activities, when academics should be their first concern.

Support school rules and goals. Families should take care not to undermine school rules, discipline, or goals.

Use pressure positively. Families should encourage children to do their best, but they should not apply too much pressure by setting unattainable goals or by involving them in too many activities.

Call teachers early if there is a problem so there is still time to improve the situation.

When families and schools work together, our children are the winners!

New Jersey Education Association… working for great public schools for every child.

Barbara Keshishian, President Wendell Steinhauer, Vice President Marie Blistan, Secretary-Treasurer Vince Giordano, Executive Director Richard Gray, Assistant Executive Director

UMBA

The Moderator’s Banquet

I

t was a well-attended and festive celebration at the Eastwood Manor in the Bronx. The occasion was in appreciation for United Missionary Baptist Association’s moderator, Rev. Lee Arrington.

Dozens of friends, family, community leaders, member churches and colleagues were on hand to show their gratitude for the leadership of their beloved moderator. For six years, Rev. Arrington has worked tirelessly to promote the UMBA and diversify its activities in ser-

vice to the church and community in areas of healthcare, education, homelessness, family and jobs. The banquet received full support from the association’s ministries and auxiliaries. UMBA represents over 146 churches in Manhattan, Bronx and Westchester County. Rev. Arrington is senior pastor at Paradise B.C. in Harlem. —AAC

L–R: Moderator Rev. Lee Arrington, First Lady Patricia, Rev. Dr. Shelly Sampson, president, Bapticst Ministers Conference of NYC and Rev. Ronald Grant, president, Empire Missionary Baptist Convention of NY Photos: Bruce Moore

L–R: Rev. Arrington with NYC Counilman Robert Jackson www.thepositivecommunity.com

Summer 2013 The Positive Community

35

Get The Vote Out NYC! Mayor

to the Get Guide The Vote OutSeptember NYC! Primary Elections

**Seeking relection

Guide to the September Primary Elections Borough President Manhattan Gale Brewer (D) Robert Jackson (D) Jessica Lappin (D) Julie Menin (D) Bronx Ruben Diaz Jr. (D) Mark Escoffery-Bey (D) Carl Lundgren (G) Queens Aurelio “Tony” Arcabascio (R) Tony Avella (D) Melinda Katz (D) Peter Vallone Jr. (D) Everly Brown (D) Brooklyn Eric Adams (D) John Gangemi (D)

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The Positive Community Summer 2013

John Catsimatidis (R) Joe Lhota (R) George McDonald (R) Sal Albanese (D) Cecilia Berkowitz (D) Bill de Blasio (D) Kevin Coenen Jr. (D) Randy Credico (D) He Gin Lee (D) John Liu (D) Carl Person (D) Christine Quinn (D) Erick Salgado (D) Bill Thompson (D) Anthony Weiner (D) Anthony Gronowicz (G) Jack Hidary (I) Adolfo Carrion Jr. (I) Michael Sanchez (L) Hilda K Broady Fernandez (G) Staten Island James Oddo (R) Louis Liedy (D) Richard Luthmann (D) Henry Bardel (G)

CITY COUNCIL DISTRICT RACES Manhattan Districts 1-10

Comptroller John Burnett (R) Eliot Spitzer (D) Scott Stringer (D) Julia Willebrand (G) Kristin M. Davis (L) Hesham El-Meligy (L)

Public Advocate Cathy Guerriero (D) Letitia James (D) Reshma Saujani (D) Daniel Squadron (D) Sidique Wai (D) James Lane (G) Alex Merced (L)

District 5 Jessica Lappin (running for Manhattan Borough President) District 6 Gale Brewer (running for Manhattan Borough President)

District 1 Margaret Chin**

District 7 Robert Jackson (running for Manhattan Borough President)

District 2 Rosie Mendez**

District 8 Melissa Mark-Viverito **

District 3 Christine Quinn (running for Mayor)

District 9 Inez Dickens**

District 4 Daniel Garodnick**

District 10 Ydanis Rodriguez** www.thepositivecommunity.com

Get The Vote Out NYC! Bronx Districts 11-18

District 24 James Gennaro

District 38 Sara Gonzalez **

District 11 G. Oliver Koppell District 12 Andy King**

District 25 Daniel Dromm ** District 26 Jimmy Van Bramer**

District 39 Brad Lander **

District 13 Jimmy Vacca **

District 27 Leroy Comrie Jr (running for Queens Borough President)

District 14 Fernando Cabrera ** District 15 Joel Rivera District 16 Helen Foster District 17 Maria del Carmen Arroyo** District 18 Annabel Palma** Queens Districts 19-32 District 19 Daniel Halloran (R) District 20 Peter Koo** District 21 Julissa Ferreras** District 22 Peter Vallone Jr (running for Queens Borough President) District 23 Mark Weprin** www.thepositivecommunity.com

District 28 Ruben Wills** District 29 Karen Koslowitz** District 30 Elizabeth Crowley** District 31 Donovan Richards** District 32 Eric Ulrich ** Brooklyn Districts 33-48 District 33 Stephen Levin** District 34 Diana Reyna District 35 Letitia James (running for Public Advocate)

District 40 Mathieu Eugene ** District 41 Darlene Mealy ** District 42 Charles Barron District 43 Vincent Gentile** District 44 David Greenfield** District 45 Jumaane Williams** District 46 Lewis Fidler District 47 Domenic Recchia Jr District 48 Michael Nelson Staten Island Districts 49-51 District 49 Deborah Rose**

District 36 Al Vann

District 50 James Oddo (running for Staten Island Borough President)

District 37 Erik Dilan

District 51 Vincent Ignizio (R)** Summer 2013 The Positive Community

37

Clergy Leaders Endorse Liu

O

ver 50 clergy leaders from across the New York City and of many different denominations announced their endorsement of John Liu for mayor on July 25, 2013 with the following statement: “John has qualities rare in our elected officials - political courage, integrity, compassion, and proven results for our communities throughout the City. John is a champion of reform and will make government work for all New Yorkers from every community. As a fiscal watchdog, John has aggressively rooted out waste, fraud and abuse from the City’s coffers, saving taxpayers over $3 billion. It was under John’s leadership that brought sunlight to runaway government contracts. As Mayor, we know John will continue his good work to create good paying jobs and lift families out of poverty, expand opportunities for minority and women owned busi-

nesses, fight for better schools, preserve and expand affordable housing, and end the giveaways to luxury developers who want to build on public housing property. We proudly support John Liu for New York City Mayor.”

Among them are: Rev. Dr. Johnny McCann of St. Luke’s Baptist Church in Manhattan; Rev. Gary Simpson, Concord Baptist Church in Brooklyn; Rev. Shon Adkins of Antioch Baptist Church in Manhattan; Rev. Marcos A. Miranda, Commanding Officer of the New York State Chaplains Task Force; Bishop Ronald L. Bailey, Love Gospel Assembly in the Bronx; Pastor Gil Monrose, Pastor of Mount Zion Church of God, Seventh Day in Brooklyn; Rev. Won Tae Cho, Pastor of Woori Church of NY in Queens; Rev. Eric Lai, Pastor of Taiwan Union Christian Church in Queens; Rev. Angel Castro of Harvest Congregation Church in

John Liu on the campaign trail

the Bronx; Rev. Cleveland Coley of Alpha and Omega Church of the Lord in the Bronx; Rev. Phil Craig of Greater Springfield Community Church in Queens; Minister Kim Maria Osorio, Bronx Borough Supervisor of the New York State Chaplain Task Force; and Rev. Park Cheung Lo, Chinese Christian Herald Crusades in Queens.

Rev. Louis Riddle, Baptist House of Worship in the Bronx, summed up the feelings of the group in a few words, “John Liu is a man of his word. I believe John as mayor will deliver for all New Yorkers.”

Gale has 40 years of experience serving the people of NYC as a bold and independent leader. She has been in the City Council for 12 years.

Gale passed the ground-breaking Paid Sick Leave legislation that allows employees to take time off if they are ill, without fear of losing their job.

Gale passed the Open Data Law that mandates that all NYC agencies provide easy, transparent access to public information.

Gale passed zoning reforms that protect small businesses.

Gale is the Democrat who will make a difference as the next Manhattan Borough President.

Democratic Primary: Vote September 10th! www.GaleBrewer.com www.thepositivecommunity.com

Summer 2013 The Positive Community

39

As Mayor, Democrat John Liu will: Inc reas e the minimum wage to

JOHN’S STORY IS A NEW YORK STORY..

John’s story is a New York story. After

over $4 billion in taxpayers’ money. John

a fair s hot s ta rts with a fai r wage.

working in a sweatshop, John Liu - a son

has developed innovative ways to create

End Stop and F ris k . This policy

of immigrants - used education to get

jobs, expand MWBE opportunities, pro-

c annot be “imp rov ed” o r “tweak ed”

ahead, and live a life in service to others.

tect wage standards, secure the pen-

as all his opponen ts s ugges t. J ohn

As a father with a child in public school,

sions for our retirees, and invest in the

John knows what it means to want your

infrastructure needs of tomorrow. John

children to succeed, have every opportu-

has taken on powerful interests and

nity within their reach, and have no limits

they’ve gone after him with fury—but he

C reate jobs in ev ery borough and

to their dreams. The American Dream.

never backs down. As our Mayor, John

inv es t in ou r c ommunities ac ros s

Elected to the City Council and then as

will look out for EVERY New Yorker in

the c ity .

Comptroller, John has served as a

EVERY neighborhood – A Mayor for

Build fai r and affo rdable hous ing

watchdog – a pitbull – to aggressively

all people, the Mayor for change.

$11.50 – a liv able wage – bec aus e

will end it.

Imp rov e our s c hools f rom pre -K th rough 12 , s o s c hools c an s top c los ing and g rades c an s tar t ris ing.

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root out waste, fraud and abuse, saving

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Paid for by Friends of John Liu

AME Churches Encouraged Bishop Ingram Leads Uplifting New York Annual Conference

Bishop Gregory Gerald McKinley Ingram

Rev. Jessica Ingram

By James E. Booker Jr.

B

ishop Gregory Gerald McKinley Ingram, D. Min., the 118th elected and consecrated Bishop of the AME Church and Presiding Prelate of the First Episcopal District of the African Methodist Episcopal Church, and his wife, the Rev. Dr. Jessica Kendall Ingram, Episcopal Supervisor, led the exciting 191st Session of the New York Annual Conference held at Greater Allen Cathedral AME Church in Jamaica, NY, where the Rev. Drs. Floyd H. Flake and Elaine M. Flake are the pastors.

The pre-conference activities and services set the tone for an empowered seven-day experience, with the evangelist workshops and worship services at Mt. Moriah AME Church on April 22, where the Rev. Robert R. Lowe is the pastor, and Missionary Day on April 23 at Allen Cathedral.

At these preludes to the Annual Conference, the Ingrams shared information and data that would help local churches enhance their ministries and community impact.

The conference officially commenced on Wednesday, April 24 with the Roll Call and organization. In his opening remarks, Bishop Ingram expressed his expectation that “all of our churches remain relevant in order to serve the needs and demands of our congregants and communities.” Bishop Ingram also discussed the Ten Guideposts and First Things First Strategic and Vision Plan for the First Episcopal District, which sets the tone and areas of focus for the 2012-2016 Quadrennium. “I believe our future is full of great promise and possibilities, as we have some of www.thepositivecommunity.com

the most gifted and talented preachers and lay alike in the Connection, who will continue forward the great legacy of African Methodism, of making a difference,” Bishop Ingram declared.

The conference was blessed by the proclamation of the Word from New York Conference Pastors and visiting dignitaries. The Rev. Dietra C. Bell, pastor of Bethel Tabernacle AME Church, Brooklyn, NY offered the annual sermon, “I Just Can’t Stop.” Other conference preachers included Bishop Henry Allen Belin, Jr., (retired); Rev. Dr. Jessica Kendall Ingram, Episcopal Supervisor; the Reverends Alicia Bailey (St. James/St. Philip, Harlem, NYC); Lisa Williamson (Mt. Olive, Port Washington, NY); D. Albert Turk (Emmanuel, Harlem, NYC); Kimberly Detherage, Esq. (St. Mark, Jackson Heights, NY and president, Connectional Women In Ministry); Marcellus A. Norris, (St. Luke, Harlem, NYC); and Harold R. Mayberry (First AME Church, Oakland, CA and chair, Episcopal Committee).

Throughout the conference, pastors shared their annual reports and congregational highlights from their work throughout the conference year. Rev. Dr. Jessica Kendall Ingram presented a workshop entitled “First Things First: The Priority of Worship,” which emphasized the importance of worship as an integral part of church growth and evangelism. Other presenters included, Rev. Nicholas Genevieve-Tweed “From Membership Continued on page 45 Summer 2013 The Positive Community

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Camp of Champions Chris Canty signs the shirt of young football aspirant

Text and photos by Bob Gore

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or those young people gathered on a recent Thursday at the George Washington High School stadium, it was a field of dreams — the place where their gridiron hopes were transformed into reality, at least for the day. Three hundred young men and women from throughout the region were there to participate in the Chris Canty Foundation’s Camp of Champions, a rigorous day of football drills interspersed with pointed discussions on essential life values.

The six-hour emersion in football fundamentals challenged physical abilities and mental preparedness, offering a glimpse of high level playing. The youth came fully prepared for the task, putting their all in the exercises.

Strained facial expressions reflected how difficult it is to run, block and pass like a pro. As they rotated through the several exercises, these young NFL aspirants gave their best to gain coach’s approval. But when players failed to make an earnest effort, you heard “Give me ten!” — as in pushups. Though fewer in number, the girls present displayed exceptional tenacity through the difficult drills.

The benefits of sports participation are well documented. In addition to the obvious physical rewards, there are other significant benefits. A recent New York University report points out, “In sports, kids find a social milieu that can promote a spirit of social interaction, cooperation and friendship. Sports help kids think critically and solve

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The Positive Community Summer 2013

problems, build self-discipline, trust, respect for others, leadership and coping skills and have been shown to improve academic and occupational outcomes, lower school dropout rates and deter delinquency.”

The Camp of Champions is conducted annually in Charlotte, NC and New York City with the help of an army of volunteers including current and former college and professional players who serve as mentors and coaches. Throughout the day there was equal emphasis placed on proper conduct on, and especially, off the field. For me, most memorable moments happened during water and snack breaks when coaches led discussions on topics including What is a Man?; Conflict Resolution; How to be a Friend; Gender Sensitivity and Violence Against Women. Parents, too, agreed with the discussions. Sharon and Joe Rashbalm, who brought two nephews for the second year, said that in addition to sports tips, “The camp provides advice on being a better person and young people hung on to every word. What can I say? A 300 pound guy says ‘This the way to be a man,’ kids are going to listen to him.”

Chris Canty was born in the Baychester section of the Bronx. His father is a successful contractor and his mother is a United Methodist minister. While still in his teens, the family moved to North Carolina where Continued on next page www.thepositivecommunity.com

CAMP OF CHAMPIONS he was a star athlete in high school. He went on to play four years at the University of Virginia while earning a degree in African American Studies. His professional career began with the Dallas Cowboys in 2005. In 2009 he joined the New York Giants and was a member of the team when they became Super bowl champions in 2011.

He is currently with the Baltimore Ravens.

Started in 2010, the Chris Canty Foundation is dedicated to all-around youth development. Using sports as a platform, their year round programs are organized around five core concepts. The group uses football as a central program around which mentoring, leadership development and education programs are fashioned. The foundation’s education mission is described in the foundation’s core values: hope, service, respect, justice and compassion.

The group sponsors two major non-sports programs.

Summer Leadership Institute, hosted by Johnson C. Smith University aims to cultivate the next generation of leaders through education and service, with physical and emotional fitness playing a significant role in the success of the scholars. The others are four annual leadership conferences focusing on college preparation, healthy habits, technology, communication and servant leadership.

Chris Canty, the foundation’s visionary, also had a demanding day. After an early morning workout of his own, he led drills at the camp, patiently signed autographs and offered words of encouragement to virtually every child in attendance.

AME

Continued from page 41 to Discipleship”; Rev. Dr. Floyd H. Flake on stewardship and fiscal responsibility and Rev. Dr. Lisa Williamson on the Health Care Initiative. All of these presentations provided resourceful information to enhance and empower the work of clergy and laity alike.

The closing and commissioning service was held on Sunday, April 28, 2013. Bishop Ingram preached the closing sermon entitled “No Question about It” - Jude 17-25.

He proclaimed that no matter the situation or circumstance, God is able to keep us and provide for us as we go about the work of the kingdom. “There is no reason to fret or second guess about the keeping and sustaining power of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. It is this power that has and continues to transcend fallen empires, governmental leaders and our tumultuous times,” Bishop Ingram passionately declared to the congregation.

At the close of the service, Bishop Ingram invited all young people 12 years and under to the altar for a special prayer and blessed each of them with a $20.00 bill, revealing that he was led by the Lord to personally sow a seed into the lives of these young people, who are our future leaders, both in and outside of the church.

The session closed with a powerful commissioning prayer offered by Bishop Ingram. All assembled left empowered and energized to return to their respective churches and communities to make a difference and yield to the call of “First Things First, the First Episcopal District mantra and theme.

Essex County College Academic Standouts Honored by NJCAA

www.thepositivecommunity.com

Photo: Raymond Spencer

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hree members of the Essex County College Wolverines men’s track team have been named to the 2013 All-NJCAA (National Junior College Athletic Association) Academic Team.

Christopher Rose (3.50 grade point average in Liberal Arts), Shamid Parker (3.42 average in Liberal Arts), and Jonathan Henry (3.40 average in Engineering) were all recently named to the academic team. All three have completed their sophomore years.

The versatile Christopher has competed in the 400 meters, 4x400 and 4x800 meter relay teams and the long jump. He was on ECC’s 4x400 meter team that won the 2013 Millrose Games event for Historically Black Colleges and Universities.

Shamid has competed in the sprints and the 800 meter run. Jonathan has run the 400 meters and 200 meters along with being a part of the College’s relay team.

The student-athletes are coached by Michael Smart.

L–R: Dr. Phil Linfante, executive dean of student success; Ms. Patricia Slade, assistant dean of student life & activities; Mr. Melvin Knight, director of athletics; Mr. Christopher Rose, student-athlete; Dr. Gale Gibson, interim president; Mr. Shamid Parker, student-athlete; Mr. Jonathan Henry, student-athlete and Mr. Michael Smart, track & field coach.

Summer 2013 The Positive Community

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Pastor Guy Campbell: Standing on the Promises

BY GLENDA CADOGAN So built we the wall; and all the wall was joined together unto the half thereof: for the people had a mind to work.

—Neh. 4:6

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In November of 2012, the GBCNJ purchased a beautiful property on State Street and has been renovating both the building and grounds for use as its headquarters.

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Rev. Campbell and First Lady Dorothy Campbell

Photo Vincent Bryant

hen Rev. Dr. Guy Campbell became a minister, he was advised by his pastor to select and study the lives of two bible characters as inspiration for his leadership. He chose Nehemiah in the Old Testament and Paul in the New. From the teachings of Paul, he embraced: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” But it is from the prophet Nehemiah that he draws ever-present strength to not just build up the physical walls of the church, but the gospel walls and the lives of the people as well. In addition, he has developed the highly desirable gift of motivating people to work.

The current president of the General Baptist Convention of New Jersey (GBCNJ) and pastor of Evergreen Baptist Church, Campbell is well known for his efforts in building a physical home for both institutions. In 1979, 10 years after he received the pulpit at Evergreen Baptist in Palmyra, NJ, he spearheaded the rebuilding of the church’s first edifice. When he assumed the presidency of the GBC in 2008, the organization was without a headquarters. In fact, the operations were conducted out of the home study of the president. “I recommended that we secure a building in Trenton, NJ so we might have a central location to carry out our work as a convention,” he said. In November of 2012, the GBCNJ purchased a beautiful property on State Street and has been renovating both the building and grounds for use as its headquarters. Like Nehemiah, he was victorious because: “the people had a mind to work.” “The bigger challenge was getting people

out of the mindset of business as usual,” he revealed. “Part of my responsibilities as president of GBC is to develop greater, stronger effective witnesses to do the work of God. But to do so we need to move to another level of service in the congregation and holistic church ministries.”

With a view toward the completion of the new GBC headquarters, Dr. Campbell has penned an aggressive agenda that includes working in tandem with other organizations for the betterment of the entire community. “Our aim is to help people find jobs and educational opportunities in the state,” he explained. In pursuit of this mission, the headquarters will house programs ranging from after school tutoring to financial planning and parenting.

As Dr. Campbell continues to lead both church and organization, the Lord has been speaking to his heart www.thepositivecommunity.com

COVERSTORY

about the way forward. “The message has been about meeting needs in the lives of our people—the poor, the unemployed and the disenfranchised. But it’s as much about meeting the needs of pastors to help them become even more effective in their leadership and so harmoniously we can feed the hungry, clothed the naked and shelter the homeless.”

The GBC consists of five district associations made up “of individual churches. With its theme for 2013: “Vision to Victory: Working Together In Unity,” the organization has been transforming lives with its active home and foreign missions. Its leadership consists of 1st Vice President Dr. Lester W. Taylor, Jr., pastor of Community Baptist Church of Englewood; 2nd Vice President Dr. George A. Blackwell III, pastor of Good Neighbor Baptist Church of Newark; General Secretary Dr. Joseph E. Woods, pastor of Saint Phillips Baptist Church of Hamilton, and Executive Assistant Dr. Edward D. Harper, pastor of Macedonia Baptist Church of Lakewood.

A fifth generation Baptist, Rev. Campbell received his conversion call at the age of 13 in his hometown of Hartsville, South Carolina. He began his work in ministry as a Sunday School teacher of the primary class of small children. The second child in a family of six, he came from a home of hard-working parents who diligently taught him the meaning of salvation. He has emulated those teachings in his own family of two children along with his wife, Deaconess Dorothy Campbell, who is also his helpmate in the church as the president of the Board of Christian Education. A man of immovable faith and discipline, Dr. Campbell begins each day with a private devotion followed by daily visits and ministering to the sick in hospitals.

But he believes that the greatest challenge facing the modern day church is getting young people involved. “Not

With a view toward the completion of the new GBC headquarters, Dr. Campbell has penned an aggressive agenda that includes working in tandem with other organizations for the betterment of the entire community. www.thepositivecommunity.com

But he believes that the greatest challenge facing the modern day church is getting young people involved. “Not only do we need young people involved in the work of Christ, but it is also important to draw them away from the things in society that hurt and harm them,” said Dr. Campbell. only do we need young people involved in the work of Christ, but it is also important to draw them away from the things in society that hurt and harm them,” said Dr. Campbell. To meet this challenge, he stands on the promise of God as found in found in Isaiah: “He gives power to the weak/and strength to the powerless/Even youths will become weak and tired, and young men will fall in exhaustion/But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength/They will soar high on wings like eagles/They will run and not grow weary/They will walk and not faint.”

When faced with challenges in his personal life, he turns to the prophet Jeremiah for help: “Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.” When his people are faced with the pressures of life, he directs them to the Psalm of David: “I will lift up my eyes unto the hills from where comes my help.” “This Psalm has helped me through a lot of tough times in my life,” he said. “To me it is medicine to the soul.”

The Word of God and the inspiring stories of triumph of great men and women is where he goes to be refreshed explained Dr. Campbell. But learning, living and leaning on the promises of God is what sustains him everyday. “I love the hymn, ‘Standing on the Promises’ because it describes my position in the body of Christ,” he said.

“God’s promises are true and unwavering. And I am reminded of that each time I sing: Standing on the promises I cannot fall, Listening every moment to the Spirit’s call, Resting in my Savior as my all in all, Standing on the promises of God.” Summer 2013 The Positive Community

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THE VISION General Baptist Convention of New Jersey, Inc. Corporate Headquarters

By Dr. Joseph E. Woods, general secretary, General Baptist Convention of NJ, Inc. Proverbs 29:18 says, “Where there is no vision, the people perish.” The NIV says, “Where there is no revelation, the people cast off restraint.” Another version says, “They run wild.”

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hat is obviously clear is that people need direction, people need guidance, and people need a vision.

Aubrey Malphurs, author of Developing a Vision for the 21st Century, defines vision as a “clear mental picture of the future of an organization as its constituents believe it can be and must be.”

A vision is clear, a mental picture. It is future. It can be, and it must be. When Dr. Guy Campbell, Jr. became the president of the General Baptist Convention of New Jersey, it was his vision that this organization, with a history spanning over 100 years, have an established physical presence in the state of New Jersey, specifically in the city of Trenton, our state capital.

The rationale behind his thinking is that our convention must position itself to engage in holistic ministry that impacts the lives of marginalized people in our society. Trenton is the place where legislation that eventually impacts every citizen of our state is created. If we as Baptists could have a viable presence in Trenton, forge viable communal relationships with the political family, as well as other religious and charitable organizations in our state capital, perhaps we could be on the front lines of dialogue and debate regarding the issues of fairness and justice, especially those things that impact our constituency.

To that end, the body of the convention has purchased a wonderful building that will service as our headquarters in the city of Trenton. Strategically located on State Street among headquarters of other religious entities and within blocks of the State Capitol and Trenton City Hall, our presence has already begun to spark interest.

The facility is located at 479 W. State Street and will serve as a centralized location for the operational functions of our convention. It is a 10,000 square foot property with multiple floors situated on 2.2 acres of land in the historic landmark district in our state’s capital. First, it will house the office of the president, executive administrator, and business office where all financial and fiduciary responsibilities will be managed.

The headquarters will serve as a central location for the execution of all finances such as accounts receivable and accounts payable, as well as record retention for all important and legal

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documents. With a spacious conference component, kitchen, and dining area, it will also serve as a place of learning, empowerment, networking, and fellowship. There the president will host statewide official dinners, leadership symposiums, and caucuses that address the painful plights of society.

Presently, our facility is undergoing renovations to make it a user-friendly, state-of–the-art facility. Phase I should be completed during the early fall of 2013, and a ribbon cutting ceremony will occur shortly thereafter. At that point, our services to our member churches, the surrounding communities, the state and beyond will be expanded, thusly positioning us to be a greater witness for Christ.

Furthermore, the headquarters will house the office of the GBC Community Development Corporation 501C-3. The goal is to position the Convention to impact the economic and social conditions of humanity. While we are stewards of spiritual matters, we are called to serve this present age and to address the ills of society that oppress our people. The General Baptist Convention Community Development Corporation (501C-3) is a vitally important arm of GBC. Its goals and objectives include community development, economic empowerment and social action.

It is certainly the vision our president to see our Convention advocate for jobs for our people, interface with legislators and influence from the inside laws that govern our people, and act as a conduit through which assistance can be made available to those in the city of Trenton as well as throughout the state in times of need.

In this year of the 150th anniversary of the Great Emancipation, it is quite a testimony that the General Baptist Convention is making great strides to affirm Almighty God’s watch, care and guidance over the lives of the African American people in this land. An organization that has ministered to the black community through the Great Depression, Jim Crow segregation and witnessed the election and reelection of a black president, the GBC continues to do a great work and is a constant and stable part of the fabric of religious life in the state of New Jersey and beyond. This organization is “working together in unity” as our 2013 theme states, and stands strong as a leading voice advocating for the rights, liberties, freedoms, and advancement of African Americans and people everywhere.

For more information contact Dr. Woods at 609-394-3887 or pastorjew@verizon.net. www.thepositivecommunity.com

North Jersey Baptist Association Celebrates 100th Anniversary

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he banquet hall of the Robert Treat Hotel was at full capacity as hundreds gathered to mark the 100year journey of the North Jersey District Missionary Baptist Association. Under the leadership of Moderator Rev. Dr. Lester W. Taylor, 60 churches celebrated this milestone with a Centennial Banquet.

In his address, Dr. Taylor said: Today, we celebrate 100 years of Associational life! Our history is strong, diverse and yet unfolding. As we continue our journey, the question begged to be asked is “What now?” the answer comes from the voices of lepers who declared “We cannot sit here and we cannot go back. If we sit here we die, if we go back we die, but if we go forward we may live!” Today, we are postured to move forward remembering that there is life beyond the gate.

The guest celebrant and keynote speaker was Commissioner Rev. Dr. William J. Shaw, vice chair of United States Commission on International Religious Freedom and immediate past president of the National Baptist Association, USA. Inc. Dr. Taylor is senior pastor of Community Baptist Church of Englewood in Englewood, NJ. –AAC

Dr. Lester Taylor and First Lady Min. Gayle Taylor

L–R: Hon. Ras Baraka, Newark Municipal Councilman and 2014 Mayoral Candidate; James Harris, NAACP NJ State president and Rev. Dr. Guy Campbell, president of the General Baptist Convention of NJ with Dr. William J. Shaw.

L–R: Rev. John Gamble, pastor of Smyrna Missionary Church in Newark, NJ; First Lady Kedra Gamble with Deacon Spenser and his wife, Deaconess Cheryll Heggins

Photos: Vincent Bryant

L–R: Rev. H. Grady James, pastor of New Bethel B.C., Irvington, NJ and First Lady Sharon James

L–R: Reverends William J. Shaw and Lester W. Taylor Rev. George B. Martinez, Mt. Calvary B.C., Newton NJ and First Lady Doris

L–R: Rev. Vernon Walton, pastor Mount Calvary B.C. of Englewood and Rev. Michael Jordan, pastor Mount Olive B.C., East Orange

48

L–R: Hon. Mildred Crump, Newark Municipal Council and Mayor Wayne Smith of Irvington,NJ

Rev. Ralph Branch, pastor of Mount Calvary Missionary ​ Baptist Church with First Lady Branch and their daughter

The Positive Community Summer 2013

www.thepositivecommunity.com

Joseph Pastures of Harlem, stays active by playing basketball with EmblemHealth representative Damon Smith at the Harvest Home East Harlem farmers market.

Health P r e v e n ti o n , T r e a tm e n t & C u r e Harlem resident Diana Rosario shops for fresh and seasonal produce at the Harvest Home East Harlem farmers market.

David Flemister, director, Community Marketing, EmblemHealth; Maritza Wellington Owens, CEO and founder, Harvest Home Farmer’s Market, and Chef Jehangir Mehta, owner of Graffiti restaurant and runner-up on Food Network’s The Next Iron Chef at the Harvest Home East Harlem farmers market.

Helping Consumers Make Healthier Food Choices Farmers Markets: Fresh Healthy Fruits and Vegetables

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nner cities are often viewed as food deserts—places where desirable, healthy fruits and vegetables are not available for the most part, but that is changing at least for the summer. In many inner city areas in New York and New Jersey, markets featuring fresh produce from local farmers are burgeoning.

Both states provide programs that make locally grown fruits and vegetables available to underserved areas. New Jersey promotes Community Farmers Markets through its Jersey Fresh advertising and public relations campaigns. In Newark, at least seven outdoor and indoor markets operate at a minimum of one day a week throughout the summer and the Beth Israel Medical Farmers market is open Thursdays all year round.

Businesses, governmental agencies and non-profits team up to place

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The Positive Community Summer 2013

these fresh food markets in areas accessible to as many people as possible. In New York, EmblemHealth is working with GrowNYC and the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH), supporting Greenmarkets—in Manhattan, Queens, and Brooklyn.

EmblemHealth also works with Harvest Home Farmer’s Market at three locations in upper Manhattan.

Maritza Wellington Owens, CEO and founder of Harvest Home Farmer’s Market said that “EmblemHealth’s support is essential to fulfilling our mission of educating underserved New Yorkers on the health benefits of incorporating fresh fruits and vegetables into their diet and providing them with access to produce so they can live well.

In addition to offering locallygrown fruits and vegetables, Em-

blemHealth’s participation with these organizations helps provide health and wellness information, and conduct complimentary health screenings, cooking demonstrations and other activities.

“EmblemHealth knows how important good nutrition and a healthy lifestyle are to combat the obesity epidemic,” said David Flemister, director of Community Marketing at EmblemHealth. “That’s why we’re once again supporting the access to locally-grown, seasonal produce to the neighborhoods of New York.”

Studies show that the fresh, locally grown fruits and vegetables at farmers markets are cheaper than in most supermarkets, and that goes for organic foods as well. Visit our website www.thepositivecommunity.com for a list of farmers markets in New York and New Jersey. www.thepositivecommunity.com

EXPERIENCE CARE AT HARLEM WEEK Join EmblemHealth for some active summer fun.

For 32 years, EmblemHealth has remained a proud sponsor of Harlem Week. And this year we continue that tradition. It’s part of our commitment to help our neighbors stay healthy, get well, and live better. Stop by for FREE health care tips and tools that can help keep you healthy.

August 17th | Summer in the City | Children’s Festival Part 1 Come to West 135th Street between Malcolm X and A.C. Powell, Jr. Blvd. at PS 175 schoolyard. Bring the whole family and enjoy a full day of activities such as: face painting, basketball, jump rope, fun-filled picture taking, and the Knicks Groove Truck.

August 18th | Harlem Day | Children’s Festival Part 2 At West 135th Street between Malcolm X and A.C. Powell, Jr. Blvd at PS 175 schoolyard. The fun continues with the EmblemHealth Neighborhood Care team. Get your questions answered, join the basketball challenge, win prizes, and much more.

August 24th | Percy Sutton Harlem 5K Run & NYC Family Health Walk–A-Thon Join EmblemHealth at 135th Street and St. Nicholas Avenue for a day of healthy fun and to celebrate a great cause. Run or walk for peace in our local communities. After all, a peaceful neighborhood means a happy one for adults and children alike.

Coverage underwritten by Group Health Incorporated (GHI) and HIP Health Plan of New York (HIP). ©EmblemHealth Inc. 2013, All Rights Reserved.

Learn more at EmblemHealth.com

KAHLIL CARMICHAEL THE FITNESS DOCTOR

Kahlil Carmichael is the Pastor and Founder of It Is Well Living Church located in Monroe, NJ. He is the CEO of the Fitness Doctor Inc., a Fitness Rehabilitation and Wellness Consultation company. To contact Kahlil to become spiritually and physically fit visit www.itiswellchurch.com or call 732-921-3746

The Activity of Rest ne of my core principles of life is balance. As a spiritual leader and fitness coach, I love teaching and sharing these principles with my congregation, clients, and anyone who desires to live life to the fullest.

I can remember when I came to Christ and began to serve at a local church. I was so happy to be in the household of faith that I joined every ministry possible (of course to the glory and honor of God). And as I continued to serve I began to experience fatigue and eventually burn-out. My initial passion and fervor for ministry began to wane and every aspect of my life was negatively affected. I was out of balance and needed to make a change for the better.

Unfortunately many people of faith burn out and are no longer effective in the ministries that they once served with much love, joy and commitment. This is caused by many factors including improper motives, low self-esteem and the inability to say no. If this sounds familiar, perhaps you need to incorporate the activity of rest into your life.

This principle of balance applies to physical fitness and exercise as well. During my initial consultations with potential clients, I can tell right away if that particular client will reach their fitness goals or not. If they start the conversation with unrealistic fitness goals such as 50 or more pounds of weight loss in less than a month or perhaps they are overzealous and commit to exercising eight days per week for consecutive weeks, that’s an indication to me that this person may not reach their goals.

Why? Because too much of anything is not good. And when we are out of balance as it pertains to exercise, we will experience the effects of overtraining.

Overtraining is a physical, behavioral, and emotional condition that occurs when the volume and intensity of an individual’s exercise exceeds their recovery capacity.

They cease making progress, and can even begin to lose strength and fitness. Overtraining is a common problem in weight training but it can also be experienced by runners and other athletes.

If one desires to grow spiritually and improve physically, one should practice balance. When you start an exercise program, you must include activities that will help you burn the right amount of calories, improve cardiovas-

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cular endurance, and build muscle. Another valuable activity to help you reach your fitness and health goals is the activity of rest.

That is the philosophy behind working different muscle groups every other day or no more than 2 or three times per week. When we give our bodies rest after a workout, the muscles are actually growing and becoming stronger. The workout breaks the muscle down or tears it apart, while the rest and recovery process helps the muscle to heal and grow stronger. So we actually get stronger while resting after a workout!

Here is an example of a proper week of exercise incorporating the activity of rest: Walking, running, weight training, flexibility training Day two: Rest and concentrate on healthy eating Day three: Walking, weights etc.

Day four: Rest, take a nap, focus on getting a good night’s sleep Day five: Fitness class Day six: Meditate, pray, read a book Day one:

You get the idea. The bible says, “to everything there is a season, a time for every purpose or activity under heaven”(Ecclesiastes 3:1). Please do not forget to take time and get some rest. It is my prayer that you would fully enjoy your summer and incorporate the activity of rest that you might live well and live a balanced life. Blessings.

Disclaimer: The information contained in this column is of a general nature. You should consult your physician or health care professional before beginning any exercise program or changing your dietary regimen. www.thepositivecommunity.com

“We are passionate about getting you the best care.”

George Ingram, Horizon NJ Health

Horizon NJ Health is a compassionate and caring organization with employees who clearly understand the needs of the people they serve in New Jersey. We’re here to guide and assist you to get the health care you and your family needs.

If you are on Medicaid, NJ FamilyCare, or are uninsured, Horizon NJ Health can help.

To enroll, visit HorizonNJHealth.com or call 877-765-4325 (TDD/TTY: 1-800-654-5505).

Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. The Blue Cross® and Blue Shield® names and symbols are registered marks of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. The Horizon® name and symbols are registered marks of Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey. © 2013 Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey Three Penn Plaza East, Newark, New Jersey 07105.

Foot Pain? Walking Problems?

Your neighborhood.

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Our doctors.

55 East 124th St.

(between Madison & Park Aves.)

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Primary and specialty care doctors committed to keeping you healthier. To make it easier for you, we welcome walk-ins and same-day appointments, and we have Saturday and evening hours. We participate in most insurance plans including most Medicaid-managed plans.

• Adult Primary Care • Cardiology • Diabetes Management

Clinical Services • Endocrinology • Gastroenterology • Nephrology

• Pulmonary Medicine • Women’s Health

1827 Madison Avenue and 119th Street To schedule an appointment, please call 212.722.1441.

To schedule an appointment or learn more about UMPA, please call 212.523.UMPA (8672) or visit www.UMPA.com.

Monday, Tuesday & Thursday 8 am - 4 pm

Wednesday 8 am - 7:30 pm

Treating Adults & Children Expert staff diagnose and treat foot ailments including: Sports Injuries • Foot Pain • In-toeing • Out-toeing Flat Feet • Ingrown Toenails • Walking Problems Heel Spurs • Bunions • Hammertoes

Full-Service Physical Therapy Center Diabetic Wound Care

55 East 124th St. @ Park Avenue, in Manhattan Call 212-410-8158 for an appointment www.footcenterofny.org Most insurances accepted

Saturday, October 5, 2013 Franklin High School • 500 Elizabeth Avenue

Between Weston & New Brunswick Rd., Somerset, NJ 08873

FOR INFO AND TO REGISTER ONLINE: WWW.SNCNJ.ORG

5K Breast Cancer Race/Walk

Sisters Network

Central New Jersey TEAM AWARDS 1st • 2nd • 3rd Place Awards

Live Entertainment!

Children Activities!

Vendors • Vendors • Vendors (Vendor Form, Mail-in Application Online)

Registration: $30.00 Seniors (62+): $20.00 Ages 8-19: $15.00

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The Positive Community Summer 2013

Join us as we run/walk for our lives and for the lives of others!

USATF Certified Race For more information, Telephone: 732-246-8300 • FAX: 732-246-3535 www.thepositivecommunity.com

Culture M U S I C ,

A R T

&

L I T E R AT U R E

The Vision has Been Fulfilled

By Glenda Cadogan

Voza Rivers

arlem in 1974 was not an inviting place. The housing market was on the decline and the drug trade on the incline. Block after block of abandoned buildings were havens for drug users and their dealers who seemed to operate everywhere with impunity.

Residents were leaving in droves. Yet, Harlem had a soul.

It is this cultural soul that was the point of contact for a group of concerned Harlemites who, imagining a better place to live, work and raise their families, stood their ground and remained.

One of them was Voza Rivers, who in his owns words: “loves this wonderful place called Harlem with all my heart.” A living embodiment of the biblical prophecy that “old men shall dream dreams and young men shall see visions,” this spirited group of visionaries approached then Manhattan Borough President Percy Sutton with a dream of doing a one day celebration. The result was Harlem Day. “We wanted one day to celebrate the people who stayed and in so doing give them something to feel good about,” recalled Rivers. “It was also an opportunity to showcase the artists in our community.”

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Thirty-nine years later, Harlem Day has morphed into a brand known as Harlem Week, which is, in fact, a month-long celebration consisting of 109 events attracting a collective audience of 2.5 million people.

A true son of Harlem, Rivers has witnessed its many incarnations over seven decades, a perspective that empowers him as he performs his duties as executive producer of Harlem Week and the first vice president of The Greater Harlem Chamber of Commerce, the overarching parent of the brand. He says he is blessed to have seen the realization of the vision in his lifetime. “I look at Harlem of today and try to remember Harlem of 1974.

Then I reflect on the reasons why we created Harlem Day and I feel proud. There is no doubt the vision has been fulfilled.”

He points to the fact that in the last four years Harlem has seen a 400 percent increase in restaurant ownership, all doing good business. “And it’s no secret that Harlem is one of the hottest real estate markets in the city,” he pointed out. “The people have come back.”

Voza Rivers is a man who wears many hats. He is an accomplished producer of music, film and events and is embedded in the cultural landscape of Harlem and is recognized as one of the country’s leading African American theater producers. In 1964 he became a cofounding member of Roger Furman’s New Heritage Repertory Theatre, modelled after the American Negro Theater of the 40s. He took over the helm as executive director upon Furman’s death in 1983.

Under the banner of New Heritage—which is the oldest black not-for-profit theater company in New York City—Rivers has produced more than 1,000 events in the last 50 years including the stage production of Sarafina!, which earned him a Grammy nomination as one of the co-producers of the cast album. In 1989 he received a United Nations Medal for Peace for his work on www.thepositivecommunity.com

Sarafina!, and with Lincoln Center Theater, co-produced a concert featuring Miriam Makeba, Hugh Masakela and the cast of Sarafina! Subsequently, Rivers broadened his reach and began producing plays in South Africa and Japan. Yet he shows no signs of slowing down.

According to Rivers, he is fuelled by the example of his Jamaican-born grandfather. “He taught me the meaning of hard work and good ethics. He came to this country as a laborer and did so many things from making perfume and selling door-to-door to being a sweepstakes vendor,” Rivers explained. “I honestly believe that I have been given a gift of an enormous capacity for work and that enables me to do as much as I do. But working with my grandfather was the preparation ground.”

So what sustains him? “The support of my family coupled with my love for this community,” was his quick response. “I find comfort in knowing that I am part of a generation who has given back to a place where we live and love and made it a better place to live and love. I believe the importance of culture is paramount to a healthy environment and that residents—old and new— must respect and maintain that culture because it is what makes us unique.”

As a young man, Rivers embraced the scriptural dictate “to write the vision and make it plain.” Now as an elder, he is giving young men and women an opportunity to do the same. In 1997 he put his succession plan in place by appointing Jamal Joseph, a young playwright/director, as executive artistic director.

Together they expanded and re-organized New Heritage Repertory Theater into New Heritage Theatre Group (NHTG). The company has three divisions: IMPACT Repertory Theatre, the youth division; New Heritage Films/Harlemwood Film Festival, producers of documentaries/short films and showcases for filmmakers of color; and Furman Theatre Rep, a select group of multiethnic, multi-cultural actors, writers, directors, technicians and designers who support works by emerging and established artists of color.

With New IMPACT, Rivers and Joseph are incubating a generation of visionaries and warriors to run the next leg. He described their mission as “The aim is to share our history and culture with young people and demystify how we got where we are. In so doing, we have created a formidable group of young people who understand what it means to be citizens of a community. They are now our ambassadors.”

And so the tradition continues and the sights, sounds, struggles and triumphs of the center of the black American universe are not just a locale or backdrop, but the central characters in Voza Rivers’ life-long love story of Harlem USA. www.thepositivecommunity.com

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Combating Gun Violence: Let’s Come Together

By Lloyd Williams, president, The Greater Harlem Chamber of Commerce Gun Control image by Fabrizio Rinaldi

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ne thing is for sure, time and history have made it very clear that bullets, when fired, do not discriminate in terms of who the victims will be. Bullets, when fired, may hit any age, ethnic group, level of diversity, color, any and all economic strata, educational levels, or individual area of prominence.

A bullet could hit a U.S. President (Abraham Lincoln; William McKinley, Jr.; John F. Kennedy, Ronald Reagan), a four-year old boy playing in a Bronx park, or twenty plus little children attending elementary school in Newtown CT; a Civil Rights/Human Rights international icon (Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, Medgar Evers, etc.), a physically impaired Harlem grandmother, or a music superstar (Marvin Gaye, Sam Cooke, Selena, etc.). It could be a professional boxer or a member of Congress (Gabrielle Giffords); a liberal or ultra conservative elected official or a former Beatle (John Lennon). It could be a Hip-Hop Legend (Tupac Shakur or Biggie Smalls), an African immigrant coming home from work (Amadou Diallo), someone happily celebrating their upcoming marriage (Sean Bell), college students just going to their next class, someone giving a

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human rights speech (Harvey Milk), or families and neighbors paying homage to their God in houses of worship of all denominations. And, of course, we have recently been reminded that the victim can be a young teenager merely leaving a store on his way home with iced tea and skittles (Trayvon Martin).

Most of the people previously mentioned are recognizable names, but gun violence mows down thousands of persons in rural and urban America annually, who are nameless and soon forgotten other than by their immediate families, friends and neighbors. They have, unfortunately, simply become countless statistics – so many that it numbs the mind that this type of carnage can take place on a daily basis in America, which is thought to be the most sophisticated, concerned and developed nation in the world. We realize, of course, that time and again, those shot are just victims of their environment and surroundings. But this does not and cannot speak to the rash of shootings in schools, theaters, malls, houses of worship, housing complexes, offices and legislative bodies. It’s time for us to come together now and tackle the ever-growing issue of gun violence.

Although most times the individual

shooter or shooters may have specific targets and/or agendas in mind other than pure evil intent, emotional issues or insanity - the bullet, when fired, whether it be by a pistol or an automatic weapon, does not discriminate in terms of who it may hit.

Needless to say, far too often the victims of gun violence are disproportionately persons of color be they Latino, African-American or Caribbean-American, especially the neverending carnage that takes place on a weekly and daily basis in urban centers such as Chicago, Newark, New Orleans, Detroit, Cleveland, Los Angeles, Houston, and in New York, two days after a group of Mayoral hopefuls finished a forced political sleepover in an East Harlem housing project, that complex turned into a murder scene.

It is also impossible to separate the dramatic increase in the rash of gun violence incidents over the past few years, from the significant decrease in attention to the issue, and resources previously applied to stem and combat mental and emotional illness.

Increasingly, too many persons in communities all across America, dramatically in need of assistance, are unable to receive adequate and Continued on next page www.thepositivecommunity.com

COME TOGETHER necessary medical or therapeutic care to combat mental illness. When combined with the ever escalating closings of mental health facilities across the nation, individuals with mental and emotional illnesses have been driven by the hundreds of thousands to wander throughout our communities. Their unattended and lonely presence provides a fertile and ever growing breeding ground for violence which, oft times, is directly connected to the use of firearms.

Something must be done.

So what is America to do when its citizens (regardless of race, political leaning, be it from rural or urban areas, be they Protestants, Muslims, Catholics, Buddhists, Jewish, Non-Denominational, Atheists, etc.), who often find it dramatically difficult to reach common ground on anything, overwhelmingly agree that there must be reasonable background checks for the purchase of guns, in general, and automatic weapons, in particular – at least check the mental, emotional and arrest record and history of the proposed purchaser? Is that asking for too much?

This seemingly reasonable request is supported by mayors, governors and other elected officials including our President, and equally advocated by civic, educational, religious organizations, many in the media and most unions.

After having clearly heard the stated views of their constituents, members of congress who are elected to represent and advocate for the interests and desires of those who put them in office have refused to pass laws that reflect the stated interests of their constituents because they are ostensibly controlled by a small minority (the gun lobby) who disproportionately control campaign contributions or influence the funding of possible primary opponents.

How many more Newtowns, Auroras, Virginia Techs, or Chicagos will it take for those elected to protect our interests to do the right thing? Do we have to wait until there are more members of Congress directly or indirectly impacted by gun violence before they act? Let’s pray not.

What can you do now to make your voice heard? We encourage you to join with the NAACP, National Action Network, New York Urban League, New York Road Runners, Daily News, Amsterdam News, WBLS.FM and HOT97 as we, in tribute to the 50th Anniversary of the historic March on Washington, hold an “Anti-Gun Violence” Walk for Peace, on Saturday, August 24th. The Walk begins at 10:00 AM at St. Nicholas Park – 135th St. and St. Nicholas Avenue. For further information, to register and/or to make a contribution to support the effort, please visit www.NYRR.org or call toll free 1.877.427.5364.

Church by the Side of the Road Honors Achievers

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he Church by the Side of the Road in Passaic, NJ held its annual scholarship breakfast in June at the Brownstone in Paterson, NJ. Nine children were recognized for their dedication to their studies and good grades. “It was a lovely affair,” said Rev. Theresa Nance. “We simply wanted to let them know that getting promoted was just as important as going off to college.

They were so excited to have their achievements acknowledged and celebrated!”

L–R: Rev. Theresa Nance, Tanya Hines, Leah Nance, Antonio Hardy, David Hardy, Aryana Carvers, Mariah Martinez, Alexis Kline, Ashley Cody, Ivan Cody and Taylor Woodson

Tyrone Heggins

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yrone Heggins graduated from Rutgers University in June with a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration.

Tyrone graduated from St. Benedicts Academy in Newark and attended the University of Delaware on an athletic scholarship.

www.thepositivecommunity.com

�ooray

Grads! for the

Summer 2013 The Positive Community

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carryon t’s been a difficult and emotional past few weeks for all of us. Many of us have felt frustrated, bewildered and upset; some of us have even shed some tears. It’s been said that every cloud has a silver lining, so we look for the good that can come from tragedy and we organize, we commit and we soldier on toward setting things right and making things better for those still here and those yet to come.

But what if it is all you can do to keep your own head up? What if you’re just barely managing to make it through your own daily life as a statistic from an underprivileged background with little hope for the future? Have you ever felt as though you’d been hit by train? Have you ever felt blind to the world around you and unable to see things clearly? How do you carry on?

You know that The Positive Community is always here to remind you and highlight for you that there is good in the community, and in the world. Get ready to feel inspired, uplifted and humbled. Take 20 minutes out o f your day to visit our website: www.thepositivecommunity.com/carry-on/ and watch an amazing story and be prepared for your problems to seem a little smaller and your blessings to seem exponentially larger. You might even shed a few tears but we promise, they’ll be tears of joy.

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I Was Trayvon Martin t 17 years-old in Newark, NJ I was going into my senior year of high school, surrounded by drugs, crime and poverty and trying to figure out what was going to be the next step in my life. I was focused on my future and trying to rise above the circumstances I was born into, but my style and swagger spoke to my environment. I wore baggy jeans, Timberland boots and hoodies. At any given moment I could’ve been picked out of a line-up as the person most likely to be a criminal, rather than the person most likely to become a doctor.

I can recall taking a detour through Hoboken, NJ due to highway construction and being surround by five police cars, pulled over, removed from my car, frisked and questioned because my license plates were registered to a Newark address. I was told they were part of a stolen car taskforce, so I asked why I was frisked and detained after seeing that my license and registration matched up and my car wasn’t stolen. I requested the names and badge numbers of all of the officers involved and at that time, everyone except the one closest to me retreated to their cars and left.

I filed a complaint for racial profiling and the officer said he had stopped me because I was driving recklessly.

I’ve been in my own community and been stopped, placed up against a wall then frisked. And sadly, as a teenager I thought it was normal because it happened to everyone else in the neighborhood. And it wasn’t that we were doing anything wrong. It was simply because we looked different from someone’s idea of what was normal or acceptable.

BY SAMPSON DAVIS, MD, FACEP

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TOP: Dr. Davis (left) in the 1990s with childhood friend, the late Frank Williams BOTTOM: Dr. Davis today

At forty years old, Dr. Sampson Davis is now an Emergency Room physician, a motivational speaker and a published author four times over. “Through some miracle, I had not only survived these merciless streets but also ended up as a doctor at the same hospital where I took my first breath,” he writes in a passage from his latest book, Living and Dying in Brick City. www.thepositivecommunity.com

WR­_PC_2013_Layout­1­­7/31/13­­5:48­PM­­Page­1

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&

invite ever yone, to join with us on

Saturday morning, August 24th at 10AM for the

“AntiW-AGun Violence” lK FoR PeAce 2

3

REMEMBERING A FEW OF THE DIVERSE FACES OF VICTIMS OF GUN VIOLENCE

4

1.

2.

3.

4.

7

8

9

12

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Mar vin Gaye Selena Trayvon Martin 4 year old, Lloyd Morgan, Bronx , NY 5. John Lennon 6. Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords 7.

President Abraham Lincoln 8.

Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. 9.

President Ronald Reagan 10. Amadou Diallo 11. Sean Bell 12. President John F. Kennedy

13.

Fill in the center black box with whomever you might wish to add.

14.

15.

16.

Hon. Robert F. Kennedy Hector Camacho Jackie Rowe-Adams (lost 2 sons to gun violence) Supervisor, Harvey Milk, San Francisco, CA Malcolm X NYPD Police Officer Dillon Stewart Grandmother, Eleanor Bumpurs “Biggie Smalls” Boston Police Officer Sean Collier Medgar Evers 6 year old, Ana Marquez-Greene, Newtown, CT Tupac Shakur

17.

17

19

18

20

18.

19.

20.

21.

22.

21 22

23

24

23.

24.

25.

As we celebrate the 50th Anniversary of The March on Washington with a walk promoting regional unity to combat the growing plague of

gun violence.

We encourage you to register to support two community service organizations dedicated to making our city safer and better: HARLEM MOTHERS S.A.V.E. & HARLEM ARTS ALLiANcE “SAVE THE cHiLDREN” initiatives.

These two programs combat Gun & Family Violence in our region.

LET’S GATHER AT 9:30 AM THE WALk bEGiNS AT 10:00 AM

come out and walk for peace, even if you have not pre-registered.

@ ST. NicHOLAS PARk on W. 135TH ST. & ST. NICHOLAS AVE. supported by

Register for the Walk now! Go to www.NYRR.org by 8/20. For info on sponsorship call Mr. Littlefield at Rubenstien Associates 212- 843-9220. To support the effort call Ms. Ricketts toll free at 877-427-5364

Photos: Seitu Oronde

Riverside Church, Harlem Manhattan Church Once Visited By Mandela Honors Ailing Leader

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n Sunday, July 21, 2013 the Riverside Church in Harlem, held a special service to celebrate the life and legacy of South African leader and former president, Nelson Mandela just days following the beloved leader’s 95th birthday (Jully 18), particularly his work to end apartheid in South Africa.

Mandela visited the church in 1990 after his release from prison, thanking the congregation for their activism in the worldwide movement to free him. It was June 22, during the administration of Mayor David N. Dinkins, Mr. Mandela traveled through the streets of Harlem, waving to the throngs that had gathered on the sidewalks and peered from windows of office and apartment buildings greeting him with shouts of “Viva Mandela!” and “Amandla!,” the Zulu word for power.

“My only regret,” he said, according to The New York Times, “is that I am unable to embrace each and every one of you.” He told the crowd how he and the African National Congress had followed the struggle of blacks

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in Harlem for 30 years. “There is an umbilical cord that ties us together.”

He also spoke at a packed Yankee Stadium later that evening, where 80,00 people came out to honor him.

But his visit to Riverside Church remained special to their faithful. “He came here, and the place was jammed. You couldn't even get a ticket, really. And he thanked us, and New York, and the churches, and Americans for what they did not only to get his release, but to transform South Africa,” said Geoff Martin of the Riverside Church Council.

“We are honoring the relationship that the Riverside Church has had with Mr. Nelson Mandela for decades, and all the historic work he's done. We want to celebrate that. His life, and his legacy,” said Linda Terry-Chard of Riverside Church.

Among the hundreds in attendance at the July 21st service were former mayor David Dinkins, as well as members of the South African consulate. www.thepositivecommunity.com

Columbia University Salutes The Greater Harlem Chamber of Commerce on Harlem Week 2013

HEALTHCARE

EDUCATION

The cultural richness of Harlem, Washington Heights and surrounding neighborhoods is an essential part of what makes Columbia a great place to work and study. The University works with many local organizations to help provide more than 100 programs and services that help improve the quality of life in our community. To learn more, email communityaffairs@columbia.edu or

visit www.neighbors.columbia.edu.

RECREATION

ARTS & CULTURE communityaffairs@columbia.edu neighbors.columbia.edu.

BROWNSTONE JAZZ BY GLENDA CADOGAN

Eric Lemon

Debbie McClain

he pitter-patter of raindrops from tropical storm Andrea was making music on the outside. Inside the beautifully restored 19th century brownstone house in Brooklyn, jazz lovers were tapping their feet to the music of Eric Lemon and his band. It was the Friday night session of Brownstone Jazz, the weekly concerts that take place at the Sankofa Aban Bed and Breakfast in BedfordStuyvesant.

Despite the all-day torrential rains, by 9:00 p.m. there was standing room only in the intimate parlour floor of the 1880 town house. Debbie McClain, owner/operator of Sankofa and co-creator of the Brownstone Jazz series, was rhythmically moving her body. She seemed to be wrapped up in the music cuddled by the embrace of the three-piece house band playing a jazz standard. A patron walked up to her and asked: “Why is it that in rap music women are denigrated but in jazz they are venerated?” McClain replied with a warm smile, “I am not sure but I think it might be because of the roots of the music.”

And it is those “roots” that McClain strives to preserve for generations to come. “Classic jazz is dying and someone has to archive it,” she said. “If we don’t, we will lose it. Some people say that I am a nostalgic but it’s just that I have this burning desire to preserve our rich traditions. The world is moving so fast that we are whisking past that which is good. We need to slow down and expose our children to the things that make them know who they are.”

The series was born out of a memorial jazz concert held in late spring of 2010 for a patron and friend. By August of

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that year, with the help of Lemon, who is an accomplished jazz musician, Brownstone Jazz was born. “I always loved jazz music,” McClain declared, adding, “It’s in my blood.

Music in general and jazz in particular have been in my family for generations. Growing up I had an aunt who worked as a hairstylist at a beauty parlor (as it was called then) in Harlem. That’s the music they played all day as they worked. So as a little girl you did what they did—listen to jazz music.”

The brownstone house nestled on a quiet tree-lined street in the heart of historic Bed-Stuy has been in the McClain family since 1839, handed down for six generations. But according to McClain, there is also a story of loss and theft that is associated with the house but is seldom told. “It happened due to some shady real estate deals, falsified documents and a forged deed,” she explained. As a result, the family temporarily lost ownership of the house.

But about four years ago, an uncle uncovered the false dealings and reported his findings to the Brooklyn District Attorney’s office. Subsequently, an arrest was made and the property returned to the family’s hand. “Someone needed to step in and take over control of the house,” explained McClain. “At the time it was extremely dilapidated. I knew that I could do something but I didn’t know how.” But with prayers, determined effort and family support, she brought the house home. Like the Sankofa bird, McClain drew on the rich legacy of her great-grandparents and allowed that legacy to show the way for the re-creation of a better future.

Hence the name, Sankofa, a West African word meaning to look back to the past to find the future, which McClain says holds true for this house and Brownstone Jazz.

“In every corner there is some kind of musical representation. This has been so for generations.” After the family reacquired the property, the McClains gathered for their first holiday together. They celebrated with a huge pot of chili and rice and mounted their first Christmas in four years. And also for the first time in as many years, music was heard at 107 Macon Street. Since then there has been music at the Sankofa, but now it is shared with a capacity of 50 people every Friday and Saturday night.

Included in the cover charge for the jazz night is a fish fry and people keep coming from around the world for the experience. Some come for the nostalgic ambience of the house that has maintained some of its original details; some come for the food, which is as down home as it gets.

And yet others come for the open-mic sessions or to socialize with hostess Debbie, who draws them in with her infectious personality. But undoubtedly, everyone comes for the magic of the music and all that jazz. www.thepositivecommunity.com

Emmanuel BC Jazz Vespers Series Emmanuel Baptist Church’s Jazz Vespers performances are typically held on every 5th Sunday from 3:00pm – 5:00pm.

However, starting in September, the frequency of Jazz Vespers will be increasing.

The Fall/Winter 2013 line-up is: September 29- The Steven Kroon Latin Jazz Sextet Featuring Special Guest Lillias White; October 27- Jimmy Greene; December 29- Eric Person Orchestra.

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mmanuel Baptist Church's last Jazz Vespers took place on Sunday, June 30, 2013 at its church home located in the Clinton Hills section of Brooklyn, NY. The featured performer for the afternoon was The Camille Thurman Quartet. The audience responded with emotions ranging from spiritual fulfillment to pure enjoyment. The atmosphere was filled with appreciation, focus, and praise.

Some of the songs The Camille Thurman Quartet played included “The Kicker” by Joe Henderson, “Maiden Voyage” by Herbie Hancock, “Come Sunday”

by Duke Ellington, and an original piece by Camille called “A Change of Mind.”

That afternoon, the Camille Thurman Quartet consisted of Camille Thurman (saxophone, flute, vocals), Mimi Jones (bass), Ralph Peterson (drums), and Shamie Royston (piano). Camille's quartet has performed at the Kennedy Center, the International Women in Jazz Festival, the Super Jazz Ashdod Israel Festival, The Jazz Gallery and many other prominent jazz venues and festivals around the world.

Emmanuel Baptist Church's Jazz Vespers is currently in its second year, and has featured a bevy of talented jazz performers such as Jimmy Heath, Wycliffe Gordon, Antonio Hart, Tom Guarna, Aziza, Naomi Johnson and Debbie Carter. The standing theme of the Jazz Vespers

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services is: “Experience the Presence of God Through the Sounds of Jazz”.

Currently in its 2nd year, the Jazz Vespers series has built a following of jazz lovers around New York City and Brooklyn, and continues to secure well-respected jazz musicians that bring an unmistakable feeling of celebration for God and the jazz art form. In each Vespers service, the unexpected is bound to happen from impromptu performances with other artists sitting in the audience to those moved by the spirit dancing in the aisles. With artists expressing themselves both through passionate singing and instrumentation, everyone leaves uplifted, fulfilled, and eagerly awaiting the next Vespers.

“This is an outstanding opportunity for everyone from our New York City community to worship in a relaxed setting and find God in the spacious freedom of jazz music. It is a musical tradition that gives us a voice to the hopes, dreams, frustrations and pain that expresses the human experience. Simply put, jazz is the musical incense that collects and carries the prayers of a people.” stated Reverend Anthony L. Trufant, senior pastor, Emmanuel Baptist Church.

For more information on Emmanuel Baptist Church’s Jazz Vespers, visit ebcjazzvespers.tumblr.com. For more information on Emmanuel Baptist Church, visit http:// www.ebcconnects.com/.

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Upcoming Special Issue!

September Education Issue

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or Email: sales@thepositivecommunity.com for rates & deadlines

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Harlem Renaissance Day Of Commitment More Than 600 Business and Civic Leaders Gather for Abyssinian Development Corporation’s Annual Breakfast

L–R: Harry Belafonte and Rev. Dr. Calvin O. Butts, III

The Abyssinian Baptist Church Choir

“H

Photos: Bob Gore

L–R: Kaitlynne Easley and Kathryn Chenault

ow to improve the world is what all those we are honoring here today with the ADC Renaissance Award represent,” said Rev. Dr. Calvin O. Butts, III at the Harlem Renaissance Day of Commitment Leadership Breakfast. The annual event celebrates the accomplishments of Abyssinian Development Corporation (ADC) as well as men and women who share the organization’s dedication to renewing and reclaiming the spirit of community in Harlem and protecting the right to a quality education for Harlem’s children.

Held in the Great Hall at Shepard Hall, on the campus of City College on Wednesday, June 19, the event was hosted by Rev. Butts, pastor of The Abyssinian Baptist Church

and ADC chairman. This year the breakfast focused on ADC’s Education Pipeline—a holistic approach to increasing and improving opportunities for young people to benefit from a quality education continuum.

Prestigious Renaissance Awards were presented by Harlem school children to: Howard Schultz, chairman, president and CEO of Starbucks (award accepted by Rodney Hines, Starbucks director of Global Responsibility); internationally acclaimed actor, activist and Harlem resident, Harry Belafonte; and The Honorable Michael R. Bloomberg. Kathryn C. Chenault, longtime ADC supporter and dedicated advocate of educational support for Harlem’s children, received special recognition for her service to ADC and the Harlem community.

The actual awards were works of art created by students at Thurgood Marshall Academy Lower School’s Integrated Arts Curriculum curated

by Principal Dawn DeCosta. Kindergartener Saniyah Ward’s work was presented to Harry Belafonte; Howard Schultz received art created by fifth-grader John Easley. Mayor Bloomberg received an artistic expression from 10-year-old Kevin Bosket, and fifth-grader Kaitlynne Easley’s painting was presented to Kathryn Chenault.

In celebration of ADC’s Thurgood Marshall Academy for Learning & Social Change’s 20th Anniversary, students Dariel Vasquez and Kamhali Scott spoke about the impact on their lives made possible by the support of ADC and the 2013 honorees.

L–R: Dariel Vasquez, Kevin Bosket and Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg

L–R: Saniyah Ward, Harry Belafonte and Kamhali Scott

L–R: Steven Robinson, Rodney Hines, John Easley, Rev. Dr. Calvin O. Butts, III

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Those Who Believe in Freedom Cannot Rest THE A. PHILIP RANDOLPH INSTITUTE: STILL FIGHTING FOR JUSTICE AND EQUALITY he six organizations leading the 1963 March on Washington assumed the particular responsibility of training their people to perform non-violent social action. However, that art has been lost over the years. So says Clayola Brown, national president of the A. Philip Randolph Institute (APRI), whose founders were two of the main strategists of the historic march. It is in this light that the APRI has undertaken a specific agenda to “train and educate” as part of the 50th anniversary commemoration of the March on Washington. “This year at our annual convention we will focus our training efforts around political action, healthcare and education,” explained Brown. “Our aim is to make sure that lessons are taught and learned during the week that this march crowd will be coming together in Washington.”

From August 23 to 29, APRI will convene its 44th National Education Conference as part of the commemorative activities of the 50th anniversary celebrations.

With forums and training sessions, the goal of the conference is to reinforce and galvanize a workers’ agenda to demand guaranteed rights for equitable and fair treatment in the workplace, jobs that pay a living wage and universal healthcare for all. Highlights of the APRI conference include the Bayard Rustin Forum on Human Rights, Future of American Labor; A Healthy Look at Obamacare; and 50 for the Future: Youth Development Program.

A. Philip Randolph and Bayard Rustin, both civil rights and labor activists, founded APRI in 1965. It is an organization of black trade unionists who advocate for racial equality and economic justice. “Our mission is to provide political and trade union education for workers of African descent in the labor movement, preparing them to play a more active role in the development of

By Glenda Cadogan

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Clayola Brown

A. Philip Randolph

Bayard Rustin

various unions, but also to have a voice in policy and programs,” Brown explained.

Renowned as the greatest black labor leader in American history, Randolph recognized that: “A community is democratic only when the humblest and weakest person can enjoy the highest civil, economic, and social rights that the biggest and most powerful possess.” Therefore, he dedicated his life and work to leveling the playing field. He planned the first march on Washington in 1941 to protest discrimination in the armed forces. He warned that if the discriminatory practices that existed were not abandoned, there would be a march on Washington for jobs and justice. However, an executive order was passed bringing a conclusion to the dispute and the march was called off. But in 1963, with deteriorating social and economic conditions for blacks in America and heightened racial unrest, Randolph again ignited the movement and called for a march on Washington for jobs and freedom. His organization, The Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters and a coalition known as the “Big Six”—Congress of Racial Equality (CORE), Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), The National Urban League and the NAACP — organized people from all across the country. On August 28, 1963 more than 250,000 citizens arrived in the nation’s capital to participate in the March that changed America. Its results were the enactment of two of the most effective civil rights bills in American history: the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

This year, with conditions similar to those that existed in 1963 making headline news across the country, the continued on next page

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THOSE WHO BELIEVE IN FREEDOM continued from previous page

50th anniversary of the Great March has taken on new meaning. “This 50th anniversary march is not as much a commemoration as it is a rededication,” according to Brown. “Our focus is to make sure that all Americans are afforded an opportunity to earn a sustainable wage and that there is justice in the communities in which they live. Though the 2013 march was initially intended to be a remembrance.” She continued, “This new significance emerged as unemployment figures increased and in so many instances justice seemed to have been denied. It’s important that we come back with an urgency of rededicating ourselves to the principles of the March. We must never forget that we do not get anything by anybody giving it to us,” she stressed. “In fact, we are still in of need jobs, justice and freedom.”

Brown, a trade unionist with 42 years of experience, took over leadership of the institute in 2004. She has not only reenergized the APRI with her broad vision, but has remained true to the principles of its founders.

Her sentiments echo those of Randolph who said: “Justice is never given; it is exacted and the struggle must be continuous for freedom is never a final fact, but a continuing evolving process to higher and higher

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levels of human, social, economic, political and religious relationship.”

Further, Brown believes that “. . . as long as you are dealing with human beings, there is no overcoming.

There are new opportunities to change the situation that exists but the struggle will always be there. Those of us who know that the fight needs to be fought, have to ensure that people are treated with fairness, equality and respect. So you don’t just sit around and throw stones; you get up and raise your voice in order to make change come about.”

Addressing the skeptics, who, like many back in 1963 feel that no good will come by marching, Brown refuses to accede. “There were skeptics who talked about Jesus because of the city he came from. Who are we to expect that there will be no naysayers when it comes to our efforts?” she asks, rhetorically. “The fact is, there will always be skeptics. But I am thankful that those who are willing to fight to bring about change outnumber those who say that no change will come, because if that’s all that is said, it’s all that will happen. The struggle continues and each of us has to be willing to live it again, and again and again . . . and then again.”

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Baptist Pioneer Celebrates 20th Pastoral Anniversary

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n Mother's Day, Sunday, May 12,2013, Rev. Dr. M. Frances Manning - Fontaine celebrated her 20th year as senior pastor of the dynamic New Hope Baptist Church in Hackensack. Together with members of her congregation, family and friends aboard the Mega Yacht Atlantica, sailing around New York City, Rev. Fontaine fellowshipped and worshipped, dined on delicious cuisine and delighted in the entertainment and merriment provided by the Otis Brown II ensemble. The church’s seventh and longest-sitting pastor, she is also the first woman to serve in that capacity. When asked how she has not only survived, but succeeded in the male dominated field, Pastor Fontaine’s quick answer was, "Ministry does not belong to humans...male or female,” and affirmed that she owes her longevity to the fact that “I was called by God, acknowledge God in all my ways in spite of my frailties and continue to give God the glory for His Gifts and His grace.”

She is the author of Women with wind in their wings, and can be reached at 201-343-9449 at the New Hope Baptist Church of Hackensack.

Church Event Planners Joan and Carl Hopson

Pastor Fontaine and First Gentleman Joseph Fontaine

Trustee Chair Otis and Minister Norma Fair-Brown

L-R: Janicia Harris, Kayla Harris, Brey'l Dupree

Deacon Chair Loucinda and Trustee Charles Southerland L–R: Glen and Debora Walcott with Sharon and Norman Burns

L–R: Olivia Hawkins, Leandra Fontaine, Joseph Fontaine, Pastor Fontaine, Nick Hawkins, Sheila Hawkins, Nick Hawkins II, and Letitia Cabrera The Saints Rejoicing

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New York State’s

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Artist Schedule Subject to Change Without Prior Notice • Visit Us Online at: www.summerstageinharlem.org Please Bring Your Own Chairs

Gospel Music Month

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Honoree, Rev. Dr. Jason Guice, pastor Hopewell B.C., Newark Kareem McKenzie, former Giants pro-football player

Photos: Vincent Bryant

hanks to the leadership and tireless efforts of Dr. Albert Lewis, founder and president of the World Gospel Music Association, Gospel Music Month in June is now recognized on the official state calendar of New Jersey. Each year a commemorative ceremony takes place in Newark City Hall Council Chamber honoring those who have made the unselfish commitment to improve the lives of the people.

This year, The Positive Community magazine was awarded special honors for their work in promoting the 150th anniversary of the Great Emancipation and cultural literacy initiatives throughout the region. Also honored were: Anton Smutko owner of Shop Rite Supermarket in Hillside, NJ; Dr. Charles E. Guice, pastor of the J. J. White Memorial Presbyterian Church, Newark and Kareem McKenzie, former lineman for New York Jets and the 2005 Super Bowl NY Giants.

L–R: Music minister and recording artist Donald Malloy with Rev. Patrick Council, pastor St. John B.C., Newark

FRONT ROW L–R; Jean Nash Wells, Dr. Albert Lewis, Adrian A. Council BACK ROW L–R; Hon. Mildred Crump; Rev. Vincent Rouse, pastor, Pleasant Grove Missionary B.C.; Donald Malloy, Newark City Councilman Hon. Ras Baraka

FRONT ROW, L–R: Dr. Albert Lewis, Councilwoman Crump, Anton Smutko and Shop Rite general manager, Nigel Johnson. BACK ROW, L–R: Min. Malloy, Rev. Council and Councilman Baraka

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DORIS YOUNG BOYER ETIQUETTE POWER

Doris Young Boyer speaks writes and coaches on ways to be confident and successful in business and social situations. She is co-author of Mastering the Art of Success with Les Brown, Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen. She is CEO of A Sense of Grace Global Protocol. www.asenseofgrace.com. Write to her at Doris@DorisYoungBoyer.com. www.DorisYoungBoyer.com

The Art of Shaking Hands Q. What is the guideline or protocol for shaking hands?

A. Shaking hands in our culture in business and socially is a way of life, so knowing how and when to shake hands is an important skill to master. People shake hands when being introduced to someone they have not met; greeting someone they know, reaching a business agreement, offering congratulations or simply acknowledging another person.

The origin of the hand shake is not completely clear, it is thought to have started in medieval times as a way to communicate openness to the other person and to show that you were not about to stab them with a concealed weapon.

Etiquette and protocol experts offer the following basic guidelines for shaking hands: if you are seated, stand, look the person in the eye and smile. Offer your right hand with the thumb up and fingers extended.

Make contact “web-to-web” (the part of your hand between your thumb and forefinger) and close your hand firmly, but gently over the other person’s hand.

Give a slight up and down pump.

Avoid giving a bone-crushing handshake or a limp handshake. Release the person’s hand after a few seconds. In social situations, the woman will offer her hand first to a male; in business situations the male or the female can initiate the handshake. An elder will extend their hand first to a young person.

When traveling internationally, it is best to research the customs for that area.

Q. Isn’t it considered rude not to shake hands if someone extends their hand to you?

A. It is awkward when you extend your hand and the other person does not offer theirs. It can feel like a rejection. Many people are offended because they think it is impolite to refuse to take an extended hand.

However, labeling the behavior rude or judging the other party moves you away from a practical solution.

People refrain from shaking hands for a variety of reason, cold or flu; illness; hand pain; arthritis; cultural—

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some men who do not touch women who are not related; sweaty palms; concerns about germs, to name a few.

While this situation creates awkwardness, both parties have an opportunity to reduce the awkwardness.

EtiQuettePower (EQP) ™ is about problem solving, especially in tricky situations, in a way that values everyone involved.

If you choose not to shake hands • Be confident in your decision and find ways to put the person who extends their hand at ease. Many people who do not shake hands appear to be uncomfortable and hide their hands behind their back while saying “I don’t shake hands.” How you respond makes a big difference. Acknowledge the other person, stand, look the person in the eye and smile.

• Give a verbal greeting: “It is nice to meet you (or see you); I don’t shake hands, but hello.”

Some alternatives to the hand shake People who do not shake hands recommend trying one of the following: offer a fist bump; give a slight bow of acknowledgement; give the peace sign; hold up your hand in a slight wave or give the thumbs up sign.

Whatever you choose, don’t let the person just stand there with their hand out without an acknowledgement.

Someone does not shake your extended hand If someone does not take you extended hand, bring your hand to your side, rely on a verbal greeting and give a welcoming smile. Don’t take it personally.

Choosing not to shake hands is becoming a more common occurrence. There is even a lapel pin for people who do not shake hands. It has a pair of hands with a line through the hands similar to a “not” sign. Being prepared, whether you shake hands or you don’t, will increase your EtiQuettePower (EQP)™ and smooth over a potentially awkward situation.

What do you think? www.thepositivecommunity.com

CALLING ALL DAUGHTERS OF GOD

FEATURED SPEAKERS Rev. Dr. LaKeesha Walrond (Confernce Host) Pastor Mia K. Wright | Houston, TX Rev. Dr. Renita Weems | Nashville, TN Rev. Wanda B. Davis | Cedar Hills, TX Rev. Myra Billips | Galveston, TX Rev. Flora Bridges | Brooklyn, NY Rev. Mila Cooper | Cleveland, OH Rev. Dr. Frozine Reece Smith| White Plain, NY Rev. Sharon Moore | Detroit, MI

Discover the child within 9 Dynamic Speakers 3 Days of Empowerment 1 Amazing Experience @fcbcnyc #fcbcg2g

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To Register or Learn More visit: www.fcbcg2g.com or Contact Dawn Gant at dgant@fcbcnyc.org

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FCBC | 1912 Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Blvd. | New York, NY 10026 Michael A. Walrond Jr, Senior Pastor | wwww.fcbcnyc.org | 212.864.5976

Rev. Milton Bigham, Mt. Vernon B.C., Newark

Rev. Al. Sharpeton signs The Grand Jubilee Calendar's Cultural Narrative for Justin Townsend and Dasia Council as Rev. Dr. David Jefferson looks on

The Great Countdown to Freedom Church Tour

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t was a busy Sunday at Newark’s Metropolitan B.C. as the congregation welcomed publisher Adrian Council to share the good news of the 150th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation, the 2013 commemorative calendar and the “cultural narrative.”

Dr. David Jefferson, senior pastor, preached passionately on the day-long theme: “Stand with God.” At the 7:30 am service the Word was preached from the Book of Job; 9:30 service, from the Book of Jeremiah. At 11:30 for the young people’s service, Kimberly Jefferson delivered a message of comfort and hope consistent with the theme from the Book of Nehemiah.

Later that evening, hundreds braved a driving rain to gather in the sanctuary for a prayer vigil and night

of song in preparation for the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington. Rev. Milton Biggham of Newark’s Mt. Vernon B.C. led the mass choir, Rev. Al Sharpton, president of the National Action Network was the featured speaker. Rev. Sharpton reminded the audience that in light of the verdict in the trial of the murder of Trayvon Martin and the Supreme Court decision on the Voting Rights Act, the August 24th trip to the nation’s capital is more than just a commemoration, but rather a continuation of our struggle for freedom and justice.

Rev. Jefferson, NAN state chair, plans to send 200 buses from New Jersey to Washington DC for the March. For more information call 973-642-2267.

James Harris, president, NAACP NJ State Conference

Justin Townsend reads from Grand Jubilee Calendar's Cultural Narrative Adrian Council of the Positive Community with 12 year-old Justin Townsend

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L–R: First Lady Linda Jefferson, First Lady Harriet Bartley of New Hope Memorial B.C. Elizabeth, NJ

L–R: Rev. Gloria Walker, Mt. Vernon B.C., Rev. Steffie Bartley, chapter president, NAN, Rev. Sharpton and Pastor Jefferson

Sheila Oliver, NJ State Assembly Speaker

Rev. Al Sharpton

Photos: Karen Waters and John W. Cunningham

Abyssinian B.C. Harlem

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ev. Dr. Calvin O. Butts III speaks about the calendar and the meaning and value of African American culture and history. The Positive Community team was warmly received. Adrian Council and Jean Nash Wells stopped by to let members know how much they appreciated their support and encouragement over the years.

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Photo: Karen Waters

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Passaic Ministers’ Alliance Revival

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he Passaic Ministers’ Alliance and Vicinity recently held a revival at Calvary B.C. in Garfield, NJ. Dr. Richardson, pastor of Grace B.C. and Board Chair of the National Action Network, was the Revivalist. Rev. McKinney is General Secretary of the National Baptist Convention USA, Inc.

L–R: Pastor Calvin McKinney and Dr. W. Franklyn Richardson

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BY PATRICIA BALDWIN

Pastor Charles Jenkins: The Best of Both Worlds Grace & Peace! astor Charles Jenkins says “In all you do, don’t ever forget God.” He is making a difference not only in the church but in the community as well. Not only is his CD entitled The Best of Both Worlds, but it’s an everyday lifestyle. This 34-year-old husband and father of three is in full time ministry in and out of church.

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The Man on a Mission . . .

Ten years ago he was mandated by the legendary Reverend Clay Evans to take over as pastor of the historic Fellowship Missionary Baptist Church in Chicago that Rev. Evans founded. With a passion for our youth and black men, he has committed himself to pushing them in the direction of not just a spiritual faith, but education, economic development and empowerment. He is also the founder of Gladiators, a mentoring group focusing on the growth and progress of African American boys. Pastor Jenkins is also president and CEO of GoodCity NFP, a business incubator for social entrepreneurs and non-profit organizations. GoodCity’s mission is to identify and support high-potential community-based entrepreneurs who aim to solve social ills and systemic problems within under-resourced communities.

However, that’s not enough for Pastor. Serving on a number of corporate, educational, governmental and religious boards that include Clear Channel Chicago Advisory Board, Advocate Health Advisory Board, The Hilliard Vocational Institute, Illinois Attorney General Advisory Board, Illinois Treasurer Advisory Board, and Daystar School Board of Directors, Jenkins is not taking opportunity or time for granted. To take it a little higher, Pastor Jenkins also serves as a State Commissioner on the Illinois Juvenile Justice Commission working to ensure accountability to the Federal Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. Pastor Jenkins uses his fatherly love and the love of God to motivate, and who better than he to inspire a young man with a fresh interpretation of the now and the inspiration of the past—The Best of Both Worlds.

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Pastor Jenkins’ love of music is embedded in his soul and his gift of writing is a prophetic worship tribute from God. He writes based on what he sees in the spirit and the word of God because he’s partially deaf in one ear—what the devil meant for evil, God worked for his good.

You know the song…“My God is awesome, he can move mountains, keep me in the valley, hide me from the rain…”

Whether your choir sings it, or your church’s dance/mime ministry performs it or you have it on repeat in your car, the declaration is convincing to every believer who’s called upon the name of the Lord in the time of need. The 13track CD gives you the classic sounds of traditional Chicago choirs along with tomorrow’s innovative Praise & Worship that includes the model “Days of Elijah.”

Jenkins has received many awards, citations, and honors including one of Morehouse College’s highest honors, being inducted into The Dr. Martin Luther King Board of Preachers and Scholars. He was named one of America’s Dynamic Trendsetters of 2010 by Gospel Today and Black Enterprise and Urban Business Roundtable’s “Top 40 Game Changers Under 40.” In 2008, he was a Gift of Hope Lifesaving Partner honoree for outstanding achievement for organ and tissue donation. He is a graduate of Moody Bible Institute with a Bachelor of Science in Christian Education and he holds a Masters of Art degree in Religion from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School.

Currently spearheading an expansion effort known as The Legacy Project for Chicagoans for continual growth in every community throughout Chicago, Jenkins is also the author of an inspiring and informative leadership book Thriving in Change, that gives 10 principles to help leaders navigate through the opportunities they face. He is determined to continue living the life he preaches about and being the loving husband and father that God has called him to be, using God as his guide, and love as his rule of thumb. He’s unstoppable in building the kingdom with the Best of Both Worlds!

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WORLD PREMIERE PERFORMANCES BEGIN AUGUST 20!

stop. reset.

WRITTEN & DIRECTED BY

Regina Taylor WITH

Michi Barall Teagle F. Bougere Ismael Cruz Cordova LaTanya Richardson Jackson Carl Lumbly Donald Sage Mackay

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Regina Taylor Photo © Gregory Costanzo

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*$25 tickets for performances 8/20/2013-9/29/2013 are made possible by the Signature Ticket Initiative: A Generation of Access, Lead Partner The Pershing Square Foundation

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You are cordially invited to join

in a private viewing of JD Lawrence’s Cain & Able: The Off Broadway Dramedy as we celebrate his !

Monday, August 19th & Tuesday, August 20th Doors open at 7:30 PM / Show begins at 8:00 PM Off Broadway at the “777 Theatre” 777 8th Avenue, Manhattan, NY 10036 $65 $10 transportation (limited)

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Visit Our New Improved Interactive Website: THE POSITIVE COMMUNITY.com

If You’re Ready to Buy a Home, We are ready to Help.

The State of New York Mortgage Agency offers: up to $15,000.00 Down Payment Assistance

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HEAVY CIVIL CONSTRUCTION OPPORTUNITIES Current Projects: 2nd Avenue Subway Columbia University Bronx-Whitestone Bridge Bronx River Parkway 7th & 8th Avenue Vent Plant Columbia University Manhattanville Development

E.E. Cruz welcomes the participation of minority-owned, woman-owned, economically disadvantaged, and local (D/M/W/LBE) businesses on all of its projects. E.E. Cruz also recruits female, local and minority union workers.

For all projects, we are looking for highly qualified D/M/W/LBE union workers and D/M/W/LBE subcontractors and vendors certified for heavy civil construction.

If you are an D/M/W/LBE union worker or you are a federal, state, or city certified D/M/W/LBE company involved in heavy civil construction work, please contact us at (212) 431-3993 or dmwlbe@eecruz.com.

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MWANDIKAJI K. MWANAFUNZI THE WAY AHEAD

Carrying on the Struggle s has been much discussed among many of us, 2013 marks the 150th anniversary of the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation and the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington. But far more discussed this year, in far broader circles, has been the acquittal of George Zimmerman in the killing of Trayvon Martin, and the Supreme Court’s overturning a key enforcement provision of the Voters Rights Act. I hope these contradictions awaken us to the fact that our work is not finished and that past victories can regress. I hope that the Christian reaction will be study, contemplation, prayer, and action during the remainder of 2013.

As a Christian who studies history, I can see God’s hand in the 1800s curtailment of the transatlantic slave trade and the ending of Western Hemisphere chattel slavery. The slave trade and brutal slavery in the Americas had flourished from the 1500s through the 1700s. Then, beginning during the 1700’s, enslaved blacks came to Christ en masse during the Great Awakening. Christian activism against the slave trade and slavery also mushroomed during that period. This Christian thrust was an essential component of the anti-slavery and abolitionist movements on both sides of the Atlantic.

Ultimately, both the United States and Great Britain outlawed the slave trade in the early 1800s. Britain outlawed slavery in the 1830s, thereby freeing enslaved blacks in British colonies, including the Caribbean.

But in the United States, slavery only ended after the War Between the States was fought from 1861through 1865—a virtual apocalypse for which the number of American casualties rivals all other United States wars combined. Although the Emancipation Proclamation was signed in 1863, it was neither enforceable within Confederate states nor expandable to other states until after the war.

Better known, but nonetheless commonly downplayed nowadays, is the central role that Christianity played in the success of the civil rights movement of the 1960s. Although many organizations were involved—the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE), and others—

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the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) was at the core. Civil rights activism took wings in the late 1950s and into the 1960s as Christian involvement increased and Christian values became more infused into the movement’s tactics and rhetoric.

This July I heard a participant in the 1963 March on Washington recall that despite predictions that violence would occur at the March, he knew there would be no violence, mainly because the people planning to participate in the March were largely church-based. The March on Washington would have failed had it been violent.

Speaking of violence, the Zimmerman acquittal may set a new precedent, to be acted upon though not explicitly stated by the court system, that a white man can kill a black teenager with impunity. It reminds me of the judicial statement in the Dred Scott decision, issued shortly before the Civil War; that a black man has no rights that a white man is bound to respect.

Interestingly and sadly, the only black Puerto Rican in the Zimmerman jury has publicly admitted she regrets her not-guilty vote and that Zimmerman “got away with murder.” Apparently, she felt pressure during jury deliberations to conform to the system.

The National Action Network (NAN), led by the Rev. Al Sharpton, is organizing a March on Washington for August 24, 2013, not only to commemorate the anniversary of the 1963 March, but also to push for reinserting the teeth into the Voters Rights Act. I am certain that reversing the implications of the Zimmerman verdict will also be an issue. NAN has already held protests in various cities against the Zimmerman verdict. On the wrong note, some black folks reportedly attacked and robbed some white folks in late July and invoked Trayvon’s name as they did the crime. This is an example of focusing on the speck in someone else’s eye rather than the log in one’s own eye (Matthew 7:1-5). Apostles Peter and Paul both warned against repaying evil for evil (1 Peter 3:9 and Romans 12:17-21).

For the remainder of 2013 and for as long as necessary beyond, let’s do Christ-centric activism to overturn Stand Your Ground, retool voters’ rights, and generally stride toward justice.

Summer 2013 The Positive Community

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GOOD NEWS FROM THE CHURCH AND COMMUNITY

www.thepositivecommunity.com Summer 2013

™

Vol. 13, No. 6

Publisher Adrian A. Council, Sr.

TIME MARCHES ON

BY R.L. WITTER

Editor-in-Chief Jean Nash Wells

he text of the second section of the Declaration of Independence reads: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

I studied American History, so growing up I knew that these words were not meant for any black person when they were written. I studied American History, so I knew that slaves, free people of color, abolitionists, Freedom Riders, commuters, ministers, and countless other everyday people fought to change that, from the 1800s up through the 1970s.

I was born in the 1970s, so I was raised to believe that those words and rights did apply to me. I’ve never known a day of segregated schools or riding in the back of a bus. I’ve been called “the n-word,” but I was taught that “sticks and stones might break my bones but words will never hurt me,” so I pretended to ignore it when adults were around and learned to “knuckle up” when they weren’t.

Some kids called me that word once, but no one ever made the mistake of doing it twice.

Growing up in the 1970s, we walked to and from school and played outside until the streetlights came on in the evening. We played dodgeball and ran through sprinklers in the summertime. We played down the block and Mr. or Mrs. Jones were surrogate parents for the time that we were at their house or in their yard. And we knew that if we showed out or acted up, they would address the behavior.

We also knew that those grown-ups would protect and take care of us.

Whether it was cleaning and bandaging a skinned knee or offering shelter to a latch-key kid who had forgotten his house keys, those grown-ups had our back. They’d watch from windows and porches to make sure we didn’t linger in the street when cars were

T

Associate Editor R. L. Witter Sales Angela Ridenour Adrian Council, Jr. NGS Communications, Inc. Satori MPR Church/Community Affairs Coordinator Faith Jackson Contributing Writers Sonja Gracy Dr. Phillip Bonaparte Linda Armstrong Mwandikaji K. Mwanafunzi g.r. mattox Rosemary Sinclair Patricia Baldwin Rev. Theresa Nance Rev. Reginald T. Jackson Herb Boyd Glenda Cadogan Toni Parker Helene Fox Rev. Dr. Joanne Noel Rev. Dr. Johnny Ray Youngblood William Parrish Jeanne Parnell Photographers Bob Gore Wali A. Muhammad Seitu Oronde Rev. Dr. William L. Watkins, Jr. Darryl Hall Vincent Bryant Donovan Gopie Linda Pace Hubert Williams Art Direction & Layout Penguin Design Group Martin Maishman The Positive Community Corp.

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All Rights Reserved. This publication, in whole or in part, may not be reproduced, stored in a computerized or other retrieval system, or transmitted in any form, or by any means whatsoever without the prior written permission of The Positive Community Corporation. Any opinions expressed herein are solely the opinions of the writer(s) and not necessarily those of The Positive CommunityTM, its management or staff. The Positive CommunityTM reserves the right to retain all materials and does not assume reponsibility for unsolicited materials.

86 The Positive Community

The Last Word

Summer 2013

coming, be the umpire when there was a dispute as to whether or not the runner was out, and chastise bullies who might try to overpower smaller kids for their ice cream money.

Things have changed since the 70s.

Many of our children no longer play outside or even know their neighbors.

Kids aren’t just dodging rubber balls now, but dodging bullets — hollowtipped metal ones. Kids no longer fear bullies trying to take their spending money; now there are bullies and vigilantes taking lives.

I’m one of the grown-ups now and I feel it is my duty to look out for the young ones coming behind me. So yes, I’ll look out my window from time to time to make sure the kids are behaving, but also to keep an eye on police officers and neighborhood watchmen who might be overzealous and too quick to judge our black and brown kids.

On August 28th, 2013 I’m taking a day to march in Washington, DC. I’ll be marching so that every black and brown child can take advantage of the promise of “Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” I’ll be marching because the Department of Justice needs to address the issues facing black and brown men in this country regarding racial profiling, sentencing and incarceration. I’ll be marching because there is a lack of jobs in America, especially black America.

And even when there are jobs to be had, background and credit checks all but eliminate black people with criminal convictions on their records, regardless of how minor or long ago the offense.

Join me and thousands of others as we take to the streets of our nation’s capital to commemorate the struggle that provided strides for our generation, and make good on the promise for the next one.

For more information visit: www.50thanniversarymarchonwashington.com

www.thepositivecommunity.com

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