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‘TIME’ BY JAMES A SNOW

JAZZ•TOU R•BEC-PL EX GRANT •$• ARTISTS

URBAN PRO WEEKLY

APRIL 11 - 24, 2022 • VOL. 10 NO. 20

EMERGING VOICES MATTHEW V WILLIAMS BOOKS

All Rise ! n n n n n n

Carlotta Sims Brown Katrell Nash Monique Walker Evita Paschall Ashanti Lilley Pounds Laverne Lewis Gaskins

In Augusta - Richmond African-American Women Attorneys Vie to fill openings in Superior, State, and Civil and Magistrate Judgeships

D E M R I F N O C

Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson The nation’s 1st black female Supreme Court Judge

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Ketanji Brown Jackson confirmed as 1st Black Woman Supreme Court Justice

By Frederick Benjamin Sr. UPW Political Commentary As this column is being written, the U.S. Senate is set to vote on the confirmation of the Honorable Ketanji Brown Jackson as the nation’s first African-American female Justice.

However, by the time this edition hits the streets, the vote would have been taken and history made.

The process has been remarkable due to its hyper-partisan nature and the rabid, caustic, bombastic and intellectually dishonest attacks launched against Jackson who stoically endured and refused to lash out at her Republican tormenters.

In the twisted mess they call the U.S. Senate, it’s an unwritten rule that you don’t support the Supreme Court nominee of the opposing party.

That’s just the way it has been done, at least for the past two decades.

There’s little question about where the senators stand. Nearly all have formally announced their positions, and the Senate voted on Monday night to force the nomination out of the deadlocked Judiciary Committee, with all 50 Democrats and three Republicans supporting the maneuver. So given the fact, that they were not going to support her anyway, those Senators who ambushed Ketanji Brown Jackson could have easily held their forked tongues, sat on their handsm and let the proceedings unfold in a somewhat dignified manner.

A little to much to ask? Most assuredly, — especially in the Trumped up fog that the G.O.P. faithful seem to be stumbling about in these days.

UPW URBAN PRO WEEKLY

Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson was (likely) confirmed on Thursday, April 7 by the U.S. Congress. While Jackson received the support of the Senate’s 50 Democratic members, she also received support from three G.O.P. senators.

So we are not surprised, and, just less skeptical of female and minority ever growing number of Americans for the record, let us highlight a study judges than they are white male judg- whose trust in the Court has eroded that sheds some light on just why these es. Republicans, on the other hand, over the past 30-40 years.

The Nation’s Elie Mystal said it best Republicans just can’t help themselves often doubt the impartiality of judges . . . and as it turns out, Democrats who aren’t white men. in a recent tweet.

“It was hard to watch her be put have their own set of challenges when The findings, based on two surit comes to them liking who they like vey experiments involving a combined through the crucible of white approvwhen they like ‘em.’

6,000 U.S. voters, have direct impli- al. The attacks used by Republicans A recent study published in the cations for the selection of judges at against her weren’t about her qualAmerican Journal of Political Science a time when law school enrollment ifications: Everybody knows she’s gives credence to something that we’ve has grown increasingly female and more than qualified to be on the known anecdotally for quite some Hispanic and as the Supreme Court Supreme Court, and even most of the time — that Democrates tend to be has been losing credibility with an Republicans said so.”

PUBLISHER Growing Augusta: Arts, Agriculture, & Agency LLC http://www.growingaugusta.co/UPW +1 (706) 751-2537 SALES & MARKETING http://www.growingaugusta.co/UPW +1 (762) 233-5299

CONTRIBUTORS K.L. Gordon • Rickey Jones Jr. Olivia Gaines • Vincent Hobbs Menia L. Chester Frederick Benjamin Sr. Layout/Design : UrbanProMedia

2022 ELECTION

Carlotta Sims Brown

Katrell Nash

Vacancies, retirements attract strong field of African-American women attorneys for the area’s judgeships Edited By Frederick Benjamin Sr From UPW files and news reports AUGUSTA Generally relegated to “second-thought status,” the contests to fill the local and state court benches is attracting a lot of interest. Traditionally, judicial incumbents could rest easy around election time, but that’s not the case this election cycle.

In this election season, which gets underway on May 24, two Augusta-area Superior Court judges and a chief magistrate judge face opposition and a state court bench is up for grabs due to retirement.

African-American women make up the overwhelming number of candidates for those seats.

Those candidates include Judge Carlotta Sims Brown, the current Chief Civil and Magistrate Judge. She is being challenged by Katrell Nash, a local attorney.

Brown became the first African-American and first woman to hold the chief judgeship last year when Gov. Brian Kemp named her to replace longtime Chief Judge William D. Jennings III, who died while still in office.

She has practiced law for 30 years and has served as a staff attorney for the Georgia Public Defender Standards Council, for Cobb County and for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, whose

Laverne Lewis Gaskins

Amanda Heath

Ashanti Pounds

Omeeka Loggins

first president was Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Nash has represented teens accused of adult offenses and founded a youth program, #KnowYourRights, in which she gives interactive presentations about the legal system. She worked a number of years for the Augusta Circuit Public Defender’s Office before opening her own practice, Nash Law Office LLC. She is the incoming president of the Augusta Bar Association.

The chief judge works alongside Presiding Judge Le’Joi Williamson, who became the court’s first African-American and female judge when she was elected in 2020.

Last year’s split with Columbia County left the Augusta Judicial Circuit, which includes Richmond and Burke counties, with five Superior judgeships.

Two of those positions held by Jesse Stone and Ashley Wright are up for election in May. Wright is being opposed by Laverne Lewis Gaskins, an Augusta University attorney. Gaskins ran for chief civil and magistrate judge in 2019.

Wright, the former Augusta District Attorney, was appointed to the position by Governor Brian Kemp.

The other Superior Court contest pits incumbent Jesse Stone against challenger Charles Lyons. Lyons is an Augusta attorney who has had his own practice in Augusta for over 30 years.

Amanda Heath, an African American woman,

Evita Paschall

Kellie McIntyre

Monique Walker

Le’Joi Williamson

and governor Kemp appointee, will be finishing out the term of Judge Carl C. Brown Jr. who retired before his 4-year term was completed. Heath is only the second Black woman to serve the Augusta Judicial Circuit as a superior court judge. She will not have to face a challenger this year.

She brings to the bench her experience as a juvenile court judge. She was first appointed to that position in September 2016. Before that, Heath was in private practice for a year after serving nearly four years as an assistant district attorney in the Augusta Judicial Circuit.

Augusta has two Richmond County State Court judgeships up for election this year. Judge Monique Walker, an incumbent, is on the ballot, but doesn’t have any opposition. The other State court position is the seat held by Chief Judge David Watkins. His post is open since he announced his retirement.

Vying for that position are Ashanti L. Pounds and Evita Paschall, both local attorneys.

Paschall is an experienced campaigner but Pounds has never run for office before. One of them will join Kellie McIntyre and Moniaque Walker on the State Court.

African-American judges who are not up for reelection this seasaon include State Court Judge Kellie McIntyre, civil and magistrate Judge LeJoi Williamson and Solicitor General Omeeka Loggins.

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HERE COME THE

JUDGE (s)

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2022 ELECTION

Repurposed restaurant opens as official campaign HQ in S. Augusta Garnett Johnson invites the community to celebrate the official opening of his campaign headquarters in South Augusta at a ribbon cutting on Thursday, April 14.

“The opening of my new campaign headquarters is a reflection of what I will be like as mayor - transparent, accessible and action-driven,” said Johnson.

What was once a Popeyes building on the corner of Tobacco and Windsor Spring Roads is now a newly renovated headquarters dedicated to serving the community and improving access to government. After the official ribbon cutting, the Garnett Johnson campaign headquarters

will be open to the public Monday through Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

“The location of our campaign headquarters is intentional and purposeful. Everyone should have access to their mayor,” said Johnson. “Our HQ will be open to the public five days a week, so stop by to say hello, pick up yard signs, or tell me what changes you want to see in Augusta.

I’m listening.”

Follow @GarnettForMayor on social media for details about the official opening of his headquarters and future events.

For more information about Garnett Johnson, visit www.

GarnettForMayor.com.

District 2 Candidate’s Forum, Monday April 11 in Turpin Hill Neighborhood Family Life Center. District 2 candidates Leroy “Ray Montana” Crews, Charles Cummings, Cleveland Garrison, Ralph Gunter, Sr., Von

Pouncey, and Stacy Pulliam will be present to state their platforms and answer your questions. This event will be moderated by Barbara

Gordon of the Metro Courier. The center is located at 1014 11th Ave. in Augusta, GA. The community is invited to attend.

NEW GRANT CYCLE Individual Artist Career Opportunity Grants Artists, apply for grants of up to $2,000 to take advantage of a major milestone opportunity in your career.

Application deadline: May 13, 2022 The Individual Artist Career Opportunity Grant supports a milestone opportunity in an individual artist’s career that is likely to lead to substantial and significant career advancement. Grants of up to $2,000 are available to support opportunities taking place between July 1, 2022 and June 30, 2023.

Some examples of opportunities that match the intent of this program include, but are not limited to:

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Accepting an invitation to exhibit, sell, screen, present, read or perform work in a significant in-person forum such as a renowned/major festival, invitational exhibit, invitational/juried showcase, etc.

Participating in a residency to research/create a body of work and build network connections Travel associated with a significant career-building activity To review the program guideline and begin an application, please visit our website. The deadline to submit an application is May 13, 2022.

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The Turpin Hill Neighborhood Association #1 will sponsor a Candidate Forum on Monday, April 11 at 6:00 pm at the Carrie J. Mays

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RSVP: (706) 528-6855

Saturday, April 30

INTERNATIONAL JAZZ DAY SOIREE

Mayors Masters Reception

Mayor Hardie Davis hosts his final Mayors Masters Reception.

Davis shares a media moment with supporters and Masters Week celebrants at his final Mayor’s Masters Reception.

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Monday, April 4, 2022 Augusta Common

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Latrell’s Easy Banana Bread Live your best life! That is my motto. My name is Menia L. Chester, I am a chef and owner of Desserts by Latrell and Southern Jazz and Sweets.

Now that food prices are rising again, it is important for us to use everything! Often, we purchase bananas and they will ripen before we can use them. I like to make banana bread with the overripe fruit. If you do not have time to make the bread right away, leave the bananas in their skin, place in a freezer bag and freeze for up to three months.

LATRELL’S EASY BANANA BREAD INGREDIENTS SERVES 8 3 ripe bananas, mashed (if frozen, thaw before mashing) 1 cup white sugar 2 eggs 1/2 cup melted butter 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking soda ¼ teaspoon salt

DIRECTIONS Preheat oven to 325 degrees Grease and flour a 9x5-inch loaf pan.

Combine bananas, sugar, eggs, and butter together in a bowl. Sift flour, salt, baking soda, and salt together in a separate bowl; stir into banana mixture until batter is mixed.

Pour batter into the prepared loaf pan.

Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted in the center of the bread comes out clean, about 45 minutes.

Let cool completely before slicing. Store covered in the refrigerator. Enjoy!

If you have questions, would like to see other recipes, or learn about events by Latrell, please visit my website or send me an email.

Website: www.southernjazzandsweets.com Email: southernjazzandsweets@gmail.com

#gardencityjazz june 27 : july 25 code: UPW text UPW to (706) 528-6855

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Subscribe at growingaugusta.co/upw

Time

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Where do they find the minutes, the hours?

Lunch breaks at work?

Late at night after everyone else is asleep?

Maybe they exchange hygiene, walking around with neckbeards and underarms reeking of onions.

Or no longer binge watching the latest streaming series, causing Netflix stock to plummet.

And god forbid they’ve reproduced, they trade time with their bigots-in-training where requests for a bedtime story or a game of catch is denied; “Not now son, I’m protecting your pure mind with my paragraphs of prejudice.”

“Leave me alone, can’t you see I’m doing the lord’s work by criticizing these cesspools of iniquity?”

So again I ask, where do they find the time to scribble this scathing slander?

There are actual fingers typing these words.

Or voices recording into a phone, as the sound of American flags flap on the side of their vehicle.

Maybe, just maybe they could use that time to simply take a walk down Broad Street.

Maybe, just maybe they would act differently if they spoke to local business owners in person.

And maybe, just maybe they would act with compassion coming to the realization the individuals they paint to be monsters are just humans living each day with the weight of the world on their shoulders.

Only time will tell.

— James Aaron Snow

MEETINGS The following PUBLIC MEETINGS FOR THE RICHMOND COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION will be held on the dates listed below at 864 Broad Street, Board Room Auditorium, Augusta, Georgia 30901: April 14, 2022 – 2022 Spring Board Retreat – 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.

April 19, 2022 – April 2022 Committee and Regular Board Meeting – 4:00 p.m. (Regular Board will immediately follow the Committee Meeting)

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Richmond County Schools Recognized for Advanced Placement Exam Success in 2022 The Richmond County School System has several schools who were named to the Advanced Placement (AP) Honors Schools for 2022.

This week, State School Superintendent Richard Woods announced the AP Honor Schools based on the results of the 2021 AP courses and exams.

The list of schools receiving the recognition include: AP Access and Support Schools

– Butler High School and John S. Davidson Fine Arts Magnet School AP Challenge Schools – A. R. Johnson Health Science and Engineering Magnet High School, John S. Davidson Fine Arts Magnet School, Lucy C. Laney High School, T. W. Josey High School, and Westside High School AP Expansion Schools – A. R. Johnson Health Science and Engineering Magnet High School

AP Schools of Distinction – (Schools with at least 20 percent of the total student population taking AP exams and at least 50 percent of all AP exams earning scores of 3 or higher) John S. Davidson Fine Arts Magnet School AP STEM Schools – (Schools with a minimum of five students testing in at least four AP STEM courses Academy of Richmond County and A.R. Johnson Health Science and

Engineering Magnet High School, Academy of Richmond County, Cross Creek High School, John S. Davidson Fine Arts Magnet School, Lucy C. Laney High School and Westside High School AP STEM Achievement Schools – (AP STEM schools (see above definition) with at least 50 percent of all AP STEM exams earning scores of 3 or higher) John S. Davidson Fine Arts Magnet School

Part 3 OF UPW’S EMERGING LEADERS PROJECT: This Week features picks by MATTHEW V. WILLIAMS I am not an avid reader. I am, however, a thorough reader. I like to ponder deeply; my favorite book, Pedagogy of the Oppressed by Paulo Freire, emphasizes reflecting before taking action, then reflecting on those actions. When offered the opportunity by Karen Gordon and Urban Pro Weekly to obtain several books of my choosing, I began with several about which I had been curious for years.

One of these books is Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome by Dr. Joy DeGruy. An impressive lecturer, she has a fiery, matter-of-fact delivery most visible when addressing systemic justice for and healing of Black people. Of greatest appeal to me is her advocacy for the “notion” of updating history--- as historical discoveries are made, American institutions should reflect new conclusions in both print and pedagogy (standard procedure in every other discipline). Upon completing her book, I expect increased personal sensitivity to remnants of slavery expressed both in my own behaviors and in the behaviors of others.

A second work I will take on is the

infamous Behold a Pale Horse by Milton Cooper. My mother owned a copy of this strange book; too young to comprehend it (and disappointed it was not an adventure novel), the skull and Pegasus on its cover fascinated me. I would later learn that Behold a Pale Horse had inspired Goodie Mob’s classic Soul Food album. The Atlanta legends received the book via East Flatbush legend Busta Rhymes, who received it from funk legend George Clinton. This 1991 publication is a harbinger of the New World Order written by a former naval intelligence officer.

While I am no conspiracy theorist, I do believe seeds of truth lie beneath most rumors. For citizens of a nation yet to admit to or confront its own history (i.e., CRT), a little speculation is very healthy. Especially now, with government confirmation of UFOs… The Color of Compromise by Jemar Tisby is not a book I originally sought for this assignment; I happened across it (and several gems by James Baldwin) while browsing Downtown Augusta’s The Book Tavern. Printed across its cover is, “The Truth About

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the American Church’s Complicity in Racism”--- SOLD! I’ve desired this discussion since my youth, once pestering my pastor, “Do you believe the Civil Rights movement to have been secular or ordained?” The book seems an earnest attempt by a follower of Christ to separate the Church of God from the Church of White Supremacy, chronicling how Christian faith and racist ideology first comingled. A perfect read for well-meaning believers who unwittingly allow “Manifest Destiny” to piggyback on their religious devotion.

My most highly-anticipated read is the hard-to-find Powernomics by Dr. Claud Anderson. Intimidatingly wellversed in socioeconomic disparities resulting from integration, his various interviews, from Boyce Watkins to The Breakfast Club, paint him as man who can talk us through the fallout. Beyond recognizing problems and offering suggestions, I trust Powernomics to reveal procedures that will lead to more sophisticated economic development in the Black community.

Mathew V. Williams is a Hephzibah High School alumnus and 2nd-generation history teacher, as well as an education advocate. He is the author of The Legend of the No. 1 Pencil: Writes of Passage volume of poetry; also, the founder of the Departure Learning education initiative.

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Emerging Voices

Books that influence our future leaders

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