VOL. 64, No. 11 March 26 - April 1, 2015 www.tsdmemphis.com 75 Cents MEMPHIS WEEKEND FRIDAY SATURDAY SUNDAY H-53 o - L-36 o Partly Cloudy H-51 o - L-36 o Mostly Sunny H-64 o - L-48 o Sunny REGIONAL TEMPS LITTLE ROCK NASHVILLE JACKSON, MS Friday H-55 L-40 H-52 L-31 H-63 L-40 Saturday H-56 L-38 H-50 L-30 H-48 L-35 Sunday H-66 L-48 H-61 L-43 H-67 L-49 SEE HOPE ON PAGE 3 by Kelvin Cowans Special to The New Tri-State Defender TV basketball analyst and former two-time NBA Champion, Kenny “The Jet” Smith, on Wednesday made a $15,000 donation to the Memphis Urban League Young Professionals on behalf of Coors Light to refresh a community basketball court in Mem- phis. Designed to restore community basketball courts in need, the Coors Light Full Court refresh program is now in it’s second year. In an era where social media has become the giant of information sharing, Coors Light has also agreed to make do- nations for every tweet using these hashtags: #fullcourtreFRESH and #over21 Smith, who made an appearance at the Memphis Urban League head- quarters on Cleveland, noted that the refresh program doubled this year and he envisions a similar jump next year. “I grew up in New York playing on basketball playgrounds just as kids do here. I always thought that a play- ground was the centerpiece for the community and not just for people playing basketball,” he said. “So to me when that looks not refreshed, I think the community feels that it may not be thought of or thought about in like maybe they don’t have the same sense of pride as other communities. This is why I wanted to be a part of something like this to let communities know that we do think of you in a great manner and we’re willing to help. Smith said he teamed up with Co- ors Light Full Court because it wasn’t an initiative about selling a product; it was about giving back. “No one has asked me to come up and say drink more or do more or anything of that nature, it’s about giving back to the community that helped build them in a sense,” he said, thanking the Memphis Urban League of Young Professionals for helping us “identify where we should be in the communities.” Smith fielded a three-pronged question from the audience. “Mr. Smith, can you recall the first time you saw a basketball court go up in by Kirstin L. Cheers Special to The New Tri-State Defender Cascades of NAACP supporters poured into the Cook Convention Center on Tuesday night, all congre- gating for the 39th Annual NAACP Freedom Fund Gala sponsored by the Memphis branch. The congregation assembled un- der the theme “We are All in For Justice & Equality.” Throughout the night, the names of Michael Brown Jr. – unarmed and killed by police in Ferguson, Mo. – and Eric Garner – unarmed and killed by police in Staten Island, New York City – were trumpeted. Two weeks ago, the evening’s keynote speaker was on the Edmund Pettis Bridge in Selma, Ala., walking near President Barack Obama and fol- lowed by the thousands who jammed Selma for the 50th commemoration of the voting rights push now forever marked by “Bloody Sunday.” The president and CEO of the NAACP, Cornell William Brooks, seemed quite comfortable in the Bluff City, alternately throwing up his arms and grasping the lectern. A civil rights lawyer and preacher, Brooks didn’t just come to preach; he came to invoke. “I am extraordinarily humbled to be in the house of the Memphis branch of the NAACP,” proclaimed Brooks. “You will not find a greater assemblage of freedom fighters of the NAACP than the people in Memphis, Tennessee.” Using the popular sermonic sub- ject from the Biblical book of Esther, Brooks’ theme – “For Such A Time as This” – centered around the major social issues facing people of color: income inequality, injustice in the criminal justice system and voting rights. Memphis particularly faces tough challenges with poverty and its num- bers of working-class poor. In Sep- tember 2014, a study conducted by University of Memphis professor Dr. Elena Delavega found that Memphis stands (or falls rather) as one of the poorest cities in the country, with childhood poverty on the rise. In addition, Tennessee’s low minimum wage also contributes to the high poverty rate. That picture was part of the back- drop when Brooks exclaimed that it is important to pay people “what they’re worth.” “There’s a rising tide of income inequality,” said Brooks. “We have a formula for rescuing this country. We’re not seeking a minimum wage; we’re seeking a living wage.” by DeAara Lewis Special to The New Tri-State Defender Type II diabetes doesn’t have the capacity to care whether you are an acclaimed actress known for a long-running role as Lieutenant Ani- ta Van Buren on the television series “Law & Order.” S. Epatha Merkerson is that ac- tress. She thought it was just a public service when asked to be the celebri- ty-of-the-day at D.C.’s NBC4 Health and Fitness Expo in 2003; certainly not a life-altering event. While making an appearance at one of the booths to encourage Af- rican-Americans to have their A1C level tested, the average blood sug- ar level over the past two to three months, a doctor at the health fair informed Merkerson that her own blood sugar levels tested abnormal. “When the lights went out on the camera, the head doctor asked me to come back. I thought he wanted an autograph or photograph or some- thing and he said that my blood sugar was very high, that I should see my doctor,” she recalled. Later came the diagnosis: Type II diabetes. Merkerson knew first hand how serious the disease was because it runs in her family. “Even though I have a history of Type II diabetes in my family, I wasn’t really paying attention and so it was a real wake up call,” she said in an inter- view with The New Tri-State Defender. Merkerson immediately starting working with her doctor to develop a diet, exercise and medication regi- men that would help her manage the disease. The experience her to team up with Merck, an American pharmaceuti- cal company, and launch a nation- wide tour of the America’s Diabetes Challenge: Get to Your Goals pro- gram. That how she recently ended up in Memphis encouraging African Americans with Type II diabetes to get in engaged in managing their A1C levels. Nationwide, 13.2 percent of Af- rican Americans are diagnosed with Type II diabetes and are 1.7 times more likely to have the disease than non-Hispanics and whites. In Ten- nessee alone, 11 percent of adults have been diagnosed. The alarmingly high numbers are why Merkerson encourages African Americans to know their A1C level. “As a diabetic, I test my blood sugar twice a day,” said Merkerson. “Why the A1C becomes very import- ant is because it allows your doctor to see how you are managing your treat- ment plan and what you need to do to get to goal.” Merkerson also encourages people to see the bigger picture. When most peo- ple think of diabetes, they likely imagine having to give up their cherished sweet treats, but much more is at stake. “My Dad died at a very young age. “(He) was 57 when he died of complications of Type II diabetes; he had a heart condition,” said Merker- son. “My grandmother lost her sight. There is gum disease. There is numb- ness and amputation.” Not knowing one’s A1C level is not worth the risks of heart disease or strokes, she said, adding that living with diabetes is not only manageable, it is a journey that one does not have to walk alone. “I think it is important that if it is a part of the family then the family has a knowledge of it,” said Merker- son. “It is the best way to help a loved one.” (For more information, visit www. americansdiabeteschallenge.com.) Recalling playgrounds as the centerpiece of communities, NBA personality Kenny “The Jet” Smith is helping to refresh a community basketball court in Memphis. (Photo: Kelvin Cowans) Hope arrives by ‘Jet’ as NBA star talks community and gives back Kenny “The Jet” Smith do- nates $15,000 to refresh lo- cal court ‘All in for Justice & Equality,’ the NAACP is ‘not sleeping,’ new president, CEO declares “Ladies and gentlemen, your NAACP is not dead,” said Cornell William Brooks, national president and CEO, during a keynote address at the 39th Annual NAACP Freedom Fund Gala. (Photo: Tyrone P. Easley) SEE NAACP ON PAGE 2 SEE POPCORN ON PAGE 3 ‘Law & Order’ lieutenant says take control of Type II diabetes While making a celebrity-of-the-day appearance at D.C.’s NBC4 Health and Fitness Expo in 2003, actress S. Epatha Merkerson got a health warning that led to a discovery – Type II diabetes. (Courtesy photo) by Kelley D. Evans [email protected]iPop Gourmet Popcorn, a fami- ly-owned business in Cordova, usu- ally opens up for business at 10 a.m. on a typical Saturday. On March 21, the owners unlocked the doors 30 minutes early and awaited a rush of customers. The unique store was a destination that day for a new initiative launched by the collaborators of Cash Mob Memphis, a concept designed to at- tract a “mob” of customers to minori- ty-owned businesses. A cash mob? This is when support- ers show up at a local business and collectively patronize the business and agree to spend more than $20 on products and/or services. It is de- signed to boost local buying power. Community activist Gilbert Barnes Carter III and President and CEO of The New Tri-State Defender Bernal E. Smith II established Cash Mob Memphis to merge economics and business support in and among the African-American community. The concept is similar to a flash mob, where individuals agree to show up at a particular place as a mass group and act in unison (nor- mally a dance of some sort). In this case, a designated busi- ness is chosen each month as a Cash Mob Memphis recipient. Following the “mob,” committee members will meet to debrief on the experience, provide feedback to the business owners, and discuss ways to improve their service going forward. More than 100 customers city- wide made their way to iPop Gour- met Popcorn. Erika Guyton and her daughter Simone stopped in during the mid-afternoon. The first-time visitors had heard about the store on the news. “My mother told me to make sure I stopped by to support (the store),” Guyton said. Guyton and young Simone or- dered flavored popcorn and told the owners, LaShunda and Eddie Gate- wood, that they would return soon. The Gatewoods started their busi- ness about two and a half years ago when they were doing festivals and events around the city. Gourmet popcorn was their pilot product. “We love popcorn,” said LaShun- da Gatewood. Why gourmet popcorn? “It’s simple,” she said, pointing to a bro- chure of the business on the front counter and making note of the statement within: “Growing up in the Mid-South, our family has always loved pop- corn and fancy desserts. We decid- ed to combine the two with our own southern recipes and new recipes and created unique treats for pop- corn lovers.” While standing at the counter, customers will get a whiff of more than 45 flavors that are divided into three categories – sweet, savory and supreme. The popcorn is handmade – and they even prepare custom and bulk orders. Aside from over-the-counter sales, the Gatewoods offer their popcorn for purchase during school functions, fundraisers, weddings, birthdays, showers, graduation par- ties, business events and more. In addition to running the storefront at 420 South Germantown Parkway, LaShunda Gatewood is an elemen- tary school educator for Shelby County Schools. She allowed her first graders to test the product be- fore it hit the market. “They had a great time,” she said. “They give us the thumbs up and Collective buying power boosts family-owned business ‘Cash Mob Memphis’ puts rush on gourmet popcorn LaShunda Gatewood offers customers a smorgasboard of gour- met popcorn flavors at iPop Gourmet Popcorn in Cordova. (Pho- to: Kelley D. Evans)
Transcript
VOL. 64, No. 11 March 26 - April 1, 2015 www.tsdmemphis.com 75 Cents
MEMPHIS WEEKENDFRIDAY SATURDAY SUNDAY
H-53o - L-36oPartly Cloudy
H-51o - L-36oMostly Sunny
H-64o - L-48oSunny
REGIONAL TEMPSLITTLE ROCK
NASHVILLEJACKSON, MS
FridayH-55 L-40H-52 L-31H-63 L-40
SaturdayH-56 L-38H-50 L-30H-48 L-35
SundayH-66 L-48H-61 L-43H-67 L-49
SEE HOPE ON PAGE 3
by Kelvin CowansSpecial to The New Tri-State Defender
TV basketball analyst and former two-time NBA Champion, Kenny “The Jet” Smith, on Wednesday made a $15,000 donation to the Memphis Urban League Young Professionals on behalf of Coors Light to refresh a community basketball court in Mem-phis.
Designed to restore community basketball courts in need, the Coors Light Full Court refresh program is now in it’s second year. In an era where social media has become the giant of information sharing, Coors Light has also agreed to make do-nations for every tweet using these hashtags: #fullcourtreFRESH and #over21
Smith, who made an appearance at the Memphis Urban League head-quarters on Cleveland, noted that the refresh program doubled this year and he envisions a similar jump next year.
“I grew up in New York playing on basketball playgrounds just as kids do here. I always thought that a play-ground was the centerpiece for the community and not just for people playing basketball,” he said.
“So to me when that looks not refreshed, I think the community feels that it may not be thought of or thought about in like maybe they don’t have the same sense of pride as other communities. This is why I wanted to be a part of something like this to let communities know that we do think of you in a great manner and we’re willing to help.
Smith said he teamed up with Co-ors Light Full Court because it wasn’t an initiative about selling a product; it was about giving back.
“No one has asked me to come up and say drink more or do more or anything of that nature, it’s about giving back to the community that helped build them in a sense,” he said, thanking the Memphis Urban League of Young Professionals for helping us “identify where we should be in the communities.”
Smith fielded a three-pronged question from the audience. “Mr. Smith, can you recall the first time you saw a basketball court go up in
by Kirstin L. CheersSpecial to The New Tri-State Defender
Cascades of NAACP supporters poured into the Cook Convention Center on Tuesday night, all congre-gating for the 39th Annual NAACP Freedom Fund Gala sponsored by the Memphis branch.
The congregation assembled un-der the theme “We are All in For Justice & Equality.” Throughout the night, the names of Michael Brown Jr. – unarmed and killed by police in Ferguson, Mo. – and Eric Garner – unarmed and killed by police in Staten Island, New York City – were trumpeted.
Two weeks ago, the evening’s keynote speaker was on the Edmund Pettis Bridge in Selma, Ala., walking near President Barack Obama and fol-lowed by the thousands who jammed Selma for the 50th commemoration of the voting rights push now forever marked by “Bloody Sunday.”
The president and CEO of the NAACP, Cornell William Brooks, seemed quite comfortable in the Bluff City, alternately throwing up his arms and grasping the lectern.
A civil rights lawyer and preacher, Brooks didn’t just come to preach; he came to invoke.
“I am extraordinarily humbled to be in the house of the Memphis
branch of the NAACP,” proclaimed Brooks. “You will not find a greater assemblage of freedom fighters of the NAACP than the people in Memphis, Tennessee.”
Using the popular sermonic sub-ject from the Biblical book of Esther, Brooks’ theme – “For Such A Time as This” – centered around the major social issues facing people of color: income inequality, injustice in the criminal justice system and voting rights.
Memphis particularly faces tough challenges with poverty and its num-bers of working-class poor. In Sep-tember 2014, a study conducted by University of Memphis professor Dr. Elena Delavega found that Memphis stands (or falls rather) as one of the poorest cities in the country, with childhood poverty on the rise. In addition, Tennessee’s low minimum wage also contributes to the high poverty rate.
That picture was part of the back-drop when Brooks exclaimed that it is important to pay people “what they’re worth.”
“There’s a rising tide of income inequality,” said Brooks. “We have a formula for rescuing this country. We’re not seeking a minimum wage; we’re seeking a living wage.”
by DeAara LewisSpecial to The New Tri-State Defender
Type II diabetes doesn’t have the capacity to care whether you are an acclaimed actress known for a long-running role as Lieutenant Ani-ta Van Buren on the television series “Law & Order.”
S. Epatha Merkerson is that ac-tress. She thought it was just a public service when asked to be the celebri-ty-of-the-day at D.C.’s NBC4 Health and Fitness Expo in 2003; certainly not a life-altering event.
While making an appearance at one of the booths to encourage Af-rican-Americans to have their A1C level tested, the average blood sug-ar level over the past two to three months, a doctor at the health fair informed Merkerson that her own blood sugar levels tested abnormal.
“When the lights went out on the camera, the head doctor asked me to come back. I thought he wanted an autograph or photograph or some-thing and he said that my blood sugar was very high, that I should see my doctor,” she recalled.
Later came the diagnosis: Type II diabetes. Merkerson knew first hand how serious the disease was because it runs in her family.
“Even though I have a history of Type II diabetes in my family, I wasn’t really paying attention and so it was a
real wake up call,” she said in an inter-view with The New Tri-State Defender.
Merkerson immediately starting working with her doctor to develop a diet, exercise and medication regi-men that would help her manage the disease.
The experience her to team up with Merck, an American pharmaceuti-cal company, and launch a nation-wide tour of the America’s Diabetes
Challenge: Get to Your Goals pro-gram. That how she recently ended up in Memphis encouraging African Americans with Type II diabetes to get in engaged in managing their A1C levels.
Nationwide, 13.2 percent of Af-rican Americans are diagnosed with Type II diabetes and are 1.7 times more likely to have the disease than non-Hispanics and whites. In Ten-
nessee alone, 11 percent of adults have been diagnosed.
The alarmingly high numbers are why Merkerson encourages African Americans to know their A1C level.
“As a diabetic, I test my blood sugar twice a day,” said Merkerson. “Why the A1C becomes very import-ant is because it allows your doctor to see how you are managing your treat-ment plan and what you need to do to get to goal.”
Merkerson also encourages people to see the bigger picture. When most peo-ple think of diabetes, they likely imagine having to give up their cherished sweet treats, but much more is at stake.
“My Dad died at a very young age. “(He) was 57 when he died of complications of Type II diabetes; he had a heart condition,” said Merker-son. “My grandmother lost her sight. There is gum disease. There is numb-ness and amputation.”
Not knowing one’s A1C level is not worth the risks of heart disease or strokes, she said, adding that living with diabetes is not only manageable, it is a journey that one does not have to walk alone.
“I think it is important that if it is a part of the family then the family has a knowledge of it,” said Merker-son. “It is the best way to help a loved one.”
(For more information, visit www.americansdiabeteschallenge.com.)
Recalling playgrounds as the centerpiece of communities, NBA personality Kenny “The Jet” Smith is helping to refresh a community basketball court in Memphis. (Photo: Kelvin Cowans)
Hope arrives by‘Jet’ as NBA startalks communityand gives backKenny “The Jet” Smith do-nates $15,000 to refresh lo-cal court
‘All in for Justice & Equality,’ the NAACP is ‘not sleeping,’ new president, CEO declares
“Ladies and gentlemen, your NAACP is not dead,” said Cornell William Brooks, national president and CEO, during a keynote address at the 39th Annual NAACP Freedom Fund Gala. (Photo: Tyrone P. Easley)
SEE NAACP ON PAGE 2
SEE POPCORN ON PAGE 3
‘Law & Order’ lieutenant says take control of Type II diabetes
While making a celebrity-of-the-day appearance at D.C.’s NBC4 Health and Fitness Expo in 2003, actress S. Epatha Merkerson got a health warning that led to a discovery – Type II diabetes. (Courtesy photo)
iPop Gourmet Popcorn, a fami-ly-owned business in Cordova, usu-ally opens up for business at 10 a.m. on a typical Saturday. On March 21, the owners unlocked the doors 30 minutes early and awaited a rush of customers.
The unique store was a destination that day for a new initiative launched by the collaborators of Cash Mob Memphis, a concept designed to at-tract a “mob” of customers to minori-ty-owned businesses.
A cash mob? This is when support-ers show up at a local business and collectively patronize the business and agree to spend more than $20 on products and/or services. It is de-signed to boost local buying power.
Community activist Gilbert Barnes Carter III and President and CEO of The New Tri-State Defender Bernal E. Smith II established Cash Mob Memphis to merge economics and business support in and among the African-American community.
The concept is similar to a flash mob, where individuals agree to show up at a particular place as a mass group and act in unison (nor-mally a dance of some sort).
In this case, a designated busi-ness is chosen each month as a Cash Mob Memphis recipient.
Following the “mob,” committee members will meet to debrief on the experience, provide feedback to the business owners, and discuss ways to improve their service going forward.
More than 100 customers city-wide made their way to iPop Gour-met Popcorn. Erika Guyton and her daughter Simone stopped in during the mid-afternoon. The first-time visitors had heard about the store on the news.
“My mother told me to make sure I stopped by to support (the store),” Guyton said.
Guyton and young Simone or-dered flavored popcorn and told the owners, LaShunda and Eddie Gate-wood, that they would return soon.
The Gatewoods started their busi-ness about two and a half years ago when they were doing festivals and events around the city. Gourmet popcorn was their pilot product.
“We love popcorn,” said LaShun-
da Gatewood.Why gourmet popcorn? “It’s
simple,” she said, pointing to a bro-chure of the business on the front counter and making note of the statement within:
“Growing up in the Mid-South, our family has always loved pop-corn and fancy desserts. We decid-ed to combine the two with our own southern recipes and new recipes and created unique treats for pop-corn lovers.”
While standing at the counter, customers will get a whiff of more than 45 flavors that are divided into three categories – sweet, savory and supreme. The popcorn is handmade – and they even prepare custom and bulk orders.
Aside from over-the-counter sales, the Gatewoods offer their popcorn for purchase during school functions, fundraisers, weddings, birthdays, showers, graduation par-ties, business events and more. In addition to running the storefront at 420 South Germantown Parkway, LaShunda Gatewood is an elemen-tary school educator for Shelby County Schools. She allowed her first graders to test the product be-fore it hit the market.
“They had a great time,” she said. “They give us the thumbs up and
Collective buying power boosts family-owned business
‘Cash Mob Memphis’ puts rush on gourmet popcorn
LaShunda Gatewood offers customers a smorgasboard of gour-met popcorn flavors at iPop Gourmet Popcorn in Cordova. (Pho-to: Kelley D. Evans)
NEWSPage 2 March 26 - April 1, 2015 The New Tri-State DefenderPage 00
NAACPCONTINUED FROM FRONT
Madeleine C. Taylor, executive director of the Memphis Branch NAACP, shares a Freedom Fund Gala moment with Cornell William Brooks, national president and CEO. (Photo: Tyrone P. Easley)
With the rise of #Black-LivesMatter on social me-dia, especially among the younger generations and activists, Brooks said racial profiling at the hands of the police is a problem that should be inclusive of activ-ism from all people of color, not just blacks.
It doesn’t matter whether you’re black, brown, yellow or orange,” said Brooks. “We are all precious in God’s sight.”
Still, there are social con-ditions that clearly point to the yoke of inequity faced by African Americans. Accord-ing to Michelle Alexander’s most recent book, “The New Jim Crow,” there are more African-American men in-carcerated, on probation, or on parole than there were in slavery in 1850. The U.S.
Census for that year showed 872,924 African-Ameri-can males over 15 listed as slaves. In 2013, 526,000 Af-rican-American men were in prison, with 877,000 on pro-bation and 280,000 on parole. That’s around 1.7 million African-American men un-der correctional control. And studies have shown that more crime occurs in highly im-poverished areas, where large percentages of African-Amer-icans live.
With a bow to the con-nection between such issues and voting rights, Brooks wrapped his sermonic invo-cation with a push for gala attendees to advocate for voting rights, especially in the south. In 2013, the U.S. Supreme Court found section 5 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 to be unconstitutional. That section was relied upon to guard against municipali-
ties and states moving to dis-criminate against voters.
“Your NAACP is fight-ing against this,” proclaimed Brooks. “We will not give up on the right to vote. Not now, not ever.”
Some, however, consider the NAACP “a sleeping giant” when it comes to the new mil-lennium’s civil rights issues. Brooks is seeking to change that perspective by making membership and involvement a priority, especially extending a hand to the younger genera-tion activists.
“Ladies and gentlemen, your NAACP is not dead,” said Brooks, which seemed an acknowledgement of the as-sertions that the nation’s oldest civil rights group has become less relevant and significant, nationally and locally.
“We are wide awake,” pro-claimed Brooks. “We are not sleeping.”
“Ladies and gentlemen, your NAACP is not dead.”
– Cornell William Brooks, national president and CEO of the NAACP
NEWSThe New Tri-State Defender March 26 - April 1, 2015 Page 3Page 00
HOPECONTINUED FROM FRONT
POPCORNCONTINUED FROM FRONT
your neighborhood? What did you think? How did it make you feel.”
“When I first saw a basket-ball court go up in our neigh-borhood I wasn’t a basketball player, but I was like, ‘Wow, we got new paint, new gate and all.’ I just thought that the neighborhood was uplifted and I thought they were just cleaning up. Kid of like when you put on a new shirt and pop that tag and you feel good about it,” he said.
“That’s how I felt. I just felt good about something new in my community.”
Tonya Sesley-Baymon, president/CEO Memphis Ur-ban League, said there are
people who come to the Urban league and find hope.
“So I want to thank Mr. Smith for bringing hope to the urban community. Thank you for what you’re doing all across this nation. We ask that you and Coors Light continue to partner with us as we con-tinue to do what we do in this city and we are excited about this opportunity and what’s going to happen.”
Joe Sargent, associate brand manager for Miller Coors, said everyone knows that his company is about the business of selling beer and “that’s not what this is about. This pro-gram is about connecting to the communities,” he said.
“We go in and assess each court based on what it needs and we provide. One court may have cracks, another may
need painting or gates and an-other may need an entire floor, so that’s what we do. We have done inside and outside bas-ketball courts and everyone has been so excited about the positive energy that the com-munity gives us about what we’re doing.”
Last year, the program did 11 basketball courts last year, with the court in Memphis the fourth this year.
“So we’re growing and mov-ing along pretty quickly,” said Sargent. “Basketball brings people together, requires a lot of teamwork. We’ve always believed in teamwork, so this was a natural thing to do, step to make.”
thumbs down on the flavors.”A graduate of Whitehav-
en High School, Gatewood attended both the University of Tennessee at Martin and Prairie View, two colleges that taught her business sav-vy, community identity and pride.
“Life opened up when I went to Prairie View,” she said. “I understood the world.”
The goal of the company is to “provide a delicious, af-fordable, professional and courteous service to all of our gourmet popcorn customers. We want to inspire customers to explore the many flavors of popcorn that iPop has to offer. Here we have introduced an option other than simple pop-corn, but we definitely want to grant an experience with gour-met taste…”
“We took family recipes and new recipes to create unique treats,” Gatewood said. “My husband is great. He comes up with the flavors. Our kids have helped us out. It’s just a family business. I even named
The Coors Light Full Court refresh program is a team effort. (Photo: Kelvin Cowans)
a popcorn after my mom – ‘Too Sweet Crunch.’ It’s a de-licious cheesecake popcorn.”
Gatewood’s mother is de-ceased.
“My husband was really into marketing,” Gatewood mentioned of starting her busi-ness. “We went forward to find out more information and, at the time, there was no oth-er popcorn company. We took time to grow it.”
iPop Gourmet Popcorn has been anchored in Cordova since February 2014. Most customers are residents of Cordova and Germantown.
The Gatewoods are looking to expand the business and of-fer more products. They are thankful to have been a recipi-ent of Cash Mob Memphis.
(Follow Kelley D. Evans on Twitter: @kelleysthrngrl.)
iPop Gourmet Popcorn owners LaShunda and
Eddie Gatewood talk with Bernal E. Smith II, pres-
ident and publisher of The New Tri-State De-
fender. The Rev. Noel G. L. Hutchinson Jr. (right),
a Cash Mob Memphis supporter, talks with
co-creator of the the idea, Gilbert Barnes Carter III.
(Photos: Kelley D. Evans)
“So we’re growing and moving along pretty quickly,” said Sargent. “Basketball brings people together, requires a lot of teamwork. We’ve always believed in teamwork, so this was a
natural thing to do, step to make.”
– Joe Sargent, associate brand manager for Miller Coors
Run Busby Jr.
The Rev. Corey D. Johnson
Tarrin McGhee
OPINIONPage 4 March 26 - April 1, 2015 The New Tri-State DefenderPage 00
John H. SengstackePublisher (1951-1997)
Bernal E. Smith IIPresident / Publisher
Dr. Karanja A. AjanakuExecutive Editor
The Mid-South’s BestAlternative NewspaperPowered by Best Media
Properties, Inc.
‘The Faithful Few’ mantra: ‘We’re going on anyhow’
Citing need for ‘great alarm,’100 Black Men issue callto help put out the ‘fire’
by Joan NelsonSpecial to The New Tri-State Defender
In late August of 1988, a small and little known group left Memphis headed to Washington, D.C. for the 25th anniversary commemoration of the March on Washington for jobs and freedom. Having attended the very first march in August 1963 as a teenager and hearing Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. make his famous “I Have A Dream” speech, I have long known that it was important to pass on the history, traditions and spirit of the civil rights movement.
There were 15 of us traveling 900 miles in a van that had seen better days, but there was never a more determined group. So determined that during several mishaps due to mechanical problems along the way, we found it necessary to continuously encourage one another with the phrase, “We’re going on anyhow,” which became our theme and mantra.
We prayed a lot, especially after the van broke down and caught fire. We got back on the road again; never thought of turning back; and went on anyhow. We knew we had to continue with two young people on board; my youngest son, Brian, who was 10,
and the daughter of a friend who was the same age.
When we arrived in Washington, D.C., the march was almost over; but we stayed, interacted and fellowshipped with many people who were still there. We took a lot of pictures to document our journey.
After a few hours we refreshed, regrouped and headed back to the south to Memphis. On our way home, we prayed for a safe trip back and were pleased and thankful that we had completed our mission. Because of this shared experience we named ourselves “The Faithful Few.”
Twenty-seven years later, many of “The Faithful Few” are still active and are leaders in the community. To all who made the journey from Memphis to Washington, D.C. in 1988, I say thank you for your commitment, dedication and determination.
“The Faithful Few” included: Brenda Caudwell, Linda Caldwell, Cequita Monique McKinley, Georgianna King, Keisha Finley, Mildred Finley, Brian Nelson, Martin Hurley, and Ken (whose last name is not known. The names of five others also are not known.)
(Joan Nelson, Heritage Tours Inc.)
The city of Memphis recently re-leased staggering 2014 statistics re-garding the victims of homicides in our city. Whether surprisingly or not, the data suggests that there is a need for great alarm.
The data identified that of the 168 victims of homicide in our city, 78 percent of those victims were Afri-can-American males. Additionally, the next highest demographic that were victims of homicide were Afri-can-American females. If we follow that data further, we will see that the major cause of these deaths were ar-guments between persons who knew one another.
There is a need for great alarm. Like a fire station alarm that screams in the dead of the night, it awakens everyone immediately, and each fire-fighter is then responsible for gather-ing themselves and their senses to put out the fire. What we learn from this is that each firefighter must work with the man or woman in his/her precinct to collectively suppress the fire.
There is need for great alarm . . . and I am ringing the bell.
The re-launch of the 100 Black Men of Memphis, Inc. is necessary in 2015; we heard the alarm and we know there is a fire in our communi-ty. If the fire goes unchecked, it will incinerate everything in its path. So, in this new season, we are emerging, reforming and setting our agendas and strategies to help stand on the front line to address the madness that is destroying communities in our be-loved Bluff City.
What we are not saying is that those who have been fighting aren’t successful. But what we are saying is that the 100 will stand beside each organization committed to address-ing the fire in the community until we put it out.
Why the 100? The 100 Black Men’s programs are focused on four distinct areas – mentoring, education, eco-nomics and health. Locally, the 100 believes it’s dire that we present more positive images of our black men to our young black children, especially, our boys. We also know and believe that other ethnic communities need to understand that African-American men aren’t a group to fear. We want what everyone wants – a chance to live life openly and freely with a liv-ing wage job, provide and protect for our families and to enjoy the wonders of this community.
Some may think this is just an-other group of talkers and not doers, another group that simply springs up to cause a ruckus and division, or are motivated with the desire of some self-serving individual gain. Others may question what makes the 100 Black Men different from the NAACP, SCLC or any of the histor-ically black Greek lettered service organizations.
First, our mission is strategic,
which is to im-prove the quali-ty of life within our communities and enhance ed-ucational and economic oppor-tunities for all Af-rican Americans. Secondly, our vision is obtain-able. We seek to serve as a beacon of leadership by
utilizing our diverse talents to create environments where our children are motivated to achieve. We also seek to empower our people, with the 100 way, to become self-sufficient share-holders in the economic and social fabric of the communities we serve.
Lastly, our value proposition is concise, clear and cogent – we are focused on the intellectual develop-ment of youth and the economic em-powerment of the African-American community based on the following precepts: respect for family, spiritu-ality, justice and integrity.
So where have the 100 Black Men of Memphis been? Working. Work-ing hard. In 2003, it was the 100 Black Men who worked to have leg-islation passed to open the first char-ter school in Tennessee, the Mem-phis Academy for Health Sciences (MAHS). And 12 years later, MAHS High boasts a 98 percent graduation rate and MAHS Middle continues as a Reward School. The high school is located in 38108 – the zip code where the highest number of homicides in 2014 were committed. Our scholars still performed.
We have been in various career fields in this community: health-care administration, practicing law, education, finance, city and county governments…our members have been working. And what’s different now (from) 1986 when the 100 was founded, then again in 1991 when the 100 labored on behalf of the first African American elected mayor of Memphis?
The fire alarm has sounded and the 100 Black Men of Memphis, Inc. have heard it and have rallied together again. We are together, as Black Men should be – working to-gether to put out the fire of self-hate, distrust and societal oppression. The 100 Black Men of Memphis, Inc., is standing up for our community. If you are a person who is tired of the excuses and want to see and support change within Memphis, then sup-port the 100 Black Men of Memphis, Inc.! If you are an African-American man and you’re reading this, you should join the fight against the fire in our community! Join us today!
(The Rev. Corey D. Johnson is ex-ecutive director of 100 Black Men of Memphis, Inc.)
Black dollars domatter – ‘Empire’shows us that
According to a Nielsen consum-er report, African Americans are voracious con-sumers of media, watching 37 per-cent more televi-sion than any oth-er slice of Ameri-can demography. While that’s not new news, it is disturbing that we don’t completely understand the connection between our TV consumption and the huge profits generated by our connection to television.
To be fair, some TV programming can actually be beneficial. The recent coverage of the 50th anniversary of “Bloody Sunday” opened the eyes of generations of Americans who were unaware of the brutality of racial op-pression in America. Much of tele-vision, however, is simply escapist entertainment for us, but a tremen-dous cash cow for programmers and advertisers. Take for example “Em-pire” on Fox. The network is known for its history of racist banter and has exploited Black America while si-multaneously benefiting from black consumers. Statistics show that “Em-pire” is Fox’s highest grossing show in three years, which translates into a huge pay-off for Fox.
How big?How about the $45.2 billion Com-
cast/Time Warner merger? How about the $48.5 billion AT&T ac-quisition of DirecTV or the estimat-ed $1.3 trillion dollars spent annually by black consumers? Not to men-tion the $20 billion lawsuit filed by the National Association of African American Owned Media and Enter-tainment Studios Networks against Comcast, Time Warner and other civil rights organizations as party to a plan to ensure that profits from black viewership continue pouring into the same pockets?
We’ve watched with interest and commented on this situation earli-er, but the situation has not improved. We will reserve judgment on the soundness of Entertainment Studios Network’s CEO Byron Allen’s pend-ing legal action, but there are a few things of which we are absolutely certain:
No telecom giant has a plan for meaningful participation/inclusion of black business in their day-to-day procurement activity;
No programming giant has a plan to include, develop or support the de-velopment of positive black portray-als to any meaningful degree;
No cable/pay TV provider makes programming targeting black con-sumers available at their basic ser-vice level, which requires their best customers to pay extra to view their favorite shows;
No advertiser using the TV/Pay-TV medium includes black business in any significant way in the devel-opment, production, delivery/distri-bution of their products to this loyal consumer base.
Telecom companies and consumer product companies are gearing up for an assault on your wallets like noth-ing you’ve ever seen, and if you’re riveted by the latest episode or game-of-the-week, you may not even notice your pocket being picked. Decisions about your money are being made right now. These decisions are being made by people who don’t know you, and whose only interest is how long you’re in front of your TV before you go buy the products they are selling.
We understand it’s about business – big business. We also understand that it is black consumers’ money that makes the business so big. But if black businesses don’t flourish as a result of all this activity designed to move dollars out of black pockets, we’ll be back to “Good Times” in the projects instead of building Empires. All the more reason to invest money in the black community. If you can devote time to watching your favor-ite television show, then you can also devote time to buying from your lo-cal black businesses. Make #Black-dollarsmatters not just a hashtag, but a way of life.
(NNPA columnist Ron Busby Sr. is president of the U.S. Black Cham-bers, Inc.)
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FLASHBACK: 2005
#Blackdollarsmatters
by Tarrin McGheeSpecial to The News Tri-State Defender
Strong language skills are essen-tial to school readiness and future success. In the past, we’ve reviewed the importance of promoting healthy language and literacy development for young children before kindergar-ten begins. This month, let’s focus on understanding what specific types of language contribute to positive aca-demic outcomes, and what parents can do to foster progress during the first three years of life.
Babies need to hear language
Of course, you are bubbling with joy about the arrival of your new baby. Without even thinking about it, you will find yourself talking to her differently than you talk to adults. Your tone of voice will become high-er-pitched and take on a melodic, sing-song quality.
Research shows that this universal parental behavior is comforting to babies and actually helps them learn language more effectively. At the same time, parents are encouraged to use proper words and sentences, and avoid the “goo goo gah gah” variety of baby talk.
Positive, productive interaction is key
During the first three years of life,
children develop a foundation for later learning which includes the use and understanding of language. The amount of positive experiences that a young child has can largely deter-mine future academic and life out-comes.
According to The Urban Child In-stitute, the quality of a child’s early experiences affects the healthy brain function and language development of the growing brain. Brain cells form connections at a faster rate during the first three years than at any other time throughout life. To strengthen these connections, positive and productive interactions with adults are critical.
The more time you spend talking, reading, and playing with your infant or toddler, the better off he will be. Research shows that children who have parents who read to them often and use larger vocabularies tend to have better academic and behavioral outcomes.
Maintain a healthy and safe home
All parents have a responsibility to protect and shield their children from stress, turmoil and chaos in the home that can negatively affect cognitive and behavioral outcomes. Children who are raised in positive home en-vironments experience invaluable benefits to their overall mental health and well-being.
A healthy and peaceful home al-lows children to feel comfortable and allows them to grow, learn, and
explore. On the contrast, toxic stress caused by a negative home environment can cause a child’s brain to develop differently, which may lead to poor language devel-opment among other detrimental effects.
Nurture curiosity andproblem-solving skills
Children are inquisitive by nature. As their interest in new things is piqued, they will begin to ask ques-tions to quench the innate desire to simply know what is going on in their environment.
It’s important for parents to follow their child’s lead and be eager to re-spond to questions with a thorough explanation. Even simple descrip-tions of daily activities will help to learn new words and improve grasp of the structure of language.
Don’t leave your childout of the conversation
For a child’s comprehension and speaking skills to flourish, just lis-tening to adults’ conversation isn’t enough. Don’t let your child sit by idly as you talk with your spouse, family members and friends. And certainly don’t “shush” him when he tries to interject. Initiate and engage him in healthy dialogue, even when his input is difficult to understand. Be patient with his attempts to commu-nicate, and you will help to strength-en his growing language and speech abilities.
Limit television and screen time
As a child becomes more indepen-dent, he will begin to rely on his own ability to keep himself occupied. Of-ten parents welcome this new-found sense of independence by introducing electronic devices to entertain him, or to keep him busy and out of your hair for awhile. But research shows that excessive television and screen time can actually hinder language de-velopment for young children.
It’s important for parents to under-stand that TV and other devices are no substitute for real personal inter-action with your child. Technology cannot replace responsive parenting. Especially for babies under three, TV and screen time should be kept to a minimum.
(As The Urban Child Institute works to advance its mission to pro-mote optimal brain development for children from birth to age three, the organization continues to offer help-ful resources to support effective par-enting. For more information on how to promote strong language develop-ment for your infant or toddler, visit www.urbanchildinstiture.org.)
Let’s talk: Promoting healthy languagedevelopment for young children
The data identified that of the 168 victims of homicide in our city, 78 percent of those
victims were African-American males.
The New Tri-State Defender March 26 - April 1, 2015 Page 5Page 5
NEWSPage 6 March 26 - April 1, 2015 The New Tri-State DefenderPage 00
Coca Cola roundup…Coca Cola held a big regional roundup this week to work on its strategy with its acquisition of the Monster Energy Drink brand. The company held a lunch meeting for the Women’s LINC and invited community leaders to share with Coke staff. Ber-nal E. Smith II, publisher and president of The New Tri-State Defender, spoke, along with Mearl Purvis of Fox 13 News, Sandra Burke, and Dawn S. Kirk, Coca Cola’s Vice President of Sales Operations, East Regions. The Women’s LINC is an aux-illary professional group targeted at women associates but open to all Coca Cola associates for career development, encouragement and growth. (Courtesy photo)
by Erik SchelzigAssociated Press
NASHVILLE – A revived version of Gov. Bill Haslam’s proposal to extend health cov-erage to 280,000 low-income Tennesseans on Wednesday cleared its first full Senate committee.
The Senate Health Commit-tee voted 6-2 to advance the In-sure Tennessee proposal to the commerce committee, where it is expected to face difficult prospects. Republican Senate Speaker Ron Ramsey has pre-dicted that the measure won’t make it to a full floor vote.
The resolution would allow Haslam to draw down $2.8 billion in federal Medicaid money over the course of the two-year pilot program. State hospitals have agreed to cover the state’s $74 million share.
Haslam had been reject-ed in his previous attempt to seek authorization for the plan during a special legislative session last month.
The renewed measure is sponsored by freshman Sen. Jeff Yarbro of Nashville, the lone Democrat on the commit-tee. It includes three changes designed to ease various con-cerns raised about the measure during last month’s special session. They include:
— Adding a “lockout provi-
sion” for enrollees who fail to pay premiums, similar to one approved for Indiana’s plan.
— Calling on Haslam to wait to put the plan into ef-fect until after a U.S. Supreme Court ruling on health insur-ance exchanges.
— Requiring written con-firmation from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services that Tennessee could drop out of the program if costs outstrip expectations.
Joining Yarbro in voting for the resolution were Republi-can Sens. Richard Briggs and Becky Massey of Knoxville, Ed Jackson of Jackson, Doug Overbey of Maryville and Rusty Crowe of Johnson City. Crowe had voted against the measure when it failed 7-4 in a Senate panel during the spe-cial session.
Voting against the resolution were Republican Sens. Randy McNally of Oak Ridge and Bo Watson of Chattanooga. Re-publican Sen. Joey Hensley of Hohenwald abstained in the full committee after previous-ly voting against the measure in the subcommittee vote.
“The vote shows that there is significant and growing bi-partisan support for Insure Tennessee,” Yarbro said.
McNally raised concerns about how the state would go about winding down the pro-
gram if officials decided they no longer wanted to partici-pate. He cited legal challeng-es raised after then-Gov. Phil Bredesen, a Democrat, cut 170,000 adults from TennCare because of escalating costs.
TennCare Director Darin Gordon told the panel that the state already has a mechanism in place for un-enrolling peo-ple stemming from the 2005 cuts.
“We don’t have to go back and do that again,” he said. “It’s in the existing waiver.”
Massey urged Gordon to ensure enrollees would be in-formed that the program could be temporary.
“I’ve had a number of folks who I’ve talked to who have said they didn’t have insurance and they were working, but they qualified into this gap,” she said. “And if they had the opportunity to take it for two years or not at all, they were good with just the two years.”
Opponents of the Insure Tennessee proposal said they objected to adding to the fed-eral debt by drawing down the money under President Barack Obama’s health care law. They say they don’t trust the federal government to keep promises to allow Tennessee to with-draw from the plan if it ends up being more expensive than expected.
BUSINESSThe New Tri-State Defender March 26 - April 1, 2015 Page 7Page 7
ON OUR WAY TO WEALTHY
CarleeMcCullough,
Esq.
Charles SimsJr., CMFC,
LUTCF
MONEY MATTERS
NASHVILLE – The Ten-nessee Public Relations Alli-ance, formed in late 2011, has added new member Q Strat-egies of Chattanooga to the team of communications pro-fessionals.
“This places the alliance in each of the state’s major me-dia markets and formalizes the partnership we have enjoyed for years with one of the Chat-tanooga area’s most knowl-edgeable and effective strat-egists, Tom Griscom,” said Mark McNeely, senior partner of McNeely Pigott & Fox Pub-lic Relations of Nashville.
Other charter members of the alliance are The Carter Malone Group of Memphis and Moxley Carmichael Pub-lic Relations of Knoxville. The Hispanic Marketing Group of Nashville joined the alliance in 2013.
“We are fortunate to count Tom and his firm, Q Strategies, as part of the alliance. This only adds to our already stel-lar team of communications professionals with unmatched knowledge of their individ-ual markets,” McNeely said. “MP&F has worked with Tom and his firm for years on sev-eral clients, and in each case, he has been a valuable asset to our team.” Those assignments have included assistance in the grand opening of Amazon’s Chattanooga distribution facil-ity and the successful push to allow the sale of wine in gro-cery stores last year.
The statewide alliance was formed to provide blanket geo-graphic coverage for products and issues in Tennessee. Since its inception, the alliance has worked with BlueCross Blue-Shield of Tennessee on com-munications efforts related to the Affordable Care Act as well as several other statewide organizations and issues.
“April showers bring May flowers” is a phrase we are all familiar with. However uncharacteristically, March, with a combination of snow, has had its share of rainy days. An unfortunate byproduct of weather in March is a leak-ing roof and the need to hire a roofing contractor. There is nothing worse than for your humble abode to spring a leak.
Choosing an experienced, de-pendable contractor can be chal-lenging. But fret not. The follow-ing tips will help you choose a credible roofing contractor:
1) Always hire a lo-cal roofer, because an “out of town” company will be diffi-cult to reach for warranty is-sues or dispute resolution.
2) Check the Better Business Bureau to see if there are any negative complaints.
3) Request references from the roofing contractor.
4) Ask for copies of their license, insurance, and bonding. Follow up to make
sure the information is valid and current.
5) Make sure the com-pany has been in business for a while. Dishonest companies tend to open, close and change names frequently due to com-plaints or lawsuits.
6) Review the contract carefully and make sure there is a warranty.
I was referred to Sherman Brown by one of my clients. Unfortunately, she had work done by a roofing contrac-tor that was less than desir-able, and Mr. Brown of BSU Roofing and Restoration had to come to her rescue. He was prompt with an estimate and prompt with service. Her flat roof is now free of leaks, thanks to BSU Roofing and Restoration’s quality service.
Sherman Brown now joins us to provide additional informa-tion on roofing as a business.
Carlee McCullough: Tell us a little about yourself.
S h e r -m a n Brown: I was born and raised in Mem-phis. I a t t e n d e d S o u t h -side High School and v e n t u r e d into many d i f f e r e n t job fields after at-
taining my high school educa-tion.
CM: How did you get into
the roofing business? SB: I tried many different
careers ranging from mortgage solutions to restaurant own-ership and finally I found my niche in the roofing industry.
CM: Why roofing and not
general construction?SB: I feel that contractors
should specialize in an area but
have a substantial amount of knowledge in the complete in-dustry. My team has mastered the craft and completes jobs in an efficient amount of time.
CM: How can consumers make a difference between reputable contractors and those that are not reputable?
SB: Always ask for refer-ences from the contractor’s past work.
CM: What made you start your own business?
SB: Again, I tried many fields of work and before I successfully became an en-trepreneur I worked in sever-al factories making minimum wage. I felt being a go-getter and a man filled with pride and integrity that the best way I could give my children the life I didn’t have was to start my own business.
CM: How did you prepare
to go without a stable income and pursue your entrepreneur-
ship full time?SB: I don’t think anyone is
ever fully prepared in that situ-ation. But one must step out on faith and when life throws you lemons you make lemonade.
CM: What is next for you as
it relates to your business?SB: I’m currently looking to
add another stream of income by working on my autobiogra-phy. It will be a full-length sto-ry to inspire those individuals who will not take that chance and step out on faith.
CM: How do you balance
family life and business?SB: Business operations
are handled during business hours. It would be the same as if I was working a nine to five. There are times when I must troubleshoot. But we do such a great job that those times are few and far between.
CM: Who or what has in-
spired your success?SB: My inspiration was ac-
tually self-driven. I just knew that working hard was what I wanted to do. I spent countless hours reading about other suc-cessful businessmen and my motto was: “If they can make it so can I.”
CM: Any advice to those
interested in leaving their jobs to pursue business opportuni-ties full time?
SB: Know what you want in life. Take pictures of your fu-ture and stop showing people where you have been. Take the step because time waits for no one.
CM: How can people en-
gage your services?SB: I’m local. I can be
reached by phone and/or e-mail. Telephone: 1-901-672-7585. Email: [email protected]
(Contact Carlee M. Mc-Cullough, Esq. at 901-795-0050; email – [email protected].)
Career opportunities for women have expanded great-ly over the last couple of de-cades. Yet during their life-times, women still earn less money than men, primarily because they take time off from their jobs to care for chil-dren or aging parents.
Women also have longer lifespans than men, so they may need to fund additional years in retirement with fewer financial resources. One study found that the average retire-ment savings for a woman aged 65 to 69 was about 22 percent less than that of a man of the same age.
Given the challenges, it’s understandable that women are 42 percent more likely than men to express concern about having enough money for re-tirement (according to a 2012 survey). Focusing on saving for the future and managing retirement plan investments wisely could help many wom-en improve their retirement prospects.
Career gains
Almost 60 percent of to-day’s U.S. college students
are wom-en, and the m a j o r i t y of gradu-ates who p u r s u e m a s t e r ’s d e g r e e s and doc-torates are also wom-en. Income d i spa r i ty b e t w e e n the sexes has also
improved — working women now earn about 80 cents for every dollar earned by men, up from 62 cents 30 years ago.
As a result, female breadwin-ners have become more com-mon than they were in previous generations. Around 40 percent of wives now earn higher sala-ries than their husbands.
To make up for time spent outside the workforce, wom-en may want to contribute as much as possible to employ-er-sponsored retirement plans, especially if they have the opportunity to benefit from a company match. The maxi-mum employee contribution to a 401(k) or 403(b) plan in
2013 is $17,500 ($23,000 for those aged 50 and older).
Distributions from most em-ployer-sponsored retirement plans are taxed as ordinary in-come. Withdrawals taken prior to age 59½ may be subject to a 10 percent federal income tax penalty, with certain excep-tions such as the plan partici-pant’s death or disability.
Risk tolerance
A Federal Reserve Bank
economist has estimated that the more conservative re-tirement investments chosen by women investors may be responsible for about 10 per-cent of the difference between men’s and women’s retirement account balances. The risk/re-ward trade-off means that in-vestments involving less risk typically have a lower poten-tial for return, and vice versa. Therefore, a portfolio with too little growth potential may not accumulate enough assets for
someone to enjoy a comfort-able retirement, and/or returns may not keep pace with infla-tion.
Some anxieties about in-vestment risk among wom-en may stem from a lack of knowledge, but a more cau-tious approach is not always detrimental. For example, some experts believe that in-vestors who treat investing like a sport or competition tend to chase performance and could suffer losses as a result. As a group, women are generally less likely than men to be “overconfident” in their ability to select outperform-ing investments, a trait that may help them avoid costly mistakes such as trading ex-cessively or taking inappro-priate risks.
Over the long run, a steady buy-and-hold strategy based on the investor’s financial goals, time horizon, and risk tolerance could serve men and women well.
In some marriages (and among older couples in par-ticular), husbands may be han-dling many of the household’s investing decisions. Consider-ing the possibility of divorce
and the tendency for wives to outlive their husbands, it is likely that 80 percent to 90 percent of women may need to take control of their finances at some point in their lives.
Women, whether single or married, might benefit from educating themselves on all aspects of household financ-es, including investments, in-surance, and the beneficiary designations on retirement accounts.
The information in this ar-ticle is not intended as tax or legal advice, and it may not be relied on for the purpose of avoiding any federal tax pen-alties. You are encouraged to seek tax or legal advice from an independent professional advisor. The content is derived from sources believed to be accurate. Neither the informa-tion presented nor any opinion expressed constitutes a solici-tation for the purchase or sale of any security.
(Charles Sims Jr., CMFC, LUTCF, is President/CEO of The Sims Financial Group. Contact him at 901-682-2410 or visit www.SimsFinancial-Group.com.)
Mastering the craft of roofing
Women need more financial resources for retirement
‘Alliance’ adds Chattanooga’s Q Strategies to group“Our goal in launching Q
Strategies was to create a dif-ferent kind of communications firm – one focused on rela-tionships, strategic thought and measurable client suc-cess,” said partner and chief strategist Tom Griscom. “It is an honor for our firm to be included with like-minded communications professionals in the Tennessee Public Rela-tions Alliance.”
Q Strategies is a full-ser-vice strategic communications and marketing firm located in downtown Chattanooga. The Q Strategies team has signif-icant experience in solving
complex issues around com-munications, branding, mar-ket research and proactive message development. Local, regional and national clients served range from government to manufacturing to startups.
Each of the independently owned agencies has continued to maintain existing clients and pursue clients needing help from a single agency; but the alliance has presented previously unavailable oppor-tunities for businesses and or-ganizations seeking help from a cohesive, statewide commu-nications team with strengths in all local markets.
THE 2015 ESTHER AND MEN OF MORDECAI AWARDS
RELIGIONPage 8 March 26 - April 1, 2015 The New Tri-State DefenderPage 00
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not
seen. – Hebrews 11:1 (KJV)
Special to the New Tri-State Defender
It is quite a milestone to live to be 110 years old. But for Willie Mae Irving, it was eventful. Before her death on March 13, the centenar-ian toured the White House in 2007, witnessed the inau-guration of Barack Obama in 2009, worked tirelessly in the church, and volunteered a number of times for myriad causes.
Mrs. Irving was born July 19, 1904. She was eulogized March 21 at New Sherron M.B. Church in Cayce, Miss., a church she’d been actively involved in since 1919.
Elder Bettye Eskridge, a daughter and constant com-panion, noted her presence at her mother’s bedside and holding her hand when she closed her eyes a final time.
Last year, Mrs. Irving cel-ebrated her 110th birthday at Whispering Hills Hotel and Conference Center in Olive Branch, Miss. Her family and friends celebrated her longevi-ty and bid her God-speed.
Raised by her maternal grandparents – who were freed slaves – Mrs. Irving was the mother of four children, 23 grandchildren, 58 great-grand-children, 50 great-great grand-children and 12 great-great-great grandchildren. She was married to the late George Ir-ving for nearly 60 years.
Her linage, Eskridge point-ed out, “is almost as long as her very lengthy life.”
As a child, Mrs. Irving at-tended Hebrew Elementary, a one-room school in Piperton, Tenn. As the years added up, she’d witness history unfold around her: African-Ameri-cans would move up the polit-ical, social and economic lad-der and society would become just a little more inclusive of races than eras past.
At New Sherron, Mrs. Irving was not only the oldest mem-ber of the church, but the most senior mother on the Mother’s Board in the church’s histo-ry. “Until very recently, most Sundays, my mother could be found seated on the front pew, rain or shine,” her daughter said.
Churches near and far heaped honor and praise on Mrs. Irving for her tire-less work and volunteerism. She’d volunteered for Con-voy of Hope, the University of Memphis’ Kwanzaa cele-bration, and received “Out-standing Senior” recognition from the Rev. Dr. L. LaSim-ba M. Gray Jr., pastor of New Sardis Missionary Baptist Church.
Local and national news media also interviewed Mrs. Irving. She also spoke at schools from Greenwood, Miss., to Memphis – partic-ularly at Westside Middle School and Springfield M.B. Church in Senatobia, Miss.,
during the 2 0 1 0 B l a c k H i s t o r y Month cel-ebration.
D u r i n g four con-s e c u t i v e summers, Mrs. Ir-ving was a valued t e a c h e r and grand-
mother figure for the O.B. Mc-Clinton Foundation’s Summer Enrichment Program, a non-profit organization in Senato-bia, Miss.
While old-fashioned tea-cakes may be a treat of the past, Mrs. Irving taught the students in the program how to make them from scratch.
“Summer Enrichment 2015 just won’t be the same with-out our most valuable teacher, Mother Willie Mae Irving,” said Cloteal Fitzpatrick, the Foundation’s director and Mrs. Irving’s Goddaughter.
When asked about the se-cret of her longevity, Eskridge said her mother would cite the “Golden Rule:” “Do unto oth-ers as you would have them do unto you.”
Her personal philosophy? “Tending to my own business and leaving other folk’s busi-ness alone.”
If the subject of skin color arose in conversations, “my mother would say, ‘I treat all people the same.’” And be-cause she’s lived more than the Bible’s promise of three scores and 10, Mrs. Irving would of-fer the following statement: “I obeyed my parents and trusted in God.”
Fitzpatrick said, “ Mother Irving not only enjoyed lon-gevity, good health, and the love of family and friends, she enjoyed a life of service to oth-ers.”
Eskridge said one of the greatest honors that her moth-er received during her lifetime was having her fellow church members dedicate the New Sherron’s Fellowship Center to her and rename it the “Wil-lie Mae Irving Fellowship Hall.”
Mrs. Irving lived alone and was able to take care of all her personal affairs until 2007, her daughter said. And up until 2013, she was still able to take care of herself personally and walk without assistance.
“She did not take any med-ications either,” said Eskridge, who stepped in as her moth-er’s caretaker when she was no longer able to live alone. “She lived with me at my home in Collierville until her death. Three days before her death, however, she was still able to communicate.”
The day Mrs. Irving died, Eskridge said, “I knew mother was ready to go.”
LEGACY: Mrs. Willie Mae Irving
Willie Mae Irving
The honorees and co-hosts: (seated left to right) Denise Silas, Thelma Hardy, Zel-ma Hall, Apostle Chejuana Chase, National President Brenda Browder, Founder and Executive Director Dr. Jada Meeks, William Reed, Min. Laverne Jackson. Standing: Yvette Whiteside, Pastor Victoria Raftery (Merrillville, Ind.), Pastor Kimberly Benson, Marie Horn, Diaconate Henry An-derson, Wanda Taylor, the Rev. Dr. Stephen P. Walker Jr., Pastor Ashley Turner, Vernell Simmons, Dr. Jar-nell Harvey (Gary, Ind.), and Lauren Raymer. (Photos: Wiley Henry)
National Coalition of Wom-en in Ministry, Inc. Mem-phis, Tn Chapter Members: (Seated left to right) Min. McStella Hinds, Pastor Evelyn Taylor, Lois Mont-gomery, Founding Board Member Min. Louise Walton (Sterling Heights, Mich.), Mother of NCWM Judy Shipp, Roberta Hayslett, and Gail Duron. Standing: Father of NCWM Pastor Juan D. Shipp, Board Mem-ber Sarah Smith, Dr. Janet Malone, Janet Marshall (Gary, Ind.), Board Mem-ber Elder Belva Armour, Chat Shipp, Juan Shipp, II, Founder and Executive Director Dr. Jada Meeks, National President Brenda Browder (Hobart, Ind.)
The National Coalition of Women in Ministry honored a group of women and men Saturday afternoon (March 21) during NCWM’s 11th annual
Ester and Men of Mordecai Awards at the Holiday Inn University of Mem-phis.
The awardees were recognized for
their leadership, service and ministry in the church and community.
The awards banquet is NCWM’s annual fundraiser.
25 years and counting...Dr. Gina M. Stewart celebrated 25 years in ministry – 20 as pastor of Christ Missionary Baptist Church – Friday, March 20, at the Memphis Cook Convention Center. Fred and Judge Ear-nestine Dorse were there to congratulate Dr. Stewart. (Photo: Tyrone P. Easley)
Mt. Olive Cathedral Chris-tian Methodist Episcopal Church, 538 Dr. M.L. King Jr. Ave., will honor the 10 wom-en – who were hired in 1958 by the Memphis Police De-partment as “Meter Maids” – during Annual Women’s Day at the church on Sunday, April 12, at 10:30 a.m.
These women served until 1970 when they were commis-sioned as officers in the MPD and should be cited for their con-tributions, the organizers said.
Dr. Doris Y. Williamson, the first lady of First Episco-pal District of the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church, will be the guest speaker. Dr. Williamson is a speaker and lecturer who has over 40 years ministering to the needs of women.
City and county mayors, police director, the sheriff and other members in law enforce-nent were invited.
Rev. Peris J. Lester I is the host pastor.
Mt. Olive Cathedral honors women in law enforcement
A day for men and women...Gospel Temple Missionary Baptist Church celebrated its Annual Men and Women’s Day, Sunday, March 23. From left: Rev. Katral K. Rainey, pas-tor, Gospel Temple Missionary Baptist Church; Vera Bingham, chairperson; Rev. Steven E. Maben, pastor of Friendship Missionary Baptist Church and guest minister; his wife Con-stance Maben; Rev. Guy Thompson, Friendship’s associate pastor; and Kim Stewart, mistress of ceremonies, Greater Community Temple Church of God in Christ. Not shown: Kevin Swannigan, co-chairperson. (Courte-sy photo)
Centenarian’s long life was rewarding
Fre$h Fruit
SEE BTW ON PAGE 10
ENTERTAINMENTThe New Tri-State Defender, March 26 - April 1, 2015, Page 9
by Kam WilliamsSpecial to The New Tri-State Defender
Despite being a direct descen-dant of Booker T. Washington, Sar-ah Washington O’Neal wasn’t born with a silver spoon in her mouth. Quite the contrary, she and her big brother James were raised on a rough side of Oakland, California by a sin-gle-mother who never mentioned their famous forbear. Perhaps she was ashamed by her relatively-lowly station and having to hold two jobs just to keep a roof over their heads af-ter being abandoned by her husband.
The absence of a father figure would have a profound effect on Sar-ah, who ended up involved with a series of inappropriate partners. This was reflected in her picking bad boys who abused, cheated on, exploited, beat and/or raped her. That futile search for male validation started when she was molested at the age of 9, an event triggering a rapid descent leading to an unplanned pregnancy by the time she was 15.
Sarah’s baby-daddy neither stuck around to raise Mario Jr., nor paid much in terms of child support, which meant the financial burden of the baby first fell squarely on the shoul-ders of her already cash-strapped mom. And when that responsibility proved too much for the beleaguered grandmother, the troubled teen was forced to fend for herself and the in-fant on her own.
Consequently, she soon became
by Warren RoseboroughSpecial to The New Tri-State Defender
Charlie, Kem and Joe had already “arrived” before either of them stepped out on stage at FedExFo-rum on Saturday night. Proof was evident in the 9,000-plus pairs of eyes trained on them.
Each R&B icon declared that the Memphis crowd was the best he had seen so far on tour. And while there is no official measurement of such, the Memphis faithful responded to the declarations as if the truth was self-evident.
The Fred Jones-delivered concert kicked off at 7 p.m. on the dot, with Joe – dressed in black leather – open-ing with one of hits, “I Don’t Want To Be A Player No More.” Work-ing the crowd, he transitioned into
“Ride Wit U,” featur-ing G Unit, from the al-bum “And T h e n . ” Next, he broke into his ren-dition of F r a n k i e Beverly & Maze’s “Be-fore I Let Go.”
A crafts-man, Joe left the stage, d e s c e n d -ing into the crowd, taking self-ies with the
ladies. Getting personal, he told the crowd that he has been in the business for 20 years and that he was ever so thankful for the ongoing support.
Kem was sharp in a two-piece, black-and-white print suit accented with a distinct pair of white shoes. He prefers a tight fit, a fact he vol-unteered. He walked out and issued an invitation: “If you believe in love, say yeah!” Instant chemistry.
Firing right out of the box, he performed “Love Calls,” followed by “Favorite Thing” and “Nobody Like You.” Throughout the set, he mingled with the crowd, at one point handing the mike to male concert-goers and singing to their wives or girl friends. Don’t be mad, he joked, adding that he was trying to help.
It’s often mentioned that Kem’s sound brings to mind Al Jarreau and Kem dropped that the two are talking about doing an album to-gether.
Launching into “Find Your Way (Back In My Life),” Kem gave some
of the men a chance to serenade their mates. He closed the set with Rick James’ hit, “Give It To Me Baby.”
I must note that Kem shared his trademark testimony of transforma-tion – from drugs, homelessness and stealing from his mother’s purse to living a God-saved life. God is go-ing to make it right, he said, certain that someone in the audience need-ed that assurance right then.
Charlie Wilson
Spectacular theatrics and smooth vocals, Charlie Wilson is non-stop show. This one started out with a guy holding a lantern, saying “All Aboard!” The lights were low and then out came Wilson, with a line of beautiful women, singing “Par-ty Train.” The band was jamming, sounding so good. Dressed in black pants and shirt, with a sequined
jacket, he jumped into “Burn Rub-ber” and then changed into a black and silver outfit. When you go to a Charlie Wilson concert, expect a lot of wardrobe changes.
A “Smooth Criminal” rendition had the crowd chanting “Go Charlie Go, Charlie Go Charlie,” as Wilson danced with the energy of a teen-ager. Wardrobe change and it was glow-in-the-dark time.
Talking about how he missed his friend Roger Troutman of Zapp, Wilson paid tribute with “Doo Wah Ditty.” Directing each man to tell his woman how beautiful she was, he went into “Goodnight Kisses.” Wardrobe change – black-and-white suit and red jumpsuits for the danc-ers – and he was into “There Goes My Baby.” With the band rolling, Charlie left the stage for a brief mo-ment and changed into a silver suit. Then came snips of Joe’s “I Wanna Know” and Kem’s “Save My Life.”
On June 30, Wilson has a new book coming out and he encour-aged the crowd to preorder. Back to work, the jam session continued, with Wilson carving out time to thank everyone for coming out and singling out the first-timers. The evening included a segment with him singing about how God is so amazing, which dovetailed with his account of going from rags to riches and riches to rags as a crack-cocaine addict. Nineteen years clean and so-ber, his story was inspirational.
With his hit “You Are” topping the charts for 16 weeks, Wilson made a special note to say thanks, closing the A-plus show with “Out-standing.”
by Kelvin CowansSpecial to The New Tri-State Defender
Garrick Jordan has just opened Redd Room Studios in East Mem-phis and the sound coming out of there is a fresh as the latest pair of Air Jordan’s. I caught up with the 2005 Germantown High School graduate and Tennessee Technology Center Graphic Design Certificate holder and received an ear full about the lack of hunger in music artists today. Jordan has been doing music since he was 15 years old and this music pro-ducer and engineer has recently add-ed another title – film composer – to his repertoire.
Garrick Jordan: I think that there are a lot of politics in Memphis music. There are a lot of people in Memphis that are in position to make things hap-pen but I don’t think they believe that it is profitable. Kind of like there are people that don’t believe that having decent roads in Memphis is profitable. I think Memphis has missed our turn. New York had its time, down south had its time, then Florida and then Atlanta and Houston. Even with Three 6 Mafia winning that Oscar with the “Hustle and Flow” soundtrack, that was good, beau-tiful but I believe for us there is more.
Kelvin Cowans: Do you not be-lieve that maybe we have been expect-ed to at least take our music to Black Hollywood, aka Atlanta, if we’re not getting the deals or exposure we think we should receive in Memphis? You’re from Memphis, you know Memphis. We can be selfish about ev-eryone at the table eating a fair share of the work from the talent.
G.J.: The people that run our city are not allowing us to grow; city of-ficials and even the people that have
left Memphis and made it. Justin Timberlake has tried, and with the rebirth of Staxx and all, and that’s respectable, but there are so many people who choose not to give back or give a hand up. I just notice these things and so I wanted to make sure I spoke on that. I’m an entrepreneur and I’m making a way, but everyone is not like that.
KC: What can we expect out of Redd Room Studios?
G.J.: I’m going to bring a sound to my music that comes from my com-posing side that gives that artist an idea for a record. You’ll hear a uni-versal sound from me. I’m always challenging myself to create a new sound. Also, I feel like if I can’t get the sound that the artist is looking for, then I’ll reach out and ask anoth-er producer to come in and help out. I think that’s missing in Memphis. And so basically I look to bring teamwork back because nobody’s perfect but everyone’s talented.
KC: What do you think keeps art-ists from going as hard as they can? Why have so many of our local art-ists ended up at gas stations selling
CD’s? Is it that so many people are not giving back as you say, or do they not understand the music business? … Key word (being) “business” here.
G.J.: I’ll quote Jay-Z here. “It’s music and business.” He said that he just so happened to master them both at the same time. I think that a lot of artists can’t get past their talent and don’t want to put up the money to in-vest. All they really think about is the studio. I try to tell them that’s the first step. Now you have to promote it and
most of them go on what they seen somebody else do.
Soundcloud and Facebook is not what you call dropping a single. You have to be smart with this business, and if you don’t have money, then you have to start using your mouth-piece. There is a new artist coming out every day. You have to be hungry. Snapping a picture with Rick Ross and then posting it on social media and claiming that you’re doing busi-ness with him is silly and counter
productive. You got to do the work.
KC: Who influenced you in mu-sic?
G.J.: I have a few influences, my father Gary Jordan is one. (His) dream was to play live music, he’s a bass player. He loved Funk, Prince, Rick James, The Time and Funkade-lic. Then my Mom was more soulful and she would listen to Curtis May-field, Al Green and Bobby Womack. Industry-wise, I’m heavy on Dr. Dre and Pharrell Williams. I keep up with what they’re doing and what they’re listening to and I’m taking notes all the time. Anybody will tell you that Dr. Dre’s “Chronic” album was the best rap album of all time, and I agree. That alsomade me watch him grow over the years as he graduated to new levels in music.
KC: Who have you been working with and what’s up next for you?
G.J.: I work with my business partner, Terrance Gregory “Teray-love,” and I’ve worked with people like Pastor Troy, Tedashii, James Joseph, Niko Lyars, Carlos Broady and Goulds Salon Spa amongst others. I’m doing commercials as well, so I’m not in the box at all. But currently I’m working with this rap artist named Tori Whodat out of New Orleans and we’re looking to drop her EP this coming summer. You can check her music out on Youtube; she grinding and it’s go-ing to pay off.
(Contact Garrick Jordan at gar-rickjordanmusic.com.)
(Fresh Fruit is Kelvin Cowans’ pe-riodic look at the wealth of up-and-coming talent in Memphis and the surrounding area. He can be reached at ([email protected].)
Garrick Jordan: ‘I look to bring teamwork back’
With Redd Room Studios, Gar-rick Jordan looks to hook up with artists who have the hun-ger to succeed and the willing-ness to put in the work. (Cour-tesy photo)
A fresh sound is coming out of Garrick Jordan’s East Memphis studio and its mixed with a good sense of business. (Photo: Kel-vin Cowans)
Raised on a rough side of Oak-land, Calif. by a single-mother who never mentioned their fa-mous forbear, BTW’s heir has triumphed over the odds.
BTW’s great-granddaughter:
‘Rising Up from the Blood’
Joe, Kem & Charlie arrive – and deliver!
Charlie Wilson makes his entrance, performing his signature “Party Train” at the FedExForum in Downtown Memphis on Sat-urday night.
A craftsman, Joe left the stage, descending into the crowd, taking selfies with the ladies during Saturday’s concert at the FedExForum. (Photos: Warren Roseborough)
It’s often men-tioned that Kem’s sound brings to mind Al Jarreau and he dropped that the two are talking about doing an album together.
ENTERTAINMENTPage 10 March 26 - April 1, 2015 The New Tri-State DefenderPage 00
by Kam WilliamsFor movies opening March 27, 2015
BIG BUDGET FILMS
“Get Hard” (R for graphic nudity, drug use and pervasive profanity, sexuality and crude humor) Will Ferrell and Kevin Hart co-star in this class conscious comedy about a million-aire convicted of tax evasion who hires an ex-con to prepare him for life behind bars. With T.I., Craig T. Nelson, Alison Brie and Edwina Findley Dickerson.
“Home” (PG for mild action and rude hu-mor) Animated adventure about a huggable fu-gitive from a distant planet (Jim Parsons) who forges an unlikely friendship with an innocent, young Earthling (Rihanna) on a quest of her own. Voice cast includes Steve Martin, Jenni-fer Lopez and Matt Jones.
INDEPENDENT & FOREIGN FILMS
“Apartment Troubles” (Unrated) Amer-ican Dream dramedy about a couple of Bo-hemian artist roommates (Jess Weixler and Jennifer Prediger) on the verge of eviction who relocate from Greenwich Village to L.A. to take a shot at fame and fortune. With Me-gan Mullally, Will Forte, Jeffrey Tambor and Lance Bass.
“The Kidnapping of Michel Houelle-becq” (Unrated) Author Michel Houellebecq plays himself in this crime dramedy revolving
around a writer abducted and held for ransom by a hapless gang of inept amateurs. Ensemble cast includes Mathieu Nicourt, Maxime Le-francois and Francoise Lebrun. (In French and Polish with subtitles)
“Man from Reno” (Unrated) Neo-noir re-volving around a Japanese crime writer (Aya-ko Fujitani) who becomes embroiled in a re-al-life murder mystery while vacationing in San Francisco when she impulsively embarks on a love affair with a stranger (Kazuki Kit-amura). With Pepe Serna, Yasuyo Shiba and Hiroshi Watanabe. (In English and Japanese to subtitles)
“Nightlight” (R for violence, sexual ref-erences and pervasive profanity) Horror flick about five teens who, against their better judg-ment, decide to party in a mysterious forest notorious as a place where kids commit sui-cide. Co-starring Shelby Young, Chloe Bridg-es, Carter Jenkins, Mitch Hewer, Taylor Mur-phy and Kyle Fain.
“The Riot Club” (R for profanity, vio-lence, disturbing behavior, sexuality, nudity and drug use) Screen adaptation of “Posh,” Laura Wade’s play chronicling the exploits of a couple of Oxford University freshmen (Sam Claflin and Max Irons) pledging a hedonistic eating club catering to party animals from privileged backgrounds. With Thomas Arnold, Harry Lloyd and Amber Anderson.
“The Salt of the Earth” (PG-13 for nudity,
mature themes and disturbing images of vio-lence and suffering) Oscar-nominated docu-mentary featuring changes in people and the planet as captured over the past 40 years by peripatetic photographer Sebastiao Salgado. (In French, Portuguese and English with sub-titles)
“Serena” (R for violence and sexuality) Jennifer Lawrence stars in the title role of this costume drama, set in the Twenties, as a Southern belle whose marriage to a North Car-olina timber magnate (Bradley Cooper) unrav-els after she uncovers a big secret about her hubby’s hidden past. With Toby Jones, Rhys Ifans and David Dencik.
“While We’re Young” (R for profanity) Midlife crisis comedy about a childless mar-ried couple in their mid-forties (Ben Stiller and Naomi Watts) whose relationship ends up in crisis after they befriend a much younger couple (Amanda Seyfried and Adam Driver). Cast includes Charles Grodin, Maria Dizzia and Dree Hemingway (Ernest’s great-grand-daughter).
“White God” (R for violence, profanity and bloody images) Man’s best friend dra-ma, set in Hungary, about a devastated 13 year-old’s (Zsofia Psotta) relentless search for her dog after her father (Sandor Zsoter) set the pet free on the streets of Budapest. With Lili Horvath, Lili Monori and Tomas Polgar. (In Hungarian and English with sub-titles)
dependent on government subsidies like wel-fare, food stamps, public housing and Social Security death benefits (after her father passed away prematurely). Meanwhile, between her substance abuse problems (alcohol, weed, coke) and poor choice of men, it was little won-der that she had another child out-of-wedlock just a half-dozen years later.
Sarah got her act together after attending a Booker T. Washington family reunion, but not before having been tested in more ways than the Biblical character Job. Thanks to a com-bination of Christian-ity and psychothera-py, she finally found a righteous path once and for all.
A faith-based re-solve has served Sar-ah well ever since, and she and husband Anthony Rush are happily married and raising a beautiful blended family. Her triumph over the odds is recounted in revealing fashion in “Rising Up from the Blood,” a mesmerizing memoir that reads like the literary equivalent of a TV soap opera.
Besides Sarah’s personal story, this riveting autobiography includes a family photo album containing snapshots of Booker T. and the rest of her relatives, as well as snippets of sound advice for other lost souls looking to turn their lives around. An empowering opus by a thriving survivor who has ultimately proven herself de-serving of her very impressive family pedigree.
Excerpt: Preface (pages 1-3)
“I am proud and honored to be the great-granddaughter of Booker T. Washington. The day I went to my first Washington family reunion, I had no idea how dramatically my re-ality was about to change…
“When I first stepped foot on the campus of the renowned Tuskegee University, something magical happened… I had an epiphany and was immediately inspired to improve my life.
“Prior to the reunion, I was going in the wrong direction… I didn’t realize from whence I came… By the time I was 16, I had become a lost soul, confused about life.
“It wasn’t until I arrived in Tuskegee for the first time in my life that I would bear witness to my foundation—a foundation that was there all along. That’s when I began to live on purpose. It is also why I now feel a burning obligation to share my story…
“It is my hope that this book will empower others to change unhealthy mindsets, increase levels of self-worth, and instill a healthy sense of self-love and self-respect within.”
“Rising Up from the Blood“A Legacy Reclaimed, a Bridge Forward”by Sarah Washington O’Neal RushForeword by Tony RoseSolid Rock Book PublishingPaperback, $16.95276 pages, IllustratedISBN: 978-0-692-31274-2
(To order a copy of “Rising Up from the Blood,” visit: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0692312749/ref%3dnosim/thslfo-fire-20.)
BTWCONTINUED FROM PAGE 9
Edwina Findley Dickerson, who
co-stars with Will Ferrell and
Kevin Hart in the hilarious comedy
“Get Hard,” is interviewed by a group of journal-
ists. (Courtesy photo)
CLASSIFIEDSThe New Tri-State Defender March 26 - April 1, 2015 Page 11Page 11
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Legal Notices NOTICE TO BIDDERS
In order to participate in the bid listed below for Shelby County Government, you must be registered with our electronic bidding system with Mercury Commerce. County bids are not available by mail or downloaded directly from the County website, unless otherwise indicated in the solicitation invitation. All vendors who wish to bid are required to register with Mercury Commerce Solutions in order to be notified of on-line bids. There is no charge for registration, and it is easy to use. To register:
• Go to www.esmsolutions.com• Go to “Vendors” block at top• Click “Register Now” box• Click on “Mercury Commerce Vendor Registration” line• Complete Vendor Registration pro-cess• Submit
If you have any questions about the reg-istration process, contact ESM Solutions at (877) 969-7246. If you have any ques-tions about information contained in the bid documents, contact the Purchasing Department at (901) 222-2250 and ask to speak to the Buyer listed for the bid.
SEALED BID DUE FRIDAY, APRIL 10, 2015 AT 2:30 PM
“CEMENT STABILIZATION” (SB-I000311) (MC# 478)
By order of
MARK H. LUTTRELL JR., MAYOR
SHELBY COUNTYGOVERNMENT
NOTICE TO BIDDERS
In order to participate in the bid listed below for Shelby County Government, you must be registered with our electronic bidding system with Mercury Commerce. County bids are not available by mail or downloaded directly from the County website, unless otherwise indicated in the solicitation invitation. All vendors who wish to bid are required to register with Mercury Commerce Solutions in order to be notified of on-line bids. There is no charge for registration, and it is easy to use. To register:
• Go to www.esmsolutions.com• Go to “Vendors” block at top• Click “Register Now” box• Click on “Mercury Commerce Vendor Registration” line• Complete Vendor Registration pro-cess• Submit
If you have any questions about the reg-istration process, contact ESM Solutions at (877) 969-7246. If you have any ques-tions about information contained in the bid documents, contact the Purchasing Department at (901) 222-2250 and ask to speak to the Buyer listed for the bid.
SEALED BID DUE FRIDAY, APRIL 10, 2015 AT 2:30 PM
“CRUSHED CONCRETE” (SB-I000312) (MC# 479)
By order of
MARK H. LUTTRELL JR., MAYOR
SHELBY COUNTYGOVERNMENT
NOTICE OF PROPOSED SALE OF REAL PROPERTY
BY SHELBY COUNTY GOVERNMENT
Notice is hereby given, pursuant to T.C.A. §67-5-2507, that Shelby County Govern-ment has received an Offer to Purchase for the following property:1. Purchaser: Thelma MurphyTax Parcel # 02504500000060 Tax Sale # 0201 Exhibit # 2627Price Offered: $100.00 Terms: CashAdditional Offers to Purchase, of at least ten percent (10%) higher, may be sub-mitted within Ten (10) days of the initial publication of this notice. If additional of-fers are received during this ten (10) day period, all prospective Purchasers must attend a Public “Bid Off” at 10:00 a.m. on April 16, 2015, to be held in the Shelby
County Land Bank Office, to determine the highest and best offer. The property shall thereafter be sold to the prospective Pur-chaser making the highest and best offer without warranties of any sort.
SHELBY COUNTY LAND BANK584 ADAMS AVENUE, MEMPHIS, TN 38103MIKE BLACKWELL
(901) 222-2581
NOTICE OF PROPOSED SALE OF REAL PROPERTY
BY SHELBY COUNTY GOVERNMENT
Notice is hereby given, pursuant to T.C.A. §67-5-2507, that Shelby County Govern-ment has received an Offer to Purchase for the following property:1. Purchaser: Isaiah DouglasTax Parcel # 05007200000020 Tax Sale # 0703 Exhibit # 9415Price Offered: $1,000.00 Terms: CashAdditional Offers to Purchase, of at least ten percent (10%) higher, may be sub-mitted within Ten (10) days of the initial publication of this notice. If additional of-fers are received during this ten (10) day period, all prospective Purchasers must attend a Public “Bid Off” at 10:30 a.m. on April 16, 2015, to be held in the Shelby County Land Bank Office, to determine the highest and best offer. The property shall thereafter be sold to the prospective Pur-chaser making the highest and best offer without warranties of any sort.
SHELBY COUNTY LAND BANK584 ADAMS AVENUE, MEMPHIS, TN 38103MIKE BLACKWELL
(901) 222-2581
NOTICE OF PROPOSED SALE OF REAL PROPERTY
BY SHELBY COUNTY GOVERNMENT
Notice is hereby given, pursuant to T.C.A. §67-5-2507, that Shelby County Govern-ment has received an Offer to Purchase for the following property:1. Purchaser: Marjorie E. Settles & Leslie D. SettlesTax Parcel # 03504500000110 Tax Sale # 0903 Exhibit # 1315Price Offered: $4,000.00 Terms: CashAdditional Offers to Purchase, of at least ten percent (10%) higher, may be sub-mitted within Ten (10) days of the initial publication of this notice. If additional of-fers are received during this ten (10) day period, all prospective Purchasers must attend a Public “Bid Off” at 11:00 a.m. on April 17, 2015, to be held in the Shelby County Land Bank Office, to determine the highest and best offer. The property shall thereafter be sold to the prospective Pur-chaser making the highest and best offer without warranties of any sort.
SHELBY COUNTY LAND BANK584 ADAMS AVENUE, MEMPHIS, TN 38103MIKE BLACKWELL
(901) 222-2581
NOTICE OF PROPOSED SALE OF REAL PROPERTY
BY SHELBY COUNTY GOVERNMENT
Notice is hereby given, pursuant to T.C.A. §67-5-2507, that Shelby County Govern-ment has received an Offer to Purchase for the following property:1. Purchaser: Lawrence Williamson &
Mollie WilliamsonTax Parcel # 03508400000030 Tax Sale # 0504 Exhibit # 5072Price Offered: $800.00 Terms: CashAdditional Offers to Purchase, of at least ten percent (10%) higher, may be sub-mitted within Ten (10) days of the initial publication of this notice. If additional of-fers are received during this ten (10) day period, all prospective Purchasers must attend a Public “Bid Off” at 10:15 a.m. on April 9, 2015, to be held in the Shelby County Land Bank Office, to determine the highest and best offer. The property shall thereafter be sold to the prospective Pur-chaser making the highest and best offer without warranties of any sort.
SHELBY COUNTY LAND BANK584 ADAMS AVENUE, MEMPHIS, TN 38103MIKE BLACKWELL
(901) 222-2581
NOTICE OF PROPOSED SALE OF REAL PROPERTY
BY SHELBY COUNTY GOVERNMENT
Notice is hereby given, pursuant to T.C.A. §67-5-2507, that Shelby County Govern-ment has received an Offer to Purchase for the following property:1. Purchaser: Lawrence Williamson & Mollie WilliamsonTax Parcel # 03508400000040 Tax Sale # 0106 Exhibit # 7380Price Offered: $50.00 Terms: CashAdditional Offers to Purchase, of at least ten percent (10%) higher, may be sub-mitted within Ten (10) days of the initial publication of this notice. If additional of-fers are received during this ten (10) day period, all prospective Purchasers must attend a Public “Bid Off” at 10:00 a.m. on April 9, 2015, to be held in the Shelby County Land Bank Office, to determine the highest and best offer. The property shall thereafter be sold to the prospective Pur-chaser making the highest and best offer without warranties of any sort.
SHELBY COUNTY LAND BANK584 ADAMS AVENUE, MEMPHIS, TN 38103MIKE BLACKWELL
(901) 222-2581
NOTICE OF PROPOSED SALE OF REAL PROPERTY
BY SHELBY COUNTY GOVERNMENT
Notice is hereby given, pursuant to T.C.A. §67-5-2507, that Shelby County Govern-ment has received an Offer to Purchase for the following property:1. Purchaser: Anthony Taylor & Allen TaylorTax Parcel # 05001700000100 Tax Sale # 1002 Exhibit # 1076Price Offered: $3,600.00 Terms: CashAdditional Offers to Purchase, of at least ten percent (10%) higher, may be submit-ted within Ten (10) days of the initial publi-cation of this notice. If additional offers are received during this ten (10) day period, all prospective Purchasers must attend a Public “Bid Off” at 9:00 a.m. on April 16, 2015, to be held in the Shelby County Land Bank Office, to determine the highest and best offer. The property shall thereafter be sold to the prospective Purchaser making the highest and best offer without warran-ties of any sort.
SHELBY COUNTY LAND BANK
584 ADAMS AVENUE, MEMPHIS, TN 38103MIKE BLACKWELL
(901) 222-2581
NOTICE OF PROPOSED SALE OF REAL PROPERTY
BY SHELBY COUNTY GOVERNMENT
Notice is hereby given, pursuant to T.C.A. §67-5-2507, that Shelby County Govern-ment has received an Offer to Purchase for the following property:1. Purchaser: Ladder Partners, LLCTax Parcel # 02907500000560 Tax Sale # 1002 Exhibit # 286Price Offered: $2,500.00 Terms: CashAdditional Offers to Purchase, of at least ten percent (10%) higher, may be submit-ted within Ten (10) days of the initial publi-cation of this notice. If additional offers are received during this ten (10) day period, all prospective Purchasers must attend a Public “Bid Off” at 9:30 a.m. on April 17, 2015, to be held in the Shelby County Land Bank Office, to determine the highest and best offer. The property shall thereafter be sold to the prospective Purchaser making the highest and best offer without warran-ties of any sort.
SHELBY COUNTY LAND BANK584 ADAMS AVENUE,MEMPHIS, TN 38103MIKE BLACKWELL
(901) 222-2581
NOTICE OF PROPOSED SALE OF REAL PROPERTY
BY SHELBY COUNTY GOVERNMENT
Notice is hereby given, pursuant to T.C.A. §67-5-2507, that Shelby County Govern-ment has received an Offer to Purchase for the following property:1. Purchaser: Ladder Partners, LLCTax Parcel # 02908000000240 Tax Sale # 1002 Exhibit # 288Price Offered: $3,000.00 Terms: CashAdditional Offers to Purchase, of at least ten percent (10%) higher, may be submit-ted within Ten (10) days of the initial publi-cation of this notice. If additional offers are received during this ten (10) day period, all prospective Purchasers must attend a Public “Bid Off” at 8:30 a.m. on April 17, 2015, to be held in the Shelby County Land Bank Office, to determine the highest and best offer. The property shall thereafter be sold to the prospective Purchaser making the highest and best offer without warran-ties of any sort.
SHELBY COUNTY LAND BANK584 ADAMS AVENUE, MEMPHIS, TN 38103MIKE BLACKWELL
(901) 222-2581
NOTICE OF PROPOSED SALE OF REAL PROPERTY
BY SHELBY COUNTY GOVERNMENT
Notice is hereby given, pursuant to T.C.A. §67-5-2507, that Shelby County Govern-ment has received an Offer to Purchase for the following property:1. Purchaser: Ladder Partners, LLCTax Parcel # 02908100000040 Tax Sale # 0703 Exhibit # 3821Price Offered: $1,400.00 Terms: CashAdditional Offers to Purchase, of at least ten percent (10%) higher, may be submit-ted within Ten (10) days of the initial publi-cation of this notice. If additional offers are received during this ten (10) day period, all prospective Purchasers must attend a Public “Bid Off” at 9:00 a.m. on April 17, 2015, to be held in the Shelby County Land Bank Office, to determine the highest and best offer. The property shall thereafter be sold to the prospective Purchaser making the highest and best offer without warran-ties of any sort.
SHELBY COUNTY LAND BANK584 ADAMS AVENUE, MEMPHIS, TN 38103MIKE BLACKWELL
(901) 222-2581
LEGAL NOTICE TO BIDDERS
Sealed bids will be received at the Office of the City of Memphis Purchasing Agent, Room 354, City Hall, 125 N. Main, Mem-phis, TN 38103, April 17th , 2015 until 2:00 pm, for furnishing the City of Mem-phis with the following:
FOR THE DIVISION OF: PUBLIC WORKS
City of Memphis: RFQ # 3278
FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF: PW 04094 Walker Avenue from Highland Av-enue to Brister St
Federal Project No.: STP-EN-9409(165)
State PIN: 114979.01 Walker Avenue Streetscapes Phase 1 from Highland St to Brister St in Memphis, Shelby County
1. The Prime Contractor and all Sub Con-tractors must prequalify with the Depart-ment of Transportation in accordance with Section 54-5-117 of the “Tennessee Code Annotated” and Tennessee Department of Transportation Rule 1680-5-3 prequal-ification of contractors before biddable proposals will be furnished.
2. The City of Memphis hereby notifies all bidders that a 41% Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) goal has been set for this project and must be met or exceeded. All contractors identified as a Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) must be on the Tennessee Uniform Certification Program (TNUCP) List at the time of the bid opening.
3. The City of Memphis hereby notifies all bidders that it will affirmatively insure that in any contract entered into pursuant to this advertisement, disadvantaged business enterprises will be afforded full opportunity to submit bids in response to this invitation, and will not be discriminat-ed against on the grounds of age, race, color, religion, national origin, sex or dis-ability in consideration for an award.
4. The City of Memphis is an equal oppor-tunity affirmative action employer, drug-free with policies of non-discrimination on the basis of race, sex, religion, color, national or ethnic origin, age, disability or military service. For additional informa-tion contact Mary Bright, (901) 576-6545, City of Memphis, Contract Compliance Office, 125 N. Main St, Memphis, TN 38103
5. “Certification by each bidder must be made with respect to nondiscrimination in employment.”
6. A Bid Bond is required.
7. All bids must include, on the outside of the bid envelope, the name of the project, the bid due date and the bid opening time.
Plans, Specifications and attendant de-posit information available, until the time set for opening bids, from: Janet Prejean, (901) 636-2462, City of Memphis, Con-struction Inspections, 2599 Avery Avenue, Memphis, TN 38112.
Award of contracts will be made on the basis of the lowest and best bids as de-termined by the City of Memphis. “Best Bid” shall be defined as the responsive quotation, that meets the contract doc-uments, including, if applicable, any DBE Participation Goal as set out in this specification.
THE RIGHT TO REJECT ANY AND ALL BIDS IS RESERVED
Notice of intent of award will be issued af-ter review of all opened bids. Any protest of award must be filed in writing with the Purchasing Agent within ten calendar days of the intent of award announcement.
By Order of the Mayor of the City of Mem-phis, Tennessee.
A C WHARTON, JR., MAYOR
ERIC MAYSE, CITY PURCHASING AGENT
Help Wanted
by Carlton PurvisSpecial to The New Tri-State Defender
Memphis schools consistently rank among the lowest in the state for per-formance. One national organization recently made the city the latest front for the battle for education reform.
The Black Alliance for Educational Options held its annual symposium at the Peabody Hotel March 19-20, with a keynote from Dr. Howard Fuller, founding board chair of BAEO, on the opening evening. Fuller delivered his keynote to a room of 300 during a “first-timers” meeting, explaining BAEO’s goals and priorities.
Through education programs and advocacy BAEO works to push for educational reform and make different options, including charters schools, homeschooling and virtual learning, more accessible to students. Access to higher-quality educational options for children of low-income and work-ing-class African-American families lays a foundation for them to become economically independent adults.
“We are fighting for the least so they can have a better future, and we will never apologize for that,” Fuller said regarding BAEO’s work.
Memphis, a city where more than 50 schools fall in the state’s bottom five percent in performance, is a sig-nificant battleground for BAEO’s cause. The organization opened an office in the city in 2014 and repre-sentatives are working with Shelby County Schools and the Achievement School District to inform residents of their options, including a voucher program making its way through the state legislature now.
If it passes, it would provide vouch-ers for 5,000 students at low-per-
forming schools to attend private schools. For parents who can afford private schools, vouchers are already available. An option doesn’t exist for families who can’t already afford to send their kids. Last year a simi-lar bill was proposed but didn’t pass when lawmakers opposed wording that would make students from more schools eligible for the program. The number of vouchers would expand to up to 20,000 by 2019.
For Wanlisha Hawkins, a Mem-phis resident and BAEO volunteer, knowing her options for education changed the course of her son’s ed-ucation. He had a learning disability
and struggled in a school with little to no resources to aid his develop-ment. She says BAEO information sessions helped her find other op-tions for supplementing his educa-tion and he has since graduate from Central High School. Now she vol-unteers with BAEO as a Parent Ad-vocacy Leader.
Advocacy Leaders go through training programs to get them up to speed on the tools, law and programs that can help low-income families send their children to better schools. The next step is for the Advocacy Leaders to be able to host their own information sessions to small groups.
“Our largest work in Memphis has been making sure parents know what options they have. If a child is at one of the bottom schools, they have a choice to go to a high quality school and a lot of parents just don’t know that,” said BAEO Director of Com-munications Tanzi West Barbour.
One of BAEO’s most recent vic-tories came in Alabama on March 12. Gov. Robert Bentley signed into law a bill that would allow charter schools in the state. For the past year BAEO worked with legislative offic-es to get it passed.
Fuller also called for accountability in education, saying teachers should be held accountable for student per-
formance and advocating for more scrutiny of schools that consistently underperform.
One of the problems, he said, “is that many of the schools that are clos-ing are in black communities … We need to talk about different account-ability methods. It’s not an easy one to tackle, but it is one we need to move forward,” he said.
(For more information, visit: baeo.
org.)
(Email [email protected] to contact BAOE’s local office and get more information on local trainings and information sessions.)
A crowd of “first-timers” listens to the 15th Annual BAEO Sympo-sium keynote at the Peabody Hotel on March 19. (Photos: Carlton Purvis)
‘First-timers’ hear ‘fighting-for-the least’ pitch from educational options group
Dr. Howard Fuller (left), founding board chair of BAEO) and Mark Fraley of Leadership for Educational Equity compare and contrast past organizing efforts to current campaigns in a discussion at BAEO’s 15th Annual Symposium in Memphis.
NEWSPage 12 March 26 - April 1, 2015 The New Tri-State DefenderPage 12
by Carlton PurvisSpecial to The New Tri-State Defender
When lawmakers and school administration won’t take steps to provide better education for students, some parents turn to the courts. During day two of the Black Alliance for Educational Op-tions (BAEO) Symposium at the Peabody Hotel, parents involved in litigation spoke about their experiences.
The stories from parents drawn to BAEO are similar: Bright children who excel in school left behind by un-derperforming teachers, of-ten ones with tenure. Their grades and self-esteem drop. Next the schools suggest the students be held back or enroll in special needs pro-grams. After pulling their children out of problem schools and placing them in
better ones, the grades and self-esteem go back up.
Navis Hill’s daughter went from As to Bs to Ds and Fs after she started at a new school with a new teachers.
“Teachers at her school were telling her that she just could not succeed,” Hill said. “Her demeanor was chang-ing, so I was completely frustrated. She wasn’t happy to go to school anymore.”
The breaking point for Hill came when Gov. Bobby Jin-dal began pushing a plan to eliminate Common Core – an educational initiative that details what K-12 students should know in English lan-guage arts and mathematics at the end of each grade – from Louisiana classrooms. She put her daughter in a new school and started organizing in her community.
Hill is now the lead plain-tiff in the case Hill vs. Jindal,
an attempt to prevent Jindal from enforcing his executive order to end Common Core. To date they have won all decisions. The Governor’s office has filed appeals.
Two other cases examined during the conference were Vergara v. California and Wright v. New York.
Vergara v. California was a case that challenged state teacher tenure and dismissal laws, saying they deny stu-dents equal access to effec-tive teachers and dispropor-tionately harm low-income and minority students. The plaintiffs won, however, the state’s two largest teacher’s unions and the state have ap-pealed.
One of the issues raised by attendees was affordabil-ity of legal representation to low-income families and how parents can “get no-ticed” by firms for represen-
Taking it to the courts, engaged parents pursue better education for studentstation. What can parents do who want to consider litiga-tion? Be as vocal as possible, advocacy groups say.
The cases discussed all had pro bono representation after being noticed by advo-cacy groups. In California, a non-profit called Students Matter teamed up with a law firm to represent the Vergara case. In Wright and Hill, pro bono law firms seeking out ideal plaintiffs took the cas-es.
Mona Pradia, a plaintiff in the Wright case, says she was selected as a plaintiff after her own grassroots organiz-
ing in her community.BAEO, which assisted
Hill, says it finds parents for cases among those who come to its seminars and training programs. Other organiza-tions meet families while out canvassing or at community meetings.
“We heard some of the most egregious stories of things happening in schools,” said DeWayne Murreld, a New-York based community organizer. “It’s usually par-ents who are on the educa-tion reform side already. We review those stories and we ask them if they’ll be a part
of cases.”Organizers also say parents
should leverage the media to get their stories heard and noticed by firms looking to take on these types of cases.
“The media exist to get people’s stories out,” said Jackie Matthews of Stu-dents Matter. “That’s how we found witnesses and people to write statements. We go to parents groups and teach-er’s groups. Look up report-ers who cover these things. Write a letter to the editor. If you get your story in the pa-per, it can reach thousands of people.”
BRIEFS & THINGS
GJJD BLUE & YJU
COMMUNITYThe New Tri-State Defender March 26 - April 1, 2015 Page 13Page 13
Magic Johnson Foundation adopts BTW, creates $30,000scholarship fund
The Magic Johnson Foundation will endow a new $30,000 scholarship fund for high school seniors at Book-er T. Washington High School, with NBA Hall of Famer Earvin “Magic” Johnson set to attend a special school assembly on Friday, March 27.
Johnson and Cigna Regional Seg-ment President Mike Triplett will present the new scholarship opportu-nity. As the health plan for the Shelby County Public Schools, Cigna helped connect the high school to the Mag-ic Johnson Foundation programs that support community-based organi-zations and address the educational, health and social needs of ethnically diverse, urban communities.
The new $30,000 scholarship fund was developed for deserving high school seniors who seek to fur-ther their education after graduation through a technical, community and/or four-year program.
Alisha Coleman-Kiner is the princi-pal at BTW.
Child Advocacy Center event to remember children lost to abuse
April is Child Abuse Prevention Month and on April 8 at noon, the Child Advocacy Center will host its annual event remembering the lives of children who died as a result of abuse and/or neglect.
During the event set for Civic Cen-ter Plaza in front of City Hall, three children will be memorialized – infant Isabella Chavez, 1-year-old Tramaine Black, and 6-year-old Maria Guada-lupe (Lupita) Gomez.
Speakers include Mayor A C Whar-ton Jr., Shelby County Mayor Mark H. Luttrell Jr., other community lead-ers and Child Advocacy Center Ex-ecutive Director Virginia Stallworth. The ceremony will also include music by local teen vocalist Hanna Star and saxophonist Suzy Hendrix, a presen-tation by the Memphis Police Color Guard, and participation by profes-sionals who work to prevent and in-tervene in child abuse daily. Child volunteers will work with Wings of Grace to release a white dove for each child lost.
The ceremony is designed to also issue a compelling call to the com-munity to help save children at risk. The Children’s Memorial Flag raised at the Civic Center Plaza will fly for the remainder of the month of April. In the event of rain, the ceremony will be held in City of Memphis Hall of Mayors.
BRIEFLY: The Tennessee Black Alliance for Educational Options will host a Community Education Fair on Thursday, March 26 at the Ra-leigh-Frayser Senior Center at 3985 Egypt Central, beginning at 6 p.m. The fair will focus on educating parents on educational options available to them and their children in the area. For more information: contact Tanzi West Barbour at [email protected].
BRIEFLY: The inaugural Achiev-ers Celebration will be held on Sat-urday at the Benjamin L. Hooks Jobs Corps Academy Recreation Complex at 1555 McAlister Dr. The host will be Michael Adrian Davis of Halleluja FM 95.7. Pre-celebration mingle at 5 p.m., with program at 6 p.m.Tickets: $25; banquet attire. For more infor-mation, contact the Thomas B. Davis YMCA at 901-398-2366.
BRIEFLY: Castalia Baptist Church at 1540 Castalia Rd. will begin its celebration of Holy Week Service on Sunday. The schedule: Sunday, 8 a.m., Forgiveness, Minister Melvina Martin; 7 p.m., Salvation, Dr. Pamela Addison; March 30, 7 p.m., Affection, the Rev. Clarence Dayes; March 31, 7 p.m., Anguish, the Rev. Charles Wain-wright; April 1, 7 p.m., Suffering, the Rev. James Perry; April 2, 7 p.m., Vic-tory, the Rev. James Gentry Jr.; April 3, 7 p.m., Contentment, the Rev. Anthony Morris. Host pastor: The Rev. Dr. Ran-dolph Meade Walker.
BRIEFLY: Shelby County Schools’ Adopt-A-School Signing Day for the 2015-16 school year is set for April 9 from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the University of Memphis – Holiday Inn. During the event, school repre-sentatives will network with business leaders in hopes of securing mutual partnerships. Many Shelby County schools have active community or business adopters, and the district’s goal is to sign up adopters for every school. The event is being coordinated by the SCS Department of Family and Community Engagement. Businesses interested in attending should RSVP at, www.adopt-a-school.eventbrite.com or call 901-416-0242.
BRIEFLY: Methodist South White-haven Healthy Community Day will be Saturday, April 11, 8 a.m. to noon on the grounds across from Methodist South Hospital, 1300 Wesley Drive, Whitehaven. Events: 5k Timed Run at 8 a.m., Two-Mile Health Walk at 8:30 a.m., Health Fair from 9 a.m. to noon, exercise demonstrations at 10 a.m., healthy cooking demonstrations at 11 a.m. Also included: health screenings, games, music and healthy snacks. For more information or to register for the run or walk, visit www.method-isthealth.org/healthwalk or call 516-3580.
by Kelvin CowansSpecial to The New Tri-State Defender
(Just as a neighborhood should not be judged by the actions of a few bad apples, neither should law enforcement agencies. The New Tri-State Defender’s “Good Blue & You” column spotlights law en-forcement officers who do it right. This week’s focus is on Sergeant Nathan Todd Cockman of the Shel-by County Sheriff’s Office.)
Sergeant Nathan Todd Cockman of the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office (SCSO) comes from a family tree full of law enforcement officers. His father Ron Cockman has been a correctional officer for 20-plus years, his sister Heather Turner is a detective for the SCSO and his brother Ron Cockman is a Memphis Police officer.
At a young age, Sgt. Cockman got a front-row view of what it looks like to be disciplined and tough. His mother, who has long battled Lupus, once fin-ished a day’s work after breaking her leg. When our conversation turned to his girls and his pets, he started to flash a succession of smiles, bringing out enough photos to make Kodak blush.
Kelvin Cowans: Where did you start out when you began your law enforcement career?
Sergeant Nathan Cockman: I started out as a cadet and my daily duties were to care for the police dogs. I was a caretaker and had to make sure they were fed and take them to their vet visits and keep the grass cut around their place as well. In 2001, I was fortunate to get hired on as a regular deputy and I went through the process of getting com-missioned and everything. That took me through the narcotics department and so forth and I ended up landing in the detectives division. I’ve really had a blessed career.
K.C.: What are your duties as a detective?
Sgt. Cockman: Basically every report that is taken by the officers and the deputies come to this of-fice on the 9th floor and they are reviewed by the detectives and we decide if it should be pursued any further or has the case came to its conclusion out in the field.
K.C.: That covers everything
from theft, assault to murder and I can image that being very stressful. How do you balance that with life away from work?
Sgt. Cockman: Yes, but it is a job that I love. Still there is that need for balance. So a lot of times me and the family we’ll go up to the Tennessee River and we’ll go swimming, ski-ing or fishing and have a little fun. Sometimes we jump on the four wheelers and go for a ride and enjoy the outdoors. That’s always good for us. I say us because with the kind of job I have we’re definitely in this together and sometimes they feel my stress. A getaway to the river is what we all need at times. We just grab some of the pets and we’re gone.
K.C.: Is that how you grew up, with pets around?
Sgt. Cockman: Oh man yeah, we
grew up with chickens and horses and dogs all over the place. Now that me and my family have a little land we’ve got pets all over it as well, they’re family. I got a little bird named “Sam” and Sam use to ride my bulldog around and Sam grieved when my bulldog passed. Here’s a picture of Sam riding my dog. Here’s a picture of my cat, that’s our Bengal cat. Sometimes we put a harness on her and take her out to soccer games with us. She’s a trip. We actually bought her from a lady in Missouri who couldn’t care for her anymore. We have a big family.
K.C.: That’s awesome. You know sergeant, if you were a school teacher you could actually have two bad days a week and still have another three days to get it right with your students, but you’re not.
You’re an officer and you guys are overly judged on that one that we see you respond to (on) what is of-ten our worst day. That’s not fair.
Sgt. Cockman: I would agree to a certain extent. I always try to comfort a family as best as I can. I always tell them, “Hey, let’s take this one step at a time so that we can properly deal with this trag-edy.” You’d be surprised at how many families have called me later just to say thank you.
K.C.: What do you believe is the main misconception that the public has about officers?
Sgt. Cockman: Well, I believe that they sometimes forget that we also live in this community, so we’re trying to make it safe for everyone, which includes our families also. We’re the same and we’re trying to do a service for the community. I have my own two girls that I love dearly and nieces and nephews and I want them to grow up in a safe environment just as yours. I tell you this, I have been trying to figure out why so many of our young people are so angry and that’s a thing that concerns me and I feel that if we can deal with that, it could really solve a lot of our issues.
K.C.: You lit up when you spoke about them. What were you think-ing?
Sgt. Cockman: I, well, I can’t even explain it. I love them. You know the other day we were out raking leaves and we were laugh-ing and joking and having a good time. When I’m home, I try to make it our time. I come from two very strong parents and I’m try-ing to raise my kids in the same manner.
When I’m out in the community I’m just as sincere as when dealing with those kids. I tell them all the time, “If you’re lucky in life you become what you are.” That’s my way of saying I was lucky, blessed. I tell kids as well as adults that it’s never too late to become what you were meant to be and with a little hard work you can do it. You can become what’s inside of you; you can become what you are.
“I have been trying to figure out why so many of our young people are so angry … and I feel that if we can deal with that, it could really solve a lot of our issues.” – Sergeant Nathan Todd Cockman (Photo: Kelvin Cowans)
Sergeant Nathan Todd Cockman: ‘Never too late to become what you were meant to be’
by Aisling CordonSpecial to The New Tri-State Defender
The Benjamin L. Hooks In-stitute for Social Change has launched two new websites fo-cused on the history of the Ameri-can Civil Rights Movement in the Mid-South.
Located at the University of Memphis and named in hon-or of civil rights icon Benjamin L. Hooks, the Hooks Institute is designed to teach, study and promote civil rights and social change.
Mapping Civil Rights History is a website that uses GIS tech-nology, allowing users to explore civil rights locations in the Mid-South through photos and history on an interactive map. Although the website mostly features Mid-South locations, it also includes sites of interest as far north as Washington, D.C. and as far south as New Orleans, with plans to expand in the future.
The website’s origins began in 2009, when Dr. Esra Ozdenerol, associate professor of Geography at the U of M, proposed launch-ing the first interactive mapping site focused on the American Civ-il Rights Movement. During her tenure as associate director at the Hooks Institute, Ozdenerol devel-oped the site in her Spatial Anal-ysis and Geographic Education Laboratory, and she continues to maintain the site as mapping tech-nologies advance.
The other site is Tent City, which focuses on the remark-able, but little-known story of civil rights-era Fayette County, Tenn., where black residents were evicted from the sharecropper housing that had been homes to some families for generations. This resulted in several hundred black residents moving into one of two “tent cities,” with some living there for up to two and a half years. In addition, black resi-dents who registered to vote were blocked from access to goods and services. Tent City tells the story of their struggles and victories.
Unlike protests in Memphis and other areas of the South, the struggle for equality in Fayette County was carried out without
the publicity or direct assistance of nationally prominent social leaders or organizations. But the Hooks Institute had a great resource in the form of its direc-tor, Daphene McFerren, whose parents had been leaders in the Fayette County civil rights move-ment.
“It was so important to my mother, Viola McFerren, that the history of the movement in Fay-ette County not be forgotten.” McFerren said. “She insisted that I collect the photographs, news-letters and other documents from that period and preserve them. These materials are now part of the website that tells the story of the activists who fought for civil rights in Fayette County.”
Dr. Loel Kim, associate profes-sor in the Department of English at the U of M, said she was sur-prised Tent City isn’t a more well-known story in civil rights history.
“When I first moved here, there was a small photographic display at the National Civil Rights Mu-seum on Tent City, and I remem-ber walking around there, looking at these images and thinking ‘I’ve never heard of this,”” said Kim. “When I met Daphene, I learned her family had been a part of this and she was very knowledgeable about it.”
It took several years to gather the extensive historical content for the site, which includes pho-tos, audio recordings and modern interviews.
Tent City information has been added to state schools’ his-tory curricula, which Kim said is crucial because “unfortunate-ly, we’re still dealing with these issues.” She said that in 2012, it was shown that black children in Fayette County were still not re-ceiving an equal education.
The development of both sites involved close collaboration among the staff of the Hooks In-stitute, professors and graduate students.
“It really has been a project of great love and inspiration,” Kim said.
(Visit Mapping Civil Rights History at http://www.mapping-civilrights.net/. And Tent City at http://www.memphis.edu/tentci-ty/.)
Hooks Institute launches new civil rights history websites
Community leaders…Frayser community activist Charlie Caswell presented 3V Leader awards Friday, March 20, to the following individuals who are “Visi-ble, Vocal and Valuable” in the community. First row: Christine Grand-berry, Frayser Neighborhood Council; First Lady Angela Ellis, Impact Baptist Church; First Lady Vinessa Brown, Lifeline to a Dying World; State Sen. Lee Harris, District 29; Wanda Taylor, LINCS; Patricia Mc-Nair, 5 for 5 Inc.; and James Dennis, principal, Frayser Achievement Elementary. Second row: Michael Elli, pastor, Impact Baptist Church; DeAndre Brown, pastor, Lifeline to a Dying World; Charlie Caswell, CEO, 3V Leader; Walter Smith, pastor, Union Grove Baptist Church; Ansel Sanders, Achievement School District; and Apostle Ricky Floyd, pastor, The Pursuit of God Church. (Photo: Wiley Henry)
Edward Graves
SPORTSThe New Tri-State Defender, March 26 - April 1, 2015, Page 14
The two teams holding the second spot in their respective conferences faced off on Wednesday (March 25) at FedExFo-rum. Memphis lost to the visitors from Cleveland in a game where pace and rhythm ultimately led to the Grizzlies downfall in a hard fought game.
The Cavaliers rolled past the Grizzlies notch-ing a 111-89 win. Cleve-land came into Memphis
looking to gain its first season series sweep since the 2008-09 season after winning the first tilt between the teams on Dec. 21 (105-91).
The packed frontcourt Cleveland brought to the Bluff City was too much for the home team overcome.
“Obviously it was a tough night for the home team,” said Grizzlies head coach Dave Joerger. “That team over there is elite and they are just a very, very potent team. I said that when we played them the first time at their place. They have a lot of multi- skilled players.…”
For the Grizz, the effort was there. Al-though, the Cavaliers had overall control of the pace of the game in front of a sold-out crowd, the Grizzlies put up a fight early, trying to stay within striking range.
Joerger turned to second his unit early, inserting Vince Carter and Jeff Green into the lineup midway through the first quarter. With LeB-ron James fans in the grind house strong, the Grizzlies got out of the first quarter only trailing by three points (22-19). By halftime, James and crew had pushed the lead to 13 (42-55).
“Coach came in and said we have to score,” said Griz-zlies guard Tony Al-len on missing shots. “I thought the ball was in their court the whole game once they took advantage of their sets. It was an old fashioned beat down. They came here and they wanted it more. Hats off to those guys; they’re playing in a great groove. I think this was an eye opener to us; our consisten-cy has to be a little better.”
Center Marc Gas-ol led the Grizzlies with 18 points, fol-lowed by Beno Udrih with 15 off the bench.
Zach Randolph spoke to the obvious –
Memphis did not play well.“We haven’t had one of them in a long
time,” Randolph said of the loss. “They played good – they’re a good team. It makes you have a sickness in your stom-ach because you know that you are better than that. It’s the NBA … you always have
a game the next day. You have to prepare –
it’s tough.”Things got tough for Carter in the third
quarter. A timeout was called with 9:46 left in the period and the Grizzlies down by 12 points. Carter, who had had it with some of the officiating, voiced his displeasure about a non-call and got hit with a technical foul. Carter was then issued another technical foul that got him ejected.
And that was just one example of a frus-trated Grizzlies team.
The Cavaliers finished the quarter with 36 points on 14-of-19 shooting. They scored 15 unanswered points to take a 26-point lead with a little under five minutes left in the period.
While the Cavaliers built a 29-point cush-ion at one point, Memphis’ biggest lead of the night was two points.
Back from injury, Courtney Lee was back in the starting lineup, playing 19 minutes without scoring a point. Allen stayed in the starting lineup, a shakeup that is likely to stick for while, with for-mer starter Jeff Green requesting to come off the bench.
Cavaliers guard Kyrie Irving hit double figures with 5:37 left in the second quar-ter and went into the half with 18 points. He led all scorers, finishing with 24 points. Cavs forward Kevin Love added 22 points while James finished with 14.
The game marked Cleveland’s final reg-ular season game against the West this sea-son. Memphis will play two more games this season against the East (April 4 vs. Washington, April 15 vs. Indiana).
Coming off of back-to-back wins against the Dallas Mavericks (112-101) and the Portland Trailblazers (97-86) Memphis
clinched its third con-secutive 50-win season and its fifth consec-utive NBA Playoffs berth, extending fran-chise-record streaks with Monday’s win (March 23) over the New York Knicks. This is the first time Memphis has reached 50 wins before the end of the month of March. The Grizzlies had re-corded just one 50-win season (in 2003-04) in their first 17 years of existence.
The Grizzlies now have qualified for the NBA Playoffs eight times in 14 seasons since relocating to Memphis in 2001.
Grizzlies head coach Dave Jo-erger earned his 100th career coach-ing victory as an NBA head coach on Monday in what was his 153rd game.
NOTE: The Griz-zlies take on the Gold-en State Warriors on
Friday (March 27) at FedExForum.
by Anthony SainSpecial to The New Tri-State Defender
In a city that is known for it’s rich tradition in basket-ball as well as pas-sionate fan bases, the upstart Memphis Soul Kings are ready to debut before their local fans.
Members of the Central Basketball Association, a mi-nor developmental league with teams mainly from the southeast region of the country, the Soul Kings are prepar-ing for their second season, which kicks off Sunday (March 29). The purpose of the league is to give players exposure to coaches and scouts for potential deals overseas, in the NBA or it’s develop-mental league.
Last season, the Soul Kings finished 4-6, losing four or their final six games, ending the season in sixth place out of seven teams. During a meet-the-team session in the gym of Mississippi Boulevard Christian Church, assistant coach Cedric Lewis spoke with The New Tri-State Defender about last sea-son and what’s ahead.
“The pace of the game is a lot faster than we anticipated,” said Lewis. “We had a lot of players that we shuffled in and out landing deals overseas, so that kind of hurt us. We didn’t have the same team or team chemistry through-out the year. So that’s why we took a couple of losses.”
Despite the downside, Lewis takes pride in preparing the team’s players for the next level. Last season the Soul Kings had players called up overseas as well as to the ABA and other pro leagues.
Soul Kings season two will be an exciting brand of basketball for fans to see, said Lewis, projecting a “very, very, very fast pace.”
The league sanctions a 24-second shot clock. “We only want to use like 10 seconds into the shot clock” said Lew-is. “We are going to be up and down. We have a lot of young guys. A lot of athletes, so we are going to let them do what they are capable of doing.”
Expectations? “We’ve got high expectations,”
Lewis. We’re looking to pretty much win it out. … With the core group that we have right now, we should be able to win it out. We have a lot of talent. To me we are the best team in the league and I don’t see anyone beating us but us.”
Returning guard Edward Graves, the team captain, said, “I just feel like we need to get back and restore order that we lost last year. We could have made a run for the playoffs. We didn’t but this year I know we will be in the playoffs.”
Asked his view of the team’s biggest challenges heading into the season, Graves said, “Our team is very differ-ent with new faces – just camaraderie and togetherness.”
Returning guard Reginald Christian echoed Graves’ thoughts on the team, saying that he sees significant improve-ment ahead.
Christian and the rest of the Soul Kings are eager for a shot at the Chat-tanooga Rail Runners, a team that the Soul Kings had a 30-point lead against before allowing a comeback and suffer-ing a 123-112 defeat..
Christian loves the opportunity that playing in the CBA presents, meaning looks from other professional teams.
“Last year before I broke my finger I actually had a couple of teams look-ing at me,” said Christian. “We get a lot of exposure. It’s very good. A lot of coaches are looking at us. We get a lot of exposure from overseas teams.”
NOTE: The Soul Kings’ first home game will be March 29 at Mississippi Blvd. Christian Center located at 70 North Bellevue Blvd. The tipoff is 4 p.m. against the Peoria Panthers from Peoria, Ill. Tickets are $3, with conces-sions available.
Memphis Soul Kingshungry for crownin CBA season two
Cedric Lewis
Cavs smash Grizzlies three-game win streak
KelleyD. Evans
With LeBron James going high and Kevin Love guarding down low, Mike Conley feels the pinch of the Cavaliers’ de-fense.
LeBron James only scored 14 points, but it certainly felt like much more.
Marc Gasol, who paced the Grizzlies with 18 points, sizes up Kevin Love. (Photos: Warren Roseborough)
Mike Conley shifts to hustle-mode, go-ing after this loose ball, with former Griz Mike Miller getting a close look.
