Chronicle Jan 28 09

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SERVING CHARLESTON, DORCHESTER & BERKELEY COUNTIES SINCE 1971

THE THE

CCHRONICLEHRONICLEVOLUME XXXVII NUMBER 22 •1111 King St. •Charleston, SC 29403• January 28, 2009 • .50

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PRST STDUS POSTAGE PDCHARLESTON, SC -PERMIT #415

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CouncilmanLewis:City’s

Minority BusinessDept. “A

Joke!”

By Barney Blakeney

Charleston Mayor Joseph Riley ’s announce-ment two weeks ago that Jonathan R. Oakman hasbeen hired to fill the newly established position of Director of BusinessServices working with thecity ’s minority business

program and supporting existing businessesthroughout the city prompts renewed scrutiny of the city ’s Minority Business Development Office.

Oakman takes theposition after the reorgani-zation of the former eco-nomic development office.Riley recently reorganizedthe department into twodivisions creating a Division of BusinessDevelopment to be headedby former city annexation

Councilman James Lewis

Targeting Minority,

Failing Schools

“Troubling” Says

Jon Butzon

By Barney Blakeney

Though CharlestonCounty School District ’sadministration has parreddown an initial proposal toclose some 12 predominant-ly Black schools across thecounty in an effort to save

money, it’s latest proposalto close only five of thoseschools sti ll smacks of inequity, some are saying.

“Whenever we talk about closing schools, we don’t talk about closing predom-inantly white schools,” saidCharleston EducationNetwork Director JonButzon. “The five schoolsproposed for closure are

Vulgarity ToSome Could

BeMusic To

Others, Court Says

SAN DIEGO(AP)- What’s vulgar to some is music toother peoples’ ears, anappellate court has decidedin reversing the convictionof a man found guilty of uttering offensive word’s inpublic.

“A land as diverse as oursmust expect and toleratean inf inite variety of expressions. What is vulgar to one may be lyrical toanother,” justices of the 4thDistrict Court of Appealssaid Wednesday in a writ-ten opinion on the case of Gerald Callahan, arrested

By Barney Blakeney

On Jan. 20 as the nationgained one great leader,the Charleston community lost another. Charlestonbusinessman Benjamin

‘Benny’ Brooks died Tuesday at age 91 after a long i llness. Over six decades Brooks along withseveral of his brothersbecame iconic f igures inCharleston’s Black busi-ness community.Directly impacting thelives of hundreds throughhis various business ven-tures Brooks, the son of a

janitor, grew to becomeone of Charleston’s pre-eminent Black business-men.

The sixth of nine childrenborn to John and Louisa Jenkins Brooks Dec. 21,1917, Benny Brooks grew up in Cow Alley off StateStreet in downtownCharleston. He and elder brother Henry Brooksstarted in business as very

young men.

Former State Senator andCharleston funeral home

owner Herbert Fielding recalls as a boy riding hisbicycle to the restaurant at Cumberland and Statestreets owned by Henry and Benny Brooks to fetchlunch for his father ’semployees.

“Benny is one of the last of the downtown boys whoowned businesses in thisneighborhood when it wasmajority Black,” saidFielding whose family owned business sti ll islocated on Logan Street.

“In those days there werequite a few Black businessconcerns in this community as most Blacks lived below Calhoun Street. We didn’t know what it was to goabove Calhoun Street,” Fielding recalled.

Among those businesses were a masonry contractor on Franklin Street whichperformed much of thedowntown masonry appre-ciated today, a wood yardon Wilson Street, Rose

Tailor Shop and Honey Boy’s Restaurant. St. Luke

AME Church now locatedon Gordon Street original-ly was located on WilsonStreet, Fielding said.

The Brooks brothersestablished themselves asbusiness and social leaders,

“Right from the gitgo,” said Fielding.Starting out in the restau-rant business in 1939, thebrothers eventually operat-

ed establishments onCalhoun Street and later at Morris and Felix streets.

They operated pool roomson Coming Street, AikenStreet, King Street andMorris Street. Several of their siblings worked in thebusinesses. Older brother

William owned a grocery

The Passing of Benny andthe Legend of the Brooks Brothers

The Legendary Albert and Benny Brooks

BENNY & ALBERT WERE RARE HUMAN

BEINGS This week, a man named Benjamin Brooks slipped

quietly away from us. To the non-informed, Benny wassimply one of those community elders who offered goodadvice and a kind word. But to hundreds of others, he wasamong the trailblazers who opened doors for others andmade it possible for some of the young men and women of today to have a chance at their elusive dreams of success.

Benny Brooks was both a gentle man a gentleman.He wore his success lightly and he was never impressed

with himself. A mild-mannered, soft-spoken man, he was

Benny Brooks

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President Obama:

From Charleston

Porches, Burke High

and Claflin.........

Fotos by Bobby Crawford

(Note: Photographer Bobby Crawford has cre-ated a portfolio of excellent pictures duringPresident Obama’s visit to Charleston andOrangeburg and then turned them into color-ful calendars. Please call Bobby at (843) 875-

3277).

Brooks Restaurant, Motel and Real Estate office dominated Morris St.during the struggle for civil rights in the Charleston area. It was herewhere plans were made during the ‘69 Hospital Strike that closed the

city down with a curfew and the calling out of the National Guard.



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2- January 28, 2009 The Chronicle

co-ordinator Ernest Andrade and the division of businessservices.

In a press statement Riley said Oakman would work with minority businesses. Charleston’s controversialMinority Business Development Office is the only one of its kind operated by a local municipality and has encoun-tered continued scrutiny since its inception. Oakman’s hir-ing raises questions about the office’s past and futureaccomplishments.

Councilman James Lewis, starting his 14th year representing District 3 said the city’s Minority BusinessDevelopment Office has accomplished nothing during his

three terms in office and calls the reorganization of thedepartment and Oakman’s hiring “just another high paying job for a white person with the city.” He said the Minority Business Development Office is “a joke.”

Dist. 4 Representative Robert Mitchell, like other council members is unfamiliar with the reorganization of the economic development department, Oakman or hisresponsibilities.

“I know he (Riley) brought Andrade back, but Idon’t know the mayor’s agenda,” said Mitchell who hasserved on council since 1997.

The minority business development office has had minimalsuccess over the years, Mitchell said. But since councilmembers have had no input in the department’s reorgani-zation or Oakman’s hiring, he can’t say if Riley’s actions

will result in improvements to the minority business devel-opment office.

Councilman Larry Shirley said council is being told the city is meeting its minority business participationgoals and he feels the minority business development officehas done a moderate job of reaching out to the minority business community. But ultimately it will be minority business leaders who will determine how successful theoffice can become, Shirley said.

The nation is entering a new era led by President Barack Obama and the president’s proposed stimuluspackage to cities offers local minorities an excellent oppor-tunity for inclusion, Shirley added.

Councilman Timothy Mallard, like his colleagues,is unfamiliar with Riley’s reorganization or Oakman.

“We have not done a good job with economic development in the past, business development or job cre-ation,” Mallard said. With regard to the city’s minority business development office specifically Mallard said, “Inthis city if Joe Riley doesn’t want it, it doesn’t get done.

“I think the minority business development officecan be more successful, but Riley has to put more money into it for marketing purposes. The minority businessdevelopment office hasn’t been promoted,” he said.

Councilman Lewis--------------------------------------cont. from pg 1

high minority, high poverty schools. That’s always so.” He

noted no schools in the predominantly white constituent districts of Mt. Pleasant, James Island or West Ashley ever

were targeted for closure. That high minority/poverty schools are the target for theadministration is troubling, said Butzon, but more trou-bling is his belief the current low performing and enroll-ment conditions existing at the schools being used to justi-fy their closure have been created by the administration.

The administration developed criteria to identify schoolsthat could be closed such as low student performance andenrollment. Those criteria are a history of the administra-tion’s failure to educate all children, “But their acting likethat’s not their responsibility,” Butzon said.

“The responsibility for all that sits at 75 Calhoun St. The way to avoid low performance is to provide schools first rate resources. When that doesn’t happen you get low per-formance and of course you’re going to lose enrollment

when schools don’t perform well,” he said. “Somehow we did it again. Maybe we didn’t mean to do it,but we didn’t mean not to do it either. By not doing thethings it takes to avoid problems, we did it again.” Darrin Griffin who chaired the committee appointed to

develop restructuring alternatives to the initial administra-tion proposal for Constituent Dist. 23 said he doesn’t believe the administration’s proposals have anything to do

with economics. Low performing schools and studentsmake the administration look bad, “I don’t believe this hasanything to do with money,” he said.

The administration has said employees displaced by theclosures would be absorbed in other positions with thecounty. Closing the buildings but continuing to employ the staff results in only minimal savings, Griffin said.Like Butzon, Griffin who has three children which attend-ed schools outside Dist. 23 said past policies created prob-lems for the district’s schools.Linda Gadson, Director of Rural Missions, Inc. on JohnsIsland lives in Hollywood echoed Butzon and Griffin say-ing, “The proposed closing of Schroeder Middle Schoolsaddens me, but it all reverts back to money and who getsit. It’s hard to say what those folks have planned down theroad, but they definitely have a plan.

“It’s hard for anybody in the minority community to holdonto anything now because the justification will be that there’s no money. This gives families the chance to rise up,stay diligent and attend all the meetings,” she said.

Targeting Minority ---------------------------------------cont. from pg 1

after he delivered a verballashing to a California Highway Patrol officer.

The eight-page ruling included examples of lan-guage the court said hadonce shocked people but now is generally acceptedthroughout society.

“Who in that earlier gener-ation, can forget the shock

waves generated by Clark Gable when, as Rhett Butler, he said to Scarlett, ‘Frankly my dear. I don’t give a damn,” the justicessaid, quoting from themove classic, “Gone With

The Wind.” Callahan was convicted by a jury of a misdemeanor charge of uttering offensive

words in public that couldprovoke violent reactions. According to court records, Callahan cursed a CHP during a heated

Vulgarity to ------------------------------------------------cont. from pg 1

store, still in business, at Line and Percy streets.Henry Brooks died in 1952 and Benny went into business

with younger brother Albert. During the mid-1950s thebrothers closed the Cumberland Street restaurant andopened a grill on Morris Street.Several years later they bought three houses on

Washington Street for use as rooming houses. They

expanded their businesses on Morris Street to include a motel built in 1963 at Felix and Morris streets, a new restaurant on Morris Street built in 1963, a real estateoffice housed in the old grill and a pool room on MorrisStreet.Like most Black owned businesses the coming of integra-tion ushered in an era of declining business for the broth-ers. Albert’s death in 1993 and Benny’s failing health has-tened further decline.But Jean Brooks Murphy said during their years of pros-perity her father and uncles created a legacy that touchedhundreds of employees, their families and countless other Black entrepreneurs.

“They took care of everyone who worked for them, helping some get homes and sending others’ children to college. If an employee was sick they’d give the family money and insome cases they paid for burials. They gave a foot up tomany young men going into business,” Mrs. Murphy said.Fielding added, “A lot of young people probably don’t know it, but Benny and his brothers were an inspiration toa lot of us coming up in that era.”

The Passing ------------cont. from pg 1

always ready to listen to the problem of others. It was dur-ing the era of strict segregation in this city that he, along

with his late brother, Albert, owned and operated BrooksRestaurant and Motel, which was the gathering mecca of

African-Americans where many of the strategies designedto counter the racism so prevalent at the time. He gave of himself because that was his way.

On a personal note it was Albert and Benny Brooks who invited, on my Navy Retirement, me and my

young family to stay in the motel and dine in the restau-rant, and when I decided to start this newspaper with big dreams and no money, they arranged for the bank to accessthe funds I needed. That will stay with me forever.

It was at the motel where local and national lead-ers, denied accommodations in area high-end hotels, foundcomfort and soul food, including Coretta Scott-King, Rev.Ralph Abernathy, Daddy King, Walter Reuter, Herbert Fielding, Gussie Humes, Big John Chisolm, Arthur Christopher and many others, all legends made welcomed-

by Albert and Benny Brooks. What makes this particular breed of man tick? Is it

the hope that he may gain something? Or, is it the hopethat he may gain something? Or, is it in hope that he willbecome the knight in shining armor for someone? Wethink none of these is so. We also thing that the Benny Brooks of the world are placed here by the Creator to givehope in a hopeless world.

While most folks will not know Benny Brooks or his brother, Albert, per se, there have been few to measureup to their monumental contributions to a community both loved so much, and they deserve whatever tributethat can be paid. They have earned it, with love and com-passion for others.

So long, Brother Benny. Jim French

Benny and ------------------------------------------------cont. from pg 1exchange at an accident scene.

The appellate court referred to the unmention-able name as “TheCallahan Epithet” through-out its opinion.

By: Dinesh Ramde, APBusiness Writer

MILWAUKEE - Please,please accept a high-paying

job with us. In fact, just swing by for an interview and we'll give you a chanceto win cash and prizes.

Sounds too good to be

true, especially in an econ-omy riddled with job cutsin nearly every industry.But applicants for nursing

jobs are still so scarce that recruiters have been forcedto get increasingly inven-tive.

One Michigan company lit-erally rolled out a red car-pet at a recent hiring event.Residential Home Health,

which provides in-homenursing for seniors onMedicare, lavished regis-tered nurses and other health care workers withfree champagne and a trivia contest hosted by game-show veteran Chuck

Woolery. Prizes included a one-year lease for a 2009SUV, hotel stays and din-ners.

"We're committed to find-ing ways to creatively engage with passive jobseekers," said DavidCurtis, president of theMadison Heights-basedcompany.

Recruiters like Curtis may have little choice. Thelong-standing U.S. nurseshortage has led to chronic understaff ing that canthreaten patient care andnurses' job satisfaction,and the problem is expect-ed to worsen.

The shortage has been

operating since World War II on an eight- to 10-year cycle, industry experts say.Each time the number of nurses reaches a criticallow, the government adds

Nursing Industry Desperate to Find New Recruits

funding and hospitalsupgrade working condi-tions. But as the deficit eases, those retentionefforts fade and eventually the old conditions return,often driving nurses intoother professions.

"We recently had a hiring event where, for experi-enced nurses to interview -

just to interview - we gavethem $50 gas cards," said

Tom Zinda, the director of

recruitment at WheatonFranciscan Healthcare inthe Milwaukee-area city of Glendale. "We really try toget as creative as we can.It's a tough position tofill."

Recruiters across the coun-try have tried similar tech-niques, offering chair mas-sages, lavish catering andcontests for f lat-screen

TVs, GPS devices andshopping sprees worth asmuch as $1,000.

Even strong salaries aren't doing the trick. Registered

nurses made an average of $62,480 in 2007, ranging from a mean of $78,550 inCalifornia to $49,140 inIowa, according to govern-ment statistics. Including overtime, usually abun-dantly available, the most experienced nurses canearn more than $100,000.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts about 233,000 additional jobs

will open for registerednurses each year through2016, on top of about 2.5million existing positions.But only about 200,000candidates passed theRegistered Nurse licensing exam last year, and thou-sands of nurses leave theprofession each year.

Several factors are in play:a lack of qualified instruc-tors to staff training pro-grams, lack of funding for training programs, difficult

working conditions andthe need for expertise in

many key nursing posi-tions.

Cheryl Peterson, the direc-tor of nursing practice andpolicy for the AmericanNurses Association inSilver Spring, Md., saidemployers must raisesalaries and improve work-

ing conditions."The wages haven't kept up with the level of respon-sibility and accountability nurses have," saidPeterson, whose organiza-tion represents nurses'interests. Chronic under-staffing means nurses areoverworked, she said, andas burned-out nurses leavethe situation spirals for thecolleagues they leavebehind.

Some hospital depart-ments where experience is

vital, such as the emer-gency room or intensive-care unit, simply cannot hire newly minted nurses.So managers in those areas

have even fewer staff ing choices.

Nurses qualified to teachaspiring nurses are scarcechief ly because they canmake at least 20 percent more working at a hospital,experts said.

"It can be hard to turndown that extra money,"said Robert Rosseter, theassociate executive direc-tor of the American

Association of Colleges of Nursing in Washington,D.C.

Many recruiters havelooked for employees over-seas, and about one-fourth

of the nurses who earnedtheir licenses in 2007 wereeducated internationally,most in the Philippines andIndia.

Some health organizationsgo out of their way torecruit as many nurses aspossible even when they'reoverstaffed.

Residential Home Health,the home-nursing company in Michigan, is alwayslooking to hire, Curtissaid. Even with 375 clinicalprofessionals on staff, hisrecruiters are eager to signup as many as 50 morenurses and therapists,hence the Chuck Woolery event.

Zinda, the Milwaukee-area recruiter, said creativerecruiting helps to intro-duce nurses to his hospital.Besides offering intervie-

wees $50 gas cards, he hasprovided $100 gift cards tothe local mall, and createda Facebook page to target

younger nurses.

Attracting good candi-dates is about offering good working conditions,he said, but creativerecruiting goes a long way in generating a buzz.

"Bottom line, you need toget people excited about

what you're offering," he

said. "If you don't, they caneasily go elsewhere."

SUPPORT

THE BLACK

PRESS



January 28, 2009- 3The Chronicle

By. Ben JealousNNPA SpecialCommentary

The election of President Barack Obama reflects a seminal transformation

within the American psy-che. Overcoming the limi-tations of our history

fraught with the wrenching divisions of race, a majority of voters embraced our country’s promise crossing racial, cultural and genera-tional boundaries to set a remarkable example for the

world.

The inauguration today isthe culmination of a long march for justice. One hun-dred years ago in 1909 theNAACP was born, launch-ing a three-decade long struggle to finally end thelynch mobs that killedthousands of African-

Americans. In 1932, theorganization took up themantle to reverse JimCrow and two decades

later, segregation wasmade illegal. In 1960, a sus-tained effort for politicalinclusion was initiated that triumphed this year in theelection of an African-

American president andthe Black elected officialssince reconstruction.

Yet there is a dichotomy between the symbol of hope and racial progress of President Obama’s elec-tion and the entrenchedrealties of our painful raciallegacy. While the country has allowed individuals topermeate the barriers of discrimination, entiregroups of people are stilllocked out of the Americandream because of race.

An unknown Barack dressed in jeans and a T-shirt might find it difficult to get a cab. As a Black man, he would be muchmore likely to be subjectedto threats or use of forcethan a White man were hestopped by police accord-ing to Bureau of JusticeStatistics. African-

100 Years Later, Still AnUnfinished Journey

Americans are still unfairly profiled and subjected to a

justice system that usesmass incarceration toaddress too many of our nation’s social problems.

We have the second high-est incarceration rate in the

world with more than twomillion adults in prison.

With an estimated one innine African- Americanmen and one in 35 African-

American women likely tobe incarcerated, thenation’s racial disparities inthe criminal justice systemare indisputable. African-

Americans, who represent 13.4 percent of the U.S.population, are 30.5 per-cent of all people arrested.Our corporate boardrooms are quietly segregat-ed. A report released last

week by the Civil RightsProject at the University of California at Los Angelesreveals that Black andHispanics are more isolat-ed from White studentsthan at any time since the

civil rights movement andmany of the schools they attend are of dismal quali-ty. The report attributedthe trends to a “systematic neglect of civil rights poli-cies.” The crushing burdenof poverty still reigns over far too many communitiesof color robbing childrenof opportunity. The

African-American middleclass is stagnant at best.

Studies reveal theentrenched realities of dis-crimination. In one study in Milwaukee, Wis. pairsof Black and White collegestudents, using similar resumes, applied for 350low-skill jobs advertised inthe Milwaukee JournalSentinel. Some of the par-ticipants were assignedfalse prison records. Thestudy concluded that employers preferred

Whites with criminalrecords to African-

Americans with no crimi-nal background. Overall,employers were three timesmore likely to hire Whites.

This is the unfinished busi-ness of our journey. Thebold dream of an America

where opportunity existsfor all and where every

American is given a chanceto reach their potentialremains elusive.

This year we need to see a bailout of backstreet not

just Main Street and the wealthy elite of WallStreet. We need to movequickly to the day when allchildren go to a goodschool. We need to stopusing prisons to solvesocial problems that can bebetter addressed throughstrategies like drug reha-bilitation and treatment for mental illness.

The centennial of theNAACP reflects a turning point in our nation fromlynch mobs to electing our first Black president. Weknow there are many chal-lenges ahead yet we haveproven time and time againthat together, in unity,marching forward we can

create a better world. Theremarkable election of President Barack Obama inspired millions and it isin that collective andimpassioned longing for change, we shall find thepolitical will to completethe journey and realize our country’s noble promise.Ben Jealous is president of the NAACP.

Ben Jealous

By Earl Ofari Hutchinson

The unchallenged articleof faith is that the electionof President Barack Obama fulf i lls MartinLuther King Jr. ’s dreamthat the content of charac-ter should trump skincolor. King uttered the

words in his March on Washington speech in

1963. We’ll hear that saidtime and again in themarch up to the King national holiday January 19and Obama’s inaugurationthe next day.

Obama’s election didshow that millions of

whites could strap racialblinders around their eyesand punch the ticket for an

African-American for the world’s most powerfulpolitical post. King wouldalmost certainly glow withapproval at that. But thereare a couple of troubling caveats that mar America’sgreat racial leap forward.Obama won in large part because he did what noother Democratic presi-dential candidate did, andthat includes Bill Clinton.He turned his presidentialcampaign into a virtualholy crusade by African-

Americans voters to get him in the White House.

The staggering 96 percent of the black vote he got made the crucial differencein the key Democratic pri-maries and later in nailing down the victory over Republican rival JohnMcCain in the must winstates of Ohio andPennsylvania.

A mid-September 2008survey also found that a signif icant percentage of

whites who said they’d vote

for Obama also said that blacks were more crimeprone and less industriousthan whites. There wereseveral ways to look at thisseeming racial paradox.One is that these Obama backers were so fed up

with Bush policies and a battered economy that Obama offered a changeand a lifeline. Another wasthat he presented a raceneutral soothing departurefrom the perceived racebaiting antics of JesseJackson and Al Sharpton.

And yet another was that he simply was sufficiently racially ambiguous enoughnot to pose any real racialthreat. The reports that Obama

has received more tauntsand physical threats thanany other president-elect isanother troubling indica-tion that an untold number of Americans sti ll can’t stomach the thought of an

African-American in the White House. The hoisting of Obama toa rarified political or nonracial pedestal is the exact opposite of what King hadin mind. Nearly a half cen-tury after King’s I Have a Dream words the black poor are still just as tightly trapped in the grip of poverty and discriminationthat King warned about.

On the eve of the King national holiday and

Obama’s inauguration, theBoston based research andeconomic justice advocacy group, United for a Fair Economy, released its sixthannual King Day report. It found that the gaping dis-parities in income, wealth,employment, quality andavailability of housing,decent schools, and healthcare between blacks,minorities and whites hasgrown even wider.Countless government reports and studies, andthe National UrbanLeague’s 2007 State of Black America report also

found that discrimination

and poverty are still major barriers for millions. Andit’s not just the black poor that bear the brunt of dis-crimination. President Bush even wondered out loud recently why there

were so few black reporterscovering his press confer-ences.

Obama has publicly bris-

tled at the notion that thecivil rights movement isoutdated, or worse that hesomehow supplants theongoing work of civilrights leaders. He hasrepeatedly praised past civil rights leaders for their heroic battle against racialinjustice.

King's dream of justiceand equality a reality.Obama faced that chal-lenge as a community organizer, civil rightsattorney, during his stintsin the Illinois legislatureand in the Senate. He facesthat same challenge in the

White House. There’s stillmuch to overcome.

Obama Does and Doesn't Fulfill King's Dream

Earl Ofari Hutchinson

By. James Wright Special to the NNPA from

the Afro-AmericanNewspapers

W A S H I N G T O N(NNPA) - President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama arenot happy with new dollsthat resemble images of their two young daughters.

Ty Inc., makers of the pop-ular beanie baby dolls, hascreated two 12-inch dollsnamed ''Sweet Sasha'' and''Marvelous Malia.' ' The

Westmont, Ill.,-based com-pany said, through spokes-

woman Tania Lundeen,that the dolls' names werechosen because they were''beautiful names.''

' 'There's nothing on thedolls that refers to theObama girls,' ' Lundeentold the Associated Press.''It would not be fair to say they are exact replicationsof these girls. They arenot.''

The Obamas, through a spokesman, said it wouldbe ''inappropriate to use

young private citizens for marketing purposes.''

Also in the news, MattelInc. announced it willlaunch its f irst completeline of African-AmericanBarbie dolls.

The line, which featuresthree adult dolls, was pre-

viewed one day after America’s first African- American president,

Barack Obama, took office.

The “So in Style” dolls,expected to be released infall 2009, come with littlesisters as part of a mentor-ship theme.

Obamas Upset over Beanie BabiesNamed After Their Childern

“America doesn’t

respect anything but

money. What our peo-

ple need is a few

millionaires.”

Madame C.J. Walker



4-January 28, 2009 The Chronicle

Who

Asked

Me?

by Beverly Gadson-Birch

TheMorning

After By. James ClingmanNNPA Columnist

BlackonomicsOn Wednesday, January 21, 2009, after the Inauguration,

the festivities, the parties, the formals, the “pomp and cir-cumstance,” the tears of joy, the line dances, and thespeeches, I wonder what our next action items will be.

I wonder if we will even have an action item. I wonder if Black folks especially will immediately get back to work onthe things that negatively affect us, and continue to moveforward on the issues by which we are positively affected.On that morning after, I wonder if we will muster up thesame kind of energy we displayed during the run-up toBarack Obama’s election. I wonder if we will remain excit-ed and enthusiastic about working to “change” our eco-nomic condition, improve the education of our children,reduce crime in our neighborhoods, and strengthen our overall social condition. I wonder. After the party, will we remain focused on these and other

important issues, or will we awaken on the morning after with a terrible hangover?

A hangover so bad that we say, “I am glad that’s over; at least I don’t have to worry about it for another four years.”

Will we then sit back and relax in our easy chairs, thinking we have it made now, and retire to a life of complacency? When it comes to economic empowerment, especially, wecannot afford to stop fighting because we have a “Black” President. The education of our children will not improvethrough some hocus-pocus sleight of hand. The crime in our local communities will not subside as a

result of someone doing something in Washington, D.C. The discrimination against and mistreatment of Black people in social, economic, and political circles, on a locallevel, will not magically go away because Obama is in the

White House. But you already knew that, right?So, what now? That question has been asked thousands of times in the past few months. What are we to do now that

we have the “First Black President”? The first thing we had better do, and continue to do, is

pray for the brother and his family; they surely need it. Then we must realize that with his election, the work hasonly just begun. Whether you supported his candidacy or not, you should make every effort to bring to fruition the

victories for which we have been fighting long beforeObama even thought about running for President.Locally, of course, we must continue to fight for inclusion

and equity in development projects, i.e., contracting, con-struction management, and ownership. We must continueto fight for justice in our courtrooms from our judges andprosecutors.

We must fight for real representation from our politiciansin return for our votes. We must show up at school boardmeetings and fight for our children’s education – and beparticipants in their education rather than mere observers.

Wouldn’t you like to see Black people expend the sameenergy on the essential tasks necessary for our full libera-tion as we have seen over the past 18 months or so?Imagine the possibilities, as the saying goes. PictureBlack people putting our money together for a commoncause, the same way we did for Barack Obama’s campaign.

We had enough money to send to the campaign; let’s dosomething similar with our money when it comes to con-tributing to an equity or investment fund. Let’s use someof our money to support our organizations, our institu-tions, and our Black owned businesses.Let’s start a “safety net” fund in our neighborhoods to help

our less fortunate brothers and sisters in their time of need. Let’s start a Collective Banking Group in every city and use the collective leverage that exists in our churchesto gain more benefits and equitable treatment for our church members.Let’s support Compro Tax this tax season, or any other Black owned tax preparation service in our local areas.C’mon, brothers and sisters, it’s tax preparation! Stopbuying in to the “colder ice” myth.

As I reflect on all of the money that was raised during Obama’s campaign, some $650 million or so, and yes Iknow the vast majority of it did not come from Black folks,it is amazing that we never even blinked at such a sum.But when it comes to our putting a little money together to help one another, you can’t find some Black people witha search warrant. That’s sad.

So let’s consider what took place on Tuesday, January 20,2009, and then let’s think about the morning after. Let’sthink about the year after, the decade after.Let’s understand that there is much work to do, work that

started before Obama, and work that did not end with hisascension to the highest political throne in the land. After the party, think about all the money we spent to throw theparty and to celebrate the occasion. Then, figure out what

your particular niche is and get back to work; that is, if youtook a respite from the essential work of liberation andbuilding a future for our children.

Some of us did not take a few months off; some of us con-tinued to work right through the euphoria and excitement of Obama’s election. We won’t have a hangover on themorning after. We will get up and get right back to the

work at hand. The work of Economic empowerment, polit-ical representation, the proper education of our youth,criminal justice rather than injustice, and social equity for Black people, is absolutely essential for our survival andgrowth in this country.

On the morning after, and on subsequent mornings, makea commitment with yourself and your own consciousnessto make a difference. Get busy and stay busy; we have todo the work ourselves.

We Still Have a Long Way to Go

By. U. S. Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.)NNPA Special Commentary

Slightly more than 45 years after the historic March on Washington, the inauguration of President Barack Obama is a major down payment on the fulfillment of the dreamKing spoke about that day. It is as though God is saying,

you may kill a few men, you may kill a few women and chil-dren, but the dream they dreamt, the truth that they stoodfor was too real, too right, too necessary, too noble to ever

die.So we need to take a moment to thank all those who camebefore us who survived some of the greatest perils humanbeings have ever faced to emerge victorious. We have tostop and take a moment to celebrate the wonders that hands that picked cotton have manifested.

We have come a long way, but we still have a long way togo. Rosa Parks and Coretta King, Martin and Medgar may be gone, but we still have a work to do. Freedom isnot free. Freedom is not a state; it is an act. It is a seriesof actions that we must all continue to take to guaranteefreedom, justice, and equal opportunity in our future.Our forerunners have done their part; now it is time for

each of us to honor the great heritage of our community. We must do what they did. We must prepare ourselvesand then do what we can to help build the BelovedCommunity, an all inclusive society based on simple jus-tice that values the dignity and the worth of every humanbeing. With the election of Barack

Obama, African-Americanshave a reason to be proud.

Too often we, as a communi-

ty, focus on how we havefailed. But the presidency of Barack Obama is a time for us to celebrate what we haveaccomplished as a people.

“You who protest coura-geously,” said MartinLuther King Jr., “and yet

with dignity and….love – when the history books are written in future genera-tions, the historians willhave to pause and say,

‘There lies a great people, a B lack people, who injectednew meaning and dignity into the very veins of civiliza-tion.’”

It was our heritage of struggle and a lineage that pressedtoward freedom that helped save America from itself anddelivered us to this day. It was a people, Black people,

who acted on their faith and deep spiritual conviction that helped transform an entire nation.

In the Civil Rights Movement, we were lucky. We were

fortunate to be led by some of the greatest minds to ever set foot on American soil—A. Phillip Randolph, the deanof the Movement; Whitney Young, the negotiator anddiplomat; Thurgood Marshall and Constance Baker Motley, masters of the legal battleground, and of course,Martin Luther King Jr., the embodiment of the non-vio-lent call for social change.But the Civil Rights Movement was not a movement of leaders. It was the maids and porters, wash women andbutlers, farmers and sharecroppers, students and their par-ents--it was ordinary people with extraordinary vision, they

were the marching feet who transformed this nation forev-er. First they prepared themselves. They studied the dis-cipline and philosophy of non-violence. They attendedtrainings and mass meetings where they gained informa-tion and inspiration from leaders like Martin Luther King Jr. and others. They planned their method of protest, andthen they were ready to answer the call of their conscience.Some of us were beaten. Some of us went to jail. Andsome of us paid the ultimate price trying to register peopleto vote. We lost Jimmie Lee Jackson, and four little girlsone Sunday morning in Birmingham, Ala. We lost Medgar Evers and Lemuel Penn. We lost young Virgil

Ware and Vernon Dahmer. And we lost our most inspiredleader, Martin Luther King Jr.Nobody knew when we were sitting down on lunch count-er stools in Birmingham and Nashville. Nobody knew

when lighted cigarettes were put out in our hair or downour backs. Nobody knew when we were arrested ontrumped up charges and taken to jail.Nobody knew then that today our children and grandchil-dren would be able to eat where they want to eat, sleep inany hotel where they want to sleep, and ride on a bus freely

without fearing for their lives. And nobody knew on March 7, 1965, when a small group of non-violent protestors made a sacred vow to walk fromSelma to Montgomery. Nobody knew when some of us

were left beaten and bloody on the Edmund Pettus bridge,that today the hands that picked cotton would have pickedthe next President of the United States.

Rep.John Lewis

It’s Praying Time As we move away from the inaugural activities our

attention is immediately drawn to the recession that wefind ourselves in. I don’t know much about the recessionduring President Hoover’s time, but I do know I havenever seen anything like what is taking place with theeconomy. We realize that changes must be made but may not be made overnight. Our 44th President certainly hashis work cut out for him. Because of the state of the econ-omy, folks are going to want the President to wave a magic

wand and undue the past eight years. It just ain’t going tohappen. After carefully assessing my finances, I am about to lose my shirt just like the rest of you but patience isgoing to be key. As black folks we must do what we dobest, take a little and turn it into a lot. We have got tohunker down and slow walk this recession out. Don’t y’allgo climbing up on no bridge talking about things are sobad I am going to end it cause there just might not be any-one to get your butt down. Let’s not get dramatic. Noone can doubt that as a people we are strong; and, we aresurvivors. We are resilient and we will bounce back. So

y’all just work together within your family and friend’s cir-cle and help each other out. And be sure to support black businesses. Y’all hear me!! If we are going to help our-selves, we must spend our money with some of our black

businesses.During the election, there was much ado about the

readiness of President Obama. It looks like he has gottenoff to a good start and he is not afraid to make the toughdecisions. I truly believe this country is in good hands. Ihad the opportunity to travel to the inauguration and it

was a very humbling experience to see so many folks fromall walks of life so determined to leave behind footprints inthe sands of time. After dedicating most of my life fighting for principles and basic rights guaranteed under theConstitution of these United States, I was overwhelmedand found myself wiping away tears that streamed downmy face.

The day’s event finally brought closure to the many years of folks telling us what we couldn’t do or couldn’t be.Instead I thought about the possibilities. A new day hadarrived. I thought about the article that I read in theDeSable Museum in Chicago about the slave lady who

was raffled off for ten cents a chance. I never got that imagine out of my head. I thought about the slaves whoselives were torn apart when their children or spouse weresold and they never got to see them again—not ever. I

thought about how white folks gathered at the end of townunder a big shade tree and selected a black, any black, tohang for entertainment on a Sunday afternoon. In my mind, I kept seeing their white, smiling faces as they danced around with their children by their sides. How could they have dragged children into such immoral, gut

wrenching activities? As awful as all of this may seem,there was a redeeming value to the election. After years of second class citizenship, drinking out of separate water fountains, sitting on the back of the bus, walking on sepa-rate sides of the street and going to the back door of storesto get served, our time has come.

Freedom is no longer a word to me; it’s a feeling. Iam not naïve to think that all is well in America because it is not. I wouldn’t throw out my dashiki and love beads yet.

The January 27 issue of the Huffington Post reported that the number of racial and violent incidents has soared sincePresident Obama took office. Is anyone surprised by that revelation? President Obama has received more threatsand racial remarks than any other President in memory.

The following are just a few twisted incidents cited by theEditor and Publisher’s site of threats and activities against President Obama:

* In a Maine convenience store, an Associated Pressreporter saw a sign inviting customers to join a betting pool on when Obama might fall victim to an assassin. Thesign solicited $1 entries into "The Osama Obama ShotgunPool," saying the money would go to the person picking the date closest to when Obama was attacked. "Let's hope

we have a winner."* In Idaho, the Secret Service is investigating a "public hanging" sign erected by a man upset with the electionoutcome, the Bonner County Daily Bee reported

Thursday. A handmade sign posted on a tree reads "FREEPUBLIC HANGING" written in large letters beneath a noose fashioned from nylon rope. The most prominent name on the sign is "OBAMA," according to the Bee."That's a political statement. They can call it whatever they want, a threat or whatever," the creator of the sign,Ken Germana, told the Bee.* A popular white supremacist Web sites got more than2,000 new members the day after the election, compared

with 91 new members on Election Day. The site, storm-front.org, was temporarily off-line on Nov. 5 because of theoverwhelming amount of activity it received. One poster,

identified as Dalderian Germanicus, of North Las Vegas,said, "I want the SOB laid out in a box to see how 'messi-ahs' come to rest."* From the Orange County (Ca.) Register: "Two gang members pleaded not guilty Thursday to hate crime andattempted robbery charges in connection with the beating of a black man who was trying to buy cigarettes at a Fullerton liquor store." The two men shouted racial andanti-Obama epithets in the attack.* From today's New York Times: "Two white StatenIsland men face hate crimes charges after they were arrest-ed on Friday in the beating of a black teenager on thenight that Barack Obama was elected president, the policesaid on Saturday. The teenager, Alie Kamara, 17, was

walking home on Pine Place in the Staten Island neighbor-hood of Stapleton when several men hit him on the head

with a baseball bat and yelled 'Obama,' said Aliya Latif,the civil rights director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, who was in contact with Alie's family since the attack and spoke to his mother on Saturday after the arrests were announced."

* In Mississippi alone, the American Civil LibertiesUnion has received more than 10 calls since the staff first reported anti-Obama incidents last Friday, according tothe Jackson (Miss.) Free Press.* Parents in Rexburg, Idaho, contacted school officialsthis week after they learned that 2nd and 3rd graders on a school bus were chanting, "Assasssinate Obama!"

Our children will always have to prove that they are just as good for the job; and that is alright just as long as the playing field is level. Although I would not go asfar as to say the election is a vindication of past discrimina-tions, it can never be; but, it has set the wheels in motionfor new relationships, new opportunities and a new

America. An American colonies that once sought to break away from Great Britain never understood that we wantedto break away from her. Jefferson sums it up in theDeclaration of Independence that “all men are createdequal that they are endowed by their Creator with certaininalienable rights and among these rights are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” We have worked hard to get to this present moment. We are on the mountaintop withthe new president but down in the valley due to the reces-sion. Things are going to get better; so hang in there. It’spraying time.

By JEANNINE AVERSA AP Economics Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The recession is killing jobs at an alarming pace, with tens of thousands of new layoffsannounced Monday by someof the biggest names in

American business - Pfizer,Caterpillar and Home Depot.

More pink slips, pay freezesand other hits are expected toslam workers in the monthsahead as companies desperate-ly look for ways to survive.

"We're just seeing the tip of the iceberg - the big firms,"said Rebecca Braeu, econo-

mist at John Hancock Financial Services. "There'scertainly other firms beneaththem that will lay off workersas quickly or even quicker."

Looking ahead, economistspredicted a net loss of at least 2million jobs - possibly more -this year even if President Barack Obama's $825 billionpackage of increased govern-ment spending and tax cuts isenacted. Last year, the econo-my lost a net 2.6 million jobs,the most since 1945, thoughthe labor force has grown sig-nificantly since then.

The unemployment rate, now at a 16-year high of 7.2 percent,could hit 10 percent or higher

later this year or early next

year, under some analysts' pro- jections.

Obama called on CongressMonday to speedily enact hisrecovery plan, warning that the nation can't afford "distrac-tions" or "delays."

With the recession expected todrag on through much of this

year, more damage will beinflicted on both companiesand workers.

The mounting toll was visibleMonday as roughly 40,000more U.S. workers got thegrim news.

Pharmaceutical giant Pfizer Inc., which is buying rivaldrugmaker Wyeth in a $68 bil-lion deal, and Sprint NextelCorp., the country's third-largest wireless provider, saidthey each will slash 8,000 jobs.

Home Depot Inc., the biggest home improvement retailer inthe U.S., will get rid of 7,000

jobs, and General MotorsCorp. said it will cut 2,000

jobs at plants in Michigan andOhio because of slow sales.

"We are seeing no improve-ment in labor market condi-tions," said Sal Guatieri, sen-ior economist at BMOCapital Markets Economics."This year could be as bad aslast year in terms of l ayoffs."-

Job-Killing Recession Racks UpMore Layoff Victims



January 28, 2009-5The Chronicle

A

s

I See It

Hakim Abdul-Ali

By. Julianne Malveaux NNPA Columnist

Why do banks and busi-nesses get breaks when col-lege students do not?

While some are getting multi-billion dollar bailouts, the students whoso enthusiastically support-ed Barack Obama are

being offered scant relief from the effects of our bro-ken economy.

Much attention has beenfocused on keeping peoplein the middle class. What about those who areattempting to claw their

way into the middle classthrough education? Weneed a broad-based stimu-lus package, and collegestudents need special help.

Thanks to a federal govern-ment bailout, GeneralMotors will be offering cars to the public with zeropercent interest loans.Banks, too, are getting

A Bailout for Our Students

subsidized loans. Through federal pro-

grams, students pay between 5 and 9 percent for government loans.

When their parents cannot qualify for federal pro-grams, they go to privatelenders, and pay as much as15 percent for loans tocover college education.

Some pay for college ontheir credit cards, paying between 18 and 24 percent for their children to go tocollege. If we can offer carsat zero percent, and givebanks subsidized loans,

why not offer students col-lege loans at one percent.Rev. Jesse Jackson calls it the one percent solution,and he is right on time.One percent money for stu-dents helps them with bet-ter repayment terms, andhelps their parents as well.

And it helps colleges main-tain enrollment, becausethere are students who aredropping out of schoolbecause they can’t afford topay.

When college studentshave federally subsidizedloans, they are required tobegin paying them back

within six months of grad-uation. In this economy?

We need a reality check. Aslong as the unemployment rate exceeds six percent,students should have eight-een months to begin paying back their loans.Otherwise, students arepressured to pay their loans back by whatever means necessary. Some usecredit cards, at 18 percent,to pay loans back. Othersstruggle and f ind that i f they do not pay their credit scores, or their lifetime of opportunities, are affected.

Student credit rating is not the only thing affected by failure to repay. Collegesare judged on the loanrepayment rates of their students, and accrediting agencies penalize colleges

who have repayment ratesover 25 percent.

But in a rotten economy,it is understandable that some students have diffi-culty repaying their loans.

An economic stimuluspackage that helps stu-dents and colleges might suspend sanctions for those colleges with highloan repayment rates untilthe economy is more sta-ble. Thirty years ago, students

were more likely to get grants than loans for col-lege. Indeed the equation

was that students paid for

college with one-thirdloans and two-thirdsgrants. Now the equationhas been reversed. ThePell grant, our need-basedgrant program, providesstudents with $4750 a year toward their costs.

Bennett College costs$22,000 for tuition roomand board, so where doesthe other $17,500 comefrom. Further, the Pellgrant is granted fully tostudents with the lowest incomes, phasing out whenparent income is about $55,000 a year.

President Obama propos-es raising the Pell Grant to$5350 a year. That’s help,but it isn’t enough. ThePell grant ought to be$10,000 per year. It helpsus train the next genera-tion, it helps maintain col-lege enrollment, and whileit is high enough to make a difference, it does not fully cover the cost of education,forcing students, too, toinvest in their futures.

Already Republicans arecarping that they don’t

want the Pell Grant to goup. But young people needhelp with their tuitions.

The average student grad-uates the $20,000 in stu-dent loans, and the average

African American student graduates with $26,000 inloans. Our young peopleare shackled before they begin their lives, their loan

status dictating somecareer decisions.

The O Administration has alsooffered a $4,000 tuitiongrant for students who docommunity service. That grant program is also a step in the right direction.I do hope that as the regu-lations for this program aredeveloped, the Obama

Administration seeks input from college presidents,and also from students,about ways the require-ments for service will bemeasured.

At Bennett College, far too many of our studentsare struggling with the

effects of this economy. When parents lose jobs,students struggle to stay inschool. When parent cred-it scores change, the ability to qualify for some loanschanges, and again stu-dents struggle to stay inschool. Good students,dean’s list students, stu-dents with stellar GPAsare beginning the spring semester worried sick about whether they cangraduate with the balancesthey carry. The data iscompelling, but the chal-lenges that some of our

young women face are allthe more challenging.Students need a bailout!

They need one percent money for loans, more time

to begin to repay their loans, and higher PellGrants. If we can find $138billion for Bank of

America, and offer car loans at zero percent, can’t

we provide a bailout for college students?

Julianne Malveaux is presi-dent of Bennett Collegefor Women. She can bereached at [email protected].

Julianne Malveaux

A Love For All Seasons

Greetings of love to you on this memorable day. I can’t help but say that to you because you’re very fortunate to behere to read what I just wrote, and I’m blessed to be here

and to have written it.

It’s truly a powerfully loving, but ever so humbling, reali-ty to testify to the Creator Alone of life that this is a spe-cial moment in time that He (Alone) has given me and youto acknowledge that we are only here except by His per-mission.

That’s love to the maximum of understanding and recog-nition if you ask me. In fact, that sentiment should res-onate within everyone in God Alone’s creation, and it should be “A Love For All Seasons.”

Listen, that’s how I feel, in more ways than one, becausethe love of God Alone is forever in my schemes of thinking.I’m very sensitive about loving and respecting the knowl-edge of God Alone’s awesomeness. It’s pristine and more.

It’s a solemn and unique testimony that I now givebecause I seem to always be in a mood to experience anddiscuss my passion about God Alone’s love and mercy tothose who want to hear about it. I didn’t always feel that

way for one nefarious reason or the other in some of my

past recollections of spiritual denials, truth and reflec-tions.

It seems as though I had to be taught that there’s no oneor nothing else who or that is worthy of divine worshipand respect except the Creator Alone of everything. Somelessons come the hard way for me, but that thought con-cept of God Alone’s Oneness occurs so often in my heart and soul until I find myself literally in love with the puresweetness of God Alone’s majestic aura.Somehow, in the winding trials of my life’s sorted learning episodes I find myself getting closer to the understandingsof God Alone’s prophets’ (May Peace and Blessings forev-er be upon them) messages about only worshipping oneGod and no other. As I said before, I’m a work in progress.Being the student that I am, and since God Alone is theCreator Alone, and nothing or no one is likened unto Him,it makes sense to worship only Him, and no created being or thing. God Alone is the Creator Alone, and that’s a spir-itual axiom, with no denial for a sane student of spiritualreality.

Knowing this, as all the prophets and messengers of God

Alone (PBUT) knew and taught in their authentic teach-ings, gives validity to the reason why declaring theOneness of God Alone is the standard oath of a true believ-er in the Creator Alone of everything. I have. Do you? All prophets and messengers of the Most High testifiedthat the Creator Alone was, is and forever will be the only source of bearing witness to and no other. They did this inand under every circumstances and situations imaginablein life’s struggles, and they did so knowing that to do so

was, is and forever will be “A Love For All Seasons.” Some folks in living in their own states of misunderstand-ing worship everything under the sun it seems as I view the

“his-stories” of many nations and people past and present. You may politely agree, or decidedly disagree, with my take on the worship of God Alone, but make sure that inany case you know that I’m always talking about theCreator Alone and not a created thing or being. That’s crucial as you catch the flow of why I must gener-

ally always give homage to God Alone when I write or tella story. He’s the Revealer and Knower. I can give credit tono other source for allowing me to handle, deal with andexperience all of the many tests that have come my way

thus far.I have to stay focused on God Alone, and not a “ hue-man,” or something else that my random thoughts may conjureup, when I respectfully address “the” Oneness of God

Alone. Knowing Who God Alone is, and Who He is not,can be a very puzzling scenario for most free-mindedthinkers of spiritual liberality to endorse without the stig-ma of colonial mis-education tainting their interpreta-tions..

I offer that posture with no malice towards anyone and without any negative offense of wanton disrespect of opposing belief intended. My love is for truth in defending the correct worship of the prophets and messengers of God Alone(PBUT).

That’s why I say that universal love that they had in wor-shipping only One God Alone is what they believed indeeply, taught outrightly and practiced wholeheartedly each and every second of their miraculous existences. They knew what “real” love of God’s Alone’s Oneness was about.

And that “real” love was definitely “A Love For AllSeasons” as I understand the wisdom that flowed fromtheir illustrious characters. They knew that anytime of theday or year was “the” time to give “All the Praises (and

Glory) to God Alone, Who is the Creator Alone, and not to any created “hue-man,” or thing. (Do You?)

That makes pure sense because nothing from nothing leaves nothing, but before there was anything in createdexistence there had to be the Creator Alone. That divineentity is the “only” One Who I’m respectfully referring to asmy mind thinks of spiritual love to and in the highest formof significant recognition. Again, for me, even in my chaotic and uncertain worlds of

existences, I know that my amore is “A Love For AllSeasons,” and absolutely nothing comes close to it. Thelove of God Alone is the stuff that makes life’s trials of thepresent and the unexpected dilemmas of the future seemlike welcomed challenges, because with the love of God

Alone in all seasons, those tests are mere stepping stonesto purify a true believer’s faith in the Creator Alone.

Just having that knowledge alone is enough to keep a lonely heart satisfied and a troubled soul at ease in the heat of any of life’s unpredictable battles. Many others whokept the faith the Most High Alone overcame their person-al struggles when all hell was breaking out around them,and so can you and I.

We mustn’t forget that the Creator Alone told all of creat-ed “hue-manity” that He would not have any god beforeHim. I caution you, as I caution myself and others, “Don’t play with the aura of God Alone. He is but One, having nopartner.” With all the created things and “hue-mans” in the world,

please, respectfully, focus on Who God Alone is and WhoHe isn’t? That may mean that you have to step back for just a few mental “quickies” in order to process Who creates lifeand death.

I have, and I do, and that’s why I have “A Love For AllSeasons,” and it’s only for God Alone, Who is the Creator

Alone of everything and everyone, including me and you. We all need to know God Alone’s love with reference andkindness towards each other.In God Alone’s cause I wish you eternal peace and respect-ful happiness, and I also wish you, from the bottom of my heart, “A Love For All Seasons.” I really mean that, andmay God Alone be with you always.

From January to December, always cultivate “A Love For All Seasons” in your soul. Until the next occasion, by theMost High’s permission, remember the world needs love,

and that’s, “As I See It.”

By: Tonyaa Weathersbee,

A week ago, more than1,000 people showed up inHarlem to hear a discus-sion that had previously been kept within the ram-bunctious, fractious family that is black America.

The debate was about whether the election of Barack Obama was indeeda good thing for us.On one side were peoplelike Charles Barron, a New York City councilmanand former Black Panther

who, like Obama, cut hispolitical teeth in the worldof community organizing.He said that Obama’s can-didacy had already beenpaying off; that he saw it bring momentum to blacksin politics and helped pro-pel many of them intooffice.On the other side werepeople like Glen Ford of the Black Agenda Report and a fervent Obama critic.He skewered Obama for choosing former Clintonites for hisCabinet, and for his sup-port of the Wall Street bailout.Ford also took black peo-ple on for their refusal to

question Obama, saying,among other things, that we are going to be in deeptrouble once we start imag-ining an Obama that does-n’t exist.Here’s what I say.I say Ford is dead on whenit comes to that last point.

We will be in trouble if wetreat Obama like our Holy Savior and not our presi-dent.

We’ll indeed be in deepdoo-doo if we actually believe that the only effort

we needed to make towarddefining our collective des-tinies was to cast a vote for Obama.I don’t believe black peopleare that naive.

To many, the Harlemdebate may have been toolittle too late. For months,Ford and others, including a colleague of mine, right-fully questioned whether black people were giving Obama too much of a passduring the campaign sea-son.

We seemed to be the only group, they argued, that believed we had no right todemand anything of Obama because forcing him to acknowledge us

would scare off white vot-ers; that we should accept a sly wink while other groups got an enthusiastic nod.Me, I didn’t believe it wasa matter of rights as much

as it was a matter of choice.Unfortunately in America,since a reluctant AbrahamLincoln tried to maintainfavor with slaveholders inborder states by signing anE m a n c i p a t i o nProclamation that freed allslaves except theirs, we’vebeen forced to accept progress in little doses; toalways dwell in a placebetween the lesser of thetwo.On top of that, our history of always having to battlethose who would stealback that progress – peoplelike John McCain and hisrunning mate, Sarah Palin– often forces us to think and politic defensively.It shouldn’t be that way.But it is.

We Must Treat

Obama Lik e He ’sOurP resident ,

Not Our Savior



6- January 28, 2009 The Chronicle

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CHURCH NEWS/SOCIAL

WALLINGFORD PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH,Invites You To COME, SHARE and FELLOWSHIP with The Seniors Activities Bible Study, Physical Fitness, Arts & Craft Projects, Health Education, Enrichment Programs, Speakers, Community Resources, Trips,Recreation, Nutritional Lunch and lots more fun . ..When: Every Thursday, Where: 705 King Street, Time:11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. Cost: NO CHARGE~~FREE,(843) 723-9929

$49934.5-39 Ounce Cans(Decaf Not Included)

MaxwellHouseCoffee

WithoutMVP Card $10.45

Week of 01/28/09 thru 02/03/09

Good neighbors. Great prices.

We reserve the right to limit quantities and correct typographical and photographic errors. Rainchecks unavailable on alcohol and tobacco products. All Stores Accept

48 OunceSelect Varieties

BreyersIce Cream


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Frito Lay’sChips


16 OunceSelect Varieties

Ball Park Meator Beef Franks

WithoutMVP Card $3.51 $500

5/ $10 $599

99¢

2.5 Lb. BagIndividuallyQuick Frozen

Food LionChickenSnackWings

Without MVP Card $9.99

16 Ounce41-50 Count

Food LionLargeCookedShrimp


$

1

89 $

1

49lb.lb.

Limit 2 Free

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Off

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Without MVP Card Regular Retail

Seedless

RedGrapes


Over $15.00

All DeliPlatters

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20-32 OunceSelect Varieties

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WithoutMVP Card $3.99 Each

2/ $1012 Inch

Select Varieties

DiGiornoPizza

WithoutMVP Card $6.79Each

WithoutMVPCard

RegularRetail

99¢Available In Most Stores8 CountFood Lion Hot Dogor Hamburger Buns

- $3.94

Limit 2 Free

lb.

Each Each

Each Each

Each

THE YOUTH DEPARTMENT OF THEDEACONS UNION of Charleston and Its

Auxiliaries will host “Joy Night” on Jan. 30, 2009 at 7:00 pm at Memorial Baptist Church, located at 153

Alexander St., Charleston, SC 29403 where Rev.

Arthur Prioleau is the host pastor. The purpose of this program is to sponsor the YouthDepartment of the Deacons Union of Charleston toattend the National Convention in July 2009, which

will take place in Washington, D.C. Minister CharlieMurray of Royal Baptist Church will be the speaker.

Devotions will be lead by the Spiritual WarriorsPrayer Band. Please come out and support our Youthas they lift up the name of Jesus.

Contact info: Shirley Hart 556-5958

COLUMBIA – Events will

be held in South Carolina around Feb. 7 to highlight theimpact of HIV/AIDS on

African-American communi-ties, the state Department of Health and EnvironmentalControl (DHEC) announcedtoday.

"South Carolina continues tohave a disproportionate num-ber of HIV/AIDS casesamong African-Americans,"said André Rawls, Psy.D.,

who is director of DHEC’sSTD/HIV Division. "In con-

junction with our community partners, we must continue toincrease the effectiveness of our culturally-competent pre-

vention programs, both in our health departments and com-munities."

Lewis Hicks, DHEC'sSTD/HIV Division, Peopleof Color InitiativesConsultant, leads DHEC'sefforts in response to the dis-proportionate impact among

African-Americans. Hicks'activities in communities of color include identifying effec-tive strategies to improveSTD/HIV prevention servic-es, and providing technicalassistance to community organizations and special tar-geted high-risk communitiesin South Carolina.

"DHEC will partner withcommunity-based organiza-tions to sponsor activities suchas free HIV testing and HIV educational forums on theninth annual National Black

HIV/AIDS Awareness Day,"Hicks said. "Sites includehousing communities, church-

es and community centers."

Various tests will be offered at locations throughout the state,including the traditional blooddraw method and the rapidtest, which provides prelimi-nary results in less than anhour.

"The theme, 'Black Life Is Worth Saving,' emphasizesthe power in actions that

African-Americans can take. Those actions include learning the facts about HIV, getting tested, knowing your HIV sta-tus and taking steps to make a difference in your community,"Hicks said. "People can pro-tect their health and the healthof their loved ones by knowing their own HIV status." According to DHEC statis-

tics:· African-Americans for repre-sent 30 percent of the state'spopulation, yet account for 73percent of the recently diag-nosed HIV/AIDS cases inSouth Carolina.· African-Americans havebeen hardest hit by the epi-demic. Seven of every 10 menand nearly eight of every 10

women recently diagnosed are African-American.· Eighty percent of 15- to 24

year-olds who are newly diag-nosed with HIV/AIDS inSouth Carolina are African-

American.

For information on events andHIV testing sites in local com-munities, contact DHEC'sSouth Carolina AIDS/STD

toll-free hotline at 1-800-322- AIDS (2437).

National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day events scheduled

CANAAN BIBLE COLLEGEwill observe its Founder’sDay January 30, 2009 at

Canaan Missionary BaptistChurch beginning at 7 p.m.



The Chronicle January 28, 2009-7

Full-time FacultyElectrical Line Worker

Program CoordinatorEngineering Technology

Department HeadNursing

Part-time FacultyAircraft Maintenance TechnologyAnimationAnthropologyBiological Sciences

CNC MachiningCosmetologyCriminal JusticeEconomicsElectrical Facility MaintenanceEnglishEstheticsGraphic DesignIndustrial MechanicsInformation SystemsMarketingMultimedia and Web Site Design

For detailed information, visit www.tridenttech.edu/ttcjobs.htmor call 843.574.6201.

EOE/AA

MusicNail TechnologyNursingParalegalPhotographyPhysicsPlumbingSociologySpanishTheaterWelding

Full-time Staff Information Resources Consultant ILaw Enforcement Officer IIStudent Services Program

Coordinator II

Temporary Staff St. Paul’s Parish Site Student

Services Coordinator

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BUILDER DEVELOPER

Requests Flood in for Franklin's Custom Hat

By: Corey Williams, Associated Press

DETROIT - The calls began to flood Luke Song's hat shop not long after Aretha Franklin finished belting out "My Country, 'Tis of Thee" at President Barack Obama'sinauguration.

Franklin, who wore a gray felt custom-designed hat fromMr. Song Millinery, has inadvertently caused an economic boom for the South Korean immigrant's store.

Song said he wasn't prepared for the hundreds of callsrequesting the hat with a Swarovski rhinestone-borderedbow.

"We even have a lot of men calling to get it for their wives,mothers and grandmothers," Song said.

The hat worn by the "Queen of Soul" was hand-moldedand would cost upward of $500 - if it were for sale, the 36-

year-old designer said. Customers instead were offered a satin ribbon version for $179.

"They want the same hat, but they understand it's for the'Queen' only," he said. "Ninety-nine percent said, 'That'sfine. I'll get the next best thing.'"

The family millinery has been in Detroit for about 25 years,and Franklin has been a customer for about 20 of those

years. The store also sells to about 500 boutiques acrossthe country.

"We always make hats for her for high-profile events, so for

us, the inauguration really was no big deal," Song told The Associated Press on Thursday.

The design for Franklin'shat came from two differ-ent hats at the store.

"She walked through theshop and said 'I want that bow (put) on that hat,'" hesaid. "She had the coat already, but she needed thehat to set it off."

Aretha Franklin

Woman, 68, Escapes Oncoming Subway Train in D.C.

By: Ben Greene, Associated Press

WASHINGTON - A 68-year-old woman who fell ontosubway tracks in Washington on Tuesday narrowly escaped an oncoming train by squeezing into a small spaceunderneath a platform, authorities said. As a train was fast approaching, the woman was trying toget a lift onto the platform, but there wasn't enough time.So Houston police officer Eliot Swainson, who was intown to help out with the record crowds during the inau-

guration, told the woman to squeeze into the space under the Metrorail platform."The train was coming through, it was loud, windy and

cold," said Swainson, a 15-year veteran of the Houston Transit Authority Police. "I was just trying to get the situ-ation resolved as quick as possible." After the train whizzed by the Gallery Place Metro

Station, Swainson safely pulled the woman up onto theplatform. The woman, who was not identified by authorities, wastraveling with a group of people when she turned to look for a friend and took a slight step backward. She lost her balance and fell onto the tracks, Swainson said. The woman dislocated her shoulder, Swainson said, but he wasn't sure whether she did so during the fall or whenshe was trying to get on the platform. Paula Faria, a spokeswoman for Washington Hospital Center, said the

woman was treated and released. Faria said the woman was part of a group from Tennessee.

Metro closed the Gallery Place and another station for nearly an hour while authorities investigated. Other trainshad to turn around and the closure forced people to walk farther to reach the National Mall.

The transit agency said as of 6 p.m. Tuesday, more than930,000 passengers had used Metrorail, breaking Monday's record of nearly 887,000.

New ServiceHelps Black

EntrepreneursObtainBusiness

Credit Columbus, OH - There area record number of new Black-owned businessesbeing formed every year.Unfortunately, very few of them have access to busi-ness credit. Many of themrun on low cash flows, andas a result - most areexpected to fail within thefirst 5 years.

Choice Credit Group, a Black-owned f irm in theDetroit area, has recently launched a service specifi-cally designed to help

African Americans obtain what is needed to get busi-ness loans, business credit cards, and a business lineof credit.

The service is available toexisting small businessowners including CEOs,home business owners, net-

work marketers, and more. The service is not availableto individuals who are run-ning a non-profit organiza-tion, or who have not start-ed a business yet.

For more details, existing business owners should

visit: www.BlackBusinessCredi

t.com



8-January 28, 2009 The ChroniclePackage for the MUSC Center for Advanced Medicine will be received from qualified bidders, properly licensed under the properly licensed under the Package for the MUSC Center for Advanced Medicine

will be received from qualified bidders, properly licensed under the properly licensed under the Package for the MUSC Center for Advanced Medicine will be received from qualified bidders, properly licensed under

the will be received from qualified bidders will be received from qualified b--__idders,properly licensed under will be received from qualified licensed under the wil will be received from qualified bidders Package for

the MUSC Center for Advanced Medicine will be received from qualified bidders, properly licensed under the Package for the MUSC Center for Advanced Medicine will be received from qualified bidders, proper-

ly licensed under the will be received from qualified bidders, properly licensed under- from qualified bidders, will be received from Advanced Medicine licensed under the properly under the will be be received from

qualified bidders,properly licensed under will be received from qualified licensed under the wil will be received from eceived from qualified bidders, dvanced Medicine will be received from qualified bidders, proper-

ly licensed under the properly licensed under the Package for the MUSC Center for Advanced Medicine will be received from qualified bidders, properly licensed under the properly licensed under the Package

for the MUSC Center for Advanced Medicine will be received from qualified bidders, properly licensed under the will be received from qualified bidders will qualified biddersackage for licensed

Classifieds

CP0805D2 – Rotary FountainSculpture at Marion Square

City of CharlestonInvitation for Sculpture Proposals

Project: CP0805D2 – Rotary Fountain Sculpture atMarion Square

Proposed Form of Contract: Design-Build Contract

Description of Project:

The City of Charleston, Washington LightInfantry and Sumter Guards Board of Officers, andthe Rotary Club of Charleston are seeking artist’sproposals for a sculpture to be placed in historicMarion Square. The sculpture location will be withinthe top tier of the Rotary Fountain that is located atthe corner of King and Calhoun Streets.

The selection team is looking for a symbolicsculpture proposal that successfully interprets thetheme of ‘service above self’. This service themeshould reflect the proud 200 year heritage of theCharleston Militia in times of war, civil emergencyand peace. It should also interpret or complimentthe Rotary four-way test that is represented on theexisting fountain: Is it the truth? Is it fair to all con-cerned? Will it build goodwill and better friendships?Will it be beneficial to all concerned?

Anticipated Design and Construction CostRange: The current budget for this sculpture is$40,000. Proposals will be accepted for sculpturescosting between $40,000 and $75,000 for design andconstruction.

Description of Services Anticipated forProject: Artist will be responsible for the design, fab-rication and installation of the sculpture within theproject budget. Structural engineering services arealso anticipated.

Resumes & Submittal Requirements:

Artist resumes should not exceed three 81/2”x 11” pages. Resume should include Education,solo & group exhibits, public/private commissions,public/private collections and gallery representation.

Artist depictions of the sculpture proposalshould be submitted on 8 1/2”x 11” paper not to

exceed five sheets; including a two page statementand three pages of illustrations.

Multiple submittals are allowed.

Selection Criteria:

A Selection Committee will evaluate the infor-mation submitted and will select three finalists forinterviews. The following criteria will be used toevaluate each artist:

Past performanceAbility of artist

Related experience on similar projectsCreativity and insight related to project

Demonstrated ability to meet time and budgetLocation of artist

Finalists will be selected and provided withan allowance of $500 each to be used to furtherdevelop the sculpture proposal. Interviews witheach finalist and a review of the developed proposalare anticipated to occur in February 2009.

Resume and Submittal Deadline Date:Resume and submittals are due at the addressshown below by 2:00pm on February 27, 2009.Electronic submittals are accepted.

Number of Copies: 7 copies

To request an information packet detailingthe site constraints for the sculpture, please con-tact:

Dustin Clemens, Senior Construction ProjectManagerCity of Charleston, Dept. of Parks823 Meeting StreetCharleston, SC 29403Phone (843) 724-7322Email: [email protected]

* We follow SC Office of State Engineer fee guide-

lines*

STATE OF SOUTHCAROLINA COUNTY OF

CHARLESTON

IN THE COURT OFCOMMON PLEAS FORTHE NINTH JUDICIAL

CIRCUITCASE NO:

2008-CP-10-7395

Michael R. Nelson,Christopher Nelson,Trantor Corporation, andJohn Doe or Mary Doe, fic-

titious names to designateminors, infants, persons ofunsound mind, under dis-ability or incompetent, per-sons imprisoned, or per-sons in the Military Servicewithin the meaning of theTitle 50, United StatesCode, commonly referredto as The Soldiers andSailors Civil Service Act of1940, if any, and RichardRoe and Sarah Roe, ficti-tious names to designatethe unknown heirs,devisees, distributees,issue, executors, adminis-trators, successors orassigns of Michael R.Nelson and Christopher

Nelson, also all otherunknown persons claimingany, title, estate or lienupon the real estate whichis the subject of this action,

Defendants.

SUMMONS

YOU ARE HEREBY SUM-MONDED and required toanswer the Complaint inthis action, a copy of whichis herewith served uponyou, and to serve a copy ofyour Answer upon the sub-scribers at their officelocated at 575 King Street,Suite B, Charleston, SouthCarolina 29403 within thir-

ty (30) days after the serv-ice hereof, exclusive of theday of such service; and ifyou fail to answer theComplaint within the timeaforesaid, judgement bydefault will be renderedagainst you for the reliefdemanded in theComplaint.

Derfner, Altman & Wilborn,LLCSamuel H. Altman575 King Street, Suite BPost Office Box 600Charleston, SC 29402(843) - 723 - 9804Fax (843) - 723 - 7446Attorney for Plaintiff

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL

Solicitation Number: 09-P001B

The City of Charleston is accepting Request for Proposalsfor the Janitorial Services. The City will receive proposalsuntil February 25, 2009 @ 11:00 a.m. at 288 MeetingStreet, Suite 310 Charleston, SC 29401.

The solicitation will be available upon request and may beobtained by submitting a written request to: Robin D.Barrett, CPPB by fax (843-720-3872) or mailing to theabove address. You may also obtain a copy of the solici-tation by going to our website: www.charlestoncity.infoand then enter the Bidline page.

AUCTIONS/SHOWS

ANNOUNCE YOUR AUC-TION IN 107 S.C. newspa-pers for only $375. Your25-word classified ad willreach more than 2.9 millionreaders. Call JimmieHaynes at the S.C.Newspaper Network at 1-888-727-7377.

COASTAL WaterfrontProperty Auction, Selling byCourt Ordered DivorceSettlement, House-OceanIsle Beach, 2 OceanfrontCondo-Myrtle Beach,January 31st. Iron HorseAuction, NCAL3936,SCAL1684, 800-997-2248,www.ironhorseauction.com

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Tuesday, February 3, 2009is the last day to redeem

winning tickets in the follow-ing South CarolinaEducation Lottery InstantGame: Match for Cash(SC#253).

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A HUD Home 5 bd. 2 ba!Only $200/mo. Or $21,470!5% dn, 15 yrs @ 8.5%. ThisHome Won’t Last! ForListings 800-391-5228 ext.s154.

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By: Dionne Walker,

Associated Press ATLANTA - BryanFlournoy sits in a down-town church, sipping cof-fee and taking inventory of his life: He's 33 and home-less. He's a stranger in

Atlanta, where a busdropped him off fromCalifornia last month. Heneeds a place to live, and

Homeless Ministry Tends to Their Feet, Dignity

he needs it yesterday.In a few minutes, he'll be

hoofing across the city,looking for work.For now, his feet soak in

hot water as a preacher buffs them with a pumicestone.

Every Monday afternoonfor the last year, the Rev.Bob Book and his wife,Holly, have transformedthe Church of the

Common Ground into a spa for the homeless. They scrub the feet of the city'sforgotten, mirroring theact of Jesus washing hisdisciples' feet. The service, repeated at

clinics and churches elsewhere, isn't simply symbol-ic - it helps stave off foot infections, which affect thehomeless disproportionate-ly and can lead to moreserious health problems.Men and women also leave

with polished dogs and a shot of self-esteem that vol-unteers hope can help themturn their lives around.Book says the ritual is pat-

terned after services prac-ticed by many Christiancongregations leading upto Easter. He takes it fur-ther with about 35 home-less men and women each

week: Five at a time, they get a soak, pumice, nailtrim, massage and a freshpair of socks. Volunteers

wearing gloves provideapricot scrub, ointments,air freshener for shoes, nailpolish and even insoles. The church doesn't tacklemedical issues; Book tellspeople with serious foot conditions to come back

when there's a doctor vol-

unteering time at thechurch."The worst ongoing thing

is the fungus that goes on with people's feet. It eatsaway and destroys the toe-nails and just makes it very hard for people to walk,"says Book, who once saw a black man whose feet were

white from days in soggy shoes. That was almost certainly trench foot, a commonhomeless condition that can lead to bacterial infec-tion, says Dr. Jessie Gaeta,

who practices internalmedicine with BostonHealth Care for theHomeless, which has oper-ated a foot clinic for 25

years. Similar clinics runby religious groups andmedical practices havepopped up in Nashville,

Tenn., and Orlando, Fla.,among other cities. The American Podiatric

Medical Association esti-mates more than 75 percent of Americans have foot pain, with infections four times more frequent inhomeless people."It's much more than cos-

metic. These are really functional problems," saidGaeta, who has seen every-thing from fungal infec-tions to maggot infesta-tion. Foot problems oftenexacerbate other healthissues in the homeless.

"Even a simple callus or blister in a diabetic patient is likely to become infectedand can result in necrosis,and result in the need for amputation," she says.

Burly but gentle, Book massages Pamela Parks'feet on a recent Monday.He doesn't push religion.If visitors take an interest -commenting on a painting of Jesus washing feet, for instance - he may talk about his faith. And healways says a silent prayer over the feet, for their own-ers.

"Usually, the last thing Iinclude is that they f indtheir way to Christ," he

says.

CHARLESTON COUNTY BOARD OF ZONING APPEALSPUBLIC HEARINGS

The following cases will be heard by the Charleston CountyBoard of Zoning Appeals at their regularly scheduled meet-ing on Monday, February 2, 2009 at 5:30 p.m. in CouncilChambers, 2nd Floor, Room B249, Lonnie Hamilton III,Public Services Building, 4045 Bridge View Drive, NorthCharleston, SC. This hearing is open to the public. Inquiriesshould be directed to the Planning Department (843-202-7200) referencing the case number.

CASE#: 2066-V (BZAV-12-08-2033) Variance request forthe reduction of the required 35’ OCRM Critical Line set-back by approximately 5’-6” to 29’-6” for a deck addition andan additional 4’ for stairs on property located at 829 ColonyDr, St. Andrews (TMS# 418-15-00-012)

CASE#: BZAV-12-08-2316 Special Exception request forthe establishment of a secondary school in a Single FamilyResidential 4 District (R-4) Zoning District on property locat-ed at 1389 Brownswood Road, Johns Island (TMS# 279-00-00-069 & 279-00-00-070)



The Chronicle January 28, 2009- 9

IDC 0900 City of CharlestonInvitation for Professional Services

Project: IDC 0900, Multidiscipline engineering services

Public Notice of Meeting will be posted at: Front lobby, 823Meeting Street, Charleston SC

Proposed Form of Contract: City of Charleston’s IndefiniteDelivery Contract - Large

Description of Project: Provide engineering design servic-es for the City of Charleston Capital Projects Division onan as-needed basis. Projects may include new construc-tion, repairs & systems replacement. The contract periodshall not exceed two years. The maximum fee for the IDCshall be $300,000, with a maximum fee of $100,000 foreach delivery order.

Anticipated Construction Cost Range: $5,000 - $1,000,000per project.

Description of Professional Services Anticipated forProject:Civil Engineering, landscape architecture, surveying, struc-tural, mechanical, electrical and plumbing. Firms mustoffer a minimum of civil, surveying and landscape architec-ture services in-house, but may utilize sub-consultants forothers. M/WBE firms are encouraged to apply.

Resumes:Current Federal Standard Forms 254 and 255 are to besubmitted. If consultants are to be used, they must beincluded in a single Form 255 for the proposed team.

Selection Criteria:A Selection Committee will evaluate the information sub-mitted and will select three finalists for interviews. The fol-

lowing criteria will be used to evaluate each firm:Past performanceAbility of professional personnelRelated experience on similar projectsDemonstrated ability to meet time and budgetLocation of firm

Resume Deadline Date: 4:00 PM, January 30, 2009.

Number of Copies: Seven

Name of Project Manager:Dustin Clemens, ASLACity of CharlestonDepartment of Parks823 Meeting StreetCharleston, SC 29403Tel: (843) 724-7322Fax: (843) 724-7300E-mail: [email protected]

* We follow SC Office of State Engineer fee guidelines*

Package for the MUSC Center for Advanced Medicine will be received from qualified bidders, properly licensed under the properly licensed under the Package for the MUSC Center for Advanced Medicine

will be received from qualified bidders, properly licensed under the properly licensed under the Package for the MUSC Center for Advanced Medicine will be received from qualified bidders, properly licensed under

the will be received from qualified bidders will be received from qualified b--__idders,properly licensed under will be received from qualified licensed under the wil will be received from qualified bidders Package for

the MUSC Center for Advanced Medicine will be received from qualified bidders, properly licensed under the Package for the MUSC Center for Advanced Medicine will be received from qualified bidders, proper-

ly licensed under the will be received from qualified bidders, properly licensed under- from qualified bidders, will be received from Advanced Medicine licensed under the properly under the will be be received from

qualified bidders,properly licensed under will be received from qualified licensed under the wil will be received from eceived from qualified bidders, dvanced Medicine will be received from qualified bidders, proper-

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Classifieds

ADVERTISEMENT FOR AREQUEST FOR PROPOSAL

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL FOR A NEWPORTABLE CONCESSION TRAILERRFP#09-01-OPS, BY THECHARLEStON COUNTY PARK

AND RECREATION COMMISSION

861 RIVERLAND DRIVECHARLESTON, SOUTH CAROLINA 29412

January 2009

Charleston County Park and Recreation Commission(PRC) requesting proposals from qualified Vendors for thepurchase and delivery of a New Portable ConcessionTrailer for use by CCPRC at the James Island CountyPark, 871 Riverland Drive, Charleston, SC

To receive a copy of the Request for Proposal, contact Mr.Justin Leyh, Operations Project Coordinator, 843-762-8025, Charleston County Park and RecreationCommission, 861 Riverland Drive, Charleston, SC 29412.Proposals should be submitted no later than 2:00PM onThursday, March 5, 2009 as outlined in the Request forProposal.

By:Mr. Tom O’Rourke, Executive DirectorCHARLESTON COUNTY PARK AND

RECREATION COMMISSION

CHARLESTON COUNTY GRANTS ADMINISTRATIONDEPARTMENT COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DIVISION

STATEMENT OF FINDING AND PUBLIC EXPLANATIONEvidence of Compliance with Executive Orders

11988 and 11990Floodplain Management and Wetland Protection

8-Step Process

Charleston County Grants Administration Department hasanalyzed the project identified below as required byPresidential Directive EO 11988 and determined thatassistance should be granted therein:

PROPOSED PROJECTConstruction of freestanding Bathroom Facility

PROPOSED LOCATION

Ravenel Railroad Depot MuseumCorner Highway 165 and Martin Street, Ravenel, SC 29470TMS# 187-00-00-100

Since a portion of Ravenel Railroad Depot Museum islocated in wetlands as established by the FederalEmergency Management Agency (FEMA), the County ofCharleston is required by EO 11988 to deny assistance tothis project unless there are no practicable alternatives. Ananalysis by Charleston County Grants AdministrationCommunity Development Division revealed that there areno practical alternatives. The basis for this determinationis as follows:

1. It is not possible to carry out the objectives of the CDBGand HOME Investment Partnership Act Programs to devel-op affordable housings and participate in the growth planof the community without participating in projects in thebase Floodplain;

2. The projects meet local planning and zoning require-ments;3. The proposed construction will not displace or redirectwaters to seriously affect other areas;4. Construction will meet the Wetland ResourceManagement Plan prepared by the community as a condi-tion of their participation in the National Flood InsuranceProgram;

Any comments received as a result of the Early PublicNotice for this project on December 12, 2008 were consid-ered in the analysis which can be reviewed at theCharleston County Community Development Office, 4045Bridge View Drive, North Charleston, South Carolina29405.

Public comments on this statement will be received andconsidered for a period of 15 days from today’s publicationof January 21, 2009. Comments will be received at the

address above. The proposed projects will not be imple-

ESTATES’ CREDITOR’S NOTICESAll persons having claims against the following estates

are required to deliver or mail their claims to the PersonalRepresentative indicated below and also file subject claims onForm #371PC with Irv Condon, Probate Judge of CharlestonCounty, 84 Broad Street, Charleston, S.C. 29401, before the expi-ration of 8 months after the date of the first publication of thisNotice to Creditors, or else thereafter such claims shall be and areforever barred.

Estate of: CELIA FORD GADSDEN2008-ES-10-1731

DOD: 07/13/08Pers. Rep. RUEBEN M. GADSDEN, JR.

759 BEAR SWAMP RD.,JOHNS ISLAND, SC 29455

Atty: THOMAS P. MORRISON, ESQ.PO BOX 1056, CHARLESTON,SC 29402

**************************************************************************


are required to deliver or mail their claims to the PersonalRepresentative indicated below and also file subject claims onForm #371PC with Irv Condon, Probate Judge of CharlestonCounty, 84 Broad Street, Charleston, S.C. 29401, before the expi-ration of 8 months after the date of the first publication of thisNotice to Creditors, or else thereafter such claims shall be and areforever barred.

Estate of: KING DAVID GRAHAM2008-ES-10-1456

DOD: 08/30/08Pers. Rep: EDNA K . GRAHAM

2144 MIDLAND PARK RD., NORTHCHARLESTON, SC 29406

Atty: EDUARDO K. CURRY, ESQ.PO BOX 42270, NORTH CHARLESTON, SC29423

**************************************************************************Estate of: MARY L EE SMALLS

2008-ES-10-1806DOD: 11/14/08Pers. Rep: MAE FRANCES MIDDLETON

2946 LIMESTONE BLVD., CHARLESTON, SC29414

Atty: GEORGE E. COUNTS, ESQ.27 GAMECOCK AVE., STE. 200,CHARLESTON, SC 29407

STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINANOTICE OF DEFAULT

AND INTENT TO SELLCOUNTY OF CHARLESTON

TO: BRIAN L. LYONSAND REBECCA L. LYONS – POST OFFICE BOX 683ISLE OF PALMS, SOUTHCAROLINA 29451

The undersigned asTrustee for the Non-JudicialLien Foreclosure of timeshareestates in Sea Cabin on theOcean, III and the Counsel ofTime Sharing Interest Ownersof apartments of Sea Cabinon the Ocean, III, have previ-ously filed a Notice of Lien forunpaid assessments on useperiod 13, Apartment 234, ofSea Cabin on the Ocean, III.This lien was dated February15, 2008, and recorded in theCharleston County Registerof Deeds Office in Book L-653at Page 658.

You are currently in default ofthe provisions of the originaltimeshare instrument and allamendments thereto, by fail-ing to pay the assessmentsdue on your timeshare inter-est. The amount needed tocure your default is $330.00

plus all interest, attorney feesand costs incurred by theRegime.

South Carolina Codeof Laws §27-32-325, asamended.

“If you fail to cure thedefault or take other appropri-ate action with regard to thismatter within thirty calendardays after the date of thisnotice, you will risk losingyour interest in this timeshareestate through a non-judicialforeclosure procedure.However, under the non-judi-cial procedure, you will not besubject to a deficiency judg-ment or personal liability forthe lien being foreclosed evenif the sale of your timeshareestate resulting from the non- judicial foreclosure is insuffi-

cient to satisfy the amount ofthe lien being foreclosed. Youmay object to the sale of yourtimeshare estate through thenon-judicial foreclosure pro-cedure and require foreclo-sure of your timeshare inter-est to proceed through the judicial process. An objectionmust be made in writing andreceived by the trustee beforethe end of the thirty-day timeperiod. You must state thereason for your objection andinclude your address on thewritten objection. In a judicialforeclosure proceeding thatresults from your objection,you may be subject to a defi-ciency judgment and personalliability for the lien being fore-closed if the sale of your time-share state resulting from the judicial foreclosure is insuffi-cient to satisfy the amount of

the lien being foreclosed.Furthermore, you also may besubject to a personal money judgment for the costs andattorney’s fees incurred by thelien holder in the judicial fore-closure proceeding if thecourt finds that there is a com-plete absence of a justifiableissue of either law or factraised by your objections ordefenses. You have the rightto cure your default at anytime before the sale of yourtimeshare estate by paymentof all past due loan paymentsor assessments, accruedinterest, late fees, taxes, andall fees and costs incurred bythe lien holder and trustee,including attorney’s fees andcosts, in connection with thedefault”.

CHRIS J. LOUDENas Trustee for Sea Cabin onthe Ocean, III, A Horizontal

Property RegimeOctober 8, 2008Moncks Corner, SouthCarolina


are required to deliver or mail their claims to the PersonalRepresentative indicated below and also file subject claims onForm #371PC with Irv Condon, Probate Judge of CharlestonCounty, 84 Broad St., 3rd Floor, Charleston, SC 29401, before theexpiration of 8 months after the date of the first publication of thisNotice to Creditors, or else thereafter such claims shall be and areforever barred.

Estate of: ANDREW GATES CREAMER2009-ES-10-0003

DOD: 11/08/08Pers. Rep: JAMES A. GRIMSLEY, III

PO BOX 2055, BEAUFORT, SC 29901-2055**************************************************************************Estate of: ALFRED H. WILLIAMS

2009-ES-10-0014DOD: 05/02/07Pers. Rep: GLORIAW. HAUGHTON

1582 WESTWOOD DR., CHARLESTON, SC 29412**************************************************************************

You'll do more than shout when you experience thepain from gout, in other

words, you will "go-out" of your mind.

I don't know how many times I have gone on a house call when I havefound a patient looking likedeath warmed over due to

pain in a swollen, large redtoe resting outside of thecovers. Often, the patient

will tell me that they havetried everything to get ridof the pain to no avail.

They have taken aspirinand other pain killing drugs and have only experi-enced upset stomachs

without relief. Oh. By the way, a lot of these over thecounter pain killing drugscan cause ulceration of thestomach leading to bleed-ing. If , by chance, younotice your stools becom-ing black, this is evidenceof internal bleeding in thestomach.

To me, when I see thispainful joint that has not responded to any therapy,most likely, the diagnosis isgouty arthritis. I am fur-ther convinced when the

patient has a history of dia-betes, hypertension., or hasa history of chronic kidney disease. Who also may betaking a water pill such as a thiazide diuretic. The diag-

nosis of gout becomesmore evident. Certainly a family history of gout alsois a red light of suspicion.

A heavy diet of red meat and other organ meats isanother signal of this diag-nosis. A history of exces-sive alcohol use may alsobe the cause of gout andlead to an acute attack.

Gout is caused by anincrease of uric acid whichfinds its way into jointscausing inflammation,swelling and oh lord, thepain. It appears that mensuffer more from this con-dition than women.Examination of the patient

often reveals deposits of uric acid crystals along theborder of the ears. Thisdeposit also causes disfigu-ration of hands, toes,ankles, wrists and knees.

If a blood sample is takenduring the acute stage of the gouty attack, it may befound to be normal. Thisshould not rule out gout.

The optimal time for tak-ing a uric acid level is "two

weeks after a flare up isresolved."

There are several drugsthat can be prescribed toprevent the buildup of uric acid. However, a diet low in red and organ meatssuch as liver, kidney, etc.may prevent symptoms.

Upon viewing the large,painful joint and the mask of pain on a patients face, Iknow that they need relief immediately. I usually willprescribe the following: A drug that I find most usefulis colchicine. This drug isderived from a plant andhas been used for years. Iusually recommend that the patient take one tablet every hour for five doses. If nausea or diarrhea occurs,stop the medication. Thisallows the level of this drug to reach therapeutic relief.

The patient is then advisedto take this medicationtwice daily until symptomshave subsided. Often, dur-ing an acute attack, a steroid such as prednisonemay be prescribed in order to reduce the inflamma-tion.

The shout from gout canbecome a lullaby if treatedaggressively. By all means,consult with your physicianif you are experiencing thistype of joint pain and over the counter medications

will not give relief.

Gout Will

Make You

Shout!

By Gerald W. Deas, M.D.

REQUESTS FORPROPOSALS FOR

LAWN AND GROUNDSMAINTENANCE 2009

The Housing Authorityof the City of Charleston

550 Meeting StreetCharleston, SC 29403

The Housing Authority of theCity of Charleston (CHA) willreceive Proposals for Lawnand Grounds Maintenance forthree separate divisions con-sisting of multiple locations ineach division. Each divisioncontract will be awarded sepa-rately. Proposals will beaccepted until 2:00 p.m. localtime on February 12, 2009 atThe Housing Authority of theCity of Charleston, 550Meeting Street, Room 114,Charleston South Carolina29406.

Proposal packages may beobtained after 2:00 p.m. onMonday, January 26, 2009 atthe CHA Purchasing Office,550 Meeting Street Room 114,Charleston, SC 29403.Contact W. Keith Brown at(843) 720-5345.

This contract is federallyassisted; therefore, contractsfor work under this bid will obli-gate the contractor and sub-contractors not to discriminatein employment practices asmandated by the Davis-BaconAct and Section 3 of theHousing and UrbanDevelopment Act of 1968.Minority and women ownedbusiness are encouraged torespond.

The Housing Authority

reserves the right to waveirregularities and to reject anyand all proposals.

"It is a peculiar sensation,this double-consciousness,this sense of always look-ing at one's self throughthe eyes of others. . . .

One ever feels histwoness,an American, aNegro; two souls, two

thoughts, two unreconciledstrivings; two warrings

ideals in one dark body,whose dogged strength

alone keeps it from beingtorn asunder."

-- W.E.B. Du Bois

(1868-1963)

Out of their own

mouthes shall the

murderers be

condemned

--Ida B. Wells, The Red

Recoord , 1895



10-January 28, 2009 The Chronicle

CHARLESTON A WINNER, AGAIN!

The U.S. Department of Housing and UrbanDevelopment today published Grant Awards for itsFamily Self Sufficiency program.

The Charleston Housing Authority was awarded$87,729.00. This award will permit the Authority to con-tinue to provide valuable case management services tothe sixty-four families currently enrolled.

Each of these families has voluntarily agreed to a workout plan whereby they will improve their education, job skills, etc. and move toward an ultimate goal of living independent of any government assistance.

Our FSS Program currently has 64 participating families who have voluntarily enrolled and who haveestablished individual goals ranging from working towards earning a GED, all the way to becoming a home-owner. Each family is afforded 5 years to complete their designated goal(s), with the possibility of a 2 year exten-sion being granted upon request.

The Homeownership Program, as an alternative to theconventional Housing Choice Voucher Program which

provides rental assistance, instead provides assistance toparticipating families interested in purchasing their home. Our Homeownership Program currently has 8participant s. In additional to providing the ongoing financial assistance, we also provide post-homeowner-ship counseling to each of them.

Our homeownership participants are actively involved in helping the FSS participants accomplishtheir goals. They enthusiastically attend FSS meetingsand encourage participants to work on such things ascredit repair and debt management so that they canimprove their chances for homeownership.

New Website TracksMiddle Passage Routes

Slave ships that carried ancestorsfrom Africa can now be traced

A newly-launched free Internet database gives African- Americans the opportunity for the first time to exploretheir African heritage the way whites have long been ableto chart their migration from Europe.

Voyages: The Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade Database isthe result of 40 years of research by hundreds of scholars.It allows African-Americans to trace the routes of slaveships that transported 12.5 million of their ancestors from

Africa as early as the 16th Century.

Two years ago, Emory University researchers, funded

by the National Endowment for the Humanities, begancompiling maps, images and other records of about 35,000slave-trade voyages from Africa to North America, Brazil,the Caribbean and Europe, according to the Chicago

Tribune. It is the first time such a large amount of data onthe subject has been available to the public.

"Everybody wants to know where they came from, andfor people from Europe, it has been possible for severalcenturies now to trace migrant communities," said DavidEltis, a history professor at Emory and a director of theproject. "Now it is possible to do the same for people of

African descent."

"The records for people of Africa and the Americas arebetter than the records of connections between Europeand the Americas for the simple reason that slaves wereproperty," he said. "No one cared what happened to freemigrants. They did care what happened to slaves, becausethey were making money from them."

While the database can establish the regions slaveships launched from in Africa and where they arrived in theUnited States, it generally is impossible to determine

which ancestors were on board, researchers said, becausethe records have African names that were changed whenthe slaves arrived in North America.

"The data certainly is not going to be helpful in trac-ing individual ancestors. You can't say your ancestor cameon this vessel, except in a tiny handful of cases," Eltis said."What it can do is provide context. The big advantage isthat it establishes connections between parts of Africa andparts of the Americas."

Since 2003, a Washington, D.C., company called African Ancestry Inc. has offered mail-order DNA testsfor $349. In recent years, other DNA research projectshave been developed, attracting such celebrity clients asOprah Winfrey, Spike Lee and civil rights icon Andrew

Young.

The problem with DNA testing, according toresearchers, is that insufficient samples of DNA have beencollected from Africa, making it difficult to provide match-es from many parts of the continent. The Voyages database

will help reinforce DNA data, researchers said.

"People may not be able to trace their particular ances-tor, but it is the most complete accounting of individuallives, individual ships, individual journeys to date," saidLeslie Harris, an Emory genealogist and author of "In theShadow of Slavery: African Americans in New York City,1626-1863."

The database, which is expected to become a class-room tool, contains the records of 10.5 million slaves, morethan 85 percent of the slave trade. It identifies more than67,000 of them by their African name, age, sex, origin andplace of embarkation.

Though many Americans view slavery as a U.S. phe-nomenon, the United States represented only 4 percent of the slave trade, far behind Brazil, the leader, whichimported about 45 percent of the slaves, Eltis said.

By Gleen Townes, Amsterdam News

A study released last month shows that African

American and Hispanic students are earning moreundergraduate degreesfrom the online school the

University of Phoenix thanany other college or univer-sity in the country.

Minority Students Earning Eegrees fromOnline School in Record Numbers

The comprehensive study was released in December by the Virginia-based pub-lication Diverse Issues inHigher Education. Among other things, the magazinetracks various trends ineducation and how some of

those trends affect African- American students.

“The University of Phoenix has made higher educationaccessible to all walks of live, including minority,first generation, underrep-resented, rural and other at-risk students,” said John

Arnold, chairman of theLeague of United Latin

American Citizen’sEducation Commission, a strategic partner of theUniversity of Phoenix.

According to a pressrelease on the University of Phoenix website, African-

American, Hispanic andNative-American studentsearned more undergradu-

ate degrees in business andfinance, management, mar-keting sciences and health-care, and various other related support servicesthan any other college inthe country. Results for

Asian-American students were the same.

“These rankings are partic-ularly important, given thecurrent economic down-turn,” said Bill Pepicello,president of the University of Phoenix. “They demon-strate [that the] University of Phoenix is structured toconfront market forcesnimbly [and is] attuned tothe current job market

with our focus on fast-

growing occupationalareas.”

In a related issue, less thantwo weeks before the inau-guration of Barack Obama as the nation’s 44th presi-dent, a national education-al think tank has launcheda web based marketing campaign advocating change in public educa-tion.

A group calling itself theForum for Education andDemocracy, in

Washington, D.C., isusing one of the many mantras of the Obama cam-paign of “Yes We Can,” insparking much neededchange in public schools

across the country.

“Our goal is to build on thehopefulness of the Obama campaign [and] address theshared anxiety about our uncertain future,” said SamChaltain, national director of the organization. “[Wemust] channel both sets of feelings into actions that

will help support our nation’s schools.”

A short film on the popular

internet video website You Tube entitled “Yes WeCan” has been viewed morethan 15 million times andencourages viewers to signa petition to work withPresident-elect Obama tohonor commitments toimprove public education.

To view the completeresults of the DiverseIssues in Higher Education report, about the record number of minorities earning under-graduate degrees from theUniversity of Phoenix, log onto http:// www.news-come/cgibin/prnh or visit the University of Phoenix

website h t t p : / / w w w . u p x n e w s -room.com.

CIS ProgramSeeks to Resolve

th eDigital Divide

Between African- American Women with New Grant

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – The Florida A&MUnive rsi t y (F A M U)Co mp ut e r Inf o rma t io nSciences (CIS) Program,housed in the College of

Arts and Sciences, is therecipient of a NationalScience Foundation (NSF)grant valued at $552,000de dic a t e d t o re c ruit ing mino ri t y w o me n t o c o m-puter science and informa-t io n t e c hno l o gy disc i -plines.

“The numbers are stagger-ing,” said Jason T. Black,Ph. D., assistant professor in CIS. “The latest data shows that out of all U.S.entering freshmen declar-ing a major in computer science, African-American women made up only 3.3percent. The fact is that women are not choosing technology, and this is a

da nge ro us p re dic a me nt . When you couple that withthe fact that it is estimatedthat 75 percent of all jobsby the year 2020 wil lrequire a technology back-ground, it becomes a crisiscall.”

The program, entit led African-American Womenin Co mp ut e r Sc ie nc e ,(AAWCS), is a four-year p ro gra m t ha t p ro vide ssc ho l a rship s a nd o t he r assistance to women whoe xp re ss a f ina nc ia l ne e dand an interest in computer sc ie nc e o r in f o rma t io ntechnology.

AAWCS, created by

Black, a lso the principalinvestigator for the pro-gra m, a nd Edw a rd L.Jones, Ph. D., chair of theCIS program, wil l direct ly address the dismal number of minority women, partic-u l a r l y A f r ic a n-A me ric a n women that pursuede gre e s in c o mp ut e r sc i -ence or information tech-nology.

Women who apply to AAWCS will be acceptedb a se d o n f ina nc ia l ne e d,a nd w i l l b e a w a rde d a scholarship of between$3, 0 0 0 a nd $5 , 0 0 0 p e r semester. In addit ion tot he f unding, t he w o me n wil l part icipate in CISde p a rt me nt a l c l ub s a ndorganizations, such as the Association for Computing M a c hine ry (A CM ) Cl ub ,the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE),a nd t he CIS M e nt o ring O rga niz a t io n (CISM O ). AAWCS scholars will alsob e invo l ve d in o t he r STEM programs, such asthe Florida/Georgia LouisStokes All iance for Minority Participation(F G LSA M P ) sc ho l a rshipprogram, and the Studentsa nd T e c hno l o gy in Academia, Research andService (STARS) All iance,b o t h NSF -f unde d p ro -grams.

An added benefit to thestudents is the conferenceparticipation, where select-ed AAWCS scholars wil lbe chosen to attend twonational conferences, paidfor by the grant, each year,such as the Grace Hopper Celebration of Women inCo mp ut ing a nd t heNa t io na l Co nf e re nc e o f Women in Information Technology (NCWIT).

T he A A W CS p ro gra mbegins operation on July 1and wil l run until June 30,2012. Applications for theprogram can be requestedby contacting Black at jblack@cis. famu.edu or

(850) 412-7354.

By: Associated Press

WICOMICO CHURCH, Va. - A six-year-old Virginia boy who missed his bus tried to drive to school in his fam-ily's sedan - and crashed. His parents were charged withchild endangerment.State police said the boy suffered only minor injuries and

authorities drove him to school after he was evaluated at a local hospital for a bump on his head. He arrived shortly after lunch, Sgt. Tom Cunningham said.It happened around 7:40 a.m. Monday on Route 360,about 61 miles east of Richmond.

The boy, whose name wasn't released, missed the bus,took the keys to his family's 2005 Ford Taurus and drovenearly six miles toward school while his mother wasasleep, police said.He made at least two 90-degree turns, passed several carsand ran off the rural two-lane road several times before hit-ting an embankment and utility pole about a mile and a half from school.

The boy told police he learned to drive playing Grand Theft Auto and Monster Truck Jam video games."He was very intent on getting to school," saidNorthumberland County Sheriff Chuck Wilkins. "Whenhe got out of the car, he started walking to school. He didnot want to miss breakfast and PE."His parents, Jacqulyn Deana Waltman, 26, and DavidEugene Dodson, 40, are each charged with child endan-germent, Wilkins said. Waltman is being held without bond. Dodson was released on a $5,000 bond.It was not clear if they had attorneys.

The boy and his four-year-old brother were placed in pro-tective custody."This really is a story of miracles," Wilkins said. "The Lord

was with him, along with everybody else on the highway."

Six-Year-Old Takes Family Car After Missing Bus



12- January 28, 2009- The Chronicle

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