Denver Urban Spectrum April 2015

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MESSAGE FROM THE EDITOR

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

When I moved to Denver from Atlanta a few years ago, I was desperate for community news and local happenings, particularly as itrelated to the African-American community. What concerts are coming to town? Where can I get my hair done? Who are the Black doc-tors in town? Where are the kid-friendly events? Those were just some of the questions I threw out to my fellow media cohort and friendRon Childs, whom unbeknownst to me had grown up in the Mile High City. “Well, you just have to pick up a copy of the Denver UrbanSpectrum,” he shot back, matter-of-factly. “Bee, knows everything and everybody.” Boy was he right! I grabbed a copy and have neverstopped.That said, you can only imagine how honored I felt when I was asked to serve as the guest managing editor for this month – the

28th anniversary issue at that. As a veteran journalist, who, like many of my colleagues of color got my start in the Black press, I’m anardent, lifelong supporter. I know firsthand the critical need for it here and beyond. It is up to us, as a community, to make it a priority tosupport DUS and similar publications with our readership and advertisement dollars. If we don’t, who will keep what unfortunately hasbecome a dying breed nationwide alive?Thanks to you, our loyal readers, DUS appears to be going strong and thriving after nearly 30 years of service to the community. It’s

still the “go-to” publication for metro Denver’s communities of color.In this issue alone, you’ll learn about an African-American owned eatery expanding dining options in Northeast Denver, get some

insight into the critical issues in the upcoming elections, get a preview of the acclaimed Motown - The Musical showand enjoy a front-row seat (well, actually 10th row) to musical legend Stevie Wonder’s Pepsi Center show.All of that, plus as my cover story explains, now you too can take my buddy Ron’s advice and “pick up” a copy of

DUS on your Smartphone or tablet thanks to the newly launched app.Yup, now there’s an app for that too!

Chandra Thomas WhitfieldDUS Guest Managing Editor

Your Interest Is My InterestEditor:The future of Denver is closely tied

to the future of District 11. Althoughour accomplishments are many, wecannot afford to ease our determina-tion to create a community in whichall can fully participate and prosper.Part of our challenge will lie in theability to create choices and opportu-nities for citizens related to housing,schools, jobs, our seniors, traffic, gro-cery options, health care facilities, andmore.The diversity of the district is also

reflected in our thriving businessesand neighborhoods. The businessesalong with DIA are the economicengine of the region and our commu-nity. We must strive each day to cre-ate public – private partnerships thatwill provide benefits to all residents ofDistrict 11.The stakes are high for continuing

to shape the Disrict into a healthy,vibrant, and livable neighborhood inDenver. Through valuing and embrac-ing our ethnic and economic diversity.I believe we can find common groundthat will be the foundation of a stableand sustainable community.If elected to city council, I will be a

change agent and an advocate for myneighbors, institutions, business andevery single resident of the district.We cannot continue to try and lead

in our community with anger nor canwe continue to lead with fear butthrough leadership. I offer that to theresidents of Green Valley Ranch andMontbello.We need:•Effective and efficient responses

to constituents•A Safe Neighborhood

•Services for children and families•Development of more affordable

housing•Economic diversity and workforce

development•City and school district partner-

ship•Support for our seniors•Advocate for more youth pro-

grams•Focus on community beautifica-

tion and quality of life•Enhance the availability and effi-

ciency of public transportation andresolve our growing traffic issuesWe have a chance to elect a coun-

cilperson who understands our com-munity, always willing to listen,someone who is visible and someonewho will always work on your bestinterest, regardless of the politicalchallenges. My only interest is yours,nothing more and nothing less.Let’s go and do this together and

let’s continue to make the mostdiverse district and the fastest grow-ing district in Denver – THE BESTDISTRICT IN THE CITY!I cannot do this without you and I

humbly ask for your vote, your finan-cial support but most importantly,your prayers.Visit us at Bradleyfordistrict11.com

or call me at 303-333-4356 and I willcall you back.

Candidate Sean BradleyDenver City Council District 11

(Green Valley Ranch,Montbello and DIA)

Opportunity, Equality, andProsperity Is Needed For AllEditor:I served as Mayor of Denver from

1991 to 2003 and was the only mayor

in U.S. history to serve as president ofthe U.S. Conference of Mayors, theNational Conference of DemocraticMayors and the National Conferenceof Black Mayors. Through my experi-ences, I have seen Americans gothrough hard times, but I have alsoseen the power that strong economicpolicies that drive investment, createjobs, and bring hope to Americans canhave on our communities.A recent jobs report showed that

more jobs were created last year thanin any year since 1999, when ourcountry was experiencing the broadbased prosperity resulting fromPresident Clinton’s economic policies.Our economy has recovered signifi-cantly from the failed policies of theBush administration that led us intorecession, but most people have notyet begun to feel it in their pocketsand in their daily lives.Once again, the economy is set to

be the prominent issue in the nextpresidential election. Our next presi-dent will need to offer an agenda toreduce inequality, create opportunity,and expand on the economic growthwe are already seeing.Last year the Clinton Global

Initiative came to Denver, where thecreation of Job One for America, aprogram to help young people findjobs, was announced. U.S. Secretary ofState Hillary Clinton penned an op-edon the program in the Denver Postwhere she wrote, “No matter who youare or where you come from, if youwork hard and play by the rules, youshould have the opportunity to builda good life.”Hillary Clinton believes that every-

one deserves a fair shot at achievingContinued on page 28

PUBLISHERRosalind J. Harris

GENERAL MANAGERLawrence A. James

GUEST MANAGING EDITORChandra Thomas Whitfield

CONTRIBUTING COPY EDITORTanya Ishikawa

COLUMNISTSK. Gerald TorrenceDedrick Sims

Theo E.J. Wilson

FILM CRITICBlackFlix.Com

CONTRIBUTING WRITERSCharles Emmons

Angelia D. McGowanChris MeehanAnnette Walker

Chandra Thomas Whitfield

ART DIRECTORBee Harris

GRAPHIC DESIGNERLorenzo Dawkins

PRODUCTION ASSISTANTCecile Perrin

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERSLorenzo DawkinsLens of Ansar

ADVERTISING SALES CONSULTANTRobin James

Byron T. Robinson

DISTRIBUTIONGlen Barnes

Lawrence A. JamesEd Lynch

Volume 29 Number 1 April 2015

The Denver Urban Spectrum is amonthly publication dedicated tospreading the news about people ofcolor. Contents of the Denver UrbanSpectrum are copyright 2015 by BizzyBee Enterprise. No portion may bereproduced without written permissionof the publisher.The Denver Urban Spectrum circu-

lates 25,000 copies throughoutColorado. The Denver Urban Spectrumwelcomes all letters, but reserves theright to edit for space, libelous material,grammar, and length. All letters mustinclude name, address, and phonenumber. We will withhold author’s nameon request. Unsolicited articles areaccepted without guarantee of publica-tion or payment.Write to the Denver Urban Spectrum

at P.O. Box 31001, Aurora, CO 80041.For advertising, subscriptions, or

other information, call 303-292-6446 orfax 303-292-6543 or visit theWeb site atwww.denverurbanspectrum.com.

Denver Urban Spectrum — www.denverurbanspectrum.com – April 2015

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In numerology, every number hasan inherent meaning, a certainessence. Overall, the numerologynumber 28 represents a compositioncontaining the ideas of:•Self-determinism•Independence•Relationships•Diplomacy•Business

The number 28 is synonymouswith self-determination; it’s primarilyfocused on itself, its independence andself-sufficiency, while keeping the wel-fare of associates in mind, especiallythose it has close relationships with,according to the website affinitynu-merology.com. There’s some attentionon building a business. The inherentmeaning also contains the ideas ofexploring new locations and methods,companionship, diplomacy, businessand a powerful initiative.How fitting that the Denver Urban

Spectrum (DUS) is celebrating itsanniversary this month, fully embrac-ing all 28 of its years covering commu-nities of color in Denver and beyond.And many members of the communi-ty insist it’s marking this milestoneembodying all that the number 28 rep-resents.“It’s been a labor of love, but we’re

so proud to mark yet another year ofservice to the Denver community,”says publisher andcommunity ambassa-dor Rosalind “Bee”Harris. “We look for-ward to serving thiswonderful, vibrant andamazing communityfor 28 more years and beyond.”Harris is proud to announce that

the publication she started with a clearvision nearly 30 years as a platformfor “spreading the news about peopleof color” is commemorating itsanniversary with the launch of a cus-tom-designed mobile application cre-ated by an African American-ownedtechnology company. The app, shecontends, will bring DUS to yoursmartphone or tablet whenever and

wherever you need it to be. “We wantour readers to know they can read uswherever they are – on their iPhone,their Android wherever,” she says. “Alot of people are going mobile now;everybody may not be on our website,so this allows us to be wherever youare.”In addition to the news and feature

stories that readers have come toexpect each month, she says, “this isgoing to provide an opportunity forour audience to connect with thosebusinesses that advertise with us andstay connected to community eventsand allow them to read about local,national and international news. Evenif you’re a fan of the website, now youcan take it to another level and gomobile!”The DUS app, available at no cost

from the app store, was created by theCEOs of Total Reach Technology andWireless 1, collegebuddies RobertFerguson, a nationallyacclaimed fitness gurubased out of LosAngeles and hisIndiana Universityclassmate Simon Bray, of Indiana. Thecompany recently designed apps forR&B singer Toni Braxton and rapgroup Wu Tang Clan. “It’s a win-winsituation; now reader can follow DUSand easily share the articles with oth-ers,” says Ferguson. “You can read theentire magazine – zoom in and zoomout. You can subscribe to and receivethe Spectrum’s newsletter and learn

about events happening aroundtown.”The app features news and feature

stories, a community calendar ofevents and a photo gallery, all easy toread and accessible on mobile devices.“So you can be in the barber’s chairgetting a haircut and reading theSpectrum at the same time,” addsFerguson. “We’re so proud of Bee forstaying up with the times. Not havingan app in 2015 is like a company nothaving a website in 2000!”

Gerie Grimes, president and CEO ofthe Hope Center pre-school programsays the app’s launch ismerely a testament toHarris’ innovativeleadership and long-standing commitmentto the community.“She’s certainly awoman and a Black woman with avision that she has made a realitybased on her own hard work and fol-lowing her gut,” says Grimes who hasalso led the Holly AreaRedevelopment Project. “Sometimesshe’s been standing out there by her-self fighting to keep her dream alive.Many times “the establishment”standsin the way of people getting the finan-cial resources necessary to keep thingsgoing, but Bee took on the challengeand hasn’t stopped. The reason thatthe Spectrum is still in existence isbecause she’s a fighter. She wouldn’tlet go of her dream.”Grimes, admits that she’s “old

school” and will likely stick to reading

a hard copy of the publication, but shebelieves the app will help theSpectrum expand to new audiences. “Ithink that’s going to work out well forBee,” she says. “When I think aboutmy grandchildren and others in theupcoming generation, I know it’sgoing to be a good resource to keepthem engaged. They won’t have towonder about, ‘how do I keep up withthe community?’ It’s going to be ontheir phone!”Former DUSManaging Editor and

Contributing CopyEditor Tanya Ishikawacould not agree more.“It’s so great to hearthat they’re updatingthemselves with tech-nology; I’m gladthey’re taking advantage of it,” shesays. “The whole purpose of a com-munity publication is to be accessibleand this is just making it that muchmore accessible to people who want toget their media and information thatway. It’ll be interesting to see howcommunity adapts to this newoption.”Perhaps Pastor Del T. Phillips, presi-

dent of Greater DenverMinisterial Alliance,sums it up best. “Aswe look back in history– journalism here inDenver, this is the ‘go-to’ publication for ourcommunity,” he says. “For the UrbanSpectrum to have lasted 28 years is asignature event. We’ve had otherpapers that have started here and theyhave not been able to continue on. I’mglad that we can add the Spectrum to along list of African American publica-tions that have survived. We’re excit-ed and we look forward to getting theSpectrum to its 50th anniversary.”�Editor’s note: Guest Managing EditorChandra Thomas Whitfield is an award-winning multimedia journalist whose workhas appeared in People, Essence, Ebony andJet magazines, along with The AtlantaJournal-Constitution and on Time.com.The Atlanta Press Club recently named anaward-winning feature story she pennedfor Atlanta Magazine one of “Atlanta’sTop 10 Favorite Stories of the Past 50Years.

There’s An App For THIS!DUS Celebrates 28th Anniversary with Launch of New Mobile App

By Chandra Thomas Whitfield


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Wellington and Wilma Webbhonored for more than 40years of public service

Former Denver Mayor WellingtonWebb and his wife, Wilma, a formerstate legislator, will be honored inthree upcoming events by theAmerican Association of CommunityColleges, Denver Health and a one-time performance of an originalCurious Theatre play.Wellington Webb will be honored

at the Denver Health Gala on April 18for his support for the hospital duringhis 12 years as mayor. He convincedthe city to create the Denver HealthMedical Authority in 1997, whicheliminated a $39 million deficit.Additionally, he pushed for $290 mil-lion in voter approved bonds forimprovements at the hospital.“Every great city needs a great

public hospital and I am proud thatDenver Health serves that role,”Wellington Webb said. “It is a greathonor for Wilma and me to be associ-ated with the hospital and its staff.”The couple also will be recognized

for their contributions to theWellington E. Webb DistinguishedChair in Community Health, whichhas raised $1 million. The endowmentwas created the same year the hospitalnamed a new 75,000-square-footbuilding the Wellington E. WebbCenter for Primary Care.On April 21, the couple will travel to

San Antonio, Texas whereWellingtonWebb, a Northeastern Junior Collegealumnus, will be recognized as one ofsix people nationally to receive the 2015Outstanding Alumni Award from theAmerican Association of CommunityColleges (AACC).He was nominated for the award

by NJC President Jay Lee. Wellingtonattended the college in Sterling, Colo.,in the early 1960s and was a standouton the college’s basketball team. Heand Wilma have sponsored a yearlyscholarship for NJC male and femaleathlete students the last few years.“It is our great pleasure to help

remind the education community, on

a national level, of the tireless workyou have done to make very signifi-cant contributions to your city, yourstate, your nation and your world,”Lee wrote.On June 3, Denver’s Curious

Theatre will honor the couple with aone-time showing of an original playbased on the couple’s more than 40

years of public service for Coloradoand the country. The 10th AnnualDenver Stories at 7:30 p.m. June 3 iswritten, produced and performed byCurious Theatre members. Proceedsbenefit the Curious Theatre Company.“The Webbs capture the essence of

what we seek to achieve with DenverStories each year,” said Chip Walton,the company’s producing artisticdirector. “Bringing their collectivestory to our stage is an honor.Denverites – all of us, really – areimpacted daily by their contribution tothe community over so many years.We look forward to highlighting theirlasting impression on the city.”�


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Former Mayor and First LadyHonored by Community Colleges,Denver Health and Curious Theatre

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Screenings/assessments

The first floor of a glass-mirroredoffice building in an industrial zoneisn’t exactly where you’d expect tofind a restaurant that’s raking in ravereviews on Urban Spoon, TripAdvisor, Yelp, Facebook and similarwebsites. After all, the first thing youhear about real estate, no matter if it’sresidential or commercial, is it comesdown to three things: location, loca-tion, location.That’s why at first glance The

Grubbery, tucked away on the groundlevel of the Scott’s Liquid Gold build-ing in Northeast Denver, might notseem like an obvious place for arestaurant catering to all manner offolk — from businesspeople to truck-ers to third-shifters and families. Onsecond glance it’s pretty easy to get to,

in a part of Denver that isn’t exactlyteeming with the hottest brunch spots,nightclubs and the hipsters scene.“We want this breakfast, lunch and

dinner space to be indicative of itsname,” says owner Wy Livingston,who also owns and operates her ownfine tea business, Wystone’s WorldTeas. She took ownership of therestaurant in November 2014. “Youcome in to really have a good meal—that kind of stick-to-your-ribs foodwith a healthy flair to it.” Maybe she’son to something…While some entrepreneurs might

consider the restaurant’s unconven-tional location an insurmountablechallenge, Livingston only sees oppor-tunity. “This type of restaurant doesn’texist over here, but there’s a lot ofopportunity because of that,” she says.“We’re off Havana and I-70. So we’regreat for folks coming and going to

the airport, great for folks that live inAurora or Park Hill or Stapleton. Wereally have a great location andbecause we’re in the industrial com-plex and all these businesses can bene-fit from the kind of menu that weserve.”Her optimism isn’t naïveté. Ever

the smart businesswoman, she did herhomework first. “I looked at thedemographics and looked at the areaand it became pretty evident this wasan underserved market on this side oftown and the kind of food that I want-ed to serve,” she says. “I thought thiswould be an opportunity to hit it outof the park.”It looks like it’s starting to happen

already. Livingston is preparing to putmore of her company’s signaturestamp on the restaurant as it expandsits menu. “Our brand new menu iscoming out April 1st,” she says.“That’s going to be a creation of ournew chef, Chef Donald James, alongwith myself. We’re adding about 20menu items, expanding the appetizersection, adding some additional saladsto the menu, but also having a fea-tured section where there are somespecialty items like shrimp and gritswith andouille sausage and chickenand waffles, but with a red velvet waf-fle with a mascarpone cream sauce.”The existing Wystone’s store in the

Belmar Center is still open, but nowthe restaurant now serves as a conven-

ient second pick-up location wherecustomers may purchase her productsby the ounce. “We pulled 40 of ourbest-selling tea products and they canpurchase them at the Grubbery,” sheexplains.Livingston also leases space in the

Scott’s building for blending her gour-met teas. Owning a tea companyalong with the restaurant, she says,has also helped her to blend two ofher favorite passions. “We considerourselves first and foremost experts atcooking with teas and blendingliquors with teas,” Livingston says.“So we have a whole cocktail menu oftea-infused cocktails.”Partnering with a chef that

embraces working with tea as a spiceand flavor has been beneficial too. Teashows up in other menu items, likegenmaicha tea infused in the vegetablesoup chicken and beef dishes marinat-ed in teas. “We make a carrot cakeand the carrot cake has our AfricanRooibos tea in it—not just in the bat-ter, but also the frosting,” Livingston


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Get Your GRUB ON!Far Northeast Denver Location Fits Black-Owned

Eatery To A ‘Tea’By Chris Meehan

Photos by Lens of Ansar

Owner Wy Livingston and Chef Donald James

Dr. Ryan Ross and wife Simone enjoySunday Brunch with children.

says.The restaurant already has a

diverse menu that spans the day —from breakfast and brunch onSundays to lunch and dinner. “Wehave everything from your typicalclassic breakfast to pancakes, we servebuckwheat pancakes as well and blue-berry pancakes. We do all kinds ofBenedicts and a breakfast burger. It’sreally what strikes your fancy in termsof meal preferences, sandwiches andsalads, a menu for just about every-one,” Livingston explains. “We alsohave a southern flare to it. Many peo-ple come in and are like: ‘Oh my god,grits!’”Just since November, The Grubbery

has expanded its breakfast hours toattract more business clientele. “Weused to open at 7 a.m., but if you’retrying to have an hour-long meeting 7a.m. to 8 a.m. doesn’t work since mostpeople have to be at work by 8, so weopen at 6:30,” Livingston says. That’shelped attract more business meetingsfrom companies like Kaiser, whichrecently held a meeting there.Likewise the Sunday brunch has beena rousing success too, because let’s behonest, everyone in Denver lovesbrunch. “Brunch has grown from a

few tables on Sunday when we starteddoing it in early December, to a sell-out crowd,” she asserts.With the ability to accommodate

more than 150 people The Grubberyalso is pretty ideal for hosting eventsranging from wedding showers tograduation parties. “We did Canvasand Cocktails on Feb. 13,” Livingstonsays, emphasizing her ongoing questto use the space in innovative ways.“That also introduces people to therestaurant and bodes well for repeatcustomers.” The event sold out andthe organizers have already inquiredabout hosting a Mother’s Day event.“We’ll probably do one event withthem every quarter,” she says.Still, Livingston sees more opportu-

nities to grow the business. “We havean intense guerrilla marketing cam-paign going on to let the businesscommunity know [we’re here],” shesays. “There are literally thousands ofpeople in the area who have nevergraced our doors because they do notknow we’re here.”Maybe it’s not always about find-

ing the “location.” Perhaps, as in thecase of The Grubbery, it’s sometimesabout making the location a destina-tion.�


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Michele Miller and Greg White enjoy Sunday Brunch.

As if the Mile High City weren’thigh enough, master songwriter,singer and entertainer Stevie Wondersent Denver fans soaring to newheights with his melodic music duringhis March 17 stop at Denver’s PepsiCenter. Donning his signature microbraids, sunglasses and a sparkly emer-ald green suit (in honor of St. Patrick’sDay), he shared his playful sidetelling the audience, “I didn’tsmoke none of your goodgrass,” joking aboutColorado’s legalizationof recreational mari-juana. “Like myblind friends say,‘you need tosmoke some tosee more clear-ly.’” With hisgorgeous daugh-ter Aisha Morrisat his side, thefather of nine, yesnine, encouragedthe crowd to pullout their “iPhonesand asteroids” tocapture an importantannouncement hewould make later in theshow. “Androids, dad,androids,” corrected him, witha giggle. “It must be the grass I didnot smoke,” he shot back, withoutmissing a beat.At times the show felt more jam

session and talent showcase, as heinvited several up and coming singersin his 30+-member entourage to belt

outsomeof hissignature

tunes andlater when

veterans GeraldAlbright, Herbie

Hancock and Chick Coreajoined in surprise performances. Heended the night announcing his plansto donate $150,000 earned from histour to the anti-gun “Stand Up ToStand Your Ground Laws” campaign,

an initiative created to fight the StandYour Ground laws that he says con-tributed to the death of Florida teenTrayvon Martin. “Superstition,”“Living For The City,” “Isn’t SheLovely” and “Village Ghetto Land”were crowd pleasers, while others like“I Just Called To Say I Love You,”“Ribbon In The Sky,” and “HappyBirthday” were, well, no shows at hisshow. Either way, any opportunity tohear a man so vibrant and gift still leftthe crowd “Overjoyed.”

– Chandra Thomas Whitfield


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The Man WhoWould beMarvin GayeAn Interview with JarranMuse About His Role inMotown - the MusicalBy Angelia D. McGowan

Jarran Muse is Marvin Gaye inMotown - the Musical, set to take overDenver, March 31 to April 19, at theBuell Theater at the Denver Center forthe Performing Arts. Motown - the Musical is filled with

back stories of legends such as DianaRoss, Smokey Robinson and a wholehost of the motor city’s favorite stars.The uplifting show about howMotown broke down barriers for thenation follows writing impresario andMotown label founder Berry Gordy ashe fought against the odds to turn hisimprobable dream into an all singing,all dancing reality. Adapted fromGordy’s own 1994 autobiography,“To Be Loved,” this two-and-a-halfhour walk down memory lane fea-tures more than 40 classic songs.Muse has worked on Broadway

and in New York City-based showslike Irving Berlin’s White Christmasand Dreamgirls, as well as internation-al tours for American Idiot, Dreamgirls,Hairspray and 42nd Street. The NewJersey native is one of the few touringmembers of Motown who also had achance to get his feet wet as part ofthe original Broadway cast, where hehad a swing role playing more thanone star. The Denver Urban Spectrumcaught up with the six-foot singerwho earned the coveted role of bring-ing the songs and persona of one ofthe worlds most prolific and powerfulsingers and storytellers to life - no

Stevie Wonder Takes The Mile High Even Higher

With His ‘Songs In The Key of Life’ TourPhotos by Lorenzo Dawkins

small feat in the world-wind tour thecast is now experiencing. The show isbooked through June 2016 – for now.

DUS: What was your reactionwhen you learned thatMotown - theMusical was going on tour?

Muse: Complete excitement. I wasexcited and hopeful [to be part of it].

DUS:What did you do when youlearned that you landed a lead role?

Muse: In the Broadway cast I was aswing. My contract said you’re goingto cover everybody from Marvin Gayeto Smokey Robinson. The buzz about[a possible] tour was going around forabout a year. I didn’t get the role untilFebruary or March, just two or threeweeks before rehearsals started.

DUS:How do you compartmental-ize your roles and not bring out

Marvin Gaye at your family reunions?Muse: I definitely feel that Marvin

Gaye is part of me. It’s the actor in methat I can turn off. At the end of theday I’m just Jarran.

DUS: You’ve had various roles overthe years, what has been your longestbreak?

Muse:About five months. I was get-ting a little nervous. Some people haveeven larger breaks. You never know.You don’t really know where the next[show] is coming from. You continue topray. You [hit] the pavement, audition.It’s important to save money so thatwhen you’re not working, you’re notworried about food - just the next show.At the end of the day it’s an easier strug-gle. I did work as an extra or back-ground in TV and film. A large chunk

of my time was waiting tables, being abanquet server at different parties. Youdo the job to stay focus, keep money inyour pocket.

DUS: Everyone thinks they knowhow to move like the Motown greats.How did you go about perfectingyour Marvin Gaye?

Muse:We have Mr. Gordy. This ishis project, his baby. He has knowl-edge. I haven’t seen Marvin Gaye live,but growing up in America you know.I talked one on one with Mr. Gordyand he left me pick his brain. Thenadd on the layers of videos and inter-views I watched on YouTube and thearchives. ..I listen to [Gaye] in my pre-show routine in the dressing room. Ifeel connected to him.

DUS: On your résumé your list ofspecial skills includes stage combat,and salsa and languages and accents -from conversational Spanish toJamaican and Indian. Is this skillsetpart of your life or did you make aneffort to learn for certain roles?

Muse: I’ve always had the skillsand joked around with them. I didn’trealize these special skills until tryingout [for roles]. There were certainauditions you would get immediately[if you have certain skills].

DUS:When did you know that per-forming would be your profession?

Muse:When I was a kid – 7, 8 and9, I always saw myself in the

Mouseketeers, Barney show. I didn’tknow performing was a career optionuntil high school when my teacherstold me.

DUS:What was your first payinggig?

Muse:My first gig was in Florida atthe regional Stage Door Theatre. I wasthe immediate replacement for one ofthe tap dancers. That role lasted forthree to four months. Then I was on acruise ship for about a year and a halfperforming. It just kept going. Now thisis my fifth national tour.

DUS: So you tap dance too?Muse: Yeah. I should list that as

one of my special skills.DUS: If you weren’t a performer,

what would you do for a living?Muse: I’d probably be a chef, mas-

sage therapist or a personal trainer.DUS:What’s the coolest place

you’ve visited while on tour?Muse: Tokyo. I’ve been there twice

while I was in Hairspray andDreamgirls. I had so much fun and Iam a huge fan of Japanese culture,technology, the temples, the peopleand the food. In the U.S., it wouldMontana for its Glacier National Park.It’s picturesque. That’s big for mecoming from Jersey.�

Editors note: For tickets visit www.denver-t h e a t e r . c om / t h e a t e r s / b u e l l - t h e -ater/motown-the-musical.php.


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Jarran Muse

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ple...which you benefited from, per-

sonally.“Friendship” with you is difficult

because of this. Race relations todayboils down to the dominant communi-ty’s “compassionate” refusal to giveback what’s owed, let alone talk aboutthe debt. Now, Blacks have to be“okay” with these false terms offriendship while our children go hun-gry in the process. We are called “divi-sive” and “troublemakers” when wereject this putrid agreement of socialamnesia. We live in the cold shadowsof a golden empire built from ourunfathomable misery and watch thegrandchildren of the Klansman andEuropean immigrant franchiseStarbucks in our communities. Theybuild dog parks where affordablehousing used to be. They never haveto question where the seed moneyreally came from, but you’re free tobuy from them as “equals.”Black people “equality” is a fool’s

game. Raise your standards, or call itquits in the fight for freedom. Equalityand “progress” are too low of atarget. A knife in your back nine inch-es deep pulled out to six inches is notprogress, though you’ve accepted it assuch. The knife removed would beequality, but you need somethingdeeper to heal the wound and mustdemand it. You need repair stitches, ablood transfusion and time away fromyour assailant to heal, lest they stabyou again.So, what happens when the

assailant keeps attacking, and hasbuilt industries to catch your spillingblood? When the Department ofJustice finds widespread corruption inFerguson’s police department, you’dthink that would settle the argument.Eric Holder made it clear Fergusonwas not the only place where policeare fleecing African-Americans forprofit, but the denial still contin-ues. This is because a system funda-mentally designed to promote onerace and ensnare the other cannot easi-ly relinquish the habit.“But, how bad can the situation

really be? How much money are Blackpeople really owed as a result of theirenslavement?” Well, a tally of the still-existing and recently defunct corpora-tions and businesses that profitedfrom slavery is staggering. The AtlantaBlack Star newspaper listed that JPMorgan Chase, AIG, NorfolkSouthern, Brooks Brothers, USA Today,Bank of America, Wells Fargo, as wellas Harvard University, Yale, PennState, Columbia, Rutgers, Brown andDartmouth Universities can all tracetheir fortunes, or the fortunes of com-panies they acquired, directly to theslave trade of Africans. Imagine thecombined fortunes of these institu-tions being paid out as restitution forthe crime of slavery. Many would findthat idea objectionable. This authorfinds it too small by a long shot. It’s

because we’re only talking about thecurrent fortunes and not the moneymade along the way.Consider this – We‘ll never be able

to fully calculate the missed opportu-nities, every broken family, every dol-lar owed, every never-to-exist empirethat could have come about had thatmoney been invested. And there isone more incalculable variable: Thepain and suffering.The murder of Dr. Martin Luther

King Jr. alone caused a psychic woundin the Black community worth thecombined wealth of the aforemen-tioned institutions. Consider that theU.S. Government has already beenfound guilty of his murder and we’retalking one more tool for us to lever-age what we’re owed.It’s not just a matter of justice, or

equality, or fairness. It’s the fact thatinherited wealth matters in a capitalistsociety. The Pew Research institutefound that the average asset wealthfor a White family in America was$141,900 in 2013: conversely it was$11,000...that’s it. That’s down from$19,200 in 2007 before the financial cri-sis. This is a dismal 1/13 the wealthfor Blacks than Whites. That numberfactors in Oprah, Bill Cosby, Jay-Z,Bob Johnson, Dr. Dre and every one ofour shining examples of Blackwealth. In a monopoly game, startingoff with even twice as much as youropponents almost guarantees a win. ABlack child starts off at a 13:1 disad-vantage in this country and we are thewealthiest Blacks on the planet. Thisgap persists regardless of educationand income.The question is this: Can you raise

a child in a world where they start offat such a steep disadvantage and stillcall yourself a good parent? Thewealth that we are owed from slaveryis still in the hands of those whoalways had it, so why aren’t we fight-ing for it? How can we continue for

another generation at such steep dis-advantage? Let’s face it; equality is alost cause with odds like this againstyou.Here’s an even deeper truth; get-

ting what we are owed monetarilymay not be a buffer against Whitesupremacy. In fact, it has been the suc-cessful among us that have been tar-geted and taken down by the sys-tem. It was the Black business manwho got lynched more often than thebeggar, who got chain-ganged forNegro vagrancy. Success and wealthmay actually make you more of a tar-get for White rage and fear than youwere when you were broke. This reali-ty leaves us with one option: Exodus.Perhaps it’s time to take what little

you have and invest it in some placewhere you can see the return in yourlifetime. Why continue to play withsuch sick, backwards and violent peo-ple at the helm of the institutions youdepend on? Who are you to leaveyour offspring in the line of firebecause of a dream that was clearlynot for you? Hasn’t this systemproven itself criminal beyond repair?What a crappy destiny for a race of

people to be trapped on the hamsterwheel of proving their humanity to abunch of criminals who outlaw resist-ance to their crimes! How irresponsi-ble would we be as parents to contin-ue another cycle of poverty and wantin a land that knows nothing of jus-tice, regardless of what it professes?What the DOJ found in Ferguson

may be the beginning of what weneed. Let’s win the case there for repa-rations there and set a legal precedentin Ferguson. Then, our case must gointernational if it is to gain enoughmomentum. The Fox News lovingmajority in this country has a denialcomplex too deep to keep this fightdomestic. This is how you make Blacklives matter; by making them matterto the whole world. You make Blacklives matter when Black people stopsettling for a penny less than whatbelongs to us by birthright.We cannot wait any longer, because

the momentum is with us now. Weare owed the world because we builtit. Let our children call us the greatestgeneration. Let them say that westruck while the iron was hot andforged a mighty sword of power.They’ve run so much game on us, bynow, we should be undeceivable. Maythe truth of your blood right guideyou to victory here, or in our mother-land that birthed us all. �


10

Reparations or Exodus!

The End-Game of Black Lives Matter

By Theo E.J. Wilson

“No Struggle, No Progress,”the title of Dr. Howard Fuller’s newbook, is a metaphor for his 50 years oforganizing for social justice in theAfrican-American community.He was inspired by the words of

Frederick Douglass: “Power concedesnothing without demand. It never didand it never will.”“So struggle we must,” Fuller said

at a recent presentation held at theBlair-Caldwell African-AmericanResearch Library. “Understanding therelationship between struggle andprogress is what propelled me downdark alleys and dirt roads in some ofNorth Carolina’s poorest communitiesin the 1960s and pushed me into thebush, mountains and war-torn villagesof Africa nearly a decade later,” hestated, at the event sponsored byDemocrats for Education Reform. “Itis what pushes me still in the fightover one of the most contentious edu-cation issues of this era: parentalchoice.”Fuller also founded Malcolm X

Liberation University in 1969 and wasa Black power advocate with anAfrican name: Owusu Sadaukai. “I gotinvolved in the African LiberationMovement in the early 1970s and latereven studied Marxism as a unionorganizer,” he said.A native of Shreveport, Louisiana

who grew up in Milwaukee, Fullerresolved to dedicate himself to theAfrican-American struggle for socialchange as soon as he graduated fromcollege in 1962. The Civil RightsMovement was in full swing, but hehad unconventional ideas about thepath to social change — ones thatnever allowed him to become merelya careerist.Although he decided to pursue

social work, he was not interested inthe traditional curriculum of caseworkand group therapy. “I viewed thoseareas as helping people manageoppression and I wanted no part ofthat,” he writes. “I wanted to help endoppression.”He chose Western Reserve

University (now Case WesternReserve) in Cleveland because itoffered a new area of social work thatcorrelated with his vision: communityorganizing. Throughout his life Fullerfrequently has had to make decisionsto change jobs and projects to be ableto pursue his social justice vision.

While inCleveland hehad two experi-ences that pro-foundly impact-ed his thinkingand futurework: First, heparticipated ina peacefuldemonstration and sit-in at the schooladministration building. The policecame and he, along with others, wasbeaten, taunted and charged with mis-demeanors. Secondly, a few weekslater he went to hear Malcolm X speakabout the future of the civil rightsstruggle, a talk that became known as“The Ballot or the Bullet”.“And from the moment he opened

his mouth, I was transfixed,” Fullerwrote. “The man was bold. There wasa raw honesty and bravery aboutMalcolm. He not only made perfectsense to me, but he connected tosomething deep in my soul,” he con-tinued.One month after X’s talk in

Cleveland, Fuller finished his master’sdegree. His scholarship stipulated thathe spend one year working for theUrban League, so he accepted a positionas an employment relations specialist atits Chicago office. “I had much respectfor the League and the role it played inthe broader community, but it becameclear to me that it would not provide theplatform for me to do the kind of com-munity organizing I yearned to do,”Fuller said.In the mid-1960s there was a vast

expansion in the United States of pro-grams and projects aimed at quellingthe discontent in the African Americancommunity. Fuller accepted a coordi-

nator job in aNorth Carolinaanti-povertyprogram,OperationBreakthrough —a position thatwould becomethe first of manyleadership roles.

Fuller was troubled by living condi-tions for African Americans inDurham, North Carolina. “Though I’dgrown up in public housing and spentmy earliest days in a poor southerncommunity, I’d never seen povertyand neglect like this,” he recalled,“Dirt streets in the middle of town!That was incomprehensible to me. Shotgun shacks were everywhere

and some of them had no runningwater indoors. My heart hurt when Isaw how my people were living andhow they had accommodated them-selves to survive under conditions thatno human being should have toendure. Anger burned deep inside.”A potent, but rarely-discussed line

in Section 202 of President LyndonBaines Johnson’s EconomicOpportunity Act prompted a “eureka”moment for Fuller. “The provisionsaid to me that poor Black people,who had long been dictated to evenby well-meaning whites, should play amajor role in determining what theyneeded and how they should get it,”he reasoned.He and his team went to work. His

style of community organizing con-sisted of going to churches, barber-shops, pool halls, restaurants andhomes. “We got started simply byknocking on doors to get to know thepeople we were serving,” he said.

From that moment in 1965 until thepresent, Fuller has sought to involvethe people who are being helped indetermining their needs and strategiesfor solutions. Sometimes this methodwas criticized by the power structure,elected officials, donors and themedia. For example, once a WhiteNorth Carolina RepublicanCongressman attacked both Fuller andOperation Breakthrough at a pressconference, calling for the program’ssuspension and Fuller’s firing. Although that did not happen, the

Congressman did succeed in banningdecision-making powers from the peo-ple served by the program. Fullerresigned two years later, but he lefthaving created at least a dozen pro-grams created by those being served. In the early 1970s he spent time inAfrica and even went into “the bush”with freedom fighters of FRELIMO,the armed units in Mozambique, seek-ing an end to Portuguese colonialism.When he returned to the UnitedStates, he went to Milwaukee to com-plete a Ph.D. and began directing edu-cation programs. In the early 90s hewas appointed as the superintendentof Milwaukee Public Schools. Hisideas about education reform, includ-ing vouchers, clashed with someschool board members and the teach-ers union.“Just putting Black faces in high

places will not change things becauseoften institutional arrangements willnot allow that,” Fuller said. He nolonger had faith in major change, sohe resigned.However, as in the past, when one

door closed, another opened. In 2000he became the first president of theBlack Alliance for Educational Options(BAEO), the first Black-centeredparental choice advocacy group.As he looks back over the past 50

years, Fuller admits that there hasbeen progress for some African/Americans, but he is concerned thatsome segments of the communityremain trapped in poverty. “When Ifirst landed in North Carolina 50 yearsago, I truly believed I could help endpoverty,” Fuller wrote in his book.“That youthful naïveté vanished

long ago,” he continued. “Educationdoes not alter the fundamentals of theeconomic structure, but we hope thatby educating kids, they will be in aposition to have an impact on makingstructural changes in this country.”�


11

Author, Activist Dr. Howard Fuller Recounts Black ‘Struggle’ and‘Progress’ At Blair-Caldwell Library Presentation

By Annette Walker

Author and Activist Dr. Howard Fuller Photo by Evan Semón

It‘s early spring. Just over 30days out from the Denver Municipalelection and there is a smattering ofpolitical yard signs everywhere. If thiswere November the byways would becovered too. Just because BarackObama is already president and this isa local election with less fanfare andpolitical ads on the television, does notmean you shouldn’t make voting apriority.March 2015 marked the 50th

anniversary of the marches in Selma,Alabama. Even President Obama wentthere with his family to observe thisimportant anniversary recentlybrought to the forefront of popularculture in the film Selma. Althoughfew dispute it as an ugly time in ournation’s history some discount its rele-

vance today. However, we mustnever forget the men and women whowere beaten on “Bloody Sunday” andduring other similar demonstrationsfought with courage, persistence andtenacity in the pursuit of the basic civilright to vote. President Obama’s message, and

that of Georgia congressman JohnLewis, resonated with many but thereis still much work to be done.Although poll taxes and literacy testsare no more, other forms of voter sup-pression continue to threaten ourdemocracy. Denver may seem farremoved from the Jim Crow south,but African Americans and Latinoshave been protesting and fighting forequal employment in the Mile HighCity since the 1960s. The Keyes deseg-regation case that a Park Hill residentbrought against Denver Public Schools


12

We are working hard to keep our promises to you.

Working to Connect OUR Diverse Communities in District 9

Former Mayor Wellington Webb Says“�ree years ago, I endorsed a young man who I thought would bring new young leadership and compassion to the most diverse district in the city. He has undertaken the tough issues and not ducked any controversial topics. He has brought new development and sense of community to the entire district with residents feeling that everyone counts. I am proud of the job he is doing as our councilman.”

Re ElectCOMMUNITY ENGAGEMENTSponsored & Co-Sponsored Numerous Events in Northeast Denver

Celena Hollis Memorial Annual King M. Trimble., Esq. Tea & Roses Senior Social Annual Hiawatha Davis Jr. Senior Luncheon Safe Summer Safe Holly Park Hill Festival Imagin8 Neighborhood Tour: My o�ce embarked on a strategic visioning tour, bringing every neighborhood together to share ideas about challenges and opportunities in our district.

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT Established Welton in Five Points as an Urban Renewal Area Partnered with the O�ce of Economic Development (OED) for the Welton Street Design Challenge Changed the name from Welton Street Cultural Historic District to the Five Points Historic Cultural District (O�cial in the fall of 2014) Future development of the Central Denver Recreation Center Grocery stores working to eliminate the food deserts in NE Denver: Sprouts Farmers Market, Colfax & Gar�eld, and Walgreens, 35th & Colorado Blvd.

YOUTH DEVELOPMENT Partnered with OED to provide intensive training to over 70 young men & women of color who live in District 8 and have been involved in the justice system. Upon completing the training, the young adults attended a job fair. Over 40 employers participated: 550 job opportunities were available.

AlbusBrooksforDenver.orgFacebook/CouncilmanAlbusBrooks

Twitter@AlbusBrooksD8Paid for by Albus Brooks for Denver.

Beyond Selma: Vote inMay…It Matters!

DUS Updates Community On TheMayoral, City Council Races

By Charles Emmons

District No. 1 went before the U.S.Supreme Court in 1973. Although thecity has had its trials and triumphs, itis perhaps the growing independentcharacter of voters that has allowedfor the majority of the city’s successes.Denver’s first Hispanic mayorFederico Pena coined the phrase,“imagine a Great City” and he fundedDenver International Airport (DIA)and built a new convention center.Wellington Webb, Denver’s firstAfrican American mayor, completedthe airport. The second AfricanAmerican and current mayor, MichaelHancock imagines even greater thingsfor Denver and DIA.Mayor Hancock has had a success-

ful first term. He has forged the requi-site partnerships with the businesscommunity to bring jobs and invest-ment and has worked with the educa-tional community to help ensure thatan educated workforce is ready to takethe jobs that are being created. Areview of his 2014 State of the Cityreport reveals many of his accomplish-ments. If fundraising wins elections, itappears that he will easily earn a sec-ond term – even with the likes ofSauk’, Paul Noel Fiorino and MarcusGiavanni having been officially certi-fied on the mayoral ballot. He hasraised more than a million dollars forhis campaign. Mayor Hancock has also taken

Mayor Webb’s walking of Denverneighborhoods to another level.While leveraging social media, he isout and about in the community.Photos on his Facebook page from St.Patrick’s Day reveal he may even havea bit of the Irish in him.Still, effective governing is not fun;

it is hard work and Hancock, likemany of his colleagues on city council,is aware that not all neighborhoodshave been a part of Denver’s success.For example, in 2014 he focused hisattention on slighted neighborhoodslike Westwood and FivePoints/Welton Street. The Five Pointsneighborhood recently received $150million in funds for redevelopment. Itwas thought in the early 1990s thatlight rail would boost the area’s eco-nomic standing, but that did not panout – and the stark contrast is quiteapparent when driving in from a newand vibrant downtown onto WeltonStreet in Five Points. Fortunately, therehab and redevelopment of such his-torical landmarks like the RossonianHotel are helping the vision changefor the area. District 8 has many changes. Albus

Brooks represents the economicengine of downtown and has frequentinterfaces with business and organiza-tions like the Downtown DenverPartnership. His Integr8 program inpartnership with the Denver Office of

Economic Development placed nearly30 at-risk youth in gainful employ-ment. These were youth on the mar-gins that had committed felonies ormisdemeanors. Brooks is just one ofthe young councilmen who are mak-ing a difference in Denver’s communi-ties of color, while at the same timemaking a mark as good policy andlaw makers. During a conversationwith him last fall he told me: “The cityis what changes your life most imme-diately. The city is where I have theopportunity to make a decision onMonday and it affects someone’s lifeon Tuesday. People don’t understandthat 90 percent of our GDP (grossdomestic product) is generated incities. We have so much influence andpower on a city level to change thewelfare of individuals. So it isextremely important for AfricanAmericans and Latinos in this city tobegin seeing the advantage that theyhave in their elected officials at the citylevel and seeing that the power theycan bring at the city level.” Brooks is running for reelection. He

will represent the redrawn District 9.Another young councilman and cur-rent council president Chris Herndonhas moved out of District 11 and isrunning in District 8, which nowincludes the Stapleton neighborhood.His latest accomplishment is gettingthe Punch Bowl Social restaurant intothe old control tower property inStapleton and he, like Brooks, isfocused on programs that help breakthe preschool to prison pipeline foryouths, particularly ones of color. Hissuccessful Northeast DenverLeadership Week slated for June 15-19, will focus on providing youngpeople with career alternatives andleadership opportunities.Redistricting happens in Denver

every 10 years. The boundaries wereredrawn in 2012 to go in effect for theMay 5 election. District 9 will includeFive Points, Cole, Elyria Swansea,Coors Field and the Pepsi Center.District 8 will include Park Hill,Stapleton, Northfield and parts ofMontbello. District 11, one of the mostcompetitive races, will include parts ofMontbello, Green Valley Ranch andDIA. According to the denvergov.orgwebsite:Current City Council members will

represent constituents within theseboundaries until July 20. 2015 CityCouncil Districts: These boundarieswill be used to determine voter andcandidate eligibility for the May 5General Municipal Election and anyelection thereafter. Representation forthese boundaries will go into effectwhen newly elected City Council rep-resentatives are sworn into office onJuly 20. Chris Herndon’s departure from

District 11 leaves an open seat. Thereare now five candidates vying for hisspot – Sean Bradley, Shelli Brown,Stacie Gilmore and Tea Schook (candi-date Tim Camarillo is also on the certi-fied ballot, but he has not reportedany campaign contributions).Here’s some of what they had to

say when I reached out to them forcomment on the pressing issues andtheir candidacy.

DUS:What are the major issues facingDenver and its communities?Sean BradleyParticularly out

here in our neighbor-hood it’s growth.There are 12,000 peo-ple moving intoDenver every yearand we are seeing theeffects of that in GreenValley Ranch and Montbello. Growthis really happening. Traffic is really aproblem here. The other thing is that we have

some real challenges with safety. Wehave had enough shootings that havetaken place in our community, thatnow people think we should be thatmuch more alarmed. Because thatwas during the cold months of theyear, just imagine what could poten-tially happen during the summertime.

Continued on page 14

Being your Mayor has been the greatest honor of my life. Together, we are making this city a better place for your family and for mine.

Paid for by Hancock for Denver; Joshua J. Wido�, Treasurer

HANCOCKFORDENVER.COM


13

Beyond Selma...Vote in MayContinued from page 12 And so having a safe environment

and a safe community to raise a familyand for seniors to continue to live outtheir lives, that is a real challenge forus out here.And then the third thing I would

say are the grocery options that wedon’t have for our community are realand legitimate. But we do have eco-nomic development challenges. Wedo have senior transportation chal-lenges. We need to make sure thatRTD is running full services through-out our neighborhoods so that seniorscan get to their prescriptions and getto their doctor’s appointments andthen get back home.

Shelli Brown It’s growing pains.

We are a city that hasgrown tremendouslyand District 11, inparticular as it is now,has seen 75 percent ofthe growth acrossDenver. We are try-ing to figure out how to accommodateall that. Whether that means housing,whether that means amenities andservices that match all these develop-ments, in different parts of the city weare hearing the same common theme,just maybe a little differently.I would also say our public safety

department is going through somechanges. Our sheriff’s department washighlighted (for use of excessive forceand officer misconduct) over the sum-mer and our police department hashad this issue come up more recently.So that is a citywide issue and some-thing that we need to that we need tokind of think through so that the folksin charge of keeping us safe and man-aging our safety are really making thebest decisions possible on our behalf,and with us, if that makes sense.Those are the two big things that cometo mind.

Stacie GilmoreThe three most

important issues fac-ing the city are 1.Denver is underretailed, with revenueseepage to othermunicipalities 2. Lackof affordable housing:and 3. Investment in infrastructure,including roads. The issues facing ourcommunity in District 11 are the needfor 1. Youth and adult training pro-grams, with an emphasis on jobs lead-ing to livable wage careers with bene-fits: 2. Healthy food options: and 3,addressing transportation issues withour roads that create traffic flow bot-tlenecks.

Tea Schook How to balance

the needs of residentswith growth – man-aging growth – withbalancing the desirefor safe neighbor-hoods and city withfears of police overreaction, gettingbasic maintenance like streets, lights,traffic management, sidewalks andcode enforcement in District 11.Jumping into the public sphere to

tackle these issues is a daunting task,especially considering the fact thatsome have lingered for more than 25years. Bradley moved to Denver 11years ago and has worked on CapitolHill and with state legislatures, but hesays his grandparents, mother andaunt (who were precinct judges andspent time registering people to votein rural Texas respectively) inspiredhim to pursue public service. “Theywere registering people to vote, theywere encouraging people to go to thepolls. And so to get a chance to seethat really showed me how impactfulyou can be in the community – if youvote, you participate and getinvolved.” Brown, a licensed counselor who

has lived in Green Valley Ranch since2001, works as the site manager for aviolence prevention youth program inMontbello. “I think in the capacity ofthis job and position my eyes wereopened to the possibility of leadingthe community in a different way,”Brown said. Gilmore has run a successful envi-

ronmental education nonprofit for 20years. For her it is about quality oflife. “I love our community. I am pas-sionate and committed to making sureit is represented on all issues affectingour quality of life. We deserve to livein a community that has smart andsustainable economic growth, jobs thatlead to careers and a beautiful neigh-borhood where the quality of life sup-ports our family’s health and well-being.” Schook has been a community and

political activist all her adult life. Shesays she worked under and was men-tored by Mayor Webb, CathyDonohue and Cathy Reynolds. “Citycouncil is the form of government thatis closest to the people governed andis the next natural step in a lifetimededicated to bringing power to thepeople.”

DUS:Why do you think you are thebest public servant to address some of thecritical issues?

BradleyI think because of my experiences.

I’ve worked on the federal govern-ment level; I’ve worked on the stategovernment level [and] I’ve worked


14

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on the local government level. I’veworked in the nonprofit sector and asthe president of the Denver UrbanLeague. My wife and I started ourown business, so my wife and I aresmall business owners. We live in theneighborhood. We know these issues. Having political experience allows

me to maneuver through the weedsand get things done on behalf of thepeople in this community. We have asignificant amount of support in theneighborhood and throughout thecity, so I am not just thinking we cando this work. I know we can do thiswork.

BrownBecause I work hard: because I am

not in it for anybody else but the com-munity. I feel that I can be a strongadvocate for the families that are in farnortheast, because it is something thatis natural for me. I have been livingout here since 2001 raising my family.Our district includes most ofMontbello, Green Valley and DIA. Idon’t want to discount DIA which hasa pretty large impact over the wholecity, but in terms of keeping my fingeron the pulse of really what is going onin the community itself, I feel I am thestrongest candidate to be that voice.I am the one that is most embedded

in this community and the one that isdoing this community work everyday. Far northeast Denver is essential-ly the center of my world because ofthe fact that I do live and work here.So I really do have a stake in seeingthis district represented well.

GilmoreThe role of an elected city leader

should be to listen first, do their bestto thoroughly understand an issue,gather information from contentexperts and then be able to make adecision based on that information. Ihave been doing this throughout my20 years of work in the communityand I will continue this through mypublic service. I will stay true to mywork for the past two decades in

which I champion children and fami-lies to succeed, making sure we have afiscally responsible government, eco-nomic opportunities and a high quali-ty of life to ensure our citizens haveevery chance to succeed in life.

SchookI bring experience to the role; I have

worked for the city of Denver nearly18 years. I managed the relationshipwith the restaurant owners at the air-port as food and beverage managerand now as land manager I work withour external tenants – the rental cars,the gas station, and the pet boardingfacility. I have worked with business-es of all sizes to create successes forthem and for local government. I wrote Denver’s Anti-

Discrimination Ordinance, a law pro-tecting all people in the city, and Ipulled together a coalition of religious,racial, business and social entities tolobby the city council for its passage,which was accomplished in 1990. Ibring passion, experience and commit-ment to the job along with the desireto make something good into some-thing great.These candidates give voice to

many of the issues on the minds ofmany in the metro area and they wantyou to know they are passionate aboutrunning and resolving them. Last October former Mayor Webb

told the Spectrum that you always votefor your interests. Everyone has aninterest in a good job, good schools fortheir children, infrastructure to sup-port your daily commute and a safeenvironment to raise a family. Wehave a responsibility to participate inthe process and let them know whatwe want. Engage and investigate all ofthe candidates online and with socialmedia, but also in person at townhalls, neighborhood meetings andwhen they knock on your door. Tell them what you want and need

and validate that by casting you’re onMay 5th for the one you feel most like-ly to get it done for you.�


15

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By La Toya S. Petty,MNM

DevelopmentDirector, FamiliesForward ResourceCenter

You are probably thinking, “thiswill never happen to my family” or“I’m healthy, educated, a careerwoman and I have a good doctor so…I have nothing to worry about.” It’stime to become more aware of thehealth of our community and children.Not only is infant mortality real, butDenver’s African American womenare three times more likely to losetheir babies to miscarriage or death inthe first year of life compared to anon-Hispanic white woman regardlessof socioeconomic status includingeducation and income level. Our babies are dying at an aston-

ishing rate and we cannot turn a blindeye. In Far Northeast Denver andNorthwest Aurora, there were approx-imately 750 births per year to AfricanAmerican women from 2011-2013 andthe infant mortality rate during that 3-year period was 9.8/1,000 live births.In contrast, the average infant mortali-ty rate for the same 3-year period was3.7/1,000 live births for non-Hispanicwhite women for 720 births. Women, you are not at fault. This

uphill battle is a consequence of stres-sors and negative experiences acrossgenerations resulting from prolongedexposure to racism. The phrase “lived experience” has

been used by medical professionals todescribe the racial disparity acrossgenerations. Factors of life that havebecome generational stressors forAfrican Americans like education,family dynamics, past experiences,socioeconomic status, and simply feel-ing like there is no sense of belonging

can have lastingconsequences ona woman’s abili-ty to have ahealthy preg-nancy andinfant. The most dis-

turbing fact isthat 80 percentof Denver’s African American deathscould have been prevented last year. Families Forward Resource Center

(FFRC) has the solution. Through ourHealthy Babies, Strong FamiliesProgram (HBSF) we are fully preparedto address Denver’s disturbing infantmortality rate. Shawn Taylor, HBSF program man-

ager, and her team of HBSF Advocateswork with families that are planningto have a baby, currently pregnant,and have recently given birth. EachHBSF Advocate is uniquely qualifiedto support families through their preg-nancy. They go through extensivetraining and have valuable life experi-ence that helps families embrace thepregnancy journey. African American and Bi-Racial

families are eligible for this free pro-gram. FFRC believes babies are pre-cious and deserve a healthy start sowe welcome all family structures.HBSF will address infant mortality byproviding direct support to families atthree different levels.

1. Individual Family Level: Familydevelopment delivered through HomeVisitation, Parenting Education,Health Programs, Resource Referral,Infant Resources, Counseling andFamily Planning.

2. Group Level: Trainings and class-

es: Resiliency,Mindfulness,Yoga, Birthing,Mental HealthFirst Aid,Walking Club,FatherhoodSupport Groupand TeenParenting

Solution Group. Other social connec-tions such as breastfeeding work-shops, expecting mom’s day out, chatand chew social groups and mom-to-mom mentoring are also available.

3. Community Level: Far NortheastHealth Alliance is a CommunityAction Network (CAN) that coordi-nates with other initiatives andengages participants to work on socialdeterminants. The CAN also works toensure medical homes for participantsin local communities.Through the HBSF program FFRC

aims to reduce African Americaninfant mortality by improvingwomen’s health, promoting qualityservices, strengthening familyresilience, achieving collective impactand increasing accountability throughquality improvement, performancemonitoring and evaluation.

Get Involved!Get Involved!•Individuals/Families: FFRC will

connect you with a HBSF Advocateand get you started in the program. Ifyou need any other assistance youradvocate is there to help you withwhatever you need!

•Social Groups: If you are current-ly part of a pregnancy or social group,HBSF advocates will come to you andprovide classes and resources for your

members. •Schools:HBSF advocates are pre-

pared to conduct an introductoryHBSF Program Orientation withschool staff in addition to hosting ourTeen Parenting Solution Group at theschool. •Organization Referrals:

Organizations that are currently work-ing with eligible cliental can referthem to the HBSF program by visitingour website and filling out the “signme up” form on the HBSF webpage.We can also work out a formal referralprocess for larger entities.

•Fatherhood: This program sup-ports Fathers also! Fathers are wel-come to participate in all the classeswith their spouse. FFRC also has theToday’s Fathers Program which helpsmen maneuver and embrace familylife.�Editor’s note: If you would like to join theFFRC family, there are plenty of opportu-nities in 2015. Contact Shawn Taylor,HBSF Program Manager. Call 303-386-2915 or sign-up onlinewww.familieforwardrc.com. Visit our web-site for more information about the commu-nity events, fundraisers and programs.Donations are appreciated to our AnnualStrong Families, Strong CommunitiesFundraising Campaign that help savebabies. Mail checks payable to FamiliesForward Resource Center to 4800 TellurideSt. B5-162 Denver, CO 80249.


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Infant MortalityIs RealIs Real

Upcoming EventsUpcoming EventsKite Festival

May 30th - 10 to 2 p.m.Infant Mortality Summit

June 13th Kathy’s Kamp (Summer Enrichment Camp)June 8th – July 25th 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.

FFRC’s 6th Annual “Get on the Green for Good”Golf Tournament

July 10th at 7:30 a.m.Strong Families, Strong Communities

5K Block PartyAugust 1st at 7:30 a.m.

Kathy Hill-Young Community Spirit AwardsCelebration

December 5th at 7 p.m.

Depression:What YouNeed To KnowBy Drs. Herbert & Mary Canty Merrill

Depression is a mood disorderthat causes an overwhelming and per-sistent feeling of sadness. However,some depressed people do not feel sadat all—instead, they may feel lifeless,empty, and apathetic and some mayeven feel angry, aggressive and rest-less. Whatever the symptoms, depres-sion is different from normal sadnessin that it engulfs your day-to-day life

and interferes with your ability towork, study, eat, sleep and have fun.These feelings of helplessness, hope-lessness and worthlessness are intenseand unrelenting, with little, if any,relief. Depression can be attributed to a

number of causes that include, but arenot limited to: certain medical condi-tions, sleep problems, drugs and alco-hol and stressful life events such asdeath, divorce, abuse, neglect or aban-donment. Depression distorts how weview ourselves, others and our envi-ronment.Depression comes in many forms

and different types of depression haveunique symptoms, causes and effectsamong various cultural groups.Knowing what type of depression youhave can help you manage yoursymptoms and obtain the most effec-tive treatment. Also knowing howdepression is perceived within yourcommunity or cultural group canbecome a major asset in finding solu-tions or effective means to resolvingproblems.

Three Primary Types of DepressionMajor Depressive Disorder (Clinical Depression)While we all feel sad or blue at

some point in our lives, major depres-sion is characterized by a lingeringinability to enjoy life and experiencepleasure. The symptoms range frommoderate to severe. Left untreated,major depression typically lasts forabout six months. Some people experi-ence only a single depressive episodein their lifetime, but more commonlymajor depression is a recurring disor-der to those who have been trauma-tized.According to the Anxiety and

Depression Association of America(ADAA), depression is the leadingcause of disability in the U.S. for ages15 to 44. It affects approximately 14.8million American adults, or about 6.7percent of the U.S. population age 18and older in any given year. Whilemajor depressive disorder can developat any age, the median age at onset is32.5 and it is more prevalent inwomen than in men.

Dysthymia (recurring, mild depression)Dysthymia is a chronic but

milder form of depression. More daysthan not, you feel mildly or moderate-ly depressed, although you may havebrief periods of normal mood. Thesymptoms of dysthymia are not asstrong as the symptoms of majordepression, but they last muchlonger. Some people also experience

major depressive episodes on top ofdysthymia, a condition known as“double depression.” The symptoms of dysthymia may

include: lack of energy, irritability orexcessive anger, a change in sleep pat-terns, trouble concentrating and mak-ing decisions, over or under eating,avoidance of social activities, hopeless-ness, low self-esteem, pessimism, orfeeling incapable of achievement.Dysthymia symptoms can come andgo or change in intensity over time. Ifyou suffer from dysthymia you mayfeel like you have always sufferedfrom depression or you may thinkyour continuous depressed state is“normal.“ The good news is that dys-thymia can be treated, even if symp-toms have gone untreated for anextended period of time. Goneuntreated, dysthymia can progressinto major depression.

Bipolar Disorder (Manic Depressive Illness)Bipolar disorder is a brain disorder

characterized by a mood cycle thatshifts from severe highs (mania) ormild highs (hypomania) to severelows (depression). These moodsswings can occur gradually or abrupt-ly and causes unusual and intensechanges in mood, energy and func-tion. Bipolar disorder can result inpoor job and school performance,damaged relationships, insurmount-able debt and even suicide.Bipolar disorder tends to be heredi-

tary, so some people are more likely todevelop the illness than others.However, genes are not the only riskfactor for bipolar disorder – social andenvironmental factors are alsoinvolved, although research has notfully determined how these factorscontribute to the illness.The signs and symptoms of bipolar

disorder may include: a long period offeeling overly happy or overly sad,extreme changes in sleep, activity andenergy patterns, extreme restlessnessor irritability, being easily distracted,talking fast and jumping from oneidea to another, problems with con-centration, memory and decision-mak-ing, an unrealistic belief in one’s abili-ties, impulsive engagement in high-risk, pleasurable activities, hallucina-tions or delusions, alcohol and/orsubstance abuse and thoughts of deathor suicide. Bipolar disorder usuallylasts a lifetime, although medicationscan help control symptoms and sup-port normal day-to-day functioning.

Stigmas Surrounding Mental IllnessThe stigmas (or negative attributes)

that surround mental illness can beattributed to private and public shameand is the primary reason that many

do not seek help for their condition. Ithas been reported that some 42 mil-lion people who suffer from mental ill-ness do not seek help because of nega-tive cultural sanctions, myths andmedia stereotypes, which can lead tofurther complications. Stigma canlead to blatant, subtle or unintentionalnegative attitudes and discriminationtowards those who suffer from mentalillness. Stigmas associated with mentalillness include, but are not limited to:loss of spouse, judgment from friendsand/or community, exclusion fromsocial circles, employment discrimina-tion and limitation of professionaladvancement. As social beings, noindividual wants to believe that theyare markedly different from theirpeers or be viewed in a negative man-ner, so they will often continue livingin silence until their conditionbecomes overwhelming.Here are some steps that you can

take to help cope with the stigmasassociated with mental illness:•Reach out to a trusted individual

who can help you get the treatmentyou need.•Don’t equate yourself with your

illness.•Understand that your illness is

not a sign of personal weakness.•Educate yourself about your con-

dition to overcome destructive self-judgment and low self-esteem.•Join a support group•Don’t allow fear and judgment to

prevent you from getting the help thatyou need. Learning to accept yourselfin all of your beauty and complexityand recognizing what you need totreat your condition can significantlyincrease the quality of your life.�Editor’s note: To learn more about enhanc-ing mental well-being and to gain access tovaluable resources, New Hope BaptistChurch will present the second annualMental Wellness Conference on Saturdayon April 18 from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thisfree event will be held at 3701 ColoradoBlvd., in Denver. For more information,call 303-322-5200.


18

Rev. Dr. James E. Fouther, Jr., Pastor4879 Crown Blvd., Denver, CO 80239 303-373-0070

h�p://ucm.ctsmemberconnect.net

Lost Your Joy?

Sunday Worship: 8:00am (Traditional) and 10:30am (Gospel)

Find it again at the United Church of Montbello! Come as you are and get connected to your best self through

great fellowship and the love of Jesus Christ!

Denver Urban Spectrum — www.denverurbanspectrum.com – January 2010

2

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The Effect of theSchool Environmenton the LearningExperienceBy Dedrick J. Sims, CEO Sims-Fayola Foundation

Creating anenvironment that isconsiderate of cultur-al influences is veryimportant to convey-ing core subjectinformation andmotivating minority students. Thiskind of environment (aka “school cul-ture”) can assist in transcending thenegative effects of the dominant teach-ing pedagogy. Not seeing one’s histo-ry, culture or background in the text-books (or when that information isdistorted) causes students to wantgive up on education because theydon’t feel that it’s relevant to theirlives. Additionally, non-academic factors

also play a role in motivating thesestudents academically. School culturecan sometimes perpetuate feelings oflow self-worth and low levels of moti-vation among students of color byindirectly fostering an environment ofisolation toward students who are fail-ing academically. Their predicament isexacerbated when cultural tools arenot employed to assist them in thelearning process. Scholars say teachersand parents worry that students areunmotivated, but in reality they arehighly motivated to protect their senseof self-worth. There are organizationalfeatures, academic routines, qualitiesof leadership and staff support that, iffollowed, will end in high achieve-

ment for minority students consistent-ly. For example, when the staffing pat-tern of the school, all teachers and theprincipal are White and only the jani-tors and cafeteria workers are personsof color, it is hard to see yourself inanother capacity. They need to havemodels of success who look like them.Students will think, ‘if they can do it,so can I.” One of the most effectiveavenues for improving student moti-vation is a school’s culture. Accordingto some scholars, school culture can beembodied and transformed throughchannels such as shared values,heroes, rituals, ceremonies, stories andcultural networks. Some suggestusing a wide variety of activities andsymbols to communicate motivationalgoals. “Visible symbols,” some say,illustrate and confirm what is consid-ered to be important in the school.School newsletters, statements ofgoals, behavior codes, rituals, symbolsand legends should be employed toconvey messages of what the schoolreally values. Staging academicawards assemblies, awarding trophiesfor academic success and displayingthem in trophy cases, scheduling moti-vational speakers and publicizing stu-dents’ success can help them see thatthe desire to be successful academical-ly is recognized and appreciated. Aculturally relevant school embracesthe idea that there should be at leastone institution in American societythat provides a common experience ofcitizenship and equal opportunity,regardless of birth. Culturally relevant teachers show

students the importance of their con-nection to a wider community andmake once left behind students leadthe way. They will then by preparedfor higher education and ultimatelywill have the skills necessary to func-tion effectively in today’s labor mar-ket. We must create an educationalenvironment that not only celebratesdiversity, but also equips children ofcolor with the skills they need to sur-vive in this society and contribute toits creative environment. �


19

Denver Urban Spectrum — www.denverurbanspectrum.com – January 2010

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AConversationwith Rep.DianaDeGette By Chandra Thomas Whitfield

Chief Deputy Whip DianaDeGette is serving her 10th term inCongress as a DemocraticRepresentative for the First District ofColorado. As a member of the power-ful Committee on Energy andCommerce, an exclusive congressionalcommittee with vast jurisdiction overhealth care, trade, business, technolo-

gy, food safety and consumer protec-tion, she is widely considered one ofthe leading voices in the healthcaredebate in this country.

As lead whip, she playeda vital role in the reautho-rization of the Children’sHealth Insurance Program,has fought for tough foodsafety legislation and was akey player in crafting a com-prehensive consumer prod-uct safety bill. Rep. DeGetteis also the chief architect oflegislation to expand stemcell research, which hasbeen passed twice withbroad bipartisan support in Congress. In keeping with her self-described

commitment to improving health andwellness opportunities for all, she hasset her sights on helping draft new

legislation that she says would trans-form the federal drug approvalprocess getting us closer to cures forchronic diseases like cancer, sickle celland Parkinson’s disease. Shortlybefore her annual “African-AmericanCommunity Leadership” breakfastheld March 20th at the Park Hill GolfClub, she spoke to DUS Contributorand Guest Managing Editor ChandraThomas Whitfield about her latest ini-tiatives.

Tell us more about your 21st CenturyCures legislation. It’s a new initiative that aims to

accelerate the pace of cures and med-ical breakthroughs in the United


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States. Right now there are a lot ofbarrier to expediting research; we’retrying to speed up the way that infor-mation gets from the research lab tothe clinic. We’re trying to involve gov-ernment agencies like the FDA (Foodand Drug Administration) and NIH(National Institutes of Health). Theway they are currently structure oftenslows down the process of getting uscloser to finding critical cures.Why this legislation now?Every American has some connec-

tion to health conditions like diabetes,types 1 and 2, cancer, ALS, sickle celland other chronic conditions. The 21Century cures legislation is aboutrevamping the entire process we usein this country to approve medicalcures and treatments, to figure outhow we can maintain quality, butspeed up the process. The NIH andFDA are involved in giving sugges-tions and feedback. I support patientprivacy and HIPPA laws, but I wantto look more closely at it, in regards tothe idea of creating a collective data-base that researchers could use to getus closer to critical cures. Our goal isto provide avenues for medical careproviders to be able to provide morepersonalized medical care for thepatient. There’s a lot that has to beaddressed to make that happen. Weknow that many advancements in sci-ence and technology have been madethat can lead to more successful devel-opments of treatments and cures. Aswe learn more about the science, wecan target potential treatments andcures more effectively on impactedpopulations. Speaking of “impacted populations,” as

you know DUS is a publication aimed at“spreading the news about people ofcolor.” How is this legislation relevant toour audience, in particular? For one, I know that diabetes tends

to disproportionately affect communi-ties of color; it’s becoming an epidem-ic. One of the things that this legisla-tion will do is focus on coming upwith more ways for more appropriateand higher quality treatment. I’m alsoa co-chair of the Diabetes Caucus inCongress. What we’ve done is broughttogether the Asian-American, African-American and Hispanic caucuses incongress – we call it the tri-caucuses –to draft a Minorities Disparities Bill.We know that minority communitiesare disproportionately affected andour goal is to explore strategies forprevention and treatment. We’veintroduced legislation for several con-gresses now and we’re getting readyto introduce more again. You’re also a member of the Committee

on Energy and Commerce, what’s toppingyour agenda in regards to environmentalissues?

Fracking (hydrolic fracturing)remains a top concern. We’re gettingready to introduce the “FRAC Act”again – which stands for theFracturing Responsibility andAwareness of Chemicals Act – withthe overarching objective of ensuringsafe drinking water for all. The FRACAct has two different provisions: onerequires oil and gas companies to pub-licly disclose exactly what chemicalsthey’re using in their fracking fluid.The other provision would subject theoil and gas industry to the SafeDrinking Water Act; we have anecdot-al evidence of contamination due tofracking. Right now companies arerequired to report in Colorado, but it’snot required nationwide. The fact ofthe matter is that aquaphors don’tstop at state lines. Since reporting has-n’t been required, in those cases wherethese chemicals are believed to haveseeped into and contaminated watersupplies, it could not be proven due tothis lack of reporting. This measurewill help hold companies responsible.It’s going to be a tough fight, but wehave bi-partisan support for the bill.Finally, you’ve also been an outspoken

advocate fighting against domestic vio-lence in professional sports – particularlyfollowing the videotaped incident involv-ing former Baltimore Ravens RunningBack Ray Rice. What’s the latest on thateffort?I’m a part of a congressional sub-

committee looking into domestic vio-lence issues in pro-sports. In fact, werecently met with Major LeagueBaseball officials about putting somemore rules in place in regards to that.We’re definitely keeping a close eye onthat issue and working to put more pro-visions in place. We all need to worktogether to send the message thatdomestic violence will not be tolerated.Recently fellow congressional member

Rep. John Lewis, of Georgia and PresidentObama joined thousands in commemorat-ing the 50th anniversary of a 1965 votingrights march from Selma to Montgomery,Alabama. What did you take away fromthe anniversary event?It was beautiful. Unfortunately, I

was not able to attend, but I was muchhonored to go on the first congression-al pilgrimage to Selma that Rep. Lewishosted almost 20 years ago. I think hehas a very important legacy to uphold– but there’s also the ongoing chal-lenge of ensuring that the fight forequality and voting rights continues. Itake inspiration from the FreedomRiders and the marchers from wayback when. In light of what’s hap-pened recently in Ferguson (MO) –and even some of the issues we’ve hadin Colorado – it’s even more apparentthat we need to continue to fight forvoting and civil rights in thiscountry.�


21

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ONE NIGHT IN MIAMI…By Kemp Powers

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that imagines the night CASSIUS CLAY spent with singer SAM COOKE, activist MALCOLM X,

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A “DECISIVE KNOCK-OUT” — Variety

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Run All Night ��

Samantha Ofole-Prince

Irish mob stories have been thesource of countless motion pictures forthere’s nothing like a gritty gangsterflick to get the adrenaline flowing.A crime thriller that’s a joy to

watch, at the heart of this film isJimmy Conlon (Liam Neeson), aBrooklyn mobster and prolific hit manonce known as ‘The Gravedigger’ whohas seen better days. The longtimebest friend of mob boss ShawnMaguire (Ed Harris), Jimmy, now 55,is haunted by the sins of his past – aswell as a dogged police detective(Vincent D’Onofrio) who’s been onestep behind him for 30 years. Lately, itseems Jimmy’s only solace can befound at the bottom of a whiskeyglass, but when his estranged sonMike (Joel Kinnaman), becomes a mobtarget, he’s forced to face off with hisformer mob boss in order to protecthis son.At 1 hour and 54 minutes in length,

the film never threatens to outstay itswelcome. The events take place withina 24-hour period as a split-secondevent triggers the life-and-death chaseto stay alive. The action is plentifulwith a subway chase, a dramatic carchase, a shoot out and a manhunt thattakes place in a massive multi-levelcomplex. The performances are richlyconceived, the editing is sharp, thetension is taut and the violence sud-den and foul.There are moments in the film that

are absolutely chilling – as when EdHarris, who wanted to be at arm’slength from the crimes committed forhis profit – finds that he has to person-ally kill someone he loves.With several A-list actors in leading

roles, there’s no reason to fault any ofthe acting. Neeson and Harris eachcommand a powerful presence, andtogether they really ratchet up boththe drama and the action, but it’sCommon’s frightening performancethat achieves standout prominence.He makes his presence known as aviolent assassin as he relentlessly pur-sues Mike and Jimmy.A testosterone-fueled thriller direct-

ed by Jaume Collet-Serra (Nonstop)the film is a satisfying action-dramathat revolves around gangsters andbent coppers. This bleak tale of retri-bution, regrets and redemption maynot stray too far from familiar territorybut its engaging and well worth thetheater ticket price.

Focus��

By Samantha Ofole-Prince

Hollywood’s favorite movie staris far too affable and charming to be acon artist, but in his latest role WillSmith plays just that. In Focus the newWarner Bros. film, Smith stars as aseasoned con artist who becomesromantically involved with anothergrifter.A romantic heist thriller, which jets

from New York to New Orleans toone of South America’s most exquisitecities, Buenos Aires, it’s written anddirected by Glenn Ficarra and JohnRequa (Crazy, Stupid, Love).In this predictable but pleasant

film, Smith plays Nicky (aka Mellow),a suave, stylishly clad gentleman whois clearly one of the best in his busi-ness. A third-generation hustler, heruns a tight team of talented thieves –a motley crew of characters who canpick pocket just about anything fromanyone without their knowledge. Awell-oiled machine, they steal watch-es, jewels, electronics and anythingthey can off unsuspecting individuals.One day he meets a fellow con artist


22

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Editor’s note: Samantha Ofole-Prince is anaward-winning writer and contributor tomany national publications and isBlackflix.com’s Senior Critic-at-Large. J.R.Johnson is a journalism student atMetropolitan State University of Denverand Blackflix.com’s intern. LaurenceWashington is the creator ofBlackFlix.com.

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called Jess (Margot Robbie). As he’steaching her the tricks of the trade, shegets too close for comfort and heabruptly breaks it off. Three years later, the former flame

– now an accomplished femme fatale –shows up in Buenos Aires in the mid-dle of his million dollar con deal andthrows his plans for a loop as he real-izes that, not only has he never reallygotten over her, but that she has clear-ly moved on. She is now romanticallyinvolved with the very man that he isgetting into business with – the mil-lionaire Spanish racecar team ownerRafael Garríga (Rodrigo Santoro).

Smith sizzles as the leading man inhis stylish suits and coiffed look.Margot Robbie (The Wolf of Wall Street)is also a delight to watch as the inex-perienced, sort of a diamond-in-the-rough robber who is introduced tonew things and there’s great chem-istry between the two. But alas, prettypeople, jet-setting locales and a livelydialogue isn’t enough to keep onesfocus on this thinly veiled heist caper.It’s just simply too predictable andimplausible with certain inconsistentscenes and events which lack credibili-ty. There’s enough to entertain but lit-tle to engage in this one.


23

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Up Close and

Personal with...

Focus

Chappie�

By Samantha Ofole-Prince

It’s questionable what NeillBlomkamp was thinking when hecame up with the idea of directing amovie about a childlike robot thatbecomes a gangster. A film, whichfloats between a PG and an R-rateddrama, cobbling bits from films E.T.,Robocop and Short Circuit, Chappie isdisappointing.

In yet another futuristic film,Blomkamp returns to his hometownof Johannesburg, the setting for hisbreakthrough film, District 9 to bringus a drama about a robot that canthink and feel for itself. Set in thefuture, the crime-ridden city of Jo’burgis now patrolled by an oppressivemechanized police force called droids.The film begins with several news

reports (CNN’s Anderson Coopermakes an appearance here) and inter-views with scientists and observers inSouth Africa, each of whom are talk-ing about Chappie, the central charac-

ter. It then cuts to 18 months earlierand introduces us to Deon Wilson(Dev Patel) a nerdy engineer who is

working on creating the world’s firstindestructible robot who can not onlythink, but create, paint and recite poet-ry. Unfortunately for Deon, there’sanother engineer Vincent Moore(Hugh Jackman) who would like hisown creation ‘The Moose’ on the fore-front, and two gangstersNinja and Yolandi (actually played byNinja and Yolandi Visser from theSouth African rap duo Die Antwoord),who have a 20 million debt to acocaine drug lord. When the gangsterskidnap Deon, he trades his releasewith Chappie, a child-like robot, whohe says can be utilized for their ownpurposes once trained. The cartoon-watching piece of metal is soon adopt-ed by the motley duo. Calling his cap-tives mommy and daddy, he is shownhow to car jack, shoot, rob stores andjive talk while being prepped to pulloff a major heist.It’s hard to overlook its numerous

deficiencies and there are plenty ofbones to pick with Chappie forBlomkamp’s shifts to obvious fictionare jarring – in one scene, Chappieperches on a stool and paints on a can-vas. In another lunatic sequenceYolandi becomes angry and tries invain to protect him from harm. “He’sjust a child!” she screams while cud-dling the metal hunk, “Don’t hurthim!” In a third, she reads him bed-time stories. The one about the blacksheep happens to be Chappie’sfavorite. Sigourney Weaver makes afew appearances as the engineeringcorporate overlord and Sharlto Copleyplays Chappie.For those seeking action, there’s

enough to satisfy with freeway chasesand shootouts as Blomkamp collabo-rated closely with stunt coordinatorGrant Hulley, who served in a similarcapacity on District 9.A film which begs the philosophi-

cal question; ‘can a robot ultimatelyreplace a human?’ Chappie remainslargely a noisy action picture, barelydifferent from all the other action stuffbeing churned out. With a possiblesequel, we are likely to see muchmore of this soul-searching piece ofmetal in the not too distant future.�


24

REEL ACTION

Chappie

DUS Cover Story SubjectRecognized as World’s FirstBlack Flight AttendantThe Black Flight Attendants of

America, Inc. and the City of LosAngeles presented Léopoldine EmmaDoualla-Bell Smith,who graced ourcover in March, with a “Certificate ofCongratulations,” a bouquet of flow-ers and a string of pearls for being“The World’s First Black FlightAttendant, Air France.” The March 14ceremony at the Flight Path Museumat Los Angeles International Airportalso honored other pioneering “firsts”in the world of aviation, includingAfrican American flight attendants,passenger services and ground per-sonnel workers, as well as theTuskegee Airmen.Deputy Wins Prestigious Awardfor Saving Inmate’s LifeDenver Sheriff Department deputy,

Gregory Liggins, has won a prestigious5281 Award. Hewas one of onlyfive Denver Cityworkers toreceive theaward at a lunch-eon and ceremo-ny March 4.Deputy

Liggins was rec-ognized for saving the life of aninmate in October last year, who wastrying to hang himself. Liggins liftedthe inmate up with one arm and usedhis other arm to reach for his radioand call for help.The 5281 Awards are organized by

the Office of Human Resources andare given to city workers who exem-plify the city’s values, support sustain-ability practices, and help to deliver aworld class city.Denver Sheriff Elias Diggins said

Deputy Liggins went above andbeyond his duties when he saved theinmate, and served as a proud exam-ple of the important function sheriffdeputies carry out.

Andrew Romanoff NamedPresident and CEO of MentalHealth America of ColoradoMental Health America of

Colorado (MHAC), the state’s leadingadvocate for men-tal health, hasnamed AndrewRomanoff as itsnew president andCEO. He willbegin his newposition on April1, replacingDonald J. Mares, who was appointedDenver’s Executive Director ofBehavioral Health Strategies by MayorMichael B. Hancock in December 2014.Romanoff won election to four

terms in the Colorado House ofRepresentatives, including twoterms as Speaker of the House. Heearned bipartisan recognition as oneof the most effective legislative leadersin America.Romanoff will lead MHAC’s efforts

to end the stigma of mental illness andto make Colorado a national leader inaddressing mental health and sub-stance use disorders. The organiza-tion’s programs include pro bonocounseling and referrals, youth educa-tion, Mental Health First Aid, andpublic policy advocacy.Urban League Guild PresentsScholarship To AwardeesThe Urban League Guild of

Metropolitan Denver presented bookscholarships to students of AfricanaStudies at Metropolitan StateUniversity of Denver on February 18at St. Cajetan’s Church Auditorium onthe Auraria Campus. The Urban League Guild presents

the annual awards to students selectedby the faculty of the MSUD AfricanaStudies Department for their commit-ment to Africana studies and partici-pation in the department. This schol-arship which is eagerly sought by stu-dents is intended to encourage the

pursuit of degrees in Africana andAfrican American studies and toemphasize the continuing need for theresearch and study in the history, cul-ture, and experiences of Africandescendants in the Americas. This is the third year of awarding

these scholarships. The Urban LeagueGuild of Denver raises the funds to

make these scholarships availablethrough community events and spe-cial fund-raisers.The Urban League Guild of

Metropolitan Denver is an auxiliary tothe Urban League of MetropolitanDenver and support programs of theUrban League through volunteeractivities and community relations.


25

HATS OFF TO

Left to right: Dr. Larry H. Borom, Christine De La Luna (scholarship recipient) Bettye H. Ellis,ULG President, Jamil Shabazz (scholarship recipient) and Terry E. Manns

Urban League Guild members attend scholarship presentation celebration.

Léo Smith with world friends Ruth (Belize born) and Jim Nagenda (Uganda born)stand before the display of the Denver Urban Spectrum March issue featuring Léo.

Black Women’s SymposiumScheduled For AprilBlack Women’s Resource

Symposium is an open forum forBlack women in Colorado to discussareas of growth and progress in edu-cation, politics, employment, housingand health. The goal is to increaseawareness regarding status and con-nect to support systems withinColorado designed to positivelyimpact the status of Black women inthe selected areas of discussion. It is acelebration of strength, moving for-ward, and optimism for the future.The event will be held Saturday,

April 4 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at theCenter for Urban Education, UNCLowry, located at 1059 S. Alton Wayin Denver.For more information, call Deborah

Sims Fard at 720-234-4994 or [email protected] Points Legal ClinicThe Five Points Business District

and Sam Cary Bar Association havepartnered to start the Five PointsLegal Clinic. The Clinic is held the lastTuesday of each month at the FivePoints Business District offices locatedat 2444 Washington St. in Denver. TheApril topic is debt collection, bank-

ruptcy and foreclosure. The clinic isopen to the public.For more information, call Jill

Dorancy at 303-522-8803 or [email protected]“Jail Is No Place To BeSomebody” Youth Conference The Denver NAACP Youth

Council, Battleground ChristianOutreach and the George WashingtonBlack Student Alliance have united tobring awareness on how to avoid thejuvenile and adult justice systems. OnSaturday, April 18, these dedicatedservice organizations will sponsor theseventh biennial “Jail is No Place to beSomebody” Youth Conference forages 10 to 18, parents and youth work-ers. “Our Lives Matter” is this year’stheme. The conference will be held atGeorge Washington High School from9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. This year’s partnersinclude Denver Branch NAACP(adults) and New Bethel ChristianChurch. Several informational workshops

are designed to help youth avoid thepitfalls of the juvenile and adult justicesystems. Special morning workshopshave been planned for parents. Allattendees will be served a free conti-nental breakfast and lunch.Entertainment and door prizes will beavailable for participants. The “Jail is No Place to be

Somebody” Youth Conference is freeto all attendees and participants.Families, individuals and youthgroups are encouraged to preregister.For information and registration,

visit www.denvernaacpyouth.net,email [email protected] call 720- 451-1341 or 720-234-7952. National Council of UrbanLeague Guilds Participates inNational Health Awareness DayIn partnership with Lupus

Colorado, The Denver Urban LeagueGuild presents, a health awarenesseducation program: “Lupus and theAfrican American Community.” Thepurpose of the National HealthAwareness Day is to make the publicaware of the symptoms and treatmentof Lupus, demystifying the diseaseand providing useful information onmanaging one of the most rapidlyincreasing health concerns in America,especially within African Americancommunities.The event will be Saturday, May 16

from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the Blair-Caldwell African American ResearchLibrary, 2401 Welton St., in Denver.This event is free to the public andserves to meet the criteria of theNational Council of Urban LeagueGuilds.

For more information, call 303-377-2790, ext. 5 or [email protected] 25th Annual Love OurChildren LuncheonThe Shaka Franklin Foundation for

Youth presents The 25th Annual LoveOur Children Luncheon Friday, April24th at the Denver Marriott CityCenter Hotel, 1701 California St.Keynote speaker is Ricky Williams,former Miami Dolphins star runningback who in 2004 lead the NFL inrushing, was a Hiesman TrophyWinner, in the Texas Longhorns Hallof Fame, and a holder of 20 NCAARecords. Special guest is actor andwriter John Amos, who starred inRoots and Good Times. The luncheonwill include comments from DonMares, Executive Director, City &County of Denver, Office ofBehavioral Strategies and comedianShed G.For more information, email

[email protected], or call 303-337-2515.7,000th Home Will Be PaintedThis Year By BrothersIn its 37th season of the Paint-A-

Thon, Brothers Redevelopment is onpace to paint Home No. 7,000 thisyear. Last season, 127 homes in 19cities across seven counties werepainted. The average age of the home-owners is 72. The average monthlyincome is $1,540.Brothers plans to paint more than 100

homes this year. Senior homeowners areencouraged to apply. Friends and fami-ly of metro-area senior homeownerswho can benefit from having theirhomes painted – free – are encouragedto nominate a homeowner.To qualify, individuals must be 60

years or older, own and occupy theirown home and plan to live in it atleast one more year. Seniors musthave a limited income and be finan-cially unable to hire a house painter.The home can’t be taller than 1½ sto-ries and must be in need of painting.Senior applications are due by May 31.For more information, an applica-

tion or to volunteer, visitwww.brothersredevelopment.org, callChad Nibbelink at 720-339-5864 [email protected]. Tobecome a sponsor call CyndiGoodman at 303-685-4208 or [email protected] Film 17 Denver’sLatino World Cinema Festival2015 LineupXicanIndie Film Fest XVII (Chee

Kahn In Dee), Denver’s prominentand prestigious four day festival dedi-cated to Latino World Cinema

announced the 2015 lineup via websiteand Constant Contact.Su Teatro’s XicanIndie Film Fest

(Chicano Independent FilmmakersFestival 17) now in its 17th year fea-tures films from throughout the US,Mexico and Latin America. TheXicanIndie Film Festival 17 (XIFFXVII) will feature the best in filmscreenings, performances, receptions,parties, awards and panels with visit-ing filmmakers. All events will takeplace at Su Teatro Cultural andPerforming Arts Center, 721 Santa FeDr. in Denver.The XicanIndie Film Festival 17

(XIFF XVII) will take place April 9-12. For more information and the XIFF

lineup, visit www.suteatro.org. Ticketsare $10 and $7 for AARP members. Feminism & Co.: Art, Sex,Politics ReturnsThe Museum of Contemporary Art

Denver (MCA Denver) announcedthat Feminism & Co.: Art, Sex, Politicswill return for another season ofprovocative programming. Beginningin April, MCA Denver will present thefour-week series of lectures and cre-ative programs addressing issuesrelated to women and gender. Thisyear will include evenings featuringtop female chefs in Denver, new per-spectives on marriage and infidelity,an evening on women and the mili-tary, a Wikipedia Edit-a-Thon, and aperformance by artist Andrea Moore.As in past Feminism & Co. pro-

grams at MCA Denver, men drinkfree.The series begins Thursday, April 2

at 7 p.m. at MCA Denver with “StarChefs,” a conversation about Denver’sculinary golden age featuring four topchefs in Denver, all of whom happento be women. The series concludes onApril 23 with Big Woman, a cabaret-style performance by poet and per-former Andrea Moore, who exploreswhat it means to be an unapologetical-ly large woman living in America. The programs take place Thursday

nights April 2, 9, 16, and 23. The lec-ture starts at 7 with a cash bar at 6:30p.m. in the MCA Café. For more information, email

[email protected] or call 303-298-7554.�

COMMUNITY NOTES


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Throughout April, organizationsacross the country recognize NationalChild Abuse Prevention Month.While eliminating child abuse and

neglect may seem insurmountable,data indicates child abuse and neglectprevention efforts are working. TheUS Department of Health and HumanServices recently released its ChildMaltreatment 2013 Study. The studyfound nationally there were 23,000fewer victims in 2013 compared with2009 – despite population growth.Still, there were 679,000 child victimsnationally, and more than 10,000 ofthose children were from Colorado.April is a time to shine a spotlight

on the importance of families andcommunities working together to putan end to the abuse of children. Oneorganization advocating for children isKempe. Kempe, based in Colorado, isrecognized locally, nationally andinternationally as a leader in the fieldof child abuse and neglect. Kempehelps children and families through itCARE programs: Clinical Care,Advocacy, Research and Education. “Everyone can play a part in keep-

ing our children safe,” says JohnFaught, President and CEO of TheKempe Foundation. “Small gestureslike asking a parent how they aredoing and just being available to lis-ten, or helping care for a child when aparent might need a little break goes along way towards caring for chil-dren.” It is also important to recognize the

warning signs of child abuse and neg-lect. The following are all potentialsigns of child abuse and neglect: achild who has repetitive bruises orinjuries, sudden changes in behavior,

regular nightmares or trouble sleep-ing, is frequently late or absent fromschool, or is obviously unhealthy mostof the time. Because a child who is

being abused or neglected often doesnot know how to ask for help, it isimportant to speak up on their behalf.In Colorado, anyone can call 1-844-

CO-4-KIDS with concerns and let aprofessional decide how best to helpthe child.There are also resources available

for parents who are looking for waysto soothe a baby, ask for advice onhandling a child who is acting out, ordetermine if a child is on the rightdevelopment path. CalmACryingBaby.org includes

solutions and resources for parentsand community members to safelyaddress crying babies, toddlertantrums, temper issues and child dis-cipline. The Kohl’s Shaken BabySyndrome Prevention Campaign, ledby Kohl’s Cares, Children’s HospitalColorado and Kempe, also includes aseries of public service announce-ments that can be shared via socialmedia.Finally, individuals can participate

in the Blue Ribbon Campaign toPrevent Child Abuse by wearing ablue ribbon. The campaign started as aVirginia grandmother’s tribute to hergrandson who died as a result ofabuse. She tied a blue ribbon to theantenna of her car as a way to remem-ber him and to alert her community tothe tragedy of child abuse. Now, peo-ple and companies across the countryrecognize the blue ribbon as a symbolof child abuse prevention.“I encourage families, friends and

neighbors to join Kempe in showinghow much they care about children bywearing a blue ribbon during April,”Faught said. “Together, we canimprove the lives and children andfamilies in our community.” �Editor’s note: To learn more about ways toget involved in child abuse preventionmonth, visit www.kempe.org.


27

Do Your Part: Help Prevent Child Abuse and Neglect –

Wear a Blue RibbonBy John Faught

Staff from Children’s Hospital Colorado and Kempe form a human blue ribbon inrecognition of child abuse prevention month.

Continued from page 3the American dream and throughouther career she has proven that she hasthe experience and vision to helpmake that a reality.As a U.S. Senator, Hillary Clinton

cofounded the bipartisanManufacturing Caucus and fought tobring manufacturing technology tosmall businesses. She has taken stepsto eliminate tax breaks that promoteoutsourcing of American jobs and ledefforts to expand job training opportu-nities for workers. Hillary has alsoconsistently supported raising theminimum wage, fought for equal payfor equal work, and supported pro-gressive tax policies that require mil-lionaires to pay their fair share.In Denver we have seen the impact

progressive policies such as these canhave on our community. Throughinvestment and expanding access to themiddle class we were able to create sus-tainable economic growth and currentlyexperience a lower unemployment ratethan the national average.During my 12 years as mayor we

helped drag the city out of the eco-nomic doldrums of 1991 to an invest-ment of $7 billion in infrastructure bythe time I left office in 2003. A majorpart of this investment came from thecompletion of the $4 billion DenverInternational Airport, where we wereable to give 85 percent of the construc-tion and opening airport concessionbids to all Colorado-owned business-es, including those owned by womenand minorities. Because of the opportunity and

growth we were able to create here inDenver, particularly for women andminorities; our city is the only city tobe cited for five consecutive years as“One of the Top American Cities” inFortune Magazine’s annual “BestCities.” Through strong leadership we can

replicate and expand upon the suc-cesses we have seen here in Denver tohelp create a better future for allAmericans. To do so, we must electleaders who have the vision and agen-da necessary to bring greater opportu-nity to the middle class. Hillary Clinton has spent a lifetime

advocating for the middle class.Should she run for president, I knowthat Hillary will offer a forward look-ing agenda focusedon bringing oppor-tunity, equality, andprosperity to all.

Wellington E. WebbDenver, CO

Son Appreciates Tribute ToFather’s LegacyEditor:What a stunning obituary to my

late father in the DUSMarch 2015issue. And you included that wonder-ful photo I took of the Nuggets mascot“Rocky” clowning around withDaddy when we encountered Rockyas we were leaving a doctor’s appoint-ment at P/SL Medical Center not thatlong ago – just the perfect example ofthe “lighter side” of the often-stern Dr.Gipson Sr.I also tried to convey my perspec-

tive, as his son, on that “lighter side”of Daddy in my remarks on the dais atNew Hope during his glorious homegoing service on February 6 and whenI appeared on Dr. Daddio’s radioshow on 760 AM KKZN the Saturdayafter my father passe.And I’m so happy, especially now,

that you honored our Gipson patri-arch as a DUS Father of Wisdom -Men of Distinction honoree lastspring.Thanks again for such a superb

tribute in DUS.Bruce E Gipson

Denver, CO

Pardon Warranted ForSenegalese PrisonerEditor:Governor Hickenlooper should

pardon, or at least commute the sen-tence of Mr. Samba Kane, a 57-year-old Senegalese immigrant who waswrongfully convicted of murder andunjustly sentenced to life imprison-ment, without the possibility of parolein 1999.Mr. Kane has since served 17 years

in state prison, with a perfect record ofgood behavior.Mr. Kane was arrested in Adams

County after being forced to defendhimself by shooting a Nigerian manwho had attacked him, after Mr. Kanewalked into his own bedroom andcaught the Nigerian man having sexu-al relations with his wife.His wrongful conviction was the

result of poverty, racism and a poorunderstanding of a confusing foreignsystem with a different language.A pardon would allow Mr. Kane,

an honest hard-working immigrantwhose American dream turned into aKafkaesque nightmare to return to hishome county of Senegal, Africa.I urge all Americans to call

Governor Hickenlooper at (303) 866-2471 and tell him to pardon SambaKane.

Rev. Eric HafnerBoulder, Colorado


28

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

WWW.DENVERURBANSPECTRUM.COM - AROUND TOWN - WWW.DENVERURBANSPECTRUM.COM

Special thanks to my girls!

Photos by Lens of Ansar

Thank you Wy Livingston and Chef DonaldThe Grubbery!

With much gratitude...

Love to my Omaha family!

You ALL are my latest andgreatest inspiration!

DUS Publisher Rosalind “Bee” Harris Birthday Celebration

“49 and Holding” - 3/20/15Thank you Denver! Family and Friends

Rossano, Shelton and Ron! You guys ROCK! THANKS KASBAH!

Thank you First Lady

Thanks Sandy!


30

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