Urban Pro Weekly
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Transcript of Urban Pro Weekly
Eddie Bussey 706-772-9800
UPWURBAN PRO WEEKLY
FEBRUARY 19- 25 2015 VOL. 4 NO. 23
Black History Edition III
UHOPUNITED HOUSE OF PRAYER FOR ALL PEOPLE
Daddy Grace in his Princess Anne Road residence in Norfolk, Virginia, 1958. Photo by Orby C. Kelly, Jr. Courtesy of Sargeant Memorial Room, Norfolk Public Library, Norfolk, VA. (Left) House of Prayer Parade in Augusta, Georgia.
The enduring legacy of Sweet Daddy Grace founder of the United House of Prayer in Augusta
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Cranston Engineering Group, P.C.ENGINEERS - PLANNERS - SURVEYORS
Proudly partnering with eminent historian Bobby Donaldson, PhD, the City of Augusta, and neighborhood interests, Cranston Engineering Group developed a Master Plan for a series of routes through the Laney-Walker/Bethlehem communities to designate and connect important historic sites.
RESPECTING THE PAST ... DESIGNING THE FUTURE
452 Ellis Street, Augusta, Georgia 30901www.cranstonengineering.com
706-722-1588
LANEY-WALKER / BETHLEHEM HERITAGE TRACES
WRIGHTSBORO RD
Springfield Connector
Dyess Park Loop
BROAD ST
TELFAIR ST
REYNOLDS ST
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Bethlehem Walk
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LANEY-WALKER BLVD
An interpretive marker at Dyess Park.
Dyess Park was named for Lt. Col. A. James Dyess, USMCR, posthumously awarded the congressional medal of honor.
Dyess Park Loop, a one mile loop proposed for historical & physical exercise, is pictured above.
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eekly • FEBRUARY 19 - 25, 2015A PLAYOFF VICTORY CHEER FOR LANEY H.S.
Laney girls basketball head coach Otis Smart (center) reacts during a game against Westminster in the first round of the Class 3AAA girl’s basketball state playoffs, held at the Laney gym. The Laney Lady Wildcats defeated the Westminster Lady Wildcats 64-43. Photo by Vincent Hobbs
Laney’s Jasmine Bartlett (R) moves down the court as Westminster player Andi Carrandi (L) defends. Photo by Vincent Hobbs
Laney cheerleaders perform during the first round of the Class 3AAA girl’s basketball state playoffs, Photo by Vincent Hobbs
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UPWURBANPROWEEKLY.COM
Published by Urban Pro Weekly LLC
3529 Monte Carlo DriveAugusta, GA 30906
Executive PublisherBEN HASAN
Executive Managing EditorFREDERICK BENJAMIN SR.
Sales & Marketing706-394-9411
ContributorsVINCENT HOBBS
Photography & New Media
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over 60 years ZIMMERMAN, EVANS AND LEOPOLD, INC.
435 TELFAIR STREET, AUGUSTA GA 30901 • 706-724-5627 • zelengineers.com
country gathered in Macon to honor a man who made the ultimate sacrifice while doing a job he loved dearly for more than twenty years.
Chief Chris James of the Augusta Fire Department led a delegation of more than two dozen personnel, one fire truck and four command vehicles to Macon for the service and burial. “Fire services is more than a job. It’s a brotherhood that transcends distance and departments. This is the least we could do to show our support and respect for a fellow firefighter who gave his life to help someone else,” explains Chief James. Aside from traveling to the funeral, var-ious members of the Augusta Fire
Department volunteered to collect money amongst co-workers to assist the families of three Macon firefight-ers who were treated at the Joseph M. Still Burn Center at Doctors Hospital. As a group, Augusta firefighters raised $2000. A portion of the money provided food for the three injured firefighters’ families. The remaining money is being given to the family of fallen firefighter Lieutenant Randy Parker.
Augusta Fire Department “Critical Incident Stress Team” members will also support Macon-Bibb Fire Department personnel who need emotional assistance dealing with this tragedy.
Augusta Fire Department attends funeral of Macon firefighter Twenty five members of the
Augusta Fire Department traveled to Macon, Georgia today as a sign of sol-idarity and support after a devastat-ing fire claimed the life of a firefight-er and injured five other members of the Macon-Bibb Fire Department.
While entering a home to fight flames last Wednesday the floor of the struc-ture collapsed sending the firefight-ers into the basement. Veteran fire-fighter Lieutenant Randy Parker did not make it out alive. This morning, thousands of people from across the
Richmond County Schools Weather UpdateThe Richmond County School
System has not made a decision to change normal operating hours for Thurs.,Feb. 19 and Fri., Feb. 20.
Students will be allowed entrance into the schools approximately 30 minutes earlier than normal school hours to accommodate the cold weather on these dates.
Transportation personnel will
arrive earlier to warm up buses and to ensure there are no mechanical prob-lems. School buses have been advised to wait a few extra minutes to prevent students from waiting in the cold.
All outside activities will be sus-pended for the entire school days, and after school programs requiring RCSS transportation will also be can-celed.
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Daddy Grace, founder of the United House of Prayer For All People in Augusta. Photo by Virginian-Pilot News, circa 1952.
Daddy Grace founded the United House of Prayer
BLACK HISTORY ARCHIVES
Editor’s note: Most of the information that follows appeared in Daddy Grace: A Celebrity Teacher and his House of Prayer by historian Marie Dallam. Other items were taken from government documents accessed online. The photos were gathered from various sources all of which have appeared in print many times. This brief sketch is not meant to be a comprehensive narrative about Bishop Grace, The United House of Prayer For All People or its churches. It is only meant to document what was known about the early days of Daddy Grace and his church in Augusta, Georgia.
The following is excerpted from the 1938 GWPA document entitled “The Negro in Au-gusta.” This item gave a view of the House of Prayer from the vantage point of an outside observer and is significant because it was given more space than was allotted to all of the other churches, ministries and religious organizations that happened to be mentioned in the docu-ment. For many it is the only account of the HOP in Augusta that they ever saw in print at that time in the early Church’s growth and development:
“Less orthodox than other Negro churches, and even more emotional in its approach, is the “House of Prayer” on Wrightsboro Road. A sign over the door proclaims: “Great Joy! Come to the House of Prayer and forget your trou-bles.”
The Tabernacle is a sprawling structure of rough boards, its dirt floor covered with sawdust. Festoons of colored crepe paper
Continued on page 7
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Urban Pro Weekly—Making A Difference in the Augusta Community
2015
ESG Operations, Inc. is proud to support Urban Pro Weekly’s
annual event celebrating Black History Month
a utility operations and public works management companyproudly serving the city of augusta, georgia
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eekly • FEBRUARY 19 - 25, 2015UHOP from page 5hang from rafters, and the pillars are padded to prevent frenzied wor-shippers from hurting themselves. Plank benches fill the auditorium, and across one side is a stage where “Bishop Grace,” or “Daddy,” as he is affectionately called has a red “throne.”
Bishop Grace has 32 Houses of Prayer scattered throughout the East and South and incomes are religious-ly built up by the many “Grace Soci-eties.” Services consist of rhythmic chanting of Biblical phrases accom-panied by fervent “amens” from the congregation and by the music of four bands.
Emotion rises in a steady crescen-do, until some member suddenly “gets happy” and begins to shout. Stamping and singing fill the air, and the aisles are crowded with Ne-groes swaying and dancing in prim-itive rhythms. Above the din rise at intervals shrill shrieks and gibberish as one member after another begins to “speak the unknown tongue.”
Some have claimed to be cured of various ills by the ministrations of the Bishop, and the influence of the House of Prayer extends far beyond the place and season of worship. It is, in fact, all pervasive in the lives of the devout believers, ruling their family relationships, their leisure hours, and even their work.
— End of WPA excerpt
People standing outside of a House of Prayer in Augusta, Georgia. Courtesy of Milledge MurrayDaddy Grace’s tombstone in New Bedford, Massachusetts. It says:Born January 25, 1881, Cape Verde Islands, Portugal; Departed January 12, 1960, Los Angeles, California. On January 23 1960 returned to New Bedford where he had founded The House of Prayer For All People.
The United House of Prayer For All People was organized by Bishop C. M. Grace. Bishop C. M. Grace founded and built the United House of Prayer For All People faith on
the teaching and principles of Jesus Christ, our Lord, Savior, and Chief Cornerstone of our faith.
Grace’s full name, according to religious historians, was Marcelino
Manuel da Graca and he was born in 1881 in Cape Verdes, a former Portuguese colony off the coast of
Continued on next page
Who Was Daddy Grace?
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United House of Prayer baptism in Augusta, circa 1955.
Northwestern Africa. The da Graca family grew up in the Catholic Church, but when he came to the United States as an adult he had the
freedom to pursue different kinds of Christian belief.
Grace always preferred to keep his background cloaked in mystery,
saying things such as “I came from the land beyond the sea.”
Immigration records list Grace as being literate in Portuguese and
English.Between the time Grace arrived in
the United States, somewhere around 1900, and when he started his church in 1921, he was “studying and work-ing and traveling. I traveled almost all my days . . . I studied on the train, in the street car, in the homes and in the classes.”
By the time he was in the United States for a couple of years and had begun a ministry in New Bedford, Massachusetts, he had assumed the persona of the future Bishop Charles M. “Daddy” Grace.
Although Grace was only five feet eight inches tall, he made certain he stood apart form other men by adorning himself with nothing less than flamboyance. He often wore tai-lor-made suits of lush fabrics, some-times in vibrant colors and decorated with gold piping or shiny buttons.
His fingers and wrists invariably clanged with gold bracelets and rings containing precious stones.
The fingernails of his left hand, which he allowed to grow several inches, were often painted in red, white, and blue. Grace kept his hair shoulder length, and in the early years he had a mustache and a goa-tee.
Just as he dressed with great fore-thought, Grace also lived and trav-eled in style. He alway had at least one luxury car for travel, such as a Packard, a Cadillac, or a Pierce-Arrow, and he sometimes had an entourage including a chauffeur, a body guard and others.
Grace’s various homes, once he began collecting them, were often mansions which he filled with antiques and artwork.
To relax in the evenings he played piano. He said he never watched tele-vision or listened to the radio, but he kept light fiction around the house that he sometimes asked others to read to him.
Grace believed that travel was one of the best forms of education, and so during his lifetime he went to Africa, Europe, the Middle East, and the Caribbean, in addition to traveling all over the United States. He avoided airplanes, preferring trains and cars for cross-country travel, and ships to go abroad. In 1936, he bought a vacation home in Cuba, twelve miles outside of Havana.
Grace neither smoked nor drank. His favorite foods were coffee, which
Continued on next page
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Daddy Grace, Bible in hand, July 1, 1952. Photographer Charles Borjes. Courtesy of Sargeant memorial Room, Norfolk Public Library, Norfolk, VA.
he purportedly drank constantly, and various types of toast.
The Beginnings of The House of Prayer.
By 1922 Grace had a congregation in New Bedford Massachusetts. In his first newspaper profile, Grace explained to the public that God had called him to America to spread reli-gious teachings, and for that reason he had opened the small mission in New Bedford. The House of Prayer, Grace confidently declared, would prove to be a gift from God, and he himself was merely the instru-ment brought from a small unknown island to transmit it to Americans.
By 1926 Daddy Grace had begun traveling to the southern states on evangelizing tours. Though the House of Prayer eventually grew into a large institution that appealed to many people, when it was first beginning Grace himself was the main attraction for those who visited his church. Through the 1020s and into the early 1930, in order to gain market share he dad to be directly involved in the start-up process in every new town.
In 1926, Grace founded the House of Prayer in Charlotte, North Carolina and began having a series of tent meetings in Savannah, Georgia. At these tent meetings Grace would preach, teach that the kingdom of heaven was at hand and he began to heal the sick, give sight to the blind and make the lame walk, according to observers.
As the intricacies of Grace’s perso-na grew, so too did his church, and followers looked to him for guid-ance. He was careful to indicate that one man could not be a church, and therefore he tried to inspire new fol-lowers to organize themselves and keep the church alive after he was gone. In his first years he often bought a plot of land for the group to build on, and sometimes he left one or more assistants behind for a short period to aid in the organiza-tional process.
After the success of Savannah’s 1926 tent meetings, for example, Grace appointed a pastor there and believers build a large church at 643 Bismarck Street in Brownsville.
By the mid 1930s the House of Prayer was the largest nontradi-tional African American church in Savannah. But while members con-tinued to organize and proselytize, Grace himself had other cities to visit and other followers to com-
fort. As he said, “I’m going all the time, from the Atlantic to the Pacific looking over churches . . . [We are] getting in where we can to preach the Gospel.”
Grace has success in AugustaGrace’s missionary efforts succeed-
ed in Augusta, Georgia, where a House of Prayer was located on Wrightsboro Road in a neighbor-hood called “the Terry.”
The Augusta House of Prayer grew to be one of the largest congrega-tions in Grace’s domain and became the regional center for members of the eighth district.
At the House of Prayer Music Was An Important Element
Ultimately, Grace wanted church to be fun, or as he described it, different from “long-faced religion.” He wanted members to enjoy them-selves and not think of church as something that was separate from the good parts of their lives.
In addition to auxiliaries, another way this value was manifest was in the music of the House of Prayer, which evolved and expanded over the years. . .
The bishop made it clear that he didn’t want religious music to be “morbid,” and so the hymns were accompanied by lively piano, ban-jos, and tambourines, and mem-bers were encouraged to be exper-imental with their arrangements. At an outdoor baptism in Savannah in 1928, the music involved singers, a piano, a cornet, and tambourine, and prompted one observer to com-ment that “such weird music had never before been heard hereabouts at such a service.
At that time African American gos-pel music was developing in a voice-led direction; that is, syncopation and the layering of vocal harmonies created its musical complexity. In the House of Prayer, however, musical complexity was being directed by unusual instrumentation, particular-ly the addition of brass horns, and by the emphasis on the band rather than the voice. By the early 1930s, the House of Prayer’s music was taking small steps toward an entire-ly new genre that became known, decades later, as “shout.”
Shout is a genre of lively religious music centered around the trom-bone, and it evolved over a long period. As early as the late 1920s, House of Prayer auxiliaries included
tambourine bands and small string bands. As children increasingly learned to play wind instruments in school, these too were added to the instrumentation.
Shout’s numerous musical influ-ences include New Orleans and Dixieland jazz, Caribbean rhythms, Congo percussion, and Evangelical Christian hymns. Though the House of Prayer was by no means the only church with brass bands, the trom-bone-centered shout developed as a unique form and was therefore a new genre of religious music.
Daddy Grace ProductsOne of the ways that Grace kept
his followers satisfied was by intro-ducing a full line of Grace products, which were modeled after his early success of his blessed handkerchiefs. Many of the products contained heal-ing energy that could be utilized
independently.The impetus for Grace products
dates to the 1926 tent meetings, when Grace realized he had neither the time nor the opportunity to heal personally all those who sought his help. Believers clamored to get the “miracle-working handkerchiefs,” paying between one and five dollars apiece.
Some Grace products, such as cookies, creams, powders, and show polish, held no specific pow-ers, but members were attracted to the advertised attributes of the products, others purchased them out of a sense of duty. Daddy Grace coffee beans brewed “the best” cup of coffee; Daddy Grace Allwater Soap was “good for babies”; and one could use Grace toothpaste to achieve a “brighter Christian smile.” However, Grace explained that he blessed all of the products.
UHOP from page 8
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By Michele A. Douglass
AUGUSTAThe Destiny Worship Center on
Morgan Road in Augusta is a monu-ment to the power of a dream, nur-tured by love and mutual encour-agement. Together, husband and wife team, Sammy and Tracy James provided the necessary ingredients.
Sammy is the pastor of the Destiny Worship Center. When he and Tracy moved into their present location, besides their ministry, they offered music instruction.
On one side of the building, Sammy ran the music company where he did the teaching while Tracy managed the students’ sched-ules and instruction fees. On the other side of the building Tracy also
ran a bookstore. However, the picture was not
complete. “We dreamed that he would have
a music place on one side, and I would have a coffee house on the other side. I encouraged him that we should do it,” Tracy said. “We always have encouraged each other with our endeavors.”
For quite a while, the coffee house was still a dream, but they prayed and waited for the right time.
Then, while they were enjoying a vacation in Puerto Rico, they found themselves enjoying an unusually good cup of coffee.
“It was really good,” Tracey recalled. At once, they looked into each other’s eyes said in unison, “It’s time to start the coffee house.”
When they got home, the coffee house became a reality.
When considering a menu, Tracy decided to add a touch of New Orleans, her hometown. Besides rich coffees flavored with chicory and hazelnut and decadent cara-mel and macchiato espressos, the Destiny Coffee House also serves a special Po’ Boy Sandwich, Étouffée, Santa Fe Soup and Tracy’s signature Seafood Bisque, with real seafood. She also offers baked goods, such as a homemade pound cake that her customers have named “a slice of Heaven”.
Now, as baker, chef, business manager, full-time employee, wife, as well as First Lady, Tracy James strives to give her all to the many roles that God has created her for.
“I’m fulfilling my destiny,” she says confidently. “I feel like we are on track and doing what God has created us to do. Through our love for each other, and by keeping God first in the equation, we were able to reach our destiny,” she smiled and said. “You don‘t want to leave this earth without fulfilling the pur-pose for which God has made you. Sammy and I tell every person that walks through our doors about the importance of purpose. We encour-age our church family and our cus-tomers to discover and fulfill their God-given destiny. The only way you’re going to know your destiny, is to know who you are and why God created you,”
The Destiny Worship Center is located at 3629 Morgan Road.
Sammy and Tracy James pose for a photo in front of the Destiny Music Group and Destiny Coffee building on Morgan Road. They are the co-pastors of Destiny Worship Center. Photo by Vincent Hobbs
Guided by destiny, duo finds purpose and fulfillment
PEOPLE
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WHAT WILL THEY DO? Young ladies will be allowed to
select from a variety of beautiful prom gowns for their perfect eve-ning at their High School Prom or ROTC Ball or special event. Young ladies will be available to assist them in picking out the perfect dress that compliments their body.
In addition to selecting a dress, young ladies will be given the opportunity to look at accessories such as shoes and jewelry that are available.
WHO IS THIS EVENT FOR? Young ladies in the in the CSRA
that may need assistance with the financial challenges of their spe-cial event.
DONATIONS. We are also accepting donated
formal dresses, shoes and acces-
sories. Donations can be dropped off at Shiloh Comprehensive Community Center on Mondays and Fridays between the hours of 3:00pm to 5:00pm. Contact Roxanne @ 706-589-3983/ Lisa @ 706-833-1637 after 6:00 M-F or on the weekends. Applications can be found on the SisterOnlyClub.com.
TO PARTICIPATEThose interested in coming
and finding the dress of their dreams, please call Roxanne @ (706) 589-3983 and set up an appointment. Appointments are on a first come first serve basis. All appointments will be for Saturday March 14, 2015 between the hours of 10:00 am – 3:00 pm. Location: Shiloh Comprehensive Community Center – 1635 15th Street – Augusta GA (706-738-0089). Girls must be accompa-nied by their parent or guardian.
Local researchers and history enthusiasts will gain access to the oral/written (non-book or magazine) resources provided by the area’s public and private libraries.
GRU’s Reese Library, along with the main branch public library and Paine College Library has used a grant to transfer and set up some of their cassette tape recordings on the web site at http://guides.gru.edu/SavingVoices.
Reese Library has the Fulcher Collection of tapes and transcripts of 1997 interviews with Jeanes supervisors in the Special Collections & Institutional Archives.
The public libraries’ tapes include some made in the 1970s of R.A. Dent, Louise Laney, Ed McIntyre, Butterfly McQueen, Madison Woo and others. (Not all the interviews were directly with African Americans.) These tapes are in the Heritage Room on the third floor of the main branch library on Telfair Street.
The Paine College Oral Histories set is of 11 tapes which includes one with Dr. Julius Scott Jr. (from 1988) and one with Dr. J.E. Robinson. These tapes are at the Collins-Calloway Library.
All tapes require QuickTime program to listen to them. If you do not already have QuickTime, you can download a free version from Apple. There are also other tapes at the above three libraries that were not put online but are available for listening in the respective libraries. Please contact each library for more information about them and times to listen to those tapes.
Cher’s Sisters Only Club Presents The 3rd Annual Prom-A-Palooza 2015
Local libraries offer glimpse of local Black History through tapes, transcripts
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LarryPittman &Associates, Inc.Mechanical ContractorsTimothy C. “Timmy” Pittman1249 Gordon Park Road • Augusta, Georgia 30901
Sewing class at Haines Normal and Industrial Institute, Augusta circa 1899.
In honor of LUCY CRAFT LANEY. . . the founder and principal of the Haines Institute in Augusta for fifty years (1883-1933), Lucy Craft Laney is Georgia’s most famous female African American educator.
A Black History Month Tribute
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“Girls Gone Mexico – Want a get Away – 4 days/3 nights Call for more information 706-755-6368
Literary & Jazz Café 2015 will feature Author Tacardra Rountree, Writings From Down Through The Years, with The Paine College Playhouse Theatre Arts Organization. This FREE event on Saturday, March 14, 2015 from Noon – 2 pm at The Tabernacle Family Life Center, 1223 Laney-Walker Blvd, will also have Special Performances by Karen Gordon of Garden
City Jazz and The Joel Cruz Method. Come for an afternoon with local authors, Get Success Publishing, Inc. and enjoy good food, great music and books, art, and other paraphernalia which will be available for purchase. Cash door prizes. This community event is spon-sored by the Augusta Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.
Marlon Williams of Augusta is seek-ing assistance from the community. Mr. Williams has been told that he must get a heart transplant. Williams, aka “Coach Will,” is active in the development of our city’s youth. The Recreation Department volunteer coach is also a veteran of the First Gulf War and is a member of Antioch Missionary Baptist Church.
The surgery is slated to be done at the Transplant Center at Vanderbilt University in Nashville. The proce-dure will place a tremendous strain on the Williams family who will need assistance meeting day-to-day expens-es without the help of donations from the public. The donations will enable Williams to keep he and his fami-ly from undergoing undue hardship. Marlon is married and has two chil-dren. Even before he is admitted into the medical facility, he and his wife, Teresa, will be making frequent trips between Augusta and Nashville.
Mr. Williams has an online fund-raiser started, the site is www.give-forward.com/fundraiser/wcc7/mar-lons-transplant. Anyone wishing to
Hey Augusta-CSRA, help a vetwho needs a heart transplant!
donate directly to the transplant fund may contact Marlon at 706-829-6664. Donations can also be mailed to Marlon Williams, 1915 Thomas Lane. Augusta Ga. 30904.
Marlon Williams: “Thanks Augusta, with help from the community I know I can make it through this ordeal.”
Literary & Jazz Café 2015
*2015 Hair Specials* Chemical Relaxer, Treatment, trim and Style $60Full Sewn – In Weave $100Brow – Arch Threading $10Quick Weave Layer Bobs $45Stuff Twists and Knot Twists $45Thermal Silk Blow – Out $40Chemical Shampoo and Style $355 Crown Foil Hi-lights $25
“Choose Your Own PRICE Tuesdays!”
Call To For Information and To Schedule Your Appointment NOW!
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Providence Place706-793-2180
2205 Southgate Dr. • Augusta,GA 30906
1 bedroom/1 bath starting at $4492 bedroom/1 bath starting at $475energy efficient
•Fully equipped kitchens•Mini-blinds • Pool • Laundry facilities•Total electric central heat and air•Washer/dryer connections in some•On-site courtesy officer
•Near Ft. Gordon•Gas heat/hot water heaters•Playground •Picnic area/grills
SELECTED UNITS
$200.00 OFF FIRST MONTH’S RENT *
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Take I-520 to Deans Bridge Road North. Turn right on Richmond Hll
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15UrbanProW
eekly • FEBRUARY 19 - 25, 2015by Kristie Robin Johnson
The long walk homeCOMMENTARYUPW FORUM
Recently the world heard the story of James Robertson. Robertson is a 56 year old native of Detroit, Michigan. Like millions of Americans, Robertson is severely underemployed in the wake of the Great Recession. For the last several years Robertson, unable to afford adequate transporta-tion, has commuted work using what my grandmother referred to as “Ike and Mike”. He walks to work. This is true for many low income workers in our nation. What’s truly amazing about Robertson’s story is the length of his commute to his manufacturing job in Rochester Hills, Michigan. He has walked 21 miles roundtrip, five days a week, to get back and forth to work. Robertson’s story touches on two issues in particular that hit close to home—the plight of the working poor and inadequate public transit.
We often hear our local and nation-al political leaders talk about their
various plans to improve conditions for the middle class. Very rarely do we hear about any ideas or strategies that are being offered up to assist America’s impoverished and working poor populations. More often than not, people tend to believe the “safe-ty net” myth. They believe that peo-ple living below the poverty line only need food stamps and subsidized housing to survive. We often forget that most of the poorest amongst us go to work every day, just like the rest of us. They often work longer hours and perform more arduous tasks. James Robertson’s story only reinforces the argument for a federal living wage. Any adult who puts in a 40 hour work week ought to be able to afford adequate transporta-tion. In many communities across the country, individual transporta-tion is a necessity and not a luxury. The CSRA is one such community.
Robertson could have easily run into the same problem here. A qualified and capable worker living in the city of Augusta might be the perfect fit for a company like John Deere or Club Car. But if that individual does not own reliable transportation, his or her odds of being able to hold down that job opportunity are diminished greatly. Some folks will not even apply for a job if it isn’t on the bus line.
So what is the solution? Perhaps every low-wage worker will be as fortunate as Mr. Robertson. A local car dealer will give each one a car and the public could donate enough money to make every member of the working poor independently wealthy overnight. We all know that’s not going to happen. There is no single, simple solution to this problem and it will take a lot of work from many different entities to see any substan-
tive change. Local city and county leaders will have to muster up the political will to work together to identify service gaps and expand the availability of public transit across city and county boundaries. Business leaders and economic development decision-makers will have to find a way to work with local governments to ensure that industries relocating to our area not only provide excellent job opportunities, but they should also make every effort to increase accessibility to those opportunities for all qualified workers. This is a tall order; but it isn’t impossible. And it is well worth the effort for every unheard, underpaid, hardworking James Robertson living and working in your neighborhood.
http://kristierobinspeaks.word-press.com/
@KristieRobinJ on [email protected]
COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION
OF RICHMOND COUNTY
The Richmond County School System will accept bids and request for proposals until 3:00 p.m., Wednesday, March 11, 2015, for the following:
Third Party Administrator for Workers’ Compensation RFP #15-703
Time and Attendance RFP #15-694
Bid specifications may be obtained by contacting Amy Bauman in the Business Office at 706-826-1298, on our web site at www.rcboe.org, or at the Richmond County School System, Central Office, 864 Broad Street, 4th Floor, Augusta, Georgia 30901.
The Richmond County School System reserves the right to reject any and all bids and to waive technicalities and informalities.
COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION OF RICHMOND COUNTY
By: Dr. Angela D. Pringle, Secretary
You don’t have to live with BACK PAINor any other kind of discomfort, including headaches, neck stiffness, shoulder pain, muscle tension, sleep difficulty or hand numbness/weakness.
2 Locations: 1125 Druid Park Ave. • 2583 Tobacco Road Augusta, GA 30904 Hephzibah, GA 30815
706-736-5551
1132 Druid Park Ave, Augusta, GA 30904
Drug Testing Now Available! Most Insurance Accepted
You don’t have to live withBACK PAIN or any other kind of discomfort, including headaches, neck stiffness, shoulder pain, muscle tension, sleep difficulty or hand numbness/weakness.Dr. Cal Brice
WE TAKE • Georgia medicaid • Insurance plans• Charge cards • WIC vouchers
MEDICAL VILLA PHARMACY
Marshall Curtis,Pharmacist/OwnerBaron Curtis, Pharmacist
FREE DELIVERY SERVICE
706-722-7355
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5QP’s Dollhouse from page 9
Sunday School 8:30 amMorning Worship Services: 9:45 amEvening Worship Services 6 pm (4th Sunday)Bible Study: 6pm (Mondays)Midday Bible Study: 12pm (Tuesdays)Prayer Services: 6pm (Wednesdays)Celebrate Recovery: 6pm (Fridays) and 12pm (Mondays)
2323 Barton Chapel Road • Augusta,GA 30906706.790.8185 / 706.922.8186 (fax)
Visit Us @ www.broadwaybaptistaug.org • Join us on facebook
Dr. C. William Joyner, Jr.Senior Pastor
Start your calling today! Mount Olivet Certified Academic Institution 706.793.0091 • 706.793.0335 • www.mocai-aug.org
Good Shepherd Baptist ChurchRev. Clarence Moore, Pastor1714 Olive Road / P. O. Box 141 (mailing address) Augusta, GA 30903706/733-0341- Telephone/706/667-0205 – FaxE-mail address: [email protected] address: goodshepherdaugusta.orgChurch Service: 7:45 & 11:00 a.m.Church School: 9:45 a.m. / Prayer Service: 11:00 a.m. – WednesdayBible Study: 9:00 a.m. - Saturday / 7:00 p.m. - Wednesday
Rev. Clarence Moore
Everfaithful Missionary Baptist Church314 Sand Bar Ferry RoadAugusta, Georgia 30901(706) 722- 0553Church School Sunday 9:25amMorning Worship Sunday 11amEvening Worship 6pm (1st & 3rd Sunday) Midday Prayer 12pm WednesdayIntercessory Prayer/Bible Study 6pm Wednesday
Radio Broadcast: Sundays • WKZK 103.7 FM at 7:30 a.m.
Bishop Rosa L. Williams, Pastor
WORSHIPCHURCH
Gardner Grove Baptist Church PASTORAL RETIREMENT
Sunday, February 22, 2015, 2:00 p.m.
Bishop Willie J. Jackson will be celebrating his Pastoral Retirement on
Sunday, February 22, 2015 at 2 p.m. at Gardner Grove Baptist Church,
3511 Wheeler Road, Augusta, GA. Pastor Willie Mincey and the Springfield
Baptist Church of Hephzibah, Georgia will be special guests.
For information, please call Rev. Annette Dickerson at 803-646-6841.
Restoration MinistriesFRIENDS & FAMILY DAY
Sunday, February 22, 2015
Invite your friends and family to dress casual and join you for a morning of
Worship as we assemble together to give praise to our God.
The CSRA CleRgy BoARd of diReCtoRS
Board of Coalition PastorsP.O. Box 16013
Augusta, GA. 30919-2013Bishop L.A. Green, Sr., Chairman
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Frank Yerby defends his brand of popular fiction
Charles J. (Joe) Johnson, P.E.Principal
JOHNSON, LASCHOBER & ASSOCIATES, P.C.
Architects • Engineers • Landscape Architects
1296 Broad St., Augusta, GA 30901
706.724.5756 phone • 706.724-3955 fax
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Johnson, Laschober & Associates, P.C.
In the most popular fiction of the fifties about the Old South, race was meticulously avoided, while bell-beau
romance and saber-clashing adventure reigned supreme. One ingenious author dominated this genre, the extraordinary Frank Yerby.
He is another of the great communica-tors of the South in this century. Between 1946 when Foxes of Harrow appeared, and 1970, he published more than twen-ty novels. More than half concern the South, five were annual best seller, and three are all-time best sellers. The Vixons (1947); 3,170,056 through 1966), Foxes of Harrow (2,702,597), and Floodtide (1950; 1,801,097).
Yerby is one of but a handful of humans to earn wealth at writing; at last report he works but half of each year. Since 1952 he has lived in Spain and on the French Riviera. He skiis in the Alps, races his own Jaguar in Nice, and relaxes at con-siderable lengths on the beach. Perhaps equally remarkable, Frank Yerby is a southern black man.
Yerby was born in Augusta, Georgia, in 1916 and grew up segregated in the high age of Jim Crow. He attended all-black Paine College in Augusta, then earned a Masters’ Degree in English at Fisk. Following more graduate work at the university of Chicago he began teaching at black southern schools in the late thirties (Florida A&M and Southern University). In 1942 he quit teaching to make a Detroit war plant job which paid much better. He married a blond very light-skinned octoroon, fathered four children, and settled in New York to write fiction to sell. Dial Press bought Foxes of Harrow and The Vixens; then there was trouble with white neighbors; the Yerby’s moved to Spain; then they were divorced – all within half a dozen years after the first book. Yerby ultimate-
ly remarried (to a Spaniard ironically named “Blanquita”). Bought a Madrid apartment and hardly missed a step in his rhythmic production of novels.
Yerby’s South was Margaret Mitchell’s without Mammy. There are baroni-al estates supporting fabulous wealth, decadent aristocrats and swashbucklers on the make, pallid indoor belles and flushed hellions ala Scarlett or Jezebel. There are many duels among gentlemen over honor, horse, and women; and there is outright warfare where boys can nur-ture machismo.
Principal characters in Yerby’s books must “picaresque” and “romantic.” Males must be “dominant” because United States men are emasculated, and mid-dle-class women, the vast majority of his readership, want fantasy men to supply the needs their husbands do not provide. Sex there must be, but discreet.
Plots revolve about “exterior conflict” – action; so characters need not be partic-ularly ordinary, normal, or approachable. Blacks figure as characters hardly at all. That Yerby is dark was downplayed for years, and thousands of readers assumed he was white.
In 1959, at the height of his success, Yerby published a disarmingly frank essay in Harper’s entitled “How and Why I Write the Costume Novel.” Here he explained his fiction with an apparent cynicism, but Yerby made a strong case for his work. Few authors of popular literature (or of academic history for that matter) have been so clear and honest in revealing their raison d’ecrir. The cos-tume novel was not history or historical fiction, he declared, but rather a “certain genre of light, pleasant fiction.” “At bot-tom,” he added, “the novelist’s job is to entertain. If he aspires to instruct, or to preach,he has chosen his profession unwisely.”
Frank Yerby and Children: Rare photo of novelist Frank Yerby with his children in the Long Island, N.Y. home. circa 1955
Yerby disdained “realism,” too. He wrote for average people, and the average person’s real life was a “crashing bore” Life is shapeless, he philosophized, and “many, if not most of life’s problems cannot be solved at all.” The role of fiction is to amuse, provide a shape of sorts and happiness, escape.”
From: Media-Made Dixie: The South in the American Imagination By Jack Temple Kirby
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5
Tender Care Training CenterAccredited and State Approved
Train to become a Certified Nurse’s Assistant (CNA)
Phlebotomy Technician or Pharmacy Technician
For Enrollment Information, Call (706)736-9225 Fax: (706) 736-0995
Visit www.tendercareschool.comcastbiz.net
1755 Gordon Hwy, Suite E • Augusta, GA 309041755 Gordon Hwy, Suite E • Augusta, GA 30904
Brown vs. Bd. of Education Panel
DiscussionReese Library will host a
discussion titled “Brown vs. Board of Education: A Panel on School Segregation and Integration” on Wednesday, February 25, at the JSAC Coffeehouse from 6:30 to 8 p.m. A little over 60 years ago, the Supreme Court ruled that school segregation was illegal in the landmark case of Brown vs. Board of Education. Join us as we lis-ten to the stories of African Americans who experienced school segregation and those whose lives were trans-formed by school integration. Parking will be free. For more information about this event, please contact Erin Prentiss at 706-667-4912.
The Georgia Heritage Room will present “Slave Songs of Augusta” on Saturday, February 28, at 11 a.m. at the Headquarters Auditorium. The program will be presented by Robert
Hester with musical accompaniment by Creative Impressions.
Call 706-826-1511 for more details on the programs or exhibit. The library is located at 823 Telfair Street.
HAPPENINGSCOMMUNITY
“Slave Songs of Augusta” by Robert Hester
The Lucy Craft Laney Museum of Black History is hosting “Say It Loud!: James Brown and the Civil Rights Movement” exhibition through the end of February. The exhibition reflects on the political impact of the Godfather of Soul and examines the influences of Brown’s music on
an entire generation. It also high-lights many of the events of the civil rights movement as it occurred in Augusta. The museum is located at 1116 Phillips St. Admission is $5. For more information, visit the museum web site atwww.lucycraftlaneymuse-um.com.
Laney Museum of Black History Events
Laney Museum will host a free book signing event with some of Augusta’s most prominent black authors on Sat., Feb. 21, at 1 p.m. Local and regional authors will include Dr.
Janaka Bowman-Lewis, Tia Capers, Dr. Jean Embry, Malaika Favorite, Rev. Charles Goodman III, Karen Jenkins, Kandyce Mack, Crystal Neal and Dr. Arlecia Simmons.
Laney Museum will host it’s Annual Historian Awards program on Wednesday, Feb. 25, from 5-8 p.m. Dr. Mallory Millender, former French professor and campus historian for Paine College, will be honored. He continues a quest to uplift and pre-serve the city’s history by researching the historic institution.
Book signing by local black authors
Historian Awards Program
Elim Baptist Church will celebrate the 44th Annual Paine College Day on Sunday, February 22, 2015 at 11: 00 AM. Paine College Day at Elim is a special occasion where the church provides spiritual and financial sup-port for the College. The speaker for this year’s occasion is Dr. Samuel Sullivan, Interim President of Paine College and the theme is “Elim and Paine: More Than Conquerors through God’s Love”.
Elim Baptist Church is located on 2359 Mount Auburn Street in the Sand Hills Community.
Show Me What You Got Hair Show
GRU’s Black Student Union will present a Show Me What You Got Hair Show on Sunday, Feb. 22, at the Maxwell Performing Arts Theatre. The show will run 4:30 to 8 p.m. Ticket prices are $7 pre-show, $10 on Feb. 22. For more information, please call the PAT box office at 706-667-4100.
Annual Paine Day
Jennifer Norman-DixonIndependent Cruise
& Vacation Specialist
Hephzibah, GA 30815Phone 706-925-2929
Toll Free (877-790-6082Fax 404-601-4492
Email:[email protected]/jdixon
The internationally-acclaimed American Boychoir (ABC), in col-laboration with the Jessye Norman School of the Arts, will be in concert Sunday, February 21 at 4 p.m. at St. John United Methodist Church, 736 Greene Street.
The American Boychoir School founded in Columbus, Ohio in 1937, and has been located in Princeton, New Jersey since 1950. Boys in fourth through eighth grades come from across the coun-try and around the world to pur-sue a rigorous musical and aca-demic curriculum at the school.
Celebrating the rich 75-year his-tory as America’s premier con-cert boys’ choir, The American Boychoir has long been recognized as one of the finest musical ensem-bles in the country. Capitalizing on its trademark blend of musical sophistication, spirited presenta-tion, and ensemble virtuosity, The Boychoir performs regularly with world-class ensembles, including The New York Philharmonic, The Philadelphia Orchestra, and The Boston Symphony, and is often featured with such illustrious con-ductors as James Levine, Charles Dutoit, and Alan Gilbert.
Famed American Boychoirto perform this weekendThe American Boychoir is fre-
quently invited to join internation-ally-renowned artists on stage, and the list of collaborators reflects the extraordinary range of the ensem-ble: from great classical artists such as Jessye Norman and Frederica von Stade to jazz legend Wynton Marsalis and pop icons Beyoncé and Sir Paul McCartney.
The choir’s young soloists are also in high demand and have joined forces with The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, The Cleveland Symphony Orchestra,
and The Spoleto Festival, to name a few.
The programs offered by The American Boychoir School are made possible in part through a grant by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts / Department of State, a partner agency of the National Endowment for the Arts. Additional funding has been pro-vided by the New Jersey Cultural Trust. For more information about the upcoming concert, call Jessye Norman School of the Arts at (706) 828-7768.
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StressPhysical Inactivity
Family History of Cardiovascular diseaseObesityDiabetes
High Blood PressureHigh Cholesterol
Cigarette Smoking
ARE YOU AT RISK?
HEART ATTACK • BRAIN ATTACK • PREVENT ATTACKEast Central Health DistrictHypertension Management Outreach Program
Richmond County 706.721.5800
Historian Awards Program
Elim Baptist Church will celebrate the 44th Annual Paine College Day on Sunday, February 22, 2015 at 11: 00 AM. Paine College Day at Elim is a special occasion where the church provides spiritual and financial sup-port for the College. The speaker for this year’s occasion is Dr. Samuel Sullivan, Interim President of Paine College and the theme is “Elim and Paine: More Than Conquerors through God’s Love”.
Elim Baptist Church is located on 2359 Mount Auburn Street in the Sand Hills Community.
Annual Paine Day
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